Favorite Foto Friday #39 - MOMMY & ME

In honor of Mothers Day this weekend, please post the pictures that mean the most to us as mothers... us and our children...

This has to be my favorite picture of my mommy moment... is is from our visit trip to meet Sophie in Guatemala. It is one of the first pictures of me with all THREE of my babies and also with my mother (aka Nana):


But, since you have gotten to know me so well and know that I cannot choose just one picture for FFF (which is what FFF started out to be, you know... your ONE favorite picture - leave it to me to break the rules), here are few more of me and my precious children.











I realize after searching for these pictures of me and my kiddos, that I am not in front of the camera lens very often (which I am sure most of us are guilty of)... I am going to make a more conscious effort to get more pictures of me WITH my children.

To participate in FFF, please post your picture(s) on your blog and leave a comment here and I will link you. You can post using the theme or just post your favorite photo. If your profile is private or your blog unlisted, please leave a link to your blog so I can find you. And as always... looking forward to seeing your FFF of the week! I just know that this week is going to be one of my favorites!

Next week's theme... FUN IN THE SUN!

Tricia, Victoria & Sofia
Sabra, Hannah, Maya, Caleb & Sofia
Rachel, Madison, Makensie, Makan & Max
Sarah & Anna
Katie, Madeleine & Audrey
Kim, Ana, Ruth & Nathaniel
Rachel & her silly girls
Christina, Emily, Madeline & Ashley
Misty, Madisyn & Lyza
Madisyn & her mom
Kim & Alex - praying for Baby A
Lisa, Katelyn, Frankie & Sophia
Becky & Tabitha
Lisa & Madeline
Katie, Angelika, Taylor, Brayden & Arianna
Soltana, Derek & Cerah
Becca & Ella
Becky, Juliana & Amaya
Laurie, Kari, Mindy & Joe
Mindy, Walker & Hadlee
Aves 7 Tuks
Jennifer, Elena & Brandon
Cindy... didn't have a link to link you, please let me know
Marianne, Finley & Chloe
Tina, Toby & Liliana
Sarah & Lily
Rebekah & Jaden
Amy, Brayden & Malayna
Ellie, Angelena & Angelo
Christina, Kelsey, Clara & Aiden
Faith, Hope, Love Mama, Autumn, Mara & Ian
Kathy & John
Hannah, Dmitry & Sophia
Tonya, Brent, Zach & Gabe
Carrie & Savannah
Farrah & Madisyn
Jill, Allie & Mario
Jamie, Jalyn & Justice
Julia, Juliana, Curtis, Mac, Erin, John-Bryan & Abby Grace
Kerri, Ruby & M
Amanda, Mason, Matthew & Mary
Amy, Kayla, Jeff, Samantha & Giovanni
Dena & Annie
Kelli & Kaleb
Jennisa, Avery & Olivia
Kim, Ashley & Andrew - First FFF!
Stacey, Luke & Colby
Debbie, Milady, Skylar, Jordan & Heidy
Laurie & Bella
Aimee & Mayna - First FFF!
Heather, Kyle, Brandon, Devin, Jacob & Allie
Marsha, Harrison, Mary Elizabeth & Harper - First FFF!
Kelly & Skylie
Three Handprints and her boys
Tracy & Brenda
Alleen & Gabriella
Lauren, Amanda & Adam
Michelle, Dylan & Dominic
Jenelle & Colter
Sharon & AnnaMaria
Jennifer, Sara, Ali, Rachel & McCaleb
Robyn & Gabriella
Stephanie & Maya
Violet and the special moms in her life
Ruthie & Liliana
Jennifer, F, K & M
Reba, Hunter, Lauren, Maria & Joshua - First FFF!

Boy, I knew this week would be one of my favorites! Thanks everybody for playing along! Every mother is beautiful and just shines in all these pictures with their children!

Celebrating Adoption Photos

Sophie had her Celebrating Adoption photo session last month by a wonderful lady named Sarah Havard. She has graciously allowed me to post a few of my favorite images from Sophie's session.






I am still trying to decide which one is my favorite so I can order. Help me choose!

Call to Prayer

Please go HERE to find out more. And check out Stacie's blog to see the very faces of those beautiful children waiting to come home to their families.

Please pray for the orphans of Guatemala... may the children in process come home to their forever families VERY SOON!

Please keep my friend, Mary Beth in your prayers too. She is not a blogger, but her little girl, Elliana needs to come home soon too!

Little Bug Stats - 3 years old

Sophie~Bug had her 3 year checkup with the pediatrician today. First off... she is perfect... very healthy, very smart and very petite. The doctor was amazed that she can count to 20 (and 10 in Spanish) and spell her name. She recognizes about 8 letters of the alphabet by sight (pretty much the ones we have in the bathtub) and very soon will be playing Gershwin on the piano (LOL- just kidding).

She weighed in at 25.8 pounds - 5th-10th percentile
She is 34 inches tall - 5th percentile (if she continues to follow her growth curve, she will be between 5 foot and 5 foot 2 inches tall - perfect as mommy is also 5' 2"!)

Last Thursday was her visit to the pediatric cardiologist. Can I start out by saying that I am IN LOVE with her doctor... he has to be the sweetest man on this planet and one of the most gifted surgeons in the region. He sang Happy Birthday to Sophie, let her listen to her own heartbeat through the stethoscope and whispered to her how beautiful he thinks she is while it was still in her ears. She just beamed at him and I was a puddle (he is married folks to one of the most wonderful ladies in town). Oh... I guess I should stop blabbing about Dr. Wonderful and tell you that her PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) is still there, but the hole is so tiny, that it cannot be seen on the echo cardiogram, but you can see the transference of blood between the chambers on the doppler... he thinks the hole is very tiny and still thinks it should close on its own over time. He would not recommend that she scuba dive or become a Navy Seal, but other than that, she has no restrictions. We were both a bit disappointed that it has not closed up yet, but I am thrilled that he will continue to be Sophie's doctor for a bit longer.

In my eyes, my little Bug is absolutely perfect... her sweet little personality just lights up a room. She is very pensive and quiet when we are out or with somebody new, but can be quite the little firecracker at home or after she warms up. Her language has exploded over the past few months and she graduated from Speech Therapy through First Steps last week. She is a mommy's girl and still wants to be carried and babied... my pleasure (most of the time).

As for the big girl bed... well, that is not going as well as we talked about for those many weeks preceding her birthday. She does well if I transfer her into her rooom while she is asleep, but I am not having any luck if she realizes where she is. So, if anybody has any tips, I would appreciate them. I may have to try the Super Nanny approach... but is it really worth it? I mostly enjoy having that sweet little body curled up next to her pillow on the other side of the bed and still melt when I wake up to see two chocolate brown eyes smiling at me and a little voice chirp "hewo mommy" when she sees that I am awake. Some mornings, she wakes up a little too early and I can pat the bed and she will crawl over the big pillow to cuddle up beside me and go back to sleep. I love how she says her prayers each night in her toddler imperfect pronunciation... and then tells ME "sweet dreams". See... hopeless!!

We also need to work on potty training, but I was pleased that her pediatrician agreed with me to not push her. She is showing all the physical signs of readiness... dry in the morning, predictable schedule, discomfort of being wet or dirty, able to verbalize when she is going in her diaper and able to undress herself. But, she is not emotionally ready yet. She has begun to sit on the little potty without my prompting but has not produced anything in quite a while. She is still eyeing the M&M's on the shelf in the bathroom and I cannot wait for the day until I am able to give them to her for a job well done!

OK... enough gushing... just am still in disbelief that my little Bug can already be three years old... leaving you with a few pics of my little peanut to show how she has grown!

8 days old


5 months old and HOME!


1 year old (16 months)


2 years old

More Birthday Pictures

Today was a FABULOUS day! The weather was beautiful and warm and we were able to set up the new bouncer outside on the deck! We just had our immediate family over and Sophie just LOVED all the attention from her favorite people!

Can I just say that today, I think the most about the woman who gave my beautiful daughter life? I am so completely in love with this beautiful child and thank God every day for giving me the honor of being this child's mother.



She was smiling ear to ear having all her favorite people sing Happy Birthday to her! True joy on this child's face... and she chose cupcakes baked in ice cream cones... so these are actually cupcakes! But, she preferred to just lick off the icing... silly girl!




LOVES the bouncer...


Definitely got into opening her gifts... and was wonderful about saying thank you to everybody there. Proud mommy moment!




Happy Birthday, Sophie~Bug... your family loves you SOOO much!!


Love and FROG!

Happy Birthday Sophie~Bug!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sophie~Bug!

She woke up this morning (in her big girl bed - because I moved her there in her sleep) and was all excited that she is no longer a baby, but a big girl now! The Birthday Fairy had come and decorated her room with streamers and balloons, which she LOVED!

 

 

 

And, she got to blow out a candle in her special birthday donut!

 

Then, we headed over to lunch at QDoba, her favorite, for rice and beans and realized that Build A Bear was just across the parking lot... she has never been before. LOVE this picture of my two big kids walking with their baby sister!


She picked out a Scruffy Puppy and really enjoyed getting to make him!




The air bath is the best part...


She loves the little house they put the stuffed animal in... she is such a cheeser though!


Then... over to the toy store... my big kids talked me into getting her an inflatable bounce house... this child is IN LOVE with bouncers. I know it will get alot of use. She jumped for two hours this afternoon... and Morgan and Grant took turns in there with her...




She and Scruffy the Puppy chilled out to read some books while we watched the Ky Derby tonight... this is truly her favorite thing to do... read books. She so carefully turns each page and talks as she recites what she remembers the words are to each story.


Does she look comfy or what?


This is happiness... true bliss!


Tonight, she fell asleep in the car after dinner at her choice "Wendy's" - yuck and then ice cream at my (er... her) favorite, Coldstone. So, she is once again in the big girl bed... I am so excited! More tomorrow as the family comes over to help her celebrate!

Favorite Foto Friday #38 - HAVING A BALL!

The theme for this week's FFF is all about your kids doing their favorite things or trying out something new!

Tonight, Sophie got to play her version of what she called "baseball" with a golf club, golf ball and tee... she had so much fun figuring it all out without anybody telling her what to do. I enjoyed watching her creativity with them!










And... something new... as recommended by many FFF'ers, I will post the theme for next week's FFF each Friday. That way, you will have a whole week to find or create that perfect picture. I am also open to ideas of future themes, just leave them with your comments!! So... NEXT week's FFF theme will be "Mommy and Me" in honor of Mother's Day weekend! Come on everybody... let's see those beautiful children with their mommies!

Lastly... it is Derby Week in Kentucky! The first Saturday in May will behold the greatest two minutes in sports! It will also be a 3rd Birthday for a very special little Bug. I will update this weekend with pictures of my birthday girl!


Looking forward to seeing your FFF for the week!! Please leave a comment if you would like me to link your post! If your profile is private, please also leave your blog address!

UPDATE: Blogger is having problems notifying me of comments. If I somehow leave you off the links, please let me know (you will know I linked you if I posted a comment back to your blog). I try to keep things updated up through lunchtime and then again after dinner... the rest of the day, I gotta keep up with work... darn job - LOL!

Mindy, Walker & Hadlee - First FFF!
Sarah & Anna
Tina, Toby & Liliana
Tonya, Brent, Zach & Gabe
Amy, Brayden & Malayna
Sabra, Maya & Sofia
Christina, Emily, AShley & Madeline
Rachel, Makensie, Madison, Makan & Max
Steve, Amy, Ethan & Mia
Faith, Hope & Love Mama, Autumn, Mara & Ian
Tracy & Brenda
Tricia & Sofia
Becca & Ella
Aves & Tuks
Misty, Maddy & Lyza
Maddy
Kelly & Skylie
Heather, Kyle, Brandon, Devin, Jacob & Allie
Carrie & Savannah
Kathy & John
Dena & Annie
Michelle, Dylan & Dominic
Rachel & Riley
Rebekah & Jaden
Ellie, Angelena & Angelo
Kelli & Kaleb
Tracy, Matt & Emmy
Becky, Juliana & Amaya
Hannah, Dmitry & Sophia - First FFF!
Soltana, Derek & Cerah
Lisa & Madeline
Marianne, Finn & Chloe
Lindsey, Chris & Eliana - IN PGN!! YEAH!!
Laurie & Bella
Amy & Joey
Lauren, Amanda & Adam
Rachel & her Philippine cuties
Jenelle special prayer request for Carter!!!!
Timberly, Dawson, Daeton, Emmy & Ella
Kim & her three blessings
Amanda, Mary, Mason & Matthew - not feeling well, give her a little love!
Amy, Regan, Carson & Brooklyn
Mandy & Jadon
Jennifer, F, K & M
Becky & Tabatha
Laurie, Kari, Mindy & Joe
Robyn & Gabriella
Kelly, Craig & Courtney
Gina - PLEASE PRAY FOR CARTER!!!
Kerri & Ruby