Vickie Black

Last post for this blog...

2009-09-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

We are moving our blog and this is our last post. The new address is:
www.WallEnvyPhoto.com/blog
Thanks for reading.

And The Winner Is...Parker!

2009-09-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Parker we are all very proud of your hard work and learning your speech. He was beaming when I picked him up from school on Thursday. He could not wait to tell me he won student council! My mom was waiting on us at home because win or lose she wanted to be there for him (she is the best!) We went to Dairy Castle to celebrate. Grandma Lyn had congratulations hugs yesterday-I think he is still smiling inside!

Sweet Sophie...

2009-09-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I just love these closeup shots of Sophie Jeremy took the other night. He was playing with his new D700 and Sophie is always willing to have her picture taken! A true princess!

Vote Parker For Third Grade Student Council!

2009-09-01T05:50:00.001-07:00

Parker's Election Posters!

Parker's Flyers...
Parker is growing up so quickly! He decided this year since he is in the big kid school that he was going to run for third grade student council. We have had fun working on his speech, posters and flyers! He definitely has big ideas when it comes to designing these. His posters and flyers definitely scream Parker! Win or loose he is great in our eyes!

Sophie's First Day Of School...

2009-09-01T05:45:00.001-07:00

Which way to my classroom Mrs. Scamahorn?

I am a big girl now!

I remember cubbies from last year...

You can go now dad!

Today our little princess started preschool. She went to New Pathways last year for their Two's On Target program so she was very excited to get to school today. She was jumping up and down and saying "School Yeah!". She has been asking when it would be her turn because she has watched Parker go to school each morning. I have posted some first day photos that Jeremy took today as he will be taking her each morning since I take Parker and they both start school at the same time!

We are home and still catching up...

2009-08-16T12:43:00.001-07:00

Jeremy...
I love how he is getting better at capturing the emotion...

Purple eggplant, blueberries and plum leaves-this bouquet rocked!

We made it back from California and have been trying to catch up for some time now. Parker starts school on Tuesday and Sophie starts school in Sept. We had a great time and Jeremy learned so much from the amazing Jasmine Star that his head has been spinning since we left. Tina Burnham was nice enough to send over one of the pictures she took of Jeremy at the Laguna Beach get together. I have posted some photos that Jeremy took of Melinda and Vern also.

Greetings From The OC!

2009-08-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Parker and Sophie Playing At The Pool Together...
I am enjoying the quiet!

Parker having fun!

Sophie being adorable...

Sophie...

Sophie

Well we made it to Orange County, CA on Sunday. The weather is beautiful. We are really enjoying a few days of quiet. Tonight Jeremy left to meet up with all of the people attending the Jasmine Star workshop in the morning. They are meeting at Laguna Beach and then going to dinner. I think he is going to learn so much and I can't wait for him to teach me. The kids are spending much needed time with me and I am enjoying just hanging out with them.

We had a rather unusual problem today. Last night Sophie and I got several mosquito bites while we were asleep. I was concerned because Sophie never gets bit! It is always Parker and I who they love to bite! So I was in the hot tub and met this man who asked about our stay and I told him it was great but this one little problem-he tells me it could be bed bugs! I was seriously worried at this point. Plus we are staying at one of our favorite hotel chains and have never had any problems! I went to the front desk thinking they would think I was a freak but they promptly sent two men to our room-they didn't look like exterminators as they were more like management. One guy is walking around our room talking and not looking at me but instead looking under the sink and safe and in the corners-very odd! He says "Mrs. Black, there is a mosquito in this room and I am not leaving until it is gone!" I thought sure I have not even seen one but I will wait with you. It was not five minutes later and he calls me over to the corner of Parker's bed and says look right here on the frame-it is fat from feeding on you and your daughter all night-gross! Then he said I am going to kill it but I want you to see it first! He swatted and smacked it across Parker's sheets and blood flew across the nice white sheets-I really was grossed out at this point. He said it is gone but I will be happy to call Orkin for your piece of mind-I was like "uh no I think now I believe you!" That was so random and unexpected...

Fun Family Shoot...

2009-07-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Studio Fun...

A little vintage wash...

Kathi and Alex

Dad and his girls...

I just love the wonder in Quinn...

Kathi...

Quinn...

We were able to take some pictures of one of Parker's good friends and his family last night. What a fun family! We always enjoy their company. I have posted a few of my favorites.

Jess...Class Of 2010

2009-07-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite shots from our senior shoot. To see them all click on the link below.

http://www.wallenvyphoto.com/Jess3/

Baby Harper...

2009-07-28T20:08:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite shots...

Harper is so adorable and quite the fashionista...

So serious...

A little vintage shot...

Harper is such a sweet little girl and those rolls and chubby cheeks are so adorable!

New Photo Books

2009-07-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

New Resort and Wedding Book Examples

Book 1-12x12 with lay flat hinged pages. Thick pearl paper that makes the images pop.

Images span across two pages (12x24).

Book 2-7x7 leather photo book with custom inscription enclosed in a beautifully designed custom photo box. Gussetted spine (images do not lay flat) but can still have images span across two pages. The pages are high gloss magazine style.

Video 2

Book 3-"Like opening a gift" Modern 10x13 Design with black linen protective slipcase. Images available on both sides of slipcase. Glossy magazine style pages with gussetted spine. Images can span across two pages. 100 pages standard (you do not have to use all of them-the option is available though).

Book 4-Elegant Leather cover with old world look and feel. Inside the pages are deckled edged with a silky feel. 100 pages standard (you do not have to use all of them-the option is available though).

Book 5- Not in video and pictured below-Island feel wedding and resort book. Bamboo spine with bamboo cover and photo inlay. 100 pages standard (you do not have to use all of them-the option is available though).

Parker's Birthday Party!

2009-07-19T07:52:00.001-07:00

The serious group...

Keeghan, Nolan, Lindsey, Parker, Ethan, Donovan and Sophie

We may have to get a haircut before school starts!

9 candles can it really be possible...?

Donovan

Ok, so I picked the coldest day in the history of July to have a birthday party! Who would have thought that our usual 85-95 would dip to 68 in July? It did not stop the kids from having a blast though! We had a smaller gathering than normal because life has been crazy for us lately and to be honest, I did not feel up to a full blown party. However, the parents had a blast - we grilled out and sat around long after the party ended (actually the party ended at 7:00 but us parents kept it going until 10:00!)

Special thanks to my mom and Norm for bringing the cupcakes and to Grandma Lyn for the extra sugary treats she brought as well!

An Evening With Lindsey...

2009-07-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

What a fun photo shoot! Little Lindsey came over to get some studio and outdoor photos. She is so cute! I love how much spunk she has. I see a lot of Lindsey in Sophie!

Happy Birthday Parker and The Wolfe Family Visit...

2009-07-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

My Little Birthday Boy!

Sophie and "Troy Boy"...

Zoe and Sophie...

Tim and Bren...

Zoe...

Bren and I...

What a fun birthday for Parker! Tim, Bren, Troy and Zoe spent the day with us yesterday and stayed for a birthday celebration breakfast with Parker today! They are driving back to Colorado and I am sure this will be a difficult drive because Bren tore her ACL in one knee and the ligaments in the other-I can't even imagine how much pain she must be in! She is on crutches until she gets to the specialist in Colorado. This was a trampoline accident-it happened while visiting friends in Ohio. It didn't stop us all from having a great day Thursday and a wonderful time today celebrating Parker's Birthday.

What warmed my heart was when my mom brought Sophie back yesterday and I told her Troy and Zoe were here and she said Troy Boy and Zoe Oh Yeah! We haven't seen Tim and Bren since we went to Aruba with them last summer...I guess Sophie did not forget them! My mom and grandma came later today to celebrate so I am sure Parker is feeling the love today :)

Fun With The Mitjavila Family

2009-07-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Jeremy
Sophie and Evin

Parker holding on tight!

The kids dancing!

Jose

Eduardo

Ryan

Jose and his family arrived on Friday and we have had the best time with them this weekend. We ended their stay with boating all day on Sunday. The kids are exhausted! It was sad to see you go for another year and we will miss you! Thanks for spending the weekend with us!

Birthday Fun With Princessa!

2009-07-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sophie making a wish...

Oh yeah...Norm cookies!

Norm's Cookies...

Oh Mommy-Big Girl Sandals (No strap in back)!

What a fun age 3 is! We sure hope it is kinder than 2... My mom, Norm, Jamie, and Grandma Hetser came over for a birthday celebration. We had enchiladas and tres leche cake. Sophie was so excited because she new it was all about her (actually when is it not!?) All day it was "my birthday party" we couldn't talk about anything else! Today was complete with gifts that are sure to please even the most discerning princess-Dresses and Shoes! Yes, our little princess did not want toys she wanted dresses and shoes. She was even treated to a shopping trip with Grandma to pick out just the perfect items for her late summer wardrobe! Norm baked her cookies which she loved (see picture). That is his special thing with Sophie and Parker he will bake them cookies and they just love it! We are so blessed to have our little princess in our lives and look forward to whatever may come on this journey...

Wedding Bells Post

2009-06-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

Lucy & TJ's Wedding

This week's contest theme for IHeartFaces.com is wedding bells. This is the entry my husband Jeremy chose. The super fabulous Jasmine Star is the guest judge this week so wish him luck as this is his first contest! This photo was shot with a 85 mm 1.4 lens. This is now the favorite go to lens for our cameras!

Lucy & TJ

2009-06-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Lucy catching a quick breeze from the DJ's fan!

This is one of my favorites-Jeremy captured this moment...

The fun side of the wedding party...

A moment alone...

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. TJ Simon

What a beautiful day for a wedding! We are so grateful that Lucy and TJ wanted us to document their day. They only negative was it was 95 degrees and no breeze, but you couldn't ask for a better day to have an outdoor wedding. Lucy and TJ are currently on a cruise so I thought I could give everyone else a glimpse of their wedding photos! I will be putting together their "commercial" tonight so it will be posted next.

Parker and Sophia...

2009-06-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sophie was so happy to see us!
This is so Sophie-she is always making sure her hair is not getting into anything.

Sophie being still...

Parker is such a good kid...

A very common face for Parker-he is so serious!

I love how he expresses himself with his t-shirts...

Parker was just happy to go home!

We picked the kids up at my mom's tonight and Sophie was the first to greet us. I just love how happy she is to see us at the end of the day! Jeremy was testing some different settings for his lens for Saturday so he decided to snap a few pictures of them tonight-it was getting dark (it was 9:30)!

Emil's Smash The Cake Session...

2009-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Are you sure I can eat it...?
OK, maybe I will just touch it and see...
Feels kind of gooey though...

Maybe just a taste or two...

Emil after he rubbed cake all over his body!

What fun for a baby to be able to dive straight into a cake that is all theirs! Little Emil was unsure of this at first because something just didn't seem right...Could it be this huge cake which was all his-no sharing with his big brothers? Or could it be the uncivilized way we expected him to eat it? Either way once he got a taste-manners were definitely put on the back burner!

Fun Fun Fun Workshop

2009-06-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

I booked Jeremy to attend Jasmine Star's upcoming workshop in Orange County, CA on Aug. 4. I had attempted to book a different workshop and was sad to find out it was sold out so I was on this one!

Ok so I am a little jealous that my husband is going to this workshop and not me :(
Afterall, I am the one who follows her blog daily ( http://www.jasminestarblog.com/ ) many thanks to my sister in law for letting me know! Marti- you and I are so going to the next one together!

I know he will learn so much and hopefully teach me! But the kids and I will enjoy the sunshine and ocean air-yeah! I need a weekend break and this will be a nice one for everyone.

Sweet Baby Elijah

2009-06-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

I got a spur of the moment call to photograph a 13 day old. He was so precious. The parents wanted to capture a little of that newborn feel before it was gone. A new marketing thing I am doing whenever asked to photograph someone is to make a commercial of their time with us so they can email family and friends and put on Facebook. To view Elijah's commercial click here:

http://www.wallenvygifts.com/Elijah

I have also posted two of my favorite shots from our time with him.

Is she yours...?

2009-06-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

Sophie's first night with us...
Ok, so tonight's post is mostly a rant so please be patient! Today, Norm took mom, myself and my kids to a local restuarant for lunch-he is really doing a great job with the kids and I am grateful for this. I will not mention the restaurant name here... Anyways, it always starts out the same and I was finally ready after having Sophie home for over two years now. The waitress comes out and asks "can I ask you a question?" Yes you may-"well it may make you mad"...I love this line-my first thought is just keep it to yourself then but I always smile and say it is fine go ahead-mostly because I know they won't and will just rephrase it later! "Is she (Sophie) yours"-Why yes she is and seeing how we were the only people in the restaurant the probability would be extremely high she is (big social cue here). "Oh I didn't know because she is so much darker than you and you are a red head and your son is red head and she just..." This would be the time to move on but no, any social cues would not be heard of for this one... "Oh, I guess I just thought she might be adopted or something" Why yes, we did adopt her, she is my daughter. I think after that she was catching on-finally! "Oh Ok"

I know we will get questions like this as we do all the time but my main concern is now Sophie understands people and it will eventually be a real issue. I do not know how much she understands now at almost three but she did have something to tell the waitress- No my mommy! You go girl-I may not have to worry so much about you after all...

An Afternoon With Mia...

2009-06-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

My favorite studio shot... (I just love my new lens Jeremy bought me!)
Mia was waiting patiently on us to get set up at this location...

The real Mia captured...

Jeremy captured this shot in between location changes...

Mia wanted her picture taken here while everyone was setting up elsewhere...

She was so well behaved that we had to let her have fun in the fountain for the last shots...

Princess Mia...

I just love this barn...

Mia enjoyed playing with Parker's guitar...

Mia is a 8 year old child model whose mom I have done work for in the past. She called us and wanted to get some fun photos of Mia done today and wow, Mia is such a joy! I have posted some of my favorites from the day.

Fun Couple Shoot

2009-06-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Mother and daughter...

I love the emotion in this shot...

Stolen Moments...

Just the two of us...

Alexandra

Last weekend, we did a family/couple shoot in Indy. It was very relaxed and I think everyone had a great time! Here are a couple of my favorites...

Fun With Gels...

2009-05-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight Jeremy and I decided it was time to break out the gels for our studio lights. Gels are not as easy as they lead you to believe! You attach what color you would like to change your white background to onto one studio light and set up everything from there. That should be really simple but you have to play with the settings more to fine tune for the new color change. All in all I think they are worth it, especially to get some new colors incorporated for special requests, but it did have a learning curve! Sophie was willing to be patient and pose over and over while we worked with the settings for a pink gel. I have posted the end result for everyone to see.

Last Day Of School Party

2009-05-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Whole Gang!

Parker

Sophie

Lindsey

Krystal and Hiruko

Keeghan

Charma, Dohan and Emil

I had a last day of school party today for Parker's friends at the Holiday Inn in Cloverdale. I rented the pool for two hours and had 25+ excited kids! I have to say I am exhausted. I took the day off to prepare and then I had seven kids I picked up from school to take with me. Luckily for me I have had all of them at other parties and playdates and they are great kids. It was so nice to see these kids having such a wonderful time together. A lot of them have been in class together since they were two. It is so wonderful to watch them grow. I can't believe they will be going to the big school for third grade next year. I have posted some of my favorite photos of the day.

Second Chances...

2009-05-27T18:42:00.001-07:00

I had to post this picture I took today of my mom and her boyfriend Norm. They have become quite the little couple. I have enjoyed watching their relationship grow over the last three months and see a different side of both of them. Norm has and always will be a great guy. I met him at Jerry's years ago and have always thought he was a great guy. He always seemed reserved but at the same time very approachable. My mom is super reserved but if you get to know her you know she has a very fun side. If you saw these two people today you would think I did not know what I was talking about. They are so giddy and happy. That warms my heart to see these two wonderful people out having a second lease on life. My mom has not dated since my father passed away four years ago. She had no need she said. I know she is very independent but it still tore at my heart to see her go home alone. My mom and dad were together all the time. They saw Parker almost everyday. Norm has similar circumstances. The two of them have fun and still maintain their lives independent of each other. This is so crucial, especially for Parker he could not stand the thought of my mom not being there for him. I love the fact that they include the kids and Norm even takes Sophie on dates with my mom :) Who knows what the future holds for either of them but at least they are having a good time living in the moment...

Clutter Zone Update!

2009-05-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

We have three zones that have remained clutter free now for at least 3 weeks. I took all of the clutter to a garage sale at my great aunt's house and it sold for $500! That is unbelievable. I feel like it is now time to conquer the basement clutter zones!

Our DDR Princess!

2009-05-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

I had to post this video of Sophie playing Dance Dance Revolution. She absolutely loves to watch Parker play and being the awesome big brother that he is-always lets Sophie have a turn! Vari and Parker are helping out in the background.

Mom Of The Year...?

2009-05-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Apparently, according to my best buddy Bren, I am mother of the year. She just sent me this link to my achievement.
Thanks Bren!

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=hFIx0UglUyeW0VlF_ZZfJTI3ODQ5NzQ-&referred_by=15452136-zLHIOnx

Senior Photo Shoot

2009-05-03T13:28:00.001-07:00

Saturday Jeremy and I took turns photographing a Senior. It was a fun time, both the girl and her mom had distinct ideas of what they wanted so that makes things so much easier :) I am posting several of my favorites!

Sunday Fun

2009-04-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sophie taking a break on the tracks

Sophie trying to look innocent

Parker being serious for once!

Birds eyeview!

Parker loves to be silly-it is especially fun when we swap out

the lens to make him look distorted!

Here are some photos taken today of my silly kids!

Clutter Beware...

2009-04-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our house is going on a diet...A clutter diet. I read this article last week and was called to action to reduce our clutter footprint in our house. We have a lot of space (3500 square feet counting our basement) so it is hard for me to understand how it could be full! I believe it has to do with a certain pack rat whom we all know (Jeremy). I have also contributed and so have the kids but now it is time to take action. Flat surfaces are meant to be flat!

The article summed up says you need to do one of three things: ART
Act
Recycle
Trash
That seems easy enough but it went on to say that if you just throw everything away and do not understand the reason it stayed so long you will just reaccumulate more clutter. That hit home with me because clutter is emotional baggage. And as with all emotional baggage it creates anxiety, anger and stress. In order to successfully combat the clutter we have to successfully shed the emotional baggage...

I started this on Friday night at 11:00 pm. I felt motivated and it must have rubbed off on Jeremy because he stayed up until 2:00 am cleaning his desk zone. I have everything labeled into zones at the moment because according to the article you need to break everything into micro zones and stick with it for at least 6 weeks so it becomes part of your routine.

Saturday I enlisted the help of my OCD mini-me Parker! He is always very tidy and puts things away but was willing to help organize our large cabinet in our formal dining room (the whole room is wasted space in my opinion). This cabinet is 7 feet long and accumulates clutter inside and out. Whenever I sit in our kitchen my eye goes straight to the top where junk is stacked high. With Parker's help we reorganized all the storage below and the top is free and clear of clutter. We filled an entire tub full of things for an upcoming gargage sale from this one zone alone. We found things we didn't even know we had-we also recycled and threw away alot!

Now after three days we have three zones that have remained intact. That is encouraging. Luckily, my kids do pick up their clothes and toys-I intilled this early on because if you set something done for now it takes more energy later to go back and pick it up and put it away-I think they get that and so it is one less battle. It is great to see Parker's good habits rubbing off onto Sophie so hopefully if we teach them that less is more they will be spared the clutter in their homes later on. I will post some photos as we go-there is still the master closet, hall closet and basement to go. So far we have two full tubs for our sale and I have a feeling when we are done it will be 10-whatever doesn't go will be donated as it will not come back into our house!

Hamster Balls...

2009-04-15T12:41:00.001-07:00

Parker had no idea what was going to happen next...

Parker could not get up once I knocked him down-it was time to start rolling him around!

Parker went to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago and the family owns an inflatables business so they had the bungee runs and human spheres out for the kids (and adults) to play with. A great marketing plan in my opinion! Anyways, when I went to pick up Parker they said you have to try the human spheres. They remind me of Rhino in the movie Bolt. He looked so content rolling everywhere in his little ball. This is why I affectionately call these hamster balls! They are a lot of fun I have to admit, but if you are claustrophobic it is trying to keep from feeling trapped. Poor Parker, I kept knocking him over and rolling him everywhere!

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

Savannah

Savannah and Sophie

Carter

Parker and Sophie

Parker

Grandma Carolyn and Sophie

Grandma Carolyn and Emily

Brian and Carter

Dominique, Coty, Mercedes and Bailey

What a fun day we had with my mom and family and then we ended the day at Jeremy's dads house for a great meal and lots of fun with family! I have posted some of my favorite photos from today-enjoy!

A Day Of Touring...

2009-03-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

I love the emotion in this shot-total joy!

Sophie at lunch

Jeremy knew I liked this sign so he stopped so I could get a photo!

Parker at Kaibo

Jeremy, Parker and Sophie at the Blow Holes

Parker at Coconut Joe's

A turtle at Boatswain's Turtle Farm

All of us enjoying the turtles.

Mom showing everyone it is not that hard to catch a turtle!

Jeremy at Hell

Hell, Grand Cayman

Today we rented a car and took the kids to some of our favorite spots. The first stop was Hell! Then we went to Boatswain's Turtle Farm. It is always suprising how the kids and the husband never want to touch the animals. I always end up doing it for them. They are only turtles! We also went to see the dolphins. Next stop was the blow holes and then we ended the day at Kaibo beach. We are exhausted but are going to drive into Georgetown tonight for dinner. I hope everyone enjoys our photos from today.

Another Fun Day!

2009-03-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am posting some fun photos Jeremy took today. They are mostly of Sophie because Parker and I are sunburned! He took almost all of these at sunset.

Greetings From Cayman!

2009-03-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Diva Girl
Strike A Pose

Jeremy took this picture-I love it!

Sophie and Parker

Parker and I loving the ocean!

Parker and his new man boobs!

Fun in the sand!

Sophie enjoying vacation!

We are having a great time here in the Cayman Islands! The kids are enjoying the pool and beach and we are enjoying the fact they are entertaining themselves. Our room is beachfront so we are really enjoying island life! I was swimming in the ocean and Jeremy and Sophie covered Parker in sand-it only got worse as they gave him man boobs! Here are some of our favorite photos from today.

Baby Ella...

2009-03-23T19:57:00.001-07:00

Tonight I had the opportunity to photograph a newborn. She was actually released from the hospital today!

Fun At The Park With Friends

2009-03-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Parker and His Friends

Corne, Charma, Emil and Dohan

Emil

Coy, Erin, Rachel and Trace

Emil

Charma and Emil

Rachel and Erin

Erin and Parker

Today was a half day of school so I took Parker to the park to play with his friends: Dohan, Corne, Erin, Trace and Coy. We had a great time-the mom's had fun and even baby Emil got in on the fun with us!

Our Builder!

2009-03-05T04:42:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to city hall for the judging of the lego contest. Parker was a little nervous this year because he was competing in the 8-12 year old division this time! He came in second! Yeah, I could tell he was thrilled to go up against the "big kids" and get second place. They gave out trophies this year made of legos which Parker loved. The winning display was really cool-it was a tree house. He got up this morning and his picture was in the paper so we posted it above!

Parker and His Legos...

2009-03-02T19:01:00.001-08:00

Parker and his castle

Parker is entering the lego contest again this year. He won last year and I think he is a little nervous this time! He has been working very hard on his castle for a month now. The contest is Wednesday so he finished his castle tonight and brought it up for us to see-it is really cool. He added a lot of detail that you can't see from the picture like stairs on the inside. Jeremy and I are very proud of him for trying so hard. He is a winner to us regardless!

The Last Of The Adoption Paperwork!

2009-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

I set aside the morning to finish the last form for Sophie's adoption. I know we have been home almost two and a half years but these things take time! The G884 will be the last form we have to fill out. I have it all ready to send out in the morning as soon as it gets notarized.

What is the G884? This is the request for return of original documents form. When we received Sophie's visa to travel while in Guatemala we were also given a rather large envelope. This was about 1/4 inch thick and letter size. The envelope was sealed and stamped. We were told to take this envelope to customs upon entering the US with Sophie-but we could not for any reason open it!

At the time I was so curious as to what could be in there. It was weird getting on an airplane with this envelope and not being able to open it or have any idea what could be inside. Just sitting on a plane staring at it and thinking of ways to open it without getting caught! They had a wax seal stamp over it so I wasn't taking any chances. We handed it over in Atlanta before coming home to Indy and guess what-I didn't give it much thought until recently! I was too excited at that point to get home with Sophie.

I have since found out on the post adopt forums that mysterious envelope contains so much information that we were never given! More photos of the child with the birthmother and more medical information. I have read it can take up to a year until that envelope is returned to us-but when it is it will be wonderful!

Parker and Sophie's First Model Shoot

2009-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last week we took Sophie into a gallery to have a fairy shot done and the owner asked if both her and Parker could come back next week for a model shoot. They are looking for a face for the cover of their new coffee table book and the winner gets $1000. I thought alright this would be a different experience and definitely not something they would get to do everyday so Jeremy and I agreed-besides the artists work is totally fab :)

We took both kids yesterday and were told the book theme was different types of angels. Parker went first and was shot as the Angel Of Music. He was less than thrilled-I think it is that whole 8 year old mentality or was it the fact they asked to photograph him without his shirt on and he had huge beautiful fluffy angel wings...? He came in to the viewing area and said-"Mom can I take my shirt off?" That was code for please don't let anyone know about this... They only do from the chest up but he gave me a look that let me know yes, I will have act like I am having a good time but it is going to cost you! He did everything they asked but waited until we were in the car driving home to give me an earful-at least he has been brought up right as he didn't say anything in the gallery! He said he did not want his friends to ever see the final image! Sometimes he cracks me up!

Next it was Sophie's turn and the owner wanted to put her hair up and make it look messy and have strands falling in her face-I told her no way would Sophie allow me to but she would let her do her hair! Of course, Sophie was totally into it because it was not mom doing it. Sophie was photographed as the Angel Of Paint. It was very cute because they stuck paintbrushes in Sophie's updo and she definitely enjoyed playing the part.

I don't know if either child will win-I was told they picked 15 kids to be photographed out of a lot of entries-so it was cool my kids didn't enter and were picked out in person! Win or lose it definitely was an interesting experience and regardless Jeremy and I have two beautiful kids!

Famous Americans...

2009-02-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Mom and Parker
Mom, Parker and Dad

Parker and Grandma Lyn

Today the second grade classes had their Famous American Wax Museum at Parker's school. All the kids were in the gym representing a Famous American that they choose to research. The kids had a great time and it was open to the public. Parker chose Harriet Tubman-he said of all the choices he liked her story because she made a difference in so many people's lives. That's my kid! Anyways, you walked through the gym and would touch the child's arm and they would tell you about their Famous American. Parker had a great time and was thrilled his Grandma Lyn and his dad could be there to support the program. I volunteered to sign in guests and greet everyone. It was a fun time for all. I have posted some fun pictures today with some of the kids from Parker's class and us!

Favorite Things...

2009-02-01T21:19:00.001-08:00

Sophie's new favorite things are Parker's old train books. She absolutely loves Thomas The Tank Engine. I kept all of Parker's old Thomas trains and books. It is so cute to walk by her room at night and see her sitting in bed looking at her books. Tonight she was asleep but had her favorite book close by!

Sophie's Big Girl Room

2009-01-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

4 Different Bedding Sets...
3 Trips Back To Store To Return 3 Of Them...
Finding The Perfect Bedding For My Daughter...

PRICELESS!

Sophie's Bedroom Favorites

2009-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

A room fit for a princess!

Her bedding has adorable cats embroidered all over. They are dressed fun and funky like Sophie!

A painting of Sophie from my friend Victoria-This is my favorite piece in her room. I still have to get this framed...

A few of Sophie's favorite dolls...

Every girl wants to have her purses close by!

Sophie's doll hotel just fits...

Dollie loves her new room.

I have been having difficulty getting Sophie's room put together because I could not find the perfect bedding to match her personality. The fourth set is the one! I have purchased 3 other sets with each one being the one but I never opened them as we were not done with her room. Each one was beautiful but I never felt that it was the right one until I bought this set! I finally have her room put together now and she is in her big girl bed with her perfect bedding! I just took Sophie to Pottery Barn Kids and let her pick it out. This was the only bedding that she said "Look mommy pretty". My mom was with me and we both agreed that was what was going home with us. I hope she gets a lot of enjoyment out of it because I do not want to change it for a long time! Jeremy and I joke that the only thing missing in her room is a shoe closet! I have never seen a child who loves shoes so much.

New found freedom...

2009-01-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

We sold Sophie's crib Wednesday on Craigslist. I have been having a hard time preparing her big girl room as many of you know. I have had her crib for sale for 6 weeks so I was in no hurry to transition her to a regular bed. Now that all changed when the person came Wednesday evening to pick up her crib! It only got better as the store was out of the box spring for her set so she had to sleep on just the mattress! Sophie was a little confused at first but when we put the full size mattress in her room she realized what we were doing.

My question is what were we doing...? What were we thinking...? When she was in her crib she never thought to get out. Once we put her to bed in her new bed she realized she could just walk out the door-as evidenced by getting out 8 times in the first 10 minutes! She is doing better now but also perfecting her technique as well. First it was the morning that she thought we were asleep and she went to the kitchen and got the chocolate chip cookies I baked the night before. If only I had my camera at that moment as she carried them to her seat at the table and started to take the lid off! I am sure she was thinking "everyone is asleep and I can eat all of these!" She was quite disappointed when she saw me standing there.

Tonight after 4 nights I thought things were getting better. I checked on her before bed and noticed something in her hands-Playdoh! She got up without us knowing (we were in the next room) and went to the pantry and got the Playdoh and took it back to her room and played with it in bed. I am sure she thought she got away with it and felt quite victorious-so much so she forgot to hide the evidence! She fell asleep with Playdoh in both hands and this time I had to take a picture to remember this moment and the look of how perfect she looks in her big girl bed with Playdoh crumbs. I do not even want to guess what she will be into in the morning...

Birthday Fun!

2008-12-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday and Jeremy said we could do whatever I wanted on my birthday! I am sure he never thought I would ask to go roller skating! My husband kept his word though and took me roller skating. Let me tell you it is not as easy as I remember it being-maybe it is an age thing :)

The actual roller skating rink does look just like I remember it from my childhood of going every Friday night with my girlfriends. Same smell, layout and feel. They even play excessively loud music with the disco lights! The music is not Rat or Def Leppard though (they do offer an adults 80's night at the rink) but instead it is more today's music. It took about 20 minutes to get my confidence up that I was not going to break my neck or anything else! Once we got started we had a blast and of course Jeremy is still a pro at skating!

We went out to dinner after we left the rink and then it was off to pick up the kids! Parker could not understand why he couldn't go with us-I told him someday he will understand that is just nice to go with your husband alone and "slow skate" hand in hand!

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Our Family

My two favorite guys

Parker and Jeremy

Tom, T.J., Jimmy and Laura

Sophie

Tom and Lyn

Alex, Savanah, Carter and Brian

The Black Family (we are missing Rob, Marti, Suzy and Andy)

Dominque

Andrew

Jimmy and Parker

Emily, Nick, Anthony and Andrew

Sophie's Hotel

The holidays were here and gone before we knew it. Luckily, I managed to capture some photos of the day. Parker got Wii Games and a Guitar Case and Sophie got a hotel-not a dollhouse but a hotel-how fitting is that! We spent the morning with my mom and Grandma and then it was off to Jeremy's parents for the rest of the day and night. We had so much fun being with our families! I have put some of my favorite photos below and there are a lot!

Eskimo Girlie!

2008-12-06T19:57:00.001-08:00

I could not resist taking a few photos of Sophie in her winter coat. There is just something about how she has to have it buttoned up all the way to the top that makes it so cute!

More Fun Photos!

2008-12-06T19:52:00.001-08:00

Tonight Jeremy's sister Marti came over with her two kids Suzie and Andy. It has been great visiting with them while they are here from Texas! I was able to capture a few photos of the kids tonight and have posted some of my favorites!

Holiday Photos!

2008-11-30T05:08:00.000-08:00

I decided today that if I did not get my kids photos taken-I would never get them for our holiday cards! I am grateful they were in the mood as we set up everything and they were happy to be photographed-what has happened to my kids? They never cooperate with this! I have posted some of my favorite shots from today with my two gorgeous kids!

Gotcha Day

2008-11-29T04:57:00.000-08:00

Today was Sophie's Gotcha Day anniversary. This is the day they officially put her in our arms forever! I still get a little emotional thinking about that day. Even though it was two years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. I can remember sitting on the runway in Cancun, Mexico thinking we are never getting to Guatemala-we had a sick passenger and had to make an emergency landing there and sit in the hot plane and wait and wait some more... When you arrive in the evening in Guatemala you will usually not get your child until the next day so I was certain we would not get her that day. Luckily for us our foster mother waited in the lobby of the Westin for 3 hours for us with little Sophie! It is hard to look at the pictures and remember that adorable 13 pound baby bundled in layers of clothing when all I see is this beautiful little girl today. Happy Gotcha Day Sophia!

New Christmas Cards...

2008-11-14T10:12:00.001-08:00

I have been asked to post some of the newer Christmas card designs we have this year. These are some of our favorites!

You can double click on the images to make them bigger!

I hope to get these on the website and in the product catalog next week, but until then you can view them here!

Fun With Cousins...

2008-11-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had Jeremy's brother Brian and his wife Alex over to take their kids holiday photos. Sophie absolutely adores her older cousins! Especially Savannah-they have become very good friends. They get to see each other everyday at school when Parker and Carter are being picked up so they hae become quite the pair! I have posted a few of my favorite photos I took tonight. The one of Brian and Sophie Jeremy snapped-it is really cute!

Hey that's my mom...

2008-11-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday Parker has a take home folder with information for the parents about what is going on in school for the week and important dates and events. This Wednesday Parker said "Mom remember the ornaments you were working on? They are in my Wednesday folder!" It was actually the order form for the Deer Meadow School Ornaments for this year my company is making them for the PTO fundraiser. It is so funny what they notice about our lives sometimes!

Halloween Party 2008!

2008-11-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our annual Halloween Party for Parker's friends. Everyone had a wonderful time. The kids were really wound up because I had so much sugar to serve them! I spent the day making cupcakes with doll hands coming out of them and rats on top with little rat droppings! We even served cut off hands and feet along with 5 inch long rats. Parker requested I make eyeball soup so of course I had to! All were made of gummy treats so they were loaded with sugar! We cooked for the parents and had a great time just being with everyone. Parker surprised us and asked if he could be Bill Clinton for Halloween-where do 8 year olds come up with these ideas? You can see him in the group picture. Sophie was a princess again this year and she had so much fun with Parker's friends younger brothers and sisters! I have attached some of my favorite pictures of today along with some food ones!

October Catch Up Post

2008-10-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

I know it has been over a month since I posted-thanks to those who reminded me! October seems like a blur to me but I will do my best to update. This month has been crazy for us here as we are getting ready for our annual Halloween party and the kids are excited to have everyone come and celebrate. Parker had a terrible virus all last week so he missed the whole week of school which was difficult because Jeremy and I both re-arranged our schedules to make sure he had one of us-this meant lots of late night catch ups for both of us! I am looking forward to actually sleeping this week! Parker continues to amaze us as he is learning more and more on his guitar-I posted one of my favorite pictures of him and Jeremy as he was playing. I know it is dark but that was exactly how it was-just a little light coming in from the blinds and I wanted to have it captured! In the picture, he was learning to play Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and it sounds like it! We had Parent Teacher Conferences and Parker is doing well. We asked his teacher what he needs to work on for next semester and she just smiled and said whatever interests Parker-we are blessed! Sophie has really come into her own lately! She has been quite the little princess-she decided she would no longer wear diapers and much to our dismay would take her clothes off and throw the diaper away and put her clothes back on! We really have to watch her. I don't think she is completely ready yet so I am kind of backing off until I am sure she can grasp the whole concept. We are preparing her room for her "big girl bed" and I am trying to find the perfect pictures of Guatemala to decorate with so it has been a challenge. I love how her vocabulary has grown in the last couple of months. She is constantly talking and doing new things. I had forgot how magical this stage can be and also how trying!

Sophie's First Day Of School!

2008-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today was Sophie's first day of Two's On Target. We were all worried sick over how this would go given Sophie's history (Ok just Parker and I were worried Jeremy is the forever optimist). Parker kept asking all sorts of questions last night making sure we would walk her into school and stay there until she felt comfortable-he acts like such a little adult sometimes. It really is wonderful how much he loves his sister. I guess today when Jeremy took Parker to school he reminded him about Sophie and how she might not want us to leave! Well we must have worried for nothing because Sophie walked in, hung her backpack up with help from her new teacher and we left without any tears from her or screams! I cried but at least Sophie did not! I have posted some fun pictures of Sophie getting ready to go today and she absolutely loves her big girl backpack!

My Environmentally Friendly Husband!

2008-09-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows my husband knows he is very environmentally conscious-he has been riding his bike everywhere instead of driving-good thing for us we live in a small town that has everything we need within biking or walking distance! Sophie is almost always in the trailer as he rides around getting groceries, renting a movie or going to check on a job site! Yes, he will drive his truck to a site and park his work trailer and then drive back and get his bike-even one of his employees has been seen riding their bike to the job site also! I think he is starting a trend! One of our friends saw this picture of him in the paper this last week and so I thought I would pass the photo along. The article was titled-Hoosiers spending over 6 percent of earnings on gasoline. The caption under the picture in the paper read: "There are plenty of human powered vehicles too. This local resident has been seen riding his bike all over Greencastle. " Sophie loves the bike and hopefully she will still love it as much as Parker who is often seen riding his bike right alongside his dad. It is so sweet-every morning Sophie gets up and says "Bike ride Daddy?" Jeremy cannot refuse her so they take off on a bike ride before he goes to work!

Fun Pictures To Share!

2008-08-30T19:10:00.001-07:00

I just thought I would post some fun photos from today. Jeremy and Parker love going to The Blue Door to listen to music and tonight our friend Istvan was playing! Bren, did you notice Parker's shirt? He absolutely loves the Journey To Me shirt! As you can see by the photo Parker is concentrating very hard on his cribbage game with the other customers of the coffee shop!

Trisha's Cute Kids!

2008-08-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

Trisha invited me over today and wanted some photos taken of her 4 little ones who are not so little anymore! It is hard to believe how much Cameron, Nolan, Holden and Evan have grown in a few short months. Take a look at some of my favorite photos from today!

Welcome New Customers This Month!

2008-08-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well the last couple of weeks have been a complete blur and whirlwind both personally and professionally. Parker is back to school and getting into a regular routine is difficult for everyone! Sophie starts Two's On Target at the preschool next Friday so it will be interesting to see how she does for one day a week for 3 hours with the other kids. Parker is worried about her and feels she will not behave like she is suppose to-we will see!

I normally do not post business related items on my personal blog but we have created some really neat home accessory products and it looks like two company's are already picking them up. I love being able to decorate with photos and these new products just go to show how important the photo gift and accessory market is! I have posted some fun photos of these new products for you all to see.

I just found out today that we are also moving forward with a specialty card line for Celebrity Kids Portrait Studios. They are one of the fastest growing studios here in the US and recently opened a studio in India!

Well that is enough business wise! Parker started playing the electric guitar this week. While he is learning all the notes and has done well with the acoustic guitar I do not know if I can handle the learning curve of the electric guitar because it is so much louder! I know it will only be a problem for about a week until he is used to this new guitar-it will just be a very trying time for me in the evenings when I want to wind down from work! We are looking forward to fall but sad to see our summer slip away. I noticed the other day our trees are starting to turn colors and the leaves have begun to fall. I guess I will have to start planning Parker's annual Halloween party because it will be here before we know it!

Last Day Before School Starts!

2008-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today was Parker's last day of summer fun. Tonight is meet the teacher night and first thing in the morning we are back to school. I really am sad that summer is over for us! Parker had friends over today and none of us are ready for the new school year. I have posted a favorite photo of mine of Parker enjoying his quieter moments this summer!

What Is The Right Thing To Say...?

2008-08-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday Jeremy and I were resting on the couch and Sophie had been playing in her room quietly. She came into the media room where we were and was carrying her picture frame from her room. She pointed to her and said baby (she loves to call herself the baby) and pointed to Julia-what do we say? She kept pointing and for a moment that felt like too long I struggled for all of the prepared answers I have had in my head... What do you call the woman who gives your family such an amazing gift? Someone who made an adoption plan so her child could have the life she dreamed she would? I know Jeremy was also caught by suprise as evidenced by his look and silence. Our friends who have adopted all have these great names and ways to communicate their child's birthmom to them but here we were being innocently asked by a 2 year old! Needless to say nothing I had prepared came to mind so I said this is Sophie and her Guatemala birth mommy. Julia's photo has always been in her room where she could see it and she has never really discovered it until now. Sophie has started playing in her room more so I think she is becoming more curious of her surroundings. We have got to start preparing Sophie's story as I believe she is going to have more questions sooner than we ever anticipated! I always want her to know how much she is loved by her Guatemala family and by us.

Parker's Birthday Party!

2008-07-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had Parker's Birthday Party and the kids had a great time. Sophie greeted everyone in her orange bikini but did not want to participate outside in the fun. We had 6 really good friends of Parker's and some family for a water party with the slide. The kids played the entire time on the slide only stopping to eat and open presents! We had a perfect hot day for this. I have attached some of my favorite photos of: Parker, Lindsey, Mika, Donovan, Ethan, Zander and Carl for everyone to see. Parker is growing up so fast-I just want to keep him as my little boy forever!

Aruba!

2008-07-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

We are now home from our trip and I know I was suppose to blog while on vacation but my blog kept coming up in Dutch? I could not understand it or update. Plus I could not count on my internet access in my room to work-it was so slow! But thanks to those who emailed and said I am waiting to see Aruba-yes that means you Trisha :) Anyways, it was a wonderful trip! We totally got the Tim and Bren hook up-thanks again guys! We were right on the beach and of course Bren was our neighbor. We had an absolute blast with them and the island is wonderful. We will definitely return. We could see the bar and pool from our room also-everything was a few steps away so Parker became quite attached to getting strawberry daquiris with Troy! Sophie and Zoe had a great time going back and forth between our rooms and Sophie loved the pool and beach! Parker spent a lot of time with Troy collecting shells for nightly Poker games on our patio. I think the kids are exhausted from staying up all night! Jeremy took kite boarding lessons 4 of the days we were there and had so much fun! He is addicted now and says it is way better than windsurfing. I think that is about everything that happened on our trip. I normally go crazy if I am somewhere longer than 4 days but I was not ready to leave Aruba. I have attached some fun pictures from the trip now Trisha!

Sophie Turns Two!

2008-07-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today marks a major milestone in our little Sophia's life. It was two years ago today that she was born and destined to be a member of our family. I know this could not have been an easy decision for Julia to make and I am forever grateful for her gift to us. This little girl has brought so much light into our lives and taught us so much in her first two years of life. To think that she has known three homes in her life and adjusted so well is beyond comprehension. She is our little fighter who sometimes makes us stop and think of the many things we take for granted. To everyone who has asked us if we felt that our meeting was chance or fate I would definitely say fate. To those who know her well, you get to see a side of her that is sometimes mischievous and at the same time absolutely adorable! Our family can only guess what the future will hold for us with Sophia-but I do know this for sure-it will be quite a journey!

Birthday Lunch With Grandma Swiper & Grandma Hetser!

2008-07-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

My mom and my grandmother came today to celebrate Sophie's birthday. We had a birthday lunch for her with her favorite food-lasagne! I also baked a Tres Leche cake for her. Sophie still needs to work on her table manners so we always strip her down for messy meals. She loved the cake and her gifts. Jeremy, Parker and I got her an American Girl Doll that looks like her so she was thrilled! The grandma's took her shopping so she thinks today must be a big day! Tonight she will have dinner with her Grandpa Doc and Grandma Lyn. Sophie is so funny today as people come to see her she has been dancing and running in circles so I think she realizes today is a special day and big brother has been nice even. Ok, maybe nicer-when she opened her doll from us (which he helped me pick out) he teased her a little and she knew from his tone he was being mean about her doll! Oh well, it will be a long day!

Fun With Friends!

2008-07-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday we invited our friends Charma and Johan over. The boys have been best friends since they were 3 and it is so great to watch them grow up together! We put the waterslide up and the kids played all night on it!

Boating!

2008-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

We finally got the boat out this summer! It has been either raining or too cold to go. Thursday was a nice day so we decided that was the day. Jeremy cleaned it up since it had been in our garage at the apartment building all winter. We invited Phil, Shem and his girlfriend Madison to come with us. The water was perfect! Everyone including Sophie spent a lot of time in the water. We forgot our Ipod but we had a Barry White cassette in the boat so the picture of Parker and Shem is them grooving for the rest of us!

School Play

2008-05-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today was Parker's school play-what a fun time! The kids really enjoyed having their family come to school and watch them. One funny moment was when Parker was reading his lines-Lindsey saw the perfect opportunity to rest her head on him and he stopped right in the middle of his lines and gave her a mean look and then went on about his part. All of us parents laughed because we all know how much little Lindsey love's to get Parker's goat! Luckily I was there to capture the moment! Someday I hope he can look back at this and see the humor in all of this!

No Night Night Tonight!

2008-05-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Brett came over tonight and we were trying to get Sophie to go to bed early... I guess you can see for yourself what Sophie had to say about that idea!

Let Me Eat Cake!

2008-05-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Grandma Swiper bought Sophie her favorite-Angel Food Cake! It did not take her long to discover it first thing this morning...

Fun With Boxes

2008-04-10T13:36:00.001-07:00

Sophie loves to play with boxes and we just could not pass up this photo moment so we are sharing it with you! This reminds me of the little boy in the John Cusak movie Martian Child!

An Afternoon At The Nature Park

2008-04-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to take Parker and Sophie hiking at the Depauw Nature Park. I also needed a place to practice taking photos with the new camera since I cannot figure out how to use it. I have been lost the last month without being able to use the camera so I finally gave in and had Jeremy teach me-seems odd him teaching me doesn't it? The kids had a great time and Sophie was able to keep up on the hike for two hours-Jeremy had to carry her the last 15 minutes! I have posted some of the practice photos from today!

Semana Santa In Guatemala

2008-03-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

Below is an excerpt taken from Outreach.org regarding the festivities this week in Guatemala. Those of you who know Sophie well will find this part of her heritage interesting we hope!

Holy Week in Antigua
The observance of Semana Santa and Lent adds to the importance of Antigua (La Antigua) Guatemala. The city was declared a National Monument by the Guatemalan government in 1944, a Monument of the Americas by the General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History in 1965 and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 (site number 65).
Antigua is famous for its Catholic celebration of Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The entire city participates in the event, and thousands of national and international visitors flock to Antigua to witness the dramatic happenings. Taking place sometime between March 22 and April 23, the entire week is full of solemn activities that replicate the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, culminating in jubilation on Easter. The special flavor of this event arrived with Spanish missionaries from Seville, who brought Andalusian flavor to the religious phenomenon during colonial times (Quintanilla Mesa, 1989).
The event begins on Palm Sunday, during which the venerated images of Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Nazareno) and the Holy Virgin of Sorrow (Santisima Virgen de Dolores) are carried from their churches through the city on the shoulders of devoted followers who carry lanterns while dressed in purple robes with white waistbands. Similar processions that venerate images from various churches also occur on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, replicating the final days of Christ on the earth.
On Good Friday the streets of Antigua are covered with natural, aromatic carpets (alfombras) of flowers, pines, clover and fruits, which the residents put together and place in front of their homes. There are all kinds and shapes. Some are very long, even up to a kilometer, with colonial, Mayan, Roman or other original designs. At 3:00 A.M., preparations begin for the mock trial and sentencing of Christ. Participants dress as Roman soldiers, Pontius Pilate and other participants in the drama. At 7:00 A.M., the sculpture of Christ carrying his crucifix is moved through the carpeted main streets of Antigua on the shoulders of his worshipers until early afternoon, when the image is replaced by another of Christ being laid to rest.
At 4:30 P.M., Antigua becomes adorned with black crepe paper as thousands of people, burning incense and dressed in black, crowd the plazas and streets. A spectacular procession (procesione) is led by the man bearing the crucifix, with hundreds of followers (cucuruchos) carrying black banners and standards engraved with the final words of Christ and the pronouncements of God. Life-like images representing the archangels, the Stations of the Cross, the Cavalry, the apostles and many others are part of the silent procession through the streets, where multitudes pray quietly. The image of Christ is laid to rest in a church at 11:00 P.M.
Holy Saturday continues with other funeral processions led by the Image of a sorrowful Virgin Mary (virgen dolorosa), followed by numerous women dressed in black who commemorate her moments of sorrow at the side of Christ. Easter Sunday is a time of rejoicing, with early processions through the streets of a festive Antigua celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. Firecrackers are heard throughout the city, and masses are held in all the churches. The week-long ceremonies end that day, and residents return to their daily lives.
Carpets - Alfombras
There are two type of carpets (alfombras) made during Semana Santa. The carpets along the processional route are made by residents along the route who invite friends and family to assist them. The carpets in the churches are made for the holy vigils (velaciones) and are made by the brotherhoods (hermandades).
Velaciones are held in the churches that have religious activities during the holiday. These carpets are made by members of the brotherhood responsible for the sculpture. The carpets are made in front of the religious figure on display and are surrounded by fruits, vegetables and candles brought as offerings to the church the day before.
The carpets along the processional route are made during the 24 hours prior to the procession. If more than one procession goes down a street a new carpet is made for each procession. Carpets express both religious as well as contemporary messages in the designs. Preparations for the carpets begin weeks, sometimes months, ahead.
Sand or sawdust is generally used to level the cobblestone roadway. Sawdust is then collected and dyed in different colors. Favorite colors are purple, green, blue, red, yellow and black. Flowers such as bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations, roses and other native plants and pine needles are also used.
Carpets are started the day before the procession and the construction is timed so that the carpets are finished just before the carriers of the float arrive so that carpet looks its best.
The carriers of the main float are the first ones allowed to walk over the carpet. They are followed the rest of the procession.
Holy Vigils - Velaciónes
There is a velacióne before each procession. The Holy Vigils generally take place at the church the day before that Church's procession. The vigils are organized by a brotherhood, and there are different brotherhoods for each sculpture that will appear in the processions.
The sculpture is moved near the church altar in front of a huge decorative paper backdrop. A carpet is constructed in front of the sculpture. Around the carpet is a garden scene or huerto that includes fruit and vegetables, bread, candles, flowers and the native seed pod - the corozo.
In the evening a funeral march band plays and outside the church a carnival atmosphere develops. Traditional foods and drinks and even games are available.
Processions - Procesiones
The religious processions are organized and carried out by the brotherhoods. The brotherhoods (los hermandades) were originally called cofradías and are religious organizations. The brotherhoods are either men or women, not both. It is thought that the carriers (cucuruchos) participated solely as a form of penance. Today there is some degree of social status involved but the principal motivation is still a show of devotion by the carriers.
Each procession leaves from its church and follows a route through the streets of Antigua before returning to the church several hours later. Purple is the color of the robes worn by the carriers up to Good Friday, then the robes are black to signify mourning.
Thousands of processional carriers participate in the processions. They are all members of the brotherhood that cares for the particular sculpture. Some have participated in processions all their lives.
Processions generally begin with incense carriers and the brotherhood's banner, followed by the carriers and the float (anda). Carriers will carry the float for a block and then a new group will take their turn. Each turn is determined by the carriers' shoulder height to ensure that the float is balanced. This is very important as the floats can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds (3,150 kilograms.)
A block behind the main float, the women carry a smaller float (size is relative here) with the figure of the Virgin Mary. The women wear white in their procession before Good Friday. Following behind is a funeral march band and two additional floats carrying the sculptures of San Juan and Maria Magdelena.
Sculptures - Imágenes
These are the religious sculptures that were made during the Spanish rule and can date back to the 17th century. The faithful believe that the sculptures, or the figure, will grant the believer their request. In some places in Guatemala, the sculptures are considered to be divine religious figures. The sculptures are referred to as the religious figure not as a just a sculpture. The sculptures also played a principal role in the conversion of the Maya to Catholicism as the Maya personified the sculptures with the stories of their own deities.

Feliz Cupleanos Alex!

2008-03-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

March is almost over and I did not want to forget to wish Sophie's brother Alex a Happy 5th. Birthday. I met his family through the Guatemala Adoption Sibling Registry and the ability to learn so much about Sophie's other adopted siblings and her 4 siblings in Guatemala has been wonderful. Fortunately for us, Alex's mom has some connections in Guatemala and gets updates on Julia every 6 months or so. The photos are priceless and the insight into where Sophie came from is beyond comprehension. I will be forever grateful to her for this. I just found out last month from her that Julia (Sophie's birth mother), decided to keep the baby she delivered in October. I hope that this works out for the family as I know that it must have been a difficult decision. When we were approached about adopting a sibling of Sophie's it was not the right time as she needed more time to adjust to us. So hopefully Alex's mom will be able to keep us updated on how the baby is doing in Guatemala through her contacts. I can tell you that Sophie and Alex look exactly alike from the photos I receive. It is so amazing as I have photos of Alex at as young as 6 months and when you compare them it is like they are her. I hope you have a Happy Birthday Alex!

Lazy Saturday...

2008-03-08T07:26:00.001-08:00

This is my favorite part of the weekend-sleeping in until 10:00! Sophie was the first to get up and she headed for DD's (Parker's) room! She absolutely adores him. Parker does a good job of pretending to ignore her, but he is the first to let us know if she needs something and is always looking out for her. The picture in this post is typical of Parker attempting to ignore Sophie...

And The Winner Is... Parker!

2008-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the judging of the Lego contest. Parker and Jeremy went to watch all of the Lego exhibits be judged tonight. Well, Parker won first place in his division! He was so proud and we were very proud of him. The picture in the post is of Parker with the mayor.

Parker The Lego Builder

2008-03-04T10:49:00.001-08:00

Today Parker entered his lego castle in the Lego Mania contest here in Greencastle. He had to create something that was not from a kit but his imagination. He wanted to build a castle and has been working on it for about two weeks. He would work on it an hour here and there until it was completed last night-just in time the deadline is March 5! He is just like his dad Mr. Builder! He loves to create things and it is great to see him express his artsy side every once in a while. Jeremy entered a Lego contest when he was Parker's age and still talks about it to this day. I know he had a wonderful time taking Parker to the Lego Seminar to learn tips and tricks before starting to build a project for the competition. No matter what the outcome, Parker is number one with us!

PGN OUT For Heidi & LT!

2008-03-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

Heidi and Lt are leaving Guatemala Tuesday afternoon and their prayers have been answered! They received the call this evening that they have been approved by PGN and the final adoption decree was signed today. They will be traveling back to Guatemala in 5-7 weeks to bring Brakston home forever. This is so amazing-I am so happy for them. Sophie put on her best princess mood face for this post-just to give Brakston an idea of what is waiting for him! Parker was thrilled because he could not understand that they were just visiting. He kept saying they are bringing him home. I guess I have less than 5 weeks to plan a baby shower!

Flight Of Love...

2008-02-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

Today two of our good friends-Heidi and Lt flew to Guatemala to meet their little boy for the first time! I can still remember the excitement of walking into the hotel to have your little one waiting for you. Words cannot describe the range of emotions you experience. I guess I get to live vicariously through them and their journey to bring Brakston home. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they venture into this unknown of parenthood. I also have to commend them on their courage and strength as this is a visit trip-they will have to leave their little one with his foster mother and wait for the appoval call from PGN. I am hoping that call comes the day they leave. I can't imagine and will not pretend to imagine what they must be thinking and feeling. I couldn't visit Sophie because I did not have the courage to leave. I wish I would have now (it is always easier to know what we should have done). I have posted a picture of adorable little Brakston for all of you to enjoy-he is adorable and yes, a suitable potential mate for Sophie!

Heidi and Lt, know we are thinking of you and can't wait to hear from you!!

Valentine's For Parker

2008-02-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is such a fun day for little one's. I put together Parker's class party today and had such a great time watching the kids all open their Valentine's and having a great time playing and just being kids. One mom sent Tattoo Valentine's so myself and another mom had a blast putting them on the kids. They of course were bouncing off the walls after having so much sugar.

Parke's little admirer (for the second year now) was sure to tell me that she still loves Parker and is waiting...It is great to be a kid.