Black and White Wednesday - "Hippy Chic and The Mad Driver"

I had to throw this picture in the mix today!! Nick is so anti-camera lately, I don't think I have taken a picture of him in about a month. Of course he is happy about that.....I am not!! I happened to catch him as he was driving his sister around the yard in her pink barbie jeep....... As soon as he saw me come out of the house with the camera, he floored it and turned around and stuck his tongue out at me....... I thought it was cute and at least I have something to post:)



Well..... I wish I could say that all we have been doing is "hangin" like our sweet little "hippy chic", but that is not the case! It is go, go, go around here these days!! Both Pat and I are pushing ourselves to the max with our jobs and the things that we really need to focus on right now as we are closing in on what we think, could be the end of our adoption journey.

As I have previously mentioned....more like vaguely hinted around in a prior post, we have experienced some bumps along this very long road. There have been days where we wonder if it is really going to happen for us.......

I think I personally have been in a bit of denial....... after 4 years of waiting and seeing no end in sight, I kept thinking we had time......lots of time. Well, I almost hate to say it, but we DO NOT have a lot of time left. I am guessing we will get a referral in the next 4-6 months.

I am usually a planner and someone who is always prepared......but in this scenario, I could not bring myself to get with the program. I am kind of superstitious......my fear was that if we planned, got a room ready, bought things, started to choose baby names.......it wouldn't happen. So what have we done.......the complete opposite....which is NOTHING.

We literally had no warning with Sarah and we did just fine, so I am not in complete panic mode yet, but there are a lot of things that are beginning to weigh on our minds surrounding this adoption.

As the summer quickly approaches, we are going to do need to get serious around here and start to prepare for the changes that are going to take place should we get that referral. I feel like I am waivering between total excitement and sheer nervousness and anxiety when I think of what is just down the road for our family:)

I have been absolutely horrible at keeping up with this blog(and everyone elses....sorry)the last two months, but I am going to make the extra effort to get back on track here because I will want to document and post all that we are going through leading up to what we hope will be, a very happy ending to a very long journey!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Just wanted to add a few shout outs......
The tutu Sarah is wearing was purchased at Sophia Jane Boutique.....check out Kimberley's shop....she has the most incredible bows, flowers, headbands, hats, and now tutus!!

Also wanted to mention that I had a little fun processing this series of photos using some AWESOME Lightroom Presets created by Jessica at One Willow Studios...... if you are a photo enthusiast and a Lightroom user, you must check out her presets and her beautiful pictures......they are FABULOUS!!!

Black and White Wednesday - "The Vacant Lot"

I took Sarah out to the vacant lot across the street from our house again. This might be one of my all time favorite backdrops for photos...... I do love the old stone park that I frequent, but this barn cannot be beat!!



This weekend the weather was not very cooperative as it was extremely cool and windy, but I was able to at least capture one photo before the wind got the best of us:)



I do love both photos, but I really prefer the full color over the black and white....... the colors are so soft and muted, it almost reminds me of a paiting!!

Okay, gotta run....have to keep this post short and sweet. Believe it or not, I am traveling again on business. This time I am in Louisville, Kentucky for a Sales Training. Life is busy to say the least......but busy is good and I am not going to complain.

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and a fantastic week. I will be stopping by to check out your photos this weekend when I return home:)

Black and White Wednesday - "Living In The Moment"

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
~Dale Carnegie~



Lately, I have been trying very hard to keep this quote in mind. I am making a conscious effort to focus on what is in front of me presently and not what the future holds.

It is difficult at times to live in the moment and not look too far ahead, but I think it is important. Life is too short and time can pass by so quickly. I stare at both of my children on a daily basis with wonder and amazement........ They are growing up so quickly and things can change in an instant. I don't want to miss out....I want to enjoy and cherish each and every moment!!

Since my work schedule has been rather hectic and it does not look as though it is going to get any lighter.....add to that my online photography classes and client sessions booked on weekends....it doesn't leave me much spare time. Superwoman I am not, so for the next couple of weeks, I am going to continue to be somewhat absent around here in order to have extra family time.

At the very least, I will continue to post on Wednesdays so that eveyone can link. I promised I would make it around last week to see all the black and whites.......it took me until Sunday night to get there, but I did it:) I will make my way around this week too.......it just might take me a few days to make my way through the list.

Sooner or later, I will get back into the bloggy groove.......

~Have a wonderful week~

Black and White Wednesday - "The Thrill of The Hunt"

We arrived home on Monday from our Easter Holiday on Cape Cod and I am now finally ready to get back into a normal routine......

Our holiday was wonderful! It was great to see and spend some quality time with our family. The weather was absolutely perfect......I cannot remember a more beautiful Easter weekend:)

Saturday we spent a good part of the day walking the beaches. It was warm enough to walk along the water's edge barefoot...... Sarah played in the sand with her beloved sand toys that have been hiding in Grammy's basement since we left them there in August!!

The only downside to our holiday was that Nick was not with us. If you remember, he went up with us last year, so this year he spent it with his Dad here in Pennsylvania. In addition to spending Easter together, they have a family tradition of going fishing on opening day, which happened to be Saturday, the day before Easter. So even though I was wishing Nick could have been with us, he was enjoying some male bonding with his Dad!! From what I understand, they caught a few fish:)

My computer is backing up from all the photos I have been stockpiling the last three weeks. So I am kind of working backwards......I figured I would share our Easter pictures first then work through some of the other photos from the beach and Arizona.



Here is a little group shot of the kids all lined up before the Easter Egg Hunt!! My Sister In Law goes all out when putting this together. There are lots of plastic eggs hidden all over her yard. She even hand wrote the kids names on these shovel and pail sets, so they could use those instead of a traditional Easter Basket to collect the goods. I thought it was a brilliant idea..... After all, we are on Cape Cod surrounded by beautiful beaches...it seemed so fitting!! The kids get very excited at the very thought of the big hunt....they all start talking about it weeks before Easter....and they all are dreaming about finding the golden egg that has a payout of $5 thanks to Grammy:)



They are supposedly listening to the "rules of the game". I think they were getting anxious to get out there and start searching and were already scanning the yard to map out their personal plan of attack!! Sarah is sitting between her two cousins, Kathleen and Tim. The two twin boys in the back are part of our extended family.....Som and Sean.....they are five years old and so adorable. I am just sorry that I didn't get Sean's face in either shot. He was hiding behind Tim and it was quite chaotic...... no time for posed shots when there are 100 eggs to be found!



Oh man.... my heart melts when I see these two together!! Unfortunately, because of the distance, the kids don't get to see each other often enough, but when they do get to see each other.......it is non stop fun for all of the cousins!

These pictures are so special to me......Tim and Sarah share a bond......the bond of adoption. Tim was adopted from Russia when he was just about a year old. Pat and I had just gotten engaged when Pat's Brother and his wife arrived back in the US with this cute little guy. It has been such a pleasure to see him grow up. He is a smart little boy......and what an entertainer....he is quite a character!! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a shot or two of them together. I love both the colored photo above and the black and white below. Leave it to Sarah to make a silly face....... she was giving her famous eye roll!!



Well, thank goodness for Black and White Wednesday's....they have been keeping me to at least one post a week, even while traveling, but I am back for good. I made my way to a few blogs yesterday for the first time in almost three weeks. I will be visiting everyone today.....FOR SURE....I PROMISE!!

Thank you all for the continued support by way of comments and participation in Black and White Wednesday's. The last couple of weeks have been somewhat rough......between family life, work, travel, photography, and adoption stuff......... I am juggling a lot of balls right now. I just had to walk away for a little bit to concentrate on what was most important. We have hit a few "bumps in the road" but hopefully with a little luck, a lot of hard work, and many prayers......everything will work itself out and this "long road" we have traveled will have the happy ending we have been dreaming about.