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meet my precious new niece, ivy….i love her so much it is crazy!!!!!!

Yes, he is the most precious little man in the world….yes, we are beyond in love with him! no, he had no interest in the candy corn…too busy laughing at me and the girls making faces at him

Our little man is 8 months! hard to believe he has been home two months now. goodness he is the sweetest little man. all smiles. all love. all ours…he now has 6 teeth. we thought they would mess up his sleeping but he sleeps like a champ. still two naps a day and down for the night at 8pm and sleeps all the way through tell 7 or 8 am. could not ask for more! he lovesssss snuggles. prefers to be held all day. quite the observer, stares so deeply into your eyes for long periods of time. it’s like he just wants to study you. i have created a monster with quite the mama’s boy. he hears my voice anywhere in the house and about breaks his neck trying to find where i am. i don’t mind it. most often at home he is in the carrier and i just wear him around the house. people ask us alllll sorts of questions. we take it in stride. we get stopped A LOT to talk about our precious little man. we take the questions as they come and think of it as an opportunity to shed some possibly unknown light on adoption as a whole. we are asked by many how he is adjusting. our answer….LIKE A CHAMP! he has bonded so much quicker than we ever thought possible. he lovessss his daddy. lovessss his sissy. lovessss his snuggy crib. lovesssss meeting and seeing all his family and friends. health wise he is making huge strides as well, up to 16 pounds in 2.5 months. that is quite a jump from the 8.5-9 pounds when my husband arrived in the congo. he has caught up on all his shots and we are now on to mostly dermatologist  appointments for lingering skin bumps. those look like they will just take time more than anything to go away. most likely left over marks from scabies while in the orphanage. we are planning on keeping him home tell the new year and then starting mothers day out once or twice a week so he can interact with other little ones his age. all in all life is GREAT! Seems like he has always been with us. we are so overly blessed to have him home with us after such a long process of ups and downs. he is everything we ever dreamed of and SO MUCH MORE! sometimes i find myself getting sad that he will so soon be one and i quickly catch it and think how LUCKY we are that he will live to see the age of one when so many babies in his country never have that chance. and, that we got him soooo much sooner than we ever dreamed and get to soak him up for more months than we even planned for.

happy 8 months to our son, oaks thomas mathias. we LOVE YOU!

my baby. my little love. off to kindergarten. she is so excited. loves her new backpack. loves her school uniforms even more. we went to back to school night and it was hard even then to hold back the tears. it just does not seem possible. that little girl i just rocked to sleep at night not that long ago was off to school. we could not be happier about where she is going. an amazing school that truly feels like home already. like a family. a place i know she will blossom and her true gifts be valued. even still it is hard to loose her. she is my breakfast buddy. my side kick. loves to come hang out at the studio and play. will i get in a morning workout now, maybe. will i get a little more work in before starting sessions each day, sure. would i trade it all for just one more year to have her snuggled up under my arm in her p.j.’s all morning while i edit.  IN A SECOND.

little sunflower you are magic. i love you to the moon and am proud of you each and every day. you inspire me. watch out for me (really, she does “mama, do you have your wallet” is a phrase she says when we leave daily because she knows i can be forgetful and i love you for exactly who you are. big things are in your future and i hope your first year of school is as amazing as you are. i promise to support you, love you and smother you in kisses each day of your kindergarten year. no one could be prouder of you than your daddy, bubby, and mama.

xoxox sunflower

it’s been a whirl of love and more love since bringing home our little man! he is everything and more. auburn is in heaven. adores him. kisses him all day long. it is like he has always been here. a part of us all along.

Our hearts our overjoyed and full of love to announce the arrival of our sweet Oaks! He is the most amazing little man and we could never have imagined how perfect he would be. Big sister is in loveeeeeee. Daddy is in loveeeeee. mama is in loveeeeeeeeee. We adore you Oaks Thomas Mathias! Thank you for making our family and our hearts complete! those two little teeth….those big brown eyes….your sweet little smile and giggle. ours forever!

cannot believe you are five! school age, big girl, FIVE! everyday you grow and learn and amaze me with your little heart! love you to the moon baby girl. keeping this short and sweet because we are out the door to celebrate YOU!

my sweet and precious son…..we wait and wait to have you home with us. dream of your sweet smile and little giggles. we stare into your loving eyes and see your future. our future. our path was always you. thank you for showing us the way. you have taught us all so much in this journey to you. we are kinder. we are more understanding. our hearts are opened even wider to all things in the world and all people on this earth.  i wake up at night just to look at your face once more and send up prayers for your safety and health. your big sister talks about you like you are already here. get ready, baby boy, she is going to smother you in love, even though she has already classified what toys you are “not allowed” to play with…in true big sister fashion we have been preparing you a space all your own. making it as unique as you are. your daddy loves you so much. taking HOURS and HOURS on your striped ceiling. showing his love in actions and faith. oh, sweet boy, his love will amaze you. he is the best man there is. he will snuggle you – love you – take you fishing and spend every second building you up. i should know, he has been doing it for me over half my life.  so many things are still unknown on when we can bring you home. paperwork…more paperwork…and, then more paperwork.  just know we will fight for you. we won’t give up. we will do everything possible to get you home to your family. no more sleeping on cement floors. no more hoping for a fully belly. no more. no more. you are our heart. you are our son. thank you for blessing us so much already.

peace and love, mamma

we had SO MUCH fun on this engagement session! too many favorites to even count!

this family is beyond precious!!! i enjoy each and every session i do for them. we got SO MANY adorable shots of their sweet family!