The Good Life.
They have the power of the sun and strength of the soil.
Finding peace in their hearts and faith in their toil.
Sowing love. Planting seeds.
Growing roots.
Blossoms to be.
-
Pages
-
Categories
The gift of capturing an ordinary day…
That is what I strive to give my clients and now I am hoping to have the same for my family. I am really excited that we are finalists in the “all you need is love giveaway” from Melissa Zihlman Photography. Melissa lives in Texas but she will fly to the winner’s hometown for a session. I love Melissa’s style and it would be such a blessing to have all of us captured together now that Addie is home. This is the only picture we have of the five of us together so far. We took it with the camera propped on the edge of the playground in the early summer using the timer. I love it, especially for the memories it brings back of a fun night playing together followed by a trip to Dipper Dan’s for ice cream.
…but I would really love some more of this special time in our lives.
this time of falling in love with Addie and Braden loosing his front teeth and Riley on the verge of launching and Will & I more in love than ever.
The contest ends tomorrow and I would truly appreciate it if you could take a moment to vote for us here.
and so they grow.
My babies both had birthdays this week. It seems so fitting that they are celebrating together since they have such a special bond. Riley simply adores his little sister. He can never get enough hugs & kisses and tells me everyday that she is the most beautiful baby in the world.
As we approach Addie’s first birthday, we feel so blessed that we have been chosen to be her family and are the lucky ones that get to watch her grow. And grow she has. Unbelievably, she is now over twenty six pounds. As you can see, she is quickly catching up with her “big” brother. She just started crawling and is into everything. She is a joy to be around (almost all of the time) and has a way of stealing the heart of everyone she meets. When we are out and people see her, they want to know her story. I am hopeful that when people here how she has blessed us, it will open their hearts to adoption.
Here she is on a rare, warm day in the late fall…
And then there’s Riley. Turning five but still my baby. He is right on the brink of launching and I am slowly being replaced as the center of his world by the much cuter & much more spontaneous little girl that lives next door. Until then, I will soak up all the moments when he is still mine and stow them away for the day he takes off and doesn’t look back.
He is intense with his emotions, passing out from anger & frustration one moment (wish I was exaggerating but thankfully he has almost outgrown this charming quality) and loving me completely the next. He is totally quirky and always the source of entertainment for our entire family. His favorite color is pink, he has imaginary friends that he calls his “work guys” and he says the silliest things because he is constantly mixing up words. He is very shy and not much of a risk taker out in the world but he is our wild & crazy rule breaker at home. He loves to make up songs and told me the other day that Jesus gave us life so that we can give it to others. He is obsessed with chocolate and somehow only weighs thirty three pounds despite the fact that he eats it all day long. If he decides that he is not in the mood to have his picture taken (or to do anything else, for that matter), there is no amount of bribery that will budge his stubborn little heart. On this beautiful summer evening, he decided to indulge me. This image is my absolute favorite. I love everything about it, the sky, the light just before sunset, his favorite hat that he found in Santa Cruz and wore for the rest of the summer, his expression and how he was collecting seeds to grow in our backyard. Sometimes, everything just comes together & the moment is yours to keep forever no matter how fast they grow. 
Merry Christmas!
…from my family to yours.
I am so grateful for all of the wonderful blessings that 2010 has brought my family and I look forward to ending the year with a bang! We will be hosting a holiday bash at the Rabbit Room in Honeoye Falls on December 28th. There will be great music, great food and a raffle with great prizes (including a family portrait session and print credit), so if you are in the Rochester area and are looking for something fun to do, come out to support a great cause! The event will mark the end to our three month long “Let it Shine” campaign through charity:water in honor of our little Addie Lou. So far, we have raised almost nine thousand dollars, giving the gift of clean water to 435 people. We are so thankful to our families, friends and strangers too that have supported our efforts and helped make our campaign a success with their donations. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity & will be forever grateful. We hope to fund two entire wells by the end of our campaign on January 4th.
I will be displaying some of my pictures from our trip to Ethiopia at the event but for anyone that can not make it, here are five of the top reasons why this campaign has been so important to me. I will never forget their faces, their joy or their need.
water changes everything
Just a quick update on our charity water well. So far we have raised $2,635.00 which means clean water for 131 people! Our family is so grateful for all the friends, family and strangers who have given so generously and we are hopeful that the donations will continue to come in. We have 46 days left and are a little over half way to funding an entire well. We will be matching the highest donation of $1,000.00 from an anonymous donor (plus all the coins that the boys have been saving in a jar), which brings us even closer to reaching our goal. If your heart leads you to help, you can make a donation here. Just $20.00 = water for one person for 20 years.
And now, the reason for all of this. Here’s a recent picture of Addie lou enjoying her favorite activity with clean water.
hope.
On this orphan Sunday, please take a moment to watch this:
Creation Groans from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.
Last month I had the pleasure of meeting & photographing many families from upstate NY with children adopted from Ethiopia and other countries too. It was a wonderful site to see so many that chose to make a difference in the life of an orphan and in return, had their lives blessed and changed forever. 100% of the sales from these pictures will be donated toward our well. We have raised $1,125.00 which means we have given the gift of water to 61 people. I am thankful for everyone that has supported us with their donations and hopeful that we will reach our goal of funding an entire well project. Please consider giving the gift of water and any other way you might change the life of an orphan and other vulnerable children around the world.
wish.
In celebration of National Adoption Month I will be sharing images from sessions with families blessed by the miracle of adoption. This is Aiden and his parents, Lisa & Dan, who are absolutely smitten. Can you blame them? I wonder what Aiden wishes for now that he is home & loved…
one less
Addie and I recently had the chance to take a trip to Seattle for a reunion with the moms and babies from our travel group to Ethiopia. It was an amazing weekend, sharing our hearts, faith and love for each other and for all our sweet babies. Each child is so unique and was placed by God with the perfect family to let their personality shine. Bereket (pink leopard leggings) has such a wise soul, aware of everything going on around her in a way that doesn’t seem possible for an 11 month old. She actually sings the alphabet already and has the sweetest dimple when she flashes a smile. Teagan (green leggings) is a man always on the move and is such a little flirt! He gave Addie with the sweetest, most gentle first kiss in the middle of the chaos of trying to photograph all of the babies together. I was so lucky to capture it. Abraham (blue leggings) is the second youngest and is such a mellow little guy with an understated charm. When he graces you with one of his shy smiles, you can’t help but to melt. Maleah’s (pink stripes) petite little body can hardly contain her spunky attitude. She already knows how to turn it on for the camera and loves being the center of attention. Then there is Moses (polka-dots). He is such a happy, laid back little guy with a whole lot of drool and even more love to share with everyone around him. If I had to guess what qualities about Addie made the biggest impression on everyone, I would say it was her sweet disposition and physique. She is the youngest of all the babies and was drastically smaller when we were in Ethiopia from being so sick with salmonella. She now outweighs all the other babies by several pounds! Each child was given a flower for this photo - if you’re looking for Addie’s, it’s in her tummy…
Here is a slideshow of our time our time together.
I know that adoption is not an option for all families but I am hoping that everyone who reads this will consider helping a child by giving them the gift of clean water. 90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week in the world from unsafe water are children under five years old.
They are children like Bereket, Teagan, Abraham, Maleah, Moses and Addie.
Addie was certainly almost one of them. In her honor, I am sponsoring a well through charity:water. My goal is to raise $5,000.00 in three months to fully fund a well that will provide 250 people with clean, safe drinking water. A donation of only $20.00 will give one person clean water for 20 years. That’s an amount that most of us spend on Starbucks in one week or on a couple of drinks at happy hour. Just think how much farther your money can go and how you could be responsible for one less child dying from dirty water. Just click on the well link above if you would like to learn more about this project and make a donation & a difference. Thanks for your support!
And for all the adoptive parents out there that are wondering where we found these awesome shirts, here is the link. They say “made in Ethiopia” and are being sold on etsy to fund a family’s second adoption.
Teach me to number my days…
Summer days. Nothing makes me happier than bare feet in the grass, being warmed by the sun, little tongues stained from popsicles and watching the golden light filter through the trees in our backyard just before sunset. The days pass way too fast and this summer was no exception. Beginning with a surprise trip to Ethiopia with 9 days notice to bring home our baby girl months before we ever dreamed possible, our summer was crazy busy and full of adventures. We took a road trip to NC for our annual hang-in-the-pool-and-drink dacquiris-all-day visit with my dear childhood friends, hiked at Stonybrook, camped in our backyard, and spent a week visiting my parents. We watched movies in the backyard with a projector and a white sheet, used the hot tub as a mini pool for the boys and shared lots of smores with friends old and new. The boys braved the heat & humidity at t-ball & soccer games and danced and worshipped at vacation bible school. The final adventure was a trip to CA for my little brother’s wedding where we celebrated with an amazing group of friends & family (pictures coming soon!) and had so many other really cool experiences. Like the boys seeing the ocean for the first time and sticking their little toes in the freezing water. Or Braden having the best day of his life when he learned to square dance in the barn at the wedding reception. Or wandering the streets of Santa Cruz where I looked over and noticed Riley sitting with his eyes closed and hand pressed to his cheek, listening to a street musician in a rare and perfect moment of contentment.
Somewhere in between chasing fireflies, catching minnows, and discovering the ocean for the first time, the boys fell in love with their little sister. Riley told me the other day that he loves her the most. If I had been replaced by anyone else it may have broken my heart but instead I melted. Witnessing Addie’s transformation over the last 4 months has been magical. She barely resembles the baby that we brought home. She has more than doubled her weight (22 lbs.!!!!) since we brought her home, is sitting up, rolling around and is just as sweet as ever. Watching her body grow and her spirit come alive has truly been a gift and our days have been so much sweeter with her in them.
Below is a slideshow I did for our family to remember this summer and for anyone who doesn’t want to sit through it but wants to see updated pictures of Addie, here are a few. These are from August so she is even bigger now if you can believe it!
jay & suzie
Jay & Suzie found each other when they were both enrolled in the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden Apprenticeship. They lived 14 tents apart and every day they planted, weeded and harvested side by side. Suzie couldn’t figure out who was leaving her flowers everyday…
in her boots,
by her spade,
in between the spokes of the wheels on her bike.
Then one day while they were picking peaches for market, Jay whacked Suzie in the head with a ladder. That’s when it hit her. Jay was the one. She could not have been happier.
Jay & Suzie continue to live the simple life & have kept their garden love growing. When they are not farming, they usually can be found on some adventure, backpacking, camping, hiking, running, biking or simply spending time with good food & good friends. I had the chance this summer to spend a weekend with them on the organic farm in Half Moon Bay where Suzie lives and works. This amazing site is also where they will marry this August. It was so special to me to witness and capture their connection to each other and to see how happy Suzie truly makes my little brother. I am excited for the wedding celebration and wish these two a lifetime full of laughter, love & happiness as they continue their adventure together.
by admin
3 comments
add a comment link to this post email a friend