Everyone Needs One...

I have a lot of "best" friends. Through different periods of my life it seems like one friend or another has particularly been there for me. I have one friend, Camille, who has been through nearly every period of my life with me since we met in 6th grade. I think everyone needs one like her. HACK- our friendship club in high school. Haylee, Anneka, Camille, Kim. Aren't we creative? Yes, we wore these fancy shirts to school.I am not above posting hideous pictures of myself here. See this picture as evidence. Here Camille, Kylee and I are in Boise our senior year of high school when we went to see the state cross country championships that some of our friends were in.

Camille and I went through all those years of school together and then decided that we hadn't had enough of each other, so we came to college together too. We had lots of different roommates, but she was my constant roommate right up until I got married. Couldn't asked for better!

Here we are our freshman year with our friend Russ at one of our favorite gatherings, a bon fire.

We had all sorts of adventures during our college years. We even took a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia to see my favorite team, the Braves, play.

Love the faces here! Clearly, we were having the time of our lives!

Is it just me, or do we totally block out the statue? Hmmm....

While we had a lot of other friends, it seemed that we were glued together for my first three years of college, pre-marriage to Dev.

Camille, Anneka, and me.

Me, Stefani, Camille, Kylee. Ladies, you can thank me that I didn't post any of the "Notebook" pictures here. Another time, another time.

Hmmm, my hair was very short. Oh, it was also done. An art long lost.

Once it rained at a BYU game. That didn't stop us from making silly faces for the camera. That face that Camille is making, I probably have about 100 other pictures where she is making the exact same face. It's definitely her go-to face.

Oh happy wedding day! There she is again. I was blessed to have a lot of support on my wedding day from lots of my incredible friends. I am pretty sure these girls did my makeup, dressed me, and got me to the Temple on time so that I could be sealed to my honey. What lovely ladies (of course Anneka is to be credited for the hair, though).

Oh that was fun reminiscing. Here is why I think everyone needs a friend like Camille in their lives:

She knows me inside and out. We know each other's backgrounds, families, favorites, pasts, everything. No explaining to be done.

She is my "Go To" person for everything: babysitting, books, I-need-a-grocery-shopping-buddy, everything! (I just finished reading the "Hunger Games" books 1 and 2 because of her and absolutely loved them. Couldn't put them down. READ them if you haven't! Oh and number 3 comes out in August. It's going to be terrible to have to wait so long!)

She knows just the right moment to pop by the house with a diet coke.

She loves to go on long walks in the warm weather. So do I. It works perfect.

We have a weekly date night to watch the Biggest Loser, our favorite show. Every Tuesday we make some delicious dinner and watch the show while pigging out (goes together well, agreed?)

She even taught me to make sushi today. What could be better? Biggest Loser and Sushi? Not a lot. The sushi is delicious and don't you worry, I have loads of supplies now to make it whenever I want.

Well, there are lots of reasons everyone needs a Camille in their lives. Hope you find your own.

Buzz, Camille's husband, found out today that he got a much wanted job with Merrill Lynch. (Read about it here on her blog.) I am so excited for them, despite the fact that they will be moving to California. Boo for me, happy for them! I think I will live, though. We have had other separations in the past as she is world traveler woman and loves adventures. She always seems to come back to Provo, though. Me? I have been sitting here for six years straight. This time it will be a bit more permanent. I am happy for the changes that will come to Camille and her husband as they take this step.

Love you Mille!

Child Labor

How long do you think it will last that she will insist upon helping with the dishes, sweeping, and laundry? As for me, I am hoping it will last a goooood long time.

But, I am pretty sure I am not that lucky.

Keeping Up With the Fam

I am a big family person. I love spending time with my family and with Devin's family. I only wish we did more of it sometimes.

We have had some exciting things happening lately, oh and one majorly scary one.

First, This is my little brother, Mike. He is two years younger than I am. Mike has been dating this girl, Lara, for a while (Isn't she cute? I have no idea how he got such a cute girlfriend! Ha Ha, just joking Mikey!)

Mike goes to school in Idaho. Lara graduated and moved back to her hometown in California. This causes problems for them because, well, they like to spend time together. Solution: Mike drives/flies to California all the time to see her. (Which = he is very broke.)

Last Sunday, Mike was making the 15+ hour drive back home. He was driving my sister's car (the very car from this post) because it gets better gas mileage than his own.

Somwhere in between Reno and Winnemucca, NV, he fell asleep at the wheel. He ended up veering off the road and hitting a road sign going 75+ miles per hour. He walked away from the accident absolutely fine, despite the police telling him that he should have rolled the car. He was rescued by members of the Church (blessed are we to be members, are we not?).

Jennifer's car? Totaled.

My sister had enough sense to not freak out when she learned the fate of her car. She repeated the lesson she had learned from "The Last Lecture": "People are more important than things."

Needless to say, she will now be getting a new car.

We are just grateful that Mikey is alive and well.



SECOND, we have a new niece on Devin's side.Meet baby Kylie. Isn't she gorgeous?

Kylie was adopted. I love adoption, you know this.

Devin's sister Shawna and her husband Slava just adopted this beauty from Georgia. They have two older boys, Kayden and Keegan, and now add Kylie. It was a long and hard process for them to get her here, but we are so grateful that they are now home and well.

My favorite part of the story? Keegan, 3 years old, when asked about his baby sister (before she came home) would insist to me that they were naming the baby "Sally". Cute, eh?

This makes grandchild #18 on Devin's side. Whew!! Also, #'s 19, 20, and 21 are on their way within the next few months. So exciting. We can't wait to meet them all (including Kylie-we haven't met her yet!)

Well, that's enough excitement for now.

So Touched By This Today

I admit it. I am a huge Reader's Digest Junkie. I was reading an article in the magazine this morning about inspiring stories that have come out of Haiti.

Amidst all the devastation, there are amazing stories.

This is one of them. 7 year old Kiki's excited face and outstretched arms have just so much depth of feeling. Despite the death of some of his siblings, he was just happy to be alive after being trapped under the rubble in Haiti for eight days.

I just love this picture. It is a testament that there can be hope and even happiness in the midst of ruin and havoc.

I have become such a softy in my old age. I can't read or listen to stories about Haiti without getting teary eyed. I wish there was more I could do to help.

I think a lot of time in disasters of all types (natural, physical, mental) we think of those suffering for the first little bit, but as time moves on, we forget the tragedies of others as we continue on with our own lives.

I hope to be better at praying for and doing what I can to help others in need, even after the initial shock has worn off.

So, to that end, join me in donating to the Red Cross for the relief efforts in Haiti. Even if you already have, it doesn't hurt to donate a little bit more. Click here to donate.

(I know I sound like a commercial. I just can't help it. ha ha...)

Wishin' You Were Here...

(Hallie on her dream vacation in the living room)

We are anxiously awaiting summer around here, can you tell? Hallie has taken to dragging out her floaty toy at every possible opportunity. I think she is feeling the summer itch as much as I am. Luckily, the weather has been a lot nicer lately so we have been able to get out and take some walks.

When I think of summer, I think of swimming. Swimming and sno-cones. Mmmm, Delicious...

I have some fantastic stories about swimming with my cousins and sister that involve black belts in karate, the Funky Chicken, "Stinky Feet" (a person, not the odor) and the Pee-Pee Palace (aka Green Canyon). Those stories will have to wait for another day.

Can't wait for Hallie to start forming summer memories of her own! Here's to waiting...

Dreams

I have some weird ones.

I always have.

I usually wake up in the morning and relate my dreams to Devin. He, on the other hand, claims he doesn't dream. But I know that's not true; he just doesn't remember them. His imagination must not be as active as mine, let's just say that!

Here are a few of my favorites (and by favorite I mean, "where the heck did that come from?")

• The other night I had a vivid dream that my mother gave away my child along with my brother to one of my friends from high school's family (someone I haven't talked to for years). I trusted my mom to babysit Hallie and when I went to pick her up, my mom matter of factly told me that she had given her away, along with Clark, because they were misbehaving. I asked about the said misbehavior and my mom's reply was that Hallie wouldn't come to her when she held her arms out to her. I totally understood giving away Clark, but Hallie? (Just kidding Sparky!) My mom insisted that it was perfectly normal behavior to give away loved ones.

• I recently dreamed of a Hawaii vacation with my best friends. Our vacation was ruined when our mothers showed up to "chaperone", which actually meant that they wanted to be young and fun and part of the group. They appeared wearing stretch pants with stirrups and long t-shirts complete with a scrunchie tie on the side. They of course had ratted their hair and sported huge earrings. Hello 80's? We had to inform them that they were a few years behind. Sorry mom, no idea why I am having all these dreams about you...

• My all time odd-ball dream that I actually had when I was a teenager, but that has nevertheless stuck with me. In it, I was kidnapped by Kid Rock. Why was I dreaming about this rapper/singer person that I was never a fan of? Who knows. But he did kidnap me, stick me in a burlap sack, and ride his bike exactly vertical up a mountain with me tied behind. The dream ended with me home in my bathroom sending messages under the crack of the door saying "save me!"

Image from here

Yes, ever so unpleasant...sorry Mr. Kid.

Where do these things come from? No clue. I also rarely dream about the people that are closest to me, though it may seem otherwise because of the frequent mention of my mom in these dreams. I don't remember the last time I dreamt about Devin. More often, I dream about random people that I met once, or someone I sat next to in class at some point in my life but was never friends with. I tell you, weird all around.

I think a lot of people have their own version of a "recurring" dream. Mine isn't like one of my friend's from high school (I will leave him un-named in case he does not want the world knowing about this dream) that I used to laugh and laugh and laugh about. He had the classic show up to school naked dream, but with a twist. He would call his mom in a panic to bring him some clothes and she would inevitably show up with something like a pink speedo for him to wear.

No, my recurring dream is that I am driving along somewhere and all the sudden I see a plane up ahead. As I am watching the plane, it all the sudden drops out of the sky and plummets to the earth. I watch the plane explode into flames and know that there are no survivors.

Talk about scary.

I told my old roomie Stefani about this dream when she was visiting last year and she instantly insisted that I call her mom to tell her about it because her mom is good at analyzing dreams. I related the dream to Stef's mom, who without knowing me well, then asked if I am the type of person who cares a lot about people. I told her that I like to think I do. She then asked what I do for work. I told her I am in social work. She seemed to think that explained a lot.

She then said that this dream could be an example of how I watch other people that I am trying to help going down paths that are not necessarily going to bring them happiness. Like the plane, I can often see that disaster may be impending, but also like the plane, there is nothing I can do to change or control the situation. This explanation nails me, dead on. One example is that I often see birth parents that I work with make decisions that I can see are not going to work or that are going to bring them more difficulties down the road. I often wish I can make decisions for them, but I know I can't.

It was so interesting to see somehow that this random dream that I keep having can actually relate to me.

Now, onto figuring out how Kid Rock's kidnapping me has anything to do with anything.

Please do share any of your fantastic dreams too, if you feel that you woud like to make me laugh (since I am sure they are all comical. Except planes dropping out of skies.)

More of the Missy

Hallie is really growing up. It is crazy how fast she learns new things. Recently, she has developed some new habits and abilities that are mostly funny. I obviously need to watch myself because she copies everything I do. I found her trying to "sweep" the floor the other day, except she forgot to note that the rug doesn't need to be swept. She also has learned to climb (not something she learned from me, please note.) I was in the bathroom getting ready one morning and came out to find her on the table. ON THE TABLE? Yeah, I was concerned. That is her new favorite thing to do. I can't keep her off the table unless I put the chairs up, think kindergarten style, "Ok class, put your chairs on your desk now!" (please disregard the "ragmuffin look". We have rougher days around here sometimes!) This picture shows nothing, except that she is a cute girl. How's that?

Hallie is really into nodding her head and shaking her head. She is getting to be pretty accurate, its kind of funny. You can also hear her say, "I Love You" in this video after she is prompted. She can say "love" but she often leaves it out and goes straight for "I You!" Gotta love that.
She has also learned how to open and close doors with these type of handles. Oh boy. Such fun. She likes to hide in our room and shut the door and wait for us to find her. She hasn't realized that she can hide in other places yet! It's a pretty fun game for her.
We got to go to the BYU-New Mexico basketball game on Saturday with my dad and Sharon (yeah, they lost.) Hallie insisted upon sitting in her own chair most of the game. Sometimes she would sit on Sharon's lap though. She was mesmerized. She just sat there and clapped basically the whole first half. Then she got bored the second half, and well, let's just say that it wasn't pretty.

It's so crazy to look at her and see a toddler, not so much a baby anymore. I am particularly loving this stage though!

Lesson #1: Positivity

As per my sister's recommendation, I recently read the book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. I had heard of him before and even seen part of his lecture, on the Oprah show (clip seen here). Basically, for those that don't know the story, Mr. Pausch gives one last lecture as a college professor that is actually meant for his children to remember him because he is dying of pancreatic cancer. He is truly inspirational and I was touched by the book as well as the full length video of his lecture that I promptly looked up on YouTube. He basically gives shortened versions of lessons he has learned throughout his life that have meant something to him and things that he wants his children to remember about him.

Well, I am not dying, but I have had the idea floating around in my head since I finished the book that it might be fun for me to write some of my own "lessons" that I have learned throughout the course of my life. I of course will not be nearly as profound as Mr. Pausch, so don't expect anything glorious. However, I think I will do posts from time to time on this topic as things come to me. We'll see what happens.

So today I am going to start with something that I really need to remind myself of. I have had a rough two days on the job (I will probably post about it on my adoption blog at some point, but not yet, it's too fresh.) I came home yesterday convinced I was going to quit my job. And you know that I love my job, so that is saying something. Luckily, the feeling was fleeting. Anyway, today's topic is: Positivity, or the art of remaining positive.

Let's be honest, life is hard sometimes. My freshman and sophomore years of high school were particularly hard for me because those were the years that my parents were getting divorced. I was already having a tough time because I didn't quite know who I was. I think freshman year was harder than sophomore year, where I started to feel adjusted to the "new normal" of post-divorce life, of high school, of friends and of dating. So to preface the story that I am about to tell you, let's just say that sometimes I didn't know how to properly control my emotions, sometimes I was a bit rash (I know, I know, I would never do that now...)

One night, a few of my friends and I slept over at my friend Camille's house. It was the beginning of winter and the night brought frost. At this time in our lives, we thought it was especially fun to prank people and we had done some pretty funny things. We, however, liked to be on the pranker side of things, not the prankee (especially me, I hated being pranked). That night, I parked the car I shared with my sister outside of Camille's house for the night. The next morning, before the sun was even up, one of Camille's parents came to wake us up to tell us that my car had been pranked and we had better come look.

I think I was thinking that the car would look somewhat wedding style, with saran wrap and cookies and whipped cream spelling things on the windows. Not so. The boys who had pranked us had poured a huge, I correct myself, massive amount of mustard down the front of the car. Now, let's recall the season. Instead of just making a mess on the hood of the car, like they had intended, the mustard had instead seeped under the sides of the hood and frozen into all the crevices possible underneath the hood. Not good. No, not good at all.

I was FURIOUS. I remember screaming and crying and saying that I hated whoever had done this (I know who it is now, it didn't take us long to figure it out, smart girls that we were. Perhaps the people who we had been pranking? Yeah, smart, I tell you.) I basically threw a colossal 16 year old fit. I was afraid that my parents and my sister were going to be so angry at me for ruining the car and even more so, I was mad that someone would do this to me.

The three or four of us sopped up as much as we could with paper towels and then waited till morning to drive the car to a car wash. I pathetically rolled down my window to ask the attendant if I could pop the hood and run the car through like that. Ha ha, poor me.

Well, it didn't take long to realize the humor in the situation. The car was just fine. In fact, my sister, the tight wad that she is, still drives it to this day. I really remember thinking, "why in the world did you cry so much over this? Why did you get so angry? You really over-reacted!" I had the option to remain positive and laugh at the prank that had been pulled on me from the beginning, but I didn't.

Now, I know this is a silly example. But I have thought a lot about that dumb experience a lot over the years and how I could have reacted differently. There are some people who just have a positive reaction from the beginning, something uplifting to say, or something happy to think regardless of what their situation is. I want to be one of those people, but I am still learning.

The person who first comes to mind is my dear brother-in-law Chris. Chris, despite a brain tumor that took so much from him, including his speech, his ability to walk, his dignity, and ultimately his life, never complained. One of my favorite Chris-isms was his ability to spin things into a positive light, no matter what they were. As he was heading into surgery to remove his tumor, he shouted "Hasta La Vista Baby!" and waved at everyone sobbing for him with a big grin on his face. Chris also had only "good" and "better" days. Nothing less. How telling of the individual that he was.

Me, well, I have "bad" days all the time. Something I want to work on is being more like Chris, more positive in whatever it is that I am going through, whether something as silly as frozen mustard in my engine, a terrible day at work, or something as life changing as serious illness.

Here's to having "good" or "better" days all the time!

Disobedience

This is Devin's idea of "No Gifts" for Valentine's Day:

When I got home from Idaho last night, all this was awaiting me. He had made dinner, had sparkling cider and chocolate dipped strawberries ready, and a bubble bath drawn for me (he knows I love to take a bath to relax).

Oh how I love my husband.

Now I look like the dork that didn't do anything for her husband for Valentine's Day.

He even had a little gift for Hallie:

I have a gem on my hands! XOXO Devin, I love you. Thanks for being the greatest thing that ever happened to me and for continuing to surprise me with how amazing you are.

Career Ambitions

Comic from here

Hallie has begun to take her "art" very seriously these days. Drawing on paper is fine, coloring is fine, but it is flesh decoration that really makes her happy.

Yesterday alone she tried to lift up my shirt and color on my back (particularly the love handle area, I know she can't resist...) three separate times.

I told Devin about this and he declared that she has chosen a tattoo artist as her career of choice.

Lovely, just lovely. Good thing I have a few years to hopefully help her aim for something higher. We'll see.

That Love Thing

I know I dedicate a whole lot of this blog to Hallie, but there is another important person in my life...my best friend and husband, Devin. In honor of Valentine's Day this week, I thought I would share some of my favorite Devin-isms and why I fell in love with this nearly perfect man.

When Devin and I met, he was living with his sister Shawna and her husband Slava in Idaho Falls. Where he comes from, there aren't a whole lot of job opportunities, so he worked at Jamba Juice in between his junior and senior years and then again after graduating from high school. That was the summer that I got to know him. For me, it was definitely love at first sight. I thought he was extremely good looking. I quickly also took note of a few things that caught my attention: He was a gentleman and he was very good with children. I was so impressed right away that I told myself that I was going ot marry that man.

Devin worked with my best friend Kylee at Jamba. One day, Kylee was hungry at work, so Devin went home to his sister's house after his shift and made her some sandwiches and brought them back to her. I still remember thinking how impressed I was that he would do that for someone.

We eventually started playing games at Shawna's house after Devin and Kylee's shifts would end (Poor Ky, she always had to come with me whenever I spent time with Devin. I was too insecure to do it myself!). During those times, I noticed a strong bond that Devin had with his nephew Kayden. It was clear that Kayden loved him.

Devin left for his mission after that summer. There are way too many other memories to name here from that first summer, but I was so sad when he left, though I knew he was doing the right thing. The highlight of my first two years at BYU was receiving letters from him. I would walk by our mailbox everyday and hope that the letters would come. He never failed to stick Barbie or Ninja Turtle stickers on the envelopes, so they would stick out and I would know immediately it was a letter from him.

After he finally returned, our romance was a whirlwind, I'd say. Devin is an utmost gentleman. He is caring, kind, thoughtful, loving, and patient. I would have a hard time living with me at times, but Devin doesn't. He takes everything in stride and is quick to apologize. There is no me in our marriage, it is all we. We are complete equals. Devin has done his share of dishes, cleans better than I do, and changed loads of diapers. He is not a complainer and keeps up with everything without a complaint. Oh, yeah, and all that is on top of working full time and taking a full load of classes. He is just amazing, I tell you.

Devin is also up for trying new things, even if the idea doesn't thrill him. He will do things for me just to please me (see the picture above of him dressed as a pioneer woman for Halloween. Classic example!). He watches chick flicks, lets me read children's books to him, and his nearly favorite thing to say is "whatever you want honey!" (So enthusiastic too!)

I was right about the fact that Devin is good with children. No, he is amazing with children. He has been an incredible father and Hallie is lucky to have him. She adores her father (as mentioned in the last post!). He is patient, fun, and in turn adores his child. Devin can't wait for Hallie to get older so that he can "rough house" more with her. He does a little bit of that already and Hallie loves it. Devin loves spending time with Hallie and bonding with her. I get so happy just watching them together.

I have been into reading my old journals lately. I look back at my junior high and high schoool self and just think, "Man I wish I could go back and tell myself what was in store for my future!" I was so self conscious and very hard on myself during those years. I was not the girl that dated a lot or was asked out a lot. I also guarded my heart carefully. I think perhaps the most beautiful thing that Devin has given me is confidence. He loves me for me and I believe him when he tells me that he would not change a thing about me. I look back on my old self and realize that I just needed someone to help me see that I do have a lot to offer. I found that person in Devin. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful man in my life and I love him so much.

Happy Valentines Day!

*I am going out of town this weekend for Sadie's birthday and my cousin's wedding (Devin has to stay because he has to work! Boo!), so I won't be spending the actual day with Devin. However, I don't think it is the day itself that is important, but just taking the time to realize and be grateful for the loves that we have in our lives.

I've Taken Notice...(15 month update)

Lately, I have been fascinated as I watch Hallie's personality (which, let's be honest, has been pretty evident from the beginning) continue to develop. I am amazed at all she is learning and just watch her everyday thinking that she is absorbing so much. Here are some things I have observed lately: (along with some pictures that mostly have nothing to do with anything...)

1. Hallie has some serious parental preferences, and let's just say that its not me that she prefers. :) Don't worry, I have evidence to back up my claims.

-Whenever I ask Hallie to say "mama", she always says "dada", just to spite me. Believe me, its not a matter of not knowing how to say "mama", because she does that plenty, but only if she is desperate for something and I am the only one around to get it for her.

-When Hallie wakes up in the morning, I am usually the one to get her out of her crib. Most often, she is in quite the cheery mood because she has had a good night's sleep. Without fail, I will walk into the room and her little head will pop up to look at me. The next thing that invariably happens is she will say, "dada?" and look around to find out where he is.

-Yesterday, Hallie stepped on a board game piece and hurt her foot. She starting crying and so I picked her up to comfort her. She let me hold her all right, but she also let me know that I wasn't her first choice. She wailed over and over again, "daaaadaaaaaa....daaaaddaaaaa....daaaddaaaaa." I had to work really hard not to laugh because she just sounded distraught and wanted her daddy to comfort her. (Devin was working, so was unavailable at the time).

-When Devin comes home from work or school, Hallie makes a bee-line for the door and squeals with delight upon seeing her father. She also cries when he leaves. When I leave, it is more like a cheery wave bye bye. Upon my return, she is happy, but not nearly as excited as she gets for Devin.

-We are teaching Hallie to say "I Love You." She repeats I and love (which sounds more like yuuuuh) and then she varies between repeating "you" when we say it or finishing with the all famous "dada".

Not to worry, I am pleased that Hallie likes her dad! I love that she has such a good relationship with him. He spends a lot of time with her during the day due to my work schedule and she is happy as a clam to be with him. I know that she loves me too, but I find it endearing that she is so cute with her dad.

Little Ghost Hallie. She LOVES this blanket that Devin's co-worker made for her and hauls it around the house. The other day, she walked around with it over her head like this and thought it was the most hilarious thing ever.
Hals has taken to just throwing herself on the ground occasionally and having a "rest". She'll just be walking along and the next thing you know, she is sprawled on the floor wherever she happens to be.


2) Hallie has become super independent. She has to do a lot of things herself now. That includes feeding herself most of the time. That has become a bit of a disaster at times...See the picture below for proof of that. That's not the worst of it, but she looked pretty pleased to have coated her eyebrow so well!
We went to a BYU basketball game last week and Hallie refused to sit by Devin and I. She either stood to the side and watched the game, or she sat on the bench in front of us. No lie. She would not sit by our sides without throwing a fit. That made for an awkward game. The people in front of us no doubt wondered why our toddler was sitting by herself on the bench next to them. (Don't worry, Devin had a hold of her from the back).
Just cute, playing her all time favorite game "chase me"


3) This kid has some smarts! Yes, I have evidence of this too.

-The other day, we were getting ready to leave to go somewhere. We were standing in the kitchen and I told Hallie (jokingly) to go get her coat so that we could go. Well, off she marched, into her room, opened the closet door, pulled her coat off from the hook (its a low hook), shut the closet, and marched on back to the kitchen with her coat. I was pretty darn impressed! I have no recollection of teaching her what "coat" is, but she must have heard it enough to know. Plus, she knew right where it was and followed the directions to go get it.

-When we have family prayers, we try to kneel down. Recently, I called for Hallie from our bedroom to come because we were going to have prayers. I looked out the bedroom door and saw her squatting on the rug. Later, I realized that that was her version of kneeling. She has done this almost every time since when we pray. It just must have clicked one day that "prayer" and "kneeling" go together. It's cute, I will have to get a picture.

-Another "when did she learn that?" moment occurred the other day when Hallie was jumping on the bed. Yes, Devin allows her to jump on the bed. I came into our room and saw this happening and said to Hallie, "Don't do that or you will fall and hurt your head." With one final bounce, she landed on her bum and started hitting her head over and over again. I ran and got the camera and asked her to show me her head again, which she did (the video is below). I have never deliberately taught her "head." We have worked on eyes, nose, tongue, ears, and cheeks, but never head. So it was crazy to me that she had picked that up from somewhere and knew what her head was.

I just think it is fascinating to watch her little mind work. I love the stage that she is in, although she is already getting into fit throwing too. We are in for it! I just love this little girl so much, she is such a thrill to have in our lives.

One last picture. Hallie never took a binky really well. However, she now has this doll that has a binky and I often find her sucking on the tiny, hard binky. Don't ask me!

Why I love Primary

Devin and I are now in the Sunbeams, which is always adventurous, as you can imagine. Today, the person conducting in Primary announced that she was sending around a sheet for all the teachers to sign up to help clean the church for the upcoming Saturdays. Then, this cute little 4 year old, who has something to say about everything, pipes up:

"Yeah, my parents can help, but I will be tired that day."

She's got the idea: see the need, but volunteer someone else!

(You know I am kidding; I am all for service. Of course Devin and I signed on up.)


Here's to a happy year in the Primary!

I did it

Ladies and Gentleman:
Copying my dear co-worker Paige, I have created a new blog specifically for my adoption stories and tales. I have made this blog private so that I don't have to feel as guarded with what I share. If you would like an invitation, please leave me a comment or email me at strobelite@gmail.com.
Oh yeah, a post is already up there so happy reading! :)

The url is http://www.kimsadoptiontales.blogspot.com/.

NEW ADDED INFO: I have a little icon on my right sidebar for the new blog (I know my art is incredible, right? You don't have to tell me, I already know). I will add the latest date for the adoption blog posts on there each time I update. That way, you won't have to continually check it for updates.

My new sweet baby - Hallie!

Oh man, this cracks me up! I saw this on another blog and thought I would try it out. Although you can't see it, I uploaded Devin's picture and my own. THIS is what Hallie is supposed to look like. HA HA HA. Apparently Devin is black and I didn't know it????

Talking

Remember this little girl? I barely do! So sad. One thing that has not changed is that she is still a talker! Hallie's favorite "toy" is a cell phone. My last phone just died and my mom has already given Hals a phone of her own, so now she has two. But that doesn't matter, she only wants to play with the ones that we actually use. Go figure. Most of the time I don't allow her to get to my phone (especially my work phone), but sometime she is just sneaky. She will pace the floor and "chat". It's pretty cute. I haven't been able to get a video of that, though. The other two videos are of her talking. She knows quite a few words now and also has her own language. In the first one, she says, "cookie" and then "meow" which is more like "oooowwww". That's my favorite. In the second video, she is saying "ewwwweee" over and over, which is what she says to alert us that she has pooped and smells.

And of course, a bonus picture. Hallie has taken notice of what Devin and I wear. She likes to put on these gloves of her daddy's and roam around the house. She also likes to put on my shoes, although they don't fit too well. Now that she knows how to wear gloves, I think she is ready to help with snow shoveling and stuff, right?

WELCOME HOME!

Devin's parents returned from their 2 year mission to Samara, Russia this past weekend. We were very excited to see them and most excited for them to meet Hallie for the first time. Although the weekend didn't go exactly as planned (they missed their flight from Denver to SLC on Friday night, so came in 2 hours later than planned. We thought they wouldn't be in until the next morning so Hallie had already gone to bed. Devin ended up going to the airport last minute with all of his siblings and their kids except Mesha's family. So, I don't have any pictures of the airport scene!)

We spent a lot of the day Saturday down in Fairview with them and most of Dev's siblings. Sunday, they reported their mission in Sacrament meeting. I again missed that due to the fact that one of my birth moms had her baby over the weekend and her placement was at the exact same time. It was a good excuse to be missing church, at least. I did, however, make it down for the food afterward. Clearly, I would not miss that! :)


Below are quite a few pictures from the weekend. Before I even married Devin, I thought his family was so beautiful. They are just a good looking family! I kinda detract from that a bit, but Hallie adds to it at least, so we are even. I love the large family feel, too. Different from my little fam. Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy some pictures. This is classic Hallie right here. She and Ryder are the same age. Kirston had them both on her lap and each had their own wafer thing. Hallie finished hers right off and Ryder decided he was done with his too, so he took the safe route and fed the rest to Hals. So funny.

16 grandchildren, missing 1, little Ky, who would actually be 10 now I think. He passed away when he was 16 months old. I never got to meet him, but he is an important part of the family. The numbers are getting right up there! Oh, yeah, there are also four more on the way...(one of which is NOT ours, just cause I know someone will ask!) *Check out Hallie's face. I know I am biased, but that is a dang cute little face!*

The new additions to the family during the mission. Not the best picture ever. There was a lineup of cameras so no one knew where to look! Grandpa with Megan, Ren who married Alisa holding Hals, and Grandma with Ryder.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Maughan were able to come from St. George. Here they are with their great grandchildren from this one branch of the family.

The whole family. Getting big! Yes Hallie is eating a cookie. She just can't stop!Have to have a crazy face picture. My favorites are Mesha and Aaron (the kissers) and Slava (the top row, third from the right.) The first family picture I was in after I joined the family, we did a funny face one that is TERRIBLE of me. I hope that never resurfaces. I decided to tone it down this time! :)

Devin and his parents and siblings. Top is Travis, Shane, Kirston, Devin. Bottom is Mesha, Jana, Mom, Dad, Alisa, and Shawna.

And finally, a picture of Hallie with the grandparents she is finally getting to meet! That is a classic Hallie face and it was past naptime, so that is the best we could get. Although it doesn't look like it, she was happy to see Grandma and Grandpa!

I know I talk about my family a lot on here, but I am extremely grateful to be part of Devin's family too. They are wonderful and I feel lucky to have such great influences in my life and in the life of my child (and future children). We are proud of the service that Devin's parents gave on their mission, but we are happy to have them home too!

A Decade Of...

Growth?

I guess that is what I would like to think! As we enter this new decade, I have thought back to the turn of the last one, which doesn't seem all that long ago to me. I really remember the Y2K hype so maybe that is why it stands out. However. I went back and read part of my journal from around the 1999-2000 turn and whoa, I was a tad bit crazy back then. (Maybe I still am?). Let's be honest, I was 14 years old then, so that might explain a lot of it. Following are a few examples of my ten years younger self:

*I was an out of control Savage Garden, NSYNC, and Atlanta Braves freak. My journal is covered in every magazine picture that I could get my hands on of the bands and at the time I was also a proud subscriber to the Choptalk Magazine (the official Braves publication), so I had plenty of photos of the Braves pasted in as well.

*The bane of my existance was my orchestra teacher, who continually made me write sentances 100 times, such as "I will not talk while in the tuning line." I never failed to mention how much she bugged me, nearly every day, in my trusty journal. Perhaps I was a bit hard to deal with??

*My four best friends and I had started a club that we called the "YWIA" club. I can't hardly type this without laughing, it is so funny to me now. The YWIA stood for "Young Women in Action". We basically took it upon ourselves to find service projects to do, which included making Valentines for people and visiting nursing homes. We met each week and contributed dues that were put into a wrapped box. After that, we had a lesson, which was always like a Family Home Evening lesson basically. Each of us was given an assignment, such as President, Treasurer, Historian, etc. I noted in my journal that as Haylee was the club counselor, I turned to her when I was having a particularly rough time with life and she always solved my problems. We took this club VERY seriously. Man, we were awesome. But, we were definitely good girls and for that I am grateful.

*My friends and I also took it upon ourselves to be missionaries, which we were. After taking the discussions with one of our friends, she was baptized.

*My sister and two cousins and I had our annual Christmas program at my Grandma's house. That generally consisted of us wearing whatever costumes we could scrounge up (red longjohns anyone?) and singing (yeah, I don't sing) Christmas songs on the top of our lungs. Oh, this might have been the year that I played Cortney's trumpet to accompany everyone (although I had never picked up a trumpet in my life until that day, so that tells you how beautiful it was!) Everyone in the family dreaded this blessed event except our dear Grandma and Uncle Charlie, who pretended it was the best thing they had ever heard.

*I used phrases like "he is so fine." Enough said.

*I made sure to mention when the first person ever on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" won a million dollars. By mention I mean it took up the 2 page entry. No, I didn't know the person, I was just excited, okay?

*I mastered the manipulation tactic with my piano teacher. Whenever she told me to improve (and she was very very nice about it), I would cry and tell her that I was doing my best. Then she would feel bad and pass the songs off for me anyway. This is why I am such an excellent piano player today (sarcasm). On the other hand, I got along excellently with my violin teacher, who yelled at me constantly and told me how awful my playing was. I guess she was just more my style.

*I had several very serious crushes. I am sure that not one boy that I liked every really paid attention to me because I noted things like "he touched my binder today!" Yikes. I also memorized and wrote down each of their schedules so I knew exactly where they were at all times.

*Overalls were my outfit of choice. Yes, please!

Alright, I think that is enough embarrassing confessions.

Now, for the next ten years, here is what I hope for myself:

*I want first and foremost, to be a good wife and mother. I have an amazing husband who makes my life so much better and who makes me so happy. I hope that our marriage just continues to grow stronger and that we continue to love each other more as time passes. (I really should give him a big fat THANK YOU for even marrying me. For why this is necessary, see above.) I also want to be the kind of mother who is involved in her children's lives. I want my kids to know that I love them and that they are important to me. I want to be patient with them and help them learn to make good choices on their own.

*I want to grow stronger in the Gospel. I need to make scripture study, prayer, and temple attendance a constant priority. I know that my life is better and my marriage is better when I do and when we also do the simple things as a couple.

*I want to expand my skills and abilities in my professional life. I don't know that I will always be working, but even if I am not, I want to seek out opportunities to use the things that I have learned to better other people's lives. I have a passion for social work and I hope that it can continue to grow.

*I want to make memories with my family. Whether that is home, traveling, around where we live, or whatever. I have very fond memories of my growing up years and I want my children to have the same.

*I want to be a good friend. This has always been important to me, but as I get older, I hope that I can continue the relationships with friends that I have had for years. I want to be there to celebrate happy times with them, be there for them through hard times (and vice versa) and just make sure that they know I care about them.

*I want to be charitable. This is something that is important to me. I don't foresee Devin and I ever being really wealthy, but I want to make sure that helping is a priority for us.

Perhaps in 10 years if this blog is still up and running I can come back and check to see how I did. I think I have grown up a bit in the past 10 years (I don't know, you be the judge!) and I hope that I can continue to grow in the next 10!

250th and OSSO

What better way to celebrate my 250th post than to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart. As you all know, I went to Ecuador with a program called OSSO 4 whole years ago, from December 2005 through March 2006. I loved it so much that I went back 5 months after getting home to spend two weeks there, visiting the kids that I grew to love so much. My friend Kylee was able to go back with me and see a little bit of what I had experienced for three months.

When I arrived in Ecuador the first time, I knew nobody. But over the course of the next three months, my life was forever changed as I grew to love the children. I have a bond with the volunteers that I served with that is also beyond my capacity to describe accurately. Although it has been four years and we have all gone on with our lives, I still count them as some of my dearest friends.

The city I served in, Quito, serves four main orphanages. There is a Girl's house for girls from the street, a family style orphanage with children divided into families and assigned a "mother", two special kids orphanages, and the main orphanage we worked at, that serves mainly children under 2 years old. This orphanage is staffed by OSSO volunteers 22 out of 24 hours per day (Yes that means night shifts! Fabulous times had by all during those...). The children in this orphanage are divided into three salas, or rooms. Sala Uno is for new babies up to about age 6 months. Sala Dos is for 6 months to a year or so. And Sala Tres is for a year to two years. When I was there, there were about 35 kids at one time. This orphanage also has the family style housing for the older children, but only two volunteers from each group worked there. I happened to be one of them and it was a challenging, but huge growing experience for me.

Ask any volunteer who has been done this program and they will tell you that it has changed their life. Leaving the babies was heart-wrenching. I still remember very vividly saying goodbye to them and watching the other volunteers with me do the same. Let's just say the tears flowed. I also grew attached to quite a few of the workers at the orphanage and particularly a 16 year old girl who had grown up there and now worked there. She was a challenge sometimes too, but I cried when I left her.

I can honestly say now that the closeness I felt to the Savior during that time was by far the closest I have felt in my life. I know it was because I was doing what He would do, serving as He would. I wish the experience could have lasted my whole lifetime and every day I wish there was someway that I could bring Devin and Hallie back to serve there too. Hallie would fit right in. We could throw her in a cloth diaper and she could eat the same soup every day just like the rest of the kids! It would be so good for her.

Anyway, the reason that I am writing this post is because OSSO needs volunteers. Because of the down economy, less people are choosing to go because you pay your own way to serve there. All past volunteers receive updates from OSSO on a regular basis and the last one asked that we facebook, blog, twitter, or whatever about OSSO to get the word out. I missed the days they were doing it (the 28th and 29th), but I thought now is good too. I know most of you, like me, have families or are in school, or have other reasons why you can't do this. However, if you know anyone, siblings, friends, relatives, who would like an opportunity like this, pass the word on to them.

OSSO's website is http://www.orphanagesupport.org/.