Gathering & Growing

If you are here, it is probably because you saw our social media post about growing our family.  We have been so excited to share this news but also savoring the time with just a select few knowing our little secret.

We knew that when we decided to share this news with "the world" that there were going to be lots of questions. It was no longer going to be whispered about among friends and so many people were going to immediately ask about our adoption. So, we knew when we found the right time to share that we needed to take that opportunity to speak and share about our wonderful and unique situation of being pregnant while in the midst of adoption.

To answer the big burning question everyone asks right off the bat, YES- our adoption is still happening and YES we are still right on track.

Now, the biggest thing I want everyone to know is that we are adopting because God called us to and we are growing a little baby because God called us to. He put the desire to adopt a little nugget from Nicaragua on our hearts and opened up door after door to make sure we knew adoption was His plan for our family. Then this summer, He called us to take another step of faith and to grow our family biologically. From the moment Reed and I decided to "talk" about growing our family we said our first priority was to follow God and let whatever we do be for HIS glory. We want our children, adopted or biological, to know that our "family plan" was to grow up children that know and feel the love of God each and every day no matter what their story.

Each of these children is a miracle. We can't wait to meet them both and have these two pictures of our faith be forever in our family. But they are a miracle because they were both knit together by our amazing Father. We are not adopting because we could not get pregnant and we did not get pregnant because we are adopting. We are pregnant and adopting because God wrote an amazing story that we get to live out and share with the world.

Adoption and pregnancy are both a journey that not every family has the joy of experiencing. We know that many families adopting may struggle to get pregnant. Or that adoption may come up later after biological children. We want to savor every moment of both of these journeys and remember that God has us on them, at the same time, so we can share His family story.

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The Perfect Combination



Once upon a time I blogged on a daily basis, about every single change in my space.

Obvs that doesn't happen anymore! Maybe sometimes change is just too big to catalog as it is happening. that sounds good, lets go with that. 

So - no DIY tutorials today but I do want to share my most favorite room in our little Chapin Casa!


The living room. The first room our guests see. The room we cuddle in to watch TV. The room that is always the perfect balance of crazy outdoors man and artistic color lover. 

But seriously, we have never seen a room that felt like such a perfect combination between the two of us. 


This little 1940s charm filled house has elements that just begged us to put our stamp on. The light in this room makes my art collection pop. Painting the brick gauntlet grey by Sherwin Williams gave contrast to our 1800s original chippy paint mantel that we brought from York. Oh and that entry wall in that smooth grey made Reeds european mounts seem straight out of a western decor magazine. 


Cozy texture and meaningful pieces has this room feeling like it has always been home.
Vintage chairs - recovered by fabric picked out by my mom and aunt.
Kerosene can lamp- made with an old can found in our previous back yard.
Animal mounts from Reeds many adventures.
Art from my grandma and me.
childhood trunk turned coffee table.



I can't tell you how to replicate this room, or link to the sources for you to get your own treasure. But I can tell you that decorating should be done with pieces you love. When a home is filled with love and pieces picked by people you love then you can't go wrong! Collect memories not things and your house will be a home. 

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