A Little Family from Idaho

Chicken "Sea Urchins"

2012-01-30T23:29:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about work is that being the minority we women have banded together and have lots of fun. One thing we've done is started a lunch book club. We do potluck and over lunch discuss the book. I got this recipe from one meetings. One of the dearest ladies I know shared this recipe. It is SOOO easy and delicious (even Barry says so and he thinks my cooking is questionable at best), and if I (the person who can ruin Kraft Mac N' Cheese) then you can do it too!

One thing I wanted to add to this recipe is that I prepare the filling the night before and refrigerate it. It sure speeds up meal prep when we come home from church starving.

Sandra's "Sea Urchins"
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken breasts (I just boil them or you could use canned)
6-8 oz. low-fat cream cheese
4 Tb. soft margarine
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. canned mushroom pieces, drained and chopped
1/2 can black olives, drained and chopped

2 pkgs. low-fat crescent rolls (I like the non-generic brand better)
Seasoned or regular bread crumbs
Melted butter
Cream of chicken soup

Mix first six ingredients together. Press each triangle-shaped crescent roll into a circle shape.

Place generous rounded tablespoon-ful of chicken mix into roll, pinch all edges together to make a ball.

Roll in melted butter, then in bread crumbs.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Serve warm with sauce made of cream of chicken soup, thinned a bit with chicken broth. (I used water and it was just fine)

These freeze well, and can be used later. Just add the sauce after heating up.
Recipe makes 16 'sea urchins'. (Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values: 5 per roll)

Happy New Year??

2012-01-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

It's been said that when you hit bottom the only way you can go is up. I thought last New Years was bad enough having my depression return after 10 years but this one takes the cake. Let's say my birthday was not a day of much celebration. But I was so thankful for the love I felt from our family that night with the little surprise party they threw. You are thinking..."What in the world is she talking about?" Well here is the low down.

We were contacted through our adoption web site on December 23rd by a birthmother. She said she was 19 year old girl living in Indiana, PA (a borough 2 hours from Pittsburgh, PA). She claimed she lived with the father of the baby and also that 2 years ago she placed a baby for adoption.

A caseworker from our adoption agency talked to her on the phone Monday, Dec 26 and they scheduled meet with her Fri, Dec 30 to start the adoption paperwork. She sent a text message Thursday, Dec 29 morning saying she was having regular contractions and later on texting us another message saying her water broke and they were heading to the hospital. She wanted us to get to Pittsburg as soon as we could. We drove to Salt Lake City caught the red-eye flight to JFK International Airport. We didn't sleep a wink.

Just before we departed was the last time we had any contact with the birthparents. We tried contacting them once we got to New York, Pittsburgh, and then the hospital. No response. The agency caseworker had not heard from them as well since Thursday night. We inquired at the maternity ward but they did not have have a patient by that name there. The caseworker was there with us and she checked other local hospitals as well. Ultimately we determined we had been scammed.

Later on we received a phone call from a Kittanning, PA police officer who told us they had arrested a woman earlier that day. They had confiscated at arrest 4 cell phones from her and found our texts and immediately called us. Apparently she had been talking to 10 other couples as well. She is not pregnant and there is no baby.

Everything happened so fast and neither we nor the agency saw any of the typical red flags. She was very willing to work with a caseworker and to give them consent to access her prenatal records. We've known since we first started pursing adoption that adoption scammers exist and we were very cautious at first. Being a true con artist, she knew exactly what to tell us to so we would let our guard down. Plus she knew over the holidays that adoption professionals would be less available and adoptive couples are most vunerable. I don't know about Barry, but I know I was struggling with the coming of the New Year thinking another year has past and our hopes and dreams for a baby didn't come true.

Hindsight is always 20/20. When she said she was in active labor we should have asked the caseworker to call the maternity ward to inquire about her. We were still in Salt Lake City and still several hours from boarding the plane when we recieved the message about her water having broke.

It has been difficult processing this loss. It's not a typical loss like our previous failed adoptions. Though we are out money for our flight, rental car, and hotel expenses, the hardest part to is we never felt any promptings warning us. We have had to simply accept that this life is a testing ground and at times a refiners fire. I like what Peter in the New Testament says to the Saints, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:" I've sure felt like an iron rod that almost to the point of snapping, but we have been re-enforced and strengthed through the Comforter and through the many prayers said in our behalf.

The strange part of this scam is she never asked for money and not knowing her ultimate plan truly frightens me. I don't believe it was mere coincidence that the police arrested her before we reached the hospital; Heavenly Father had to have been watching out for us.

I'm sure that just like me you are wondering, "What now?" We know we are to have another child in this life, so we are going to dust ourselves off, bandage the cuts and scrapes, and just continue waiting. We'll just have to see in a couple years where things stand. This quote from Elder Holland has really brought me peace, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

Here are some articles of our story in the press and the current status of her charges.

Police say woman with history of adoption scams targeted Idaho couple from Pa. women's shelter | The Republic

Armstrong baby scam suspect awaits judge's ruling - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Judge dismisses charges against woman in baby scam case

Our Christmas Holiday

2012-01-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of new posts on our blog. Keeping it updated has been a low priority on my list and secondly, I haven't felt like writing lately as I will explain in my next post.
This year we really downsized Christmas and I must admit it was the best Christmas I have had with exception of our first Christmas together and our first Christmas with Owen. No spending hours shopping, making goody plates for the neighbors or handmade Christmas cards. We had time to simply focus on the most important things, our little family and the life of the Savior, instead of letting the holiday stress get the best of us.

We decided each person would have one present under the tree and another one in each stocking. I have to admit that Barry was so right that it doesn't take much to make Christmas special. Of course Owen got one extra present to open Christmas Eve and that was a set of Lego Batman pajamas.

This year was extra fun since Owen has caught on to how Santa works. On Netflix Instant Play they had this movie called "Gotta Catch Santa Claus". Owen must have watched it 50 times at least but I must admit that it is a very cute show. We had Santa come to our ward party and Owen was so excited and not scared in the least to tell him what he wanted, a batcave, batman's motorcycle, batman, robin, and a bell (like his favorite movie Polar Express). We also watched a movie called "Yes, Virginia" based on the story "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause". It was short yet heart-warming. I definitely recommend it.

Disregard my grumpy expressions, I am not a morning person and I was feeling some frustration putting Owen's batcave together. LOL. We got him the Fisher-Price TRIO version of the batcave. The TRIO system is like the bigger Lego Duplos except they snap together for a better hold. Owen loves building with his TRIO blocks from last Christmas (thanks Grandpa & Grandma Vest) so we knew he would play with them for a lot longer than the Imaginext version.

Homemade Oreos

2012-01-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Amanda shared this recipe with me a while back. I've wanted to post the recipe on our blog for the longest time and today I found this post in my draft folder. What a nice surprise! Hope you enjoy them as much as our family does :o)

1 devil's food cake mix

1/2 c. shortening

2 eggs

Mix the above ingredients together. Roll the dough into dime-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool cookies.

Barry's New Love - Henry's Lake Ice Fishing

2012-01-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

Barry's brother David had a friend who ice fishes. Early this December, this friend invited David and Barry to go ice finishing with him and his boys. Let's just say Barry is now "hooked". Before actually experiencing ice fishing, Barry could never understand why anyone would like to sit out in the cold and freeze. Barry says if you find a good fishing spot that there is never a dull moment. It is different than fishing during the other seasons. He has caught all fine specimens of trout, Cut-throats, Browns, and Brooke; they have been measured around 20 inches in length.

I told Barry we could have muted the audio of his hundreds exclaims of of "oh my word" and the spot where the audio is all garbled. Now when anyone in the family says "Oh my word" we all laugh and exclaim in our best Barry impression "Oh my word, oh my word." Gotta love that he is the butt of the jokes for once. LOL.

Since December Barry had gone ice fishing six times or so. I'm glad he has something to enjoy during his winter break but I sure wish it was something we could do together. I still hold to my opinion that once you catch a really big fish than what is the point to continue fishing unless you eat them? In my case, unless it's tuna fish or breaded halibut I won't eat it. To each their own I suppose :o)

Angry Bird Pumpkins

2011-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

My little techno-genius preschooler has learned how to play games on our touch Android phones. His favorite is Angry Birds and it's variations as well (Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons). Beginning when Owen was 18 months, we have carved a pumpkin for Halloween. Last year I put Barry's carving skills to the test and had him try to carve a Thomas shaped train. It turned out fairly good so this year Barry suggested we do Angry Bird pumpkins. A couple weeks ago one of my Facebook friends from the ward I grew up in posted a picture of her kids with their Angry Bird pumpins. She had painted the pumpkins red and yellow for the birds and green for a pig. Then she glued cardstock cutouts for the eyes, eyebrows, and beak or snout. They turned out so cute and I figured it would be much easier than carving!! So thanks Michelle for the idea :)

Owen was excited to help make them but his enthusiasm must have bomb-dived that night because I ended up painting them all by my lonesome while Barry worked on homework (oh yeah, Barry has been working on finishing school by taking online classes at BYU-I but that's for another post). Anyway, I got Owen to paint just long enough to take some pictures. I had some blue and red craft paint at home and I bought the rest from Walmart. Note to self never use Apple Barrel brand craft paint if you want one coat coverage. I had to use 2 or so coats where as the Folk Art (also sold at Walmart) and Delta only took one.

Owen was not happy about me trying to get him to paint.

Owen loved gluing the eyes and other parts on.

I used the thicker pop-up glue dots to attach the eyes and such. At first the glue dots didn't work because they would pull up the paint instead of sticking so I just scratched off the paint with my nail in the spot I was going to put the glue dot. Even with a very windy night we only lost one set of eyes/eyebrows so the glue dots worked really well.

Here is the finished product. The best part was hearing the trick-or-treaters as they approached our door and say "Angry Birds! Cool!"

Owen was very excited to go trick-or-treating.

He likes candy more this year but

I'm very glad he'd rather have string cheese or a Go-Gurt instead. LOL.

This is Halloween!

2011-11-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Just read my sister-in-law's blog post about Halloween. She posted The Nightmare before Christmas song "This is Halloween" and since I cannot get it out of my head now (thanks Allison) I thought I should title my post the same.

I know I'm a little late posting about Halloween but as they say, "Better late than never." I posted last month a picture of the Harry Potter costume I made for Owen. Unfortunately my dreams of having a little boy to dress as Harry quickly vanished (I believe the spell is Evanesco) with the mention of one particular superhero, Robin.

You see Owen's finally made a best friend at school named Dillon and it has helped tremendously with getting him to like school. Owen absolutely loves being around Dillon and well, Dillon loves Batman. So every time when someone asked Owen who he was going to be for Halloween he'd say, "I'm going to be Robin and Dillon, he's going to be Batman."

Finally I decided there was no way I was going to get Owen to wear his Harry Potter costume for Halloween. Good thing the sweater vest and tie can be worn to church He actually wore them a couple Sundays ago. He even plays with his wand every now and again. Fortunately the cloak is big enough that he could still wear it next Halloween (I can still hope, right?) or may be able to sell it on Etsy or eBay. Plus I figured it would be relatively inexpensive time-wise and money-wise to make him a Robin costume.

I used this tutorial to make the super hero cape and this tutorial to make the Robin logo to put on the cape. I figured I could do better than the Robin logo she drew by hand and made available for download. I used the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator to trace an outline from an image of the Robin logo I found online. It was actually really easy because the Robin logo is mostly straight lines and ovals. After that I just printed it out, cut the felt using the pattern, and used iron-on adhesive to adhere the logo to the cape. I used the leftover fabric, felt and iron-on adhesive to make him Robin's utility belt (no tutorial needed for that one. :D )

I lucked out and found a solid long sleeve green shirt ($5) and a solid short sleeve red shirt ($2.50) at Walmart and the best part is they have been worn again as well. Though some people thought I should make Owen be Harry Potter anyway, you should have been there to see his smile when Dillon dressed as Batman exclaimed, "Owen you really are Robin! Come on Robin!" Plus Owen has worn the cape at home several times. So here is my little super hero!

Owen Sings Halloween Songs

2011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's Finished

2011-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Owen's starting a new school this October 31st. Hogwarts! LOL. This costume was actually pretty easy to make and put together. I used black and red flannel to make his robe and then followed this tutorial on About.com. Owen would not allow me to trace him so I traced one of his long sleeve shirts instead. I lucked out and found the neck to ankle measurement of 4T clothing.

I took a Home Economics class in middle school so even with my basic sewing skills I only had trouble in two places, the underarm area and the very top of the neck. Good thing I had the best sewer I know (Barry's mom) to help me in those spots. I bought an iron-on Griffindor patch from eBay, Harry Potter costume glasses from Amazon, and the gray sweater vest from Children's Place.

Owen already had a white dress shirt and black dress pants so all that was left was the tie and the wand. I searched all over for a reasonably priced Harry Potter tie. I finally ran into a site called Tiecoon. For just $10.00 and $2.50 shipping I was able to get Owen and Barry matching ties. Though it doesn't look like the exact one they wear in the movies it is close enough and I'm looking forward to the Sunday after when Father and Son wear their matching ties to church.

Griffindor Robe Tutorial

I was looking around for a wand for Owen and knowing him I didn't want to pay to much for a cheap wand and that's all I found. So I started looking at making my own. I looked at tons of tutorials and for the longest time I couldn't find anything I liked or wasn't time consuming or involved carving one. With all my crocheting frequently visit the yarn maker sites for free patterns. I was looking for a pattern for a Harry Potter scarf on Lion Brand Yarn site's and that's when I found this tutorial.

Elder Wand Tutorial

I decided to can the scarf since me and my perfectionism was spending way too much time on it and I figure Owen will be warm enough with the robe being flannel.

New Adoption Efforts

2011-09-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

I must give a big thank you to Grooveshark (like Pandora) and Jenny Oaks Baker. I woke up yesterday morning with lingering thoughts and feelings from the day before but after listening at work to the pure sounds of Jenny Oaks Baker playing the violin I feel better. It has been an emotional couple weeks. A couple weeks ago marked 3 years since we were approved to adopt and still our nursery's door stays closed. It is still all decorated from our previous failed adoption.

We've gave great thought and even looked into adopting older children. Most of these children come with special emotional and developmental needs and I do not have the emotional or time resources to spend (being honest with myself). We have to weigh Owen's best interests too and he is just not mature enough. Most the situations want the adopted child to be the youngest and a substantial age difference to between them and any existing children. So no matter what we do we wait. And my little persistant personality struggles with waiting because it goes against my core belief about being proactive.I didn't just wait to become a valevictorian in high school or graduate Cum Laude from BYU-Idaho. I worked and worked just like Rudy who worked his tail off to play for the Notre Dame football team.

Perhaps the "writing on the wall" is to stop kicking at the barriers on my road of life because it causes me extreme emotional pain. I need to stop focusing on what I can do next and just enjoy life. If I quietly work on our adoption efforts, it will mean it won't be my main priority anymore and I can focus on and enjoy the family I have in the here and now instead. If anything this adoption journey, and even our journey to Owen, has taught me is that the amount of effort you put forth in adoption does not guarantee you will find success.

http://threebearsboutique.blogspot.com

So I've decided just to quietly work on our biggest road block in adopting again. Though an expectant parent's free agency is the biggest roadblock I have no control over that area. I can work on the next biggest road block which has been the lack of financial resources when more expensive adoption opportunities come up. We do have an attorney in Florida who is on the lookout for a situation in a reasonable budget range but even then we need to raise/save more for that. Right now the majority of infant adoptions cost between $25 to $35K. So my pie in the sky goal is $30K but even earning a few thousand would help.

I've started a little boutique called the Three Bears Boutique where I can sell handmade accessories and put the profits into our adoption savings in hopes that if an adoption opportunity comes along we will have the funds to consider it. Right now I have crocheted items but I hope I can get some other ladies to sell their items in my boutique who are talented in other areas like bow making, jewelry, or sewing and who are willing to give a little of their profits to our fund. I needed something that would be fun (so it wouldn't become stressful), not adoption related, and not all time consuming (currently working on that part). So go visit my boutique even if only to see and enjoy my mad skills. LOL.

Park City - Day 2

2011-09-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

Even though we have taken several trips to Salt Lake as a family we've never been to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. I didn't foresee Owen would misbehave as he has in the past visiting zoos/aquariums because he has matured quite a bit (though quite spoiled). In the past Owen has shown interest in the animals for about 10 minutes and then decides it would be more fun to run all over the place until I've had enough chasing him. Oh well. At least this time he was interested for 30 minutes before he started running around. He did like the bugs, huge boa constrictor and other snakes (I'm praying he never wants a snake as a pet). I enjoyed seeing the sea turtle and the penguins. I let Barry look at the remaining exhibits while I watched Owen run, mess with the penny stamping machine, and then whine and cry when he didn't get what he wanted. I wish I could say we didn't cave but we figured that being our summer vacation getting him a little souvenir was OK.

It was almost lunchtime when we finished with the aquarium. Barry's sister told us about a burger joint in Heber that is decorated with trains and has with 100+ flavors of soda. Trains for Owen + countless Diet Dr. Pepper flavors for me. I was sold!

Most restaurants add the flavoring for you but this place has the new Coca-Cola Freestyle fountains that are touch screen and have every Coke product available. I was the one who initially figured out how to get the flavors and then told Barry how. I clicked on Diet Dr. Pepper and then it gave me the choice of cherry vanilla, cherry, or regular Diet Dr. Pepper. I got cherry vanilla and told Barry. Barry made a Raspberry Lime Diet Coke by mixing Lime Diet Coke with Raspberry Diet Coke. I sure miss the Berries and Cream Diet Dr. Pepper!!!

After lunch we drove back to the townhouse for a little R&R before Barry's sister and her family came for a little sleepover party. We went swimming again, ate pizza, and played games. I even beat Amanda and Barry at Phase 10! I have to gloat because I NEVER win board games. Barry made us a delicious pancake breakfast that morning and as an added surprise we opened the patio blinds to find a bunch of hot air balloons flying amid the mountains. One of the best things about our vacation was that I didn't have to stress out planning or cooking any meals. Barry is wonderful in this area and good thing too since my repertoire is limited to dishes such as Kraft Mac N' Cheese and spaghetti with bottled marinara sauce. LOL. Hey I can boil right ;)

Park City - Day 1

2011-09-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

The summer season for our family is all work and hardly any play (except for Owen & myself) since it's landscaping season. With Barry exhausted and me dealing with my own issues, life has been stressful to say the least. We were in dire need of some R&R and family fun. Originally we wanted to vacation in Oregon and go to the Farwest nursery convention. Since we have been pinching pennies to save enough to increase our adoption budget we decided it was too expensive. So we canned Oregon and looked for another destination.

Barry is the king of finding travel deals. Apparently timeshare owners in Park City, UT are having problems with filling their vacancies so we got a killer deal for 4 nights in townhouse. We also saved money by purchasing some groceries instead of eating out. The townhouse was located in the Newpark Resort part of newly developed area of Park City close to Kimball Junction. It was a gorgeous townhouse! It had tons of sleeping room with 1 king bed, 2 pull-outs, and 2 twin beds. as well as 3 complete bathrooms.

Though Owen isn't a Thomas fanatic anymore he still LOVES trains. Our first stop to Park City was at the Golden Spike National Historical Site "near" Tremonton. I say "near" because it is truly in the middle of no where. LOL. We made it just in time to see the reenactment of the trains meeting. The trains are almost exact reproductions of the Union Pacific's No. 119 and the Central Pacific's Jupiter. Of course we left on the hottest weekend of the year so we didn't spend as much time as we wanted. Owen was in 7th heaven seeing the trains and the rest of the weekend asked daily to go see the Jupiter.

It was so bright that all of us had to wear sunglasses or what we call "cool dudes" in our home.

Eagerly awaiting the Jupiter train

Union Pacific's Jupiter - Wood
burning steam train

Posing by the Jupiter train

Owen and Daddy examining the main train parts.
Owen knows them all.

Central Pacific's No. 119 - Coal burning steam train

Overheated already!

Thankfully Park City was about 10 degrees cooler than the valley and the resort had a swimming pool. We invited Barry's sister and her family to come swim with us. You wouldn't know from the pictures but Owen acted like a cat thrown in the pool. He had a death-grip on Barry the whole time even though he had a life jacket. Aunt Mandy and I were able to pull him off a couple times. You would have thought that after the first or second time going swimming he would have loosened up. Yeah right!

Daddy and Owen

Aunt Mandy trying to get Owen
to chill out and flow on his own

Dipo Family

Noah

Eloise

Hazel and Uncle Nate

Owen and Neckties

2011-08-21T20:44:00.001-07:00

It amazes me that as a mom how I end up needing to learn some skill I never expected to need. The ability to tie a necktie because I'd have a son who hated to wear pre-tied ties is one of those skills. We have tried all types of fastener, the clip-on, Velcro fastener, and plastic fastener and Owen refuses to wear any of them.

Unlike girls who have bows, flowers, ribbons, headbands, dresses, leg warmers, tutu skirts (I think you get the point), boys have just a handful of accessories with the most important accessory being TIES. So I have given some thought from time to time on why Owen refuses to wear a tie. I decided that he didn't like holding still long enough for me to fumble around trying fasten it with the Velcro/plastic fasteners and the metal clip simply poked and the metal surface bothered him. So what was the solution?

So yesterday I remembered the regular necktie Owen got last Christmas from Grandpa & Grandma Vest. I figured if I could tie it around his Buzz Lightyear pillow doll's neck and then loosen it as far as I could then I could just drop the tie over his head with his collar already up. Then I could quickly put his collar down and adjust the tie. But I didn't know how to tie one and Barry wasn't home so I searched YouTube on my phone and watched this video.

Well my little plan worked!! Owen looked so cute and handsome. Someone also suggested that a zipper tie might work since I could also just slip it over his head and adjust. Does anyone know any stores that sell these in the 4-6 size range? I have yet to see one in the stores I've shopped.

Halloween Sneak Peek

2011-08-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Halloween!?!? You say. That's 2 months away. Yes, for a person who stopped dressing up at 8, it is humorous how excited I get. So excited that I've been known to buy Owen's costume in August ever since his 1st Halloween. Give me some slack this year because I am making his costume this year so I had to give myself a time cushion in case I need to enroll the skills of a more experienced seemtresses.

Here are some pictures of what I have so far. See if you can guess what Owen is going to be.

Conversation with Owen This Morning

2011-08-10T07:29:00.001-07:00

Me [While driving after taking a quick look at Owen in the back seat]: "My Owen."

Owen: I'm not Owen. I'm a kitty.

Me: Oh, alright then. My kitty cat.

Owen: I'm not kitty cat. I'm a tiger kitty.

Me [Chuckling]: Oh, my mistake. My tiger kitty.

Owen: That's right.

Raize TrueType font for Visual Studio 2010

2011-07-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Though the main purpose of this blog is to share and record the going-ons in our family, I wanted to share Raize TTF (the converted version of the bitmap font Raize to TrueType) with my fellow developers in the programming world. (Note: It only works in 10pt size)

I'm very excited because after following like a zillion steps, I was able to get this, my all-time favorite programming font, to work in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 (the programming environment we use at work). You see since we upgraded from 2008 to 2010 I've been unable to use this font because the latest Visual Studio no longer supports bitmap fonts. And for the life of me I couldn't find a vector version of it. So I decided to do the conversion myself and after finally finding a tutorial online I was successful!!

Summer Crafts

2011-07-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

I've been working this year on getting decorations for each season and major holiday. I've shared some I've made earlier this year and here are my recent creations. Once again I used the Cricut to cut the vinyl and mod-podged scrapbook paper onto blocks I painted black.

One side

Other side

Here is the completed shelf for July. I took some Red Vines and cut them in half for my jar (thanks to Holly D's blog for the idea). It's hard to see in this picture but I also got some cute red star garland. I still think I need one more decoration for next year.

I didn't have time to finish my shelf for summer as I'm still looking for ideas. I found this way cute watermelon decoration online. I'm going to forgo the flower and scrapbook paper and just use paint and then vinyl cutouts for the seeds. I'm also going to be daring and use our little hand jigsaw and cut a shape out instead of just straight cuts.

New Kitties

2011-07-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our next door neighbor got two new kitties. Owen discovered them the other day and has been going over there to play with them every afternoon since. This wouldn't be problematic if he wasn't allergic to cats and dogs. Thankfully his allergic reaction to cats isn't as bad as it is to dogs. With cats, he gets a runny nose, itchy eyes, and a itchy rash. With dogs, it's all that plus his eyes swell and he gets hives. I'm thinking about trying Claritin or Zyrtec on him.

I've enjoyed watching and teaching him about kittens. How they don't like the water except for drinking and how pulling their tails hurts them. But most importantly that cats have a mind of their own and just because you want to love and hold them doesn't mean they want to be held. The grey striped kitten is a little more on the wild side and doesn't like to be held but the black one purrs almost immediately once you start stroking him. He is pretty easy going.

Yesterday Owen brought the black one into our yard and told me, "This is Squeaky. He behaves when I hold him." I had to laugh. He got the name Squeaky from an episode of Fireman Sam about the escape of the school mouse. He's been watching the show on Netflix.

Now he's been asking Daddy if he can have a kitty. When I asked him if he wanted to get a kitty just for Owen, "No, I don't want Owen's kitty. I want this kitty." LOL

Barry's Birthday

2011-06-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

I love surprising people with just the right gift. With how much Barry loves (LOL) having his birthday as he gets older, it is makes it even more satisfying. We celebrated Barry's 3_th birthday last week. We had a small celebration with just his parents and ate his favorite pie, Marie Calendar's Coconut Cream. For Owen's enjoyment, I put some candles on it and let Owen blow them out after Barry. Owen is big into birthdays this year.

Now for the story behind his gift... In November, Barry went with his brother David to Portland, Oregon to see a Duke BB game. Duke has been Barry's favorite NCAA basketball team for a long time. He holds Coach K in very high regard. Anyway, Duke doesn't usually play this far west so it was once in a lifetime opportunity to see them play and see Coach K.

With our anniversary, Barry's birthday, and Father's Day in consectutive weeks, I usually get a big combined gift. So for his present I had his ticket, program, picture, and the Duke logo custom framed. He was speechless after he opened it.

Happy Anniversary, Birthday, and Father's Day honey!

Owen's Tracks

2011-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T18:40:00.001-07:00

It was fun but a bit of an overkill on presents/sweets having Easter so close to Owen's birthday. Here is my kitchen/dining room shelves that I decorated for Easter. So much fun! I look forward to making some vinyl decorated blocks for summer, 4th of July, and fall.

Here is Owen in his Easter suit. I lucked out and found it 50% off at Sears.com months ago! In his Easter basket, Owen got bubbles, candy, a "Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!" book, a Curious George book, and a Backyardigans easy reader book.

After church we had dinner and an egg hunt at Grandpa & Grandma Luthy's home (Barry's grandparents). This year Owen really understood what to do during an egg hunt and the whole time he kept saying, "Come on Mommy we need to find more eggs." Too bad the dog got to some of the easy eggs before the kids.

Curious George Cupcake Picks

2011-05-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

This year I tried something new and made my own cupcake picks. I found a Curious George coloring page on the Internet. In Photoshop Elements, I used the paint-bucket tool to fill the outlined areas with color, shrunk it, and placed it on a simple circle design as you can see below. I did the same process using a banana clip art image. I printed them on regular copy paper and then used a 2" circle punch to cut them out. I also punched out a back for each one from a matching solid card-stock (yellow for George and green for the bananas). I used Scotch tape to attach the toothpick to the backs and then two glue dots to attach the back to each circle.

Download

Happy Birthday Dear Owen!

2011-05-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Owen turned four Wednesday and we've been celebrating since last Saturday. LOL. Saturday was his birthday party. He wanted a Curious George party and once again I had lots of fun decorating.

Here are the cupcakes and picks I made. If you are interested in how I made the picks I'll post a PDF for you to download and print as well as the instructions later.

Here is our dining area decorated in all things George!

Once again I made Owen his own little cake. Last year I had help (thanks again Melanie B. for teaching me) but this year I was able to do it ALL BY MYSELF! I was so excited with the results. I got the decorating bags, tips, and angled spatula from Walmart. I used yellow frosting for the border with red sprinkles and a Curious George figure on top. The figure came as part of a birthday candle set I bought online. As you can see I think it turned out to be really cute!

Owen had lots of fun with his cousins. It turned out to be a beautiful day! The kids loved playing outside which made the cleanup afterward so easy. Owen got pretty spoiled again with lots of toys and clothes. He got really excited when he opened a t-shirt with Star Wars' R2D2 and C-3PO on it from Grandpa Olsen. He pumped his arm and said "Yes!"

On his actual birthday, we opened presents from Mommy and Daddy and from the Dipos (Barry's sister) when Daddy got home. We gave him a Fisher-Price Imaginext Space Shuttle and a Leap Frog Fridge Word Builder. Owen was so excited about the space shuttle that he said it was the best present he had ever got. LOL. We splurged and got cupcakes from the Cocoa Bean in Rexburg. They were very good but a tad bit too rich for my liking.

Saturday Barry's parents stopped by and gave Owen a Little Tikes Water Play Table. He immediately wanted to take it outside and fill it up. Owen loves playing in the water. I have to fight just to keep him from taking a bath more than once a day and from making a mess by playing in the sink. Multiple baths wouldn't be too big of a deal if the water didn't dry out his skin so much, causing his eczema flare ups, and if he would be more agreeable when it was time to get out.

Owen's birthday is always a bittersweet time for me. I think of the pain his sweet birthmother went through for months on end after she placed him in my arms. With our failed adoptions and many unfruitful contacts, I think I know a little more about her pain and how big of a miracle Heavenly Father performed to bring him into our family. We waited for so long and as much as it's been exciting and fun to watch Owen mature and progress, at times I feel a pang of sadness knowing these four years have gone by so quickly. Even more of a reason I have to remember to cherish every moment even when he's driving me crazy. LOL.

A Rant

2011-03-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

So I used to have a feature phone (Samsung Rouge) I bought two years ago.

Touch screen, slide out keyboard. It was the best! Long story short it got water damage and no longer worked. As a replacement, I am using LG env one of my awesome co-workers let me have for free. No touch screen but at least has a QWERTY keyboard.

Anyway getting close to having my free upgrade but there are no feature phones like my old Samsung except for those by LG. I hate LG phones. They are crap! All the feature phones are being replaced by smartphones. But here is the kicker, you have to get a $30 data plan to purchase a smartphone. The $10 data plan that I had is only for features phones. It's a conspiracy! Oh and I can't find a decent used Samsung Rogue either for the price Verizon offers for new phones.

Sorry for ranting but I felt the needed it today. LOL.

Holiday Decorating

2011-03-07T09:41:00.001-08:00

I've been having fun making some seasonal decorations to put up on my shelves in the kitchen. It's been a great distraction and something I like to do.

My mother-in-law let me borrow her Cricut and I was able to cut some vinyl letters out. I want one now except I want the Silhouette electronic cutter (hint, hint for next Christmas Barry) cause' I've got skills, computer graphic skills.

Also, I got this wonderful an idea from a former classmate's blog (http://thoughtsinvinyl.blogspot.com) to use both sides of the wooden blocks so as to save storage space when the time comes.

Anyway, here is what I did...

I used a power handheld reciprocating saw (image me doing the Tim the Tool-man Taylor grunt here) and made five blocks out of a 2x4 of pine. We have lots of scraps from when we framed our basement.

After sanding, I painted the sides, top, and the edges of the front and back with black craft paint. Then I used mod-podge to stick the scrapbook paper onto the blocks and then applied my vinyl. So on one side it says LOVE and when March comes I can flip it to say LUCKY.

I also made a decoration for Easter/Spring. Barry already had a 2x4 he had cut to be a 2x2. So I used the saw again and cut out one block for the HAPPY and then I cut a 2x4 to go underneath. After the cutting, sanding, painting, mod-podge, and vinyl application here is how it turned out. I must say it turned out really cute!

Conversations with Owen

2011-02-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Wearing the Owl hat he made in Preschool

Owen is growing up fast. I can hardly believe he'll be 4 the end of April. The amount he's learned in just a year is unbelievable. Lately we've had some fun conversations between us. And the expression "Kids say the darnest things" is so true.

Me - "Come on Owen. Let's hop into the car. We're going to visit Grandma & Grandpa."

Owen - "Lets go to Disneyland first.

Owen - "Mommy, what kind of birthday do you want? A Cat in the Hat birthday or Super Why birthday?"

Me - "Cat in the Hat birthday."

Owen - "Oh, OK. Then Daddy can have a Super Why birthday."

30 Years Young

2011-01-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't been too excited about the prospect of being 30. You picture your life and you have certain expectations at what your life will be like and unfortunately I would have liked to be a mom of 2 by now. However, I am learning to accept things I have no control over and how important it is to be happy and grateful for what I do have because I am actually very blessed.

Anyway, we had a quiet celebration for my birthday. New Years Eve Barry's parents watched Owen while Barry and I went out for dinner. We called into Texas Roadhouse and had them put them on their waiting list. The wait was an hour so we decided to go over to Kohls before dinner. It's sort of a birthday tradition that Barry lets me go shopping for a new clothes. Barry's parents gave me a gift card to Famous Footwear, JCPenney, and the cutest necklace/earring set. So New Years Day Barry's mom and grandmother went shopping with me. I used my Famous Footwear gift card and got some really cute Mary Jane church shoes. Then we headed over to DownEast Outfitters (one of my favorite stores) and I got some super cute skirts and a dress. So I was pretty spoiled. Of course everything was 50% off so that's the best part of my birthday being right after Christmas!

30, flirty, and fabulous! Wearing my new sweater, skirt, necklace, earrings, shoes, and hair flower on my birthday last Sunday.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

We had a good Christmas. Owen was so much fun this year. He is starting to understand why we have Christmas and what happens during Christmas (thanks to Polar Express which he watched at least 50 times). Earlier in the month, he was helping me put bows and tags on the presents I had wrapped and kept asking if it was Owen's present. When we got to one of his he gave it a hug and started carrying it all around the house. We did not get a chance for him to talk to Santa buthe saw him from a distance at the Rigby light parade and at the mall (the line was too long). I also got him a little story to teach him about Jesus' birth and he really likes it.

We were able to get tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert for the 1st time in 3 years. The guest star was David Archuleta. We were thinking why they would have a teeny bopper sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir but his voice was so pure and he sang with such sincerity. We were pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it.

The spectacular view we enjoyed all evening!

As usual we all got pretty spoiled. All Owen wanted for Christmas were the trains Dash, Bash, & Ferdinand from the Thomas line. It was so funny Christmas Eve, we were opening presents with Barry's parents and every present Owen asked if it was Dash, Bash, & Ferdinand. LOL. He was a little disappointed until Christmas morning when Santa brought them. He got a new wooden train set, Trio building set, clothing, PJs, slippers, several DVDs, a couple pillows, and a stuffed Grinch and Buzz Lightyear.

I think Owen was having Christmas overload!

New trains and train set

My dad spent the 22nd to the 27th with us since my grandparents were visiting my uncle in Seattle. It was actually nice to have him here. Owen really enjoyed it. This is him enjoying his new set of scriptures we got him.

Barry spoiled me with a Kindle e-book reader and this gorgeous picture of the Idaho Falls temple.

I gave Barry a new fishing vest and a really nice hand mixer. As a family we got the new Move accessory for our PS3. It works like the Wii. One of the games we bought has mini games for kids and Owen loves the bug swatting game on it. He laughs so hard.

Rolo Turtles

2010-12-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

This is another goodie I am putting on our Christmas plates. These are so easy that I think Owen can even help. Thanks to my co-worker James for this idea.

courtsey RecipeRhapsody

Pretzels, Mini or Square
Rolos
Pecans, Whole (M&Ms, Almonds or Cashews work too)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with foil.
Place the pretzels on the cookie sheet and top with one Rolo each.
Bake for three minutes (not any longer or you'll have a mess).
While the Rolo is still warm, press a pecan or nut on top.
Let cool.

Oreo Balls

2010-12-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to share the recipes for some of the goodies I am making for our Christmas plates we give to our friends and neighbors. My sister-in-law Amanda made these Oreo Balls a couple years ago and they are so divine!!

courtesy Food.com

1 package Oreos
1 pkg cream cheese, warm or room temp.
Semi-sweet chocolate (baking bar or chips)
White chocolate (baking bar or chips)
1 large zip-lock bag
1 small zip-lock bag

Instructions

Place wax paper on jelly roll pan (baking sheet with sides).
In a large bag, crush most of the oreos. Pour into large mixing bowl. Mix in cream cheese.
Melt chocolate in separate bowls using a microwave or double boiler technique. For microwave, place chocolate into bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 seconds. Stir. Repeat 15 second microwave and stir until chocolate is smooth and melted.
Form a small ball and dip in semi-sweet chocolate using a spoon and set on wax paper. You can also dip in the white chocolate and then drizzle with the semi-sweet chocolate.
Pour white chocolate in small zip-lock bag to be used as a drizzle.
Cut a small hole in one corner of the zip-lock bag and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped balls.
Let cool. To speed up cooling time, place in refrigerator (outside during a cold winter day) to set chocolate.

New Adoption Button

2010-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to point our new adoption button for those still using our old button. If you use the code provided, the button will automatically change whenever I update it. Thank you so much for placing our button on your blog in the first place. I look at our statistics often and know many of our hits have come from your blogs. Thank you again and again!

An Experience of a Birthmother

2010-11-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

This is the second part of my sister-in-laws look at adoption. It's simply a wonderful interview with a birthmother who placed 9 years ago. I loved the things she shared and opened my eyes as an adoptive mom.

http://dipofamily.blogspot.com/2010/11/interview-with-barbara-all-about.html

From God's Arms, To My Arms, To Yours

2010-11-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

I don't think National Adoption Awareness Month would be complete without sharing this special song. This is the song Owen's birthmother used to tell us she had chosen us to be his parents. I get teary every time I hear it.

Our Experience as an Adoptive Family

2010-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

In light of National Adoption Awareness Month, my sister-in-law Amanda decided to spotlight an adoptive family, birth parent, and adoptee. Our family has lots of experience with adoption having all three in this triad. She wanted to interview me so here is a link to my interview on her blog.

http://dipofamily.blogspot.com/2010/11/interview-with-rebecca-all-about.html

Lullaby For a Birthmom

2010-11-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

My heart is really full after listening to this song. So beautiful! It really moved me and I want to share this as a tribute to Owen's birthmom.

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

2010-11-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

I bought this book after Owen was a few months old. It's the story of a young girl who asks her parents to recount the night she was born but this is no ordinary story because she was adopted at birth.

The story is a near-perfect match to Owen's birth and adoption story (he was not born at night and we was local). I read it to him for the first time a couple nights ago after deciding he is finally old enough to start learning about his adoption story. He was so quiet and attentive so I know he liked it.

Tell me again how you couldn't grow a baby in your tummy, so another woman who was too young to take care of me was growing me and she would be my birth mother, and you would adopt me and be my parents.

Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms and called me your baby sweet.

Tell me again how you cried happy tears.

November is National Adoption Month!

2010-11-02T08:01:00.001-07:00

The month of November is National Adoption Month. Obviously having Owen join our family through adoption makes this month very special to us. One of my favorite adoption blogs issued a challenge to post about adoption everyday in November to increase awareness and dispel misconceptions. Though I won't be posting everyday I'd like to post a couple times about adoption.

Buzz Lightyear calling Space Command!

2010-10-31T20:46:00.001-07:00

We started our Halloween celebrations on Monday with carving pumpkins. I found a Thomas template on the Thomas & Friends web site so we decided to try it out. It turned out alright but next year we'll have to buy some pumpkin carving tools to make it easier.

Friday night I had a blast passing out candy at the Families Supporting Adoption booth as part of Idaho Falls Boo the Zoo. Barry was going to bring Owen while I was there but the line was huge and he couldn't find parking. I found out that Owen's pediatric group pre-sales tickets so if I volunteer next year we will make sure to pre-buy them.

Owen as Buzz Lightyear

Barry came down with a cold/flu Saturday afternoon so I took Owen trick-or-treating around our subdivision. He loved it! His favorite part was ringing the doorbell so I'd lift him up each time. I didn't want Owen to get cold so we went around at 5PM which was probably a bit too early as we didn't get an answer at a lot of doors. I'd have to prompt him to say trick-or-treat but he did say it.

Hope you had a fun & safe Halloween as well!

Silly, Silly Owen

2010-10-01T10:24:00.001-07:00

So Owen loves to run around naked. One day last week he had once again stripped himself bare naked. I was doing some housework while he was watching a show. I brought back some of my shirts from the laundry room to hang up later while I finished cleaning somewhere else. I came back to find Owen wearing one of my shirts. I had to take a picture.

I took it off him and he started watching his show again laying on his tummy with his hands up on his face. I thought it was so cute that I took another picture.

I'm a Big Kid Now!

2010-09-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ask me a couple weeks ago if I thought Owen would be almost completely potty trained during the day any time soon and I would have told you absolutely not. For months he has wanted nothing to do with the potty. It was wrestle-mania just to get him to sit on the potty for a second. He would scream and cry. At his wellness visit I described this behavior to the doctor and he told me to stop and try again in a few months.

A couple months passed and my defense that the doctor told me to wait started to weaken. So after a disagreement with Barry, I decided the next day I'd try again. I let Owen run around without a diaper or pull up since he just wets/soils it instead telling me. Later on he started doing the potty dance and asked for a diaper. He was acting scared so I sat down next to his froggy potty and got him to sit down. I read to him and gave him a sheet of stickers to play with. Anyway, I went to go to get him some clothes since we had a play date coming over and came back to find he'd pooped! We cheered and celebrated. I gave him his Hiro train (from Thomas and Friends) that I'd been holding on to for months hoping it would be an incentive.

It's been 2 weeks and he is accident free. Now every time he goes he gets so excited and says, "I did it." So proud of him!

Capistrano Beach, CA

2010-07-06T14:27:00.002-07:00

Saturday our second day in California was spent at Capistrano Beach right next to the city of Dana Point. Barry and I actually spent part of our honeymoon at Dana Point so it was so fun reminiscing where we stayed and such. The new memories we made with Owen there makes it even more special in our hearts. This was Owen's 1st time at the ocean and the beach. It was fairly windy and a little cold. Owen loved getting his feet wet by the waves and nearly pulled our arms out of their sockets trying to get farther in.

Owen loves his sandbox at home so he was in 7th heaven at the beach. Earlier we went over to Target and got him a little sand bucket and shovel. He also loved looking for shells and rocks with Barry and putting them in his bucket.

Toes in the sand!

Barry treated us to an boat ride to watch for some ocean life. The water was so choppy. I'm really glad we all took some motion sickness pills before. We didn't see one whale but we saw lots of dolphins and a couple sea lions. The tour guide said they had seen whales 2 days in a row just the day before and the wind was probably the culprit in their disappearance.

Ocean Life Boat Tour

Dolphin

Sea Lions

Disneyland

2010-07-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

Barry treated our family with a getaway trip to Disneyland. Allegiant Air in Idaho Falls had tickets to LAX for only $120 round trip. We flew out Thursday and came back Sunday. Friday we spent the day at Disneyland and Saturday at Capistranio beach (see my next post). We so needed a fun getaway even if it was only a few days.

Owen had such a fun time. His favorite ride was Gadget's Go-Go Roller-coaster in Toon Town. So crazy, I would have been so scared at his age to ride a rollercoaster even if it was only lasted 40 seconds.

He liked Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear rides as well. He couldn't go on the "mountain" rides or Indiana Jones because he's not tall enough. But get this, he is only 2.5" inches from being able to ride those. He is growing so tall! He got a little scared on Pirates but the Haunted Mansion didn't phase him a bit.

Tender Mercies

2010-06-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, we were matched with a birthmother due in only a month and it fell through last week. This is the second time in two years that we were going to adopt a baby girl and had the adoption fail. It's crazy how my frequent experience with loss has affected the grieving this time. I've felt very frustrated with the loss after loss we have faced and continue to face trying to grow our family. I just want the grieving to be over and to move on. I've felt lost and unsure about what we should do next. Looking over the options again just makes me feel more unsure and frustrated and this has been voiced in my prayers.

Anyway, I decided today to return some of the clothes I bought for baby girl at Walmart. As much as I dreaded the feelings this would cause, I dreaded more what I would say when the returns cashier asked for my reason for returning them. I planned on just responding no when they asked about them being defective and then staying quiet. Well that didn't work. After asking if they were defective, she asked if they just didn't work out and I said yes. Then she commented about how cute they were and how it was a shame they didn't work out. She asked if I was pregnant. After saying no, she asked if they had been for a friend. After a second no, I quietly told her how we were supposed to adopt but it fell through. She said how sorry she was for my loss. She went on about how she'd been off her mission for two months now and how lately she’s felt badly about not being married. She told me about a talk she'd heard about Sarah of the bible and how it had helped her. She quickly recounted how Sarah was married to Abraham and they had no children. That God promised Abraham that Abraham's posterity would number as many as the stars. So with Sarah being infertile, Sarah gave Abraham the permission to marry her handmaiden Hagar and Hagar conceived a son. But Sarah eventually did bear Isaac.

I know what the cashier had to say next was Heavenly Father answering my prayers. She said "just think if Sarah would have waited and not rushed things by making her own decision." Only at the Rexburg Walmart…God does answer prayers.

All in Bloom!

2010-05-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been very good with updating our blog. So here comes a couple posts.

It's been a quiet Memorial Day weekend for us. The weather wouldn't be so bad if the wind and some of the clouds would clear out. Everything is finally in bloom at our house. I thought I'd do some bragging about Barry's talent by sharing some pictures. Isn't everything soooo beautiful! I'd have to say Spring has to be tied with Fall for my favorite season.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 7th anniversary. We celebrated Saturday and used my gift card for Olive Garden I still had from my birthday (thank you Steve & Allison). Earlier that day I talked to my Grandpa Olsen and he reminded me that 7 is a lucky number. With our birthmother due in July, it does look like this will be a lucky year for us. In all reality, I know luck had nothing to do with it but that all things come from God. I am really blessed to have my two boys. Last night I found a card on my pillow from Barry. It was so thoughtful of him. I appreciate all he does to provide for our family and how he cares for us. Friday night he went to the urgent care center and found out the bumps on his legs are from a staph infection. Hopefully the antibiotics 4x a day will kick it and he starts feeling better.

Yesterday we visited the graves of Barry's great grandparents and one set of mine. We visit the graves of my mom, grandmother, and brother on Mother's Day. I just find it much more private then instead of Memorial Day where it gets so busy. Anyway, when I went nearly every headstone had bird poo on it. Made me so mad! So I cleaned off their gravestones and my cousins gravestone the best I could with a rag Barry had in his truck. Next time I'll have to remember to bring a spray bottle with some water. It wouldn't be that hard for the sexton to power wash the gravestones when every one of them has poo on them. Have some respect for the dead would ya! Sorry I regress.

Barry's parents stopped on their way home from visiting graves. I had to share this super cute picture of Grandma with Owen.

Owen enjoying his new swingset.

Today I cleaned the interior of my car. I think I'm going to ban eating and drinking in my car for now on (yeah right). Barry finally got to planting flowers in my Mother's Day pots since it has stopped freezing at night.

This afternoon we are putting up chair rail in the baby's room when Barry gets back from watering the nursery. I'll post pictures of the room next week when it's all decorated.

Owen's New Dresser

2010-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

We needed a new dresser for Owen since the one we bought for him as a baby is too small. We looked at a lot of places and even online but every thing seemed so high priced for the particle board and laminate you get. Barry's parents left this dresser for us to use at the little house in Ririe after they moved out. Since they still don't have a need for it, we decided to repaint it and use it for Owen. It's pure wood without a bit of particle board so even being 30 or more years old it still is in good shap.

I worked on it in the garage. I used a product called Citristrip (citrus based stripper with low fumes and safe to use indoors) to get through the 2 layers of paint and layer of polyurethane on it. I wish I had before pictures but just imagine this being painted dark chocolate brown with chucks of wood broken off its edges and drawers. I had to apply the stripper 2 times to get all of it off. Then I used wood putty to fill in all the holes and sanded to get the primer to adhere well. I had some left over primer from the train table I made for Owen so I had the hardware store put some black in it so I'd only have to use one coat of black. Here are the results.

The drawer knobs are suppose to be here Thursday so I used a couple spare ones we had from our craft room project. They are antique brass which will really complete the look :)

Owen's Birthday Party

2010-05-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

Saturday we had Owen's birthday party. Barry's sister and her family came up from Utah for the event. Her little girl is exactly one week younger than Owen so we decided to combine their parties this year. I made two mini-cakes for each of them and then two sets of cupcakes. Thanks to Melanie from our ward for helping me with the frosting of them :) They turned out great! Owen really loved his presents. I'm so grateful because it's kept him happy even though we've been couped inside since it's been too cold to play outside. Nasty wind!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Boy!

2010-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Three years ago the best day of my life happened (tied with the day I married your daddy). You have brought such joy to my life and everyday you teach me that nothing is more important than you and your daddy. My how you've grown this past year. You are so tall and talking so well. I can hardly believe you already know your alphabet, numbers, and colors. I realize now that waiting those long, hard 5 years for you molded me into the mama worthy of you. I thank Heavenly Father and your sweet birth mother everyday that you are my son. Always remember how much your daddy and I love you and want you to find true happiness. Happy Birthday my sweet Owen!

Love always, your Mama

Easter Pictures

2010-03-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

With Easter falling on Conference, we had Owen wear his Easter outfit last Sunday. It's from the Children's Place (my favorite clothing store for Owen). Barry said he looked like a leprechaun. Well even if he does, we could definitely use a little luck right now. Looking at this picture I just can't get over how grown up Owen looks. He will be 3 at the end of April and I still can't believe how fast the time has seemed to pass by. Doesn't seem so long ago that his wonderful birthmom placed him in our arms.

Barry setup the tripod and took some pictures of our family. My hair looks awful. We have 9:00 AM church and I don't always get a chance to fix it nice and it's got split end problems. I just got it trimmed yesterday. Maybe some Photoshop magic is in order. LOL.

More Crafts

2010-03-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

I found some instructions on the Internet how to make leg warmers for 0-6 month old babies. I got these socks at a discount store for a buck a piece. You take a women's crew sock and cut the heel and toe. Then you sew the remaining two pieces using a medium size zig-sag stitch.

Underwear!

2010-03-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

I bought Sesame Street and Pixar character underwear for Owen's birthday this April. Apparently I didn't hide it well enough. I was at work when I got this picture on my phone. Don't you know that underwear goes on our arms and not our bottoms!!! LOL!!

Crazy but Fun Owen

2010-02-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Everyday is an adventure with Owen it seems. Of course we wouldn't change that for all the rice in China. LOL.

Owen loves to take baths especially in our big jacuzzi tub with Daddy. Barry got the water started and walked away for a second (it takes a couple minutes to fill the tub.) He came back to find Owen still completely dressed in the bath tub. I love this picture with the look on Owen's face that just says "Yep, I've been caught."

We are also trying to get Owen excited to potty train. He'll be 3 in a couple months. We brought home this little potty that Barry's parents let us have. I left it on the kitchen counter over night and Owen found it the next morning. He was so excited and kept saying "potty, potty." So we got it down for him and let him sit in it. Then he decided to move it on Daddy's recliner and sit on it. It was so stinkin' funny. Needless to say he hasn't done anything with it since. I know eventually he'll be ready

Craft Time

2010-02-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

I've had some fun with a couple projects this past month. First I made a matching wipe case for my diaper bag. All it took was a wipe case, fabric, batting, ribbon, and some hot glue. For being my first time making one, I think it turned out really well.

I've also been redecorating my kitchen bit by bit. I've decided on a farm theme. I printed out some clip art of some farm animals on photo paper. Then I painted some 4x4 blocks and mod podged the prints onto them. I got the stacked pigs and tin star for so cheap at a wonderful home decor store called Real Deals. It's only open 2 days a week. I was doing some rummaging here at home and found the glass candle holders that we had gotten for a wedding present years ago. I just got the candles for them today.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the New Year at home. Barry bought some yummy appetizers for dinner and we had a fun time watching college football and a movie while Owen played. It's really hard to take Owen to someone else's home. It's just not enjoyable for Barry and I where we have to constantly make sure he isn't in trouble and it's really hard to get him to fall asleep away from home. Maybe next year he'll be old enough. :)

In 2 days, it will be the last year of being in my twenties. I'd come right out with my age but saying "I'm in my twenties" makes me feel better. I feel old and not because I get called ma'am. I look at people younger than me who've have 3 or more kids and think," Man, I'm almost thirty and I'm lucky to have one." Even my mother had her three children before thirty. I just need to focus on my blessings as I've posted about before. I haven't written in my gratitude journal for ages. So that's one of my goals for 2010. I don't really believe in New Year resolutions. I think it's better to set some goals that you can accomplish anytime throughout the year instead of starting on New Years Day and falling off the wagon a couple weeks later. I really hope this year will be better than the last not that this year has been bad.

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

We have had lots of food and fun this Christmas season. Unfortunately the expansion of my waistline can prove it. Oh well. Time to hit my glider machine. I know once Barry is reads this he'll automatically say, "Yeah right."

First we had my Grandma Olsen's party on the 20th. Then we had a family party with Alicia & Josh and my dad on the 23rd. Christmas Eve we spent with Barry's immediate family. Every one of Barry's siblings were there. With all the little grandkids there you can imagine how crazy but fun it was.

We had a wonderful Christmas morning. We opened presents and then ate French toast. Owen got really spoiled by everyone. He got shirts, pajamas, books, puzzles, a stick horse, a ball, an Elmo video, Woody and Buzz bean bag toys, a Lightning McQueen pillow, a big wooden train, and new things for his wooden Thomas train set. I got spoiled too by Barry with 3 new shirts, a coat, and a new comforter set for our bed. Barry got a new sweater vest for church, a new bed pillow, and a new game for his PS3.

On Saturday, we had a party with my mom's side of the family. All my Grandpa's living children and grandchildren where there except for my cousin Bryce who is serving a mission. It was great! I think the best part of the night had to be when my cousin Clint opened women's Christmas socks in the gift exchange game.

Here are some pictures of the festivities.

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

Last night was the adult session of Stake conference. Usually just one of us goes so we don't have to hassle with finding a babysitter. Anyway, Owen and I were bored so I got the inkling to make Christmas cookies with him. I had this recipe for Sour Cream cookies that Barry's sister is always saying is so easy. We tried it and she was so right! I've included the recipe at the bottom. Thanks Aunt Amanda!

Owen hates having his pictures taken. I told him to say "cheese" and he got mad. So funny that I caught it on camera.

Owen liked pushing the cookie cutters down for me.

Sour Cream Cookies

by Amanda Dipo

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

3 cups (or a little more) flour

Mix shortening and sugar.

Add remaining ingredients.

Using floured rolling pin, roll out on floured countertop and use cookie cutters.

Bake 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

When cooled, frost and decorate as desired.

Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

We put up our Christmas tree the 1st week of December this year with the hope that unlike last year we could decorate the whole thing. Those hopes were quickly squashed within minutes of decorating the tree. He still won't leave the shatterproof bulbs alone. Last year I'd find them all over the house so 1/3 of our tree isn't decorated with ornaments. We did decide to put bows on the whole thing and he's left those alone as well as the presents. His favorite thing is to push the on/off button for the lights.

Gotta love the look on Owen's face, like he knows he shouldn't be putting his toy tape measure in the tree. Haha.

Here is the finished product.

Favorite Christmas Songs

2009-12-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted some of her favorite Christmas songs on her blog. I thought it was a fun and neat idea. Here are some favorites of mine.

This and That

2009-11-14T13:16:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share this cute picture of Owen. He is 2 1/2 now and growing up way too fast.

It’s been snowing all day. Right now it’s some little flurries here and there. I’m kind of bummed that it’s winter all ready. I was really enjoying the Indian summer but I’m excited for Christmas. It’s been great to have the stores doing sells already so I don’t have to deal with the Black Friday crowds and the December madness. I have 3 people already done!

Barry's hernia surgery went well on the 7th. The doctor was hoping to do a laparoscopic procedure but the hernia was too big. Barry ended up with a pretty deep 7 inch incision instead. He got the staples out Thursday but there is some nerve damage. He's healing slowly and still pretty sore. He had a endoscopic exploratory procedure done before his surgery. The doctor wanted to see what damage his hiatial hernia has done to his esophagus. They dilated his esophagus a bit because he has had trouble swallowing. They didn't find any serious problems so he is just to take an acid reducer as needed.

I’ve been trying to wart off the waiting for baby blues. I've gotten involved by doing the Families Supporting Adoption blog for the Idaho Falls chapter. Every office of LDS Family Services has one. It's main purpose is to promote adoption (and in doing so hopefully bring in more birthmothers) but it is also a support group of sorts. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I post and then I post any events our chapter is having. You'll have to check it out (http://fsaidahofalls.blogspot.com)

Owen is doing well and knock on wood hasn't been sick. We've tried to keep him home as much as possible with all this flu going around. Next week we are going to try to get the H1N1 flu mist for him. Anyway, he is growing like a weed. He has been eating none stop the last week and then yesterday and today he hasn't ate much at all. Must be a growth spurt. He's talking better and if you are around him a lot you can make out more than just 2 words. He sure is spoiled though. He knows just how to get his way with Barry and I. I'll be so happy when he gets baby brother or sister and has to learn to share in multiple ways. The other day he told me "me poop" and banged on his bum. It's the first time he's ever done that. It definitely makes me more hopeful about potty training him next year.

Christmas Cards

2009-11-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

I finally had the time this year to do hand-made Christmas cards this year. It was lots of fun doing them. I'm excited to I have them all done so that I can send them out the 1st week of December. I got the idea for each from the sister in our ward that does the cardmaking activity for Relief Society every month (she's so creative and talented). I added my own touch with a little bling and ribbon . Usually it takes me days and days to do cards but these were so fast and easy.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:04:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a safe and FUN Halloween. This year was about the same for us. I took Owen up to work to do trick or treating. My co-workers have candy at each of their desks and usually they are dressed up too. Friday we went to our ward party. They served chili and hot dogs. They had a cake walk, fish pond, and lots of other fun things but we didn't stay for all of it. Owen hadn't taken his nap and needed to go to bed early. Owen is being a real stinker when it comes to napping. He won't take a nap unless you continually put him back in his bed and let him cry it out. I've given up the ghost but not Barry (all power to him).

Anyway, here is Owen in his Thomas the Train costume last night. We asked him if he wanted to go outside and get some candy but he was just not in the mood. So we stayed home and he watched us pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. We had about 50 kids but I know we had more last year. Oh well.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes

2009-10-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Mushes (aka Kisses) for the Cousins

2009-10-15T16:36:00.001-07:00

Happenings

2009-10-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy posting on the Families Supporting Adoption blog for the Idaho Falls Chapter.

Things are going OK for us. I have to remind myself that things could be worse. Barry is having his hernia repaired November 4th. I'm not looking forward to his surgery. Last time he went into surgery for his back he had a hard time waking up because of all the pain. Not an experience I want to re-live. Anyway, at the same time they are going to do a laparoscope down his throat to get a better look at his esophagus. He has a hiatus hernia (where your stomach pokes up through your diaphragm) that causes too much stomach acid reflux. We are praying that nothing is revealed that requires more surgery.

I am all excited to have Autumn here. It truly is my favorite season. It's so nice to have cooler days. Owen can go out and we can play much longer without it being uncomfortable. I love being able to wear sweaters and see the colors change. I love the pumpkin treats to be had (pumpkin pie cake, pumpkin chip cookies and break, pumpkin rolls, etc.). I have my Halloween decorations up and I cannot wait for us to carve some pumpkins with Owen. Owen is going to be Thomas the Train this Halloween. I ordered it used off E-bay for a 1/3 of the cost brand new. I had him try on his costume to see if it was going to need to be taken up a bit (turned out to be just perfect). He wouldn't let me take it off the rest of the night. I'll post pictures the day after Halloween.

I want to thank [sarcastic undertones here] Barry for exposing Owen to Sesame Street. More specifically Elmo which Owen calls Samo (it was cute the first 20 times). Anywho, now Elmo is the new love of Owen's life. He still loves Thomas and trains but he's on this Elmo kick lately. We ended up buying him a plush Elmo because he was carrying around/sleeping with the Elmo bubble bath we got him. He eats, sleeps, and plays with his Elmo now. I guess there could be worse characters he could be obsessed with (like Barney).

Here is a picture of Owen eating lunch with his Elmo. He wouldn't cooperate taking his picture earlier so I took it at lunch.

Here is Owen wearing Great Grandpa Olsen’s hat. You can see he’s holding his Elmo bubble bath (this was before we got his plush Elmo)

Making a Change

2009-08-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I know you’re going to think in a minute, “Does she ever think about anything but getting another baby?” My simple answer is YES, but it’s something I want so badly that it’s hard for me control. Plus for me, I think all the time and sometimes I think so much that my brain hurts.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. Barry and I have been praying as to what we should at this point. The answer came and He has promised there is a baby for us but we are to continue waiting, endure the waiting, and be content with what the He has already given us. Not exactly what I wanted to hear but how can you argue with God. The scriptures tell us that we are to become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

So I’ve been thinking how can submit to Heavenly Father’s will and wait any longer? I’ve concluded that His answer to be content is my answer. I admit that I struggle with being satisfied. It’s always the next thing that will solve everything. My next question is, how can I be content? The answer came to me the other day. I need to count my blessings (a.k.a. express gratitude). I remember a while back Oprah was on a big kick about gratitude journals. I’ve decided to start one in my quest to change and be content. Not only am I hoping it will get me through the wait but I also hope it will invoke the law of attraction (negative attracts negative, positive attracts positive). Barry is always gripping about my negativity. And yes, I am frequently negative. Maybe this journal will be my way to stop being so negative. Now if I can just make it a habit so no matter how hard this waiting gets, I can remember my blessings and write down 5 things I’m thankful for every night.

Here is a little audio clip from Oprah’s XM radio talk show about gratitude. It’s really good.

Oprah on Gratitude

Our Summer Nights

2009-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

I figured I haven’t posted any pictures of Owen for awhile. He’ll be 2 and 1/2 years old this October. Time sure flies. Anyway, about 6 o’clock at night it’s just cool enough to let Owen out to play. It’s about the same every night. Thanks to Owen’s Uncle David & Aunt Joni we were able to borrow their sandbox last year. Owen still loves to play in it. His favorite thing is to shovel sand in his wheel toy and watch the sand run through from above.

He is so focused when he’s playing with dirt.

Good thing we have wonderful neighbors that have given us permission to let Owen play on their swing set. It’d be so impossible to keep him away from it since we don’t have a fence yet. He was big into swinging at first and scared of the slide. Now all he wants to do is go down the slide.

Running to go down again!

Handy Wo-man!!

2009-08-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the down low. Our towel bar in our master bathroom came loose. It was screwed into dry wall anchors that eventually wiggled out of place. It's been that way for at least 2 months. I've been NAGGING Barry to fix it. Being his busy season, I took matters into my own hands. Not to rag on Barry but there is Barry time and Rebecca time. Barry takes forever getting to and thinking up the best way to fix things but usually gets it right the first time. Rebecca nags and then after getting fed up hurries up and gets the job done (but it takes her multiple time to get it right).

I took the towel bar off the wall and then used painter's putty to fill in the holes. I let that dry for 2 days and then sanded and painted over it. It's not exact match because the paint we used dried out.

I used a stud finder tool and the wood studs weren't in the a good place for the bar (now I know why they used dry wall anchors). I went to the hardware store with one of the anchors and the guy there helped me find a match. Once I got home I marked out the hole positions about 3 inches to the right of the old holes. I even did the right thing and used a level to do it!

Presto! Here is the finished product. I'm so proud of my handy skills.

While We Wait

2009-08-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

August 19th marked 1 year that we've waited so far for another baby. And on the 2oth the baby girl we were supposed to get turned one. At times I wonder what she looks like now and how things are going for her mother. To say the least, I had a really hard time last week. Which is strange because I originally thought this week would be the hard one. We waited 19 months until Owen was in our arms but you still hope the next time will be shorter. It's just hard. I can't complain though because I know other couples have waited longer than us and are still waiting. Anyway, back to the point of this post.

Having projects to do helped me while we waited for Owen. I made two baby afghans during that time one pink/green and one blue/green. I've decided to do a couple projects this time too to help pass the time. This is the first time I've tried crocheting clothing. So pardon the imperfections. I hope they fit when the time comes.

Maybe it's wishful thinking but I started out with the girl things first. Here is a cute bear beanie. I'm going to do the boy version in brown and light blue for the accents and minus the flower.

I saw my new niece wearing the cutest crocheted mary janes. I had to try to make some. The right shoe was basically my practice piece (I did it first). It's just not as tight as the left. But what can you expect with handmade things? They can't be exactly the same.

Here is a plain beanie. It should work for either a boy or girl. If we get a girl I can put flower and bow clips on it. I am also going to make another one out of the brown yarn since each roll of yarn has enough yarn to make three beanies.

Great Deal @ Payless Shoes

2009-08-21T10:15:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted in quite some time. I promise I'll have some new posts of what we've been up to later. For now I've got this really good deal on shoes to share. They are having the Buy One Get One Half Off sale at Payless Shoes in-store and online. I also found a 20% coupon off your online order that you can use in addition. If you choose Ship to Store, then shipping is free. It takes about 2 weeks to get your shoes but what a deal! I got a pair of shoes for me and then I got Owen some dress shoes for about $2 after tax when they are regularly $17.99!!! This is a great deal for those with kids. Even if your kids don't need new shoes now why not get the next size up and save!

Here is the coupon code that you apply checkout. It does expire the 7th of September.
28634

Swimming

2009-07-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

We went down to SLC for a little weekend getaway. Since Barry's parents were stuck with babysitting duty, they gave us their tickets for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Pioneer Day concert and so we went down for that. The concert was wonderful as always. We also got to see the new Harry Potter with our friends Melissa and Jared. I wish we could have had a chance to visit more. We sure do miss them! HP 6 was good even though I was a bit disappointed that they didn't show any battling at Dumbledore's death and showed a bit to much mushy stuff instead of the all important memories. But I still really liked it. It was lighter than I was lead to believe.

I apologize for the terrible resolution of this video and picture. We didn't bring our camera so I only had my cellphone. It doesn't record or take high resolution pictures being only a 2 megapixel camera. For some reason even though I had it set to take pictures at it's maximum resolution it didn't. We'll have to go swimming again. We invited Barry's sister and her family to come swim. It was so fun! I've decided Owen is really just a fish out of water. He was only one who would jump into the pool at first. Then he got Noah and then Eloise to start jumping in from the side too.

What's a Little Mud?

2009-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

I think the picture speaks for itself. After pulling Owen away from a mud puddle several times, Owen relented to temptation and jumped right in. He even took a taste of the mud. Needless to say he went straight to the tub.

O-W-E-N

2009-06-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a video of Owen spelling his name and also counting. He can get to 7 nearly every time. So cute!

Owen Counting

2009-06-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

Owen can almost count up to 10 when we read his counting book. His popup "baby toy" (as Barry calls it) has the numbers 1 through 5 on top. Here is some fun video of Owen counting. Listen carefully. :) He can also spell his name when it is written down. I'll have to catch him doing that another time. He is doing a lot better with talking and learning new words.

Train Table

2009-05-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

After 8 or so hours of blood, sweat and a couple "dang-it"s and "shoot"s, Owen's train table is basically finished. I have some touch up painting to do and I need to screw in the middle support brace but those can wait. It works is all I can say!

I used some really simple plans from a web site called Squirrel Tracks. All it took was a piece of 1/2" 4x8' plywood, paint, drywall screws, and some scrap 2x4"s. Thanks Neal S. for getting the plywood board and cutting it out. Then I sanded, painted, and assembled it all by myself! It was my project so it doesn't bother me a bit that Barry didn't help. It just makes the sense of pride and accomplishment even sweeter. I can hardly believe little ol' me drilled the pilot holes and screwed in the drywall screws. I even sawed by hand the 2x4 support blocks.

I simply love the blue and green I picked out which is saying something because I never pick out the right color. I also love that I can store Owen's trains, tracks, and accessories under it. I put on top the rug Owen's been using so far to play trains. I figured it would serve two purposes, protect and give some interest. We'll see if we keep it there.

After I get it completely finished then I'm going to put these way cute Thomas vinyls on it.

Happy Owen!

The world's longest train!

Happy 6th Anniversary, Honey!

2009-05-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well we made it through this year! It's hard not to look back at this year and not take note of the rocky moments. It's been a much rockier road to baby #2 than I think either of us expected. Even rockier than the road to Owen. But then I think about you and Owen and how so very blessed I am to have my boys.

I also think about the small but happy things we do together. Like yesterday night where we sat outside together watching Owen play in the sandbox. Or when we go to dinner or watch a movie. I think about your smile and laugh and how much I love them. I hope this year will bring more lighter moments. I love you so much and appreciate how hard you work in providing for our family. Here's to the better years yet to come!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

For the holiday weekend, we took a little vacation down to Salt Lake City. You'd think we'd tire of going down there at least 2-3 times a year. But we always seem to enjoy the shopping, food, and the company of friends & family. We apologize that we didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see. It seems there are not enough hours in the day.

Saturday morning was filled with the Hoogle Zoo. I couldn't get Owen to smile for any of the pictures. I think he was tired but also bothered by his 2 year old molars (they've been going up and down for weeks now). We saw lots of animals. Owen's favorite was the Meercats. One got up really close right where Owen was standing and Owen got really excited. Owen got to ride the carousel and the train twice. Once with Da-dad and once with Mom-mum. Hopefully those rides made up for nixing our original plans. We had planned to see Thomas but found out that you couldn't see Thomas without riding him. Maybe next year.

Early that night Barry and I went to dinner for an early celebration of our 6th wedding anniversary. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (our favorite restaurant down there). They have a Shrimp Scampi + Steak Diane combo that is to die for. The Chicken Madeira + Steak Diane combo is just as heavenly. I had their Banana Cream cheesecake (my favorite) and Barry had Chocolate Coconut Cream. I love, love cheesecake.

Sunday we went to church with Barry's sister and her family. That evening while they were visiting family, we took Owen to Temple Square for the first time. The gardens were so beautiful with all the irises and such in bloom. Owen had to touch every water feature and splash in every puddle. He would have jumped in a few of the fountains if we would have let him.

Barry got to go golfing with Nate this morning before we left for home. And then this evening we had a little BBQ at Mom & Dad's. So, it's been a really enjoyable weekend. Here is a sideshow of our zoo trip and a picture from Temple Square.

Planting Flowers

2009-05-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Two years ago Barry bought these beautiful planting pots to put on our porch and filled them with beautiful flowers for my 1st Mother's Day. Owen was just a month old then and so this year was my 3rd Mother's Day. Anyway, now that it isn't freezing at night Barry figured it was safe to replant them Saturday for this year.

Here is Owen watching Daddy plant. We told him to smell the pretty flowers and now that he knows what it means to smell something he tries to smell everything. Funny little boy :)

Wind Damage

2009-05-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today we've had gusts up to 60 mph. We are used to Idaho wind. They always say if the wind isn't blowing then you aren't in Idaho. Luckily we haven't had a power outage from fallen trees but we've lost half of the metal soffit above our porch.

This all could have been avoided if it would have been installed right. From the looks of it, each panel was attached by only 2 utility staples. Good thing Barry came home early due to the wind. The panels started blowing off just when he got home so he was able to pick up the panels as they fell off. I don't know if they are reusable. We have a siding guy coming over sometime this week to give us an estimate.

So, in summary I'm hating the wind today more than usual.

Owen's 2 Year Checkup

2009-05-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning Owen had his 2 year wellness visit to the doctor. I still cannot believe how well Owen did! Four or so months ago we took him in because we thought he might have an ear infection. He cried when the doctor tried to do any examining. So this time I was expecting the worse.

We go to a practice with 8 doctors but you are allowed to choose one if you schedule ahead. Owen has seen Dr. Edwards about a year ago because our regular doctor wasn't available for a last minute appointment. I was really impressed how he related so well to little kids. So after last time's experience the thought came to me how it might be good for Owen to switch doctors. Just like the time before Dr. Edwards let Owen touch the instruments so he wouldn't be so afraid of them. It made all the difference. I also can't believe how Owen only cried for a second for his Hep A booster and when they pricked his finger to get his iron levels. I'm happy to report his iron levels are still normal after failing the test at 12 months and 15 months.

Owen weighed in at 28 lbs 2 ounces and he is 34 inches tall. The nurse mis-measured him at 35 1/2 inches. I would have messed up too if I had to measure a little boy struggling to escape. I noticed his head was about 2 inches away from the starting mark so when we got home I re-measured him. Next time we go in we will have to correct his growth chart.

Other than his eczema he was given a clean bill of health.

Adoption Banner

2009-05-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

I figure it's been a while so I'd thought I'd give a little plug for those who have blogs to add our adoption banner. It's oh so easy. And I know you're thinking that I'm a computer genius (I am truly humbled) but I've made a video to show you how. I'm sorry it's so small but if you need help just let me know!

I know it's hard to catch the Web address I type in the "From the Web" box. It is http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo177/idahogurl99/hopeToAdopt.jpg

In the "Link" box, type http://www.barryandrebecca.com/

We cannot say thank you enough to everyone for their continued help. It has buoyed our spirits and kept us going. The adoption process is a long one. It took us 18 months to finally get Owen in our arms. So we only ask for your continued help and we know the blessings of heaven will come to you too.

I feel like I need to share our experience with finding Owen. After a year of waiting for a baby, my uncles came to Barry and I and asked us how they could help. We decided to hold a family-wide fast on January's fast Sunday. Only two weeks later we found out that a birthmother was seriously considering us to adopt her baby and wanted to meet us. So now we have Owen and desire with all our heart for him to have a little brother or sister someday soon. Whether it is through prayer or through a cousin of a friend of a friend we know it will happen.

I've been reading a book called "Unsung Lullabies." Our caseworker suggested I read it. It is SO GOOD. It helps you understand the feelings and struggles infertile couples go through especially women. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a friend or family member who is choosing adoption or medical help to have children.

2 Year Old Owen

2009-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I took Owen to JCPenney to have his pictures taken for his 2nd birthday. He acted horribly just like when I took him in at 18 months. Crying and not cooperating at all. Luckily just like last time one picture turned out. He isn't smiling but at least it's still a really good picture of him.

I was changing the picture in the living room of him and I noticed how much he's grown up in just six short months. No more chubby baby cheeks but at least he still has his dimples. Even though I feel empty armed, it's just as fun watching him do more and more. He is talking more everyday and learning new words. Even with his toddler meltdowns, I thank Heavenly Father and his birthmom for him.

Slide Time

2009-04-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

For Owen's birthday, Barry and I got him a 5-in-1 activity center. It has a slide, basketball hoop, football toss, climbing stairs, and a soccer goal. I thought I'd post some pictures of him playing with it. He has a blast with it.

Our next door neighbors have a swing set with slide but since we don't have a fence yet it has become a problem with Owen going over there. He doesn't understand that it's not our swing set. So we thought it'd be really nice to get him a toddler slide and such for now. Maybe next year or so we'll get him his own swingset.

Opps, not that way!

He shoots and he scores!

Weeeee!!!

Happy Birthday Owen!

2009-04-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is 2 today. It seems simply unreal (even though he has been acting 2 for a while now). We had his party on Saturday. As you can see we choose Disney Cars for his party theme. He loves McQueen and Tow Mater. Owen had a good time playing with his cousins and he loved the presents he received. Thank you to all those who came to his party.

Easter

2009-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe the beautiful, sunny weather we had this Easter weekend. Simply perfect. Saturday we hid some eggs for Owen to find in our backyard. He really didn't get what to do but he liked opening the eggs.

Sunday morning we gave Owen his Easter presents. He got Peach Puffs, a Finding Nemo book, a Thomas book, and a wooden train with blocks you can stack on it. He is gaga over trains especially Thomas.

Here is Owen in his new Easter suit. He looked so handsome and grown up. Our friends Melissa & Jared stopped by on their way home to Utah. It was a short visit since we had to get to church but it was still oh so good to see them. After church we ate dinner at Barry's Grandpa & Grandma Luthy's home. They had an Easter egg hunt there and this time Owen knew a little better what to do. He knew the eggs were filled with candy except he would spit out anything he tried. Gross, but at least he didn't fill up on candy.

Today I am getting Owen's 2 year pictures taken in his suit. Hopefully he will cooperate but if we get one good picture like last time I'll be happy.

Conference

2009-04-09T10:29:00.003-07:00

I am so thankful for the messages given at Conference. Actually I fell asleep during the Saturday afternoon session so I am so thankful the Church provides ways to watch conference online. I can listen while I work at my computer.

There were several talks that pierced my heart but none like the talk that Elder Kevin W. Pearson gave concerning Faith in Christ. What really hit home was his point that the doubt (opposite of faith) can come from Satan but can also be a habit or attitude that we can change. He listed six Destructive D's.

Doubt
Discouragement
Distraction
Diligence (Lack of)
Disobedience
Disbelief

So, just like everyone else I have some improvement to make that will hopefully make me feel better. We really need to attend temple every month and I need to focus on my blessings. President Monson's talk given Sunday afternoon made me feel like a whiner. Which I admit I tend to be. I really liked President Erying's talk as well. Good thing we have conference every 6 months to get us on the right track.

Ran through the Wringer

2009-03-31T13:04:00.001-07:00

Barry is in SLC until late, late Wednesday night. He probably won't come home until 10 PM. He and his dad are working on fixing up of his sister's home. They are painting every room but the nursery (I'm not sure about the bathrooms). They are also putting in baseboard throughout the house and putting Pergo flooring in the kitchen/dining room. Then when they leave they will have every room re-carpeted.

I'm glad Barry and Dad are available to help but it was poor timing because yesterday Owen decided to be tornado. Yesterday morning he split the entire joint of the left entertainment center door. I had placed the ottoman to keep it open. The AV Receiver and the Blue Ray player get over heated if the glass door is closed and Owen won't leave it alone. He has this thing about closing doors. Anywho, Owen pushed the ottoman as far left as he could and the door joint couldn't take the pressure. It split. I'm pretty sure it can be glued together with some wood glue.

Later he took the remainder of the Fabreze bottle and either dumped it over himself or sprayed himself so much that it soaked his shirt and got into his eyes. He can now untwist caps off but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have drank it since he had his binkie in his mouth the whole time. So I had to give him a bath to flush his eyes.

Thinking the worse was over, I took him after his nap for a walk. I didn't put him in the stroller because I thought the walking would be good for him. At the end of the walk he decided it would be fun to play a game of chase into the neighbor's yard. He stepped into the mud and I chased after him and ended up loosing my shoe because it was stuck in the mud.

Needless to say, this sounds funny now but it wasn't funny at the time. Thankfully today has been so much better. Owen woke up in such a better mood and so did I. We just want our daddy home again! It's not fun trying the entertain the both of us.

Butched

2009-03-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

I figured I haven't posted many new pictures of Owen. I took some pictures of him in the bath to show off his new hair cut. He was so shaggy and now he looks like a respectable little boy again. We were calling him Butch afterword. As you can see in the last picture Owen likes to lay on his tummy in the bath tub. Funny how he hated his tummy when he was a baby and now he sleeps on his tummy, bathes on his tummy, and watches TV on his tummy.

I still cannot believe he'll be 2 the end of April. We'll be getting invitations out for his birthday. We're planning on (at least I'm planning on) a quieter and smaller party than his 1st one. But hey that was his 1st birthday. What else can you do but go hog wild!

Owen's Quilt

2009-03-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

We've figured out part of the reason why Owen is waking up at 3 AM and wanting to go sleep with us. His toddler bed is not big enough for him to roll around so he ends up either rolling out or his legs are flung out the side. We have a twin bed that that has a pillow top with box springs. We bought it for guests knowing that Owen would use it eventually. So we figured it was time to upgrade him. Good thing our crib is convertible so it wasn't any money wasted on a toddler bed.

Well, I couldn't find any bedding I wanted for him so I decided to make a quilt instead. Thank you to Momma Vest for helping me tie it! Here is a picture of Owen showing how much he cares about the quilt. Hehe. And the last picture is the completed project. Whew! Thank goodness it's finished. I only wish I'd made it bigger to cover the sides of the bed better. I guess you learn but it's just the right size for Owen for a couple years at least.

Relief Society Birthday Party

2009-03-26T15:42:00.001-07:00

On the 19th, our Relief Society celebrated the organization of the Relief Society with a party. We had a wonderful dinner with barbecue pork, fried chicken, baked potatoes, salad, and cheesecake. It was lots of fun chatting and laughing while we got to know the other ladies at our table better. Our ward is in constant flux it seems. The shining star of the night had to be the program though. A women's choir sang songs from the Sisters of Light album by Jenny Phillips. They were awesome! I had to hold back my tears the whole time. You have to visit Deseret Book online and listen to the clips. So here is a gift idea (Barry) for Mother's Day. Now if only I could figure out your wedding anniversary/birthday/Father's Day gift!

http://deseretbook.com/store/product/4973812

Our Week So Far

2009-03-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

We've had a full week but a really good one so far. Monday night we had dinner and played games with some other adoptive couples, Bryan (Barry's cousin) & JaNan and Neal & Brenda. We ate and talked a lot. We talked so much that we played only a couple rounds of a game called Snorta. That was OK with all of us. We rarely get to talk with other couples experiencing the same family growth woes and when you do it seems there is so much to talk about. I guess misery loves company. All of us are trying to add a second child to our respective families but they have waited a year longer than us. The kids had lots of fun playing. Owen started off shy but eventually enjoyed playing with Aedin & Halle.

Tuesday at lunch break I went over to Payless and bought Owen some new shoes. We had problems with Owen's shoes last week. The velcro straps just wouldn't stay put because he has outgrown them. It was time to break down and buy Owen new shoes. He has huge feet for his age (size 8T). I got the one pair 40% off so I got Owen's summer sandals early. I love shoes! Aren't these so cute!

The big event this week was that yesterday Owen met his birthmother for the first time. It was simply just a happy moment and we were so glad she felt good about seeing him. We all expected it'd be really hard. She mentioned it was so much easier seeing him as a toddler because he doesn't look like the baby she placed. She wanted to see him several times before but we had bad feelings about it and now we know why. She just wasn't ready. Owen didn't want her to hold him (typical toddler reaction) but after a bit he did tease her a couple times by getting close and then running away. She loved watching him interact with Barry and I and watching him play. I think we'll be seeing more often as time goes by. I am so glad Owen has such a good birthmother.

Daddy's Back Home!

2009-02-26T17:55:00.001-08:00

I can't wait until Saturday when we can go back to our normal schedule. Sunday morning Barry left for Portland with his brother David to pick up some nursery supplies. He was gone until Wednesday afternoon. So I had juggle Owen and working from home all by myself for 3 days straight. I was OK all Sunday and Monday morning but by Monday afternoon I was really missing Barry and so was Owen.

I had to get creative with ways to keep Owen happy and entertained. I made him bowling pins out of paper and taught him how to knock them down. Tuesday I took him to McDonald's for lunch so he could run around in the play area. Afterward we did some shopping and when we got home we played with some bubbles and play-dough we bought. By Wednesday morning we were both pretty sick of being without Daddy. We were relieved to say the least to have him home that afternoon.

So what did Barry do you may ask? Sunday he drove for 12 hours to Portland. Monday & Tuesday morning they visited some tree nurseries, took in some nature, and visited the temple grounds. They even visited the outlet stores there and got Owen some cute shirts from Oshkosh and a souvenir Portland shirt for both of us. Late Tuesday afternoon they drove 6 hours to Meridian and stayed the night. Wednesday morning they they drove 5 hours from Meridian to home. It was a whirlwind of a trip and he came home pretty tired.

As Owen's cheesy smile shows, we are all happy Daddy is back!

Recent Sewing Projects

2009-02-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

We have two nieces that are arriving in June. Our sister-in-law Joni and our sister-in-law Allison are both expecting. I asked Joni what she wanted and she requested that I make one of my cute blankets. So I decided to do a taggie, two burp cloths, and a blanket for both Joni and Allison. I was going to wait to give them out but I'll let the cat out of the bag now so Melissa can see them. I was telling her about them the other day.

This is the first time I have crocheted around a blanket. I bought a winged needle to make the holes and found it was harder than normal sewing. Unlike sewing you can't get too close to the edge of the fabric or else you'll end up having problems with fraying when you push your crochet needle through.

Anyway, I found this Teri yarn by Baby Red Heart. It is so soft and comes in lots of pastel colors. I think it turned out really cute around these blankets and burp cloths. It's hard to see in the picture (unless you click on it) but the fabric I chose for David and Joni has stars, cowgirl boots, cowgirl hats, and lassos. For Steve and Allison I used fabric with lady bugs on it for the taggie and burp cloths. Both blankets have brown backings. You can't see it but I did a light green backing (like the taggie's color) for Steve and Allison's burp cloths and brown for David and Joni's burp cloths.

Just when I thought I was done with sewing for a while we find out Barry's sister Amanda is expecting too. She is due in August so we should find out in 5 weeks or so what gender she is having. My friend Malinda is expecting her second child, a girl. So I'll be busy making some more in the future. Keeps me busy from dwelling on things I can't control.

Adoption Cards

2009-02-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

If you already received an email about this, then just disregard this post. I just couldn't find everyone's email so I thought this would be another way to contact people.

We are considering expanding our adoption efforts using business cards again. We used them with Owen but we were not sure who had our old ones still. We were trying to figure out a number to print up so if you could let us know if you still have some that would be great. Just a reminder as how to use them. You can give them to other people you know too but make sure to keep one or two in case you ever find an opportunity to get it into the hands of a potential birth-mother.

We appreciate all the help we have already received. I check our web site statistics frequently and I can't believe the number of hits we get off all of your blogs! The exposure we are getting is simply awesome. If you would like to add our adoption banner to your blog then just read the instructions we've posted right next to our family picture.

We know that many of you are praying for us too and we cannot express how thankful we are for to all of you!

Thanks again and love you all.

My Man Delivered

2009-02-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

I've been ragging on Barry about the last time I got roses. Call me boring but they are my favorite flower. I really ragged on him this week with Valentines Day coming up. I even told him he could wait after Valentines Day so they wouldn't be so costly. He gave me the usual song and dance about how Valentines Day is so commercialized so I totally didn't expect him to deliver. But boy did he deliver! Aren't they gorgeous!

For Barry I'm making him a homemade Valentine card with an IOU for Sunday breakfast, back scratches at night, a happy disposition, and a cleaner house all for a week. You can't tell that I really love my roses can you?

Where are your ears?

2009-02-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

You know those things your kids do and then years pass and you wish you would have captured that. Well, Owen has been able to point to his body parts for a while now but we thought we better capture it.

Tongue
Hair
Ears
Nose

Fully Furnished

2009-02-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

We got our new couches and chair for our living room upstairs. So exciting! Here some pictures of them.

Without the TV, the one wall looks a little bare. We do have a big clock coming that is back ordered until sometime this month so I'm going to wait until I do anything. It may go down stairs since our basement doesn't have a clock. Here are some pictures of the basement fully furnished.

Yesterday we had a Super Bowl party with some family. Lots of good food and I have to admit I cheated on my diet. Good thing I can redeem myself this week. Having the new basement was so nice. The kids had so much room to run and play.

Right now Owen and I have colds (Owen was so nice to share). We both have nose hoses that turn stuffy at times. Yesterday I was a bit achy but nothing that Tylenol didn't help. I took a long nap today and I felt good enough to finish my work hours. Next Monday we are heading to St. George for some fun in the sun. We rented a condo with Barry's parents and Barry's grandparents may come too. We'll make sure to stop and see our Utah friends and relatives.

Shedding Some Pounds

2009-01-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

June last year I decided to lose some weight using Weight Watchers. I absolutely love their plan and it works (I lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks). It isn't a diet its just teaching you to eat right. You aren't denying yourself of things you enjoy. I can have two slices of pizza and not feel guilty. So after not being able to button up most of my jeans, I've decided to lose the weight (again--I just love my weight being like a yo-yo but I won't go into that).

Anyway, the best part is doing Weight Watchers doesn't cost a thing. You can join online for a trial membership to determine how many points you can have per day based on your weight. I then use this online calculator: http://www.webmilhouse.com/pointcalc.php and a spreadsheet to track my points. I use this web site to determine point values when I'm not using a packaged foods: http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/. Here a web site I use to figure points when I'm dining out: http://www.healthdiscovery.net/restaurants/

This time I'm going to see if I can't join the 24 hour gym here with my co-worker and friend Maria. Hopefully she'll want to. We are doing this Weight Watchers together.

Well, wish me luck! Especially with the Super Bowl coming up. I'll just only be able to have one or two of each thing.

Done at Last!

2009-01-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We've been busy with the basement. The family room and playroom are all taped, textured, painted, trimmed, and carpeted now. We are still waiting on our new couches and chair to arrive before moving the furniture currently upstairs down. I am so excited to get new furniture for the upstairs. I'll post some pictures when they get here.

So here is a tour of our basement.

You go downstairs and you'll be in the playroom.

Take a right and you'll be in the family/theater room.

Straight ahead is my craft room.

Next door is the bathroom.

Down the hall you'll find the utility rooms and two more unfinished bedrooms.

Big Boy Bed

2008-12-30T18:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

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.