Cousins....

My sister and I decided to get our girls pictures taken for my mom's birthday and it was a fun afternoon. Reese is usually such a happy baby, but the photographer was trying everything with no success. I was laughing so hard because Reese just had this glazed over expression on her face. I think we got her to laugh once. With that said, I thought the pictures turned out really cute. These two are going to be best friends.

Isla and Reese

Oh, I love this girl!

I think we are all envious of Isla's eyelashes. They are so beautiful


Isla was showing us her dance moves

Getting excited for halloween...

I am not one who usually gets excited for Halloween, but this year, I am SO excited! I think I am just excited for Ron and I to celebrate every holiday with Reese. Actually, we had snow for the first time a couple days ago, and I was excited to show Reese the snow. It was cold outside and so Reese and I turned on the fireplace and watched a movie. I love being a mom!! I love to see Reese experience things for the first time. She is so much fun!

A couple days ago, we went to my mom's and decorated pumpkins. I love my nieces creativity!

Reese with her cousin Khloe

Halloween PJ's

I am not sure if Reese is trying to fly or just excited to see me:)

treadmill time..

I had to snap a couple pictures real quick on my phone when I was running on the treadmill. It was just funny to me that Reese was so entertained watching Strawberry Shortcake while I was running on the treadmill.

Best Friends....

We love our new house, but hate that we don't live across from our close friends. Our little neighbor, Brooke, absolutely loves Reese and has really missed seeing her all the time. I have never met a little girl that is such a natural mother. Whenever I watch and have watched Brooke, she always brings her babies over. Yes, two or three babies:) She brings their diapers, bottles, and blankets. One day we made a little car seat cover for her little car seat. Anyway, she is so cute with Reese and loves to hold, play, and make her laugh. Sometimes I take Brooke to pre-school and the first time I took her, I was trying to get to the drop off lane and we were there early so I had to drive over the little curb. Well, a few days ago, when I took her, she says, "Darcee, do we have to drive over the curb again?" I guess I embarrassed her:) If Reese is sleeping when Brooke comes over, it seems like she is trying every self control to not wake her up and play with her. I think if I let her, Brooke would stand over Reese as she sleeps just waiting for her to wake up. We love Brooke!
This is Reese with Brooke's baby (her name is happy). Brooke was kinda disgusted that Reese was drooling all over Happy's head.

Brooke is heaven with her babies

Reese can feed herself, but Brooke really wanted to help

Reese's 1st General Conference...

I was so excited for General Conference and excited that it was Reese's first General Confernce. It was such a precious thing for me to sit and watch general conference as a family. I started to cry a little as I was just laying down and cuddling with Reese while we listened to Elder Anderson's talk about families. She looked at me and smiled and then fell right to sleep. It is little things like this that just melt my heart and what I have been waiting for. I remember watching conference in the past and when they talk about families, I would get a little sad thinking, "when will it be my turn to be a mom and put to work all these natural abilities you are telling me about?" Now, that I have the opportunity to be a mom, I just want to do the best job I can and live what I believe. I have so many goals of wanting so badly for Reese to know who she is and how much she is loved, to love the prophet and love his words, to love the scriptures, and many other things. Hopefully I will exemplify these things if I want her to love them:)

Okay, don't laugh at her outfit:) Reese is sporting her halloween tights and then she had her ruffles, so I thought why not.

6 months and she is ours....

I am getting SO excited for a couple of dates coming up. The first one is October 19th...... which is our court date for our finalization, which means that Reese is finally legally ours! It is such a huge day and I can't believe it is here. What is even more exciting is what happens after finalization........the eternal sealing of our baby girl to us. I can't even put into words how excited I am to be sealed to Reese. This is what temples are about and I cannot imagine our life without Reese. Ron and I went to the bountiful temple a couple days ago and I started tearing up as I thought about getting to bring our baby girl inside to be sealed to her forever. Since we have adopted Reese, it feels like a dream. Everyday just seems like such a blessing to have her and to know that she will be with us forever is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the gospel, for temples and the sealing power, and motivation to always be worthy to enter the temple.

I tried to take some pictures the other day of Reese in her temple dress, but she just wanted to eat her ribbon. She still looked so beautiful!

The last date I am excited for is November 6th. We will be blessing Reese and again I am just so filled with gratitude for the priesthood and the ability to seal and bless and bind families for eternity.