Lightning McQueen!

My INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, PERFECT husband surprised me and took me to see my family out of state. We packed up the car after we both got home from work on a Friday and drove through the night to surprise my family for the weekend. It was one of those weeks where I just needed a big hug from my mom, to hear my sister's contagious laugh, and to be there in the morning when my nephew wakes up and gives me the kind of hug that makes any heart melt.

My nephew is arguably the most adorable little boy out there. He is almost 3 and worships the Disney movie, "Cars". He has every character car from the movie, some he has multiples of, and says "Liiiiightting McQueen" cuter than you can imagine. I just so happen to drive a red car and my nephew is convinced that it's the lifesize version of Lighting McQueen. In the picture about, Alex let him sit in the passenger seat of "Lighting McQueen" for a few minutes and I think my nephew's smile says it all. You would think he was at Disney World or something!

What would we do without family......

Morning Rain

I just love waking up to the sound of rain. I love to pull back the curtains above my bed & look out to see hundreds of rain drops bouncing off the window pane. For some reason, the sound is so soothing to me. I love when it rains on Sundays especially- we go to church and then get in our comfy clothes and "vedge" out. We like to get our comforter blanket and bring it out to the front room, turn on a good movie, and drink our diet cokes while listening to the rain. I look forward to days like these.

I went out to our backyard to check on our puppy (well, he's almost 3 now, but he has such a puppy face that you'd never know the difference). Dodge, our boxer, was sprawled out on the patio, chewing at his brand new leather collar! This is probably the 4th or 5th collar he has gone through. He is extremely smart and always seems to find his way out of it. Take a look at the pic above-do you see the little piece of his collar hanging on the end? That's Dodge for ya.

Well today we are going over to Alex's family's house for Sunday dinner and ice cream.

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday as well. We are thinking of you!

Until we meet.....

A great joy is coming....

First off, I must apologize for the delay between now and my last blog. I can honestly understand now what it means when people say, "time flies when your having fun"! These last few months have been packed with paperwork, visits to the adoption agency, family visits, and what else-work. We completed our last adoption class, which brought a mixture of feelings-a sense of excitement & anticipation that one finish line, of many to come, had been finally crossed; a feeling of sadness because Alex and I had made so many wonderful friends; and a feeling of hope of what was to come next. We are thrilled to FINALLY have our profile online & are excited to have so many amazing birth mothers out there who get to learn about us.

I will do my very best to keep this blog as up to date as I can from now on!

In the picture above, I'm hanging out with my older sister while visiting her and her family. Her and I are especially close & we love getting together for barbeques, movie nights, or picking up dinner at Red Robin! Vacation with my family is always such a blast. I'm not one of those people that needs alot to make me happy or to make things fun. Just being around good people, taking it easy, is when I'm most happy!

The picture next to my sisters, was taken at my birthday party thrown for me by my in-laws. It was a surprise from my husband-what a great guy! I always feel so lucky when I look into those kind eyes of his.

The last picture is of me and my precious niece. She is my little buddy and I look forward to her sweet smile everytime we got to visit. She is so tender to his younger sister, and does so much to help her Mom and Dad. Many days, when I have been feeling down or discouraged, she always seems to know what to say or when to give a hug. I believe all children have the sense of understanding; they may be small, but they have a way of seeing straight through to your heart.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. We have supportive & incredible parents and siblings who I know, has shaped Alex and I into the people we are today.

To anyone reading this, I hope you have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

Stay tuned....

Smiles and Sunshine

I had the privilege this past Saturday to speak at my cousin's baptism & I have to say- I was so nervous! My adorable neice called me last month & asked me to speak on "Baptism". It has been quite some time since I reflected on my own baptism, the feelings I had, and the excitement I felt as I took my first big step as a member of the church. My niece and I have shared a very special friendship since she was tiny, and I felt honored to play a small role in her baptism day. As I watched her parents look at her with pride, love, and the bittersweet realization that their last child was now baptized, you see their eyes glaze over for a moment as they ponder on where the time's gone & how their little ones are growing up so fast. I feel so much gratitude to be witness to those moments & I look forward to becoming a mother someday and sharing in that kind of love with my children.

Speaking of children, the adoption process continues to move forward & even though the paperwork seems endless and each day that passes feels like a day lost, I anticipate the moment we recieve the call telling us our family is going to grow. I look out my window, feeling the warmth of the sun & staring up at the blue sky, and I immediately feel comforted; I have all of this beauty around me & am blessed in so many ways by my Heavenly Father everyday.

Sundays at Our House

I love Sundays... the smell of Alex's perfect pot roast, taking Dodge (our boxer puppy) for walks around the neighborhood, an afternoon sports game (football season is our favorite), and of course-going to church!

I have always loved Sundays & I owe it to my Mom. There was always a special feeling in our home on Sundays. I would wake up to the sound of church music playing, my mom would be in the kitchen getting the afternoon roast in the oven, and I remember the Spirit always feeling especially close on Sundays.

Alex has his own family "Sunday traditions" too! Every Sunday, growing up, they would attend church together and when they would get home, he and his 2 brothers would have Sunday dinner assignments. Alex's family has a huge garden out back, so the boys would be in charge of picking potatoes and vegetables from the garden. It's cool because on Sundays, the men cook and clean up the meals. It can't get any better than that! They like to play games together and eat lots of dessert.

We like to combine our family traditions in our home and create a few new ones along the way.

Faith in His timing

I'd like to start out by saying how truly grateful I am for my Savior, our Savior. I can truly testify to His mercy & His love for each and every one of us. I know how crazy this may sound, but I'm especially thankful for my trials; whether private or public. I say this because during those moments, I feel my Savior's love and His support especially close.

Today brought with it a bittersweet moment, one that I have felt many times before and know will continue to be a challenge for me. A co-worker and friend of mine has been trying to get pregnant for the last 8 months or so. She came into work today announcing that she just found out she was expecting! I'm immediately overcome with a mixture of feelings in those first few seconds. I am so happy, sincerely happy for my friend; but I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard at the same time. I immediately turn to my Heavenly Father for comfort and help; I don't turn to Him for an explanation or to ask "Why not me?" (at least not anymore :) . I turn to Him because He knows better than I; because He knows how I am feeling; and because He has a plan for Alex and myself. "Faith in God includes faith in His timing."
My mom has always taught me that the best way to get over the blues, is to get out there and serve someone else!
This friend of mine is just that-a friend and one who deserves all the happiness that pregnancy brings!
I had a fun idea come to mind so I ran to the store and picked up a few pregnancy essentials: prenatals, baby magazines & catalogs, and some munchies. Hope she enjoys it!

For any birth mother reading this now, I want you to know how excited I am for each one of you!