Another FFF!

A good day to make a mug of tea and sit close to the fire! Snow is pouring down and the temperatures are dropping so I started going through photos for Favorite Foto Friday. I guess my theme is 'Nostalgia'. We recently found Mari's birth family in Guatemala. The emotional swings keep coming but it is very much a net positive! She is excited to find a wealth of relatives...8 sisters, 3 brothers, mother, father, both grandmothers, and a yet to be enumerated number of nieces and nephews! She is the baby in the family and given her personality it must have been God's plan for her to be placed for adoption...clearly a born eldest! We are still digesting their extreme poverty and how best to proceed but it has brought a great deal of comfort to know that they are still alive. Mari has also been able to resolve some of the 'why me' emotions because not only is it clear that they could not 'afford' her (not sure anyone will be able to 'afford' this diva:-) but four other siblings were also placed for adoption and this removes the 'me' from the 'why me'. Mari holding her newest room decor! These are the people who love her so much that they took extraordinary steps to make sure she was loved and cared for in the best possible way. How many kids get THREE sets of parents??? Mama and Papa Salgado with grandson Kevin, her fosterparents who took such good care of her for her first 2.5 years!

Josefa and Manuel, her first parents who took the courageous choice to go agaist cultural norm by placing a child for adoption in the hope that little Maria Teresa could have a better life.

I also found one of the earliet digital shots of the traditional "big fish" picture. This one is from the winter of 2005!!

You think I kid when I call her my diva?? At seven she was already making sure to be front and center while my laid back pair are just fine with being in the background.

So we are now in the planning phase for Julia's upcoming First Communion. Unlike Mari, who loves the dressing up and being the center of attention, Julia is still hoping to convince Sr. Thomas Leo to let her wear pants! It will not be in her comfort zone at all but I'm working with her on the dress style so that at least she can tolerate the experience. Thought you might like to see Mari on her big day.....

Mairead sang in the choir that day. Notice Mari's head angle...got a preview of what happens to brides who get hugged while wearing a veil! Julia will NEVER go for the up-do so I'm going to need to figure a painless way to keep the veil on her 'bob'.

Summer before she started 3 year old pre-school...when she was still my little girly girl who tolerated long hair and dresses...........