Welcome Welcome Katelyn!

My very dearest friend Bonnie Bennion Andrews and her sweet husband Joel just adopted a darling little girl from Guatemala. I feel so lucky to have been close to Bonnie through this process. She has shared her painand heartache of infertility with me. I feel like I grieved with her when the news came that she could never carry a baby of her own. Those tears seem so silly now that we are crying tears of joy for how she got a baby of her own. By a pure act of God, a perfect 16 month old girl was brought to thier home. They have given her an English name Katelyn Jean (not far from her Spanish name Katerin). She has been living in Guatemala with a foster family until about a week ago when she came to the United States. Bonnie and Joel found out on Saturday that she was theirs and they got her on Sunday. I was so thrilled to meet her today. She is so precious and unbelievably lucky to be raised by a couple of the most amazing people I know. Congrats Bon and Joel. I couldn't be happier. We love you Baby Kate!

So much love for this baby girl
I'm sure Bonnie hasn't stopped smiling for days
Mother and Daughter
She warmed up to Shelbie quick because she fed her a cupcake
She adored my dad because he spoke Spanish to her. She perked right up when he would talk to her and even gave him lots of besas (kisses).

Deerfeild Carnival

We are officially in the throws of the public school system! As you know, I was so anxious to start this new chapter of life, but I have been really loving it. One of the perks is the annual school carnival...

I rode the train with my girls. Bailey cried the whole time.
Austin rode with his buddies; Carson Horne and Cole Buckles
Adeline rode the swings about 4 or 5 times

Bailey is actually smiling here, but cried most of the ride. Then cried when I tried to get her out. Whatev, Girl.
Addie thought it was the greatest
Who's the celeb with Bailey? Oh, it's just Kim with a bad hair day and late afternoon sun!
Aust and Cole on the ferris wheel.

Jonas Reception Center

I finally got some pictures of our yard as a wedding reception. Besides the hike to our house, everything else was great.

You Know You're a Real Mom If... (part 2)

Between ones that you guys helped me add and some others I've thought of, I have more to add to the list. If you didn't see the first list-here it is- So here we go on our second part of the list...
You know you're a real mom if...

• Walking around with a stained shoulder and reeking of sour milk is ok. Why would you change? You're not going anywhere, you haven't showered yet anyway and that would just creat more laundry. (Devri and Jessica)
  
• Hot dogs and ketchup no longer gross you out. Actually, they're a staple! (Cami)
  
• You find poop under your fingernails an hour after changing a poopy diaper.(Harmony)
• You let your toddler run around naked because cleaning pee off the carpet is easier than getting him to lay down for 30 seconds to put a diaper on. (Loni-so you!)
  
• Picking boogers out of someone else's nose is a daily occurance (and let's be honest, sometimes it's your husbands nose-so gross!) (Ali)
  
• You join the gym for the free child care (Cyndi)
• You allow your child to get hurt doing dangerous things just so she won't do it again (Kelly)
• Your child throws up all over and YOU are the last thing to get cleaned up (Kursten)
• Your child is yelling at you while you are on the phone and it takes the person on the other side of the line to tell you your attention is needed elsewhere (Michelle)
• You shower and get dressed everyday. Sometimes it's just not until 5:30. (Shelbie)
  
• Children playing in silence sends you running before a blood curtling scream does
• You have ever closed your eyes for a prayer in church and had a hard time opening them again
• Losing weight means going from a D cup to a B cup
• To feel sexy is to shave your legs (and if you're Mormon, putting on silky G's)
• As far as you're concerned Victoria's Secret only sales nice bras and smelly lotion
• Constants on your grocery list are bread, milk, wipes and chocolate
• You blog (which means you now take pictures of the most mundane and everyday things and post it as breaking news)

I know there are more floating around in your brains! Keep 'em comin'.

BYU 59 UCLA 0

I haven't been to a BYU football game in years, even though John almost never misses one. He usually takes Austin or finds another friend. Today Austin didn't really want to go and no one was around to go with, so I offered myself. I was planning on finishing some projects and taking a nap, but they took backseat to a date with my hub. After dropping the kiddos off at my moms (I'm so lucky to have parents who are so willing to be last minute babysitters. Not to mention my kids LOVE to be there) we were off on the scooter, which is always fun. Then I got us lunch while John scalped tickets (he made $20 buying and selling tickets until he got the seats he wanted). Our seats were perfect, I got kettle corn at half time, and the icing on the cake was the total beating BYU gave UCLA.

GO COUGS!!!

5, 6, 7, 8...

This may come as a shock to some, but I was on the Timpanogos High School drill team. In light of my ten year high school reunion, I decided to put together a drill team reunion as well. It was so fun to catch up and see where everyone ended up. These girls have grown into beatuiful women with lovely families and successful lives. Thank you! Thank you ladies for coming and sharing your life (the good and the bad) with all of us. I sure miss those good times we had!
And here we are now! I need to work on my scanning skills so I can get some before pictures on here.
Courtney Hunter Moore (four kids-the winner of that contest and living in AF) Cherie Gleave (one cute little boy and the art teacher at Addie's school)
Lindsey Smith Fitch (pregnant with #3 and living in Spanish Fork) and Michelle Davis Hawkins (two kids and living in Orem)

Jamie Armstrong (newly married and dying to have a baby! Preparing for a body building competition) Julie Holt (our coach. Looking just like one of us, still! Three boys and drove all the way from Syracuse to be here) Tasha Keetch Tuaileva (married her high school sweetheart and just had her third baby)
Megan Olson Black (Two little boys and living in Sartoga Springs) Julie, Me
Jami Lewis Foote (two kids living in Texas while her husband is in chiropratic school), Tasha, Nicole Norton Gratzinger (working hard for a degree and a baby), Lindsey
Some of us with Tasha's new baby girl, Mya
Just chit-chattin'
Melissa Aaron Higley is the one in the black shirt that Lindsey is laying on. I didn't get a close up picture of her for some reason. She has two little girls, lives in Lehi and is still dancing a lot.

I did dinner and had everyone bring desserts. So we had a killer dessert bar!
I made these cute center pieces that I thought turned out rather well (left over flowers from the reception!)

Go Green Dragons!

Austin just started his new soccer season. He missed doing t-ball this year since we were in Costa Rica, so it was really exciting to get him back into organized sports. It's even better that John is coaching (practice at our house!) and the whole team are boys from our ward. Adeline is so desperate to be part of the team that she likes to wear Austin's uniform from last year and follow the boys around.

Bailey wants to be part of the team too.

The coach going over the game plan (kick and run)

Good Game. Good Game. Good Game.
Cute little athletes I've got myself

Princess Party

Adeline's little friend Julia Lyons had a Princess Tea Party for her birthday last Friday. It was such a darling little party. Addie loved it and talked about it all day. They had pink lemonade for tea and even had mini tea cups for their baby dolls. Everything was pink and princessy. Julia's mom did such a great job. I think I will have to do something like this for her birthday next year.
The little princesses all dressed up and having "tea" at a table just their size.

Bailey took over someone's piece of cake.
Just go for it, Girl!

Ice Blocking

Friday night we took our kids ice blocking. I know it's a total flash back to high school and/or college, but I still wanted to try it our with the kids. So we invited a cute family in our ward, Ben and Kursten Oyler and their kids Alex and Mya to join us. Kursten and I grabbed Winger's to go, had a little picnic at the park, then headed over to the grassy hill. Austin picked it up quick and was even better than me at staying on the block and getting all the way down the hill.
Bailey went down a couple times and really liked it (we just have to say "WEEE" enough to let her know she is having fun)


Addie would only go down with John. Looks like they had fun!
Austin and Alex loved to race

Friday night we took our kids ice blocking. I know it's a total flash back to high school and/or college, but I still wanted to try it our with the kids. So we invited a cute family in our ward, Ben and Kursten Oyler and their kids Alex and Mya to join us. Kursten and I grabbed Winger's to go, had a little picnic at the park, then headed over to the grassy hill. Austin picked it up quick and was even better than me at staying on the block and getting all the way down the hill.