Beau is Older & Wiser

Beau had another birthday!  He's been pretty busy farming so we didn't get a lot of extra play time in, but luckily his birthday was on a Sunday and we were able to just relax and enjoy him at home for the entire day.

We were a little late to church because the girls slept in a little and then Evie just had to give Beau the birthday card she picked out for him.  I mean, the instant she woke up she was talking about his awesome card and there was NO WAY we were going to make it through church if she didn't give it to him right away.

The card actually has a pair of cowboy boots on it and when you push a little button they dance as the card plays, "Boot Scootin' Boogie."  Man, she thinks this card is the most awesome thing ever!  And, it truly is a fun card.

After church the girls helped Beau open the rest of his gifts.

Then, upon Beau's request, everyone took birthday naps.  Beau loves a good Sunday nap when he can get one.

While everyone was napping, I worked on a special birthday dinner for my man.  I made him ribs, corn on the cob, fruit salad, and sourdough bread.  It was super delicious and Beau was pretty darn pleased.

That evening Beau received some visits from various family members.

We enticed his dad and stepmom to stay and eat cake with us.  I made Beau an ice-cream cake . . . chocolate cake with a mint cookie ice-cream center.

Here we are singing "Happy Birthday" to Beau.
Evie may have snuck some licks beforehand.

Of course, Evie helped Beau blow out his candles.  They did a great job and I hope both of their wishes come true!

It was a fun and relaxing day.  I hope Beau knows how much we all love him.  He's the greatest!

Eleven Years

Beau and I have now been married for 11 whopping years!  I can hardly believe it myself.  We went on an awesome date to celebrate.  We went somewhere super nice for dinner.  We usually try to go somewhere we wouldn't normally choose to go and this is always a day that we feel like we can splurge (both in money and in calories).

We finished off the night with a couples massage at some fancy shmancy spa.  It was seriously awesome.  It felt good to be with my man one-on-one and it sure felt great to be pampered!

We have it good.  We really do.  We aren't perfect by any means, but we truly love each other and love creating a life together.  We have gone through a lot over the past 11 years and I'm grateful I've been through it all with my Beau.  I love him forever and ever and ever!

Run, Evie Run!

Whenever Evie finds out I've been up early for a race or a run she begs me to take her to a race too.  I told her I would find a race for her this summer and I did.  It just so happened that my Stake/Ward put on a fun run.  It was free and it started a little later (8am) than most races do, so I decided to take her.

Although it had a later start, we were still a little late (I must say that I'm happy my kiddos sleep past 8am most mornings).  We jumped on the race course anyways because we knew there was a big party at the end.

We had bought Evie her running shoes a little earlier this summer.  When she kept begging me to take her to a race I told her she would need some running shoes.  She full-on believes these shoes make her go so fast.  And, they totally do!  She ran about 1.5 miles straight.  She started out in the stroller because she was cold, but about a mile in she said she was ready to run herself.  She did awesome!

It was a chalk run.  The Young Women of our Stake threw colors at the runners at different spots along the course.  The colors all represented values that are taught in their program.  Because we were a little late to the actual race, we missed the chalk being thrown, but we were able to run through the colors on the trail.  Evie LOVED finding all the colors.  Here she is running through the red station which stands for Individual Worth.

We had a great time together as we ran.  I hope she continues to love being active because I would certainly take her as a running buddy any day!

Now I need to take her to an "official" race where she can actually get her own bib and a medal as she crosses the finish line.  That's going to be fun!

A Beautiful Sealing

Once Adeline's adoption was legally finalized, we could schedule a date to be sealed together as a family.  In our LDS beliefs, we believe that we can be "sealed together" for eternity.  Meaning . . . that life doesn't end at death, but that we can continue to live forever in heaven together as a family.

Sealing Adeline to us was something we have definitely been awaiting since the day she was born.  We love her SO much and want to be with her forever and ever . . . regardless of what happens to each of us here on Earth!  

This sacred ordinance is performed in our temples and it's symbolic that we all wear white.  White is a symbol of purity.

Once we were dressed, Evie said that all the girls looked like Angels and that daddy looked like Jesus.  Ha, ha!  She says the cutest things.  She absolutely LOVED being an angel!

I have to say that taking my children to the temple and having the sealing ordinance performed has been the crowning moment for the adoptions of both of our children.  This one seemed even more exciting because we have two children that we were able to take with us inside. 

It goes without saying that taking Adeline inside the temple was amazing!  These sweet babies are so close to heaven still, and without a doubt, Addie's little spirit was able to recognize all that was happening.  She was calm and extra happy/smiley as she was with us in the temple and in the sealing room.  This is saying something because she is a true mommy's girl and she was still so happy and calm without me around.   

And Evie . . . I have to say it was so beautiful to watch a 3-year-old Evie get ready to go to the temple.  She has been thrilled for WEEKS!  She has always loved the temple since she was old enough to recognize it (every time we drive by a temple she squeals in delight).  When we bought her temple dress she just couldn't wait to go to the temple.  We seriously had multiple meltdowns because it wasn't the right day to go.  I mean, how can a 3-year-old truly grasp the concept that she can only go inside the temple on one particular day?  I gotta say, while they were meltdowns, I couldn't have been more pleased with what they were about.  She loved her temple experience.  She was an absolute doll the entire time she was in there.  

These two girls love each other so much.  Evie LOVES to make her baby sister laugh, she helps me with her at home, and she loves to show her off to everyone.  Going to the temple with her baby sister was so exciting to Evie.  And, Addie truly loves her Evie.  Oh, how Evie can make her smile, laugh, and brighten up her day.  These sisters are meant to be together . . . and now they are together forever!

It was awesome to walk out of the temple as a full, forever family!  

It was also awesome to share this special event with our extended family.

Addie's Birth Mother was able and excited to be here for this event too.  I love her so very much as, clearly, we wouldn't have our Adeline if Marissa hadn't followed the spirit and placed Addie in our family.  It meant the world to me to have Marissa here for Addie's sealing.  She has been so respectful to our family and what it means to be our own little family unit.  Her support and love have meant so much to me.  She even said that she didn't want to miss this special day.  This was everything she wanted for Adeline . . . to be sealed to her family forever.  It was an honor to have her there with us and to help celebrate such a blessed event.

Marissa and Adeline

Afterwards, we all went to dinner to continue in the celebrations.  I seriously cannot even bring the right words out to express the love I have for my sweet baby Adeline.  I mean really. . . how can a mother adequately express her love for her children?  It's impossible.  Simply impossible.  But, I can say that I look at the following pictures and get emotional every time I see it.  I love holding this baby in my arms, I know she was always meant to be my daughter, and we have a special bond that is unexplainable.  I love my Addie baby and she loves me.  And, we're now stuck together forever.  How lucky and blessed am I!?

Adeline Is Official

Well, Adeline is officially and legally our daughter in the US courts.  In the state of Utah we cannot finalize adoptions for six months.  We have had physical custody of sweet Addie, but not legal custody of her.  Because Utah is so family friendly and such a huge advocate for children's rights, they have a 6-month waiting time to finalize the adoption.  This six months is used to ensure that the children who are placed for adoption are truly being well cared for, loved, and have bonded with their families.

That all being said, the day we brought Adeline home was the day we adopted her in every sense.  When we adopted her we knew we would love her to pieces, care for her unconditionally, and provide for her needs.  She was truly our daughter before she was even born.  Thus, the 6 month waiting time was exactly that . . . a waiting time that we awaited so we could have her legally recognized as our daughter.  So, although the official Finalization is more a formality to us . . . it is also a GREAT excuse to celebrate her life and the blessing she is in our family.

Here we are waiting for the judge to show up in court.

All went well with the judge.  He was able to verify that we were great parents for Adeline and that she was in a safe and loving home.  He approved!

Here's our little family after the proceeding.
The judge was very kind to let us get a picture with him.

We invited our parents to attend the finalization.  They were excited to be there.  We also invited Addie's Birth Mom and she was also thrilled to have been invited and she came.  She didn't want to miss this important event in Addie's life.  It was a blessing to be with those we love as we legally finalized Addie's adoption.

Addie is loved by so many and we're blessed to have her "officially" in our family.  We celebrated the event by going out to breakfast.  This was such a happy day!

Independence Day Fun

We had a great time this year when the 4th of July came around.  Beau went on an overnight pack/camp trip the night before leaving on the 3rd and returning home the afternoon of the 4th.  He had a GREAT time!

Here's Beau on his horse with his pack mule behind him.

He went with his brother, Chance.  Here's Chance on Bella.

These brothers had a great time.

While we at home waited for daddy to return we spent some time with my family participating in their traditional events.

We met up with the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma and grandpa for breakfast.

Here's Evie (far right) with her cousins Mollie and Carter.

Here we are waiting to eat breakfast.

We then all met up at the pool for some swimming time.

Daddy then got home and we all went to a neighborhood BBQ and party together.  Evie has seriously hated the fireworks every year thus far because her hearing is so sensitive and the all the pops, cackles, and whistles have sent her into tears.  This year she really wanted to love the fireworks, but the noise was still too much.  She would watch a street firework and cover her ears until it was over.  She loves to watch them, but hates to listen to them.  

Thus . . . the sparklers quickly became a HUGE favorite this year.

We had a great time.  We are lucky to live here in the USA.  We have a lot of comforts that many people in the world can only dream about.  We are blessed people!

And . . . I feel extra blessed to have these babies!  I love them to pieces.

Adeline at 6 Months

I seriously feel like these past six months have flown by.  I also think that Addie is in the middle of a growth spurt because I pick her up in the morning and can tell that she's grown overnight (for reals!).  I love that she's growing healthy and strong, but why SO fast!?  This is a stage I do wish would go in slow motion.  She's so much fun right now, so sweet, sleeping more at night, and so happy.  Oh, how I love this baby girl!

Here's what she's doing now:

• She's getting much more consistent on sleeping through the night.  She'll now give me 8-11 hours most nights.  Occasionally she'll wake up sooner and want to be fed in the night, but that's happening a lot less now days.
• She's still eating about 4-5 ounces at each feeding, and will still eat 6 ounces before bed.  
• She started grabbing her toes a month ago, but now she'll grab them and often suck on them.  It's such a cute baby thing to do, isn't it?
• She's definitely mastered the rolling.  She can pretty much roll or scoot to where she wants to be. If she sees something she wants, she can get to it now.
• She is super grabby.  She wants to grab and/or touch anything that's in front of her.  This goes for toys, but it also goes for anything else.  For instance. . . if I'm holding her while eating, she'll go for my plate/cup/silverware/food.  
• She's really starting to put things in her mouth.  She particularly loves to try out the texture of fabrics.  If her binkie is missing, she'll just chew on her blanket.  :)
• She is definitely a tummy baby.  I've never seen a baby love to be on her tummy like she loves it.  She is most comfortable there.  She'll play on her tummy and loves to sleep on her tummy.
• Because she loves to sleep on her tummy, she is no longer swaddled.  Being tucked in tight didn't allow her to roll to her tummy and she would get so frustrated.  So, we ditched the "Miracle Blanket" and swaddling and she sleeps a ton better on her tummy.  It made us nervous at first, but she is sleeping great and can adequately move around so she should be just fine.
• She loves "Peek-a-Boo" now.  It's fun to pull out the smiles with this tactic.
• She can't sit without support yet, but she is definitely getting stronger in this area.  She can sit with little support, but she definitely still needs support.
• She looks for dropped objects now.
• She's SO close to having the gross/fine motor skills to grab her binkie and put it back in her mouth by herself.  She practices a lot during the day.  She gets it sometimes, but most times I end up helping her.  This is the same with her bottle.
• We started putting her in the bumbo.  She doesn't love it.  She'll sit it in for a little bit, but ultimately would prefer to be on the floor and on her tummy with toys.  
• She does however, still like the swing.  She's pretty darn close to outgrowing that thing, but I'll keep her swinging for as long as she'll fit.
• She still loves to be held.  More than anything this is what she prefers.  She loves that one-on-one interaction.  All you have to do is tell this little sweet pea how pretty she is and she's as happy as can be.