Our Life

2012-01-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

Major updates...I have not posted for a while so here is why. First came Halloween.We were able to visit family in Arizona and go trick-or-treating with cousins. It was so warm there was no need for jackets or boots!Because there was no wind, rain, or snow we were able to go to a lot of houses for candy.

While visiting we visited a Wildlife Zoo and it was so entertaining. Max is enjoying a very slow moving turtle in the little petting zoo.Marley was able to feed a kangaroo!A double layered chain link fence separated us from this leopard...We arrived in time to feed the birds, they ate apples and they landed on your head at every chance they got. Marley was more brave feeding the kangaroo, she wanted nothing to do with the birds.We left beautiful warm weather to arrive at a very cold welcome home. She wanted to be independant and pull her own suitcase.When we arrived home from Arizona we packed up our recently sold house and moved into a rental house a few blocks away until we know where our future may take us...

possibly South Dakota?

Happy day in court! It finally happened. We were able to go to court and finalize the adoption for Max. The judge gave big sister a pink princess teddy bear and Max got a Christmas book.Marley had her very first dance recital! She was so excited, she stayed on the stage, did some moves, and no tears. Success! She has many more to come.Then came Christmas...Christmas morning!Max loved his Harley Davidson, he dances to the music and makes a "vrooom" sound when he rides.

And Marley was so excited to finally have her very own scooter that she rides all through the house.

Then...We went to the temple to have Max sealed to our family. I am so thankful for the ordinances performed in the temple for our family to be eternal.

We are so grateful for all of our friends and family who love us and our children so much. There were many people not able to be in this picture and we want them to know we are just as thankful for their love and support.

Family Vacation

2011-09-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

We took a little family vacation to California and went to the Utah vs USC game and spent some time at the beach. The kids were very good for the flights and I am sure would have had a much better time if they were without fevers and colds. We still had a nice time spending it with each other.
Max slept almost the whole flight.

Breakfast at the beach.

Sick kids, humidity frizzed out hair, cool wind blowing, but still an enjoyable sunset.
We were sad to leave but happy to get home.

Family Update

2011-09-17T10:39:00.001-07:00

Our family has very exciting news to share...we will be going to court in October to finalize our adoption with our son Max. We are overjoyed to have him in our family. He brings so much joy and happiness to our lives and is adored by everyone. He is a happy boy and just turned 1. Marley is a caring and attentive big sister and is always by his side if he needs anything. Here are some new family pictures.

Because Marley and Max have their birthdays so close to one another we did a combined "Pirate" birthday party. Marley loves pirates right now so the theme was her choice.

Go Utes!

Max' first haircut, he did so well...it could have to do with the sucker he kept in his mouth the entire time!
Spending time in the studio with Uncle T.

At one of his most recent doctor appointments.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support while our family went through a rollercoaster of emotions and trials this past year. We are so grateful for Max's birthmothers decision she made to allow us to adopt him. We love him more than words can say and are relieved to have this chapter come to a close with a happy ending and be able to move forward with our family.

All our love.

Story Time

2011-05-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Yes our blog fell off the face of the earth for a while, so long in fact that when I signed in to blog this post I had forgotten my log in information! So here is a very condensed story of the last 9 months our lives. Life got a little busy after Marley's 2nd birthday.

Just after Marley turned 2 Patrick and I were thinking maybe it's time to start talking about more kids...be careful what you ask for right? because it never quite happens how you think it will. We got a phone call from a family member the middle of September telling us that a distant relative had a baby boy who is still in the hospital and needs to be adopted. (I will not be sharing every detail right now as I do not want to affect any future court appearances.) This was on a Friday and we were not able to reach anyone with DCFS to discuss this situation until Monday so all weekend I was thinking...We're ready for another baby...I could have another baby this week?! I was very anxious for Monday to come, and when it did, Patrick and I spoke to a caseworker with DCFS and we were updated on the circumstances for the baby and also his 1 year old brother. We were informed that they were actually looking to place both of the boys with a family for adoption. We were a little shocked at all of this, adding 2 children to our family with in a matter of weeks was not something we were totally prepared for. So we had a few days of thinking things over and we both had an overwhelming peaceful feeling that these boys were supposed to be with us. So we made a decision and contacted DCFS to tell them that we wanted to adopt both of the children, we felt so right about bringing these boys into our home we knew we would find a way to make things work. And thanks to many friends and family who got us clothing, cribs, diapers, wipes, and showered us with love and support, we were able to welcome 2 very special boys into our home. Before they moved in we got to meet the 1 year old. He and Marley played together a few times to help with the transition. He was a happy boy, solid and still a little wobbly when he walked, and smiled at anyone who looked his way. His name is Michael.

Once Michael had met us a few times we transitioned him to our home to live. We also got to see the baby and learn more about his situation. The day we found out what hospital he was at we immediately went to see him. It broke my heart to see this fragile infant fighting for his life. He was born with some medical problems that affected his heart and lungs, he also was diagnosed with a bone deformity. This is how we met him the first day.

We still do not know exactly what long term affects these things will have on his life. After this day he was visited by myself or Patrick almost every single day until he was released after 6 weeks of being in the hospital. We got an update on the status of the situation with DCFS and we were informed that the judge was offering reunification to the boys' mother which meant that there was a very real possibility that they would be going back to her. We were devastated. Our hearts were already so attached to these boys and wanted them to be a part of family forever. We went through many emotions and hard decisions and concluded that no matter where these boys were going to end up, for now they were with us and we would love them and take care of them the best we could. The baby came home with oxygen and was to be on it 24 hours a day. On top of that he had numerous doctor appointments and needed constant attention. Good thing Marley loved having a baby in the house. She is a good helper.

Michael did not like his Halloween costume the first time he put it on. But on Halloween there was not a tear shed, maybe only for more candy. Marley on the other hand loved her costume, and was doing her best to console him.

The kids in their Christmas P.J.'s.

Shhhh...this means that they both might stay asleep long enough for me to do the dishes or maybe take a shower...

Having all 3 kids at home was probably the busiest my life has ever been, but completely worth it. We have been so blessed while being busy parents. I was able to quit my job and stay home with the kids, which helped greatly when we had to do licensing to become foster parents (its a lot of work!) to have the boys stay with us in our home, and attend all the doctor appointments for the kids. We are sad to say that Michael did leave our home to go back to his mother, but he is doing well and get to see him once a week when we take the baby for his visit. We still have the baby with us in our home and are hoping that he can be a part of our family forever. By the end of the month we should have a final answer as to where he will end up.

So for now we enjoy every day together. Not knowing what the future holds we try to laugh as much as possible, stay positive, and remember that the Lord's hand is in everything and we have faith that this is no different. The baby recently got a helmet to help shape his head and hopefully he won't have to wear it anymore once the weather starts to warm up. He is already a sweaty boy and the helmet doesn't help. Marley loves him and is so good to him.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support we could never say thank you enough for all that you have done for us and our kids. Any prayers you would like to send our way while we await a final answer for our family would be much appreciated.

Summertime

2010-08-24T12:21:00.001-07:00

Here is our baby girl with her backpack, blanket, and monster slippers and she says to me and daddy, " I go to school, bye." She is growing up so fast, I am glad that she is not going to school yet. I've gotta prepare myself for that day.

Finger painting with colored pudding. Yummy!

Tying Marley's binkys to balloons to say goodbye to them. That's right they are all gone. She is such a big girl now.

Marley loves swimming.

Time for fireworks!

Nothing better than a popsicle on a hot summer day.

Or ice cream cones.

Marley idolizes princesses right now, so we were lucky enough to go to the library for story time with Princess Amera.

Holiday Trip

2010-06-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Fun weekend trip to see some friends. We got to ride Leena the horse.

Feed graham crackers to Rosie the goat.

Play ring-around-the-rosies.

And celebrate Birthdays!

Happy Birthday!

Sunshine here we come

2010-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to be able to go to Arizona for my big brother's graduation from ASU with his Masters degrees. I am so proud of my brother and look up to him so much, thanks for being such a good example and congrats on your achievements! Here is Marley all smiles, only because she has 2 suckers, one for each hand, that would make you happy right? First stop, ASU for graduation! Yay family picture!

These girls played well and fought well too. Here they are happy because they both got pigtails in their hair. Playing outside and learning how to play golf with daddy.

It worked out well that Ari wanted to sit in the booster seat we brought and Marley wanted to sit in Ari's high chair. Good Morning!Playing with Uncle Zach on the slide. Aunt J trying to keep her bubble away from little fingers. Fun at the zoo! If you look closely you can see what Marley is looking at, there is a little monkey in the bush in front of her. Girls going round and round. Milking the cows. The udders on this cow are rubber and when you squeeze them water comes out, gotta put them to work on a real farm, they had fun.The famous frog in all the zoo pics. Here is one to add to it!And this is what we left to come home to snow. I know. Believe it or not I miss the heat!

Aunt J and Ashlyn reading a goodnight and goodbye story. This was the night before we left. Tear. So to keep the girl happy we split up the drive home and stopped in Vegas for a night to stay with Sas and Uncle Fronk. We went to do some exploring and found this chocolate fountain! It goes from the ceiling to the floor and Marley kept calling it "moco milk" Int: Chocolate milk. She is so adorable. There was a floral display at the Bellagio, the snail behind us is covered in flowers. Having fun with Sas' mirror. Good times. Love you guys!

HAPPY all kinds of MOTHERS DAY

2010-05-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers, thank you for your example, patience, and love. And Happy Birth-Mother's Day to Rachel, we could not have asked for a better fit for our family,

we love you. This day made my heart ache to remember the feelings and emotions of past Mothers Days when I was not a mother. My heart goes out to you all.

Marley wanted to help Grandpa peel the potatoes for dinner, and she did not want anyone to help her. She is so independent.

Uncle T made some treats..
This was what Marley wanted for a treat. This is how we do it.

Marley helped daddy blow out his candles.

Outside Marley has a playhouse with food. She wanted Daddy to have a taste of the ice cream. It's a little painful when she wants to feed you, she shoves it in your face just to make sure you get a good taste of it.
Uncle T found a potato bug, and Marley just wanted to squish it.

She loves jumping on the trampoline, she wore out me, T, and Grandpa.
Playing with Xavier while he eats the toys.

They play well together, she wants to push the stroller, and he likes to ride in it.

Birthday Surprise

2010-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

So after all the surprises I got for our anniversary I decided I better do something out of the ordinary for the hubbys birthday, so Noel helped me plan a Park City getaway.

The first surprise...I put the address for a Mexican restaurant in Heber in the GPS and told Pat to follow the directions. When we got there we tasted only a few of the 23 different salsas they have! My fav the mango! And as you can see from the plate on the right,

the food was just as delish! Then for dessert... homemade churros, so light and crunchy and covered in carmel! Next surprise... a note inside Patrick's birthday card that told him we were staying in Park City for the night. Marley's had her first sleepover at the grandparents and I am happy to say we survived it and may even do it again! There was a fire pit right outside our room at the Marriott which we most definitely enjoyed! We decided to make the most of the night and go for a walk on Main Street. On our walk we met Lucy the moose. We attempted to ride her, but she was not very sturdy. I thought if I could climb the tree behind her I could maybe jump on her back, Patrick did not approve, but not to worry I didn't make it very far up the tree, didn't have on climbing shoes,when we noticed the orange sign that says"Please stay off of Lucy the Moose"

So we did. Figured it was not worth a trip to the emergency room if I fell and

cracked my head open.

We ended the night with some virgin strawberry pina-coladas with a cherry on top!

Last surprise... Eggs Benedict for breakfast! (If you can't tell we love our food)

Happy Birthday honey!

A Little Something

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Daddy and Marley at the park.

Throwing rocks into the water to see the "splash"
I know this is a sin but I straightened Marley's hair one day. I will never do it again! She looks like a different child, and her hair is so long! She did not understand how her hair was tickling her face. She did not like it very much.

She is such a big girl talking to Grandma on the phone.

The first real necessary bandaid. She cut her finger on the spring door stopper and there was blood! The bandaid was very justified.

Gymnastics tailgate. Gotta practice for football season!

Needless to say, she wore herself out. This was her not even 5 minutes after leaving.

Happy Anniversary

2010-05-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

To my sweet loving husband, thank you for a wonderful anniversary celebration. Let me just tell you how wonderful he is! It started out with the surprise of a dozen long stem red roses with 7 white daisies (one for every year) and attached to the glass vase was a gift bag filled with chocolate dipped strawberries!

And it gets even better. On Saturday he tells me that I need to dress nice...like skirt and heels nice? So we must not be going to a BBQ huh? After dropping Marley off with Grandpa and Grandma we went for a drive and stopped by the Chocolate Cottage and got more chocolate dipped fruit and an Oreo carmel apple...makes my mouth water just thinking about it. After A LOT of driving, my husband thinks he is tricky and tried to get me lost so I would have no idea where we were headed, we finally ended up at our destination. La Caille.

It is so beautiful there with swans, peacocks, and even bunnies. Now this next part is mostly for my sister, dont drool too much. We started our meal off with a bite size sample of smoked duck and sliced cucumber, and then for our appetizer we shared the Alaskan king crab cakes with roasted bell pepper and dijon sauce (YUM). We got the house salad which was wilted spinach with hard boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, mushrooms, and a vinaigrette. For the entree I got Caneton de la Saison, translation even for me, pan roasted duck with berry cognac sauce. Patrick ordered the prime rib eye with steamed vegeteables, translation, huge piece of meat!

If we ever go back it would be just for the desserts! We tried chocolate chantilly cake, beignet francaise, creme brulee, and vanilla ice cream filled crepes with chocolate sauce. I know that is a lot of chocolate, my hubby sure knows how to make me happy! My dessert was extra special and made a lasting memory. For some reason they thought it was my birthday? So when our dessert plates were brought out the waitress placed a small cardboard tube in my chocolate cake while asking us, "I understand we have a birthday?" Not wanting to be rude or lie, I responded in a question like form with, "We have a celebration?" to which she said, "Great!" and procedeed to light the firework in my cake that shot sparks in to the air for about 30 seconds which seems very long when you just want dig into your cake! So now you can understand more greatly the immense gratitude for my loving husband. I am so happy that we have ended up here today with everything we have ever wanted. Thank you for being my other half and making me feel so special. I am so proud of the man that you are and that I am lucky enough to have a such a caring provider for me and our family. I look forward to many more anniversary celebrations with you. I love you.

Happy Easter

2010-04-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

Here is Marley and Xavier at the family Easter Egg Hunt. They had a lot of fun!

She had to make sure she got the eggs in her basket.

Instead of getting really messy with the egg dye, Marley colored her eggs with crayons.

Easter morning! She was so excited.

She wanted to wear her glasses all day.

The best part was all the candy. Yum!

More Easter baskets!

And another Easter Egg Hunt.

This is not what I had envisioned for her Easter outfit.

Blowing her new bubbles with uncle Travis.

My Project

2010-03-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

So I got the urge one night to take down the 12X12 mirror on the wall by my front door. The only stipulation I was given by Patrick was that it could not leave it unfinished for a year, like a few other projects I may have started. So anyway I got to work and it was a lot of work!

So I should have taken a picture before I removed the wall to wall, floor to ceiling mirror that was on this wall. I have never done a project this big but I really did not like the gigantic mirror here! So here is where it starts. I removed the mirror only to find all the tar like adhesive all over the wall. As I was removing it it peeled the wall off!

If you came to my house while I was learning how to finish this is what you got when you walked in the door. Welcome! Not a pretty sight. I had to finish peeling the tar off, then plaster the holes, then retexture the wall. After 2 coats of primer and a coat of "close enough" matching paint...

...here is what you get! Not bad huh?

And no I am still not completely finished, don't look too closely at the pictures in the picture frames. I still need to finish that.

Thank you to my hubby for being so patient with me while I got this done. It really did take me about a year. Don't ask why. I learned a lot!

Marley Moments

2010-03-07T13:45:00.001-08:00

Good morning! This is a typical hair do for Marley when she wakes up.

We finally got to go out and play on the slide! It was just warm enough the other day we put on coats and hats and boots and played outside!

Marley has fun when we kareoke.

She likes to dance more than she likes to sing. She just tries to lick the microphone.

She is a sneaky little girl. I had to frost 100 cupcakes and just as I was finishing I turned around to see this...

Luckily she only got her hands on 2 cupcakes so I figured why not let her enjoy them...

and she did!

We went to the Safe Kids Fair with the Tongi's and the kids had fun. Well L.J. fell asleep but Marley and Caydance had fun. Marley is so interested in helicopters and airplanes and firetrucks so she had fun, you wouldn't know it from the pictures, there are not many smiles.

She would have stayed in this car all day!

Viva Las Vegas

2010-03-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Vegas to visit Sas and Uncle Fronk. Of course we had to go to the strip for some pics but we didn't stay long. There is not much to do when you don't gamble.

(Still had fun though!)

As you can see Marley was not too interested in the sights. Or taking pictures.

She did like the lions in the MGM. I tried to snap some shots of them but they didn't turn out so well. Probably need to work on my photography skills.

Yep we won big time! Ok we didn't really win any money but this shows that money can get you happiness, just look at that smile.

Yummmm just seeing this picture makes me hungry for more In-N-Out. It is sad to say that we have one by our house but had to go to Vegas to experience the deliciousness of the "double-double" lines are way too long at home!

So we went to the mall and discovered this contraption that lets you experience what the wind would feel like if you were in a hurricane. Just in case you were wondering. It was not what I was expecting, there was a fan in the top and it blows air. Yep thats it. I am guessing that it is not very accurate as to what a real hurricane would be like but I am not looking to find out.

Here we are at Sas' bakery! So yummy, we wanted to come here everyday they had so many sweet treats and it was not a good combination with all the other junk food we were eating! http://www.layersbakery.com/ You can see why I gained a few pounds on this trip!

Thanks for letting us stay with you guys! We love you and we will see you soon! (fingers crossed) We miss you guys!

Family Love

2010-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Rachel, Hayden and her mom came over for dinner and it was so easy to see the similarities between Hayden and Marley.

They are so cute! We love you Rachel!

The SAS wedding

2010-01-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Congrats to my sas and Fronk! The wedding was beautiful and I am so proud of both of them.

Congrats sas! Love you guys!

Its Christmas

2010-01-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is a random adorable pic!

Here is the family all bundled up to see the lights downtown.

Brrr it was really cold!
Daddy and Marley at a Christmas party. One of the many that we went to.

Isn't she cute even with food on her face!

Opening a present from Grandma and Grandpa

Christmas at my Dad and Sarah's.

Marley loves Elmo and Grandma Sarah got her an Elmo that talks, she loves it!

Uncle Zac

More presents...

and more presents

And Christmas morning at home!

Marley had so much fun opening her presents.

You can't help but spoil this girl.

More cute girls

Presents with Grandpa

Aunt Sas

and Uncle Frank

Stickers everywhere! Grandma thought it was funny.

She wanted to wear this hat all morning!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-01-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Here we are on our way to St. George for Thanksgiving. Marley was really good for the drive there, as you can see, she slept a lot and she has food in her hand that she would not eat or let me take, so it stayed in her hand until she woke up and ate the rest of it.

Here she is with aunt Paige

and cousin Dani

Cute girls, they finally got a real checkers game so they did not have to play with the homemade cardboard one that Todd made for them.

Marley and Ari having a snack.

Here is what was left of the fort that the kids had made the day before.

I love my girl

So does Ari!

On our way home. The trip went by so fast, and again more food for the drive, it usually seems to make things go smoother if Marley has something in her mouth, this time cheese crackers.

We miss you all! Thanks for letting us stay at your house!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T09:51:00.001-08:00

First Halloween tradition.....carve pumpkins! Marley even helped with hers, we carved a princess castle and an "M" into her pumpkin.

Uncle T carved a more difficult pumpkin. He has mad skills!

Second Halloween tradition... a Halloween party. Daddy was out of town so it was just Marley and me, aren't we the cutest cats ever?

Marley's costume was so warm we had to go outside a few times to cool off.

Third tradition...go trick or treating of course! So here is the gang, yes I know that is a whole lotta strollers! We started out kind of early because of the little ones and Marley absolutely loved it! She would cry if I left her buckled in her stroller while the big kids went up to the door, so she went to almost every house that the big kids went to!

So here is Marley and L.J., we thought that the cat and mouse costumes were a perfect fit for the little couple hehehe. They were so cute!

Cute little kitty!

She loved checking out the loot she got and testing out each one that she could get open.

Here is Marley with Ty's dog, or should I say horse. She is huge and Marley didn't even notice her. I guess a dog is a dog wether it is 7lbs or 70lbs. She is fearless!

Whats for Dinner?

2009-09-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Lately Marley loves to help me cook. Ok she doesnt really "help" but she cries if I am in the kitchen and she is not on my hip! So I thought how to remedy this problem....give her some dishes and let her "cook" in the other room! She loves it but only stays entertained for so long before wanting something else.

I'll let her cook for me anyday!

Overnight Campout

2009-09-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

So we decided to go camping just for one night. We use to go camping all the time but this year we really didn't get to go at all. I have a compulsive disorder that sometimes I cannot control and when we are doing something fun I want to invite everyone I talk to! So we went with the Tongi's and the the Sas and BF. Oh and we didn't forget to bring my gangsta baby.

Luckily my "lumberjack" husband brought up his chainsaw (that unexpectedly stopped working) and his axe. What a mountain man!

Who wants smores? They do!

There was a lot of setting up and taking down and a little bit of rain....Ok a lot of rain.... all night. And I could not have felt worse when we woke up in the morning to find that the tent that was borrowed from my mom for the tongis was not so waterproof! I know! How could I let them use a tent that leaked right? In my (and my mom's) defense I had no idea that the tarps in the tent bag were to waterproof the tent, we assumed that it was just a nice doormat to leave shoes on outside the tent. We were obviously wrong.

It did take a little longer to get the food going then we had anticipated thanks in part to wet fire wood. Thanks again to my hubby (and some extra gas that we had for the chainsaw, I know, not very smart but we were freezing and this was the last resort to getting our fire going to make breakfast. Do not try this at home.) we recovered quickly, got a fire started finally, and packed up most of camp then....yum...breakfast!

Breakfast while camping always tastes so yummy, is that because of all the hard work it takes or because of that added flavor from the ash melting onto the food? Either way, it was delish!

All in all we had a lot of fun and we know not to ever assume that a tent is waterproof or that it won't rain!

Give me some Sugar!

2009-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

So I made the most yummy melt in your mouth sugar cookies and found the perfect icing recipe! So for all you Bettys out there here are the recipes if you want to try them out. They would be super cute for Halloween cookies!

Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup margarine or shortening

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

Into a bowl, mix together the sifted flour, baking soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Beat for 2 minutes. Add sour cream and half of the sifted dry ingredients; beat 1 minute. Stir in remaining dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

Divide dough in half and roll each portion out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets; bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes. Store soft sugar cookies in an airtight container.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

The day after

2009-09-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

Here is Marley the day after her birthday. She loves all of her toys and I love all of her clothes! Thank you to everyone who loves her so much!

On her own two feet

2009-09-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken about a week before Marley started walking on her own. It happened over night!

For a few days she would take a step or two and then sit down.

And then in the blink of an eye, she was walking around the house, even helping me with the dishes.

Silver Lake Hike

2009-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

We got this backpack carrier earlier this year and this is the first time we used it! We have not gotten out as much as we usually do, but it worked great. Marley seems to be very comfortable in it, and why not right? She just gets to ride up the mountain and enjoy the scenery.

Daddy daughter moment.

Family pic.

It was so beautiful at the lake, and luckily there was a nice breeze because after that hike I was in desperate need of something to cool me off.

Not a Baby Anymore

2009-08-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Marley's first birthday was so much fun! She is a very loved and spoiled girl, she got lots of toys and clothes. She was not so interested in the presents but sat in her new chair for all the present opening. I had more fun than she did.

So for Marley's birthday I attempted to make a cake.... Into a purse. I am addicted to food network and love watching the cake decorating shows. Wow they make it look easy. So this was the result that we got. Not bad for a first timer I think. Here is Marley next to her purse cake.

You can't see it to clearly but the purse has a quilted texture on it. I talked my sister in law into letting me make a cake for my nephew's first birthday in November. It will be Philadelphia Eagles theme! Good luck to me!

This picture was Daddy's idea. She was not very interested in the football.

I'm pretty sure this was her favorite part of the whole party. She dove right in so fast that I completely forgot about the cute candle I had!

Chico and Marley.....

2009-07-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

So now that Marley is on the move her favorite thing to do is sneak over to Chico's food and wather bowl and either try to eat the food or splash in the water. So as I was doing the dishes one day it took me a minute to notice where Marley was. And then I found her....

I think the phrase out of my mouth was, "Marley! What are you doing?!" When she heard that she got a smile as to say, "Who me? I can't be in trouble, look how cute I am." So I agreed and she went back to splashing in the water and throwing Chico's food.

I mean honestly, isn't this what I prayed for years to have? Cleaning poop out of my bathtub, scrubbing crayon off of the walls, and getting dog food out of her mouth? Yep I asked for it and I love every minute of it! So I just snapped some pics because who are we kidding? Even covered in water and surrounded by dog food I think she is the cutest girl ever.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

We have made a tradition with some friends of going to the parade on the 4th of July. We have a lot of fun, maybe more than the kids. We went to the parade this year and there were over 100 entries, it was a 2 hour parade. Like I said we enjoy it but the kids get a little restless after an hour or so.

The Tongis.

Noel and Amanda on baby duty with Marley and L.J.

Here is Caydance and Marley getting ready for the parade to start.

Yumm....licorice!

After all the fun at the parade we went to lunch and then headed to another friends house for a BBQ and fireworks. They have an adorable little lake that the kids loved playing in!

Here is Dalan jumping in the water.

Marley was not content to sit for very long. Eventually I walked her out into the water.

She has no fear, she loves being in the water and she splashed both of us until I was soaked!

Happy 4th of July!

Her first white dress

2009-07-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

We got Marley's pictures taken in her blessing dress and I am so glad that I did! They turned out so adorable. The pictures were taken by a friend of a friend and she did amazing, here is a link to her blog to check out more pics that she has done! Thanks Jill. http://jilloaksphotography.blogspot.com/

A day in the mountains...

2009-07-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

We love to camp, but we have not done any camping since Marley was born so this was a learning experience. I am not sure if I could last more than one day in the mountains with Marley. She has to be held but wants to crawl everywhere! And I am a little bit OCD about keeping her clean. All of this aside we had a lot of fun. We went up to visit my mother in law and her boyfriend for the day. It was rainy most of the day but we got some great pictures.

So boys will be boys and we just had to do some 4 wheeling. So....after about a 30 minute trek up the mountain and a few obstacles that we thought might make us turn back (examples: 2 different spots with a fallen tree trunk blocking most of the road, my mother in law and I lifting up a tree trunk as the trucks drove under it, mud puddles that were 15 feet long and who knows how deep, and a baby in the backseat) we saw the main road. Yay! The only thing between us and the road was this.

So instead of going back the way we came, we decided, ok the men decided that we can just drive through the river? After seeing my mother in law walk through it because she didnt want to be in the truck when it got stuck, it didnt look that deep after all. So here goes nothing....oh and fyi we have no tow ropes. We have a shovel.We made it through just fine. Very muddy but we were not stranded. I obviously could not get any pictures of us going through as I was in the truck but you get the idea. So all in all it was a very fun and muddy day.

It's a girl

2009-06-03T19:23:00.001-07:00

NO, It's not our girl, but it is a girl! This shower was for a friend at work. We had all the typical baby shower fun! Getting to smell and even taste some treats out of diapers.

Looks good huh!

There was so much left over food, I made everyone take a plate home of cupcakes, doughnuts, and candy.

There were lots of super cute little baby things, this is the most adorable idea for gift giving!

What a cute belly! With a cute "Mommy to be" sash!

Say Cheese!!!

And the cutest baby shower favor ever! Thanks to a Cricut machine, and a little bit of time, these little cake slices are paper boxes full of candy!

Best of luck for the mommy to be!

She's on the move!

2009-06-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

Yes, she is moving! It is a whole new ball game with a mobile child. Notice the outlet covers you never know what they might find to fit so nicely into those little holes. Luckily, nothing yet and hopefully nothing ever!

She is so happy to be able to move. At first she got a little bit frustrated at not being able to coordinate her hands and legs to move at the same time, but she got the hang of it all very quickly.

Summer Vacation

2009-06-03T18:35:00.001-07:00

Here is our summer vacation pictures. On our first drive we headed to St. George for the night to try and break up the drive to California.

We stayed at hotels everywhere we went and the rooms were soooo nice, with very comfortable beds!

And very fun swimming pools! Marley loved being in the water.

This was a beautiful lookout over the ocean at Emerald Bay. And we thought this was a beautiful view too. Isn't she the cutest!

Finally! We made it to the ocean! Marley was a little skeptical at first about the waves and the noise.

And when Daddy wasn't paying close attention to her, this was the result of a very large wave hitting Marley right in the chest as he was pulling her up out of the water. She was covered in sand!

Everything was so green and there were beautiful gardens everywhere, we had to stop and take some pictures.

I know that this may be a bit bias, but honestly she is very photogenic and I get to say that on every picture because I'm the mom.

Good morning! Every morning was a good morning, we were on vacation, woke up to the sun shining, and got to go out to breakfast every day!

Just the two of us at the harbor. Marley was in her stroller not really interested in looking at the camera for pictures.

Ok here I go again, she is so cute! I could take pictures of her all day.

The coast was pretty much overcast all morning and then the sun would come out. On the other side of this picture is a whole strip of little shops and a boardwalk that we walked along.

Back on the road, headed to Arizona!

We made it! Here are the cute little baby bums.

Saturday morning cartoons are very entertaining.

Everybody loved the bumbo seat. Especially this crazy little girl.

I love my girls! They are always doing something that will make you smile.

Daddys and their Daughters. So sweet.

Vacations alwasy end to quickly. We headed back home and we were not looking forward to the long drive. To make the drive even sweeter, my lead foot husband may have had a little run in with a police officer who may have given him a speeding ticket. Note to self: Don't speed! It will cost you! Oh and make sure you have a current copy of your car insurance, that will cost you too!

Xavier's Baptism

2009-04-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

So much excitement going on with the babies in the last few weeks.

Here is Xavier on his baptism day with mommy. So handsome!

Family Picture

Babies love their grandmas!

Baby friends. Marley, Xavier and Leah

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail

2009-04-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Easter egg hunts and baskets and candy galore!

Daddy helped Marley find all her eggs on the Easter egg hunt.

She wasn't very interested in all the excitement. She was pretty tired.

So of course she always has a flower on her head and she usually does not bother with her hair or anything in it, but lately....

....she pulls the headband off her head and has not yet figured out how to move it from wherever it ends up. She did not like wearing it as a necklace.

And she's happy again once we took the flower out of her mouth. She had a lot of fun trying to eat the grass from her Easter basket.

Here is cousin Xavier with all his hair! And he has already had one haircut, his cheeks are so freakin cute!

Its Eternally Official

2009-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

So yes we legalized our family and we also got sealed together for eternity!

It was the most beautiful day we could not have asked for better weather.

I am so grateful to have the most amazing husband to be able to take us to the temple to have this experience and to be together forever.

Marley was so happy for everything that day! Even with out her naps and some what of a routine. She is the best baby anyone could ask for, we could not have done better ourselves!

It felt a little bit like a wedding day, pictures everywhere!

Thank you to everyone who was able to share in this day with us we love you all so much!

Its Legally Official!

2009-04-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

So the long awaited day finally came! Marley is 100% legally ours. We have always known that she is right where she belongs and now that can never change. We went to court on March 24th to finalize the adoption.

Here we are with the judge! And yes I totally cried. I did not think that I would be emotional I mean its just a piece of paper right? But then the attorney asked me the question that brought on the tears. "Do you feel that you have developed a bond with this child in the 6 months that she has lived with you?" Um hello I felt a bond with her the first time I felt her move in Rachel's belly! So yes I cried like a big baby!

Apologies

2009-04-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, I'm sorry for anyone who has been checking up on our blog. I will be updating it very soon! I will not even make some excuse like I have been so busy working more than usual for a while, even though I have. Thank you all for loving our blog and there will be plenty of wonderful pics and updates coming your way!

Starting over...not by choice

2009-02-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

So as some of you probably noticed we no longer have our other blog at maezfamily.blogspot. Well long story really short it got deleted not intentionally. So...I lost everything I had on my blog which includes all of your wonderful blogs! So please leave a comment or email me (heathermaez1@gmail) with your blog so I can add them back in. Thanks everyone!