Recap: 1 month home

It's been a month since Flor and I arrived home. Honestly, it seems like a lot longer. 10 weeks in Ecuador dragggged by, but time at home is flying by. I think the difference is the amount that I have to do. Life is clearly a bit more busy here...

The end of this month also means that Flor has been with our family for four months. We are to the point where it is hard to remember what life was like before she came. Having just two kids at home during the day seems like a piece of cake-- the adjustment to three has been a little tough at times, particularly because each has had their moments when they demand more attention and its hard to feel like I need to provide everything for everyone and it is just not possible. But, overall, things have been pretty smooth.

A common question I get is about how Flor is adjusting. I always answer that she has been fine-- really she seemed to have no recognition when we got home that she was in a different place or anything. She is really adaptable and goes with the flow quite well. Lately, though, she has started to have more random episodes of crying with seemingly no triggers. It happens every few days or so and she just needs a little bit of time to cry and then she is fine. She also rejects soothing from us during these times. I don't know exactly what is going on, but I think it is her own little way of grieving the life that she has lost. I don't know why it took this much time for her to show any signs of grief, but I am honestly relieved. Everyone needs to grieve things that they have lost-- and Flor hasn't lost something small, she has lost the entire life that she has ever known. It hurts to see her sad, but I know that she has to process things in her own way. I wish that I could just jump in her head for a day to see what is going on in there. But, since she has no language skills, we just have to do the best we can to help her through what we think is happening. My friend Robin pointed out that we all grieve over life's little (and big) changes- moving, switching jobs, having friends move away, etc. Well, Flor is dealing with all of that (minus the job part- but switching schools), plus the loss of hearing her native language, having familiar food, etc. She has a lot to be sad about.

Another question I get is-- what were the MRI results?  Well, the short answer is that we still don't know. The doctor who ordered the test called the next day to tell me that there were "abnormalities"--but we already knew that. We now need to meet with a pediatric neurologist to have him/her give us more information. That is pending...so we will see. I would just like to know how to best meet her needs and any answers or diagnosis that we can get would be wonderful. We still need to meet with the ophthalmologist and the metabolic geneticist too, but both of those appointments are months out as well.

We received another large packet this week of information about Flor's background. MJ had it and sent it home with the Schinnerers, who were kind enough to mail it to us. I am not sure why she didn't give it to us before...but we are glad to have it now. It has a bunch of new information, including a little picture of Flor as a baby that I have never seen. That alone is a huge gift. I don't have any pictures of her from prior to my time in Ecuador with her. The picture is a copy and comes from a few newspaper clippings where the courts published looking for any relatives to come forward to care for Flor (obviously no one came forward), so it is not the best quality, but it is still so great to me.

The packet also has quite a few documents giving much more detail than we previously had about Flor's birth family and their history. It is fascinating. The packet includes everything down to the city registration card of her birth mother, which lists the names of her parents- so Flor's biological grandparents. It also talks about three biological siblings that she has (though her parents had 6 other children-- it is not exactly clear what happened to the other three.) Of course, I can't help but wonder about the welfare of all of the children. I wonder where they are, if they are healthy, if they have enough to eat, if they get to school...do they look like Flor? As I have said before, though I will always believe that Flor is ours and was supposed to be ours from the beginning, it is still important to remember that her adoption came through a really tragic situation for her and a complete loss of her biological family. I understand on a deeper level the desire for adoptees and adoptive parents to have an open relationship with birth families. I want to know the people who gave Flor life and who ultimately chose to leave her in the hospital because they knew they could not care for her. I want to tell them that I respect them. I want them to know that Flor is doing well. I don't think that these opportunities will come to me in this life, but I hope that maybe in the next they will be able to know Flor, too.

And speaking of Flor being officially a part of our family, some have wondered when we are having her sealed to us. While the adoption is all the way final and thus we could have her sealed to us any time, we have chosen to wait to do so until July. Devin's parents will be home from their mission by then and his sister Shawna and her husband Slava will be here from Russia (where they live). It is important for us to have all of our family members with us in the Temple during the sacred sealing, so we will patiently wait until then! Just the thought of it gets me emotional. I know that day will be one of the most sacred of my life. I have been to sealings of some of my adoptive couples to their children, plus our niece Kylie was adopted and sealed to her parents (Shawna and Slava) and each has been an incredible experience. I can't wait. Hallie and Jace will also be there with us, which will make the experience that much more special. I'm sure you will all know about it when it happens.

Anyway-- that's all for now. I hope that gives everyone the updates you desire. If there is something I am missing, I am totally open to questions. We are open books around here. The ups, the downs, the good, the bad, the ugly. Yep, there's a little of all of it. :)

Relay for Life 2012

It's that time of the year again! Well...not quite until July, but we are already excited and getting ready for the big event. This year, we have decided to do fundraising a little bit differently, which I will explain below. We love the Relay and the chance that it gives us to give back to the American Cancer Society and to remember our brother-in-law Chris.

This year, instead of just asking for straight donations, we are getting creative with our fundraising! (bout time, right?) We will have three different fundraisers, two for locals and one for everyone. See below for ways that you can support us this year! 

1) Pizza Pie Cafe Fundraiser: (Here is the blurb I posted on Facebook)

Our family is participating in the Relay for Life for the 4th summer in a row. We relay in memory of our brother-in-law, Chris York, who passed away in 2009 after a difficult battle with a brain tumor. The purpose of the Relay for Life is to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

This year we have teamed up with Pizza Pie Cafe for a fundraiser-- WAHOO! We hope you will join us in this simple way to help--afterall, all it requires of you is to EAT! I think it is safe to say that everyone's lives have been touched by cancer in some way, so come join us in helping to raise money so that others might not have to suffer in the way that Chris-- and so many others-- have.

Here is what you need to know:

*The fundraiser is taking place at Pizza Pie Cafe's PROVO location only on April 9, 10, 11, and 12th (Monday through Thursday).

*25% of every purchase during those days will be given to the Relay for Life for everyone who comes in with our fundraising PPC card (which we will give you if you are interested in helping). It's that easy!

*In case you aren't aware-- PPC has amazing food- all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad bar, and dessert pizza. It is so good-- and it even has gluten free food (more info on their website: http://www.pizzapiecafe.co/)

*If you think you will be able to make it to PPC (2235 North University Parkway, Provo) on one of those days to eat, please leave me your address here, through a facebook message, or through email (strobelite@gmail.com) and we will mail or deliver the card to you that you will need in order for your purchase to count toward our fundraiser.

*Spread the word to any of your friends who live in the Provo/Orem area! The more the merrier! 

 (Also, for those of you who live in Idaho Falls and the surrounding area, Jennifer is also going to do a fundraiser with PPC in IF-- later in the month of April. So you too will get to eat great food and help a great cause! check her blog for details as the time gets closer)

 2) Garage Sale: 

Devin and I held a garage sale last year with all the proceeds benefiting the Relay for Life. It was super successful, so we thought that it would be a good idea to repeat! We have begun to gather items to sell as we have done some of our Spring cleaning. You can help here too, (if you are local) by donating any items you may have that we can sell at the garage sale. Now is the time for Spring cleaning and instead of bringing your old items to the D.I., we would be happy to take them off your hands. We will even pick them up! Just let us know... We think the garage sale will be sometime in May. We will keep you posted.  

 

3) Online Raffle:

Much like the raffle we held to raise funds to travel to Ecuador, my sister will soon be posting a raffle on her blog. This raffle is going to be awesome--10 times better than ours, to be honest. She already has some really awesome prizes lined up and has a few more in the works. I personally want to win everything she has already, so we will see if I get that lucky. Ha! More details will come on this later as well. I will definitely let you know when it goes live. 

So, for now, please email me at strobelite@gmail.com if you are interested in getting a card to go eat at PPC on April 9-12 or if you have garage sale items that we could take off of your hands. Thanks in advance! We are excited to see what we can raise to give to the ACS this year!

 

Which thing is not like the other? Oh, wait! All of them

Sometimes you just find gems of pictures on your phone. Some you knew existed, some you did not. I was looking through my phone the other day and found some pretty great pictures--so here is a large dump of completely unrelated pictures.

I have no idea when this was-- or what is happening here.  All I can gather is that Jace is trapped in a helmet that is much too large for him. Who, what, why, where, and when? No idea. But funny nonetheless.

This must be on our way to Ecuador? Though I have no recollection of this photo either.

On the way home from Ecuador for Devin and the kids. He took my work phone home with him because we thought it would be the only way we could Skype (we only have one computer and I kept it with me in Quito.) My question is...why are they both sleeping for him when they were not so kind on the way down? 

Nothing like a great "Welcome Back!" from your co-workers. Oh, and the "Get back to work!" is heartwarming too, eh? I sure do love my job and my co-workers...

Neighborhood strolls would not be complete without the barely-walking pushing the not-walking. Oh, and we can't forget Jace's favorite toy (thanks Che, Landon, and Hudson) who must follow us everywhere. A walk around the block like this takes a good half hour but is well worth it in the beautiful spring weather we have been having.

Flor's MRI. This looks a little scary as she appears to be dead, but rest assured she was merely sleeping. Heavily.  Remember that trauma? Ugh.

Park days

Flor isn't so much interested in swinging or going down slides. She would rather eat bark any day.

Chilling on the front steps. Yay for great weather! (and, just in case you wonder, my husband doesn't ordinarily dress like that-- he was on his way to work. Required uniform. He will none too sad to see that go when the time finally comes).

Jace insists upon eating adult sized portions every meal--and feeding himself with his hands. He also must have a utensil at his disposal, just in case he decides it would be fun to wave around in the air or through his mess. The result--- a disastrous kitchen after every meal. 

Why oh why will this picture not rotate? UGH! Oh well, imagine it rotated.  Our Perry family had a party for Flor last night, complete with dinner, gifts, and cake. Who doesn't love a good party?! Welcome to the family indeed.

And, that is all for this edition of dumping pictures. I hope you (speaking mainly to the grandparents) enjoyed it.

That Hallie Girl

I know, finally. Without further ado, here is the way-past-overdue post about Hals.

Hallie is three going on 20. I find myself looking at her all the time, wondering when she grew up. It makes me sad, but at the same time, it is so fun to watch her learn and progress. She is still a spitfire and as funny as ever.

I am commonly asked how Hallie and Jace are adjusting to Flor's arrival into the family. Jace has been just fine, but Hallie has had a few rough bumps in the road, though she is very sweet with Flor. I think the majority if her issues lately (mostly more screaming fits) have to do with the fact that she was without me for those three weeks at the end of the Ecuador trip. She mostly has a hard time when I am leaving to go somewhere, though I of course promise her that I will be coming back soon. It is getting better, though, so that's good.

For fits in general (such as not getting what she wants) one really great thing about her is that if she is upset, we usually just ask her to go lay in her bed for a while until she calms down, and then she comes out when she is ready and is as happy as can be. But-- we are already prepping for her teenage years as holy cow, can she throw a tantrum. :) All kids are like that sometimes, right?

Here are a few recent pictures and then some Hallie-isms:

Devin recently bought Hallie a little basketball of her own. She loves it--and he is determined to make her the next big thing in toddler basketball. Here they are drawing her hands onto the ball so that he knows where to hold it when she shoots the ball. She and Devin have been outside practicing their shooting quite often lately.

Well, isn't that just cute?

Hallie is also quite the little mother. She mothers Jace and Flor constantly (for example...just tonight when I was putting Jace in bed, she came over to give him kisses and loves and then said "I love you handsome buddy! You be a nice baby and sleep good tonight, okay?" Yes, I second that.) We were recently able to go see our new niece, Brylee, at the hospital after she was born and Hallie insisted upon holding her nearly the whole time. She was cute with her, giving her little kisses, covering her feet with the blanket when they popped out, etc.

And...last but not least, some recent Hallie-isms:

* Most mornings she likes to look for the bus out the window for Flor, but one morning, she got out of the bathtub and yelled across the room to me, "Hurry up and get me dressed! I need to get Flor out to the bus!" (See above: mothering) I love that she really thinks that these things are her responsibility.

* The first week I was back from Ecuador, I went to Primary at church to watch Hallie in Sunbeams and to get Flor settled for her first week. At the beginning, the primary president stood up and said, "We had a birthday this week! Whose birthday was it?!" Of course all the kids raised their hands and and shouted "It was my birthday! Me me!" But, Hallie waited until they were all calmed down and the hands were down, then she stood up and said, "I had two birthdays this week!" Oh no...starting the one-upping already.

*Out of the blue one day, she informed me that she wanted to play with Adriana that day. (Remember we met Adriana in Ecuador-- she was being adopted by our friends the Harlans). I informed her that it would take all day just to drive to their house, so there wouldn't be enough time to play. Her response? "Okay! Let's go!" Obviously she didn't get the point...

*Soon after I got home, I asked Hallie if she had had fun during her time at Grandma's house (she and Jace went to my mom's for five days or so). She responded in her best baby voice, "Yes, but we missed you sooooo much!! We cried for two days and then we were over it." How nice.

*A commonly repeated phrase (every night) when going to bed: "Don't leave us here alone! We don't want to stay here by our self-es!" (selves-- she hasn't quite gotten the idea that there are not two syllables there...)

*After going to the bathroom one day, she emerged and announced, "Mom, that was foul!" Ummm...where does she get these things?!?

*One day in the car:
H: "Mom, I feel sick!"
Me: "Why?"
H: "This driver [Devin] is making me ill!" hahaha...

*After scripture study one night, I asked Hallie what she learned. She replied, "Well Nephi went fishing and caught a fish and the fish said "Hello!"(pause).  No, not that....fish don't talk! And Nephi went fishing and..." Nevermind that we didn't read anything to do with Nephi going fishing...Nice try, though.


Hallie=Happiness. What a stinkin' cute girl.

Adoption Video

 I have been wanting to make a video of our whole adoption experience and finally got it done. Wahoo.  Sorry-it's a little long (12 minutes) but you know me, I had a hard time cutting things out. :)

In which I decide I am officially old...

It's official: I have a child in school. Not just part of the day...all day- 1st grade to be exact. Whoa. When and how did this happen?! This is a whole new realm for us (I know...obviously) but it is still so crazy.

It seems like the day went really great for Flor, though I must admit, I felt a sense of sadness all day long that she wasn't around. Of course I know that she needs to be in school and I am excited to see her progression, but it was still kind of sad. We woke her up about 7:15 and she got on the bus at 8:25. Her return bus doesn't drop her off until 3:54 (and yes, they were here right at 3:54) so we only then have three hours until her bedtime! She is used to naps, so I even put her to bed a little earlier tonight because I could tell she was exhausted. So, weekends are going to have to be our real quality time together.

We got a report from the teachers in a notebook in her backpack. I was so happy to read everything. I read it all like 10 times (okay, maybe more....). I am just so proud of our little girl! Here is what her report said:

IEP (Individualized Education Program) work: Hand over hand, traced lines, and put pegs in board. Used fork to poke play-doh. Worked basically on school routines and she is amazing!! Worked a lot on sitting, following verbal cues and sign. She danced for us, worked completing tasks, and we even had her on the computer!

Bathroom: Each time we took her to the bathroom (3 times) she sat and clapped but produced nothing (sounds about right). 

Lunch: Ate salad, a burrito, 1 1/2 breadsticks and whole milk. Snack: goldfish

PM Work Time: Our physical therapist came and hung out with Flor for 30 minutes (I spoke to the therapist after school and she gave me a report of what she is going to have Flor's goals be: being able to stand up on her own without the use of a hand or furniture, improving walking on uneven surfaces, and walking up and down stairs on her own. A little later, she also wants Flor to be able to walk while carrying an object-- right now she has to use her hands to balance herself as she walks, so they are more out instead of down by her sides. She also recommended that we have Flor meet with a Phsysiatrist- never heard of that before, but yes a physiatrist to help with her joints and tight muscles.)

How was my day?: Great!! She did amazing with the routine!

I promise I won't share Flor's report every day, but for those who are curious as to what she is doing and/or those clueless as to the special education system (much like I was before) here is a glimpse into things.

And...how about some pictures of our big girl!?

"Mom, hurry up! This backpack is going to make me topple over any minute!"

Case in point.

Daddy had to help her out to the bus-- she literally couldn't walk on her own with the huge bag weighing her down.

Uh...is she really riding that big bus to school? Yes, yes she is. Sad day for the mama.

(Imagine a picture of Jace crawling out the door buck naked right here. Said picture exists, but I decided that it may not be the most appropriate picture to post. :) He will thank me later.)

Here is the report (there is a book just full of them) that we will get every day. I know I am going to look forward to it every day. I'm just like that.

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And, speaking of school--Here is a little update on Hallie. Hallie is part of a co-op pre-school with some neighborhood kids. We have loved doing this. It is low-key, once per week for an hour, and the kids love getting together. The parents all rotate teaching the lessons. I woke up today and thought that I ought to check the schedule on who is teaching today. Whelp, what do you know? It was my turn. Wahoo! So, just after we got Flor out the door, I got to work looking for things to do with the kids today. We are learning the letters of the alphabet and today's letter was T. I immediately thought of a "treasure hunt" but did not have the skills or time to put together clues myself. So...you pinterest lovers will all be proud that I finally perused the site for ideas. This is the first time I have ever used it. I got an account to try to find cake ideas for Jace's birthday (which I never did, just in case you wonder) and haven't ever used it for anything else. It just overwhelms me and makes me feel bad about myself because quite frankly, I am not cute, creative, or crafty by any stretch of the imagination. (So sorry for those of you who are following me--it will likely be one huge boring mess if I ever decide to pin something.)

ANYWAY--I did find some cute treasure hunt clues and all it required of me was to print them. Definitely my kind of project! (They are HERE, by the way).

After some play time, an alphabet puzzle, and learning about the letter "T", we embarked on our treasure hunt. The kids loved it and ended up with fruit snacks as a prize (I know, we are so generous with our treasure, right?)

One of the clues led to the toaster, thus the searching through the cabinets.

And finally to the treasure! Devin "buried" the snacks under a pile of leaves near a tree where the last clue led. Success and treats for all!

Cute kids. Gotta feel bad for the only boy, right?

I will write more about Hallie separately later, but here's a start at least!

P.S. Welcome to the world to our newest niece, Brylee- born this morning to Devin's sister Alisa and her husband Ren. We are excited to have another new baby to hold and love! Hopefully we will get to see her tomorrow!

Tidbits

*I told you I would report back on what we did for service on Chris (and Jace's) birthday. I haven't done that yet, so here I am. The day was crazy busy getting ready for Jace's party, but we did manage to bring a big box of food to the Food and Care Coalition and we also babysat the neighbor kids for the evening. I honestly wish that we would have had time to do more-- but the good news is, we don't have to wait until next year to serve someone again! I want to look for opportunities where Hallie can get involved and understand on her level what it is to serve and the joy it can bring.

*I also mentioned that we got a new car...yes, we got a new car. A VAN to be exact. I know, you have all fallen through the floor right about now, and believe me, I was equally as shocked at first. I have never pictured myself as a van person, but let's be honest...with our growing family, a van is the most practical and cost effective option. We have just been driving Devin's parent's car as they kindly allowed us to drive it while they are on their mission (we sold our Corolla to start Flor's adoption fund). Now that we have three kids and they are returning, it was definitely time to get something bigger. So, hello van. So far, so good. It is a red Chrysler Town and Country (2004) and we got a really great deal on it. The older and wiser we get, the more important not having debt becomes to us so I think our Corolla purchase from our first year of marriage may just be our first and last brand new car. So, wahoo for a new car where the children can spread out and we don't hear comments like "Mom! He is looking at me!" and "Mom, her arm is on me!" (All from Hallie who for the week and a half pre-van was sitting in the middle of the two other kids). And, having a DVD player in the van is an added bonus that we appreciate.

*Flor, Flor, Flor. Poor thing has been through a lot of doctor appointments lately. She saw the infectious disease specialist earlier this week who was honestly quite perplexed by her. He acted more like a pediatrician than anything, checking her very thoroughly and recommending us to have full labs done and an MRI on her brain. The good news from him is that she has NO parasites. We had the MRI today and that was rather a traumatic experience for both of us. In short, they had real issues getting an IV into Flor to sedate her. There were literally three people holding her down on each side and that was with her on my lap. She was furious about all the pokes (and do you blame her??) They tried to draw blood earlier this week and were unable to get a vein then, too. So this time, a supposed "expert" who they bring in when no one else can get the vein, came in and lo and behold, she couldn't do it either. They have all commented that Flor seems to have a lot of scar tissue on her veins, which makes it difficult to get the needles in. That makes sense given that practically her whole first year was spent in the hospital on countless IV's. I felt so bad for her. Imagine your kids getting shots times 1000. She was so mad at me, too. She kept giving me these looks like "How can you let them do this to me??" Heartbreaking. They finally gave her some pre-sedative something or other through her nose that calmed her down within 5 minutes. In fact, it made her rather loopy. She was giggling at everything and had no coordination at all. I was thinking "Why didn't we do this long ago!?" They were then able to get an IV in since she was not thrashing as much. They agreed to draw her blood for the labs  that she needed right then so that we don't have to go through the whole ordeal again later. That was a blessing.

We then moved down the hall to go into the MRI and Flor started thrashing, crying, and freaking out again. It was horrendous. She kept trying to pull out the IV that was pumping her with the sedative. The poor nurse practitioner heard her clear down the hall and came down to give the order to give her yet another type of sedative that was supposed to have instant effect and then continue to pump the other one in. So, in case you are counting, this is the third type of sedative poor Flor needed. She thrashed around for another 5 minutes or so and then finally fell asleep. She was supposed to go on the scanner at 12:30 but with all the problems didn't get on until about 2. Yikes. The only other issue was that she was so drugged by that point that when the MRI was over (about a half hour on the scanner total) she definitely did not want to wake up! We let her sleep for an hour after and then forced her awake. She was none too pleased about that...

We should get results tomorrow or Monday. We'll see. I hope they tell us something about her developmental delays and what we can do to help her progress.

*Another Flor item of note is that she is starting school on Monday! YAY! I feel that she is more than ready as she has been out of school for three months now. She was going to school at her orphanage before and it has been hard for me to know that she has not been getting the services she needs while we have had her since we are not therapists nor are we special ed teachers. I also feel that the timing is right as we have had 3 months now to bond as a family and for her to get accustomed to us.

 I had a meeting this week with a number of people from the school district to determine her placement and to determine on her IEP goals. I met all the teachers, aides, and therapists that will be working with her and we toured her classroom and school as well. The school is not the one we are zoned for, but one also very nearby that houses the more moderate to severe special needs students in the district. It is brand new- it's first year in operation! Flor will have 11 other classmates and her teacher seems phenomenal. I am so excited to see the progress that she can make and to have some reinforcement for the things that we are working on with her at home. I think it will be such a great thing. She is in 1st grade, so she will be in school all day! So insane that I have a child in elementary school. WHAT?! We paid for a month's worth of school lunches for her while we were at the school and I kept thinking "Wasn't I just barely in elementary school wishing my mom would pay for hot lunch for me?!" (We always had cold lunch). I am so excited for my little Flor to be a big girl going to school!

*I haven't cooked dinner once since being home thanks to the wonderful frozen meals. I can't even tell you what a lifesaver this has been for us. The food has been amazingly good and so easy. We are going to get back into ordering Bountiful Baskets each week to have fresh fruits and veggies to go along with our dinners, but besides that, we really have only had to grocery shop for milk and bread. We still have a billion meals left and try to keep two in the fridge at a time ready to go. When these are all out, I have already made plans with my cousin and sister to get together to make another month's worth or something. I love the simplicity of it and especially because they are foods I would be making anyway. Brilliant, brilliant. We have meals from family on both sides. They must have all been on the same wavelength on this one--the right wavelength! Honestly one of the best gifts that could have been given to us. They have been so helpful.

Well, this was supposed to be short. I just can't do it, I guess. I ramble too much! I need to do a post about Hallie soon as I haven't said much about her lately. I'll try to get on that.

Happy (nearly) weekend, everyone!

Jace's birthday/Weekend in Idaho

I really should make this multiple posts, but I am just too lazy for that right now, so just to forewarn you: there are A LOT of pictures coming! It was hard to narrow it down.

We had a really great weekend, starting with Jace's birthday on Thursday and then our trip to Idaho Saturday and Sunday. We like to drag birthdays out for as long as possible in this family, so Jace had a second birthday party in Idaho and we also celebrated the blessing of my sister Jennifer's baby girl Brooklyn. Of course all of these events were also excuses for everyone to meet Flor as well. 

So without further ado, we will let the pictures explain themselves! (Okay, I will do the explaining). 

Jace's birthday (the first party):

Mr. Birthday and my cousin Sarah. We basically owe Sarah our next two kids for all she did for us during our time in Ecuador. She is a saint.

Devin's brother Shane and his family with Flor. Flor got to meet A LOT of relatives at this party and handled it all like a champ. Of course she found a few select men to become best friends with and that kept her quite happy.

The downstairs crowd. Kids galore! Half of these are cousins and the other half some neighbors that our kids just love. Their family also helped a lot with the kids while Flor and I were still in Ecuador- we are very grateful!

Aunt Alisa and baby Reese. Alisa is going to have a baby in one week! Wahoo for another cousin! (Reese is Kirston's by the way, lest you think Alisa has children impossibly close together. I know you were worried...)

One of Flor's favorites for the evening was Uncle Travis, Devin's other brother. She made quick friends with him and rarely left his lap during the party.

We learned from a neighbor that Macey's will give a free 8 inch cake for any baby having their first birthday, so of course we jumped all over that so that Jace could have his own cake. Everyone else enjoyed delicious Costco cake (except Devin- he hates frosting. Weird, I know) while Jace dove into this handy dandy cake.

Dang cute picture of Flor and Aunt Kirston. Just don't mind the milk dripping down Flor's face. No worries.

Yum, yum, yum! It's safe to say it was a hit.

Birthday boy and mama. So happy I made it home for this birthday. I don't think I will ever take birthdays for granted again.

One of the neighbor girls sewed this cute dog pillow for Jace herself! She is only 9 years old- super impressive, right?! Jace really enjoyed reading the card too, as you can tell. :)

Kirston, Travis, and their cute kiddos with Flor and Jace

Travis, Jenny and their equally cute kids with the birthday boy and the new addition. We just missed getting a picture of Flor with Alisa and Ren. We missed Devin's sisters Mesha, Shawna, and Jana at the party, but forgive them for not coming given that Shawna lives in Russia, Jana in St. George, and Mesha has four boys who are crazy busy with activities. We are excited for them to all meet Flor later.

Idaho Weekend:

Our first stop was lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Strobel and then to their house so that Jace could open his present from them. They were happy and excited to meet Flor, too.

Uh, I mean Hallie opened the present....

But Jace didn't care as he had the paper to keep him occupied! He loves his little bike-we set it up when we got home and let him ride all over the upstairs. He can only go backwards so far, but I am sure he will master going forward in no time!

Next we headed up to good ol' St. Anthony to my Aunt Sue's house (and she wasn't even there but still allowed us to congregate at her house! Thanks Suey!) to have a 2nd party for Jace and to celebrate baby Charlie's latest accomplishments. Charlie has really defied the odds and is now drinking from a bottle and eating solid foods! Doctors didn't know if this was ever going to be possible, so we are so grateful for the continued miracles in her life. She is being weaned off of her feeding tube and Brad said that he hopes to have it removed all together here soon. So miraculous, I tell you.

There's the cute girl herself! She is so beautiful. I love seeing her, though I can't lie- it is sometimes hard too, because she is such a reminder of her mom.

We also finally got to meet our newest niece!! Hallelujah! This is sweet Brooklyn, who is now 2 months old. She is so darling and so, so sweet. She has such a great temperament and is happy and content all the time. I want 10 just like her. Okay maybe not 10...

Yeah, we have a lot of babies. Brooklyn, Charlie, Hudson, and Jace. We decided to line them up by size instead of by age. Hudson is 2 1/2 months older than Jace but is a tad bit smaller (okay, Jace is fat, let's face it...)

Flor's favorites were Uncle Mikey and Uncle Landon, first and foremost because they are men, but also because they both speak Spanish. She was in heaven.

My awesome sister was kind enough to make this adorable cake for Jacer for his party. She has some serious skills, right? I wouldn't even attempt something like this. With everything else going on, she took the time to make this cake for us. I have the best sister ever.

Jacers was spoiled with birthday gifts. He got this cute puppy from Che', Landon, and Hudson. They programmed it so that it sings his name, favorite food, and favorite color in songs. So cute! He loves it already. New favorite toy? Yes, I think so. Grandma also got him a whole new wardrobe, which is awesome.

This is legitimately the fourth outfit Jace wore this day. Poor baby has some of the big D. It's bad.

We got a few little things for the kids. Carter and Mason showing off their cute Ecuador soccer jerseys.

2nd round of cake. The train was not only adorable looking, it tasted delicious! Jennifer made chocolate chip bunt cake as well as pistachio bunt cake for the parts of the train. Yum, yum.

Jace really wanted to share with his buddy Hudson. Good thing Hudson was a willing participant!

 

Look at that girl drinking her bottle! You wouldn't think that a baby drinking a bottle would be cause for such excitement, but believe me, IT IS!!!!! This is so huge to us.

Flor and Landon...again refusing to participate in pictures.

Sunday morning we all gathered again for Brooklyn's blessing. Jennifer's church starts at 9 am and I am proud to report that we all made it in a timely manner. That's also a big deal for this family. :)

Steve gave Brooklyn a beautiful blessing. Devin was honored to participate as well. After Sacrament meeting, we all headed to my dad's office building for a luncheon. All of these following pictures were taken by my sister-in-law Lara, who should become our official family photographer. She is really great at picture taking AND really great at sharing her pictures. 

Grandma, Popp-E (Dave, my mom's husband) and the two littlest grandchildren.

My mom, my sister, and me. Jace didn't get the memo that this was a girl's only picture.

Just cute, that little stink!

Lara was present at all events, but rarely in pictures because she is always taking the pictures. But, here she finally is with Sadie-Lady.

Che' is Hallie's favorite for many reasons, but one important reason being that Che' lets her skip the lettuce she is eating and go for dessert instead (Hallie's choice, by the way, to eat nothing but lettuce and tomatoes for the lunch. Weird child, I know.)

Jen, Brooklyn, and Steve. Don't know where Sadie is for this picture, but imagine her there and we have a complete family photo. So cute. Brooklyn's dress is one that my mom made and the same one that Sadie wore when she was blessed.

Mikey kept Flor entertained, which was so great. Keeping track of three children is hard work!

I love this little stink. I know there are a lot of pictures of Charlie on here, but we don't get to see her as often as we would like, so when we do, well you know. Lots of pictures ensue.

Better view of the dress!

Jace and his Grandma

These are some of the best women in my life. I love having such a wonderful and supportive family.

Um, alright. That's quite possible the most picture infested post to ever hit this blog. Please email me for your prize if you made it to the end; you definitely deserve it.