The Young Family

Divine, Messy Gifts are the Best! December 2013

2014-05-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Let's get to it!

We went on a Christmas Tree Hunt with Grandma and Grandpa Wager as soon as we could!

A day at Apple Hill ended with a warm meal and cute kiddos in Jammies.

Advent popped up quickly this year since Thanksgiving fell on the last Thursday in November.

I wanted to do something hands on, fun, and educational for Ethan to help explain what Christmas is all about.

I found Truth in the Tinsel when Ethan wasn't quite 2-years-old yet.

My little busy body wasn't ready for it until this year.

It's packed with scripture, crafts, and lots of Mommy & Me time.

We would do this during Grace's nap time and I loved the conversations and creativity that took place.

I think each year will bring a new depth with a deeper understanding of the joy and anticipation of Jesus that Advent brings.

A few random photos of December…

Dancing in the kitchen with my babes.

Ethan makes her belly laugh :D

Small Group Revisited!

Dan & Gina invited our small group… a group of peeps waaaaay back when… for a night of sights and Christmas lights! Below is a picture of the men (plus, Kona. Minus Josh).

Then some cuteness mixed with some crazy hair.

You know how there are some days when you wake up and you're just grateful to God that He gifted you with perfect timing?

One glorious December morning I opened my eyes to the sight of Ethan holding my hair in one hand and holding scissors in the other.

Luckily, the hair was still attached to my head.

You know… like that kind of perfect timing.

NO? Maybe it's just me…

I did find out later that day that my makeup brushes were not given such grace.

Ooooh Ethan!

That's enough Tangled for you!

Speaking of the source… we made a very bad decision to visit Disneyland.

We had planned to go the first weekend in December but Friday night, Grace threw up… multiple times.

Sweet, sad Squish smiled in between episodes.

She slept through the night and woke up happy keeping several bottles down…

We honestly thought she had what I had the day before Thanksgiving… a 12-24 hour sickness.

So what do we do?

Resume plans to Disneyland!

As we pull into the Grapevine for dinner… Grace threw up all over herself and her car set.

The rest of the weekend followed suit.

One morning Mark got up with her and she screamed at him for 3 hours straight.

The only comfort to her was laying in the bath tub under running water.

Below is a picture of that ;)

Ethan was super sick the first day at the park too but then perked up to his normal self the next day after some Tylenol.

She really is a sweet smiley little thing!

Smiling through sickness.

Marvel Comic Fun!

You can't tell, but Ethan was stoked to see "Four".

Maybe he was star struck.

MU!

We discovered that Disneyland has a "Disney Nurse" that will come to you if you have a need/emergency.

At the Rainforest Cafe, Grace threw up her bottle.

Not super alarming, except that she slept for near 24 hours without drinking anything and we were worried she was dehydrated (with the lack of total liquid she'd had that trip)… so, when our waiter asked if we wanted to see a nurse, we said yes.

The nurse advised us to go to the children's hospital and have her checked out.

Mark had me call Dr. Grandpa who advised us to stop with the bottles and give pedialyte instead.

My dad didn't see a need to go to the hospital and thought it would be fine to drive home in her condition.

Mark, being afraid to stay any longer, packed up the family and headed straight home… we arrived in our driveway somewhere around 4am.

AND THAT is why going to Disneyland was a very bad decision!

Here is a picture at the Rainforest Cafe before Grace lost it.

To this day Ethan will say, "Grace frew up in the Rainforest!"

It was while we were at Disneyland that we got the call from our lawyer that Grace got a court date to legalize her adoption.

The earliest Grace could be adopted was after living in our home for 6 months.

We brought her home at 2-weeks-old so 6.5 months was the very soonest she could legally be a Young.

I cannot tell you how much I prayed for her to officially be ours before Christmas.

It didn't really matter… she was already our daughter… but for anyone who has been through the process, you would understand.

At this time I was involved in a women's bible study by Beth Moore called Believing God. The study challenged us to either "just believe in God or believe God".

The 5 points she emphasized were:

*God is who He says He is

*God can do what He says He can do

*I am who God says I am

*I can do all things through Christ

*God's word is active and alive in me

Through this study, my faith was strengthened and I believed that God would give me what I asked for.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Luke 11:9

So I asked, unashamedly and often, that Grace would legally be our daughter before Christmas in the name of Jesus Christ.

God was, after all, the one who put the desire to adopt in our hearts after all!

I was simply asking Him to finish what He started.

Nearing her 6 month birthday, we were tossed a few variables and our circumstances were discouraging.

But I believed GOD > our circumstances.

Once I got the call, nothing by praise left my lips and filled my heart!

Our souls rejoiced!!

God's signature was revealed when we learned this:

There was only one court date in all of December for adoptions in El Dorado County.

That day was the 3rd Monday in December… the 16th.

Grace was born the first Monday in June… the 3rd.

Her age? 6.5 months!!!

The exact, earliest date we could have possibly adopted her.

Also, we were the first family.

8am on December 16th.

Divine Christmas gifts are the best!

Now it was actually a pretty non-glamorous experience.

Grace was still sick and… blew out through her pretty little outfit and into her car seat.

She yelled at the TOP of her lungs (echoes of yells bouncing off the courthouse walls) when I changed her out of her… mess…

and once it was all said and done, we looked at the paperwork and saw that her name was written "Grace Elizabeth Young" and not "Grace Elizabeth Kyleigh Young" as we had decided.

Somewhere in the translation her second middle name was dropped.

So… she's Grace Elizabeth.

At the time, we were so over paperwork and legal stuff that we just said "we'll worry about that later. Let's take our daughter and go!"

Now, 4 months later… we still are not motivated to change it.

If one day she wants to add it, we'll be happy to revisit it and make the proper changes.

But for now… we are just happy she's {officially} ours!

Our friend, Mindy, made us this beautiful cake to celebrate with our small group.

Our friends are the absolute best!!!

Christmas morning!

Mark and Ethan using the wood burning fireplace for the first time!

Also, a picture of Mark with his 2 cuties climbing on him...

Ethan's gift to his daddy.

A homemade card with…. Legos!

JUST what Daddy wanted :D

Ethan got shaving cream in his stocking.

He couldn't have been happier!

Shaving cream = hours of fun in the shower!

Ethan got me 3 sparkly headbands so that I "could look like Emma."

She's clearly the pre-school fashionista in these parts.

This is what it's like to take Christmas Morning Pictures in Jammies.

A little commentary as well...

We had Christmas Dinner at Mark's parent's.

Ethan made Jesus a birthday cake.

Sprinkle dump.

I'm sure our savior was delighted ;)

And Ethan did the honors of blowing out the candles.

December was many things. It was action packed with little time to rest on the weekends.

December wasn't pretty - it was messy, actually.

Messy with sickness, breathing treatments, glue and glitter on the floor.

Messy {and scary} like scissors in your preschooler's hands after watching Tangled!

Messy running around town for last minute adoption stuff.

Messy details… like our daughter's name!… not working out like we planned.

Come to think of it, December was a straight up mess!

But it was all a gift.

Our hearts swelled, raced and skipped a beat… depending on the day, but God's thread of grace ran through it all.

He gifted us with 2 children… sick as they might be… He {legally} gave us our little girl before the traditional day of ripping open gifts wrapped neat and pretty under the tree.

He's gifted us with time.

Time together to shake glitter onto ornaments and read all about His son… the priceless gift.

Time to answer Ethan's "Why" questions.

Time to wake up each morning to one smiley face by my bedside, the other smiley face in her crib.

Time to read, dance in the kitchen, and bake together.

Time to make memories and invest in my children's hearts.

He gifts us with free will and choices, too.

Some of our choices were a total fail ---> Disneyland this December being one.

But the everyday choice we make to follow Him. To believe Him over our messes and our circumstances… that leads to the best and most beautiful gifts only He can give.

Grace.

A Thankful November {2013}

2014-04-30T01:52:00.002-07:00

Yeah yeah… I know. But I'm back… and I'm going to finish 2013 if it takes all of 2014 to do it!

…. or not.

I just can't forget the reason why I blog to begin with:

To have a grateful heart for where God has me and my family.

Also! to freeze time... best I know how: Pictures and journaling.

And juuuust in case there is a great disaster and all our things are destroyed, I'll still have these precious memories to fall back on.

Internet: Don't die on me.

Ever.

November

November is a time of thanks and thanksgiving. I like to practice having a thankful heart always.

Some days, it's truly a mindful practice while others, a natural heart posture.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

This year, Ethan was thankful for many things and we documented this by creating a Thankful Tree.

He did the water coloring and I did the dictating (no editing… another practice of mine!)

My favorites of his were:

* Humans (and mermaids)

* Cookies and Steak

*Andrew and our cousins

He's pretty rockstar rollin' with his cuzzos... eating cookies and steak ;)

November Decorations Around the House

Here are some pics of E with his cousins and the rest of the Young family Thanksgiving 2013.

Oh! And it was on this day that he tasted his first orange soda.

BAM! A new leaf on Ethan's Thankful Tree.

Mark's Mom actually had us do a Thankful Tree this year at her house.

We each wrote what we were thankful for on a leaf.

I can't remember exactly what Ethan wrote… I think it was "Apples"

Mark wrote, "My Family"

I wrote, "God's Faithfulness"

Here's a visual of that faithfulness:

Grandma & Grandpa Young also did something very different this year.

They had the grandkids perform a play about the history of Thanksgiving.

Can you tell there is a history buff/teacher in the house?

Grandma Young always has something fun and educational for our kids.

I'm super thankful for her and what she does for our family!

Here are some pics of the play!

Our little Squanto… I mean, "Cocoum"...

I can now honestly say that I better understand the usefulness of the stage hook.

The main "actor's" age averaged 4-years-old (or so) and the silliness got a bit out of control at times.

They sure were cute though and I loved the ending ballad of "Thank You Jesus" with all 5 of them holding hands.

Some family snaps

(Ethan's forced smile stage has arrived!)

This is (sadly) the best picture we have with the Grandparents...

… and this is a more accurate picture of our little photo shoot!

Trinity having some fun with her littlest cousin.

T's thankful leaf said, "For Grace's Headbands" by the way ;)

Time with Grace's namesake… Auntie Christie (Elizabeth)

Jammie Time!

Our Little Turkey and Beautiful Butterball :P

Other noteworthy events in November:

I got deathly sick within a 24 hour period the day before Thanksgiving.

My parents came to my rescue despite hosting a feast at their place the next day!

My wonderful, merciful Dad drove out to pick up the kids and kept them until Mark could pick them up after work.

I will never be able to express the thankful heart I have for my parents in words or actions.

Their love for me and my family is a cup overflowing.

Thank you Mom.

Thank you Daddy.

Additional faith in humanity was restored on this awful day as a woman who was buying 3 chairs from us on craigslist brought me tea and bread after she saw that I was terribly sick.

Care Package + Well Wishes = Thankful Heart (also, breakfast for Ethan).

Grandma and Grandpa Young came over one night in November to watch Grace so that Mark and I could take Ethan to see his very first play, Peter Pan!

Noodle Night, Live Play, and Ice Cream.

He loved it!

2 random pics:

Ethan incognito drinking juice.

Grace's squish preventing her zipper from going up all the way.

I was able to go to the Harvest Festival with my Mom, 2 Aunties and Gracie.

Here is a pic of Grace with Auntie JoJo after we shopped!

I escaped everyone in my house for a quiet meal alone and some Brene Brown.

I'm on a mission to read all her books!

Also newsworthy...

Mark performed a root canal treatment on himself.

Yup, it actually happened.

Finally, we took pictures for Christmas Cards.

Thank you Annie @ His Grace Photography for capturing us at the end of 2013!

Thankful for our Grace Elizabeth

Thankful for both our beautiful, joyful, and sweet kids.

Especially grateful for the love they have for each other which is possibly my greatest joy to watch.

Thankful to have my best friend to journey through this crazy life together.

We have faced great challenges but have been richly blessed because… God.

Thankful He set Mark a part from the rest for me.

Thankful He is the Krazy Glue to this Crazy Girl and all my brokenness.

Above all, thankful for His grace and faithfulness.

I see it and I'm reminded of it every time I look at our family.

Thankful.

A Calling Complete*

2014-02-23T23:16:00.002-08:00

Errrrrrrrk!

Stop the chronological blogging!

I was just asked to write an article for our church in regards to a ministry they offer called "The Call".

The Call ministry was how we found out about Grace so we were happy to write something for it.

Now I don't know if they'll actually use this… and even if they do, I think a total of ? people read my blog anyway {enter cricket sounds}… so, it's fine.

Let me know what you think!

Almost 3 years ago, God called our family to adopt an orphan. We didn't know how that would look, but we knew God was calling us to it because my husband, Mark, and I always said that if we could have children of our own, we wouldn’t adopt.

Our son had just turned a year old when the adoption seed started to sprout. We took a good 3 months to pray about this, knowing the seriousness of the decision we were about to make, to confirm that this was what God wanted us to do.

It was.

We spent the next 2 years prayerfully searching to fulfill that calling. One way we did so was by joining the group at Lakeside called “The Call Ministry”.

There, we were touched and humbled by people’s journeys. No two stories were alike and we loved how open and informative everyone was about the topic of “Adoption”. Mainly, we liked that we were part of a bigger group of Christ followers who had the same calling.

We weren’t alone.

Together we explored the options: international, domestic, private, foster care, fost-adopt, and being a safe family through the Safe Families Ministry.

After a roller coaster of events and seemingly failed attempts to adopt a child, God provided and did so in His own timing and a way that would show us that this was clearly all Him and His doing.

Two scriptures really stood out to me in our calling:

James 1:27 and Matthew 25:40

"Religion that God our Father finds pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

- James 1:27

Out of this, I felt God calling me to reach out to love and protect a child - as one of my own - regardless of what the world would think about it. Why? Because it's pure goodness in a broken world and regardless of what "religion" you choose to follow, all would agree that taking in an orphan and raising him or her as your own is good. It is right. It is pure.

I hope everyone knows that Mark and I are not pure.

Do not make the mistake of looking at us and giving us the credit for such "pure goodness".

We do not belong on such a pedestal but proudly point to the One who does:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows."

- James 1:17

God put the seeds of adoption in our hearts. God is at work to redeem brokenness. It's how He rolls. I personally like to stay away from brokenness... (That's how pure selfish I am) but God called us to dive head first into it.

Matthew 25:40 says, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" This was in response to "...For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked out for me, I was in prison and you visited me..."

(Matthew 25:35-36)

What I got out of this was God point blank asking me, "Do you love me? Really? Then do something about it... every person that you FEED, QUINCH, WELCOME, CLOTHE, CARE FOR, and VISIT, you do for me.

I truly thought the only way we could do that was by adopting internationally. I remembered thinking that we could do all the above but "visit" a child if we adopted through the foster system or domestically.

Wrong.

We got an email from one of the leaders of The Call asking if we would be open to adopting a little girl due to arrive in a week or so.

The teenage birth mom had contacted Lakeside looking for help as she had made the decision to place her baby in a loving home.

That baby is our Grace Elizabeth.

We got the call. We responded as God had asked us to.

Before Gracie was born, I went to her doctor's appointment and heard her heart beat in utero.

I went with her birth Mom to get a pedicure when she was due any day.

Mark and I took her, her boyfriend, and friend out to dinner to get to know each other.

We met and visited our daughter the day she was born at the hospital.

We visited again at the hospital and got to meet Grace's biological grandma too.

We visited... but we didn't just visit with Gracie. We visited with people who have a connection to her and started to build relationships with people who may (or may not) be important to her.

We agreed to an open adoption.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that God is using us not only to visit but to share.

And this, my friends, is the difference between a short term missions trip and living out your faith over a lifetime.

Relationships... that is what Jesus is all about.

I'm not saying God isn't present in short term missions trips... He is present all the time!... its the difference between listening to a sermon one weekend versus sharing life with a person in love with Christ. One has a longer lasting and deeper effect.

God didn't put His son on this earth the day he went to the cross...

God sent His son as a baby... and gave the world 30 years of personal, tangible, human relationship with us.

He cared to share.

And He asked so much of me as well.

Not just to feed, quinch, welcome, clothe, care for, and visit like I thought.

Nope, He later reminded me I was only completing half of what He really asks.

The greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

- Mark 12:30-31

Love God? Of course! That's easy... not always, especially when you're asked to "feed, clothe, visit... etc." But really, it's the least I can do for what He has done for me.

But love your neighbor?

To love my neighbor as myself???

To continue to love on another mother who longs for your child because she feels the pain of her loss/your gain?

To stay connected to a group of strangers who love your daughter because it helps them heal and possibly your daughter to heal down the road of her journey?

To love on those neighbors? As I would like to be loved on if it were me?

Yes.

To love means to love. No matter what the cost of my own heart (not the cost of anyone's safety... I'm referring to dying to self).

On one hand, I "completed a calling" but on the other hand, it was the tip of the iceberg.

So this is where the * comes in...

*Adoption wasn't a "category" that I could check off the bucket list of "Things I want to do for God". It was a calling that God incorporated into the umbrella of the greatest calling.

Which, according to Jesus, matters more.

"...there is no greater commandment".

It started with a calling.

The journey was anything but glamorous or smooth.

But we are blessed because we believed God and stuck with Him until He proved His faithfulness.

We are grateful for The Call ministry at Lakeside.

The love and support we received through them was Christ with us working as His body to fulfill His calling.

October Funny Bones

2014-02-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

October was filled with all things pumpkin, cider, and apples. We did an excellent job visiting pumpkin patches this year, I must say. Some years are better than others… this year (2013) was fantastic!

We bought lots of fresh apple cider from Apple Hill and a few boxes of apples to make my infamous Double Crumble Apple Pie! I even tried making apple chips this year… another success!

What's not to love about October?

Starting with October 1st… my Hubby's Birthday!

He turned 31 this year :)

His Mama made and sent over his absolute favorite ~~cake~~ pie!

Banana Cream :)

October Lovin'

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We visited Bishop's Pumpkin Farm for the first time with our very favorite family friends,

the Jarvis Family <3

3 cuties jumping in soft hay

Love those neighbors!

We (hopefully) started a fun tradition in our new neighborhood!

Included was an invitation to the Fall Festival we hosted for the first time in our backyard!

The festival was a collection of many DIY kid-friendly fun stations… carnival style :)

Lots and lots of Mommies were to blame for the amazing turn out!

Below is a picture of part of the fun!

I'll be sure to take more pics next time ;)

Random cuteness/sightings of our October

Extremely blessed by these 2 women.

Grandma time!

Talk about random… a few random things to remember about October:

1) Grace sleeping through dinner at the Cheesecake factory = AMAZING!

2) Spent over an hour with Gymboree trying to track down a package they sent to the wrong house = RIDICULOUS!

3 & 4) An afternoon at the pumpkin patch with Grace's birth mom = Amazingly Blessed!

Time to carve some pumpkins!

Ethan making the same face as his jack-o-lantern.

He thought the pulp and seeds were "yucky!"

Decorating the porch!

Ethan had it all figured out ;) Line 'em all up!

Makes for a great barricade ;)

Cute pics with Daddy

Ethan breakin' it down for us on the porch :D

Sweetness in a Bumbo

Halloween Day!

This was the most happening our kiddos were that day/night!

I tried SO HARD to keep them awake!

This was in the early afternoon…

Watch the sweet interactions between Grace and Ethan.

Mr. Funny Bones, himself!

…aaaaand this is what we looked like when Mark got home from work.

"Who's ready for trick-or-treating?"

We changed him into his Captain Hook costume thinking he'd be more in the mood once he woke up...

… only, he was in such a deep sleep that he accidentally wet through his costume :(

No problem!

We had a back-up in the car ;)

Thor it is!

We were supposed to be a theme:

Ethan: Captain Hook

Daddy: Fellow Pirate

Mommy: Tiger Lily

Grace: Tinker Bell

Grace never got out of her "funny bones" jammies as she was still snoozing while we went door to door.

We went back to our old neighborhood to trick-or-treat… we loved seeing all the familiar friendly faces!

So that was our October… quick and sweet!

Kinda makes me miss it on this rainy February day...

Turning the Corner of September

2014-02-06T16:38:00.001-08:00

Chug, chug, chugging through 2013… I know, I'm behind. No news here!

Let's do this…

September was fantastic! A real change of seasons for me. It was finally the end of Summer and the Fall schedule was kickin' in… this means much needed regularity to my weeks.

Every Tuesday and Thursday I take the kids to our church for a woman's bible study and mom's group. They play in the classroom and I have a slice of "me time".

As a stay at home Mommy, I need and crave that time with other girls who are in the same stage of life and… yup, that healthy time away from my kiddos too!

I am grateful to God that I am able to stay at home with my babies. I didn't always want to (another story for another time), but I am blessed to the depths of my being that God changed my heart to do so.

It's hard. Sometimes I want to go back to work (of just throw my kids out the window… either one will do on some days…), but I have no regrets {especially since I have yet to chuck a child out the window}. And sadly, I think I would have some regrets if I had gone to work during these early, impressionable years.

HOWEVER! Dependency is something I have to work on. Dependency of my husband, dependency of my friends, and…. my kid's dependency of me! I need breaks… and I need some "me time" so I can continue to give all of me. Cause yeah, it can be super draining!

But I struggle with who I trust my kids with. And this is where I can breathe easy...

I have been beyond pleased with the Little Steps program at Lakeside Church. One Christ follower especially, Miss Sheri, has been excellent with our sweet and energetic Ethan boy. I have literally thanked God for her for 2 years now. It puts my heart at rest knowing that my kids are encouraged and treated with grace-filled love while I am getting fed what I'm lacking in my day to day.

This has also been a great source of socialization for my kids while they are still home with me.

They're socialized. I'm socialized. Win-Win.

So! September brought this much needed regularity to my life as I was more than happy to slam the door shut on Summer.

We took the longest vacation since Mark started his practice - 1.5 weeks! - and drove down to southern California for a whirlwind, kid centered vacation.

We did it all: Legoland, San Diego Zoo, aquariums, Sea World, beaches, and capped it all off with Disneyland.

I don't recommend such an action packed week. The San Diego Zoo by itself deserves it's own zip code and we were totally deflated at the end of the day having only scratched the surface!

I could have used a little more beach time to be honest, but I am so grateful for the time away and the focus on family!

Here are some pictures of our September…

Our sweet Gracie Girl turned 3 Months…

I'm not sure if this is mean or not, but I saw a striking similarity to our daughter and her Great-Grandpa Chan… maybe because she's bald and happy?

Her 3 Month Pictures by the one and only, Jen Jarvis Photography!

She discovered her tongue during this shoot...

The many faces of Ethan Mark this September

September Fun… and Creative Solutions

Ugh. Expensive Fail.

I was so mad at myself!

Ethan: "It's okay, Mommy. We'll go back and get you a new one."

"Waygo Wand!"

We spent a week with my parents in the San Diego Area.

We were all blessed with the time together!

Water Fun!

Aquarium

Nixon Presidential Museum.

Reunited with some of our favorite friends from Boston, the Davenports.

San Diego Zoo!

Dinner @ Jake's

Behind the scenes...

Back at the Hotel!

Ethan has some kind of Grandpa to let him jump off his head into the pool!…

Over and over and over again...

Bummin' it!

Sea World!

Shamu Splash!

More Sea World

San Diego's Little Italy…

Ethan was all "pictured out".

Mark worked some magic...

This place was honestly worth the entire trip!

I love food but I loooove my sweets!

Extradorinary Desserts was exceptional!

Best Hazelnut Latte I've ever tasted…

To the inner dessert foodie in me, you're welcome!

PS - If I had 1 week to live, I might consider flying back here just for dessert.

Maybe...

We dropped my parents off at the San Diego Airport and then headed to Disneyland.

Disneyland is actually a place where can relax as a family.

I know this is not the case for (many) others, but it is for us.

Our kid is action packed, all the time!

And Disneyland is a place where that is acceptable and… even encouraged!

We've found that our family vacations are pretty much limited to the beach or parks for kids.

THIS is our favorite park!

Each year since Ethan was 18 months, we've bought season passes. Up until this trip, Ethan had been free!

Then it's just the price of food, gas, and hotel (unless we use our timeshare points!).

AND Mark and I really love the road trip to talk… about anything!… for hours.

This September, however, we experienced Disney with Ethan's cousins!

Titus turned 5 and we were happy to celebrate with everyone!

Ethan was in Disney Heaven, that's for sure!!

Character Dinner

Young Boys being young boys.

Such fun!

My mom and I were noticing that when Ethan walks, he has a confidence about him.

She calls it "swagger"… minus the arrogance.

He's just a happy, healthy, joyful, light.

I guess that makes you puff your chest out a bit when you walk :)

My Super (cute) Boys

Love making her bows!

She rocked the princess set ;)

So that was September!

We turned the corner with the help of Fall…

and some pixie dust ;)

August Surprise weepy Baby Shower!

2014-01-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get weepy?

I am having a seriously weepy week!

It's a bit ridiculous, really.

Ethan and I youtubed Disney's Frozen to watch a few of his favorite scenes/songs.

Cried.

During our small group, we prayed for one another… dry for that… JJ closed the prayer thanking God for our group…

I Cried.

I log onto my blog to post the missing pictures from August Surprise! about Grace's surprise baby shower.

You guessed it….

I Cried.

I've cried randomly so much this week that Mark just looks at me and smiles… knowing what's coming before the first tear squeezes out.

And that, oddly enough!, makes me want to cry!

?????

Anyway, here are pictures of the surprise baby shower my beautiful and loving friends secretly organized, crafted, and plotted together.

Nothing but love in this picture:

I didn't leave out a single photo!

I couldn't possibly forget a single snapshot!

Girly Favors <3

Miss Mindy is quite talented with a sewing machine and making banners.

This burlap and lace GRACIE banner is now in her nursery :)

Headband making station.

Genius!

And, so fitting… it is a rare occasion when Grace is without a bow on her head :)

Something really beautiful about the decor - aside from the shabby chic, burlap & lace! - was all the newborn/family pictures we had taken right when we got Grace.

It really added a personal and *weepy* touch to the shower.

That and the scriptures that really pressed on my heart throughout our adoption journey were typed and framed around the house too.

Our small group "coincidentally" studied the book of Ephesians when we got Grace.

So… there were moles to this operation ;)

I was doomed for kleenex.

Now for the surprise!

I was told that this was a "Girls Night In".

{My View}

{Their View}

I was super confused at first.

Running off of little sleep… this was a common.

When it finally clicked… I think that's when the picture was taken above.

"Ooooooh!"

Wondering if Mark knew what was going on… he had already sped off with Ethan in the Truck.

"Was HE in on THIS TOO?" asking as I arrived to the "Girls Night In"

Basket of wine and goodies in one hand...

Baby girl in the other…

Let's eat! And drink sangrias ;)

A benefit to not nursing!

Pass the baby!

She had no idea… this was all because of her.

Some pictures just melt my heart! This is one...

… and this makes me smile! Big :D

Preggo/Nursing drink… punch ;)

Babies!

Showered!

That awkward, talking snapshot…

Thank you, girls. You enrich my life more than you know.

You shine brightly in my treasure box as each one of you holds a piece of my heart!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Matthew 6:21

This man… my greatest treasure.

And with him, my littlest and most precious treasures of all!

Ok, I admit to tearing up as I type this.

This woman.

My heart has been through such depths with her throughout the last 4 years+.

Crises after crises… and also, joy shared between our two families.

I can't even fathom my life in Folsom/EDH without her.

She is as beautiful, kind, gentle, and wonderful as she seems.

She is one of the very best mothers I know.

Her heart is so pure and loving.

Her husband is a very lucky man, indeed!

And so are her 3 precious babies!

Our families are the only 2 surviving "couples" in our small group.

The OG if you will ;)

There is nothing I wouldn't do for her and her family.

Big. Big! jewel in my treasure chest of blessings ;)

She also is a jewel of a photographer {See her Blog here!} and took the pictures scattered around the house.

She's gifted!

And her gift?

Made me cry…

A canvas picture of me holding Grace with the word "Chosen" followed by Ephesians 1:4-6 highlighting the words He chose us, love, adopted, grace, freely given.

It was so beautiful, so professional, I didn't realize it was Grace and me!

I truly thought it was a canvas print with scripture she got at the Family Christian Bookstore, or wherever… something you could find under "Great Gifts for the Adoptive Parent".

When I realized that it was us… that's when the tears flowed.

Because as beautiful and professional as it was, it was so personalized.

SO perfect.

That woman.

The picture is in Grace's nursery and we used it as a focal point during her Meet & Greet/Sip & See BBQ. We reused lots of the shower decor, actually ;)

I never used to be this weepy.

In fact, old friends will tell of a different Allie.

One whose cheeks were always dry.

I'm not sure if I cracked (from the dryness that is!) or if life just weathered me to change seasons, but in general, my eyes are leaky.

Since becoming water works… life is fuller and… better!

Contrary to what I thought in my younger years, vulnerability is strength.

Strength to be who you want to be… and genuinely be it!

Brene Brown says in her book Daring Grately,

"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness."

I know it's not always appropriate to cry… but I just don't care.

You see, I want to have genuine relationships with people and allow them to know me.

If I cry… it means something genuine is happening at that moment.

It's me being vulnerable.

It's me making a connection and being fully human.

At the risk of sounding vain… It's me being beautiful.

{Unless I ugly cry. Then that's just me… ugly crying ;)}

I'm not sure, but I think this is why Mark smiles at me before I cry.

Knowing what is about to happen.

He's smiling at my heart… being beautiful… and being brave enough to expose it.

In all it's weepy glory.

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want great clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path." - Brene Brown

August Surprise!

2014-01-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

August 2013

August was a bit… foggy.

Like SF foggy in the summer.

It started with a surprise.

I'm one who LOVES surprises.

{Back it up}

When Mark and I started to approach our one year wedding anniversary, I could not wait to surprise him with the gift I had made! I knew he would love it and… I ended up being right ;)

The traditional 1st wedding anniversary gift is paper, so I drew him a picture of his favorite view on our walks down Baker Beach...

He LOVED it.

I, however, forbid him to hang in anywhere except his office (preferably in a corner where only he can see it). Because contrary to what he says, I'm positive he likes it because I made it…

Kinda like how I LOVE Ethan's doodles.

Anyway, I was disappointed to happen to come across… by accident… as I was snooping in his email… ???…. that he had purchased tickets to see the Off Broadway Show "Wicked" in SF.

His Paper Gift = Tickets.

~~Surprise!!!!~~

Ok, so I know I shot myself in the foot on that one…

but there was no longer a surprise.

Most of the gift for me is the surprise.

So… I told him.

I also might have complained and accused him of trying to send me some crazy underlying message about me as the title of the play suggests…

… I dono…

you start to say crazy things when you shoot yourself in the foot I guess.

He insisted that he wasn't suggesting anything.

{But just might of had the play been titled "Crazy Snooping Wife With Unrealistic Expectations"}

The gracious man that he was didn't get mad at me, but instead thought up another gift to "surprise" me with:

Can you tell a man in love wrapped this:

Anyway, I got my surprise! He bought me an iPod (remember those?!) in pink - fav color - with a personalized message on the back.

He also did another "paper" surprise and gave me a travel scrapbook (since I was a scrapbook nerd) and in the first page printed up a poem titled "One Year in Love".

I believe that was the last poem he has ever written me ;).

All to say… I love surprises!

(And yeah, I go a bit crazy over them!)

August started out with a surprise, but not a pleasant one.

While in LA with my mom shopping for Grace's nursery, I got a call from Anna, Gracie's birth mom, saying that she wanted to meet up when we were free so she could see "Kyleigh".

It had been a month and a half and we hadn't heard from her.

We had agreed to monthly visits... but after I hadn't heard from her, I figured it wasn't going to happen.

The 30 days were up, but my heart still raced to think about it.

I knew I wanted this.

I wanted this because I wanted to stay true to my word.

To continue to meet with one of the bravest girls I had ever met to encourage her and to encourage a relationship with her so that Grace would know her story.

But I also knew that I was terrified.

Until she was legally ours, I was afraid.

After having one child ripped from our home, I wasn't willing to do it again.

The unknown is absolutely terrifying!

So, when I got the call, I was surprised… but not.

Mark and I set a date to meet up with her the first weekend of August.

The day of the meet up, we had an alarm company already scheduled to set up an alarm system around the house. The man installing the system took hours to install.

Time was ticking and we needed to go meet up with Anna.

We asked the man how much longer it would take? He said maybe another 2-3 hours.

!!!!!!!!!!

So, we called Anna and asked if she wouldn't mind pushing back our time to accommodate the alarm instillation.

Her response was the surprise that threw me into the SF Fog.

"Oh…well, I have family and friends here to see Kyleigh and one of them has to go to work later…"

You have to understand that it was taking everything inside of me to meet with her (and most likely a friend) for the very first time since taking her home.

I was not, by any means, expecting a crowd for this private reunion.

A fresh batch of butterflies hatched inside my chest as I filtered my response,

"I didn't realize I was coordinating schedules with anyone but you. I'll talk to Mark about it and see what we can do."

I hung up the phone and flipped out!

I really didn't know how to handle it.

On one hand I felt like calling up our families to come with us so we would be equal in number… whatever number that would be!…

I felt totally threatened and unprepared.

While updating Mark, I got a text from her reading,

"I'm sorry I didn't inform you, I kinda wanted all this to be a nice surprise."

Well… surprise!!

Mark, didn't seem to get my heightened state.

He actually saw it as a potential plus as there would be more people to interact with and hold conversation with.

?????

He also said that maybe she really was trying to do something nice for us.

Anna's heart is and always has been purely honest.

Not always crystal clear… but honest and of the best intentions.

Long story short, we canceled the alarm guy until the next day.

All 4 of us drove out to Carmichael to meet the group at the park.

There they were. All the people who had been involved in Grace's life journey up until that point.

And it was better than I could have imagined.

Together they had made a potluck picnic, brought toys for Ethan to play with, and a blanket for the baby to lay on the ground.

They made it clear that they were all happy for Grace and were grateful for us.

All they wanted was to see with their own eyes that she was in a loving home.

I totally respect that!

It was here that we told everyone that we were going to name "Kyleigh"

Grace Elizabeth Kyleigh Young.

We spent 2-3 hours eating, playing, and doting over how beautiful and precious Gracie was.

She is very loved indeed <3

Surprisingly, it was a success.

There was much closure to the reunion and yet, wide open doors!

We said ~~good-bye~~ see you soon… and we did! The next month :D

I received a text from one of the Aunties later that day

(same sweet lady who texted me from the hospital when she was born!)

She wrote:

"Gracie is truly blessed to have you all as her family. Thank you for sharing her and yourselves with us. We had a wonderful time. Hopefully, we can do it again in the future. Thank you again."

Really? Thank you.

Thank you for loving on our girl and her birth mom through this journey.

You all are some kind of angels.

Thank you. All of you!

The rest of August was less exciting.

Thankfully!

I was ready to coast, if you know what I mean ;)

We threw a "Sip & See/Meet Gracie BBQ"

My best friend, Christina, and my Mom did an amazing job!!

Here are the pictures:

I really only captured pictures at the very beginning and the very end of the party.

Oh well!

We are grateful to everyone who came to meet our girl that day and welcome her into the family/community. She is blessed indeed!

Oh, and my girlfriends SURPRISED me with a baby shower for Grace prior to the BBQ.

I wish I had the pictures so you you could see the surprised look on my face when they shouted "surprise!"

THAT'S the SURPRISE I'm talkin' 'bout, ladies!

I love you girls!

Thanks for blessing my heart <3

August Smiles

Summer is our favorite!

The picture of Mark and Me to the top left below was the first picture Ethan ever took with a camera.

We escaped the summer heat with ice cream, swimming, and a few trips to the theatre to see Planes and Monsters University! More firsts for Ethan...

Mark and I were totally blessed by the Global Leadership Summit which took place August 2013.

Our church, Lakeside Church, hosted a live stream of the event.

We had wanted to attend for years but always seemed to have a camping trip planned.

Not this year!

I am now in the middle of reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (one of the Summit's speakers).

My profession has changed from classroom teacher to full-time mom and home schooler.

I am thirsty for leadership advise on the topic of "vulnerability".

Wish I had read this years ago while I was still in the classroom!

After the Leadership Summit, Mark and I met up with my parents and my cousin, Kevin, and his brand new (die hard Giant's fan) wife, Jocelyn, for a Giants game.

It was Fellowship Day.

After the game, the players came back on the field (after a performance by Kutless) and shared their testimonies. There were some heart warming stories and you could tell the few who were totally sold out for Jesus. It was awesome!

Ethan was back in Sac having fun with his Grandma and Grandpa Young (and visiting cousins from Boston)… in the mean time, Grace attended her very first Pro Baseball Game.

Go Giants!

In August we also had Mark's staff over for a swim party and BBQ dinner.

It was so nice to hang outside of work and just enjoy each other's families!

Ethan played with the kiddos until they all passed out from exhaustion.

Literally!

We continued Bible Study throughout the summer.

Thank God!

These friends of ours are the Body of Christ/hands and feet of Jesus for us.

It's like weekly therapy as encourage and challenge one another while we do life together.

And for the kids… it just gives them another excuse to enjoy childhood and be absolutely, ridiculously silly. See below ;)

And finally, here are some pictures of Mark as he transitions into a Daddy of 2.

He handles it like a champ.

Way to go, Hottie!

July 2013(33)

2014-01-01T22:54:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year!!!… now let's talk about July. Why? Because I'm that far behind. BUT I do think it's better to be late than never… so… here we go:

July 2013

The scene: I have a 1 month old and a boy just shy of 3 and a half. Boxes up to my eyeballs to put away in a new house that demands more than my brand new infant at times.

No big deal :/

Also, we were in the middle of Grace's 30 day countdown. Once we took Gracie home we had 30 days for her birth mom to change her mind and take her back.

Kind of a big deal.

Mature as I was in my zombie state {See June Bloom}, I wanted to run away… with my family of 4 that is. I just wanted to get away and have fun without worrying about how to fix _____, or calling ____ about _____, or….

As luck would have it, we had already planned a cabin escape with Mark's family the week of the 4th of July. THANK YOU GOD!

I could not WAIT to drive far enough away from life where all I'd have to worry about was "What should we make for dinner?", "Do you want your marshmallows golden brown or charred?", "Who wants to get up to feed Grace tonight?" (joys of the bottle!)…

Well, when we got there, our cool getaway ended up being super hot. As in triple digits with no air conditioning hot.

We could only stand it for 2 nights, then we headed back to our (new) place. All 14 of us for a redirected ~~vacation~~ staycation.

I'm not going to lie. I was sad to come back to reality so soon, but we did make the best of it! Lots of swimming, lots of BBQ, fireworks from the balcony, and the girls even got away for part of the day for lunch and some mani-pedi action… Here are some pics...

At the Cabin

We escaped to a cafe for air conditioning.

Turning the oven on was unbearable, but we did it for cookies!

Grandpa and Ethan.

My favorite conversation:

Grandpa: "Ethan, do you see that bird waaaay over there? Beyond that big tree on that little branch?"

*pretends to shoot his gun*

"Now you don't!"

And then they'd both laugh and take turns shooting different objects all over the backyard…

"Now you don't!"

And then of course, they battled each other

Hot! Hot! hot!!!

By the end of the trip, Grace was sleeping in her diaper.

Back at the fort.

Brothers, BBQ, Cousins, 4th of July marshmallow sticks...

Girl time!

Gracie getting loves from her cousins and Auntie Katie.

4th of July pictures

Poor baby girl caught some sun on her face :(

Grandmas spent lots of time visiting in July as they missed seeing their Ethan boy AND spending time with their newest grand baby girl!

Oddly enough, I only captured moments spent with Ethan.

He does demand attention ;)

Kisses for Grandma Wager

Fairytale Town with Grandma Young

"Gabout" Fairytale Town

{Ethan substitutes the first letter in some words for /g/}

I was worried that Ethan would feel royally robbed of my time and love after welcoming Grace into our family. To try and avoid that, I made every effort to spend as much time with him as I could when she was asleep and also, let him choose the activities of the day.

We did whatever he wanted (within reason).

One day I asked him, "Ethan, today we can do anything you want! What do you want to do today?"

His response: "Let's go to Fairytale Town!"

This was my first week alone with both kids (after my mom had taken Ethan for a week so we could bond with Gracie)

My response: "Let's do it!"

And we did!…

I felt a little like super mom (with a double stroller and baby sling)!

Our little ~~runner~~ sprinter (as in, mad dash away from you in large, public, crowded places) did excellent in staying with me when I had to give the baby a bottle or change her diaper…

Looking back (now 6 months later) Ethan was just as much of a gift during this time as Grace was.

He is an angel of a big brother.

Way to go God!

*Thankful*

Pictures of friends and fun in the mid-summer sun...

When Grace's 30 days were up, my mom, Grace and I took a long weekend trip to the LA Garment District to find fabric to make her nursery.

My mom has serious sewing skills and… a serger

(just ask, she's proud to share! ;))

So, yes, make her nursery.

Crib bedding, curtains, etc.

THIS was the vacation I really needed.

It was a total blessing and a great girls weekend (of 3 generations) bonding, laughing, eating food we didn't have to prepare, and sharing the joys of a multiplying family.

My mom had never been to the Garment District… we had a good laugh at the "Tang Tops" for sale.

Also, I saw "God winks" everywhere… all over this trip!

Our hotel and airfare costs were $333 each.

We also stayed at the L.A. Hotel Downtown.

The Address?

333 South Figueroa Street

3*wink*3*wink*3

I know it's good to laugh at life sooner than later, but sometimes you have to take a break from life itself to actually be able to fully enjoy and laugh in the moment with a good friend.

That's what happened when I escaped with my mom.

She got away with me and helped me focus on just living and laughing in the moment…

...add in a little retail therapy...

and I was transitioning out of being a "zombie" and back into being "Allie".

Thank you Mama.

And thank you Hubby for having a "Boys Weekend" so we could escape!

<3(33)

June Bloom {Growing Pains}

2013-12-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome back!

{speaking to myself}

It's been forever since I've blogged as I've been just a bit busy lately.

Having an infant and transitioning into a Mama of 2 has taken much of my time…

Ever been there?

{speaking to you now}

I was looking back at some old posts and I was reminded of two things:

1) I didn't start blogging until Ethan was 5 months old.

2) I need to keep blogging because, unlike Facebook, this is a keepsake for me and my family.

Well, Grace is near 6 months now so it's time to catch up!

My goal is to be up to date by the end of the year… so...

Here we go!

JUNE

June was a month of beauty, growth, new life, change, and challenge.

Grace was born on Monday, June 3rd.

We moved Saturday, June 8th.

Mark's brother, Scott, got married on Sunday, June 16th.

Grace came home with us on Monday, June 17th.

We celebrated our 9 year anniversary on Wednesday, June 19th.

Does it sound...

Busy?

It was.

Super celebratory?

It was.

Painful?

Oooh yeah.

I was stretched so far that my closest friends could see I had checked out.

Mentally that is.

One friend even said I looked zombie-like.

{attractive, right?}

I was spent.

And if I had anything left in me to give, I saved it for my son, who was also going through a lot of transition (between our foster care experience, moving, and now adding another babe)…

I was ready, at any moment, to absorb the impact of his fall.

Which I knew, I just knew was coming… annny minute… juuuust around the corner…

But he didn't.

Call it resilience.

Call it ignorance.

Call it what you will…

I call it God's provision.

God was all over the month of June... even when I was unraveling at the seems.

His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Amen!

Here are some pictures of June along with some candid commentary…

Getting a pedicure with Anna and saying hello to Baby Girl while she was still cookin'.

I feel truly blessed to have spent time with Anna while she was still pregnant.

It allowed me to get to know Grace's birth mom and experience part of her pregnancy with her :)

Happy Birthday, Gracie!

Back at the fort.

Taking a break from packing...

Switching gears to wedding mode.

Jennifer's bridal shower with the Young girls...

Noteworthy: I tried fish at Sienna and LOVED it.

As a previous "anti-anything that lives in the ocean kind-of-eater"… this is HUGE.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Cilantro Lime Rice, Pineapple Salsa, Thai Chili Sauce.

Delish!!

Monkey Boy finding fun while I get my bridesmaid dress altered...

So, I had this day.

The kind of day where I tried with so much effort and so much determination to get a handful of things done. On the top of my to-do list:

Call credit card companies and switch over to new address.

Sounds easy enough.

Should take no more than 10-15 minutes tops.

Wrong.

Because I'm not the primary card holder on majority of our cards, I couldn't do it.

{Mark, in the mean time, was working all week to cover for the other doc in the office…}

Seriously?

I know the man's social security number, blood type, and every flippin' freckle on his body…

Really?

You can't… just…?

They tell me that I can change it online, however.

Great!

Log onto the internet… it's disconnected.

*Sigh*

Call Comcast.

After many transfers and holds and attempts to "fix the problem on their end"

... an hour later…

still disconnected.

It's 10am.

I spent just under 2 hours doing absolutely nothing {productive}.

But, wait... where was my 3-year-old?

And why was it so quiet?

I run all over the house calling out his name.

No answer.

Heart pounding, I enter this scene:

See those shoes at the bottom of the picture?

Ethan had them on and was walking through the sticky mess.

In the background I hear "Glug. Glug. Glug…" as the cleaning containers continued to pour out the mess that so accurately described my life at that moment.

And there… in the middle of it…

was Ethan

tracking prints all over the garage as if to say,

"Have you walked in my shoes lately?"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's when I cracked.

I literally came unglued as I stared at the cleanest mess I had ever encountered, not knowing where anything was to clean it up.

{Because unpacking boxes was the 2nd thing on my to-do list}

I made such great efforts to take 2 steps forward in productivity but instead felt pushed back 5 giant steps.

So what did I do?

I called my Mom.

No answer.

So... I called my Mama-in-law.

When she picked up the phone, I started sobbing.

I don't know what it is about breaking points and a simple "Hello?" on the other end of the line… but I always just lose it when I hear some anticipated love and comfort on the other end.

Just give me a hint of normalcy and I feel safe to emotionally collapse.

So… that's what I did.

Seeing I had lost total control of my life, she ordered me to take the day off.

Leave the mess for Mark to clean up and go do something fun and relaxing with Ethan.

Done.

So, for the first time since we moved in, I enjoyed our new pool with this little man.

Who, by the way, started swimming independently.

Which meant I could do this:

What's a life story without a little drama? ;)

And then she came home.

And all I wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe...

This is what our anniversary looked like 2 days later…

headed out to a romantic dinner… table for 3.

My mom took Ethan for a week so that Mark and I could bond with baby.

Visitors!

Auntie Krystyna and cousins from the East Coast (in for wedding… great timing!) and Grandma Young

Me to the girls: "Thanks for coming to visit us!"

Bella: "You're welcome. I like your baby."

My favorite quote of the day!

Grace's first little buddy that came to visit… Adrian :)

Sibling love <3

Growing pains lead to growth.

But in the end, if you have a bigger heart because of it… it's worth it.

Even if you look like a zombie in the process ;)

The Story of Grace {Chapter 1} Simple & Sweet

2013-08-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In LOVE he predestined us for ADOPTION to sonship {or daughtership ;)} through Jesus Christ. In accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious GRACE, which he has freely GIVEN us in the One he loves."

- Ephesians 1:4-6

It is with humbled, grateful, and full hearts that we introduce our daughter - and Ethan's sister!...

Grace Elizabeth Kyleigh Young

Gracie was born on June 3, 2013 at 8:01am

6 lbs 5 oz.

19.5 inches

Healthy baby girl!!

The Story of Grace {who we call Gracie} is a beautiful one with more facets than I'm sure we're even aware of! God is in the details and He most definitely was the author of this story.

I don't want to leave anything out, so in an attempt not to bore ya'll with any details you don't want to know, I'm creating "chapters" to her story.

This way you can pick and choose what you want to read.

Chapter 1

Simple & Sweet

The following is a simplified story of how we were blessed with Grace

{oh how I LOVE the double meaning of her name!!!}

The purpose of this chapter is to quickly bring you up to date as well as bombard you with more pictures than you could ever hope for.

This should also take care of your cuteness quota for the day ;)

Here we go...

We were notified by email through a contact at our church that a birth mom - due any day - was looking for a family to place her child up for adoption.

We sent in our information, a letter with a brief story about our family with some pictures, and we were asked to come and meet the birth mom.

We met and visited several times over dinner, pedicures, and a doctor's appointment...

The birth mom told us she wanted us to adopt her baby girl.

Gracie was born.

Birth mom took 2 weeks to finally place her in our arms.

There was a 30 day period where birth mom could change her mind and take the baby back.

She didn't.

Gracie is now 9 weeks... cooing, smiling, and absolutely perfect!

Baby girl is sleeping 8-9 hours at night and 75th percentile all the way around!

Praising Jesus for our sweet, new, cuddly bundle!

{Gracie at 9 weeks}

Behind the Name:

Mark named Gracie, and named her perfectly.

It was very powerful to me that her daddy named her. Going from fatherless to fully loved sits well with my soul...

Grace {divine grace} means "God given, favor, blessing."

Elizabeth is after Mark's sister, Christie Elizabeth. It also means "God's promise, God is my oath"

Kyleigh is the name that her birth mom, Anna, gave her and means "beautiful"

All of the above are true and fit her story... and ours... perfectly.

Grace: God Given - Gracie was just that, God given, as she was literally dropped in our laps right when we thought we'd wait and pray about trying to adopt again.

Read more about our adoption journey HERE.

Blessing - I've never met a baby that was so easy going, smiley, and cuddly! I love Ethan more than my own life, but the child didn't like to cuddle as an infant! Also, I thought he was a good sleeper... the first time Grace slept 8 hours in her 7th week, I thought... thank you Jesus!! That has been a reoccurring, overwhelming praise of my heart since she has joined our family.

And those smiles!! Ethan took several months to smile. She smiled since the day she came home with us.

Gracie Smiles Weeks 2-9

Elizabeth: God's Promise - After a seemingly unfruitful journey toward adoption... a journey that started over 2 years ago filled with much brokenness and heartache, God proved Himself faithful.

"As scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.'" - Romans 10:11

Sometimes it's hard to see God's purpose in everything, especially when it's painful and the storm doesn't ever seem to lift, but I knew with all certainty that if I was doing what God asked me to do... called me to do... and trusted in Him, that He would be faithful. He doesn't waiver. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow... and so is His plan for us.

How is Ethan doing with Gracie?

Ethan was super "guisguided" (excited) to have a little sister...

Here is a picture of the day we brought home Gracie.

{Gracie at 2 weeks with brother}

Big brother is smitten and already protective.

{Gracie 3 weeks, Ethan 3 years}

We had a play date where one of Ethan's friends thought Gracie was so cute that he wanted to take her home.

Ethan piped up and said, "You can't take her home! She's my baby! She lives here!"

She has a protector for life ;)

Blessed

Our journey has been anything but easy or comfortable, but God didn't promise us that.

Through struggle, heartache, perseverance, and pure faith, God has been faithful to us as we carried our cross to follow Him and our calling to adopt.

She was the plan all along.

She is perfect... just like His plan for us.

Thank you Jesus.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

- Joshua 1:9

"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."

- Jesus in Matthew 18:5

Spring Fever

2013-05-18T22:38:00.002-07:00

Spring. We gotta thiiing... goin' on!

How can I explain it?...

You know the type of person at a party when you look their way for a split second too long and because of your "lingering gaze" they're encouraged to walk on over and strike up a conversation with you... for better or worse?

That's me... and Spring.

Once the sun makes long enough contact with my skin on the day it's close enough to the earth that it feels... warm, nourishing, and glorious!... that's the day I go to Green Acres and buy flowers. Spring Flowers.

I had Spring Fever!

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of winter... I'm a fan of white Christmases! But once we ring in the New Year, I'm ready for the sun again. If it were up to me, the weather would start to get slightly chilly in October (no more 90-100 degree days!) and progressively get colder until New Years.

But like I said, once I kiss my Hubs at midnight... I'm ready for a 70 degree day on January 1st.

Dare to dream.

Dare to dream in color and... sunshine ;)

******

Sooo I just spent the last half hour writing cute and clever stories and captions to the following photos.

But, since blogger deleted them all, you have been spared my rambling.

I'll make it quick and painless:

Easter.

This year, Ethan got it! He understands that Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and is alive.

It's so fun and rewarding to watch him grow and learn! What a blessing it is to be his Mommy :)

When E found an egg he shouted "A-Shaw!"

Why? The world may never know...

Family Picture

Bum in a bucket!

Ethan's Easter Basket had the Full Armor of God in it this year.

My soon to be sister in law, Jennifer, asked Mark's Mom and me to join her in dreaming up wedding flowers at the SF Flower Market/District.

I was super stoked to join since I'd never been!

Check out the succulent with jewel-like water drops.

Bride to be with a potential centerpiece.

Spoiler alert: She didn't pick this one for her big day!

Spring = Park Days!

Here are some pics of Ethan with one of his favorite friends, Nevaeh.

Random Spring Fun:

Daddy's Helper

Spa Time

Family Favorite...

We visited the California State Railroad Museum with Ethan for the first time.

Thanks to Auntie Lori, we used our Entertainment Book coupons for BOGO admission. Ethan was free because he's under 5... so we had some cheap family fun!

Ethan hiding under his hat from the parking lot to the shops...

Out from hiding...

Playing with "twains"

Happy Spring everyone!!

We {heart} Walt Disney World

2013-04-20T20:45:00.001-07:00

For Ethan's 3rd Birthday, we surprised him with a trip to Disney World.

We all couldn't wait :)

On his birthday, February 8th, he got this WDW Countdown Calendar:

Everyday he got to take off a pair of Mickey ears as we neared D Day!

{Also helped with learning numbers, counting, days of the week... and of course... learning to anticipate and wait}

Ethan had his Bouncetown Birthday Party then the very next day we left for the airport!

This was the first time the 3 of us rode on an airplane alone... without any other family members.

We stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

We chose this hotel because every morning we could look outside and see wild animals in the backyard savanna. It's like being in the heart of Africa!

When we arrived, however, the sun had gone down. If we wanted, we could have used the night vision binoculars to see the zebras and warthogs...

Instead, we opted for dinner!

We got a rose upon arrival...

We ended up eating dinner at Jambo House...

Jambo!

This silly goose delighted in taking his shirt off in public... at the restaurant.

The more Mark said "No" the more encouraged Ethan was... like a game.

Mark did all the parenting on this one... I couldn't help but snap away at the cuteness.

Yes... sometimes his cuteness trumps his defiance.

This would be - as I like to call - a parenting fail on my part.

But like I said... it was Mark's turn ;)

He really does crack himself up!

Good morning zebra, giraffe, yak... savanna animals!

First Park: Disney Hollywood Studio

First Party Foul: Skinned Knee {while running towards the gates of glory!}

(1) Special Powdered Donut Breakfast (2) Bus Ride to the Parks (3) Ouch! (4) Buying our Passes

DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

It rain stormed that day... but we made up for it with popsicles :)
This was our wettest and hottest day.

That night we dined at T-REX in Downtown Disney.

It was the best restaurant for our 3-year-old boy!

They had an area where the kids could dig up dinosaur bones...

Here's Dr. Ethan, Paleontologist, uncovering prehistoric jewels!

The rest of the restaurant is like the Rainforest Cafe but with Dinosaurs instead of Rainforest Animals.

I ordered a cotton candy margarita... it was delish :)

We had annual passes to Disneyland in California, and we found it cheaper to upgrade our passes to the "Premier Passport Pass"

How appropriate to have a Passport Pass in Epcot where you can see the world in a day ;)

China with his 1/4th Chinese boy

Now this was funny...
Ethan begged to see Chip and Dale! This meant that we had to wait in line to meet them.
By the time it was our turn, Ethan became unusually shy.
Unusual if you know our Ethan.

It was so odd.

In one snapshot it looks like he's praying with them.
You can see C & D making an effort to warm up to him
I tried helping but he was already over it.

So different from Ethan 5 months ago in Hawaii with these same characters

More shy boy pictures

Italy

Shaaaaarks!!!

Mark and I have been to WDW together 3 times before.

Each time we've tried to get into Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot's Canada.

It's close to impossible to get a reservation...

Fourth time's a charm, apparently.

And this time, we got to bring our little mini me who loooves steak!

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Safari Ride

Dancing in the streets...

Ethan wasn't diggin' it.

Back to Epcot for more food and fun...

Dinner at Chefs de France... one of our favs :)

Ethan having fun playing footsie with Mama

Fireworks!

MAGIC KINGDOM

Dole Whips all around!

Magic Carpet Ride

Pirates of the Caribbean Gift Shop Fun!

So many weapons...

Beauty and the Beast Town and Castle

Last dinner

Cheers to a San Francisco Treat... and no, not Rice-a-roni.

Ghirardelli Sundaes!!

Several nights we came back to the hotel and watched a show in bed, popped popcorn, and snuggled.

It took a while to adjust to Florida time but we were always up for the fireworks!

A collection of videos from my iPhone

We look forward to our next Disney trips when Ethan is tall enough to ride Star Tours and other fun rides. We have 1-2 more inches to go, but until then... we'll enjoy every last minute of the stage Ethan is in now: sweet, cuddly, fun, excited, full of life, thrill seeking, Mommy and Daddy loving, goofy, precious, and all (little) boy.

Ethan is THRE3!

2013-04-19T23:31:00.001-07:00

As of February 8th, 2013 our sweet, baby boy is 3!

Everyday I have the privilege to spend with Ethan, I get to know more and more about this little boy God created and blessed us with.

If I could use one word to describe Ethan today, it would be JOY.

He has it all: joy, zeal, imagination, energy...

He is truly a bright, beaming light... not a silent light... but shiny none-the-less!

Since I discovered I was pregnant with this little man, I've prayed everyday for him.

Among the laundry list of prayers I have for my two boys, for this one in particular, I've prayed that he would be a bright light for Jesus and he'd have a huge heart for God.

I can say with a grateful heart that Ethan is the light of our lives (and a few others ;)) and his heart is BIG.

Here's an update on Ethan Mark's Favorite Things:

Foods: noodles, tofu, chicken nuggets and french fries, BBQ meat, broccoli, frozen peas, edamame, popsicles, popcorn, lollipops.

Drink: Hot chocolate milk and sharing Daddy's smoothies at Jamba Juice and strawberry lemonades at restaurants.

Phrase: "You're kidding me, Mommy! You're just tricking me!!" and "Why?"

Toy: swords and bow & arrows

Friends: Emma, Ollie, & Nevaeh.... but cousins are always something to squeal about!

Movie: Robin Hood, Robin Good, Peter Pan, and most recently Toy Story

Pass Time: Sword Fighting, Wrestling Daddy, Chasing, Tickling...

Book: Children's Bible

He loves his "Gommas and Papas" more than anything. He is still a little fish and after several swim lessons can jump in the water and swim to the "island" or back to the wall. Ethan rides tricycles and scooters... builds castles and of course, knocks them down. He isn't interested in crafts in the slightest but loves anything musical. He has greatly improved at circle time and sitting on a "polka-dot" in a group at church. Ethan is very social and loves kids and babies. He was potty trained for 2 months at 2.5 years then insisted on staying in diapers.

E knows all his sounds and a few blends. Reading hasn't clicked yet... but we keep trying whenever I find the rare opportunity of interest. His asthma was better this year - Praise God! - and he can even hold his own mask for the nebulizer. His imagination is vivid. I often hear him creating stories and plots... many times involving Ham Giants, Fire Breathing Dragons, and Monsters. He is quite skilled at the bow and arrow and is brilliant at exposing his Daddy as a "softie".

He loves "Family Noodle Nights" (at Mongolian BBQ) and "Family Pizza Nights". He asks "Why?" and "What?" far too much and still snuggles up to us... never enough. His fears have grown this year and is currently taking up residence in our room, in a toddler bed, because he gets scared at night. His hair is wild in the mornings and his heart is always full.

He started picking his Mommy flowers and calling me a princess. Daddy is his "best friend ever" and still gets a running, leap-into-your arms welcome home hug each night. Daddy tucks E into bed and reads him "just one more" Bible story each night.

E starts several words with an initial /g/. For example:

Ganana for Banana

Mr. Gatato Head

Gavaeh for his friend Nevaeh

Gatend for Pretend

When I ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he says "a Daddy."

We treasure our long weekend getaways to Disneyland where Ethan's favorite rides are Pirates of the Caribbean and the "Dinosaur Twain Wide" (Train that circles the park). He is becoming a skinny little thing but a good eater.

I could go on... and I already have in his Birthday Journal Entry. Longest entry yet! I guess the longer I love him, the more I have to say...

But I must stop somewhere.

For Ethan's 3rd Birthday, he chose a Thomas the Train theme at Bouncetown in El Dorado Hills.

Here are some snapshots of the party taken by my beautiful friend, Jen.

She's slightly embarrassed with the way these pics came out (I'm thrilled!) because of the lighting.

Please check out her blog for AMAZING pictures here.

While you're at it, LIKE her Facebook page too!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jen-Jarvis-Photography/553342381365402?fref=ts

Thank you, Jen! You have a gift, my friend!!

Choo-Choo!

A few of the party animals...

(I just love the cousin love in the lower right)

Bounce One, Bounce All!

Weeeeeee!

Group Photo

Lunch...

Cake time!

We love you sweet boy!

You have blessed our lives beyond the beyond!

Here's to another year packed with JOY, love, and adventure!

My Sweet {New} Sister

2013-04-16T18:10:00.001-07:00

My brother, Ryan, and his girlfriend Louise have been together for years.

Too many to count on one hand...

While we were still living in Boston, she joined the family :)

This is us... back in 2007... or was it 2008?

As of January 2013, she is now my sister!

Ryan proposed to Louise during her birthday party.

{SURPRISE!}

Isn't she beautiful?

Here are a few pics of the party...

Everyone was there...

even Gibson ;)

Louise's Mama in the kitchen

Bros and Sissys chattin' away

Ethan playing "twains" with Jacob

Handsome Man eating his veggies :)

Family, Friends, and Canine!

Ry popped the question after the piñata drop. Louise was the only one blindfolded... when she took off the blindfold, he was down on one knee.

She didn't even say yes, but instead ran and jumped on him!

Actions speak louder than words ;)

Welcome to the family, Louise!

I'm thrilled to have you as my "Sissy-law"... you are sweet, thoughtful, and loving.

You give the BEST BEAR HUGS ever and you make my brother so happy!

Congratulations to you two and Happy Birthday Louise!

Ringing in a Magical New Year: 2013

2013-03-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

This year we spent half of the holidays in Southern California with both "Gommas" and "Papas". We are truly blessed to share our time and make memories with both sides our our families. I know we will always treasure events like these forever!

We started our adventure at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library... and bonus! Uncle Ronnie met up with us there :) However, due to the nature of chasing an almost 3-year-old in the museum, my experience (and my Mom's) was slightly different than the rest of the family's.

They had a good number of hands on activities for Ethan to play with: build your own presidential flower arrangements, riding a pretend horse, stepping up to the presidential podium... but none-the-less, it was a chase. I averaged 1-2 information cards per room... so, I felt somewhat in the loop ;)

In addition to "all things Reagan", the Library also let Disney set up a temporary "Treasures of the Walt Disney Archive"exhibit. It was super interesting walking through it with my Uncle Ronnie who worked at Warner Bros for 30 years! And really, how fitting? Actor turned President... why not add some motion picture action?

We walked through Air Force One!

Costumes used in the real movies...

The next day was D-Day.

You know what I'm talking about...

Disneyland Day ;)

What's better than going to Disneyland?

Going with Grandmas and Grandpas!

Grandparents play too!

Low 5 on the "shaky-shaky bridge"

Our little character loves characters!

A Disney First:

After getting off Pirates of the Caribbean {Ethan's personal favorite} we wondered into the pirate store.

Naturally, Ethan picked up a sword and started dueling Daddy.

"On guard!" "You be ____ and I'll be _____"

Ethan's vivid imagination caught the attention of the lady behind the counter.

She started asking questions like, "What's your name? How old are you? Do you like pirate treasure?"

Still in his own world, Ethan continued playing and dreaming out loud...

Next thing we knew, she gave Ethan some pirate gold AND a sword... on Mickey!

This was an absolute first in Disneyland history for our family.

No wait, that's not true.

Once the soda cart guy dropped all of his sodas and I helped him pick up the bottles.

He threw me one as a thank you.

But Ethan? He didn't even have to work for it!

"Gommas"

Sweet Memories

Taking a break for story time by the fire.

Now, before I go any further, I have to pause and tell a sweet story of my own!

At this point, we were waiting for our dinner reservation and we decided to split.

I wanted to sit by the fire and kick up my feet - as did my parents.

Mark wanted to go to the Disney Store in Downtown Disney -as did his parents.

So we spit... planning to meet up soon.

By the fire, Ethan, Mom, Dad, and I got cozy... kicked back... and listened to the story teller.

Soon after, Mark shows up.

Confused, I asked what he was doing here?

He answered in all sincerity, "It wasn't the same without you."

And that is what I call a verbal bouquet of flowers :)

Dinner at the Rain Forrest Cafe

Auntie Christie met up with us!

"Fireworks!"

Lego Fun :)

Fireworks show on New Years Eve.

The castle was stunning and beautiful... the crowds were none like I'd ever seen or care to see again!

And a quick iphone picture collage

And... the #1 reason why we planned this "Magical Vacation"...

The Rose Bowl Parade!

Now we can check this one off the Bucket List!!

Fireworks, Flowers, and Family...

Not a bad start to the New Year! :)

Christmas Day 2012

2013-01-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

The popular ballad, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" rang true this year!

We spent our first Christmas morning in our own home this year.

In previous years we alternated spending them at our parent's, but now that Ethan is old enough to make memories, we thought it was the right year to make a switch.

Our tradition (in the making) started like this:

Ethan ran and jumped into our bed (this is nothing new)

We got up, walked downstairs together and made hot chocolate

Then we sang "Happy Birthday Jesus"and then took turns opening gifts.

Taking turns was a bit of a challenge for Ethan... but once he started opening some, he did just fine playing while he waited.

The only thing I forgot to do was make cupcakes for Jesus' birthday! Oh well... next year!

Bowling Set from Auntie Christina and Uncle Marc

Crocodile Dentist... makes him jump every time!

Stalking time!

My special surprise!

I've had my eye on these since we lived in Boston! :)

Finally some cookware I can use on the stove AND in the oven...

And, I broke them in by making our Christmas Breakfast with them...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner were poorly documented, sorry!

(like I said, thanks to my boutique... I'm distracted easily these days...)

If we didn't have Christmas morning at home, I probably would have forgot to document that too!

Here are a few snap shots of Christmas Dinner at the Young's!

12.12.12 Wedding in Maui

2013-01-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Smack dab in the middle of Advent, we escaped dreary Northern California and retreated to Maui.

My cousin Nick was getting married!

So, well, of course we had to go!... and also, Ethan was the ring bearer.

The happy couple officially married on Wednesday, 12.12.12 then had a traditional ceremony and reception that Saturday the 15th.

We left on Wednesday and until Saturday... we found ways to keep ourselves busy...

Beach Play

(This blog post will be less text and more pics... it's getting late I guess!)

Pool Time

Condo Fun

"Wake up, Gomma!"

Dinner in Lahaina

Kimos by night

Kimos by day (all for the Hula pie!)

Strolling the streets of Lahaina

Alas... the Wedding!

Just beautiful!!! (and windy)

Beautiful Bride

Happy Couple

Luau and Fire Dancers

Dance, Dance Dance!

Packing up and headed out!

As we're packing up, Ethan discovered "Baby Jesus' manger" and proceeded to sing "Away in a manger no cwib for a bed..."

Advent Season 2012 Kick-off

2013-01-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Advent Season 2012

We started off the season on a mission to find the perfect ~~Holiday~~ Christmas Tree :)

If you read about our last Christmas, you'd know that we purchased a fake tree.

It shines bright and proud (pre-lit!) in our front room.

And really, it's beautiful.

Perfect actually.

Because I'm team authentic, we also got a real tree... yes, I realize we had 2 trees this year. I still don't see the problem ;)

Anyway, we were on a hunt with my parents for the perfect tree for each house.

A true fantasy come true for me because Ethan is now at the perfect age to start appreciating experiences like this. The only problem?

It poured!

It poured so hard it was miserable.

Needless to say, my fantasy was rained out. And our tree hunt was postponed.

Fortunately Sweetie Pies in Placerville was still open and we still had a yummy lunch and delicious cookies.

Cute cookie monster

And... rainy days make for the best snuggles!

We did have a re-do the next weekend.

This time with Grandma and Grandpa Young.

It started with a running meet and greet (the only way Ethan does it with his G'mas & G'pas) and continued onto In & Out... I was diggin' the burger wrappers...

Then we were off to the Tree Farm!

Fantasy come true!

The pictures of Ethan running... that's what I was dreaming about :)

Joyfully running while on a mission....

And we found it!

Well actually, Dad found it...

We watched as the "cutter boy" sawed it down for us (great service!) and we yelled "Timber!"

Then E was off running again... after our tree :)

Mission complete.

We got a free train ride with the purchase of our tree :)

Santa drove the train...

Back home, we put up the tree!

Dad and Mark cut it down to size, strung up the lights, then Mom and I decorated it.

Ethan and Dad had a good time with their "halos"(plastic that holds the ornaments).
Ethan walked around saying, "Do not be afraid!"

The Christmas tree in the front of the house (artificial tree) is our nicely coordinated "designer" tree.

No fancy designer put it together, just Mark and me, but it coordinates nicely with the room...

This (real) tree is our casual, fun, and personalized tree.

Personalized because it holds the ornaments that Mark and I have given to each other each Christmas that we've been married.

So... up until this Christmas, we had 14 ornaments (7 each) for 7 Christmases married...

Last year I gave Mark the 3 Keys of Christmas for his ornament (3 in 1)

Each key has a meaning and it goes a little something like this, hit it!:

The first is the Shepherd's Key. It is to be hung on a low branch because Christ was born among the lowly - born beside the shepherds and the sheep.

The second is the Magi's Key. It is to be hung on a branch near the top of the tree - near the star, because the Magi followed the star to find the Light.

The third is the Christ Key. It is to be hung on a branch in the center of the tree - because Christ hung in the center - between you and me. And that is the key to Christmas.

Ethan got to help Daddy with the placement of the keys after he read each meaning.

This is absolutely what I had in mind when I got Mark the keys.

You see, each year we choose an ornament to give to each other that symbolizes something...

so it has to be thoughtful.

The symbolism behind this ornament is that Mark is actively leading his family as the spiritual head of our house.

And now for some random pictures during advent season...

Hello Halo!

Out like a light in his Christmas best :)

All tuckered out after making this video with some other cuties for Lakeside's Christmas Service.

Snuggles with Daddy... and the big bear.

Making Christmas Cookies with Mommy

Reading about the Christmas Story with Daddy before bedtime

And a few video snippets :)

Giving Thanks 2012

2013-01-06T00:31:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2012

Unfortunately, thanks to Young Love Boutique, my photography has taken a back seat.

I keep forgetting to bring my camera to holiday parties so some iphone pictures will have to do!

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my family in Stockton.

The table decorations were all from my parent's yard!

We arrived early and left early (around 9:30pm) this year because I was on a mission.

A Black Friday mission.

Never before have I attempted to brave the crowd, but knowing that we could be getting a baby through foster care at... anytime!... and knowing that I only have boy clothes... AND knowing we won't be having a baby shower... I was all over the baby girl clothes sales!

Because really, who wants to pay full price?

I got some monsterous deals and saved more (sometimes 3x more) than what I spent.

However, this will not be happening again next year!

What will we do if we don't get a girl?

Return it (these stores are good for returns at anytime with receipts) or baby shower it.

And if you do get this as a shower gift... you're welcome. These outfits were too cute for me to pass up!

On Saturday, we had dinner with Mark's side of the family.

Here are some cute pics of the day

(I remembered my camera!)

Our newest niece, Trinity!

Cousin Spa Time!

Tackle Uncle Scotty!

And Auntie Jennifer!

She has an axe!

Uncle Scotty and Sister Sandwich

Auntie Jennifer Sandwich

Love their Grandma and Grandpa

Catch Me If You Can! Fall 2012

2013-01-05T23:52:00.001-08:00

This is my attempt to get even. Even with the times! It's 2013 and I'm backing up to Fall of 2012. Don't want to miss a single event as I know that one day I will have Mommy guilt for not recording.

For example, this year Ethan called the pumpkin patch, "Puh-kin catch".

See what I mean?

I want to smile at that 20 years down the road and remember how cute he talked when he was 2!

So let's get to the good stuff! The good stuff being when the weather turned from scorching hot to pleasant. The colors changed and our neighborhood got festive.

Fall 2012

Fall also means football!

Practice at the Park with Coach Daddy

Ethan wasn't super interested in tossing the old pig skin back and forth... but we gave it a shot.

Fall is also the perfect time to go to the park. We live in a young neighborhood with young families and young trees! Young trees = little shade! It is downright painful to go to the park during the summer. We all wait for the sun to set.

Not in the (late) Fall!

We can swing with the sun on our faces! :)

When Ethan turned 2 in February, he got a tricycle from his Aunties.

It took until October for his interest to catch.

How fun to watch his milestones!!

Dress up with one of Ethan's favorite friends, Emma :)

Apple Hill!

Living within 20 minutes of Placerville makes it easy to make the trip up the hill each Fall.

We've come along way from our first trip when E was 7 months old, to last year when he called it "Apple Ho", to this year...

A curious monkey he is!

Playtime

Ethan has been especially intrigued with "scary things" this year.

It started with Franken Celery from Veggietales and now... he talks about "scary" a lot.

Not that he's actually scared every time he sparks a conversation about it... he just likes the topic and likes to identify when he sees a "scary bear" or "scary monster".

So naturally, he gravitated toward the scary bear trash can at the fudge factory!

We ventured out this year trying new apple orchards...

Walking/Hopping the "crooked mile"

High Five Mr. Bear

Ethan is a very blessed and very spoiled little grandson.

He got both his Grandmas to take him to the "puh-kin catch" this year.

He could run around all day at those farms!... and we let him!

Makes for a good nap ;)

This Halloween, the family dressed up!

Ethan was Peter Pan, Mark was Captain Hook, and I was Tiger Lily...

well, more like an Eskimo version of the Indian Princess, but hey... why spend money on an outfit when you already have something that could pass for the look you're going for?

Well regardless, Ethan said, "Mommy's Tiger Wiwy"... so that's that!

Both Grandparents came over to watch Ethan trick-or-treat and share a pot of Grandma Young's famous Beef Stew (that my mom made actually!)

Soup, salad, and bread is exactly what is needed after a chilly night trick-or-treating!

Ethan LOVED this Halloween.

He loved seeing all the kids out in the neighborhood.

He loved knocking on doors (the first few doors he walked right threw).

But I would say that equally, if not more, he loved handing out candy to the kids.

When the doorbell rang, he ran to the door, opened it, and said, "Hi kids!" and handed out candy.

The next day he wanted to do it all again!

We told him he can!... next year.

Now that he gets it, it'll be fun to see him anticipate the holiday events next year.

Fall is also for baking.

Thanks to pinterest, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

They were delicious, gooey, and a hit!

(obviously)

A Few of Our Favorite Things 30th Birthday Party

2012-12-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Now that's it's almost 2013, I thought I'd better get to posting Fall - Christmas (can you guess what one of my New Years Resolutions will be?)... On October 1st, Mark turned 30! I turn 30 on January 16th... since we share everything anyway, why not a 30th Birthday Bash?

So... a dual 30th Birthday it was!

The Theme: ~~Dirty Thirty~~ A Few of Our Favorite Things

The Place: Our Home

The People: Family & Friends. Our Favorites ;)

Check out some pictures of the party... they explain better than words!

Favorite: Sweets! Mark and I have a serious sweet tooth (or is it sweet teeth?)

We ordered an absurd number of mini cupcakes from Icing on the Cupcake because they simply have mouth watering Red Velvet (another shared fav of ours). To keep it interesting, we ordered other yummy flavors like funfetti, pinkalicious, snickerdoodle, snowball, etc.

Nothing goes better with cupcakes than Leatherby's Ice Cream.

A favorite of Mark's growing up.

I've come around too ;)

Our Sundae Scooper, Eryn and her Mama, Tari

A few of our favorite organizations that we support are:

Twin Lakes Food Bank in Folsom

World Vision

Casas Por Cristo

Union Gospel Mission Sacramento

Instead of asking for presents, we asked our favorite people to bring canned goods instead!

My sweet friend, Tari, is a World Vision Ambassador.

She set up a table in our hopes that someone might want to sponsor a child!

We also collected money for Casas Por Cristo to help build homes in Mexico.

Our dinner was catered by my brother's catering company, J. Legend Catering Co.

We had street tacos because Mexican is a favorite of ours... especially authentic street tacos... like the ones Mark has on his trips with Casas...

These 2 cute girls are our neighbors.

They ran the Soda Tasting booth (family friendly = all could participate!)

There were 4 "sodas" to choose from. After tasting each, guests wrote down their guesses along with their "tasty rating".

The sodas were revealed at the end of the night!

The choices were RC Cola, Pepsi, Coke, and Coke Zero.

The favorite was Pepsi :)

Another favorite of ours in Disney.

Disneyland, yes, but Disneyworld? The absolute favorite!

We shared this favorite by having a Disney Bouncy House!

Because of this, we hardly saw our very favorite person... our son, Ethan.

We all got in on the fun! Kids and kids at heart :)

Another favorite - that was tucked away in our garage (that no one really saw!) - was Travel.

We shared this favorite by having target practice using bow and arrows (with suction tips)...

the idea was the same as throwing a dart on a map and that's where you'll travel next.

We figured suction cups would do less damage than darts ;)

We also had two maps (shown directly below) with red push pins of all the places we've traveled and lived.

Pictures of our 30 years...

And a photo booth... of the people we love!

Family and Friends... easy to confuse the two... now that's Blessed :D

Thank you to our friends and family for celebrating a special milestone in our journey.

We love you all and thank God for the love he has gifted us in you.

A very happy birthday it was!

Adoption

2012-10-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

I started a blog over a year ago and haven't been keeping up with it much.

It's called Orphans and Widows and it follows our adoption journey.

The purpose of this blog is to expose the process.

Really the Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why of it all.

My goal is to make it as real as it is.

No sugar coating... just our true journey.

I'm not a gifted writer, but I know God can and will use me according to His purposes.

We aren't perfect parents... just 2 imperfect people, trying our best to share His perfect love.

Please check it out and follow us!

www.orphansandwidows.blogspot.com

{Oh! And did you check out our fancy new tabs at the top of this blog? Click on the "Adoption" tab}

Summer Sum-up!

2012-10-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over, and I have finally gotten around to blogging about it.

Lots has happened since mid-July...

Here are the highlights:

We went to Napa with my parents for another Maino Golf Tourney (What's the Maino Golf Tournament you say? Click here for the answer)
Ethan got Potty Power
Mark taught at Harvard and had some bro time
I went on an LA Roadtrip with 3 fabulous girls/sisters-in-Christ
I started a shop on Etsy, Young Love Boutique
Long Weekend at the Cabin with Mom & Dad Wager
Family Vacation to Disney's Aulani Resort with Mom & Dad Young
Family Vacation to Disneyland
We're becoming Foster Parents!

So I know that's a lot to take in on paper.

It was a lot to do! So to help, I captured some of the events on camera...

Here we go in a chronological order...

The annual Maino Golf Tournament took place at the Silverado in Napa this year. While I love Sea Scape, this was a fun change! Napa is surprisingly close to us... it only took a little over an hour to get there! Which is great because for the first time ever, Mark was called into the office (in Folsom!) because he was... on-call! Yes, it was a root canal emergency... they do happen... and at incredibly inconvenient times too, apparently. So... Mark got to play half of the tournament this year but didn't miss the big "award" ceremony where he got to hand off the Maino Cup to the next champ ;).

In the mean time, Mom and I explored the Wine Country with our little guy. We had lunch in Yountville at Pacific Blues, shopped around V Marketplace, and indulged at Bouchon Bakery. The bakery was impressive... right up there with Magnolia Bakery in New York... possibly even better! There was a line that wrapped around the building... which is by far the best advertisement/rating any shop could have (although I do enjoy the dancing teenagers, rockin' out on their iPods, spinning signs on the street corners...)! When we finally got in, we ordered cookies, carmel corn, and lattes. A fabulous girl's afternoon to balance the boy's golf game fun!

Back at the resort we had fun swimming and making swords out of sticks. When Ethan went down for a nap, Mom and I read and continued eating baked goods. How sweet naptime is!

Here are some action photos from the Resort:

Love my big boy!

Goofy Ethan!

Before we headed home, we visited Castello di Amorosa.

Ethan was super excited to go to "the Castle"!

We even got a little wine tasting in because they had a coloring table for kids

(with complimentary grape juice)!

Potty Power

I knew that after we went camping and to Napa this summer, that it was time to start potty training.

To be honest, I was not looking forward to this weekend!

It takes a lot of courage as a parent to say good-bye to diapers and allow your child to run around the house with just big boy underpants on. *wince* Diapers are just so easy (and convenient!)

But I did it. And solo too!

Mark headed to San Francisco for a last minute conference to fulfill his licence requirements.

I didn't want to delay potty training any longer though because I really felt that Ethan was ready since April, so I bit the bullet.

We rented the movie Potty Power from the library, and it was a huge hit! Ethan voluntarily started running to the bathroom! He never once had a #2 accident and the transition was super natural!

We gave super big praises anytime he peed/pooped in the potty and also gave him a skittle/m&m as a reward.

He got a giant water color book for going poops 5x on the potty!

We spent our potty training days wearing only his big boy underwear.

That's it.

He made it look cool though ;)

Here is a chart of Ethan's Potty Power progress... in the end I found out that we really only needed the chart for poops because he did every step so much that it was more laborious to choose each sticker, peel them off, put them on the wall....... in the end, all I care about is.... did you pee/poop in the potty?

As you can see... if he pooped in the potty 10x, he could go to the castle!...

And he did!

Unfortunately it happened to be one of the hottest days of the summer when he did.

But... a promise is a promise!

Mark's an Ed-u-ma-kater @ Hah-vard

In the beginning of August, Mark left with his older brother, Jeremy, to teach a couple endo classes at Harvard.

A little background on Mark, he is super close to his brothers. There is serious "brotherhood" goin' on in the Young Family... and all 4 of them would do anything for each other.

It's pretty amazing!

So when Mark had the opportunity to teach with Jeremy and stay with Eric and his family in Boston... he was all for it! (and so was I!)

Mark got to meet Natalia, one of our newest nieces, and spend time with Abby & Bella - our other nieces - and Krystyna (our sis-in-law).

He also got to see faculty from when he was in residency and play the opposite roll as teacher.

Mark is an amazing teacher. He is brilliant, but intelligence doesn't always equal good teaching.

He has an ability to explain things from multiple angles and use analogies appropriate to various audiences. In college he tutored a 3rd grader in math as well as his peers in Organic Chemistry.

He teaches me and is patient with me... and I've gotta say, sometimes I'm flat out impressed with what he comes up with to get me from A to B... as up hill as it may be for us both!

So, residents @ Harvard, you lucked out! ;)

Roooaaaad Trip!

Soooo.... while Mark was in Boston, Ethan vacationed at Grandma Young's, and I went on a girl's get away to LA. Specifically, the garment district.

One of my favorite Mamas, Karyss, teaches a craft class at Lakeside. She's inspired many of us with her powerful story and encouraged us to be creators ourselves (after all, aren't we made in His image? The creator of the Universe?)

The four of us talked, shopped, ate, laughed... oh, and we brought an infant along too... Hangover style. Baby Scarlett was born weeks before the trip and Karyss brought her along like she never skipped a beat!

The following girls went to LA and - surprise! - we all have shops on etsy now.

Karyss - Love Stitched Boutique

Elizabeth - Created with LACE

Brittany - Hearts of Fire Boutique

Oh Karyss... What have you done? :)

And my shop, Young Love Boutique!

Thanks to Jennifer Jarvis, I have a fabulous shop name :)

It's all very exciting and I love, love creating new things! I love sharing this interest with 3 other wonderful, God-filled girls, and I LOVE that I can do this in my "free time", watching a movie with Mark after a long day, AND priority shipping picks up at my door step! NO post office visits with a toddler!

I've added a mini shop to the side bar of my blog... check it out!

And if you would, please LIKE my shop on Facebook!

www.facebook.com/YoungLoveBoutique

Cabin Fever

Soon after I got back from LA, I picked up Ethan and headed to my parent's cabin.

Ethan looooves "Papa's Cafin"

At the cabin we all got to be creative!

Ethan and Mommy time, coloring together.

We made a pretty exciting pirate scene!

I used his nap times to craft and took pictures of my creations to post on etsy.

The lighting was perfect!

Ethan wondered why I was using a "sword" to string bracelets.

Grandma and Grandpa took us to a concert at the park.

E made a sweet baby friend and "shared" all his toys!

We went to the "beach" everyday. This was my favorite thing to do as a girl. I love that Ethan can have the same memories!

He got to go on the paddle boats with Grandpa and we had a picnic lunch... fun in the sun!

Ethan helped Grandpa with the wood...

He had lots of tickle attacks with Grandma...

And my Dad, best Daddy in the WORLD!, played with Ethan so Mom and I could spend a day shopping, getting pampered, and eating lunch.

It was a true blessing to have that time, alone, with my Mama.

I cherish times like this with my parents. I am truly blessed to have a Mom and Dad who love me and my family unconditionally. We missed Mark, but understood that "kids" at the Crimson Club need a priceless education ;)

Hawaii Meets Disney

In September we went to Oahu with Mom and Dad Young.

This trip was a dream come true for us... especially Ethan.

A whole week with Grandma and Grandpa, at the beach, and Mickey Mouse is there?

Yes!

Here are some pictures of the trip:

Our first day we explored the Disney Aulani Resort and walked to Longboards (at the Marriott) for dinner.

I was hopeful they would have Hula Pie for dessert... they did not.

But an amazing sunset? Absolutely!

There were so many amazing "Disney" quality, kid-friendly things at the hotel.

Some of our favorites included:

The lazy river (where we got to pass through a cave with bubbling water and "smoke")

An erupting volcano slide

Character Breakfasts

Sprayground

Infinity edge spas

The beach

They had lots and lots of of other fun things for kiddos, but we mainly did the above when we stayed at the resort.

One night there was a Disney Luau with a Special Dance Party for kids.

Ethan had a blast!!!

One morning we got to feed the fishies...

Beach fun!

... more fun!!

Character breakfast!

Ethan loooved the characters :)

There was singing and dancing and coconut playing!

We visited Pearl Harbor.

It was such a special experience for Mark to visit with his Dad, who was in the Navy.

Mom said she checked this one off her bucket list, too :)

Polynesian Cultural Center.

Our personal guide, Wi, was out of this world amazing!

(As I write this now - a month later - Ethan still remembers her name!)

She took special care of our little, curious wanderer and acted as part babysitter so we could watch the shows too!

It was a very full day...

Ethan got to go on stage and get "crowned", we attempted to make fire, attended a luau, and saw "Ha: Breath of Life". But perhaps the most "exciting" part of the day was when Ethan rolled down a few rocky steps and split his chin open.

The first aid guys had to come "rescue" our boy.

We were able to make do with a butterfly band aid and no stitches, praise Jesus!

Brave Boy

We ate good. I know you're supposed to say, "We ate well." But seriously... it was better than "well".

It was gooooood!

All 4 of us would say after each and every meal how amazing it was that we hadn't had a single dinner that wasn't phenomenal! And we skipped on Roy's, too!

Mark, you are the best husband in the world, for so many reasons... but right now, at this moment, it's because you wined and dined us every night.

Please, please teach our son to pass this tradition down to us ;)

It was Dad's birthday while we were there and that, my friends, was the night we got our Hula Pie!!!

His had a special candle on it ;)

Disneyland

Our last trip was a Family Vacation (of 3) to Disneyland (3rd weekend in September)

Ethan could. not. wait. for this trip.

Netflix has an "all about Disneyland" show that we watched to build anticipation...

it worked!

Here are some memorable snapshots:

Mark and Ethan were so excited to wear their Superman shirts!

Ethan told Peter Pan and Wendy that he's going to be Peter Pan for Halloween :)

Waiting in line for the Peter Pan ride...

This time around, (+) Ethan stayed with us in each line and did not run away to explore but (-) he cried and sobbed in agony as he waited for his turn.

If you ask me, it was an overall plus... no more chasing = +++

Sword and the Stone time...

Exploring the Big Disney Store and watching the parades...

Auntie Christie joined us for dinner!

She's a fun Auntie!!!

Ethan breakin' it down to the street music...

Day 2:

California Adventures...

We rode the Micky Mouse Ferris Wheel for the first time together!

Shaky bridge and doggie fun!

Cooling off!

Crazy Car Ride!

Dinner Show and Rain Forrest Cafe!

(PS - the Elephant trunk was literally a foot - a foot and a half from my face... not awkward at all)

Working on our thumbs up...

Volcano!!!!

Last Day:

Buzz Light Year Fun!

We tried to "sneak" Ethan into Star Tours. What? He's a tall kid for his age...

Well, we got kicked out anyway.

Don't judge.

But... we got to go on the rocket ships!

Tea Cups... and a special lollipop for going poop in the potty!

Daddy loves his boy!

Tarzan Tree House!

Pirates... this was an everyday ride.

That and the Train Ride around the park.

Ethan called it the Dinosaur Train (after the tv show) but also because you got to see dinosaurs at one point in the loop!

E loved saying at the top of his lungs, "Allll aboard!"

On the last day, Ethan wore his pirate costume on the ride...

Foster Care

We are blessed with so much.

So much love, support, and time together.

God has given us so much and we want to give too, by His example.

When Ethan has a hard time sharing his things with other kids and says, "No, it's mine!" we ask him, "Who owns everything?"

and he says, "God owns everything"

"That's right. God owns everything and He shares with us.

He shares with us so we can share with others."

I want to live that out as a grown-up too!

In April 2011, God planted a seed in both our hearts to adopt.

Ethan was just over a year old when that happened.

After much prayer and thought, we decided that one day it was something we would do.

We've signed up to be a Safe Family through Koinonia and we are currently in the process of becoming foster parents - through the county - to one day fost-adopt.

This summer we started to take the steps to become licensed foster parents.

We have a few more hoops to jump through and then we'll be ready to take babies!

We have big dreams and big ideas of what that looks like... but we are letting God lead us in this!

It's amazing to me that we went from being 100% opposed to adopting to 100% for it.

God moves mountains.

Mark is amazing... once again... and his total faith and leadership of our family encourages me in my faith in this area.

My brother, Ryan, is also amazing.

My parents adopted him when he was days old from Hawaii.

Days after that, our parents found out they were pregnant with me.

I know, you've heard this story before... from some other family... it's ours too.

When Mark and I told Ry we were thinking about adopting, he sat down with us and said, "Ask me anything you want!", so we did... until 11pm.

I don't know or understand how God orchestrates things, but He's proven Himself over and over that He is faithful, He is loving, and He really does "work all things for good for those who love Him" despite our broken world and the brokenness we contribute to it.

Ryan is a wonderful Uncle and I know he will be an outstanding support to us through this journey.

We ask for your prayers and support too!

Please pray for God's love to shine through us as we seek to live out James 1:27!

***

Another summer flew by... but the triple digit weather lingered into October...

We are now finally getting a break!

I have never been so excited for the holiday season/advent season to start!!

Bring on the hot chocolate, pumpkins, scarves... and memories :)

Cousin Weekend

2012-08-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

"Cousins? Cousins?"

"No... Imma see Cousins."

- Ethan Mark

Ever since camping this June, Ethan has been all about his cousins,

Andrew (8), Hannah (6), and Titus (3.5).

I better not mention their names unless we are meeting up.

Otherwise he goes into the saddest longing for them

(reminiscent of his longing for Grandmas' houses... another button I don't push)

Jeremy and Katie are getting ready to pick up their adopted daughter from the Congo, Trinity Faith.

Trinity will be about Ethan's age... could this get any better for the little guy?

We are so excited to meet our newest niece this Fall/Winter!

Until that time, Mark and I thought we'd reach out and try to bless J&K with some alone time before their family physically grows from 3 to 4 kids!

So... we took our nephews and niece for the weekend.

{So I know I'm biased... but I seriously have the cutest, sweetest, and funniest nieces and nephews ever! I could go on and on and on about them... just wait!...}

*****

Lets start the day before they came.

Right when Ethan woke up, I told him that his cousins, Andrew, Hannah, and Titus were "coming to spend the weekend with us tomorrow!"

His response?

"No... Imma see cousins. Imma see cousins nooooow."

I responded by saying, "We'll see them tomorrow. Today we'll have bath time, breakfast, playtime, lunch, nap time, Daddy will come home, dinner, and then after you'll go night night... when you wake-up, we'll go get your cousins."

He stopped for a beat. Blank look in his eyes. Then said,

"No.... Imma cousins now."

(as if that were that.)

"Ethan, you have to go night night first, then when you wake up tomorrow, we'll see them."

After that he left the room, ran to his bedroom, and shut the door.

I thought to myself, "Great... what kind of depression are we getting into now?"

When I opened the door, I found Ethan in his big boy bed, covers on, eyes closed.

He was going to make tomorrow come sooner than later.

{Cute Boy!}

At any rate, we "survived the day" and by the time tomorrow came, he woke up with his first words being, "Cousins?" as if to say, "You're good on your promise, right Mom?"

"Yes, Buddy! Cousins!!.... We just have to take a quick bath and eat breakfast first ;)"

He was pleased.

I meet Jeremy, Katie, and the kids at Chipotle in Roseville.

Now this was just about the sweetest thing EVER!

Once we stepped into Chipotle, Andrew and Ethan locked eyes as the same time... ran to each other... and full on embraced - Andrew holding Ethan - and looked into each other's eyes, beaming for a good 10 seconds. (Ethan was squealing of course).

Ahhhh cousins.

What's not to love about them??

Unfortunately, Ethan was so pumped that he couldn't sit still for lunch. In fact, he decided to run laps around the restaurant most of our meal.

We said our good-byes and loaded up the truck to... the Dollar Tree!

The surprise was that each kiddo could pick out any 2 toys that they wanted.

Auntie's a big spender ;)

Andrew and Titus got a small collection of guns, "policeman stuff", and action figures.

Hannah got arts and crafts that had to do with unicorns, ponies, or something of the sort.

Ethan got 2 foam swords.

Driving home, the game "I Spy With My Little Eye" turned into a HUGE conspiracy...

"That one's following us!"

"All the cars but the blue ones are bad guys!"

The boys used their new guns to get the "bad guys" and all the way home we were bringing justice to the streets of Granite Bay, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills.

You're welcome.

The excitement didn't stop in the car... it spilled over and into our home.

Mean while, Hannah asked to see her room.

She was thrilled to see that her room had her own bathroom.

She then wanted to play in her room by herself...

I don't blame her. Who wants to get sprayed by bullets or pinned by ninja stars?
(all imaginary of course... but it's the principal that I totally get, being a girl ;))

I didn't count on E going down for a nap... but he surprised me!

A, H, & T have "quiet time" everyday because they don't take naps anymore.

During quiet time they read, did crafts, etc. independently.

Ethan fell asleep the last 20 minutes of their quite time.

Oh well... he still napped so... I'll take it!

When quiet time was over, I asked the kids if they wanted to go out and pick some berries to make pie for tonight.

Hannah said, "Oh, no thanks. I don't like the stickers. They're too pokey."

Luckily I bought all my berries thornless as they come!

She was a real trooper!

Hannah was on raspberry duty while Andrew, Titus, and I attacked the blackberry bushes.

Andrew found a praying mantis!

I told them to only pick the blackberries that were all black because otherwise they will be too tart... Titus, however, had a difference of opinion.

He said, "The red ones are good!" as red dripped down his chin.

There you have it.

Then Andrew said, "He always does that."

Andrew and Hannah's reaction to our Mile High Blackberry Pie!

The play by play...
Harvest to Feast!

When Ethan woke up, there were more battles to be won!

Once "Uncle Marky" got home, we made our own personalized pizzas!

When I was pregnant with Ethan, Andrew and Hannah spent the night and we made Ratatouille... it was lots of fun!

Cutest Hannah Bug!
(told you I'm biased)

Pizza Party!

Uncle Mark took a vote and both Hannah and Andrew decided they liked this dinner better than Ratatouille.

Gotta be honest, I didn't see that one coming.

;)

That night we watched the first half of the Disney Classic, Robin Hood.

Oooh-da-lolly!

Brushed our teeth, prayed, and hit the pillow... quite hard, might I add ;)

The next day we had pancakes for breakfast... packed a snack, and headed out to the Promontory Sprayground in EDH.

We had 2 purposes there:

1. Get wet

2. Revisit a classic "science experiment", Diet Coke and Mentos.

And by revisit I mean, the first attempt (3 years ago) was a dud.

Here is some evidence:

Materials: Diet Coke & Mentos

Going for the drop...

Eh... not impressive

(we had filled our minds with youtube videos of sychronized explosions coordinated to music and "rocket bombs"...)

A little afraid...

"Oh no!"

Dud!

We discovered that you needed some kind of tool to drop all the mentos in at the same time.

(Also, I just now discovered how much I love or new camera. So long, farewell point and shoot!)

Here's a video of the latest Science Experiment with Uncle Mark:

And the video of the kids getting sprayed at the Sprayground!

Best Uncle, ever!

Snack time!

On our way home, we stopped by a strawberry field to buy more fresh strawberries.

I'm becoming quite the fresh produce consumer these days... even got myself a Farmer's Market app for my phone ;)

Andrew and I hopped out of the truck together to gather the goods.

We got strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries (they were sweeter than ours...)

When we were all done, I said, "Thank you! God Bless you!"

The lady in turn said, "Please pray for me."

Andrew and I stopped in our tracks... we asked what she needed prayer for.

She said that her husband was cheating on her.

I looked at Andrew and his face fell, eyes widened, his entire expression morphed with empathy.

My heart sank... not knowing all the details and not wanting to dive into them with Andrew, I offered to pray for her right there.

Andrew nodded then bowed his head as we prayed for God to intervene.

We prayed for strength and peace for her... We prayed that her husband would turn from his sin and

that God would heal their marriage and be ever so present.

As we walked back to the car, Andrew said, "We need to tell Uncle Mark, but not in front of Hannah. She's extra sensitive about this kind of thing."

I agreed.

When we got a minute, we told Uncle Mark... and this is the part I'll never forget...

Andrew said, "When we got the strawberries, the lady selling them to us asked us to pray for her so we did. She said her husband was cheating on her.."

Mark said, "Oh..."

Then Andrew said, "I wasn't sure what she meant exactly by that. Was he cheating her out of her money? I don't know... but she needed prayer."

Mark and I looked at each other and then I said, "Well, I guess we don't know for sure what she meant exactly, but we know that she needed prayer because her husband was betraying her and his sin was separating them and him from God..."

Andrew nodded his head some more.

He was the sweetest picture of innocence. His heart was in the right place and I'll never forget it.

Andrew has many shining qualities, but one that has always shone brightest (to me at least) is his sensitivity and empathetic heart. God will truly use these gifts to bring glory to His Kingdom and light up this dark world of ours. It's so amazing to see God working and molding his heart!

*** Ethan fell asleep on the ride home - another praise! ***

While he napped we had quiet time.

This quiet time ,Hannah and I had special girl time...

We painted our nails and talked about what was going on in her 6-year-old world.

This is what her feet looked like when we were done with them:

We promised the kiddos a "special surprise" all weekend.

The suspense killed them!

When Ethan woke up, we loaded up the truck and headed to the special surprise!

What was it?

Hawaiian Ice Cones from Shiver Sisters

(Groupon Score!)

This "place" is a mobile silver bullet trailer converted to an icee stand/shoppe.

They had fun flavors that instantly drew the boys like "Tiger's Blood" and "Spider Man"

Mark and I split a Serrano Sunset and added cream and ice cream

(I thought we deserved it ;) )

It was pretty yum! :P

That night we had dinner, watched the 2nd half of Robin Hood, bruised teeth... and then Andrew read us all 2 Bible stories.

The scene was Hannah's bedroom... all 4 monkeys on the bed.

Andrew reading, bible in lap, back to the kids... Hannah creeping closer to see the pictures, and Ethan and Titus giggling uncontrollably, not listening to a word Andrew was saying.

Andrew, would stop... exhale heavily to express his disapproval of E & T's blatant disrespect over his reading, then say, "I'm just going to stop until everyone is quiet".

I encouraged him to keep reading (knowing that time would be never come)

Meanwhile Ethan and Titus are sharing a pillow, facing each other, inches between them while E pretends to sleep. Titus is so tickled by the sight that he bursts out laughing causing Ethan to explode in laughter too.

Mark and I smiled at each other while Andrew rolled his eyes.

All 4 kiddos were in bed by 8:30pm... so Mark and I kicked back and watched an episode or two of 30 Rock on Netflix.

******

The next morning there were more wars... of course...

They played dress-up

...and more timed clean-ups.

Oh, I didn't mention those?

They are the best.

Tapping into the "leader of the pack's" competitiveness... I would conclude each activity transition with a timed clean-up.

{Insert halo and innocent smile... "What?"}

I would start by asking how many minutes each thought it would take to clean up the house.

They would take turns guessing.

Then I would time it on my iPhone stop watch.

Once I said, "Go" they scattered like cockroaches (super cute, cockroaches), racing to put everything away.

GeNiOuS!

Each time we'd finish, we'd see who guessed closest to the time and say that person "won".

Each time the kids tried to beat their time and needless to say, their cleaned-up quicker...

We ate pancakes, packed up, went to church, then met up with Jeremy and Katie in Roseville.

Ethan crashed on the ride home and I later get a text from Katie with a picture of her 3 kiddos knocked out in the back seat.

Cousin Weekend A Success!

Uncle Scotty Shout-out!

2012-07-26T06:24:00.001-07:00

Ethan loves his Uncle Scotty!

Scott recently went off to Dental School in SF at UOP.

That makes 4/4 brothers.

Before he left, we had Scott and his fiancé, Jennifer, over for dinner... turned sleepover.

Ethan loved it!

Here are some pics of E and Uncle Scotty battling in the backyard.

We love you, Uncle Scotty!

Kick booty in Dent School!!!

The Young Family

Divine, Messy Gifts are the Best! December 2013

A Thankful November {2013}

A Calling Complete*

October Funny Bones

Turning the Corner of September

August Surprise *weepy* Baby Shower!

August Surprise!

July 2013(33)

June Bloom {Growing Pains}

The Story of Grace {Chapter 1} Simple & Sweet

Spring Fever

We {heart} Walt Disney World

Ethan is THRE3!

My Sweet {New} Sister

Ringing in a Magical New Year: 2013

Christmas Day 2012

12.12.12 Wedding in Maui

Advent Season 2012 Kick-off

Giving Thanks 2012

Catch Me If You Can! Fall 2012

A Few of Our Favorite Things 30th Birthday Party

Adoption

Summer Sum-up!

Cousin Weekend

Uncle Scotty Shout-out!

August Surprise weepy Baby Shower!