new(ish) hobby...

I have fallen in love with digi-scrapping! It's a form of scrapbooking that is 100% digital. There are some great communities out there of digi-scrappers that have been helpful in getting me started. One way to force myself to learn more about the program that I am using (Photoshop Elements 5.0) is to jump into a challenge. This one was hosted by another adoptive mom, Diana, whom I met a few years ago. This challenge was to scrap in a brag book size (6x4) which is nice because they can be very easily printed at the local Walgreens, Target or wherever!

Here is the outcome...pictures from Maya's 2nd birthday!

Time flies...

Maya is 28 months old now....and we have been together for almost a year! In many ways, it feels like we just met..and it so many more, it feels like we've been together FOREVER!

Some tidbits of what we've been up to:

• Maya is talking up a storm. Sometimes we know exactly what she's saying and other times, well...I can catch a word or two.
  
• Tonight, Maya suprised us with counting to ten in Spanish. Glad to see that my hard-earned daycare dollars are well spent! Oh...and she can count to ten in English, too. Interestingly, she frequently skips seven in both English and Spanish! We'll work on Mandarin next!
  
• Maya and I read stories together in bed almost every night. She now enjoys reading the books back to me. I was able to catch one such reading on tape...it's at the end of this post.
  
• She is getting much more comfortable in both familiar and new places. She's much less my "velcro" baby and gaining in independence each and every day.
  
• Although I don't have an exact measurement...I'm pretty certain that she's grown a few inches this summer. The capri pants that went down to her ankles in the spring are now really capri's!
  
• We spent a lovely weekend at Trout Lodge -- about 90 minutes from St. Louis -- with a friend and her daughter. The girls got along very well and it was so fun to listen to their giggles!

I'm looking forward to celebrating our one-year Forever Family day on October 24th!

One year ago today....

"God bless the broken road...that lead me straight to you"

while the song that I have chosen for this special day might seem odd...written most likely as a a romantic song for those in love...it has been a significant song for me in the journey that I have taken to become a mother.

Hopes...dreams...wishes...loves...wisdom...strength and broken hearts are all words that would describe my journey. The path that I had assumed I would take to motherhood was not to be.

"lovers who broke my heart...they were like northern stars"

every path I chose...every decision I made...lead me to being Maya's momma...and led me to that very special day...just one year ago...when I first saw the face of my angel...Maya.

"this much I know is true...that God blessed the broken road, that lead me straight to you"