Welcome Little Callen!

C G G

November 20, 2007

7:27am

7 pounds 9 ounces

20 inches

Congrats to my sister and her husband and big sister Emilia Jo!

This makes for 16 grandkids for my parents!

Update...

I talked to "C" tonight and she had alot of good news for us. She went to the doctor this week and she is dialated to 2.5 and effaced 50%. I am thinking that that means it could be anytime. I am hoping for this week. She also gave us some good new in regards to the father and that we shouldnt have any problems with him and the adoption finalization. She is also going to come and see us on Sunday, I am really excited about that. She sounded so good and happy on the phone, it made me feel really good.

Please continue to pray that she may feel comfort and peace in her decision. And that this sweet little baby boy may come soon and safe!!

weather report...

The low yesterday was 3 degrees and the high was 19 degrees!

Hubs and I just stayed home yesterday and ate a Thanksgiving steak dinner. The steak was SO good! We were invited to some friends house from church for dinner, but I have been sick all week and I didnt want to get their 4 little boys sick. But we really enjoyed just the two of us! We are very grateful to have each other!

so very grateful...

I did not want the day to end without me expressing what I am grateful for...because I truly have alot to be grateful for at this time in our lives!

I am so incredibly grateful for a most AMAZING HUSBAND! He is so wonderful to me, loves me, takes care of me. He is my best friend and the love of my life. I love everything about him! He is such a hard worker, ambitious, patient, smart, and so very handsome.

I am so grateful for the GOSPEL, for my faith, for my knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and their love for me. And for the Priesthood and eternal families. With out all of this my life would be nothing.

I am so grateful for ADOPTION! For the most amazing young women who is making a heart wrenching sacrifice to do what is best for her sweet baby boy and for herself. And for giving us hope to be able to raise children in our home.

I am grateful for FAMILY and FRIENDS. Their love and support mean everything to us!

I am so very grateful for so many things in my life. We have been so blessed in so many ways. My list could go on and on but these were in my thoughts today.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

a few things...

***Tomorrow is my last day of work, yahoo!!!

***I am actually starting to enjoy the cold weather and snow, and have ventured out into it quite alot. (I just took this picture when I got home from work today. I love icicles, aren't they beautiful?)

***My sister Candis had a baby boy this morning...all I know is that his name is Callen Grant. Emilia Jo is a big sister! I can't wait to see pictures of him.

***23 days until "C" is due...I hope that the little guy comes a little sooner!

***Please check out THIS about trials that my friend from The R House posted today. Hubs and I have been through ALOT of trials since we have been married. And when I read this I thought this is exactly how we feel and how we have gotten through it all and still have smiles on our faces.

we woke up to this...

We finally have our first snow in Helena. We had begun to think that maybe they were all fibbing about the snow here. The weather reports every week for the last two months has showed snow but it never even rained. So this weekend it was actually raining and we figured it was bound to finally happen. The temps are not going to get any higher than 34 this week and we will get lows in the teens everyday.

Wow, I hope I can be a big girl about this.

been tagged...

Talented and Gifted...or just Tag

I have been tagged by a couple of people so I thought I would give it a try, especially because I don't have anything else to post.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I was going to school at Lane Community College, and hating it.
2. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life since I had graduated and I had been planning on moving to Utah and ended up not doing it because of health issues.
3. Just hanging out with my friends.
4. Working at Hallmark at the Valley River Center.
5. I was taking Institute Classes and going to the singles Ward.


5 Things on my to-do list today (Tomorrow):
1. Go to the bank
2. Clean my house
3. Do the dishes
4. Work on scrapbooking
5. Do some grocery shopping


5 Foods I enjoy:
1. I love chocolate, especially if it has nuts or caramel.
2. Carbs: pasta, bread, rice, potatoes...
3. Brownies
4. Italian food
5. Casseroles

5 Bad habits:
1. Not washing my dishes and letting them sit in the sink for a whole week (we don't have a dishwasher).
2. Not finishing books that I have started.
3. Not putting clean clothes away, they usually stay in the laundry basket until they are all used up.
4. Not liking ice cream (I know, I know...it's UnAmerican!!).
5. Not calling people back (I really hate talking on the phone) or emailing people back.

5 of my favorite toys:
1. My camera
2. My rice cooker
3. My Blog
4. Photoshop CS2 and Elements
5. As soon as our baby boy is here, I know that I will love playing with him.


Sorry, I am not going to tag anyone...because I think everyone I know has been tagged or has done it or I don't think would want to do it.

More on Adoption...

First Presidency Endorses National Adoption Month
Kiku Beaufort11/14/2007 12:00 AM MST

November is National Adoption Month, and members of the First Presidency have thrust their support behind the government’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for more parents to adopt.
“We endorse this proclamation [of November as National Adoption Month] and express our support of unwed parents who place their children for adoption in stable homes with a mother and a father,” the First Presidency stated. “We also express our support of the married mothers and fathers who adopt these children.”
The First Presidency’s statement follows years and years of the tradition of celebrating adoption, both inside and outside the Church.
National Adoption Month, which began in 1976, was originally only celebrated for a week. It was initiated on a state level by the governor of Massachusetts. But, when President Gerald Ford caught wind of the idea, he implemented it as a national celebration that same year. In 1990, it was changed from a week to a month-long celebration.
The goal of this month is to celebrate the family, raise awareness of the thousands of children waiting for adoption, and express gratitude to the many parents who have taken foster children into their homes.
“Families who adopt show the generous spirit of our Nation,” President George W. Bush stated in a proclamation announcing adoption month. “Every child desires a permanent home, and when parents adopt a child to love as their own, lives are changed forever.”
Within National Adoption Month, there is a specific, momentous day, National Adoption Day, which will be held this Saturday. On this day, special efforts are made by the courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, and child welfare agencies in all 50 states to finalize adoptions for thousands of children.
The Church’s support derives from its stance on the sanctity of life, and it has done everything in its power to provide adoption services to solidify that belief. In 1919, the Church started LDS Family Services to do just that.
LDS Family Services offers help for both birth parents and adopting parents. It provides information about services, experiences of other birth parents, and agency commercials to offer courage and hope to those making the difficult decision of whether to place their child for adoption.
Regardless of who is promoting adoption, the Church is there to offer their support for the sanctity of life and the importance of the family.
“Children are entitled to the blessing of being reared in a stable family environment where father and mother honor marital vows,” the First Presidency stated. “Having a secure, nurturing, and consistent relationship with both a father and a mother is essential to a child’s well-being. When choosing adoption, unwed parents grant their children this most important blessing. Adoption is an unselfish, loving decision that blesses the child, birth parents, and adoptive parents in this life and throughout the eternities. We commend all those who strengthen children and families by promoting adoption.”

Visit ChildWelfare.gov to learn more about National Adoption Month events and sponsors.
Visit ItsAboutLove.org to learn more about LDS Family Services.

Wanna guess???

Well with our baby's due date only being a month away, I think that it is time to take guesses when he will be born and how big or little he will be.

The winner might get a prize, we will have to see about that...I am not promising anything!



Just guess DATE and WEIGHT and LENGTH!!



Helps:
~"C" says that he is measuring right on with every visit.
~ His due date is December 13th.

Adoption Awareness Month...

Hubs and I feel truly blessed to be able to experience the miracle of adoption in our lives. With just a month left until we experience our own adoption story, my mind is constantly thinking about ADOPTION. I am constantly thinking about what our birthmother will be going through, and what all birthmothers go through. They are the most amazing, brave people that I know. We don't miss a chance to pray for our sweet birthmother in hopes that she may feel peace, comfort and the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior and also the love that we have for her. I am also constantly thinking about so many other couples out there waiting to find their baby, and hoping and praying for them that it will happen soon for them. It is sometimes hard to be so happy about finding our baby when I know so many out there who are still waiting and looking.

I hope that all of you who read my blog will learn more about Adoption...please check out all the Adoption links to the right.

just been thinking about...

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. but there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

-souza

POTATO CASSEROLE

This is a M family favorite. The recipe actually came from the Girls Camp Tator-tot-casserole recipe that we made every year at girls camp in the dutch oven. And then about 10 years ago my mom kind of changed it up and started making it at home.

Need:
1 lb of browned ground beef
2 bags of Potatoes O'Brien
1 16 oz container of Sour Cream
1 Family Size can of Cream of Chicken soup
some grated chedder cheese

Brown the beef.
In a bowl mix Sour Cream and Cream of Chicken Soup
Mix in browned beef.
Then mix in both bags of Potatoes
And as much grated cheese as you want.

This is enough for 4-6 people.

Put in casserole dish covered in oven 400 degrees for 1 hr.

Since it is just the two of us...before I cook it, or add the cheese, I put half in a small casserole dish then add cheese to that and cook it and the other half in a large ziplock container and freeze it for another meal another night. (And I add cheese to that before I cook it.)

ENJOY!!!

Shhhhhh...Don't tell Hubs!!

Well, even though it was in the high 30's today...I decided to wear my sandals anyway! Bryce hates me wearing sandals in the winter, and I usually get a good scolding for doing so. But what is great about Montana is that it is sunny almost everyday and that just makes me want to be in my sandals, even if it IS cold.

I Love my CHACOS!!!