fam photo shoot...

a few fam photos from my photo shoot of, well, "us" on saturday. they all aren't perfect, but they are perfectly us...does that make sense???

a few tears and some "i don't want to's"...pretty normal!

my bookend kiddos...and me! {ryan took the pic...i set it up, of course}

and even a few of JUST sofia...with her hair in a pixie! did you catch that...hair!!!

then ryan gave it a shot getting a shot of the girlies and me...you know, "the roses" in the "thorn among roses". he didn't do too bad...lighting wasn't the best, but hey, it's all of us girlies in a pic!

any favs???

_____________________________________________

november is national adoption month

are you or someone you know considering adoption and need some assistance finanacially...well, there are all kinds of places that exist that offer grants. go HERE and take a look.

reese's rainbow is one of those totally amazing places...and they provide connections for children around the world with special needs. if you want to see some amazing kiddos that could really use a family, take a look HERE at reese's rainbow.

not me monday

a few things me and the fam DID NOT do this last week...

brooke DID NOT tell the nice lady at the hospital registration who nicely asked if she had any brothers, "no, we only have girls in our house. did you know, boys have long hangy thingys between their legs. we don't have those. ok, well, daddy has a very long hangy thingy and that's ok, because he's a man, not a boy. we definitely don't like boys, though."

paige and i DID NOT go see new moon on saturday for some special girl time. we DID NOT sneak in our own drinks...scandalous! i also DID NOT scream "shut up. you can not end a movie that way" our loud...really loud...at the end of the movie. paige DID NOT cower...but laugh really hard AT ME!!!

brooke DID NOT eat half a bag of mini carrots for a "snack" on thursday night...when i told her that sneaking a whole bag of carrots would turn her and her poop orange, she DID NOT giggle and say, "awesome".

hubs and i DID NOT go out for a starbucks date this week...and it was NOT totally awesome and just like old times! ahhhh...

i DID NOT find an entire bag of shirts i misplaced for making for my friends kiddos...3 months ago. i DID NOT think i should get them done this weekend. i DID NOT just put them back into the bag and realize a few more weeks won't hurt.

jada was NOT so spacey in the parking lot that she literally walked into the car with her head. paige DID NOT laugh out loud and jada DID NOT scream "why are you laughing?" paige DID NOT laugh louder saying, "you ran into the car with your face." jada DID NOT reply, "i did not. i just hit it while walking."

i DID NOT workout twice on tuesday burning over 1100 calories...i DID NOT feel it on wednesday when i could barely walk, but realized that this was NOT a very good thing.

hubs DID NOT spend a few days this week in NYC where his hotel was NOT across the street from the movie premeir of "the blind side". he DID NOT see sandra bullock and tim mcgraw...and i was NOT at home changing diapers, doing laundry and cleaning. i was NOT frustrated...and a little excited for him all at the same time.

jada's stunning alert this week..."wow mom. i found my brain. it's good. now i can listen." good thing there!

sofia DID NOT stand at the front door one morn after everyone was gone and say, "mommy. starbucks." i DID NOT get filled with joy thinking about how much i love them both!

we DID NOT do our fam pics on saturday...being the photographer and the mom is NOT challenging...good pics to come tomorrow!

_______________________________________november is national adoption awareness month
there is some good news on the adoption front...so let's celebrate some of that today!one and a half million adopted children in the united states there are 1.5 million adopted children in the united states, over 2% of all U.S. children...that's 1.5 million kiddos that have fams that at one time, did not!interested in adoption and or foster care? take a look HERE for more info.

darya

i started in a beth moore study a few weeks ago with some people i had never met....i mean, i blog with one of them, but had no idea who any of them are in "real life". {{oh, and in case you didn't know, god is flipping amazing.}}

a number of peeps in our little study are part of adoptions...private, foster, international etc., but we had no idea where or how god would use that. let me introduce you to the hollis family...they are standing on faith. a great inspiration and reminder of how living in the midst of god's will can be a totally peaceful place to be...even in the uncertainty of it all.

ok...i'm done talking...just go HERE are and read. i promise you, your life will be better. you will be changed.

...and there's a sweet little girl, darya, who desperately needs your help to raise enough funds to be adopted. spread the word...there are precious peas all over the world, with special needs, who need families...and remember, you don't have to be perfect to be the perfect parent!

playing the game

paige and sofia are definitely sisters...both know what they want, stand firm, love and smile a lot...and well, torment just a little too.

so when paige wants to cuddle sofia, it's always a stand-off. sofia sees that paige wants her to cuddle...therefore, it's a game of "no way" and avoidance.

enter...the phone. sofia loves paige's phone. and paige allows her to play with the phone only when paige gets to cuddle with her.

the smiles start...and they both are happy.

{paige gets sofia saying "josh"...which is super cute to watch and hear.}

and then they cuddle...and i think it's super sweet and cute.

both very smart players, if you ask me. and pretty darn cute too!!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

____________________________________

national adoption awareness month

ever wonder about what a family tree looks like when you've adopted? well, we just add "roots" if you will. our kids bmom's and bio fams are part of their lives and family trees.

here's a few options on the whole "family tree" for our kiddos who came to us through adoption:

the rooted family tree, where the roots represent the birth family, the child is the trunk, and the foster, adoptive, and/or step family members fill in the branches.

the family wheel diagram, where the child is in the middle and the outer rings of

the circle represent the birth, foster, adoptive and step family relationships.

the family houses diagram, which uses houses instead of trees to show

connections between birth, foster, adoptive, and step family members.

want more great tips for school assignments?? take a look HERE.

lunchy fun

sometimes it's just way more fun to play in your food...

i mean grilled cheese oranges, yogurt and pretzel sticks is kinda boring.
kinda normal.
my kids...they are NOT normal. we are NOT normal.
so they constructed...and made super fun sandwiches that they created...the vampire cheese sandwich.
and who could argue with the smiles and fun?
i know...i'm the cool mom! {not really, but i totally pulled it off with this one!}

promises, promises

do you see it? brooke did...when we were glancing through shots i'd taken.

there are two "rainbows" in a random shot i took of the sun through the trees in the front yard.

reminds me that in spite of my selfishness, my desires, myself, god still is god...and he doesn't break his promises...he even sends a rainbow every now and then to remind me. even when i don't see the rainbow, it's still there...and so is he.

so, thanks b!!! great catch...and an even better reminder for me.