Annual SLC Trip

This post is heavy on the pictures. We headed down the first weekend in December for our annual trip to SLC with my family. We shopped, visited Temple Square, and just had fun hanging out at the hotel. We all look forward to this every year, and it was fun as usual.

I was glad to see that the old candy windows that ZCMI had when I was a kid were back.  There was a huge crowd around them.  The new City Creek Center was beautiful but so busy!  I didn't take any pictures at the pool, but the kids had a blast.  It was pretty chilly, but they loved it.  Leah is a little fish.

Santa's helper was having some beard issues.  Come on!  I got a different angle on it for Luke but then forgot again.  Seth may have been telling Santa how he wanted a four wheeler and a motorcycle!  At this amazing brunch Seth was so excited to eat crab legs like Jer.  He told us he just wanted to "box them up to enjoy throughout the year."  He also talked his non foody brother Luke into trying them and he loved them too!

Leah was totally freaked out by Santa and wanted nothing to do with him, but she did accept his candy cane.

I made the kids pose for some pictures with my new lens.  The results weren't great...more practice is needed!

What fun memories!  Nobody puked this year so that was a big improvement.  Luke did have croup and we spent some time out on the hotel balcony during the night but that's as bad as it got.

Oh Ian

This kid is a crack-up.  He makes us laugh with his crazy antics and drama.  I found this old picture on my phone of his preschool field trip to the fire house.  He was so excited and then we got there and he was not into it.  He does hate really loud noises, and he was worried they were going to honk the horn. He also hated the water dump thing they showed him and that was it.  He did not warm up until the very end.  I was totally surprised at what a pill he was.  I thought he'd love it.  He loves Miss Jenny although he likes to skip craft/learning time if possible...he's just there for the play time.  He only has one boy in his class and his two favorite girls are the "two Sophias."  What a ladies man.

Ian has a lot of personality to say the least.  He can make all kinds of faces and once he gets a laugh he will not quit.  He is such a ham.  Here's to hoping that crossing your eyes often causes no permanent damage!

 

 This child can be a test and a half, but he is also the sweetest, most loving kid you'll ever meet.  He keeps life interesting for sure.  Sometimes he will say "mom, mom, mom" repeatedly and just when I'm getting annoyed and finally say "what" he will say "I love you."  Aww...impossible to stay frustrated with him for long!  I love you too Ian.

Thankful

Before I head right into posting all the Christmas pics I am already behind on I really should mention Thanksgiving.  I have a lot to be thankful for.  We spent a great day with Jer's family this year followed by some Black Friday shopping with my mom and breakfast with cousins.  We mixed in some stomach flu both before and after that made its way through the whole family just to keep things interesting.  We got tickets to the USU football game the Saturday after Thanksgiving but that morning was when the pukes hit me, so I had to stay home while Jer took the boys.  While Jer was on his way home Ian puked in the van!  I could have done without the sickness, but we still had a great week/weekend.  I am so grateful for the many, many blessings I have....the gospel, my family, freedom...the list would be very long.

November is also National Adoption Month, so I feel like I should make a belated plug here.  Adoption is an inspired, amazing process that has blessed my life so much.  I am grateful everyday for the way Seth and Leah came into my life.  I am especially grateful for the people that gave them life.  Seth's birthparents are amazing people who sacrificed so much for him to be a part of a family.  We couldn't love him more.  He's my big teddy bear...such a sweet kid.  He is so fun at holidays and special times.  He loves it, and his excitement is contagious.  He is loving everything about kindergarten this year...every craft, every song, not to mention that he is a good little reader already.  He writes each of us notes with pictures multiple times each day right now that are so cute.  I think he may be a little budding artist...or chef.  He loves to help in the kitchen!  What a great kid.

Leah's story is different but last month with her birthday and the two year anniversary of when she was found and taken into the orphanage I have thought a lot about her China mom.  I can only imagine the circumstances that brought her to that point, but I'm so glad that she brought Leah into this world and I hope that she can have some peace and some knowledge that Leah is okay.  We love this little girl so much.  She has brought an added measure of love and joy into this family, and she continues to amaze us.  She had her two year checkup the other day, and it was so exciting to show off her progress.  She has gained about a pound a month since we've been home and is finally on the charts in the 8th percentile!  Her height is a different story.  She's growing but hasn't quite made the chart yet.  She is running around the house being quite bossy, and she's starting to talk quite a bit.  Her best sentences begin with "I want _______."  She has cute ways of saying all the family members names and has also picked up some less than desirable phrases from her brothers such as "chicken butt."

And of course Jer, Luke, Ian and all the rest of our family and friends are there at the top of my list of blessings.  After spending a morning with Leah at Shriner's Hospital last week (where her check for hip dysplasia showed no problems) I was reminded of just how great it is to be healthy and have healthy children.  People have such tough trials in this life, and I am truly grateful for all that I have.

Seasons Change

We went from this...

   

to this—in a week!

Leah is Two!

Leah turned two last week.  I can hardly believe it.  It was so fun to celebrate her birthday for the first time ever.  I couldn't help but think about what a contrast this must have been with her birthday last year in China.  I remember wondering about her and feeling pretty down.  I'm so grateful she's home now where she belongs.  Luke and Seth were almost as excited as they get for their own birthdays.  I have run into tons of people this week who've been around my kids at school, neighbors, etc. and they all heard about Leah having her birthday from them.  What good brothers.

Leah's birthday was on November 6th.  The day of the presidential election.  I knew between young mens for Jer and watching the returns (that was deflating to say the least) it wouldn't be a great day for a party.  We did have balloons and donuts though and then held off to the weekend for her party.  I wanted to take a few pictures of Leah on her birthday.  On a cooperativity scale of 1-10 I'd say we were heading into negative territory.

 

This is not the most flattering pic of Leah, but I love that it shows her double chin.  This girl has some for real chub on her.  I can hardly recognize the skeletal Leah in the pics we got from China.

Don't let those few pics fool you.  Apparently Leah hates balloons.  She wants nothing to do with them.

Ian was all too happy to play with them.

 

 I took Leah to vote with me.  I'm still baffled by the election results.  I truly don't get the liberal ideology, but I am so grateful Leah's a US citizen.  I don't think I ever took being an American for granted, but if I did my visit to China reminded me how awesome it is to live here.  America is truly exceptional.

 And then Leah's polka dot party on Saturday.  It was fun and she got lots of cute, girly stuff.  She loved it!

 

 

Leah got this little mini me baby doll.  We found her downstairs feeding the baby a bottle.  I think she saw that a time or two in the orphanage.  She looked like a pro.

Happy Birthday baby girl!