Friends, Zoo and more...

So my friend was visiting Oregon from Chicago and we decided we had to meet up and ended up meeting up at the Oregon Zoo. At first we thought we were going to get rained out, but by the time we got there it had cleared up a bit and besides a few sprinkles held off the whole time we were there. I met my friend Ashley through adoption blogging (I think, I am pretty sure). Our oldest kids are the same age and both have red hair and both were adopted. We already have their marriage arranged :) .  We had a blast and the kids got along SO well! So glad that she is moving a touch closer, so that she can visit home more and there for I will get to see her more.

Aren't they so cute?! They will make us the cutest red headed grandbabies.

This picture kills me! Oh, his face and hand! She kept on telling him that she was going to marry him. He thinks it is gross, but he sure liked her.

Some really cute red heads having fun on the Zoo train.

Love the cute face Little Miss C is making!

On the way home the kids begged to stop at the Temple. Mac was VERY concerned with the fact that we weren't wearing church clothes or shoes. 

The beautiful sky on the way home. Love how my new iPhone captures the sky so well.

Love his sweet hand on his chin!

Road Trip Part 1

At the beginning of the summer we decided we were going to take a road trip to Montana to visit Mac's birth family. And actually we have said this every summer since we moved from there and it just hasn't happened because of some reason or another. So when we decided on this road trip, we decided we just better put it on the calendar or it just wouldn't happen...again. So as the time got closer we thought that we would just make a quick trip to Montana and spend a couple of days there and head home. 

The week before we were to leave, Hubs found out that the wife of his Mission President (that sounds so removed, they need an official name like Mission Matron or Mission Mom) had passed away. Her funeral was to be in Manti the weekend before our trip to Montana. So we decided that we could add to our road trip a visit to Utah. 

Because of some already scheduled stuff we only had one day to get to Utah. So we decided that we would leave our house at 3am to get us to West Jordan where my brother lives by 9pm. I was really worried, but with a good game plan and an unexpected purchase the trip was actually amazing. We were really floored at how well the kids did. The only thing that I wish would have been different is that the kids would have fallen back to sleep after we got in the car at 3am. But alas, they did not. They both stayed awake for the next 7 hours. And all though there weren't any melt downs they were both a bit ornery until after they got their nap. I think Mac took two naps the entire 17 hour drive and Oak took one. There were no melt downs the entire trip, just alot of McDonald's ingested, alot of snacks eaten, alot of rest areas stopped at and a few movies watched.

The funeral was really good, from what I was able to listen to. I spent most of my time walking Oak around in and out of the church to keep her occupied. But Hubs said that the speakers were so great. I know that Gene R Cook spoke and a few other General Authority. President Gillespie was in the Second Quorum of the Seventy until he was called to be the Oklahoma City Temple President. 

There were about fifteen or so missionaries from Hubs's mission and they sang a beautiful rendition of Called to Serve for the funeral. We stayed for a bit after the funeral for the luncheon and Hubs was able to visit with old mission friends and we ate and were able to talk a bit to President Gillespie. One of the most heart wrenching parts of it all was watching President Gillespie finish getting his food from the buffet table and stop to look where to sit. Even though there were so many people there including alot of his family that it was the first time that he would not be looking for his sweet heart to sit by. I about broke down in tears. He is such a sweet man and gave each of us a tight hug and held our hand tight. He didn't have much to say, but you could feel his sadness at losing his sweet heart for just a little while, his joy in knowing that he would be with her again, and his gratefulness and love that we were there. 

You will have to excuse the terrible pictures, there was a smudge that I couldn't get off my lens. It was driving me nuts.

Waiting for her brother to get out of time out and she sat on this rock asked me to take a picture.

Mac had to be taken out and put in time out for acting super crazy during the funeral and not listening.

After the funeral I wanted to go look at the Manti Temple. I had never been there before. I hadn't realized what a small, beautiful town Manti is. 

That darn smudge. The kids really wanted nothing to do with the Temple. They just "sat" through a funeral it was past nap time, and it was hot. Not to mention that we had just driven 17 hours the day before and two hours to Manti that morning. 

But once Mac found the stairs he was all about hamming it up for the camera. 

And the best we could get with me and my kids...

Ya, they weren't having it.

After this we met my brother in a neighboring town to head to his log cabin up in the mountains.

So look for part 2.

Sunday Gratitude {my forever family}

I am grateful...

01.   that ONE YEAR AGO TODAY we were able to take our baby girl to the Temple and have her sealed to us FOREVER!!

02.    that the capstone of our adoption experiences gets to be kneeling across the alter from my true love just as it was the day we started our family together almost eleven years ago.

03.   that so many family and friends were able to be there to show their love and support at all three of our sealings.

04.  to be able to start the process to find our third miracle baby and remember that the ultimate goal is to have him/her forever.

05.   that after the news of so much heart ache and loss for family and friends this week, that they all have the knowledge that families CAN be forever and not just for this life.

06.   for my beautiful, smart, amazing children and that I am lucky enough to be their Mother.

07.  for the sacrifice that their amazing birth parents made for them...adoption truly is all about LOVE.

08.   to have our children's birth families as our extended family.

09.   that my parents and my husband's parents made the choice to be sealed in the Temple. What a great example they were and are.

10.  that we live close enough to the Temple that we can go often.

a decade...with eternity left!

To think we have been married for ten years is crazy. On one hand it is really hard to believe, because I don't feel that old and in hind-sight it seemed to go by fast. On the other hand it is easy to believe when I think about all that we have been through in ten years.

We have had the lowest of lows and the highest of highs (several of each of those) and every thing in between!

Hubs and I chose to be married in the Temple where we could be sealed to each other forever, not just until "death do us part".

Over these ten years we have had many huge events happen in our lives that have reaffirmed how important it is to us to live worthily so that we can keep those blessings that come from the covenants we made with each other and our Heavenly Father ten years ago.

We want our family to be FOREVER!

We want to see our sister B and our nephew N.

We want the beautiful children that we are and will be blessed with to be with us in the eternities!

I want this man I fell in love with and married ten years ago to be by my side forever.

I want NOTHING LESS!

Hubs,

Thank you...

for always loving me,

for being beyond patient with me,

for being my rock in our darkest days,

for holding me until I fall asleep,

for telling me you love me,

for kissing me after we pray,

for kissing me every morning when you get out of bed,

for kissing me every time you leave and come home,

for helping me when I need you,

for our 1.2.3.I.love.you signal,

for loving me no matter what I look like,

for listening to my rambling thoughts,

for holding my hand,

for being worthy to hold the priesthood,

for having a Temple recommend,

for coming home every night to us,

for being the man I want by my side forever,

and for being everything I need you to be!

I LOVE YOU Hubs!

  

Sealing photos...

A friend emailed me today reminding me that I hadn't posted our pictures from the Temple. I kindof forgot to post them here because I had already posted them on Oak's blog for her birth family.

We didn't do the professional photos this time because I didn't want another thing to stress about. I also knew that Mac would not cooperate for pictures, and that would stress me out too.

I ended up having a friend (who is a great photographer too!) shoot some photos of us, telling her that all I wanted is one good picture of us in white and one good picture of us in front of the Temple. Mac was such a goofball when she was taking our pictures in the atrium, that I didn't regret at all not getting professional pictures done.

These are my favorites and I have to say that I LOVE THEM!!!

Thanks A!

my beautiful FOREVER...

Beautiful Weekend!!

I don't have any pictures from the weekend yet because I didn't take any with my own camera. But I wanted to write down our experience and some thoughts from the weekend while I  had a chance, and I wanted to show some pictures. These pictures I actually took two months ago to use for some invitations to send to family for her Sealing and blessing. I will take her 5 months pictures this week and take some more of her in dressed in white, with her sweater added and a different flower in her hair. And I want to try to get a few of Mac dressed in white with her, he looked so handsome.

This dress Oak is wearing is my blessing dress. And even though I was 7 lbs when I wore it, it fit my baby girl at nearly 20 lbs. We just couldn't button the back, hehe! What a dream come true for me (and my mom) that my baby girl got to wear this to be sealed to us in the Temple and for her blessing. Also, this dress is very special because my Aunt Glenda made this for me. She passed away 5 days after Oak was born. I hope some day Oak will be able to have a baby girl to wear it also.

We had the most amazing weekend, and I really did not want it to end. Last night when I went to bed, because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I really did not want to go to sleep because it meant that the weekend was over. We had so many family and friends come and show their love and share in our special day. There were also many who were missed. My oldest sister Dana and my niece Paige flew in from Bakersfield. I haven't seen her in more than five years. I LOVED every second with her, it was so fun to be around her again. We also had some VERY dear friends, John and Amy, fly in just for the sealing and blessing. And it meant so much to us that they would take the time and effort to come. It was great to see them again and get to spend time with them. I also had another cousin who flew in from Idaho to be here for the sealing. And so many other friends and family who were there. I loved walking into the sealing room and seeing all of them.

Oh her smile kills me!

I spent the week stressing over how I thought Mac would act in the Temple. For those who have met my cute red head in person know how much energy he has and how goofy he can be. We spent the week preparing him for it and telling him what we were doing there and how he should act there. And let me tell you that kid proved me wrong up and down and I worried for NOTHING. He was more than perfect in the Temple!!! First off when you would ask him what we were going to the Temple for, he would say, "to make Oak forever!" Love that kid!

I was very pleased with how we were treated by the Temple workers this time around. The second we walked into the Temple and went to the recommend desk we were treated like the most special people on earth. (Completely opposite from when we took Mac a couple of years ago). When we dropped the kids off at the children's nursery Mac was totally fine with being there and they had a little doll house that he was immediately drawn to. He didn't even care that we had left. Oak is always happy baby, so I wasn't worried about her at all. The two women who took care of my babies were so wonderful and my kids LOVED them. We then left them there and went to do paperwork and get ready ourselves. We got ready so quickly that we were able to sit in the Celestial room for about 20 minutes. It was a great time to reflect on how we got there!

We then walked into the sealing room and as soon as we saw everyone, I started bawling, which I knew would happen. I think our Sealer might have been the same one we had for Mac's sealing. He was very sweet and kept on saying, "All will be well!" I can't even begin to describe my feelings of happiness and pure joy when they brought in my two babies. Mac walked in acting very shy and was pretty attached to the sister who had been watching him. He then saw me and told the sister he wanted to see his Mommy. And she looked at me and I nodded and he came calmly walking over to me and sat on my lap. Then it was time for us to be sealed to our beautiful baby girl, so Mac sat on my Mom's lap, who was sitting next to me.

As Hubs and I sat across from each other holding hands, they brought Oak up to us and placed her hand on ours. She looked at me then looked at Hubs and just stared and smiled at him. She didn't wiggle or cry. She was happy and content. She was beautiful! And at that moment, the power of the Priesthood sealed our baby girl to us FOREVER.

And our Mac didn't make a peep the whole time. He left easily with the sister that was taking care of him and with his head on her shoulder. I heard her tell him he could push the button for the elevator. It gave me great peace that he was being so well taken care of. We then got to hug every single person that came to support us, which brought more tears. We felt so loved!

We were able to go out to the Atrium still dressed in white and take some pictures with our beautiful children. Mac was a bit more excited and showing it. He was excited to see his buddy Rocky, and was running around with her chasing his cousin Paige. After pictures the lovely sisters took our kids to get them changed in to their dress clothes and we went and changed. Mac asked the sister if he could play some more down there and was excited about that. When we came back we were able to talk more with our family and friends as we waited for the kids again. After they came out we were able to go outside and take a few more pictures of us in front of the Temple.

We then go to go have lunch with some of our family and friends and visit more. Oak was passed around and loved and gushed on. I was able to drive down to our house with our friends John and Amy while Hubs drove home with our kids. It was so great to get to visit with them! They came down to stay at our house so they could attend Oak's blessing the next day. My sister Dana also came down to our house later that night. It was so nice to have our house full with family and friends that love us so much.

.

Sunday morning, in our Ward, Hubs was able to give Oak a Name and a Blessing. It was so beautiful and I am so grateful for a husband who is worthy to hold the Priesthood and bless our children. Hubs recorded it and I need to listen and type up the blessing.

After church we were able to have family over to for dinner to celebrate both Oak and Hubs's birthday. Hubs was so excited to be able to spend his birthday weekend having Oak sealed to us and to be able to give her a blessing. We are so very blessed in so many ways. I grateful every single day for my little family. My little family is truly a miracle in every sense! I am grateful for Heavenly Father's plan for us, and I am grateful that part of that plan was our children coming to us through the miracle and gift of adoption.

We love Oak's birthfamily so much! They are incredible! Her birthparent have made an incredible decision on behalf of Oak, they have sacrificed alot. Oak's birthgrandparents have been so supportive and loving of them. We are grateful that we get to have a relationship with them and that Oak will always know them. What a blessing it will be for her to have so many people to love her.