Blessed...

"True greatness is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or achievement. It requires the development of character. It requires a multitude of correct decisions..." -Joseph F. Smith 

So as I was sitting here, on this lazy Sunday (oh how I LOVE 8 o'clock church--at least for now ;)) looking at an ultrasound of a baby that will change our lives in just a few months, I felt it absolutely necessary to profess our admiration for birthmothers-all of them, and the character they have.  What amazing and extraordinary women they are, and how blessed Timmy and I are that Alicia is a part of our plan of happiness.  How grateful we are for her!!!  This picture was taken in her 20th week.

And I don't know the "rules" or appropriateness of posting ultrasound pictures (I promise Alicia said I could though), but seriously, look at his lips!!! I look at this picture everyday, I am so absolutely in love with this little boy (we're calling him Ezra - for now).  I think about kissing those lips ALL THE TIME!!!  It's the craziest feeling though, let me tell ya...being head over heels, do absolutely anything for, worry about constantly in LOVE with someone you've never met.  I am so gratefully Alicia has allowed us to be a part of her pregnancy thus far... hearing his heart beat, feeling the anticipation of finding out if he was a boy or girl.  This experience thus far has taught me so very much about myself, but more importantly it has allowed me to have a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father must see and love us.  How grateful I am for strong, courageous and selfless birth mothers.  

So Alicia is about 21  1/2 weeks pregnant, and it has NOT been easy on her.  She was in the hospital last week with a severe kidney infection, but was released after a few intense days, and she (and baby Ezra--there's something about calling him by name...=)) are doing well.  She has also been diagnosed with placenta previa, and we continue to pray that that will also take care of itself.  She has been amazing (I know I use that word a lot) throughout all of it--she's so selfless and unconcerned about her pain and discomfort, always concerned about that baby boy in her belly!!! We are so glad she has Trent to help, love and support her as well.  So not to sound cliche or anything, but if you could, we would truly appreciate you all keeping her and the baby in your prayers.  

We've been busy on the nursery...we had a two day extravaganza of wallpaper removal (again let me say, wallpaper should be illegal).  Next is paint!  We're waiting on fabric swatches though from the bedding material we're having made from a seamstress on Etsy.  We've also gotten his crib, a dresser/changing table and an armoire.  Oh and lotsa adorable clothes from Brielle!  =)  Pics to follow once we paint.  Saying we're ecstatic is an understatement!!! We can't wait to finally meet and love on the child we've longed for so long.  Thank you again Alicia and Trent, for allowing our hearts to experience this love!

"Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come." -Joseph Smith

Oh and how precious he will be!!!

{PF Chang's Half Marathon}

So after 14 weeks of training for the PF Chang's half marathon, I decided to make things harder (like running 13 miles isn't hard enough).  I totally ran into this old wooden tool box full of books we have in our living room.  This is a picture of my foot a week after it happened (ignore the dirty floor please).  I went and had it x-rayed the Friday before the race (2 weeks after I clumsily smashed it), and sure enough I broke a metatarsal.  But the race goes on right!?!  Timmy and I decided to run it anyways. So I'm gonna be totally vain and say "I can do hard things" (Some hard things at least).  =)

So I taped up my foot and (luckily) it went numb before we even started running.  That may have been because it was chilly too though.  We did things pretty perfectly this year...we left Anthem to head downtown later than we have in the past, hung out in the truck for the perfect amount of time, got in line to use the (nasty) port-a-potty at the perfect time and got to our corral just in time to start towards the starting line.  We were a little bummed we didn't run with Andrea & her brother though, especially since she's the talker of the 3 of us.  They started in a quicker corral and ended up finishing about 20 minutes faster than us.

Timmy & I love running and "racing" together.  We don't actually race per say, we just run and have a good time.  This year was so fun!! We had a blast high fiving the cheerleaders, listening to the bands and reading everyone's fun signs.  Neither of us really hit "the wall" and I kept reminding Timmy randomly that this was the last year we'd be doing it as just the two of us--next year there will be a little man waiting with gma & gpa at the finish line for us.  We can't wait!!!  Thinking about him definitely brought smiles to our faces throughout the run.  We trained pretty hard for the run, not as hard as we have in the past, but well enough to finish with a smile on our faces.  Though I can't even lie, I was pretty dang disappointed that there weren't any bullets in the finishing area.  I mean seriously, I practically ran the race just for one of those yummy popsicles.  My day wasn't totally ruined, but I was a little sad.

It is so awesome being married to my best friend!!! We had a great time training for the race and an even better time running it together.  Nothing's better than doing something hard with your best friend by your side and crossing the finish line hand in hand.  He really does raise me up and make me feel like I can do anything (broken toe and all).  So I guess I should say "We can do hard things...especially together!"

Bringing in 2010 with a BANG!!!

New Year's Day is normally a pretty quiet one for us...  This year we decided to go shooting in the desert near our house with some friends, to literally bring in the new year with a "bang bang."

Brad & Shara

Raynee & Issac Brody

Oh Issac... this kid's hilarious!

I love these boys sooooo much!!!

Tate (tater) is one of my favorite people! And so dang adorable! He had a blast riding his scooter and playing "baseball" with me---we used empty shot gun shells and mini bats. =)

Timmy & Joey, sighting in the new red dot sight.  So serious... but I'm glad they take guns and gun safety seriously.

Tate loved shooting Timmy's .22  and he did a great job!

Us girls had fun shooting too, my fav was the AR, I think Raynee & Shara liked shooting it too tho.  Timmy probably had the most fun of anyone tho...

Oh how I {LOVE} Timmy!!!  I love his enthusiasm, his laugh, his hilariousness, his wisdom, his manliness, everything!  I'm so excited to take on 2010 with him hand in hand.  It really is gonna be such an unforgettable year full of joy and hope and peace and love!!!

It's A {BOY}

We don't have any pictures of HIM to go along with this post, but we wanted to share with everyone the most spectacular news of 2009 (we found out on December 30th)...  We are going to be blessed with a baby BOY!!!  Timmy and I are so excited!!! We're so grateful to Alicia for allowing us to share in her pregnancy with her, it was so awesome to experience the anticipation of finding out...  I know I say this all the time, but WE CAN"T WAIT until June!!! We can't wait to finally see his face, to tell him how long we've waited for him and to love on him something fierce!!!  We're so thankful for Alicia & Trent (and their families for supporting them in their adoption plan), they're so amazing!!!  We love you guys!!!
17 weeks & 4 days {Bump Pic} - only 157 days to go

“We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act.  Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.  Through selfless service, eternal peace is obtained.”  Gautama Siddharta

Whatever happened to TPing??????

So this is how much the young men at church "LOVE" Timmy.  =)  The night after we went to an unnamed boy's (Brad H.) surprise birthday party... this is what we woke up to find...

That's right, that's a sheriff in front of our house. And in the above picture, that's our neighbor talking to the sheriff

And, that's a real Port -a- Potty.....................

A stinking (literally) port-a-potty in the back of our truck, seriously?!?

So those hoodlums got us pretty dang good, but luckily for them we fibbed about knowing who did it.  It was so hilarious tho, even if our neighbors didn't really think so (the boys took the port-a-potty from in front of their house - they're having major work done to their house and just happened to be driving by to make sure things were on schedule that Sunday morning and saw that we had "their" pooper in our truck.) Thanks Brad, Taylor & Andy - we love you guys too, and revenge will be SWEET!

This isn't the hoodlum that did it, but I don't doubt that this cutie patootie is gonna be a trouble maker when he grows up.... look out world, Harper's on the move!

But look at that face...

Oh How We {LOVE} Christmas!

We kicked off December with our yearly youth trip to the Mesa Temple to see the Christmas lights & listen to a local choir performance.  We love spending time with the kids from church, and surprisingly they don't mind hanging with us all that much either.  =)  Timmy & I both love Christmas time and nothing gets us more in the Christmas spirit than walking the illuminated temple grounds hand in hand.

Christmas Eve is always spent at my grandparents house with my mom and Randy.  We have delicious swedish meatballs, play cards, watch A Christmas Story and open presents (of course!!!)  This year was exceptionally special, as Timmy & I got to share the fantastical news of our June BABY!  My grandparents were ecstatic, tears were abounding. =) It's so awesome to have such loving & supportive family!

Christmas with Timmy's family is kinda unique... presents are always unwrapped before the sun even thinks about rising.  =)  No seriously, this year since we were doing Christmas at LeAnne's in Phoenix, we got up "late" --- late being 5 AM (normally we're starting to open presents by 5AM--no joke.)  So after getting about 4 hours of sleep, (just trying to prepare ourselves for the baby :-) ) we loaded up our presents and dogs and headed down to LeAnne & Ben's.

Mister Harper was ready to go when we got there... he's a morning guy too.  He sure made out like a bandit!!!  He got lotsa books, toys and clothes.  Tho I think he liked the boxes and wrapping paper things came in more than the toy itself.

But then again, so did Timmy.  =)  No not really.  Normally Timmy & I go nutso on each other when it comes to presents, but this year we decided not to in light of being blessed with a little one in a mere 5 months.  He did get the red dot sight for a gun of his tho---he was pretty stoked.

After the sun finally rose, we girls made a yummy Christmas breakfast.

After our morning with Timmy's family, we headed back up to Anthem to spend the rest of the day with my dad & Jenny (& Patrick, Jess, gparents and other family members).  We had a great day and ate lotsa yummy food!!!  It's so awesome to think that next Christmas we'll have a six month old---WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

Meet {Alicia & Trent}

Okay, so I have been super busy ever since we got back from our Indiana trip, it's true, but I think I have been kind of procrastinating posting about it because I haven't been able to make sense of the amazingness we felt while we were there.  We went to Terre Haute, IN (yes, in December--by choice =)) a week or so ago to meet our unbelievably phenomenal birth parents, Alicia & Trent.  I mean of course everything feels divinely and extraordinarily amazing to all of us involved, but it's hard to know how to word it all for it to make sense for everyone else. So I don't think I'm gonna even try, I'm just going to introduce you all to the most giving, loving and self-less people, people who in a mere 5 1/2 months will make our dreams come true...

Alicia & Trent

All of us at dinner

Okay seriously, I can never get that gorgeous smile out of Timmy without a little effort... Alicia said "smile" and look what he gave her... a real, from the heart, honest to goodness genuine smile--and all so very effortlessly!!!

Isn't she so gorgeous!?!  She's so absolutely hilarious & down to earth as well... it was unbelievable how easy it was to be around her (and Trent =)), she truly feels like a long lost sister to me...

Alicia & her daughter Kaelyn, she's 3 and so ADORABLE!  I'm not bragging or anything, but she kinda likes me =) she was by my side most of the weekend.  It was awesome!!

They loved looking at the pictures we had taken of them.

This is Ethyn, he's seriously such a boy... Possibly a future UFC fighter... and he has a laugh that could melt your heart--or make you belly laugh yourself.  We had so much fun playing with him and Kaelyn both.

And here's Alicia's 15 week belly shot!  It's so surreal... there's a baby in that belly, our baby, Baby Angle as they have dubbed him or her thus far! Alicia and Trent are so absolutely amazing!  Within a hour of meeting them in person (we talk to them everyday), Alicia handed Timmy an ultrasound picture and said "Here you go, Daddy." Amazing right!?! Timmy's face lit up instantly =) So did mine when I saw the picture for the first time in real life (they've shown it to us over the webcam).  We can't wait!!! We're finally going to be parents!! And all because of the selfless love these two extraordinary people have for their baby (and us).  We had a great trip, we got to know each other better, we met family, we ate, we saw Christmas lights, we played Wii, we ate... but best of all, we were so blessed to hear that little baby's heartbeat!  AMAZING!!! We can't wait to meet him or her (we'll find that out on January 5th =)), to finally be able to tell her how long we've waited for her (or him)... oh we're gonna love on that baby something fierce!!! Thank you again guys!! For allowing us to be a part of your pregnancy, to experience all of this with you, you have no idea how much you are loved!!!  Oh yeah, did I mention that they are AMAZING!?!

Anthem Holiday Classic Triathlon

I am SO PROUD of Timmy!!! He participated in a local triathlon over the {freezing} weekend. He was so awesome... in the pool-swimming 400 meters; biking 16 miles and running  3 miles.

All in the blistering cold Arizona weather =)  It really was cold--like in the 40's.

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort... and support.  We're so grateful for our friends & their support--Andrea and her whole family came to watch, take pics and cheer Timmy on; and Joey, one of Timmy's besties (is that what guys call them too?) was at the other end of the pool giving Timmy just what he needed in encouragement to keep going (being that he swam twice in preparation for the race).  Timmy put a lot of determination, dedication and self-discipline into his training--his effort on Saturday was very apparent--but he wouldn't have gotten thru like he did without the support.   

A BIRD in the HOUSE

Okay seriously, I don't think I really need to commentate these pictures...they tell the story pretty well.  But I do feel a need to explain why Timmy's in his undies.  =)  On Sunday, I walked into the kitchen/great room area and heard a kinda alarming flutter...I kinda freaked out.  I started yelling Timmy's name-loudly-because he was on the other side of the house getting ready for church.  So he comes out running thinking something very serious was happening--like I was hurt or something.  I apologized, told him a bird must have flown in thought the sliding glass door, and then handed him a broom.  So for those of you who don't know us... we have 3 dogs... two of which are "bird" dogs--well let's just say there was a little chaos in the Angle house for a couple minutes.  

Timmy caught the bird (wearing MY snowboarding gloves) and said "take a picture"  not really paying attention to where the girlies were...

No birds were hurt in creating this post... he set it free out back and the girls were "on the prowl" the rest of the morning.

Then later, Izzy went back to being her Mrs. Jekyll.  But I'm so grateful for my knight in shining underwear (thanks Alicia, for the name...)

How BLESSED We Are...

So we've kinda recently "gone public" with our adoption story---yep, Trent & Alicia... you're famous--rock star status! =)

And when we answered the door on Monday night, the fantastic Gregoire Family was there to give us this (candy) poster.  We are so blessed in so many ways!!!  Thank you all for loving and supporting us!!! (p.s. Timmy really is a Mr. Goodbar!!)

Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they be executed. 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

How grateful I am to know that our Heavenly Father knows US and the righteous desires of our hearts.  But, He also wants us to ACT, to "execute" those desires and "good thoughts"!  Thank you for all for "acting"---showing your love for us!!o Emerson

Brat Attack Flower Eater

Oh how we love our Scuba Steve

(Capone Sue)

And our Roosty Love

(Roosty Rooster Girl)

But Izzard (Izzy Girl).....

She's a FLOWER EATER!!!

This is what the other barrel once looked like...

Oh our Brat Attack Flower Eater...

If she wasn't so dang cute!!!  We gotta love her!!!

A Day With My {DAD}

Okay, so this was not at all how I was feeling about the day--tho I was pretty disappointed when I found out we were having Mexican food for our Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad.  Timmy and I (luckily) have a lot of family near by, and most years we have at least 3 turkey dinners in a days time.  That's why we normally do our "Thanksgiving" with my Dad a couple days after the real Thanksgiving.  This year though, (understandably) my Dad & Jenny decided to change things up---I was pretty sad about missing my Dad's grilled turkey and Jenny's fantastic stuffing. :(  But I'm glad we had a Mexican fiesta--the food was so yummy and I'm glad it was just us-that way I could be in my pj's. =)

Timmy's a pro a getting "real emtion" outta me!! :-)

Jess, Jenny & Me--always right by the food!!

Me & my grandma--I love that they're back from MN for a while

Oh my bro, I love him so!!!

My Jessa!

Jenny & her sister Katy

Our friends Brad & Shara (isn't her hair so gorgeous? I'm kinda jealous! :))

The boys...being boys (except for Bells)

Me & my Pa--I'm such a (proud) daddy's girl

{Turkey Day}

Okay so this post may be a little all over the place (and long).  Forgive me, I've been down and out with an ear and sinus infection and bronchitis---don't worry--I'm not contagious.  But thanks to my loving and pushy husband (and Trent & Alicia), I finally went to the doctor on Wednesday before the Thanksgiving festivities and got the necessary meds to save my life!

So, without further adieu, here's our Tucson Thanksgiving picture montage.  (By the way, we normally do Thanksgiving(s) here in Phoenix, but we couldn't resist Aunt Vickie's cooking??)

We were welcomed at Daniel & Mandy's by this guy (and Airmi & Jilly).  His name is yet to be determined.  Charmy was the girl's pick, but like Daniel, I like Bosco, Paco, Pedro, or Machida.

What a cuddler (and viscous biter) he is.  Timmy use to snuggle with Roosty the exact same way!!

The girls and I had lotsa fun!!! They're also cuddlers...notice the lack of clothing--I guess when I was younger (I promise) I was known to run around in just my undies too.

We love Daniel & Mandy.  They're also high school sweethearts.  It so awesome to have such great friends in our cousins---too bad they live in Tuck Sun!

Again with the streaking---it's Jilly now not Airmi =)

Okay, even if you're not a dog person (which in all actuality I really don't understand), how can you not love this face?!  Makes me want a puppy---yeah right!!  We'll totally "settle" for a June bug Baby!!!!! =) (HOORAY)

I had so much fun painting mine and the girls' nails!! Girls are seriously so much fun!!! And Airmi & I liked that all three of us were matchy matchy the rest of the day.

 So there were a lot of people at Uncle Ken & Aunt Vickie's, but not enough!!! LeeLee Poo and her family, Stacey & Jason and most of Aunt Anna's family were definitely all missed!!!!

 I love Tim so much! He is the greatest father-in-law anyone could ask for.  He's so noble and kind and loving.  I'm so lucky he's mine!!!

Slade sisters---Cousins Linda & Melissa (Daniel's sisters, well 2 of the 4)

Just us---with FULL bellies, the best kind right!?

Aunt Vickie & Miss Airmi...hard to believe she's four now!

Pre - Snooze

Tim can seriously fall asleep anywhere (and he has), and it takes literally seconds!  This is his "traditional" holiday position.  I can't make too much fun - I fell asleep on the car ride home.

They're sisters - can you tell!?!?  You could if you heard them laugh, they all have the same cackle! =)  Oh how we love em!!!

Stephy's due in February...the baby of the (Slade) family having a baby.

Nope, Daniel's not prego too =)

Just the girlfriends!!!

Getting us all in one place was kinda a battle, Uncle Ken only agreed if I mentioned that he's now 40 lbs. lighter.  =) It's kinda sad seeing cousins who were once so content picking and playing with grapefruit almost all grown up.  It's so awesome to think that I've been a part of their lives for 13 years now (love you Brit & Lexi).

So our quick Thanksgiving trip to Tucson was fun.  Yummy food and great company...what's better (oh and a super cute puppy)!?

On Thursday night, Timmy and I got a head start on our Christmas shopping, and met my Dad & Jenny at the outlets at 10PM.  We lasted til just past midnight, but the real "Black Friday" adventure kicked off at 530AM on Saturday (the very next morning--yeah I'm still recovering).  This is us before we left...pure excitement right!?

Timmy is so much more than I deserve!!!  He's so awesome and supportive!  I think he had a little fun shopping too tho! And we got great stuff--only a few more people left on our list to buy for.  =)  We already have so much to be thankful for now (you saw my list), but to think that months before next year's holiday season we'll be blessed with a gorgeous baby is amazing!!! We can't wait--"Black Friday" shopping may be a thing of the past! (That will also make Timmy a happy man!)  =)

The Giving Side of Adoption

Since we're nearing the end of November (National Adoption Month), I thought it'd be good to shed some light on the other side of adoption.  Most of those around us know how eternally grateful we are for adoption, and the hope we've found, but I think it's important to  hear a voice from the other side, the selfless giving due to love side.

The following are excerpts from the February 2009 Ensign article "The Gift of Adoption." Click the below title to read the entire article.

The Gift of Adoption

Many families know what joy adoption can bring into a family welcoming a new son or daughter (and ours will know that joy soon enough). But what about those on the other side of adoption—the giving side? Here, four people involved with the gift of adoption (none of them connected) share their stories (and hopefully Trent & Alicia will want to share theirs some day too).

Birth Mother

"...To say that I cried would be to put it mildly. My heart was full and broken at the same time. How could I feel such peace in a decision that brought so much pain? I later realized that I had brought much heartache and pain into my life and the lives of those intertwined with mine because I had let selfish desires override my long-term goals. But here, I had been given an opportunity to put aside what I wanted most—to keep this child—and to give her something better.

My boyfriend and I shared with our parents our decision about adoption. His parents struggled with the idea of not knowing their flesh and blood and accused us of being heartless. My parents, who had just started to adjust to the idea that they would be grandparents, urged us not to rush into any kind of a decision. In the end, although they felt disappointment at not being able to watch their grandchild grow up, they were supportive.

Giving birth to a beautiful little girl was miraculous. I loved holding her and rocking her. She was so beautiful, and I cried many times her first night on earth. I knew that the next day would bring heartache when it was time to say good-bye..."

Birth Father

"...We felt strongly that our child was to go to these parents, a decision we felt confirmed in prayer and again later when Andrea and I met the family.

The day Jenna was born was more incredible and miraculous than we could ever have imagined. We kept her with us the first few days, and when the day came to take Jenna to her new family, we felt we couldn’t do it. Three hours after we were supposed to have been at the LDS Family Services office, we still hadn’t left my parents’ house. I asked my father to give each of us a priesthood blessing. Among the things he blessed us with was the ability to do the right thing.

We finally left for LDS Family Services. Again, we felt a strong Spirit confirming that this was the right thing, yet when Andrea and I stepped out of the office to return home, I felt the saddest I have ever felt. Neither of us said a word as we drove away. We just cried. That was the most difficult day of my life..."

Grandparent
"...when our oldest daughter, Katie (names have been changed), then 19 years old and not married, told my wife and me that she was pregnant, it broke our hearts. I blamed myself, wondering where I had gone wrong as a father. Katie had been so stalwart during her early teenage years, but as she got a bit older, she began to give way to negative peer pressure.

Of course, it was natural for my wife and me as grandparents to want to watch this grandchild grow up. But we knew that neither we as grandparents nor Katie as a single mother could give this child the love, time, and direction that he needed. This was not about us or our feelings. It was about what was best for the baby..."

Child

One of my earliest memories is looking up at my mother after she had tucked me in and asking her if she would tell me a different bedtime story. After all, she had been telling me the same story every night for as long I could remember.

It always started with these words: “Once upon a time, there was a mommy and daddy who wanted very much to have a baby of their own.” It wasn’t a fable or a fairy tale but the story of our family and how I came to be a part of it. Because I had heard the story repeated so often, adoption was never a mysterious or uncomfortable topic. I learned from the beginning that I was meant to be with my family—I had just come a different way..."

We love you Alicia & Trent!!! How blessed we are that you finally found us!!!

{Ode to Thanksgiving}

I am thankful for...

(And there's not much order to this list)

My Savior Jesus Christ

My adoring & supportive husband & eternal companion

Two sets of amazing parents

Awesome in-laws - Tim, Linda, LeAnne & Ben  (I LOVE them!!!)

A brother & a sister who care SO much (even if one of them isn’t super great at showing it)

Loving grandparents that use the phrase “lotsa lotsa”

An understanding of the Plan of Salvation and the miracle of adoption

Two extraordinarily selfless and astoundingly compassionate “birth parents”- but they’re just “family” to us

DOGS--I love our dogs!!

Nephews! Especially smiley ones!!!

Family in general - aunties, uncles, cousins... I need them ALL

Chocolate (pretty much anything goes)

Our business - who knew I’d love being married to a landscaper SO MUCH

Friends... especially the one’s who listen, but also tell you what you NEED to hear whether you want to hear it or not

Grass - I love our backyard!

My health... I’m so grateful to be blessed with a body that can run, hike, bike, jump, swim, climb---and get sore!

Leaves, especially red, gold and brown ones--oh but I like em green too

Religion - I find so much peace worshiping with others

Prayer... the only form of communication that can occur in your heart--I’m in need of divine guidance daily, and I’m so thankful to be able to receive it

Bread (rolls, croissants, tortillas, bagels, etc...)

Seasons... we may not get 4 actual seasons here in AZ, but I love that we can travel a short distance to the snow, autumn leaves, spring showers and flowers--the sun of summer we get plenty of

Sleep & dreams.... our jumongous bed too

Service & the blessings that inevitably follow

To live in America - to be FREE!

Running shoes (I can’t imagine running 13.1 miles barefoot)

Electricity & running water (okay all our resources!) 

My education and the opportunities afforded to me

Toilet paper & toothpaste (I don’t use them together)

Our MAC 

Pizza - and delivery service!

Standing on top of mountains

Seeing a show on Broadway

Traveling so much

Tents (with our air mattress and down comforter)

Spin Class

Lakes, rivers and oceans

Music!

Invitations--I may not attend everything that I’m invited to, but it sure feels great being invited!

Sunshine

Teachers

My Crock Pot!!!!

Purses! (and backpacks for hiking and camping)

The kindness of strangers

People who love me--who want the same good things for me that I want for myself - they even do their part to make those things happen

Memories and the capability to remember

Hard times & the faith that gets me through them

Books & magazines

ICE CREAM

Our service men & women

Animals & being able to have witnessed so many in nature

Rainy days

Flowers

Our couch

Christmas songs (and decorations) they make me smile on the inside

Modern medicine and good doctors

Brokenness & HOPE

The internet

Kleenex - dang allergies

FOOD - ALL OF IT!!!

Soft blankets - and MY baby blanket

Movies (and our dvr)

The ability to think, learn and create

Bike shorts with the butt pad in it

Being married to my best friend!!!

I’m thankful for today and even more so for the opportunities of our tomorrows!!!

I coulda gone on for days, but seriously!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Oh SO MUCH to be THANKFUL for!!!

I'm composing my list of things I'm thankful for right now and will post it soon.  It includes being thankful for a extraordinarily supportive and loving husband, finding our two long lost friends/heros, knowing that I am a daughter of God --and macaroni & cheese! (okay food in general)  =)  Our (long) list to follow shortly!

SOOO... MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!

Can you see the {CONFETTI}!?!

We would be remiss if we first didn’t tell everyone (and there’s soooo..... many of you--thankfully!) thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers over the past 6 years.  Timmy and I have been so very blessed by all of your love and support throughout these years of wanting to add a little one (or two) to our family.  


So for those of you who know me well enough to have heard me talk about confetti~ this picture is worth a million bazillion words and feelings and tears! Good one’s of course!!!

There’s literally confetti falling from the sky, glorious and magical confetti~and it’s just for us!! We’ve been found!!!  They found us!!!  

It’s taken me over a week to put all my thoughts together enough to be able to have them make sense to anyone else.  But I wanted to to be able to write how we feel---I now know that’s impossible--everything we feel, the surety, the genuine love, the hope--it’s literally indescribable.  And that’s okay, it kinda makes me a little happy~this miraculous journey is ours, for us to experience (all of us involved), everything about it is so sacred and special, and Heavenly Father has made it this way especially for us.

So let me tell you about our fantastical, extraordinarily amazing birth parents!! (get ready--they’re remarkable!)  Their names are Alicia and Trent and they live in Indiana.  So to start from the beginning~~ Alicia contacted us (after receiving a divinely directed suggestion from Brielle Gunderson) last Thursday the 5th.  I had just gotten home from an unsuccessful attempt at having some hard copies printed of our adoption profiles.  Our case worker said about a month ago that she really wanted to have 6 copies of our profile in hand, and for whatever reason (again with the divine guidance) I hadn’t yet had the time to make my way to Kinkos.  So anyways, I get down there and give the lady my disk only to find out that I hadn’t actually burned the file to my disk...I was kinda annoyed with myself for the mistake, but figured that I’d just head home, save the file and head back down--it was barely noon.  So as I’m walking in the door, my phone rings--I’m a screener, I’ll admit it...and I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t answer.  Instead I sat down on the couch and opened up my computer.  As I was burning the file to the disk, I see that whoever called left a voicemail.  So...I listen to my voicemail.  And it was Brielle, excitedly (yet somehow calmly as well) telling me to check my email.  I was a little confused at first, I had to listen to the message a second time to realize that she was telling me that a birth mother had contacted her (Brielle), and that she told her to take a look at our profile~and that she had in fact looked and then decided to contact us.  I know, it’s a little confusing, and I apologize.  

But after listening to the message, I immediately called Timmy.  My heart was already so full of hope and peace and joy (and I hadn’t even talked to Alicia yet).  Timmy said to email her back right away without even knowing anything---he knew too!!! So I opened the email and learned about this courageous woman who was in her first trimester of an unexpected pregnancy and her fiance Trent.  I responded to her initial contact email and just told her how grateful we were (and ARE, hellloooo!) for them checking out our profile and then deciding to contact us for more info.  She was so sweet and endearing from the very beginning, she talked about US giving THEM hope---I was astounded already by her selflessness and courage.  I mean seriously!  Her outlook on their circumstances and situation was beyond me, she mentioned wanting to do what’s best “for this blessing that God has given” them.  Okay, amazing right?! 

So we emailed back and forth a couple times that afternoon (I literally sat with the computer on my lap for like 5 hours thinking about what they looked like, what their voices sounded like, how I could clearly and coherently tell them that we’ve loved them all along).  Then, while I was responding to another email--I got an instant message.  Okay I know I’m not that old in all reality, but text messaging and emailing is about as far as we go (I mean you all know about us and facebook!).  But I was sooo... excited that they we right there at our fingertips (even tho it initially took me about two minutes to figure out where to type my response).  So we talked for a really long time that first night.  I was floored by how much (and about what) we all had in common.  They even love food as much as I do!!!! =)  I seriously felt like I had been talking to my long lost best friend--we had finally found each other.

Okay, so the next morning before I headed out for a run with my bestie, I was impressed to check my email (I might have checked it without the push tho), and I was elated to see that they had emailed the night before after we had gone to bed (okay, so the one thing we don’t share is bedtimes =)).  Alicia joked at first about a couple things and then said that we have given them a “new hope and understanding” and that they were so blessed to have found such amazing people.  Again, I was more than astounded by her!!  I emailed her right back and told her that we were so grateful they had found us and that we’re ecstatic that they were even considered us (I said something about being in the running).  So of course the first thing I did after my grueling 9 mile run (that actually was one of the best I’d ever had) was check my email.  She had written!! And then she said it---we were “THE ONE”! (among many other profound and tear jerking things).  I had been so excited about meeting and getting to know them, that I hadn’t whole heartedly realized what it this was all for---the love of a child!  She said we were “the one”, it was us, they had chosen us.  If only I could have explained somehow that we had chosen each other a very long time ago.  The joy and peace we felt in that moment was indescribable.  Timmy wanted to shout it from the top of a mountain! 

So I’m not going to make a long story short...but I am going to end this post telling the two people who are healing our hearts that we love them.  Thank YOU for being such an inspiration to us.  Your courage and selflessness is beyond our comprehension.  You’re amazing! Who would have known that after wishing and hoping for a baby in our lives for so long, that this journey would have lead us to each other--it’s such a miracle!!!  Thank you for letting yourself be directed, and know from this point on that you got us!!!! 

We can’t wait to see you up close an personal (the first time we “saw” each other was on the web cam--right after I had just gotten out of the shower---hello...can you say self conscious?!)  We can’t wait to hug and cry and laugh and smile with you both!! Oh--and you know how I feel about all the belly rubbing that’s in the future.  Our first real visit couldn’t come soon enough (we fly out December 11th).  Oh how we can’t wait for that Dr.’s appointment and ultrasound on the 12th---a day that will change our hearts forever (especially if Timmy’s wish for twins comes true =) ).   WE’RE GONNA HAVE A JUNE BABY~~WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN?!  

Much, much more to come.....

{Amazing}

A {Peace}ful Easy Feeling...

The last week has been an amazing one! (Understatement)   And something inside my heart, tells me that life's only going to get better (and busier).   If there's one question that I've been pondering the past couple of days, it is---when does the experience become the gift?  Life is so full of sweetness, He gives us so much, and the joy is all around us if we but open our hearts to feel it!

Timmy went deer hunting a couple weeks ago, and although he was pretty bummed about not getting a buck, I was pretty stoked about not having to handle and process all that meat!!!  It's seriously NOT one of my favorite things to do!

Their area was just outside of Williams- so there's a mix of scrub and pine trees.  I prefer pine trees, but I have to agree that the landscape is pretty awesome!

During a full day of hiking around looking for Bambi's husband, they came across this old train tunnel.  So cool, but a little creepy too--I don't think I'd want to wander too far in!

This weekend flew by for us!  We had friends staying with us from Prescott, baby showers and a missionary homecoming.  After church today, LeAnne came over and hung out.  Timmy and Harper definitely had fun!!!

This kid is loved!! And he knows it!!  I swear if he could talk, he would have said--"Mom, not in public!"  He loovvees kisses tho!! =) Especially behind his ears-and he's so easy to kiss--he smells so good!  Oh and the smile you get after, so worth it!

You gotta love that face!

Going to church today was like the cherry on top of a delectable sundae--we were taught about coming unto Christ and relying on Him, and also about relying on each other and lifting each other up.  I've had the hymn "I Believe in Christ"  in my head today (and maybe in my heart for years) and was so grateful that it was our closing hymn this morning - the fourth verse fills my heart with so much hope, something we been blessed to find!  "I believe in Christ, He stands supreme!  From Him I'll gain my fondest dream; And while I strive through grief and pain, His voice is heard, "You shall obtain."  I believe in Christ, so come what may..."

We're SO {Vain}! We TOTALLY think this blog is about US!!!

"You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."  ~Dr. Seuss

We had an amazing photo shoot with an uber-talented friend of Timmy's sister-Pamela Dancil of Encompass Photography. We spent a lot of time laughing-and kissing actually. =)  Pamela said that we were her most "prepared" clients--she said to bring props & I brought props; swords, PF Changs Medals, shoes, decorations from our house...and more  =) So just to warn everyone-this is a very long post!  I couldn't just pick a few favorites - I seriously love sooo... many and she sent us over fifty edited photos.  So here goes--only proceed if you want to see A LOT of us =)

We kicked off our vanity-fest with a quick, but serious sword fight.

I only jumped because I knew he'd catch me---he ALWAYS catches me!

He had fun making fun of my face when I jumped though!  Sir Mocks-A-Lot!  =)

Wanna wrestle?!?!

I lost--first time for everything though! =)  He's totally enjoying it too!!!  Isn't it illegal for a husband to put his wife in a head lock?!?!

I seriously LOVE this picture!

Steamy huh?!!!! =)

A is for {ANGLE}

We finished our AMAZING photo shoot dancing, literally.

So PLEASE go visit Pamela's website.  She's seriously so... talented & we had such a FUN time with her.  She made it really easy to be ourselves---I guess that's why with I think these pictures of us tell our story-what you see is what you get--we {LOVE} each other!!! (awwww)

OuR PaST CoUPLe of WeeKS {In PiCTuRes}

A couple saturdays ago we spent the morning at the track.

He loves riding his dirt bike!  It was fun hanging out with the boys though.

I got my "thrills" driving home.  :D

The dogs walked all over Timmy ---literally!!!

I took care of a friend's dog for a week--Dakar--he's jumungous & super playful! Izzy loves him.  They ran around like crazy.  

Izzy girl played---all day, everyday--always with something in her mouth.

Roosty loved on us...and chewed up rawhide bones---she has some on her nose!

Capone Sue (Scuba Steve) relaxed like the old man he is.

Izzard posed for picture after picture.

I finally took a nap after our "four-dog-some" went back to our usual threesome. (And Timmy felt it necessary to take a picture of me napping)

We kicked off last weekend by going to Boulder Creek's Homecoming football game.  Some of the boys in our youth group are on the team & we wanted to show our love & support...they lost tho--kinda a bummer.

We ended last weekend with the Race for the Cure with my mom.

So all in all the past couple of weeks have been somewhat uneventful--that's a good thing right!?

I AM THE CURE

Race for the Cure

Sunday was such an awesome day - Timmy & I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with my mom - a “Terrific Two Year Survivor and her friend Robin. In preparation for the day of pink, I bought Timmy some awesome pink & black argyle knee socks, a women’s pink shirt and a pink & black wig---that he refused to wear because he seriously didn’t like the way it felt when the “hair” touched his face. It really was a gross wig tho. Everyone loved and complimented him on his socks - but we did get a couple questioning looks. :-)

The morning was kicked off by an emotional “Survivor Parade”.

As we were trying to get the perfect picture of my mom walking in the parade, all I could think about was how far she’d (and I) come (together). It seems like so long ago that she was diagnosed. I remember the phone call - I remember trying not to cry - trying to be strong for her. I remember the first doctor’s appointment (and the 30 after). I remember the first chemo and radiation treatments (and the 20+ after---she had 2 rounds of chemo for a total of 20 treatments and radiation 5 days a week for over 6 six weeks). I also remember the awesome shopping trips and fun sleepovers we had during that same time. Her 2-3 hour chemo treatments allowed us spend uninterrupted time talking (and snacking) side by side - even if it was in a freezing cold room sitting on an extremely uncomfortable office chair. We read more gossip magazines in that 5 months than I’d like to admit. :-)

There was A LOT of pink going on for sure!! I loved it!! We even got our picture taken with Ellen by a Channel 12 photographer! http://www.azcentral.com/commphotos/azcentral/12387/120/122

Walking with my mom & my amazing, extraordinarily supportive husband was awesome. 

 I loved reading everyone’s signs and bibs.

There were these little kids that were so adorable walking for their grandma. So inspirational!!

Like I said, it was a great day and such an empowering & uplifting event. You could feel the strength emanating from all the people there - those who were survivors, those who were sick & those who were supporting & encouraging their loved ones. I’m grateful for my mom’s example in her trial.

She is such a courageous woman and I can only hope I’d be as strong and optimistic as she when faced with such a scary and overwhelming trial.

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.”-Elder Orson F. Whitney

I LOVE Finish Lines!!!

The day got a “Thumbs up” --- seriously, look at my man in pink!!!!! :-D

October is National Breast Caner Awareness Month!

Learn more about Breast Cancer Today - Visit:

http://ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/earlydetectionampscreening.html

Early Detection & Screening Saves Lives!!!!

Last Winter in Greer, AZ

Oh how I love winter! One of our favorite things to do during the wintertime is to head up north and enjoy the snow. Greer is seriously one of the best places in AZ to do just that. It is so gorgeous and peaceful! We stay in a little log cabin that overlooks a creek...it’s so romantical!! ♥

Snowboarding is another thing we love to do in the winter. We try to head up to Sunrise at least once each season and take as many day trips up to Snow Bowl in Flagstaff as possible.

I’m so excited that winter is almost here! Who knows what it will bring!! :-)

FaMiLy PiCtuREs (of OLd)

Pics from a past Mexico trip

Those who know us, know that we LOVE the beach. Kinda ironic tho because Timmy hates the ocean, or at least getting in the water---he's afraid of Jaws. I can't make fun of him---I have a similar fear of bears---yet I planned a tent camping trip to Yellowstone. ;-)

We went with our friends Joey & Raynee and their kids Tate & Issac on this Rocky Point trip.

Issac Brody is gonna be a heartbreaker!

Tater is seriously one of my favorite people--he likes wearing my shoes! ;-)

This was a fun 10K---pretty hot though---it didn't help that we got sunburned the day before the race. I actually placed in my age group, and Timmy most definitely would have had a faster time if he hadn't ran by my side the whole way. I am seriously married to a great man!!!

We love going to Mexico!!! Especially with great friends!!!

A Work in Progress

Tim & Linda's front yard is yet to be complete---but at least we got them started. I still think Timmy's idea of starting the installation of their front yard landscaping for their birthdays, anniversary and Christmas presents was a fantastic idea---a lot of hard work, but that's what makes it an awesome gift. And hooray, Timmy & I are done with some Christmas presents before October!! We wouldn't have been able to get this much done without the help of a few friends and neighbors. So thanks to everyone who worked hard and endured the dreadful heat! I'm still patting myself on the back -- I helped clean out trenches, lay the pipe for the irrigation system, install plants and rake the mounds. ;-)

There's still a lot to be done---more plants to be planted and rock to be installed, but at least it's not just a dirt lot anymore!!! :-) Timmy is such an awesome son!!!

Happy Birthdays---Tim & Linda

So for Tim & Linda's (Timmy's parents) birthdays, Timmy really wanted to install their front yard landscaping. So he planned everything out, got all the irrigation system parts and components and bought all the plants and trees. Then he called a couple longtime family friends and orchestrated a surprise fun filled day of hard work.

A lot of work went into the irrigation system installation. Lots of trenching & cleaning out trenches! The driveway and paver walk way had to be cut and taken out in order to get water to the area within the circle driveway. Luckily we had great help! After almost 15 hours in the heat of trenching, dirt work, digging, planting and irrigation installation they finally have a great looking front yard---proof (pics) to follow.

He's at it Again!

So Harper's at it again, stealing our hearts that is. ;-) I've been sick for the past couple of weeks and haven't been able to head to Phoenix for my weekly Harper fix, so it was great seeing him on Saturday (for the landscaping extravaganza!!!) at Tim & Linda's. He was super happy and smiley-my favorite-maybe because of the "all natural" teething tablets LeAnne's giving him. ;-) I won't mention what "natural" ingredients are in them, but I think they helped him forget that he's teething for sure. Anyways, I'm back to taking care of him on Monday's tomorrow, so I don't have to wait so long to make him laugh this time. We love being an auntie & uncle!!

Some of Our Favorite Sunrises & Sunsets

Early morning at our Big Lake meadow

Coming out of Kaibab, AZ

Sunrise over Yellowstone Lake

California Sunsets

❤ kris

Harper's Baby Blessing

Harper was blessed by big Tim on Sunday August 9th. They both did such a great job!! Harper wore the outfit that Timmy was blessed in over 29 years ago (it's practically an heirloom ;-) ). It was awesome to catch up with everyone from our old ward-kinda crazy though, seeing kids I taught as sunbeams grown up and giving talks. Harper was such a good baby, but he sure was pooped by the end of the day. We had a great day hanging out with friends and family we haven't seen in a while.

❤ kris

We're an Auntie & a Uncle!

LeAnne (Timmy's sister) & Ben welcomed Harper Huston Scott on May 9, 2009. He had an audience waiting for his arrival. I was luck enough to be there for his grand entrance. I truly felt like I was witnessing a miracle. Mister Harper is a cutey patutey for sure. He's one loved little man. I tell him each week when I watch him that I'm the "cool" aunt... hopefully I'll be his favorite auntie too! :-)

❤ kris

Family Pics - 2007

My mom, Randy, Patrick & Grandparents

Me & my brother Patrick

Timmy, Tim & Ben

Me & LeAnne

My Dad, Jenny, Patrick, Jessica & Timmy

My Mom, Randy, Patrick & Timmy

Me & my sister Jessica

Us in 1997--eeekkk, I feel so old!

I love this picture of the Mesa Temple

Colorado River Canoe Trip

The first youth activity of the summer! I'm still not sure why I was the only girl on the trip. :-) We started the 5 day canoe trip at the base of the Hoover Dam.

That in itself was pretty crazy... staring up at the people looking down the dam. I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda freaked out---the doom & gloom pep talk given to us by the lady that dropped us off didn't help either. She pretty much told us that we were going to die in a flash flood (which could have happened---seriously---we had to move camp the first day because we were getting flooded out), get bitten by a rattlesnake, die of the brain eating amoeba that lives in the hot spring water, die of dehydration and lose all our gear because she was sure we were going to tip our canoes (which I kinda thought was going to happen too---we had 11 loaded down canoes & a bunch of crazy boys). Luckily none of those things happened!!! :-)

The water was freezing - we were told it's that cold year round because when the water is released by the dam, it comes from the bottom of Lake Mead which is almost 300 ft. deep at the base of the Hoover Dam... good thing because it was sooooo hot! It was a great trip... we had lotsa fun hanging out with the boys. Cliff jumping was probably my favorite part---it was definitely not not having a real bathroom for 5 days---I really don't love going outside--oh & I didn't love washing my hair in the river either---before this trip, I had taken running water for granted for sure! The scenery was gorgeous too. We saw big horn sheep too for the first time in real life.

The boys found us these awesome hats!!!

❤ kris