Nate and Jenny

We just got a package from our son and daughter-in-law. I was so happy it contained some recent pictures of them both. They live in Oregon and it is hard for us to get there to see them with our little ones. We miss them soooooo very much!!!!! The last time we were able to see them was when we drove up for their wedding two years ago. They are working hard and we are so proud of them and all they do.
We are so happy they have each other.

Happy 11th Birthday Sarah

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It seems like yesterday that my little girl was born. She was the answer to many prayers. After fertility treatments were no longer an option we turned to our church's adoption agency to add a much wanted child to our family. I know that Sarah was supposed to be my child even though she grew in my heart and not under it. She was born exactly 9 months after we started trying to have our third child. It took us from May until December to complete all of the paperwork, interviews and home studies,our last interview was the first Wednesday in December. Our caseworker told us to go home and they would call us but that it was taking about 6 months for placements. The following Sunday Katy who was 2 1/2 at the time kept walking around the house saying "Baby Sarah is coming, Baby Sarah is coming". Katy kept saying this all day so Mike finally put her on the kitchen counter and said "When is baby Sarah coming?" Katy answered "Soon, Daddy, Soon". We were curious but went on about our week and then Mike got a call at work on Wednesday. It was our caseworker, he asked Mike if our Christmas tree was up and Mike said "yes", then he said "How would you like another present to go under your tree?" He then told Mike that a birth mother chose us to be her child's parents on Sunday and asked if we could come meet her Thursday evening because she was due in one week. Sarah then decided to come four days early and was born the Monday after our meeting with our birthmother. We were able to hold Sarah when she was five hours old and we brought her home from the hospital when she was twenty hours old. We are so very grateful for her birthmother's she gave us a gift that we could not have had without her selfless act. Sarah is the best Christmas gift we have received to date. I hope you enjoy her birthday montage. Love you Sarah!

Let the Games Begin

This is a fun blogging game my sister-in-law Allison posted and I replied to so I am paying it forward. The first 3 people to make a comment to this post will receive a small gift with the promise that they would continue to pay it forward. If you would like to participate, here are the rules.
THE RULES: The focus of this is to do an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and "pay it forward."I will send a small gift to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and the game will continue!! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found, anything you want!! Just a gift that will make the person's day!!
If you are interested in participating, simply be one of the first 3 bloggers to leave a comment!! You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link back to me, and then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog. Doesn't this sound like fun!!??
Here is the link to Allison's blog www.ethanjamescurtis.blogspot.com
This game is not limited to the Christmas Season.

Blog Challenge: Share your family's favorite holiday traditions

I LOVE traditions!! I feel connected to other generations of my family through them and I love to start new ones in my own family. Here are some of our families' Christmas Traditions:
-The tree goes up before the first Sunday in December. Everyone enjoys putting up their own ornaments and then we all help with the family ornaments.
-Then on the first Sunday we gather together and watch the Christmas Devotional from the leaders of our church.
-The first Monday of December at our Family Home Evening we draw names to get gifts for those in our house. We talk about the secret service we will do for others this month. On our stockings we have a small white stocking pinned to the front and on this day we each decide one thing that we are going to work on for the month as our gift back to the Savior. We slip the paper into the white stocking and check at the end of the month to see if we were successful.
-Christmas Cousins~since there are 30 nieces and nephews on my side of the family, who live in three different states, we draw names and each cousin gets a gift for their Christmas Cousin for that year.
-We go for a drive to see the light around town.
-The girls and I do alot of baking and make candy to give to neighbors, friends and family.
-On Christmas Eve my family meets at the designated house, we have snack foods, visit, the kids decorate their cookies for Santa and a few for themselves and we have a gift exchange. When we get home our kids get to open 1 gift from under the tree and it is always new jammies from Mike and I.(this was started after I began scrapbooking so the kids looked good for Christmas morning pictures.LOL)
-On Christmas morning the kids have to wait until Mike and I are ready to go and see what Santa has brought for them and they have to go in the room youngest on up.
-On Christmas Day I cook a standing rib roast, yorkshire pudding, green beans and pecan pie.(this was a tradition in Mike's family and we have kept it going.)

Not a tradition but a cute side note. After Mike brought the tree into the house we turned the lights on. Jacob came into the front room, smiled a huge smile and signed-Christmas then Christmas tree then lights then Jesus.

Blog Challenge to Friends and Family:Share your family's favorite holiday traditions

Tylenol, Decongestants, and Breathing Treatments Oh My!!!

When you have children who are medically fragile sometimes a cold can turn into something scarier than Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My! Hannah got a stomach virus on Thanksgiving day and thanks to Nissens and G-Buttons I can keep her hydrated so no harm there. Then this past Wednesday she started having nasal congestion which led to the 24 hour watch, worry, and treatments. Then Friday Jacob and Noah started with the same symptoms. For "healthy" Noah it is just a cold but due to his autism he does not understand what is happening with his body. For Jacob since his cardiac arrest this past March a cold turns into round the clock care, worry and monitoring of his respiratory status. The Lions, Tigers and Bears ie worry, lack of sleep, the unknown of how long or how sick they will get, or if this will end up in a hospital stay can get you down. So now that I have vented, I am going to focus on the times they are healthy and be thankful for the medical knowledge Mike and I have and for excellent doctors who are there when my kids are sick.