Pride!

Dear Kids, 
If there is any lesson we want you to learn at an early age it is self confidence in who you are and that you have a place in this world.  Not everyone you come across will support this notion, some will even directly try to tear you down and pull that awareness from you.  It is our goal to start young with the two of you establishing that everyone has a fit in this world.  This is why we support the rights of others to be happy and share love with their soul mate, no matter what package he or she may come in.  These first years of your lives our nation has been debating the rights of same sex soul mates to marry.   Daddy and I can't really wrap our heads around why it is a debate.  We have people we love who have found their soul mate in a same gender partner and we can't imagine them with anyone else.  At the very least the supreme court recently decided to support unions of same sex partners in part to protect children and give their families equal benefits under the federal law.  There are many mom, mama/ papa, daddy homes out there and if their parents' rights aren't protected than neither are their children's.  Now it is up to the state debates for what they each will allow.  Unfortunately, here in Indiana it is a depressing outlook thus far, with Mike Pence saying, "it is my belief that the traditional definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman should stand."  There has also been the grave sadness at the idea a couple of the same sex could be fined up to $10,000 and taken to jail (up to 2.5 years) for filing a marriage license on grounds the license only allows a blank for a male name and female name, thus filing the license with two male or two female names could be illegal fraud, a class D felony.  It goes further to prosecute a clerk or clergy member that would except the "fraudulent" license.  Really you ask?  Really!  I hope that by the time you read this our federal attitude toward this issue trickles down to our individual states and your response will be, "REALLY Mommy?! People did that?"  
All of this gave us cause when the IAC asked us to participate in the annual Indy Pride Parade we did!   Not only was it fun but we were treated awesome and had a great time. Possibly demystifying how hard many same gender couples feel it is for them to become parents, we spoke with many couples about your adoptions.  We walked in the parade behind the IAC banner supporting all families so that ours in turn could be honored.  

Henry, you thought we were at circus, due to the super duper pink group behind us.  You enjoyed collecting the necklaces and all the candy people threw at us.  Hazel sat in the carrier on my chest smiling and waving at all the people yelling at her, "OH MY GOSH! BABY WITH GLASSES!"  Hazelita, you really have a future in parades. 

We ate lots of bad food and Henry got to jump on the trampoline contraption for the first time.  So cool!  

On returning from getting a snow cone I found Hazel surrounded by some adoring admirers from Ohio.  

We were honored to be there and are excited to attend again next year.  We want you both to be tolerant and loving toward other people.  We hope this is a good start.
Love, Mama