Welcome to our World

I will always be grateful to our friend, Barb, who introduced us to our favorite local lake when Meigo was just a puppy 6 whole years ago. I know this isn't the first post (or the last) of us at the lake, but my dad took some great pictures I just had to share. I'm grateful to have a father willing to help me take all 4 of my young ones there -- I wouldn't have the guts to do it alone.

Every summer our favorite nursery has a free petting zoo, hot dogs, & pop. After Kaelah & I went to Luke R's baptism, we changed clothes, grabbed Daddy & the babies, & headed on over. Danny is our more adventurous soul, & really helped Kaelah join in on the fun. Here he is by the piglet. And the kid. This Scottish Highland calf was soooo adorable... & the same age as Michelle. Danny didn't know what to think of the Dromedary camel. See mom, I know the difference between one hump & two! After this we dropped our tomato plant purchases off at home & headed to a bbq to say good-bye to a wonderful family who is moving away. Before we knew it, the babysitter arrived & it was time to go to the ball. It was a wonderful day, but funny how everything can pile up at the same time & then the Saturdays around it can be so dull. Whew. Makes me tired again just typing about it. lol.

Usually I throw away the free local magazine delivered in our mailbox every month. But since my husband & I realized we need to date each other now that we have 3 children, I hung on tight this time. I noticed an advertisement for a 1940s WWII Ball & it made the history loving part of me giddy. There was a USO style show with impersonators (Frank Sinatra was my favorite), swing lessons (with over 1,000 people in attendance we didn't get a turn), dancing, food, a sky dive jump, & the planes. Luckily my husband loves planes & there were plenty of them scheduled to be there. He even was willing to, and amazingly fit into, my grandfather's dress blues from World War II. (My grandfather was a full 6" shorter than Dan, so yeah, it's a magic uniform.) It helped that costumes were "strongly recommended" and part of the attraction for me to go. I'm glad we were able to pull off the outfits because there is nothing like having strangers comp...

Our little guy is a year old & it's so hard to believe it has only been 12 months since he entered our family. He's quite amazing, as most of the grandmothers we encounter at the park are sure to remind me. (: Danny is busy busy busy, and very good at moving around quickly & quietly... except for the all too familiar thunk you hear from toddlers who have only been walking for a month. But yesterday not only could he tell me "down" when he wanted down the stairs, but he can also go both up & down all by himself. He is also talking, saying "Meg" for Meigo, "Meh" for Michelle, "Kae" for Kaelah, ball, bubbles, dog, books, more, fish, this (the generic catch-all word), owie (when he is hurt), can scream for Mom at 1:00am, and tries to comfort Michelle when she cries by imitating Daddy's shush shush shush sound. Our pediatrician says, "developmentally he's an 18-month-old... not just surviving [our family situat...

We believe in the blessing of little children as Christ did in the scriptures. It is not a baptism, but rather to give them a name & blessings for their lives here on earth. I am so grateful my husband has been able to do this for our 3 children. They truly are lucky to have him as a daddy. Thank you, Alli, for letting us borrow your family's special dress. (Kaelah's wouldn't fit b/c we had to wait until she was over 6 months old & her adoption was finalized.) This is the best picture we could get after church. Makes me laugh, especially that Meigo volunteered to be in it. I had given up on her ever being in a family picture again when baby Danny came into our family a year ago. We were thrilled to have some of Dan's family there for the blessing. (Somehow Stacie's family managed to get away without posing for a formal picture that day.) I have the best in-laws in the world. Now how come the picture with 9 people in it turned out better than the one ...

If you've never been to the Boulder Bolder it is certainly worth the trip. I had really really wanted to run it last year & this year, but I always seem to have an excuse. This year's excuse was a happy little baby all day, so I can't complain: We parked at the 29th Street Mall & walked to Folsom Stadium. Strawberry popsicles, live music, & American flags were in abundance, along with runners who had just finished their 10k. The best part was enjoying a beautiful city in beautiful weather together as a family. And our family gets a lot of looks & commentary lately, especially if someone asks us how old our children are! Of course I am more than pleased to tell them of the blessings of adoption & our surprise of having Michelle. I am so grateful we could be a part of something huge & pay homage on Memorial Day to those who have served our country. At the stadium we got to watch sky divers with military branch flags & the American flag while ...

I am so impressed with Kaelah in the last few weeks. She seems to be growing up so fast all of a sudden. On May 11th she began going pee in the potty & now she has been completely accident free for a couple weeks (including using the toilet at the park & the mall). I didn't want to mention it sooner b/c I was afraid of jinxing it. And I wouldn't exactly say she is fully potty trained either... Kaelah requests a diaper whenever it is time to poop. Hey, that only happens once a day so I don't mind! We are so proud of her. I do feel a bit guilty, though. Right before she began using the potty on a regular basis, I had almost broken down & cried one day b/c I had changed soooo many diapers already that day. "Why don't you use the potty, Kaelah? I know you can do it & just choose not to." I didn't really expect her to listen to me... I was just having one of those almost-break down moments. I guess pure & raw emotion was the tri...