In just a few weeks Lily will have another surgery. When I look back at the referral picture we first saw on our computer (the one that she is holding), I continue to be humbled by God's faithfulness and provision.
Reflection...it can help us grow and see things in a different light.
When I could be anxious and afraid, instead I am hopeful and at peace knowing that God is walking ahead of her and will take care of every detail.
I see this smile and it makes my heart full.
I look at mutual love between a brother and sister and know it is a gift ...one that no money can buy.
I love to watch them interact and have fun together even through the years that separate them.
Lily feels completely safe and free to be herself when she is by his side.
Spencer most definitely gets the best big brother award!
He is always willing to pitch in and help and he has even experienced changing a messy diaper (this was without any help from Michael or me...he just did it on his own!)
Lily wasn't sure about the water but with a little prodding from her brother and Michael she decided to give it a try.
Thankful for the simple gifts like playing in the creek, listening to Spencer play guitar and watching Lily soak up all things new.
I am taking a series of classes online right now to push me out of my comfort zone with photography. WOW...my friend and mentor Lisa at the Long Road to China never ceases to amaze me with her knowledge and gift for capturing such beautiful moments. If you have ever wanted to learn more about photography, she is your girl!
These photos were taken with my Nikon D80, 50mm 1.4 lens. My settings for the first picture was f/2.8, ss 1/200, ISO 320. I processed these with Florabella's Classic Color and Warm Color Pop, both at lower opacity.
To see more beautiful Sunday Snapshot pictures go on over to Ni Hao Y'all. You will be glad you did.
A few days ago my sweet friend Michelle treated me to a pedicure for my birthday and Lily has been quite intrigued with my painted toes ever since I came home!
Yesterday I decided to take her outside and give her a little manicure and pedicure so her toes could look like mine...although her color of choice was pink:)
Pure excitement filled the air as she waited for me to begin painting her little fingers and toes.
I started with her toes first and she was so still and patient watching every move I made. I love how this picture shows her toes all pointed and curled up :)
As I stopped to take some pictures she decided to try and help herself to the polish and we almost had a huge mess on our hands.
Next up was her sweet little hands and again she was as still as could be and so patient to wait and let the sun dry them up.
She kept looking at her hands and toes...grinning from ear to ear.
Love this one with her tongue sticking out:)
The joy and smile in her face was the highlight of my day!
Lily is also a pro at helping me in the kitchen.
She brings her stool up every time to see what she can do to help out.
If she isn't helping me cook or unload the dishwasher she is emptying the trash, putting a new liner in it, or cleaning up a mess with the dustpan. Sometimes she is like a little adult in a 2 year old body:)
That night we made brownies so I decided to step back and watch her in action letting her eat a few of the chocolate chips...
and help stir the mix...
I think we may have a future dancer on our hands the way she can balance on her tippy toes! This is one of my favorite pictures from the day.
Love the reflection of her legs in the dishwasher and the way her chocolate covered finger is pointed up ready to taste the yummy batter:)
So thankful for moments like these and the beauty that comes in the simple gifts God showers upon us when we take time to enjoy them. It felt like a sweet hug from God.
We celebrated Easter this year with Michael's family. It was a beautiful sunny day and so much fun to be all together.
Michael's parents made a wonderful meal for all of us and bought my favorite cake from the Flour Shop for my birthday. We celebrated my birthday and my nephew's birthday who turned 14 on April 1st. It is rare, but I love it when my birthday falls on Easter.
Soon the cake and ice cream set in and the kids were getting restless so the Easter egg hunt began.
The big kids scattered quickly to the back of the yard while Zack and Lily stayed close by to find those eggs more easily hidden.
Zack is 4 and has the hunt down to a science. He quickly filled his basket while Lily was content with finding just one egg and exploring what was inside.
Unfortunately the ants found the "peeps" in the eggs before the kids did :)
After the egg hunt, Spencer and his cousins immediately went to the tree that they love to climb.
Michael's mom taught Spencer how to climb it when he was younger. With each year, they go higher and two little spectators stood looking up wishing they could join in the fun.
It won't be long before Zack and Lily will be in the tree making silly faces like these...
Love this picture of Lily with Michael and his grandmother. She amazes us with her energy and zest for life. I hope I have the same when I am her age :)
Each year we try and get a group photo of all the grand kids which is quite a challenge to get everyone smiling at the same time.
After the group shot, I captured a few of Spencer and Lily together by the fish pond.
You can see the love between them as Lily gets ready to plant a big kiss on his cheek...
This was my favorite picture from the day...
Spencer specifically asked for me to take a picture of just Lily so I could e-mail it to him to put on his home screen...one day I'm sure it will be replaced with another girl but for now, I'm thankful that he chooses his sister to take that place :)
After the pictures...some of "bigs and littles" played a game on the phone while the adults visited together on the porch.
That night we had my favorite pizza (the Informant) from Mafiaozas and spent the afternoon together as a family :) A perfect way to end the day.
One of my favorite passages of scripture in the resurrection is when Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene...He says to her "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"
Supposing him to be the gardener, she sad to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramic, "Rabboni" (which means Teacher)...Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord". (John 20: 15-16;18)
When you spend time with someone you know the sound of their voice.
While Mary did not recognize him with her eyes, she immediately knew the sound of his voice because she had walked with him.
I pray that when God speaks to me, I will be like Mary and know the sound of my teacher...my risen Lord...the One who has given me life.
Sweet Lily...one year ago today we held you in our arms for the first time. Every detail of that day will be etched in my heart forever.
You clung tightly to an apple in your right hand and a little dum dum sucker in your left. It was the only thing left of what you had known to be safe and secure. You were sad and grieving the loss of your foster family...the place you knew as home.
Our hearts broke for you but we knew that the grieving must happen to give space in your heart to accept our love. Oh...how eager we were to pour every ounce of love we had into your broken heart.
You were sweating through layers and layers of clothes and your rosy cheeks were warm to the touch. Slowly we began peeling off the layers to give you some relief.
You were hungry and tired from your long journey to meet us. Your dad knew just what do and you slowly began to relax...looking into his eyes and feeling the the comfort of his arms.
These tender moments were the beginning of our life together as a family.
Beautiful and hard.
God was making all things new.
Today, one year later, you are full of smiles and laughter.
You are my LIGHT and my hope.
You bring so much JOY to our family. I can't imagine life without you and I am so thankful that we did not miss out on the blessing of having you as our daughter.
You make being a Mom easy because you are so much fun. You are wise beyond your years.
You are perceptive, smart, playful, logical (like your daddy and brother!), and full of personality!
I would love to freeze you at this age but I know God has BIG plans for you and I look forward to watching that unfold.
Today is your special day and we celebrate the wonderful gift we have been given in YOU.
You were born in my heart and I am forever grateful for the privilege of being your Mom.
I love you sweet angel...beautiful child of God.
Enjoy the following video that tells the story of our adoption journey to bring Lily home to her forever family. I am working on a "year in reflection" video that will be coming soon :)
This month's I Heart Faces photo challenge is black and white.
This reflections picture is one of my favorite pictures I have taken of Lily. I especially love it in color but thought I would try it in black and white.
March 14th will be one year since Lily was placed in our arms. As we reflect over this past year we are humbled at the beauty and joy that has entered our home because of this little girl.
The miracle of one astounds us every day.
So incredibly thankful for the gift of Lily in our lives.
We arrived back home last Sunday night and hit the ground running which is why I am just now updating about the reminder of our trip to Colorado.
One of the highlights of our time with Nancie and Chuck was experiencing Raclette for the first time. We spent the afternoon chopping up lots of veggies and meat to prepare for dinner and it was well worth the effort!
Raclette is like an indoor grill that makes dinner such a fun interactive experience for everyone. You grill the meats/veggies on top and the bottom is like a warming tray where you can melt cheese over sausage, bread, etc.
They invited some friends over for dinner to join us which added to the fun and Lily had fun playing with their twin girls. Spencer was hooked from the start and has hinted around several times that we should invest in one for our family :)
Steak, chicken, squash, peppers, zucchini, onions, sausage, cheese, potatoes, bread equals super YUMMMY! We had enough left over for seconds our last night there which made one 12 year old boy VERY happy after a full day of skiing and sledding.
Here is a picture of the Raclette grill and Spencer with his purple unicorn...let's just say he decided to join the girls in playing with their flannel boards before dinner started :)
Michael got in a lot of good skiing and Spencer stuck with the snowboard. He improved each day and by the end of our time was carving through the snow and loving every minute of it!
The top picture is a view from the top of the mountain where they were skiing. The bottom picture is our view of the mountains when we went sledding the last day.
Our last day we stayed in that morning and Lily had fun exploring and sharing her love with everyone.
Spencer was content to rest up for his last day of snowboarding while Lily decided to try on Nancie's ski boots for size:)
Lily consistently took 3+ hour naps every day (maybe I should invest in some black out liners for her room!) so she was ready to go when the boys got back home and we headed out for some family fun sledding.
Lily and I didn't last long because of the wind and cold but she left with a smile which is always a good thing.
After we got home from sledding, I brown-nosed the boys into letting me take a picture with them in their ski boots and Lily in Nancie's boots...of course it was freezing outside and they didn't really want to comply but I'm glad that did because it is one of my favorite ones from the week!
Below are a couple of videos...one Nancie took of Michael doing his thing in the Copper bowl and one of Lily's first attempt at skiing. We failed to get one of Spencer snowboarding which just gives us a good reason to go back next year :)
Thank you Chuck and Nancie for sharing your love and home with our family!
