Sad News

We had been told by a fertility expert in April of 2009 that, despite surgery, Anita could not get pregnant because of scar tissue at the ends of both of her fallopian tubes. At that point we started the adoption process because we do not feel that our family is complete. While on vacation in July, Anita discovered she was pregnant which was great news-a miracle!
Unfortunately, just 2 weeks later, Anita started having pain in her belly and so went to the Er and was told that her pregnancy was ectopic (growing in the left fallopian tube). She underwent emergency surgery to remove the tube and the pregnancy that had already started to rupture. The good news is that the doctors did surgery fast enough to save Anita's life, but now she is down to just one fallopian tube and a 25 percent chance of having another ectopic pregnancy-if she can even get pregnant again! She is recovering now and we are of course still on the adoption waiting list and hoping at the same time for another miracle! Stephen is devastated by all of this -he feels like this was his son he just lost, so we will both definately need some time to recover from this loss.

OUR VACATION

We just returned from a 2 week road trip with the kids and had a blast! We traveled briefly through Idaho to Midway, Utah which is just east of Salt Lake City. Once there we were blessed to see a lot of the tourist sites like temple square and some of the church history museums. One day we brought Shayna and Emma in to town to see the movie UP and to go to the children’s museum which of course was a lot of fun for all of us. We were supposed to see some old friends, but their children were ill. We also had fun resting up, swimming and playing games together back at the condo. From there, we traveled to Colorado Springs with a stopover in Steamboat springs which is in the mountains. Once in The Springs we spent 4 days with Stephens family as part of a surprise party for his dad’s 70th birthday. We all had a lot of fun with all of Stephen’s family. The kids especially enjoyed uncle Sean’s home which is all set up for kids of all ages, with a trampoline, pool table, video games and a huge theater room, our children were sure to not be bored during their stay. They of course loved seeing their cousins!
From Colorado, we traveled to St George, Utah for a brief stopover on our way to Disneyland! We hadn’t told the little ones about this part of the vacation and so it was well worth it to see their surprised faces when they realized where we were! We had a very enjoyable 5 days there and were able to explore Disneyland very thoroughly. Miranda, Taryn and their friend, Brianna who had come with us were able to have fun on their own, but Stephen also arranged it so he and I had a few hours alone most of the days where we were able to go on rides we wanted and just be together. It was wonderful-almost like a second honeymoon! Shayna and Emma loved all of the little kid rides-although we discovered very quickly that Shayna is definitely more afraid of rides than Emma. Emma is fearless! Shayna needed constant reassurance with every new ride that it wouldn’t be “scary”.
After Disneyland, we headed home the long way along the coast, with a night spent in Windsor California and a night spent in Depoe Bay, Oregon. We traveled 4300 miles in 17 days and visited 6 states and had an amazing time! None of us want to get into a vehicle now for a long time!!!!

Busy weekend!

This last weekend was so busy. It seems that they always are. Miranda had a car wash to attend to earn money for volleyball camp. Taryn had a garage sale she attended to earn money for choir dresses. Anita went to her mom's house for a baby shower for her sister Barbi who is expecting a baby boy in September. Miranda's best friend Brianna went with her because Miranda was busy at the car wash. The shower was fun, Anita got to see her mom, her grandma, her great aunt Judy, her sisters, Barbi and Tina and several other friends of the family. Miranda and Taryn were supposed to go on a hike to prepare for girls camp, but couldn't with all of the other things they had planned. It was a 3 day weekend for the girls so they had fun relaxing on Monday. Anita took Miranda and Taryn shopping at the mall and they got a really good deal on jeans-only $6.00 each! It was a good thing they were inexpensive because they look like jeans that have been worn for years...you know, bleached out holes on the legs and all faded and worn looking. Guess that is the style right now!

Our Anniversary!

Today is our 8th wedding anniversary! On Saturday, Stephen took me out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant and then we went to see the new terminator movie. It was probably the best terminator movie I have seen. Yesterday all of the kids got together and made mini cupcakes for the family to share using Emma's cupcake maker. The cupcakes were not that good to eat (you microwave them and they are easy to overcook), but they were made with love and that made them wonderful! Tonight for family night, we are going to the skating rink down the street and will roller skate! The whole family loves to skate, so it should be fun.

Family Swimming

We set up our pool a few weeks ago in the back yard and we finally have nice sunny weather! This whole Memorial Day Weekend, we have been playing in the pool. It is a 15 ft pool which is 4 ft deep. Not big enough for the big people to swim, but we can float and relax while Shayna and Emma swim. I'm so glad we had Shayna and Emma go through swimming lessons! Of course the pool is just the right depth for them to stand up if they want. The pool is expecially nice for Stephen and Anita who have just started running. It feels so good to soak in the cool water after a hot sweaty run! Our whole family is starting to get tan. The other day we had the cover on the pool and our kitten, Pouncy, decided to get up there and walk around, what a goof! It's very nice to have a cheap form of entertainment this summer, especially one that the whole family enjoys!

Our kitten

We have 2 cats. Our older cat is named rascal, but we call him fuzzy. We have a new kitten named Pouncy. He is very cute and very funny. He keeps us entertained all day when he wrestles with our older cat or when he "attacks" our toes and pounces around our furniture. He has the cutest paws with an extra thumb on each. He loves to grab things and hug them, especially our arms and legs!

Here is a picture of him and Shayna

Shayna's letter to our birthparents

Shayna is so excited that someone might place their beautiful baby with us through adoption. She wanted to write a letter thanking them in advance.

She is only 6 years old and is just learning to read and write. She alternates wanting a baby brother and a baby sister on almost a daily basis.