"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
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.
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.
Monday, March 12, 2012 Posted in personal
Saturday, December 31, 2011 Posted in personal
Saturday, October 29, 2011 Posted in children
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.
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…
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
Saturday, July 9, 2011 Posted in seniors
Sunday, April 17, 2011 Posted in personal
After 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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