January, February and March 2011

I will be doing a recap of our year over the next 4 weeks.... I am putting it on here instead of my family blog because it is too hard to keep up with 2 blogs. I think I will start only using this blog for everything :)

This year started out a little rough. We had to move unexpectedly after my mom got hurt and was wheelchair bound. Since she lived with me, we were all uprooted. We finished moving into our house on New Years Day.... This was her bedroom before me moved.... My living room. This makes me sad to see how miserable she was.

Of course with moving, the kids had to start new schools :( Kaitlyn did NOT like it.
After a few weeks she came home and said "Mom, Am I not smart enough for you?" Me: Why?
Kait: Because you put me back in preschool.
After waiting a month we decided to talk to the principal to see if they had an advanced placement program. He said and I quote "Kindergarten is more of a social experience. Not an academic one."
I was a touch distraught.
Brittany cried for weeks because she missed her preschool teacher and her best friend (I am happy to say that we are still in touch with her best friend :)

This was her last day at her other preschool....She is in the black dress.... Her best friend is in red next to her.

Kaitlyn got jazz tickets to see a Jazz game because she was on the junior Jazz team. Her and Daddy had lots of fun!

 I think she liked it!

Of course we had to buy Britt some tickets too because every little girl deserves a daddy daughter date

The girls started Gymnastics

Kaitlyn had her birthday party..... It was a HUGE success!!!! I have never seen so many kids in such a small place before!

 And lots of adults too!!!!

Kaitlyn rode a bus for the first time on her way to her first field trip. They went to a museum and celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday :)

 We bought 4 hampsters for the kids! They love them.... me not so much!

My sister finally made it down for her visit in March.
Her kids finally got their Christmas from Grandma and Poppy.
And my kids got their presents from them :)

 My sister.

 My brother.

 Hey look I can just bite these things open.

 Or use this hatchet..... We laughed soooo hard at this one!!!

 Grandma enjoying her youngest grandson and granddaughter.

 Yay some of our favorite people came to visit.

 Best Friends!!!

 We bought a new van..... much needed since our other one was costing like $500 a month in repairs :(

Great Grandma with 6 of her youngest great grandkids..... We did not know at the time that this would be the last time my sister and her kids would see her alive :(

 A quick trip to Vegas.... for some reason this pic with Maamo is one of the only ones I took

 Kaitlyn was queen for a week!

 More fun time with cousins!

 A trip to the Air Force Museum.

 Our family :)

We had a pretty good start to this year!!
I can't wait until this family photo has our son in it :)

Baby Food jars have been turned in....

A group of kids didn't have enough baby food jars to hand out, but that didn't stop them....

The used sandwich bags to collect coins for our son!!!!

THANK YOU to these amazing Angels who collected these coins!

Can you believe their generosity?

Thank you guys and gals for all do! Do you have your baby food jar full yet??

If you do please send me a pic... Grumpyjax@yahoo.com

We have not counted yet, but I will be adding this to our total too.... YAY!!!!!

T shirt Models....

All Tshirts in adult and kid sizes S-XL (as available) are $20 All 2XL, 3XL and Women's sizes are $22

Women's shirts have a limited availability in Dark Pink, Black and White (S-XL)

http://adoptutah.blogspot.com/2011/12/t-shirts-for-adoption.html

She this post for more details on Sizes and Colors available!

This is my 5 year old daughter wearing a kids S... 

 My 6 year old daughter wearing a kids M

My 2 year old daughter wearing a kids XS (Sorry this was the best pic I could get)

 I am wearing a Women's size L and Kevin is sporting an Adult XXL

 The following pictures are just for pure fun :).... Enjoy! We did!!

Yes, my kids are super silly!!

T Shirts For Adoption!!

I have been working on designing a shirt for a while now.... Nothing seemed to work..... Then I had an idea...

How do you think it turned out?? 

I LOVE it because it just fits!!!

Shirts are available in kids sizes XS(2-4),S(6-8),M(10-12),L(14-16) for $20 (including shipping)

Adult sizes S,M,L,XL, 2XL, and 3XL $20 for S-XL $22 for 2XL and 3XL (also including shipping)

Women's sizes are available in limited quantity S-XL Dark Pink, White and Black- $22 for all Women's size shirts (contact me before ordering these... Grumpyjax@yahoo.com)

Colors available... White, Yellow, Orange, Light Pink, Dark Pink, Red, Light Green, Dark Green, Light Blue, Blue, Navy, Black, Grey and Purple (Kids sizes not available in Navy)

Kids sizes run true to size for Boys' sizes (you may choose to go a size smaller for your girls if their shirt are a touch big anyways) Adult sizes run true to size (compared to men's sizes) Women's sizes are made very SMALL (I can usually wear a Med, but it is too short.... The L is a touch tight on me)

 Adult 2XL Grey

 Kids M Dark Pink

 I made this one from a shirt I already had.... This one is for our son :)

 Kids XS Light pink

 Kids S Yellow

I will be adding more pictures of the shirt on my girls and in different colors...... Please come back and see us.

If you order by Monday 12/12 You will receive 10% off your order..... including hair bows and bracelet IF you also purchase a shirt :) Visit my fundraisers tab to check out other items you can buy :)

My kids make me smile!

As a part of our family "bedtime" routine, we allow each of the kids to say their prayer, they give everyone in the family hugs and kisses and we tuck the kids into bed....

We do this every night. My oldest daughter needs a routine, and this one works. Kaitlyn likes to do things in order, by a pattern or have a way of "tracking" things. She does this with everything. So with hugs and kisses each night, she starts with the youngest and goes to the oldest. 

When we hung our stockings for Christmas this year she insisted they be hung from youngest to oldest.

As you saw earlier, we bought a stocking for our son even though we know he will not be home until next year.

A few days ago, she gave the youngest a hug, then turns around and silently through some hugs and kisses into the air. She turned around and resumed her normal order. I didn't think much of it at the time.

Later, she told me she throws hugs out to her brother because even though he is not here, he needs to know he is loved!

Tonight Brittany (5) went to give everyone kisses..... After Alyssa, she stopped and looked at me. She then asked in her sweetest voice "If I send some hugs up to God, do you think he will make sure my brother gets them?" With tears in my eyes, I could only reply "yes."

My kids love their brother already. They ask about him each day. They send him love. They buy him toys and they donate all the money they get to him.

My girls are working hard to bring their brother home. They have asked to "make something" to help their brother..... Stay tuned for some homemade jewelry for brother.....

I am the luckiest mom in the world!!

As far as updates go..... We found out that our son's Special Need will most likely not be appearing on their "list" of adoptable children any time soon. That being said, We will still be able to adopt him. We just have to wait until he is 5 which is less than a year away..... We will be starting all of our paperwork in the beginning of the year.... This process takes from 7-9 months.

Thank You for all that have donated, helped and shared!!!

I am so thankful and my girls and thankful (yes my husband is too). We all love you all for what you have done for us.... We still need help though so please do not forget about our Giveaway!!!

There is an Ipad2 up for grabs and all of your donations are doubled!!!

http://adoptutah.blogspot.com/2011/11/double-your-donation.html

If you donate $10 you get an entry.... After you have donated, you will get an entry for sharing on your blog and/or FB. Please comment below to let me know if you have shared, so I can enter you into our giveaway!!

From the Heart of his Auntie

This guest post is being posted anonymously, because if I say who I am, it will be obvious who Jaclyn's newest baby is! So until they can announce who he is, I will remain his anonymous auntie! :)

Several years ago, I began a journey which will last me a lifetime. A journey of heartbreak and hope, of sadness and joy, but most important - love. And intertwined in that journey is the amazing story of one very special little boy.


It all started with a dream. A dream of something great which combined several things I love. That dream led to more dreaming and lots of planning. Which led to an amazing day and contact with new friends. Friends who asked a question that when answered yes brought me to the other side of the world where it really all started.

Through a series of events that no man could have orchestrated, God placed me in a third world country with poverty and  and hopelessness like I had never seen before. It opened up my eyes to a whole new world. One morning while visiting the baby orphanage I met the love of my life. I didn't know it then, but he was to change my life forever.

Though it sounds romantic, this was no cute teenage boy I fell in love with. Nope, far from it! He was just a a baby, almost 3 years old. And thanks to the ridiculous clothes he was wearing, I thought he was a she and didn't find out until afterwards the I was wrong!

That sweet little boy took my hand and led the way. I followed because he had already captured my heart and I'm pretty sure he had mesmerized me by that point! :) I led him over to some play equipment and didn't have kids swarming all over it. I could tell he needed some one on one attention and I was happy to give it! We played on the slide for quite awhile, both of us loving every second.

Unfortunately, he had me too far under his spell to think to take more than 4 pictures! My memory is clouded now, but I do remember that he wasn't happy to leave me when he had to go nor was I happy to leave him! I knew he needed (and still needs!!) his mommy to come get him ASAP! He was broken and aching from being alone, and yes, despite the fact he was two, I could tell his heart was ripped apart. I could hardly bear to see him go back to the life we both hated.

I lost it on the way out of the orphanage and was in almost a trance the rest of the day. I'm fairly certain I horrible dreams about him and the others that night. Either way, I slept horribly. He needed someone, and since there was no one else, he needed me! And I had sent him back to his grouppa, alone.

Despite my hopes, we didn't get to go back to the orphanage on during the rest of the trip. Weeks passed and one day I stumbled upon a blog of a missionary who was over in my baby's city!! She took lots of pictures and was able to get him listed on an orphan awareness site as available for adoption.

Because my heart was opened up the the plight the orphan, I had started a blog advocating for other orphans and families bringing them home. I advocated for that sweet boy a lot on there and one evening I got a comment from the beautiful Jaclyn, author of this blog. You've probably already guessed what the comment said! She told me that they were pursuing the adoption of  a certain little boy featured on my blog! Through daily emails, skype calls, and blog posts, Jaclyn is now a very close friend and I can't wait until I get to meet her in person!

As I sat here tonight writing this my heart was broken yet again for "my" sweet boy. I hope and pray that this post will touch at least one person's heart to donate and help him come home sooner! If it does, all the tears it took to write this post will be worth it.

Love is not what makes the world go round, it's the pursuit of dreams that does. But the thing that makes it possible to pursue those dreams is love.

I dream of the day he will come home, but I know it's gonna take a whole lot of loving to get there. And though we love him to the moon and back, Jaclyn and I can't do it ourselves. Your cue to donate to his adoption! :)

Every dollar will help because all he really wants for Christmas is a family!

Thank you!

A Child's Prayer

In church today we talked a lot about being Thankful.... It made me really think about all of the blessings I have in my life!! I wanted to share a little bit of what I learned today with all of you!!

My spirit was so uplifted today!!!

I love the song above..... God is there and he does answer every child's prayer.

That brings me to our first topic of today.... 

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his ^awill, he ^bheareth us:

This really got me thinking. I some times pray for what I think is best.... For what I want to happen. Sometimes what the Lord wants for us is far better than what we could hope for ourselves.

Then we talked about loving one another..... I love the things I learned!

1 John 4:16 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that ^adwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:18 18 There is no ^afear in ^blove; but perfect ^clove casteth out fear: because fear hath ^dtorment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

I love this sooooo much!!! There is no fear in love!! I love my son!! I am going to go and get him!!! There are things that I fear about leaving my comfort zone, but there is no fear in my love!!! My heart feels peace for the first time in a long time!!! 

Hoping this helps one of you the way it has helped me.... I'm also going to leave you the words to a few of the songs we sang today..... He was speaking to me today.... I just know it!

"Because I have been given much, I too must give; Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live. I shall divide my gifts from thee, with every brother that I see who has the need of help from me. Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord. I'll share thy love again, according to Thy word. I shall give love to those in need; I'll show that love by word and deed: Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed."

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

We actually sang the following Children's song in our adult class today..... We teach our children this song when they are little, but it never hurts to go back to the basics.

1. I’m trying to be like Jesus;
I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,

2. I’m trying to love my neighbor;
I’m learning to serve my friends.
I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again.
I try to remember the lessons he taught.
Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:

Chorus 
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

I have been thinking a lot lately about my Savior!!! I am thankful he "paid" the price for me!

I want to thank a person that commented on my last blog saying I was "paying" for my son!! 

Nothing in life is "free". I will gladly "pay" whatever it costs to bring my son home!!

Thank You all who have been supporting us in our journey!

Doctrine and Covenants 132:48

48 And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word and according to my law, it shall be visited withblessings and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth and in heaven.

Your blessings are coming friends!!