Danny & Becca - 9.6.08

And the rains came tumbling down...but there was a beautiful wedding anyway! Danny & Becca had planned on having an outdoor wedding and reception, but the weather last Saturday would not cooperate and they ended up indoors. I have to say, their attitudes were amazing. I know it was disappointing but they made the best of it and we still went outside for some pictures before and after the ceremony. It was so windy, but our umbrellas helped out a lot. I wish someone could have taken a picture of Eric and I huddled together, trying to keep our equipment and ourselves as dry as possible. It's definitely a wedding I won't soon forget nor will anyone else who was there. Danny & Becca, God really did shower you with extra blessings on your wedding day. A lot of couples have wedding pictures in the calm of the day, but yours were taken in the midst of the storm and your faces are still radiant. That is true love...you've already weathered your first storm together! Here's a few favorites from our memorable day.

Zodet Family - 9.8.08

I love being able to follow families as their children grow up and Monday evening I was able to have a second photo session with the Zodet's. Their two little girls are just so sweet and adorable. Autumn, is now 6 and in first grade...quite a young lady. She is very intelligent and kept saying to me, "This is fun...this is fun!" Avery, her two-year old sister is anything but boring. She was buzzing all around, eating goldfish and raisins and flashing me her big blue eyes in between exploring her new surroundings. Brian & Vicki, thanks for sharing a fun evening with your family in Lancaster City with me. Hope the Iron Hill Brewery was just what you needed after a long photo shoot!

Canoe Ride

Another night at the Martin farm where Gideon can never get enough play time in the pond. He was jumping off the dock for the first time tonight to fetch his bumper which he did over and over and over again. Then Eric got in the canoe and was paddling around the pond with Gideon chasing him. It was hilarious! Gid really thought he could climb inside a moving canoe. After he was all tired out, he swam to the pond's edge and then we loaded him up for the ride of his life. He was lovin' it...and so was Eric. Here's the adventurous pair.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Thursday night we went to a Barnstormers game with our friends, Taylor & Sara. It was Malakai's first one and he did great...for the hour that he was awake. We got lawn tickets so he could have more freedom to crawl around and by 8:15 he was snoozin' in his stroller. Even though the 'Stormers lost 10-4 we had a great night with our friends and enjoyed one of our favorite snacks...funnel cake!

One Life To Love

Today the LORD used a lot of different things to get my attention. And my heart was listening, really listening. I was talking with a friend of mine who shared with me about a 14-year old girl she knew of that just had an abortion. This is especially hard to hear when having biological children has not come easy for us. My eyes filled with tears as I watched Malakai crawling on our kitchen floor where the two of us ate breakfast together and thought of his birthmother possibly destroying his life simply because it might have been an inconvenience for her. She really was selfless in giving him life and then choosing Eric and I to be his parents. Her choice still amazes me. So today, I am extra thankful for my little 21 pound, dark-skinned, 8 month old son. He is a miracle in so many ways. I am beyond blessed to be his Mama.

Later on, I went to get my hair cut, which is now a new favorite event that happens four times a year (when the season changes) and afterwards I was driving around in the car doing some errands while my wonderful 70-something neighbor, Esther was watching Malakai. I had the radio on and this song caught my attention. "You've only got one life to love," was the chorus. It was about this man who was looking back at his life and saying how he wished he would've worked less behind his desk and spent more time loving on his wife and children. Sometimes in the busyness I find myself in, I miss the simple pleasures of just watching my son grow up and spending evenings at home with my husband. At the end of my life, I want people, and especially my family, to know that I love them deeply, more than anything else. Today I was challenged to slow down and love life again. I am so thankful for the ways that God reminds me how life is so precious and is a vapor...at best, but a vapor.

Eric, your love is more wonderful than the day is long. My desire is that our love continues to be strengthened with each passing year. And Malakai, my heart is expanding with love for you as I get to know you more and more each day. You are such a treasure. My life is forever changed knowing you.

Labor Day Camping Trip

It's an annual event on our calendar...camping over Labor Day Weekend. It's always been like a mini vacation for Eric and I but this year we had a realization: camping with a dog and a baby is more of an adventure than a vacation. We packed up our vehicle on Friday night in the pouring down rain and headed to Codorus State Park about an hour away (an hour and 45 minutes with traffic). Eric went to work right away when we pulled into our site tying up a big tarp over the picnic table so we could eat and hang out in a dry place. I love to watch him run around and brainstorm ideas of how to make something positive out of a negative situation. In a few hours my cousin, Marv and his wife, Dori showed up too. They also have Reham, a girl from Jordan staying with them for the next 6 months. She got to experience her first camping trip. I think she liked it for the most part. Saturday we went on a hike with everyone and Gideon got to go swimming which is always a treat for him. It's so relaxing for us to just be out in the woods and enjoying nature. We decided that two camping weekends in a row is more than enough for the rest of the season just because of the extra work it brings. Now it's back to more weddings in September and October. Gotta love fall wedding season!