Introducing My Newest Book: Bonus Baby

I've written another book. This time, I had a little help from my oldest daughter, Grace. It's called Bonus Baby: When the Life You Didn't Plan Becomes the Life You Love.

If you've followed our family for any length of time, you probably know a little bit about our story. You've heard me talk about our miscarriage, our international adoption of Silas from Uganda, and some of the unexpected twists and turns that have come with raising five children. But this book tells another part of that story, one that started when Mindy and I thought we were finally getting close to the season of life we had planned for all those years.

We were in our late 30s, raising four children, and finally beginning to see the light at the end of the parenting tunnel. We had a plan. We got married young, had our kids young, survived the diapers and sleepless nights, and were looking forward to enjoying the next chapter of life. We were starting to think about the empty nest years, traveling a little more, and maybe having a conversation at dinner without someone interrupting us to ask where their shoes were.

And then we found out we were pregnant. Again.

Let's just say our initial reaction wasn't exactly what you'd expect to hear at a church baby shower. We had already given away the baby stuff, we were adjusting to life with four children, and we thought we were finished having kids. Suddenly, we were going back to diapers, bottles, sleepless nights, and everything that comes with raising another baby. It wasn't exactly what we had planned, and it took us a little while to wrap our minds around it.

Eventually, we welcomed Wesley into our family, and what we initially viewed as a pretty significant interruption to our plans became one of the greatest gifts of our lives. That's the story behind Bonus Baby. It's about the unexpected, the funny, the difficult, the exhausting, and the wonderful parts of family life. It's about learning that sometimes the life we spend so much time trying to get to isn't nearly as important as the life we're living right now.

There's another reason this book is particularly special to me. I wrote it with my oldest daughter, Grace. Grace was there for the entire story. She watched it unfold, experienced the announcement, the excitement, the uncertainty, and all the changes that came with adding another little brother to our family. Now, years later, she and I have had the opportunity to sit down and put that story into words together.

Grace is an English major at the University of Florida with a love for reading and writing. She brought a tremendous amount of talent, perspective, and creativity to this project. There's something pretty special about getting to write a book with your daughter, especially when the story you're telling is about the family you've built together. I think it's safe to say this is one of my favorite projects I've ever worked on, and I'm incredibly proud of her.

The book is funny, honest, and inspirational. There are plenty of laughs along the way (you know me), but there's also a meaningful message about faith, family, parenting, and learning to embrace the life God gives you rather than spending all your time wishing you had the life you planned. Because sometimes we're so focused on the life we thought we were going to have that we miss the incredible life that's happening right in front of us. Wesley changed our plans, challenged us in ways we never anticipated, and reminded us that God can do some pretty amazing things with a story we never would have written ourselves.

I also wanted to share this with those of you who have booked me to speak or perform in the past. This book gives me an entirely new story and speaking program to bring to your church, conference, banquet, or organization. If you've enjoyed having me before, I'd love to come back and share something new with your audience. This story can be presented as an inspirational keynote, a clean comedy show, or incorporated into a fundraising event. It has the humor, personal storytelling, and inspirational message you've come to expect from me, but it's an entirely different chapter of our family's journey.

For organizations working with children, families, adoption, foster care, or family-focused ministries, I think there are some particularly meaningful connections. It's a story about unexpected circumstances, the challenges of parenting, the importance of family, and recognizing that God is still working even when life doesn't look anything like we planned. And for those of you who have already had me at your event, this is a great opportunity to bring me back with a fresh program and a new story to share.

I'm grateful for every organization that has invited me into their room, trusted me with their audience, and given me the opportunity to make people laugh, encourage their faith, and inspire generosity. I never take those invitations for granted, and I would love the opportunity to work with you again.

So, if you've booked me before, consider this an invitation to do it again. And if you haven't booked me yet, maybe this is a good reason to start!

I'm excited about this new book, but even more excited about sharing the story behind it. After all, we thought we were done writing chapters in our parenting story. Apparently, God had another one in mind.

And I'm really glad He did.