Saturday, October 20, 2012

Pumpkin Patch

"it's the most wonderful time of the year!"

I know this is song is talking about Christmas but I so love fall...

in our family, the Pumpkin Patch is something we look forward to every year!
 it's something that we and our girls thoroughly enjoy!


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the patch over the years...

2009
2010
2011

love this picture of me and my girls from last year!

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12 days before our sweet Poppy girl was born




Wednesday, October 17, 2012

becoming a Braverman


I come from a good family. We are all scattered now though and not as close as my heart longs for us to be. Parents divorced, sister 3 hours to the north, brother 3 hours to the east. 

It's just the way it is and the way I am accustomed to it being. But I long for more, so so much more.

My favorite show on TV and really the only one I follow is Parenthood. If you do not follow it, do yourself a favor and sign onto Netflix and start at season one. You will not be disappointed.

I love the Bravermans. I know this family is fictional, but I do not care. This is what I want.

I will not ever have a bigger blood family and I have my doubts about how close we will ever be, but I am determined to grow my family to be so big and loving and supportive and real and silly and authentic and precious. No I will not be having a bunch more children, I am not talking about that.
I want more, no I need more mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins. I long so deeply for family. God has created us to live in relationship with each other, to be involved, present, supportive, and in each others real day to day life! I want people who want genuine relationship with me. Who will butt in and correct me when I am wrong. Who will cry with me when I need a good cry and who will Love my babies like their own. People who will come to my girls dance recitals, games, plays, baptisms...

God has a family out there like this for all of us and friends they do not need to be of the same blood. I deeply love the family God has born me into but this is just not how my family runs. So I sit here tonight praying and pleading with God to weave the most beautiful family into my life. That He would hand pick special individuals and families to adopt me and my family into theirs and that I can adopt into mine. 

Can I encourage you all to open up your lives. It does not matter if you come from a family of 50 or a family of 1. We are being called to live on Mission and do life with each other. There are lonely and hurting people all around. Some are Funny, some quirky, and yes, some down right annoying. But isn't that the dynamic of a family?!

Just like the writers hand picked actors to become the Braverman's, God wants to hand pick an equally fun and crazy family for us all! He want's to do this for me!

Reach out to those who God tells you to reach out to. Do not hesitate to ask them over for dinner or game night or to your child's football game. There are so many out there just waiting for a chance to be a part of something like this.

I love the family I was born into and I wish nothing more for it to be in tact. But today it is not.

Let us deepen the relationships around us and never assume that people are being taken care of in the way they deeply need to be.

I pray each of our families grow abundantly and that we are all overwhelmed by the invites, obligations, nosey siblings, and support.

Let's do this life with people, like He intended. I want to not just be in community but I want my girls to have so many aunts and uncles and grandparents that they call them by each others names and have a hard time remembering them all. Chaotic Holidays going from house to house, I cannot wait for this family to grow.

God, allow this family to grow.








Poppy Grey: 1 years old

My baby is one years old!

Her Birth Day was such a special day

















Poppy turns 1... in Hawaii

we spent the last week soaking up the sun on the Big Island of Hawaii. Such a dynamic Island with so many contrasts. There were moments I felt like I was back in Haiti and then moments when I truly was in Paradise.

The main purpose of our trip was to get our friends Nate & Hillary married! (Andy performed the wedding!) It just so happened that their wedding day was Poppy's first birthday as well.

It was a quick 6 day trip filled with lots of travel in the air and driving all over the Island. Here is our trip in pictures...

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first leg of the trip: 5 hrs 50 min

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awaiting flight #2. facing her reality :)

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exploring the Volcano with good friends

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it was like a magical rain forest 

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Fibia and Ben

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Morning of Poppy's first birthday

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birthday beach time on beautiful black sand beach

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mama & baby. one year ago we met... life is so much better now!

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sea turtle!

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black sand

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so pretty


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birthday breakfast

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...at the southernmost restaurant in the USA

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Coconut Macadamia Nut pancakes!

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Wedding! Daddy dressed up to officiate

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wedding details...

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such yummy Thai food!

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the spread

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Becoming Mr and Mrs. Nate Kupish

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the next couple days were spent on the other side of the island in Kona.
it just so happened the Ironman championship was happening outside our hotel.
inspiring!!

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beach bum

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she loves sand

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PERFECT day

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soaking up the sun

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we loved our beautiful ocean view.

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first time in the WARM pacific ocean

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about to eat some yummy Fresh Sushi!

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the trip was quick and busy! so fun overall :)

this photo sums up how we all felt at the end...

Play hard, sleep hard!

I think our next vacation needs to be JUST mama and daddy :)


Mahalo Hawaii,
until we meet again.