Tree of Thanks

For Thanksgiving we like to take a family home evening night and make a tree of thanks. It is a fun tradition that helps us look at all the blessings we have been given.

Halloween Fun

Halloween was good this year, we did the usual traditions, picking our pumpkins from some sort of patch, carving, etc. We bought one of those kits from Walmart that promises really cool carvings, well it worked!! We were all pretty proud of our work!

Halle loving on Jeremy. He was a nerd for Halloween, not much of a stretch for him! Too bad for us he took of his awesome glasses for the picture.

Halle insisted that Andrea be a witch like her, somehow Andrea left off her witch hat.
Friday night we did the annual ward carnival and trunk-or-treat. Halle had so much fun, she was so pleased she could have so many cars to go to. The next night we took Halle out around the neighborhood. Luckily we made it right when the rain stopped and before it started back up again. Halle has so much candy, hopefully it will last her well into the new year!

More Summer Pictures

Andrea and Halle have been doing a lot of baking. Yummy brownies!
Jeremy and Halle cuddling before the parade starts.
Parade watching.
Halle took a picture of mom and dad while we were outback roasting marshmallows.
Jeremy showing Halle how to eat a s'more.

Mother's Love

So we originally started this blog as a way to kind of journal our adoption experience. And mainly for me (Andrea) to finally write down and put into words how I feel about adoption. I figured my children and myself would greatly benefit from this time in our lives. However every time I try to sit down and write my thoughts and feelings I am incredibly overwhelmed by where to even start. They are so complex and not to mention there is probably no way I will ever be able to fully explain them so that they make any sense or properly portray the way I feel. Words are just so inadequate when it comes to the way a person thinks and feels.

Despite all this hesitancy I know and have known for quite some time that this blog would mean nothing unless I put more into it. I have had gentle prods lately that I need to blog and I need to blog soon, so here it goes, and please forgive me if this comes across in any way that is cheesy or disconjointed I am just typing as it comes.

The last couple of weeks I have been doing a lot of contemplating about the role of a mother and a mother's love. Specifically the love of a Birth Mother. It was absolutely no coincidence that the lesson in church this past Sunday was just about our divine role as women to become mother's. How Heavenly Father has given us a task to raise His children in righteousness and teach them and prepare them to return to Him. I absolutely believe that with all my heart and have been told this very thing numerous times in blessings and promptings from the Holy Ghost. I completely understand that this is my main duty here on earth.

So when it comes to Birth Mothers I have a very special feelings for them. They totally understand and get what most of us in this life struggle every day to understand and overcome. That this life is not about US. It's not about just Andrea, or Sally or You or that guy over there. It's about all of us as one. Not just one single entirely lonesome self dwelling here on earth. Life is not about US. What Birth Mother's "get" is that this life is about all of us working together to overcome sin and return to our Father in Heaven's presence. We cannot be selfish in this, it takes sacrifice and service to enable all of God's children to return to Him. Birth Mom's understand that the precious child they give birth to is a child of God and as such deserves all the opportunities possible to start that journey of learning that leads us back into His presence. They understand that at that moment in their lives they cannot give that sweet child of God all those opportunities needed to start off right.

Birth Mom's are completely self-less. They can see the big picture and they have the courage to do what is right. Birth Mom's are amazing, Birth Mom's have the purest form of a Mother's Love, they inspire me, they teach me, they leave me awestruck.

Very often I have people ask me if I get upset or hurt thinking I will never be able to experience pregnancy. They are shocked when I answer honestly and emphatically NO! How could I ever feel sorry for myself or hurt about not being pregnant when adoption allows me to meet and come in contact with some of the strongest daughters of God ever put on this earth? How could I be hurt when adoption enables me to witness first hand the incredible self-less act any mother could do? How could I be hurt when I am given the most incredible gift any single human being could give, the gift of life, love and parenthood? How could I be upset when this beautiful women entrusts me with the raising of her child? How could I get hurt when she does the hard part and enables me to receive all the thanks, joy and pleasure of being able to be that child's mother? How could I ever in all the world want pregnancy when a Birth Mom let's me be able to know first hand what A Mother's Love really means?

No I don't regret this path I have been given. I am blessed to be on it. I know that my children's Birth Mother's and I are working together to raise this child of God. We share in this child and everything he or she accomplishes because this child is neither hers nor mine, this child is Gods and ultimately that is where the child needs to end up, and that is what we are all working toward. Birth Mother, Adoptive Mother we are partners and we both have A Mother's Love.

August Blues

So we know we have needed to blog for quite some time now, but the question is what to blog about? You already know that we absolutely LOVE summer, so what now? We just decided to fill you in on the happenings with us lately. We have had a lot of visitors both family and friends. We took Halle to Lagoon and let her go crazy at the kiddie rides, that was super fun to watch her. We went on a couple more boating trips and camping trips. Spent our last day at the local pool, and did one last daring leap off a cliff into a very fast moving canal. To say we are mourning the end of summer is an understatement. In our house the lazy days of summer are known as the best days of the year! We have enjoyed every bit of it especially the after-dinner walks, bike rides to feed the ducks, family yardwork, spending all day in our swimming suits for sprinklers and kiddie pools, and late night runs for ice cream or snow cones. Goodbye our dear amigo Summer we shall miss you!

Okay Fall bring it on we are ready for you!

Summer Fun

We love summer, the family parties, swimming, warm weather, sparklers, fireworks, parades, bar-b-ques you name it if it goes along with summer we are in! This summer has been no exception in busy, hectic style. Andrea attended a week at girls camp and loved every moment of it. She spent a lot of crazy late nights giggling with the girls and doing crazy pranks. We have enjoyed spending a lot of time together with our extended family and then with just the three of us. This weekend is our town days so this morning we attended the parade where Halle learned the harder you wave and jump around the more candy you get. And tonight we are going to the park for the local band/vendors/carnival rides. Gotta love summer. We have also been spending quite a bit of time at our local pool. They are open late on Monday nights, so it makes for a great after Jeremy's work FHE activity. Here are a few pictures of our going's on. I wish we had some of the 4th and the fireworks, but we forgot our camera...ugh!

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Welcome

Thank you so much for taking the time to come check us out. We just started this blog, so not much is here yet. We plan on adding more and more so keep coming back to see what's new!

Jeremy, Andrea, & Halle