The Temple

What an amazing day! I'm so grateful to have the gospel in our lives. Bob and I have had a great opportunity to grow close to the Lord with our lack of fertility. We have prayed, fasted and received many blessing, through which we have been lead to our children. I know that both of these amazing souls were suppose to come to our home. I haven't wrote down Preston's story so I thought I would take this time to do that.

We felt like we should take the foster care classes and see what we felt after taking them. The course was a month long 3 times a week. After each class we'd talk a little about what we were feeling, but decided we need all the information before we'd make a decision. Each class was a roller coaster of emotions one minute we'd be on board and the next not so much. The last class was really hard on me and I didn't want to do it. I didn't think I was strong enough to bring a child into my home, love them, then sent them back. The last class we had a birth parent tell her story. On the car ride home I just cried and cried I told Bob I couldn't do it, and every time I said that, I felt this little voice inside me say "but what about me?". I knew that was the road we needed to take to grow our family, and that there was this child who was a part of our famliy who would come this way. We said no to the first 2 calls, after much prayer, but when they called and told us about Preston it felt right. He had been severely abused during the first 2 months of his life. The first time we met him it was a little strange he was so beautiful and little and we wondered how anyone could do what had been done to him. We talked about names, he was so young and we worried that they had used his name out of anger, we didn't want him to have any bad memories when we talked to him. We used a bunch of different names but when ever we said Preston he would give us this big wonderful smile, then raise one eyebrow.

He came to our home on Oct 9th and in December his birth Mom told me that she could see how much love we had for Preston and how much love he had for us. She wanted to give up her rights and let us adopt Preston. We went to court in Feb and both her and the father gave up their rights. I have only ever seen Preston's father we've never talked, but Brandy and I have talked many times. I am so greatful for her and think of her as a friend. I t was hard to sit in the court room and watch her give up her rights. She was crying and the judge was kind of harsh and asked why she was crying (I understand now legally she had to ask so Brandy couldn't come back and say she was forced agiangst her will to give Preston up) I sobbed as she explained it is just hard to know that she was not what was best for her son. I know Brandy loves Preston and that she just wasn't ready for the responsiblity of a child. We had another court date at the end of July our case worker had us pretty worried that his legal father might be able to get him. This was a man who had no blood relation with preston and Brandy had never got a divorce so he had legal rights to him. He had never meet Preston or showed any interest in him. Luckily the judge agreed and she terminated his rights at that time. We had to wait until November for the adoption to be finalized. My Grandparents were out of town until the first of December so on December 13,08 we entered into the Temple to be sealed as a family.

It was such a beautiful day the boys looked so amazing in their white outfits, it still makes me tear up to think of how happy they both looked. Bruce had a smile from ear to ear the whole time and he was so reverent in the temple. I know Preston felt the spirit there too, he had a sweet spirit when we were in the Temple and loves to talk about that day and sing "I'm going to the temple".

I'm going to toot my own horn a little, I fell in love with this cute smocked pattern I had found it was short sleeved so I had to make them sweaters to go over the outfits. I started working on them in Aug and didn't finish until the night before we went to the temple. I have never crochet or smocked before, Luckilly I have a talented Sister, and Aunt who helped me make the outfits, and some amazing visiting teachers who helped me with the sweaters, Thanks Natasha and Jesse.

The lucnheon was fun we had a potato bar and soup. Bob and I stayed up until 2:00am wrapping the potatoes and then loaded them in the oven so all we'd have to do is start the oven before we left...Opps we forgot to start the oven. Luckily Kim didn't forget about her oven full of potatoes so we started eating and then an hour later ate ours:) Preston was blessed at the luncheon it was so great to have so many of our famliy and friends there with us I missed those who couldn't be there, but I know how life can be.


I am so greatful every day for my family. I love my children and the amazing sacrfice their birth Mothers made. Adoption truely is about LOVE. I read another blog awhile back and this guy who had been adopted had some ugly feelings about his birth mom until someone pointed out to him her options : she could have aborted, kept him, knowing she couldn't give him the life he deserved, or care him for nine months, feel him kick and grow inside her, give birth, hold him then find a loving family who could care for him. Adoption is truely an act of amazing strength and love. Preston brings such a joy to our home I love to watch him and Bruce play and laugh together, I love how he dances to every song he hears and his love for animals and other kids. I am so greatful to Brandy for knowing she wasn't ready yet for the responsibility of raising a child and working on her life so she will be one day. Mostly I am greatful for the knowledge I have of the church and that family's can be toghether forever, that as we work on the little things every day the Lord with help us overcome our sins so we can return home to him. I am greatful that my parents taught me right from wrong and that they've shown me how to love others. I am so gratetful for my in-laws for raising such an amazing man who teaches me and my kids new things every day. I know this church is true with all my heart and that as we live it's teachings it brings a joy to our lives that helps us through trails and disapointmants. I hope I'll be able to teach my kids to love the Lord the way Bob's and My Parents taught us.

Going to the temple with Bruce and Mechelle to be sealed with Preston was a very long time coming. The process of adopting through foster care is just what Mechelle said about it, Roller Coaster. It was also interesting to see a bond with preston grow from when he was first placed with us, 'till the day he was sealed to us. At first it kind of felt like we were baby sitting him and soon we would give him back to his natural mother. But after a couple of weeks I stared to get attatched to him. After a couple of months I felt like he was my very own son, just sent to live with Brandy for the first few months. I am Forever in debt to Brandy for her giving up someone she loved dearly so that he could have a better life. I love my children. My Sons.

We had some amazing entertainment as we waited for all the food to get set up. All the cousins put on a great perfomormance. I love the way kids love to be in the spotlight. Conversely I hate it and would rather be celery, no one notices celery.

Christmas village

We went to Christmas village and Mrs. Clause gave us a tour of all the cool houses Bruce and Preston had a hard time staying with the tour they were so excited to she all the fun house they kept running ahead of everyone. I loved watching how excited they got at each little thing.

This is a shoot of most the kids. I am so glad that my boys are going to grow up in a ward with such fun friends.

Christmas pictures

I tried to take some cute Christmas pictures of the boys. Every year I think I am going to make Christmas cards and every year I don't. This year was going to be different. Bob is so busy at work and with church serves so I tried to take them alone it was hard to get them to smile and look at the same time, The picture below was the best I could get. I did however get a picture of Preston 's cute kiss face. I didn't get cards made this year, Maybe next.

Jingles

We have a house Elf that comes every year we ring our Santa bell at the first of the season and Santa sends him to our house to stay till the end of Christmas. He is of course a magical elf and if we are good he goes back every night and tells Santa. If we are naughty or touch him he don't move and then Santa knows we were being good. We love having Jingles at our house and waking up each morning to see his new hiding spot.

Decorting the Tree

I love Christmas, sharing the story of Christs birth with my kids and why it was so amazing, the smells, the candy, hot chocolate, sledding, spending time with loved ones, all the different decorations, twinkling lights, the looks on my kids faces with each new thing. The first time it snowed Bruce was so excited he was jumping on the stairs ans fell down, I'm sure it hurt but it didn't faz him he ran to the door and opened it up yelling Christmas is here, Christmas is here.

With all that being said I have struggled putting our tree up and all our decorations up I usually do it the day after Thanksgiving, if I could I would to it before Thanksgiving. This year I haven't felt well the surgery I had in Nov. has worn me out, I've had hives that I can't get rid of and all the medication the doctors have given me knocks me out. I finally pulled everything out of storage on Dec. 1 our tree is huge and took for ever to get up then I had to put the lights on 3 different times so that it light up all the tree (I was having a cheap moment and just couldn't spend the $7 it would have taken to buy another stand). Finally we got it up and had so much fun putting on the decorations.

Bruce got so excited about every decoration and loved all the lights he kept saying O it's beautiful. The way he says beautiful is so cute. The whole time the tree was up Bruce would add new ornaments to the tree he'd put his little people and trains in it and he'd always run in and show us his new perfect placement for his toys. It really made the tree look great.

Preston had a lot of fun as well he would point to the tree and speak his cute little Preston language to let us know what ornament he wanted next. Unlike Bruce he enjoyed taken ornaments off the tree and playing with them, not adding news to the tree. I have big stuffed Angels I put on the tree and He loved carrying them around, saying Baby, Baby.

I try to get caught up, and then don't blog anything for weeks and get so far behind I don't even want to get on my computer. I've decided to start with today and the when I have time fill in the missing 3 months. (which were filled with tons and tons of great memory's, we had a fun family vacation, holidays, lots of summer fun.. hopefully I'll make the time to post all the events.) The last month has been very hard on Aaron and I, it started with a little cold spell and then the discovery of some new household pests. I hate mice I think they are awful little creators who carry disease.. they 're just yucky. I freaked out when we realized they were in the house and decided to go through and rearrange furniture get rid of any junk we might have,and make a spot for everything even if that spot is the DI. I can't stand my house being messy, this is a new obsession I got when I quit to stay home with the boys. My Mom says that with out a job my ocd gets put on my house any ways, we are still working on putting the house in order with no end in site. We took a little mini vacation (or that's what we called it so we weren't stressed the whole time) up to Idaho for Bob's nasty uncle's trial. It started on Monday but Bob didn't have to be there till Wed. It was a emotional hard trial all of Bob's sisters had been victims, however only Amy could press charges because of the statute of limitation. Amy was aloud in the court room for the whole trail but other witnesses weren't. I was able to sit with Amy through most of the trial. I am so grateful I could be there for her and Ashley, it was really hard for me to hear how this man did such horrible things to people I love and care for but I know it helped Amy and Ashley to have me their, Jim's family were so icy and mean, the more of us who could support each other the better. We all came home on Friday so we could so to Bob's uncle Rob's funeral. I never have meet him, he's been really sick with MS for a long time. It was really hard to see my Father-in-law loose his brother, and Grandpa Thomas bury his son. I love both of these men very much they are so similar. Uncle Rob was a good man who did alot for our country, and for his family, I'm grateful I got to hear all of the story about him. It was good to see all of Lee's family we only get together a couple times a year. We left Sunday afternoon to go back up to Idaho for the rest of the trial. We swam in the pool and while Amy and I were in court the kids all played at different parks, Bob testified on Monday, but we had planned on staying till the end of the trail so I could be their for Amy, and they said they might need Bob to testify again. We all went out to dinner that night as a family, we had just order when Lee called Jean to tell her his Dad had just died. Grandpa Thomas' death took us all by surprise he was so active and healthy, We had just seen him on Sat, and other then sadness he was great. We all hated that we were up in Idaho and Dad was home alone, Him and Mom talked on the phone all night. Bob and I packed up all our stuff and we took Mom home the next morning. I am so grateful Grandpa Thomas was a part of my life his example taught me so much, he was honest, and caring, sincere and always happy. I am going to miss him so much. Grandpa Thomas' funeral was on Sat. the Brothers both flew in to be their I love when they come into town, we spent the whole weekend with the family. Uncle Jim was found guilty on all accounts and with most likely spend the rest of his life in prison, sentencing is in Dec. After the brothers went home we've just been working on getting the house back together, which brings me to today. I really wanted to remember what Bruce said today which is the reason I got on to post. 1 thing Kim took him to Gymnastics today she said he did great and in the middle of class he even came to her because he needed to go potty (we have good days and accident days but he is getting better.) They went into the restroom and their wasn't a stool so she told Bruce you'll have to sit to go pee, he sat down and went to push his pene down but he had a crayon in his hand so Kim took the crayon from him so he could go pee. All of this just took to long for my little man and he peed alittle, and his pee darted out of the toilet and landed on Kim's skirt. Bruce stopped peeing and got this serious look on his face then he told Kim " it Ok it was just a little here use this (as he hands her a bunch of toilet paper) it'll try you'll be ok, sorry." then he finished peeing. My house is chaos today we are clearing of the pourch we think this is were those nasty buggers are getting in. My Dad came up to get some of his tools and bring Bob a shelves, I then called and invited my Mom up to watch the kids and have dinner with us ( Kim's family was here too) I hoped that Bob, Me, and my Dad could get the porch in order that night. We had finished dinner and were starting to get back to work, my dad put on a cartoon for the kids, It was Sponge Bob I have never watched Sponge Bob so I didn't want Bruce to watch it he was wining because he wanted to watch it. I asked him what is Sponge Bob teaching you ( in a sarcastic way I really like Dora and signing time show that are funcational) Bruce looked at me and said "its teaching me laughing" with his whiney please let me have my way voice. Needless to say he got to watch Sponge Bob I think laughing is a Great thing to learn.

Sailing

Bruce and one of his Papa's, both of them went with us sailing today which really through my boy for a loop.He kept saying him instead of Papa, it was the funniest thing, because their was two of them at once he couldn't call either one by Papa.
Here is his other Papa. he got a phone call in the middle of sailing. I didn't know this and thought he was sea sick, but he was just tring to muffle the sound of the wind.
My great friend Anne' went with us out on the Lake I had to super confice her it would be fun and I'd tell her a big secret if she came. Were glad she came out with us I wish we would get together more she quite the gal.
My Dad at his favorite spot, when ever we go out he spents most of the time looking out the front.... He needs to do better at looking out we ran into ground close to Fremont Island.. It was easy to get out of and just soft mudd, but your heart sinks when you come to an abrupt stop like that.
This is Aaron before he saw the big spidar who had decided to make his sokc his home. The spidars out there are SOO BIG. This one is relatively small compared to the others. I LOVE to sail with Bob he is so professional he knows all the technical terms and shouts them at us as we all just stare back and ask "do you mean untie the green rope?"Preston had a great time, we weren't going to go because he had just got his tubes in but he is doing great. We are so blessed he is part of our Family.