36 weeks and a wonderful weekend.

Friday marked Lizzie's 36 week mark! Can you believe it? Ahhhhhh, I'm so excited! It has been a great weekend. On Sunday, we had our ward conference and with that, we always have the YM/YW testimony meeting with the class presidencies. This is always such a great testimony meeting and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend this meeting. Ron always has early morning meetings and so we had to coordinate our schedules so that I could make it to the meeting. The girls were sick and so we didn't want to bring them to the church and our church is 20 min away. Which isn't anything to complain about, but it does make me laugh that we pass 8 church buildings on the way to our building:) Anyway, Ron was able to miss some of his meetings to get home so I could go to the testimony meeting and sacrament, and then hurry home so Ron could make it to the 1:00 sacrament meeting and then more meetings. It's a little crazy, but we make it work and I am so grateful for a husband that serves so selflessly, honors his priesthood, is so obedient, and puts his family first. I love that guy!

Anyway, the testimony meeting was awesome! The youth are so strong and I heard testimonies of being bullied at school and yet striving daily to bless the lives of others. They knew that Heavenly Father was there every moment and they could pray to Him anytime. One of the leaders talked about how when we play on a merry go round, everyone wants to be on the outside. My mind starting churning on this idea of the merry go round. I remember when I was younger, I would run as fast as I could, pushing the merry go round, and when then jump on while my brothers continued to run even faster. I remember holding on to the outside while my legs would fly on the outside and I would be holding on for dear life. You would fight gravity to pull yourself to the center, but once you got to the center, you didn't feel the affects of the gravity. This was the safest place to be. I thought about the atonement and our Savior. It takes a lot of work to get to the center of the merry go round, but it is only through the Savior that we are able to not feel the weight of the world or the pull of gravity. It might seem like a silly analogy, but it truly makes all the difference when the burdens and weight are too much and you want to give in to Satan. Our Savior lives and he truly can make our burdens light. He can comfort us when nobody else can and can take away the guilt when we are truly repentant. There is so much power  when we stay in the middle of the merry go round. Okay, my analogy is over. The youth motivate me to be better. They strive daily to do what is right and to help all those around them. I felt the spirit so strong as some of the younger youth bore testimonies for their first time.

Testimony meeting was amazing as well! The bishop's wife talked about the parable of the ten virgins and about her conversions story. She told of her drop by drop conversion story that continues on every day. As I listened to her speak, I thought about my drop by drop conversion story......( Sorry, it's late. I started to write my story and then decided I would rather write it in my next post.)

35 weeks.....

Last Friday, was the 35 week mark for L's pregnancy. We text a lot, but we hadn't seen her since before Christmas so we were really excited to see her. We went to the Cheesecake Factory at City Creek and had a great time. I'm so grateful for L and for her faith, strength, and determination. It is amazing to me that we can feel so comfortable around each other already. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father's hand is involved in this adoption and bringing all of us together. It is incredible the amount of peace we have felt with L. After everything that we went through with Portia, it is a night and day difference with L. I remember when we went to Savior of the World with L, we were sitting there laughing, talking, and getting ready for the show to start and I just thought, "This is how it is supposed to be." It was like I was living the dream that I had had a few months earlier. So when I say that she is a "dream come true", she literally is. I can't thank L enough for her faith, spiritual sensitivity, and her determination to place her baby with us. I'm not sure how she has done it, but she has allowed me to push away any fears I had about this adoption and fill my life with faith. You can feel of her testimony and the faith she has in her Father in Heaven and in us. I cannot help, but be filled with faith and hope. I hate to admit it, but before Nora was born, I had so much anxiety that I had rashes all over my body because of the stress. I was a stress mess and would call our case worker about every other day to see if she had any updates. She seriously is the greatest caseworker and I love her to death. Anyway, I haven't felt any of that anxiety about this adoption. I have just felt peace and a lot of excitement. That is a nice feeling! I only pray that I can help her to feel that same confidence and peace. I have been nesting like crazy and it is pretty neat because I realized that this is the first time that I have felt confident enough to start nesting. I owe that all to L. 

I just keep praying that she will be "encircled about in the arms of our Savior's love." I pray that she will constantly feel our love for her and realize that it's not just about the baby, but that we truly her. I pray that I can  be a support to her and help her in ways that I know not. I'm so grateful for L and pray that all will go well in the next few weeks. 

Nora at 22 months....

I've missed a few of Nora's milestones lately so this was a good chance to record some things about Nora at 22 months. Until about 3 months ago, Nora has been such a quiet child and a huge Mama's girl. I didn't mind that at all, but in the past few months, Nora's personality has blossomed and she is such a character. She loves to make people laugh and once she gets you laughing, she makes sure that you don't stop. She loves to grab microphones and stand on any type of step stool and sing her heart out. She loves to act out "Frozen" and knows pretty much all the words. Nora is very smart and can memorize things very very quickly, hence she can act out almost any Disney movie. She is hilarious! 

Lately, I have loved my one on one time with Nora. After we drop Reese off at school, it has been so fun to be with Nora. Last week, we just went grocery shopping together and she made it so fun! She was sitting in the grocery cart and would push her face to mine, so we were nose to nose, and then pull her face away and laugh hysterically. She would then put her hand up to my ear and say, "hello, it's for you!" She would then say, "Alright, bye!" Her hand was her cell phone and we were talking back and forth through her hand. She seriously makes grocery shopping so much fun! 

This past week, she was my little shopping buddy! She loves to try on clothes and put her shades! She says "hi" to anyone that looks her way and will start jabbering away. 

We love our Nora Boo and here are a few things I wanted to remember about her.......

1.) Nora Loves Money! Ha ha ha! What I mean is...... Nora loves saving money even if she doesn't realize it. She loves to put money in her piggy bank. When somebody gives her any dollar bills, we need to cash it in for pennies so she can put them in her bank.

 2.) Nora is growing....I have realized lately how much Nora is growing and thinning out and it makes me really sad. She is losing her cute chubby belly and turning into a little toddler. I didn't realize how much she has grown until I found her getting into the pantry. Her favorite place:)

3.) Nora loves shopping with her Daddy at Costco! It's so funny to see them shopping together. Nora loves pushing the cart with Ron and they love getting samples together. ( You will notice that Nora's blankie is always with her. Luckily, we have multiple blankies to wash daily:))

4.) My little shopping buddy.

5.) So we started putting Nora in time out a few days ago and I realize that we are pathetic. We really like the "Love and Logic" parenting books, which pretty much teaches to not just give out empty threats. By empty threats, I mean you can't just keep telling your child you are going to put them in time out and then never do it. Your children need to know that you mean what you say so that they will listen to you. It's actually a great book because if your kids learn to listen to you when they are little and you can help them learn consequences when they are young, hopefully you will save them from learning the really difficult consequences later. With that said, we are totally pathetic. We put her in time out and then are taking pictures of her and video taping her first time in time out. Great parenting, right?

6.) Nora loves babies! It's been fun to watch how nurturing Nora is. She is always rocking one of her baby dolls or pushing her babies in her stroller. She sleeps with her babies, she always has a bottle for her babies, and loves to change their diapers. She is a little Mama and she will be a great big sister. I know Nora will love her baby brother and I don't worry about her being jealous at all. I'm pretty sure she will want to hold him all the time and treat him like her baby dolls.

7.) Nora is obedient ( or maybe she just likes things to be clean)..... The picture below has nothing to do with this comment, but I had to mention how obedient Nora is. If Nora spills a bowl of cherrios and I ask her to clean it up, she will pick up every last Cherrio. I have realized that Nora listens, but she also likes things really clean. It's interesting to see these things about Nora at such a young age. If Reese drops something off of the couch, Nora will clean it up. If Nora sees a piece of paper on the ground, she will pick it up and put in on the table or throw it away if it is garbage. Good job Nora!!

8.) Nora loves church!! She loves singing, she loves learning, and she loves to cuddle on our laps! She is like a sponge and soaks in as much as she can!

 9.) Nora finds joy in the small things! We were laughing so hard the other morning. Nora started sticking animal crackers all over her body and laughing hysterically. She makes life so much fun!

10.) Nora loves her sister! Nora loves to do everything with Reese and they play together all day. They truly are best friends and have the greatest imaginations. I find them in Reese's bed, under the sheets, almost every day. They are telling each other stories and have all of their babies with them. I am so grateful to be their mother and have the opportunity to watch them love and laugh together everyday.

 11.) Nora loves hugs! I should say hugs/tackling. She loves to tackle people with her hugs. They are the best hugs in the world!

 12.) Nora climbs on everything! The funny thing about this picture below is that Reese and Nora were playing hide and seek. Reese was hiding and thought Nora couldn't see her so she thought it was super funny that Nora climbed on the box and didn't see her.

A Sunbeam A Sunbeam

 I can't believe I have a little Sunbeam! These two truly are the cutest sunbeams around. Reese and Charlie and little best friends and their birthdays are a week apart. They have been inseparable pretty much since they were 9 months old. They were so excited for Sunbeams and were having a good laugh before their teacher came in. A couple months ago, Reese and Charlie sang their first duet in sacrament. During the primary program, Reese and Charlie sang, "I am a Child of God!" It seriously was the sweetest thing I had ever heard and I was so proud of Reese for standing up and singing. She was really nervous and her hands were up by her mouth at the beginning of the song, but she slowly relaxed and was able to sing. It was adorable.

I love my sweet Reesie! She is such an amazing big sister and daughter. She hates to see anyone cry and is so selfless. She has such a tender heart and cannot handle contention in any way. If kids are arguing at school, she covers her ears and has to walk away. She literally cannot handle it. Reese has such a pure heart and is constantly thinking of other people. With all that happened a few months ago with having Lola in our home and then having her taken away, Reese has developed some separation anxiety and it is heartbreaking to watch her go through this. She doesn't miss Lola, but she has an irrational fear that something bad will happen if she is separated from us. She used to love gymnastics, church, and school, but if I even mentioned it, Reese would have a complete meltdown. Her teacher at school tried to just grab Reese from me and take her into class, but Reese just clung onto me even tighter. Reese talks in her sleep and we would hear her crying and saying, "Please don't make me go! Don't leave me!" It was so sad and we would have to wake Reese up and give her assurance that we were here and that it was just a dream. We have prayed, fasted, and tried to talk Reese through things to help her enjoy all of her classes again. I finally just started taking Reese to all of her classes and tried to hide in the back corner, hoping that she would forget I was there. Last week, Ron was with Reese in her sunbeam class and she didn't want him to leave, so he stayed by the door. Nora was crying in nursery and so Ron asked Reese if he could leave to go check on Nora. She was worried about Nora as well and finally let Ron leave and he left Reese in her class the rest of the time. Reese was so proud of herself for staying in class by herself and it has helped her to gain the confidence that she needs to stay in class by herself. She has slowly stayed in class longer and longer and was able to go to school by herself all week.  I'm so proud of Reese and I have learned so much from her. This is one of the first real trials that I have seen Reese go through and I was brought to tears as I would listen to her pray for help to go to school. I watched her try so hard to stay in in a class by herself and be strong before she would get scared and start crying. I'm so grateful for our sweet girl and for having faith in Heavenly Father. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that knows exactly what Reese is afraid of and loves her perfectly. I know He comforted her and helped her get through some of the anxieties she was having. We are grateful for our little Sunbeam!!

New Years Eve and New Years Day!!

 We had a lot of fun on New Years Eve and New Years Day! The girls and I were sick, but we still had a lot of fun! I think we pretty much stayed in our pajamas that whole week. Reese and Nora had pink eye over Christmas, but it was finally starting to clear up by New Years Day. On New Years Eve, we went over to Ron's parents and ate good food, played games, and had fun playing the kinect. In the picture below, Ron and I were playing the kinect and doing some extreme river rafting:)

 Earlier that week, we went over to Ron's parents and made gingerbread houses. Reese and Nora loved it! Well, Reese liked decorating the houses. Nora liked eating the houses.

 I love New Years Day! New Years Day is big in Japanese cultures. Our family has always gone to my Dad's New Years day and made a lot of japanese food. A lot of sushi, mochi, and sashimi. We also go over to my aunt and uncles and all that little kids get crisp $1 from all the adults as a sign of good luck. Reese came running over to me with 8 dollar bills yelling, "Mama, I have 50 dollars!" Nora on the other hand was tired and watching a movie on the couch. She could care less about talking to anyone and I found dollar bills laying all over her blanket. She didn't care about the money, she just wanted to watch her movie. We always save this money for when we go to Disneyland.

Dec 31st

December 31st was such a great day this year. I truly felt so overwhelmed with joy. 2 years ago on December 31, 2012, Sadie first contacted us about the possibility of adopting Nora. We were blessed to adopt our sweet Nora and have developed such an amazing relationship with Sadie and now, 2 years later exactly, Sadie went through the Salt Lake temple to receive her endowments. 

I can't quite put into words how much I love Sadie and how proud I am of her. She has blessed our family so much and continues to bless our family. I remember after she placed Nora for adoption, she went back to Texas and completely submerged herself in work and school. She told me that she knew she couldn't just sit and cry over Nora, but she knew she needed to get to work so she could become who she wanted to be for Nora. After she placed Nora, I just remember crying because I knew she was hurting, but I didn't know what I could do to help console her besides send pictures and give her as many updates as I could. We have been so proud of Sadie as we have watched her move to Utah and completely submerge herself in the gospel. The thing that I love the most is to see how happy Sadie is. I love to watch her go with her friends on road trips and just having fun in college as she should be doing. It's been amazing to watch her grow and she has been a great example to me. Since Sadie has received her endowments, she has made it a goal to go to the temple every week and I'm excited to go with her this week. She is just a great example of what is means to be a disciple of Christ. 

As I have thought about Dec 31st, 2014, I am overwhelmed with joy. Not only did Sadie go through the temple, but we have been blessed with L and Ren. My heart truly feels so full! When we started this adoption process 6 years ago, I was praying so hard that we would be blessed with a baby. I didn't realize we would be blessed to have these sweet baby's birth mother's in our lives as well. I love it! When  I think about L and Ren, I feel such a sense of peace and love. She is such a spiritual and strong woman! From the moment I met her, I felt how close she was to her Heavenly Father. I know Heavenly Father has great plans for her and I pray that I can be everything that she prays for for her sweet baby. When I think of Ren, my heart grows about 2 sizes everyday. He is one chosen baby and I have felt that since the first time I met L. I am grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to feel these special blessings about His precious children. Even though Ren is not growing inside of me, I am grateful that Heavenly Father is preparing me for this precious boy. I just want to be so worthy of him and be the perfect mother. I know I am going to make lots of mistakes, but I know that if I council with Heavenly Father everyday, He will help me make sure that Ren becomes the amazing young man, missionary, husband, father, and leader that Heavenly Father has planned for him. One thing I also know for sure is that between L, myself, and Ron's example. Ren will sure know how to treat the women in his life. I know that is something that is very important to L as well as myself.  When I think about Ren, I can't help but be excited and filled with love, gratitude, and joy that he will get to have Ron as a father. Ron is so excited to have a baby boy that he can teach, love, go on father/son campouts, do projects around the house with, and just teach him what it means to be a man. I am excited to watch these two together. To be a man in Ron's book would consist of.......daily scripture study and living those principles, being consistent, learning, getting an education, preside, provide, and protect your family. It consists of daily and family prayer, service, love, and how to make his chocolate chip cookies and hot fudge. It consists of projects around the house, sacrifice, laughter, sports, family time,  family dinner, and a lot of fun! Ron truly is such a great husband and father and I'm so grateful that Ron will have the opportunity to be Ren's daddy.