Pep Talk

I saw this sweet video on Facebook.

Click HERE to watch the video.

So go do something AWESOME today!

Have a wonderful day!

What we've been up to

Just in case you were wondering, we're still okay.

We've just had a few technical difficulties recently.

We sent our computer to Dell to get it fixed.

I couldn't upload pictures from my kindle, so it just had to wait.

Here are a few things we've been doing lately:

1. Eating a lot of soft serve ice cream! 

2. Working on the breezeway, this is the new wall...

3. We replaced the sliding glass door with a regular door and covered the remaining area with drywall and insulation.

4. On Thursday, my sweet husband got Lasik!

We got a pretty awesome deal through my work, so we took advantage of it.

I actually got to go in and watch the surgery, which is apparently a big deal.

From my end, it was pretty gross, but my sweet husband said it wasn't too bad from his end.

I asked him Thursday night if he was glad he did it, and he said he definitely was!

He went from not being able to see anything more than two feet in front of him, to seeing 20/20!.. 

if not better! 

He's one happy man!

 5. Having family visit!

This little guy really wanted to eat with us! He was eyeing all the food!

Life is great!

We've been enjoying the ride!

New Year, New Goals

Every new year I like to make new goals.

Some of the goals do not last through February,

 but some make it pretty much through the year.

I like new years resolutions because they help me feel like I have a direction I want my life to go for the year.

And, if you know me, I like to be able to control things...

I'm kind of bossy.

So I feel like with goals, I can control those things in my life...
to a point.

One of the hardest things about our fertility situation,
for me, is lack of control.

Throughout the process certain things have helped me feel like I had some control:

going to appointments
(doing something felt like control, or at least trying),

deciding to stop treatments and start the adoption process 

(we prayed and decided this was the right path for us, a little bit of control, but a lot of trust), 

I'm sure there were a few other things.

But mostly, we didn't/don't have much control.

However, none of us have much control over our lives,

Heavenly Father has a plan for us!

And that plan

IS the BEST plan.

I need to trust in that plan more,

this is one of my goals for the year.

I need to let go of my desire to control things.

But then I also don't want to just sit and wait,

because faith without works is dead, right?

So I feel like I should be doing something to help things along, 

or at least try to do things to help things along.

So, dear readers, what are some things that I can do to help our adoption process along?

What do you suggest?

PS I really appreciate those of you that have added our button to your blog!
You are all so sweet!

Family Christmas Party and Missionary send off!

The Saturday evening we were visiting my family we had our annual family Christmas Party at my parents' home.

It was really fun!

And super crowded!

Here are few pictures to prove it.

Well, the first one just cracks me up, he grabbed the camera as I took the picture.

 This little guy can talk your ear off.

He cracks me up!

This year was special because my Mom's side of the family came down for my sister's farewell talk in church.

After the family party we had a little friendly family competition.

Indian leg wrestling and arm wrestling.

Here are a few of the matches, I won't embarrass anyone by telling who won.. lol.

Like I said, my sister spoke in Church in preparation for her mission for our Church!

After her talk we met at my parents' home and had a delicious lunch!

 

 Some of her friends that came

 Our last family photo before she left...

thanks little brother for making such an awesome face... 

My little sister is such a great example to me!

I was thinking about it in church today, 

I'm grateful for the example she sets for me

 in having the courage to follow the prophet's call to serve a mission.

The day the prophet announced the age change she met with her Bishop and Stake President!

She had all of her papers finished by the next Sunday!

What an example to me of being ready to go when the call came!

She is also an example to me of having courage to share her testimony with others,

as is my sweet husband's little brother who is also on a mission, 

my cousin and Grandparents also currently serving,

my sweet husband who served a mission,

my parents (both served),

my father-in-law,

my brother-in-laws, and sister-in-laws,

cousins,

uncles and aunts,

Grandpas,

etc.

I have so many amazing examples of missionaries!

I hope that I can also have the courage to share my testimony with others!

Christmas #2!

The weekend after Christmas we went and visited my family!

As soon as we arrived we did our gift exchange,

even though we had to wake people up to do so... lol!

We started with the youngest.

My youngest sister had his name.

He got a Jon Schmidt piano book and a BYU tie and lanyard.

My Dad had my youngest sister.

She got a watch for her mission!

I had my younger brother

I made him two shirts, the one below because he LOVES pinterest and a Psych shirt with all of Gus' nicknames on the back, but I forgot to get a picture of it.

I also got him a glove for bow hunting

 

My younger brother had my younger sister.

He got her a crockpot!

My younger sister had my sweet husband.

She got him just what he wanted, a Big Boys Club T-shirt, and cokes and Lindor truffles because a Big Boy must always have his favorite drink and candy within reach.. lol!

My baby brother had my name,

he got me cookie sheets and measuring cups with the numbers etched in!

Just what I wanted!

My mom had my dad, she gave him a book about what the Founding Fathers would think about our country now and basketball shorts.

My sweet husband had my mom,

we made her all of the ornaments for the Forgotten Carols, 

she loves that book and we read it every year when we go get our Christmas Tree,

it's one of my favorite traditions!

We forgot one ornament so we need to get that to her, sorry Mom!

Then we got our presents from my parents, they gave us a soft-serve ice cream machine!

It is awesome and delicious!

I'm sure you'll hear more about that to come!

And if you'd like some, come visit us!

It was a wonderful second Christmas!