365 People Photos: Number 98 ~ Safety...Security...Love

What an orphaned child misses out on.

365 People Pictures: No. 80 ~ My Beloved Anna

This morning I had the rare opportunity to go out for coffee with my oldest daughter, who is now a dear friend. While we were out, we stopped in at a nearby garden that used to be a large estate in Cincinnati but was willed to the city in the early 1990s to be used as a park. This gave me the chance to take an updated photo of Anna Mackenzie. It seems as though it was only yesterday that I was taking her senior pictures.

I thank God for the sweet, trusting relationship we share. Anna is ~ and has always been ~ a blessing in my life.

365 People Photos: No. 71: The Blues

This time...just the eyes.

 

Brielle was rolling around in her bedding as Oksana, our nine-year-old daughter, played with our favorite toddler in her bedroom. The blanket casting the yellow glow is her favorite. The birth-grandmother of Brielle's mama, Anna, made the blanket for Brielle. Adoption is creating the most beautiful legacy in our family! Thank you, Sharon, for your love for Brielle!

365 People Pictures: Day 22--A Dream Come True

February 2013 ~ Brielle 8 months

As my husband and I are raising our nine daughters, I have a dream for their lives. My deep-seated hope is that they will be as happy being moms as I have been. Our oldest daughter, Anna, is the first to make my dream a reality. Anna genuinely delights in her little one, Brielle. For me, this photo captures my daughter's joy in being a mommy. Ahhhh...it just donned on me ~ Anna's first Mother's Day is coming up next month; Brielle was born in early June last year. Thank you, Lord, for the unspeakably rich blessing of motherhood.

(Coincidentally, Anna just posted some of her impressions on being a mama: Brielle and An Announcement )

365 People Pictures--Day 16: Mama Love

No words necessary!

Just a Couple Favorite Photos

I've been sorting photos today following our very recent international trip. While sorting, I stumbled across this photo of our daughter, Anna, and her dear friend, Emily. The two grew up together, and then both were in each other's weddings in early 2011. Emily is holding our first grandchild, Brielle.

Here's Emily with her mom (my very dear friend, Angela) and her sister, Alexa, a dear friend of all of the girls in our family.