Halloween Festivities 2014

So, I am totally playing catch-up. I haven't posted any pictures from October except for the ones from Devin's birthday. So, here we go...

I love October and fall-time in general. The weather is perfect, the falling leaves are beautiful, and there are so many fun activities surrounding Halloween and otherwise. We celebrated Halloween in a variety of ways this year and it was lovely.

Pumpkin Patch: 
Mid-way through the month, we took the kids to a local pumpkin patch for FHE. This one is right here in our town and everything is free except for the pumpkins you buy. It wasn't that busy and there were a lot of fun activities for the kids. It was perfect, minus the mosquitoes.

Apparently not the best posing job of the kids as you can't see Flor-- although she is back there giving Jace a kiss. 

That's better

This kid was in heaven with all the tractors and farm equipment. He loves all things that go.

Can you see us? Too bad this picture is blurry. I really need to start remembering to bring my regular camera when we go places, but I don't, so the phone usually has to do.

Hanging out while Jace and Hals did the mini maze a few times

 Carving Pumpkins with Grandma and Popp-e: 
We went up to Idaho for Emma's blessing (no pictures of that, I'm not sure why...) and while we were there, we had the annual pumpkin carving contest at my mom's house. Really, this was our first year because we aren't usually there. It was fun to join in. My mom's neighbor made the most delicious homemade donuts and we all stuffed ourselves silly. The kids decorated their pumpkins while the men went to work on our team pumpkins. I didn't help at all. :) Devin did a great job though. He's better off without me anyway. (In that regard at least!)

All the grandkids (minus Emma) and their cute pumpkins. Poor Jace- really outnumbered still. Come on, someone, have a boy already...Impossible to get that many kids looking at once too. 

Pre-costume parade all the kids loving on Emma

Cute Brookie

Time for the costume parade! (which really meant that the kids walked up and down my mom's street...hahah)

Next it was time to decorate masks. Too much fun, I tell ya. 

And the men with their completed pumpkins! I told Devin to make sure he smiled for real. Overkill is good too.

We had a mini birthday celebration for Hals since her birthday is in early November. She opened gifts from Grandma and Popp-e and Jen and Steve. 

The completed pumpkins all glowing! Pretty great job, eh? Devin's is the second from the left.

Witchapalooza: 

Possibly my favorite tradition of the season...Witchapalooza!! This was our 6th year in a row (I think) and it never disappoints. They had a new show this year and it was hillllllaarrrrious. I totally recommend it to any and all. I have a terrible lack of pictures, but oh well....

We have a diet coke problem in this family..

During the show. I mean, just the costumes alone...it's just hilarious.Next year I think we need to go twice.

 Halloween: 
Jennifer and Steve came and stayed with us on Halloween as they were on their way to Vernal for a baptism. We took the kids trick-or-treating down around our neighborhood and they had a great time. I only took a few pictures...oops. Oh well. We got a grand total of 2 trick-or-treaters at our house. I'll know not to buy so much candy next year!

M's Adoption: Part Four

A few extra pieces of the back story that are significant:

Remember back in April, I had a miscarriage.  Devin and I started to feel that we needed to add to our family back in January. I quickly became pregnant and then ended up having a miscarriage. I think that we were right in our feelings that it was time to add to our family, but just not in the direction that we were to go to do that. The miscarriage was harder than I expected it to be, especially knowing how common they are and knowing how blessed I really am in the lack of fertility issues I have faced. However, the sting of that miscarriage really lessened when we turned our hearts and our minds to adoption. I have hardly thought of the miscarriage since beginning this process (although it has come up again recently just a little bit because I would have been due right about now) and it has really taken the pain of it away. I feel so confident in the path we're pursuing that I know the Lord is blessing me to just look forward to the future and not dwell on the hardship of the miscarriage. I don't know if we will have more biological children, but whether we do or don't, I feel peace at this point.

Second, after we sold our house, we had a time crunch to find a place to live in Davis County. We had decided even before the adoption came along that we would return to the world of renting. We decided this for a few reasons, one, so that we could learn more about the area and where we want to be, two because Devin may have other job opportunities come up within his field and who knows if we'll actually be in Farmington for too long, and three, so that we could use the profits from our house for my student loan. So, we began the search for a place.

I had decided that I liked the idea of living in Bountiful, but when we started looking at places to live, we found that our most realistic options within our price range were in the northern part of the county, more in Clearfield, Clinton, and Layton. I did not love the idea of living in those areas, but we started our search there anyway. We had decided on a certain amount that we wanted to spend on rent each month, and the places within that budget (which we felt was a lot for rent), were either in really sketchy areas or were too small for our family. We went looking one day and as we drove home, I was just so depressed thinking about the options we had. Nothing seemed right and it all just seemed so overwhelming. As we drove, Devin and I discussed the need to increase our budget so that we could look at the other end of the county (near Bountiful, where I had felt we should look). We decided that we'd do that and also look at places with one fewer bedroom. When we got home, we started the search again in the southern part of the county. We found a few good options and scheduled a time to go look at them. They were all in the upper range of our budget (the increased budget that is). We had looked at some places in Farmington, but felt that everything was too pricey. Anyway, as we looked online, we did find one place in Farmington that looked promising, but it almost seemed too good to be true. It looked nice, had decent square footage, and the rent was $400 less than what we were looking at with all these other places.

We visited a bunch of places in Bountiful and Layton on our second trip and ended at the place in Farmington. I immediately liked it and felt good about it. It seemed to be in a good neighborhood, was about the same size as our house, had an unfinished basement (a bonus for kids to play down there), and was remodeled. It was nothing fancy, but it was definitely adequate for our needs. As we were walking out, I asked the agent what we needed to do to sign the lease right then. Devin looked at me like I was nuts (the second time in as many weeks now), but I just felt like we could not let this place go. The rent alone was low enough that we could save a lot more money for the adoption. The agent told us that the owner had just lowered the rent too, because he'd had someone interested in renting it but that it fell through last minute, so he dropped the price to get it rented quickly. Coincidence again? I don't think so. Perfect timing and place for us? I think so. And, we have been extremely happy here, with wonderful and supportive neighbors, a wonderful area to live, etc. The other nice thing about this place is that it was by far the closest to Devin's work, since he works in Farmington. Going from a 2+ hour commute every day to a 5 minute commute has been pure bliss. It's been just perfect for our family and I feel so blessed that we have been watched over and guided in so many ways throughout this process. Is any of it not guided and directed? No. I know that it has been.

So. Better area? Check. Cheaper Rent? Check. Close to Devin's work? Check. Amazing neighbors? Check. How much more could we want? We feel very blessed with the way everything has all worked out.

We waited until we moved (July 1) to start the home study process. We had only been in our new place for a few weeks when I felt the urgency to get going. So, we started then. We chose an adoption provider from an international agency in Ogden and the assigned caseworker is someone I have known a long time since we've both been in the adoption business for a while. So, that was a pretty easy. Being on the other end of the home study process is always interesting. This time, we also had to complete full psychological testing, which was a very, um, special process.

The psych testing actually took less time than the home study. Devin and I went in for interviews together one day and then each went in for testing on separate days. The testing included a parenting profile, a mental health screen, a personality test, and an IQ test. The IQ test was by far the worst- it took like 3 hours. By the time I was done, I thought my brain was going to explode. I mean, I was in a tiny room with one woman asking me questions. No pressure. It was insane. Some of the tests I knew I was not doing so well in (like math story problems, no pen and paper), but I knew they'd be a piece of cake for Devin. And sure enough, when we got our results back, he'd done amazing in some categories that I didn't do so hot in and vice versa. In addition to the math story problems, there was number series, where she'd state a series of numbers to you and then you'd have to repeat them back and they got increasingly longer. Then you'd have to repeat them backwards, then put them in chronological order. No paper, remember. There were also verbal tests- word definitions, using words in a sentence, that kind of thing. There was a game with a cube that I hated-- there was a picture on the ipad that you then had to re-create using cubes and again it got increasingly harder. There was pictures that you had to find the missing items, symbol decoding, speed tests with writing symbols, and completing patterns. I am trying to think of what else...anyway, suffice it to say that it was an experience that I hope to never repeat! The good news is that Devin and I are equally as smart/dumb  as our IQ's were 3 points away from each other, which is a normal standard deviation (in other words, if we'd been given the test on different days, the scores could have been within 3 ish points of what we got, but not necessarily the same score). So, no one can hold over the other that he/she is smarter (but as of now, I am smarter since that day my score was 3 points higher..ha! Just kidding, honey! I won't tease you forever.)

Anyway, we received that written report rather quickly and then waited for the home study, which was delayed as you know by the Portuguese background check process. Now we have both reports and let me just tell you, we know more about ourselves than we ever wanted to know. It's really interesting reading about yourself in written report form. :) Now we just hope the government likes us and will allow us to move on to the next step in the process. I-800a is currently pending.

Now we're all caught up on the back story, since I told part 5 back in September. You can read it by clicking on that link if you missed it.

If I have missed anything or if anyone has questions, you know I am an open book. Please ask! Other than specific details about the child, which we will wait to share when we are officially matched, I think we can answer almost anything else. :)

M's Adoption- Part Three

After talking to Devin about my thoughts the initial time, I didn't bring it up again. I wanted to give him time to think and feel things out on his own.

That next Sunday, one week after my initial impression, we were sitting at the table, eating breakfast before church, when Hallie started talking about when Flor got sealed to our family in the temple. She had a primary talk that day on the Holy Ghost and so we were asking her about times she remembered feeling the Holy Ghost in her life. She thought of the temple immediately and reported details that she remembered, including how she loved the white dress that she wore and that she remembered feeling happy and good inside while she was in the temple. After she talked about her memories for a while, she said, "Mom, I think we should adopt another kid and have him or her sealed to our family too."

I looked at Devin's face and I could see that the Spirit confirming to him that this is what we needed to do. We of course had not talked to the kids at all about our contemplations about adoption, so Hallie's conversation about it and specific comment that she felt that we should go to the temple with another child could be nothing but divinely driven. Devin told me later that night that Hallie's statements were the confirmation that he needed. He had been praying about adopting M and had felt good about it, but had not had a solid answer. Hallie's comments were just another big way that Heavenly Father showed His will for us. I am telling you, we have had so many experiences that just worked out just right and too many spiritual impressions to ignore. Never in my life have I had such obvious expressions of the Lord's will for me or my family.  I have no doubt that this is the right thing for us and for M. Will it be easy? No. And we know it. In fact, we are gearing ourselves up for a really difficult time for the first little (or long) while. I think we're also better prepared than ever. All that can be a discussion for another day, though.

I quickly started emailing people to get as much information as I could about M. I like to go into things as prepared as possible and this was of course, no exception. I emailed Jaci, the director of the agency we had used for Flor and she immediately wrote back to let me know that M was still available and that she continues to pray for a family every night. I asked a lot of questions about her, without identifying that it was Devin and me that I was asking for. I had worked hard to find M a family for the last 2.5 years because my heart had just broken when I saw her at the orphanage in 2012. So, Jaci probably didn't think it weird that I was asking all these questions about her. However, I must have asked just enough that she finally wrote back and said, "Are you asking for you and Devin?" I told her yes and she wrote back a really kind and sweet reply, expressing her support and happiness.

A little later on down the line, we were also able to connect with and have a good discussion with my cousin Kalab and his wife, Keelie, who had just recently returned from a year in Ecuador as project directors for the same organization that I served with in Quito. Coincidence that they had spent a year there and could tell us details about M that we would not have gotten otherwise? No. And coincidence that this was the year that the volunteers got moved to live on-site at the orphanage, thus increasing their time spent and interactions with the kids? Again, I don't think so. We feel really blessed that we were able to access information from them about our child with whom they had just spent a year living on the same property. Kalab and Keelie were able to give us great information about M and what to expect.

We still don't know everything and there are a lot of unknowns, but we felt good about getting as much information as we could, primarily so that we will be better prepared to be good parents to M. We didn't gather information so that we could change our minds about her. Even if there are "big" issues with her (though we believe there aren't), we feel strongly enough about this that we will pursue her regardless. We did with Flor- we knew very little about Flor when we went to get her, including what the extent of her disabilities were, what her life expectancy is, if she had a diagnosis...we didn't even know if she was walking or not when we went or if she could speak. We knew that she had delays, but we didn't know what they were or what they would mean for our family. Nevertheless, we committed ourselves to her in the same way we did our biological children. We know they will have their own challenges in life, but we won't give up on them when those things happen. The same is true of our commitment to Flor, and now to M. We don't know exactly what her hard things will be, but we know she'll have them.

Family Pictures 2014

We had my friend Jaime take our pictures again this year and she always does such a great job! I am especially impressed with how Flor smiled this year!! Best pictures of her yet. Love them. So now to decide which one is going on the wall and which ones are going to Ecuador with our dossier! :) 

M's Adoption- Part Two

A little extra back story here: My major reasons for not considering adopting M in the past when I was rallying to find her a family were because  1) Adoption costs a lot of money, and 2) because our family didn't feel ready. It has taken this whole time since Flor came home (almost 3 years) to feel "ready" to add to our family again- thus, the attempts at getting pregnant at the beginning of the year (apparently I wasn't quite aware of what direction adding to our family was supposed to go at that point).  I felt the weight of impossibility settle over me every time I thought about adopting again (because I have thought about that a lot) when I considered finances. Flor's adoption cost us about $25,000 total and I know that adopting internationally again would cost that much or more. Flor's adoption was largely funded by amazingly generous people who donated money to us to help bring her home. I knew that we could not go that route again to bring home another child, though. In my prayers over the years since Flor's adoption, I have told Heavenly Father many times that if He wanted us to adopt again, a financial path would have to be made clear. I know- who am I to tell God what to do? We just felt and feel strongly that one time is enough to request the generosity of others in such a manner.

Back to the unfolding of events:

That Sunday passed without my mentioning to Devin my impressions and thoughts from that day. I wanted to give it some more time to settle in my own head before bringing it up to Devin. Plus, let's be honest. Adopting again is not something we had considered at all, nor had we talked about it. So, I wanted to think about the way I was going to approach it with Devin.

The Monday after that Sunday (the very next day), we got a call from our realtor telling us that someone wanted to see the house that evening. It had been approximately three weeks since we'd even had a showing, so I was really excited about this news. We cleaned and scrubbed and got the house looking in tip-top shape for the showing and then headed out to a park with the kids to kill the time. As we drove back to our house after the allotted time had passed for the showing, we saw people standing in our driveway still. We drove by and kept driving around the neighborhood, occasionally driving by to see if they were still there. They were, three or four more times. I knew that this was good news. This meant that they were likely interested in the house, since they were spending an awful lot of time scoping it out.

The next morning, our realtor called to tell us that we had an offer on the house-- and not only that, but it was for $3000 more than our asking price.

Do you see how quickly the Heavenly Father works when we are willing to listen to His voice? The very next day after I'd had the promptings about what to do with the profit on our house, we got an offer for more than our asking price. I truly believe that He was waiting for me to get with the program and to understand what His will was for us before allowing the sale of our home to go through. Prior to that, our intention was to put all of the money toward my student loan. Seems like a great plan, right? I was so set on that, that had the house sold earlier, that money would have been gone to pay for that loan as quickly as we got it. It really took the sell falling through three times before I heard the message.

I am sure there were other times that Heavenly Father tried to get me to listen, but I wasn't hearing. The interesting thing about our buyers too, is that they had family in our neighborhood and were looking specifically for a home in our neighborhood to be near them. They could have started their search three months earlier and purchased our home, no problem. But they started their search at the specific time that coincided with when we were truly ready to sell. Every little thing about our situation and getting to this point has lined up so amazingly that I can't even say the word coincidence in connection with any of it. There's no doubt that it was all divinely orchestrated.

The next step in the process was to tell Devin my thoughts and feelings. So, shortly after we got our offer, we were again discussing our path from there, especially in regards to the money. I knew that it was now the time to bring up my impressions. I told Devin, through a lot of tears, what I had been experiencing. He sat there in silence mostly and just listened to what I was telling him. I was so emotional and the Spirit was so strong again, that it just confirmed to me what I had felt. This was the first time I was saying it out loud and there is something about talking about something verbally that can solidify feelings and thoughts from before. That was definitely the case this time. Devin, however, had not had the experience that I had, so I expected that it would take him a while to gather his own thoughts and get an answer for himself as to what we were to do. He did tell me at the end of our conversation that he was completely shocked by the bomb dropped, but that it wasn't a bad thing. He said that he was open to whatever the Lord wanted us to do and would take some time to figure out the answer for himself. I said, "So you don't think I am totally nuts?" and he responded, "Well, I didn't say that...". Haha. Good thing he is a good husband and is willing to find out for himself and not just go on with life thinking I'm nuts forever. :)

I was able to go to the Temple later that week with my friend Jill. Of course, the entire time, M was on my mind. I was hoping for some strong confirmation that this was the right thing for our family, but what I got instead was a quiet, simple peace. I recognized that as the Spirit, but it was not a loud or strong voice again. Why should I go in asking for lightening bolts when I'd already received such a distinct impression? Why doubt my first experience? Because that's the way Satan works. As soon as we grasp on to something good, he will do whatever he can to make us doubt those positive feelings. I had to ask myself over and over, "Did I really experience that? Was that what I thought it was? Did I make that up?" But, the peace at the Temple helped me to know that everything was right and good.

M's Adoption- Part One

I told you all before that I have written our journey to this point with M's adoption as it was happening. Since this is where I write and have a history for our family and kids, this is also where I wrote those experiences. I have waited to share the whole story. I didn't know when I would share it, but now, today, I feel like it's the right time. I think a few things have contributed to feeling that way- First, that it is Fast Sunday and that's how this all began, with a Fast Sunday. Fast Sunday helps me feel extra measures of the Spirit, I think, and today as I have been fasting, I have felt some promptings to share our story. I even went up and bore my testimony at Church, which is not normal for me. I felt like I should share my testimony of God's personal hand in our lives and His ability to give us personal revelation. I do know that God has revealed His will to us in this situation and that's what this story is really about. It's really about being prepared to receive the blessings that God has in store for us.

The second reason today makes sense is because it is Orphan Sunday, a day celebrated by many Christian religions to bring awareness to the plight of orphans. While Devin and I obviously have a heart for this cause, we also had previously felt that we had done our part. After all, we had adopted one orphan and that was good enough, right? :) I do feel that one of the main reasons I am wanting to share the story in detail, though much of it is sacred to our family, is for others. For others to have their hearts softened to the cause of orphans, whether that is through adopting them, sponsoring them, helping to find families, financially caring for them, etc. I don't know who the message will touch, but I do know that I feel the need to share it.

The final reason is because November is National Adoption Month! You don't even need me to tell you how much I love adoption.  If you know me even a tiny bit, you know how I feel about adoption! And, while I love that much of the attention for the month focuses on domestic adoption and foster care, I think more needs to be done to raise awareness for the international options. I don't want anyone to get into any debates about which type of adoption is better or which type any other person should do- it's a very personal decision and one that I feel is guided and directed by God for each individual family. I know there are thousands of children in the U.S. who need homes too. Yet, I know that God has called us to adopt two specific children and they happen to not live in the U.S. One cause is no greater than the other. I just think that more awareness can and should be raised about all options so that families can have the information they need when they are making the decision how and where to adopt. So, Happy National Adoption Month!!

With that said, below is what I wrote many months ago about the start of this process.


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If you've ever read my blog or been friends with me on Facebook, you may remember that I have tried time and time again to find a family for sweet M. See HERE and HERE for just two examples.

This all started in June 2014, on a Fast Sunday. Adoption was not on our minds at all. What was on our minds was the need to sell our home. Devin had already been working in Farmington since March and we knew we needed to make the move up to that direction, but it just wasn't working out and we were getting increasing frustrated with the lack of progress in selling our home. We had had it listed since the end of March. We had one offer that fell through because of things the inspection showed and we had two additional offers after that that we weren't able to accept because they were too low.

After those offers, it had been about three weeks and we hadn't even had so much as one showing. I was getting more stressed by the day, wondering and worrying about what was going to happen and if we were ever going to be able to move. As much as I loved the area we were in, I was really worried about Devin and the lack of sleep he was getting. He was up at 4 something every weekday morning in order to be to the golf course by 6 to start the day. To be honest, it was also difficult on me because he was also getting home late, which meant I was flying solo everyday, all day with the kids. Keep in mind that this is the first time in my parenting career that I had stayed home with my kids 100% of the time. It is not my forte and does difficult things for my mental state sometimes, but that is a story for another day.

The week before the upcoming June Fast Sunday (June 1), Devin and I determined that we should fast to sell our house. We also asked some family members to join us in the fast. This was not the first time that we had fasted to sell the house, but we felt that it was a good way to do what we can to petition the Lord and to have faith in His timing.

Now, let's get real- Fast Sunday is generally in no way, shape, or form, my favorite Sunday. I just like to eat, okay? I have always had a hard time fasting the full 24 hours and sometimes even gripe about it (little good that does, I know, but just in case you were interested in full disclosure). For some reason though, this Fast Sunday felt different.

Our church was at 1 pm in our previous ward, so we had all morning to be home together as a family. I remember I was sitting on the couch reading to the kids when I started to have thoughts about M. I found it interesting, because I hadn't thought about her for a long time. I figured I had done my part to try to find her a family. She hadn't occupied my thoughts in the same way Flor did in the interim years between my time in Ecuador and her adoption. I knew Flor as my child from the very time I first met her, but I did not have those same feelings with M. Of course I have thought about her occasionally and wondered how she is doing and if anyone is pursuing her adoption, but she hasn't been on my mind in that same way. So when I began to think about M that morning, it was kind of surprising to me. I wasn't sure why she was on my mind and why I couldn't get her out of my mind.

I pondered about M for the next few hours. I don't recall what I was doing when I had a very distinct impression. The impression was so strong that I will describe it as a thought. I knew the thought was not my own. The thought was this: "I will help you sell your house, but I want you to do what I will have you do with the money." Even as I type this now, tears come to my eyes because I can recall the power of the thought. I knew immediately what that statement meant and why M was in my thoughts: I knew that Heavenly Father intended us to bring M into our family.

Let me pause here to tell you something about this kind of revelation- and that is this: I have never had this type of personal revelation before in my life, ever. Not even close. I have always felt the Spirit in my life through warmth, comfort, and peaceful feelings. Never have I had direct communication that came in words. This was the only time. I have had the thought to write down this prompting and the power of it multiple times, and yet I haven't. Now that I am, though, I can feel again the power of that impression and know it for what it is. It is easy to get confused and bogged down by the things surrounding us, the worries, the what-ifs, and the daily things that lead me away from such spirituality and make me wonder about what I experienced. But writing it down is a powerful way to be able to come back and have something tangible here to remind me of that experience. I am writing this long before I intend to publish it on my blog because I have had the impression to do so, but I don't know when the timing will be right to share it.

Back to that day. I didn't share my experience with Devin right away. In fact, I think it was a few days later that I finally shared with him. I just wanted to think about it a little bit more and pray about it for myself to see what I felt. That day in church, I remember thinking about M during the sacrament and feeling peace- my normal communication from the Holy Ghost. I knew I needed to talk to Devin, but the thought made me nervous. This was completely out of the blue after all, and it was kind of a major thing.

(Sorry for the abruptness of the ending. The story is way too long to be told in one shot. Part 2 will come later.)

I-800A

Today we mailed off our I-800A. YAY! Now to hurry up and wait again. I looked at our last I-800A process and it took 3 full months. But, when we got it back, we traveled about 4 months later. If the timeline is similar, that is creeping up on us! 7 months is not that long. Are we going to be ready by then?! I guess time will tell.

Pray for a speedy I-800A with no RFEs (Request for Further Evidence) issued. We'd love to not have any more major bumps, but I'm not holding my breath, either!

Viva Portugal!!

Opa!! I am just throwing out all the Portuguese I know. That's it. OPA!

I think it's supposed to have a negative connotation, but I mean it to have a positive connotation, because.....

WE HAVE A BACKGROUND CHECK!!! YIPPPPPEE!!!

I don't know how kosher it is to post a picture of a background check, but here is some photographic evidence:

Nice! Now on to the next waiting game, the I-800a. As soon as we get our completed home study. I called our worker and told him I need it tomorrow. :) 

Wish us more luck! One step closer...

Adoption Update

My dear friend Christy (Hi Christy!) is one of my few faithful blog followers and asked for an update on the adoption, so here it is:

There's no news. We are still waiting on Devin's background check from Portugal. It's been the month they said it would be now, and still no sign of it. To say I am frustrated would be an understatement. Everything else can do hinges on this, so we must have it to do anything else.

In the meantime, we're waiting and praying.

Devin's Birthday: The Big 29 (For Real 29)

LONG POST AHEAD!!

Devin is now 29. In honor of the big day, we celebrated all day long and it was amazing. Rarely do we get to spend that kind of time together. It was also conference, so we planned the day around that. We drove up to Evanston, WY first while we listened to the first session and then drove through Park City to Snowbird Resort during the second session. It was a really great day. I also love exploring new places and enjoying the world around us. And you can tell I am getting old now since I have a million pictures of scenery. When did I turn into my mother? 

And now, the pictures will tell the story. 

He's so handsome. I'm lucky.

Jace's face as we passed a train. The kid is obsessed.

Beautiful Utah.

In Evanston, we rode along the Bear River Trail and had a great time. The weather was perfect. Could not have been better. This part of Wyoming was not the most pretty thing I have ever seen, but it was still fun to see.

Just cute

Sorry you get both. Not sure what the blur is on the picture? Probably dirty camera. Do forgive,

Same deal here. We've got problems. But Hals looks cute on her bike, yes?

What's wrong with this picture? Can anyone see it?

After our bike ride/walk, we had a picnic lunch, cake, and Devin opened his presents. I think he liked Hallie's card, don't worry, it just appears that he is trying to figure out what she drew here. :) 

Hallie's face....

WYOMING! 

Oh, back to the picnic lunch apparently...

And a cake straight from Smith's, Seems to be my new norm, huh? Wife-and-mom-of-the-year-award.

Pretty views on the way to Snowbird. 

On the tram on the way up the hill. Jace called it the "trammer" for reasons unknown to us. But whatever works.  

On top of the world. What's with our lack of photogenic pictures?

Yes, we still have problems looking at the camera all at the same time. Be sure to check out Hallie's face. :)

Happy Birthday Devin! We love you so very much. You're the best ever and we are so incredibly blessed to have you. 

From the Archives: The Photo Archives That Is

Forgot all about these pictures. Back sometime in September, we thought it would be fun to go for a drive to Antelope Island for Family Home Evening. We had a great time, except for the fact that Hallie (Yes, Hallie- not even Jace!) peed her pants. It was bad news. We then made her switch outfits with Flor, who was wearing a dress, and Flor wore Hallie's shirt as a dress. Creative parenting, right there.

It was really cool to see our lovely little area from across the Great Salt Lake. We really do live in such a pretty place. 

Well then. That's a great photo, right? 

Even better, the family selfie. 

Salt Lake City across the way

The Bountiful Temple 

And these are specifically for my mom. Mom, you can even copy them and then print them for the box you have at home. Some buffs to add to your lovely collection.

You can take this one too. What a cutie.

Fun place. Pretty drive if you're up for one!