Brent, Suzanne, and Brody

22 Months and Counting

2012-01-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to think that in less than 2 short months our little guy will be 2-years-old!

Here are a few fun facts about Brody at 22 months:

He's beginning to expand his vocabulary (a little bit). He still talks a lot, but much of it we can't decipher, however, these are a few of the words he is saying that we can understand:

"All gone" (ah duh)

"Ow!" (when he doesn't want to do something he uses this one. For example, I was in the grocery store parking lot a few weeks ago trying to buckle him in his car seat, and he was yelling, "Ow, ow, ow!" I'm sure the people around us thought I was beating my child in the back seat- lovely!

"Me", or "Mine"

"NO" --very clearly

"Hi"

"Bye"

"Thank you" (ah dee)

"Grandma/pa" (am ah)

"Right there" (ri der)- he points where he wants you to put his food on his high chair tray, or when he wants you to sit by him and play.

"Don't"

"What's that?"

"Whoa," or "Whew"

"Huh?" He says this often, and not because he's hard of hearing, I think he just likes us to repeat ourselves.

"Daddy" (Da- ee). This is his favorite word.

He's also become a great tantrum thrower. Thankfully the tantrums do not come often because they are brutal. He lays on the floor, kicks, SCREAMS, and occasionally smacks himself in the head. I pray this stage doesn't linger, but we haven't even made it to two yet, so I know better.

Brody is a very loving boy, and loves to offer hugs, and kisses to Brent and I. Most every time we ask, he's quick to give one, and often spontaneously. I love it!

He's also concerned, and caring. If he sees me leaned over doing something with my hair in my face, he will come over to me and brush my hair out of my face. Although, concerned and caring aren't always the words I would use to describe him. He has woken me before by sitting on my throat, and pinching my nose!

He's obsessed with pictures we have around the house, and loves to point at the people in them while we repeat their names to him over, and over.

Another obsession that has continued since he was old enough to recognize them, is animals. Cows more specifically, but animals generally.

Brody's still shy around strangers, and if they get too much in his space, it makes him cry. Once he warms up, however, the shyness disappears, and he loves to be the center of attention.

He mimics things he sees Brent and I do, or sees on TV. One day I was trying to get him to wind down for a nap, and I turned on the movie "Marley and Me." He saw the husband and wife smooch, so he took his binky out of his mouth, and smooched his hand a couple of times. He makes me laugh.

As for his binky, he pretty much only uses it during nap time, bed time, and in the car. We're trying to slowly wean him from that habit. It's going to be hard to get rid of it completely- he's very attached to his binky, and his silky blankets. As for a bottle he's pretty much done with it. Occasionally he asks for one, and so we give in (or we get desperate at nap time, and a bottle still helps him fall asleep). I didn't see what the hurry was to yank it away at 1 yr. as recommended. He eats well, can drink out of a normal cup, and when he wants a bottle, I figure he's getting more milk, and more calcium. So what's the harm? None in my opinion.

He's starting to develop those odd fears that kids do- totally irrational.

One of his fears is of this thing. . .

Kind of humorous, but sad at the same time. He got this Santa ball in his Christmas stocking (which I thought he would dig because he loves balls), and it freaked him out when he reached in his stocking and felt this jelly ball with tentacles. Since then, the fear hasn't subsided, and I mean, true fear. He runs from it with a look of total panic on his face.

Brent was feeling mean (maybe desperate is a better word) and used it as a booby trap one night to prevent Brody from trying to escape bed-time by stationing it by the door. I came in later, and tripped over it as I opened the door, and quietly had to chuckle. As for bed-time, he's become a stinker when it comes to this.

Speaking of, it's 10:00 pm, and I can still hear him chatting in the bedroom while Brent is trying to "sshhh" him, and reason him in to staying in bed.

Yes, Brody is back in our bed full time. He used to start out in his bed, and then would awaken, and end up in ours. Now he refuses to lay down in his bed at all, or even go in his room at bedtime. This started after he was sick with croup mid-December, when Brent and I spent three nights in a row, up ALL night taking turns holding him in the rocking chair next to the humidifier, or walking the house, or standing in front of the screen door rocking him (supposedly the cool air is supposed to help). It was awful, by the way. I didn't know croup could be so terrible, and scary--it's sad to hear your 1 1/2 year old struggle to breath, see him panic when he can't catch his breath (I relate it to trying to breathe through a straw), and hear his horrible barky cough (it literally sounded like a seal barking). One ER visit, steroids, antibiotics (there was worry it was developing into pneumonia),a visit to the dr.'s office, and a weeks worth of nebulizer breathing treatments, and Brody was finally back to his normal self. Yuck, I hate it when he gets sick.

Back to the not sleeping in his own bed thing. . .

I know, we're bigger than he is, and some people say we should lay down the law, and make him sleep in his own bed, and we've actually tried to let him "cry it out", but that just ended up really sad, and a big mess. He's the kid that when he cries for an extended period, he gets all "mucous-y," and then gags and throws up. Yep, and that's what happened. Sorry for the gross details.

We've also accidentally let him "cry it out" when the batteries to the baby monitor went dead. The next morning (early) when we realized we didn't hear him, and went to check on him, our persistent little boy was still standing in his crib, half asleep, swaying, legs buckling, his hands with a death grip on on the side of the crib, and his shirt soaked from tears. SAD. We don't have the heart to MAKE him stay in his own bed, and truthfully we don't totally mind it. We sort of like having him snuggled next to us- we waited long enough for him, so we might as well spoil him a little. We just need a bigger bed.

Another ridiculous fear of Brody's is lint, or floaties in the bath tub. You know, like sock lint from between his toes. He FREAKS out about it, and screams, hugs my neck, and tries to climb out of the tub, away from the scary floaties. I try to de-lint his toes prior to getting him in the tub, and scoop out any that may end up there anyway. I've tried bubbles to camouflage any "floaties," but none of these work. If he spots even the tiniest thing in the tub, he's done. I'm even going to have to get a new rubber bath mat for the tub (since he insists on standing up the majority of his bath) because it has tiny tears in a couple spots that resemble a floaty. Oh boy, I have no words. All I can say is kids are funny creatures.

He's full of mischief, and tests the limits. All boy. We love him, and it's hard to get mad at that face, but we realize that consistency is important at this stage so we try to "stick with it."

He's still a good eater, but is becoming a little more hesitant at trying new things. We used to be able to put anything in front of him, and he would go for it. Now, he gingerly tastes something new, and is starting to refuse a few things. Some of his favorites are: cottage cheese, cheese, popsicles, pancakes, french toast, most fruits and vegetables, chicken nuggets, lasagna, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, but he's not much of a meat, or bread guy.

One day, I was eating a bowl of shredded wheat cereal, and he insisted on trying some. I was pretty certain he wouldn't like it, but he was insistent so I gave him a bite. He chewed it for a few seconds, then pulled a funny face, leaned back over my bowl, and spit it back in!- Delish!!

He's (usually) very good at picking up his toys when we ask him to.

If Brent, or I get in the shower, and happen to leave our dirty clothes on the floor, by the time we get out Brody has picked them up, and disposed of them in the dirty clothes hamper. Such a good helper!

We're getting ready to start thinking about potty training. We have all the necessary paraphernalia, and I guess we're just waiting for a good time to give it a try. A few nights ago after Brody's bath, we didn't have a diaper in the bathroom, so Brody and I ran across the hall to his bedroom to get one. While I was getting his PJ's and diaper, I heard splashing on the carpet behind me. Sure enough Brody was peeing on the floor, with a perplexed look on his face, just watching, wondering what was going on.

Brody loves to laugh, and is finding his sense of humor.

Too bad Brent has taught him that farting is humorous. Ok, it is a little when it's Brody, just not so much when the BIG boy does it.

This weekend Brody woke up one morning, and ripped one in bed. . . and he thought it was hilarious.

He often gets the giggles, and then we all get the giggles just listening to him.

The only thing I would change is to slow down time. It's going by waaay to fast, and I wish I could push pause. I love being a mom, Brody's mom.

Aunt Inez

2012-01-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

On January 6, an angel returned Home. Her mission here on earth was complete. The world is a bit more sad without her, but she was needed for bigger, and better things.

(Inez Elna Teuscher Zeller 9-19-19 to 1-6-12)

"Aunt I-ness," or "Aunt Iney," or "Auntie I" (she had many names we used to refer to her) was my grandmother's sister (Mom's side). She didn't have children of her own so we adopted her. . . or she adopted us. Which ever way it was, it was mutual. We all loved her. In fact, everyone who met her loved her, she made friends easily. I'm going to miss that unbridled, contagious laugh of hers. She had such a sense of humor, and was always quick to laugh. She was fun, and witty. She could keep up with the best of my dad's razzing, and always had a comeback. She lost her husband, Hank, way too early (1970), never remarried, and was alone for too many years. But this didn't slow her down, or give her cause to mope. She amazed me with her endless energy, and zest for life. If this tells you anything, she played on a bowling league well into her 80's! I also loved how she would get so fired up watching the Utah Jazz. She was very social, and loved to socialize with her friends, and sisters.

My favorite---Aunt Inez lived just blocks from Grandma, and Grandpa's house, and would bring the newspaper over to them every morning. There wasn't a door bell at their back door, so each morning she would let herself in and yell, "yooou hoooo" in a melodic way. I can hear it now, and it makes me smile.
I have good memories of sitting on Grandma and Grandpa's back porch with Aunt Inez, Mel, Mom, the cousins, and my Aunt Nancy snapping beans, and shelling peas from their gigantic garden for what seemed like hours. Our fingers would be green, and our bellies sick from eating too many peas. Grandma always warned us not too eat to many, but they were so good.

I can remember her, and Grandma, and Grandpa coming to see us in Pocatello often. We would usually go to the mall and do some shopping, and I remember her always going to ZCMI to buy Este Lauder perfume. She enjoyed nice things, her hair was always "put up" perfectly, her lipstick on, and adorned with bling! "Classy" is a good word to describe her. She loved jewelry, and had quite the collection. At the same time she was generous, kind, caring, and extremely thoughtful. After Grandma died, she would check on Grandpa twice each day, and call to check on him before bed. (I'm sure Grandma appreciated her for that). She was right by Grandma's side when she was sick with cancer, and I have recently learned she sometimes stayed the night to be there for her.
She was a worrier. Just like Grandma. Just like me-- I know where I get it.

I remember taking a trip with her and Grandma, Mom, and Melanie to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square. Anytime Grandma, and Inez were together, you can bet there was MUCH laughter, and story telling. On this trip we laughed so hard our guts hurt as we listened to them telling stories about their childhood (I wish we'd recorded it). I loved hearing them tell stories about their father (my great-grandpa), and how musical he was, and how he would often play some sort of musical instrument, and have a dance with all 8 of her siblings, and and mother in their living room. I loved listening to her, and Grandma imitate their father getting upset, (which was rare because they always talked about how kind, and gentle of a man he was) and cussing with his Swiss accent, "Dunder Vater!" (I still don't know what that means.)

(Temple Square 1997- Wow, Mel and I were rockin' the 90's hair and stonewashed jeans!)

(Both of them despised having their picture taken. I can hear Grandma saying with disgust, "Oh, I take a terrible picture!" That's what the look on her face is saying I miss her too).

It makes me sad that she's gone. That I don't get to hear her laugh, or her boisterous voice anymore. It makes me sad to know she's the last of my grandma's generation, and the last reason for me to visit that little town of Montpelier that I love, which holds so many good memories. But it makes me smile to think of the blissful reunion in Heaven with Grandma (I bet they're having quite the party), and with her sweetheart, and all her loved ones. I know she's earned her place 1st in line for heaven. She was an incredible woman who was stalwart, worthy, and steadfast (I don't believe she ever did anything wrong in all of her 92 years). She lived a life to be proud of.

We'll miss you Aunt Iney.

Aunt Inez's 90th Birthday Celebration. Above: Mel, Lauren, Landon, Aunt Inez, Me, Jason, and Nathan.
Below: Mom, and Aunt Nancy with Aunt Iney.

Christmas + Family + Grandma and Grandpa's House = FUN

2012-01-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

While we were at my parents' for Christmas we took advantage of what little snow we had in the yard and did some sledding, and snow man building.

They live in a hilly (is that a word?) area, and while growing up we used to ski down the driveway, and sled all around our house. Our favorite sledding location which was just across the gully, the so called "bunny hill," no longer exists- someone had to spoil it by building a house on top.

There was barely enough snow to make do, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

Landon demonstrating how his new snow ball launcher works.

Building the snow man was a group effort.

We borrowed one of Grandpa's old hats, and Grandma's scarf to top him off, and I think he turned out pretty cute.

Later that week we attempted to take Brody to his first movie at the theatre, the Chipmunks movie, "Chipwrecked."

It didn't go as well as planned. We lasted about 30 minutes, and then decided it was time to go-- Brody became more interested in standing, and bounding on the seat, kicking the seats in front of him, attempting to wander down the row of seats adjacent to us, and spilling popcorn everywhere. I had hoped that with it being dark and all, he would sit still and not want to do all of the above things. Ha! It was a nice thought. Maybe next year. . .

One evening, Grandpa entertained us, and put on a magic show. He had some tricks up his sleeve that fooled Nate, Landon, and Lauren, and others that they were too smart for. It was funny to watch their faces.

The cousins.

There's no place as good as Grandma and Grandpa's place,

and there's no place like home.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas has come and gone, and we as a family had a wonderful one.

We're thankful not only for the blessings we enjoy during this time of year, but all year long. We truly have been blessed.

For Christmas, we packed our bags and headed to my parent's house to spend the holidays with them, and the rest of my family. We left Christmas Eve, and came home the following Thursday.

And we packed up the most important thing of all. . .

Christmas morning we got up early, got ready, and went to my parent's church.

We didn't hear any complaints about not opening presents first, since Brody is still to young to get the jest of things, but next year might be a different story.

After church, the craziness began.

Brody loved tearing the paper off the gifts, and this year he was also excited to see what was inside!

My brother Steve, and his girlfriend, Sue.

Steve's working in Washington, but was able to be home for a couple of weeks for Christmas!

Here's Grandpa checking out his gifts.

Steve and Sue got Brody a horse that you fill with air, and can punch and wrestle around with (good for a 2-year-old boy with gobs of energy). Steve blew it up, and we worried that he would need CPR afterwards. He must be full of a lot of hot air.

They also gave him a Sit and Spin (I used to love those things), but this was Brody's reaction to it. For some reason, he refused to sit on it. Gotta love a toddler's random irrationality.

Brody's first candy cane experience. Yum, they're good!

Sue must think Steve's a pretty special gift.

My sister, and her family joined us the day after Christmas. Lauren brought her new "Fur Real" dog, and Brody reeaally liked it. He's obsessed with dogs, even fake ones.

Brent was able to spend a few days in Pocatello with us, but then he had to head back to work. This is his busiest time of year with calving season and all. Brody and I stayed behind, and hung out with the family for a few more days.

One night we did a white elephant gift exchange. Nate became the proud owner of an ugly fish vase. He was less than thrilled, but tried really hard not to let it show on his face.

Grandpa got a kick out of Nate's reaction, so did the rest of us.

Brody opened a little bag that said, "You've Been Naughty." Inside were two lumps of coal!

How cruel! (Really, he couldn't have been more thrilled with his gift. He still carries this little bag with the two lumps of coal inside around the house.)

He looked a little defeated by his gift.

Naughty isn't the word I would've used to describe him that night. More like, tired. He was worn out from all the excitement, and lack of a decent nap.

Here's everyone proudly showing their gifts. Landon: fish oil, eggs, and some putty. Jason: a brick of cheese. Nathan ended up with candy- score! Melanie: lip gloss, and candy. Lauren: freezer pops. Sue: Hamburger Helper, a dog bone, and dog brush. Steve: Old Spice body wash. Dad: a neck pillow, and Mom: ended up with the ugly fish vase.

Later on, Landon and Lauren gave us a piano concert of Christmas songs they had learned. And of course, Brody played us a few tunes as well.

Bravo!!

Every day that Landon, and Lauren practiced the piano, Brody did too. He's such a big boy, and wants to do everything the big kids do.

Getting ready to take a group photo. This one makes me laugh.

Love my family!!

Christmas Season Traditions

2011-12-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

This is by far my favorite time of the year. I love the lights, the Christmas cheer, family, friends, Christmas music (to a point), good food, good memories at Grandma and Grandpa's house, an amplified reminder to serve others, and especially the reason for the season. . . the birth of the Savior.

This year we took Brody to see the lights at Rock Creek with my sister and her family.

Wow. These people go above and beyond.

This is just a private residence decorated with MILLIONS of lights. They have a Christmas village displayed to impress -- it is THE largest collection I have ever seen. Every tree branch, and inch of ground is covered in twinkling lights, and sparkling decorations that wind around several acres.

People come from miles to see it.

(my pictures don't do justice, but take my word, it's spectacular)

Wide-eyed and bundled. It was FREEEZING that night. Brody was so bundled up, he didn't move. He sat still, and just stared at all of the lights with this look. . .

Time out.

Mr.and Mrs. Claus

They even have a camel that the spectators can feed carrots to. Who knew camels liked carrots?

I didn't.

Looks to me like they're leaning towards the naughty side.

These pictures have nothing to do with our visit to Rock Creek, but they are some I took pre-Christmas.

Plastered all over Pinterest are pictures similar to this--

I thought I'd give it a try, and wrap my little guy in Christmas lights too.

He sat still for a total of 3 shots, and then he was more interested in attempting to un-plug, and plug the lights back in. Can you say Electrocution Hazard? Needless to say, we called it good with the three pictures.

My idea was to read a Christmas story around the tree each night counting down the 12 days of Christmas. We didn't accomplish all 12, but who's counting anyway?

Janelle and Justin Forever

2011-12-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas, December 20th to be exact, Brent's little sis tied the knot.

Justin and Janelle were married in the Manti temple, and had a reception the following day in Janelle's hometown. Then on New Year's Eve they had a reception back east, in Virginia.

Congrats Justin and Janelle!!

Janelle is the second youngest of 15. Yes, I said 15!

Brent comes from an EXTREMELY LARGE family. To begin, there were 8 children in Brent's family and from there it grew, and grew AGAIN.

After Brent's wonderful mother passed away from cancer (Brent was in high school at the time), his dad remarried another wonderful woman who had 5 children of her own. That made 13, but then 2 more kids were added to the clan- Janelle, and finally Jared, the youngest.

Here are some snapshots of a few of Brent's siblings and their families.

Because of weather, and other circumstances not everyone was able to make it to all of the blessed events at the same time. With this many of us, sadly it is a rare occasion that we are ALL together. (After all, there are 50, or is it 60 some odd of us when you add every one up).

Brody was a wild man, and ran crazy in the gym behind the reception all night long.

Brent became a little flustered by all the little kids running wild (I think there were about 20 under age 5 between our family, and the groom's)

Here are about half of the grand kids. Notice how thrilled Brody is to be in the picture!

(10 of the 12 living siblings, and Justin, the groom, of course!)

We wish you and Justin the very best, and all the happiness in the world!

Feelin' Groovy

2011-12-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

My sister threw a groovy birthday bash for Jason's big 4-0!

If you haven't figured out the 70's theme-- he was born in the 70's- duh.

Let me tell ya, this pair was looking pretty far out!!

Mel was going for the Farrah look, but she resembled a barbie, and Jason nailed the bad hair look!

Gee wiz, that party was Dynomite, and so were the outfits!

Brody was content wandering around throwing balloons to people, and Brent and I indulged in some good grub, and the totally awesome music.

Happy Birthday to you!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2011-12-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Well, at least that's what I was trying to get Brody to do (sit in his rocking chair by the tree).

It was a little harder than I hoped it would be to get my 20-month-old toddler to cooperate while I attempted to take his picture. I was sweating by the end, and completely out of ideas for bribes.

So this is what we got. . .

He was eating smarties in this series- that was bribe #1 which worked for a minute.

National Adoption Awareness Month

2011-11-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

November is THE month- National Adoption Awareness month!

Now it is the last day of the month, and I am posting about adoption.

Not because it isn't important. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Each time I sat down to gather my thoughts and write something, I felt like whatever I had to say just didn't do justice to the topic.

How do I adequately express my feelings about something this important to me?

I can't, so to put it plain and simple. . .

We LOVE adoption.

Adoption is the pathway that crowned us with parenthood.

These angels made it possible. . .

We are still in awe, and so full of gratitude when we think about it (which is often).

Next to the Atonement, can you think of a greater gift?

The gift of a child?

It's amazing, and humbling to think about how these two loved their child enough to do the impossible.

We saw how much pain they felt, yet at the same time the overwhelming courage that they possessed.

They knew it was right.

They followed their hearts.

For this we are eternally grateful.

There are those who criticize adoption and say "if you loved your child, why did you give him away?"

The answer is, a birth parent loves her child so incredibly much that she is willing to put her selfish desires aside, put her baby first, and place him in a loving home with two parents who promise to provide the life she dreams of for her baby.

Some say "adoption is the easy way out."

Wrong again.

I remember the day of placement as if it were yesterday.

I also remember the mix of emotions we felt. We felt incredible joy- that our son was here, and coming home, mixed with pain as we watched the agony Brody's birth families were going through.

The easier choice would've been for them to keep him.

But it wasn't the best choice, and they wanted the best choice for him

The easier choice would've been abortion heaven forbid--which thankfully was never an option in Kourtney's mind.

I can't imagine this world without our little boy in it.

But for many this is the option.

I don't mean to stand on my soapbox. But the statistics are horrible.

60% of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion, nearly 40% choose to single parent, and less than 2% consider adoption. Why? When there are so many adoptive couples longing to be parents?

It does my heart good to think of all those amazing birth parents who chose adoption.

Thank you. We love you.

This was taken in the first few days as a new family.

We love this child.

He is our own.

I've heard people say, "you probably love him just as much as if he were your own."

I know they mean well,

but he IS our own. We know Brody is our son, he just had to get to us another way.

Biology doesn't matter, and pre-adoption we heard other adoptive parents talk about this.

We always knew we would love an adopted child, but we never comprehended just how much.

We can't imagine loving him more if he were our biological child.

The most amazing part is that this love is forever.

We are an eternal family, and we were sealed together in the temple when Brody was less than two months old.

We hope that Brody will feel lucky, and special to be adopted. We realize that some kids struggle with the idea. But with an open adoption (which we have) there are no secrets, no mysteries, and we plan to be open and honest with our son. He won't have to wonder who he looks like, and where he came from. He will get to hear about his amazing story, and how much he is loved by his forever family, AND his birth families.

"I feel that adopted kids have a leg up, emotionally. Because the truth is that we chose this child, and who wouldn't like to know THAT about themselves." The R House.com

Yes Brody, we chose you.

Your birth parents were guided to us

by our Heavenly Father, and possibly by you.

"Families are one of God's greatest masterpieces."

Each family is unique, but beautiful.

Our family means everything to us,

and we are so grateful for the gift of adoption. Grateful for Brody's birth families, and to our Heavenly Father.

We had almost given up,

but then this little boy happened. . .

And he's the best thing that's happened to us.

How can it be that nearly 2 years have passed?!

Deck the Halls

2011-11-27T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tree up. . . check!

Christmas card labels (mostly) finished. . . check!

Majority of Christmas shopping done. . . check!

I think this year is a record for me. I always intend to put my tree up Thanksgiving weekend, but it rarely happens, and normally I haven't even started Christmas shopping. I decided this year to start early so I could actually enjoy the season, and not stress the season.

I gotta say, it does feel pretty good so far.

"Christmas Vacation?" (Love that movie)

Ha! Don't be fooled.

I actually don't have all that many lights on my tree.

The settings on my camera just make it look that way.

I can sure get a lot accomplished while this little angel is sleeping.

I didn't dare decorate while he was awake for fear he'd be too much help.

We'll see in the morning how "don't touch" goes ;o)

Christmas always reminds me of my Grandma, Lily Stephens, who happened to be born on Christmas day. She loved Christmas, and always had her house decorated to the fullest- and much of it was hand crafted. I love that I have some of her Christmas decorations- they take me back to good memories at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

November Snow

2011-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Friday, we got our first substantial snow storm. The snow flakes were ginormous, and it was actually a "pretty" snow fall. Usually our snow storms are a bit nasty since the wind normally accompanies the snow around here. But not this time. The snow fell quietly, and calmly.

It actually fell straight down (instead of sideways), landed on the tree branches, and stayed there awhile.

. . . Till later that evening, when the wind appeared and messed it all up.

I truly dislike the wind. . . it's the worst part of winter. The non-stop, howling, cold wind.

Today, we had some sunshine so Brody, and I ventured outside to play in the white, fluffy stuff.

Brody thought it was great, as long as he didn't have to touch it.

He was content just roaming around, kicking the snow.

He refused to let me put his mittens on, so I guess it was a good thing he didn't want to touch it, or his little hands would've froze.

It was all good until. . .

This happened.

He did not like the cold, white stuff all over his little hands.

The fun was over so we went inside to warm up.

On a funny note. . .
(and a change of subject)

We had this ham in the fridge which had been thawed for a couple days, and we knew we had to get it cooked soon, or it we'd have to throw it away. So Thursday night, Brent decided we should stick it in the oven, and let it cook while we were sleeping so it would be ready the next day.

I was up late, getting things done around the house, and Brent had fallen asleep while putting to Brody to bed, but wandered out of Brody's room about midnight. I talked Brent into putting the ham in the oven for me so I could finish up what I was doing, and we could both go to bed.

The next day Brent took the ham out and opened the tin foil, then just kind of walked away and left it, and started playing with Brody.

Me: "What are you doing? I thought you wanted to make a ham sandwich."

Brent: "It's still in the plastic."

I was confused by what he meant, so I walked over to take a look and sure enough. . .

He forgot to take the ham out of the plastic it was packaged in before he put it in the oven! Hahahahahaaa!

Way to go, honey! Nice effort, but I guess I won't ask you to help me at midnight again.

I surveyed the ham, and the plastic was all still intact. It hadn't melted, and we reasoned that since you put a turkey in a plastic bag before you stick it in the oven, the ham was probably still edible.

So we ate it anyway.

He Makes Me Smile

2011-11-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

Must have had some important phone calls (plural).

Short story about the phones Brody's holding. They have a history of terrorizing. They're just cheapo, play phones that make irritating "phone" sounds, and have an annoying recordings that say, "operator, can I help you?," "leave a message," followed by dialing. One night Brody took them in the bath tub with him, and it was fine because I hoped they would get ruined. A few nights later, my parents were staying at our house and the phones mysteriously started playing their annoying sounds OVER, and OVER again in the MIDDLE of the night. My mom got up and took them out of the bathtub toy basket, and nicely wrapped them in a towel to try and muffle the noises. It didn't work, and I woke up and heard them too. So I opened the back door, and chucked them on the back lawn (while the sprinkler system was running, hoping this time they would be ruined, and I planned to pick them up the next morning and throw them in the dumpster). I completely forgot about them. . . until a couple days later when Brody and I were driving to the store, and I heard, "operator, can I help you?"

Those dang phones! They're tantalizing me.

Thanks, Dad for planting them in my car. I owe you one.

Needless to say, some how we still have the stupid phones.

Classy, huh?!

I was taking a shower one morning, and I could hear Brody fumbling around in our closet. When I got out of the shower, I went to check on him to see what he was doing.

And this is what he was doing!!

He actually walks better in them than I do.

I usually lock him in our master suite while I'm in the shower to try and minimize the trouble he can get into while I'm not watching. Once I failed to do this, and while I was showering, Brody was frantically gathering everything he wasn't supposed to touch around the house (such as a glass picture frame with a picture of my Grandma in it), and putting it all in a pile in my bedroom. It was hilarious actually, seeing him run just as fast as those little toddler legs would take him, trying to get everything he'd been dying to touch gathered up!

He had quite a pile harvested!

This must mean he's been around Brent's cow dogs too much. . .

How could this grin not make your day? It does mine.

Take a look at his ear. Yes, that is a pea. We switched from stuffing things up our nose, to now our ear. Fantastic!

I love this kid.

Even when he's grumpy.

The Grandparents

2011-11-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

We always love spending time with Grandpa, and Grandma.

Just before they left for Arizona, we went to see them. Brody and Grandpa had a great time throwing the ball together. . .

(Don't forget to pause the music player at the bottom)

Here's Grandma and Brody

A few months earlier they came to our house to see us. It's nice that for half of the year they live fairly close to us so we can see them. This winter we'll have to visit them, and catch some warmer weather while we're there.

We love Grandma and Grandpa!

An Old Man, A Witch, and Their Puppy

2011-11-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Brent, and I (mostly me) thought it would be fun to dress up for Halloween along with Brody.

After all, we don't want to be considered some of those "boring parents." However, this didn't earn us a FUN label as far as Brody was concerned.

When Brody saw Brent with his scary mask on, he clung to me like a magnet, and refused to even look at his dad.

When I first appeared out of the bedroom dressed in my costume, Brody was in his high chair eating. He caught a glimpse of me, and jumped as if he were startled by my appearance. Then, he sized me up with a sideways look for a moment, and I could tell he wanted to figure it out from a distance.

It was a little disturbing to him, so I kept some distance until he decided I was still his mom under all that garb.

But after Brent's mask went on, I was A-okay.

He held on to me. TIGHTLY. Then. . .

. . . he flat out burst into tears. It was pathetic, and REALLY sad.

Poor little pup.

I thought Halloween was supposed to be fun,

but he IS a little young for all that scary stuff.

So Brent ditched the mask, and Brody got over it really quickly.

It was funny though because if the mask was laying on the couch, or anywhere besides ON Brent, then Brody was fine with it, and would laugh, and swat at it.

We took him to a "trunk-or-treat."

When we first arrived, there were kids running around everywhere in their costumes busily collecting candy, but Brody couldn't have cared less. He was more interested in the kids playing football behind the church. He stood by this tree and watched them, and occasionally jumped with his arms in the air as if he were trying to get their attention so they'd throw the ball to him.

This child is obsessed with balls, and is constantly throwing them AT us. I think he's trying to throw them TO us, and play catch, but he fails to warn us, and usually the only warning we get is when we see a ball flying toward us from our peripheral vision. It isn't just a toss either. He has a pretty good arm for a 19 month old.

In nursery last Sunday, one of his leaders commented that she'd never seen a nursery kid "throw that accurately." I'm not so sure that was a good thing to be told about my child in nursery.

But I chose to take it as a complement (and we'll have to work on him not throwing things AT others. . .)

A quarterback someday? Maybe. . .

Anyways, he makes a pretty cute puppy.

What do you think?

Eventually we got him engaged in the task at hand, and started "trunk-or-treating."

But he just kind of wandered around with a glazed-over look on his face.

It was a little much for him to take in.

He didn't really care about the candy, or the other kids in their costumes. We had to coax him to take any candy.

But he found some leaves that he thought were pretty cool to play in,

and someone brought their bull dogs dressed up in costumes. Brody was really into them.

I guess he's drawn to his own kind.

He cracks me up.

Isn't this typical of a dog?

Brody and Brent trick-or-treating at my sister's house.

We ended our night, hanging out at my the Weir's house, and Brody walked around all night saying, "rawrrr." I'm not sure where he picked that up.

On the way home our little puppy was pooped, and by the time we pulled into the garage he was sound asleep.

We had such a fun Halloween, and I'm sure it will get even better next year.

Pumpkins Galore

2011-10-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went to the pumpkin patch in our little town with Angie and her two kids Briggs, and Kinsley.

The weather was perfect- I love this time of year.

The fresh, crisp air with warm days, and cool nights. I also love the colors, and the smells of fall.

(We went in the morning, so it was still a little cool and we needed our jackets.)

This sums up how Brody felt about arriving at the pumpkin patch. . .

We sat on a trailer which was hooked to the back of a tractor, and rode through the patch looking for the perfect pumpkin. Brody thought every pumpkin was perfect, and each time we stopped he tried to pick up each pumpkin he came across.

He did a good job of carefully loading the pumpkins he had chosen (at least the small ones he could carry) onto the back of the trailer. Naturally, Brody wanted to do everything the big kids were doing.

Kinsley was very protective of her pumpkins, and guarded them so Brody didn't snatch them.

The company was great. . .

I love how Kinsley is always so enthusiastic about having her picture taken.

Brody saw lots of things that were "point-worthy." When I got home and looked through the pictures, I realized he is pointing at something in over half of them.

Brody and his mini mother.

Brody spotted some cows (he's been obsessed with them), and wanted to make us all aware they were there. It was very important to him. Can you tell?

The kids were able to feed goats, but there weren't too hungry.

I thought maybe Brody would get a little scared in the mini haunted house, but nope, he thought it was great.

There was also a corn maze, and a straw maze that we walked through when we first got there. Brody clung to me like a monkey, and refused to get down and walk through it. Soon after, he warmed up and was all over the place

So many pumpkins, so little time.

My FAVORITE pumpkin of them all is THIS ONE. . .

After church today, we tried to get Brody to sit still for a picture, but he was more interested in sliding down the stairs.

He did stop momentarily to hug a pumpkin.

Brave Boy

2011-10-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

This morning Brody got his flu shot and was very brave, and didn't cry. After he got the shot, his bottom lip poked out, and he wrapped his little arms around my neck and hugged me tight. Then he whipped his head around to give the nurse one last look as if saying, "don't do that to me again."

Soon after, he was all smiles again. I love him.

Brody worships his daddy and copies everything Brent does. The other day Brent muttered a naughty word under his breath that went something like, "oh sh*t."

Guess who repeated it?

We better be more careful, we have a sponge soaking up everything we say, and do.

String cheese? I wonder what happened to the rule about keeping food in the kitchen?

I do love the fact that these two are such great pals, and I hope it always stays like that.

Fishing for Styrofoam

2011-10-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my kid stuffed styrofoam up his nose.

Yep, styrofoam.

Then after he put it in his nose, he stuck his finger in and pushed it up further.

Since it was after closing time at the doctor's office, we waited to take him in today. In the meantime, I kept hoping and watching for him to sneeze it out. He sneezed alright, but no luck ejecting the styrofoam.

So off we went to the doctor to have it fished out. I had the honors of holding him down (at least trying to), but it felt more like I was trying to contain a wild animal. He wanted no part of it, and kicked, flailed his arms, shook his head back and forth, and screamed like a mashed cat. Poor little thing.

Lets just say we didn't have much luck at the Dr.'s office- he couldn't see the lodged piece of styrofoam. It was either up too high, or came out on its own, or would come out by itself, (or maybe start stinking).

Made me feel awful that he was so terrified. But at the end of the office visit, the doctor offered him candy (smarties) and the world was again OK in Brody's eyes.

Then just as we got home, and walked in the door Brody sneezed.

I watched intently to see if anything would come flying out of his nose.

It didn't.

But he pulled a funny face, and reached in his mouth and "ta da". . .

pulled out the small piece of styrofoam, and handed it to me!

Just in case you're wondering. No, I didn't stop and take his picture as he was stuffing the styrofoam up his nose. This was taken a couple weeks ago. Brody has taken up a hobby of nose picking as of late.

I just don't understand why kids like to do this. Aren't they gross?

Yet ADORABLE!

Brody has a basket full of bath toys, and he chooses to play with an empty bottle over any of the toys. It never gets old to him. He fills it up, and dumps it out over, and over, and over. . . on himself, over the side of the tub (ugghhh!), and occasionally he drinks it!- nasty.

I can't get enough of those chubby cheeks. . .

And I'm jealous of his eyelashes. I haven't figured out why they are (almost) always passed out to little boys. Us girls would kill for those long, thick, curled lashes.

Brody is now 18-months-old, and I swear he changes daily.

He's starting to look like such a big boy. The other day someone asked me if he was 3.

Three!? Are you kidding me?

To me, he'll always be my baby boy.

He currently has 11 teeth. (He's kind of a late bloomer as far as getting teeth, but with everything else he's right on track, or even ahead of the game).

Speaking of teeth, he has started grinding them (not in his sleep, but during the day). I guess now that he has two opposing molars, it's seems fun to him?! It makes such an awful sound, it just about sends me through the roof. There's not much you can do with teeth grinding until adulthood, so hopefully he'll get over this soon.

He enjoys "helping" me with you name it: vacuuming, throwing trash away, putting laundry in the dryer, putting his shoes away, changing the sheets, dusting. (Any bets when he's actually old enough to really help, he won't want to?) He's my little buddy who's always right there, following me around the house. He's also becoming very independent, and wants to do things himself, and his way. For now it's cute, but we'll see if I think that in a couple months.

He's a little stinker, and every time I turn around he's doing something like this. . .

I believe he thinks it's "fun" to get in trouble. Or at least he likes getting a reaction out of me. It's become a game to him, and he knows when he's in trouble. He gets my attention when he's doing something naughty, and then wags his finger back and forth as if saying "no, no."

If he has something in his possession that he knows is a "NO NO," he'll get my attention first, and then he'll run just as fast as those little toddler legs will go.

He's for sure testing the limits, and boundaries. We're trying to teach him, but it's hard to get mad at those blue eyes, and that captivating/ mischievous smile.

Brody occasionally flashes a FAKE smile for me where he puts on a big cheesy, toothy grin, and scrunches up his face, and eyes.

Makes me giggle. I wish I had a picture.

Here are some other things Brody's doing at 18 months:

He'll still eat about anything-not a picky eater, but especially likes fruit. Brody's a bottomless pit, and will eat any time something is offered to him. He likes to use a spoon or fork now, and insists on drinking out of a "big boy" cup. He usually refuses his sippy cup at meal times. This boy is growing up too fast for me.

After he's done eating, I normally mop up the floor around his high chair on my hands and knees. Without fail, he'll come up behind me and pat me on the back, and hug me. (It's as if he's saying "good job mom", or "sorry mom.")

Still loves a (satin)blanky, and binky. Won't go to sleep without them.

Good at giving "high 5's."

Carries on "conversations" with us. We have NO idea what he's saying, but he'll do the usual conversation banter back and forth with us for a good 5 minutes by responding when we talk to him, and then pausing, waiting for us to respond back. It's amazing to me what kids pick up on socially at such an early age.

When he starts talking, and really using words I bet he'll be a chatter box- he "talks" a lot now.

When you ask him what a cow, or any other animal says his answer is always the same.

"Boooo."

So occasionally we ask him what a ghost says so he can get one right!

This boy makes me happy, and I never want to forget the way he is at each stage.

Love every ounce of him.

I get the feeling he's going to give him us a run for our money,

but we wouldn't change a thing about him.

Girls Night (Freak) Out

2011-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last night, Amanda, Angie, and I went for a girls night out to THE HAUNTED MANSIONS OF ALBION.

This is an old, abandoned, dilapidated college campus that was established back in 1893 which has now been purchased and converted into "your worst nightmare." Ha ha :)

The owners converted 4 of the buildings on campus into haunted mansions.

(A few of the other buildings are being renovated for retreats).

They did an amazing job- it was really well done, and pretty darn believable.

Supposedly, in 2007 an investigation of this place was conducted to research paranormal activity.

I don't buy all of that garbage, but I do admit that the thought of this while we were there, authenticated the mood.

On the way there in the car we reasoned that since we were grown women. . . it'll be no big thing.

We've got this.

It'll be fun, and entertaining! Not a big deal.

In actuality, we got a little scared, and a few times we screamed like little girls.

Well, . . . really we screamed until we were HOARSE.

And Angie admitted that she peed herself "just a little." Hysterical!!

(ignore the date on the picture, it was actually Oct. 1st)

There's just something about the feeling of being in a dark, ominous, daunting place

when someone with their face falling off, carrying a chain saw, or a hatchet comes running up behind you out of nowhere,and it's so dark, and loud, and confusing that you're not even sure where to run because everywhere you turn there's another freak right there in your face.

In all the confusion, I grabbed some woman's boobs on accident. I have no idea who she was, just someone with our group.

Yeah, it was a little scary-

The tour took us down in the dark, dingy, musty basements, crawling through tunnels, upstairs in the creeky attics, through the old locker rooms, and showers. . .

all the while not knowing WHO, or WHAT would be around the corner, or chasing you next, or what kind of twisted scene we would see.

When we walked into this old auditorium some creep scared the day lights out of us.

Afterward, Amanda thought she'd be funny and walked up to him and clapped really loudly in his face.

She (and the rest of our group) thought it was pretty funny.

But then his "buddy" (some ghoulish looking thing) got Amanda back, and she screamed louder, and longer than I've ever seen her,

and her instincts kicked in, and she was hitting, and punching the dude at the same time! (Fight or Flight?!)

(I wonder if the employees are trained to be hit, kicked or punched- I'm sure it's happened more than once).

In this room, this yucky looking lady got in our face with her flesh-eating baby. Yummy.

This baby was nibbling, and tearing flesh off her hand, then lashing out towards us.

Who thinks of these sick, and twisted ideas?

In one of the rooms we walked into, we were all huddled together, not sure which way we were even supposed to go, and anticipating the next scare when I heard someone comment that it smelled like car exhaust. I had noticed it too.

We soon found out what the smell was. . . chain saw exhaust!

Someone came out of no where with a chain saw chasing us relentlessly.

We finally got outside, and let our guard down a little bit, thinking we were done

but it just kept on going-- through a straw tunnel, with more creeps after us.

We were there for about 2 hours, and only went through 3 of the 4 buildings.

Afterward, at midnight we went to Perkins for pie/brownie supremes/cheesy fries to take a few moments to recover.

The husbands were nice enough to stay home, and take care of the kiddos-- really I think they were just too wussy to go with us.

We had a great time, but I think next time Angie will vote for a movie night or something like that.

She was the most terrified of the 3 of us.

This place is a must-do if you're up for a Halloween thrill this season!

Definitely worth your money, and you'll never experience anything like it.

(photos courtesy of haunted mansions of albion)

Long Overdue

2011-09-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue. We're talking like a year.
I know this because last weekend we had Stake Conference, and one year ago, I had to SPEAK in stake conference (GASP). After it was over, several people had asked me to email, or post my talk on my blog.
Why? I'm not sure. You see, I am FAR from an adequate speaker. It is my biggest fear, and I felt like I would fall over, and die from a heart attack when I was asked to speak.
However, after it was said and done (and I actually survived), I had good intentions (several times) over the past year to post this. I just never got around to it, plain and simple. Also, I think it's because it re-visits a very difficult, almost sacred, yet somewhat private time in our lives. It's silly for me to say that because I already gave this talk in front of several hundred people. So why worry about that?
With that said, I finally decided to post this partly because last weekend's Stake Conference reminded me, and partly because maybe there is someone who will benefit from reading this. Maybe?
The topic I was given was centered around the theme of the conference: Alma 5:14, 26, which talks primarily about experiencing "change of heart." I was asked to speak about our experiences leading up to our son's adoption, and how these experiences strengthened me, prepared me for motherhood, and liken how my love for my son, like our Heavenly Father's love for us, motivates me, and tie it all together with the theme. PHEW! It was alot to contemplate.
(Yep, I'm the spaz that has to write out my talk word for word- especially when it came to this topic. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd stand up there and fumble the whole way through it. I admire those of you who can stand up, and give a talk with a few notes scratched on a piece of paper).
This was what I had to say:

"Some of you may know, 5 months ago we experienced a miracle in our family when after 10 years of marriage, my husband Brent, and I welcomed our first child, a son, into our family through the wonderful gift of adoption. Words cannot describe the overwhelming joy, and love we felt as our one day old son was placed in our arms, and again when 6 weeks later we were sealed together in the temple, as an eternal family.

However, the journey to get to this point was a long, difficult, heartbreaking road. Our faith was tried time, and time again. But there were also countless spiritual lessons, experiences, and our hearts were changed in many ways.

About 4 ½ years ago (after 6 yrs. of marriage) we had not yet been blessed with our family. We were tired of waiting, hoping and dreaming of our future family. This was our ultimate goal. Something we desired above anything else in life. It was much more important than attaining a nice car, a home, or a dream lifestyle. No, this was a blessing that would continue on into eternity. A righteous desire. Family means everything to us. We decided to do everything we possibly could to achieve this goal.

For us, we eventually found it meant adoption and/or fertility treatments specifically (IVF) which stands for In-Vitro Fertilization. I won’t go into details about the procedure, but a nutshell, it is the most advanced, (and also the most costly) technology available in modern medicine in the field of fertility. We counseled with the Lord for a lengthy period of time, for this was a heavy decision for us. And we received our answer to proceed with both avenues (adoption, AND IVF).

We began the long adoption process with a mountain of paperwork, countless questioning, and interviews to try and become approved to adopt. We felt as if every nook, and cranny of our lives was being examined under the microscope. Simultaneously, we began IVF. . . and it failed. We began to feel an immense weight on our shoulders as we were challenged in every way: financially, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically."
(That was the understatement of the year. It became so hard to watch friends, family, even strangers with their children. And seeing a pregnant woman-- we won't even go there.)
(See Here what I'm talking about, or Here to read about myths, and facts regarding infertility).

"Once we finally became approved as an adoptive couple through LDS Family Services, the real wait began. Generally, after you become approved as an adoptive couple, your profile is placed on the internet where prospective birth moms can view it, and you wait to be chosen. We were told that some couples had been waiting 7 years, and we were shocked when within the year we given the opportunity to adopt not once, but 4 times. Only to have all 4 adoptions fall through for one reason or another, one being a scam.

In the midst of all of this, we felt we should proceed with IVF yet again . But it failed. Once more, our faith was challenged. We were shocked, and weary, from the unending grief we were experiencing. We wanted so badly for something to work out. WHY did we have to endure this trial, and why did Heavenly Father think we were strong enough for it? Why wasn't anything working out for us? After all, it was a righteous desire, and we were doing everything in our power to have children. Why weren't we being blessed? We began to feel that parenthood was out of reach for us. An illusion. Something we may never experience. We were literally to the point where we didn't have anything more to give of ourselves, and felt like giving up. All we could do is trust in our Heavenly Father. And we did. He had a plan for us, as he does for each one of you. And he blessed us according to His plan, and His timing. There was a special baby boy who was waiting to join our family, and we had to wait for him. If things had worked out for us with IVF, or the other adoptions, we wouldn't have him in our lives. We can't imagine life without him. We know with out a doubt he is our son, he just had to get to us another way. We know his birth parents were guided to us, and his sweet birth mom received confirmation that we were the “ones"(and we too received that confirmation). We sometimes wonder if an agreement was made long ago in heaven between the five of us. We are eternally grateful for their choice, and for remaining steadfast in doing what they felt was the right choice. They are our angels.

Along this rocky road, we had MANY spiritual experiences. One in particular I would like to share with you today that came during the time we were going through an adoption scam.

We were contacted by a couple who claimed they were having twins, and wanted us to adopt their twins. They were also in a dire financial situation, and were requesting financial help. (Sometimes adoptive couples are asked to assist prospective birth parents with rent, medical expenses, living expenses etc. . . ) We should have been excited to have been chosen to adopt not one baby, but twins! However, we had an uneasy feeling. We felt this was the spirit speaking to us, but Satan stepped in using confusion as his tool, and we questioned which feelings were our own, and which were coming from the Holy Ghost. We began fasting, and praying and decided to attend the temple together as a couple. As I was waiting for Brent in the celestial room of the temple, I said another prayer in my heart to receive clarity regarding this situation. If it wasn’t right, I wanted to know and understand this, and have peace of mind walking away from the situation without looking back with regret, or wondering if we were wrong in passing up this opportunity. I then picked up the scriptures and RANDOMLY opened to Romans 16: starting in verse 17. The words I read were POWERFUL:

(foot notes included in parenthesis)
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark (watch, beware of ) them which cause divisions and offences (stumbling blocks, scandals) contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and AVOID them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by the good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (innocent, guileless). I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise (break the power of, crush) Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
WOW. Was it a coincidence that I happened to randomly open the scriptures to this spot? No way! We couldn’t have received an answer more clearly, than if the Lord appeared and spoke to us Himself. We had renewed faith that Heavenly Father definitely does hear, and answer our prayers, that he has a plan for each of us, and he is the master in charge of our lives, watching over us. A few days later, we got a call from the adoption agency. They told us they had done some checking on this couple, and had reason to believe it was all a scam. Hearing this, yet again confirmed our answer to walk away from the situation."

WHY did we have to go through all that we did leading up to our sons adoption? We may not fully understand all the reasons why, but as with any trial we endure, painful as they may be, there are lessons learned that we likely can’t learn any other way. We grow through our trials.
We were taught many spiritual lessons which strengthened us in many ways, and also helped prepare me for motherhood:

Perseverance (long suffering), patience in waiting for the Lords timing.
Humbleness, and Faith. We learned to completely rely/ depend on the Lord, to pray with all our hearts, and listen whole heartedly. We learned that even in the most lonely, darkest moments we can find Him there. Our Father in Heaven will never abandon us.
Our marriage was strengthened immensely as we went through this together. We were the only 2 who understood what one another was feeling. It pulled us together- which ultimately I believe we needed in order help us to be better parents.
I also know that wanting something so much for so long now reminds me to always be grateful for it. I truly cherish motherhood in every aspect.
We learned compassion and empathy for others going through similar things. (1 in 10 couples experience infertility). We will never forget what that empty ache feels like.
We learned that we can find answers, and personal revelation through scripture study, fasting, prayer, temple attendance, and PRIESTHOOD blessings. We received several priesthood blessings (from our stake president, bishop and Brent’s father)where we were promised that we WOULD have children. This was a source of comfort to us, and a crutch we leaned on many times. I testify, that the Lord keeps his promises.

One of my favorite quotes is by Joseph B. Wirthlin in his talk "Come What May and Love It," in the November 2008 Ensign.
He explains that either now, or in the hereafter:
"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." We shed MANY, MANY tears throughout this process, and it is true, every tear WAS returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude. We are eternally grateful to our Heavenly Father to have this little boy in our lives. We love him so much, and we can now say "it has been worth it".

Like many of you, as a parent, I can now SOMEWHAT comprehend our Heavenly Father’s love for us a little bit better. For some reason, Heavenly Father has entrusted us with stewardship over this child of God. My love for my son, like our Heavenly Father’s love for us, motivates me to . . strive to be worthy of this blessing by living the gospel, and keeping his commandments, so that I may receive the guidance, and inspiration necessary in raising my son, to teach him to live the gospel. This is the best way I can express my thanks to our Heavenly Father for this gift.

In his General Conference Address during the Spring of 2010, Elder L. Tom Perry reminds us of the importance of teaching our children at home. In today’s world where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, . . . “Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, one family meal at a time.” Also in his talk he quoted Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith who said: “ Do you, my good brethren, and sisters, want your families, your children; do you want to be sealed to your fathers and your mothers before you. . .? If so, then you must begin by teaching at the cradle-side. You are to teach by example as well as precept.” I know that I will be responsible for what I teach, or what I fail to teach my child. It is my responsibility to be an example, and to look for opportunities daily to teach my son, and give him the tools that are necessary, and environment in our home that will lead him to have righteous desires, and to make righteous decisions. I know that I will be far from a perfect mother. That I will make many mistakes along the way, and there will be difficult times, even days when I’ll want to pull my hair out. But I’m grateful for every moment. And it is my prayer will be able teach our son the things that are important. The things that will show him the way back to our Heavenly Father.

IN CLOSING:
The theme of our conference found in Alma 5: 14, and 26 talks about having a change of heart.
Our hearts were changed many times throughout this 10 year process as our “greatest desire, became our greatest challenge, which ultimately is our greatest blessing.” (quoted by PKW). Our hearts were changed from seeking our own will, desires, timing, and way of having our family to seeking and accepting the Lord’s way and timing. The Lord has a plan for each of us, and we are so grateful for this knowledge, and for this blessing."

17 Months and Growing

2011-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I was planning to wait until Brody was 18 months to have his pictures taken, as that seems like a logical landmark to have them done. However, the talented AMY NIELSON did a MINI-MEN PHOTOSHOOT along with SUMMER ROBINSON/ SUMMER SWEETS back in August, and I couldn't pass up the chance to capture Brody's sweet face when the opportunity arose. (Summer made the adorable Tie T-shirt Brody is wearing.)

So here you go. . .

Brent's 4-Wheeler Mishap, and a Little Summer R & R.

2011-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

On July 25th Brent had a little "whoopsie" while working. He, and a handful of guys went up Trapper Creek to check some cows that were in an area of heavily dense Lark Spur (a plant that is poisonous to cattle.) Cows had been dying, so they rode 4-wheelers to scope out the extent of the problem, and to figure out where they need to move the cattle the following day. They were miles from the road when one of the other guys 4-wheeler broke down. So Brent hooked onto Mike's 4- wheeler to tow him out.

They were headed down a hill when Mikes brakes went out completely. He hit Brent from behind on the back corner of his 4-wheeler, which caused his ride to catapult to the right, while Mike kept going straight (still tied together, mind you). That's when things got ugly. . . When the ropes came tight, with two 4-wheelers going opposite directions, you can probably guess what happened. Brent flipped, and rolled. Then the tow rope broke, and he really went soaring. He doesn't remember details, he just remembers thinking, "this is going to hurt."

To his surprise he jumped right up (I think to assure himself that he was alive, and ok). But he quickly discovered he wasn't totally "okay."

He knew his collar bone, and ribs hurt, but was just glad it wasn't his head, neck, or back.

One of the guys who was with them flew out on his 4-wheeler to get to an area with phone service, and called an ambulance and grabbed the closest truck. He met them on the 4-wheelers, loaded Brent up, and started heading down the mountain.

They met the ambulance about halfway down (which took HOURS), but Brent was stubborn, and wouldn't get inside (in all fairness it probably wasn't necessary). However, no one knew for sure how badly he was hurt.

In reality, he was LUCKY. . .

His collar bone was broken (in 4 pieces), and one of his ribs were broken.

Nothing that couldn't be fixed.

So later that week Brent went under the knife, and they put him back together again.

This is him "resting" at home after surgery.

He now has some extra hardware across his left collar bone- several screws, and a plate.

Shortly after the accident happened, I got a call from one of the other wives saying,

"Brent's okay, but he's been in an accident."

I'm just glad she prefaced it with the "Brent's okay" part, or I think I would've freaked.

I'm glad he's still in one piece, and put all back together now.

One of the hardest things for Brent (and Brody) has been not being able to pick Brody up, and "rough and tumble" with him.

The first few days Brody whined non-stop. He couldn't figure out why his daddy was ignoring him, and doesn't understand what "hurt" means.

Poor little guy thought he'd lost his best pal.

However, he is merciless and climbs all over Brent if he's in any sort of vulnerable position.

Don't be grossed out. His incision is wicked and extends the whole length of his collar bone.

Ouch!

Brent claims it doesn't hurt all that bad unless he tries to lift something too heavy, or moves wrong. . . which should be often, since Brent doesn't adhere to doctors orders very well. He's not supposed to lift over 5 lbs. or do any repetitive motion with his left arm for 8 weeks.

Not happening.

Brody's always there to offer a kiss or a hug. He's become such an affectionate little boy the last while, and showers us with hugs and kisses- I love it!

The week following Brent's accident we had planned to go to my parent's cabin. We decided to go anyway since Brent couldn't do much else at home. It was perfect, and relaxing for him- a good place to rest and recuperate.

My dad made the comment as we were leaving -- something like, "Cowboys stay a little longer when they're hurt."

Normally, Brent's anxious to get home and get work done that's waiting for him.

Brody enjoyed chilling on the upstairs deck.

He has a major attachment to his "silky" (needless to say it came along with us to the cabin). He has 4 or 5 assorted blankets with satin on them because he can't go to sleep without one, or ride in the car without one.

It started when he was about 9 or 10 months old, and we noticed that he would grasp on to the satin edge of the down-filled blanket on our bed (yes, he often sleeps in our bed. I know, bad habit to start, but too late now). He loves to hold it with both hands, and feel the satin between his finger tips.

I think it's adorable. (I just pray we never forget the "silky" when we go somewhere and need it.)

Oh, how I love this boy.

The wild flowers around the cabin were gorgeous.

We look sorta awkward trying to hold on to, and distract the wild monkey in our arms long enough for a picture.

I've said it before, he's BUSY these days.

Brody was a beach bum at Bear Lake, and loved the sand, the water, basically everything about it. He didn't want to leave.

Sampling the sand. I think every kid has to do this at the beach.

After he got sand in his mouth, and realized it was yucky, he tried to get it out with his sand-covered hands which made it worse, and made him cry.

Poor little dude.

But that didn't spoil his fun for more than a moment.

The "beach sitters." (My Dad, and Mom n' Brent)

Brody was super cool, and got to sit on Grandpa's lap, and drive the boat.

View of the Blackfoot Reservoir.

We had a great trip.

On a side note, here are some cute/ fun snapshots of Brody. . .

This kid is getting more and more fun each day-- I didn't think it was possible.

Some of my favorite things about him lately:

When you ask him what a dog says, or a cat, horse, cow or any animal- his answer is always the same-- "khkhkhh"

He L-O-V-E loves animals, and goes nuts when he sees one. If the dogs are out he showers them with affection: he clobbers them, and lays all over them while hugging their necks, and pulling their hair, poking their eyes out while talking to them in a high pitched voice.

He's such a polite boy-- when he's sitting in his high chair and is offered food, he's sure to say thank you each time. It comes out sounding more like "do do," or "ah do." But at least he has the correct # of syllables!

He's starting to pick up words, and mimics us.

The other day I asked him if he wanted a banana, and he said "nana."

When he's relaxed, you can bet his ankles are crossed like this.

He's done this since he was teeny, tiny.

This picture was taken on Mother's Day. Yep, I'm behind.

He's always game for a nice bubble bath.

Sometimes (rarely) he just gets too sleepy to eat.

He wanted to wear his new life jacket around the house. I have to hide it, or he'd probably want to wear it all the time.

When we ask him where his tongue is, we promptly get this. . .

We've learned not to ask him where his nose is because he demonstrates nose picking.

He's always getting in to my things. He loves to invade my jewelry, and wear a bracelet, or two (oh, and the blow dryer-- I think the cord is his necklace--not a good thing).

Brody is fascinated by water, and will play in it in any form. A few weeks ago we were outside, and he wandered around the side of the house, so I followed him. The sprinkler system was on, and he was caught in the middle. I figured he would freak out and cry, but instead he had his arms in the air, twirling in circles, and squealing with joy.

He's quite the dancer too. About anytime he hears music, he busts a move by putting his arms above his head, and getting his groove on.

He's our handsome little man. Check him out!

And did I mention he's a CLIMBER?

This explains why our house was suddenly so hot.
(That would be the thermostat he's playing with).

Seriously, what did we ever do before him? Our lives must have been pretty dull!

Look Alikes

2011-07-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Brody most definitely resembles his BIRTH families.

And I LOVE that. I really think it's Great!

(He's for sure the most handsome little one-year-old boy I know.)

In actuality, it's a big relief not to worry about Brody inheriting our (mine and Brent's) quirky traits, or our funny looks. ; )

(We can blame it on someone else. Ha ha- sorry birth families.)

I also love that with adoption it's like a big wonderful surprise. Like opening a present, getting to see what he's going to look like, and be like.

Let me tell ya, we got a perfect little boy. . .

However, a while back we were at my parent's, and my mom and I were looking through a box of her old pictures. As we were looking at her baby pictures we became amused by what we noticed. . .

Somehow, some way, Brody resembles his Grandma Karen (my mom) in many ways.

Take a look for yourself. . .

The same sparkling blue eyes (though you can't tell from my mom's baby picture- it's black and white).

The same sparse, blond tuft of hair on top.

My favorite-- the same tucked under bottom lip.

How is that possible? We don't share any DNA. . .

A match made in heaven.

But to tell you the truth, I couldn't imagine loving him more, or less just because he does, or doesn't look like us. It's just an added bonus, I guess.

It wouldn't matter if he were green, or brown, with blue hair, and purple eyes.

He'd still be MINE!

OURS.

We love him.

Thankful To Live in the USA

2011-07-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

We had a busy, fun-filled Fourth of July weekend filled with lots of friends, plenty of food, and a little R & R.

Saturday night we went up to Hawker's ranch bunk house for a weenie roast. It was fun to sit and chat with our friends, and get caught up. However, we didn't do much sitting-- Brody had other plans. Boy is he BUSY. Brent and I took turns chasing Brody all evening until we became worn out and decided to call it a night. He was back and forth, up and down (he's a climber now), in and out, and everywhere.

He found another kids sling shot and toted it around while he walked through the bunk house as if he owned the place. I think Brent was approaching the "worn out" phase by now. . .

Stopped long enough to re-hydrate with a cool drink.

The Hawkers had a wall tent set up which was left over from girls camp. Brody was amused by going in and out of it, and collapsing against the side of the tent which would then fling him forward.

Do you like the chocolate on his face? Maybe that's what caused him to have all that energy.

We felt like we had to watch him like a hawk. There were so many hazards around (or maybe we're just over paranoid first-time parents)-- there was the creek, the fire pit, the 4 wheeler to climb on, sharp objects (marshmallow roasting sticks), bugs (which he tried to pick up-- ick!). As I followed him around, I tried to snap some pictures of him- but it was impossible to get any decent ones. He was SO on the GO!

The next day was a scorcher so Brody cooled off in his MINI Scooby Doo pool.

Then we put on our duds for a little bit of church. . .

Followed by another evening of celebrating with friends-- we barbecued, and watched some fireworks. Good times--

By then, Brody was starting to feel a little tuckered out which was not all bad. He sat still.

Our friend Angie and her cute little Kinsley.

Kinsley does this thing she calls her "crazy face" which she proudly demonstrated to all of us. Hilarious, and it looks sort of painful!

The big boys ganged up on the little boys, and put ice down their pants.

I think the big boys had an unfair advantage. They should pick on someone their own size.

Brody is always up for a Popsicle.

His favorite part was the sparklers. He oohed and ahhed, and had a gigantic smile (although hidden behind his binky-- he's such a binky boy. I don't have the heart to take it away-- yet. I think it's kind of cute.)

Mya tried out the sparklers too! She's just 4 months older than Brody, so they'll grow up in the same class together in our little town!

Okay son, a little too close for comfort. Behind the camera, my perception was off, and I couldn't tell how close he really was. He wanted to do it by himself which was scary (don't worry, we kept him under control).

We finished the night with a fantastic fireworks show. Brody was scared of them at first, and whimpered and cried after the first few. But after that he got the hang of them and was glued. All of the other tiny kids fell asleep well before the fireworks ended (which was after midnight), but not Brody. He watched every last one. However, about 2 seconds after we got in the truck to go home he was out.

What more could we ask for after a night of GREAT food, friends, and fun? I can't think of a single thing.

But we still had one more night. So we had "Papa Dick" over for steak, and a few more fireworks. Dick is one of our good friends whom Brent has known since he was little. He's always been there to lend a hand whenever needed, and he and Brody have now become well acquainted.

Don't ask what's with Brent's pants/boots. I really have no idea.

Brent put on a mini firework show for us.

Then we played some ball.

For some reason Brody felt the need to crawl in the bottom of the stroller. It was fun until he got stuck.

Brody looks a little confused, but he was excited to see that we had some more sparklers.

I'm not sure what Brent's face means in this picture. Maybe. . . HOT/ WATCH OUT!

We had a great 4th. Family time is always the best time!!

And last of all. . . We are so blessed to live in this country. I kept thinking all weekend long how lucky we are-- Spoiled, really. We have so much.

We're lucky to have the freedom we do, and we can't forget those who've fought to earn it for all of us.

THANK YOU.

And we're thankful we live in the USA.

Our Little Family

2011-06-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I subjected Brent to having family pictures taken. In my defense, it HAS been a year since our last professional family photos, and I just love being able to look back at these sweet moments frozen in time in the form of a picture. So we saddled the horses and headed up Birch Creek, just a few miles from our home to our horse pasture. The day was perfect, the weather was perfect, and our photographer, AMY NIELSON, worked her magic. Brent may have done a little complaining, but in the end he was impressed with how they turned out. Oh, I love this little family of mine.

I had trouble picking my favorites to post, so I just posted all of them. What the heck!

This picture speaks for itself. During this shot, while Brent and I were smooching, Brody had the biggest grin on his face, accompanied by the giggles.

The sun came out just long enough to drench us with its yummy rays.

Such a stud.

Love this one- it melts my heart to watch Brody and Brent together.

Once again, check out Brody's face!-- priceless!

Amy Nielson surprised us with this TREASURE. The song she chose for the video is PERFECT-- it fits our story so well. It made me cry like a baby!
(Oh yes, and before you play the video, don't forget to pause the music player at the bottom of this page, so you can hear the song on the video! ;)

"I had all but given up. . .

There was no such thing as a dream come true

Oh, but that was all the day before you

Now you're here and everything's changing

Suddenly life means so much
I can't wait to wake up tomorrow
And find out this promise is true
I will never have to go back to
The day before you

In your eyes I see forever
Makes me wish that my life never knew
The day before you

Oh, but Heaven knows those years without you
Were shaping my heart for the day that I found you
If you're the reason for all that I've been through
Then I'm thankful for the day before you"
--Rascal Flatts
"Day Before You."

Truly, the BEST part is that we NEVER have to go back to those dreadful days of hoping, longing and praying just to be "MOM," and "DAD."

Thanks to adoption, and to Brody's birth parents' courageous choice, we will FOREVER be

"Mom," and "Dad"

and we will NEVER take that for granted.

Those Darn Ears

2011-05-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

Brody was one of those unlucky babies who got repetitive ear infections. He usually had one once a month from about the time he was eight months old. So this spring, off to the specialist we went. Getting ear infections that frequently can apparently be a risk for hearing damage, so ear tubes were recommended. . .

On May 27th, Brody underwent a MINOR surgery to place teeny, tiny tubes in his ears. The procedure was very simple. . . Done in about 15 minutes. In reality, it was much harder for his parents than it was for him-- a little traumatic watching him cry as the nurse took him from our arms to the operating room, and again watching him come out of the sedation. He didn't like the groggy feeling as the anesthetic wore off, and threw a bit of a fit. But within an hour or so, he was back to his happy, busy self!

Now, he's a new man. He hasn't had a single ear infection since. No more waking up all night, forcing/tricking him to take antibiotics, and no more sad, grumpy days because his ears are bothering him.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

This 13 month old looked pretty darn cute toddling around the yard in his Easter suit!

This picture makes me want to smooch his cheeks.

He was really more interested in the gravel, rocks, bark, and anything other than his Easter basket, and eggs.

We had a great Easter which was spent with my sister and her family. Mel cooked a DELISH Easter dinner, and we hung out together at her house. We ate until we were sick, and Brody played with his cousins until he was all tuckered out (or maybe it was Brent and I that were worn out from following Brody around their house doing damage control. He's literally into everything these days-- especially those things that are off limits).

12 Month Photo Shoot

2011-04-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Recently we had Brody's 1 year pictures taken. The talented Amy Nielson was our photographer. Check out her photography blog (amynielsonphotography.blogspot.com).

Here are just a few of my faves. . .

This one's a little sad, but a lot cute. He wasn't crazy about getting the frosting all over himself.

Brody is always learning something new. I swear he changes every day, and it's so fun to watch him discover, and learn new things. Here are some fun things he's doing at 12 months:

The cutest thing ever-- he is obsessed with anything satin. He clutches on with both fists to his blanket with a satin edge, or onto his daddy's tie, or anything satin or silky. I guess he likes the way it feels. He especially likes to hold on to something satin when he's trying to go to sleep. Awwww, CUTE!

He has finally gotten past the stranger anxiety. Thank goodness!

He has figured out how to open doors- nothing is safe at our house anymore.

He points at everything. When you carry him around the house, his cute chubby finger is always pointing in one direction or another. Sometimes he's really pointing at something he wants, and other times he's pointing just to point.

On March 5th, he took 2 or 3 steps. By March 16th (two days before his birthday), he was fully walking!

On March 8th, we could feel his lower central incisors had broken through the gums. Hooray, he got his first two teeth before his first birthday!

His vocabulary is growing. . . a little. He says:

"Da da,"

"Mama,"

"no no no,"

"dog" (sounds like "da"),

"more" ("mo"),

and "thank you" (it kinda, sorta sounds that way).

He also says:

"oh,"

"uh oh,"

and "there."

He plays pretty well, and today I watched him leaning over a book, blowing bubbles, while drooling up a storm, and saying "maaaa, maaaaa, maaaaa. . ." repeated over and over for about 5 minutes. He likes to carry various stuffed animals, or toys around the house and talk gibberish to them (and he uses his hands while he's talking).

Brody now copies us, and loves to gibber jabber, and talk on his pretend phone. (He's also obsessed with our cell phones, and house phone, the tv remote, pretty much anything electronic). He kind of gets in trouble for trying to climb on things to get to the computer, or printer.

He's a little bit of a stinker when I catch him doing something he knows he's not supposed to. He'll jump like he's startled, then smile at me, and when I turn back around he's back to doing, or touching what he's not supposed to. He's starting to learn what "time outs" are. I have a really hard time getting mad at him, and keeping a straight face. He's just too darn cute!

He likes us to read books to him, and I often find him sitting down with a book "reading" it out loud to himself. Currently his favorite one is a Sesame Beginnings book called, "Bubbles, Bubbles."

He waves bye-bye at everyone, and everything. Last weekend we were shopping, and he waved each time we exited a store.

Loves puppies. About a month ago, one of Brent's working cow dogs had puppies. Everytime Brody is outside, he makes a bee-line over to the puppies.

Sticks his tongue in, and out. If you ask him where his tongue is, he'll abruptly stick out his little, pointy tongue.

Hmmmm, what else?

In a nutshell, he's just a cute, happy toddler that lights up our days.

Brody's Birthday Bash

2011-04-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

On March 18th our big boy turned ONE!!!

So we did a little celebrating, and had a party at our house with the family.

Here's our birthday boy!

First things first. The presents, of course.

The kids played "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," and Brody won with a little help from his Aunt Mel.

Brody had some very special guests come.

Grandpa Max (Brent's dad) sitting back, and surveying the partying.

Lauren, Landon, and Nate indulged in some grub. Good food is a must at a birthday party!

Brody, and Aunt Nell (Brent's sister, Janelle).

Here's Grandma, and Nate.

Brody, and his cousins. He has only 3 on Suzanne's side, and gobs on Brent's side (36 I believe).

Grandpa and Grandma Jones, Jared (Brent's youngest brother), Me, my parents, Melanie, Jason, Nate, Landy, and Lauren, Janelle, Brent, and the birthday boy!

Time to blow out the candle, and have cake and ice cream!

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you. . ."

It took a little bit of coaxing to get Brody to try the cake, but once he got a taste, there was no stopping him. He dove right in, and made a huge mess. Just the way it should be on his first birthday!

Is it necessary to smear it all over your hair?

"Hold me, Mom."

So messy, but so fun!

The next day Brody, and Grandma played with balloons left over from the party. . .

What a cute birthday boy! Happy Birthday Brody!!!

Have you ever seen a more perfect set of lips? I haven't, and they're sooooo kissable!

Brody actually sort of had two birthday parties. We had the family party the first part of April after my parents got home from Arizona. However, the day of Brody's birthday, his birth parents came by to wish him a happy birthday. We celebrated with dinner, cake and ice cream.

Brody partied his pants off. Literally.

His feet got stuck in the crack of the couch. When I picked him up, his pants stayed there, and he was partially naked for a moment.

I honestly can't believe it's been a year already. Sometimes I wish I could slow down time, and stop Brody from growing up so fast. We literally enjoy every moment we have with him, and we're so thankful for our little boy!

Daddy's Helper

2011-04-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

Brody and Brent are pals. The past few months Brody has REALLY become a daddy's boy. He gets so excited when Brent gets home in the evenings, and he loves to go everywhere his daddy goes- he's his little shadow. I'm so glad they have each other.

Brent has started taking Brody along to do small chores, and he loves every minute of it. I'm sure as he gets older, he'll be Brent's full time buddy.

A few weeks ago we tagged along while Brent took some horses up to Birch Creek to turn them out on the mountain so they could get out of the wet, sloppy corral and get some exercise.

One of our mares, and her brand new colt.

Nate, Landon, and Lauren's 6th Birthday

2011-02-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

So I'm playing catch up, and posting pictures I missed throughout the year (because someday, I'll get around to printing my blog into a book, and I don't want to have missed anything). I have a list of posts that I didn't quite get to, but that's when backdating a post comes in handy, so events can still appear in chronological order.

On Feb. 28, 2011 "the triplets" celebrated their 6th birthday!

These kids are growing like weeds, and it makes me happy to see them grow. I still remember when these 3 tiny little bodies entered the world 3 months too early, and they fought to stay here. Now look at them- aren't they awesome!

We're so proud of them, and we love these kiddos.

They immediately went outside to try out their new bikes, and 4- wheeler. We tried to stay out of the way. At first, it was a bit of a hazard for the triplets, AND all of us watching, but pretty soon they got the hang of things.

Then we played games, of course. That's a must at a 6-year-old's birthday party.

Uncle Jason and Brody

This boy looks pooped (and a little cold), but there was still more partying to be had. So we continued the party inside.

Love the look he's giving me.

Brody had a grand time playing in the aftermath of the present opening.

Isn't Uncle Jason funny?!

Mel and her two birthday boys.

This is the triplets cousin Kaylee.

Brody took a liking to this sweetie. See how he has his eye on her.

Then he started to move in.

And went for the bold move-- in for the kiss!

Smooth, Brody, smooth. . .

Brody is such a fun, sweet, and SMART little guy.

At 11 months he's picking up on so much.

We've been trying to teach him sign language (along with watching episodes of "Baby Signing Time") so he can communicate simple things like "more," "all done,"

"milk," "cracker," etc. . . (The experts say this cuts down on frustration since a baby can't verbally communicate what he wants, but can often do a simple sign.)

We were particularly working on the sign for "more" so Brody could tell us when he wanted more of a certain food, but

Brody outsmarted us, and proved the experts wrong.

He didn't need those mindless signs to tell us when he wanted something.

He simply pointed, and said, "mo."

To heck with signing. He watched us repeat those silly signs, and probably thought we were crazy.

"I'll just say "more." What's wrong with that?"

Getting Bigger- 11 Months!

2011-02-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

Watching Baby Einstein.

Nothing Better.

2011-02-16T23:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a cute video of Brody tonight sitting in his high chair with a case of the giggles. There's nothing better than the sound of a baby's laugh.

I thought it was funny how after he would laugh, he would pout out his lip as if he were going to cry. Maybe he wasn't sure which he needed to do!

(In order to hear the video, you'll need to pause the music player down at the bottom of the page.)

Winter Visit to Arizona

2011-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

In February we decided to visit my parents in Wickenburg, Arizona to take a break from the cold Idaho winter, and of course to see my parents. We were a little anxious about how Brody would react/ act on the flight since this was his first time flying.

We'd heard horror stories from friends and family about their kids throwing-up, or screaming the entire time.

That would be my worst nightmare. It's not like there's anywhere you can go to hide away from the other angry, irritable passengers.

We were pleasantly surprised--

Brody did GREAT!! He was an angel, and basically slept the entire time going, and coming.

I was so happy to see this little boy drift off. . . my fears were calmed and it was a peaceful flight. TWICE.

We spent much of our time outside. Just soaking up the warm rays of sunshine.

My parents are really spoiled to get this nice weather year-round.

Oh, the bliss of retirement!

While we were there, Wickenburg was celebrating "Gold Rush Days" is a big celebration held each year in honor of its origin (it was founded by gold prospector Henry Wickenburg).

My dad has taken up the hobby of panning for gold, and tried to teach Brent a few skills at the exhibition they had set up for tourists to try.

Grandpa dancing with Brody

Waiting for the parade to start.

Notice Brody has a couple of extra lumps in his shirt.

We are so cruel sometimes! He didn't find the same humor in it that we did.

While we were visiting. . . Brody got his first haircut.

This boy has the cutest curls

immediately after he gets out of the tub.

See how cute those curls are?

And the faux hawk-- isn't it to die for?

But about 5 minutes later, those cute curls turn into this. . .

A fuzzy, matted, ratty mess.

I got tired of looking at the rats nest on the back of his cute noggin.

So Grandma did the honors and gave Brody his 1st haircut.

A little bribery with a sucker bid enough time to get the job done.

He has so little hair that it seemed ridiculous to give him a haircut. But it looked so much better frazzle-free.

Check out the handsome little boy.

It was a great trip, and a fun visit with Grandma and Grandpa.

I keep thinking we need to go again next year before Brody turns 2 to take advantage of him flying for free.

My Goodness!

2011-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

Our baby boy is now 10 months old!

Yep, and still no teeth.

He's so much fun, I can hardly stand it.

Some of the fun things he's doing. . .

He dances when he hears music (definitely a white boy), claps when he's done something good-- Go Brody!
He loves to play "peek-a-boo", and "I'm gonna get you."
Squeals with delight when he sees pictures of himself.
He laughs and giggles at anything amusing.

For example, a few days ago I had a sore throat. (Which I assume he shared with me. Until Brody came along, I don't think I'd been sick in the past 10 years-- except maybe once or twice. Now I seem to catch every little bug he has. Not complaining...) So I used a flashlight to try and look in his throat to see if his looked sore too. I kept trying to move his little tongue out of the way, to take a peek, but I couldn't see past it. He had a bad case of the giggles.

His stranger anxiety (which started at about 6 mo.) is only getting worse, but really depends on the day. At least we feel loved. However, today I dropped him off at my sister's house while I got my hair cut, and colored. Megan also straightened my hair for me, as she usually does after a cut and color. When I returned to pick up Brody, I was the stranger! He totally didn't recognize me and clung to my sister, and cried big crocodile tears. Sad, but hilarious. Now we're pals again.

He holds on to furniture and walks, and even stands without holding on.

He says, "Ma ma," Da da," Uh-oh," and "Oh" to about everything else.

Waves good-bye. Gives kisses.

Eats about anything, and is starting to prefer table food.

He's also a busy body, and into everything.

We sure love this baby boy!

Favorite Time of the Year. . .

2011-01-16T00:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas Season 2010

I attempted to take pictures for our Christmas card, but didn't love how they looked (Brody looks adorable, but my photography skills-- not so great). So I stuck to using a professional photo for the card this year. Maybe next year I'll have that camera of mine figured out. Anyways, here's a sample of my attempt.

My sister and her family came over one night for dinner, so we got a picture of the cousins together by the Christmas tree. Nathan, (in the rocking chair) is scared of Brody, (he has this strange fear of babies that none of us can figure out) so it was torture for him to have to sit this close to Brody (Check out the look on Nate's face! Maybe he thought if he held reeaallly still, Brody wouldn't notice him.)

Brody, and Lauren

Aunt Mel

We spent Christmas at my parents house, which we normally do each year. My parents who go south (Arizona) for the winter, make the trek "home" to Idaho for Christmas so they can spend it with all of us-- we're so GLAD! That's what Christmas is all about. . . FAMILY, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

T'was the night before Christmas. . .

Brody reminds me of a little elf in this one- rummaging through all the presents.

Christmas morning. First things first. A bottle, then presents. Looks to me like Brent was sleeping on the job.

Brody got a rocking horse that sings, and whinnies, and makes a galloping sound. He loves it!

Grandpa's a funny guy!

His kisses are so sweet, but so. . .BRUTAL (and I'm not just saying that, they really are a little painful). He grabs you by the hair with both fists and pulls, mashes his face into yours, clamps down his jaws with all of his might, and slobbers a gallon of saliva. And they're not quickies either-- you pretty much have to pry him off your face. After one of Brody's kisses, I feel both loved, and wounded.

Maybe just a little spoiled.

Brody thought he was one of the big boys, and wanted to try out the drums too.

We all went to church together the day after Christmas to my parent's ward. Brody was looking dashing in his red Christmas sweater.

Those baby blues get me every time.

Last but not least, our yearly tradition. I was literally starting to take the tree down, when it dawned on me, we hadn't taken our picture yet in front of the tree this year! Might sound ridiculous, but I couldn't break the tradition after 10 years, so I grabbed Brent and Brody (just as we were), tried to tame my fro (how I sometimes curse naturally curly hair), and set the timer on the camera. And this is what you get. . .

ONE word sums up our Christmas

We are truly grateful for all we have been blessed with this year. We thank our Father in Heaven, and couldn't ask for more.

This is our JOY. . .

He was our most desired, cherished gift this year.

Milestones

2010-12-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

Family Photo Op

2010-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Last summer while my brother, Steve, was home from North Dakota we had family pictures taken here in Oakley (I know, I'm slow about getting these pictures posted). It had been eons since our last family photo (literally, I think I was in high school the last time). We had plans to go up Birch Creek for an awesome outdoor back drop, but the rain changed our plan. However, they still turned out great! Family pictures are priceless to me--love my family.

The whole crew: Jason, Melanie, Steven, Suzanne, Brent, Landon, Mom, Brody, Lauren, Dad, and Nathan!

Photographer Amy Nielson. Thanks Amy for another great job!

The smell of money (a.k.a. cow manure!)

2010-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Let me explain. Living in the "country", you often hear people say they "smell money" when they smell stinky manure, or passing by a smelly feedlot, or dairy. Delish, I know! (I still can't figure out if they're referring to the potential money to be made from the cows, or all the money going "through" the cows as they hay turns into manure!)

Anyway, the past couple of years each fall we head down to Spanish Fork, Utah for a big "show cattle" sale where the smell of manure was abundant. Brent has recently gotten into raising, and selling show steers, and heifers. WE don't show the cattle, he just sells them to people who travel around to cattle shows to show their animals (yeah, kinda like a dog show, but with cattle). The first time I saw the hoopla that occurs at a cattle show, I about died. Seriously, people really wash, and blow-dry and put moose, and hair spray in a cow's hair, only to have it poop all over it self, 2 minutes later?! Hilarious! I'm still trying to understand. I guess there's money to be made, so I better be nicer about it! I'm learning, slowly. . .

The hi-light of the weekend for me, was I got to meet up with one of my best friends from high school, Jen, who happens to live in Spanish Fork. We had a blast reminiscing about the old days, and her kids, Kya, and Brennon are dolls!

Kya was dying to "ride a cow", so Brent let her sit on the heifer's back.

They were eager to help Brent lead to cow back to the trailer. So cute!

It ended up being a fun weekend with lots of good times.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun Halloween weekend with the family. We went to my parent's house with my sister and her family.

Such a cute little jack-o-lantern baby!

My dad put together a "Halloween Land" for the kids. He was careful not to call it a "haunted house" because he knew that would freak out my sister's triplets. When we first got to their house he met us at the door with a bowl of "pig's eyeballs." (eye gumballs). Nate, Landy, and Lauren wouldn't have anything to do with eating a pig's eyeball, even after we told them it was really gum, and after watching each one of us harmlessly pop one into our mouths. They're hilarious!

Then we went into the kitchen where my dad made magic witch's brew drinks. We each got to choose the color of our drink. My sister and I were his assistants. We held up a blanket so the kids couldn't see my dad adding food coloring to the Sprite. He let out his secret at the end.

Jason and Nate showing their witch's brew.

Brody, of course, didn't understand what was going on, but could sense the excitement and was all hyped- up!

Then, my dad had set up a little haunted house upstairs in the master bathroom/ bedroom. When the kids asked what the sign said above the door, his reply was, "Welcome little children!" Nate was still scared to enter, and his poor little legs were literally trembling. After he went through it the first time, he was okay with it, and went through about 20 more times!

BOO!!

Lauren, Landon, and Nate were completely worn out after the fun weekend.

And so was the littlest one.

Cutest monkey ever. We chose a monkey costume for Brody this year. After all, he probably thinks monkey is his name, as we often call him "monkey."

Being a monkey isn't all it's cracked up to be. He was done with the monkey business.

My Boy

2010-10-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Did I mention how much I LOVE this boy?

When I'm trying to get Brody to sleep, singing to him usually does the trick. He loves it, and snuggles right in and goes to sleep. I ran out of new songs to sing, and got tired of singing the same ones over and over again, so I made one up just for Brody. It's super corny, but Brody loves it (and he even still loves me after having to hear me sing)! It goes to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine." (Still working on a 2nd verse).

You are my Brody,

My only Brody

You make me Happy each and every day

You'll always know dear how much I love you

I'm so glad that you are my boy.

How ridiculous is THAT!?

Weekend With Grandma, and Grandpa

2010-10-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to visit Grandma, and Grandpa for the weekend. They will be leaving for Arizona for the winter soon, so we decided to go and spend some time with them.

Grandma was telling Brody secrets! Every time my mom would whisper in his ear, this cute smile would spread across his face!

Playing peak-a-boo with Grandpa. Can you see the anticipation on Brody's face?

The weather was perfect, so we went out in the yard to enjoy it. Brody was laying down in the grass playing, and when I went to pick him up I felt something wet, and slimy under his arm. I thought, "How did spit-up get under there?" So I looked, and lo and behold it was a disgusting earthworm hanging out of his armpit! It surprised me, and I screamed (just a little). Grandma rescued Brody from the earthworm, and pulled it out of his shirt. Ew yuck!

While we did clean-up in the kitchen, Brody entertained himself in . . . the laundry basket! He's such a good, easy-going, HAPPY baby.

6 Month Photo Shoot

2010-10-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a photographer friend (Amy) came over to our house to take some pics of our Brody. They turned out super cute.

Take a peak.

Baby Buckaroo. This is one of my favorites.

What a handsome lil' cowboy!

This one should make your day, or at least make you smile.

Love those baby blues.

Daddy's hat. Oh, and those chubby cheeks--I could just nibble on him.

Such a sweet babe. We love him sooooo much!!

Photography by AMY NIELSON

Daddy n Me

2010-09-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Best pals! They are so cute together. This morning Brody was rolling around the living room floor, so Brent got down on the floor and was rolling around with him. They ended up face-to-face, and let me tell ya, they are two peas in a pod! It's so fun watching them play together. I think Brody has his daddy wrapped around his little finger.

Father and Son Football Day.

2010-09-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

One of Brent's favorite pastimes is watching football. He and Brody were spending some guy, quality time together watching the game. How cute!

Someone got tuckered out, and snoozed through most of the game. It's okay, Brody, that's how mom watches football too!

Growing up!

2010-09-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Now that Brody is 6 months old, I wanted to (again) do the car seat comparison to compare how big he was at 1 day, 3 months, and now 6 months. As you can see, he completely fills out his car seat at 6 months, versus the little tiny one day old baby. I can't believe how fast he's grown.

1 day old

3 months

6months

Here are a few more favorite pictures of our handsome little man. (I have a lot of catching up to do on our blog. We were without internet service for a couple of months at home. . . so planning to slowly catch up!)

Brody at 4 months.

5 months old!!

If you can't tell, I love this little caddy cap on him. It's now too small, and I've been looking for a new one in a bigger size, but haven't had any luck- darn. I found this little 1920's looking outfit, and I couldn't resist buying it. I love it on him, but his daddy thinks otherwise! He says, "That's not a cowboy hat!"

Yes, he does have a cowboy hat as well, and I'll be posting some pictures soon. We had a photo shoot yesterday, and we did get some shots of "Cowboy Brody."

I love smooching this charming baby boy!

Those sparkling baby blues. . . ahhhhh.

6 Months Old!

2010-09-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Brody is now six months old, and he is such a delight!! He is a very HAPPY, easy-going baby, and a good sleeper. He has been sleeping through the night since he was about 6 weeks old! I know, we're spoiled. We better knock on wood though, because teething, I'm sure, is just around the corner. I've heard that it can sometimes rearrange the sleeping pattern. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

He is sitting up, and rolling over now, and would desperately like to crawl. He's not quite strong enough yet, but I'm sure it's not far away.

Lately, he has a chronic fake cough, and fake laugh. It's so funny, and super cute. He's fake coughing in this picture!! Bad cough!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!

2010-06-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

It was a great Father's Day for Brent! His first as a DAD. He's been waiting for this day for such a long time. I must say he fills the role very well, and is a GREAT dad to Brody. We get comments from observers watching Brent with Brody all of the time about how they love watching them together. Last week in church, I had sharing time to present, so Brent was in charge of Brody. A number of people told me how impressed they were that he was so good with Brody, and so involved. One person said, you can tell how much he LOVES that little boy just by watching him. It's true, he loves that little boy with all he has. It will be fun to watch them together through the years. He already has a horse picked out for Brody with big plans to take his little cowboy along with him to work. I'm so thankful for Brent, and I love him for the dad and husband that he is. Also, thank you to my Dad, and to Brent's dad for the examples they set. We love you!! Happy Father's Day!

Here's Daddy and Brody with Brody's horse, "Cowboy."

How You've Grown!!

2010-06-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

On the 18th of June, Brody was 3 months old. Time goes so fast, and he's growing so big. My sister-in-law, Jessie, had this idea of the car seat comparison on her blog to see the difference in size at 1 day, and 3 months (thanks Jessie). It's crazy how much he's filled out the car seat in just 3 months! You're growing up so fast!

Here's Brody at 1 day old, and 3 months old.

3 BIG DAYS: Adoption finalization, Sealing, and Brody's Blessing

2010-06-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 17, 2010 we had our court hearing, and our adoption became FINAL!!!

We took a photo op with the judge, our caseworker, and our attorney, to document the joyous event!

Our family came to the hearing to support us. My parents, Brent's mom, and sister, our nephew, and my sister, and brother-in-law were there. We have such an awesome, supportive family. Thanks for being there for the occasion.

Saturday, May 29, 2010 was the most special day of all. We were able to take Brody to the Twin Falls temple to have him SEALED to us. We are now a forever family. The day was amazing. Our hearts were so full of love, and it was a very emotional day. It was a day we had been dreaming of for a very long time. We felt pure joy, and happiness as we had our baby sealed to us for eternity, with our close

friends, and family there.

Thank you to our loving supportive family, once again. We're so happy you were there to experience this day with us.

Our eternal family.

The day was extremely cold, and windy so we really weren't able to get many pictures. I was disappointed, but I was glad we were at least able to get a few.

Brody was blessed Sunday, May 30, 2010, the day after the sealing. It was a special weekend, and a BIG one (also Memorial Day weekend, so the family was able to visit the cemetery while they were here to decorate the graves of Brent's mom, and his 2 brothers).

The white blanket we wrapped around Brody in the temple for his sealing, and also for the blessing was one my Grandma Stephens made. It was neat to have a part of her there with us. She made one for each grandchild, and wanted to make sure we all had one before she died. She was a very talented, special person, and we MISS her deeply.

Brent was super nervous to give Brody his blessing in sacrament meeting. He worried about it for weeks, and was so nauseated the day of. Despite all of that, he did GREAT. He gave the perfect blessing, and everyone wondered what he was so nervous for. He's an amazing dad. I love watching him with Brody. It makes me love him that much more.

"Whoo hoo!! We did it!" We feel the same, Brody!