Sam's First Haircut *sigh*

I have been putting off cutting Sam's hair for many reasons. The first reason is simply that I hate the way a haircut can totally change a child from a baby to a toddler. I am not ready for that yet. Second, I am completely inept at cutting hair and didn't want to butcher the poor kid. Third, I am completely in love with his perfect little angelic curls and the way they frame his head when he sleeps and after his bath. *sigh again* So, tonight I realized that the task could be put off no longer. So, rather than using clippers, as Wes would prefer, I just pulled out a pair of scissors and decided that I could handle giving him a 'trim'. Thankfully, the process was quick, Sam was happy as always, and he maintained his curls (ahthankyouverymuch!!) After a quick bath and a slathering of Baby Magic I realized that my baby hasn't left me just yet *sigh of relief*. He is still my perfect little angel and I couldn't imagine life without him!

One last look at his crazy long locks!!

What a handsome kiddo!

Be ye warned- there be butt crack in this here collage.

Birthday Party!

Kolton's third birthday was such an event! We tried to keep things simple with just a cake and ice cream and then we decided to go bowling and out for pizza. Throw in a surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa G. and it's a miracle Kolton ever came down from that high!! I can't believe how emotional I get every year on his birthday. It was the greatest and yet most emotional day of my life. It was the day I officially became a mommy, the day Cori had to let go of her precious boy and turn him over to me, and the day I realized I honestly had not a clue!! Aside from the emotions, however, his birthday this year was an awesome reminder of how much he has learned and how blessed I am! Here are some highlights:

The opening of presents- all 'Thomas the Train" themed, of course!

Bowling at our local alley- needless to say, I lost.

Kolton enjoying his Thomas cake

And Sam enjoying some, too!!

It was such a fun night and we were sad to see the end of it. There really isn't much to do here in Montpelier so the chance to have something to celebrate and somewhere to go was very appreciated! And, just because I promised Cori I would, here is a picture of the blasted cake. Now, let me just clarify- I don't consider myself to be a cake decorator. I always thought that because I am generally good at crafts and sewing that somehow it would cross over into hitherto unforeseen cake decorating skills. However, no matter how hard I try, those skills never manifest themselves. The only thing that makes me feel okay about this particular cake is the fact that Kolton actually recognized what it was. In my mind, that is just going to have to be good enough.

Happy Birthday, Kolton!!

I can't believe all of this happened three years ago! :


"Well, where do we start?!? At 6:00 Monday morning (Feb 18) we received a call from Cori saying that she was pretty sure she was in labor and that I should "wake Daddy up and head over!" Needless to say, a frantic scramble followed while we threw some last-minute stuff in the car (we have been packed for a while now!). About an hour later we received a call from a friend of Cori's saying that Cori was dilated to a 10 and she didn't think we would make it on time! (We were about five hours away from where she was having him). About two minutes later I got a call on my cell phone and what should I hear on the other end but this teeny but strong cry! I immediately started bawling and Wes couldn't hear what I was telling him (we were driving through a canyon and his ears were plugged up). So, sadly, we missed seeing him come into this world, but, thankfully, Cori wasn't alone. So basically from her first contraction to when he made his appearance was just over an hour and a half! He came out at 7:28am weighing 5 lbs 2.8 oz and measuring 19" long! When we finally arrived (around 10:30) it was obviously very emotional for all of us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had no idea that babies can come out that perfect. I always scoffed at love at first sight until I saw his sweet face looking up at me. Unfortunately, all of the meeting and hugging and "figuring out" had to happen while Kolton (that's his name!) had to get a series of tests done. He got poked and prodded and was not super happy about it! After that we were able to go into Cori's room and get re-acquainted with her and get newly acquainted with Kolton. There is a 24 hour legal period in which the birthmom has to wait to sign the relinquishment papers (it is a Utah State law) and Cori was amazing during that time- handling it much better than I think I would have. Finally, yesterday at around 6:30pm we were able to meet with Cori and her case worker to finish the placement process. I'm not going to go into that too much because it was probably the most sacred experience of my life. I don't even think words could express how incredible and hard and emotional it was. We left the hospital with Kolton safely in his car seat (per the nurse's patient instructions!) around 7:30 last night (on the 19th). They let us discharge him 12 hours earlier than they normally would since he was doing so well, even for his small size, and also since we had such a long drive ahead of us and a storm was going to be coming in the next day. After a couple of stops (WHY do gas station bathrooms have to be so COLD?! He did NOT like getting changed in there!) we finally arrived home around 1:00am. We were in bed by 2:00am and he woke us at 4:ooam and then again at 8:00am, so it was actually very nice (the first night in the hospital he didn't want to sleep at all!). We will see how things go tonight. Right now he is watching a basketball game with Wes and his eyes are wide open and alert! He hardly ever cries and has the sweetest disposition. We really don't think life could be any better at this point for us- we are so very blessed. Thank you all for your support and love. We had many MANY visitors today and so many people who have shown excitement and love for our little family. We want to do a "shout out" to Cori, whom we dedicate this entry to. We love you and hope the Lord blesses you as he has blessed us through you!"

( February 20, 2008)

And what a third year it has been for him! He has gone through a move out of state, potty training, learning how to be a terrific big brother, and learning his whole alphabet and how to count all the way to 14. Three years ago today I became a mommy. I can't help but cry on his birthday every year when I think of how much my life has changed for the better since then. Thankfully, our relationship with Cori is as wonderful as ever and I have opportunities every day to tell her how much she means to our little family. If there are angels on this earth, I truly believe she is one of them, sent to us straight from Heavenly Father as an answer to eight years worth of prayers for a miracle. I am so thankful to have him and Sam in my life! I learn so much about myself every day as I try to be the best mommy I can be. Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

YOWZA!!!

Check out this little guy's bed head this morning!!! Compare it with his curly locks fresh out of the bath and the difference is striking... :D




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Please forgive me!!

I know many people out there don't give a fig and a fart about what happens in my life, but there are people out there who do and to those people, can I just say I'm SORRY!! I have been on facebook more than my blog and so I forget that I need to update this puppy! I am not even going to attempt to re-create the last four months (you can see it on FB if you are dying to know!) But I thought I would start with something a bit more recent. So far, 2011 has been a very easy year, which is a huge blessing because I wouldn't wish 2010 on my worst enemy! There were many many many blessings, no mistaking that, but with two major surgeries, a move, some family tragedy, and a whole lot of no money, let's just say I am glad to have a whole new year to make my life better! My latest venture has been to open up an Etsy shop online. It is time to start saving for our next adoption, which we hope to apply for at the end of this year. I know it's statistically less likely that we will be chosen by a birthmommy right away when we already have two little kiddos, so we don't want to put it off for much longer. Anyway, I had mentioned on one of my favorite blogs, www.bluecricketdesigns.blogspot.com (I have a link on my sidebar) that making money using my mad sewing skills (ahem) and raising money for an adoption is one of my resolutions. Well, they responded to that post by saying that if I opened an Etsy shop they would promote me! This is huge because BCD gets about 400,000 hits a month! Needless to say, I have been wracking my brain to come up with some fun and creative ideas. So far I have come up with these:

This is a hot pad I designed mostly because I am sort of addicted to owls.

These are some rosette hair pins/clips that are super cheap and easy to make!

So, that is it so far! Of course, I will also be selling my aprons with matching hot pads, and I am thinking of coming up with a whole plethora of hot pad designs because the kitchen is my favorite place to be! If you would be so inclined to comment- what do you think is a reasonable price for these items? As much as I want to make money, I also want my things to be affordable so that people can actually buy and enjoy them. I hate seeing darling aprons in the $40-50 range because I just can't afford them. I sell mine for $25-30. Anyway, I would really appreciate comments and anyone's opinions on what they would like to see in my shop. I don't have it ready to go yet, but my goal is by the end of this week.

In far more important news- my babies are growing and growing!! Sam's cheeks get chubbier by the day and Kolton is the biggest smartie pants in the world. I can't get enough of them and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the huge miracle they are in my life, along with the splendid birthmommy who gave them to us! I hope everyone in bloggerland is doing as well as I am!

This is Kolton's awesome new race car bed we got from someone in our ward!

My three favorite boys...

Go ahead and pinch 'em! You know you wanna!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A perfect afternoon

Many of you know that October is my favorite month- HELLO! It's Halloween and the colors are changing outside and the holidays are right around the corner! *sigh* Yesterday just felt like the perfect day to make some yummy puffy sugar cookies with my little guys. I must have a hundred pictures, so I'll try to restrain myself- but I just can't get enough of these two little bundles of mushy gushy love!

He was such a pro at cutting them out! His cookies looked better than mine!

This was at the beginning of our project. Kolton decided he was 'grumpy' and didn't want his picture taken :D

Kolton's pride and joy

Yes, he dumped EVERY sprinkle on his cookie!

Sam devoured the beaters covered in frosting!

I truly cannot get enough of this wonderful season and getting to share it with my incredible little family. The cookies were FANTASTIC and I even made a double batch of the dough so I can have a repeat of this wonderful afternoon! (I am trying to beef up the adjectives in this post, can you tell?)