Christmas Party and Syrup Recipe

Last Saturday was our Church Christmas Party. Patrick and I are the activities committee in our ward, so we got to put it together. The tradition is to have a breakfast... we had a lot of fun!

We have the sweetest Bishop ever. He is always so willing to get involved and help out. Actually, we had lots of helpers that we were very thankful for! You guys are the best! We could not have done it without you!

We were so glad to have such a great turn out! We love our ward and feel like they are family away from our family.

Even Santa showed up... what a treat!

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For the activity I made our favorite homemade syrup. I made enough to fill up my big red pot. This recipe was given to me by a friend several years ago and I use it any chance I can. It really is TO DIE FOR!!! It is quite the crowd pleaser. Don't be put off by the ingredients, you've got to try it.

Amazingly Good Homemade Syrup

Combine in large sauce pan and stir over medium heat until incorporated:

1 Cup Butter (works best if it's room temperature)

1 Cup Buttermilk

2 Cups Sugar

2 Tbls Light corn syrup
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Boil these together for 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat and add:

1 Tbls vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Be careful because the baking soda causes it to double in size, so make sure your pot is big enough to handle that.

This tastes similar to Kneaders or Magleby's restaurant syrup... if you don't know what that is, then you're just gonna have to trust me, it's good!

This syrup is obviously not the most healthy, but for special occasions it really hits the spot! It's great on pancakes, waffles and crepes, but it's also fantastic as a caramel sauce on ice cream, as a dip for apples, melt in a few chocolate chips and it's a

fabulous chocolate sauce. My favorite is to smear my waffles with peanut butter and then top it off with this syrup- heaven! Can you say "heart-attack"? Just thinkin' about it makes my mouth water!

It's perfect for Christmas morning.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

We've been practicing for Santa's visit...

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Are you kidding me?

I am not a stealer.
I have never stolen anything in my life, until today.
Let me explain…

Patrick and I love Thai food… LOVE IT!

We were thrilled to see a new little Thai restaurant going in around the corner from our house. We can now satisfy our every Thai food need with great ease.

Tonight was the night… our big debut.

We ordered all the things we love, Chicken Satay, Curry chicken, I even got my most favorite Thai dessert- sweet sticky rice with mango. It was yum-o!

We paid the bill, gathered up our leftover boxes and headed to the car.

It was freezing outside so Patrick quickly opened my car door and let me inside.

It wasn’t until we pulled away that I found something that should not be there… something that did not belong to me.

How on earth did this happen?

I remember taking a last gulp before leaving. Apparently I did not put the glass back down. I walked past our server holding my glass. I’m SURE he saw me and did not say a word.

I felt so stupid and was laughing so hard I could NOT go back in there to return it. I will do it tomorrow- I promise! How am I going to explain this one?

Oh my, how embarrassing!

Do you think we will be black listed forever?

Busy Little Elves

While in college Patrick and his buddy had a great idea to earn some extra money for Christmas. They bought a big box of real mistletoe, cut it into pieces and added a ribbon. What college student could resist some free kisses for just a few dollars? It was a huge success!

This year we mentioned this idea to my niece and nephew and they decided that they were up for the task. They are both involved in activities that can get quite expensive and this would help out nicely!

They showed up at our house bright and early and we got busy cuttin' and tyin'. We headed down to the college student housing and that's when the magic began...

They went door to door explaining that they were trying to raise money for dance and gymnastic competitions. We were so proud of them and their major salesmanship. Lonica did several back hand springs to get a sale, and Johnny did the same. He even walked down some stairs while in a hand-stand... very cool!

They included a handy "Mistletoe instruction" printout with each Mistletoe sale. This brought many smiles. This is what it said:

Mistletoe Instructions:
1) Hang mistletoe from any doorway.
2) Strategically position your “crush” under the hanging mistletoe.
3) Pucker up and enjoy the magic!

After a long day we came home and soaked in the hot tub!

Hee Haw! What a great day!

Good job guys, you're awesome!

Want to see Lonica dance? Check her out on Youtube... just click here to see her practice her latest dance solo. She's amazing, you won't believe she's only 9 years old! Johnny is equally amazing in gymnastics- already at a level 7, but my sis. still needs to put it on youtube.

Choosing "The One"

It's a big deal...

Choosing the perfect Christmas tree is a very important event.

This tree will live in our home and become a part of our Christmas festivities.

It will host all of our presents with care.

It will scent our home for the whole month.

It will create a special ambiance throughout the entire Christmas season.

Yes, this is a very important event.

This is our 3rd Christmas as husband and wife. We go to the same place every year to buy our Christmas tree. It’s a little ma and pop shop… right in the front yard of their house. They are so helpful, so cheerful, and so perfect for our Christmas tradition.

Every year is exactly the same… On the Saturday after Thanksgiving (this post is a bit late) we go out to eat and then head to our tree destination.

We look through all the trees to find the one that will come home with us.

We are not looking for the biggest tree or the most symmetrical tree- but for the tree with the most personality. I know I’m nuts, but I feel like our little tree calls out to us and beckons us to take him home.

Most of the time, the tree we pick has interesting dents or lumps, but by the time we get it home and decorated, it looks perfect to us.

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Welcome home little tree!

Check it out...

Dear Family and Friends,

As you know we are very excited to start a family.

We wanted to utilize every resource available and so we have decided to create an adoption blog. We feel that this is a great opportunity to spread the word. If you know of anyone considering adoption and would like to know more about us, please direct them to...

http://www.patrickanderinadoption.blogspot.com/

If you would like to contact us directly you can e-mail us at patrickanderinadoption@yahoo.com

Thank you so much!

Patrick and Erin

I am thankful...

I love Thanksgiving. I love the turkey, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie... I love it all.

I love that Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to think of all the blessing we have and how much we have to be thankful for big and small.

I started a "thankful list" in a word document today and couldn't believe how quickly I got to 100.

I am thankful...

1. For my marriage to my sweet husband
2. For the laughter in our marriage
3. For all the kind things Patrick does for me
4. For my family that loves and supports me
5. For nieces and nephews that I love so much
6. For our home
7. For being able to teach high school for the last 10 years
8. For being able to travel the world
9. For living in a beautiful state
10. For having the mountains all around me
11. For beautiful sunsets
12. For e-mail
13. For food to eat
14. For Patrick’s job and the blessing it is for us
15. For new windows on our house
16. For sweet friends that care about me
17. For little friends in our neighborhood who come over and visit
18. For our health
19. For the blessing adoption will bring to us
20. For a thick steak
21. For my thick white comfy anklet socks
22. For cute Sister Huish, who we get to sit by at church every Sunday
23. For My computer
24. For my love of cooking
25. For Mario Kart Wii competitions with Patrick late at night
26. For the beach
27. For my car
28. For faith
29. For the power of prayer
30. For the Temple being so near and being able to go so often
31. For big white puffy clouds
32. For BYU football season tickets with Patrick
33. For painted toenails in the summer
34. For distinct seasons and the unique beauty they bring
35. For the opportunity to serve a mission
36. For peppermint herb tea
37. For fresh pineapple
38. For the good friends I have in Ghana
39. For having the opportunity to volunteer in Ghana
40. For the opportunities I have to trust my Heavenly Father
41. For the Food TV Channel
42. When Patrick bring me flowers- just because
43. For Costco-smile
44. For a comfortable and warm bed
45. For a daily HOT shower
46. For a husband that confesses to love everything I cook
47. For good books
48. For Patrick’s incredible singing voice
49. For crunchy leaves in the Fall
50. For the Spirit of Christmas
51. For surprises
52. For the chance to be with family during the holidays
53. For homemade chocolate chip cookies
54. For the knowledge of sign language and the opportunities it has given me
55. For the Scriptures
56. For back and foot massages from Patrick
57. For memories of a great childhood
58. For a knowledge of where I came from, why I’m here and where I will go when I die.
59. For Patrick being my human heating pad every night
60. For my grandmother, who saw the very best in me and who I adore
61. For my cell phone
62. For my fingers and toes
63. For people that are good examples in my life
64. For chocolate
65. For swimming pools
66. For Patrick’s strong manly hands
67. When Patrick texts me just to tell me he loves me
68. For fun chick flicks that make me laugh
69. For music that makes me smile
70. For hot soup and grilled cheese on a cold day
71. For AC in the summer and the Heater in the winter
72. For digital cameras
73. For shooting stars
74. For past students that have become good friends
75. For inside jokes that make me smile
76. For a hope that one day we will be parents
77. For my parents and their marriage
78. For my washing machine
79. For being able to live in a free country
80. For blogging and keeping in touch with family and friends
81. For our yearly river trip
82. For a husband who is a kid at heart
83. For clean running water
84. For more jackets than I need
85. For a knowledge that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father
86. For amazing in-laws: parents and siblings
87. For our garden in the summer- YUMMY tomatoes
88. For happiness in my life
89. For a husband that will listen to me go on and on and on…
90. For my education
91. For the chance to eat dinner with Patrick every night
92. For church callings
93. For a Prophet to guide us
94. For General Conference to learn from our leaders
95. For ice cream
96. For electricity
97. For yummy smelling lotion
98. For fresh flowers
99. For experiences that help me to grow

AND
100. I am thankful for my Savior and His infinite sacrifice for all of us!

We are so blessed. We have so much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The flight of the bumble bee

Several years ago I was sitting in the front room of my apartment reading a book. I had been teaching school and loved my job but, I have to admit, was ready to find the love of my life and get married. I mentioned this frequently to my very patient Heavenly Father in my prayer each morning, night and several times during the day.

As I sat there enjoying my book, I heard a buzzing sound. I soon realized that a little bee had sneaked past the front door and was now trapped between the window and the blinds right above me. I opened the door and twisted the blinds to give this little critter a chance to escape.

Nothing happened.

He continued to fly around in his confined space in a frenzy, repeatedly hitting his nose against the glass trying to get out. He was becoming more and more frustrated.

Having compassion on the little guy I opened the blinds completely and, being home alone, began talking him through what was going on.

“Come on buddy, I know you want to go outside, but you can’t get there that way.”

I took my book and gave him a gentle swoosh towards the door. He spun around for a little bit and then headed back to the window, once again beating his nose into the glass.

“If you would just turn around you would see that there is a way out.”

This time I grabbed a pillow from the couch and gave him a mighty thud towards the door. I stepped back and hoped for the best.

He flew around dazed for a bit, turned towards the door and happily flew away.

I sat back down to resume my reading when a thought came to my mind as if it had been spoken out loud...

“Erin, stop beating your nose against the glass.”

I suddenly froze. In my life I was acting like that little bee and I had just learned a very important lesson. I needed to follow the path Heavenly Father had for me and make me into the person He wanted me to become. I needed to stop beating my nose against the glass.

We all have desires, righteous desires that we hope and pray will come to fruition. But, it’s when we can align our will with HIS that we can find the path that is truly ours. Some of the time we need a gentle prod while other times we get quite a jolt. Both can be painful at first but, if we allow it, can lead us to a better way. He does this because He loves us.

"The Lord gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding and compassion which polish you for everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." Richard G. Scott

Now and then I find myself beating my nose against the glass and with a smile I think of that little bee and the lesson he taught me that day.

I hope I never forget it.

The Best Thing EVER...

Patrick and I LOVE being Uncle Patrick and Aunt Erin. It is the best thing EVER! We wish all of our nieces and nephews lived close to us. We would have them over everyday and play until the sun went down.

Last week was Emma's 8th birthday. We planned to go to Kentucky, but decided to keep it a surprise and not tell her we were flying out. When my brother picked us up from the airport, he called home to Emma and told her that he was bring her an early birthday gift and to get ready for a big surprise.
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This was SO much fun!

Throughout our entire visit Emma would come up to me and, for no reason, give me a tight squeeze and say, "I can't believe you are here". Oh, melt my heart.

Emma had lots of visitors: my parents from Cali, my sister Lynell and Lonica my niece from Utah, and her other grandparents also from Cali. It was a FULL house and so much fun!

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We got to do lots of fun things...

Halloween was great with a bunch of cute trick-or-treaters! We had a Little Bo Peep, a Supergirl, a Bumble Bee and a Batman. My mom was a nice witch and my dad, well, he escaped from the loonie ward. My cutie Patrick was a perfect Charlie Brown, so I decided to be his crush, the Little Red Headed Girl...We also got to be there for Emma's birthday party, a "pampering party". Lynell did the girl's hair super fancy, the grandmas and my sister in law painted fingernails and I got to do the make-up. We're so girlie!

But the highlight of our trip was being at Emma's baptism. The Spirit was so strong.

She is such a sweet little girl! We are so proud of her!We love you Emma! Happy 8th Birthday!

True Love

I don't like blood.

I don't like raw flesh...

It makes my stomach do weird things.

You may be wondering what this is...

This is a picture of true love.

A few weeks ago Patrick had a little spot removed from the side of his head.

I went to the doctor's office with him.

I held his hand until they made me move to the other side of the room.

Days passed and it was time for the stitches to be removed.

Patrick had an early meeting and would not have time to go to the Dr. office that day.

So he asked me to do it. I told him he was crazy.

He offered me money, big money. I told him he was still crazy.

Until I saw him in the bathroom trying to remove them with a razor blade- himself.

I rolled my eyes and told him that he owed me... big time.

With the removal of each stitch I couldn't keep the grunts of disgust to myself.

I dry heaved, more than once.

These suckers were stuck in there good.

Yeah, only because of true love.

I love you, my Frankenstein lover boy!

Fun Halloween Treats

Need an idea for a fun Halloween treat?

I saw this and thought we'd give it a try...

Mini- Caramel Apples

They are so cute and so yummy!

You will need:

• A few Granny Smith apples
• Your favorite chocolate for melting
• Your favorite toppings to put on the chocolate
• small wooden skewers
• A melon baller

It depends on how many you want to make. We were able to get about 10 apple balls from each apple. We melted white chocolate, milk chocolate and peanut butter chips, but only work with one type of chocolate at a time- so it stays warm enough.

Ball your apple and be sure to leave a piece of the peel at the top where the skewer will go in- this makes it look like a real apple. Have your chocolate and your toppings ready so the apple doesn't have time to go brown. Put the skewer in and dip the apple in the chocolate and then into your toppings. Place them in the fridge until they set up. That's it!

I tried it with caramel, but because there was no peel, it slid right off- oops!

Our favorite combinations were:

• White Chocolate dipped in Cinnamon-sugar
• White Chocolate dipped in crushed Oreo's
• Milk chocolate dipped in chopped peanuts
• Milk Chocolate dipped in toffee Chips
• Milk Chocolate dipped in Coconut
• Peanut butter chips dipped in mini-chocolate chips
• Any chocolate dipped in fun Halloween Sprinkles

Edible Eyeballs

You will need:

• a package of mini-powdered donuts
• a package of gummi Life Savers
• a package of mini-M&M's or Mini-Reese's Pieces
• Red decorating Frosting
• White frosting for glue

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*This is so easy, but so fun.*

Use the red frosting to make "veins" on the donuts. Place the life saver in the middle of the donut and add a drop of the white frosting in the middle of that. Place the M&M on top of the life saver. Ohhh... creepy!

HappyHalloween!!

A Good Laugh...

I needed a good laugh.

Patrick can always make me laugh.

His wicked computer skills hit the spot.

When I saw what he had done to this picture I laughed so hard my stomach ached.

It was the best abdominal workout I have had in a long time.

It brought happy tears to my eyes.

*

I am extra thankful I am a girl... I would have made one scary boy. But, Patrick on the other hand is quite pretty- don't you think?

Laughing is good for you.

I remember my freshman year of college- being stressed out of my mind- multiple tests to study for, papers to write, working etc. As roommates, we would sit in a circle and on the count of 3 we would laugh as hard as we could for no reason. Our bodies didn't know we were faking it, but after a minute of deep hearty out loud laughter we felt more calm.

Sometimes you just gotta fake it till you make it.

I just did a Google search:

Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system. To date their published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.

I'm no doctor... but we can't afford NOT to laugh.

Find a reason, any reason!

You can increase the health of the people around you!

Extra endorphins??

Bring it on, baby!

A great day...

Today was a great day.

This afternoon we went on a hike. Battle Creek is one of my favorite hikes. It's quite steep and rocky, but has running water with amazing little waterfalls all the way up the canyon. Gorgeous!! The colors were fantastic and the weather was perfect!

This evening we had our annual pumpkin carving Family Home Evening with our dear friend, Melissa. Almost exactly 3 years ago, Melissa introduced me to Patrick and my life has never been the same since. I am eternally indebted to her. Melissa is like a sister to both of us. She is a friend that would do anything to help and loves you no matter what. (I love you, girl!) Know any great single guys? Melissa is quite the catch- and we'd love to pay back the favor!! :)

I'm thankful for people I love and a beautiful place to live.

Life is good.

Searching for gold...

I love to blog.

It’s a journal for me.

I have not really felt like blogging lately, but I miss it… a lot.

Blogging causes you to look at life, which is often monotonous, and pull out the golden nuggets that make it sweet, funny, and even sad.

These are the things that make life memorable and are of great worth.

Sometimes I think I could never forget these memorable experiences, but somehow they do… start… to … f……a…..d……e.

Even though we are dealing with disappointment,
there are many wonderful little nuggets in our life.

We are blessed beyond measure.

I just need to get out my shovel and start diggin’.

Trusting in His love...

On Monday, September 29 at 12:28 pm I received the dreaded phone call. “Erin, she is not coming back.”

I talked with our case worker for a few more minutes but I don’t remember any of it- except for the words ringing in my ears, “She’s not coming back.”

I hung up the phone and instantly fell to my knees and sobbed like a little child. I was home alone and vocally offered my deep sorrow to my Heavenly Father.

“Why would our birth mother do this to us? Why didn’t this happen before I quit my job? Why not before we completely decorated the nursery?”

But mostly, “Why did we feel so connected to this baby girl? Why did we feel like we had received a very clear answer to our prayers that she was to be apart of our family?”

Patrick came home a few minutes later. He held me tight as we sat together, sad.

For the past two weeks every waking moment had been focused on preparing for this little one, and Patrick knew it would be good for us to get away for a while. He found us a darling bed and breakfast a couple hours away. Before I knew it he booked it for the entire week.

This place was perfect.

The colors in Logan were gorgeous and the Temple was near by.

We had an entire week to be together, and to feel our Heavenly Father near. I am embarrassed to admit it, but at first I felt like He had tricked us or given us false hope.

But as time went on, I could feel His love and was reminded of some truths I have always known…

*Heavenly Father and our Savior really do listen to our prayers. They mourn when we mourn and rejoice when we rejoice. They understand the longing of our heart, but also, they have a plan for our lives. Often times we just need to be patient and trust.

*I am reminded that we all have free-agency. Our birth-mother had her agency to leave. I have my agency to be angry and sad or to learn from this experience. I feel I have done both.

*I am in absolute awe at the love we have been shown by family, friends and even people we don’t know. Your prayers have strengthened us and we are incredibly thankful.

I am thankful for the opportunity to watch General Conference and learn from our leaders this weekend. So many of the talks spoke to my heart and gave me great comfort. What a blessing.

I love my sweet husband so much and am thankful for his love and support. We know we will be parents someday. It won’t be as soon as we had hoped, but one day we will hold our little one and all of this heartache will go away.

I just know it.

A Humble Plea for Help...

Tonight we are sad.

Tonight we are asking for your help.

We need your prayers. We need your faith.

Two weeks ago we found out that we had been chosen by a birth mother. We were thrilled- beyond words. She is due October 1st. Our nursery is set up. The car seat is ready to go.

We did not shout it from the roof tops because with adoption nothing is final until it's final.

Last week we found out that our birth mother had an emergency in Ohio with her family. Against all advice, and only a week and a half before she was due, she flew away promising to be back... by today. But an hour before she was to land she called her social worker and told her that she got the flu and could not fly.

We are devastated.

If she does not return to Utah and delivers in Ohio our cost would increase by at least $12,000 because she is not insured in Ohio. We would be required to fly there, pay all medical expenses and stay for up to two weeks.

This, added with the original expense of adoption, is just too much.

Please, from the bottom of our incredibly heavy hearts, pray that she will feel inspired- or even compelled to return. Pray that she will be healthy enough to fly. Pray that her labor will be delayed until she safely returns.

We already feel so completely attached to this baby girl and pray that she will become apart of our family.

But all we can do is pray.

We are ACTIVE

The word active seems like a simple one.

The dictionary defines it like this...

1. engaged in action; characterized by energetic work.
2. involving physical effort and action: active sports.
3. having the power of quick motion; nimble: active as a gazelle.

The dictionary does not define ACTIVE the way we are active.

As of today, after several interviews, piles of paper work, doctor appointments, background checks, creating a scrapbook of our lives and lots of prayers, our adoption profile is officially active.

So what does that mean exactly?

Our profile can finally be shown to birth mothers and we are another step closer to becoming parents.

We could still have a long road ahead of us,

but

it never felt so good to be active...

Rise and Shout!

The Cougars are out!!

We both graduated from BYU a few years ago and still are huge fans. I'm pretty sure Patrick bleeds blue... he is a Cougar fan through and through!

We have season tickets and game day is a very special day at our household.


We leave our house TWO hours before the game starts- it takes us only about 25 minutes to get there... but we have to make sure we are there before the kick-off.


Here's a picture of Patrick as we are walking to the stadium. We park a mile away to avoid traffic. Notice how empty the streets are at this point... hence the benefit of being so INCREDIBLY early (that is what Patrick tells me, wink). In about 30 minutes this becomes a sea of cougar fans. Today the stadium was full- 65,000 people! Awesome!!

BYU won and we had a great time! We have been lookin' forward to this day for 8 months.

Rules for a BYU FOOTBALL GAME:

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before the game starts
• Sing the fight song (along with all the fans) at the top of your lungs every time we get a touchdown... rah, rah, rah-rah-rah... GOOOOOO Cougars!
• NEVER-EVER leave a game early, even if we are winning (or losing, heaven forbid) by a landslide, even if it is raining, snowing, hailing, or 100 degrees (like today)
• And we always wear our Cougar blue!!

It's fun to be together, but what I equally love is that my sweet husband loves to include my cute dad, who is crazy-nuts about Cougar Football as well. My dad lives in another state, but Patrick calls my dad to talk about an upcoming game, after the game, and often times during the game. I love it!

Go Cougars!!!

Withdrawls...

I came home from work today.

Checked the mail. Threw most of it away.

Grabbed a snack. A yummy peach we bought from a fruit stand Saturday.

Then, out of instinct, I plopped down on the couch and turned on the tele,

but it was G-O-N-E.

No more to be viewed. No more to be cheered. No more to be enjoyed.

The Olympics are over and we are sad. Deeply SAD!

TV is not a big part of our lives- but for the last 2 weeks we have been

Olympic JUNKIES!

Every swim, every dive, every run, every flip.

We loved every second of it.

Staying up entirely too late to watch every-last-minute.

We loved the stories, the dedication, the focus, the pride, even the defeat.

Sigh...

Sunday night as the flame was extinguished, I thought I might shed a tear.

Goodbye our friend. See ya in 4 years!

For the 10th time...

Today, for the 10th time I had my first day of school as a teacher.

T-E-N years!

I've picked out my first day of school outfit, 10 times.

Sat at my desk, anticipating the ringing of the bell for the first time, 10 times.

I've gone over my disclosure statement 10 times.

Gone over policy and proceedures, 10 times.

Stated my expectation from my students, 10 times.

And I fell in love with teaching all over again, for the 10th time.

So until we have a little one of our own there is no other place I'd rather be.

My students are my "kids" and a huge blessing in my life...

and I love 'em!

The power of the secret...

Have you heard of the power of “The Secret”?

This is the secret- what you truly believe in your heart will come to you.

But you have to believe it...

Completely.

You have to live as though the thing you want is already in your life.

You become ready for it and it will suddenly appear.

We totally believe in the power of the secret.

Yesterday we were at Costco.

We made our first purchase for our little baby that will come to us someday...

It will be soon… We can feel it!

We were giddy. It was fun buying something for our baby. We want to do it again and again…

I got to thinking, there are lots of things we need for the arrival of our little one.

Clothes
Diapers
Wipes
Shampoo
Powder
Formula
Bottles
Pacifier
Baby Monitor
Car Seat
Crib
Stroller

What am I missing?

I need your help…

What are your favorites? What are the best brands? The must haves?

Give me the inside scoop!

Can I buy them all in advance?

“If you build it, they will come.”

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We'll keep praying...

We can’t wait!

A week with an angel…

My brother and his family live several states away from us.

It’s far… much too far away and I don’t like it one bit!

My little brother, the one I used to lock out of my room when I was little so I could play dolls with my friends- uninterrupted- has become a successful career man, and I am so incredibly proud of him.

To tell you the truth, David and I have always been close. Even though he is my little brother, he was always an example to me. When I was a senior in high school he was a freshman and I loved having him at “my” high school. He was a cool kid and I was proud that he was my brother.

He’s now married and has 3 beautiful children. Every time I visit I feel as though they live next door and I get to see them everyday. Being a doting aunt is so fun when you have doting nieces and nephews, wink!

With my trip planned to Myrtle Beach, I mentioned to my bro. and his wife that Emma, their oldest daughter should fly home with me and spend a week at our house. Emma is their slightly more cautious child, so we were all careful to let her make her own decision in her own way. When my brother asked her how she would feel about spending a whole week with Aunt Erin and Uncle Patrick, she had a concerned look on her face and said… “Dad, can I stay there two weeks instead of one?” After that, I knew she would do just fine away from home!

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Saying goodbye to her family at the airport was tough, but once we got on the plane we had a blast!

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We ate a ton and played fun games. MASH anyone? (thanks for the reminder, Wendi!)

Both Patrick and I had our birthday the week she was here. Emma made our celebrations extra special! Patrick made us reservations for dinner at the Roof in SLC. It's one of our favorite restaurant- a gourmet all you can eat buffet. Yum! We got all dressed up and ate until we were stuffed!

We baked LOTS of goodies! Emma is quite the little chef!!

We went up the canyon for a yummy breakfast for Patrick's Birthday. Emma made friends with a very lucky little squirrel!

Emma got an adorable hair cut...

AND-with her parent's permission... We went and got her ears pierced!

What a brave 7 year old, huh? I love this picture... she is looking in the mirror to see her earrings for the first time.

We played a vicious game of Monopoly that lasted 2 days, bought flowers and planted them in our back yard, and tie dyed a shirt for her daddy.

We went up to visit my sister and her kids and had a great time. Lynell helped her start a cute little night gown...

Her cousin Lonica came home with us and we got to tour around SLC. We went to East High School where they filmed High School Musical, the Church History Museum, Temple Square, This is the Place Park, the cemetery where Pres. Hinckley is buried, The Beehive House... Phew, what a fun day!

It was extra fun because it was my birthday. What a perfect way to celebrate! AND to make it even better my parents AND my sister and her family traveled up from California for our summer river trip (a future post). We had dinner at the Brick Oven, a great pizza place in our area.

Once my mom got here she became the designated picture taker... so I only got this one photo... (I forgot to get those from you mama) But I will say that we had a blast! All of us in this photo, including Patrick and my parents, had a real live slumber party including hot tubing, a game of Apples to Apples, cake, presents, a movie and staying up way too late. Good times!!

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Our week was up and it was time for Emma to fly back home, this time alone. That is a very scary thing for a 7 year old, but she was so brave! I was so proud of her! We all had a hard time saying goodbye. There were lots of tears, but more so there were LOTS of great memories made.

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Emma, you are so polite, so sweet, so kind, so helpful. Thank you for being so brave and spending a week with us!

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We love you so much Emma and we miss you like crazy!!