Tuesday, March 31, 2009
We've Reached A Milestone!!
I'm sure as it is for us, this milestone is a huge deal to all parents. Darek has started holding his bottle on his own!!!! I love it when babies can start doing this on their own. It helps free up so much extra time. Darek started trying to hold his bottle a few weeks ago, but it would only last for a few seconds and then he'd drop it. But now he'll actually take the bottle from us and put it in his mouth. I love it! He looks so big doing it, but it's do dang cute watching this tiny little guy do something so big. So here are some pictures of my "big boy"!
Lagoon Passes
We decided as part of our tax return to get season passes to Lagoon. We just think about past summers how we want to go out to do something other than going to the park again, but don't have the money to do anything expensive. So we bought our season passes this year and also a parking pass, so that the only thing we will pay for is gas to get to Lagoon. That's a really nice thing about Lagoon, that you can bring your own food into the park. We were hoping to go for a few hours this weekend, since it's opening weekend, but the weather isn't looking very promising right now. So we may have to wait a few more weeks to go. But we're very excited about it!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Ouch!
On Saturday evening, after the party was over, we went with my family down to the Gateway to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D. The movie as a whole was not the greatest, but the effects in 3-D were great!
After the movie was over, Ryan and I took Alex, Darek and my nephew Tyson home while everyone else went to pick my Dad up from the airport. Alex had to use the bathroom, so Ryan took him while I took the other boys to the car. When Ryan and Alex came back, Alex was bawling his head off. Apparently they had been walking and somehow Alex tripped. He was wearing overalls and had his hands in the upper pockets. So when he tripped, he couldn't catch himself. He landed on his face and knees. We watched for any head trauma, but he seemed to be doing well. But now he has a nice bruise on the side of his face. Poor little guy. Again, I know this comes with having a boy and I'm sure there are more injuries to come. I just hate seeing him in pain.
It's hard seeing the bruises in the pictures, but in person it's pretty apparent.
Sorry about the snot coming out his nose. He has had a constant runny nose for the past 2 weeks (although it feels like forever).
After the movie was over, Ryan and I took Alex, Darek and my nephew Tyson home while everyone else went to pick my Dad up from the airport. Alex had to use the bathroom, so Ryan took him while I took the other boys to the car. When Ryan and Alex came back, Alex was bawling his head off. Apparently they had been walking and somehow Alex tripped. He was wearing overalls and had his hands in the upper pockets. So when he tripped, he couldn't catch himself. He landed on his face and knees. We watched for any head trauma, but he seemed to be doing well. But now he has a nice bruise on the side of his face. Poor little guy. Again, I know this comes with having a boy and I'm sure there are more injuries to come. I just hate seeing him in pain.
It's hard seeing the bruises in the pictures, but in person it's pretty apparent.
Sorry about the snot coming out his nose. He has had a constant runny nose for the past 2 weeks (although it feels like forever).
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Party
I was going to wait to do this, but I figure now is probably the best time anyway.
What a day we had yesterday! When I woke up, I got ready as fast as I could and then headed to Walmart. I had a few last minute things to buy (ice cream, drinks, etc.) and also needed to get all the balloons filled with helium. After we were finished with the shopping, we went home and packed everything up and headed to the church where we had the party. We got all the tables and activities set up and had about 70-80 balloons to blow up for the "Get the Goomba" game. We were just about finished with the balloons when kids started arriving. I had received an RSVP from 13 kids that would be coming, 2 that couldn't come and hadn't heard from 9 others. We ended up with a total of 16 kids there. I'd have to say I was impressed with the turn out.
As they all came in, I let the boys pick out a Mario or Luigi hat and mustache and the girls got a tiara and necklace. They were given a character and told to find their character at the tables. After they all got there, I rounded them all up and explained the activities to them. I then split them all into groups of 4 and sent them to their stations. I had lots of help! My Mom, Beth, Chad, Tammy, Kaylene and Ryan were all there to assist in trying to control the chaos. I had forgotten a few important things... like a bat to hit the pinata with and a blind fold for the mustache game and the pinata, so Ryan went home to get those.
After the activities were over, we had Alex open his presents. My favorite moments of the party happened during this time. Alex sat up in front and then each child would bring the present up to him. It was cute, because they all had to help him open his presents. On a couple occasions, the child would take the present out of the bag and hand it to Alex. However, the funniest part was one of the girls had brought Alex a card. When she brought it to him, you could tell she was very proud of this present and just couldn't wait for Alex to open it. It was one of those tri-fold cards. So he opened it (very slowly) and then opened the card the wrong way. There was money in the card and it fell on the floor. As the money fell, yells and screams came from the kids. They all swarmed to pick the money up for Alex. And I don't know who said it, but one kid shouted, "Alex, you got dollars!" The girl who gave it to him then said, "Yep, it's ten dollars." It's probably one of those "had to be there" moments, but the adults there couldn't stop laughing!
Once presents were opened, we went to hit the pinata. I had a baggie with all the characters in it, so I randomly chose a character and that was the child that got to hit the pinata. Well, the third kid to hit the pinata, accidentally hit the hook that was holding the pinata to the rope. (The exact same thing happened last year too.) The pinata fell down so I had the birthday boy come beat it to death. I ripped it open, spread the candy out on the floor and had the kids come clean it up. It's a little scary watching 16 kids come at a full run towards you!
Once the candy was all cleaned up and in the kids bags, we sat down for cake and ice cream. We sang "Happy Birthday" and Alex blew out his candles. My cake turned out pretty well (although I do need a better recipe for a cake filling) and we dished it all out to the kids. We ended up having a lot more extra time than I had expected, so we sat down and played a game of duck, duck, goose. (It had been a REALLY long time since I had played that) I had a lot of extra prizes left over, so after the game, I had each child pick out a few prizes to take home. Then they all ran around like crazy kids for a few minutes until their parents came.
All in all I think it was very successful and that the kids had fun. Poor Alex has another cold and was sick through the whole thing, but it didn't bother him that much. Ryan asked me if it was all worth it. I told him it was. I spent way too much money and had way too much to do, but seeing it all put together and watching the kids have such a fun time really made it all worth it! (However, I think we will be toning it down just a little for next year :) I have over 100 pictures of the party, so choosing just a few will be hard. I will also post more pictures of my cake on my other blog if you are interested in seeing it.
Here is "the cake"
All the tables set up and places set for the kids
The present table
This was "Luigi Bingo". I made the bingo cards and the kids used Yoshi eggs (jelly beans) for the markers.
This was "Get the Goomba" activity. Although it was short, most of the kids loved sitting on the balloons. A few did not like the loud noise that came with it.
A few of the kids at "Stick the mustache on Mario"
We did Yoshi's egg hunt up on the stage
A few more kids at Luigi's Bingo
All the kids sitting while Alex opened his presents
Presents
More presents
No comment
I had all the kids sit on the black line while the pinata was being hit. No chance of being hit with the bat.
Up to bat (oh, and I know the blindfold is weird, but it was all we could find. Another one of those important things I forgot to bring)
Alex beating the pinata to death
Beth holding the kids back while I ran out of the way
VERY HAPPY KIDS!!!
Sweet little Darek. He was so good throughout the party!
Alex with his cake
Enjoying some yummy cake and ice cream!
What a day we had yesterday! When I woke up, I got ready as fast as I could and then headed to Walmart. I had a few last minute things to buy (ice cream, drinks, etc.) and also needed to get all the balloons filled with helium. After we were finished with the shopping, we went home and packed everything up and headed to the church where we had the party. We got all the tables and activities set up and had about 70-80 balloons to blow up for the "Get the Goomba" game. We were just about finished with the balloons when kids started arriving. I had received an RSVP from 13 kids that would be coming, 2 that couldn't come and hadn't heard from 9 others. We ended up with a total of 16 kids there. I'd have to say I was impressed with the turn out.
As they all came in, I let the boys pick out a Mario or Luigi hat and mustache and the girls got a tiara and necklace. They were given a character and told to find their character at the tables. After they all got there, I rounded them all up and explained the activities to them. I then split them all into groups of 4 and sent them to their stations. I had lots of help! My Mom, Beth, Chad, Tammy, Kaylene and Ryan were all there to assist in trying to control the chaos. I had forgotten a few important things... like a bat to hit the pinata with and a blind fold for the mustache game and the pinata, so Ryan went home to get those.
After the activities were over, we had Alex open his presents. My favorite moments of the party happened during this time. Alex sat up in front and then each child would bring the present up to him. It was cute, because they all had to help him open his presents. On a couple occasions, the child would take the present out of the bag and hand it to Alex. However, the funniest part was one of the girls had brought Alex a card. When she brought it to him, you could tell she was very proud of this present and just couldn't wait for Alex to open it. It was one of those tri-fold cards. So he opened it (very slowly) and then opened the card the wrong way. There was money in the card and it fell on the floor. As the money fell, yells and screams came from the kids. They all swarmed to pick the money up for Alex. And I don't know who said it, but one kid shouted, "Alex, you got dollars!" The girl who gave it to him then said, "Yep, it's ten dollars." It's probably one of those "had to be there" moments, but the adults there couldn't stop laughing!
Once presents were opened, we went to hit the pinata. I had a baggie with all the characters in it, so I randomly chose a character and that was the child that got to hit the pinata. Well, the third kid to hit the pinata, accidentally hit the hook that was holding the pinata to the rope. (The exact same thing happened last year too.) The pinata fell down so I had the birthday boy come beat it to death. I ripped it open, spread the candy out on the floor and had the kids come clean it up. It's a little scary watching 16 kids come at a full run towards you!
Once the candy was all cleaned up and in the kids bags, we sat down for cake and ice cream. We sang "Happy Birthday" and Alex blew out his candles. My cake turned out pretty well (although I do need a better recipe for a cake filling) and we dished it all out to the kids. We ended up having a lot more extra time than I had expected, so we sat down and played a game of duck, duck, goose. (It had been a REALLY long time since I had played that) I had a lot of extra prizes left over, so after the game, I had each child pick out a few prizes to take home. Then they all ran around like crazy kids for a few minutes until their parents came.
All in all I think it was very successful and that the kids had fun. Poor Alex has another cold and was sick through the whole thing, but it didn't bother him that much. Ryan asked me if it was all worth it. I told him it was. I spent way too much money and had way too much to do, but seeing it all put together and watching the kids have such a fun time really made it all worth it! (However, I think we will be toning it down just a little for next year :) I have over 100 pictures of the party, so choosing just a few will be hard. I will also post more pictures of my cake on my other blog if you are interested in seeing it.
Here is "the cake"
All the tables set up and places set for the kids
The present table
This was "Luigi Bingo". I made the bingo cards and the kids used Yoshi eggs (jelly beans) for the markers.
This was "Get the Goomba" activity. Although it was short, most of the kids loved sitting on the balloons. A few did not like the loud noise that came with it.
A few of the kids at "Stick the mustache on Mario"
We did Yoshi's egg hunt up on the stage
A few more kids at Luigi's Bingo
All the kids sitting while Alex opened his presents
Presents
More presents
No comment
I had all the kids sit on the black line while the pinata was being hit. No chance of being hit with the bat.
Up to bat (oh, and I know the blindfold is weird, but it was all we could find. Another one of those important things I forgot to bring)
Alex beating the pinata to death
Beth holding the kids back while I ran out of the way
VERY HAPPY KIDS!!!
Sweet little Darek. He was so good throughout the party!
Alex with his cake
Enjoying some yummy cake and ice cream!
Strange
As I've been up since 2:30am, I've been sitting here looking back at the last year of posts on my blog. It's pretty amazing what a year can bring. I was just looking at last March and was just amazed at how only a year ago we were approved to adopt and now a year later at what life has brought us. The fact that it has been 7 months since we got the boys is truly strange to me. Anyway, just something that occurred to me.
Thankful Friday
I had actually sat down to do this on Friday, but got sidetracked. Since it's 4:00am, I don't really have anything else drawing my attention away, so I'll sit and do this now.
1. Having the birthday party over - I couldn't have said this Friday, but I sure can now! The party was a great success, but I must say that's it's good to have it over. I had so much fun... and I think the kids did too. Everything turned out better than expected (even the cake)! But I'm happy now to just sit back and relax for a little while until our next adventure, which is in two weeks when we head to St. George for Easter.
2. Nieces and Nephews - My niece Anna and nephew Tyson are here right now and were also here last weekend. Alex loves playing with his cousins, and I must say that I love all my little nieces and nephews... on both sides of the family. All the boys on Ryan's side of the family are so much fun and such good kids. And although I don't get to see my brothers kids very often, I love them so much as well!
3. Back rubs - A few nights ago, I had been working on the party a bit and was really tired and sore. Even though Ryan had been at school all day, he told me that I had accomplished so much and wanted to give me a back rub. It was so nice for him to do (especially since he does WAY more than I do) and it felt so good!
4. Praise - Even though I feel a little bad saying this, I have been so thankful for the praise given to me this past week as I've been getting things ready for the party. Since it was all home-made stuff, I didn't know how it looked to other people. So I was really grateful to receive praise on the things I had made or done. Chad - thanks for the compliment on the cake! I know you felt bad, but it really made me feel good for you to say that!
5. Siblings - I mentioned in a post that I got to spend some time with my siblings. We had so much fun together! It's so interesting to see what kind of people they've become after growing up with them. I am grateful for every one of them and the different joys they bring to my life!
6. Brotherly love - It is so cute seeing the relationship developing between Alex and Darek. Alex has been concerned that he couldn't get Darek to smile or laugh at him. I think it's been because Alex has so much energy, that all Darek can do is stare at him and try to take in all the things Alex does. But this past week, Alex has found that playing peek-a-boo with Darek always gets Darek to smile and even giggle at him. It has totally made Alex's week! These boys have such a sweet bond and love each other so much! It makes me so happy!
7. Alex's VIP week - Alex was the VIP in his class this past week, as it was his birthday week. I got to spend a little extra time in the class, which was so fun! I love knowing all the kids in his class by name and love being called "Alex's Mom" while I'm there. But we got to make a poster showing Alex's favorite things, which he got to explain to his class. I brought treats for the class 2 days this week (which is always a huge hit), volunteered my regular day on Thursday, and then came in and did a 1/2 hour activity on Friday (which didn't go very well, but still was fun)! It was a lot of extra things to do this week, but I'm so glad to be involved in that part of Alex's life!
Ok, that's all for now. I really should try to focus on going back to sleep. (Yeah right...)
1. Having the birthday party over - I couldn't have said this Friday, but I sure can now! The party was a great success, but I must say that's it's good to have it over. I had so much fun... and I think the kids did too. Everything turned out better than expected (even the cake)! But I'm happy now to just sit back and relax for a little while until our next adventure, which is in two weeks when we head to St. George for Easter.
2. Nieces and Nephews - My niece Anna and nephew Tyson are here right now and were also here last weekend. Alex loves playing with his cousins, and I must say that I love all my little nieces and nephews... on both sides of the family. All the boys on Ryan's side of the family are so much fun and such good kids. And although I don't get to see my brothers kids very often, I love them so much as well!
3. Back rubs - A few nights ago, I had been working on the party a bit and was really tired and sore. Even though Ryan had been at school all day, he told me that I had accomplished so much and wanted to give me a back rub. It was so nice for him to do (especially since he does WAY more than I do) and it felt so good!
4. Praise - Even though I feel a little bad saying this, I have been so thankful for the praise given to me this past week as I've been getting things ready for the party. Since it was all home-made stuff, I didn't know how it looked to other people. So I was really grateful to receive praise on the things I had made or done. Chad - thanks for the compliment on the cake! I know you felt bad, but it really made me feel good for you to say that!
5. Siblings - I mentioned in a post that I got to spend some time with my siblings. We had so much fun together! It's so interesting to see what kind of people they've become after growing up with them. I am grateful for every one of them and the different joys they bring to my life!
6. Brotherly love - It is so cute seeing the relationship developing between Alex and Darek. Alex has been concerned that he couldn't get Darek to smile or laugh at him. I think it's been because Alex has so much energy, that all Darek can do is stare at him and try to take in all the things Alex does. But this past week, Alex has found that playing peek-a-boo with Darek always gets Darek to smile and even giggle at him. It has totally made Alex's week! These boys have such a sweet bond and love each other so much! It makes me so happy!
7. Alex's VIP week - Alex was the VIP in his class this past week, as it was his birthday week. I got to spend a little extra time in the class, which was so fun! I love knowing all the kids in his class by name and love being called "Alex's Mom" while I'm there. But we got to make a poster showing Alex's favorite things, which he got to explain to his class. I brought treats for the class 2 days this week (which is always a huge hit), volunteered my regular day on Thursday, and then came in and did a 1/2 hour activity on Friday (which didn't go very well, but still was fun)! It was a lot of extra things to do this week, but I'm so glad to be involved in that part of Alex's life!
Ok, that's all for now. I really should try to focus on going back to sleep. (Yeah right...)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Happy Birthday
I just want to wish my sweet little boy a very HAPPY 6th Birthday!!! He says that he already feels a little bigger. And I think he's right! He's bouncing off the walls right now with excitement! I can only imagine what he's going to be like on the day of his party! I love you Alex and am so happy to have had you in my life these past 6 years! You have brought so much joy and love to our family and I can only imagine what the years to come will bring!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Birthday Party Preparation
I think I might go a little overboard for birthdays. It's a big deal to me that my kids have a big celebration for each of their birthdays. We've always had themed birthdays for Alex, and this year is no different. We were going to go with Mario brothers last year, but because I was working I did not have the time to get everything ready that I wanted to do. This year has been a little easier, although we had no clue that we would be getting the boys and have all the adoption stuff to deal with right before Alex's birthday. (Not that I'm complaining, because I love the way it all turned out!) Now the thing with Mario is that they do not have birthday stuff anywhere! I found one place online that carries Mario birthday supplies. But I decided to do a (mostly) homemade birthday party this year. It's a lot of work, but so far, things are coming out great! Because Mario and Luigi are red and green, I was able to find treat bags, painter caps, and bouncy balls all in red and green on clearance after Christmas. It worked out quite well. Here are the things I have planned.
1- The kids will come and draw a Mario character out of a hat and that will be who they are for the party. The boys will then get a Mario or Luigi hat and a mustache and the girls will get a princess crown to wear.
2- We will have 4 stations set up. We are inviting 24 kids (yes I know I'm a crazy person), so we're going to split the kids up into groups and have them go to the different stations. The first station is "Pin the mustache on Mario". My Mom painted a picture of Mario's head and I bought a whole bunch of mustaches. The kids will be blindfolded and try to get the mustache on Mario. The next station is "Get the Goomba". Goomba's are those little brown bad guys that Mario steps on in the game. So we will have brown balloons to represent the Goomba's and the kids will either step or sit on the goombas and get the prize inside the balloon. The next station is "Yoshi's Egg Hunt". This one is pretty self explanatory. The kids will go on an egg hunt at this station. To make it harder, I'm going to put the child's name on 5 eggs and they have to find the eggs just for them. The last station is "Mario Bingo". I will have Mario Bingo cards printed out with Mario characters in the spaces. They will have gold coins as the markers and whoever wins will win a prize.
3- After all the stations are done, we will go hit the Chain Chomp pinata that I just finished making yesterday.
4- After the pinata Alex will open his presents and then it will be time for cake and ice cream.
5- Time to go home.
I've had a lot of extra things to do to get ready for this party, and a few things I'm still working on. I am making centerpieces for the tables that will be the Piranha Plants. I've almost finished making them, but am having trouble trying to get them to stay put in the pots. I'll try a few more things today. I'm also planning to make a 2 tiered Mario cake for the party. I'm a little nervous about this. I was hoping to be able to make a practice one, but never got the chance. So I hope it turns out well. I also need to put the M's and L's on the Mario and Luigi hats and print out the Mario bingo cards. I'm going to have a couple busy days ahead of me, but I can't wait until Saturday when it's all put together! I know Alex is going to have a lot of fun and I hope the rest of the kids do too! And thanks to Tammy and Kaylene for coming over and helping me out yesterday with some of this stuff! It was a huge help!
Here are a few pictures of us making some of this stuff.
Yep, I'm crazy! But I have fun being crazy!
1- The kids will come and draw a Mario character out of a hat and that will be who they are for the party. The boys will then get a Mario or Luigi hat and a mustache and the girls will get a princess crown to wear.
2- We will have 4 stations set up. We are inviting 24 kids (yes I know I'm a crazy person), so we're going to split the kids up into groups and have them go to the different stations. The first station is "Pin the mustache on Mario". My Mom painted a picture of Mario's head and I bought a whole bunch of mustaches. The kids will be blindfolded and try to get the mustache on Mario. The next station is "Get the Goomba". Goomba's are those little brown bad guys that Mario steps on in the game. So we will have brown balloons to represent the Goomba's and the kids will either step or sit on the goombas and get the prize inside the balloon. The next station is "Yoshi's Egg Hunt". This one is pretty self explanatory. The kids will go on an egg hunt at this station. To make it harder, I'm going to put the child's name on 5 eggs and they have to find the eggs just for them. The last station is "Mario Bingo". I will have Mario Bingo cards printed out with Mario characters in the spaces. They will have gold coins as the markers and whoever wins will win a prize.
3- After all the stations are done, we will go hit the Chain Chomp pinata that I just finished making yesterday.
4- After the pinata Alex will open his presents and then it will be time for cake and ice cream.
5- Time to go home.
I've had a lot of extra things to do to get ready for this party, and a few things I'm still working on. I am making centerpieces for the tables that will be the Piranha Plants. I've almost finished making them, but am having trouble trying to get them to stay put in the pots. I'll try a few more things today. I'm also planning to make a 2 tiered Mario cake for the party. I'm a little nervous about this. I was hoping to be able to make a practice one, but never got the chance. So I hope it turns out well. I also need to put the M's and L's on the Mario and Luigi hats and print out the Mario bingo cards. I'm going to have a couple busy days ahead of me, but I can't wait until Saturday when it's all put together! I know Alex is going to have a lot of fun and I hope the rest of the kids do too! And thanks to Tammy and Kaylene for coming over and helping me out yesterday with some of this stuff! It was a huge help!
Here are a few pictures of us making some of this stuff.
Yep, I'm crazy! But I have fun being crazy!
Fun Thing
I forgot to post this since we've had so much going on, but Darek said his first word. He was just babbling one day and turned and looked at his Daddy and said, "Dadadada." It was very cute and he says it all the time now. Alex's first word was also Dada, but I'm okay with that. I love that these boys love their Daddy so much!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Darek's Blessing
We had another wonderful day yesterday. We got up in the morning and got ready extra early. We got to church about 20 minutes early so that we could say hello to any family or friends that came. Darek looked just beautiful. We had him in his cute little white outfit that we had him in for the sealing. He looks just stunning in white. The meeting started and they got all of the beginning stuff. Then it was time to bless Darek. Ryan was still incredibly sick, and I didn't know how he would feel throughout the blessing. But he did the most beautiful job. It was very special and I knew it came from our Heavenly Father. Darek was surrounded in that circle by so many friends and family members that love him so much. He is a blessed little boy, but we are an extremely blessed family.
After the blessing, we had been asked to sing as a family. Everyone always complains a little when we are asked to sing (including myself), but when it comes down to it, I think we all love it. From the time I could play the piano well, I have many memories of getting up on Sunday morning, getting dressed and going upstairs to play the piano. One by one, as the rest of my siblings got ready, they would join me at the piano. Before long, everyone was there and singing. I just love those memories. So when we all get together and are able to perform in front of others, I just love it! Sure, I grumble about it for a while, but I always enjoy spending that time with my family. Hopefully as the grand kids get older, they'll be able to join in as well.
After we sang, a few changes were made in our ward. We received a new bishopric (minus a new bishop) and as luck would have it, my Dad was made the executive secretary. So he was able to get up and bare his testimony, which was very special to me.
After sacrament meeting was over, we were able to visit with all those who came for Darek's blessing. We were able to get a family picture of Ryan's side of the family, which hasn't been updated in at least 7 years. So it will be nice to finally have that. We said goodbye to Ryan's family and soon after, my sisters and their kids. My brother left this morning (which I didn't get to say goodbye to) and now it's back to just us. It's kind of sad when you go from a very full house back to an empty house. But I'll have plenty to do this week for Alex's party to keep my mind busy.
Thank you to everyone again that helped with this wonderful weekend. It's one that we will remember the rest of our lives. I'm so grateful for all these experiences and glad I have so many wonderful people to share them with. We love you all!
After the blessing, we had been asked to sing as a family. Everyone always complains a little when we are asked to sing (including myself), but when it comes down to it, I think we all love it. From the time I could play the piano well, I have many memories of getting up on Sunday morning, getting dressed and going upstairs to play the piano. One by one, as the rest of my siblings got ready, they would join me at the piano. Before long, everyone was there and singing. I just love those memories. So when we all get together and are able to perform in front of others, I just love it! Sure, I grumble about it for a while, but I always enjoy spending that time with my family. Hopefully as the grand kids get older, they'll be able to join in as well.
After we sang, a few changes were made in our ward. We received a new bishopric (minus a new bishop) and as luck would have it, my Dad was made the executive secretary. So he was able to get up and bare his testimony, which was very special to me.
After sacrament meeting was over, we were able to visit with all those who came for Darek's blessing. We were able to get a family picture of Ryan's side of the family, which hasn't been updated in at least 7 years. So it will be nice to finally have that. We said goodbye to Ryan's family and soon after, my sisters and their kids. My brother left this morning (which I didn't get to say goodbye to) and now it's back to just us. It's kind of sad when you go from a very full house back to an empty house. But I'll have plenty to do this week for Alex's party to keep my mind busy.
Thank you to everyone again that helped with this wonderful weekend. It's one that we will remember the rest of our lives. I'm so grateful for all these experiences and glad I have so many wonderful people to share them with. We love you all!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Perfect Day
What a beautiful day we had on Saturday. Saturday morning went just about perfectly. The boys were wonderful while we were getting ready to go. I got really adorable, matching outfits for the boys and had fun getting them all dressed up. We got to the temple and of course we were greeted by the most wonderful workers willing to help us with whatever we needed. We dropped the boys off at the Youth Center. We had Darek's little white outfit that they would dress him in. Alex decided he wanted to wear white clothes as well. So they helped him pick out clothes to wear. The most precious moment to me was when the boys came into the room. They were both dressed in white and Alex pushed Darek into the room in a white stroller. I'm not sure why, but it just took my breath away and I started crying. I know Ian was there in spirit and it was wonderful knowing all my boys were there at that moment. I know that won't happen again for a very long time. Alex really enjoyed the temple a lot and thought it was the most beautiful place. We told him how lucky he was to be able to go in at such a young age. He was very reverent and very helpful with his little brother. Darek was also just wonderful while we were there. He hardly made a peep and just couldn't stop looking around.
After we were done, we all went out in our white clothing and had a few pictures taken around the temple. After pictures, we went to the luncheon we had set up. We didn't have tons of money, so we just had a simple one in a church. We had a few friends and all our family there. It was a lot of fun to sit and chat and then played a little basketball :) After the luncheon, we came home and relaxed for quite a while. In the evening, I got to go to Kohl's with my brother, sisters and brother in laws. It was a simple trip to the store, but it turned out to be so much fun. We all sang to the songs in the car and just had some awesome laughs. It's not often that we kids get together, and when we all are together, I realize how much I miss them.
So that was our Saturday. I don't know many Saturdays that can top that one. If Ryan hadn't been sick, it really would have been perfect... but I'll settle for what we got!
After we were done, we all went out in our white clothing and had a few pictures taken around the temple. After pictures, we went to the luncheon we had set up. We didn't have tons of money, so we just had a simple one in a church. We had a few friends and all our family there. It was a lot of fun to sit and chat and then played a little basketball :) After the luncheon, we came home and relaxed for quite a while. In the evening, I got to go to Kohl's with my brother, sisters and brother in laws. It was a simple trip to the store, but it turned out to be so much fun. We all sang to the songs in the car and just had some awesome laughs. It's not often that we kids get together, and when we all are together, I realize how much I miss them.
So that was our Saturday. I don't know many Saturdays that can top that one. If Ryan hadn't been sick, it really would have been perfect... but I'll settle for what we got!
Sickness
Since life was CRAZY for a few days, I'm going to back track and do a couple posts so that I cover all of the events that happened.
I guess all of our sicknesses were a pretty big thing during the week. As I mentioned, during the court hearing, Darek and I were pretty darn sick. I had taken some medication, but just felt lousy. Poor little Darek was coughing and sleeping throughout the hearing. So after the hearing we went home and I slept while Ryan watched the boys. On Wednesday, after sleeping a while in the afternoon, I woke up and looked at my throat and realized I really needed to go into the doctor. Darek was still sick, but doing better than the day before. Alex was still getting over his ear infection, but doing much better. So I took Darek and myself to the instacare Wednesday afternoon. After almost 3 hours, I walked out being told that I just had a case of the flu and that Darek probably just had that too. They gave me a few prescriptions and told me to watch Darek closely to be sure his breathing was okay. I took the medications as much as I could and would feel better for a while, but all the symptoms would come back after the medicine wore off. On Friday night, while visiting my in-laws, the instacare called to tell me my 3 day strep test came back positive. So I exposed my family and Ryan's whole family to it.... awesome. Luckily I got antibiotics that night and started on them immediately. At this point I'm doing much better and feel at about 80% right now. Sadly, I had to go through this whole wonderful week being horribly sick. Darek is also doing much better. He gets horrible coughing spells every once in a while. But he's getting back to his normal, happy little self.
So as Darek and I were starting to feel better, poor Ryan seemed to get worse. On Thursday, one of his eyes started oozing a little (sorry it's gross) and he started getting a sore throat, coughing, etc. Friday was quite a bit worse, and Saturday was just really bad. Like a trooper, he went through the sealing (feeling horrible) but went straight to the instacare right after and missed the whole luncheon. He wasn't really diagnosed with anything, but was given antibiotics that have already started to help. His eyes look terrible (no offense babe) and his cough is not great, but you won't hear much complaining from him. He even sang today in Sacrament meeting and sounded great!
So, here is to a much healthier week (I hope)! We are all done being sick for a while!
I guess all of our sicknesses were a pretty big thing during the week. As I mentioned, during the court hearing, Darek and I were pretty darn sick. I had taken some medication, but just felt lousy. Poor little Darek was coughing and sleeping throughout the hearing. So after the hearing we went home and I slept while Ryan watched the boys. On Wednesday, after sleeping a while in the afternoon, I woke up and looked at my throat and realized I really needed to go into the doctor. Darek was still sick, but doing better than the day before. Alex was still getting over his ear infection, but doing much better. So I took Darek and myself to the instacare Wednesday afternoon. After almost 3 hours, I walked out being told that I just had a case of the flu and that Darek probably just had that too. They gave me a few prescriptions and told me to watch Darek closely to be sure his breathing was okay. I took the medications as much as I could and would feel better for a while, but all the symptoms would come back after the medicine wore off. On Friday night, while visiting my in-laws, the instacare called to tell me my 3 day strep test came back positive. So I exposed my family and Ryan's whole family to it.... awesome. Luckily I got antibiotics that night and started on them immediately. At this point I'm doing much better and feel at about 80% right now. Sadly, I had to go through this whole wonderful week being horribly sick. Darek is also doing much better. He gets horrible coughing spells every once in a while. But he's getting back to his normal, happy little self.
So as Darek and I were starting to feel better, poor Ryan seemed to get worse. On Thursday, one of his eyes started oozing a little (sorry it's gross) and he started getting a sore throat, coughing, etc. Friday was quite a bit worse, and Saturday was just really bad. Like a trooper, he went through the sealing (feeling horrible) but went straight to the instacare right after and missed the whole luncheon. He wasn't really diagnosed with anything, but was given antibiotics that have already started to help. His eyes look terrible (no offense babe) and his cough is not great, but you won't hear much complaining from him. He even sang today in Sacrament meeting and sounded great!
So, here is to a much healthier week (I hope)! We are all done being sick for a while!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thankful Friday
I should get to bed, but wanted to jot a few things down before I did.
1. The Temple - We're going there tomorrow to have our family sealed to our little boys. What a privilege to be able to do that. How lucky we are that we live this close to a temple, that we don't have to plan for a whole day, week or even month trip to go.
2. Service - I've had a lot to deal with as far as the adoption goes. I'm grateful to have parents, in-laws, siblings and friends willing to help in any way they can to make this go more smoothly for me.
3. Modern Day Medicine - Even though I found out tonight that I was misdiagnosed (told I had the flu but actually have strep... a whole story on it's own) I love being able to take a few pills to feel better so I can accomplish the things that need to be done.
4. Alex - I have to single him out today just because he is such a wonderful boy. Even though he is 5 (and believe me, he has his 5 year old days), he is so wise and kind. He loves his brother so much. I figured he would be a good big brother, but it is a joy beyond description to be able to watch Alex hold, play, sing to, cuddle and be silly with little Darek. And I love the look of awe that Darek gives Alex. You can see he wants to do what his big brother is doing. I love my Alex and am so grateful I have him as a son!
5. Family Support - We are so lucky to have the majority of Ryan's family in the valley, however, his brother lives in St. George and was so wonderful to bring his whole family up for this occasion. Both of my sisters also came from St. George and my brother flew all the way across the country to be here. I don't know many families that are willing or able to offer that kind of support and I am truly grateful for it.
6. Forever Families - I know this goes along with the first one, but I feel so privileged to know about eternal families. I am so grateful to know that this life is only the beginning. I love my Heavenly Father so much for giving us this beautiful life and the knowledge here to know that we can be together forever... that we can have Ian sealed to our family and see him again someday. I know there are those who don't believe this or understand it, but I am grateful for the faith to know that it is true and know what a special, spectacular and important day tomorrow will be.
I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and I know everything will go well. I'm going to remember the adoption decree (unlike the marriage license I forgot when we got married...) :)
1. The Temple - We're going there tomorrow to have our family sealed to our little boys. What a privilege to be able to do that. How lucky we are that we live this close to a temple, that we don't have to plan for a whole day, week or even month trip to go.
2. Service - I've had a lot to deal with as far as the adoption goes. I'm grateful to have parents, in-laws, siblings and friends willing to help in any way they can to make this go more smoothly for me.
3. Modern Day Medicine - Even though I found out tonight that I was misdiagnosed (told I had the flu but actually have strep... a whole story on it's own) I love being able to take a few pills to feel better so I can accomplish the things that need to be done.
4. Alex - I have to single him out today just because he is such a wonderful boy. Even though he is 5 (and believe me, he has his 5 year old days), he is so wise and kind. He loves his brother so much. I figured he would be a good big brother, but it is a joy beyond description to be able to watch Alex hold, play, sing to, cuddle and be silly with little Darek. And I love the look of awe that Darek gives Alex. You can see he wants to do what his big brother is doing. I love my Alex and am so grateful I have him as a son!
5. Family Support - We are so lucky to have the majority of Ryan's family in the valley, however, his brother lives in St. George and was so wonderful to bring his whole family up for this occasion. Both of my sisters also came from St. George and my brother flew all the way across the country to be here. I don't know many families that are willing or able to offer that kind of support and I am truly grateful for it.
6. Forever Families - I know this goes along with the first one, but I feel so privileged to know about eternal families. I am so grateful to know that this life is only the beginning. I love my Heavenly Father so much for giving us this beautiful life and the knowledge here to know that we can be together forever... that we can have Ian sealed to our family and see him again someday. I know there are those who don't believe this or understand it, but I am grateful for the faith to know that it is true and know what a special, spectacular and important day tomorrow will be.
I need to get some sleep. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and I know everything will go well. I'm going to remember the adoption decree (unlike the marriage license I forgot when we got married...) :)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It's Official!
We went to court today. After a really tough night of Darek and I being very sick and up most of the night, we were hoping for a very quick, easy hearing. And that's exactly what we got! Our attorney and the judge went over some of the paperwork and then our attorney asked us some questions in front of the judge. It was a little weird sitting in the "defendant seats" with these microphones in front of us. There were a few minutes when the judge was talking to our attorney about some legal issues with the agency in VA, but they got that all cleared up. (But we felt like we were sitting on pins and needles for those few minutes.) All in all, it lasted only 14 minutes when the judge declared the adoption final for both our boys. What a moment that was! I definitely got emotional. I wanted nothing more than to go out and celebrate, but all I could think about doing was going home to sleep. Poor little Darek had slept and coughed through most of the hearing, so we both just needed some rest.
As I'm writing this, I have a beautiful, cuddly, sleepy baby in my arms. I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world. And to know that after this Saturday, our beautiful boys will be ours forever. I truly don't know what I've done to deserve such beautiful blessings in my life, but I thank my Heavenly Father for them. These boys deserve every happiness and I hope I can give that to them.
As I'm writing this, I have a beautiful, cuddly, sleepy baby in my arms. I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world. And to know that after this Saturday, our beautiful boys will be ours forever. I truly don't know what I've done to deserve such beautiful blessings in my life, but I thank my Heavenly Father for them. These boys deserve every happiness and I hope I can give that to them.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Updates
Well, the boys room is coming along. My Mom and Dad have been working all week getting the wall back up. Yesterday they were able to prime and paint it so the workers can come back and clean the carpeting and replace the carpet padding. Once that is done, we will finish painting the room and put up the wall stickers for Alex's Mario Brothers room. He doesn't know yet, and it's going to be a surprise for his birthday. We figured that fit in pretty well with his Mario Brothers themed birthday party this year. (Which reminds me that I still have sooo much work to do for his party... and so little time!)
This is going to be our crazy week! (Most of this is repeat, so I'm sorry) Tuesday we'll go in pretty early to court and have everything become legal. I'm still praying nothing will go wrong. My sister Hayley and her family will come on Thursday sometime. On Friday my other sister Bethany and her husband Chad and my brother Aaron will fly in. And I know at some point Ryan's brother and family will be coming up as well. Saturday will be the sealing, which we are keeping very small and low key. And then Sunday will be the blessing. And again, I know it's so informal, but if you would like to come to the blessing, we would love to have you! I went crazy this week and found adorable sealing/blessing/Easter outfits for the boys. I figured I won't have much time where I get to have them match, so I really had fun buying the outfits. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures of the boys in their outfits.
Disneyland is getting closer and closer and we are getting more and more excited! We try to do a few Disney-related things to keep the excitement going. For instance, after church today we are going to start and possibly finish a 1000 piece puzzle of Cinderella's castle. We have another one of Peter Pan and Captain Hook's pirate ship. It's fun thinking of little things like that to do. They are always very family oriented and really help keeping that excitement!
Yesterday we went to Ian's grave, as we do every so often. We put up some solar lights at his grave which, I think, looks very nice. I don't like to do too many cheesy decorations at graves, but I want to make it look nice. So we thought this would be a way to do that. Every time we visit his grave, the same thing comes to my mind... I can't believe we buried our son. Sometimes it feels like a dream, a really bad dream. There's little we can do for him now, so it's nice to do these little things at least at his grave.
Well, I need to start getting ready for the day. Yay for nursery today. We'll see how crazy all the kids are today. :)
This is going to be our crazy week! (Most of this is repeat, so I'm sorry) Tuesday we'll go in pretty early to court and have everything become legal. I'm still praying nothing will go wrong. My sister Hayley and her family will come on Thursday sometime. On Friday my other sister Bethany and her husband Chad and my brother Aaron will fly in. And I know at some point Ryan's brother and family will be coming up as well. Saturday will be the sealing, which we are keeping very small and low key. And then Sunday will be the blessing. And again, I know it's so informal, but if you would like to come to the blessing, we would love to have you! I went crazy this week and found adorable sealing/blessing/Easter outfits for the boys. I figured I won't have much time where I get to have them match, so I really had fun buying the outfits. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures of the boys in their outfits.
Disneyland is getting closer and closer and we are getting more and more excited! We try to do a few Disney-related things to keep the excitement going. For instance, after church today we are going to start and possibly finish a 1000 piece puzzle of Cinderella's castle. We have another one of Peter Pan and Captain Hook's pirate ship. It's fun thinking of little things like that to do. They are always very family oriented and really help keeping that excitement!
Yesterday we went to Ian's grave, as we do every so often. We put up some solar lights at his grave which, I think, looks very nice. I don't like to do too many cheesy decorations at graves, but I want to make it look nice. So we thought this would be a way to do that. Every time we visit his grave, the same thing comes to my mind... I can't believe we buried our son. Sometimes it feels like a dream, a really bad dream. There's little we can do for him now, so it's nice to do these little things at least at his grave.
Well, I need to start getting ready for the day. Yay for nursery today. We'll see how crazy all the kids are today. :)
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thankful Friday
1. A new babysitting job - I am having so much fun with cute little girls! I love watching them play pretend. They've even gotten Alex in on playing "house". He plays a great daddy! :)
2. Visiting Teaching - Today we are going to a fun place at the Gateway for our visiting teaching. It'll be something different and fun to try. And it just happens to be a place that makes desserts. Yeah.... I'm excited!
3. Patience - With the boys room still a wreck from the water damage, Alex being horribly sick, Darek not sleeping well, not getting our tax return when we thought we would... I'm really thankful to have the patience to get through it all. (sorry to have all the complaints to get to the thankful part)
4. Music - I just love music and I also love having the ability to sing. It's so much fun when Ryan, Alex and I will just start singing a song. And Darek loves to listen to it. Soon, he'll be joining in.
5. Sunny days - It may not be exactly warm yet, but I love having the sun come out and being able to tolerate the weather outside. I can't wait for the beautiful days to start coming!
6. Nights when Ryan is home - I miss him so much during his 7 days on, and am really grateful for the 7 days when I get him home. Being away from each other really makes the time we get together extra special.
7. This coming Tuesday - I have been waiting for this day for almost 7 months now. I can't believe it's almost here and can hardly wait for adoption to become legal. Even though Darek has always been ours, it'll be nice for his information to show that!
8. Health - When you or your loved ones are sick, it really makes you thankful for your health. I hope Alex gets better soon... it makes me so sad when he's sick.
9. Glass bottled Coca-cola - I know this one sounds silly, but the glass bottled coke from Costco is sooo good. It always just hits the spot!
10. Giggles - Whether it's Ryan, Alex, Darek or all of us at once, I love when we can all sit and giggle. It's such a great feeling!
There's some of my happiness from the week! Happy Friday!
2. Visiting Teaching - Today we are going to a fun place at the Gateway for our visiting teaching. It'll be something different and fun to try. And it just happens to be a place that makes desserts. Yeah.... I'm excited!
3. Patience - With the boys room still a wreck from the water damage, Alex being horribly sick, Darek not sleeping well, not getting our tax return when we thought we would... I'm really thankful to have the patience to get through it all. (sorry to have all the complaints to get to the thankful part)
4. Music - I just love music and I also love having the ability to sing. It's so much fun when Ryan, Alex and I will just start singing a song. And Darek loves to listen to it. Soon, he'll be joining in.
5. Sunny days - It may not be exactly warm yet, but I love having the sun come out and being able to tolerate the weather outside. I can't wait for the beautiful days to start coming!
6. Nights when Ryan is home - I miss him so much during his 7 days on, and am really grateful for the 7 days when I get him home. Being away from each other really makes the time we get together extra special.
7. This coming Tuesday - I have been waiting for this day for almost 7 months now. I can't believe it's almost here and can hardly wait for adoption to become legal. Even though Darek has always been ours, it'll be nice for his information to show that!
8. Health - When you or your loved ones are sick, it really makes you thankful for your health. I hope Alex gets better soon... it makes me so sad when he's sick.
9. Glass bottled Coca-cola - I know this one sounds silly, but the glass bottled coke from Costco is sooo good. It always just hits the spot!
10. Giggles - Whether it's Ryan, Alex, Darek or all of us at once, I love when we can all sit and giggle. It's such a great feeling!
There's some of my happiness from the week! Happy Friday!
Darek vs. Water
Darek has never been a huge fan of water. He tolerates bath time without too much screaming, but does not like water very much. A few weeks ago, I took him swimming for the first time. He was quite unsure about the whole thing, but did okay as long as he was being held tight up against someone. So we lasted about 20-30 mins last time. After Alex's last swimming lesson this time, we went swimming again with Tammy and Kaylene. Darek knew what he was in for this time. The instant his foot hit the water he started screaming. It may sound mean, but it totally cracks me up. I want to get him used to the water because we love swimming and being in the water. Again, the only way he was okay with being in the water was if the person holding him had him right up close to them. I'm sure he'll eventually become used to it. But I did make sure to get some pictures of him in the water this time. Sadly, most of them are of him screaming :)
He can make the most pitiful faces. :(
He can make the most pitiful faces. :(
Swimming Lessons
Alex had his last swimming lesson (for now) on Wednesday. He had so much fun this time around. His class only had girls, which made it even better. He was so close to passing, but still needs to work on his floating. It never hurts to repeat a level. He loves swimming though and always has a great time.
I'm sure I'll be signing him up again very soon. He LOVES the water!
I'm sure I'll be signing him up again very soon. He LOVES the water!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Lots of Girls
I started watching some really cute girls today and already am loving it!! It's been a bit of a shock finding things that girls are interested in. When they went into Alex's room, the first question was... "Where are all the girl toys?" Thankfully, my parents still have some girl toys from when we were younger and that Mallory played with. The hard part right now is that Alex's room is still torn up, so we have all the toys out in our main room. I'm really looking forward to his room being cleaned and ready to play in. But it's a huge difference going from swords, guns, cars, etc. to baby dolls, coloring, and kitchen sets. But it's a fun change. I'm sure aching for a little girl now!
My little boy. I don't think he's sad about having all these girls around though. :)
My little boy. I don't think he's sad about having all these girls around though. :)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Adoption Updates
We reached our 6 months from the time the boys were placed with us on Feb 26th. That 6 months had to be reached before finalization can happen. There are a few other things we have been waiting to have completed before we can finalize. We are crossing our fingers that everything will go through as scheduled from here on out. As it is now, we will be going to court on March 17th to have the adoption become legal. Then on March 21st, we'll go to the Salt Lake temple to have the boys sealed to us for all eternity. On the 22nd we will have the boys blessing at our ward. It going to be an insane couple of weeks leading up to it, but we are so excited and cannot wait for all of this to be done and behind us.
If you have any questions that you're wondering about any of this, please let me know. We can't wait!!!
If you have any questions that you're wondering about any of this, please let me know. We can't wait!!!
Friday, March 6, 2009
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