New Blog!

I have started a blog for my photography! I will post things about our personal lives here and photography-related stuff on the new one:) Check it out HERE!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend at Dale Hollow! It was super hot on Sunday and Monday and the boys were able to swim. They had a great time! Grayson and I fished with his new fishing pole and caught 2 fish! I think I had as much fun doing it as he did. I think I may get a regular-sized pole out for myself next time...it was a little tough reeling in our blue gill with the kids pole:)

As far as moving goes, we're moving (haha) right along! We're in the process of trying to respond to the ridiculous demands of the people buying our house! Hopefully, all repairs will be made in time and we can still close on June 17th!!! I can't wait! Although, I need as much time as I can get to pack!

Here's a couple of pictures from the weekend:)

SOLD!!!

After 12 days and 11 showings, our realtor brought us an offer yesterday before our open house! We countered and they countered back, asking for the washer and dryer, and we accepted their offer!! Well, we're actually waiting on the realtor to email the counter so we can sign and send it back. But, as soon as we get it, it's official! I have to say, we weren't expecting to sell this soon. But, after all the showings, I am certainly ready to relax a bit. Oh wait, we close JUNE 17TH so I NEED to start packing!!! But wait...where are we moving all these boxes to??? Well, we're still working on that! There's a house that we've been to see and LOVE, but it has a few issues. For one, there's already a first-right offer on the house. Second, it doesn't have central air and is quite a bit smaller than our current home. BUT, did I mention that it has a SUMMER KITCHEN??? It's a beautiful, pre-1900, all brick exterior with a HUGE wrap-around porch. The garage and summer kitchen are attached by a breeze-way off the back of the house. All the woodwork is original and unpainted and it has built-ins galore! It sits on 4 acres and has several out-buildings, including a wonderful barn.

The other house we hope to go see this week is a pre-Civil War, Federal-style home. It too has a beautiful brick exterior and sits on top of a hill on 4.5 acres. Oh, and it has an IN-GROUND pool!!! This house has been completely renovated and has central air and a great kitchen. There wouldn't really be any work to be done on this house. But, it comes with a much larger price tag.

Overall, we're extremely excited. The thought of spending a large portion of the summer "at home" is so exciting. My mom has summer's off and I have grand visions about how easy it's going to be to un-pack with Papa, Nini, Granny, and Grandpa just down the road:)

Here are a couple of pictures of the two houses:)

Waiting List!!

Whew! It's been a CRAZY couple of weeks. I should probably back up a few weeks. Aaron and I were driving home from a wonderful Easter weekend with our families and I commented that it would be so nice to finally have that big, old farmhouse just a few miles from our family. It's a discussion we have often, but for one reason or another, it's not the "right time." But, this time is different. Aaron has a job that allows him to work from home 3 days a week and he would only have to travel an hour each way the other two days. In the next year or so, I will have 3 small children!!! I/we need the support of our families! Oh how we would love to be able to go to dinner and/or a movie and know that boys are having a better time with their grandparents than they would be with us:) I think Aaron and I are at the point that we're tired of waiting on the "perfect time" to relocate closer to home. While we're waiting for that "perfect time," perfectly good years are passing us by!!! So, on what we felt like was kind of a whim, we put our house on the market!!!! Our realtor was very realistic about the market and we were expecting things to move very slow. Within hours of being on the market, we had our first showing! And, they haven't stopped!!! We've had NINE showings in seven days...with only two days of no showings. To say we are a bit overwhelmed is an understatement. It's not easy to get two little boys cleaned up, out the door, and leave the house spotless with an hour notice. But, we are super excited about the idea of living in the country with a little land and being so close to our wonderful families!!!

In the midst of all this, our dossier has come back from being authenticated in D.C. and will be heading to Ethiopia TOMORROW!! This means as of May 13th, 2011 we will be on the waiting list for our little girl! AHHH! I know I will have days where the waiting will be hard, but overall, I know she will be home in what feels like "no time." Which, quite frankly, is a little scary. We've been in "paperwork mode" for the last 5-6 months and haven't spent too much time really thinking about what it's going to be like to have another little one at home:) Oh, it will be so nice to be so close to family when she comes home!!!

That's about it for now! Hoping the next post will be about us selling our house and buying a new one:)

Here are a couple of pictures from my wedding photography class the other night. It was so much fun practicing on a live model!

Dossier on its way to D.C.!!!

I talked to our caseworker yesterday and she said that everything in our dossier looked good! This is truly an answer to prayer. It was so tough to get the documents right this time...I seem to have a knack for finding notaries that don't know how to properly notarize a document. I was really expecting that the agency would find a mistake that I had overlooked. But, everything was approved and now it's all on its way to D.C. to be authenticated! Then, it will go back to our agency and be sent with their weekly shipments to Ethiopia!!! I don't know the turnaround time in D.C., but I'm hoping it may go with next week's Friday shipment to Ethiopia. Once it's on the way to Ethiopia, we are OFFICIALLY on the waiting list:) So, looks like I better find something to keep me occupied for the next 8 months or so while we wait for a referral!

Almost "out of our hands"

If all goes well, our dossier should be out of our hands and onto our agency by the weekend! Don't worry, we've never been under the illusion that any of this was actually "in our hands." Thank goodness! The only thing that gets me through the fact that gathering a handful of documents took 5 months is the fact that it's all in God's hands, not mine. His hands and His plan are far more capable than my own! As frustrating as it is to have to have documents re-done time and time again because of a wrong date, an incorrect signature, a nurse practitioner's examination versus a physician, etc - I know it is all necessary and that, in the end, we will be matched with OUR child. It may sound cheesy to some, but having been through this twice before, I believe it with all my heart. With Grayson, we waited 3 weeks longer than we expected due to families in front of us on the waiting list being delivered the terrible news that the child they had been referred had passed away. When we finally received Grayson's referral, he was only 2 weeks old...he hadn't even been born when we were so impatiently waiting to get "the call." With Abram, we waited about 4 months longer than we expected. But, once again, four months earlier, Abram had not yet been relinquished by his brother. So, we wait. To say it will be easy is a lie...but, it is a bit EASIER, knowing the outcome will be more perfect than my imperfect plan could ever imagine:)

And, someday, when we're home with our child and she's older and we're telling her our story, what a great story it will be. To be able to say to our children, "we didn't just want you...we FOUGHT for you. We went to the bank 2 and 3 times a day and asked employers to complete letters 3 different times and drove to Lafayette to have notaries fix medical documents. We wanted you and LOVED you before we even knew who you were. And, most importantly, God had stitched our family together long before any of were on this earth."

And just because it's not as fun to read if there's no picture at the end....and, because I'm left wondering where the beautiful weather disappeared to...

Adoption Update

I realize it's been months since I posted an adoption update. Quite frankly, this is the boring part...paperwork. It's so exciting to begin thinking and praying about adopting and then announcing to family and friends, but then we seem to go through a rut for several months. Sure, we're excited, but this is where I begin guarding my heart, trying not to get TOO excited, you know?

This time around the paperwork has taken FOREVER! And, it's been totally out of our hands...which is a little frustrating. One of our background checks took forever, holding up the release of our home study. Then there was Christmas, New Year's, and a million other reasons for people to be out of their offices not working on our documents:) But, we're getting very close now! We received our I-171H in the mail the other day. This is a letter from the federal government saying we've been approved to adopt internationally. Now we are double and triple-checking all our documents and getting ready to have them authenticated by the Secretary of State. After that, they will be on their way to our agency.

Once we are placed on the waiting list, we expect to wait 6-8 months for a referral. Honestly, in the world of adoption, it could turn in to 6-8 years:) So, we're excited; yet, guarded:) And, with all kinds of changes happening in country to ensure that adoptions remain ethical, the wait after referral is growing. We will certainly be leaning on God to get us through the wait!

The boys and I are really enjoying the nice, spring weather we've been getting. Our magnolia tree out front is in bloom and is so pretty! But, with the nice weather, comes the dandelions! TruGreen will be coming to the rescue soon!

Here are a couple pics of the magnolias and dandelions:)

I Heart Faces {Shadows}

This week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces is Shadows! This picture immediately came to mind. I didn't realize how cool the shadows looked in this picture until I got home and started editing! For more entries, go to I Heart Faces.

Puddle-jumper

It was so nice to be able to play outside today! The boys played in their wet, muddy sand box for at least 2 hours! It was a nice break for them and for me:) Then, Abram did what he does best...found a mess to be made. He splashed around in a mud puddle in the driveway for close to an hour. My first thought was to tell him to stop, and then I decided "what the heck" and got out my camera:) Here are some pictures of my little puddle jumper!

I Heart Faces {Sun Flare}

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is Sun Flare. There are so many beautiful shots! This shot is from an engagement session just the other day. The two of them were so cute together and I had a great time watching them interact with one another:) Here's a favorite as the sun was going down and we were wrapping up our session. Be sure to check out the other entries here.

Engagement Session

I had the opportunity to do an engagement session for a very sweet couple this past weekend. It was a VERY windy day, but between gusts we got some great shots:) Congratulations Hanna and Anthony!

Ethiopia

I'm not sure where to start as far as our trip to Ethiopia is concerned. But, I can sum it up by saying, it was an amazing week. Things didn't always go quite as planned, but we so clearly saw God's hand in all the ups and downs.

This past week gave us a wonderful opportunity to explore the needs of the Mt. Entoto community. More than anything, we saw the need for a sustainable income. Mt. Entoto is so close to Addis, yet in terms of resources, it couldn't possibly be more remote. People, especially women, need a way to make money. We know that all around the world, when a woman makes money, you can truly improve the lives of those in her family. Because, when women have an income, they spend it on food, clothes, housing, and education for their children.

Currently, many women in the community make their money by carrying wood. They wake up as early as 3 or 4 in the morning and begin the task of gathering wood from the forest floor. Hyenas and guards (who have been reported to sometimes assault women), make this a dangerous task. After they have collected a HUGE bundle of wood, they carry it on their backs all the way down to the base of the mountain. The bundles are probably 8 feet across and often weigh well over 70 pounds. We saw many, many women carrying these bundles down the mountain and the look on their faces is one of pure anguish. The bundles roughly earn them $2-$3.

While we were there, we had the privilege of spending time with women who use to call wood carrying their primary source of income. Now, because of a wonderful organization, they are employed making beautiful scarves. They have a collection of buildings that includes a shop, a room full of looms, an area for the women to socialize, and a daycare/preschool for their children. We spent a couple of days here, buying scarves, chatting with the women, and having coffee with them. They were so excited when we made copies of the pictures we had taken of them and brought them to them.

This organization will serve as a wonderful model as we begin to brainstorm ideas for generating income for the women of Mt. Entoto.

While we were in ET, Pam received word that we have received our 501c3 number! Connected in Hope Foundation, Inc. is officially recognized by the U.S. government as a non-profit! We are now beginning to work on becoming recognized as an NGO in Ethiopia. Very exciting things are happening!

Well, that's just a small part of our trip, but more will have to come at another time. I can't say enough what a wonderful time I had. It's so hard to explain to people, but Ethiopia is an addictive country. The people are the most gracious, generous, loving, wonderful people you will ever meet. In a week's time, I formed friendships stronger than many I have worked a lifetime on building. I can't begin to describe the pride I feel in knowing that part of my heart is Habesha (Ethiopian).

I will leave you with some pictures of the beautiful, former wood carriers:)

Getting close!

I can't believe three days from now I will be on an airplane to Ethiopia! I honestly didn't think I'd be going back this soon...a true answer to prayer.

This week has been full of packing and getting last-minute things done around the house. I'm wrapping up a few photography-related items, doing a few things for the dossier, and vacuum-packing donations in order to get them to fit in my suitcases:)

Amidst all the packing, I'm trying to spend a lot of quality time with the boys. Extra hugs and kisses above and beyond the hundreds I give them each day, snuggling on the couch, and conversations about where I'm going and who will be with them while I'm gone. Just tonight, I sat down and wrote them each a little note for each day I will be gone. Twenty little love notes decorated with colorful markers and stickers:) I'm sure they'll be a big hit...especially with Grayson. I'm going to cut a slot in the top of a shoe box and have Aaron put a new note in their "mailbox" each day.

I know, I know...I'm a horrible blogger:)

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and a lot has been going on!

On the adoption front, we FINALLY got our home study done and submitted to our agency. We are continuing to work on paperwork for our dossier. We would love to have our dossier done sometime late March/early April, but we'll see! We totally see God at work in this paper chase as things are following a much different timeline than we envisioned..all in His timing, right? However, despite the set-backs, God has given us so much peace this time around. Sometimes I honestly forget we are even in the adoption process!! Crazy, I know!

I've also been trying to prepare for my trip to Ethiopia. I can't believe I leave in about a week and a half! I've been busy making arrangements for the boys and collecting donations. Thank you so much to all our friends and family that is coming up to watch the boys. We are so blessed to have you all! I've been telling Grayson I'm going to Ethiopia for about 10 days and he can't even muster up any sadness because he is so excited for all the visitors we will be having that week! He still remembers all the special things he got to do while we were in ET to pick up Abram. If you are wanting to help with stuff for my trip, I am still collecting children's chewable multivitamins. We hand these out on Saturdays to the kids in attendance and use almost a whole bottle each week. For children who are typically only eating one meal a day, we feel these vitamins will help make up for some of the nutrients they are missing out on.

And finally, I've been really busy trying to decide when/how to start my photography business. I've been doing pictures for donations in order to build my portfolio and am ready to take it to the next level. I've been working on my new website. Please feel free to check it out HERE.

I will continue to donate a portion of my sitting fees to either A Common Love or Connected in Hope Foundation, Inc.

Once I return from Ethiopia, I am hoping to begin booking sessions. I will also be working to sort through and edit pictures from my trip so we can feature them on our Connected in Hope website!

I'll leave you with some pictures from this past weekend:)

Okay, she's almost 13 months now! But, when we decided to get together to go to the Children's Museum, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to sneak in a little photo shoot:) So here are the pictures I came up with.

Here's another picture in front of my mobile backdrop:) Tomorrow my best friend in the whole world is bringing her little one and we're heading to the Children's Museum. Of course, we're making a little time for some pictures to test out my new indoor set-up.

Have backdrop...will travel.

I've been working to construct something that will allow me to do some pictures indoors while we anxiously wait for Spring's arrival. I hate that the bitter temperatures are keeping me from practicing as much as I would like, so I decided to do something about it. Several rooms in our house have great natural lighting throughout the day. And, the fact that we seem to always have snow on the ground has really brightened the house! So, I searched online and found a blog with a suggestion for a DIY backdrop. It's constructed from PVC pipe. I went to Lowe's and bought the materials. After much trial and error, I settled for using a chenille throw as my backdrop.

Here's a picture of my setup.



And, here's the resulting picture.

Photography class

Tonight was my third of four photography classes. I'm really enjoying it! First, I get 2 hours to myself and don't have to wait on a single person! Second, I'm learning a lot. Each week we are challenged to take what we've learned and complete a "homework assignment." I really like that this assignment makes me practice each week. And, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and taking pictures I wouldn't normally take.

Here's my favorite picture from this week's shutter speed assignment. This is the carousel at the Children's Museum. I found a place to sit my camera and set my shutter speed to 8". That means the shutter was open for 8 full seconds (which is why I had to sit it on something to keep it still).



Here's another one from the shutter speed assignment.



I'm really looking forward to this week's assignment on depth of field!

MCP Project 52

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I have been participating in MCP's Project 52. This past week the theme was "Illustrate a Song." I took this picture of Grayson and titled it, "I Walk the Line."



At the end of each week, 10 pictures are selected from all the images submitted and are featured on MCP's blog. I woke up on Saturday morning to find that my picture had been selected to be featured on their blog!!!!

Here's the link to their blog.

I Heart Faces {Smiles}

This week at I Heart Faces, the photo challenge theme is smile. I picked this one of Abram because it is so hard to get him to sit still long enough to glance at the camera...and, he even has a hint of a smile in this one! I can't wait to see all the other adorable smiles at I Heart Faces this week!

MCP Project 52

A website that I visit often is MCP Actions. I can purchase Photoshop actions here and there are a lot of great tutorials on editing pictures. I'm also a "fan" of their Facebook page. This year, like many other photography websites, they are sponsoring a year-long photo challenge. Each week there will be a theme. Your job is to post up to 3 pictures each week that goes along with the theme. It's a great way to get your creative juices flowing. And, a great opportunity to get feedback on your pictures. I've found that one of my biggest weaknesses is my lack of confidence in my photos. So, to have others encourage me by giving positive feedback on a picture is priceless. I see this year as being a year of growth for me in so many ways. I hope photography is one of them. I think participating in this weekly challenge will go a long way in helping me grow as a photographer. This week's theme is "Around the House." Here are my pictures for the week.

Florida

Tuesday evening, we returned from our Christmas and Florida vacation. We were glad to get home, but we had such a great time! The boys really enjoyed swimming this year. And, though there were many days the pool's heater was not working as well as I'd like, the boys swam a couple times every day. Abram went from being held in the pool at the beginning of the week to "motoring" around the pool on his own with help from water wings and a pool noodle. It was cutest thing and he was so proud of himself! Grayson really enjoyed swimming and spending time with his cousins. They don't get to see each other that often, but like old friends, they pick up right where they left off! I hope someday they can live right down the road from each other.

When we returned home on Tuesday evening, I did my very best not to get overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" I had to unpack, organize, and put away. Yesterday, I got all the Christmas decorations put away and even carried the tree out. It felt great to reclaim my living room. We're still catching up on laundry, but honestly, that's nothing new:) It's been a little easier to get things accomplished as the boys are quite occupied by all the toys they got for Christmas and then had to leave behind when we went to Florida. Unpacking was like Christmas all over again for them:)

Here are some pictures from our trip!

I Heart Faces {Absolute Best Face Photo of 2010}

This week at I Heart Faces, the challenge is Best Face Photo of 2010. Of course, it ended up being a picture of one of my boys:) I just love those little faces! I especially loved that in this one, Grayson was super excited about the hat I knitted for him:) I can't wait to check out all the other wonderful pics at I Heart Faces this week!