Look Who's Five...

On this day in 2005 at 10:37 am weighing 4 lbs 1/2 ounces and measuring 21 inches long, Christian William made this world a better place.

We were fortunate enough to become his parents a year later. That day changed our lives forever.

Happy Birthday, Buddy. You truly are a miracle and an answer to Mommy's prayers.

You are so talented, even at such a young age. You never fail to amaze and inspire me.

You have a smile and belly laugh that can make all the bad in the world seem good.

You are a free spirit and do what you want...even against Mommy's wishes.

You have made me want to be a better person. I love the fact that I got to hold you while Daddy was giving you a name and blessing; it was a very special day for us.

You have grown up so much; it hurts me to think about how much time has past and how big you are getting. You are starting Kindergarten this year. You are excited, Mommy...not so much.

You have always been a ham. You see a camera and you are ready for the shot.

I love how tender hearted you are. You are a mommy's boy and I love it!! I love how every Fast Sunday you HAVE to get up and bare your testimony. I know I complain because I feel like since I am up there with you, I have to bare mine too, but I'm so thankful that at four years of age, you all ready are gaining your own testimony and you love to share it with others.

Right now, you LoVe Buzz Lightyear, Sponge Bob, Phineas and Ferb, playing drums and guitar, playing basketball, riding your bike and playing with Daddy.

You are awesome little man!! I hope you have a great birthday and a great year! You have many adventures ahead. I know I can't always protect you from the evil ways of the world, but just remember how much I love you and how wonderful you are.

Happy Birthday, sweets!

I know that I am not always as patient with you as I should be. And sometimes you know exactly what buttons to push to send me over the edge. And sometimes you won't eat your dinner or clean your room. And sometimes you need me to cuddle with you longer than I can. And sometimes you like to be ReAlLy loud and forget what your inside voice sounds like. And sometimes you like to play your drums longer and louder than I can tolerate. But just remember that I ALWAYS will think you are the best. And I will ALWAYS be here for you-no matter what. And I will ALWAYS think you are my sweetheart--even when you are 16 and want nothing to do with me. And the kissy monster will ALWAYS be around, ready to attack. And no matter what, I will ALWAYS love you. Happy Birthday, Christian.

Love,
Mommy

Love @ First Sight...

This little dude is going to be five next week. He will be going to Kindergarten in September...excuse me while I blubber for awhile. He is an answer to my prayers and my little sweetheart. I get to be his mommy. We are coming up on the four year anniversary of meeting this wonderful little boy and bringing him into our crazy family. FOUR YEARS!! Where has the time gone? This chubby cheeked, big eyed baby has grown up. These pictures are from the first night we met him and his wonderful birth mom, Tammie.

Couldn't you seriously just chew on those cheeks all day??? Yummy!!

He was on the move that night and hasn't stopped since.

This is Christian's adorable sister, Summer. They look so much alike.

Adoption has been on my mind a lot lately. I want to share our wonderful adoption story of Christian; I just haven't had the chance to sit down and type it all up. I will work on it; It's worth sharing and worth reading.

Chave...

Marcus and Christian have started a band together. Christian plays the drums and sings and Marcus plays guitar, but is NOT allowed to sing. Their first big hit is Book of Mormon Stories. It's the cutest thing ever!!! Marcus asked Christian what their band name was, and without even thinking about it, Christian said, "Chave"...and the rest is history. Christian's name in the band is Hive and Marcus' name is Dad-doo. You can't call Christian Hive unless he is practicing with his band or he gets upset.

I know that every parent thinks their kids are great at everything and the best at what they do, I am no different. Christian has serious musical talent. This little boy can sit down on the drums and blow me away. He can figure out the beat to most songs he hears and you can even tell what song he is playing. He gets frustrated with me when I sit down to try to drum. He has sat down with me to teach me a beat and then gets frustrated when I can't do it; the four year old is better!!

They have gotten big enough to make band t-shirts. Marcus had Christian draw a picture of the two of them, and then Marcus put them onto t-shirts. I am still waiting for mine.

This is the t-shirt design Christian did.

Christian getting his groove on. He had to wear his shirt to school on Monday.

Chave!

Rock On!!

Taking Control...

FINALLY!! A new post over at Idea Emporium!! Check it out!!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Time...

The day after Thanksgiving, the little ones and I drove to Vernal to spend time with my family. Vernal does this big day after Thanksgiving celebration to bring Christmas into full force. They have a craft fair called Santa's Workshop and then later on Friday they have a parade and a whole bunch of activities downtown. It was FrEeZiNg but the kids had a lot of fun.

Christian and Emma both got their faces painted. Emma wouldn't let me wash it for two days.

I wasn't prepared for how cold it was going to. Emma had to borrow gloves from my Mom...I will know for next year to bring ALL their snow and cold weather gear.

Luckily, we had Christian's blanket in the car with us. He was bundled up nice and cozy.



For some reason, my mom always makes me put up her Christmas tree. She is lucky that I love decorating trees!! The little ones had a good time helping me decorate it.

We came back on Sunday and put up our own Christmas tree.

I'm a little bit of a control freak with it comes to putting up the Christmas tree...okay maybe more than a little bit. We decorate it as a family, then I kick everyone out of the room so I can add the finishing touches and fix any spots that need fixing. Can you say OCD?

All Done!!

Other holiday decorations that I put up through out downstairs. I love decorating the house for Christmas. I would leave the decorations up all year if I could.

Gotta love Christian's black Santa. He is a stud!

It seems like it hasn't stopped snowing for a few days. The little ones love playing out in it....me, not so much.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I am a lot more relaxed about Christmas this year. In years past, it has been so stressful. This year I think I am finally realizing the true meaning of Christmas. Pretty sad that it only took me 30 years! With the sales at both restaurants being down, we don't have the money we usually do this time of year, and in a way, I am glad. We go overboard every Christmas and the kids get spoiled. I want them to know that Christmas is really about serving others and doing nice things for people. Enjoy the next few weeks of 2009!!!

Pure Joy...

The pure joy on Christian's face in these two pictures make my day. He is so awesome. To be a kid again where you have no real concerns, problems or issues...I want to experience life through Christian's and Emma's eyes. I have gotten a lot more relaxed on many of my OCD issues; it's not worth it. Life is too short. My house has exploded and is a mess right now. But I had fun with my kiddos this weekend. The dishes and laundry will always be there, but the young years of these two beautiful children will not. This week we will have another tea party, go look at Christmas lights and make ornaments for our tree. I love being a mommy.

Holiday Wish List Meme...

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I'm sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

*Victoria Secret's new Miraculous Push-up bra. Dude, have you seen this thing?? I want one SoOoOoO bad!

*Snuggie.....yes, really.

*Gift Cards..you can never go wrong with gift cards.

*Paint. I really want to paint some walls in my house. I have been staring at Mushroom Basket walls for almost seven years...I'm ready for color.

*Jeans. All my jeans show my crack..maybe it wouldn't be a big deal if it was a cute crack, but really it shouldn't be showing its self off.

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

I am so bad at remembering gifts. I know I have gotten some good ones. The first one that pops into mind is the pillowcase that Marcus made me one year. Before we brought Christian home, Marcus had a job that made him travel a lot so he was gone for weeks at a time. He didn't want me to get lonely while he was gone or have to sleep alone, so he ironed a transfer of his head on a pillow case. I am still traumatized by the whole event.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

I want to learn to make the cute little hats and scarves that are so popular and cute right now. For some reason, I can't knit...my brain just doesn't work that way.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

They always say that when you grow up, you aren't going to remember the actual gifts you received; you will remember things that you did and the fun you had. This is so true for me. I don't remember a single present I got as a kid, but I do remember all the fun we had. I have always loved opening presents so when I was younger, I would get stuff I all ready had and wrap it just so I had more stuff to open on Christmas morning. Yes, I know...DoRk!!

5. What items are on your kid's wish list this year?

Emma told me the other day she wants games, band-aids and fruit snacks. I asked her if she wanted anything else, and the smart little two year old that she is said, "No, that's plenty."

Christian wants every toy he sees on TV right now.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

That's like asking a mom to pick her favorite child. I won't choose and you can't make me.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

I'll be lucky if I get my cards made this year.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

I don't have a favorite one, but the one I HaTe with a capital H is Christmas Story. I don't know what it is about that movie, but I can't stand it!!

9. Favorite holiday song?

I love Christmas music...just after Thanksgiving at least.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

Eating, shopping, eating, spending time with family, decorating, eating, baking...I love it all!!

October Review...

My computer and I have been separated far too long. Marcus' computer bit the dust, so he hijacked mine until he got a new one. Then my computer decided to be dumb; it keep shutting itself down in the middle of me doing stuff. So when I finally got it back, we cuddled and snuggled and made up for lost time. Now that it's had time to recover, here is our October in Review.

Early in the month, we went to the 3D showing of Toy Story 1 and 2..yes, that's right, two movies in a row. I have heard this movie a zillion times from the car DVD player but had only seen it once before. My parents came out and my sister and her family came too. It was a fun afternoon. Christian was way excited. He convinced me to buy him a Buzz Lightyear shirt, and he also brought his Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bulls Eye dolls with him. This is one boy who loves him some Toy Story.

Emma, on the other hand, could really have cared less....

Christian LoVeS being outside. He had to be in the pictures I was taking of our pumpkins on steroids. I don't know what happened to our pumpkins this year, but we only got five and they were HuGe!!

Christian and Emma's preschool went to a pumpkin patch for a field trip, so we did get a few normal sized pumpkins.

The three of us went down to Draper with my sister and went to a little pumpkin patch/fair thing. It was freezing and kinda lame, but the kids had fun.

I didn't want anymore pumpkins at the house, so Christian and Emma chose the little, tiny pumpkins.

I made these little critters for a Young Women's Daddy/Daughter party. Cute huh?!

This too...I don't like cheesecake or white chocolate so I wasn't tempted to eat the leftovers; it worked out well.

I think this was the last Halloween that I got to decide what Christian would be. Isn't he the cutest Peter Pan you have ever seen????

Emma was soooo excited to be Tinkerbell. She talked about it forever! So cute!!

Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.

We went to our Ward Trunk or Treat and then around the neighborhood for a few minutes. It was a good Halloween.

Donor of the Year...

Awhile back Marcus was honored by the Utah Idaho Kidney Foundation as their "Donor of the Year." We attended a meeting where he was presented with a plaque and we met a few famous people...Utah famous anyway. Jake Garn presented Marcus with the award. He used to be a senator and also has been to space. Getting the award from somebody like Senator Garn meant a lot to Marcus I think. We also attended a Candle Light Walk last Friday honoring living donors at Library Square. Marcus was asked to speak on living donation. They honored some amazing people that night so for Marcus to be involved with that was kinda cool.

Last year when Marcus and I decided we wanted to help Juan and his family, we never imagined it would turn into what it has. I think the awards, speeches, interviews and hoopla is finally done...which is really nice. I know Marcus is glad to be done with all the attention. He donated his kidney to help Juan and HATES getting all this attention and being told how great he is. We both would like to think that what he did was what anyone would do given the situation. I am a firm believer in organ donation. To learn more about organ donation go here.