BYU Homecoming Parade

We've made it a tradition to go to the BYU Homecoming parade every year. We started out the morning by going early and eating blue pancakes and drinking blue milk. Luckily we went early, the line for the pancakes was really long, we waited in line for about 40 minutes for our blue pancakes.
I think Lilly's highlight of the parade (besides getting candy) was one of the swing club dancers danced with Lilly. She thought that was pretty awesome.

Lilly wore her cheerleader outfit over her clothes and of course blue bows :) We had fun, even though it always seems to be extra cold on homecoming day.

Feeling Hope

I've been thinking a lot lately about hope and what it means to me and to my family during this time in our life. I have to admit that a few weeks ago, I was lacking hope and I had burried my desire to have another baby.

I rationalized that we didn't have a big enough house, or maybe when Mike finishes school, among many other 'reasons' why we hadn't been chosen yet. Deep down, though, I knew that modern day miracles exist. I have proof - just look at Lilly :) She is my miracle, Heavenly Father knew she needed us and we needed her. He also knew the right time to send her to us. During our +2 year wait to be chosen again we have had lots of ups and downs with the adoption world. Several scams, a potential contact that never really turned into anything and one almost baby if we were willing to go into deep debt. I feel so blessed, so lucky to be able to experience a modern day miracle again. I am again filled with hope and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby girl.
I have learned a lot by being infertile and I am grateful for the love and support that we've had throughout our journey to build our family.

Abound in

Hope

through the Power

of the Holy Ghost

- Romans 15:13

Last week we had the amazing experience of meeting M. She is amazing and kind and talented and so fun! We also got to meet M.'s Mom, I am so glad that she has support from her mom. We talked about what wants she has for baby and also decided that an open adoption is the best plan for everyone. We are really excited for this. We feel that we aren't just adopting a baby, but a new family too. Hopefully someday Lilly's birthmother will want more contact too.
I still can't believe that this is actually happening. Yesterday at church I finally got to write my name down on the 'expecting' list they pass around in Relief Society. It felt so cool! I hope that people ask me about our new arrival, so I can spread the word about our adoption modern day miracles. Adoption has been a HUGE faith builder for me and I know with all my heart that adopting is the path that our family needs to be on.

We are Blessed

We have been matched with a wonderful birthmother! We are soooooooo excited and happy to be blessed again by another miracle.
Our caseworker called us into the office on Wednesday to 'sign some paperwork'. Fortunately, that wasn't the real reason :) We were presented with this adorable card made by our birthmother.

We've been e-mailing our birthmother for a couple of weeks, just getting to know eachother better. She is so fun and talented and beautiful. We are so excited to have her as part of our family. We love you M.!
Lilly can hardly wait to be a big sister, she is going to be great! Our baby girl is due January 1st! and it can't get here soon enough, we are already in love with her. Our family of four!

Smarty Pants (time to brag)

Lilly is doing fantastic in pre-school and loves it! I really like it too, I have 2 hours a couple of days a week to work on 'things'. So far I've canned salsa and pickles, exercised, lost 5lbs and took a nap :) It's been nice, at first I was really sad and quite anxious that my baby was growing up. Now that we finished up our 2nd week my emotions have settled down and I am enjoying it. Lilly is loving pre-school. She is getting the extra stimulation that I couldn't give her and seems much more content. Lilly's teacher has really put me at ease too. She is so nice and the kids just love her.

Last week when I picked Lilly up from pre-school her teacher came up to me and asked me if Lilly was reading yet. She said that they went over all the sounds of the letters of the alphabet and Lilly knows ALL of them! I wasn't suprised, because Lilly loves the alphabet and lately we've been encouraging her to sound out words. She sent Lilly home with a book, and Lilly READ IT ALL BY HERSELF! Also, in pre-school they learned about astronomy and Lilly was the only student who knew what the big dipper was :) Lilly's teacher said that the kids never know that and was impressed with her again. Yup, she's a smarty pants! That is one reason why I really wanted Lilly to be in pre-school. Even though she is only 3, she really loves to learn and it is already showing. If you are ever interested in Lilly's pre-school her teacher keeps a blog http://thestudiopreschool.blogspot.com/ It's so fun to be able to have a little glimpse of what they do while at school. I am really excited for Lilly to learn more and hope that I can give her the tools she needs to keep using her wonderful mind.

Jump on in and help us!

We updated our adoption pass along cards! I think they look awesome and am so excited to send them out to everyone. I recently heard this story http://queandbrittanysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-where-you-learn-how-it-happened.html and it really made me want to have new cards available for our family and friends to give. These cards work, and we need your help passing them along to people you know who are thinking about adoption or who might know someone who is.

So jump on in and help us build our family through adoption. Please let me know if you would like some cards and I will put them in the mail ASAP. We are so excited to grow our family and know that someone is missing. We've been hoping for a second child for a few years now and are asking for help from our family and friends to share our story and desire to adopt again. Thank you to everyone that passed our last profile cards out to people. Mike, Lilly and I would love to have one more adoption miracle come into our lives and we need your help.

Just like everyone else Lilly is growing up!

I wish I could freeze time and make Lilly stay little forever... but then again I feel like the universe would really be missing out on the great woman that she will become. Yesterday was a bitter-sweet day for me, I know that it's only pre-school, but it's a big stepping stone to what comes next. Kindergarten, junior high, beauty queen, high school, college, marriage, president...

Lilly's first day of pre-school 9/1/09

I am so proud of my little girl. She is growing into a beautiful, charming, smart, creative person. I am excited for what comes next in her life and am so grateful that I get to be a part of it.

Beautiful Lilly

I've been wanting to check out the local orchard by our house to try it out for photos. Lilly and I went for a *jog* (mostly walk, because for some reason I hold my breath when I try to run).

I am thinking that the orchard will be beautiful this fall. I am planning on taking our Christmas card picture there.

If your happy and you know it Jump a lot

We decided to put the pool away and in it's place we finally set up our trampoline! We've had our trampoline sitting in a very large box in our garage since we moved here (+2 years ago). I've been a little hesitant since I have visions of broken arms, necks, legs... but I 'let' Mike set it up. Lilly is THRILLED! The box was full of pine needles from our old backyard in WA - it even smelled like Washington. It made me a little sad and brought back some fun memories.

Jumping is the first thing Lilly asks to do in the morning, and the last thing she wants to do at night. We had a family meeting and set up some guidelines for the trampoline. So far, so good :) Being the worisome mother that I am, I am worried, but it really is fun to jump. It helps to see how happy the trampoline makes Lilly too. Yes, she is one lucky girl, and I am the luckiest mommy.

I bet he's dancing

(You can click on this picture to make it larger)

The other night when we were having dinner, Lilly out of the blue says "I bet he's dancing." Knowing who she was talking about, I replied "Yeah, probably Owen loves to dance" Lilly went on to tell me that she really misses Owen, but can feel his love in her heart every day. Lilly really loves her cousin Owen, she had the time of her life playing with him pretty much non-stop for an entire week.
As I slowly go through pictures from our trip I am reminded of the wonderful time we had visiting. I really hope we can come up again before Mike graduates.

little artist, big artist

Lilly loves to help Mike with EVERYTHING, he encourages her to. I love seeing them together. Since Lilly helps out Mike she has learned most of the tools names, different mediums of art and has an overall well-roundness about her.
This picture is of Mike and Lilly, the the studio/bedroom :) Working together on Mike's final project for school.
Mike and I finally decided on a pre-school for Lilly. It's an art pre-school! We are very excited for her to start school and to really learn about art and most importantly how to interact with kids her own age. I'm a little sad that my baby isn't a baby anymore and is growing up. But it's also pretty neat to see what kind of a person she is turning into. Lilly starts school September 1st!

We're baaaaack :)

We made it back from Washington, whew...

It was a really fun visit and we really enjoyed spending tons of time with family. Lilly already misses her cousin Owen and kept asking last night after we landed why we were back home.

I took TONS (like over 300) pictures so I will be trying to organize them and post a few. For now this is one of the cutest ones of Lilly, Owen and Gwyneth.

Goodbyes are not forever

As I sit and think about the loss of my Grandpa this past week I am comforted in knowing that goodbyes are not forever. My amazing Grandpa passed away on Monday. He was someone I have admired my entire life. Grandpa was an incredible person, he was a WWII veteran, an active temple worker at the SLC Temple and most importantly a loving family man.

I had the honor of reading the obituary at the funeral, it reads:

James (Bud) Young 1925 ~ 2009
"We love you and will miss you until we meet again" Our loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and great-grand-father, James (Bud) Young, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 27, 2009. He was born in Ophir, Utah on February 12, 1925 to James Edwin and Gladys Davie Young. He is survived by his loving wife, Mary Ann Jonsson Young and their children: (Sharon) Young, Frances (Robert) Ripley, David J. (Joann) Young, 16 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and sisters Georgia Skinner, Helen Allred and Betty Higgins. Preceded in death by son, G. Allen Young, granddaughter Christy Young and an infant brother. Bud and Mary Ann were married June 21, 1947 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1962 their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He attended grade schools in Ophir, Utah and Nelson, Nevada. He attended Tooele High School and left early to serve honorably in the U.S. Army during World War II in the European Theater, as part of a combat engineering outfit. He participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on Utah beach. In 2006 he received his high school diploma (class of 1943). His church service started with the Boy Scouts. He served in both Elder and High Priest Quorum Presidencies. James and Mary were called to serve a Stake Mission. James enjoyed serving for many years in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was a faithful steward over his home teaching families for many years.

The funeral services were really nice and the speakers had a lot of wonderful things to say to give comfort and to share their experiences they've had with Grandpa. My Grandpa also had military honors at the grave site which included a gun salute and taps played on the trumpet.

(Picture of Grandma & Grandpa taken a 'few' years ago)

Grandfathers are fathers, who are grand,

Restoring the sense that our most precious things

Are those that do not change much over time.

No love of childhood is more sublime,

Demanding little, giving on demand,

Far more inclined than most to grant the wings

Allowing us to reach enchanted lands.

Though grandfathers must serve as second fathers,

Helping out with young and restless hearts,

Each has all the patience wisdom brings,

Remembering our passions more than others,

Soothing us with old and well-honed arts!

(by: Nicholas Gordon)

Q&A

Soooooooo I totally forgot to post my Q&A stuff. Here are all of the questions that people have asked in the comments of the blog over the past year. It was fun to go back and see what everyone had asked.

Flutie asked:
Q: What were your feelings immediately before and after meeting Lilly?
A: Before meeting Lilly I was in total shock that we actually got 'the call' and we were going to be parents. I was so excited and anxious and just filled with awe that Lilly's birthmother had picked us. After meeting Lilly I was totally in love and felt so comforted in our journey to build our family through adoption. Lilly of course was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen and still is :) I felt totally at peace.
Q: What is the last thing you think of before you fall asleep at night?
A: Usually, oh man I have to wake up in 5 hours! I hope Lilly sleeps in (never happens) or sometimes I don't sleep and just think all night (I'm not a very good sleeper)
Q: What/where are some places you can't wait to visit?
A: I've always wanted to go someplace tropical, or Ireland. I also can't wait to visit Washington in a couple of weeks!
Angie asked:
Q: Can I make mom make you play with me (like when we were kids)?
A: If Mom will watch the kids, I'll play with you :)
Q: Are you guys really going to move away after Mike is done with College. If so, is there anyway I can convince you to stay?
A: Probably, unless Mike finds a job out here. We really don't like the heat, or the snow though... (Washington really spoiled us)
Q: What is your favorite color (I can't believe I don't know that one, I thought at one time it was orange, am I right?)?
A: You are right, Orange is my favorite :) I also really like brown and teally-green.
Keiauni asked:
Q: Can you teach me how to do little girl hair? Lilly always looks so cute! I can't figure out what to do with Ave's mop!
A: I just start combing and whatever her hair will do, I go with it. :) Lately, though we've just been doing pony and piggy tails :) Lilly's getting to the stage of not letting me play with her hair for very long.
Q: Happy big 30! If you can survive it, I will too! (I will, right?)
A: I'm doing fantastic, still living and I really don't feel 'that old' :)
Mom (Grandma Y.) asked:
Q: Can you put it (our adoption video) out on the Web? Not just an adoption sites but everywhere?
A: I tried Youtube and facebook, but the song I used is copyrighted and Youtube & facebook wont let me post it there - I don't know how to go around that... If you want copies I can mail them and it's on our website. I was also able to post it on www.adoptionvoices.com It's lame that I can't do other places, I know... I need to re-do it with a different song, or e-mail Jewel and see if she'll let me use it :)
Kissesforyou (Emily) asked:
Q: I loved your video! Aren't they so much fun to do? Can I ask what program you used to make this one?
A: I used Pro-Show Gold. I love making video's, it's kind of my version of scrapbooking. No cutting, no glueing and you can use music it's so fun.
~Our Family~ asked:
Q: What is there to do in Arches? Just hike?
A: mainly just hiking :) There are some campsites too.
Linzy Boulter asked:
Q: Can I have the name of your dog trainer? wow. Is she always that obedient?
A: Bryn's trainer is Mike :) and yup, she is a really really really good doggy. She let's Lilly climb all over her and is such a good/fun dog with a quirky personallity.

Our first harvest

We finally have veggies! We picked our first red tomato and zuke today!

We have at least 100 tomatoes waiting to turn red, then I will be making loads of SALSA! We love our garden, even though it's pretty wild this year, it is still so much fun to grow. The cucumbers are finally flowering so I will be able to do pickles again this year too. I really enjoy canning and it's so cool that we can have our own garden.

Our little mermaid

We started a two week swimming course this week for Lilly. She is absolutely loving it. The other two children in her class cried and needed help from the teacher's aid the first few days, not Lilly she just went straight into the water with no fuss, mostly pure excitement. Lilly smiles and laughs the entire time and really enjoys playing in the water. Yesterday the teacher took time out to talk with the parents. She said that Lilly is doing great, but needs to work on getting her face wet :) She said that most girls don't like to get their faces wet. But other than that she is learning a lot and doing really well in her class.One thing that Lilly really looks forward to after class is she gets hot chocolate once she is showered and dressed :) She is such a tiny girl, the swim suit we have her in is an 18-24 month size and she is 3 1/2! :) That size probably wouldn't fit her in length if it wasn't a two piece. Last time we measure Lilly she was 38 1/2 inches tall! She's grown over an inch in the past month. It is so much fun to see her grow as an individual and physically. I love my little suprise girl and love being her mommy and spoiling her with hot chocolate. We have one more week of swimming lessons and then Mike and I promised Lilly we would take her to the local water park. So I've got one week to loose 15 pounds :) Just kidding, although that would be nice. :)