Mesmerized

Kate and Olivia were invited to a birthday party this weekend...for princesses only! I had too much fun photographing this social event of the season: ) I caught two princesses adoring their royal jewelry. Couldn't help but think, when I first saw this photo, that 20 years from now, the exact same scene may be playing out as two close friends examine the diamond ring proudly worn by one or the other. Huge huge sigh : )

Spring is in the Air...

Springtime is in the air here in North Carolina. Randy and I decided we would take the girls to some local gardens and take a few photos. Of our 4 daughters, we only had 2 takers, but we headed out anyway. I have to say, the colors of the flowers were in full burst! There were some areas of these fragrant gardens that were breathtaking, especially in the sunset. How splendid of our God to give us such colors and scents and seasons. Can you just imagine the colors and fragrances and gardens of Heaven!?!

Amazing Love...How Can It Be...

What an amazing day! Another Easter has come and gone, but the magnitued of its impact on our world and all of civilization endures! Once again we are reminded of the great length and depth that God Almighty has gone to in order to Adopt those who would put thier faith in Christ Jesus and give us the right to be called the Sons and Daughters of God. We are reminded that He reached his hands to this gigantic orphanage that we call Earth (filled with people who had been cut off from thier heavenly Father through sin) and paved the way to redeem us , adopt us, and welcome us to His home in the end. Easter represents the end of our lives as orphans and the beginning of our lives as treasured heirs of God. Adoption ...... His idea, His plan , and His heart.

"Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me....."

Happy Easter!

I Heart Faces....Dramatic Black and White

This week's challenge photo must be in black and white only for dramatic affect. I am excited to see all the entries as black and white pictures are my favorites! My entry is a photo of my daughter, Olivia, outside during our first North Carolina snowfall of 2010. To see the photo in full size, click on Olivia's face. For more dramatic photos, check out http://www.iheartfaces.com/

Friends New and Old...

Me , Karin and Kristin

Jeff and Randy

Upside down Sara Grace

Jake, um , there is someone we would like you to meet....

This is Kate!

And this was the mutual reaction..sigh...

Karin's Kate and my Kate

Olivia, Micheal and Logan

Karin receives flowers from her sweet babies.

Whoowee, now THAT is a handsome couple!

Group shot..thank you, Hunter and Taylor, for being in this one:)

The definition of fun: getting 15 children in one good shot!!!

My family and I had the privilege of meeting some blog friends this past week. Karin and her husband Jeff and nine of their 10 children were in route to South Carolina to see their 10th child and eldest son, Ryan, graduate from bootcamp. We were able to rendezvous in Benson , NC as they headed south on 95. My friend, Kristin, and 2 of her children also journeyed to Benson to meet the Prunty family. We met at a small park/playground area so that the Prunty kids could really stretch after 10+ hours of being in a car. We 3 families REALLY filled up that playground quickly. Karin and I have had this vision of marrying her Guatemalan son to my Guatemalan daughter for a little while now. We were both excited to get photos of the 2 of them seeing each other for the first time. Well...I think we are safe to say that it wasn't exactly love at first sight. Never-the-less, the paparazzi was flashing as we FORCED our 3 year olds to stand together and smile in each others' general direction. Sigh.

I think Kristin would agree that the time together was short but so sweet. Who would have ever guessed that you could make such heart connections over the internet ... just another blessing of sharing the passion for adoption and love for the same God.

I Heart Faces...Bundled Up!

BRRRRR, this week's photo theme is "bundled up" as we all search for the good in the freezing cold grip of winter. This shot was taken on our first of 3 North Carolina snowfalls this year. Kate is actually sitting on a sled being pulled around by her dutiful big sister. It was a beautiful snow, but it sure was cold! For more bundles, check out http://www.iheartfaces.com/
For a better look at this photo, please click on Kate.

Saving Two Little Ones....

We have friends in Colorado who are attempting toadopt and bring home two little girls from Eastern Europe. They are trying to raise the final funding for their trip though an ebay auction. Please consider helping this family by taking a look at the items listed in the auction and bidding on ALL of them. Thanks!!! (To read more about the journey to Harper and Hailee, click on the No Greater Joy Mom link on my blog list.)

Olivia's First Competition...

Olivia (my daughter who is constantly upside down) started taking gymnastics last summer and made the Jr. Gymnastics team last fall. A couple of weeks ago she had her first competition in Raleigh and we all went to support and encourage her. The team leotards had not come in yet which is why some of the girls are dressed differently from others. Olivia did very well for her first meet, having to perform routines on the floor, balance beam, bars and vault. Yeah Olivia! You go my little gymnast!! Thank you to your big sisters and their friends,too, for coming and cheering you on:)

I Heart Faces...Hands-On Challenge

This week's photo challenge is taking a break from faces and focusing on the hands. These hands belong to a very special little girl who is growing up way to fast for her father and me. To view other great "hands-on" photographs, visit http://www.iheartfaces.com

To view this picture larger, just click on Olivia's little fingers:)

One year Later...

This is a hard post, but one that I needed to write because God has been so very very faithful to us...
It is hard to believe, but a year ago this week I sat in Duke Hospital with a 2yr old child that I hardly even knew. She had been home for 48 hours when we were told that our "healthy" little girl needed an MRI and that she possibly had spina bifida. The MRI confirmed that ,while she did have SB, it was a benign form of it. Normally people with this form, Occulta, have no signs or symptoms and just carry on a normal life. However, the MRI also confirmed that Kate had a tethered spinal cord and that surgery was in her very near future. For the record, we were not against adopting a SN child at all. But a SN that we were prepared for, one that we had researched and felt comfortable that we could "handle". For any who know me well enough, health issues always pose the biggest storms. And this storm was huge and raging. After all, I hardly even knew this child and she was really asking me to handle a lot. I experienced a lack of emotion. I held Kate at arms length. I was terrified to love her because she now represented despair and unknowns. We had to prepare to be at the hospital for a week with her and I had no idea how we would manage that since Randy's job was out of town and we have 3 other children. The whole idea of being in the hospital made me want to throw up. It was a tough tough time. Neither Kate nor Olivia experienced bonding issues with us when we brought them home ,so I don't know what that is like. I am sure it is awful. But I can testify to how gut wrenching it is to bring a child home, a child you have fought for over months and years, and to then feel numb toward that child. I pretty much cried for the entire 6 weeks preceeding the surgery.
So... the surgery was successful and Kate did very well and all the hospital stuff came and went. Praise our God for that! Now I am back home with Kate and trying to pick up some of the pieces, all the while crying out to God to change my heart and give me the eyes to see the little girl that God saw. I don't know exactly when or how it started, but I do remember that HOPE did tiptoe back into my heart and mind, little by little. I started to relax. I started to see a new normal. There were still unknowns but God was granting me the courage for such a time as this. Then along came a blog and a woman that had adopted 10 children , many that had special needs too. It just so happened that she had just returned home with a Katie of her own who needed very serious heart surgery. On the same trip to China she returned with another daughter who was facing a foot amputation. Wow. Then along came another blog and another woman that was attempting to adopt a little 4 yr old girl with DS and a heart condition. Wow. I did not know of anyone who had SOUGHT OUT such critical SN children to adopt. It was a whole new way of thinking for me. All the while , I had numerous friends praying for me and my adjustment with Kate, numerous friends visiting, encouraging and talking with me, numerous friends drugging me with Starbucks coffee, and lifting me before the throne of God. It was all heaven sent and God ordained. I poured over the adoption blogs and various other ones that were recommended and I continued to cry out to God. I gleaned from these women and from my friends and family. And I read the Psalms (again).
The next thing I really remember standing out in my mind was the morning that I had actual excitement in my heart at the thought of Kate waking up. Previously, I just wanted her to go to bed early and sleep late in the morning.
And.... love.....it just grew from there.
I came face to face with my selfishness and my striving and clamouring to keep my life within my comfort zone.( God HATES our comfort zones; I am convinced of it.) How can we accomplish ANYTHING for Him if our comfort is first and foremost in our minds??? He put me in exactly the circumstances that I needed to be in to see my heart for what it had been. I was feverishly pulling my hand away, but he held on tight to me. He brought Kate through beautifully. I don't think she ever even sensed that I was over the edge. A year later Kate is a healthy and wonderful child and I am HER MOTHER.There are still trying days, but I would not change anything. If she has any setbacks in her future, I will walk down that path with her and count it as an opportunity to suffer for Christ. I would not exchange the spiritual growth and insight for all the comfort in the world. I am so thankful for God's faithfulness and for the Christian sisters that I have at arms reach and within the blog world. You gals are amazing! What a difference a year makes....

Visit a friend of mine....

My blog friend, Sophie, posted today about an opportunity recently given to her to speak to churches on the plight of orphans around the world. So I am inviting anyone who might read this to pray for her witness and that God will use her to reach hearts for orphaned children. She has a video on her blog (God's Heart: Adoption) that is very moving and a great reminder of just how God has used adoption throughout history to accomplish His plans and how near and dear adoption is to His heart. Please visit her blog and watch...
http://countingourblessingsdaily.blogspot.com/

Memorable quote...

I discovered this quote and liked it immediately. It is a good reminder as we live in this modern day Babylon where every message seems to target our materialism genes. I personally believe that God is a lot less concerned with our comfort than we think He is. Listen, we will rest on the other side, my friends. Right now , we are here to serve God and work for His kingdom. We are here to pick up our cross and follow Him. And , remember, Christ owned NOTHING while on this earth...........

"The richest person is not the one who HAS THE MOST, but the one who NEEDS THE LEAST."

PS...Our sweet little Annie is gone. We hope and pray that we will see her again one fine day.

We may be losing one of our pooches...

This is a sad post, but I wanted to ask for prayer for the kids in light of the declining health of our older dachshund, Annie. She is nearly 13 and is in bad shape tonight. She started having some seizures over the past couple of days for unknown reasons. We have not taken her to the vet because we know they will hand us a huge bill and a dog they can do nothing for. Right now we cannot handle a huge bill. And we know there is nothing that can be done for her. So we keep her as comfortable as possible and watch for signs of pain and discomfort. It is hard to think of losing our 4 legged friends. Every family goes through it, but it never gets any easier. I like to think that they are ushered into Heaven as part of God's beloved creation. Heaven does have animals afterall. I guess one day we will know for sure....

Adeye! This is for you....

Trying to squeeze the most fun out of our snowy wonderland last night, Randy and I allowed girls to do a little horseback riding. Anything better than riding a horse in the snow? Not to my little women, there isn't. It was a beautiful evening and sunset and the girls had a ball. BTW, the last photo in this series is for you, Adeye. Here I am!!!