a day...

at the beach! umm...I mean coast!

We knew the weather was supposed to be nice so we headed to the coast today! And so did everyone else and their dog. It looked like a holiday weekend at the coast today! Hundreds of motorcycles, old classic cars and people everywhere.

It wasn't too cold, but very windy! But it was worth it!

I love making memories like this with my little family!

A rare sighting! A picture of Mac and I! I love it!







Mac loved being in the water! I guess he wasn't too tramatized from me letting him fall in last time.

Another rare sighting...a picture of just me!

Isn't he cute!

Mac got buried by Daddy!

oh brother!

This is how our days have started and ended every day this week!

I think it is time to box up a good portion of these toys, don't you think?

all smiles...

This was a rare moment for me to actually capture my cute smiley boy on camera. For the last six months or so he has refused to look at the camera and totally ignores me when I try to coax him into to looking. But in our day of crabbiness and melt downs yesterday he decided he would smile and look at the camera for me. It melted my heart! He is also just looking so big and growing too fast. My baby is slipping away, and it makes me sad because I don't know if I will ever have the chance to have a baby in my arms again that I can call my own.

my boy!

for my children...

Mac looking at the Christus at the Idaho Falls Temple Visitor Center ~ April 2009

With it being Mother's Day today, I thought it appropriate to share this list that Hubs and I have been compiling for awhile. It is our own guidelines in how we hope to raise our children. These are all things that we have talked about over the years as we watched others raise their children. This list is by no means complete, I am sure that I will always come up with more. And no doubt I will probably fail at a majority of these, but I need the reminder. So my plan is to type this list up in a beautiful way to frame it and put it some where that will allow me to be reminded often.

• Be an example
• Teach with love
• Teach respect, do not demand it
• Create memories
• Speak kindly
• Love unconditionally
• Be happy, and not negative
• Set reasonable expectations
• Always make time for them
• Build strong relationships
• Learn from natural and applicable consequences
• Do not let my own pride get in the way of loving my children
• Never just say "no". Always give a legit reason for saying no.
• Teach them that they are Children of God
• Teach them to be like our Savior
• Use positive praise when ever possible
• Help build their self esteem and never put them down
• Make them feel that it is ok to come to us when they are in trouble or have questions
• Continually teach them the Gospel
• Prepare them to have their own eternal family someday

HOME!

We are finally HOME! It feels so good to be out of the car!

Mac was great both driving to Utah and back home. He is now staying the night at Grandpa and Grandma's so that we can go to Portland in the morning, more driving ugh, but for a VERY good reason.

Details and pictures of everything coming some time this week. Along with catch up of all our trips before this.

Now for the unpacking, laundry and cleaning!

Monday-Monday!

Not sure that these pictures really need any words!

One will do for now:

JOY!

We got into the kitchen drawer...


We pulled everything out and played with it...

We tore up the phone book, because who even looks at those anymore...

We played with a red bandana...

We also played with every car and truck we had...

We watched a little bob the builder...

We helped Mommy put the diapers away in the basket...

We read some books...

We looked so cute Mommy wanted to smother him in kisses...

We tried on our new boots...

pantsless of course...

we did a little climbing...


and backpack wearing...

we even found a much better use for the block basket...

Things Mac ~ 16 months

• He is still a great talker. He LOVES to talk.

• He knows what sounds the letters A, B, C, D, M, W and sometimes S make, when asked.

• He is starting to put two words together: "no bampa", "hi car-car"

• He can tell if you give him a book upside down and will turn right side up on his own.

• He did awesome on our plane rides last week. Slept the entire time on the way to Spokane and was such a good boy, and awake on the way home.

• He knows when we are home, and when we pull in the drive way will look at me and say "home",

• He has figured out what keys are for, he loves to put them up to the door handle.

• It seems that he is getting to be a pickier eater than ever. And of course his favorite things have milk in them.

• When he gets up in the morning he is usually grouchy until he gets a full sippy of milk and a bowl of instant oatmeal.

• Last night when we were having our cuddle time right before bed, he was so tired that he ended up falling asleep in my arms. WOW! LOVED it!

• Next week we will get to visit C. And we are so excited! I can't wait for her to see how he is grown!

• He fell down the stairs (only two steps) at my friends house and fell right on his forehead on the tile floor.

• He is now at the stage of continuous bruises on his forehead. He has had at least two on his head at a time for a couple of weeks now.

• He is getting his 14th and 15th tooth, both canines, one on top and the other on bottom (he already has one canine on the bottom). After he gets his last one he will be done until his two year molars come in.

• He is doing much better at playing in nursery (just for play time). Only 7 more weeks until he can go in full time. I am thinking it will be a pretty smooth transition.

• He can tell the difference between a car and a truck. He still says "k-k" for truck and he says "ca" for car.

• today when I told him to sit down on his chair, he said "bum-bum". Daddy always tells him to sit on his bum-bum.

That's our boy, growing up so fast, and so smart!

He is our life!

away...

 ...he is all mine!

Hubs and I went on a little get away to the coast/lake, to celebrate our anniversary and the end of busy season. We stayed at the family lake house that is near the coast, the weather was beautiful. We left Mac with my parents, left him for the first time. We had a great time, and Mac was very well taken care of.

We poked around downtown Florence. We went to our favorite beach, Sunset Bay. We looked at tide pools. We went to a beautiful garden near by. We ate at the Mill Casino. We watched movies. We went to a Historical Museum for the Coos Bay area. We went on a walk. We ate chips and salsa. We took naps and slept in. And called to check on Mac at least 5 times a day, it was only to help keep my sanity.

It was delightful and relaxing!

EIGHT years...

This picture looks like it was taken 50 years ago, but really it was just eight.

(sorry for the bad picture, it is a picture of a picture and the only one I could find.)

Ode to Eight Years...

two people, one wedding.

5 years of school: one bachelors in finance and one masters in accounting.

lived in 4 cities and two states: 6 moves, 3 apartments, 3 duplexes, zero houses.

12 different jobs between the two of us: Hubs-8, Me-4

6 Wards, 1 Branch

14 months living away from our family and friends.

4 cars, still have two.

lost two family members very tragically.

7 months of foster-respite care to a sweet, beautiful ,little girl.

6.66 years childless, with millions of tears.

8 months of fertility treatments: one surgery, 2 failed IUIs, thousands of dollars spent.

3 months of paperwork for Adoption: 5 months to be "chosen", 5 months of waiting.

one amazing selfless women, one beautiful miracle baby boy, OUR SON.

16 months of parenthood: one sweet baby that is now one sweet toddler.

millions of tears, smiles, laughs, hugs, kisses and blessings.

one very amazing husband!

...and ETERNITY to go!

going on vacation...

I haven't felt like blogging much...hence the lack of blog posts lately.

But I wanted to quickly get down some of the things we have done in the last week or so.

I will be gone alot the next couple of weeks, so I will be blogging even less than I have the last month. But when I get back I will for sure be sharing about all the trips we have taken.

Last weekend, General Conference weekend we spent at my parents house. The weather was so nice and warm. Did alot of rides in my dad's 31 Model A Ford. Spent alot of time out side, and watched as much conference as we could. Took some pictures but will share later.

Got to meet our new new adorable nephew, hopefully I will get the chance to take some newborn shots of him soon.

Spent the day in shorts and outside last Monday. Found a beautiful park full of Blossoming Magnolia trees.

Mac and I invited a friend to go to the coast with us for the day. I thought the weather would be much nicer, and I was wrong. So the coast was basically a bust. But I do get a "Mother of The Year" Award for letting Mac fall down in the cold ocean water. Thankfully I was fully prepared for anything and had a change of clothes for him and the trusty baby powder to get all the sand off. The highlight was getting to talk alot with my friend Angie. Her and her husband will be approved to adopt very soon. I am so excited for them.

Wednesday, my niece Brenna flew into town. So I went and spent Thursday and Friday at my parents house to hang with her. She then came down and stayed the night with us on Friday night and spent the day with us on Saturday.

We watched two movies, Seven Pounds and Marley and Me. Loved them both!

Tried to get to an Easter egg hunt on time, but no luck. But did meet up with my friend Brynne and Mac enjoyed running around with Brenna chasing him.

We have been house hunting and Saturday went and looked at some Hayden Homes. Very beautiful!

Mac got a cute dog from Build-A-Bear from his Grandma Cammy.

Easter Sunday was a little chaotic and mostly not so fun. Spent most of the day without Hubs because of his meetings, so we never got a family picture. Mac looked pretty handsome in the outfit that his cousin Brenna got him. Mac was awful at church! And only did well through most of Sacrament meeting because I brought the bribe food: oreos and goldfish! Hubs split the back of his pants at church and had to run home and change (he is going to kill me for posting that). Not a big deal since the suit pants were at least 5 years old. I had a migraine by the end of church. We went home and waited for Hubs to finish his duties at church. Then headed to my parents house for dinner and to say goodbye to Brenna.

Mac took the Sacrament for the first time yesterday.

Mac has been way more cuddly and loving the last two weeks or so. I am loving it. After our bedtime routine Hubs would usually put him in his crib after I gave Mac kisses. Now Mac wants me to hold him and cuddle him before he goes down at night. I love it. He will put his head down on my shoulder and just lay there. This is unheard of from Mac. He has also at times sat on our lap and cuddled for five or more minutes at a time.

This week (the 14th) Hubs and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary! Busy season ends for Hubs on the 15th and then next day we will leave Mac (for the very first time) with my parents and go to the coast for a couple of days.

Next Monday Mac and I will be flying to Spokane to visit my friend for five days.

The beginning of May we will be driving to Utah with my parents to visit my brothers. They have never met Mac. We are also hoping to meet up with C, Mac's birthmother. We haven't seen her since last August. I am so excited to see her and for her to see how big Mac is getting.

As soon as we get back from Utah, Hubs's brother will be going through the Temple for the first time. He is getting married in June.

welcome...

T. M.April 3, 2009
6 lbs. 12 oz.

Hubs's sister and her family welcomed this adorable little guy last Friday.

We were lucky enough to go and see him (and S) on Saturday.

Oh, he is seriously adorable, with lots of hair.

Perfect and healthy and home today with his family.

Big brother, S was pretty set on naming him Moses.

Congrats to S & J

and big sisters, H & A

and big brother, S and just some more that I took, that I thought were pretty cute...