What I've been up to lately...

Well, I've got the little one here, and I've come up with a name for her for now. It works for a part of her personality...but I'm still missing the hyperactivity part. McGiggles is it. You know, McDreamy, McSteamy...I've got my own McGiggles. So, here she is...you won't see her beautiful face on here, but she's jumping with Taylor on the trampoline below. We were at my cousin's house for the July birthday celebrations....and enjoyed ourselves! Such a wonderful time!



This one is McGiggles helping Cohen with his Elmo bike...I'm not sure what they were doing.....


And, last but not least. She wanted to wear the Elmo costume and was looking at herself in the mirror with my little sister Ilze, who also celebrated her Sweet Sixteen this past Tuesday, July 24th!




Life has been busy. I've been planning her birthday celebration and have posts on the other page with more details about that life...and, my great friend Peter came to visit me this past week. Well, he was in town and was able to hang with the family for the night. What a blast. Such a great friend, I'm so blessed to have had him in my life.

I've got my first foster placement....

The first little one has arrived.....check my blog for updates!




It's going to be fun....

Cousins...

Katy, Ryan, Taylor, Emily, LeeAnn

My cousin, Ryan, was married yesterday. Here's just one picture that I posted so far...these are the cousins on my dad's side of the family, minus two, my older brother Robert and my little sister Ilze. We missed those who weren't there, but we had a good time!

More to come tomorrow or the next few days!

Loss is hard....

Rita L. Hardman Pinkley



It was a very sad day last week when I learned of this sad news. Rita is a phenomenal woman. She is THE reason so many families are able to have children. I'm a lucky person that was allowed the gift of having a younger brother and sister adopted from an international country. Rita was the Director and the biggest part of the Baltic Blessings Adoption Agency out of Washington State. She is the reason Ilze is here. She is the reason Taylor is here. It is sad to have her gone, at such a young age. I hope that each child she brought over here will remember her and take a piece of her heart with them wherever they go.

What amazes me, is that after my brother has been here for 12 years, he decided to go to the funeral in Seattle yesterday. He is 15, going on 27, but 15 nonetheless. They asked for a child to speak at the service, and Taylor volunteered. I wasn't there, but I'm sure that he spoke from his heart and had profound things to say for a 15 year old. I wish I could have been there. I think he has a good perspective. I think they all do, I would imagine.

May God bless Rita forever, and take care of her family here on this Earth. She did wonderful things. I hope we can take her dreams and make them last forever. God bless you Rita for all you do. We love you and miss you already.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers on the side of the road....

Waterfalls...

A few snapshots of a small little place in the middle of nowhere Creek County. This is off the beaten path, about 3 miles west of Highway 97 that connects Sapulpa to Sand Springs. It's Pretty Water Lake that goes over a small waterfall/spillway into Lake Sahoma. It's beautiful. It's nestled in hills, quiet, quaint, and a nice getaway. I'll take some walks there and will take kids there and will play at the park. If only I liked to fish...

Oklahoma Sunsets

I love sunsets in Oklahoma. I love sunsets anywhere, but the skies of Oklahoma can be multi-colored blues, reds, pinks, oranges, grays, yellow's, and even green's. Beautiful sunsets. Here's a view of tonight's sunset out by my place. I took some snapshots on a walk with Wally overlooking the fence on the west side of the property. How beautiful it would be to face the west and see the sun setting every day...although it's rained so much the last month I don't think you could have seen the sunset very often. Anyhow....here are a few of the snapshots.

The Road to Omaha is Closed

Cowboys’ Season Ends With Super Regional Loss To Louisville

Guess my favorite team won't be going to Omaha....and they were soooo close. I was there last summer for Ashley's wedding...and it would have been so cool to go back to the College World Series....maybe next year.

Soaking up the sun...horse style.

Ilze is still doing so well with her horseriding adventures. She and Eve have so much fun together. Here are a few photographs from this weekend's show in Claremore. She's doing very well and takes first in several of the speed events. She's growing up. It's fun to watch her do something and love it so much.

Incredible Day....at Incredible Pizza

The family went to Incredible Pizza Company for an incredible time....and what an incredible time we had. Fun times! Fun times for sure!

 

 

 

 

Should Have Been A Cowboy..

Adorable photo's of my photogenic nephew, Will. He loved Kate's cowboy hat....and he loved her stoller....and he loves his dad too! Lots!

 

 

 

 

Kate's Three

Happy Birthday Kate!

Oh my goodness. I can't believe she is THREE! I can't believe I didn't get any more photo's than this. Really, come on...I'm the photo guru of the family and apparently I didn't take many...so I got only a few, so here are a couple of my favorites. We had a ball. Had a fun time. Man, she's growing up fast. I love that kid. She's a joy.


It's so hard to hold up those three fingers....see below!

 

Ahh..sweet innocence.

 

Cowboy hat, princess shoes, preschool books, jewelry for three....

 

More photo opportunities....

 

Ilze's Sweet Sixteen

It amazes me how fast time flies. Not long ago, I was blessed with the addition of a new sister to my family. My little sister, Ilze, was adopted from Latvia when she was 2. Ilze recently celebrated her 16th birthday party with her friends. We had a Murder Mystery Dinner "Death By Chocolate" and it was a blast! A fun time had by all. Here are a few photo's of the event. Ilze and Taylor are in a couple, and Taylor was my little brother who was also adopted from Latvia (those are separate stories for an entire entry altogether). She's also with my Dad and Gayle as well. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

precious nephew...

Will was just hanging out in my arms, and he crashed in the middle of the party. He slept for a brief period of time, but then woke up briefly and rested his head on my shoulder. Robert captured this image, which I love. I hope to capture images like this one day with my own children.

 

Contagious Smile

We can't forget Will, who has one of the most contagious' smiles I've ever seen in my entire life. I love that in him.