The Making of M.O.M.

Sorry for not doing a Das Not Funny! Friday post. Hopefully the following will make up for any extreme (or not-so-extreme) disappointment you may have and will tide you over til next week:

I'm still learning the exposures and shutter speeds and such on my camera and taking the advice of a photog friend I downloaded Picasa this afternoon and played around with the effects. I'm no pro, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Nomatter how photos are exposed or how well (or not so well) she's photographed, isn't this little princess a BEAUTY?

I sure think so. And I love her so much my heart will surely burst one day. She just makes me smile. I love her tender spirit and joy for life. And that toothy grin...geesh, just melt.my.heart.

I found out yesterday that a piece of paper was left out of the paperwork when we filed her adoption and the 10 day waiting period cannot begin until the social worker picks it up at our house and delivers it to the courthouse. So, hopefully, Monday our fabulous social worker will swing by, pick it up and deliver it to the courthouse to begin the 10 day wait.

But you know what? Until then, I'll just look at this sweet face and focus on today. And my sweet Bathtime Beauty...

And remind myself that she won't be the baby for much longer and I'd better soak her up now, while I can.

I am too tired to write about the Neti-pot. The comfy pillows that surround me right now as I sit on my bed are screaming at me to lay on them and slip into a slumber.

Perhaps I'll put something up about the Neti-pot this weekend. Just know that I owe someone a formal apology for dissing it and that it washed more snot/infected gunk from my nose than I thought possible. And, if it keeps making me feel this good I may have to attend a Neti-pots anonymous meeting in the near future.

Before I slip into a mid-afternoon coma, I'd first like to share with you a little something that we did on Monday. My sweet friend Beth came by on Monday and shot some pictures of our family. I don't think she nor I expected much from this shoot because

A) My expectations are extremely low when it comes to family photos since all of our children have such distinct personalities and desires, thus making it next-to-impossible to get at least 1 good photo of each of them on the same day.

and

2) Because Beth was bringing her own 4 kids along and her 4 plus our 5 equals 9 kids ages 6 and under. And all 6 kids LOVE each other thus producing mass amounts of squeals and screams and torrential gun fighting. And although it turned out that Beth's oldest had an opportunity for a last minute play date elsewhere, that still left 8 kids 5 and under. Not much of a difference, I'd say.

Still, the results were AMAZING. See for yourself....

What I love about my sweet, compassionate and patient friend Beth (aside from the fact that she just "gets" me and she understands what it means to have lots of little children and she too has a heart for orphans) is that she took these in about 45 minutes. And, there are about 30 more that are equally as good.

If you live in the area and are looking for a photographer for your family you should really check out her stuff. While I have SEVERAL friends that are photographers (all of them fantastic, I might add), I can say that Beth is supremely patient and will not stop until she is sure she has gotten some good shots.

So hop on over to her site, check out her stuff and book her ASAP. You know, if you want to. And if you live nearby. And if you don't, well never mind.

Okay, I'm off to the land of Nod, at least for the next 45 or so minutes. It's rainy and cold out and I can't think of a better way to spend nap time than curled up in my bed.

Peace.