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story of love

"I see your smile
And it’s so much sweeter
After all that I’ve been through
And when we laugh
I get a glimpse of forever
And I praise God that I found you

And anytime someone asks me
How it all unfolded I’ll tell them
Such incredible chances
Make for marvelous love.

Just like the sun lights up the moon
This love is a reflection
Of more than just me and you
Our lives were less than ordinary
And while I couldn’t see past tomorrow
God was making history

Oh my, what a beautiful story of love."

-Mandi Mapes


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Today we celebrate the first time we saw this sweet face two years ago & give thanks for each page of our family’s love story.

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It was a glorious week, full of the unexpected. Like little ones running barefoot through the sprinkler, sunburned shoulders & blossoms bursting from branches that were bare only one week ago. The sunshine definitely makes waiting for the next chapter in our story to unfold a little easier.

awake my soul

The sunshine stirs me from my long winter slumber and beckons me outside to feel it’s warmth on my skin.  As I emerge from the shadows to seek this light, I am again reminded of the wonder of spring.  The hope of new life, of things unseen yet sure to come.

This spring feels more magical than any before.  Any day now we may find out that it is time to travel to meet Teagan.  Tomorrow is his 5th birthday. Five years without a family to celebrate his precious life and help him understand how very special he is.  I wonder how many times has he awoken at night without someone to comfort him or laughed without someone to share his joy.  This year when he blows out the candles on his birthday cake, I know that his wish will come true.  Hold on little buddy, we are coming for you.  Your new life has almost begun.

And while we wait and trust in God’s timing, I am planning to enjoy this special time with Addie while her other big brothers are in school.  I am looking forward to many more adventures like the one we had today, coming out of hibernation to explore the yard & soak up some sunshine. Addie also made a new friend, offering gifts of pine cones & kisses to the neighbor’s dog.  I’m not sure he was as enthused as she was.

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In other news, our little Addie Lou is officially a Wagner and a United States citizen since we recently completed the long readoption process. She continues to bless us with her crazy antics and silly spirit & we are reminded how amazing this journey has been.  Here are some images from indoor photo shoots before the beautiful weather arrived.

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Many reasons for a joyful season.

We kicked off the holiday season this year with a fun trip to Disney, one of my most favorite places!  There was thirteen of us and we had the chance to stay in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we awoke each morning to the sight of giraffes & zebras just below our balcony.  The Christmas season is a wonderful time to go to Disney as it is even more magical with special parades and fireworks at the castle, an amazing light display at Hollywood Studios & Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom.  The boys had many exciting adventures including becoming official pirates and Addie had fun watching all the action from the safety of daddy’s lap (usually peeking out through her fingers).  It may have had something to do with the fact that the first show we brought her to was “It’s Tough to be a Bug”.  Just in case you are wondering, a sure way to freak a toddler out is to be in total darkness with scary sounds and then have humungous insects crawl out of the ceiling.  The days passed much too quickly but I guess the best ones always do…

disneystoryboardAfter Disney & the whirlwind of preparations leading up to Christmas, I have truly treasured time to relax & spend with family.  Highlights included sampling all of my Mom’s cookies, cuddling with my sweet Grandma, watching Addie master the act of opening presents & catching up with my little brother & my sister-in-law visiting from Santa Cruz.  I loved watching the boys pour over World Vision catalogs together trying to choose the perfect gifts to give with the change overflowing from our Christmas jar.  We celebrated old traditions & started new ones too.  We had the chance to share all that God has done in our lives during our Christmas Eve service.  We remembered all that we have to be thankful for & all that we have to look forward to in 2012, like holding our sweet Teagan for the first time & bringing him home.  May your heart also be filled with gratitude for all of the blessings in your life & hope for the new year.

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Giving thanks for God’s little gifts.

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… and that’s a wrap.

when you’re flying high, take my heart along

I’ll be the harmony to every lonely song that you learn to sing

when you’re soaring through the air

I’ll be your solid ground

take every chance you dare

I’ll still be there

when you come back down

-Nickel Creek

I was able to capture a really cool moment the other day.  A new father throwing his baby boy up in the air for the first time.

At first barely losing contact,

growing more brave & confident with each toss.

Learning one of the hardest lessons of parenthood.

How to let go.

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it’s a good life.

Wow, I guess it’s been a while since I found time to catch up on this blog!   I was blessed to have the opportunity to photograph so many families over the last few months that I know and love.  I promise that I will share lots of beautiful moments captured in upcoming posts but first to catch you up on my little crew…

Summers are crazy busy at our house and this year was no exception.  It was an amazing summer filled with great times with friends & family.  We introduced Addie to camping at our favorite spot, Stonybrook.  I guess our little diva doesn’t really get it yet.  We decided it will be easier next year and made the best of our time there together anyways.  We traveled to NC for a fun reunion with dear friends and got a little sidetracked in Newark on the way back but tried to make the best of that too.  Will & I escaped to Atlantic City for the Dave Matthews Caravan and our feet danced in the dirt all weekend, happy & free.  The boys jumped & sang for Jesus at vacation bible school & had a blast playing baseball & soccer with lots of trips to the local ice cream shop after games.  Looking back, my favorite times together were the warm, sunny days spent right in our backyard & all the gooey s’mores under the moonlight.  I have been loving the hipstimatic on my iphone for capturing all the real moments of our life.  Here is a little glimpse into our days…

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There were life changing moments this summer too.  Moments that reminded us to live intentionally, be courageous & have the faith to follow our hearts. We are adopting another child from Ethiopia.  Although we did not plan to have any more children, God had a different plan for our family.  It started about a year ago, when I saw his big brown eyes staring back at me from the computer on Holt’s photolisting for waiting children.  I don’t even know why I was on there that day but there was a moment of recognition.  Call it divine intervention.  I think a mommy’s heart just knows…

Here is a little about our sweet guy.  We plan to call him Teagan Samuel which is a slight variation from his Ethiopian first name as it is very difficult to pronounce.  We are not allowed to post his actual Ethiopian name but his first name means “found or chosen” and his middle name means “asked or prayed for”.  He was given his name by the person who found him when he abandoned as an infant.  He has been in an orphanage since this time, watching all of the other children come & go, waiting for a family to call his own.  He is now 4 1/2 years old.  There is much unknown as he sustained a brain injury during his first few months of life and has developmental delays as a result.  But one thing is for sure, he is already loved.  He has a baby sister & two big brothers that have prayed for him faithfully every night and a mommy & daddy that can’t wait to bring him home & show him what it means to be loved.

In related news, we have just begun a new well campaign through charity:water in honor of Addie Lou, Teagan & all the beautiful people of their birth country.  The news of the famine in the horn of Africa has been devastating and we support charity:water’s efforts to break the cycle of poverty by meeting life’s most basic need.  We are especially excited that this year donations will go toward purchasing a new drill rig to dig more wells in Ethiopia.  You can find details regarding our campaign & learn all about the project in a video you can fine here.  Your support with our campaign last year meant so much to us and we are hopeful that this year, our friends will continue to give generously to help change lives around the world.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson

Class of 2011/ Rochester NY Senior photographer

Driving down the highway saying goodbye to it all
In between the blues and greens we’re following the call
That takes us so far away from summer’s sunny days
You know I’m missing you already and I can still see your face

I can hear us laughing
I remember every part
I’ve got everything we ever did
It’s tattooed on my heart
But there’s a colder wind coming in
And blowing us apart
Until the summer brings us back,
You know you got a piece of my heart

Watching your taillights fading out of my sight
Feeling like the sun just lost a little bit of its light
But you’ve left your memories to linger, new memories to start
‘Til the summer brings you back, you know you got a piece of my heart

-Keri Noble

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!  Enjoy your summer days with each other & with your families before your next adventure begins.  Here are a few of my favorite images of two recent graduates from HF-L, Kristen & Marissa. Aren’t they both absolutely beautiful?!!!   They were so much fun to photograph & I know they both have bright futures ahead.

Kristen

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Marissa

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I absolutely love shooting seniors and am really excited to work with the class of 2012.  I have set aside times for senior sessions in August & September. They are filling up quickly so please don’t wait to reach out to me if you would like to reserve one of the few session times remaining.   I look forward to hearing from you and planning a fun session that will show off your unique style & personality.

sweet homecomings

This weekend our family is celebrating the anniversay of Addie’s homecoming.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year.  It’s even harder to remember life before she was a part of our family.  Her transformation has been amazing.  She has grown into a lively, adventurous, sweet but strong willed little girl.  I can not imagine making the twenty hour flight with her right now as she does not like to sit still and has a tendency to be a bit dramatic when she does not get her way. Which happens quite often, since she loves to get into trouble.  As challenging as it is to deal with at times, I know that it is her strong spirit that got her through the first four months of her life in the orphanage and all the battles that her little body had to fight during this time.

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To celebrate Addie’s first year at home, we are hosting a formula drive through Brighton Their World.  Brighton Their World is a non-profit organization that is focused on helping orphans by providing basic neccesities like formula to orphanages in Ethiopia. Check out this short video to see what inspired the Hoffman family to begin this jouney…

Brighton Their World Promo from Echo on Vimeo.

I knew as soon as I watched this that a formula drive was the perfect way to celebrate the blessing of having Addie in our life. We were dangerously close to losing her in the same way that Brighton died.  Without proper nutrition, many other babies will never have the chance to know what it feels like to come home to a family that loves them. If you live in the Rochester area, please let us know if you would like to make a difference by donating formula. We will be collecting cans over the next month and then will ship them to the Hoffmans so that they can be transported by families that are traveling to Ethiopia.

Speaking of wonderful homecomings, I was recently blessed with the opportunity to capture sweet little Lola meeting her family for the first time after a long journey home from Korea. It was one of the most beautiful moments that I have ever been a part of …
Grab some tissues and enjoy this slideshow.

Finally, another homecoming that was very different but just as sweet. Our family recently joined many others at the airport to welcome home the latest group of WWII veterans returning from a trip to DC to visit the memorial on an Honor Flight. It was so touching to see how much it meant to the veterans as they were welcomed by the crowd and such a powerful reminder of how much the sacrifices they made for our freedom should mean to us.

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new life

Despite the snow that continues to fall outside my window, I have found the promise of spring in this new little life.  Introducing Patrick Joseph.  Seven pounds, eleven ounces of sweetness.  He was wonderful to work with and it was such a joy to see the happiness he brings to his doting parents, Terry & Tracy.  Another family born from the miracle of adoption and more proof that God has a perfect plan.

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their world

I may not have won the give away for a family session from Melissa Zihlman Photography, but I did find inspiration in the series on her blog documenting the every day life of her two sweet little boys.  As I capture this scene unfolding in front of me, I am reminded of why my journey in photography began and I am thankful for the sweet memories captured through my lens.  So that I will remember moments like this, when two little boys still fit in the bathtub together and a curious baby sister got more than she bargained for…

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