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.