It’s okay, all that technical stuff is not my first love ~ meeting new families and spending time with them is though.  This is just a teeny peek of a mom with her boys.  Such a sweet, sweet family too!

Remember that every son had a mother
whose beloved son he was,
and every woman had a mother
whose beloved son she wasn’t.
~Marge Piercy

And then I wonder:  if there was more time, would we just max it all out as well?  Hmmm.

I will be taking another 2 weeks to revamp this site…because life happens

I am thrilled to show you this image that Maruko Orthodontics is hanging in their lobby!  It’s a 15×30 Storyboard with…

..my Sophie girl {who’s also a happy patient} from our Africa trip.

It warms my heart ❤

It’s a new year and I plan to change some things up a bit.  I will be closed for the remainder of January to work on a new site for 2012 as well as the dreaded paperwork {accounting – yikes} from 2011.

I currently have 1 opening left in March.  The next available appointment starts mid April.  It is never to early to book your sessions!

I’ll leave you with my daughter…

I see her every morning.  I pick her up from school. I pray with her before bed.

We flew to the other side of the world this past year, and she was amazing.  Her heart for children inspires me.

We do marketing {she’s loving extreme couponing & has created a binder just for it}.

We read next to each other now, each in our own book.

We watch “drama” movies now, not cartoons.  However, I told her until she can cry during a movie, she is not allowed to see “Steel Magnolias” or “The Notebook”.  I gave her grace for lack of tears during “Pride & Prejudice”, but not again.

I was archiving this picture from Christmas and noticed how old she is getting.  I have loved each stage I have been privileged to be a partaker in.  Each one is bittersweet.  It’s hard to let go of each age, but exciting to move on to the next adventure.

I love her.

crazy

wonderful

exhausting

joyful

laughter-filled

mini-session portraits!

I saved some of the best for last ~ I love all these families.

…and I had a fantastic time with them!

old friends are the best.

You can go almost 13 years without seeing them and then fall back in with such ease.

Meet their children for the first time {sweethearts}.

See them interact with their spouse {such realness}.

Share mini-pazooki’s at BJ’s after {yum}.

Then take a picture and hug goodbye {sniff}.

What a blessing your family was to me.

And I’m excited about my new pen pal {such a joy}!

After we were escorted out of our original location, right around the corner was another place that turned out perfect.  In fact, I could not have planned it better!

To my sweet friends:

You are a joy in my life.  A constant.

I appreciate the longevity of our relationship and that it’s so easy to pick up where we leave off.

Thank you for your unconditional love and purposeful encouragement!

They are all so fun

and friendly

and adorable

…and they pretty much do what I say.

I think I would like my kids to be my clients from now on {wink:wink}.

Private galleries coming very soon.

Though I would LOVE to see them add one more to this family ~ they are now complete.  They are full.  Cups are running over.

Love is present.

Joy abounds.

A beautiful family is settled and wrapped up in warmth.

This is the reason I came to this country.   To meet these children.  To see how they live.  To touch their beautiful faces.  To show you who they are.

AFTC is different from the traditional orphanages in this country.  It’s model does not send them to another home when they turn 6, on again when they turn 10 or so;  separating them from the only family they have known.  In fact, I discovered AFTC is not an orphanage, but a home.

A family.

That is what’s different.  These children stay in the same home with a mom and brothers & sisters until they are 18.  This home serves the “whole” child during the transition to adulthood.  They have security;  they know they are loved by their mom.  To belong to a family feeds the whole person.

I encourage you to visit their website:   www.answeringforthechildren.org.  Meet Deidrah and read her story.  Meet the children whose lives are forever changed.  Consider supporting them monthly.

There are so many needs and worthy causes in our world.  So many.  I know you have to give where your heart leads.  Please consider this statement I read a while back:

“You cannot save the world, but you can save the world for one child.”

I got to see where I have been giving for the last 10 years.  I got to see results.  Lives have been changed not just for them, but for the next generation.  I cannot imagine one of the 30 children I met ever having to leave this home because of finances.

Thank you for letting me share my heart.