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Baseball Girl

2012-01-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

Britton just got Braelyn her first baseball glove, ball, and bat! She really loves going out and learning out to use them. She is such a daddy's girl, and so they have a blast together. He is such an awesome, fun dad! As long as you toss the ball right into her glove, she's a great catcher!!! She hasn't figured out that she needs to move her glove around!
Here batter batter....

Jesus Wants Me for a.....

2012-01-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

SUNBEAM,TO SHINE FOR HIM EACH DAY.

This big girl is officially in the Sunbeams class at church now! I can hardly believe it! She absolutely loves it!

Christmas 2012

2012-01-11T13:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas this year was magical! Mostly because the girls are getting old enough to really have fun with it, Braelyn especially! This year we were lucky enough to have one of Santa's elves come stay with us! Braelyn name him Silly Soster (and no, I don't know where she got that from!). In a nutshell, Soster magically moves around our house watching the girls and making note of the nice and naughty things they do during the day. We are NEVER allowed to touch him, or his magic disappears and we won't be able to come back to us. Then every night he flies back to the North Pole to report the day to Santa. When he returns he is ALWAYS sitting somewhere different! Every morning Silly Soster was the first thing on Braelyn's mind, and she had to find him immediately! It was so great to have him around, and we were sad to see him go back to the North Pole. Here is his last perch he took on Christmas Eve morning..... Our Family on Christmas Eve... Braelyn (notice Soster made an appearance sitting in the tree next to her!)...

Our busy little London....

These sisters are just the best...

When it got dark out, we took a walk around our neighborhood to look at some Christmas lights, then came back so the girls could open their Christmas Eve present!

Christmas jammies!

Then it was time to set out our yummy cookies & milk, and some carrots for the reindeer....

CHRISTMAS MORNING.......

Santa came and boy did he bring some good stuff! Braelyn's big Santa gift is...

London got a fun activity center, plus many more things as well...

And later Braelyn took London for a spin in the car! I think it's about the cutest thing I've ever seen! They just looked so funny driving around! Braelyn is a pretty good little driver, and London just sat back and rode! They both LOVED it!

Many other pictures were taken, but these are the highlights! I'm so grateful for all that we have. We are incredibly blessed in all aspects of our lives. I love my hard working husband, and my two amazing, sweet little girls! My family is my everything! I hope this Christmas season was good to everyone!

Mesa Temple Lights

2012-01-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

A few days before Christmas we made the trek out to Mesa to see the beautiful lights at the LDS Temple! It was all so pretty, and the kiddos really enjoyed it!
Braelyn, the cheeser...

This is my favorite picture ever! We have no idea why it looks like lights are raining down on us, but it's awesome! In reality they were just regular colored lights strung in a tree! I guess Ahlena and I just have that effect on things! ;>

It was a fun and beautiful night. I think we may have to make it a tradition!

Playground

2012-01-09T21:59:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks before Christmas, our neighbor was moving and sold us his little backyard playground! It's so much fun and the girls just love it! Braelyn wants to go outside and play on it all of the time.

Some of Braelyn's first swings on it.... I love all of the pictures because they are just pure happiness...

While London is still a bit young for it, she loves to play too....

Get a load of those sweet, chunky thighs! Delicious!!!!

And yes, she is wearing a onesie and boots in the middle of December....it was like 70 degrees outside!!!

Love these sweet, sweet girls!

Better Late Then Never

2012-01-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of December (the weekend of London's birthday), I forgot to post a few pics of us and the girls at a little city carnival! This was the same weekend London's birth mom was visiting too.

Before we could hit up the carnival though, London became an "official" big girl with her new car seat! She switched to it like a pro... Then we were off! The girls absolutely LOVED the carousel, especially London. This was her first ride, and she laughed and clapped and smiled almost the entire time (despite the creepy, but nice, Carney guy who kept invading her personal space!).

Braelyn loved riding the little roller coaster...
and the boats....
And London enjoyed watching....

Here Comes Santa Claus

2011-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today we took the girls to see Santa! I think I was just excited as Braelyn was, if not more (London didn't know what was going on!)! I was so excited to see how the girls would do sitting on his lap, etc.

Earlier in the month I was talking to Braelyn about Santa, and she said, "I love Santa". When I said that we were going to see Santa soon and she could sit on his lap, she instantly had a change of heart and said, "I don't like Santa!"! So funny! A couple days ago I started bracing her for the visit, and telling her how he's so nice and how we'd be right there with her. Then I told her that she gets to tell him what she wants for Christmas! She got excited about that, and was ready to do it!

Both Braelyn and London did perfectly! They smiled and looked like little angels! Check it out:

London's 1st Birthday!

2011-12-19T17:07:00.001-08:00

This little angel baby turned 1 on December 2nd!!!! Unbelievable! This year has passed crazy fast! I remember like it was yesterday, being down in Texas when she was born. The memories are still so vivid! Well London's stats are this:

Weight: 22 lbs. 4 oz. (70%)

Height: 29 3/4 inches (70%)

She is completely perfect and healthy from head to toe! London is one of the most happy, loving, and cuddly babies I know! She is genuiely just so sweet in every way. She also has a devious side though....good thing she IS so sweet! When she's told not to do something, she runs for it(wahtever it may be), smiling and laughing the whole way! She is a great eater, and has liked almost everything we've given her to try...except cake (we discovered that at her b-day party)! Some of her favorite foods are bananas, bread, mandarin oranges, grilled cheese, and ofcourse her milk! She loves her big sister, and thinks she is so funny! Braelyn loves that, and if she makes London laugh, she keeps doing it over and over to keep her laughing....and I love that! London know how to say, "Mama", "Da da", "Ba ba " (bottle), "Hi", and I swear a couple times she's said "Brae Brae"! She knows how to clap, wave, shakes her head 'no' if she doesn't want something, and loves to play peek-a-boo. She has 5 teeth, and is just cutting her 6th tooth now. She is just such a sweetheart, and I can't imagine not having her in our family!

We had a special treat for her 1st birthday....her birth mother was able to come visit us for it! We seriously had SO much fun with her here, and hated to see her go! A lot of people think it's strange how open our relationship is with her, but it's just something you can't explain until you experience it. She feels like a little sister to me, and we love having her around. It was fun for her to see how big London is getting and to see all the things she can do now. We just love her to pieces!

For London's party we decided to just have family come over and we'd do cake and ice cream....

My Birthday Girl...

The cousins...

She got lots of awesome presents, and did pretty good at opening them. Braelyn was there to assist her in opening presents too!

Her sweet Birth mom made her a quilt for her birthday, and hand stitched her name on it and everything! I about cried when I saw it...so sweet! She said it was the first time she's ever made anything like it, and she did all of it by herself! It's darling, and it's in London's crib with her now. :>

Getting ready for the cake...

She wasn't quite sure why everyone was singing to her and staring at her....

Like I said before, we discovered she's not a huge fan of cake....

After the cake.....The only thing messy on her was her hair the put frosting in!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET LONDON! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2011-12-08T09:59:00.001-08:00

Ever since we've been married we've had an artificial tree, which I love. I've been dying for a nice, new, pre-lit tree for the last couple years, and we finally got one this year...YAY! I love that Braelyn is at the age where she is really excited about decorating the tree, and Christmas, and Santa Claus..so fun! It was so cute, Braelyn gasped when I turned the tree on and it lit up. Then she insisted that we start to "deck it" with the "ormets". :) And that we did...

Even London put a couple off...but mostly tried to take off the ones that were already on! :)

THEN as were finishing up the tree, we got a loud knock at our door!!! When we opened it, we found the book "The Elf on the Shelf" We decided we better read it.....

We learned that we had been assigned an elf that would watch the girls and see if they are being naughty or nice. He then reports back to Santa every night, and comes back to a different spot in our house the next morning!!! So, after we read the book we were instructed to find him, and give him a name! We found him, and Braelyn named him (and we don't know how she came up with it) Silly Soster. Here he is now....

Braelyn LOVES seeing if he's moved around during the day and in the mornings! What a fun Christmas tradition!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

This year's Thanksgiving was so nice, and so BIG this year! I think in all, including babies, we had 24 people! It really was so much fun though. Britton's parents, brother & two daughters, other brother, and his wife came down from Utah, and stayed with us at our place. Then my sis-in-law, Ahlena's, parents, two brothers, a girlfriend & her sister came down from Utah and stayed at their house! With so many of us, Ahlena and I both did a turkey, and there were LOTS of other yummy sides.

This year was Londons first Thanksgiving! She loves to eat, so she was in heaven! :>

Braelyn eating hardly anything at the kids table...
All the kiddos...

The day after Thanksgiving....such a cheeser! Also, after Thanksgiving day(luckily), there was a run of sickness running it's course through everyone, or almost everyone. My sis-in-law, Kayla, got sick the day after, and then it came to me! Super fun! I was just very grateful that neither of the girls got it, whew!

Minus the sickness, it was a success, and we were all feeling incredibly blessed.

Things We Do

2011-12-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that with every post I've made lately I say something about how I have so much to catch up on. SO, I hate to be repetitive, but I DO have much to catch up on! Especially with the holidays so close, time seems to be slipping away from me! Here are a few things we've been doing just before all the holidays....

London and her first ponytail! I've gotta train her how to get her hair done while she's young. :)

In early November we enjoyed the perfect weather outside, and headed to the park to play, and to feed the ducks and geese. The geese are absolutely brutal, and make me a little nervous. I caught one of them having a nibble on one of London's toes! Lets just say a little kick was given, but luckily (for the goose), he survived and moved on. London took the nibble like a champ, and didn't even cry. :)
I'm pretty sure if Braelyn didn't stand on a bench, those geese would take her down....they're seriously a little rough!

These are just the sweetest sisters ever!!!! Braelyn LOVES being by London, and playing with her. London just lights up when Braelyn is playing with her. While there is on occasion the "that's my toy" kind of thing, for the most part, they are just so cute together.

Braelyn started a preschool tumbling class, and is enjoying it. She looks so cute in her little leotard, that barley is small enough to fit her (weren't those the days!).

And, Braelyn has really been into painting lately. I love when she wants to do something crafty and creative. She's also really been into coloring books lately. Before she would just kind of scribble around on the pages, but I can tell a light has come on about trying to color inside the lines. So cute!

London likes helping me vacuum! She loves pushing it forward....

What a good helper. :)

Halloween

2011-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year was so fun, especially since Braelyn is "getting it" a little bit more. This year she dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake! It was the cutest costume EVER!!!!

Another reason this year was extra fun is because it was London's very first Halloween! She was the most adorable little pumpkin you've ever seen...

London in her Halloween outfit....and YES she is taking a step!!! I would say that this little girl is officially walking!!!!! I can hardly believe it!

The Saturday before Halloween was our church Halloween party. This year they did a really fun carnival instead of a trunk or treat. So, the girls got to get dressed up twice!

London and Britton at the carnival...

Cheese! (that's what Braelyn is saying mid-sentence!)

Braelyn was SO excited when the actual Halloween day rolled around! She was so excited to go get her treats!

By the end of the night we were all so exhausted! Braelyn cleaned up on the candy, and asks for some multiple times a day!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Halloween we thought it would be fun to head to the pumpkin patch! There is a cute one called Tolmachoff Farms pretty close to us, and they have a bunch of cute activities for kids. There's a little petting zoo area where you can grind corn for the chicks.... London just observed...

Instead of a sand box, they have a corn box! Braelyn LOVED it, and I gotta say, it's a lot cleaner than the sand! Our little family...They also have a maze (that we tried and got crazy lost in, which is the point, but we got a guide to get us out!!!), and a little train that Braelyn got to ride, a fun slide, and bouncy house. Then as we were leaving we looked through all the pumpkins to find "ours"....

And after a lot of searching, we found one we liked...
We procrastinated till Halloween afternoon to actually carve it! I totally though Braelyn would love getting all the guts out of the pumpkin, BUT nope, she didn't at all! In fact she wouldn't even put her hand inside it!!!! She said, "No, I get all duhty". SO, I got stuck with all the work. This is as involved as she would get...

Again, London observed! :)

And this was the finished product! Braelyn picked the pattern...

Birthday & off to San Diego!

2011-11-01T21:33:00.001-07:00

October has been a crazy eventful month for us! It has been jam packed with all sorts of things, and has flown by. So, hang on cause your about to go on a whirlwind trip of all that we've been up too...well at least for the first half of the month!

Ok, for starters, I had a birthday on the 14th. It was such a fun birthday weekend. We celebrated with our girls during the day.... And later that night we went to dinner with my incredibly amazing friends...I'm so lucky to have such great friends! Then we came back for hanging out, games, & cake (yes I made it, BUT I wanted to! It's a Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake...Yum!).....

The following night Britton and I went to a fancy movie theater in Scottsdale called Ipic (it had reclining chairs, pillow, blanket, and a waiter to bring you food!) , and saw Footloose. It was a blast!

NEXT on the agenda..... We took a trip to San Diego for fun! It was really nice to get away just for the fun of it, and just with our family. We rented a condo on the beach on Mission beach, went to Seaworld one day, and chilled on the beach the rest of the time.

Seaworld was just perfect! Braelyn had been talking about it for days, although I think I was more excited to watch her! London didn't really know what was going on, but she was pretty chill through all of it....

This HUGE walrus came right up to Braelyn at the window! It was pretty cool...

London loved the penguins...

The highlight of the day was when we ate lunch with Shamu! It was so neat, and something I'll always remember. They do a mini training session with Shamu, and tell you lots of facts while your right there eating. London had JUST fallen asleep when we pulled in for lunch, so she missed it all! In fact she woke right as we were strolling her out! Braelyn enjoyed it though...

This is my favorite picture. You can see how close our table is to him! Love it!

The next day was supposed to be so nice, warm, and sunny, BUT we woke up to foggy, windy, and cold!!! We didn't let that stop us from heading down to the beach though! And the fact that I forgot Braelyn's swimsuit (awesome, huh?) didn't stop us either!

Braelyn and Britton looking for some shells....

Once again, London fell asleep! I promise she was awake for most of our trip, just not when the camera was on! That's some good sleeping though...waves crashing, & cozy in a blanket! I was a little jealous!

Britton and Braelyn building a sandcastle...

After a while she was turning purple, so we bundled her up...My amazing starfish sculpture...haha.... When it was time to leave, Braelyn insisted that she tear down her sandcastle!!! I was surprised, but she was LOVING it!....

It was such a fun time, and we will definitely have to head back when it gets warmer!!!

Wedding #2

2011-10-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

Just a couple weeks ago, we ventured back up to Utah for Britton's youngest brother, Carson, to get married! It was a quick trip, but was jam packed with lots of fun wedding stuff. AND the weather was absolutely gorgeous....it made us want to just stay there!!!

Anyways, so Carson and Kayla got married on August 23rd in the Bountiful temple. Their sealing was so beautiful, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the entire room. Their sealer made it so personal for them (as it should be), and he was just great to listen to.

The Beautiful Newlyweds coming out of the temple..... Love this pic...

Before they came out all the cousins had a blast running around and playing together...

(Saige, Bella, Piper, & Braelyn)

Me and my cuddly baby girl (it was chilly, so we snuggled in her blanket!)...

Lovin' her Dad....

After the Temple, there was a yummy luncheon (in which we forgot to bring our camera to), and then it was off to relax a bit until the reception.

Carson and Kayla waiting for the reception to begin.... Braelyn and Piper...London and her cousin Brigham...The reception was in Britton's parents backyard. Their backyard is just so big and pretty, so it was perfect! They had a DJ and dancing, and they were so sweet and asked me to sing and play my guitar for them for their first dance (it was planned previously, NOT on the spot, FYI)! It was an honor for me to do, even though I thought I was gonna jump out of my skin from nervousness!!!!

Congratulations Carson and Kayla! We love you both and are so happy for you!

Braelyn's 3rd Birthday!

2011-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

This BEAUTIFUL girl is now 3!!!

(this pic is a sneak peak from her 3 yr. photoshoot...thanks Teri)Braelyn's birthday was on September 5th, and was right at the tail end of all the craziness with London's sealing and blessing. It was actually perfect because then all of our family could be there to celebrate with us! We did the main celebration, presents and cake, the night before (on the 4th), and man oh man did she get spoiled rotton!!!! It was pretty riduculous! Like worse than Christmas riduculous!!! However she is starting to understand birthdays a little more now, so it was just SO fun to watch her open all her presents and get so excited about everything! Here is one of the many pics I have of her unwrapping some presents...

and being SO excited about it all....

Following presents we got down to business with her cake. This year she wanted a "Team Umizoomi" cake with Millie on it. It was so fun to make, and turned out pretty cute!

Her face looks kinda dazed as she stares at the lit candle! ha

Mmmmm...

One of the big presents we got her, was her first tricycle (which on a side note, she LOVES and rides all around the kitchen!)! We were blessed to have her sweet birth mother, Jessica, come for her party too, and she helped put the bike together :> ....

Her first ride...

BUT since Sunday wasn't "officially" her birthday, the next morning I made her a special pancake breakfast...

And we went to lunch! We let her choose where she wanted to eat, and she chose

"Chick-a-Lay"!

We just love our Braelyn girl SO, SO much and are so very blessed to have her in our family. She is so sassy, silly, and fun to be around! She is a great big sister, and I can't wait to see all the amazing things she does in her life!!! We LOVE you sweet Braelyn!!!!

London's Sealing

2011-09-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lately we have had a whirlwind of major events! There have been two weddings, and my personal favorite, getting London sealed to us in the temple! It was such a beautiful, amazing day. It was on September 3rd, in the Mesa temple. Braelyn got to be in the sealing room as well, and they looked like two little angels when they walked in the room wearing their pretty white dresses. There was an audible gasp from all our friends and family when they entered. Braelyn sat with my mom, and was so quiet and reverent (fear number 1...check), and London just smiled the entire time, looking back and forth between Britton and I! We all kinda chuckled at that...she was just SO happy! That word alone, "happy", defines her to a tee. She is just full of so much joy. The spirit was so strong as she became ours for eternity.

The man who sealed us was meant to direct our sealing, I just know it. Before Britton and I went in the room, he met with us, and asked about the situation that brought us here. We told him that we had adopted her, and her older sister (who has already been sealed to us). He told us that he had five children......ALL ADOPTED!!!!! It was a comfort to me know that he knew exactly how we were feeling, and what a rough road adoption can be...rewarding by ALL means, but rough as well. Overall it was just a beautiful experience!

Here are some pics of us afterwards, outside the temple.....

Most of our friends and family that were there, minus a few!

The next day, Sunday September 4th, Britton was able to give her a blessing in church. It was a beautiful blessing! Luckily my mom knows shorthand (yes shorthand...old school!!!!), so we were able to write down pretty much the entire blessing to keep in her baby book! Afterwards we had a little luncheon with family and close friends to celebrate! It was a lot of work, but so fun. I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without my sisters and moms help!

After her blessing....

Britton's dad, Curtis, Britton, and my dad, JimMy mom, Betty and Cindy, Britton's mom

My pretty sisters, Gina and Amanda

9 Months

2011-09-08T12:15:00.001-07:00

I can hardly belive it, but this girl..... Is 9 MONTHS old! I have no idea where the time has gone! It seems like it's gone much faster the second time around! Sweet London is such an amazing baby! She is SO happy all the time and smiles at just about anything and everything. She hasn't had her 9 month checkup yet so I don't have her stats, but I'm guessing she's around 17-18 lbs.

She is super busy crawling around, and pulling herself up on things constantly. I'm anticipating that she will start walking before her first birthday...maybe it'll be in a month or two. She LOVES her big sister Braelyn, and vice versa. She loves her daddy, but I have to say I think she is more of a mama's girl. SMILE. Her first word was about a month ago, and it was "mama". She can also say "dada", and she's starting to say "ba-ba" when she gets her bottle! She cut her first two bottom teeth about a month ago, and I'm pretty sure she's in the process of cutting her top two.

She likes to get into things she knows she's not supposed to , like her diaper basket (it's her #1 place to go...and mostly she gets to just play with it all!), my guitar, the bathroom, and the stairs. She thinks it is SO funny when I tell her "no no"....she gut laughs everytime! When I see her going somewhere she shouldn't, I'll say her name, and she ducks her head and starts crawling towards it as fast as she can!!!! Little stinker! I think we're in trouble! ;>

We just LOVE this little baby girl so, so much! I had such a fun time getting her pictures taken. I loved all the pictures we got, but here are some of my absolute favorites!!!

Fun in the Sun

2011-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

So, while we were in Utah for the wedding, we also got to go to our nephews first football game, which Britton's brother was coaching! It was later in the day, so the sun was not in our faces, and in the shade it was heaven! Braelyn had so much fun with her cousins running around and playing...

(Bella, Braelyn, Piper, Saige)

London hung out with us, and was such a good baby, as always...

We also got to see London's birth mother and some of her family! They happened to be up there visiting too! I can't post any pictures of that event (we took lots), but we had such a good time with them! It was fun for them to see how big London is getting, and see her now that she is mobile :) While we were there, London was showing off her wrestling skills, and pinned Braelyn!!! haha It was SO funny! They are also so sweet to Braelyn too, even if she is s stinker to them at times! :) We can't wait to see em again!

Beautiful Wedding

2011-08-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Last week we ventured up to Utah, yes again, for Britton's sister, Sheridan's, wedding! I can't believe she's even old enough to get married! It was such a great day, & everything was so beautiful. Sheridan and David got married in the Salt Lake Temple, on Aug. 18th, and the ceremony was SO good. Their sealer was amazing, and I could have listened to him talk for hours. :)

The happy couple coming out of the temple...

Brittons family

(Carson, Trevor, Cooper, Britton, Sheridan & David, Cindy, Curtis, and Tanner)
All the sister-in-laws...

Following the temple, they had a yummy luncheon for all the family and close friends.

Here are all the girlie cousins...

London and I...

The next event was the recepton, a few hours later (thank goodness...we all needed to relax a bit before hand). It was gorgeous! It was a little warm outside until the sun went down, but there was lots of shade so it was all good.

All the little girls looked adorable in there fancy, bright dresses.... Braelyn was instantly drawn to the horses in the field right behind us....

(Braelyn and her cousin Bella)

She was very excited to feed them some grass....

Even though it was a crazy, long, and tiring day, London did SO amazing!!!! She didn't get cranky at all, and was so happy the whole time! Everyone was just eating her up, but then again, how could you not....

In addition to the wedding, we also got to see London's birth mother, and her family! We had a great time hanging out, and showing them all of London's tricks! ;>

AND More pictures to come of a few more fun things we did!

Chapman Reunion at Bear Lake

2011-08-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

For over 6 months I have been looking forward to my family's reunion. It seemed like forever for it to get here, and passed by in a flash (those things typically do). We went to Bear Lake this year, and had so much fun! I LOVE being around my family, and wish we could all live closer together! We all met together on a Sunday night in Logan, Utah, so we could all be there and rested for the next day. The next day we took family pictures (which hadn't been updated in at least 6ish years!!!!), and did our grocery shopping for the week ahead of us. Here is just a small glimpse of our family pics.....

My parents and the siblings....

Grandparents and Grandbabies....

Then we were off to Bear Lake to check out our cabin. It was absolutely GORGEOUS up there! The weather was amazing, and we had an awesome view of the lake from our cabin...
Me, my sisters Gina, Amanda, and my niece, Molly...

While we were up there, this little girl figured out how to crawl the real way instead of army crawling....

We all spent lots of time out on the deck enjoying the view and the weather.....

Amanda and I

My very debonair brother, Brian (hehe)...

My mom and dad...I LOVE this picture of them....

Mammaw and Braelyn

Mammaw and London

Braelyn had such a blast with all her cousins! I didn't see her much when we were at the cabin because she insisted on being with all the other kids. :> I just loved watching her interact with them...she's getting so big. Here she is out playing with bubbles with Rorie...

All the kiddos (minus two babies) hanging out in the hot tub! They are all so dang cute!

We also celebrated my little nephew, Prestons, 1st birthday while we were there! He quite enjoyed his cake....We went to the beach two of the four days we were there, but I forgot my camera the first day, so here are just a few from the second day. We rented a seadoo, and had so much fun hanging out on the beach.

Me taking my sister Amanda on her first ever ride!

Britton taking Braelyn for a ride...

Braelyn getting back from her ride. She liked it, but didn't want to go out again. :> She had so much fun playing in the sand with her cousins.

One of the other days, we kinda split off the do a couple different things. Some went to a cave, others went shopping, and we went with my sis and her family to the park. It was so beautiful outside, and was perfect for the kids to run around and play.

Gina and I...

Dad and Braelyn on the swings...

My brother-in-law brought a slack line, and we all had fun trying it out! It's so dang hard, but really addicting to try!

My pretty London...

Preston and London...

Braelyn covering Preston in grass...little stinker!!!London and her cousin Tyler...

Thanks to all my family for being so great! I loved every minute of being with everyone, and I can't wait till the next one!

Finalization

2011-07-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I spaced posting about one of the most exciting and important days we've ever had....

London's adoption finalization on June 30th, @ 7:45 a.m.

Let me first tell how it all works out. A lot of people think that it's all final after the birthparents sign the paperwork a few days after the birth, and while that is very, very important, it's not 100% percent legal for about 6-9 months. In those 6-9 months we have a few supervisory visits (aka, our social worker comes and asks the same mundane questions about how we are adjusting...blah, blah, blah), and then all the paperwork gets sent in to the county where we are then assigned a date to go meet with a judge!

Braelyns had a couple complications, so we got a private attorney, and it went super smoothly. To make a really long story short, we were going to finalize London's adoption here in Arizona, but there were paperwork complications, so we finalized though Texas. It was incredible! Texas passed through our paperwork SO quickly! We had to get a private attorney again, but it was totally worth it! Because we live in AZ, our attorney said that Texas law allows us to finalize OVER THE PHONE!!! What?! Awesome!!! Actually in Londons case we never even spoke to the judge! He just looked at our paperwork and signed it off!!! The only down side for me, was missing out on the special moment in the courthouse when the judge actually reads that her last name is changed to ours and that we are legally her parents, AND that we'll have no pictures of us with the judge or anything. Nevertheless it was an awesome moment when the phone call came letting us know it was "official" :>

We can't say enough how incredibly grateful we are to Londons birth parents for giving us the most amazing gift! We love them with all our hearts, and think about them all the time. We love our sweet London, and we can't imagine our lives without her!

Sisters

2011-07-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have been loving watching Braelyn and London interact lately. It's just so cute!

In the tent together....Braelyn INSISTED that London come play in the tent with her. It was adorable! Braelyn was gathering toys to take inside and give her.

Since this little Babe is now sitting up so well, they can take baths together!

And they have fun!
Braelyn being such a big helper, and feeding London. She was holding the bottle just perfectly, so I hardly had to do anything!

Fourth of July

2011-07-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Our fourth of July this year was pretty chill, but super fun. We relaxed during the day, and tried to stay out of the scorching heat. Then we had some friends and family come over for a BBQ, water time for the kiddos (who, by the way were all girls....all 10 of them!!!!), and fireworks! We had such a fun time with everyone, and are so blessed to have such great friends and family!

Braelyn about to slide into the pool...

London just watched from the sidelines, but had a good time anyway...
We had lots of fireworks that we'd bought. The kids really liked em!

Braelyn LOVED the sparklers and the pop its...
Braelyn and Piper

Dirty Thirty

2011-07-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

On June 30th, my sweet guy turned 30!!! He's finally caught up with me in age (that's right I'm older than he is by 8 months!), and I was glad to welcome him to the party....I wasn't diggin' being 30 all by myself! :> The girls and I had a yummy breakfast waiting for him when he got home from the gym, and Braelyn insisted on giving him her present (a book in which she thought was hers the entire time...thus the reason she wanted him to hurry and open it! She wasn't very happy when she discovered it wasn't for her!!!) That night I made a delicious dinner, salmon, and squash, and we had a mini cake we all shared
His real party was the next night, and we had so much fun! So much fun, in fact, I was a crappy wife, and didn't document hardly any of it!!!!!! We went to dinner with some amazing friends, and then headed to our house after for games and cake.

Happy Birthday Britton!!!!

Father's Day

2011-07-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Britton is an AMAZING Dad and Husband, and we girls are so lucky to have him in our lives!

(not the best pic, as it was taken first thing in the morning, and Braelyn is topless, however, it's all I have!!! I'll have to do a better job at that next year!)

We made him his favorite breakfast, and gift (a new wallet).....

And gave him a candy card!

Fun times in Utah

2011-07-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of June we headed up to Utah for the annual Father and Son Campout! Britton looks forward to this every year SO much, and they really do have a blast doing it!

(Curtis, Carson, Tanner, Trevor & Troy, Cooper and Britton)

They are all so competitive, so they always come up with some sort of tournament while they're there, and this year it was horseshoes....
They also had a blast on the dirtbikes and quad (Until the park ranger came and told them they'd be fined if they used them again...on like day 2!!! ): and that also meant no shooting either!)

And ofcourse, what would a campout be without widdeling?! This year it was a competition for the best bat....winner was Cooper! (the pic below is of the unfinished bats)

They had a blast, and can't wait to do again next year....prefererably at a different campsite :>

While he was off camping the girls and I had a great time hanging out with cousins, Grandma, and Sheridan! We went swimming, to the park, fed the ducks, and enjoyed the amazing weather! We had so much fun we didn't want to leave!
Here are some shots I took of London for her 6 months pics (now about a month overdue!!!)

Sweet sisters....

(Isn't the grass SO green and beautiful!)

Braelyn was loving feeding the ducks and geese....

and she had the best time with her cousins, particularly during bath time!

Big Helper

2011-07-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

This Girl.....LOVES to be a helper, and she sure is good at it! It's crazy for me to think that in exactly 2 months she'll be 3 years old already!!!! Where has the time gone?!?! It's been a while since I've given some Braelyn info so, here are some facts about my big girl!

Braelyn has such a sweet and sassy personality. If anyone says hi to her or acknowledges her, her typical response is: "Hi! I two. I ahmos (almost) fwee (three) on Septemah fifth!" She's very excited about turning 3!

She LOVES her little sister London, and always wants to come with me to get her from naps, so she can give her a hug and a kiss...melts my heart! She loves to make London laugh, which isn't too hard because London just lights up when Braelyn is around her.

Braelyn LOVES her "shows" on TV, in which I'm trying to cut her back on. Her favorites are "Team UmiZoomi", "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", "Phineas and Ferb", "Dora the Explorer", and "Go Diego Go".

Braelyn is so smart sometimes I can't even believe it! She knows up the first 13-14 US presidents, the first few prophets, about 8-10 US States, and she can read around 20 or so words!!! I give my hubby ALL the credit in teaching her all those things!!!

Some of Braelyn's favorite foods/snacks are: chicken nuggets, PB&J, chips (which she rarely gets), goldfish, fruit snacks, dried apples, and yogurt. Her favorite color is Blue.
Like I said before, she is such a big helper, and loves to help her dad do yard work since that means she gets to be outside!

Here she is working hard.....

I feel so honored to be her mom! She is such a light in my life and I love her with all my heart!

6 Months!

2011-06-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it, but a couple of days ago my baby girl turned

6 Months!!!

We are SO lucky to have this little girl as our daughter! She has such a sweet, special spirit! London is one of the most happy babies you'll ever meet. She LOVES to cuddle (which I also love), is super ticklish, and LOVES to look at and watch her big sister!!! :> Her stats for her checkup are: Weight: 17lbs. 14oz., and Height: 27 in.! She's gonna be a tall girl that's for sure! Along with this 6 month milestone came a few MORE milestones! She's started on solid foods!

About a week ago she had her first taste of rice cereal. The first time wasn't the greatest to her.

Before....

During (notice the scowl...it was there for the entire process!!!! ha).....

Whew....afterwards....

Then a few days later she was given her first vegetables....carrots! She liked them, and is getting better and better and figuring out how to eat "real" food.

mmmmmm

Delicious!

We are so very grateful to have this little angel in our lives and we LOVE her SO much! We look forward to the court finalization of her adoption, which is on June 8th!!!!!! We are even more excited to have her blessed and sealed to us for eternity! Love you sweet baby girl!

Our lil' Swimmer

2011-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Braelyn took swimming lessons again this year, and she did so amazing! I am really just so proud of her! She had 12 classes, and I could see becoming more confident with every class. Her first week or so, she wasn't very excited, but by the end she LOVED going to see Bonnie (her teacher). Bonnie has such a gift with teaching these kids how to swim, and I'm so glad we've used her! Next year London gets to give it a try!

Here are some shots of our big girl in the pool....

Waiting for her turn to get the diving ring...

Running to jump off the diving board!!!

Here are her "action" shots going off the diving board....

Ready, Set....

JUMP!

And, swim to the side!

I tried to download a video, but Blogger was not having it, SO, here's a link to YouTube where I posted it! It's a bit grainy from the transfer, but oh well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKG1QWgnTYE

Lately

2011-05-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

We haven't been up to too much lately, but I have lots of pics to update on here! So, with no further adew.....

Braelyn and London hanging out. Braelyn insisted on laying down right beside her...so cute!

London gettin' tickled by dad! She is just SO dang ticklish, and I LOVE it!

This big girl is almost 6 months now (seriously what has happened to time!), and she's getting really good as sitting up by herself! She still isn't 100%, but she can stay up for at least a few minutes by herself.

London has been loving playing in her little walker, and loves playing with the toys on it...

And Braelyn loves giving her a ride in it! ha

Such great poise...

Not too long ago, we had a couple lovely days of rain, so Britton and Braelyn went out and ran around in it for a while!

Braelyn has been taking swimming lessons for the entire month of May, so there are lots of pics to come of that! Happy Summer!

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day this year just totally snuck up on me!!!! It was a great day, and I am so lucky to be a mom to my two sweet girls. This day means a lot to me since we struggled (and still struggle) with getting our family. This day used to be pure torture for me, especially going to church, & hearing all the talks on what a gift motherhood is (which it is), and seeing all the proud mamas with an extra twinkle in their eyes....TORTURE!!! I wanted it more than anything. I still long to have the experience of getting pregnant on our own, but whether I am blessed with that or not, I can't deny that I have, indeed, been incredibly blessed. Though I didn't physically give birth to Braelyn and London, I have NO doubt in my mind that they were meant to come to our family. I know that my loving Heavenly Father sent them here to me. I look back at when we started this infertility journey, and I can see the growth and strength I've gained. I still have MUCH to learn, but I am thankful for my Father in Heaven's hand in my life. He hasn't given up on me even when I was angry and bitter at him. Instead He gave me an amazing husband, and two IncRedIbLe girls! I LOVE them with all my heart, and can't imagine my life without them in it! I am SO blessed! I think I'll keep this forever! I just LOVE it...

Britton and Braelyn made me a super yummy breakfast,

got me beautiful flowers, and some $ to do a little shopping kid free!!!

Birth Mother's Day

2011-05-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Birth Mother's Day, incase you didn't know! I would have never known about it if it weren't for my two AmAzInG birth moms! I love them both so much. They are two of the greatest, bravest, loving people I know. They helped us have a family when we couldn't do it ourselves. We are eternally grateful for them.

Here are Braelyn and Jessica. We are so lucky to have Jessica living in the same town as us!! You'd think we'd run into her all the time, but we unfortunately don't! We LOVE when we do see her though, and love catching up on what's new in her life.

I have lots of pictures of London's birth mom, BUT since we both have Texas connections, and the adoption was a little top secret, here's a picture of London and her birth moms arm!!! She actually came to visit us about a month ago, and we had a BLAST! So, even though we can't show her beautiful face, she's awesome! :> Plus it's kinda fun having a little mystery of our own!

Utah & Easter part 2

2011-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Britton had to go to Utah for business, so the girls and I decided to tag along and have a little vacation. Although the drive was long, it was surprisingly bearable, and the girls did amazing...whew! While Britton worked, we hung out with Britton's mom and sister. We had so much fun shopping, and going out to lunch lots. We even went to bridal convention for my newly engaged sis-in-law! So fun!!! Braelyn and London has so much fun playing with Grandma, Aunt Sheridan, and their cousins. We can't wait to go back again for another visit! I had to document a few of the pics from the trip. Braelyn didn't make a ton of the pics because she was off playing with her cousins so much, but she really was there!

I love this picture! London looks so devious!!!

Sheridan and London (a.k.a. "Tubbers" as Sheridan calls her! ha)
Kamryn loving baby London

Papa and Londers

Since our visit was so close to Easter, the girls got some early Easter presents from Grandma and Papa. They loved every minute of it!

Ok, this is the cutest stinkin' toy ever! It had us all dying laughing! You push it's foot, and it starts singing an Easter song, and flapping it's wings, but here's what's so cute/funny....You start tickling it's tummy and sides, and it starts laughing, and laughing. When you stop, she catches her breathe and then continues with the song. Braelyn LOVED it!

Lots of loves and thank yous were given too...

Easter!

2011-04-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Easter this year came so fast, and was SO busy! BUT it was also a lot of fun with the girls. The week before Easter we were in Utah for a week, came back for a day, and then turned around and went camping!!! What were we thinking!!! It was a complete blast, but we were toast by the time Easter Sunday rolled around (which was the day after we got back!) On our way back from camping I started feeling pretty sick, but luckily the Easter bunny knew this, and came on Sunday afternoon during nap time instead of the night before! What a nice bunny!

SO, we woke up Sunday morning (feeling much better, might I add), and headed to church. The girls wore their new Easter dresses/skirts, and looked super adorable (I got both at a darling boutique sale in Utah!)

Braelyn looking sweet......

And London too....

I LOVE, LOVE these pics we took of them together cheesin' it up....

Kisses!!!!!
After lunch, and nap the Easter bunny had come, and left TONS of little treasures for Braelyn to find!
I forgot to take pictures of what the Easter bunny brought them, but it was adorable! They each got a super over sized plastic, hot pink egg, filled with goodies!

London had a cute rubber duckie in hers....
And even though she couldn't really help with the bunny hunt, she was happy anyways....

The loot....Since we'd been gone for so long, we didn't dye our eggs until Easter night, but it was really fun, although I think Britton and I had the most fun with it!

London was fascinated with the entire thing

And Braelyn started getting the hang of it after a couple tries.

Say What?!

2011-03-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make a post all about Braelyn for about a month now because she is now

2 1/2!

How did this happen?! I still remember bringing her home from hospital, and not sleeping hardly at all the first couple nights, totally worrying if she was ok!

We are just SO lucky to have our Braelyn in our lives. I can't imagine our lives without her, and can't imagine anyone else having her. She brings us tons of happiness.

She is SO sassy, and SO independent, and such a good, good girl! She is very smart, and loves learning new things. She knows all the sounds of the letters in the alphabet, can read about 30-40 words, knows the first 10 presidents of the USA, and knows 8 of the states!!! Britton has been so dilligent at teaching her those things, and she LOVES that time with him. She is now officially potty trained...YAY!!! She took a little detour from that when we got London, but now there's no looking back! She is such a good, sweet big sister. She loves "Yonders" (Londers), and likes to give her lots of hugs and kisses. She is always willing to get me a diaper and wipes for London, and likes to help shake her bottles. :> Braelyn loves being outdoors, and going to the park. Her favorite TV shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Go Diego Go, Team Umizoomi, and Dora. She is a great help around the house. She likes to help pick up her room (I'm taking advantage of that while I can!), unload the dishwasher, and "help" with laundry.

We love you Braelyn, and can't wait to see all the wonderful things you do in your life!

Camping!

2011-03-27T09:33:00.001-07:00

Since the weather has been warming up, we decided it's time to go camping. I really like camping, but not so much with a 3 month old.....until we got our travel trailer!!! This was our first time taking it out, and we LOVED it! We stayed for two days, and had a blast. This picture just makes me laugh....she's going CoO coO for CoCo puffs!!!!!

Having some breakfast London and I did lots of hanging out...

And she really liked camping

Braelyn had fun playing with the other kids, but when she wasn't with them she was either 1) sitting on a dirt bike, OR 2) sitting in Rhino waiting for someone to take her on a ride!!!

We went on a little hike with all the kiddos (minus London)

Threw Rocks.....

and hunted for sticks and more rocks

At night it was a little chilly, so we were sitting right next to the fire

By the end of the night, Braelyn was exhausted, and slept like a champ! It was so fun, but it was even better to get home and take a bath!!!

Fun Outdoors

2011-03-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Spring has been awesome so far, and we've been trying to get outside as much as possible before the unbearable heat gets here!!! A few weeks back, Britton's brother and his family came to visit us, and we went to our first (of this years) spring training baseball game. It was beautiful outside, and was so fun!

London's first game!

We also went to another game about a week ago, and it was PERFECT outside! It was a night game, and the weather was incredible! It was for sure my favorite game yet!

We've also been out to the desert areas, and riding dirt bikes and stuff, so fun! Braelyn LOVES being outside, and has a blast. Our friend Jay has a Rhino, and these girls had SO much fun on it! They screamed and laughed the whole time!!!London is getting used to being outside, so she mostly hung out in her carseat in the Truck with the door open! :>

When Britton's brother, Trevor, came we also got to meet their newest baby (finally!), Brigham. He's 6 months old, so it was fun to to put he and London next to each other and compare sizes! I just love this picture of him giving her kisses!!! So sweet!Sweet cousins! They are gonna get into some trouble with each other one day I'm sure!

The R House

2011-03-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I normally don't do a lot of giveaways, but I LOVE The r house blog, and she always has awesome giveaways! She's giving away a darling necklace that I really want. If you want to enter too, her link is:

therhouse.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-sterling-silver-foundations.html

3 months

2011-03-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little baby is already 3 Months!!!!! *sniff, sniff*. It has seriously flown by. She is filling out quite a bit, and I'm lovin' her chubs! She is now weighing 14.3 lbs, and is about 23 inches long! She LOVES her bottles, and likes to have one about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. She is eating 5 ounces solid per bottle. She is such a great baby! She has been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks now, so I'm loving that! She is a very calm, happy baby, and really only gets upset when she's hungry, poopy diaper, or tired....typical baby stuff. She's not really a binky baby, and will only take it for a little bit if she's tired. As soon as she's asleep it slips right out of her mouth. She LOVES taking baths, and smiles and kicks almost the entire time. She is super easy to get to smile, which is a huge change from Braelyn. You couldn't get Braelyn to smile for anything...but now she cheeses it up pretty good. ;>

Even though she's adopted, you'd never know it by looking at her! She fits right in with our family, and our looks. She and Braelyn look like they could be biological sisters....I love it! I really can't imagine my life without her in it. I am SO grateful for her, her beautiful birth mom, and for a loving Heavenly Father who knew her sweet spirit was supposed to come to us. Baby London I love you angel baby!

I had fun taking a little photo shoot of her. She did so well....I had a ton of pictures to choose from, and believe it or not this is "narrowing it down"! The shoot had an outfit change, and multiple headband changes!!! Enjoy.......

Love is in the Air

2011-02-18T09:51:00.001-08:00

The love was definitely in the air this year for Valentines Day. I like Valentines Day, I don't love it, but I really like it. I know alot of people think there shouldn't be just ONE day a year that you should show your special someone that you love them, and neither do I. However, I think it can be fun surprising them or just doing something a little extra on that day....no biggie! Anyways, I will now get off my soapbox and share some pics from our day!

Britton LOVED spoiling Braelyn with some cute little things....

She got a balloon, a rose, a cute puppy...

And two little chocolates! Here she is with her love loot...

Braelyn girl....

She's in the middle of saying "Cheese!!!!"

London was not to be forgotten on Valentines either though. Britton was so cute and got her a little rose too! I'm sure she'll never for it! ;>

LOVE this cute picture though....

And here is our sweet Londy in her Valentines get-up...

And here is just one of the sweet things my hubby got for me.....2 dozen roses!

BEAUTIFUL!

Hope everyone else had a sweet day too!

London fun

2011-02-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

The other day London was in an especially happy mood, so I had to take advantage of it! She is such a good natured baby, and played right along...

Caught a little smile.....

This has the "come hither" look to it...adorable!

This is one of her favorite places to chill...her swing

Or you might catch her dozing on the couch...

And obviously having sweet, happy dreams!

We just LOVE this sweet girl, and are so blessed to have her in our lives! Love you London!

Peter Piper Pizza

2011-02-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we got to got to Peter Piper Pizza to celebrate Ellie's (our niece) birthday!!! Isn't she SasSy?! She's such a sweet girl, and we had a blast! And boy did she have some good birthday luck!!!! She won 1000 tickets on one game...jackpot! She was pretty excited though you could hardly tell.......
Braelyn had so much fun too. This was one of her favorite rides to do.....

And she LOVED this one too! Don't mind her angry green friend! I don't know why she liked this one so much...creepy!!!

London had fun too although she wasn't very good at the games, so she just hung out with mom and dad...

Braelyn with some of her ticket stash. She did well with the tickets...280 I think!

donut time...

Zoo time

2011-02-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have so many things to catch up on blogging about!!! SO, lets start here....a visit to the Zoo!!!! I actually got a year pass so we can go whenever we want! I love this zoo (World Wildlife Zoo) because for one it's only like 10 minutes from my house, and two I love how close you feel to the animals (not in a sentimental way or anything, but literally closer to them than other zoos! ;>). Braelyn had so much fun, and I can't wait to take her again. London slept the ENTIRE time, and didn't stir once!!! She will have to have her first zoo experience another time! Braelyn feeding the giraffes.....I wasn't too sure if she would do it, but she surprised me and wanted to! She still talks about it!

We also rode on the carosel that they have there. Umm, let me just say that that thing goes faster than one might think! Braelyn LOVED it though.

Braelyn and her friend Macie....check out the camel in the background.

Braelyn and the Rhino. Ok, this is what I mean when I say "closer to the animals". All that separated us were some big wooden posts that weren't really that tall. Love it.

Brae and the Flamingos

We also went into the aquariams and looked at all the fish. They have a couple touch and feel tanks, and Braelyn was brave and stuck her hand right in! She felt a starfish, and some wierd spikey crab thing (that is the technical term ofcourse). She also got to feel the sting rays in their pool.

Thus closes our Zoo adventures for now! :>

2 months

2011-01-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

I can hardly belive it,

but

This sweet little babe is already

2 MONTHS!!!

Unbelieveable!

She is such a good baby. She is only waking up once in the night to eat, which is fabulous, and she is a very good eater and sleeper. She is totally chunking out, which is a change from Braelyn (although she had a small span of the chunk), and I'm loving it! I just want to gnaw on her legs and cheeks!!! ;> She is looking all around, and loves kicking her legs. She has a super strong neck and likes standing on her strong legs. She has already given us a few little smiles, not the gassy ones, the true legite kind!!! She has a bit of baby acne right now, but it doesn't take away at all from her beauty. She is already eating 4-5 ounces of formula about every 2 1/2-3 hours, and doesn't spit up all that much....thank goodness! She loves her daddy....he can almost always get a huge grin out of her. And she loves her big sister Braelyn, and vice versa. Today Braelyn was talking to her, and London was just staring at her, grinned at her, and even gave her a tiny coo!!!! It melted my heart! She has also aquired a couple of nick names already: Londy Lou (when Braelyn says it, it's "Yondy You"...smile), Londy, and Londers.
We are so incredibly blessed to have this sweet little girl in our family! I can't imagine her not being with us. :>

We LOVE you sweet London!!!

Grandma and Papa

2011-01-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last week Britton's parents and sister came down for 4 days to see us and to meet baby London in person! It was SO great having them there! The trip flew by, as they always seem to do, and it was sad to see them go. They, of course, LOVED little London, and enjoyed seeing Braelyn too. Braelyn is talking and doing lots more things since they saw her last, so that was fun. :>

Grandma and Papa....

London and Grandma

London and Papa

This was the first day they got here, and the first bottle Grandma got to feed our little angel...

This is my Gorgeous sister-in-law, Sheridan, with her new niece...

Braelyn warmed up extra quick to Sheridan, and didn't want to leave her side!

Thanks for coming to visit us....it was a blast! We love you and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Everyday

2011-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Get ready for picture overload!!! I've been having so much fun playing with my new camera, so I've got lots of random cute pics of my girl that I need to post!!!

Beautiful Braelyn coloring....she's really getting her poses down!I LOVE this picture!!! What a little cheeseball!

Braelyn put her toy phone up to Londons ear to talk to "Mamaw and Papaw"! So stinkin' cute! We're startin' her out early!

Sweet sisters

Darling baby London

This cute sweater was given to her by her birth great-grandma and great aunt. :>

Cutie Pie

Braelyn looks like a rag-a-muffin, but it's a Sunday evening after a nap, so there ya go! Here she is getting into some mischeif...

Dance time...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture! They are "dancing" together, and I love how London is looking up at Braelyn! Sweet girls!
First time in the Bumbo! Didn't last long though! :>

Peek-A-Boo!

London is holding her head up so well! Check out those cheeks....gotta love it!!!

Tubby Time

2011-01-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

I'm finally documenting Londons first tubby! She is about 2 1/2 weeks old in them. Her umbilical cord fell off pretty early, but we waited till we got home to do the official first bath! She really enjoys her baths. She cried a little on her first one, but LOVES them now. She hasn't cried since during a bath. :>

Here is our sweet beautiful girl!

Before....... During.....

After....so fresh and clean!

Londons Photo Shoot

2011-01-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

While we were in Texas getting our sweet lil' bundle, I had her pictures taken. I really wanted some of her while she was still "fresh".....they just change so much! I had Braelyn's taken when she was a week old too, and it's so fun to look back and see how different she looked. So, here are a few of my favorites.....

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was extra special for our family this year, needless to say! It has been a little different since we normally spend it in Utah or Texas, but it was still very nice. Luckily we did have some family here (Cooper and Ahlena), so we weren't completely alone! ;> Plus it was fun since Braelyn is learning more about Santa Clause....too cute! Here is a glimpse of our Christmas festivities.......

CHRISTMAS EVE

We actually spent the evening with Cooper and Ahlena, and their family, but we forgot our camera to document it! It was fun though ;> When we got home we did a couple of our little traditions......

We had the girls unwrap their Christmas Eve present....which strangely enough is PJ's!

Braelyn was more than happy to help London open hers....

Then we set out our cookies, carrots (for the reindeer of course), milk, and letter for Santa! Braelyn really liked this part and was so excited about it!

CHRISTMAS MORNING

Braelyn had fun opening presents, but we almost had to force her to keep opening them! I'm sure that will change next year! She would open a present and want to play with that specific toy right then, and wasn't interested in opening more. So funny!

London slept through all the unwrapping....

Braelyn got lots of awesome presents......

And once London woke up, so did she!!!

Hangin' out in her play center from Santa....

London in her Christmas Day attire....Later on we went back over to Cooper and Ahlenas, and Braelyn had a blast playing with her cousins! Especially on their new Christmas present from Santa.....

Then later on we did the Black Family Eggnog tradition....

Here are our pretty girls in their Christmas dresses for church.....

We LOVE these two beautiful girls!

First Things First

2010-12-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

We have made it back to Arizona with our new little bundle of joy, so may the documentation of the event commence! This is going to be a HUGE job since I literally have hundreds and hundreds of pictures!

First off let me say that we feel immensley blessed to have been given this opportunity. We absolutely LOVE London and her AMAZING birth mother. I wish we could share pictures of her to all of you, but it's all very discreet, so we won't ;> However I will say that she is such a strong young woman, and she loves this sweet baby so much. I will never know how hard this has been/is for her, but I am eternally grateful for her. We've gotten to know her and her family, and now we are bonded together forever. We are family. It's something hard to describe unless you've been in the situation, but it's not weird or anything at all, just love.

I will give a random rundown of how it all played out.....

We arrived in Texas on a Wednesday, and she was induced on Thursday December 2nd. She was so sweet, and let us come down to the hosptital to hang out with her before and after the delivery. London was born at 5:02 p.m., and was 7 lbs, 19 in. From what we understand our sweet birth mom did awesome, not a surprise to me :> When we went to her recovery room, the nurses had just taken London to the nursery, so we went down to get a sneek peek! Here is the first time that we saw our pretty girl......

They FINALLY brought her back to the room, and we were able to hold her for the first time! It was all very surreal.

It was such an amazing day! We went back the next day to visit and hang out with everyone. And then once again on the day after that. That day, the 4th, was the day we would be bringing our sweet baby home with us. It was also a very intense and emotional day. On this day, we were priveledged to meet London's birth father. He was SO nice and sweet, and I LOVED watching him hold London, and just stare at her. I could tell he was in love. I was happy and heartbroken for them both all at the same time. I am so glad we had the chance to meet him in person, and get to know him a little, and vice versa. Also on this day, we had Braelyn and my parents come to the hospital to meet our little London......

Braelyn wasn't very into her at first, but she soon warmed up. This is the first time she saw her little sister....

After saying goodbye London got strapped in her carseat for her first ever car ride.

I believe it was the next day, that Braelyn actually asked to hold "baby Yonden", and we were more than happy to let her be a big sister! Here is the first time Braelyn held London....

And gave her kisses.....

And asked to help feed her.....

I have to say I was SUPER worried about Braelyn feeling left out or unloved, but she's actually doing pretty good. She has reverted back on her potty training...great...but I know that's normal right now, and I'll just wait for her to be ready!

Now that we were back at my parents' house, visitors came! My sister, Amanda, and her girls were there alot, and got to snuggle that new baby.....
And my Aunt Mary came down to see London too!

My mom and sister also threw me a baby shower while I was there, and sadly I don't have ANY pictures of it! It was really nice and I got to see alot of people I grew up with! Thanks to them both! :>

There are MANY more pictures to come!

Indroducing.....London Ann Black!

2010-12-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

We are so proud and excited to introduce the newest addition to our family:

London Ann Black

She was born on Thursday, December 2nd at 5:02 p.m. She weighed 7lbs. even, was 19 in. long, and is absolutely perfect in every way! We have TONS more pictures of her, but here are just a couple teasers until we get home to get them all downloaded!

She is just a day old here, so still a bit swollen, but super alert....

Here she is one week old, and we were getting her pictures taken, so we snuck one ourselves! What an absolute DOLL!

We can't wait to take her home and show her off! Braelyn is adjusting well, and though she wasn't so sure about London at first, now she loves holding her and giving her LOTS of kisses! She's gonna be a great big sister!

Braelyns 2 year pictures

2010-11-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

We finally had some 2 year pictures taken of Braelyn....better late than never I guess!!! Our friend Teri took them, and she did a fantastic job...We love them all! Braelyn is stunning in all of them, and we are so lucky to have her in our family. We love her more than we can say! Here are a few of our favorites.......

Out fit change......

(www.terilynephotography.blogspot.com)

Anxious Excitement

2010-11-12T07:58:00.001-08:00

We don't have much longer until we welcome a brand new baby girl into our home. It is what almost always consumes my mind, especially when I have "alone time".

I think about it when I work out, when Braelyn is napping, when I lay down at night, and many other various times during the day. I wonder what she'll look like, and how the entire process will be, for me and my family as well as our sweet birth mother. I love, love, love our birthmother, and hope the spirit will be with her during the birth, and everything else.

There is always a lingering thought in the back of my head preparing me, and telling me not to get too excited "just in case" something doesn't go my way. That thought is super annoying, and I try and push it back into its small corner of my mind at every chance I get. It is NOT welcome! I do feel very confident though that everything will go smoothly. :>

I feel very grateful to say the least, to my Heavenly Father for this experience. We actually had quite a few "hits" on our profiles along the way....such a blessing. However none of them felt like the right fit, until we met "the one"! I am so thankful for the spirit. It has lead me to know that this baby is supposed to come into our family.

I don't know why, and may never know, why we are supposed to have our family through adoption, but I am grateful for it. My heart aches to be pregnant myself, but I know that my Heavenly Father knows all, and there is a reason why I can't be. It has taken me a long time to come to grips with this, and I still have my moments of "mourning", but I have faith that it will all work out.

Check it out!

2010-11-07T16:12:00.001-08:00

So there is a great blog that I follow called "the r house"....love it! Right now she is doing a giveaway with another company called Spaces for Faces! I obviously want to win, but just had to share so that others can enter too if you want! The site is: therhouse.blogspot.com

Halloween

2010-11-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was more eventful then I thought it would be. It was actually an entire monthly event! Britton and I had 2, count them, 2 costume parties (one being a surprise party for yours truly!), and then our wards Trunk or Treat! Since Halloween fell on a Sunday we didn't go trick or treating on the actual day, and Braelyn never knew the difference! She had PLENTY of candy!

It was a fun month, but needless to say I have had enough Halloween to carry me through next year! :> Here are some pics of our Halloween.....

Getting Braelyn ready for the Trunk or Treat

The Cutest lil' Ladybug I've EVER Seen!!!!!

We tried to get her to say "trick or treat", but that wasn't working so she would say, "Treat please!" So cute!

Here we are handing out candy!
Braelyn practicing her cackle! I love this one!

The next morning we accessed what she got...pretty good I'd say!

Earlier in the month was my birthday...a big one...30!!! YUCK is all I have to say, but nonetheless, it happened. *sniff sniff* However it was made tons better by some of my very best friends, and hubby. They threw me a surprise party, which I was clueless about, the week before my birthday! They also put together an awesome video of my life, partly set to my dads CD. It was so amazing and a total tearjerker! Thank you so, so much!!!!!

I has some pics of the "surprise face", but they aren't pulling up right when I downloaded them, so here is a pic from the night....

I have lots of pics of all my friends that were there, but that would take forever, so I'll just say thanks again to all of them!

Here's what I did on my actual birthday....

But that's OK, I wasn't too sad...We went to a movie later, and we went out the next night for a birthday celebration! I have an awesome hubby!

Hiding, Cooking, & Carving

2010-10-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

One thing you should know about our Braelyn is that she LOVES hide and go seek. She thinks it is the funniest thing ever when you find her! Most of the time she'll just put a blanket over her head, and be very still and very quiet until we search, and search and "find" her. Some of her hiding spots are (with our help of course) the bath tub (with the lights off and door cracked...so brave!), under the table, and now....in her play kitchen cabinets! I love that she was so willing and trusting to go inside, and close all the doors, and hold perfectly still....too cute!!! I kept trying to crack a door, but she adamantly closed it back!

BUSTED.....

Sweet feet

About a week or so ago, I decided to make some Zucchini bread, and thought Braelyn might like to help. She was such a good helper with cracking eggs, and helping to pour in the sugar and flour. She loved stirring the best though! Such a sweet girl.

Last week for Family Home Evening, we decided to carve some pumpkins, OR more commonly referred to as "punkins". This is Braelyn's first time doing it, so I had to document it, of course!

She was a little leery of sticking her hand in there, but with a little coaxing, she dug right in....

She surprisingly did really well using the carving knife, and only cut herself a couple of times (if you don't know we well enough to know I'm kidding, you don't know me at all!!!!)! I did the big one, and Britton and Braelyn did the "baby punkin".

P.S. soon to come my birthday pics from my SURPRISE PARTY!

Travels to Texas

2010-10-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

At the end of September we were able to take a trip back to Dallas (where I'm from, if ya didn't know)! It's been a while since I've been to visit, so I was pumped to go.

What you may not know though, is that this was no ordinary visit. We've been looking to adopt again for almost a year now. We were contacted by a sweet girl a couple months ago, and to make a long story short,

We will be ADOPTING another BABY GIRL!!!!

Her due date is December 5th to be exact, and we can't express how excited we are!

I would love, love, LOVE to tell you all about the birthmother, but I won't say too much.....the pregnancy is pretty hush-hush, and since I'm from the Dallas area, and so is she, it's best if we don't disclose too much! :> I can say that we absolutely LOVE her to pieces, and we LOVE her family too! We were able to meet with her 3 times on our trip! It all went perfectly, and it felt like we've been friends for a long time.

One of the best moments for me, personally, is when she let us come to her Dr.'s appointment with her, and we got to see an ultrasound!!! That was incredible, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. To be able to hear that precious heartbeat, and see the baby move here and there, was AWESOME! It made everything seem so much more real. I thank her so much for that experience!

Obviously that was the main purpose of our visit, however we squeezed in a couple other fun things too! ;> If you've never been to the Texas State Fair, your missing out! I used to love going as a kid, and it was fun going again after many many years! Unfortunately, it was miserably humid and hot, which took away a chunk of the enjoyment! BUT It was still fun nonetheless!

And now with no further adew, may I introduce you to:

BIG TEX

This big guy has been around FOREVER, and he is an icon at the fair!

Braelyn enjoyed the car show.....

Britton showing her all the cars....

Here is Braelyn on her first kiddie ride.....I think she liked it pretty good. She was a little nervous at first, but then kept saying "wee", and "fun"!
Britton and I on the enormous ferris wheel...

At the end of a long day of walking, Braelyn needed a nice foot massage..... ;>

The weather in Texas was actually pretty perfect (except for the day we went to the fair...yuck), and Braelyn was loving it! This girl LOVES being outside, but since it's still 100 degrees here in AZ, she's stuck inside! She was going crazy outside, so I only caught a few shots that weren't too blurry....

Britton had fun chasing her around too...

We also had a little visit with Mike, Braelyn's birth grandfather! He only lives about 20 minutes away from my parents...crazy, huh?! We were so glad we got to see him again, even if it was for a couple hours.....

So, that about wraps up our super fun, exciting, and busy trip to Texas! It was so much fun, and we look forward to heading back in a couple months!

Birthday Girl!

2010-09-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY BRAELYN!!!Well, It's official...our little Braelyn is a 2year old! And, Yes, she had definitely entered into the "terrible twos"! They should maybe call it the "terrible one and a halfs", but that just doesn't sound as good! :> From what I hear though, 3 is even worse, so we're just gearing up for it here at our house! Over all though, Braelyn is such a sweet, special girl. She lights up our lives, and we wouldn't be the same without her. We love her to pieces! This year, we just had a small gathering at our house to celebrate. We ate pizza, opened presents, and had plenty of cake and ice cream! Her birthday theme was Tinkerbell/Pixie Party! Too cute! Here are some pics of the event........

Having some dinner

Loving opening her presents.....

She especially liked the candy from Grandma!

And she got pretty good at taking off the wrapping paper...

I had SO much fun doing her Tinkerbell birthday cake. I think it turned out pretty good....

The cake setup at the party....

This was her reaction when we were singing "Happy Birthday" to her! haha...She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't want anything to do with those candles!

BUT, she enjoyed every bit of it!

In Case You Were Wondering....

2010-08-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Our Braelyn in now officially in a "big girl" bed!!! *sniff, sniff* It has been so fun for her and us. The best part is that right now, she doesn't know or get that she can get out of it herself and just walk out her door. Let's hope that day is far away!!! She's only had like 2 small incidents of rolling off, and she wasn't hurt at all. PLUS she is going to be 2 next week! It seems unreal to me, and makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Anyways, here are a couple pics of her new bed!

Oh, by the way....

just in case you were wondering...

Braelyn LOVES her pudding.....

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

A Day in the Life of Braelyn

2010-08-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have a few random shots of Braelyn I've taken that are just too cute not to post. In fact, it would be an injustice not to let the world see of her cuteness, SO here they are. Alot of them are a daily occurrance, starting with eating breakfast......and gettting messy along the way...

Then she lounges and watches a few "shows" on Disney channel....
Later in the day, after lunch, and a nap, she has a snack. Her very favorite is a chocolate pudding. She's so good with keeping it all in the cup, and eating it in the most proper way possible..... ;>

Then I put her to work on some household chores. She really enjoys sweeping with the "bwoom"...

"Cinderelly, Cinderelly......" :>

On a totally separate note, Braelyn had her last day of swim lessons last week, and I had to post up the pic of her with Bonnie, her teacher! We owe much thanks to her!!!!

Quick Trip...

2010-08-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we flew up to Utah for a quick, but special trip. Britton's brother, Trevor, and his cute wife, Amber, got sealed for Time and Eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple! We were so happy to be able to be there for it, and are so happy for Amber and Trevor! Congratulations!

The happy couple standing outside the temple after their sealing...

Amber, Trevor, Kamryn, Shane, Troy, and Tyson

Sheridan, Papa, Trevor, Grandma, Britton, and Kamryn

This temple takes my breathe away every time I see it! Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but there's so much history as well...AMAZING!!!

Look at that cute couple..... (kidding :>)

We have to pay a special thanks to sweet Aunt Sheridan who, while we were all inside, watched all the kiddos! THANK YOU SHER!!! Braelyn had fun running all over the place outside...even though it was quite toasty out!

Love this one...

Run, run, run!

Swim Lessons

2010-08-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Braelyn has been taking survivor swim lessons for the last couple weeks, and is doing great! I was super, super nervous about it, but was quickly calmed when I saw the teacher, and her techniques. For the first week, Braelyn was having a hard time figuring out how to kick her legs, but when the 2nd week came, it finally clicked! The teacher opened up one more week of lessons, so we are doing that now (tomorrow is the last day). She still has some work to do, but she really is doing so well with it! I'm so proud of her, and just love her to death! I have video, but once again, it was taking forever to load, so I canceled it! I'll have to try it later!

Fun at the Mall

2010-07-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just last week, we surprised Jessica (Braelyns birth mom) at her work! It was so, so fun to see her, and get to catch up a little bit! She is such an awesome girl, and we love her so much. Braelyn was super busy and just wanted to run around the whole time! Finally as we were going to our cars she warmed up a little to Jessica, and gave her "loves"....too cute! We LOVE you Jessica!!! :>

Braelyn's eyes are half closed, but this was best one we got!

Dad and Braelyn

And this, Ladies & Gentleman, is what Braelyn was doing the whole time! It's what she does best.......

Happy Birthday Britton!

2010-07-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

On June 30th, by handsome man had a birthday!!! We are now the same age until October (yes, I am older than him, but just by a few months!)! I love him so much, and am so lucky that I have him for a husband....Your the Best B!!!! Braelyn helping unwrap presents...

Blowing out the candles on his Strawberry Shortcake!

4th of July AND Visit with Mamaw and Papaw

2010-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated 4th of July to all! I hope it was a good, and safe one! We had a lot of fun because my mom and dad drove in from Texas, and got here on the 4th! It was so much fun having them for a few days, but it went by really fast! Here are a few pics of what we did!

Here is my yummy, homemade Texas Coconut Cake.....so festive, huh?! It was really fun to make!

Since we live just down the street from where the fireworks are set off, we had the best seats in the house....our front yard sitting in the bed of our truck! It was perfect, and the show was great!

Papaw, Braelyn, & Mamaw

Just before the fireworks started!

My dad surprised me, and brought me the electric guitar he'd given me awhile back along with: a new amp, microphone & stand, music stand, and a guitar strap!!!!! I was sooo surprised and blown away! I'm super excited to use all my new stuff...thanks Dad!

Gettin' hooked up.....

My electric guitar....
P.S. my dad had it signed my Scotty Moore...who is that you ask? He was Elvis Pressley's first guitarist!!!! Awesome!

Papaw and Braelyn

My parents also brought along with them a lot of my old high school stuff. Here is Braelyn cheesin' it up in my Drill Team hat! Pretty cute!

She just loves putting on other people's shoes....

I'm not the only one who got hooked up on my parent's visit....Braelyn did too! They brought this play kitchen to her! Cool story....my dad built this years and years ago for my older sister for Christmas. Since she has all boys, it has been passed down to Braelyn. It is in such great condition after all these years!

She can't have a kitchen without all the goods though......

Thanks Mamaw and Papaw!

She LOVES it!

Cheesin' it Up

2010-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

So, lately anytime Braelyn sees the camera she instantly says "Cheese", and wants me to show her the pictures on the camera. So, the other day we played and took a few! She's such a nut...I wonder where she gets it? ;)

Me and my girl...

I think she's kinda pulling a Popeye grin here...ack ack ack!!! I love it!

Pretty girl

Braelyn also figured out that she can have her own little "hammock" using my legs, and a blanket! She loves it!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T11:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the two best dads I know....

My sweet hubby, Britton....I love him so much, and am so, so blessed to have such an amazing dad to our sweet Braelyn. I know she adores him.

AND

To my dad....I love you daddy! You were always, and still are so fun to be around, and you have the biggest heart ever! Love you!

I am one very lucky girl!

Utah

2010-06-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a nice long trip to Utah for Britton's "Father-Son annual camp out". I know he had a blast with all his brothers, dad, and cousins, and Braelyn and I had fun hanging out in Layton with Grandma, and cousins! It was an all around great trip! Here are some pics of the the men roughing it on their camp out. They did many "Manly" things like, horseback riding, shooting guns....ALOT, riding quads, sittin' by the fire, & getting dirty....very manly!!!! Anyways here are a few pics:

All the Black boys

(from left to right: Dad Black, Trevor, Cooper, Britton, Tanner, and Carson)

Ride 'em Cowboy...he he!

Yee Haw! What a handsome cowboy!

A bunch of the crew....brothers, cousins, uncles, and nephews

Cooper, Trevor, Carson, Britton....

Shootin' it up

So, like I said, while they were getting dirty, shooting guns, and camping, we had fun being clean, going to a dinosaur park, bowling, going to lunch, and swimming! I don't have alot of pics to document it because Britton had the camera, but here are a few after he got back....

Braelyn just stayed in this position forever...don't know why, but it was sure darn cute!!!

Peek-A-Boo!....

One day we went up Ogden canyon, and ate at a little restaurant called The Oaks. The seating was outdoors, and right by a little river/stream! It was perfect weather, and super Beautiful. Braelyn LOVED sitting right next to the water too.

Here a couple of pics that have absolutely nothing to do with Utah, but I've been meaning to put them up for a while. We have a little splash park close by, and we've gone a few times. Braelyn wasn't so sure about it the first time, but she LOVED it the second time.....

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

the r house

2010-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

You have to check out this blog! I love it because for one, Mrs. r is a fabulous writer, and two she writes about what is close to my heart....infertility, and adoption! She is doing a giveaway right now too if your interested!

Check it out:

http://therhouse.blogspot.com

Splish Splash

2010-05-26T13:55:00.001-07:00

Braelyn had the funnest time yesterday outside, while Britton washed his truck! It was hot out, but not too bad so we got her in a little swimmer diaper (couldn't find her swimsuit for the life of me!), lathered her up with sunscreen, and let her go play! I wasn't watching her for a second, although I could see her out of the corner of my eye, and when I checked on her, this is what I saw.............

She climbed in the extra bucket, and had the hose! It was so funny, and pretty darn cute! I am finally getting her to smile for pictures by asking her what to say...which is "Cheese" of course! I love this girl to pieces!

What a cheeseball!

A Couple More...

2010-05-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

My computer is soooo slow in uploading these pictures, so I had to add some more of my fav's today! I LOVE em!

So Sweet...

Family Pictures!

2010-05-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

We had family pics taken about a week or two ago! Here are a few of my favorites!!!

(Thanks Lori @ www.calhounink.blogspot.com)

I had to put the in color AND Black and White one! This one actually made me tear up! It catches Braelyn's sweet personality perfectly!

Meeting Up

2010-05-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

We had the fun opportunity to meet up, and go to dinner with Braelyn's birth-grandfather, Mike this past week (birth fathers dad)! It was so fun to see him, and for him to see Braelyn too! Alot of you might have big eyes right now and be thinking "Was that like really weird and awkward?!". Well, It was the exact opposite! It was so great to catch up with him in person, and it was very comfortable. It's a strange thing to explain unless you've experienced it yourself. We love him a ton, and I think the feeling is mutual! ;) Braelyn was pretty shy at first, but warmed up to him quickly after dinner. Here are some sweet pics of the event!!

Braelyn was playing the game where she drops it, says "uh oh", and waits for him to pick it up!! It was adorable to watch them play!

Bye Bye kisses...

Love ya Mike!!!

April Fun!

2010-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Is it seriously May already!!! Where did April go? Well, here are few random pics of us, mostly Braelyn, in the month of April. Braelyn had her first trip to the Zoo, which I was probably just as excited for! We went to the World Wildlife Zoo, which is like 10 minutes from where we live, and just has more a close up feel to it. She loves looking at animals in books and stuff, so I knew she would love the zoo, and she did........

Checkin' out the White crocodile...

Looking at the HUGE tortoise's, which she refers to as "turtles" (she says it perfectly...so cute!)

Loving the Monkeys....

And the birds...

We also got to watch my sweet baby neice, Scout for an hour during the day last week, and Braelyn LOVED her! She had to constantly be right next to her, literally, and kept giving her kisses, pointing and saying "baby", and touching her face and saying "soft". So sweet! Ya think she needs a baby brother or sister?!!

Fun in Dad's truck! Braelyn loves to go and play in the bed of the truck, especially when we're driving down the street! I think it's a real rush for her! Just in case you didn't know, I'm obviously kidding about the driving part!

"Peek-A-Boo!!!"

Such a big girl

We've also gone a couple times to cheer Britton on as he's played in a basketball city league...in the bleachers

And Braelyn has had fun going to the Library and listening to story and singing time. She gets a little crazy, but has fun! P.S. This pic and the one before it were taken on the same day, thus she's wearing the same clothes...just sayin'! ;>

And last, but not least, we did catch a Rangers spring training game at the very end of March, and it was a blast...

Infertility Etiquette

2010-05-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my husband and I have struggled, and are still struggling, with infertility. It has been 6 1/2 years that we have yearned to get pregnant and have a little baby, but have obviously had no success. We have, however, been blessed by God's hand to recieve our sweet Braelyn through adoption. We feel deeply blessed to be her parents and know through and through it was meant to be. We are even trying to adopt again! With all that being said, we still are trying to get pregnant on our own, just as we have been for all these years. Our chances are very small, but they are still there. The sadness that comes with the disappointment has been undescribable to explain to others, even sometimes to my husband. That is, the sadness that a woman feels not being able to be pregnant, have the cute belly (don't roll your eyes if you've had one, and think it's overrated...it's not! :>), or feel a kick in your belly given by your baby. I saw a post on another blog that described how I feel, pretty much perfectly! This blog is dedicated to infertility and adoption and all it's trials. So, if you want to get a peek into my perspective and learn "Infertility Etiquette", PLEASE click on this link and read! It's just part an article, but it's fabulous!

The Link is: http://therhouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/article-infertility-etiquette.html

P.S. Please don't take this post as a "pity party" I'm having....it is quite the contrary! The article actually made me feel like all the things I feel are normal!!! :>

Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Hear!

2010-04-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, my parents came here for a visit, and it was so good to have them! Braelyn took to them pretty fast, and could say their names, Mamaw and Papaw, within a day! It was adorable! Braelyn LOVED to have Mamaw read books to her (Braelyn kept going to get more and more of them as soon as they finished one!), and cried for Papaw when he went into a gas station for a drink! haha!!! They spoiled her pretty good, as grandparents like to do, with lots of loves and kisses, and a new slide for the backyard!!! My dad is also a huge Nascar fan, and so we got tickets for us all to go while it was here in Phoenix (minus Braelyn!). It was a blast! Their trip ended with a few of us getting sick, but overall it was so fun, and went way to fast....as usual!

Reading with Mamaw and Papaw

The new slide

Here we are at the race...we had great seats

My dad's favorite driver is Tony Stewart....Tony Stewarts pit crew

At the race

My mom and dad

P.S. For my dad......"CAN DEE".."CAN CAN"!!!! ;>

Easter and 19 Months!!!

2010-04-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Easter has already come and gone...whoa!!! We had a good one this year made even better by the fact that Braelyn is older and can enjoy the "festivities". It was kind of a quite one, but really nice. PLUS our sweet girl is 19 months Today!!! I can't believe it! She is gettin so big so fast, and it is definately getting more and more adventurous!!! Anyways I just had to document it!

Here's the Easter run down....On Saturday our city did an Egg hunt on the baseball fields broken up by age group (thank goodness!). So this was Braelyn's first experience and it was so funny! She caught on pretty fast.....

Here she is Pre-Hunt....not too happy about the fact we had to wait until they said "Go!", but she survived!

After the hunt showing off her goods...

We also found out that she is NOT a big fan of the Easter Bunny. Not that I can blame her....a huge bunny walking around would scare anyone, right?!

Sunday morning she awoke to find the Easter Bunny came and brought her a basket (I'm sure she was glad he came at night so she wouldn't have to see him ;>)

We watched our church's General Conference on TV yesterday, and in between sessions we had another egg hunt in our backyard. I had to get her all prettied up in her Easter dress for it of course....that's what you do!!! haha She was such a good little hunter, it was so adorable!

Once she was done she figured out how to open a couple and started downing the chocolaty goodness...yum!

Our pretty Easter girl

"Here, want some?"

We hope you all had a great Easter too!!!

The Seven Year Itch

2010-03-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary!!! Although this particular year is sometimes known by people as "the seven year itch", we are glad to say neither one of us is "itchy" (we owe it all the mass amounts of cortaid we've used....haha, sorry for the super bad joke!). I love him so much, and I'm so thankful to be marred to such loving, caring, and not to mention handsome man!!! Love you babe!!!

Nursery

2010-03-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Braelyn's first day to go to Nursery at church!!!! Crazy! So if you aren't familiar with my church, let me tell you that a child can't go into nursery till they are 18 months old. So, anyways I had to take a couple pics to document the day!!! She did so well in there too! I went to peak on her once, and she was just playing and rolling around on the floor! I'm so proud of her, and hope that it continues to be a good experience for her!!!

P.S. I think she's FINALLY starting to get the idea of smiling for the camera instead of looking like a deer in the headlights!!! haha!

18 months old!!!

2010-03-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

"What?!?!!....I'm 18 months old?!!!"......

"Yaaayyyyyy!!!!!"......

LOVE This Girl!!!

Breakfast Time

2010-02-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

Braelyn is getting so good at using her spoon (not with all foods), and feeding herself!!! This has been a slap in the face for me only because it is just one more reason that I can't call her my "baby" anymore, *sniff, sniff*. She has turned into my "little girl", although I can't quite figure out how it happened!!!

Anyways here is a cute little flick of her feeding herself her oatmeal.....

.

Baseball Girl

Jesus Wants Me for a.....

Christmas 2012

Mesa Temple Lights

Playground

Better Late Then Never

Here Comes Santa Claus

London's 1st Birthday!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving 2011

Things We Do

Halloween

Pumpkin Patch

Birthday & off to San Diego!

Wedding #2

Braelyn's 3rd Birthday!

London's Sealing

9 Months

Fun in the Sun

Beautiful Wedding

Chapman Reunion at Bear Lake

Finalization

Sisters

Fourth of July

Dirty Thirty

Father's Day

Fun times in Utah

Big Helper

6 Months!

Our lil' Swimmer

Lately

Mother's Day

Birth Mother's Day

Utah & Easter part 2

Easter!

Say What?!

Camping!

Fun Outdoors

The R House

3 months

Love is in the Air

London fun

Peter Piper Pizza

Zoo time

2 months

Grandma and Papa

Everyday

Tubby Time

Londons Photo Shoot

Christmas 2010

First Things First

Indroducing.....London Ann Black!

Braelyns 2 year pictures

Anxious Excitement

Check it out!

*Halloween*

Hiding, Cooking, & Carving

Travels to Texas

Birthday Girl!

In Case You Were Wondering....

A Day in the Life of Braelyn

Quick Trip...

Swim Lessons

Fun at the Mall

Happy Birthday Britton!

4th of July AND Visit with Mamaw and Papaw

Cheesin' it Up

Happy Father's Day

Utah

the r house

Splish Splash

A Couple More...

Family Pictures!

Meeting Up

April Fun!

Infertility Etiquette

Ya'll Come Back Now, Ya Hear!

Easter and 19 Months!!!

The Seven Year Itch

Halloween