Big Boy Bed

Those who know Barry very well know that he takes forever to make up his mind. Me on the other hand tend to be impulsive. And for some reason he tends to make up his mind when I'm at work. I came home tonight to find that Daddy finally decided Owen was ready for a toddler bed. I wish I could have been there when Barry removed the crib front. Apparently Owen was screaming with joy. He got off, on, and jumped on it. I asked Owen to show me his big boy bed and he was just as excited.

I'm excited for New Years Day. We are going to Salt Lake City. Hopefully the roads are clear. We are taking a family friend down to the airport and to celebrate my birthday which is Friday. I shutter to think I'm 2 years away from 30. I think once I hit thirty I'm going to be 30 for then on. Ha-ha. Tomorrow we are finally going to use the movie gift certificates we got from Owen's birthmother last Christmas. I don't know exactly what we are planning to see.

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas.  Christmas Eve we continued tradition we started last year with Owen. We let him open one present which were some footed pajamas.

Christmas morning Owen woke up around 6:30 AM. Just a half hour earlier than normal. We opened presents before I made French Toast for breakfast. I had to joke with Barry's dad about breakfast later. I asked him "Guess what I made for breakfast? ... Breakfast" Ha ha. It's a well known fact that first I am not a fan of mornings and second I am not a fan of cooking. So, it was quite the gift to our little family to get warm, cooked breakfast. 

Anyway, to say the least we all got spoiled so I'll highlight a few gifts. Santa gave Owen a wooden train track with Thomas and Percy, Kung Fu Panda, and some snacks. After getting Thomas and Percy, Owen wasn't interested in opening presents. We coaxed him into opening a couple but the rest we opened for him (clothes and such). He also got some die cast cars Disney Cars (Lightning McQueen, Sally, Flo, & Ramone).

Owen playing with Thomas and Percy

Barry got a step-ladder which was the only thing I managed to keep a secret from him. He surprised me with a table and 4 chairs for my craft room. Its a dining set that a university student family who were moving were desperate to sell. Apparently they were right under my nose next to water heater and furnace downstairs.

We then drove to Idaho Falls to open presents and eat lunch with Barry's parents. We were only able to go about 35 to 40 mph on the highway and there was only 1 lane because it was so drifted. Good thing we have 4 wheel drive. Grandpa and Grandma spoiled Owen too.  They gave him some clothing and a plastic car he can drive with his feet. Barry's parents gave us a bread maker and his brother David's family gave us Yahtzee and some other fun games. Maybe we will finally start inviting family and friends over for game night.

Owen in his car holding Lightning McQueen, Sally, and Flo

We are so blessed to have had such a nice Christmas. We have much to be thankful for this season. I am especially thankful that Heavenly Father gave us the ultimate gift of His only-begotten son.

Snowed In

You would think living in the "city" we wouldn't be snowed in. Boy was I wrong. Living in the last culdesac, right next to an empty field did us in when the wind came whipping around last night. We have 3 foot drifts in front of our driveway. The good ol' city of Rigby's snow plow came this morning and couldn't hack it. Their idea of a snow plow is a 1965 International dump truck. Pretty good for hauling dirt but tackling snow drifts, not so good. Right now the county front loader is digging us out. Here are some pictures of our drifts.

There are good things to being snowed in. We were able to take Owen outside for just a little bit and take him for his first sled ride. 




See our arbor back there? Check out the 5 foot snow drift around it. Well, it was Barry who said it didn't feel like Christmas without the snow. So I hope he is happy! Hehe. Nah, I like the snow too as long as I don't have to drive on it. He's right though, it wouldn't feel like Christmas without it being a white one.

Drywall, check

The family room and play room are all drywalled. These rooms are the same size as our living room and kitchen so you can imagine it was quite the undertaking. So I needed to pitch in and help Barry. I still can't believe that I overcame my usual whimpiness and helped Barry lift 12 foot boards onto the drywall lift. 

Supposedly tomorrow the drywall subcontractor will come start the taping and texturing of these

 rooms and the bathroom. Since he is doing this on the side, it will probably take a couple

 Saturdays to do. We really aren't in a rush anyway. I would like the bathroom finished for convenience now that I have my craft room down there.

Christmas Time

Christmas is up at the Vest household. Wednesday I decorated the tree and the rest of the house. I knew Owen would have some issues with the decorations especially the tree but I tried anyway. I put the glass bulbs on top and the shatterproof ones on the bottom. Owen loved it. He kept saying "Ohhh" and jabbering on. Later on, after the hundredth time of telling him not to take off the bulbs off the tree, I decided that if I didn't want a bunch of them coming up missing at the end of Christmas, then I better move them higher or take them off. So that's why the bottom 3 feet isn't decorated completely.  He has left the Christmas presents alone though. Thank goodness! I can't wait for Christmas morning he'll be so excited with some things we got him. I won't spoil it for you either.

Basement Construction

With landscape season over, Barry has been very busy over the last month working on the basement. We are hoping to finish all but two rooms this winter. Barry started with my craft room. It has been drywalled, taped, textured, painted, trimmed, and cabinets installed. Now we are just waiting on carpet. It's being installed Tuesday. 

Late afternoon yesterday, the plumber came and installed the toilet flange and bathtub. Once he is finished tomorrow, we'll be able to drywall and tile. 

So we are really truckin' with this project. Next project is to drywall the family and play rooms. Then we can tape and texture those rooms and the bathroom. Just paint, lighting, and trim and those rooms will be done except for the bathroom. We'll install the vanity and then have the plumber install the faucets, toilet, and shower head. Of course the play room and family room will need carpet too.

I'm way excited to get more room to live in. Especially my craft room so we can clear up the office. The office should be a lot easier to have clear out when we get our next baby (hopefully not too long away).

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, Barry, Owen & I spent lots of time with our family. It had been 2 years since Barry and his siblings were all together for Thanksgiving. We had much to be thankful for. Since that Thanksgiving 2 years ago, we had Owen and his cousins Taylor and Eloise join the family. We also have two additions coming in June via our sister-in-laws Joni & Allison. 

Dinner was so good but Owen was not quite himself. Usually he is as happy as a lark. Instead he was cranky and easily upset due to teething issues. By Friday he was just fine. Crazy how teething works.

I was a little bummed that we couldn't make Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandpa Clinger's home. All my aunts and uncles were there for the first time in years! Here is a picture of them (thanks Tiffani). It does make me think how much I wish my mother and grandmother were still here with us. Though I know they are around more than we know. Anyway... on a happier note.

Steven, Neal, Grandpa, Ann, David, & Mark

Friday we avoided the shopping crowds. I learned my lesson from last year. We do go to a pizza party at my uncle Steven's home. This time Owen was such a good boy! Most of my cousins, aunts, and uncles where there. It was lots of fun. Saturday we spent evening playing games with Barry's family. Sunday Barry got sick with a fever and body aches but by Monday he was all better. All in all we had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

Too Cute for Words

Sold

I know others including myself have wondered for years if Barry could ever part with his Buick Rivera. Barry gets pretty attached to his vehicles but then again the Rivera has been with our family for a long time (9 years, 4 years before he met me). It was a nice car for just the two of us. Being a two-door coupe it was hard for anyone sitting in the back seat to get in and out. Well, Wednesday night we sold it.

Here is a picture of Barry the afternoon before he parted with it.

After we dropped it off to its new owner, I asked Barry how he felt. He said, "Like I just lost my manhood." Well, it is a bit sad but the extra money from the sale and the savings from insurance, licensing, etc will make it worth it. We didn't need 3 vehicles anyway.

I had a Little Turtle...

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. We sure did. We had a good turnout of treat or treaters at our house. Owen loved opening the door (with some help from mom and dad) and seeing all the kids. At first he was upset he couldn't go outside too. We figured out that if we told him to wave goodbye and to close the door then he didn't get upset.

My work had a Halloween Chili/Soup Cookoff for lunch. It was so good and plus they had bread bowls. I made my Pumpkin Pie Cake and I got lots of compliments about it. Later they had trick or treating for the kids. All the employees sit at their desk/cubicle with their candy bowls while the kids come around to them. Owen was so strung out already that we didn't last long. So we quickly worked through the maze of desks and came home. Owen's favorite is Smarties as you can see below. He likes Nerds and Tootsie Rolls too. Tuesday we went trunk or treating with Owen's cousins Lilly, Luci, and Andrew. I had a hard time getting Owen to keep walking. Every stop he wanted to dig through his bag. He was so tired too.

Lately he is only taking one 2 hour nap but he still really needs at least a second small one. He gets so tired and strung out. Anyway, enough of me jabbering and onto the pictures. He finally cooperated!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Sorry that this is another recipe post. I haven't got pictures of Owen in his way cute Squirt sea turtle (from Finding Nemo) costume. He just won't cooperate for Momma! Hopefully Daddy can help for a second. Owen is a total daddy's boy at this stage. Anyway, on to the recipe.

This recipe is super special to me because it is the only recipe I have from my mom. So, to say the least, it is always a part of our fall celebrations.

Pumpkin Pie Cake
From: Jaylene Clinger Olsen

Ingredients

• 1 - 29 oz can pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (can substitute 2 tsp nutmeg and 2 tsp cinnamon)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 - 12 ox can evaporated milk
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 9x13 inch pan. Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Melt butter and drizzle over cake mix. Sprinkle walnuts on top. Bake 60 minutes or until done.

Dinner in a Pumpkin Recipe

Barry's sister Amanda requested this recipe after my post about it. Melissa so graciously gave me a copy to share but I figured more than just Amanda would enjoy this recipe. It was oh so good.

Dinner in a Pumpkin
By: Ruth Ann Harrison
From: Melissa Thornock

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium pumpkin
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (8oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Instructions

Cut off top of pumpkin and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp.
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large skillet, saute onions in oil until tender. Add meat and brown.

Drain drippings from skillet. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into the cleaned pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet. Bake 1 hour or until inside meat of the pumpkin is tender. Put pumpkin on a plate. Remove pumpkin lid and serve meat. For your vegetable, scoop out cooked pumpkin and serve.

Mixed Feelings

Yesterday definitely had it's ups and downs. I took Owen to get his 18 month pictures and he was absolutely awful. I was embarrassed. He wouldn't let go of me and throwing little tantrums. He wouldn't stand and kept head butting me backwards. I think I should have scheduled it in the morning on a day I had off. He had just woken up so he was cranky and hungry but wouldn't eat. Thank heavens we got one really cute one! Next time I'll know to do it in the morning.

Luckily my day turned around. We had Melissa, Jared, and Harry over for dinner and pumpkin decorating. They brought a casserole dinner baked in a pumpkin. It had ground beef, rice, water chest nuts, mushrooms, and onions. Then Barry helped Owen carve a pumpkin while Melissa, Jared, and Harry painted some. We had apple pie I made topped with ice cream too. We sure had a fun time together.

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet? Initially online, but soon after on a blind date to what is now the Firehouse Grill restaurant.
2. How long did you date before you got married? 8 Months
3. How long have you been married? 5 Years
4. What is your favorite feature of his? His irresistible smile and blue, blue eyes
5. What is your favorite quality of his? His sense of humor. 
6. Does he have a nickname for you? Oh, the usual terms of endearment (honey, dear, etc)
7. What is his favorite color? He doesn't really have a favorite. Any masculine color.
8. What is his favorite food? Rib-eye steak and ribs
9. What is his favorite sport? He likes most sports. I say football, golf, and race cars are tied for first.
10. When and where was your first kiss? Our first trip to Utah together at his aunt's house.
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Oh, the usual. Go out to eat and the movies. We do like going for drives.
12. Do you have any children? Owen, 18 months
13. Does he have a hidden talent? Well, like most men, the ability to put up with his wife. He's a great cook too.
14. How old is he? 32
15. Who said "I love you" first?  I really don't know. I might have said it first when I was put under to remove my wisdom teeth. He was in the room and apparently I said some funny things while I was going under. Ha-ha. I truly knew he loved me because he was right by my side through the whole wisdom teeth experience. I didn't have my mother to take care of me and he did even though we were just dating.
16. What is his favorite type of music? He likes country and Frank Sinatra era music. He likes Christina Agulia a bit too much. :0)
17. What do you admire most about him? He works so hard for our family and even does so much for others without a complaint.  He is also a wonderful daddy!

I tag Melissa, Allison, JaNan, Holly Schwendiman, Holly Davis, and Sabra.

Apple Pie...Yum

I am so thankful for the Relief Society. Today I wasn't having the best day because I didn't feel well. I was dizzy, had a headache (in part due to the glare from my monitor at work), and my tummy hurt. When Barry finally got home I took a quick nap before the Cooking Enrichment Group tonight. I didn't know if I would make it. They were learning to make pies. Barry loves pie so I had signed up Sunday. Plus he found out they had a cooking group and so he basically said I have to start going. He's always saying he is going to send me somewhere to learn to cook. Anyway, I had a really fun time with the ladies and it turned my day around.

I made an apple pie using just a canned filling. As you can see from the result it turned out really well. I'll bake it tomorrow. The recipe for the crust is super easy.

Pie Crust (1 Crust)
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 Tablespoons cold water

Pie Crust (2 Crusts)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
3 Tablespoons cold water

Bake 10 minutes @ 425 F if pie has one crust. Bake 45 minutes or more @ 375 F if pie with two crusts (top and bottom).

Sift flour and salt. Mix in oil. Add water and mix into ball. If too dry add a little oil.

Fun with Decorating

This past weekend Barry, Owen, and I went down to Utah. We went down with Barry's parents. We needed to pickup Grandma's early birthday present (a piano) and haul other stuff for Barry's cousin.

It was a nice little getaway. As always, we had a fun time visiting Barry's sister Amanda. Owen loved playing with his cousins Noah and Eloise. We also had a chance to shop. I've been in the decorating mood so I begged Barry to take me to Tai Pan Trading. It's like a Pier 1 Imports but much, much cheaper and it has fun Christmas and other holiday decor items. I picked up some berry garland and Barry found a metal latern and milk can that he liked. We wanted to finish our decorating job of our nook in our living room.

I also finally got the rest of my Halloween decorations. I've really enjoyed these last decorating projects for our home. I'm so thankful to have our own home with places to decorate!

My Super Monday

Monday I invited Melissa over to help with some craft projects. It was lots of fun! We sanded, painted, and laid vinyl. Harrison was a great help with Owen. Here is what we got done. Thanks Melissa! 

Look Ma! I'm Eating with a Spoon

I can't believe what a big boy Owen is becoming. He is getting pretty good with eating with a spoon. Though he'll still pick up the food with his hands about half the time even with a spoon in his hands. Today he went to nursery without mommy being there. Not to jinx myself but he didn't cry a bit! I was more leary about him being alone. He'll be 17 months this upcoming Saturday. I miss my little baby but I must say it's easier to attend Sunday School and Relief Society.

There was a mother and her one month baby girl who sat across from me in Relief Society. I felt sad thinking about the baby girl we were suppose to get last month. She's one month right now too. Oh well [sigh]. Hopefully soon enough we'll have our next baby in our arms.

Peek-a-Boo

Besides pat-a-cake, Owen loves peek-a-boo. His favorite spot to play is behind the love-seat in the living room but he'll play about anywhere. Yesterday he was fussing while I was refueling the car. So I opened his door and played by moving a bit out of his sight and then popping into the door opening. It was enough to occupy him while we waited. He is such a wonderful little boy!

Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake...

Owen is in the stage where nearly every day he is doing something new. This week Barry was teaching Owen pat-a-cake. So here is a little video of Barry helping him at first and then Owen doing it himself. 

It's hard not to compare your child's abilities to another child. His cousin Eloise knows the sign for "more" and she can give high-fives. Even another little boy in our ward who is a month older than Owen knows the sign for "more." I realize girls are typically faster learners but I figure Owen just isn't interested in those things. I would really love to have him learn the signs for "drink", "hungry", "more", "tired", and "hurt." That would really help me out when I have no clue what he wants and all he can say is "uh-uh-uh."

A little update on the kitties. Like we originally thought, they are our neighbors' kitties. They went out of town and the kitties were lonely and for some reason not eating the food over there. It was nice to have them just as visitors. We've had an offer for Owen to get a kitty of his own but I'm not sure. Winter is coming around and any cat that came to our house would need to be an outside cat. So, I'm debating. Plus you have to worry about feeding them and health care but at least unlike a dog you don't have to have a fence.

Little Visitors

Last night Barry did something against his nature and befriended a stray kitty. We heard a little kitty meowing so we lured it to the door by feeding it. Then we showed Owen the kitty and he went crazy. Banging on the door and smiling and talking. This morning we woke to two kitties. Barry thinks they may be our neighbors but we couldn't get ahold of them. They must be out of town.

Anyway, every few minutes Owen would race over to the porch door and check on the kitties. They acted like most cats do. They would look up when Owen banged on the door and started gabbering but then just went back to sleep. We put out an old blanket for the one kitty last night and of course they love it.

Fun at the Fair

Friday afternoon Barry took Owen and me to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. I wish I had pictures to share. I even told myself earlier that day to bring the camera. Oh well. The last time Barry and I went was two years ago. It seems that we go about every two years. We went this year to take Owen to see the animals. We saw chickens, roosters, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and cows. Owen liked the sheep and goats the best. They would come right up to him in his stroller.

Barry and I both made the mistake of having late lunches so we weren't hungry for anything but dessert. We really were looking forward to prime rib sandwiches. Oh well, desert was really good anyway! Barry had a funnel cake and I had scone nuggets. Then we needed something refreshing to help with the thirst those sweets had caused. By this time Owen was so fussy. We got some lime Ricky's and then released the stroller's back into lay down mode. He fell right asleep.

The rest of the fair wasn't so great. It isn't smoke free so everywhere you'd get whiffs of smoke. Gag! And it was starting to get crowded. The commerical buildings were pretty boring too unless you wanted to buy a vacuum that could suck a bowling ball. We did see the coolest thing right before we left. There was this booth where people would go before a green screen and be entirely covered with green capes. The technician would then put the image of their heads on these little rendered images of bodies in costume that would dance to music. This would all be recorded to DVD. We saw a couple people doing Viva Las Vegas. It was show girl body and an Elvis body. It was hilarious! Overall, we had fun. We'll probably take Owen again when he's 3.

Tagged Once Again

I was tagged by my sister-in-law Joni so here goes.

Rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random facts about your self. Then tag at least 5 people at the end.

Joys
1 - My family
2 - Seeing Owen smile
3 - Reading a good book

Fears
1 - Never getting another baby
2 - Heights

3 - Getting seriously ill

Goals
1 - Attend the temple once a month.
2 - Read my scriptures and pray daily.
3 - Make a home where peace and love reside.

Obsessions
1 - Shopping for Owen
2 - Harry Potter
3 - Dr. Pepper

Random Facts
1 - I'm the only child out my parents' children who has brown eyes.
2 - I never liked Dr. Pepper until I met Barry. (I actually learned to love a lot of new things)
3 - For the longest time I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. I even had my own pretend medical charts for my stuffed animals that I used when I played doctor.

I'm going to break one rule and not tag anyone. Sorry.

Little Boys

A friend sent me a link to some poems about little boys and I thought this poem fit Owen the best. 

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes, 

Shy and adventurous, full of surprises, 

With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,

Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins. 

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while 

Nothing can brighten the world like their smile. 

And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy 

Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Little Moonwalker

Happy Birthday Mom!

I wasn't sure I'd be able to compose myself while I wrote this entry and I have shed some tears thinking of what I could say.  Today would have been my mother's birthday 50th birthday. It's been 9 years since she's been gone and every day I miss her. I like to think of what a loving, compassionate, wonderful woman she was. She sacrificed much for us kids especially physically. She became my best friend during my teenage years. She truly listened whenever I had a problem. We got to do some special things together like go to country music concerts, movies, and even Disneyland. We loved watching some favorite TV shows together. She'd watch X-Files for me and I'd watch Star Trek for her. 

Sometimes I get a bit sad thinking that Owen (and hopefully more children) won't know her in this life. She would have spoiled him with love and presents. Thankfully she had lots of time with him in heaven and I know she visits us now. 

It's a very special birthday besides it being my mother's birthday because it is also shared by my mother's sister Ann and our nephew Andrew. I remember my mom telling me the story of the day my aunt was born. My mother was at school waiting for my grandma to bring treats for her class. Instead my great grandmother came and told my mom that she had the best birthday present ever, a new baby sister. My mom was thrilled because she only had brothers up to this point. Four of them to be exact.

Deal or No Deal: My Old Roommate is a Millionaire

Not that this concerns me at all, but I think it's pretty crazy that an old roommate from Ricks College is now the first on the show Deal or No Deal to be a millionaire. Jessica and I lived in the same apartment my sophomore year. Her and the rest of the girls are the only roommates besides my friends that I actually stayed in touch with. They are re-airing the episode on CNBC Thursday @ 7PM. I missed it so I have my DVR scheduled to record it. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

Our Comic Relief

Thank heaven for our little boy! Owen has been our comic relief lately. He's been doing lots of funny new things. One of his favorites is to find either Mama's or Daddy's shoes and with one on go all over the house. I'll have to get this on video as well as his latest trick of doing the moon walk (walking backwards). He's also into putting as many things as he can in his hands. He can't just have two things in them now. He has 5 of the little soft Tonka cars and he tries to carry all of them. He gets upset when one drops. To make it even more funny, when he does have his hands full he'll try to use his mouth or teeth to pick up his binkie or sippy cup. I need to find him a little mesh bag for him so he doesn't have to try to fit so much in his hands.

Thoughts

Barry and I are doing as well as possible considering what we've just gone through. We went down to Salt Lake Saturday morning just to getaway. We had a fun time going out to eat and shopping with Barry's sister Amanda. I took the opportunity to read and finish the 4th book in the Twilight series, "Breaking Dawn" in the car. I quite enjoyed it and it was so nice just to immerse my thoughts in something new. It was hard coming home though. I still have some baby gear to take back downstairs and I've been avoiding it. There are a couple little accessories and two outfits I'm keeping with a hope and a prayer we'll get another baby girl.

Over the past couple days, I've had lots of time to think about this failed adoption though. Many questions have come to mind. Why did our potential birth mother change her mind? Why did it need to happen? Was there anything we could have done to go the extra mile? Was God's will done? I wish I had some satisfiable answers. For one thing, I don't quite think she was prepared for the difficultly she was to face. Wednesday, the day the baby was born she was fine, but Thursday she was very emotional and not thinking clearly. Also, she didn't bond with us due to time constraints. I know that made a difference with Owen's placement. Owen's birth mother truly loved us and we loved her (and still do).

 

One scripture has come to mind throughout this trial. About 3 weeks ago, we were reading in Sunday School the sections where Alma the Younger speaks to each of his sons before his passing. In section 38 of Alma, Alma talks to his son Shiblon who had suffered much persecution on his mission. Verse 4 really hit home and now I know why. "... and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee;..." I have felt the Lord's help and I know I can be patient because he is helping me through this.

You know the saying.....??

--Barry created this blog--

So, do you know the saying, "What doesn't kill ya, only makes you stronger."? Well, we'll see if we can find where the strength is going to come in all of this. Alma 39:13 says, "turn to the Lord with all your strength". Sometimes things happen in our lives when we just have to say, ok Heavenly Father, this is all in your hands. What a blessing it is that God gave us FAMILY. This was all such a whirlwind of activity and a tornado of emotions. Rebecca and I just want everyone to know how much we felt your prayers in our behalf. Our caseworker, Dan, was just great through all of this, giving up his personal family time to work on this situation. He told us that in his years of being an adoption caseworker that failed adoptions are few and far between. We are so blessed to have Owen, and we are so blessed that his birthmother was such a wonderful person. Rebecca and I will persevere and look forward to the day when we will become parents to another wonderful little spirit. We have removed some of the posts over the last several days to make this a little easier for everyone to get through, but rest assured, we are both fine. Thank you all and God bless.

Hoping to Adopt

You've all probably noticed a big change on our site a few weeks ago. Our big picture of our family is now just a banner on the side with the words "Hoping to Adopt." We are working once again on adoption paperwork. We hope to be approved to adopt by October when Owen turns 18 months. Then we wait again. Thankfully so many of you have blogs and people who we don't know who read them. Those people might know someone in a situation where they have a baby (younger than 6 months) for adoption. So, to get to the point, we're asking those with blogs if they wouldn't mind put our little banner on their side bar.

• For those on Blogger, all you have to do is edit your Layout.
• On the side bar of your layout, click "Add an Element" picture.
• Under "Picture" click "Add to Blog"
• In the "Link" text box type "http://www.barryandrebecca.com"
• Click the "From the web" for the image source and type in "http://www.barryandrebecca.com/banner.jpg" and then press the "Enter" key.
• Click "Save"

If the "From the web" option doesn't work then just right click our banner and save it to your computer. Then just Browse and upload it instead of using the "From the web" option.

Sewing, sewing, sewing

My sister Alicia is having her 2nd baby by c-section on August 13th. So I got busy sewing last week and made her some burp clothes, a rag blanket, and a taggie blanket. For those who don't know what a taggie blanket means, it's a little comfort blanket made out of minky fabric (ultra soft plush fabric) with ribbons that stick out making tags. Owen has one I made him when he was 7 months. He loves it so much and he loves playing with the tags. He sleeps with it and loves to carry it around. When he's upset we just give him his taggie and all is ok. The pink taggie in the slide show was for my friend Melissa. She wanted one as a gift for her sister-in-law who just had a baby girl.

Pink Eye and Flu

I think we must be completely unlucky when it comes to getting sick. Barry brought home the flu. He was sick Sunday and Monday. Tuesday I ended up taking Owen to the doctor for a case of pink eye. Luckily it was bacterial so the antibotic drops are working. Believe me it's no pinic putting them in his eyes though. Yesterday I came down with the flu and I'm feeling a bit better but not much. At least it's not the stomach flu.

Virginia City

Saturday we took at fun day drive to Virginia City in Montana. It's a historical mining town northeast from Dillon. You can look into all these old buildings like a mercantile, blacksmith, and such. We dropped into the candy store and got some fudge and salt water taffy (it's made right in the store).

A little bit farther up the road is Nevada City and they have a music museum with old Wurlitzer self-playing pianos and related self-playing instruments. Owen loved it. They even have a train you can take.

Photo Tagged

I was photo tagged by my sister-in-law Amanda. I did this last night so that explains some of the pictures.

Self Portrait
I was lucky to get a shower today so my hair is not the greatest.



What the kids are doing right now

Our Bathroom
Opps, forgot to take a picture. Well, the vanity counter is a bit messy but other than that it looks OK.

Our Closet

The Laundry Room

The Fridge

Favorite room in the house
I love our nursery!

Favorite Pair of Shoes
My Sketcher sandals are so comfortable.

The Kitchen Sink