Showing posts with label special occasions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special occasions. Show all posts

Sunday, May 13, 2012

mother's day 2012

Mother's Day gets better and better each year.  I love being a mom, and words cannot express the amount of gratitude I have for my children.  They are everything to me.  Love abounds in our house because of them.  And I couldn't ask for a better example of a wonderful mother than my own mom.  She is my biggest fan, my best friend, my loyal companion.  She is there for me always with open arms to hug, a shoulder to cry on, and listening ears.  My mom shares in my experiences, and gets just as sad during my hard times and rejoices with me during my happy ones.  She has taught me all about friendship, family, the Gospel, and love.  I have also learned the true definition of clean, the love of baking, and the ability to be excited about everything.  I can only hope to be the kind of mother, grandmother, and woman that she is.
This is the usual scene around the house.  Josie is learning how to sit up, while Lillian is mastering her walking skills.
And laughter. They make each other laugh all day long, which is music to my ears.  This eye-to-eye look is priceless, and I would love to know what they're thinking.
What can I say... Josie's a good sport.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

josie's blessing day

A beautiful blessing, a beautiful day, a beautiful girl.
Oh, I love that sweet smile.  Josie smiles so easily, no matter if she is playing, sleeping, being teased by her sister, or even spitting up.
Our family of four. and I know our other four were with us as well on this wonderful day.  I can only imagine and look forward to the happiness (and chaos!) when all 8 of us are reunited.
It was so fun to celebrate this special day with our family and friends.  Josie is surrounded on all sides by love.
Happy baby, happy mom.
She, like her sister, is a gift straight from heaven.  Words cannot express our gratitude for the miracles we call our children.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

the hunt is on

everyone getting their loot... owen is about to take off running.
is Dave in the Hunger Games?  He is dead serious about this egg hunt.
Lillian is content with 2 eggs, and doesn't even know there might be something inside. If only she could stay this content and happy forever.  But I have a feeling she might figure it out one of these years.
jackpot!!
Josie's first Easter egg hunt, and her first gigantic Reese's.
getting a bit more serious about finding some eggs.
Yes, apparently we all dressed like easter eggs too.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Blessings

Lillian has brought wonderful blessings into our lives, more than she will ever know. So we felt grateful to have Dave give her a beautiful Priesthood blessing in church on Sunday. We know that Heavenly Father loves her beyond measure and we are so blessed to be her parents; oh how we love that sweet babe.
We accomplished our goal of having our basement and upstairs remodel finished by her blessing day! So proud of Dave for all of his hard work; more pictures to come. And yes, apparently we planned our outfits to fit in with our interior design color scheme.

Friday, October 28, 2011

our eternal family

I will never forget October 26, 2011. We had the wonderful opportunity of taking Lillian to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed to us for time and all eternity. This is a dream come true for Dave and I, and our hearts couldn't be more full of love.
My eyes were overflowing with tears as I saw this sweet face in the temple, all dressed in white. We know all of our children were there with us, celebrating Lillian's official arrival into our forever family. Top two pictures: credit to Peg Watkins Photography
Lillian's birth parents, Heidi and Alejandro, love her so much and are so grateful she is sealed to our family forever. They are both wonderful people with hearts of gold, whom we love dearly.
I love the feeling of her hand in mine. I plan on holding her hand when she gets shots at the doctor, on her first day of school, when her heart breaks for the first time, on her wedding day as I help her into her beautiful dress, and as she gets ready to deliver her precious babies. I hope she will hold my hand as I watch her grow up, as I get old, and when I need some extra help getting around. And during all of these special times, I will always be reminded of when she was a baby and we held hands in the temple to become an eternal family.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

finalization

Lillian's adoption is now legally finalized! We felt so official as we sat in the judge's chambers, got sworn in, and answered questions "on the record." Our lawyer Doug and our case worker Katrina couldn't have been more supportive and helpful during the whole adoption process. Our judge was so nice (and young!- I thought all judges looked like Perry Mason), and he was impressed with how well-behaved Lillian was. It was quite an eventful day, especially since I fainted in the courthouse right before our hearing, but that's another story...