Flor's Sealing

*Warning: lots and lots of pictures to follow...I just have a hard time narrowing it down! But, it was such a special day and we want to remember all those who came to support us.

July 26, 2012 was a very special day for our family. This was the day that we had been waiting for for many months- the day that we were able to have Flor sealed to our family for eternity. We chose to have her sealed in the Provo temple and we had a lot of friends and family come from near and far to support us.

We arrived at the Temple at 10:30 am as a family. Hallie and Jace were able to accompany us to the Temple as witnesses to Flor's sealing. We had talked to Hallie a lot and tried to prepare her for the sacredness of the Temple in the weeks prior to the sealing. In the end, when asked what she liked most, she says the toys in the nursery. :) She also enjoyed the beautiful white dress that she got to wear. I hope that she will have some memory of this day as she grows and to remember the sacredness of it. 

My mom came with us to help the kids in the nursery and to help hold Flor at the alter while she was sealed. While she went with the kids to get changed in the nursery, Devin and I met with some sweet temple workers to review paperwork and then we also went to change. I got to go into the huge Bride's room, while Devin just got an ordinary dressing room. :) Poor man. 

While we waited for the sealing to start (11:30), we sat in an upstairs room and talked to our sealer. He is an incredible man who has adopted two children himself. His daughter, Jenn, is a good friend of mine in our ward, so knowing that she is adopted and that her dad is a sealer on Thursdays, we called in to request him as our sealer. That was a great idea as he was incredible. He shared with Devin and I some of his sacred experiences as he and his wife adopted their children, first Jenn from the United States, and then seven years later, her brother from Guatemala. 

As our guests were being led up to the sealing room, our sealer invited us to stand at the doorway and greet them all. I was so overwhelmed to look down the hallway and see the line of people just keep coming and coming. In all, we counted about 65 people at the sealing itself, and then of course add all the children for the luncheon and we had a fair number of people there. Being in the Temple with so many of our loved ones was particularly special. I stood in awe as each passed by and I thought about the role that each of them had played in bringing Flor into our home. We have had so much support-there really are no words to say how grateful we are.

After everyone was seated, the sealer took some time to talk to us all. He again shared some of his family's experiences with adoption and talked about how the sealing covenant would make it so that Flor is entitled to all the blessings associated with the covenant, just as our two biological children are. We got a lot of comments from people after about how wonderful our sealer's comments were. 

It was then time for the sealing, and our three adorable kids came into the room, dressed in their white clothes. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful that moment was. My mom accompanied Flor to the alter while Jace sat with Poppy and Hallie sat with Grandma Perry on the side. The sealing is brief, but beautiful. Let's just say that the tears flowed freely.

After the sealing, we took some time to do some pictures outside. We had some of the crowd stay behind for a group shot, but some didn't get the memo. Oh, well. We then headed to our stake center to have Flor's blessing, followed by a luncheon. 

Devin gave Flor a beautiful blessing. The most important part that I remember is that he blessed her that she would be patient with us as we learn about her and her needs and how to best help her. I definitely think she has been blessed to be very patient with her sometimes frustrating parents. :)

Anyway, all in all, it was a really special day and one that we won't forget. Thank you again to all who supported us in coming and for all who have been involved in Flor's whole adoption process. I can definitely say that I felt like the most loved person on the planet that day. It was one of the most spiritual and special days of my life. 

And now for a hundred pictures:

Just out of the Temple. Don't worry about our black shoes-- they had us just wear our street shoes, which don't match of course. haha.

Some of the people who were able to make it to the sealing. 

Flor loves Uncle Mikey

Getting all three kids to cooperate was...interesting. I think there are some pretty cute pictures, though! It was like 100 degrees outside and we were all sweating bullets.

Beautiful shot of the temple. All of these pictures were graciously taken by my friend Kayla. 

Can you tell the kids were about done at this point?

Cute, even if Flor isn't looking. Look at Jace's handsome face and his adorable little outfit.

Luncheon. The masses were hungry at this point.

Okay, you see all those tables? My sister and I set them up ourselves the night before and it was a joke. A joke...took forever and we ran into issue after issue. I know, we were just setting up tables, but still, it was rough.

I wish that we had thought to take pictures of Flor with everyone who came BEFORE half of them left. Oh well, we got what we got. This is Flor with my cousin Anneka and her husband Jonny and their cute kids.

Flor and Grandma Lisa (my mom)

Flor with Grandma and Grandpa Perry (in case you can't tell). She was sure hamming it up at this point!  She sure wasn't doing that at the temple, but I blame it on the heat...

Uncle Lynn (my uncle. He is crazy, can you tell?)

Aunt Kirston and kids (Devin's sister. Isn't she gorgeous?)

Grandma and Poppy

Uncle Travis (Devin's brother) and Aunt Jenny and two of their kids (the other two were in school--poor things). Can you tell that Uncle Travis is another one of Flor's favorite people ever?

Aunt Shawna (Devin's sister), Uncle Slava, and kids. We were so happy that they could be at the sealing as they are currently living in Russia. Slava flew in just days before the sealing. We were thrilled that he could make it.

Aunt Alisa, her girls, and Flor (another of Devin's sisters. I bet you can tell. They are all just so pretty.)

Aunt Lara, Uncle Mikey (my brother), Brooklyn, and Flor. Thanks to Lara for taking all these pictures at the luncheon. She is the best sister in law a woman could ask for.

Aunt Jen and Uncle Steve with their girls and Flor. I think one of our biggest supports in this process has come from my sister. We are so grateful as they have stood by us every step of the way. It only made sense that she was the one there helping me set up tables at 10:30 pm the night before the sealing (Devin was at work, lest you worry that he just let us do it ourselves and Steve was at the hotel with the girls so they could sleep.) 

Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Dave (my dad). They also saved the day the night before with the table fiasco as they ran out and got new tablecloths (the ones we had were round and the round tables just were not cooperating..)

My cousin Shawna, her husband Curt, and their cute kids

The last of Devin's sisters (except Mesha-- we didn't get a picture of her, darn it) Jana and her husband Karl and their little man Grady. 

Also gorgeous. I want to look just like her when I grow up. 

Three of my best friends in the whole world. Haylee came from Illinois, Anneka from Arizona, and Kylee from Boise and it meant so much to me that they were there.

And we will end this picture tour with these two beauties, Flor and Aunt Lara.

Whew. Thanks again to all who shared in Flor's special day. We love you all.

Flashback-2004

You know what's weird?

It's been 8 years now since I started college here at BYU. Every fall, when I see the students start coming back to school, it always reminds me of my first year. I decided to dig out my old pictures and have a look at the good times. Oh boy, the memories....

We were great fun (or at least we thought so...)

Three out of the four of us...Camille, Kasie, and I all went to high school together and roomed together our first year at
school

A sampling of our awesomeness included:

Workouts in the living room:

Whoever stopped by was most certainly invited

3 on a Saltine: (this game consists of someone picking three things from the kitchen-anything goes- to put on a saltine cracker and the other player *must* eat it.)

Pranks: (No college experience is complete without pranks, am I right?)

(Oh to be young and skinny again!)

Bon Fires:

Dare Yahtzee (another classic made-up college game):

Cleaning=not our forte:

Trip to Atlanta: 

Laughing until we cry:

Ratting Hair:

Oh, such good times...so many memories. I wouldn't do it again, but I loved it while it lasted!

And, just have to throw this one in as some of our wedding pictures were on the same disc....What a  lucky woman I am to be married to such a great man. We got married in 2007, just after my junior year of college.  I sure love and appreciate Devin. He has made me a much more confident and happy woman and I count my blessings often that I have such a good man to call mine!

Flor's Progress

Here is the long overdue update on our Flor. I know we haven't posted pictures of her sealing yet, but that is coming, don't you worry.

When I stop and think about what Flor was like when she first came into our family, I am amazed, really amazed, at the progress she has made. It is hard to notice it in the day to day, but thinking over the course of months, she has really improved leaps and bounds in many areas.

Flor is understanding boundaries so well now. She still likes to be friendly with people she meets, but she does not immediately try to jump on their laps or grab their hands like she used to do. She can sit still and remain in her own space (with prompting) for quite a while. She responds well the prompts "quiet hands" and "hands to self". The other day when we went to the splash pad, I was so proud of her because not only did she run through the water by herself, but she also kept her hands to herself and didn't pursue chasing after strangers in order to get their attention. Really, it is already like night and day difference.

Flor is also attending primary on her own, which has been great for Devin and I. We just provided the primary presidency and her teachers with some written instructions on how to handle certain things with her and she has done great. It is nice to just be able to drop her off and know that she will be okay! The primary kids sang the song "Families Can be Together Forever" to her the week after we were sealed and it was really special for me (I stayed there to to help Flor stand in the front while the kids sang to her.) Flor loved it-she had a big grin on her face and was bouncing up and down to the music.

Another area in which Flor is doing great is potty-training. Yes, I said it-- potty training! It's true. She doesn't yet understand that she needs to tell us when she needs to go (but she rarely communicates that she needs anything voluntarily), but if we are consistent in having her sit on the toilet every hour or two, she generally stays dry all day. It's so awesome! Seriously, this makes me so proud. Just yesterday, she had a doctor's appointment, so from the time she woke up at 7am until we got to Devin's parent's house (family reunion) at close to 2, we hadn't had an opportunity to take her to the bathroom, but she was totally DRY when we got to Devin's parent's. She got on the potty and went right away. This is becoming very typical. Such a good girl. Now we just have to get her to TELL us...

On the note of communication- Flor is using about 5 signs correctly on her own. She knows drink, eat, please, more, and thank you. She signs drink and more on her own during meal times when she wants/needs those things, which is a huge step forward as before she would use the sign correctly, but only after being prompted. Now she is starting to get that the signs have meaning and that when using them, she gets something. The little wheels are turning! She also has a PECS board and we are just starting to use it to help her have another way to communicate. So far, we just give her the picture of what she has (for example: water) and then if she wants more water, she needs to hand us back the picture. We re-iterate things a lot and use a lot of repetition to help her understand. We'll see how that goes!

I feel like Flor has made a lot of progress as she has been home over the summer, so it will be fun to see how she does going back to school (next week. Crazy!) One other achievement that she has learned this summer is to stand up by herself from the floor. She used to have to crawl to a piece of furniture or use a hand to help her get up, but now she can stand by herself from the floor. This is one of her IEP goals and she has specific steps to help her get there that she was going to be working on during the course of the school year. Well, goal achieved! Wahoo.

Doctor update: We saw a neurologist last week at Primary Children's. He showed us her MRI images and reviewed some of the things they saw. Overall, he felt that Flor's brain looks really good. She does have some little spots where it appears some damage has occurred and she had a few spots that could indicate a genetic disorder (and the fructosemia that she has is a genetic disorder, so that fits). He referred us to a liver specialist because her labs showed that some levels in her liver were elevated. We met with that specialist yesterday and he wants to see what genetics has to say before he decides a course of action for her. Everyone is relying on that darn genetics! Anyway, the doctor we met yesterday was really nice. He took a special liking to Flor because he served his mission in Quito and knew many of the areas, hospitals, etc. where she had been. He took a lot of time with us (as did the neurologist) and helped explain things on my level. Basically, her liver levels could be elevated if she is getting some sugar in her diet (if her diagnosis of fructosemia is correct-- that's why we need genetics!). He said that it makes sense that she will always have trace amounts of sugar in her diet, but if she were to have normal amounts, it could lead to liver failure. So, if the diagnosis of Fructosemia is correct, we just need to continue to be careful about what Flor eats. Her liver levels were just a little elevated and he expects that that will be normal for her, but we are to watch for other signs of liver problems.

We have appointments scheduled for the next month with speech and OT, the dentist, and finally genetics.  She also is supposed to be seeing a psychologist for a Psych Eval (required for DSPD-services for people with disabilities through the State) and that is turning out to be quite the nightmare to figure out. Turns out she is going to have to see a therapist first who can then refer her on to the psychologist. That appointment might be next week. It should be fun. Can't imagine how productive a therapy session will be for Flor? hahah...always something fun.

Anyway, so much to say. Overall, Flor is doing exceptionally well and we are so proud of her progress. She is such a loving and happy girl and always willing to forgive us for our shortcomings. She definitely brings a special spirit into our home. We love this girl and are so happy that she is ours!

Don't mind the bed head!

Oh and I had to document this-- on the way home from a doctor appointment, she actually fell asleep in the car! This is the first time I have ever seen this happen. She generally has to fall asleep by rocking herself, but she managed to fall asleep without this time! Nevermind that the nap only lasted 10 minutes (she is such a light sleeper-- I got a phone call and it woke her right up)- it was still an event to be documented. :) 

Faith

I know I said that I would post about Flor next, but something has been on my mind a little bit lately that I want to talk about....and it involves faith. So, if you aren't up for a religious post, feel free to skip and come on back next time.

I have always been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was baptized when I was eight years old and have always believed in the gospel. Even though the LDS Church was the church of my childhood, I can say that my true conversion happened the year my parents divorced. I was 15 at the time suddenly found myself needing somewhere to turn and not knowing where that was. With the help of an amazing seminary teacher who spent a lot of lunch hours talking and counseling with me from the scriptures, I found my own testimony of the Savior's atonement and his ability to help me in times of trial and pain. I can still remember those feelings that I had at the tender age of 15. I cannot deny the power that came then and comes now into my life as I study the scriptures and use the principles of the gospel to guide my life. I have always been blessed (much more than I deserve, I think) when I do what I know to be right. I have continued to live the gospel and blessings have continued to flow.

Right now, my church, the LDS Church, seems to be in the spotlight of the world like never before. Of course, much of it is because we have a Mormon running for President of the United States, but there are other things that seem to be propelling the church into the spotlight, too. With this focus on us, there have been a lot of articles online discussing the church and our beliefs. I am always intrigued by these articles because I want to see what is being said about the church that I love. I am usually pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the articles and the positive feel. However, I am always saddened to see that the comments, by and large, are usually very negative. It feels like there are some people out there who spend a lot of time trolling around the internet looking for articles pertaining to the LDS Church and then posting negative comment after negative comment. This saddens me because I feel it is important to respect and love other people, regardless of their background and life choices, including religion, sexual orientation, color, nationality, etc. I really love reading about other religions as well and finding out how others live their faith. When I read an article about another religion, even if I didn't necessarily agree with what that religion believes, I usually end up thinking something like, "I am glad I was able to expand my views and learn about people who aren't just like me" instead of spending time criticizing and disparaging them. It really comes down to respect.

While this has been on my mind a lot, I think reading all the negative things out there has actually strengthened my faith because it has forced me to deal with some of these issues in my own mind and has helped me to turn back to my Heavenly Father for answers. A lot of the negativity seems to target Joseph Smith and his character and also the Book of Mormon and its' origins, plus women's roles in the church, Blacks and the priesthood, etc. Let me be honest with you here-- there are a lot of things that I openly admit that I don't fully understand. I don't have the answers to everything and there are some things that bother me more than others (the fact that I am a woman and don't hold the Priesthood has never bothered me or been a trial of faith for me, but the fact that blacks did not receive the Priesthood until 1978 is something I do not understand and have come to the conclusion that I will probably not understand in this life. I also have had to really do some soul-searching and praying to understand where I stand on the issue of homosexuality, but that's a whole different topic, so we won't go there). Anyway, a lot of the comments I see use name calling a lot and say that those of us who are members of the church are "brainwashed" and "clueless."  I am not naive to things that are said about these topics and can honestly say that I don't have all the answers when it comes to tricky parts of our church's past. I have been thinking about these things a lot lately and praying about them for a while. Yesterday, Devin and I read a conference talk together and some answers and feelings of peace just came for me then. It was from Elder Cook's talk from last General Conference and he put into words so well what I have been thinking and wishing I could put into words for a while (in fact, I have wanted to write a post like this for quite a while, but haven't dared. But now, since I have these awesome words to express my feelings for me, I am doing it.) So here it is:

"The essential doctrine of agency requires that a testimony of the restored gospel be based on faith rather than just external or scientific proof. Obsessive focus on things not yet fully revealed, such as how the virgin birth or the Resurrection of the Savior could have occurred or exactly how Joseph Smith translated our scriptures, will not be efficacious or yield spiritual progress. These are matters of faith. Ultimately, Moroni’s counsel to read and ponder and then ask God in all sincerity of heart, with real intent, to confirm scriptural truths by the witness of the Spirit is the answer.²² In addition, when we inculcate into our lives scriptural imperatives and live the gospel, we are blessed with the Spirit and taste of His goodness with feelings of joy, happiness, and especially peace.²³

Please understand that having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments are and always will be the defining test of mortality. Above all else, each of us must realize that when one is tone-deaf to the music of faith, he or she is out of tune with the Spirit. As the prophet Nephi taught, “Ye have heard his voice … ; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.”²⁵

Our doctrine is clear; we are to be positive and of good cheer. We emphasize our faith, not our fears. We rejoice in the Lord’s assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction.²⁶ The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Father in Heaven, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ."

Elder Quentin L. Cook, April General Conference "In Tune with the Music of Faith." (Full talk HERE)

I love this. LOVE this. It comes down to faith. Of course we will never have all the answers, but I have had that spiritual witness which is promised to all after I have read and prayed about the my church and my choice to participate fully in it. I have had a spiritual witness on many occasions in my life- too many to count, in fact. So, my choice is to heed the spiritual witness I have versus allowing the critics to creep in and tell me what to believe (or not to believe, in this case.) My faith is the most important thing in my life and I cannot deny the blessings and witness that have come to me when I do place my faith in Jesus Christ. I love the church and the goodness and richness it brings into my life. Sure, it can be hard sometimes to go to church just to have your kids scream their way through it, thus allowing me to catch about 2 minutes total of the 3 hours, yet, I strongly desire to be there every week, maybe not for what is said, but for the feeling and the Spirit that is there. This past Sunday, I don't really remember what we talked about during the meetings, but I remember coming home feeling uplifted and feeling the Spirit. For me, it comes down to whether I feel the church and the Book of Mormon (which has the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" -I feel that that is true as it works hand in hand with the Bible) bring me closer to Christ or draw me away from Christ. I can say with a definite voice that they bring me closer to Christ and help me to be a better person. I still have many flaws, but I hate to think of what my life would be like without a testimony of God and a testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement.

I guess my take home message is this: what I hope is that people of differing religious backgrounds will offer me the respect to live the religion I choose, and I will do the same for them. I don't expect anyone to believe the same way I do, or to have the same exact testimony that I do. I respect and admire the choices of many of my friends to practice other religions. I just wish the world offered the same respect to us.

A few disclaimers on this:
*This post is NOT directed to anyone who actually reads my blog. I have felt nothing but respect and love from friends of mine who are not LDS. This comes from months of mounting frustrations about how people focus on the negative and slam our church where others are going to be influenced to think of the LDS Church as a cult, or worse. If someone wants to know about our church, good, bad, and all, I hope that they don't base their opinion on negativity that is spread around the internet or by ex- members of the church. I am an open book and happy to talk about my religion, even the difficult parts, with those who genuinely want to know and form an opinion.

*I know that the LDS Church is by NO MEANS the only church that is targeted and that has half-truths, lies, or defaming statements posted about it on a daily basis on the internet. This post is just based on my own experiences because I tend to read articles about my own religion.

*Please, please, be respectful in the comments here...in case some who hate my religion happen to find this post. I am almost certain that my little old blog is not going to be found by any that I am describing, but if it is, please be respectful of my own personal views and my freedom to express them here.

Hallie-isms

I should be better about writing down the funny things Hallie says. Here are just a few Hallie-isms from the last little while:

*One day: "Mom, you're chubby like me!" (said in her most enthusiastic voice).

* Hallie likes to talk to herself and often talks about people/things that seem to come from nowhere. For example, one day she was saying something about "Becca". I asked her if she was talking about her dolls that Grandma and Grandpa brought her from Estonia (which she sleeps with every night and has named Becca and Aya). She replied, "No, mom! I am talking about Becca. You know, the Becca that lives in the United States?" Yeah, that clears it up.

*One day when we were outside, Devin came home and found us in the backyard. Hallie greeted him with the following: "Hi, Daddy!! You're so cute!" and then, under her breath she added, "He's so adorable." Uh....

*"Mom, can I call you Kim?"

*Samples of some excellent prayers lately:

            -"Please bless that I can wear these clothes I am wearing again tomorrow."
            - "Please bless that people won't bug Daddy."
            - "Help us to be good and hot for our mom."
            - "Thank you for our life-s" (said like life-es)
            - (Prayer in primary): "Please bless my mom and dad. Thank you for my mom and dad. I love my      mom and dad."

*While in Costco with me one day, I let her hold my costco card while we were in line to check out. You know that Costco is always packed with people, so it was really unfortunate when she shouted, "Mom! Why are you naked in this picture?!" She was referring to the picture on my card (and I am NOT naked in the picture, lest you worry), but hopefully the people around us didn't think she was looking at some pictures we had picked up there or anything...yikes.

*At dinner one night, I left the kitchen to get something when I heard her yell from the table, "Mom, can you get back in here? I have an ornery kid in here!" (meaning Jace who was whining.) Such a little mom.

*Today we went to the splash pad in a neighboring town, which the kids loved. As we were leaving, she said, "Mom, you need to remember to put this on your list." I asked, "What list?" and she said, "You know, the list where you put down things that you need to do...that list." Apparently attending the splash pad is a must for the to-do list. And I also apparently make too many lists.


And a short little general update on Hals:

Hals is coming up on 4 years old and it's just crazy to me. She is so grown up. She really has been forced to grow up since Flor came into our family as she is the "big sister". She is such a good help with Flor and Jace and loves to do all the little things I ask her to do. She asks to help clean the kitchen, sweep, vacuum, etc. I am so grateful that I have her as she really is such a helper. She has chores that she is required to do on her own, which are unloading the dishwasher and cleaning up the toys in the basement before bedtime, but beyond that, she really likes to help with whatever else is going on.

Hallie has kept busy this summer as she has been in 4H and is currently in swimming lessons. This fall she will start the Waterford computer classes again (they are held at our stake center and we love it-3 times per week for 45 minutes and she learned so much with them last year.) She is also going to start dance classes and she asks me pretty much every day if it is fall yet so that she can start dance. She's excited. I am sure she is going to be a riot at the recitals- I will have to get some videos.

Hallie is quite the social butterfly and makes friends easily. She plays with the neighbor girls nearly every day and then her friend Ashley once or twice a week. She has quite the memory for her friends from Ecuador too and talks about them all the time. Just this week during family home evening, we were talking about loving everyone like Jesus does, and Devin asked the question, "Who does Jesus love?" Hallie's response was "Hannah, Abby (the neighbors), Jenna and Adriana" (both friends she made in Ecuador).

We had to re-instate the sticker chart for Hals recently as she has been having some fits/tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. We asked her what she wants to earn when her sticker chart is full and she said a Happy Meal. Easy enough. She can earn three stickers per day and has to have 60 in order to get her Happy Meal (tough Daddy requiring all those stickers!). Really, though, she will probably have her Happy Meal in no time as she is usually a good girl. I feel a little bit bad that she has been forced to grow up so much in the last year, but then I realize what a blessing it is for her to recognize and see the need to help others. She really is so great with Flor and I think that she will continue to help and protect her as she grows up. She is a great sister and such a blessing to us. Heavenly Father knew that we needed her first in our family and we sure adore her.

That's it for this edition of Hallie-isms!

Update on Flor next...

Important to Know

I know, I am totally on a blogging roll. I am also aware that most of this is probably boring to my 5 readers, but I really, really like going back and reading my own old blog posts. Just today, I cracked up reading about how funny Hallie was when she was younger and got a bit nostalgic reading a post from our time in Ecuador. I am really glad that I am recording these things, because heaven knows I am not doing it in my journal and I would never remember all these things on my own.

 So for today's viewing/reading pleasure, two things that are very important to know about Jace right now:

1)He is really, really into sitting in small cubby-like places. If Jace needs to be found, he can usually be found sitting either here:

Or here: (In fact, most mornings while I am otherwise occupied with other children, he gets down from the table and takes his breakfast (plate/bowl, utensils, and all) and parks it here to eat it. Lovely.)

2) Jace loves eating toothpaste. This may be his worst habit, but if you take your eyes off of him for more than a few minutes, he is bound to sneak into the bathroom, pull the stool to the counter, and climb up in order to get to the toothpaste. I don't even want to speculate about how much toothpaste he has consumed in his 17 months. Yikes.

Not to worry, future posts coming on Hallie (Hallie-isms) and Flor as well.

Family Reunion 2012

I have the most generous Grandma in the world. Let's just start with that.

Every year since Devin and I have been married, my Grandma has paid for large portions of the cost of a reunion for whoever wants to come (this is my dad's family- which has 11 original children (though only 8 are still living), 54 grandchildren, and hoards of great-grandchildren.) Our first year, we went to upstate New York to see many church history sites, Niagara Falls, etc. The second year, we had a reunion in the mountains of Colorado. The third year, we had a reunion in Island Park, Idaho, complete with cabins, horses, rafting, etc. The fourth year, we had a reunion in Nauvoo, Illinois to see many of the church sites there. What happened last year? I don't remember-- maybe we took a year off. This year, we had a reunion at Heber Valley Girls Camp, right up the canyon from us. There were about 85 family members there and it was so much fun to get together with so many family members.

Devin was unable to come this year as he had to work, but it was a great time for me and for the kids. My favorite parts of this year's reunion (before I had to leave early because Devin was home barfing and we needed to get ready for Flor's sealing) were the campfire/funny family story night (HILARIOUS. So many good stories-- many involving my grandpa, who has quite the legacy of great stories. Oh Grandpa...sure miss him) and the late night cousin chat with many of my favorites (cousins that is). We even had a mouse join us for the chat, which made it extra special (yeah, right.)

I stole every single one of these pictures from my sister's blog, since I took zero on my own. So please forgive me if you read her blog too, and while we are on forgiving, please forgive the atrocious hair. Sometimes I do my hair, sometimes I don't. It's as simple as that. (It is also not helpful that I have started to develop my mom's poofy/frizzy hair in my old age. thanks, mom.)

Yeah, we look like we have been camping. Camping in cabins, but still camping. Wooden bunks and all.  Sleeping wasn't the greatest, but oh well, we can laugh about it now. 

Brooklyn. Isn't she about the most adorable baby you have ever seen? She is also about the most well-behaved child I have ever encountered. I think Jen and Steve deserve a really crazy one after her. Time will tell.

Here is a good shot to show you how much bigger Hallie is than most kids her age. Sadie is only 3 months younger. These two are inseparable and it's adorable.

We went canoeing/paddle boating one day and had a great time. Well, that is I enjoyed my five minutes in the canoe before we had to row me back to shore because Jace was really fighting me to jump into the water. 

Kenna was kind enough to help me with my kids the whole time since 3 on 1 is a bit difficult. She is a champ and  Flor LOVES her. This man wasn't too fond of the idea of having 7 of us in a boat, but we were persistent and he finally agreed.

We all look thrilled, right? Notice Jace just waiting for the right moment to hop on in. He apparently didn't listen to the speech about getting the "7 day itch" if you went into the water. 

We were not supposed to switch types of boats, but we snuck on over and did anyway. This worked better (notice no Jace--Jen and Steve were nice enough to watch him on shore.) 

Playing in the sand instead of the water

Just cute. She is a chubster and I love it.

I wasn't even here for this part of the trip, but want to post this picture too to show how awesome my Grandma is. Nevermind that she is 80 years old-- she is not going to let a little whitewater rafting scare her! (She is in the orange hat.) 

I was also sad that I missed a baby shower for my cousin Sarah held during the reunion. I helped plan the shower but wasn't able to be there due to the stress at home (Devin's being ill really put a damper on plans for the week. Good thing his parents were kind enough to come up to the rescue and help us get everything ready for Flor's sealing. We are just blessed all around with awesome family members! Luckily Devin recovered and was good to go by the time Thursday rolled around for the sealing.)

Until next year...