Family

So, I've been debating about whether to write this post or not but I finally decided to just go ahead and do it! I've been inspired by others that I have met through blogging and other places that some things should be shared, even if they are slightly personal.

Many of you know that we have been trying for about 3 years to have another baby and it just hasn't happened. We have even seen a fertility specialist and undergone treatments but stopped short of in vitro (it's amazing how expensive that can become!). Unfortunately I seem to fall into an ever growing category of women who have unexplained infertility and it seems that there really isn't anything that can be done about it. This has proven to be extremely frustrating because Mark and I both have felt that more children were in our future and Brayden and Tarell have been BEGGING for a sister for awhile now. We've prayed and fasted asking for the opportunity to have another baby and never really felt like we got a clear answer. So, instead of waiting for a time when we might have money to try in vitro we decided that there are plenty of kids out there that need a home...we have a home that needs more kids so we looked into adoption.

We checked several options..private adoption, out of country adoption, church social services, etc and the common problem is money. I can't believe all the fees that go along with adoption and it can run around $50,000. Since I am in school and we have only one income at the time that just isn't an option. So, we looked into the child crisis nursery here in AZ and found what we were looking for. This kind of adoption involves slightly older children that are in state custody for any number of reasons...but they need homes too. In order to be eligible for this we had to take some classes and then fill out loads of paperwork and have our house inspected and then be approved by the court. On May 22nd we were finally certified to adopt! YEAH!!

We thought for sure that we would have kids soon after. Now, 2 months later we are still waiting! This is the hard part. We've had some possibilities but nothing that we felt was right for us. As badly as we want more kids we want it to be a good situation for everyone so we might be a little picky, which we have been assured is a good thing in order to make it work! We are super excited and we decided that we could even take a sibling group if it is the right situation. Our desired ages are 0-7 and i absolutely require that we get at least one girl! I'm longing for some pink princess stuff! We'll see what happens!

I had originally wanted to wait to let anyone know what we are doing until something actually happened. BUT, I decided that prayers and support of family and friends might help out in finding the kids that are meant to be part of our family. So, any prayers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone, we love you!

I realized that I haven't put up very many pictures lately and that makes a boring blog! So, here are a few pics of us over the last few months.

Picnic at the park



4th of July fun




Fun in the backyard - maybe someday we'll have a pool???



These 2 boys could stay outside playing in the water FOREVER if we let them. We love these guys!

The talk

I've had a few questions about how Brayden's talk went a couple weeks ago and, well, let's just say we are glad it's over. I gave him a few options for topics and he chose missionaries. In the week leading up to the talk he practiced and was sooooo excited to get up and give his talk in front of everyone. He was really worried that the kids would laugh at him though but we had seemed to work through that by Sunday.

On Sunday we got to the primary room a few minutes early so he could get used to standing at the podium, which he enjoyed. Then the kids started coming and I could see him get nervous. I tried to talk to him but he was pretty worked up and kept asking when it was his turn. He was very fidgety during the opening exercises and then suddenly it was his turn. We walked to the podium and that's where it all went downhill. He stood up but got incredibly shy and wouldn't talk. So, he held the pictures for me while I gave his talk. He did offer a few words every once in a while but for the most part he refused to talk. (He's gotten really shy all of a sudden - I'm not sure what's going on!) After it was over he got upset and felt pretty bad that I wouldn't "let" him give his talk! It's funny how things can get so turned around in a 3 year old's mind! But, we talked about it and he ended up being ok. Now, he wants to talk again...so we'll try it again someday. I was proud of him for the effort and he still remembers what the talk was about. It's cute to hear him quote it once in a while.

He also reminded me about the talk incident after church this past Sunday when he told me that the older kids don't always talk either. Apparently one of the older kids did the same thing as Brayden - and he really emphasized that the boys was OLDER. I hadn't even brough it up but it seems that he's been thinking about it. It was sweet. I love that little boy!

Rock Star

The other day Brayden started telling me that he has "always wanted to be a Rock Star!" WHAT?!?! ALWAYS huh?? He was so serious too - and he made it sound like I was holding him back from his rock star dream. Too funny! He has a guitar that looks like a rock star guitar that plays rock-like music and he has been having a blast with that. We were driving in the car with my mom and Brayden gave us a concert with his own songs, it was great. He sang about wanting to be a rock star and a doctor and a policeman and that he was a great rock star. I wish I had a video camera to catch it all, it was so impressive and creative. Then he played the guitar over his head and down at his feet with his tongue sticking out and a true "Rock Star" face. So, I wonder who has been showing him old 80's rock videos - we don't even get MTV so it wasn't at our house. Here are some pictures I took of the concert he gave me later that afternoon.

Brayden had surgery yesterday to have tubes put into both ears and his adenoids out - YEAH!!! No more ear infections and hopefully no more snoring at night! When we went to the ENT a few weeks ago for the consultation he did a hearing test and found out that Brayden has moderate hearing loss due to all the recent infections and fluid build-up. I was thinking that everytime he said he couldn't hear me he was just trying to get out of something - I felt so bad!! Luckily the hearing loss is reversible and we are already noticing a HUGE difference. I whispered to him from the other side of the room and HE HEARD ME. It was wonderful! He has had a little pain from the adenoid removal but not too much.

He was really excited about the surgery and was pretty wired that morning. We we were scheduled for 8AM so we had to be there at 6:30AM and he was so happy, I was amazed. Not once did he cry or complain. I had explained to him what would happen so he was prepared. As he was wheeled away from us (we had to wait in the waiting room) he just smiled and waved, then turned his attention to the cute blonde nurse with him - always the ladies man!! Here he is before the surgery, walking into the center.





No, he isn't screaming, he is just wired but we weren't really sure why!

I didn't take any pictures of him after the surgery because he didn't look so good. He was pretty swollen and he just looked drugged for the rest of the day. By yesterday afternoon though he was up and moving around and wanted to get out of the house. He asked me if we could please go run errands and just get out of the house. Today he was back to normal, if not a little crazier. I'm so glad that he heals quickly and his procedure was not too extensive.

Any ideas???

Brayden has been asked to give his very first talk in Primary this Sunday. He is so very excited and I'm NERVOUS!!! He can't wait to get up in front of everyone and talk into the "speakerphone". When I asked him what he wants to talk about he confidently stated "Pirates". I tried explaining that we need to give a talk about something that would make Heavenly Father and Jesus happy and he said that "Pirates would make Them happy". I guess the topic is all up to me then!

So, I'm looking for some ideas for a Sunbeam talk on a subject OTHER than pirates. Got any ideas??????????