Favorite Foto Friday #60 - OCTOBERFEST!

This week's theme is OCTOBERFEST... my favorite thing besides the fact that the days are getting milder, the leaves are changing colors on the trees, our annual trek to the pumpkin patch filled with hayrides, apple cider and fresh donuts - YUM!! The smell of chili being simmered on the stove, leaves crunching under your feet as you meander through art fairs and fall festivals... BUT my favorite... and right around the corner is HALLOWEEN!! There is just something so magical with kids dressing up in their adorable costumes and trick or treating house to house.

My favorite memory is three years ago when all three of my children were dressed up for Halloween together!! I was just so excited to have my little Bug home for her first holiday and she made the most adorable little bumblebee!!!

My Three Little Bugs

Awwww....

All dressed up for the big night!

And one really HAPPY mommy to have her little bumblebee forever in her arms!

Here is Mr. Linky... LINK AWAY!! if you need directions, you can find them here.



Next week's theme is FRIENDS!! I am cheating a bit because I know I will have TONS of pictures of fellow Guatemama friends and their beautiful babies to post!!! Post a picture of your special friends!!

And we're off...

To GUATOBERFEST!! Hope to see some of you there!!! Sophie and I can't wait to hit the beach and meet more of our wonderful friends in person!!!

Scene from last year of some amazingly beautiful kiddos!

Word-filled Wednesday

OK... gotta at least explain... my FIRST baby, my Goddaughter, Whitney, got married this weekend. It was the most beautiful weekend and she was absolutely stunning!

Grant was an usher, I was a gift bearer at the wedding mass and Morgan was the guest book attendant. Don't we clean up nice?



My Goddaughter, Stephanie... the matron of honor and sister of the bride. This was at the rehearsal dinner.



And... the BEAUTIFUL bride, Whitney, the night of her rehearsal dinner. I was such a mess at the wedding that I forgot to take pictures!!! I don't know what I was thinking!!



Congratulations my beautiful baby!! I am so proud of you and wish you and Joey years and years of happiness!!!

Prayers for Julia

Please keep our friend, Julia, in your prayers as she lost her father very suddenly this afternoon. I just went back and read her tribute to him for Father's Day and found this picture...

Please keep Julia and her family in your prayers as they struggle to find peace in this difficult time. One thing we all know for sure, her dad loved God more than anything. What a glorious day for him to complete his life's journey and be sitting by His side. Heaven has gained a most beautiful angel.

Three Years Together FOREVER!!

Today marks the third anniversary of finally having Sophie~Bug placed in my arms for forever in the Marriott lobby in Guatemala City... truly a day I will never forget and every bit as miraculous as the moments Morgan and Grant were allowed to leave the hospital with me. It is such an incredible and overwhelming feeling when you realize that God has entrusted you with these precious souls and has given you the gift of being their mother.

Here was that moment in October 2005 when I received my precious miracle in her ladybug sleeper from her foster mother, Mayra. Grant was my photographer.





Today, when Sophie woke up, I told her that today was her Family Day. She repeated it almost all day long and I let her pick where she wanted to go for lunch and to do today. She picked a favorite Tex Mex restaurant we love on the river that happens to be right next to one of her favorite places in the world... the PARK! This child could play at a park every single day of her life and never want to leave!! We also went shopping at the mall (one of our favorite pastimes) and she has her first every DOUBLE DOOZIE cookie and our favorite Strawberry Banana "moovey" (smoothie) together with Sissy! We finished up our day by going yet to another park and then coming home and snuggling on the couch and reading her favorite books together.

Can you believe that I left my camera at home and did not capture any pictures of the fun we had today? Since I couldn't go without taking some at home, Grant took some tonight before we got into our jammies...



I just love this little Bug with all my heart!!


And a little re-creation of the first picture with some added goofiness!


To my dear, precious Sophia Lane Elisabeth... I cannot tell you with words how blessed I am to be called your mother. My heart literally skips a beat every time I hear "mommy" come out of your mouth and feel your tiny perfect little hand in mine. You are my dream come true and this poem sums up so much of how I feel about the miracle that brought us together:

We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life.
But those who make their journey home across time & miles,
growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them,
are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us
by God's very own hands.
--- Kristi Larson

Here are some of the wonderful special little things I love about you:

• How you call the moon "my moon" when you see it out the window
• How your little body fits perfectly beside mine when we snuggle in the morning... we are like a perfect little puzzle
• How beautiful and shiny your hair is and that you love for me to brush it and put in pretty bows to match your outfits
• How you still reach up your little hands and say "Hold You"
  
• How you LOVE to read and will carefully turn each page and attempt to read each page on your own... you learn each book so quickly and can recite them the second time we read them
• How you are already becoming a little mommy and love to remind your big brother "that's not nice manners, Grant" and "go brush your teeth"... LOL!
• How you call your blankies "Mimi" and "Nother Mimi" and can never leave them at home
• Your careful little run... you are so dainty and very cautious
• The way you kiss each of our doggies goodnight on top of their heads and call them by their names
• How you always remember the rules of what we are going to do and ALWAYS try to follow them (and remind others too)
• How you are so crazy and chatty at home with our family but are so quiet and shy when around others... sometimes you talk so quietly, nobody can understand you
• How you know many of your letters and numbers by sight
  
• How you love for me to sing you songs while swinging on the porch
• How sweet you look at night when we say our bedtime prayers then give butterfly kisses, eskimo kisses, fish kisses and mommy kisses right before we say "Sweet Dreams". If we leave any of it out, you will not go to sleep until we do.
• How you love to be mommy's helper and be right beside me helping with whatever I am doing
  

There are so many things I could list that make me love you more and more with each passing moment. I love you, my little angel! I can't imagine our lives without you in it.

Like last year, Sophie and I are celebrating by going to Guatoberfest this next weekend. I promise to take oodles and oodles of pictures. There will also be a very special family visiting with us while we are there that Sophie will be SO excited to see again!!

Favorite Foto Friday #59 - SUMMER MEMORIES!

OK... I have to admit, this one was EASY for me! My fondest summer memories this year are of our vacation to Hilton Head... we had such a glorious time and I just LOVED having Mary Beth and Roberto there along with us. All the kids had such a great time except for the occasional sibling squabble among my older two!



My friend... my soul sister... Mary Beth was such a trip! We had a blast with her and her wit! She kept us in stitches the entire trip!



I just love seeing all three of my beautiful children together...



Sisters... my lifelong dream was for my girls to have each other. I hope they grow up and know how special their lives are to have a sister a part of it!



Roberto and Sophie had such a ball together! They played so well!



My heart melts watching these beautiful children... and reveling in the miracles that brought them so perfectly into our families.



No flaming... but this picture was too cute of the littles helping their mommies with the limes for the Coronas... they did NOT consume any! We just cracked up that they wanted to do this! They took it so seriously (well, ok... Bug really wanted to make sure she had her cheetos first)!



Grant has never met a stranger... he met a friend and they buddied up the entire trip! It was awesome for him and they had a ball riding their bikes all over South Beach!



And my gorgeous oldest... I am so incredibly proud of her... she will always hold a special place in my heart as my first born dream come true! The mold was broken when He made this one...



And, she was the one to capture this beautiful picture of the sunset over the sound...



Here is Mr. Linky... LINK AWAY!! if you need directions, you can find them here.



Next week's theme is "OCTOBERFEST"! Post your pictures of what October means for you... fall, pumpkins, mums, crisp cool air, crackling leaves, whatever! I will be at GUATOBERFEST hanging with some incredible families and I cannot wait! I will try to post a picture from there as soon as I can!!!

Wordless Wednesday