Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Elsa's Birthday Review, Part 2: Pierced Ears

Elsa has been wanting to get her ears pierced for a while now, but we decided to wait until her birthday and make an occasion of it.

Before:
  photo 50fdd577-af01-47ac-9858-8d3fc75fd2d9_zps84ac6cff.jpg

During:
  photo 87b6854f-16ed-4810-8c25-92b99325e584_zps9ca0d44c.jpg  photo c8ec15cd-ddd4-4be9-8c2a-4190d29a2dba_zps71214818.jpg

After:
  photo 4d2abbbc-1280-47bd-8f28-63804c9e8671_zps2115930c.jpg

**Sparkles**
  photo fc932351-4eef-4ea9-868e-571cbbd7fbe4_zpsb437480f.jpg  

 Coming tomorrow: Part 3: Elsa learns to ride a bike!


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Elsa's Birthday Review, Part 1: Gifts and Donuts

The Birthday Morning...
  photo 545d3765-5554-4ffd-a454-acdc620c3040_zpsbf06a878.jpg  photo d206d230-46c6-4a28-8191-547a1451e73d_zps10944aef.jpg photo 1257c67f-333d-442f-9006-6f4dadf433f1_zps2bf9d8de.jpg  photo 56d4e8b9-7fb7-429e-a518-1551cfd28f05_zps3e5df94a.jpg  photo fca367ce-2ac1-493e-aa29-f424a047ccdc_zpse0208fa4.jpg  photo 30e190c7-80de-41c3-a710-d70452e17def_zps4819255e.jpg  photo 00e37251-3178-47be-984a-9aaf1d93e37e_zpsd66be17e.jpg  photo 78ba99a5-8164-41ea-bd44-c6cdfe8ee807_zps1b3c8dd2.jpg  photo 8b3faf9f-d6d8-48d1-aef4-3f90ad745491_zpse4d80cb2.jpg  photo 4acd9255-7a2f-43d4-a528-25475787fd98_zps1911706b.jpg  photo 616d1dec-e7f2-4bf7-8197-5dce4298bc81_zps37040df2.jpg  photo d4110694-c08e-47cb-8da6-c78dbf7d25a2_zps8da6d367.jpg 

We may have gone a bit overboard...but hey, we're making up for lost time!

  
 
 Coming tomorrow: Part 2: Elsa gets her ears pierced!

Monday, April 28, 2014

It's Elsa's Birthday!

It is Elsa's birthday! Her first birthday! Well - not really her 1st birthday - but her first birthday. What I mean is, this is the first time in her life that she has known it's her birthday; that it has been acknowledged; that it has been celebrated.

You know us Sorenson's, we are big into birthdays. So we are going above and beyond today. Indeed, we have a day packed full of fun, food, and surprises ahead!

~Seven~
 photo 2188c7ff-e713-4c48-95f0-6f1149becdba_zps718778d1.jpg 

Come back tomorrow for a re-cap of all the birthday fun!! 

I can't wait!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Swoops & Loops

On Sunday mornings I play piano for the Primary organization at church. The past few months, we have ditched Elisabeth's wheelchair and opted to bring along her bean bag instead. It works out perfectly. Just like at home, I place it alongside the piano and nestle her in (see this post).

This morning, as I was playing piano, I glanced down and noticed my name embroidered on the corner of the quilt she was snuggled up with. I have been using that quilt a lot lately, but completely forgot my name was sewn on! My mother helped me make that blanket when I was young (a preteen maybe?) and I love seeing it being used by my own child this many years later.

I might add that I am pretty sure that's the only thing I have ever sewn...and it turned out pretty darn good, I'd say!

 photo 22b69968-582a-4364-956e-ed440ddf6933_zpsc0fb93ff.jpg 

I love that my name starts with the letter L. 
L's are so much fun to write with their swoops and loops!

 photo 75fca3e4-9e02-4d24-a93b-6552e2d6e803_zps95d270af.jpg 
#outforthecount

Come back to The Far Side tomorrow - it is going to be an EXCITING day!!


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Serious Stuff


  photo 5535eb10-2cc2-404a-a262-ea122deabec3_zps6e819c7b.jpg 

I tried and tried and tried to wake Elisabeth up when I got to her classroom after school. I brushed my finger across her cheeks and whispered her name for several minutes. Didn't work. Then I figured the cool spring wind would wake her when we exited the school. 

Nope. 

Still out cold. 

Half-day kindergarten is serious stuff.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Small and Simple Things + Lisa's Finishing School Part 8

This past weekend the girls and I went and saw a ballet production of Hansel and Gretel. Oh, how I loved it! I think ballet is one of the most beautiful art forms. When the girls were young I enrolled them in ballet - in fact, they did ballet for years and years. I had high hopes of having a prima ballerina in this house, but alas, it just wasn't meant to be. But maybe Elsa??

***
Enrichment for Elisabeth

As I have pondered ways to enrich Elisabeth's life I remembered back to when she was a new baby. At that time we had just come to know of her vision impairment and I decided to fill her little world with music; to paint pictures in her mind through notes rather than visual art. Every day I would lay her on a blanket next to the piano and play for her. Somewhere along the way I got distracted from our little ritual (life does that sometimes) and it became somewhat forgotten.

So this week I've returned to our old tradition. Instead of a blanket, I take her beanbag into the parlor and the nestle her into it. Then I play piano and sing to my angelic little girl. It's a small thing, a simple thing, but by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...

   photo 26dd1e17-fbfe-4bb7-9aea-954a180f904b_zps405807c7.jpg 

Music in the Parlor

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

It's Confirmed, She Can Run

So...we adopted an Ethiopian. And Ethiopian's are known to be amazing runners. Well, let me tell you, Elsa is no exception. The elementary school just held its annual jog-a-thon and Elsa Lelise (who is in kindergarten, mind you) ran more laps than any other child!

 photo b4b9c75a-b934-4751-b3b9-1eb7c818bc50_zps3ae0f7d4.jpg

The only time she slowed down was when she found her best friend crying because she couldn't find anyone else in their class. Elsa wrapped her arm around her and walked an entire lap alongside her, just like that. It pretty much melted my heart. Elsa is the most compassionate person I have ever met. And for that reason I am blessed to have her in my life; compassion is something I have always struggled with and Elsa sets a great example for me.

 photo b89b4cee-4cdc-473a-8ab1-1e4c2d227dc1_zps152c25fb.jpg

And I best give a shout out to Lex and Lorelai, jog-a-thon veterans:

 photo 297b2c55-2100-46b3-b6d7-d9d02d130333_zps68068476.jpg  photo 892d46a8-8b76-4a94-a77c-e0a31552e4ac_zps479b3096.jpg  photo a6d68355-4e95-4f30-a1ae-ae1233c58d42_zps553c8b1f.jpg  photo f7aa9501-b57e-4397-84a2-e94cc40136b1_zps7ef0103e.jpg  photo 9fa48a92-465d-4659-9198-d6aff31a6f00_zps0eb7c06f.jpg

Good job, girls!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter Review: Part II

I'll tell you what, one of the best parts of adopting a child from a far off land has been watching her reactions to holidays. First there was Thanksgiving...and then Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day. Leading up to Easter we started teaching Elsa about its significance as well as fun traditions like baskets, bunnies, and dyed eggs. Needless to say, she thought Easter was absolutely fabulous!

Elsa, dyeing Easter Eggs with her sisters for the very first time:

 photo d2ca46ad-973e-45ba-8e02-bd10e7f3e4a3_zps4ebe185e.jpg  photo 73162434-4c9a-4558-a8ad-0698a578bfcd_zps35504104.jpg  photo 4a2b50f5-318a-42e0-86e7-4be3b24e01eb_zpseffed668.jpg  photo 5ca4cd35-8d6c-4b19-9ddb-153917e0c53b_zps425e4a4a.jpg  photo ed22857b-b3e4-4ba6-a48f-f67b4bad8a9c_zpse09bb3ac.jpg  photo efe3b3e5-281a-4ea8-9c4b-fff9bd765bc0_zps35fdb846.jpg

As is tradition, the children woke up to find small
chocolate eggs hidden all over the house, like so:

  photo b7774a98-95cc-4264-a235-eb36a26d22a6_zps4a50270e.jpg  photo fb6ccfb1-e3a1-4d64-8331-f76c00ed1f09_zpsdd6a21bb.jpg  photo ba176e34-77ad-400d-9e21-cd50c93ead13_zps47ab8da1.jpg  photo 9385a67b-a961-4996-8785-526bef1d0275_zps0e8c59ac.jpg  photo f3e7990d-bc8a-4197-bfc5-76d4a8d46876_zps246ab59b.jpg  photo 619a0605-f355-42cd-9d0b-aa438a607e20_zpscb60aaed.jpg 

 And then...they were off on a hunt!:
 photo 2c109317-dad0-4d7c-87db-672fa78b28f5_zps9a424da4.jpg  photo 0f7b1605-bd44-48e2-b4b7-c91e87e7048c_zpsaa13618f.jpg  photo fca897c9-2ed0-45cb-9e10-2fcd67de318a_zpsca0132e6.jpg  photo 14ffe351-214f-4d22-920f-ef9555ececbd_zps306bd67e.jpg  photo 62047a57-d00c-4480-b1eb-7d7452e51f60_zps17a9f79f.jpg 

"The Easter Bunny must be very big."
-Elsa

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter 2014

 photo 671750d8-c697-4b40-afbf-0f3bc6dd7d5c_zpsadd2afd7.jpg

Presenting...

 ~Elisabeth Elva~
  photo e039e719-7d7c-42f9-a69d-1e685f7946e0_zps05ce2bfe.jpg  photo 37c748b1-5542-4b82-97ab-895182782891_zpsdd6a3334.jpg

 ~Elsa Lelise~
   photo ce72d658-14ff-4faa-a2cf-bc01bd766daf_zps4ad6578c.jpg  photo d586ebe8-472f-44aa-9c79-1af8d97d91ca_zps2dce9ab0.jpg

 ~Lorelai Leigh~
  photo 86f75da7-7b51-4c13-8d6d-3148f7d45377_zpsafa1f9a6.jpg  photo 66cea0e6-19ae-4cb8-a41e-2166f223d787_zps707fdfed.jpg

 ~Alexandra Louise~
  photo 5a384298-51f8-46f0-90f5-2e07d863e34f_zps9d331a17.jpg  photo 8d705fed-84fa-430c-bc44-22443a670ca2_zps926af0e0.jpg

 ~Sisters~
  photo 8fb28fbf-b0f0-4e7a-a502-83d7800b0c45_zpsf2c439e8.jpg  photo dc8cb606-dd6e-4868-bcf4-9ea0623fc70d_zps64d5f2ac.jpg  photo 2fd7a9f4-a6da-4161-8125-4bedc464c26e_zps411cdff7.jpg  photo 39c734b3-c2c3-488d-8b51-aa3819c4fad4_zps8c9bc69f.jpg  photo a715e964-c457-4b53-8c60-f14fb251c843_zpsacc5df44.jpg  photo 9769430d-7058-417a-a742-cd1321d91c2b_zps518cf016.jpg  photo d12986ef-ab68-4e96-b4ee-10a5add5a393_zpsaede7221.jpg  photo c0d4556a-6aaa-4413-b07d-fbad3df34bf6_zpscaed9b22.jpg  photo 9ec32b9d-d42f-45ce-85fd-fd9d4551e35a_zps665aea3d.jpg  

A blessed Easter day.


(Still to come...dyeing Easter eggs + an egg hunt!)
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