Meeting with Santa Claus

Today Lottie & Bette met Santa, our predictions were all wrong! We predicted Lottie would be afraid, especially since she requested to go home about a dozen times, & Bette would smile ear to ear. When it was our turn Lottie bravely sat with Santa & we got a few smiles! Bette however smiled the entire time until she turned to see who was holding her, then she was done for..classic

Next weekend we are donating some toys and writing cards for children who will spend Christmas at our local hospital, we will spend the morning with Santa & hopefully maybe some more photo opportunities.  Although today's shots are perfect in every way!  Their beautiful dresses were made by the girls grandma CeCe, aren't they fabulous! 

Our Fancy Feather Photo Shoot

Our sweet friend Allison who took the girls photos back in June took some beautiful shots at our neighborhood  1800's Ranch house.  We received this fabulous dress as a gift & have been waiting for the day to capture it!  After finding the perfect outfit for Bette we just knew these would be so perfect.  After loving every single photo we decided we would make it a little family tradition, all the Castagno girls will wear it..so next up Miss Bette. (crazy to think that will be in a year to two years)The shoot was so laid back and fun! If you live in the Austin/Round Rock/Cedar Park Area, please check her out :http://allisonmillsphotography.com

Updates Coming!

 Its been way too LONG since we have posted!!!! Oh October, how we LOVE the FALL & Holidays...catching up on the blog & updates! We promise to give some fun filled posts!  Lots to catch up on!!!!

 

Trains, trains, and more trains

I would never have though when daydreaming of my sweet Lottie Lee that she would love trains, planes and cars more than dolls. Her closet is stocked full of every doll you could imagine, yet she loves Thomas the Train.  I love her passion for the things she adores, even if they do not include playing house.  Lottie's interests are so unique and make her so special, we love exploring her interests together as a family of four.  And of course I still can get away dressing her in themed outfits! Thank goodness she loves hair bows and dresses! (And shout out to a sweet AP Mama who noted Lottie's love of trains and sent her this adorable dress)

So today we were off to a local park to ride on the Cedar Rock Train. The Cedar Rock railroad is a fantastic quarter-scale train that takes passengers on a relaxing 1.3 mile ride through the nature-filled fields and forests of the park. This was the cutest train station perfect for ages 0-5 years. The station was located in one of our local parks, Williamson County park on 1431.  Lottie and Bette absolutely loved it!  With a real ticket booth (tickets were $2.50), real conductor & authentic steam engine it was such a fun experience. 

Baptism Weekend

Once discovering we were expecting last May, we decided to postpone Lottie's Baptism & celebrate both blessings together.  It was a combination of having way too much on our plate with Lottie's upcoming surgeries & a nauseated Mama chasing around a soon to be 2 year old who could barely plan dinner.  Looking back we thought the reason to postpone Lottie's baptism was decided by many factors, yet now I truly believe God has his hands in this decision. 

We planned for both babies to be baptized at our church St. John Vianney, in Round Rock, TX.  We thought it would be an intimate party but after invitations were sent out, we were so excited to hear how many family & friends would travel to Texas to help us welcome our daughters into God's church.  Six states were represented! (FL, MD, MO, PA, NM, & TX).  By May, we were in full party planning mode- planning a fabulous TX BBQ menu with all the fixins, decorations & the girls many coordinating outfits.

Since flight schedules were tricky, we planned a big party on Saturday, July 19 & a smaller party Sunday after the Baptism. It was such a special weekend, and I will forever remember all the love we felt throughout the entire weekend.  Lottie & Bethany were loving all the attention, and spending time with their loved ones.  Lottie especially enjoyed sitting with her Great-Grandmother JJ, who she was named after, and whom decided on her nickname "Lottie".  Lots of great food, laughter and stories were shared, as I looked around throughout the weekend I was in awe of what God has provided for my family & what he continues to provide for us every single day.  We are so blessed & so grateful for HIS love.

Hello there!

We haven't forgotten about our BLOG...but we are pretty busy!  The girls are growing and oh so beautiful.  Lottie is talking more everyday, she's in 2 hours of speech therapy a week.  We are working full time and trying to soak in those beautiful family moments, and we are starting a fundraising venture to help other adopting families fundraise, its called With Every Act of Love.  We promise to get our act together and give some updates!  And we cannot wait to share our newest blog!  But for now here are some photos!

 Photo Credit: Sincerely, Sarah April 2014