Favorite Foto Friday - The Eyes Have It

Our girls' eyes . . .
different, but both so beautiful . . .


I wish I had eyelashes like these!!

Backyard buddies

Claire was at Mom and Dad's for awhile this afternoon, so I took a few minutes to sit out on the deck. I had noticed that the male goldfinches are starting to get more gold, so I thought I'd take a picture of one. I sat out there for quite some time with my finger on the button, but those birds would not come near the feeders as long as I was out there. I stepped into the house to get a drink, and look who had come to visit in the front yard --- our neighborhood white squirrel! He's fascinating to me, and I got a few pictures before one of the cats chased him away.








Of course, once I had been away for awhile, several goldfinches came back to the feeders. I sneaked in, leaned over the kitchen sink, and took this shot through the window. Before too long they should be brilliant yellow.

Getting ready for Easter

One of the neat things about adoptive children is that you can brag on how beautiful they are, and know that you had absolutely nothing to do with it! Here are a few photos taken this evening of Claire trying on her Easter dress.

FFF - Sara's going home!

The good news this week is that Sara's family got their visa appointment date, and she is coming home very soon! Sara is 8, and has been waiting a long time, so I am really excited and happy for her and her family. Sara is like a big sister to all of the older kids at the hogar, and I'm glad she's been there to help take care of Ruth. I'm sure Ruth will be sad to see her leave. Ruth's bio brother and sister have already come home, so this will be one more loss. But her bio sister lives very close to Sara's new home, so we will definitely see her again!

Of all the pictures we took in Guatemala, this beautiful shot of Sara is one of my very favorites.

FFF - Spring Fever!

Today's Favorite Foto Friday theme is "Spring Fever". I thought I'd post a cute series of photos from when Claire was 4. Each spring we try to take a little trip to the zoo. Claire's always been much more excited about playing at the nearby playground than she has been about seeing the animals. The playground is right out in the blazing sun, and . . . well, don't get me started on how time seems to stand still when you're at the park (I call it "park time" - it's like stepping into a whole different space-time continuum) (am I a terrible mother??). There's always an ice cream truck nearby, so in order to get out of the sun, we bribed her with a Kim Possible ice cream bar. She knew that when it was gone, it would be time to go home . . .

The knitting project that never ends...

A few months ago I ordered a kit to knit Claire this cute sweater since she likes horses. Because of a snafu with the color and size ordered, I now have two kits - one for each of the girls. Here's what it's supposed to look like...



Well, I've been working on it since last fall, and this is what I have done so far...



...and this is what it looks like on the back!!!!


A-r-g-h-h-h-h! 20 bundles of yarn to twist with each color-change and then untangle at the end of each row. I've never done anything like this before, and it's driving me crazy! PLUS once the horses are done, I still have to knit the rest of the front, the back, the sleeves, and then sew it all together. PLUS weave in all of those tails!!! Maybe I should just make it a vest. I really doubt that I'll be knitting one for Ruth . . . hand-me-downs are good, right?

FFF - One Year Ago

The Favorite Foto Friday theme for today is "One Year Ago". Well, one year ago we were frantically cleaning up our house and taking pictures of all of the rooms for our home study and adoption dossier, so the only pictures we have from March are those. This one is close, though. My wild child with her hair all a-fuzz! I can see how much her hair has grown in a year. Those bangs that I made such a big mistake to give her, are almost long enough now to stay back in a ponytail. And her front teeth have straightened considerably, although there is still work to be done. She had an extra front baby tooth, and had just had it pulled here -- unfortunately she also has an extra permanent tooth, that will have to be dealt with :-(. She's an orthodontist's dream!

More pictures!

Thanks, Jane - I always love the pictures you take!

New pictures just in...

I believe these were taken this morning. She is s-o-o cute! Thanks, Jane!