Congratulations Lindsey & Mike !!!

So... we just got back from a very memorable trip to Seattle, WA. Our agenda was pretty much full every day. The number one reason as to why we traveled here was to attend my cousin's wedding. Let me just tell you how remarkable her wedding was. I have never seen someone so organized. She pretty much planned the entire event herself, including a 1970's theme rehearsal dinner. It was awesome !!! Although, I must say... it was pretty difficult to find a 70's outfit that really stood out. It's blows me away to see us wearing the same clothing our parents wore on a daily basis, as if it's "normal" !!! Anyhow... the wedding was perfect. Lindsey was a gorgeous bride, and I still can't believe that she did her own hair, as well as all of her bridesmaids' hair (she is a phenomenal hair dresser). Donny and I were asked to be the photographers which we were more than pleased to do. Lindsey and Mike were great to work with. Thank you to both of them... We love you guys !!!

The wedding took place at a beautiful lodge just outside of Seattle. It was truly amazing!

The picture on the left is Lindsey's hair, and the one on the right was one of my favorites (all were great).

Nothing beats a child's laughter

We can always count on Miridyan to entertain us. This was taken just after we finished dinner at my parents house. My mom started to share chips with the dogs... and this was the result. Miridyan loves to watch the dogs, especially when they are focused on food. We tell people all the time how much she laughs, but of course not when they see her. So... this one is for the ladies at Zion Eye.

Sign of the future ???

Paityn came to lunch with the cutest little cowgirl hat on. We wanted to see what Miridyan would look like in it, so we took it off of Paityn and innocently placed it on top of Miridyan's head. Paityn didn't like that at all, and wanted it back for herself !!! Could this be a sign of what's to come ??? We all hope not !!! We love you Paityn !!!

50th Birthday !!!

Today was my mom's 50th birthday !!! I must say that she has aged beautifully. To celebrate, we had a pasta bar for dinner and a delicious black cake (thanks to our personal baker, Cody) for desert. Everything went pretty smooth, even though half of the party guests were our foster kids and their friends. Even Drake and Travis stopped by to wish her Happy Birthday (we still miss them tons). My mom enjoyed herself, despite the fact that she had laser eye surgery that very morning. What a woman. I love you mom.

Happy Father's Day !!!

Let me just start by saying that Donny is truly an amazing father. I have not only been blessed with a loving husband, but someone who loves and adores our daughter with his whole heart. What more could a mother want for her child. This Father's Day was not exactly Donny's first. Last year not only was I pregnant but we also had 4 foster kids living in our home. I hope and pray that the kids that get to temporarily be a part of our family realize how blessed they are to have Donny in their lives. He is the one who makes sure that these kids live life to the fullest. Playing air soft guns, playstation, volleyball, swimming, movies, laser tag, ect, are just a few of the things that Donny will do with our foster kids. I can't wait for our own daughter to be old enough to participate in all the fun activities and to see how blessed she is to have him as her very own. We love you !!!

This year we had three girls staying with us temporarily. Nicole, Angela, and Chelsey... thank you for helping make this Father's Day a memorable one!!! You three are all amazing young ladies. We are so glad we have the opportunity to get to know you.

I definitely cannot leave out the one person who has helped make me who I am today... my very own Dad. I can't tell you enough just how much I love this guy. Not only is he the greatest dad in the world, but he treats all of the kids that come in our home as if they were his own grandchildren, and that means the world to me. I know that he is proud of each of his three children, and for that I say... It's all because of you !!! I want my dad to be proud of me because I am more than proud to have him as my father. Dad... you are the most loving, caring, supportive, and sweetest guy ever... and lucky for me... I get to call you Dad.

Garage Sale

These pictures were taken at the end of our garage sale that we had. As we were cleaning up the unsold items, my mom packed up this little bag that was the perfect size for carrying a baby!!! Unfortunately for Paityn (my niece) I was the one holding her when this thought crossed my mind. So... here it is... a thought put into action. As you can see... it was the perfect size !!! I love you Paityn !!!

Cousins for life !!!

Miridyan and Paityn were born only 6 days apart. They have know idea how lucky they are to be able to grow up with one another. We are just hoping that they become the best of friends.

Time goes on

Well, I haven't posted too many updates on Miridyan lately, so I thought I would dedicate this one just for her. At her last doctor appointment, May 19th, she weighed 14 pounds and was 25 inches long. Oh, and she still doesn't like the shots. Go figure! That very night we fed her rice cereal for the first time. It was great. She would just let it sit on her tongueas she would just stare at us. As Donny, Drake, and I began laughing at her, she would get a huge smile on her face and out came the cereal. She is a real entertainer!!! Eventually she got the hang of it, even though she would pull a face after every spoonful. She rolled over for the first time on Thursday May 29th. I was so excited that I was able to witness this milestone. Again, I can't wait to see what she does next. Some of the things she like right now are: grabbing onto her toes, laughing hysterically at the dogs, laughing at mom shaking a plastic bag in front of her, taking baths, watching baby Einstein, and laughing at daddy barking like a dog. She doesn't like the sound of people sneezing, however. When she hears it she gets a blank look on her face for a couple of seconds, then comes the pouty lip, and out comes the cry. It is the cutest yet saddest thing to see. I have a feeling that she is going to be our little sensitive girl. Guess we better prepare ourselves now. We love you sweetheart !!!

We miss you Drake !!!

Today, yet again, we lost another one of our boys. Drake is an amazing young man. We knew that this day was coming, we just didn't want to accept it. It's so hard because on one hand you want to do everything you can with them before they go, but then you don't because that just means that you are preparing to say goodbye. Neither Donny nor myself are good with goodbyes when it comes to times like this. We have witnessed a great transformation right before our eyes. A young punk who initially talked his way out of going to school in the mornings. Failing classes here and there. Spending all his time playing video games or sleeping. An unmotivated kid who thought he was depressed. Throughout our time with him, we have seen huge improvements in school, including a full schedule, more smiles and laughs then we could ever hope for, and memories that will be forever in our hearts. Drake is a big ol teddy bear at heart. He is kind, loving, funny (despite his odd sense of humor), talented, and knows what he likes. The best part of the whole thing is that we got to claim him as our own. We are so proud of you Drake! You have come so far. You have amazing potential in life. We look forward to attending your graduation in 2010. And remember, don't forget us when you make it big (he always told me that he will be rich one day). We love you !!!

3 Years and still counting !!!

Today is our 3 year anniversary !!! I know there were days in the past that I wondered if we would ever make it this far. But now, all I see is many years to come. The day started out just like any other day. I woke up around 5 am to allow me to get ready and be to work by 6am. Donny slept in a little longer until Miridyan woke up. Towards the end of my 12 hour shift I got a call from the lady in dispatch asking if I could come down to her desk. I have to admit... I was a little nervous at first. For some reason I was born with a guilty conscience. Anyhow, as I approached the desk I saw a beautiful vase filled with a stunning arrangement of flowers. There were three flowers of each type. The three tallest were Dutch Iris', one of our flowers we had at our wedding. When I got home later that evening, Donny told me that we had to be somewhere by 7:15 pm, so I needed to hurry change my clothes. For dinner, he took me to The Painted Pony. As we walked in, the lady looked at him as if she had seen him before. She then made the statement " We made a little change, but I think you will be happy with it". I knew he had something up his sleave. They had set up a table in a very intimate corner with a beautiful view outside. And on the table was a single red rose. It was like something you would see in a movie. The food was amazing as well. Half way through our meal, our waitress brought over a gift bag. It was a lovely poem in a frame. I have to admit... my husband is a romantic. The night reminded me of when we first started dating. And you know how that all changes after the wedding! It was perfect. Now... just so you don't think that I didn't buy him anything... my idea for this year was for us to buy a Wii. My thinking was that it would give us something fun to do together and as a family. I stuck to the plan, however, as you can see, he didn't. I love him for that! Thank you for the perfect evening Donny. I love you very much !!!

We miss you Travis !!!

Just a few pictures of our Travis !!!San Diego

Travis & Donny

Travis

Our family at a Christmas Party

Today was a very difficult day for both Donny and myself. Some of you may not know this, but we have been foster parents for almost 2 years now. We have had a total of 8 kids in our home. We started out with girls, but quickly realized that they were a little too much for us. We have never seen so much drama in our lives. Don't get me wrong... we love each and every one of them. In fact, there are a few that we still keep in touch with. Boys just seemed to mesh with our family a little better. For the past 15 months we have had to young gentlemen as part of our family. Drake is now 16 years old and Travis is 14. They also happen to be brothers. Let me just tell you that these these two amazing kids came into our home as just that... kids. We have been blessed with the opportunity to see them grow into young men. I can't even begin to tell you just how much they mean to us. They are our sons.
Today is the day that Travis gets to go home for a trial. This means that he is still in the states custody, but he will be living with his biological mom. Is it bad to say that I hope and pray that this "trial" fails? This kid has become one of us. He even dresses and cuts his hair like Donny. I have loved watching the transformation he has gone through. I know I will have to just trust Heavenly Father more than ever at this moment. Travis not only means the world to us, but the rest of my family as well. It is like we have lost a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, and a cousin. I know that we will get to continue to talk to him and have him over, it just won't be the same.
Travis... we miss you already!!! Thank you for all the amazing memories you helped our family make. You will remain in our hearts and our prayers no matter what. And please remember that you are always welcome in our home. We love you !!!

Amazing !!!

I just wanted to share an amazing story with you. It isn't my story, but it has truly had an impact on me. If you look on my friend list there is a link called Bring The Rain. It is a must read. This woman has been blessed with the ability to write, and to touch every soul in a unique way. I realize that we all have trials in our lives, but we need to keep in mind that they are all for our own good. One day we will see that this "trial" was actually a blessing. This particular story has helped me remember that we can make it through anything. All we need is Faith.

Back to work ;(

So... now that Miridyan is 3 months old, it is time for me to go back to work. Actually I went back last week. Luckily I only work 3 days a week, but they are 12 hour shifts. I miss her so much while I am away. I think I am just afraid that I am going to miss out. Kind of like how she decided to laugh while I was at the grocery store. I am blessed, however, to have family around to watch her. I am not a fan of day care at all, and hope to never have to resort to it. Anyhow... I am surviving at work after all. It is kind of nice to interract with adults again. I work with a lot of amazing people, and didn't realize until now, just how much I missed them.

Just a few Pictures

Miridyan is such a good baby !!!

Milestone !!!

Well... today Miridyan shared her first laugh with us. Aunt Morgan was shaking her head in front of Miridyan which caused her to just crack up. It was great !!! I have been waiting for this moment for quite some time. She would always come so close... and then just cough. I can't wait to see what she surprises us with next.

Gift from Uncle Ken

Uncle Kennon gave Miridyan this lovely outfit today. He was so excited to give it to her. We put it on right away. I am not sure I have ever see camo and lace look so cute. I think she pulled it off quite well, don't you? I am just not sure how often you will see her wearing it (if you can even see her that is! LOL!!!) Anyhow... we love him and all his gifts. And we can't wait until he moves back down here. This picture was taken right before she let us know that she had enough of the camo.

Discovering the TV

Miridyan and I sat down to watch Dancing with the Stars tonight and boy did she love it. She amazes me every day.

I'm back !!!

This is our birth announcement

These pictures were taken on Easter 2008

First let me apologize for waiting so long to post anything new. I actually didn't think that anyone was really looking at it. I always hoped that I was wrong. So... please forgive me. Let me now fill in the blanks.
To begin I feel the most important thing that has happened in my life is that I gave birth to my long awaited daughter, who is absolutely perfect, on January 21st at 3:11 pm. Her name is Miridyan Jilleen. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 inches long. At her 2 month appointment she weighed 10 lbs and was 23 inches. I am amazed every day how much she grows. She is now starting to show her personality, which I am afraid to say that she can be quite bossy. And she definitely knows what she wants. I hope that as she grows, her patience will grow as well. Donny and I could not be more proud of the angel we created. We have been quite busy these last few months. Miridyan has already been on her first airplane ride to Arizona, first long drive to Slat Lake, and even to Las Vegas. She is such a good baby. We have truly been blessed.
As for me... I am doing fabulous. I love being a mother. I can't wait to wake up every morning to her smiling face and her never ending stretches. She hasn't really laughed yet, but we know it will happen any day now. She gets so close, and then she coughs. She is a squealer, however. And boy is it high pitched. I think that she is going to be a singer like her daddy for sure. In fact, she loves when I sing to her, even though I am not very good. She is also getting better at holding her head up, and she has discovered the television. The other night I sat her on the couch and as she watched Dancing with the Stars with me her eye brows would raise every once in a while and she would smile. Oh yes, she also loves the water. She gets mad when I take her out of the bath. When she is in the water she is in heaven for sure. I will have to get pictures on here for you to see. Anyhow... I could go on and on, but I will save some for the next post. I promise it wont be months.

Update !!!

Alright, so here is a quick update... I am now dilated to a 3, which is definitely progress. I was up all night having contractions, so I stayed home from work thinking that we would be meeting our angel for the first time. Obviously it hasn't happened at this time. I guess there is still plenty of time left in the day. We are more than ready to bring her home and love her. Anyhow... we hope that everyone is doing great! (This picture was taken at 37 weeks and 6 days)

Merry Christmas !!!

I am now 35 weeks and 2 days into this wonderful pregnancy !!! I am feeling fabulous !!! Donny and I went in last Saturday to have a 3D ultrasound done, and to our frustration, she did not want to be seen. She kept her hands in front of her face nearly the entire time. We tried everything to get her to move. There was one moment where we were able to see her nose and one eye. That was the highlight of the appointment. We decided that she is determined to make a grand entrance into our lives. So fitting, isn't it !!! She is moving around as much as she can. I start my weekly Dr appointments this week. I will keep you posted throughout the next few weeks. As soon as the holidays are over, we are ready to get serious about bringing home our little angel. I am still waiting for the "nesting phase" to hit me. I feel like we have so much to do. Well... Merry Christmas to everyone !!!