A Plug For The Greatest Mom Ever!!!

Since you never know who might be glancing at your blog...I wanted to post this for my sister-in-law. She is truly one of the best moms I know. She has the most incredible testimony about adoption and eternal families and shares it with her children, family, and friends. They have had so many struggles with trying to adopt one more child. Their social worker said since there are so many families waiting to adopt a child, the best way to have a sucessful adoption is through someone you know. If anyone who reads this blog and knows of someone wanting to place a baby, please let me know. Thanks to all my wonderful friends and family...I love you all!

We are currently waiting to adopt our 3rd child. If you know of someone that might choose adoption as an option, we welcome anyone to refer us. You can view our file at https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/ct/eng/site/pregnant/ 1. click on "view Adopting Family Profiles" 2. Click on "continue" under GUESTS. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and type in our names, Tyler, Holly, Utah and click FIND.

Some Cute Pages

I had to put some of these cute scrapbook pages on here. I love to take advantage of my talented mother-in-law's digital scrapbooking hobby. Not only does she scrapbook all of these but she also took most of the pictures. I am so grateful for her willingness to share her beautiful artwork with me.

HAILEE

Crazy faces. Someone likes to pose for the camera.

This is from Hailee's baptism. She is the most beautiful girl. I am so lucky to be her mom.

She's got plenty of personality!

BRADEN

Gotta love this boy.
He never stops moving...even if he loses his pants.

I don't know of anyone who can melt my heart like Braden. He can go from trouble to sweeter than sugar in 3.5 seconds. He's got me wrapped around his finger.

BENNETT
Bennett loves to put baseball hats on. He won't wear one his own size but he will walk around wearing Daddy's or Grandpa's.

That's one cute boy.

ALL OF THEM

Braden is 5!!!

What happened? My little baby boy is 5!!! He has been so excited to turn 5. I am pretty sure he thinks something magical is going to happen to transform him into a "bigger" kid the second he turns 5. What can I say about this boy? He is a true joy to have in my life. He is so full of energy. Sometimes I can just sit and watch him in amazement as he runs around like a wind up toy - bouncing off walls, couches, people, and climbing anything in sight. He also has a sweet side that I just eat up. He has to get his daily snuggles in with me. I just hold him and try to make it last a few seconds longer than he wants it to. I don't want to think about the day that he doesn't want to do that anymore.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Braden:

*He is naturally athletic. He can do any monkey bar or climbing apparatus at any park.

*He is determined. If he really wants to do something he will try it over and over and over until he gets it right. He has patience and doesn't get frustrated. He just tries until he gets it right.

*He has the best smile. His whole face lights up when he smiles.

*He loves his big sister. He loves playing whatever she wants to play. He wants the same kind of cereal, sandwich, drink she wants. He is a good sport to play a long with her girly games.

*He loves learning. He gets a special look in his eye when he finally "gets" something.

*He loves his family and lets us know it often. He loves his grandparents and aunts and uncles too.

I am so lucky to be your mom, Braden. I hope you have a great birthday and have fun at you Chuck E. Cheese party!

Anniversary

We had our 10 year anniversary today. I can't believe we have been married for 10 years! I think a lot of people feel the same way. It seems like I have known Dane forever but the past 10 years have just flown by. I feel like it was just a few weeks ago when we were dating and planning our wedding.

I would never have imagined the journey we have been on for the past 10 years. We have had so many growing opportunities. My cute sister-in-law, Lisa, inspired me to write some things that are great about Dane. She always writes the cutest stuff about her hubby (my brother). So...here are my top 10 favorite things about Dane. There are a lot more but I better stick with 10 for now.

10 - He has a great smile. I love it when I can make him smile so big that is shows all his pretty teeth.
9 - He loves music. Obviously it is important to me but he has a wide taste in music and is always willing to try new stuff out.
8 - He always remembers important dates with me and tries to make them special. He may not remember other family members or friends' birthdays, but he always remembers mine.
7 - I always feel safe when I'm with him.
6 - He is down to earth and in control of his emotions. He is always the one to stop before getting too heated.
5 - He has a testimony of the Gospel. He isn't showy or flashy with it but he is steady and strong.
4 - He is very good at finances. Sometimes I am not grateful for this because it puts me on a strict budget but I am truly grateful that he sees the big picture and holds me to it.
3 - He is the life of the party. Everyone loves to be around Dane. I am the lucky one who gets to go home with him!
2 - He is the best daddy to our kids. He would rather be spending time with me and the kids than anything else.
1 - I have to say my favorite thing is that I never go a day without laughing. He brings so much joy to my life. I might be a little too serious and boring without his sense of humor to help me out. I love it!

Love you, babe!

Mother's Day

I had the most excellent Mother's Day! I got to hear my cute husband speak in church. Then I got some great gifts from my kids. Hailee made me a cute bird house at Activity Days. She also made a book at school of things she likes about mom. I was also given a Reeses Peanut Butter egg left over from Easter, a blank coloring page that I can color how I want, half of a dog notepad, and a cake mix. They were all wrapped with paper towels and tape. They were the best gifts EVER!

Dane gave me a gift card to Bath and Body Works. I don't really know why because he is always complaining about how I have 10 different flavors of half-used lotion. I guess it doesn't bother him that much because that gift card will just add to the collection. There was also a special delivery. The "post office" mysteriously delivered a letter that was "postmarked" May 2001 (which happened to be the year of my 1st Mother's Day). There was another gift card inside with a note saying they were sorry that the letter got "lost" in the mail for 8 years but I can finally have my gift for my 1st Mother's Day. Weird....I thought my husband had just forgotten about my 1st Mother's Day 8 years ago. Good thing it was the post office's fault and not his!!!!

He sure makes my life fun. What would I do with out him!?!?

This was our attempt at taking a family picture after church on Sunday. Bennett was a real treat. He kept getting down and walking around. The only pictures that were halfway decent were when we caught him for a split second walking in front of the camera.

Bennett

Bennett is FINALLY getting adjusted to being here. I think we really messed him up when we left him for our cruise. For the first few weeks here he just assumed we were leaving forever every time we left the room. It was especially bad around Dane. He just screamed and screamed whenever Dane left his sight. He has taken big steps and will now willingly go to Grandmas and Grandpas. He still prefers Dane over anyone in the whole world. I guess that's what we get for living across the country! I love that he is getting to know family members and trusting them. He is so much fun right now. He is a little parrot and repeats everything we say. I love this age!

Braden's Body Parts

I had to make a quick post before I forget. Braden got a little confused about the names of his body parts the other day and it made me laugh.

I had a very distressed Braden come up to me with his fingers all spread out. He said he had something sticky on his hands and now his finger pits are itchy.

The very same night he was trying to go to sleep and had both hands under his arm pits. He said he was putting his hands there because "your arm pitch is warm."



What a cute, silly boy! He is so much fun. He definitely keeps my life interesting. I never know what to expect with that boy.

Hailee's Baptism

We had such a great day! Hailee was baptized and confirmed. Hailee was the only one that day to be baptized so she got to chose the speakers. She had her uncle give a talk on baptism and her Grandma Carol give a talk on the Holy Ghost. We were so lucky to have all of our family except Tiffany and Jeff there. We missed them a lot but they were so sweet to remember her special day and mailed her a CTR necklace. It was a wonderful program and the spirit was definitely there. It was the most peacful, happy feeling in the room. She is one special girl to have so many people who love her! We were all able to get together at my mom and dad's house for a barbeque.

Hailee, Braden and all of the cousins sang a song during the program. They were so cute!

Getting Back To Normal

Today was our first day back to a somewhat "normal" routine. I don't know how normal it can be when our lives have been turned inside out and upside down but we are doing so well. Dane started his new job today. He was hired last week at Associated Foods. He will be for 4-6 months and then will hopefully get his own store after that - possibly in Southern Utah. We are so blessed that he was able to get hired so quickly. I know there are millions of people who would do anything for the opportunity Dane has been given. It just reaffirms our decision to move out here. I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and hears our prayers.

Hailee is still loving her school. We didn't want to pull her out and put her in yet another school so we will be staying with Dane's parents until we know where his permanent position will be. We discovered very quickly that having one car was not going to work for us so Dane was able to buy an Audi (I guess he likes Audis since this is his 2nd one).

The boys are slower to adjust. Bennett has discovered the use of his hand as a weapon. He has also discovered he can pretty much get everyone's attention within 100 feet if he screams as loud and as high as he can. He mostly does it when Braden is anywhere around him but the screams are becoming more frequent and are not just limited to Braden. The kids still have the mindset that we are on vacation so it is hard to get them to go to bed and be on a routine. All of their lives Grandma & Grandpa's house = vacation. Hopefully that will resolve itself soon.

I am loving being around family. I spent my first day alone doing one of my favorite hobbies - couponing. I got $200 worth of groceries for $50. It was a great day! Last week I did something a little crazy. I guess I am missing "This is Kirtland" so I tried out for West Side Story. I don't know if it will work out but it was fun to try out.

We are all missing our Cleveland friends. Braden still asks if we can go to the Holmans everyday...maybe someday!

One Week Down

It has been a week since we arrived in Utah. Just have to update so I don't forget this little stage of our life.

The kids are doing remarkably well for being yanked out of their lives and dropped into a new place. We have tried to be really open with them so they don't get too confused. Braden still doesn't quite understand.

We were at my mom's house and he asked if we were going home.
I said we were going back to Grandma's house.
He said, "No, we are supposed to live in Utah. This isn't Utah. This is Grandma Judy's house. I want to go to my home in Utah."

Then he told his cousin today that "I don't have a home. I just sleep at Grandma's house."

Maybe one day he will understand. One thing I DO know is that he is totally obsessed with the Wii at Grandma's house. He is constantly asking to play it. It turns out that it is pretty good leaverage for me!


Hailee started her first day of school. I think I was more nervous than she was. I was up all night the night before stressing over if she would have someone to sit by at lunch and play with at recess. Of course she was fine. She made a friend the first day and everyone was saying goodbye to her after school.

She thinks it is a little strange that all of the kids in her class have "peach skin". She was a minority in both of the other schools she went. She has a litte different perspective than a lot of the kids in Utah, I think.


Dane and I are still feeling like we are on vacation but it is nice to be back around our family. It is weird to drive here. It seems like I should know where everything is...it's just a little rusty. We are excited for family parties and Sunday dinners this weekend. It was also really nice to be with our family for General Conference this year! I sure miss all my friends in Cleveland, though. It still feels like I am going back there. I guess it hasn't hit me that I don't live there any more! Thank heavens for blogging and Facebook!

Okay, Okay...Time to Blog Again

My crazy month has left me little time to blog. First of all, the rumors are true. We are in Utah now...hopefully to stay. We are looking for a job out here so I hope to update soon on where we will be living and working. How did this all happen? Well, not wanting to go into too much detail, the summary is: after A LOT of discussing, thinking, and praying, we decided to take a different job route and move closer to our families. We are sad to leave friends in Cleveland but had such a wonderful experience there. We are very excited to be closer to family and friends in Utah, though.

We had a fun adventure driving across the country. Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures up soon to document this journey. I just wanted to thank all of the people who helped us. I was overwhelmed when we had 13 men come to help us move. We were out hours before I thought we would be. Thanks to all of you who sacrificed your morning to come and help us (that includes the wives who were left at home). I also want to thank our families in Utah who have welcomed us with open arms and doors. You have all been so supportive and loving. We are truly blessed with the best family and friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I only hope I can repay the thoughfulness that has been shown to us over this last month!

Are you KIDDING me?!?!

I have to document this for my own humor. Hailee was getting ready for bed the other night and casually drops this question on me....

Hailee:
"Mom? There was this piece of paper up in the hall at my school. It said, 'Talk to your kids about sex." What's sex, mom'?

Me:
After standing there, mouth open, trying to stay composed and not too shocked, I finally stammered out..."umm...what do YOU think it is?"

Hailee:
"Well.....I think it's like shows that grownups watch and they are kissing inappropriate."


So that was it. Once that can of worms is open, they are crawling around all over the place. You can't put them back in and seal up the can. We had "the" talk. I never thought it would be with my 7-year-old!!!!! But the good thing is that she had no preconceived ideas so she heard it straight from me and knows that she doesn't have to ask friends or anyone else...I will always tell her what she wants to know and I will tell her the truth. She took it pretty well, I must say. I am happy that it turned out to be a good thing...I never thought it would be brought on by a flier hanging at school - OF ALL PLACES!!!

Thanks Cleveland Heights Schools....I appreciate the "education" my kid is getting there!

Oh, and yes...I DID call the school and have them move that flier somewhere where 1st and 2nd graders cannot read it!

Scrapbook Pages

I really wish I could take credit for these amazing works of art but it is my amazing mother in law who makes them all for me. She always does such an amazing job at capturing their personalities in each page. Oh, and she also takes amazing pictures too. These are just a few of the many talents she has. Thank you for sharing, Carol!

Oh, The Snow!

I have neglected my blog in the past week. I have faithfully been reading other people's blogs and enjoyed them immensely - expecting them to be fully updated (which all of them are). I guess I'm feeling guilty so here's a little update.

It has been colder than I knew it could actually be. It's ridiculously cold. It makes me not want to leave my house at all. The sheer effort of bundling up kids and getting in the car is more than I can handle sometimes so I just end up barricading myself in the house all day. It also doesn't help when Bennett is sick for 10 days and really can't go anywhere anyways. You would think I have a time to update my blog...I just have nothing to put on it. Pretty boring.

One day I was nice enough to let Braden go outside and play in the bitter cold. Why anyone would want to do that is beyond me. But he wanted to. I thought I only had to worry about him climbing our 50 foot tree in the summer. If I ever want to know where Braden is in the summer time, he is most likely climbing the dang tree. I went to check on him and couldn't see him. After looking out all the windows (you know I'm not going to actually go outside and look for him), I see a little black figure up in my tree. So if anyone was wondering....yes - you can climb an icy, snowy tree in full snow gear and winter boots.
I don't get it but he sure is pretty cute!

Cute Kids and Tooth Story

I have been so caught up in posting pictures of the vacation. I realized I haven't put anything with my kids on here in a while. So here are some recent pics of them just being cute and funny.

Bennett LOVES to go outside. We won't be playing outside for a while - until it's warmer (I don't play in the snow or cold so that means Bennett doesn't either. My other kids can because I don't have to go out there with them.) The poor kid...I know. He has started to put shoes on so he can go out. Usually the shoes are not his.

Here he is in Hailee's rainboots.
Yesterday he found a hat and thought that was necessary because it was raining. Pants....? No. Hat....? A must! Also in Hailee's shoes again.
Braden was trying to "hide" from us and did it a little too well. He somehow wedged himself in one of the tiny cabinets of our entertainment center. I have no idea how he got in there and we had to pull him out!

Hailee - The Toothless Wonder! Hailee lost 2 teeth this weekend. I don't know how the girl eats anything! After placing her first tooth under her pillow, she sighed and said, "ohhh, I'm really hoping for a 5 dollar bill from the Tooth Fairy. I really want a 10 dollar bill but I'm hoping and wishing for 5."

Me: "Ummm...when has the Tooth Fairy every brought you a 5 or 10 dollar bill?"

Hailee: "She hasn't. That is why I'm really hoping and wishing for one or the other. I know it's not going to be 10 so I'll just wish for 5. All I ever get is just 1, 1, 1. I can't buy anything with just one dollar."

Me: "Well, I don't think the Tooth Fairy brings anyone 5 or 10 dollars."

Hailee: "Some of my friends get that much."

Me: "Well, I think you're lucky to get anything at all. And if you aren't grateful, the Tooth Fairy knows and won't leave you anything!"

Isn't there some kind of unwritten rule out there? Am I alone in this? I don't think I ever got any "paper" money when I lost a tooth and I was just fine with that.