I'm a Mom!

On August 4th, an Ethiopian judge said, "They are yours", and we became the parents of two wonderful sons!

Jeremy:

and Zachary:

We love them so much, and look forward to bringing them home in early September!

Lots more details about our trip and our boys are being posted on our adoption blog!

One Week old and Already Breaking Hearts (Well, mine that is!)

My sweet nephew Gus came over for his one week old photo shoot on Monday, and suffice it to say, the little guy has completely stolen my heart. He's so little and sweet and precious and...I could go on and on. But it would be much easier to just show you how wonderful he is. Prepare yourself, though...he might just steal your heart, too.

Brian and I are beside ourselves with glee...we're going to Ethiopia on Friday to meet our sons! Tune in to our adoption blog for updates (if we have access to the internet, that is)!

Big hugs to all!

Meet Gus!

Dear Gus,

Yesterday, your Mom texted me in the wee hours of the morning to tell me that her water broke and that she would be having a baby later in the day--and you got it...that baby was you! You made your entrance into the world at 7:06 via c-section yesterday morning, and you've been charming the world ever since!

I got to meet you just three and a half hours after you were born, and I spent the rest of the day hanging out with you and your Mom and Dad in the hospital room. We mostly stared at you and passed you around so that we could all cuddle you.

You are just precious, and I'm already in love with you. Being an aunt to your awesome big brother Sam has been one of the sweetest gifts of my life, and I'm so blessed to be your aunt now, too. I'll be here for you whenever you need me--to hang out, to talk, to pray with you or whatever!

You can be sure that I've got a heart full of auntie love for you, and I'm blessed and honored to be a part of your life's journey. May God bless you and this beautiful life He's given you, Gus!

All my love,

Tia

Until Future Notice...

I'm blogging a whole lot more over on our adoption blog, and I think I will be for the foreseeable future. So if things seem too slow around here, just come over HERE to see what's going on in our world!

Three Years Ago Today...

About this time three years ago today, my family and all of the bridesmaids had made their way into the church or to the lobby of the church to make their processions, and I was left alone in the bride's room. All fell quiet, and I looked in the mirror and realized, "Wow! I'm a bride!" The moment I'd been dreaming about for much of my life was here. And then just like that, someone came and told me it was time!

I walked down the aisle, and we made our vows to one another!

This morning when I entered my kitchen, my beloved had left me three beautiful bouquets of roses to symbolize our three years together.

Honey, the past three years with you have been a joy and delight! Thank you for being such a wonderful husband. Saying "yes" to your marriage proposal was one of the easiest questions I've ever had to answer! And I'm so thankful that with each passing year I continue to realize that it was also one of the wisest decisions I've ever made. I love you with all my heart!

Simply Breathtaking Talent!

In case you missed the Tony Awards on Sunday, Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison from GLEE performed with such panache and brilliance and apparent ease, it would simply be a crime for me not to share it here on my blog.

Lea Michele (who is very nearly Barbra Streisand II) performs one of my favorite Streisand songs, "Don't Rain on my Parade". Her performance brought me to tears and makes me thank God for allowing so much beauty in the world. Talent like hers is truly inspiring. Enjoy:

Girl Meets Flat Iron

I've been meaning to do this silly post since my South Carolina girls' weekend in early May. My bestie Anne has these naturally curly locks. They're gorgeous and so is she!

Before:

When we were in S.C., our other friend May and I were flat ironing our hair, and Anne commented that she had never straightened her hair (and after all, why would you when you have locks like hers!) Well, May and I took turns with the flat iron (curls like Anne's are a group effort to tame), and--drum roll please..........

After:

It took all of us (including Anne) a little while to get used to the change. She could totally have an alter ego, huh?