Update

Ok so I need to update on Kaden. He seems to be fine today! He still had a couple bouts with some pain yesterday but it did seem to be gas or uhhmm potty related. So maybe that dang doc was right. HA He is still keeping his diet pretty bland but Im hoping he feels better so he can actually play for the rest of xmas break. Thank you to all who have asked about him, you all are so sweet!
Now onto little miss Malia. She is just about 15 months and starting to test us a little bit. For the last couple weeks she has been fighting her naps. I know that this is normal so Ive been letting her push her nap limits but the thing is she still gets so cranky at her normal time so I will give her her bottle and put her to bed only to realize when I go to get her up that she really hasnt napped at all. She sits and plays pretty quietly... if I take her out because she is just sitting in there playing she is wicked and throws tantrums and is just so fussy. If I dont give her her nap because I know she is just going to play she is just down right fussy, cranky and well pissie! So I guess I will for now just give her her quiet time in her crib. BUT heres the thing when she is ready to come out after her normal time she still is just ornery all day because she hasnt had that nap. Im hoping that this is all because of teeth and the kids being home and throwing off her schedule a bit. Because man do I need that girl to be happy again!
Now even though we are struggling with naps. She still is so dang fun to and just so cute in her not so tired moments! She continues to amaze us with how quickly she can pick up on words. The night I took Kaden to the ER she hadnt napped and was super cranky so I told her to say IM MAD and she did clear as day yell IM MAD and then kept saying it... we were all cracking up. Words shes using daily include, uh oh, oh no (with her hands on her cheeks, I need to get that on film), UP, all done, all gone, momma, dada, soft. Im pretty sure we hear those all at least once a day now. She still loves to sit and will look at her books for at least 15 minutes at a time and thats after Ive already read them to her for 10. She is still loving her new toys from Christmas and now that we have undecorated Christmas she has the run of the house again because Santa is GONE, and while we were cleaning up she decided she thought Santa was funny and actually started laughing at him! So glad she stayed afraid this whole month though!
I think thats all I got for today, make sure to scroll down to my earlier post to see Maddie and I's trip to the Nutcracker!

Also yesterday was my sweet nieces Birthday! She turned two! Isnt she so sweet!!!! Happy Birthday little one.

The Cracker Nut

Silly Faces
All ready

Button up its cold!

Putting on the princess' shoes

The show is about to start!

Silly girls and their hot chocolate

Cute girls all ready

Last night I took Maddie to the Nutcracker or the Cracker Nut as she calls it. It was the best time! I love spending time with Maddie, she is so sweet and fun and makes it very easy to take her places. She got all spiffied up in her Christmas dress and new coat and was ready to go. She insisted on Ballerina hair which is no easy feat now that her hair is chopped but I was able to squeeze it up in that dang bun!

We went with her very best friend Kinley, they have been good friends since Maddie was about 1 I think. I think they both had a great time. The Colorado Ballet Company really has its act together. I was so impressed with everything. The music was amazing, so crisp and clean I just loved it.... being a flute player I am always attuned to the flute and they sounded amazing, made me wish I kept up my practice a little more.

Now the dancers were just incredible. So fun and beautiful. Maddie was loving seeing them on point and has been walking on her tippy toes all day showing us how they do it. I was so in aww at the athletics that these men and women have. Nothing jiggles NOTHING and trust me when you see a man in sheer tights you can tell! LOL

The girls did amazing considering we didnt get home until a little after 10. Rich opened the door and Maddie took off to tell him and show him everything. Her favorite dance is the snow scene and her least favorite was when the Nutcracker turns into the Nutcracker Prince because of the big BOOM! I have to admit I jumped just as high as she did. I think one of my favorites was the Russian boys that jump so high and so many times in a row, I had to give a woot woot during that. But of course seeing those tiny cute girls on their toes fluttering around just leaves me in awe at how precise they are. Just love it!

Im hoping to make this a yearly tradition for me and my girls (once Malia gets older.) So if your looking for a great show the Colorado Ballet sure puts on a good one! We were at the Ellie Caulkins Operahouse and they did a fab job. It was also the last night for The Nutcracker so maybe they worked extra hard just for us and the director that was now leaving.

Trip to the ER

Chillin and waiting

Cool my own control center

You can tell in this photo he was in pain and not feeling great
Well first off hes FINE!!! And I know this will embarrass him but I like to keep track of all this stuff. So Kaden for a little over a week has been having stomach pain, not all the time just a few times throughout the day. I thought it was constipation but he has been able to ummm go. So Ive had him be very careful with his diet and drink lots of water and still pain. Xmas morning he was up at 5 moaning in the bathroom but then even 10 minutes later he was fine. He hasnt had a very big appetite so Ive been waiting for throw up or diarrhea but nothing no fever nothing. So tonight he was doubled over in pain and crying so I asked him to show me where it hurt and I barely seriously barely touched his stomach and he screamed in pain so I decided I better take him to urgent care. After getting to Urgent care the Dr there thought it would be best to get him to the ER so that we could get Xrays because his pain was so bad at the time. So we go and sit and sit and sit and have few people talk to him and finally the doc or PA?? comes in talks and touches and listens and says well we could give you a suppository but since youve been going I dont think you need that so just watch your diet??? WHAT!! For real watch your diet! So Im told its just constipation. I asked a bunch of ? to where it led nowhere. So I was sent to the ER for some dang Dr to just dismiss us! Im really hoping that he is right. So for now we will just hope and pray the pain stays away this time and everything is fine.

He thought it was pretty cool to have his own remote in the bed for the tv and was feeling good by the time we left so heres to hoping cuz if it keeps up I might have to go smack that doc!

Playing with the camera

After shooting well over 100 photos yesterday Im trying to learn how to use my camera. Maddie is always a willing participant Kaden not so much and Malia... well Im luck to catch her in the camera without being a blur. I caught that photo of Maddie while she was staring up and Kadens new helicoptor and I thought it was sweet. I need to open my Adobe to play with the photos more and learn how to use photo shop too. Anyways heres some photos from our day yesterday!

Christmas Hallabaloo

We really just had the best Christmas ever! It was the most relaxing care free fun Christmas we have had ever I think! Having Malia home certainly helped, last year we were feeling completely lost so having her here in our arms and opening gifts and giggling was just the best gift ever!
We started out by having Christmas Eve dinner with our friends the Zims and went to finish our 12 days of Christmas by revealing ourselves. Then we went and looked at all the awesome lights in the neighborhoods and came home to let the kids open their gifts from each other (a new tradition we started last year) then we all opened our new jammies and read The Night Before Christmas. Then it was time for bed!
We had set up a clock in Maddies room and had Kaden sleep in there so he wouldnt sneak upstairs... we told them they couldnt wake us any earlier than 5:36 hehehe and set their clock 10 minutes behind! Well jokes on me cuz I woke up at 5 and couldnt go back to sleep! They came in our room right on the dot so it was time for potty breaks and brushing teeth. Maddie was just a little bit giddy! And Malia woke up on her own from hearing us I guess and was still pretty asleep.
Both the older kids were pretty excited to see that Santa had deemed them worthy of gifts this year and Maddie tore right into Malias gifts OOPS!! Then right into her own. Kadens best gift was at the very bottom of his stalking and as he unwrapped it it began to ring... yep he got a cell phone and as he stared at it we asked him if he was going to cry and he said ya and he did and then we did watching him... so funny the joy it brought him really made us so happy too! We are pretty excited to have such a valuable thing to take away from him also! He made out pretty well and got everything he put on his list, which was pretty short so Santa added a few things for him!
Maddie was ecstatic over all her new drawing things and most of all her new microphone that goes on through the radio so ALL can hear (she is convinced that anyone on that station can hear her so she was performing for you all. O YAAA (that didnt get old at all, ALL DAY)! She got a lot of lips and jewelry and did her model walk for us quite a few times showing off her shoes and earrings and bracelets. She made a haul and hopefully will keep her busy for the rest of break.
Malia was half asleep for the first 45 minutes and just plopped herself in my lap and watched the kids then all of a sudden she spoke up and stood up and went right to her gifts and decided this was kinda fun! She loves her mirror/music toy that she got and thinks it makes a great step stool too! She isnt sure if she loves her babies or not... she loves Maddies in the doll crib and will kiss them every once in awhile but then gets freaked out by them too. She of course loved the boxes and any little tie off or garbage she could find.
Rich and I had decided this year to just make it about the kids but I of course grabbed him a couple things and he grabbed me a HUGE thing. Ive been dying for a new camera cuz my not so old one has been dying and had broke on me and I got the one I had been wanting! I felt bad for receiving a great gift but was also pretty excited! Now I gotta learn how to use the dang thing.
We got the house cleaned up pretty quick and the kids spent the day playing with all their new things while we took turns playing with them and enjoying the day. It was so layed back that I even got back in my jammies after my shower!
Im grateful for all that I have, I just had to keep sitting there and giving thanks. Last night especially when Malia had fallen asleep in my arms while we were reading our story and I just couldnt get up to put her to bed... I just layed there with her on my chest and all I could think about was how sad I was last year at not having her home and feeling like we would never get our baby. Im glad we stuck it out and the Lord was patient with us while we worked on our Faith. Because having this baby home this year has been such a miracle to me the way it all ended up happening I just can hardly believe it.
I hope you all had a great Christmas like we did, Im hoping to keep this grateful Spirit around for not only me but the kids.

I had a bunch more photos loading but it was way to slow so more photos to come!

Merry x-mas Letter

My turn....A Christmas letter from Dad.

What a year. We started with even numbers, two boys and two girls, but we all know the boys have been outnumbered for a long time the girls always seem to get the power of veto. With the addition of the long anticipated Malia...even mathematically Kaden and I are done for.

But what a great year. We have overcome the challenge of adoption and are better for it. Lets run down the list.

Malia. She is curious, intelligent, and at all times knows exactly what she is doing. :) She has the ability to melt right into your heart. And just like that I can not imagine life with out her.

Madison. She has grown so much in just the last few months. (it really angers me) She has gone from the little baby to a big sister. (sometimes a little mother) She is growing in all aspects, from donating her hair to excelling in school and dance, she truly is fathers pride and joy. I find my self looking into the future and already finding her "getting away" with stuff.

Kaden. The perfect big brother. Always looking out for his little sisters. Its too bad they are not closer in age (even though we designed it that way) because now he wont be able to keep the boys away from his sisters in school. He really enjoys football, basketball and this year baseball. He played baseball before but really bought in this year. He makes good decisions and follows the spirit, just what parents want!

Kris. I cant say enough about this lady! She is my rock. Her most difficult trial this year was putting up with me. I'm glad she did. Second trial would be the adoption. She was the light that brought our family through the fog. Without her we would all be lost. I am very grateful for the guidance she brings to our family. She keeps the kids active and helps them do the things they enjoy to do. Home would truly be a boring place if it was not for Mom. I love you Kris!

And finally....All of our friends. You have been a great support this year. We truly find our selves blessed because of our friends. It is a great blessing to have support where you live. We could not imagine not being where we are and who we share this life with.

Merry Christmas to all!!!
Rich

busy kids

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Splish Splash baby loves to swim

We took Malia to the pool for the first time yesterday and had a blast! The pool was nice and empty and even though the water was very cold for indoors it was great getting to watch Malia splash around. She took her first step in and did not want out! Right away she took it easy but bent over while holding my hand and started splashing and then let go and away she went. She started crawling through the water splashing and laughing, it was so fun to watch. I often think of the things we missed but having these firsts in her life sure make up for all that lost time. Malia LOVES to bath in the morning and loves to lay on her belly and splash so we knew she would love the pool. She even liked the water fall part though was a little nervous about it. She loved playing with Kaden in the water and watching him with her just melts my heart... he is so dang sweet with her and thinks she can do no wrong. After about 45 minutes she was shivering so I took her out and she was TICKED! I put on her little after the pool dress and she was fighting to get back in while the kids finished playing. She kept walking and reaching to go back in, boy was she mad at me!!

Kaden and Maddie both did the slide which is pretty big and I was so impressed with Maddie going all by herself! You could hear her scream from the very top all the way down and then right away she would yell AGAIN!! We had a great time and we know we need to do it more. Heck seeing Malia in a swimming suit was worth being so dang cold and putting one on myself, she looked so dang cute I just wanted to squeeze her!

On the way home Maddie thought we needed ice cream so we stopped (crazy girl) and Rich asked Kaden to tell me what he was doing and he informed me he was Free B***** or going "comando" OK seriously I was busting up! To funny and sorry for those faint of heart! Dad was pretty proud, being the swimmer he was he was a proud papa (WEIRD what makes a dad proud)

Maddies 8 inches

Yep we did it or she did but really I did it??!! Anyways I finally gave in and let Maddie have her hair cut short SHORT! We took off 8 inches so that she could donate it. We talked about where her hair would go and who it would help and she started to cry because she was so happy. Im so proud of her and I think she just looks adorable.
Of course Im already dying not being able to do all the fun things I normally do but she loves it and she does look so dang cute. She is loving "swooshing" her hair around. Shes been begging for this for well over a year and I finally decided that it is the giving season so it felt like the right time and since her hair was long enough for us to donate it it was all the sweeter.
We made a girls day of it and left got her hair cut and did some shopping and lunch. They did a great job of making her feel pampered, she dipped her hands in wax and thought that was pretty cool and enjoyed her scalp massage. I love hanging out with Maddie she has always been my shopping pall and I was so excited to go spend some special time with her it was lots of fun!!
P.S.
And yes I cried! Though Maddie had made me promise before we left that I wouldnt cry and I warned her I probly would and she said NO MOM dont cry! So when the lady snipped it off I fought back tears and pulled it together quickly and smiled at Maddie and when she was all done she told me "Good job mom, you didnt even cry loud!" OO honey you crack me up!

The best big sis!

Maddie is a great big sister. She has dealt with being pushed from the pampered princess to the still pampered but less attentioned middle child so so well! Ive been so impressed with my precious Maddie. The first couple weeks I know were hard for her though she hid it pretty well. The only thing she really did was wanted to be tickled if Malia was or hold me and throw me if Malia was getting held and thrown up and down. All in all Ive been super impressed, I knew she would do great but I still was a little nervous.

Maddie just adores Malia and the first thing she does when I pick her up from school is ask if Malia had a nap... this means she didnt miss out on to much. And then asks what else Malia did. When Malia is napping Maddie always asks "is it time to wake Malia yet?" and when we finally do she races to be the first one to get in her room and then hugs and tells her she missed her. Its just so sweet. Maddie is a huge help to, always good about grabbing diapers napkins wipes toys, whatever it is I might need. She always wants to help feed her hold her or even has wanted to change her bum... which Im holding out on letting her do. They will just play forever together, play chase, hide and seek and peek a boo or pat a cake.

Well today during lunch Malia finished her pasta but was wanting Maddies applesauce and she was willing to share but Malias face was a mess so I told her I would get her her own, then I started to feed her and Maddie was bummed.... well I was trying to enjoy some yummy left over soup so I was like OK! And the fun began. Little miss was soo happy that big sister was feeding her and just kept cracking up. Maddie was so proud and so happy to get to be a big helper and kept telling Malia how cute she is. I just love these sweet moments and I await the day that they get on each others nerves BUT I know how precious my sister is in my life and I cant wait to see their friendship grow and to see how close they will be, it will be great to watch! Im so excited for them to have each other!

Snow much fun!

We had a nice cold weekend. No seriously it was 1 freaking degree today while we were out going to church ummm brrrr!! The kids were pretty excited to see more fresh snow though so I told Maddie to talk Rich (yes him NOT me) into making a snowman after church... well didnt realize just how cold it would be but they did go out and try. The snow was to dry so they made a slide instead and came in after sliding and jumping with the reddest cheeks but O so happy! We bundled Malia up too and took her out but she was only out for maybe 2 minutes because it was just to dang cold, but we let her stand and touch and taste and when I took her in the house she was ticked! You can see ghetto Malia in her gansta cap all angry at me... actually she was doing her cute squishy face but every pic I got came off looking angry and we thought it was hilarious and thought with the cap it all made her look very gangster! She loves wearing hats and she kept wanting that one back on after she would rip it off!
Also in those photos are some bad but darling photos of her dress today and the awesome coat! She was not pleased with me taking pics today so I never got a good photo but I had her hair all flipped out and she just looked so dang cute and fancy today!
Kaden had his second b-ball game yesterday and they won again! He played an awesome defence, we were really proud of him and how much his skills are growing. And Maddie is always a good cheerleader at his games, I had to throw in a sweet photo of her in her new sweater that I just had to let her have early!
And last night we went over to the Zimmies for a Christmas Nativity story play. All the kids dressed up as Angels, Wise men, Mary, Joseph, animals, and shepards. Then Rich read from the scriptures and Caleb played the piano. We sang we ate we laughed and it was just a lovely true meaning of Christmas kind of night. At one point I was holding and playing with Jude and Rich was holding Malia when she caught site of me... O she got ticked and wanted me right away! Tami and I both rejoiced in that, what a great feeling it was to see her get jealous!
And lastly... Maddie and Kaden broke the wishbone finally from Thanksgiving and Maddie won, she was pretty excited and we made Kaden do a sad face photo. He was a good brother and didnt even really pout.
Now Im going to try to enjoy these last few days of school before I have to start entertaining all 2 kids for the next couple of weeks YIKES!

Our Photo Shoot

Well I talked a few weeks ago about our family having a photo shoot but I havent shared any pics yet. They turned out so awesome I have NEVER seen my kids look so great in a photo! Kaden especially I think just looks so handsome... he is usually not sure how to do a real smile but Chris got such great shots of him it made me cry. Maddie is always ready for the camera so getting good shots of her wasnt hard! She is such a ham! Malia actually did so great too. Her first session lasted over an hour and while she wasnt crazy about being stuck in the tutu for as long as she was she still did awesome and we got some really awesome shots!

For our second session we went to a park and had a really great back drop. I was so happy with the outcome and have had the hardest time choosing which photos to use for what.

Chris Paxman is Tamis BIL and she flew him out to do our photos as a baby gift. And seriously it was such an awesome gift. I have been a fan of Chris' for quite awhile watching his blog and seeing how creative he is. He does such a great job and did amazing with all the kids but especially Malia, which I was a little worried about how she would do with him but he made it so easy!! So go check out his blog and book him now!! He does an amazing job... he lives in AZ though BUT fly him out to your house!!!! hehehehe Thanks Chris we had such a great time with you and just picked up our photos from the store and they all look amazing!!

The BULGE

Yes the bulge thats right Im ready to talk about it! I hate it I hate that I cant say no to a sweet treat this time of year. Are you with me ladies! For real though Ive decided to lay off myself for the rest of the year. I am working out but I sure am making up for that during the day with all the treats around. I mean what am I supposed to do when things are delivered right to my door?? Not partake? Well sheesh that would simply just be rude, I try hard not to be rude so I must eat I must have these treats, chocolate and bread and fudge OH MY! And my goodness you walk into a store right now and they have the most beautiful looking treats at every turn. How can I not grab just 1, 2 or even 3?!? Im not sure how to resist a red and green M&M there is something so great about holiday colored treats am I right. I mean geeze Im just trying to take part in the Holiday spirit!!
So for now I apologize to my jeans for the stretch and pull that will happen for now and I apologize to all of you who must try to ignore the double chin and the overhang on my jeans! I will fight this battle in a couple weeks but for now bring on the treats!!

Malia is getting more teeth AGAIN! So she has been a bit ummm pissie is the word I use (sorry to those who offend easy) anyways but she is still so dang cute and fun in between the crankiness!
Lately every morning after we get home from taking the kids to school, we come in she has a small snack while I read about 5 books to her. She just loves books and will sit the whole time on my lap while I read. She especially loves touch and feel books its so cute she touches the right spots as soon as the page is turned. She has a couple favorite books that she will go back to and sit and look at when Im done reading to her. I love that time with her and that she will sit and be content on my lap. She will lean back onto me and just enjoy. Its just precious!
She is just so smart and catching on to more and more words each day. She loves peek-a-boo and hide and seek.
Also her hair has grown quite a bit since she has been home... for 2 months now, I am having all sorts of fun trying new things with her hair, I was even able to do a french braid.... of course after her first nap she has usually pulled it all out and I have to redo it all!! Isnt it amazing that its been 2 months wow seems like so much longer, she is such a part of our home and family it just feels like forever!

CUTE

The kids all wore the Christmas best today for church and they all looked stunning... or studly for Kaden! Malia was wearing a tutu and it just looked so dang adorable! Maddie had a darling red dress and Kaden was in plaid. They just looked so cute!

Malia turned 14 months yesterday and I just cant believe how the time is flying by. She is catching onto things so quickly and I would say picking up at least 1 word a day. Yesderday she was being pretty cranky in the car so I said geeze your pissie! And she yelled back PIPI! It was so dang funny the kids were all laughing so hard! She is now running and hard to keep up with. She is still being awesome around the tree. She is a very good listener. If I tell her to sit she will and if I tell her stand up she will or up and she tries to repeat most of those comands with her words. I think her favorite word right now is uh oooo! Weve been working on that one and she finally said it a few days ago and now keeps saying it, I just love it!

We continue to have so much fun with Malia and are constantly charmed by her. She is such a sweetie and has such a fun personality.

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year and seeing her reaction to all the paper flying. Im counting on her loving the boxes!

Maddies Christmas recital!

Isnt she precious!!! Maddie had her Christmas recital today. She did really good, and was so cute! I wont lie, it actually was their worst recital to date... the teacher started changing the dances the last couple weeks and was forgetting all of the dance herself, which left some very unsure and confused girls. Maddie was stuck next to a girl that hardly ever comes and stopped dancing at one point to put her back in her place lol. There are 3 girls that know there stuff (Maddie being one) and even they were left standing and staring a few times, looking to the teacher like HUH and she was like hmmmm LOL Also the costumes were rediculously UGGGLY! I mean come on I LOVE my daughter being adorable and for her to be stuck in some frumpy green velvet dress the completely hid her cute little body and hello her legs which you need to see for dancing I was pretty ticked. The white was see through and the tutu was Malias size length wise. I think most of us moms were pretty ticked with the outcome.

Still considering, I think Maddie was adorable and got lots of compliments from parents around us. She is such a sweet teeny tiny little thing with such a star personality! Just love her so much. So there are 3 dances so if you stick around and watch the whole thing THANKS!!

Also a shout out to Tami and Silas for coming and watching, it meant a ton.... not having family around to watch is hard especially seeing everyone elses hanging and watching, and I realized how much it meant when I about cried seeing you walk in!!!! Sorry for the cheese!

Pics and video

Ok here the stuff is from the previous post

Triming the Forest

On Sunday we enjoyed decorating the tree! We really had a great time getting it all out and looking at the old ornaments and remembering them. We also enjoyed adding to our forest now that we have added to our family! We each have our very own tree to decorate even little miss Malia!

First my tree.. I finally get a pretty tree!! I have always always wanted just a grown up pretty tree but have always wanted the kids to be able to decorate and have cutsie type decor so Ive never done it. Well this year with adding a tree I needed new ornaments for my tree so I chose red and silver and I think it turned out pretty!

Richs tree is the Santa tree and of course he did a great job lol

Kadens tree is the snow man tree, he choose that one because it had the most decorations to put on! Smart boy!

Maddies tree is the reindeer/snowflake/candy cane tree. It all together really looks cute and she did a great job... after some rearranging!

Malias tree is the everything else tree. It has a very pretty angel topper and then home made/school made crafts and anything else that doesnt match like all of Kadens football ornaments etc. I had seen these very precious adoption ornaments last year and saved the page so that when we were able to bring our sweetie home I would be able to purchase one of our own. So now Malia has her very own very special stork carrying a little asian baby with the Korean flag. I LOVE it and I think she will charish it always! If you want one of your own you can to here to Mandy's moon.

I was pretty stressed out about Malia wanting into the ornaments but while decorating we realized she is TERRIFIED of a Santa that we have, so after decorating I put the santa next to the trees and she hasnt gotten close ONCE! Its AWESOME!! She gets close and accident and runs away and cries... mean maybe BUT she is staying safe! I took a little video showing what he does and her reaction... she gets so scared she freezes and cant move away from him. But he is a life saver! And Im hoping she doesnt decide to get brave and like him!!

BTW the family picture Im posing really cheesy but I was trying to hide an ornament from Malia so she would smile for the camera... didnt work O'well! lol

Anyways it was a ton of fun getting us all together listening to christmas music and seeing Malia getting to enjoy Christmas for the very first time. I cant wait to see her little face on Christmas morning!
OO I loaded the wrong video heres one from today though. We finally got some good snow... I will load the other one later!

THE SPOTTED ZEBRA BOUTIQUE

Have you heard of
THE SPOTTED ZEBRA BOUTIQUE?

If not then it is time to head over to their website
http://www.thespottedzebraboutique.blogspot.com/
This is the next Craft Fair I am participating in and I am super excited!
Check out their other vendors, because there will be some super cute things there.
You will find some fabulous things that will make super Christmas presents!

So if your gonna be in Utah and want to do some super fun shopping head on over and find my sis... who covers for me thankfully since we have little Malia home!!

They are also doing a GIVE-AWAY each day until the fair next Friday!!!
Log on to their website for details!
Today's give away is some of our hair clips!
Be sure to check back each day for a new give-away!

Gotcha Video a special Sunday Update

This has been a work in progress and Ive done about as much as I could do with about 12+ hours of work put in. There are still some issues we cant figure out like the pinnacle sign but for now we share with you all, our Gotcha video of sweet Malia. I watched so many of these throughout our process and they truly helped me through some rough days. Seeing families with their babies home made it seem possible. I'm hoping others will get that from ours too. There are parts of this video that I pictured in my mind for over a year. Of course imagining and figuring how to bring to life is different with my skills but I love the video and hope you all do too!

Girl can talk!

Finally getting some snow tonight!!
You cant see them but we were playing with bubbles

CUTE GIRL!!



She was saying everything so good until the camera came out... of course!

In 7 weeks I think Malia is doing remarkably with her words. HAHAHA to all those who ask how she will cope with the language barrier LOLOL!! She has about 10 words at least I think. She lately has been copying me pretty well too. She usually starts off with momma and then will move on to other words. Tonight Rich took the kids to the movie and Malia and I hung out at home. She was sounding out Maddie (somewhat) but when it comes to Kaden he is still aba. Some new words are... poop (which btw if you tell her to poop she will try, and if she isnt having issues she gets the job done! I think potty training might be pretty easy with her!) Maddie, shoes, pretty, ruff ruff, hair hmmm I think Im missing a couple. But really if I sit and say a word over and over again and she is in the mood she will say it back. So anyways tonight she was climbing all over me and eating some pretzels when she started laying in my lap and saying momma so I got her to say a few words. They dont sound great mostly just the sounds because of her full mouth but I think you can see how well she is doing and how freaking cute she is, even though she was being silly and not totally copying everything!

Ya Turkey Day!

Today has been super sweet for me. Being a day of reflection and being thankful I am full of gratitude for all that I have been given this year and for all that I have. As Malia slept in my arms today after her first Thanksgiving I was almost breathless at thinking how far we have come in such a short time. I can not believe how lucky we are to have this sweet girl in our home. What a true blessing she is to us all. We were talking tonight about how just normal she seems. I cant pin point one thing right now that doesnt seem exactly the same as any of the other kids at her same age. She comes to us when she is sad hurt hungry or happy! She loves to just toddle around the house and explore. She is super smart I believe. To think that this time last year was actually very hard for me. Vietnam adoptions were falling apart and I couldnt get any information from our agency and I was beginning to feel like I had bought into a sham. Well fast forward to know and having Malia home I am still in shock at our luck and the Love the Lord has for us in giving us this sweet girl.

I also feel very blessed that in this very hard economy right now that we are still doing well. Im so glad my husband is such a hard worker and able to supply us with all of our needs. Im so grateful to the older two kids and how well they have adapted to the big changes we have had the last couple months. I am grateful for health. Im so grateful to my sister who is always there for me... wish we could be together for the Holidays but maybe next year A???

I am very grateful for close friends. We had the Zimmers over today for Thanksgiving and it was just the best Thanksgiving ever. After they left tonight Kaden said that was my best Thanksgiving ever... he then said he thinks it was 53% because of the food and the rest because the Zims had joined us. We had such a great time and great food. I think we all walked away from the table wishing we could shove down more but all needing to stop. We are so thankful to have such good friends who are always there for us and were brave enough to trust me with a turkey dinner YIKES! I got a little fancy with my napkins on the grown up table but I think it turned out cute. After dinner we cleaned up played games and ate pie. It was so much fun! Thanks to Tami and Caleb for bringing some very yummy food... BTW I totally forgot to steal some of your roles! UGH!!

I had fun in the kitchen today. The kids helped me with different things. Maddie helped me with turkey tail rolls and some pies. Kaden helped me with frog eye salad and taking out lots of garbage. And Rich was there helping where ever I needed him! And little miss Malia was there on my toes begging to be held which though I had to keep passing her off, just the fact that she wanted me so badly was a gift! Oh and Maddie decorated the kids table. She was so pleased with herself and kept rearranging until it was finally time to eat.

So for me this year Thankful isnt a big enough word but I am Thankful for all that I have, and for having such a blessed year!