Meetcha Day...Families Unite in Ethiopia.

During the three months we were in Ethiopia, we got to shoot several families meeting their children for the first time. What an amazing moment to be invited into! It is difficult to put into words what it’s like to meet your child for the first time, whether it be in a hospital room or a foreign country. And then to be able to capture this moment on camera….what a privilege! Thank you to the Mann, Morgan, Shubin, and Bishop families for allowing Wes and I to be a part of something so intimate and life-changing. We love you all, and can’t wait to see your little ones grow!

The Shubins

The Bishops

The Morgans

The Manns

Happy 11 Months & We're in the News...

....well, the local news anyways.  But that's still pretty great, right?!

Just over a year ago, the news did a story on our adoption before we ever knew about Alex & Eliana.  We had just switched from the Nepal program to the Ethiopia program, and we were deep in the fundraising part of our journey.  

Well, exactly a month from the day we returned from Ethiopia, they aired a story on our entire journey.  They included clips from our referral video and from our meetcha day!  It was awesome!  

We have come full circle, and it is absolutely amazing to be here.

For those of you who haven't already seen it, check it out RIGHT HERE!

Our Meetcha Day....Finally.

Yes, I know this is a bit delayed, but for some reason it just took me a long time to get it together.  Many of you saw pictures from the day we met our little ones.  You read about the feelings we felt.  But you never saw the video.  I love the song that we used to go with it.  It's called "Where I Belong" by Cory Asbury.  It is absolutely beautiful, and I thought very fitting.  We originally called our blog, When We Belong, hence the blog address.  We named it that because there is something powerful that happens when we know we belong to somebody.   For those of us who follow Christ, something amazing happened when we first said "Yes" to Him.  We finally belonged to Him.  We became His children in that very moment.  And in the same way, when children are left orphaned in the physical world, they long to belong to a family.  They long for a mother and father.  On the day that we held Alex & Eliana in our arms for the first time, we knew that they belonged to us, and we belonged to them.  We were a family, and that was amazing and oh so powerful.

I hope you enjoy this little peak into the first moments with our children.  It forever changed our lives!



Still Photography by Cara Dee Photography

Does Mother's Day Include Me???

So today is Mother's Day.  Apparently, I am supposed to be included in the celebrations of this day.  I'm a mom.  Weird.  Really???

A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends (who is also a new mom) tweeted about something she wanted for Mother's Day.  And then all of a sudden it hit me....that must mean I'm a part of this celebration too.  Wha'???!!!

You see, in so many ways I don't feel like a mom, or at least what I always thought a mom should feel like.  I guess I always felt like the day I became a mother, this supernatural gift would come down from above, and make me the most selfless and angelic/patient creature on the planet (well, at least in my own home).  Ummmm....yeah....that didn't happen.  Honestly, if anything, being a mother has once again shown me how I am still pretty selfish, and I am ANYthing but angelic.

It's amazing how the blood pressure can start raising when I hear the high-pitched screams of my little girl.  It's amazing how infuriated I can get when my persistent son continues to disobey.  Hmmmm....where is that angelic patience I was hoping for?  And then when they wake up from their afternoon nap before I am finished resting.....????  Uh, hello?  Don't they know I need a rest?!  Hmmmm...apparently I haven't gotten the supernatural selflessness thing yet either.

But, I can't deny that these two bring so much joy to my world.  They make me laugh ALL the time.  Honestly, the funny and sweet things they do are much more plentiful than the disobedience and screaming.  I.  Love.  Them.  They really are amazing.  I realized that being a mom is going to look different for me in some ways, than it may look for my friends.  We all have different experiences, and our children are all very different.  This world that I live in now is what motherhood looks like for me.  And truly....it ain't bad.  ;)

These guys are incredibly good when we go shopping (especially if they have cookies to chew on).  And sometimes I can't help but play a little dress up.

I can't get enough of this picture.  Seriously, they are so incredibly cute!  Oh how I love them!

Some say that you know you're a mom when you get a minivan.  Well, I must be a mom, because I am rockin' that minivan!

And, of course I have to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my own mom.  Mamma, you are a sweet and kind woman, who gave me life and helped me become who I am today.  I love you, Mamma!

And finally, I want to send a million Amasagenalo's to the woman who gave birth to my children.  There is no way I can ever say thank you enough.  I know the tremendous sacrifice you made.  I know how brave you were to give your children a chance at life.  Thank you, forever and ever.