Early Spring Fever

Today was a beautiful day. One of my favorite things about today was hearing the sound of basketballs being dribbled on the pavement outside. A sure sign that spring is just around the corner. (Here is a picture of Braxton and our neighbor, Austin, shooting some hoops this afternoon.)

Feliz Cumpleanos, Mare!!!

My friend Mary Jane and I were room mates at Dixie College. We had never met before then, but it does feel like I have known her my whole life. She turns 35 today, yes I am 18 days older and she never lets me forget that. Mare has always been there for me and I value her friendship even more now that we are old married women, in our mid-30s. She has taught me to appreciate Elvis and she is also the keeper of some of my deepest and darkest secrets :). So, Happy Birthday, Mare. Thanks for being such a great friend and example to me. Love ya!!

Curse That Ground Hog

Why, oh why, did he have to see his shadow?

Valentine's Day

Every year, I like to celebrate Valentine's Day with my two favorite Valentines. Well this year, what a great feeling it was to celebrate it with THREE!!! We had heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and then gave Braxton his Valentines. (Emma slept all morning, so she missed the festivities.) We finished off the day by watching that romantic classic "Madagascar 2". I am so grateful for my little family, who I love everyday of the year.

Date Night Without A Kids' Menu

Ryan and I saw The King's Singers perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the Christmas season in 2007. When I heard that they were again coming to Salt Lake City to perform with the Utah Symphony, I decided we really needed to go. We bought the tickets back in November, thinking that it would be a fun thing to do for Valentine's Day. So, Ryan and I left the kiddies with Grandma and off we went for a night on the town. On the way down to Salt Lake, Ryan had Lionel Richie playing in the car because in his words, "What woman can resist the sensitive songs of Lionel Richie?" LOL The concert was great, if you ever get the chance to see The King's Singers live, I would highly recommend it. One of the highlights of the evening was that I ran into one of my mission companions, Hermana Atkinson ("Lani"). Thinking about Lani always puts my smile on my face, so seeing her tonight was a joyous occasion. She's married with 3 children and she looks great. I told her that we must be growing up because years ago we saw each other at a Ricky Martin concert and now here we are at the symphony with our husbands. Here is a picture of Lani and me. The back of the picture says "August 29, 1996". YIKES!!!

PS: I had pneumonia in this picture. I got in trouble for going to Sister's Conference when I was suppose to be home in bed. Oh well.

Long Live the Bouncy Chair

I LOVE our bouncy chair. It is one of the only things that I saved from when Braxton was a baby. As you can see from this picture, Emma loves the bouncy chair too.

And so did Braxton.......(Was my son really that small once?)

Bears and Great Friends

On Saturday, we went to the Teddy Bear Stuff 'N Factory (which is the poor man's Build A Bear Workshop, I suppose) at the mall and made teddy bears so Braxton and Emma could have something, years down the road, to remember when Emma came to live with us. Braxton chose these purple bears (for Weber State), we dressed them in baseball hats and little clothes. Very fun and cute that they have the same bear. (except Emma's has pink clothes, of course)

PS: On Friday night, the girls in my neighborhood threw Emma and me a shower. It was so fun. I brought my camera, but didn't take one single picture. I now have regret!!! But I wanted to say, "Thank You" for the fun party and evening. You have all been a great support to me and Ryan and we really appreciate you all. What I have done to be worthy of such great friends, I will never know.

The Stork Visited Our House Today.....

and dropped off a beautiful bundle dressed in pink. We received a phone call at 8:30 am that the move was happening today, meaning that Emma was coming to live at our home until the adoption is final. We are now officially her foster parents. It's been a wonderful day. I had forgotten how often feeding and diaper changes happen. I am tired, but very happy. Here is a picture of Emma's first foster parents, Frank and Janet. We have been so blessed to have gotten to know such incredible people through this process and Frank and Janet are angels to us. I love them so much. They are cared for Emma and loved her like their grandchild. We could sleep at night knowing that she was safe and happy in their home. They are the best!!!

35 Years Ago Today........

"The Way We Were" by Barbara Streisand was the #1 song on the Billboard Chart and around noon (9:00 Utah time), I entered the world as the second child/daughter of a family that has grown to 9 children. Last night, as I was staring at the ceiling pondering the reality of being only 5 years from 40, I thought about all the things that have happened in my lifetime. Like the death of disco and the birth of the moonwalk. Live Aid. Neon clothing. Jean jackets with KISS written on the back in black marker. Side ponytails. Leg warmers. Spandex. Break dancing. Friendship bracelets. Mork and Mindy. I have seen the jelly shoes, Transformers and Cabbage Patch Kids come into existence, leave for a few years and then make a comeback. I watched the Berlin Wall come down on TV!! (I was in an American History class last year and some of the students in the class had never heard of the Berlin Wall!) I remember when we got our first VCR, I am sure my parents paid about $1500 for it. *SIGH* How can I possibly be 35 years old? In my mind, some days, I am still a teenager, just a little wiser and married with 2 children now. Anyway, I tried to get some great pictures from when I was a kid, but that didn't work out so well. So, here are some others.

It is also Ground Hog Day. So, let's get some business out of the way. No, Mom and Dad, I did not see my shadow this morning. Mainly because it takes at least a half an hour every morning until my eyes are completely opened. Hopefully, the Ground Hog didn't see his shadow either, because I am ready for spring.