BLessings do come!!

    

 

 

So this week my emotions have been crazy. Yes I know I am pregnant and plays a part but more than that I have realized blessings that were promised to me many years ago are coming true. These blessing may have come packaged differently than I ever thought they would but they are indeed the blessings I was promised and I am humbled by them.

Adoption is one of those blessings. Our process of adopting Madeleine has taught me more than I can share with anyone. I have grown more from this blessing than I know how to say.

To her wonderful, brave, and loving birth parents and families I thank you everyday for the gift of my little girl.  I know that I am not the best at posting pictures and sending cards but please know that you are thought of every day that I hold and kiss this beautiful baby girl.  Madeleine has enriched and blessed our family in so many ways. I can't imagine our home without her in it. Thank you for the gift you have given our family.

 

I know that I have a Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me. He has a plan for me and even if I have to wait years to see his plan for me. I trust he knows what I need and when I need it. 

 

Enjoy the pics of my little family and hug someone you know who is close to adoption in anyway.

 

 

Sealed together forever in Portland Oregon Temple

Madeleine loves her big brother so much.

family photos are not our families best thing.

Daddy sharing his candy

Trip to Disneyland. She loved the carousel.
 

All dressed up. I miss that necklace haven't seen it since this picture. :)

Playing on the beach in San Diego

Big birthday party for cousins at our family reunion.

Yep, I will hold your hand lets do this together.

The best things ever!!!!

1. May

   29

   what did you do for memorial day?

   

   Lower silver falls

   
   

   

   Madeleine is such a stinker. Good thing she's so cute.

   
   

   

   She does smile.

   
   

   

   Look at that cheesey smile underneath the water fall.

   
   

   

   Stuck in an old tree

   
   

   

   Woo hoo we made it to another fall.

   
   

   

   Going for the best dad ever award. Made an impromtu fire pit.
   
   
   
   

   Yesterday was memorial day and we had a good day as a family. We got up and drove up to Silver Falls and hiked around. They were really pretty. We have to go back and do the whole loop. If you walk the whole loop you see ten water falls. I was pretty impressed that Madeleine walked almost the whole thing. Unfortunately for dad when she was tired was on the hardest 1 mile of the whole trip. Good thing he's tuff. We came home and Carter talked Kevin into making a fire pit so he could roast a hot dog and marshmallows. I don't think the hot dogs got cooked for very long but they both kept eating them and kinda cooking them. It was really good day and the sun decided to come out at the end of the day so that always make the day great.

   

Carter talent show

Sneak peak at our weak. Carter performed in the school talent show last night and I knew that there would be a Nana out there wanting to see this. Try to post more later this week.  So, enjoy.

my dad. My strong

If you would like to see more of my dad you can see a video here. Love you Dad.

Love Peanut.

Journal keeping.

This week I went to my book club. One of the members of our group started talking about her children and her blog. She said that this was the best way for her to journal about the things her little family was doing so that she wouldn't forget them. This really struck a cord with me. I have never been very good at keeping a journal but I have found that blogging has been a good way to document what my family is doing. So, I am going to try my hardest to post every Sunday about our week. This will be a great way for me to write down the fun things my kiddos are doing so that I won't forget. So here goes nothing.

This week Carter had a try out for his school talent show. His piano teacher found him the theme song to Star Wars. HE was so excitied to play this. He practiced this month without a lot of whining. So, we went to the audition and he sat down at the piano and played. Now, he isn't a perfect piano player so he may not have counted the music and it may have been the fast version of Star Wars but he did great and he got chosen to be a part of the talent show next month. I keep telling him he should dress up as someone from Star Wars but I haven't sold him on that idea yet.
        As most of you know I have two kiddos and then on three days a week I watch my two nieces. This week I had all four kids for the entire week. After the week we had I am glad that I had them all. We got a huge freak snow storm, and had two snow days from school. The snow came down all day on wednesday and it was really heavy wet snow. The area has a lot of  tree damage.

 The kids totally loved playing in the snow. I was glad they played and had fun but I am so glad that I don't have to help them dress and undress and dry clothes any more.

 This is Natalie and Madeleine. I don't think Madeleine will know what to do with herself when Natalie stops coming over on a regular basis.

 Carter and Lauren were just so happy that they didn't have to go to school. I think they made three or four snow men. I lost count when I had to keep grabbing carrots for noses.

By the way these pictures were taken before 9am. The kids could hardly wait to get outside and play. Bummer part was that I was the bad mom/aunt who ran out of hot chocolate. (ya, I probably could have made some from scratch)

Kevin and I are celebrating our 12th anniversary today. My last post elaborates this more. Kevin got off easy this year. All I wanted to do was go see the Hunger Games. Such a great movie and nice to have a date night.

Cute things kids say this week:
Carter: Dad is awsome!!
             Mom your the best mom ever. (ahhh so cute and he didn't even want anything after he said it.)
           Mom if I clean the snow off the driveway will you pay me fifty cents? ( you bet buddy. Cheap labor is always a good thing.)

Madeleine: Mom stop bugging me. (today while sitting on my lap during a quiet time in sacrament)
                    I'm not doing anything mom. (as she is reaching her hand over to pinch Carter)
                   gibberish as she is holding a book and reading it to Kevin.
Love my kiddos and my husband. Here's to another great week.

twelve years ago!!

So, this Sunday is my anniversary. We got married in 2000 so it makes it easy to remember how long we have been married. Oh how twelve years can go by so quickly. These last twelve years have had many new experiences and trials and fun. I never would have been able to grow and have any of the mentioned experiences had I not been lucky enough to find and marry this guy. Boy my Heavenly Father really new that I would need this guy in my life.

Isn't he so cute.  Our life hasn't been perfect but he is my best friend. He loves me and thinks I'm hot even on the days when my pants are fitting a little tighter than usual. He even loves me when I am cranky. He loves to spoil me and I love that he loves to do this. (hint, hint honey)

He knows my goals that I am a little bit to shy to share with anyone else and he believes in me. He is one of my biggest supports in all the crazy things I say I am going to try and do. He is even really good at not saying anything when I fall of the band wagon on the way to one of my crazy goals.

He loves me when I yell at him for not driving the boat right when I'm skiing.

He loves me even when I talk and all my words come out dumb sounding.

He loves me when I turn in to a nervous nellie (which sadly to say is a lot)

He loves me.

I've said this year after year. This picture isn't staged. This picture is the real deal that my dad just took with his little film camera. (film I know who could have imagined) Kevin has taken care of me since day one and has been doing so the last twelve years.

There is this church song that I love that states:

“All I ever wanted, all I ever dreamed of,
Everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for
Couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given,
I've been given what I need.”
― Michael McLean, Hold on the Light Will Come: And Other Lessons My Songs Have Taught Me

I am so glad that my Heavenly Father knows way better than I do. The things he has planned for my life are way better than I could have ever imagined.

Love you Kevin. Happy 12.

my house now and then. I love it not matter what people say.

So, this weekend I found myself in a few conversations about home decor.  After these conversations I left feeling a little like my house was lacking and that maybe nobody liked the things I was doing to my home. I kept asking Kevin if our house looked good. Well, I quickly let those thoughts go after I looked back over some old photos of my house. I thought I would share with you what I saw then and what I see now.

Exhibt A: This is what my living room looked like when we first moved in. Yep that is Madeleine playing on the floor. Can you believe how big she has gotten. Now, look at the room can you say ugly and bare? The only thing int this picture I like are the floors and my cute little girl.  The photo below is a different view of that room looking towards the kitchen.

(That wall paper is terrible and the blue wainscotting isn't much better. Can you see the brown door off to the left and notice the glass door in the background with the ugly hanging blinds. UGG.( click on the pic to make it bigger and see things closer.)

Now to the today view. Lets first notice the fire place. Yes go ahead scroll back up and look at what it use to look like and then come back to this pic. Yes I did that, and when I say I that doesn't include Kevin. I had some help from my friend Heather to get me started and give me moral support, but I finished it all.  I have ideas for something to hang over the fireplace but it is still in the works. The curtains are also fun for me.  They warm the wall and window, but my favorite is my rug. My first big buy online. Scary but again Heather held my hand and it turned out AWESOME.

Just another view for ya.

This beautiful piano was a very generous gift and Carter and I are practicing everyday on it. I actually love this corner of the room. I especially love that Carter will sit down and play the piano when he is bored and I can hardly believe that I can play my favorite primary song, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me."

This brand new couch was a valentines/anniversary gift. Just got it a week or so ago. It is in need of some cute pillows so they are in the works as well.

NOtice the wainscotting through out the room in all the above pics. I did that too. Kevin replaced all the doors in the house but I did all the trim work after I finished the living room. I still have some painting to do but its top on my list.

We also had new windows and this door put in. Kevin calls this his Pottery Barn door not sure why but it does look way better than the old metal one.

So, I have decided that maybe home decor is not my best talent but I am learning and growing. I love my home and I am proud of the things that I have been able to do. I might move slower than some but it gets done and I love coming home to a nice warm and clean home.

Come on over and enjoy it with me someday.