The Cameron's

Choo-Choo, one plus one is TWO!

2011-03-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

Nate is officially two years old! Time has flown by. We love him so much and can't imagine life without him.

Nate loves trains, so I made him this lovely train cake. Don't ask me how long it took!

Nate had a little help from his cousin!

Blow harder, you almost have it out!

I love this smile!

We gave Nate a remote controlled train.

Hogal Zoo

2010-05-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

Lori and I decided to visit the Zoo with Nathan for our 10 anniversary (we can't believe its been that long either) We had SOO much fun playing and exploring with Nathan. Here are some photos from our adventure...

I think the monkey is behind the camera

Yup I'm cool

But not too cool to give mom a hug

Shoulder ride from Dad

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Smile

Nate reflecting after a long day

California / Liam's birthday

2010-04-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

So here is the birthday boy, my sweet nephew, Liam. We flew down to California for his birthday and it was a lot of fun. We took it easy, but still was able to do quite a bit.

Here is Nate and Liam running around in a parking lot at an organic farm that we went to. For some reason this was all kinds of fun for them.

Nate's first trip down a slide. He was loving it, and even started to sit up while sliding down. The park that we went to, nicknamed "Triangle Park" by my brother, is specifically for toddlers so everything was Nate's size and he was enjoying it all.

Uncle Brian taking the boys on a little laundry basket ride.

Liam eating his balloon birthday cake.

Look at the proud Momma with her little one year old!

Here is Nate eating a tangelo from a tree that grows in my brother's backyard, some are sweet and some are not...

...apparently, this one was not so sweet. :)

While the father's watched the boys for a little while, this is what happened...

Just playing in the backyard....

I think Nate was stealing some of the spotlight, so Liam decided to give Nate a little push to move him out of the picture. :)

Here is my cupcake...disappearing because some little cute boy has a sweet tooth! "More Mom, more!" ...yes, he can sign for "more".

Nate has Megan's cell phone, his grip is pretty tight on it. :)

Good thing Liam doesn't quite know the meaning of "mine". Nate was trying to take all of Liam's toys away, especially his new ones.

Aunt Jenny and Carson were singing "Happy Birthday" to Liam and he had a big grin on his face.

Uncle Brian was trying to fix the garbage disposal in the kitchen so he put a gate up to keep the boys out and not to distract him, too bad for him they are so cute.

How could you resist faces like these. :)

Nate, chillin' with Uncle Brian.

We went to a Children's Discovery Museum and the boys had a lot of fun.

...Okay, we did too! :)

We went out to the coast for one of our afternoons. It was windy so we only stayed a little while at one beach and then ended up at another one that was protected by the wind. As you can see from below Nate had to see how the sand tasted...yum!

Nate was a little unsure about touching the sand, but he was sure that he wanted to pick up the rocks and sea shells. As you can guess, he got over it and just went for it.

Liam knew what to do...he was running free.

Here is the second beach, the cove was so nice that we were pulling off our jackets.

Lookin' cool with those shades...

Some starfish washed up on the beach while we were standing there.

We went on a little hike and enjoyed the nice fresh air, the greenery, and most of all, the company.

Such a cute family, don't you think!

Nate absolutely loved being outdoors and in this backpack that we borrowed.

My two boys, they are both so good lookin'!

Thanks Brian and Megan to let us come crash at your place, we had a wonderful time and made some great memories!

March Pictures, yes, I know it is already April!

2010-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our cute little boy that I took in March. He is a fabulous walker now and it is rare that we see him crawl.

Here is Dustin and Monica with their sweet little Hannah. Born in one of the best month's of the year! :)

Just playing it cool....

One Year Old!

2010-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

As everyone says, it happens too fast, my baby is already a year old! This post is way past due but here it finally is. This is Nate when he woke up on his actual birthday, he kept starring at all the balloons and decorations I had up on the walls.

Here is Nate on the birthday party day opening presents, he had his cousins, Maddie and Braden, helping him out. :)

Aunt Jenny made this yummy cupcake-cake for Nathan. Jenny did a wonderful job and Nathan loved eating it, see the link below for the YouTube video. It is made of all cupcakes, with cool whip and pudding for the frosting.

Here is a YouTube of Nate eating his cupcake....

NateVsCupcake.MOV

"...look Mom, no hands!"

Nathan, didn't want to stick his fingers in it, but once he had a taste of it he wanted more. He looked like a little bird pecking away at it. :)

...and now, we usually have a "trail of carnage" with toys scattered everywhere.

It was such a fun birthday party. Thanks to all the family that were able to make it!

Look how cute I am

2010-02-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

Here is Nate in a cute vest and tie, all dressed up and no where to go. I found this outfit at the mall since Nathan needed a white shirt for my brother's wedding coming up in April. I figured I would be able to use it while it fits, but to my absolute shock, instead of having to pay $24 for it (that is what the sale sign said), I only had to pay $7 for it. My guess is that it was placed on the wrong rack, and since it was the only one left it had been marked down. I was definitely ok with it!
Aunt Megan D., look at me! Thanks for letting us use this cute little outfit. We put Nate in it when we went for a walk and it kept him nice and warm.

Christmas, yes I know it has been over a month ago

2010-02-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know it is now February, and yes, I know I am really, really late posting. But oh, well, at least I am getting to it. :)

Here is a cute picture of all the grandkids surrounding Grandma and Grandpa...
...and this gives you and idea of what it took to get the picture.

Here is Braden and Nathan raiding the toy cabinet.
Nathan and Liam all dressed up to go play in the snow.

This is Nathan's first big experience with snow. He was captivated by the snow blower that was going on in the background.
Nate and me.
Megan, Brian and Liam.
On the go, Nate and Liam.
Here are Liam, Nate and Braden playing with the blocks and other Christmas toys.
Liam is wants a piggy-back ride.
Let's play some tunes Uncle Brian!

Let me rest my head on your shoulder. Being buddies with Liam.
Grandma and Nate.
Getting ready to eat...this seemed like it never ended.
Grandpa reading bedtime stories.

Nate and Braden attacking Uncle Brian...
...this is what he saw...And the fan goes round and round.

This is our happy family.
The little boys...look, we even color coordinated without even trying.
Christmas...what, there are presents to open? I am just fine with this Christmas paper tube.

Sunggling with Mr. Bear

2009-12-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

Look how big I am!

Pictures taken on Dec 4.

Misc. November pictures...and announcements

2009-12-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

It seems like I am taking a ton of pictures and they all somewhat seem the same but they are so different. He is growing and learning so much every day.

This is the Cameron Family at Thanksgiving.

Jason and Alicia had some fun news for us...they are engaged and will marry in April! We are all so excited for them and I am thrilled to have another sister-in-law!
Here is Nate playing the piano...it is music to my hears... :)

Halloween Pictures - our little lion

2009-12-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here is Nate's official Halloween costume...of course we didn't go out on Halloween because he was not feeling well. He was only happy for about 5 minutes in the costume and so we were trying to snap as many shots as we could before it went south.

Here is T working on the pumpkins...

Our little Pumpkin

2009-10-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Cameron for the cute little pumpkin shirt.

Pumpkin Walk

2009-10-23T16:27:00.001-07:00

We went on our annual trip to the Pumpkin Walk with Maddie and Parks, our niece and nephew, and of course it was the first time to take Nathan with us. They all loved it and enjoyed trying to find the M & M pumpkins that were hidden in each scene. One of the things I think Maddie and Parks liked the best was riding on the bus.

No resisting...

2009-10-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

You are probably tired of all the pictures, but I can't help myself...in fact, I am condensing how many I am posting to my blog, but I just can't resist all these cute pictures of Nathan.

(Taken Oct 15)

(Taken on Oct 21)
This is Nate with his burb cloth that he has to have when going to sleep, he also likes to suck on it when he is playing as well.

Another "toy" he likes is the door stopper.

Grandpa's Funeral

2009-10-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa passed away on Oct 7, while it is sad to think he is gone, we all know that it was good for him to leave this life to go home to our Father in Heaven and to not have the limitations that he had after having a stroke several years ago. We will all miss you Grandpa, you were a wonderful example to everyone.

Here is a family photo. On the right is my Grandma Duersch and on the left is my Grandpa Butler. My parents when growing up only lived a couple of miles from each other, so both sets of my grandparents knew each other.

Here are the three little munchkins playing together.

Grandpa is trying to entertain 3 babies, did you ever wonder what it would be like trying to take care of triplets...here is your chance!

Holy Cow!

2009-10-23T15:16:00.001-07:00

Well...not really a cow, just a cute little boy dressed up like one. This was try number one on the costumes and as you can see, he didn't really like it.

Still growing...

2009-10-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

...I remember when Nathan was so tiny and this car seat looked huge when he was in it, well folks, not true any more...

Here is Nathan, now mobile and heading straight for the stairs (of course).

Time and All Eternity - Our Family!

2009-10-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Back on Sept 19, we were able to take Nathan to the temple. It was such a special day filled with lots of love and support from family and friends.

Here are pictures of Nathan dressed in his white clothes that Aunt Jenny and my Mom made for Nathan.

...and here is Nathan telling me that he has had enough of the picture taking...

An Eternal Family...

Shared by lots of family, ...

...and friends.

We had lunch afterwards. Thanks to all those who helped us make this day so special. I will always remember it with a warm heart and fond memories.

:)

More Pictures!

2009-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is Nathan back in September when he was still in the barley moving stage but still in the stage where he could pull all the toys out of his toy box.

Nathan getting ready to go to sleep with his little burb clothes that he likes to suck on.

Nathan, giving Pads a little squeeze. :)

It is Final!

2009-09-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! The day is here, we were able to finalize our adoption on September 1. I can't believe Nathan is over 6 months old!

Even though I knew that there wouldn't be any kind of problem I still felt a little nervous being in a court room with a judge. Both our attorney and case worker told us multiple times that judges like to do adoption cases, but it is still strange to see the judge not even give any kind of smile until it was all over. Through the whole process he and everyone was very formal and then after it was all done it was all smiles, handshakes, and congratulations.

It was wonderful to have our family support, thank you and we love you!

Going from left to right...Kevin, Jenny, my Mom, Lynette, holding Braden, Dustin, Megan holding Maddie, Trent's Dad, Cory, with Parks in front, Trent holding Nathan, Me (Lori), my Dad, Bob, with Carson behind him.

Uncle Dustin with Parks and Maddie.

We went to a park to play for a couple of hours.

Cory, Trent and Nathan.

We drove up to Bear Lake to let Nathan put his feet in the sand and lake water for the first time. Of course, since it is Bear Lake the water was not that warm, even for the first day of September.

Here is Nathan in a swimming suit for the first time.

Jenny with Braden and Carson in the background.

Carson and Kevin.

Cousins playing in the sand together. I think Nathan enjoyed playing in the sand a little more than being in the cold water but overall I think he had fun.

Dad's B-day

2009-09-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

In August my Dad turned the big 60! We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yum...and as a side note I am excited that we are getting a Texas Roadhouse here in Logan). Later we had my Dad go on a treasure hunt with Carson to find his birthday gift and then had a yummy cake that Jenny made.

Dad got an edger, I know, it sounds so exciting...well, perhaps not to those of us who would probably never use them. ;)

Happy Birthday Dad !

Random Pictures

2009-09-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of Nathan, all from the month of August...

This is Nathan pulling toys out of his "toy box" (it is just a basket at this point, I am sure I will have to upgrade to an actual box when he starts moving more).

Nate in the jumper, he was having a lot of fun in it.

Nate and Dad hanging out on the bed. Trent had put his hat on Nate and it was too cute not to take lots of pictures.

Nathan eating carrots...yum, yum!
All dressed up and ready to go to church.

We went up to see Toni Lynn, Nathan's birth mom, as well as his birth grandparents, Becky and Tony.

Cute smiles from the little boy.

Nathan and his friend.
:)

Splish Splash I was taking a bath

2009-08-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Nathan LOVES his baths ... this is a video of him splashing in the tub!

Marshmellows up the canyon

2009-08-27T20:34:00.001-07:00

We decided to head up the canyon for a marshmallow roast. (Well that and we had so much paper shredding to do we decided it would be easier to just light it on fire :) ) Here are a couple of pictures of Nate and Lori.

Nathan Jamming out

2009-08-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Too cute to pass up

2009-07-23T17:14:00.001-07:00

I took these pictures last week and have finally got back on the computer tonight to post them.

Here is Nate in the stroller, he loves to sit so he can look out instead of being in the car seat.
Cute little feet!

Nathan in the swing with his bunny friend that Toni and Becky gave him.

Here is Mr. Bear

:)

First Hair Cut

2009-07-23T17:07:00.001-07:00

Here is Nathan after his first hair cut. He only had a little patch on the top of his head that was extra long and it just needed to be evened out. Since Trent was at work at the time I did it I didn't get a picture of the actual cutting, but here is a shot of him later that evening.

...and a picture of him with his favorite bunny that he can suck on the ear.
:)

Rice Cereal - the beginning

2009-07-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it is time to start Nate on rice cereal...need I say more?

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Nate in a romper that had a hoodie.

July 4 - Happy Independence Day

2009-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day!

We had all the Cameron clan up to our place for dinner. Here is a picture with Great Grandma and Grandpa.

Maddie and Parks, entertaining Nathan.

Grandma and Grandpa, taking their turn to hold the little boy.
Here is a four generation picture.
...and another one.

We celebrated Jeanne's birthday as well. Happy belated birthday!

Then it was time for little fireworks, yes, this year they were little. We only bought sparklers and snaps, the "big" fireworks for us were the spinning flowers that Megan and Aaron brought.

The beloved swing!

2009-07-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nathan has spent many sleeping hours in this swing, which I am very grateful for! He was too cute to resist taking a picture while he was sleeping in it. He actually doesn't go into the swing too often now, I think he has a fondness of his crib and almost prefers it over anything, or anyone else.

Family Reunion

2009-07-19T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures that we took at a family reunion.

Grandma feeding Nathan.
Trent hanging out.
Grandpa hanging out.

These are the exact fingers I sucked on when I was little. My mom and dad had to bribe me to stop sucking on them (I think I was 5 years old!). They said for every day that I didn't suck on my fingers then I would earn $1.00 which went towards a bike. It worked and I no longer suck on my fingers. :) The picture was too cute to pass up, but I hope Nathan doesn't keep sucking on his fingers until he is 5.

On the other side...

2009-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to Island Park with Trent's side of the family, and just over a week later my brother, Brian, came "home" with his wife, Megan, and their little boy Liam. So we all got together and had some fun. We took Nathan on his first camping trip and tented it. He actually did really well in the outdoors and slept well too, in fact, I think he slept better than I did!

We of course had to get lots of pictures, especially of Nathan, Braden, and Liam since they are so close in age, so here is another slide show.

Island Park

2009-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from when we went to Island Park back in the middle of June. I have so many I wanted to add that I had to do a slide show. Enjoy!

Can't Get Enough

2009-06-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures of Nathan...we just can't get enough of him.

Some of the following outfits Nathan is in were given by some good friends of ours (Dave and Leslie). They gave us a whole bag of clothes that are perfect for him right now.

The siblings take just as many naps as Nathan. :)

...Ok, so not a fan of the hat so much...

This is Nathan just before I swaddled him. It is sometimes easier to do it on the floor.
Notice he is still happy laying on the carpet.
Now, in the crib, the crying and fussing start...perhaps I should let him stay on the floor?!!! :)

I was doing some cleaning and pulled one of the pieces of furniture out from the wall and found a lot of Pads and Zowie's play mice. I am guessing we have a lot of them under the fridge as well.

Zowie, sitting pretty on the wall. It is one of her favorite spots until I put decorations up on the ledge.

Nathan is loving to suck on almost anything he can get his hands on...poor little bunny's ear.

:)

More pictures of our cute Nathan!

2009-05-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some more cute pictures of Nathan. I can't believe he is over 3 months old!

This one with the hat was just taken today, Saturday.

:)

Downstairs Bathroom Tile is DONE!

2009-05-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, while I was away on Memorial weekend Trent was here at home trying to get my "hunny-do" list done...one of the items was to get the tile finished in our downstairs bathroom and he got it all done and it looks great!

Garage Sales...gotta love 'em

2009-05-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

So I went garage sale shopping today and at the first one I noticed that they had a bunch of nice clothes (all for Nathan). I purchased some of them and told the gal that by the end of the day to give me a call and I would come back if she wanted to get rid of the rest of the clothes. Well, she gave me a call at noon when they were finished and said she still had a bunch of clothes. When I got there I noticed that it looked like hardly anyone touched the clothes (or she just had so many that it hardly made a dent from the couple of hours that I had been there earlier). She said, "I will give it all to you for $20.00", and dumbfounded I said, "OK". Well, it filled up the whole trunk of my car! I brought in the clothes and that is what the picture is down below. I counted all the articles of clothing and shoes and came out to 307 pieces...that made it $0.065 per article of clothing! I am more than set now for Nathan from 6-9 months on up to 24 months in clothing. Trent said that I should be done with garage sales but I have to admit, once I get started I can't seem to stop...I am a garage sale junkie. :)

Multiple Posts today

2009-05-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got around to updating my blog and have several different posts, so keep scrolling down. Enjoy!

The hat Nathan has on was made by his Great Grandma D. I hope he will still be able to fit into by the end of this year.

Grandpa D's house

2009-05-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my Grandparent's house. The land has been split up between their children and some of it has been sold since my Grandpa had his stroke. The old barn and some of the other buildings that were surrounding the house have been demolished so it was strange to go up there and not see it the same way. I thought I should take pictures since it is a part of my history.

The flat piece of land beyond the small buildings and tree is where my Dad's piece of property is.

This is the garage.
The front of the house from the road.
To the left of the small build on the other side of the road was the chicken coup and beyond that was where the big barn was.
This is where my grandma would grow her raspberries.

The garage in the background was a recent addition that my Aunt Nadine and Uncle Dave added.

The back way into the house was the most used. We hardly ever used the front door.
The Teton's are behind all the clouds. It is a magnificent view when you do get to see them.

Great Grandparents

2009-05-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

We went up to Idaho on Saturday for the Memorial weekend and on the way we stopped to see my Grandparents.

Here is a four generation picture with my Grandma D.

Here is my mom with a happy little Nathan.

Here is a four generation picture with my Grandpa D. Aunt Nadine is in the background.

Memorial Day Weekend.

2009-05-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening we went to Greg and Alexis to have dinner and to celebrate their little boy, Ethan's, birthday. He turned 6 years old.

Greg, his boy, Ethan (waiting to open up his presents), and Kennedy, Stephan and Heather's little girl.

Here is Nathan all cosy warm and sound asleep on his grandma.
My Mom and my Aunt Pauline (or as she has nicknamed herself for Nathan... AuntieGram).
After dinner talking...Great Grandpa B., Uncle Kent, Aunt DeAnn and part of my Mom.
On Sunday we had dinner at Pauline and Kent's. In the picture is Great Grandma B, Ethan holding Nathan and my Dad.
Food is almost out... Great Grandma B, Great Grandpa B, Stephan, Heather, Kennedy.

Grandpa is having fun with Nathan.

My parents with my Mom's parents.
The four generation picture.
On Monday we went to my Grandmother's grave site.

Me, Aunt Pauline, Aunt DeAnn, Lynette (my mom) holding Nathan, Bob (my dad), Grandpa B, and a friend that happened to come say hello.

Here is Nathan in his car seat. He is getting so big!

Pictures of Nathan and Toni's Graduation

2009-05-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

This cute little onesie is one that G-ma & G-pa Cameron gave Nathan...

He is getting so big, he loves this exer-saucer.

The next picture is of Toni's graduating high school class...they only had a class of 43. It blows my mind that there are still high schools around that only have small classes.
FYI for those who don't know, Toni is Nathan's birth mom.

We are so proud of you Toni! This has been a VERY challenging year for you, but you made it through.
The cute little boy next to Nathan is Lucas, Toni's nephew, and her sister-in-law, Meagan.

Trent using Megan & Aaron's carrier, Nathan loves to see what is going on all the time.

Thanks Aunt Megan!

2009-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aunt Megan, Nathan can sit up on his own with a little help of this nifty chair. He does start to tip a little after a while but all-in-all I think Nathan is doing wonderful with holding his head up now.

I love to see him smile a lot more now when he has his awake times. :)

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa's

2009-05-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

We love visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Sleeping through April?

2009-04-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I must have slept through April, I can't believe it is almost over already!

Here are some more pictures of Nathan, one is of Nathan and cousin Braden (who is 4 months older).

Yesterday I took Nathan in for his 2 month check-up and he is 13 lbs 7 oz and is 23 inches long, I can't believe how big he is getting and how big and cute his smiles are. :) He also had his shots and he was a trooper, I think it wiped him out and he slept most of the evening and hardly woke up during his feedings. Today he isn't quite on track but he really hasn't been that fussy which is a relief for his mom. :)

Nathan's new cousin - Liam

2009-04-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Nathan has a new cousin, as of March 31, at 8:00 am. William (Liam) Troy Duersch joined the family, I guess he wanted to come in March instead of April (his due date was April 1). March is a pretty good month and I am sure Liam's mommy, Megan, would agree with me. :) He is sure a cutie! I am sure that Nathan, Liam and Braden will be the best of cousins since they are born between 5 months apart from each other...I can see it already, they are going to cause a little (or a lot) of havioc when they get together.

He keeps growing!

2009-03-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

I know I should have entered this a week ago but I find it hard to make it to the computer.

One week ago at the doctor's office I found out Nathan was 9 lbs 2 oz, and I am sure that he is more than that a whole week later. He is now taking 5 oz in a bottle and I can hardly believe how big he is getting.

Of course, here are more pictures.

More Pictures

2009-03-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get all the pictures uploaded in one posting for some reason, so here are more pictures of our cute little Nathan.

Ahh look, Dad and Nathan! So sweet.

Two Weeks Old!

2009-03-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Nathan is already two weeks old! In some repects it doesn't seem to have been that long since he has joined us, and in another regards it does. :)

I have been getting requests for more pictures, so here they are. The blue and white outfit is one that was given to him by his birth mom and grandmother.

My mom was able to come up the weekend of March 7 & 8 to help us out since Trent wasn't feeling too great at the time. We really appreciated her help and her willingness to come take a late night shift to keep us going. :)

Our little boy Nathan

2009-03-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of our little boy Nathan. I know that a lot of you are curious to see what he looks like, well here he is...bright eyed and adorable.

The blanket he is on is one that was given to him by our birth-great grandmother (Toni Lynn's grandma). It has Noah's ark on one side and then all the little animals on the other side, it is so cute, especially with a cute little boy on it.

Here is Nathan with Grandma D. as well as Grandma and Grandpa C. They were able to make it up to see Nathan on Friday and my mom was able to stay through the weekend. It was wonderful to have another set of hands to help out, I didn't realize how sleep deprived we would be but we are figuring things out a little at a time like all new parents do and we are figuring out a routine.

We sure love Nathan being in our home and changing our lives around. He is such a joy and has such a sweet spirit about him. It is so amazing at how fast both Trent and I love him and can't even to begin to describe our love to our birth mom, Toni Lynn. Her and her mother's sacrifice is incredible to both of us and we love them both so much.

Announcing Nathan Vance

2009-02-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

Wow .... what a crazy and awesome last couple of days. Nathan was born yesterday morning at 5:25 A.M. he was 7.9 lbs and 21" and we are SO excited to have him in our family. In some ways it is like starting life all over again. He has only been with us such a short time ... and yet I can't imagine being without him. Adoption is an amazing gift. I can't begin to describe how grateful we are to our birth mom and her mom. They have been so wonderful to us through such a hard time in their lives. We can't begin to express our love for them. Nathan is doing awesome. He is sleeping, eating and pooping ... and looks dang cute (what more can you ask from a 1 day old). I never realized how quickly I would grow to love him. In some respects I was worried it would take a while. I remember listening how sometimes it did for birth fathers to truly become attached to their adopted children. I can really say I am totally head over heals for Nathan. I love that kid like crazy. The picture is right after we got home frome the hospital today. Lots more to come but we are sure happy Nathan has joined us!

"Nesting"

2009-02-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

I think Trent thinks I am going a little crazy, any time he leaves something on the floor or counter I am there either picking it up or telling him to not leave it there, and to do it now. I want everything to be nice and clean and I don't want it to get messed up until I am too tired to care about it after the baby comes. I am also washing tiny little clothes and bedding and making sure everything is as clean as it possibly can before we bring this tiny infant into our home.

My mom is going crazy with trying to get blankets done before he arrives. Here are a couple of pictures of me helping Mom quilt a blanket.
..and here is a picture of Mom.

My Mom is so completely sweet. Every time I go visit her she has bought me something new, or has found something that "I have to have", or is endlessly working on another blanket.

I wanted to keep track of what I have been receiving from people and the list of things my Mom has given me is almost a full page worth. She is so excited for Trent and I to be able to adopt and to have another grandchild join the family.

Here is a picture so you can get a little more of the detail. The material is something I picked out before Trent and I were even married. I believe that my Mom was making a blanket for my cousin Michelle for either her first or second baby and I had found this Precious Moments material and just loved it so I went ahead and bought it. It has been sitting in my Mom's hallway closet for probably 10 years or more.

...and here it is, the first purchase of the diapers. We had to take a picture of this event because I have been waiting so long for this to happen and I am excited and thrilled that I get this opportunity. I know in a couple of months I may change my mind, but for now all I keep saying is, "Bring it on".

Update

2009-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like I needed an update. I don't leave my Christmas stuff up in my house until Jan 21, but for some reason since I don't look at my blog every day I didn't notice that I left Christmas up on it until today.

It seems like a lot has been happening that takes me away from sitting in front of a computer in my off hours like...studying for a CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager) certification, Trent's birthday (happy belated b-day from the blog sweetheart), going to doctor appointments with my birth mother, preparing to have a baby come into our home, reading baby books, and changing callings at church just to name a few. I find it hard to get on a computer in the evenings when I have been on one all day at work. I know for some people it is different, for example, my sweet hubby is one of those people that work on a computer all day and then for enjoyment get on a computer to play at night. I am just not one of those people, I think once I am home with the baby perhaps I will want to make more of an effort to get online. Until then, you get what you get.

On a more serious note, my sister-in-law's husband's sister's little boy just passed away this week. It is so sad that this little boy, not even 4 years old went into a coma and then stopped breathing. His twin will always have a distant memory of who he was. My sister-in-law is more eloquent with words than I am, and if you want to find out more go to her blog. It really touched me with how strong she is and she really says it all, that when someone close to you passes away you start to really think of what is important in this life.

Moving? No Thanks!

2008-12-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

So Trent and I helped my brother, Kevin, and his wife, Jenny, move into their new home today. Not that I had been thinking of moving but it sure did remind me that moving is A LOT of work and chaos. I don't know how Kevin and Jenny did it but they are finally into their first home. They had a lot of trials trying to get the darn thing and then once they did get it they had to basically gut it and refinish everything with new paint and new carpet. Of course they were not able to get the carpet in until Thursday and were planning to start moving into the house Friday and Saturday, just when the big snow storm hit.
Like I said it was chaos but once things got moving it started to fall into place and they can at least sleep in a bed tonight and know that they will have clean dishes for breakfast in the morning. Beyond that they still have to sort through all their boxes which will take some time but I think they have extra incentive to get it done soon since they have a party at their house with Jenny's family on Christmas Eve.
Good luck with getting everything done Kevin and Jenny, the place is looking great!

What I have done in my life time

2008-11-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

I saw this list on a friends blog and thought it would be fun to do. The ones I have done are in bold.

1. Started my own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than I can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sung a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught myself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child (currently adopting)

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown my own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise (this was the best vacation ever!)

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught myself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had my portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had my picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Visited to Mt. Rushmore

101. Learned a musical instrument

102. Graduated from college

M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e

2008-11-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

Trent and I had the opportunity to take Parks and Maddie to Disney on Ice today. Not only are these two kids really cute but they are also a lot of fun to be with. They were so excited to go see the Disney characters. After it all we asked them both who their favorite character was and Parks said all of them. Maddie started off (before the big event) with Snow White, on the way home it was Cinderella and then later it was Jasmin.

We stopped by Grandma & Grandpa C's to drop the two kids off for a couple of minutes while we went over to my parents to see Jenny and new baby Braden. Braden is not even 36 hours old in this picture. Go to Jenny and Kevin's blog to get more. Isn't he adorable!

We dropped Parks and Maddie off at their parents and both Megan and Aaron kept thanking us. We told them we really DID enjoy it and that we loved being with them. They just commented on how much they were able to get done today. I guess it is something I will have to wait to really understand with little ones keeping you busy 24-7. I have to say that I am looking forward to it and I can hardly wait!

It's A Boy!!

2008-11-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

We found out today that the birthmother we had talked to a couple of weeks ago had chosen us. We are beyond excited. We really are still just shocked and can't quit grinning from ear to ear. We are soooo excited to be parents.

We went in today to talk with our case worker at LDS family services to update some of our information. When we went in to her office there was the birthmother and her mother sitting there with a blue balloon that said It's a boy.

The birth mother had written us the sweetest note letting us know that she had chosen us to be the parents for her child. We both had tears in our eyes as we tried to read it. It really was unreal to think that soon we will be parents. And we are so excited to continue to develop a relationship with her family; they are such open and loving people. We have only met them twice and they are already starting to feel like family.

We were trying to figure out how to break the news to our families and we decided that we were just too excited to keep the news to ourself and had to call our families. They were almost as excited as we were to hear the news.

Tonight I went to play in a flag football game and just kept thinking about how great it will be to have a son and be able to teach him how to catch a ball and play games. Right now we feel like we are on top of the world. We can never express our gratitude to our birthmother.

The North Logan Pumpkin walk

2008-10-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin walk this year with our niece and nephew in tow. They had a blast and we did too. They sure are some cute kids. As soon as we got there we realized we had forgotten our camera (again ... we forgot it when we took them last year too). So here are some pictures I took with my cell phone.

Meeting With a Birth Mother

2008-10-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to meet with a birth mother today. It was an incredible experience to get to know her. It was so impressive to meet someone that was so giving. Sometimes as we are waiting to be able to adopt we forget what a great sacrifice it is for birth mothers and their families. We admire the strength of character that it would take to do that. Adoption is a wonderful opportunity for all involved and we feel blessed to be a part of it. We are sure she will do well whatever she decides to do.

No more Circus Animal Cookies!

2008-10-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Trent and I went to the store to pick up some groceries and the Halloween Circus Animal cookies by Mother's Cookies were right up in front. Trent then went on to tell me that he was given the information from a friend that Mother's Cookies was going out of business and it is! Go to this blog http://www.justinball.com/ to the "My Junkfood Goeth Quietly Into the Night" entry for the link. So Trent and I made the conscience decision to buy a bag knowing that it possibly could be our last.

Our Cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman

2008-09-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our cruise that we took at the beginning of August. We sailed to Jamaica and Grand Cayman on one of Carnival's "Fun ships" the Imagination.

We needed a little bit of relaxation...well, we definitely got it!

Us in Grand Cayman getting ready to go out to the reef to snorkel. We had a little bit of fun in Jamaica! :)

This was in Jamaica, we hiked up Dunn River Falls. (Side note...wear a swimming suit next time, the water was more than just knee deep!) Here is a slide show of more pictures from our cruise....(Trent made the captions on them).

Lori's side of the family...

2008-09-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Our family photo in front of Mom and Dad's. Brian and Megan were home from Cali so I wanted to get a new family picture even though it is going to change in November with the new addition to Kevin and Jenny's family.

Brian and Megan had wonderful news that they shared with us...they are expecting and we would all like to say "Congratulations!" and that we love you both a ton. Of course we are a little jealous but never-the-less we are very happy for you and can't wait to spoil another niece or nephew!

About adoption

2008-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would try blogging because it seems to be a good way to get our information out there and to let people know that Trent and I are trying to adopt. We have been waiting for a while and haven't had any luck, so I hope this will help.

Everybody is doing it!

2008-09-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

So I thought I would try blogging...it seems like everyone is doing it so why not? :)