New Photography Website!

Just wanted to pass on the link to my new website.... it's a major work in progress but I'm happy with it so far :)

Tara d Photography

Adoption Part 1

I'm going to do something I haven't done in awhile. Write. With words and not just pictures. If you haven't noticed I don't do this all that often. I mean I try to provide captions and mini stories with my pictures but this is different. I'm going to try to take what's jumbled up in my brain and put it on paper. There's various reasons why I don't take the time to write. One major reason is because it requires thinking. Let's just be honest any "thinking" that goes beyond my normal day I don't seem to have a brain for. I'm up at 6am thinking and planning out the kids school day, I try to get in the word and think/pray about how I'm going to apply the gospel as my plan from thinking the hour prior goes amiss. I school. I think about dinner. Somedays I actually make it. If I can get past the thinking that is. During the afternoons, if my kids are playing well and not fighting, I edit pictures for clients. Lots of thinking going on there. Chris gets home and I try to enter his world of church planting, counseling, administrating and join in with his thinking. Then I pass out shortly there after, or my brain explodes. Not much time for blogging thinking there.

Yet I feel compelled to write recently. I promise you it will be full of grammar errors and spelling mistakes. All my thinking in that arena goes towards grading my fourth graders essay's. Which are pretty much beyond me at this point as is. So consider this an apology for the inevitable.



Two years ago I met a girl named Stacie. She had daughter's around Taylor's age. We were walking around the zoo together with a homeschool group I had recently joined. She had told me a few months prior they were trying to adopt. By looking at her two girls it was fairly clear they weren't adopted. They couldn't look more like their mom. So my mind went to various reasons as to why they would now be adopting. I was wrong on all accounts. They simple felt a call and desire to adopt. It reflects God's heart. Awesome I thought. I prayed alongside them for the right child to be placed in their family. I prayed for this child in utero once they had a placement. I prayed as the birth mom gave birth. Then at last, I rejoiced with them when he was in their home! A few months later was their schedule court date. I had never been to a final adoption hearing before. They were so kind to extend the invitation out to our family. After a some brief visiting in the waiting area their names was called to enter the court. The judge walked into the room, sat at his desk and after the formal introductions he began to ask the girls if they think their daddy & mommy are good daddy's and mommy's. If I was my friend right about then I would be freaking out a little.

"Oh dear God, please don't let them talk about all the times I've spoken harshly"

Something like that. But since my friend probably never does that, they said

"YES!" They are a good mommy & daddy."

Then the judge asked the girls if they would like to have this boy as a brother. They girls enthusiastically said,

"YES! YES!"

Then the judge said something like,

"With the authority granted to me by the states I pronounce Tanner as now officially about of the "tanner" family. (left their real name out).

Tears streamed down my face. Streaming now as I recall this moment. I had never witnessed something so powerful and beautiful! It was truly amazing! Here was this boy, who's mom was unable to care for him. She had a choice. She beautifully choose life. And my friends choose to say, "We will be his family! He will be our son!" Seriously, adoption, and how it reflects the Gospel, has been taking my breath away lately.

Since then, I've attended another hearing for two precious boys and a third is on the way for two sweet little girls. All from our body at Grace! I praise God for these families and how they are caring for the orphans.

This is background to say that when I heard Together for Adoption was coming to Phoenix, I asked Chris if we could consider going. He thought it was a great idea. We weren't quite sure how to swing it financially though. Then life began to get a little busier then normal for Chris and we never pulled the trigger. I saw on facebook that Noel Piper was hosting a contest on her blog for two free registrations. I thought for a minute, couldn't hurt, as I entered my name. What are the chances really? Then I said some sort of prayer. The kind you really shouldn't pray. Like,

"Ok Lord, if you REALLY want us to go to this then you'll let us win".

I might've said a few other things to him. I should've known better. God has a sense of humor. Two days later there was a congratulations e-mail in my inbox from Noel! Chris walks in,

"Hey babe.... remember how we talked about going to t4g? Well... we are now! Ok?"

Costumes & Memories I'd Like To Not Relive

Halloween was a eventful night. We joined our neighbors in a Franks on Frank party before tricking treating with them. Within ten minutes of being there Taylor dropped ketchup on her brand new medieval dress, seconds after I told her,

"Honey remember this dress is for our medieval feast in a few weeks PLEASE, I beg you, don't get anything on it!"

After cleaning up the dress my dad choked on a piece of chicken. Like really choked. Like running away choking while Chris runs after him prepared to do the heimlich. He is fine thankfully. Then some guy yelled at Trevor and Trevor ran home crying not wanting to come back out. I am not saying that more then likely he didn't need to be corrected but we typically try to do that without yelling in our household.

Somehow after all that excitement we were able to join our neighbors in some good old fashioned trick or treating. Honestly our kids were on the fence this year with trick or treating. I told them I would buy them a ton of candy myself if they chose not to go. There are quite a few houses in our area that get just a tad into Halloween. Like neon, flashing, orange lights that illuminate scary ghosts faces, into Halloween. Which also, in turn, flash into Taylor's room each night as she try's to go to sleep. Sometimes as late as 11pm. Nice. Like an invisible wire that hangs from the lamppost connected to a house with a demon face floating back and forth in the air, into Halloween. Honestly, I'm not even saying this as a Christian. But I just don't get it. I don't get the fun in celebrating scary evil things. Maybe it's because I've always been a "sensitive soul" but I just plain don't enjoy going through party city to pick out plates for Alexie's 1st party with larger then life-sized demons hanging over my head in each aisle. Stretching out as if to suck me into their world. Call me a party pooper. So when the man dressed as a dead baseball player, with a fake axe, hiding in the corner of a driveway looks at me and I say to him,

" I promise you if you chase after me or ANY of my children I will personally take your axe and...."

Ahem. Just don't blame me ok. And for the record the man with the axe heard me and did not move.

So on that happy note... we were able to met a ton of new neighbors who have just moved in! The kids had a great time dressing up and joining in the fun with their neighbor friends. There were PLENTY of non-scary houses that were able fill their bags up with a disgusting amount of candy.



That's Trevor in the far left corner not letting me take a picture of him.


I won in this picture.


This is just to great to not post. These are some friends of ours, also neighbors! Man what a husband does for his wife. Haha! You guys are awesome.


We'll see what next year holds :)