First Presidency Endorses National Adoption Month
Kiku Beaufort11/14/2007 12:00 AM MST
November is National Adoption Month, and members of the First Presidency have thrust their support behind the government’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for more parents to adopt.
“We endorse this proclamation [of November as National Adoption Month] and express our support of unwed parents who place their children for adoption in stable homes with a mother and a father,” the First Presidency stated. “We also express our support of the married mothers and fathers who adopt these children.”
The First Presidency’s statement follows years and years of the tradition of celebrating adoption, both inside and outside the Church.
National Adoption Month, which began in 1976, was originally only celebrated for a week. It was initiated on a state level by the governor of Massachusetts. But, when President Gerald Ford caught wind of the idea, he implemented it as a national celebration that same year. In 1990, it was changed from a week to a month-long celebration.
The goal of this month is to celebrate the family, raise awareness of the thousands of children waiting for adoption, and express gratitude to the many parents who have taken foster children into their homes.
“Families who adopt show the generous spirit of our Nation,” President George W. Bush stated in a proclamation announcing adoption month. “Every child desires a permanent home, and when parents adopt a child to love as their own, lives are changed forever.”
Within National Adoption Month, there is a specific, momentous day, National Adoption Day, which will be held this Saturday. On this day, special efforts are made by the courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, and child welfare agencies in all 50 states to finalize adoptions for thousands of children.
The Church’s support derives from its stance on the sanctity of life, and it has done everything in its power to provide adoption services to solidify that belief. In 1919, the Church started LDS Family Services to do just that.
LDS Family Services offers help for both birth parents and adopting parents. It provides information about services, experiences of other birth parents, and agency commercials to offer courage and hope to those making the difficult decision of whether to place their child for adoption.
Regardless of who is promoting adoption, the Church is there to offer their support for the sanctity of life and the importance of the family.
“Children are entitled to the blessing of being reared in a stable family environment where father and mother honor marital vows,” the First Presidency stated. “Having a secure, nurturing, and consistent relationship with both a father and a mother is essential to a child’s well-being. When choosing adoption, unwed parents grant their children this most important blessing. Adoption is an unselfish, loving decision that blesses the child, birth parents, and adoptive parents in this life and throughout the eternities. We commend all those who strengthen children and families by promoting adoption.”
Visit
ChildWelfare.gov to learn more about National Adoption Month events and sponsors.
Visit
ItsAboutLove.org to learn more about LDS Family Services.
We finally have our first snow in Helena. We had begun to think that maybe they were all fibbing about the snow here. The weather reports every week for the last two months has showed snow but it never even rained. So this weekend it was actually raining and we figured it was bound to finally happen. The temps are not going to get any higher than 34 this week and we will get lows in the teens everyday. 
Well, even though it was in the high 30's today...I decided to wear my sandals anyway! Bryce hates me wearing sandals in the winter, and I usually get a good scolding for doing so. But what is great about Montana is that it is sunny almost everyday and that just makes me want to be in my sandals, even if it IS cold. 
I finally got my Lucky Baby baby sling in the mail this week. I am really excited to use it. All though I probably wont be taking him anywhere for awhile after he is born (because it will be too cold and in the middle of flu season). But I think I will be using it alot at home when I am doing things around the house. I have read that it is important to hold an adopted baby alot, to help create a better bond.
what I made at our Enrichment night at church Friday. The letters are just those cool vinyl letters. There is a lady in our Stake who has a vinyl lettering machine and she holds craft nights every few months so I am really excited about that. Also she said that she can customize anything if I get her the info for it. So I plan on getting her to make me a couple of our baby's name (what ever that ends up being) to put on my tags for my family home evening board. I was kind of worried about getting that to actually make our FHE board functional. 
I wasn't going to get a mobile because they are really expensive and I didn't think that it was essential. Plus most of them really aren't that cute or don't match. But when I was at Ross the other day I found this one, that I actually thought was cute and matched and it was only $10. It has two sail boats, a lighthouse, a starfish and I think the middle one is supposed to be a sand castle.
The Starfish!
"C" picked this out for the baby when her and I went shopping last week.
Here is the bouncy/vibrator seat we got this weekend. I liked it because it was pretty plain. But it is really big, which I will have to deal with.
Here is how it turned out! 