Our Adoption Story

About a week after the last past I wrote on here, I found out about a situation where an expectant mother was looking for a couple to adopt a baby boy that was due June 1, 2015. I found out about it through a facebook adoption support group I was in. I contacted the lawyer that was helping her out and sent our profile. A couple days later, we found out the expectant mom really liked us and wanted to talk to us. We talked for the first time on Valentine's Day. We both were nervous, but I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. The lawyer made it a conference call so she would chime in if there were quiet awkward pauses. It felt good talking with LaVonda. It felt like it flowed pretty decent but there were some pauses as well. After we talked with her on the phone, we went to the temple to ponder to see if this was the right situation for us and we both really felt like it was. We wanted to be sure that it was not just the excitement of finally being able to talk with an expectant mother, so we fasted and prayed as well. We let our parents know about the situation and we asked them to pray as well. Niels and I felt like it was completely right and when we told our parents our decision, they said it felt right too and they were supporting us 100%. About a week later, it was an official match. We went out and got an outfit, pajamas, and bottles to make it feel even more official that day.

We had about 2 months to prepare for this little boy. We painted his room, and prepared slowly, in between our trip to Arkansas (which will be a different post later), and Niels going out of town for work. Our ward threw us a baby shower as well as the Palmer family did with my sister-in-law since she was due about 2 weeks before our little guy was supposed to be due. But most importantly, we grew that relationship with LaVonda. I felt like we were becoming close friends. She wanted to come up with a name together because she wanted him to have the same name from day 1. We texted back and forth a few times a week and we talked on the phone a couple of times.

We found out that she usually delivers her babies about 4-5 weeks early in April and we were starting to freak out a little with realizing how soon that could be. About a two weeks before LaVonda went into labor, she said that she had dropped and that she was dilated to a 1. We got the baby's bags packed and ready to go just in case. But a week before the baby came, we found out that the doctors were going to try and turn the baby around because he was breech and his feet were in front of his face. They set it for May 5th and LaVonda wanted us there because she felt like if they were able to turn the baby around, she would go into labor soon after. We got our plane tickets to go out on May 4th. May 4th came around and at about 6:00 am right as we were packing up the car and getting ready to head to the airport, we received a text from LaVonda saying she gave birth that morning and that the baby was being checked and that she was ok. She said get here as soon as you can.

I was in complete shock because I wanted to meet LaVonda before the baby came. It seemed like the flight took forever! We had a layover in Texas and the day just seemed so slow motion like, at least to me. I was a nervous wreck as well. But so excited at the same time. The whole day was filled with so many emotions. We finally arrived into Minneapolis at  about 4:00 pm and we went straight to the car rental place after we got our luggage. The first car was acting up so we asked for a new car because we were afraid we were going to break down somewhere along the way. After that got settled, we were off to the hospital. We got there sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 pm. LaVonda wanted us to go straight to see the baby, so we did. When we walked into the NICU room, we took one look at that perfect little boy and started to cry. The nurse was so gracious with us knowing this was an adoption situation. She let us hold him and she took our first photo together. It was so perfect! After about 15 minutes with the baby, we wanted to go see LaVonda. We went down to see how to get to the maternity unit and found out that somehow we barely missed each other because she was in the NICU. We went back up to the NICU and she was there as well as her mom and I think her aunt. LaVonda gave us a hug when we walked in and then she said goodbye to her family. We talked and caught up with everything that happened. She was brave because she drove to the hospital by herself because she could tell something was going to happen. It was so great to finally meet LaVonda in person. She is such a great person!

Here are a couple pictures with Niels, me, and Jaxon William Palmer (this is what she put on the birth certificate so even his last name wouldn't change).

I will post about Jaxon's journey of life in the next post. Hopefully I can get that done in the next couple of days.

Life Right Now

So I'm sorry it has been forever since I last posted. I did not post everything that I wanted to last year so sometime soon I will post the highlights from the rest of 2014. I have been busy with work and same with Niels. But honestly, that should not be an excuse. I guess I just fell out of the habit of writing on this blog. I really enjoy my job. It is quite fulfilling. I love my clients and working with them. You guys, people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, down synrome, etc are awesome. Sometimes it is hard because of certain situations, but I just love it. I can't really go into detail due to HIPPA laws.

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. We are home study approved and now waiting to be chosen to adopt. Let me tell you, it was a long road to our adoption journey. First I wanted to start the adoption process and Niels didn't, then Niels wanted to start it but I didn't, and then finally May 2014 I believe it was, I felt prompted to start the adoption process while babysitting my then 1 1/2 year old niece (she's 2 now). I told Niels my feeling then we fasted and went to the temple to receive further revelation as to see if it was right. And it was right! We went and talked with LDS Family Services and asked questions to the case manager. Then we got the application and took some time to fill out the application process. Then in June of 2014, about 2 weeks after we started the paperwork  and adoption courses towards the home study,  the church came out saying that there were going to be changes with LDS Family Services and the adoption area. We were super scared because it finally felt right for both of us and we felt inspired to start the adoption process and then this happened. We feel like it was blessing to be inspired when we did, because if we had waited any longer, we would not have been able to go through LDS Family Services (from what I understood).

It took about 3 months to get everything taken and then on September 22, 2014 we had our home study and then a couple hours later, our profile was posted on itsaboutlove.org. Now that the new year has started, things were supposed to take into effect with LDS Family Services. We have no idea what is going on and have lots of questions. We will hopefully be meeting up with the case manager and get all our questions answered. We met our adoption lawyer one of the last days of December and he is hopeful that the changes to LDS Family Services will be good. Niels and I both feel like adoption is the way to go to start our family. We are so excited to embrace more people into our family through open adoption. We are hoping something will happen soon, but until then, we'll keep going on through life just fine.

Joelyn and Chase

Ok, so it has been a really long time since I last posted. I got out of the habit and have been busy. But, I will blog about the big things that have happened the past few months.

My sister-in-law Joelyn got married on June 27th. It was a beautiful day and it went wonderfully. We were pretty busy as the family did a lot of the things, flowers, meals, decorations...but it all turned out beautifully. I don't have any pictures of everything, but someone does, I'm sure of it. Joelyn and Chase got married in the beautiful Draper Temple. All the siblings and spouses almost missed the sealing because we had rented out the church next to the temple for the grandkids/nieces and nephews, but the church was locked so we were trying to figure out what to do. Luckily, we barely made it in and it was a beautiful sealing ceremony. You can tell the love between the two of them and how happy they were. I'm so happy Joelyn found such a great guy.

Here are some pictures of the wedding day...

  Joelyn and Chase did a different type of reception, it was a dinner reception. They invited family and close friends to it, and then the siblings and spouses on the Palmer side served the food. We had chicken cordon bleu, beans, rice pilaf, and salad. There were different types of bread as well. For dessert, we had mini cheesecakes and different cakes. There was a little program of singing, yodeling, talking. It was a nice get together. They did the cake and then once the clock hit 7, they were out of there. They didn't do a line, so people had to go up to them when they got there to congratulate them. It was a long, tiring, BUT beautiful day! Congrats again Joelyn and Chase!

Summerfest

Over Father's Day weekend, we were in Logan for a family reunion for Niels' grandma Palmer's side of the family. It usually is that weekend. On Saturday, we went and enjoyed being around family we haven't seen in a while. We ate good food, and heard stories of the family while growing up. It was nice, even though it was cold-ish. Summerfest also always falls on this weekend as well, so we decided to go check it out a half hour before we went to the reunion and about an hour after the reunion since it had been a couple years since the last time we had gone to it. After the reunion, Melanie, Lily, and Lincoln walked around with us. There were a lot of cool items being sold. I love seeing the creativity that people have in art, photos, wood-carving, etc. It is really neat to see everything there. I was happy to have been able to go to it. That night, we went and saw Lily in the Jungle Book that the community was putting on. She was one of the monkeys and she sure did awesome! She was the best one because she fully acted out! We could hear her say her lines and sing over everybody else. She even mouthed everyone else's spots. She is such a ham and just enjoys the spotlight! She was amazing.

Well, here are a couple of pictures from that weekend....

This is all of Joel's siblings. It has been a really long time since they have all been together.

 These next photos were at Summerfest

 Isn't this such a beautiful sight?! This is at the Tabernacle on main street where Summerfest takes place.

They're Home!

On June 4th, we went down to Preston to surprise Niels' parents because they were getting back from their mission. Their were 6 of the 8 siblings and their families there. At first, they were supposed to arrive at 8 pm and then it was moved to 1:30 am, but they didn't actually arrive until 2:30 pm. We had slept for about 2 hours before the adults were waking up so we could be alive and kicking when they got there. We woke up between 1 and 1:30. Well, because we still were waiting for them, all of us who were awake became even more awake and wired. We had a night snack of homemade cinnamon rolls and talked.

When they finally arrived to Preston, they took forever to come inside, but they finally did and they were surprised that we were all there. Ginger was so excited to see grandma and grandpa. She just danced on her back legs around grandma trying to get her attention. We didn't take any pictures of that, and I wish we did. We all went into the kitchen and talked with them until 3:30 because they were wired from driving. We were able to have about another 2 hours asleep before we had to head home to work all day long. And let me tell you, I struggled all day and so did Niels. We ended up going to bed around 7:30 and slept throughout the night. We desperately needed the sleep and it was wonderful to sleep for 12 hours!

Here are a couple of pictures of Ginger loving grandma and grandpa while we were up talking to them...

Do you see her big smile?

I was worried Ginger was going to be confused, but I don't think she really was because when we left to go home in the morning, she didn't hesitate coming with us. We will still have her until they get everything situated and things have calmed down for them and so things will be decided then about her. We will miss her if they end up taking her back. We would have to get another dog because we have gotten used to having a dog.

Memorial Day Weekend 2014

This past Memorial Day weekend, we went down to Provo to help do some roofing at Holly's house (Niels' sister). We got down there Friday night and those who were working on the roof, got up really early to get started. I told them all in advance that I wasn't going to help with the roofing because I don't do roofs. (I've been on a roof once in my life, I think I was around 10 or so. I did fine going up, getting ready to go down the ladder was a different story. I freaked out and cried because I was afraid of falling. My dad had to coach me down. I hate heights, which is why I probably freaked out). Anyways, I did around 200 invitations for Joelyn's upcoming marriage. I printed the addresses on the envelopes and stuffed them. Instead of licking them closed, I used a wet paper towel because 1) The glue on it was disgusting and 2) I didn't have to get a dry tongue. It took me most of the day to do it all, but they got done.

They had to pray a few times that the rain would stay away, and they were answered with not much rain when it did rain. The neighbors also were so kind to bring over food since they saw how busy everyone was, we thought it was so kind of them. Here are a couple pictures of the roof on last Saturday...

And here is Andrew fast asleep with an orange in his hand. I was stuffing the envelopes and looked over to check on him and found him like this. 

We went up to Salt Lake after roofing and eating dinner on Saturday night because dad and Linda were speaking in their ward. They were reporting on their inner-city mission. They both did wonderful on their talks. They were asked to speak on magnifying callings and even though they had the same topic, they both went a different route on it. The spirit was definitely strong! There were some families from the Spanish branch that came to support them. They were the ones that dad and Linda were closest to while serving in the branch. I was happy they all made it.

After church, we went back and had a light luncheon and it was all yummy food. There was a family that stuck around after everyone else left and Niels and I were playing with their daughter and son. The little boy took a while to warm up to us, but after a couple rounds of playing Don't Break The Ice, he was just fine. He played it over and over again, and I was the one putting it back together each time. After about at least 20 times of him "breaking the ice," he decided he wanted to play with Jenga or whatever it's called. Niels and this little boy built different things with the Jenga blocks and the little girl joined in towards the end. Here is a picture of Niels and the boy building with the blocks...

I find it so cute that he's looking at Niels seeing how he's building.

Memorial Day was a nice day! We went up to pick up grandma in the morning and then we went down to American Fork to visit grandpa's grave as well as other family members that are buried in the cemetery. It was cool to see that there are 4 generations of Walton's buried right next to each other. I never paid attention to that before. After we were done at the cemetery, we went and ate at Arby's because that is tradition with grandma. We parted ways after lunch because Niels and I went back to Holly's to help with the rest of the roofing. 

They had gotten up early again to work on it, but the hot sun made them go slower because it took them all day to finish up what needed to be done, but it did get done. They all worked so hard and they did an awesome job! I played with the kiddos and they sure had fun. I chased them around holding Andrew and they all thought it was great, especially Andrew. I love playing with my nieces and nephews! We had dinner and then Niels, Melanie, and I left to get home. We left about 2 hours later than i was hoping, but I kind of expected that would happen. Anyways, it was a great weekend being with family. Here are a couple pictures of working on the finishing touches on the roof...

All the hard workers!

I'm How Old?

May 17th, was my birthday, which means I'm now 29 years old. I can't believe I'm this old now! It is weird to think I'm 29 because I don't feel 29 or view myself as this old. I won't complain about my age, it's just strange to think about it. A few weeks before my birthday, Niels asked me what I wanted to do for it. I told him if it is good weather, let's go camping! And luckily, it was wonderful weather.

We camped out about 45 minutes from where we live at a place called Miracle Hot Springs. It was a nice camping area, but it was really full of families. I was actually surprised to see how many people were camping that early. We camped overnight on the 16th and left on the 17th in the morning. For dinner we had Hot dogs, without any condiments because I totally forgot to pack it, Frito's, and watermelon. Luckily the hot dogs were juicy enough that it wasn't too bad being by itself on the bun (thank you Oscar Meyer). For dessert, we had s'mores and roasted starbursts. We sat around the campfire for awhile just talking and looking up at the clear sky (we were sitting directly under the big milky way and north star). It was just so nice and relaxing. I love camping, it helps clear the soul. When we went into the tent to get ready for bed, Ginger sat down on the mattresses that we took from our hide-a-bed couches. Then she came in the middle and did not want to move! She didn't want to be on her little bed we brought with us, so she ended up sleeping on the edge of the mattress where we finally were able to move her to.

My birthday morning, we had an amazing breakfast! We did tin foil breakfasts with sausage and hash browns that we cooked on the coals of the fire and Niels cooked eggs on the edge of the fire pit. We also had watermelon and a croissant. It was so yummy! Who says you can't eat well for breakfast while camping? Here is our yummy breakfast...

Ginger just laying around while breakfast is being cooked. 

Doesn't this just look so good!?! We put green onions, cheese, and tomatoes on top.

After we ate breakfast, Niels gave me my presents. Here are pictures of what I got....

Super cute rainboots

Some things to have fun with

Afterwards, we started cleaning up camp. After we got everything packed up, we went swimming! Their pools are heated through the hot springs. We got a private room, which was way too expensive for 1 1/2 hours. It was nice to be able to be just the two of us, but it was a lot smaller than we thought it would be. It should be called a sitting pool instead because that's basically all you could do. But it was really nice, nonetheless.

After we were done swimming, we left. We stopped in Buhl, which is about 15 minutes from Miracle Hot Springs and stopped at the Cloverleaf Creamery for some ice cream. It was really tasty! Their strawberry ice cream is one of THE best strawberry ice creams I've ever had. It was really good! Since we did everything the night before/in the morning, that's pretty much what we did to celebrate my birthday. It was a beautiful day and I had lots of phone calls the rest of the day. I'm looking forward to the future.