Look who’s 5. Happy Birthday!

May 3, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

Look who’s 5!!

birthday

Five years ago, our daughter was born in Armenia. The first time we saw a photo of her, she was probably a few months old. After recently visiting two newborn babies, I am struck by how much of her young life we missed, even though she was 11-months-old when she joined our family. I watch newborn moms coo and snuggle, nurse and touch and fuss over their babies and know daughter missed out on this crucial bonding experience. Even though she was well-cared for by the nannies in her orphanage, she didn’t experience being “a family girl” for the first year of her life.

referral photo

Being an adoptive mom has it’s own unique set of challenges, as does starting life in an orphanage and spending your first critical year without the security of a home and the constancy of family. I see the impact of these circumstances in my daughter.

But I also see her resilience and her strength and know these traits will serve her well. She is smart, funny and grabs life by the horns–my wild child, born in the sign of the bull.

In celebration of her fifth trip around the sun, she asked to have her nails painted this lovely spring green, with nail polish she received as a special gift from a special person, found inside the “Magic Cabinet.” Green is my favorite color, the color of life, renewal and growth. And so it is with this I wish my daughter–so full of energy and life–a year of renewal and growth. Here’s to hoping her next trip around the sun will be the best one yet!

painted toenails Happy 5th Birthday Little Bird!

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

Dyeing Easter Eggs

March 26, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

Our daughter dyed Easter eggs for the first time this week. Her BFF ‘Bunny’ was her faithful art project companion. He helped choose colors and pick out stickers, and sat beside her while she dyed her eggs and decorated them. Voila! Five ‘Hello Kitty’ Easter eggs. And then, of course, she ate one.

HAPPY EASTER!

May the Bunny treat you well.

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

Leap of faith: Our family turns 4

March 22, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

Four years ago we took a huge leap of faith, and on March 22, 2012, a judge in Gyumri, Armenia granted us permission to adopt an 11-month-old girl. With that decision, our long journey to become parents was over. But…another adventure had just begun. When we went to the orphanage to hold her–our daughter now–it’s hard to describe the emotions we felt. Relief that the angst of the past four years was behind us. Elation at finally being parents. Fear because we were–gulp–parents. Now it was our job to keep her alive.

Over the past four years we’ve learned a lot about how to care for a child, our child at least. We’ve also learned a lot about ourselves. We’ve laughed, cried and screamed. There have been awesome days, and days when we feel like this was the stupidest mid-life crisis ever!* Parenthood has been an adventure like no other.

Happy Family Day to us!

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

*Thank you, Megann, for this pearl. Spot on!

And thank you to Weeone Photography for the photo of the three of us!

Happy Leap Year

March 1, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

In 2012, the last Leap Year, our daughter lived in another country. Her home was an orphanage. She was nine months old. She wasn’t walking.

Flash forward four years. Our daughter is a U.S. citizen. Her home has a mama, a dada and two cats. She is almost five years old. She walks, talks…and leaps.

In honor of Leap Day 2016, what’s a girl to do? Practice leaping, of course.

Happy Leap Year!

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

Six ways to mend a broken heart on Valentine’s Day

February 11, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

Three years ago, on Valentine’s Day my sister, Caren, passed away. She was only 50-years-old. My sole sibling and, like me, an adoptive mom.

As Valentine’s draws near, I want to enjoy the day for what it represents–a day to show those we love just how much we love them. But for me, Valentine’s Day is also a day when I nurse a broken heart. If you’ve experienced the loss of someone you loved, here are a six things you might try:

Keep yourself busy. Get out of the house, if you can, and do activities you love. Try to be in the company of friends and family. Go somewhere beautiful.

Mentally prepare yourself. In the U.S. it is impossible to go anywhere during the month of February without seeing Valentine’s Day reminders. But, for all the build-up, it is just one day.

Let yourself feel. Grief can take over when you least expect. Things aren’t always okay–and that’s okay. Remember the person you loved and give yourself permission to feel emotions that arise.

Avoid the obvious. Listening to “your song,” watching romantic movies, going to places that were your “your places”–probably not the best idea. Likewise, think twice before dining solo at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Get take-out instead or cook something simple–but maybe not the foods that were “your favorites” together.

Celebrate your relationships–all of them. Friends, kids, grandparents, co-workers–remind yourself love is a “many-splendored thing”–and Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day to say “I love you.”

Love yourself! Sometimes the person who needs the most loving kindness is you. Don’t be stingy. Take stock of everything that still brings you joy. Cut yourself some slack. Treat yourself to something special. Count your blessings.

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

Ernest Hemingway

~In memory of my sister Caren~

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

My blogger identity crisis

January 23, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

I’m wrestling with a blogger identity crisis. “Who am I?” and “What is my message?”

These questions weighed heavily on me as I created and launched my website. And I really struggled to choose a topic for this post, my first post about something other than “Welcome to my site.” My OWN WEBSITE. No pressure, right?

For me, blogging over the past seven years has been the perfect vehicle to package my love of writing, photography, food, travel, gardening, my family–little snippets of everything I hold dear. That said, I confess I feel envious of fellow bloggers who’ve defined their niche. They might be a professional photographer specializing in family photography, a travel blogger with a focus on solo travel for women, a mom blogger or a foodie blogger.

When friends ask me, “Have you considered becoming a professional photographer?” I’m not sure what to say because, yes, I think about that a lot, but as of yet haven’t taken steps to do anything about it. Others on my cheer squad have told me I have the skills to start a garden design business–should I want to. It is true I know a fair bit about plants and have a creative eye. I sure love to cook and there will be recipes on this site! And of course anyone who has–or will–read this blog knows I’m an adoptive mom to a little girl born in Armenia.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to toot my own horn (okay, maybe just a little), but what occurred to me as I wrote this post is that my blog is an extension of…well, me. And for now, that’s where Pampers and Paklava is at. At little bit of this and a little bit of that. Things and places and people I love.

I guess you could say this is my mid-life crisis blog. I’m figuring it out as I go along.

How about you? Have you ever tried to reinvent yourself?

It’s all about the journey,

Beth

Thank you to Weeone Photography for the fabulous family photos!

The BIG LEAP: Anniversaries and Adventures

January 9, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

On January 9, 2005, I took a huge leap. I drove over to the house of a guy I’d never met. Together we boarded a ferry and headed to Bainbridge Island. Wine tasting, several hours of getting to know each other and one dinner later, I was hooked! Thus began our grand adventure.

Here we are–eleven years, many journeys and one adopted daughter–on the anniversary of our first date, the beginning of a new year and a LEAP YEAR at that. Perfect timing for a BIG announcement.

I’m getting my OWN WEBSITE!

You’ll (soon) be able to find Pampers and Paklava at: www.pamperspaklava.com

Yep. I’m hitting the virtual road with a new blog and website. How cool is that? Official announcement once my site is up and running. Stay tuned!

Happy Anniversary to me and the Mr.

Here’s to a year of leaps and adventures!

Take the road less traveled, Beth

If you want to read more about all things Pampers, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or RSS/email.

And a shout out to Wee One Photography for the great photos!

My oh my, it’s Shepherd’s Pie

January 5, 2016 by Beth Shepherd

No lightweights here in the Shepherd household. In one corner we have our 4-1/2-year-old daughter, who weighed in at 47 pounds.

In another our kitten Wallingford who, at only 9-months old, weighed in at 15 pounds.

The star–Shepherd’s Pie 2016–weighing in at a hefty 11 pounds of deliciousness.

And let’s not forget Winslow, who might have ended up in the Shepherd’s Pie but, thankfully did not.

Take the road less traveled, Beth

And if you want to read more about all things Pampers, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or RSS/email.

An afternoon in the Arboretum – on the other side of the camera

November 11, 2015 by Beth Shepherd

This past weekend I found myself on the other side of the camera two days in a row! Both photo shoots had been scheduled and rescheduled several times due to rain. Lo and behold, what was the weather like on Saturday and Sunday? Rain, rain and more rain. But I was determined not to reschedule once again, so Big Papa, Little Bird and I grabbed our umbrellas and headed outside.

On Saturday we met a photographer at Gasworks Park and our Sunday location was the Washington Park Arboretum. We managed to catch a reprieve from the deluge on the second photo shoot and spend a lovely hour having our pictures taken amid beautiful trees and fall color.

This particular shoot was part two of a family photo exchange. I took photos of Anna and her family a few weeks ago and then she returned the favor. Here are a few of my favorites.