The Vanderpools

Hi There!

2012-02-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since I've written on here and for that I'm sorry. I completely missed Christmas! I'll make it up some day I promise. For now, I'm here to vent a little.

As a lot of you know, Peter lost his job last week. It's ok, we saw it coming. His boss had it out for him and they took advantage of a minuscule mistake to fire him. Oh well. It's in the past. Right now we are focusing on spending some much needed time as a family. The kids and I are all LOVING having Peter home. It's nice to be able to make dinner while Peter entertains Jack so I don't have a toddler hanging on my leg the whole time! We've definitely missed him!

As far as how we're doing goes...we're ok. Peter had an interview a few days ago and right now we're just waiting to see if he got the job. We've been praying and fasting that everything will work out and we feel really good right now. As good as can be expected at least! I've gotten more and more into couponing which has helped us increase our food storage in the past few months. So we will still be eating. For how long I'm not sure, if the kids keep eating like they did last night our food storage will only last about a week!

All in all we feel like Heavenly Father is blessing us. We wanted Peter to be done with BVCU, and he is. Not quite on our terms but that's ok. Another blessing we've received is Ryan getting into another elementary school. It's in a better district with a better special education program and I think it's going to be a great move for him. Daniel is on the wait list, #4, so we'll just have to wait and see if he can get in too.

In all of this mess we can see how much we are loved. Not just by our Heavenly Father but by our ward, Family and Friends. There are so many people out there praying for us and thinking about us that I feel very positive that everything will work out. We are so grateful for all of the prayers and thoughts that are going out for us. I firmly believe that this is a blessing in disguise.

Photo Card

2011-12-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

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Hi From Far Away!

2011-11-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

It feels like it's been forever since I posted. I guess it has been a while. Oh well...as I sit here typing this I can't help but think about where I'm at. I guess it's because it feels like it should feel like it's home. And I hate to say this but it doesn't really feel that way anymore.

In case you didn't guess I'm sitting in the kitchen at the Vanderpool's house. Oh how I miss the craziness that is this place! It's easy to forget how many people go in and out of this home on a regular basis. I miss it. I miss being so close to family and friends. I miss the craziness.

While we've been here we've been able to see a TON of family and quite a few friends too. Peter even went to lunch with one of his buddies from VanGuard. He told Peter that not long after Peter left one of their supervisors asked if he knew why Peter left. She was upset about something and happened to mention that they had big plans for Peter. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!?! If we had known that we just might have stuck it out and stayed here!! Dang them!!

Ok, I'm done venting. :) I'll update a little bit. Peter is loving his job in Boulder. He likes the people he works with and loves the challenges that management brings. He's still working out some of the kinks though, but that's ok! He's loving his calling with the 11 year old boys. It's pretty easy compared to what he was doing in AZ, which is nice for me because we get more time with him.

I'm loving Colorado. And despite my venting and being pessimistic up there I'm really enjoying meeting new people and making new friends. I've recently taken up baking and am going crazy making everything I can think of! I've found a few blogs that I absolutely love and can't wait to try most of the recipes they have!

Daniel is loving 2nd grade. He's turning into more and more of a boy every day. I notice little things. Like how he rolls his eyes at me and talks back. And the new phrases he's picking up from his friends. He's doing really well in school and loves to do his homework every night. He is also such a big helper and will do just about anything I ask him to. I love it!!

Ryan is just as Ryan as ever!! He loves school and tells us everyday whether or not he's going to school that day. He has made friends with some of the kids in our neighborhood and it's normal for him to come home with something that "my friend made me". It's sweet. Recently he's been singing a lot. A bunch of random songs that I'm sure he learned at school because I don't know them! He's a sweet boy!

Jackson is just as crazy and loving as ever. He has started talking a lot and says things like "I want go" and "I want Memo(Elmo)". He love cuddling with us on the couch and watching Sesame Street or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Those are the only 2 shows he'll sit down and watch all the way through! He can also be such a stinker! When he doesn't want to hold your hand while walking he just goes limp. It's quite funny and annoying at the same time!

All in all we're doing well. We seem to always be busy and on the go but that's ok. It takes our minds off of missing our families and friends so much. :)

Disneyland

2011-11-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

In addition to getting to play in the snow for the first time this month we also took the kids to Disneyland!! The boys were so excited to get to go and they were asking about it for weeks before we actually left. We made a 'quick' stop over in AZ to go to a friends' sealing though! It was the sweetest sealing I've ever been to. I know that Dale and Denise will be very happy together!

We left for California on Saturday morning with my Gramma. My mom and John were meeting us there. After a long day of driving we made it to the hotel! We spent the rest of Saturday relaxing and preparing for Disneyland!

We got up on Sunday morning and headed to the park! One of our first stops was the teacups. The boys rode with me and Jackson went with my mom. It was cute to see Jack so excited! The boys and I spun our teacup as fast as we could go! They loved it! Our next stop was to see Mickey Mouse. Daniel and Ryan were excited to see him. Jack didn't realize what was going on until we were in the room with Mickey! He kept trying to jump out of my arms to go to Mickey. When it was actually our turn he ran right up to say hi. The boys got nervous and wouldn't go stand by him though! Dang kids! I wish we had a picture of all of us with Mickey but it just didn't happen. Oh well! :) Jack loved seeing Mickey, he even gave him a kiss on the nose. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen!

The rest of the day was filled with rides and food and more rides! The boys LOVED Splash Mountain! The picture is priceless! Daniel's face is the best part! Splash Mountain was the one ride that they really wanted to go on more than once. I think it was their favorite!

Monday rolled around and we were at the park really early. We finished up riding all the rides that we didn't get to go on on Sunday. The Finding Nemo submarine ride was really cool. Jack loved looking out the little window at everything. All 3 of the kids liked riding on the Autotopia. It was cute to see Daniel trying to drive! I had to help him push the gas though because he couldn't reach. The other ride they both really liked was Star Tours. I didn't realize that they had changed it. It kind of made me sad...but it was still really neat!

Daniel really liked Indiana Jones too. He went twice, once with me and once with Peter. Ryan was very sad that he couldn't go, he was just a tad too short! Next time he'll get to go though!

We also went to California Adventure! They had more rides that the boys could ride than I thought they would. We really enjoyed it! We didn't get to do everything that we wanted to but we got to do most of it. The real reason we went was to see the World of Color water show that night. It was really cool. All of the kids liked it. Jackson was SO tried but he stayed awake and watched it too. :)

All in all we had a lot of fun! There were some tears shed and some fits thrown but that was to be expected! Jack was amazing both days. He even took a 2 hour nap while we were at Disneyland! We're already planning on going back in a few years when the boys are tall enough to ride all of the rides and Jack should be able to ride quite a few more! :)

An Update with Snow!

2011-11-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I've been able to post. I'm not really sure what I've been doing instead of posting but I'm here now! September was a pretty normal month; filled with school and work and grocery shopping and all of the normal stuff! October on the other hand was pretty exciting!

We had our first encounter with snow! All of the kids were so excited to play in it! Especially Peter who went outside in a short sleeve shirt at 11 at night to play in it! The boys each made a snow angel, that you can't really see in the pictures. They also had a snow ball fight and built a snowman! We don't have any gloves yet so by the end of an hour the boys' hands were freezing! (Mine too!) I suppose we'll have to invest in some gloves huh?

Unshaken Resolve

2011-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today our lives changed forever. I remember that day well.

I was already at school, on the field with the Drumline.

We were practicing our sets and music for marching band.

We finished our practice and were getting ready to join the rest of the band

when we heard the news:

America was under attack.

At first I wasn't sure what to think.

No one really knew a lot about what was happening.

But as time passed; reality sank in.

This wasn't an accident and it wasn't some small thing.

Someone somewhere was dying right then.

And we were all completely safe in our classroom;

what seemed like millions of miles away.

The 2 things I remember most about that day

are watching history unfold and my good friend, Jamie.

We watched the news in math, history, English and everything in between.

In my first period band class while we were watching

Jamie came in the room crying to use the phone.

She told me her Dad was Flying to New York that morning.

For a meeting at the WTC.

She didn't know if he had made it there or not.

She couldn't get a hold of him.

I remember sitting just outside of the band room with her

crying until she finally got a hold of her Mom.

Her Dad was safe.

He had missed his flight.

I know that years from now our childrens' childrens' children

will read about that day in history books.

They won't be able to understand the terror that every American felt.

But we will. We know how it felt to see our Beloved Country attacked.

I know that we will never forget all of the lives lost.

We united as a Country on that day.

We looked terrorists in the face and said

"We're still here. We're not going down without a fight!"

We will live on with "Unshaken Resolve"

that we will heal, and we will remain

United as One.

God Bless America.

Going, Going GONE!!!

2011-08-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

So how is everyone doing? Well I hope! :)

I never thought I'd decide to do this but in an effort to protect my family we're going private! I'm going to keep the blog open until the 31st of August and then; poof! We're gone! :)

If anyone out there cares and still wants to read about our crazy lives leave me a comment with your email address and I'll put you on the list.

You know you want to be on the list. ;)

Seven Years Later...

2011-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago, this is what we looked like.

We were young and in love. Up until just recently (and I use the term recently loosely) this was the happiest day of my life.

And then this happened, and life got even better. I didn't think that it could get much better than this.

Until this happened.

Now we have this life. I've never been happier.

I love Peter with all my heart and I'm excited to see what the future has in store for us.

Oops!!

2011-07-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

All I'm going to say is how much I love Peter and how glad I am that he's ok! This could have been a much worse situation than it is. Heavenly Father was protecting Peter that's for sure! Other than a couple bruises and a cut on his forehead he wasn't seriously injured; which is mind blowing! Every time I look at these pictures I'm reminded just how blessed we really are. :)

Gramma(GG) is finally here!

2011-06-18T15:34:00.001-07:00

Jackson is about 14 months right now and being the stubborn little boy (he gets it from Lindsay) that he is, has refused to walk yet. So we have been waiting in anticipation of Lindsay's Grandmother and the boys' Great Grandmother (she really is GREAT!). She arrived early this morning and we have been hanging out all day.

Well to get to the point. This afternoon while Jack was watching Sesame Street, he decided he wanted to sit in GG's lap. So he stands up with the assistance of the ottoman, and walks without assistance over to GG. That little stinker was just waiting for GG to show up to start walking! I guess he just needed the proper motivation.

In conclusion, hopefully we will see a more mobile child now that his GG is here.

Peter

Summer Fun

2011-06-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

School's been out for a few weeks now and we've been really busy having lots of fun! Daniel and Ryan have both learned how to ride their bike with no training wheels! Daniel learned first and was pretty quick about it, or so I thought. Then Ryan learned the next week...in about an HOUR!! Can you believe that?! He's still a little nervous about it but he's pretty much got it down. Turning makes him giggle with nerves a bit, which is cute!

This is Daniel riding his bike. He's getting really adventurous and has even tried riding with only one hand!

Like I said Ryan is still a bit nervous and giggles uncontrollably because of it. I feel bad because I don't have a video of Daniel, just Ryan, but oh well!

Jackson has learned that he likes to climb. He tries to open the car doors so he can go for a ride! Sometimes we go to get the mail and I let him ride in the front seat. He loves it and laughs the whole time! He's getting so big! I can't believe he's going to be 14 months old in just a few days! He knows how to say milk, drink, eat, hungry, Daddy, more, puppy and hot in sign language. And he'll use them spontaneously throughout the day. He also LOVES to give knuckles! Cute right? :)

All in all we've had a pretty eventful summer so far. We plan to spend a lot of time at the library, pool and any park we can find! We're also looking forward to seeing GG and Aunt Amy when they come to visit! GG will be here in about a week! And Aunt Amy will be here a few days after that! We can hardly wait!!

My little man isn't so little anymore!

2011-05-21T19:05:00.001-07:00

So by reading the title of this post I bet you're thinking I'm talking about Jackson, right? NOPE! He is growing up, and too fast I might add, but this post is not about him.

This post is about my other 'little' man; Ryan. Can you believe that when we first got Ryan he was named Angel? :) He was 17 months old, 28 inches tall and weighed 32 pounds. He wasn't walking yet (who could weighing that much with size 2 feet?!) He was so short and chunky! And such a doll! I think we knew by the first night that we would keep him forever. I'll always remember him looking like this:

And like this:

And this:

And sometimes even like this:

(How cute is that by the way? I mean seriously?)

The hardest part about Ryan growing up is how much he's changed. Deep down I always wanted him to be the sweet, loving and cuddly little boy that he was in 'most' of these pictures! I must admit, though, that he gets to be more and more fun every day. Frustrating? Yes. Annoying sometimes? Yes. But he'll always be my 'little' man!

Happy 6th Birthday, Ryan! We love you SO much!!

This one's for you!

2011-05-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

This post is for Daniel and Ryan's teacher's from AZ. Just know that they both miss you so much and talk about you all the time! They love you and always will! :)

These were at the WOW Children's Museum in Lafayette, CO. They had so much fun playing with everything. They had a bank, a sand box, a pirate ship, a music room and even a giant bubble maker! You could stand inside of a circle and make a bubble around yourself. It was really neat and the boys loved it! I had to throw in a cute picture of Jack too! He's a drummer in the making for sure!

This was one of the pictures we took to send to our Gramma's and our Great Gramma. (GG) They got to play at the park afterwards so even though Mommy made them sit still for so long they got something out of it!

What are we doing?

2011-04-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you what we're doing! We're going crazy!! HAHA! Ok, maybe that's a little over stated...maybe it's just me going crazy? :) Things have kind of gotten into a rhythm now and it's been much easier. Peter works 8:30 to 5 four days a week and 8 to 5 on Wednesdays. It's been really nice because he's home for dinner and to help get the kids ready for and in bed! We've been able to spend a lot more time with each other (which I LOVE) and with the kids!

The boys seems to be doing well in school. They're both in typical classes now, which I think will be a blessing. I'm hoping at least. I think Ryan will be ok as long as his teacher is on the same page as us. I'm a little more worried about Daniel but his teacher seems to really know what she's doing. It also seems like she's trying to work with him. I pray every day that this was the right place for them. They've made some friends in the neighborhood too. A boy, Austin, who lives across the street asks almost every day if they can play. They just love it!

Jackson is the only one who doesn't notice a difference. As far as he's concerned he just had a funner house to play with, a ton of places to hide and get into and a plethora of stairs to climb! (He still hasn't learned how to go down them though...) He's become such a little stinker and a sweet heart all in one. Is that possible? He throws fits and then gives you the best open mouthed slobbery kisses you've ever gotten!

I'm going to leave you with a few pictures that we've snapped since finding our camera! Love from the Rocky Mountains, The Vanderpools

Erie, CO

2011-04-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

We're here! We made it to Colorado after a VERY long 2 day drive! It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be but it was long! :) We left at about 8am on Sunday and got here at about 3pm on Monday. I think when we visit AZ I'll do it the same way. It was much nicer than driving the whole way in one day! We'll have to see though...

The boys are loving our new house! It took him a couple days but Jackson finally found the stairs and now we can't keep him off of them. It wouldn't be a big

deal if he knew how to go down them...

For the couple weeks before we moved Daniel's teacher was letting him tell everyone he was moving. She'd then ask him what he was going to see in Colorado and he'd reply "snow". Never anything else, just "snow". I was a little worried about having to explain to him that there wasn't going to be snow anymore since it was so late in the year. Until this morning...we woke up to this:

Daniel and Ryan were both SO excited to see the snow! It didn't snow a lot; it had melted away by lunch; but it was a miracle to them! I'm so excited to see them in the winter when the snow actually stays for a while!

Peter's parents drove up with us and helped us unpack a lot! Peter's mom basically did the whole kitchen! Which was a huge undertaking for her and a huge blessing for me! With out Mom and Dad here we would probably still be unloading boxes from the truck! Speaking of which...did I mention that when we move back to AZ we're selling all of our stuff first? Yeah, I'm not doing that again! We'll keep things like my Grandmother's hutch and her china, you know...meaningful stuff; but everything else is getting sold! It was too much work to move all our junk!

Anywho, I promise that I'm going to be really good about posting on here from now on! With no family and friends here I'm not gonna have much else to do! It's late and I think I'm gonna go to bed! Night all! :)

Changes...

2011-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I've posted. And I'm sorry for that to my 2 readers! But a lot has been going on and it's been tough to keep up!

I'm sure you've all heard that we're moving. Yes, that's right. I said moving! About 2 months ago Peter got really sick of the way he's been treated at his current job. So he decided to start applying for a new one. He looked all over The Valley and couldn't seem to find one. His next logical step was to look for a job somewhere else. He thought to himself, "if we could live anywhere we wanted to, where would we live?" Simple...Hawaii or Colorado. Vastly different I know, but we're really in love!

We quickly ruled out Hawaii because there wasn't a whole lot in Peter's job field there that would pay enough. So Colorado it was! He applied for about 15 jobs and finally got a call back from one. Boulder Valley Credit Union. He's their new accounting manager! Nice huh? It means more money and a better work environment. How could we pass it up? So, this little branch of The Vanderpools is moving to Colorado! Erie, Colorado to be exact! We found a great house to rent in an amazing neighborhood with a brand new school right around the corner. As terrified as we are; we're SO excited. I'm going to have to be really good about posting on our blog since we're going to be so far away. I can do it though! Just one more week and our lives will be forever changed...can't wait!

Haircut

2011-02-15T10:17:00.001-08:00

Jackson's hair was getting pretty out of control so last weekend he got a little bit of a trim! He looks pretty stinkin' cute. It did make me sad though. And I do kind of miss his crazy hair but it was for the best! This is a before picture. His hair was so wild!!This is after. He looks so handsome and grown up! So sweet!! :)

Cousins

2011-01-31T07:03:00.001-08:00

I should start this by saying that Jackson is one of 5 little "Vanderpool" boys who were born within 6 months of each other. Peter's Grandma wanted us to get pictures of the 5 boys as soon as possible. We waited until Jackson and Benjamin (who is 2 days younger than Jack) were about 4 months old and this is what we got:
Jackson is the top right and from there clockwise is Ammon, Tyler, Archur and Benjamin. They all did so well and we got some really cute pictures, despite sprinkler mishaps and having 5 little babies!

Visiting Santa

2010-12-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to see Santa last weekend. All 3 of them did great! Usually Daniel's scared which makes Ryan scared too but not this year. Even Jackson was happy to sit on Santa's lap.

Who thinks Jack looks like his Crazy Gramma Barb? :)

It's been a while...

2010-12-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since I was able to post last. You know how life is...busy, busy, busy!! Thanksgiving has come and gone and I missed my tradition of writing what I'm thankful for. So I'm gonna do a little right now.

I'm so grateful for my wonderful family. My kids are the light of my life! I can't imagine one day without them. I'm thankful for Peter and what a great example he is. I'm also thankful for my Savior and the sacrifice he made for me. I know it's short but I'm going to leave it at that.

We went to Usery Pass for Thanksgiving again this year. The kids always love it and it's nice to be outside for a while! The boys are getting smarter and more obnoxious every day and Jackson just gets bigger. It makes me sad to see my boys growing up so fast but excited at the same time to see who/what they're going to be. I love my family. I'll leave you with some recent pictures..."Look what I can do all by myself!"Jackson was not happy about being put down!

Trunk or Treat 2010

2010-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at our ward's Trunk or Treat last night. The boys got a ton of candy and had a lot of fun running around with their friends. The only pictures we took we at home afterwards because being the awesome parents we are...we forgot the camera! But we did get a couple cute shots!

Can you tell it was a long night and some one was REALLY tired? Yeah...didn't think so! :) We love Ryan and his little outbursts!

Christopher Creek and 6 Months!

2010-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to the Perry's cabin again. We had SO much fun, as usual! The boys just love it up there and are already asking when we can go back. They really do love it up there. This was right before we went hiking. And Jack's first little hat. He looked so cute with it on. The 2nd on is while we were hiking. Ryan kept running ahead of us and asking "left or right". He'd then run ahead again and ask us the same questions 2 minutes later! Daniel was a little more reserved and kept closer to us than Ryan. They're both getting so big and cuter every day!!This is Jackson on October 13th. He was exactly 6 months old! I can't believe how fast its gone by! It seems like just yesterday he was sleeping in the bassinet at the hospital! He's such a joy in our lives and his personality is coming out in full force! If you growl at him, he growls back at you! He smiles a lot but saves them for the people he loves the most. He's a very happy baby and we couldn't be more blessed!

Can You Believe?

2010-09-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Can you guys believe it's already September? And September is almost over? I sure can't. It's gone by so stinking fast! Life has been crazy. We've had 10 people living in our house for almost 2 months now and things can get crazy pretty dang fast! Besides that, here are a few things that have been going on.

The boys LOVE school and LOVE to buy their lunch everyday. The first thing they tell me when they get home is what they ate for lunch! They also love helping with Jackson too. They're constantly running around getting things for me. I love it!

Jackson is talking a lot more. Saying "ba ba" and blowing raspberries. Which is pretty dang cute! He also wants to sit up SO bad! He's getting much better and I swear he'll be crawling by 6 months! You can tell he just wants to go! :)

Peter is looking for a job closer to home. Right now he works an awful schedule and is gone til 7 4 nights a week. With the boys being in school they go to bed at 7 so they don't get to see Peter at all. Hopefully he'll get the one he's looking into and our lives will be much happier for it!

I'm just trying to keep my head on my shoulders! We have a crazy life and I love it. It just can be stressful sometimes. I know we'll come out of this trial better than we were before so that's all that matters.

Watching Daddy. Can you tell he wants out?

"I love sweet potatoes!!"

Ryan at Logan's birthday party.

Daniel at Logan's birthday party.

Busy Month

2010-08-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

This last month or so has kept us on our toes! The boys started school again and are loving it! They ask me everyday if they get to go to school. It's been kind of weird having both of them gone all day. I sometimes feel like I need to get home really quick to get Ryan off the bus. It is nice though, I won't lie! I can actually get things done! Like grocery shopping and going to the gym! It should be a pretty productive year for me!
Jackson is now rolling over both ways! He's been going from his back to his tummy for about a month now. And went from his tummy to his back on July 31st. He's getting so big that it makes me want to cry! He had his 4 month check up on Friday and he looks good. He's almost 16lbs and 28in long. To give you an idea of how short Daniel and Ryan will be just think of this...Ryan was 28in tall at 17 months! Crazy huh?

Peter and I are struggling financially right now but we know that Heavenly Father will help us as long as we pay our tithing and do as we should. We're thinking about doing regular foster care. That would help supplement our income and maybe we could get some girls! Anywho, we're all doing well for the most part. Just living and loving life!

Cute Video

2010-07-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Jackson LOVES his GG! (Great Gramma) He always gives her the best smiles and laughs at her. It makes me a little bit jealous!

Perry's Cabin

2010-07-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun up at Carri and Joe's cabin! We're hoping to be able to go back up sometime soon. I'm just posting some pictures cuz Jack's getting mad and I have to be fast!

Long time; No post!

2010-06-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

The past month has been really crazy for us. Peter's work schedule is taking a toll on us all. He's work 4 10 hour day a week instead of 5 8 hour days. Which means he's home 3 days a week but the 4 days he's gone he's gone from about 6:30am to 7 pm. I'm not gonna lie, it's rough.

I wish I could say something about all the fun the kids and I are having but I can't. The boys are having a really hard time behaving so we don't do a lot outside of the house. Yes, I know this contributes to the craziness but I can't justify taking them out to do something fun when they haven't earned it. I'm still hoping that things get easier and they decide to start listening and to stop fighting. Just last night I caught Ryan throwing a basketball at the back of Kalaya's head. Why he did it, I have no idea...he's twice the size of her and if she ever hurts him he cries for like 10 minutes.

Anywho, Kalaya will most likely be leaving us soon. CPS had found an adoptive family for her and they've had 2 visits already. I think she'll be really happy with them. And the best part is that they're an LDS family so she'll have the gospel in her life! They live in Queen Creek and are finalizing the adoption of another little black girl this week. Kalaya will make number 6 for them but she'll fit in perfectly. They have 3 older kids, 13,12 and 10; I think. And then they have the 4 year old girl they're adopting and a 4 month old baby girl too. Kalaya's 2 so it works out really well. I know she'll be loved and happy and that's all that really matters.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from the family pictures we had done in May. They turned out so good and I'm so glad Shannon told me about Tara. She's a great photographer with an amazing talent! Wish us luck for the rest of the summer...I'm not sure the boys will live to see another school year!

Ryan's "Graduation"

2010-05-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ryan graduated from Preschool this week! We're SO proud of him! He's made tremendous progress and we can't wait to see what he can do next year! Kindergarten; here he comes!!

A long, difficult week!

2010-05-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

We've had a very long week! It all started on Sunday when Jack decided to scream ALL DAY LONG! After 18 hours of listening to him scream, Monday rolled around. He was still screaming. The kids went off to school and my Gramma came over; Jack was still screaming. I took him into the doctor who told me it was most likely colic and advised me to change my diet. Well, I haven't been able to breastfeed exclusively because I've been so sore from his tongue tie. This past week I've finally been able to heal some. And up til Sunday Jack was getting breast milk that I've been able to pump but since he was having such a rough day I wasn't able to pump like I needed to. Because of that, my milk supply has dwindled. Anywho, on his way home from work on Monday, Peter's car was over heating so we took it into the shop to get it checked out. So I had to drive him to the 101 and Raintree to work. On the way up there we hit a piece of debris and got a flat tire. Jack was screaming cuz he was hungry and Peter changed the flat tire in his dress clothes. We wandered around Walmart while they fixed our tire and then I was headed home. Peter called me not too long after I'd been home and said that the shop called him about the car. It needs a new engine...lovely...$4000...haha!! Who has 4 grand lying around for things like this? I listened to Jackson scream for a couple more days and finally Wednesday I had the bright idea to take him in to see the chiropractor. He adjusted Jack and Peter and his dad gave him a blessing that night and ever since he's been completely fine! It's like he's a different baby! I really believe that it had something to do with the chiropractor and the blessing was an added bonus that we all needed.

So that was our week in a nutshell. I can't even begin to explain the way it felt to have my 5 week old screaming and not be able to do anything about it! Add to everything above 2 boys who have been just awful and that's most definitely a recipe for disaster. Hopefully this is all behind us and we'll be able to move on as a stronger family...maybe...if I don't sell the boys before then!

Newborn Pics

2010-05-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

I had Shannon's neice, Tara, take newborn pictures of Jack when he was 10 days old. She did an amazing job! I just love them so much! Jack is now a little over 11 pounds and almost 5 weeks old. Looking at these pictures makes me miss how little he was when he was born. Even though he's still tiny! This little man is so adorable and so photogenic. He was awake for just about the whole thing and didn't cry at all! That's my little man; a model in the making!! :)You can tell he has my lips in this one. I love it!!

I'm such a mean mom...

2010-05-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Is what Jackson is probably thinking today! Before the ripe old age of one month he's already had 2 elective surgeries! He was circumcised a couple weeks ago and today he had a Frenotomy to correct a tongue tie. For those of you who don't know what that is go here to find out. I feel so horrible for putting him through this pain. But I know that without it I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. Just after the procedure I fed him and could already tell a difference. Once he get the hang of his new found freedom things should be even better! I'm actually excited to breastfeed! I know I might sound a little crazy but I don't care. I snapped this picture before the procedure. He looks so helpless. I wanted to cry right along with him!

Blessing

2010-05-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we're blessing Jackson tomorrow. It's gone by so fast! He'll be 4 weeks old on Tuesday and a month old on Thursday! I still can't believe that the hospital let me leave with something so precious! He's getting bigger and bigger everyday. He doesn't look like a newborn anymore and it makes me sad. Daniel and Ryan do so well with him. They're constantly asking to hold him and kiss him. They're both really good big brothers. Anywho, that's that...I don't have anything else to talk about. I just realized I hadn't posted anything since the 1st. Here are some pictures to hold you over til next time! They're from the hospital but they're still some of my favorite. :)

Birth Story

2010-05-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

So I just know that you're all dying to know what happened when Jack was born! So, here it is... I went into the hospital on Sunday the 11th at 9am. They gave me some meds to help soften my cervix. I was on that for 12 hours. At the end of the 12 hours my cervix had softened a little bit so I was 50% effaced and not dialated at all. So they gave me something else to try to soften it for 4 more hours...4 hours later and there was still no difference! So they decided to start pitocin at 6am on Monday.

By 3pm I was really hurting so the nurse came in and checked me and I was 70% effaced and dialated to a 1! Woo Hoo! lol I decided to get the epidural, even though I wanted to do it without one. So I got the epidural and then waited and waited...til about 9pm. The nurse came in and checked me again and I was still 70% effaced and a 1. By this time the nurses were all thinking I was going to end up getting a C-section because my labor wasn't progressing. My doctor decided to take me off of the pitocin and let me rest for a little while. So I got 2 hours of rest and they started the pitocin back up at 11pm (Monday). At 2am...on Tuesday...when my nurse came in to check me I was still 70% effaced and a 2...a little bit of progress. She was still thinking that I'd have to have a C-section. I was thinking that too...

At 5am when she came back in to check me I had dialated to a 7! 5 cm in 3 hours! I was SO happy! I wasn't gonna have to be cut open! If I could have felt my legs I would've gotten up and did a little dance! She told me that I probably still had about 3 hours left. And when she came back in at 6 and I told her I was feeling alot of pressure she checked me again and I was an 8. I was fully dialated by 8am and ready to push at about 8:30. I pushed for about 45 minutes til my doctor came in. He took a look at things and told us that Jackson was face up and his head was stuck so he was gonna have to turn him over. After he turned him, which took all of 2 minutes, I pushed a couple more times and he was here!! Jackson Thomas was born at 9:37am on the 13th. He was 8lbs 1oz and 22 inches long. :)

After all of that hard work and such a long and memorable labor I honestly can't remember what the contractions felt like. I don't even remember the pain I felt for the first few days while I was 'getting used to' the episiotomy. Jack is now 2 and a 1/2 weeks old and my life is pure bliss! I have my 3 beautiful boys and an amazing husband and I couldn't be happier. Yes, I still cry sometimes but it's because I can't believe how lucky and blessed I am! I thank Heavenly Father everyday for my boys, all 4 of them!!

These aren't the greatest pictures, better ones will be posted soon I promise! He gets cuter and chubbier everyday. He's such a happy baby and we're so lucky to have him!!

He's smiling in his sleep. I can't wait til he starts smiling at us!

He just looks so serious in this picture. Like he's remembering something from Heaven. So sweet!

He's Here!

2010-04-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone say hi to Jackson Thomas Vanderpool. Born on Tuesday April 13th at 9:37. He was 8 pounds 1 ounce and 22 inches long. We're so glad he's finally here and will post more soon!!

This is it!

2010-04-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow's the day! I go in at 9am to be induced! We're so excited to finally meet this little boy! I just hope that everything goes smoothly and he's happy and healthy! I'll post pictures and what not when I can! Wish me luck!! :)

Baby Update

2010-04-07T14:02:00.001-07:00

So I know that most of you already know this but some of you might not so I wanted to post it here too. As of my doctor's appointment on Monday there was still nothing going on. Nothing at all! This little boy is going no where! So, my doc scheduled an induction for me. I go in on Sunday morning and they're going to give me some kind of gel that will help soften my cervix (TMI, I know!) for 12 hours. Doesn't that sound like SO much fun? haha...no. And stop laughing at me! Anywho, he said they start pitocin Sunday night, if I need it, and I'll most likely have the baby Monday morning. All in all it sounds like a REALLY long process to me. But hey! If it's gonna get him in my arms instead of in my belly I'm all for it!! We're all just SO excited to meet this little miracle and we can't wait much longer!

This is 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant...isn't it supposed to be over by now?

Easter Morning and Vanderpool Egg Hunt

2010-04-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

We've always loved the egg hunt at the Vanderpools. It's always so much fun to get together with family and share this special time together. And this year was no different! The kids had a ton of fun finding eggs. It took Kalaya a little while to catch on but once she did she was more than willing to find eggs and put them in her basket! We told the boys they could eat as much candy as they wanted to, but whatever was left when we went home was gonna get thrown away. I was a little nervous as to how this was gonna go over with them but it went surprisingly well. They even helped throw the extra candy away! Kalaya was already asleep so she had no clue what was happening to her candy otherwise I"m sure she would've thrown a little fit!

This morning the kids got up and opened their baskets before finding eggs. The Easter Bunny always brings them new swimsuits; it's like he knows they're going to spend the majority of the summer in the pool! :) They also got goggles and squirt guns too. They'll have lots of fun this summer!

We're still waiting for a certain little boy to grace us with his presence. He's stubborn like his parents and isn't going anywhere til he's forced out! Hopefully it won't be too painful for me and hopefully it won't be too much longer either! We're so ready for him to be here! This waiting is killing us!!

2010-04-04T11:14:00.001-07:00

Time goes by so slowly...

2010-03-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've had that song stuck in my head for a while now. Mostly because time seems to have stopped for me. And I'm sure it's because we're all just in limbo waiting for this little baby. He doesn't seem to be in any kind of hurry to greet the world and that's so frustrating! We're ready for him to be here and he doesn't want to get out of me! lol!
The real reason we're in such a hurry is because if I don't have him by next Monday my doctor wants to induce me and I don't want that to happen. I want him to be ready to come and to come naturally. I've heard that being induced makes labor more painful...anyone want to verify that for me? Oh well...I know I'm just gonna have to be patient but it's SO dang hard! We've waited SO long for this little boy that I'm not sure I can wait even another week! OK, maybe I can...but I sure don't want to!
I supposed that as long as I know that either way I'll have a little baby in my arms by the 11th at the latest (my doc won't let me go more than a week past my due date) I'll be alright. It just seems like so far away! I can do it! Cross you fingers for me that he decides to come on his own though...

A little excitement!

2010-03-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

So as of my last post I was asking if I'd be pregnant forever, right? Well, I thought that was going to change yesterday afternoon. My Gramma and I took the kids to have breakfast with my Dad and Brother. While we were there I mentioned that my feet and ankles were REALLY swollen. My mom had Toxemia when she was pregnant with me so my Gramma immediately told me to call my doctor's office. Which I did, however, my doctor was out of the office until Monday! Great timing huh? They advised me to keep an eye on it and if it got any worse to go to the emergency room. Well, after getting some advice from a wonderful sister in law and talking to Peter, I decided to go to urgent care instead. I dropped the kids off at the Vanderpools and headed over there. While I was there they ran some tests and decided that I "most likely" had Toxemia and sent me to the ER at the hospital to do more extensive tests...who sent me to the L&D Triage unit. By this time I was pretty worried. I let Peter know what was going on and his first question was "so we're going to be having a baby this weekend?" haha! I was there for a few hours while they ran some tests, listened to the baby's heart rate and took my blood pressure about a hundred times. It turns out that I do have Toxemia (yay! lol) but it hadn't developed into Preeclampsia so they sent me home on strict orders to not do anything. My nurse was adamant. She told me that I wasn't allowed to do anything. Peter has to make dinner and clean and everything until I can see my doctor on Monday. And let me just say, Peter has been amazing. I've been watching TV all morning (woohoo) and he's been taking care of 3 kids and cleaning the house! I love him more than anything!! So, to make a long story short...I have Toxemia and am still pregnant! I was hoping that since I'm full term they'd just decide to induce me! No such luck!! Maybe Monday though...

Will it ever end?

2010-03-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, I know a lot of you out there know EXACTLY how I feel, but the question still needs to be put out there. Am I going to be pregnant forever?! My goodness! This little boy is in no hurry to grace us with his presence anytime soon! And he's not so little. My doctor told me he's a little over 7 pounds. Can you believe that?! I'm only 37 weeks!! He's got another 3 weeks to cook! The good news is that my doctor won't let me go more than a week past my due date. I'm hoping that he feels sympathetic and does something next week to help speed the process along. Hey, a girl can dream right?

Finally finished!

2010-03-04T08:28:00.001-08:00

This is what we've been working on so diligently for the past month or so. It seems to have taken forever! But I'm proud to say that we're done!! Well...almost...I'm going to put his name on the wall above his crib. If/when we decide on a name for him! We have a few that we like but nothing that's set in stone yet. The last picture isn't my favorite but Peter made me do it. He likes to tell me how big my stomach is getting...thanks! I just think it's funny that he's so enthralled by it!

35 weeks 4 days and counting!!

2010-03-04T08:25:00.001-08:00

If only...

2010-02-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

If only I wasn't so tired all the time, I'd clean the house better; or more often. If only I could understand all of what my kids were saying, I'm sure I'd laugh at them a lot more. If only we didn't have to worry about things like money, I'd hire someone to decorate my house for me so I don't have to do it. (And I'd hire someone to clean it too!) If only, right?

I want to buy a rug for the baby's room and just can't bring myself to spend $120 on something like that. When things like this come up it always makes me think, "if only...". I know we all have these same kind of thoughts though so I don't feel SO bad about it. I just have to remind myself that a rug isn't a necessity, and that paying our tithing and our bills is MUCH more important!

If only I had some rich relative who didn't have anything better to spend money on than a rug for my baby's room...

It's FINALLY over!!

2010-01-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!! I'm not really sure what to say about yesterday. We had a GREAT day. I still can't believe that it's finally over and done with. All that's left is the sealing tomorrow. Thinking about being sealed to these beautiful little boys, who are now my own, makes me giddy with happiness! I just hope that our family who was planning on driving down for the sealing makes it safe and sound. This weather isn't cooperating with our plans!

After the adoption was final Peter and I took the boys, my mom and Grannie down to Chandler for our 3D ultrasound. I honestly think it's something that we're going to do for every pregnancy. It was the neatest thing I'd ever seen. We could really see what he looks like, and yes, he's DEFINITELY a boy! He's not shy about mooning us at all! We can hardly wait for him to be here so we can hold him and kiss his chunky little cheeks! We got about 35 pictures of him but I'm only going to post a couple even though I'd love to post all of them!! He had either his hand or his foot in his face just about the whole time. Such a stinker! But his foot is almost as big as his face!! He's gonna be a tall boy!

Court Info

2010-01-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

So, Adoption day is tomorrow!! Is everyone as excited as we are? I didn't think so!! :) I just wanted to post some last minute info about the court hearing tomorrow. The set time is at 9:30am but they could be running a little early or even a little late. So plan on being there by 9:15am at the latest. Otherwise you'll just see us coming out of the court room! Also, bring your cameras! We'd love to see everyone else's point of view of the proceeding so feel free to bring your camera and snap away!! If anyone needs it the address of the court house is 1810 S Lewis in Mesa. It's off of Mesa Dr. and the 60 in the Juvenile Court facility. From the 60 you'll turn right on Javelina, past the Maricopa County Superior Court and then right on Lewis. If I remember correctly it should be on your left side from there. (Peter and I have only been there once. Everything else we've gone to for the boys has been out in Phoenix.) Feel free to call me if you have any questions or if I didn't explain something clearly enough! We love you all!! :)

Adoption Stuff

2010-01-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

So everything seems to be coming together nicely for the adoption. Peter and I are SO excited!! We can hardly wait for next Thursday to come. To make matters even better we finally got ahold of Kalaya's caseworker and within a matter of a day Kalaya's daycare was put through and I've gotten phone calls from 3 different therapy companies about her. So she should be able to get speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy!! I feel so good today! I just wanted to share my good mood with the 'world'...or at least with those of you who read our blog!

Thoughts

2010-01-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder why I have a blog at all. I love being able to 'catch' up with friends and family. But it also makes me feel that if I look at their blog and know what's going on I don't have to actually keep in touch with them. Does that make any sense? Well, it does in my head! I'm thinking about giving up on my blog. At least for a little while. What do you think about that? haha, Like you can answer or have any say at all!! Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens!

Christmas Morning

2009-12-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Christmas morning at the Peter and Lindsay Vanderpool house! The boys were SO excited to see their new swing set and have been on it almost constantly since they 'opened' it! Ryan's face cracks me up! He's opening his Buzz Lightyear, so cute! Daniel has this thing for bows, everyone he takes off of a present goes on his head. He ended up with like 5 on! Kalaya didn't really know what was going on but enjoyed tearing paper up! The last one is of the swing set. Ryan ran outside in his jams and slippers and immediately went down the slide. It's a fast slide so that first time was pretty funny for Peter and I to watch!!

Busy Bees

2009-12-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

These past couple of weeks if you'd come to our house you'd have seen a front and back yard of dirt. Then sometime in there it would've been a yard of dirt with holes and trenches for sprinklers. Well, we're not completely done but I do have to say that Peter and a few choice people, Justin and Clinton, have finished the back yard! It looks amazing!! I am so excited to see the boys' faces on Christmas morning when we open the back door and they have a fabulous yard and a new swing set!! They'll be so surprised! I have to post a couple pictures so everyone can see the difference, it's truly amazing! We moved pool fence, put in sprinklers, leveled and laid down sod. A lot of hard work that really paid off!!The pictures above are from when we were looking at the house in April 2008. Almost 2 years ago. We didn't even remember that that's what the backyard looked like! But as you can plainly see it's a night and day difference now!

Adoption Update!

2009-12-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that we FINALLY have an official date for the adoption!! January 21st, 2010 at 9:30 at the Mesa courthouse. We're planning on having a get together the weekend after so we can celebrate this exciting time in our lives with family and friends! We'd like to say thank you one more time for all of the prayers and love that has been sent our way. We wouldn't have made it through this without all of you! We love you all SO much!!

More Great News!!

2009-11-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Our Petition to adopt the boys was officially filed on November 20th!! This means that we're looking at a date somewhere around January 15th (at the latest) for it to be final!! How exciting is that?? We even have copies of everything to prove that it was filed!! Now all we have to do is wait...

Great News!

2009-11-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we got GREAT news a couple weeks ago that I keep forgetting to share! I feel so awful that I haven't shared it with everyone! We were so caught up in everything that posting it slipped my mind. Anywho, here it is...As of October 27th, 2009 Peter and I are officially certified to adopt!! YAY!! And it only took us about a year! Can you believe that? So, this is great news because as soon as our attorney can file the petition to adopt with the State our adoption of the boys should be FINAL within 60 days!!!!! I can not explain how this makes me feel! I cried for about an hour after I got the email saying that we were certified. And it still blows my mind. So, we're thinking it'll most likely be early January that the adoption is final and then we'll be able to go through the Temple as a family and be sealed for time and eternity to two of the biggest blessings in our lives. It makes me cry with joy to think that in just a few months time we'll be sealed to our boys. I just feel so blessed.

Baby Vanderpool's First Photoshoot!

2009-10-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the pictures my doctor printed out for us...

This is his profile. He's lookin' like a Vanderpool already!

In these two he had his hand up and was waving at us. It was pretty cute. Like he was saying Hi to us for the first time!! This is the "money shot", very obviously a boy! Mooning us already!

Update

2009-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

We didn't break the Vanderpool trend, we're having a boy!!

Pics will come as soon as I can get them scanned in!

Now, if only we had a name...

Funny Boy

2009-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

We're standing in the kitchen and Daniel hears a police siren...

Daniel to Peter: "Daddy, the police man's coming to get you!"

He then runs away because he knows the Peter's going to tickle him for that one. Funny little boy!

C'est la Vie!!

2009-09-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

So we've been pretty busy lately. The boys are still loving school. Daniel comes home and practically throws everything out of his back pack at us! He's even excited to do his homework. Ryan is doing really well too. His teacher says she can't believe that he's going to be in Kindergarten next year! I can't believe that either. It seems like just last week he moved in with us. Such a chunky monkey!! Kalaya will most likely be leaving us some time in the next couple months. We'll be sad to see her go. But in the mean time we're happy to be able to watch her grow! She's started blowing real kisses now and is walking around like crazy! Peter's still busy looking for a job and has a few good prospects. I suppose right now we just have to wait and see what pans out for us. I'm feeling really good. I'm now 13 weeks along and am becoming less tired that I have been the past few weeks. Which Peter and the boys love! We went to the doctor today for my 2nd check up and everything looks great. The baby's heartbeat was 162 and I've only gained 3 pounds! All in all we're doing great. We're busy and things are crazy as usual but that's life!

First Day of School

2009-09-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

I know these pictures have been a long time coming but here they are. Daniel started Kindergarten this year and loves it. He has homework and comes home everyday ready to work on it ASAP! Ryan is in Miss Lynn's Preschool class again. He loves going to school and gets upset when we pick him up because he doesn't get to ride the bus. All in all, they're both doing very well and we're told that they are good and making progress already!

Update

2009-08-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

So things have been pretty busy here lately. The boys are back in school and just LOVING it. I started back to school last week and I'm not too excited about it. That's just how it is though. Peter is still looking for a job that offers health insurance for us. And our newest addition is growing like crazy! I went in for my first appointment today and came out a week farther along than I thought I was!! How funny is that? So instead of April 10th, I'm now due on Peter's birthday, April 4th. Peter says he won't mind sharing! We got a picture and got to hear the heartbeat too! We weren't expecting that so it was even more amazing! We also got to see him/her move! My mom said it's definately a girl because boys don't have rythym! That's definately true in my family, not really in the Vanderpool's!! But we once again realize just how blessed we are!

Surprise Surprise!!

2009-08-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

I know it might be a little earlier than most people would share this bit of information but we just couldn't hold it in!! Peter and I found out a few days ago that we are pregnant!! I can not even begin to explain all of the emotions going through my mind!! We have been trying for a while. Four years this month, actually. I didn't believe it at first and made Peter go to the store and buy 3 more tests just to be sure! Crazy I know but I don't care!! We are just so happy and excited and scared and nervous and stressed and elated about it! (Just to name a few emotions) I suppose I should say more info will come. We should have a busy few months ahead of us. Hopefully the adoption will go through and we'll find out if we might be able to adopt Kalaya this week. With that and a pregnancy and Peter having to find a job with health insurance we'll be pretty busy but I'll try to keep everyone up to date!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-07-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have been SO busy the past few days that I haven't had time to stop and think!! We decided that it was high time we found some renters for the townhouse and so on Monday night, while Peter was at the big sibling meeting, I got onto Craigslist to look into posting an add. Instead I was distracted by all the people who had posted adds saying they needed a place. I found a couple of people who I thought it couldn't hurt to email and did just that. I sent an email out describing the townhouse and what we were asking for it. Keep in mind that this was at about 11 at night. Before I went to bed that night I had already gotten an email back! She and her fiance had just moved down from Iowa for his job and they were looking for a place ASAP. We met on Tuesday and I showed her the house. And she filled out an application and signed a lease the same day! So Peter and I and my Mom and Dad Vanderpool worked like crazy yesterday to paint over a horrible color that our previous renters had painted. They painted not only the walls, but the baseboards and the cabinets under the stairs and the back of 3 doors(including the front door) the same ugly orange color!! I don't know how anyone could possibly live with that much of one color, let alone orange!! We didn't get everything finished until Wednesday but it's done and it looks so much better!! The cabinets are back to the white color I had painted them originally, as well was the baseboards and doors, and the walls are a light brown color that is SO much better!! The house looks amazing! We are all pretty tired of painting though! Thank you Mom for all of your help!! You were there before Peter and I were there this morning! And thank you Dad Vanderpool for fixing all of the holes in the walls and helping us paint! You are both life savers and we love you all the more for it!!
So to end, I'd just like to say that we love Craigslist. I can't believe the luck we had in finding renters this time. I just hope that this time they'll stay for their whole lease! And I'd also like to remind everyone that Heavenly Father gives us blessings in our times of need if we ask for them. He definitely blessed us, and we are SO thankful!!

One tough puppy!

2009-07-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

I know that some of you were in Colorado with us this last week when Daisy got scared and ran away. And I know that to some of you a little dog like Daisy might not seem that important. But I wanted to let everyone know why we love her so much. Well, why I love her so much really. I know that alot of you know that Peter worked for UPS at nights for a long time. We got Daisy to keep me company on the nights that Peter was working. However, Daisy also kept me and the boys company while Peter was in school. And I know it might seem a little silly to some of you but Daisy is a member of our family. Period.

So those 3 nights that she was missing were horrible for us. It was literally like losing a best friend and a family member. She does a hundred million things that make us laugh everyday and without those little things our lives were a little less happy. She loves playing with the boys and walking under our feet and biting our toes when we're gone too long for her liking. She plays with Peter every night before we go to bed and ALWAYS sleeps in between us unless we move her. She's just a wonderful dog with a wonderful personality and we are so glad that she came home to us!

She came back to the Cabin after Peter and Justin left a trail of her favorite treats leading back to us. We had seen her run down a trail on the Hardy place the day after she ran away but we scared her away unintentionally. We were so afraid that she wouldn't come back to us in time. But she did. She came back at about 5am on Monday and we left the Cabin at about 10am! It was almost as if she was saying "OK, I'm done with my adventure, I'm ready to go!"

Thank you for all of the prayers you said for us and for her. We appreciate them very much. When Amy and Justin and their kids and Peter and I and the boys sat down to dinner Sunday night all of the 4 older kids decided they wanted to say a prayer for Daisy to come home. I personally believe that their prayers were answered, if only because they were so sweet and sincere. So thank you Logan, Kennedy, Daniel and Ryan, for having such wonderful spirits! We love you all!!

Today at the Zoo

2009-06-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather before it heats up again. I convinced my friend Amber to bring her daughter, Rylie, and go to the Zoo with us! Just so you know, kids under 12 are free all summer long. We packed up all of our stuff and got there just in time to eat lunch!! Which wasn't as expensive as I thought it was going to be. After lunch we took the kids to play at the 'Leapin Lagoon'. They had a lot of fun. Daniel took Rylie by the hand to try to get her in the water with them but she wasn't having it! After playing in the water for a while we went on the AZ Trail. I've never been on that trail before and it was pretty neat. It's short and wasn't nearly as busy as the larger exhibits. But we still got to see Mountain Lions, Bobcats and Snakes and Lizards. Ryan was a little scared when the Gila Monster started moving but other than that they loved it! I'm so glad that Amber and Rylie were able to come with us. We really did have a lot of fun. So much fun in fact that we decided to get together to do something every Friday. If anyone out there wants to join us, let me know and we'll work it out!!

Kalaya is safe...

2009-06-05T23:44:00.001-07:00

Just in case you missed the unfortunate events of today, I have a link you can follow to learn more.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2009/06/05/20090605abrk-amber0605-ON.html

All I can say is that Heavenly Father was very much in charge today. I just happened to call Lindsay right after Kalaya had disappeared, and could show up to help immediatly. Spencer just happened to be getting done with work and be close, in order to take the boys for the evening. And numerous others just happened to be positioned in places that made this difficult event as bearable as possible. What a blessing it is to live in such a wonderful community that values life so much and is prepared to protect it at any cost.

The whole day, we were comforted with the prayers and concerns of so many. Thank you. We love you.

Peter and Lindsay

Changes...

2009-05-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

I told you all I'd be changing our blog pretty soon! We had a friend of ours take some family pictures for us on Monday and she posted a "sneak peek" to her blog for us today! The three she posted turned out so good! I'm so excited to get the rest of them!! I feel like I'm 6 or 7 and waiting for Christmas morning!! Anywho, I thought I'd post the ones she put up and a link to her blog. She's an amazing photographer and I'm so glad she was able to do these for us! Crystal, you're wonderful!!
The one of the boys and Daisy is just so sweet! She really captured them well. And the lighting and colors are beautiful! But I especially love the one of our whole family. It makes me want to cry to think that pretty soon these 2 boys will be sealed to us for time and eternity! I can hardly wait! :) Go to http://www.calartistry.blogspot.com/ to see more of her work!

My need for change

2009-05-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I don't know how many people out there really keep up with our blog but for those who do I'm sure you've noticed that I change the background/font/colors etc. on our blog ALOT. I'm not exactly sure why I do this...sometimes it's sheer bordem other times I really am ready for a change. But I do know that it stems from something deeper.

I'm not the kind of person who likes things to stay the same for long periods of time. lol, even things as mundane as my blog background. So even though I spent over an hour picking out this background and fine tuning the pictures and colors it'll probly change in about a month or so!

I don't have anything else to say...I'm really only posting out of boredem. Peter is at a church meeting and all the kids are in bed so I have some time to kill. I did take the boys to the mall yesterday and had their pictures taken. They turned out really cute. I must say that my boys are hams! They love the camera. After every picture they took Ryan wanted to get down and look at it on the screen! I'll post some of my favorite shots...I love them all though so it'll be hard to choose! I think Daniel stuck his tongue out for every shot of them together. It's understandable though. They were giggly and he doesn't have teeth on the top to hold his tongue in! lolI absolutely love the expression on Daniel's face in this one! This is pretty much how he looks everyday!The look in Ryan's eyes is my favorite part of this shot. He looks happy but his eyes say "I'm up to something...just try to stop me!"

Busy Busy Busy

2009-05-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to post a picture of what I've been spending all my spare time on lately. And when I say all my spare time, I REALLY mean it!! My house has been neglected, the laundry and dishes have fallen on the shoulders of my wonderful husband and I haven't been able to spend real quality time with my kids in what seems like forever!! But, I am EXTREMELY happy to say that I'm finally done! I finished my resource journal and my fabrics notebook (pics will come later, I swaer you'll think I'm crazy though!) And I also finished 4 sample boards. I'm only posting pictures of 3 of them though. (the ones I like) lol So here you go...my life for the past 2 weeks has consisted of cutting, glueing, arranging and reglueing!!

We finally decided!

2009-04-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, since Peter and I couldn't decide between Ryan and Thomas for Angel we let him decide! I know it sounds funny but he picked his own name. And pretty easily too! We decided that we'd ask him everyday for a couple weeks whether he wanted to be Ryan or Thomas and whichever he said more would be his name! And much to our surprise he chose Ryan. Every single day!!! I was amazed that a 3 year old boy could have such strong feeling about his name. But then I figured that he's more in tune with Heavenly Father than Peter and I are so he must know something we don't! So...there you have it. We have decided. Our little boys are Daniel Manuel Vanderpool and Ryan Angel Clyde Vanderpool. And yes, Dad, (if you ever read this) you may call him Clyde. You know you want to...just do it! lol

Where has the time gone?

2009-04-23T17:33:00.001-07:00

So I've been a slacker lately. I haven't posted anything since April 1st!! Holy cow! Well...the reason I haven't posted anything is because nothing really exciting has happened. Well, one exciting thing has happened but I'm not really gonna talk about that right now. Anywho, I'll just tell everyone what's been going on lately.

We had a meeting with Manny's teacher and a few other people who work with him at school and guess what?! He's going to Kindergarten next year!! YAY!! They have a developmental class at Sonoma that is especially for kids with speech delays so it will be perfect for him! I'm so excited! Angel will still be going to Burk with Miss Lynne. He loves her. He talks about his teacher all the time. Kalaya is now pulling herself up onto the furniture. She's still standing on her toes so we have a little while before she starts walking though. She has 2 teeth now. Both on the bottom. Which makes for some pretty cute pictures!

Peter is working hard to find mortgages so we can make some money. He loves doing it but is finding it hard to concentrate on it while at home...he works from home...lol! I'm still in school, :(, working hard to finish the semester strong. I'm only taking 2 classes but with all the projects I have to turn in you'd think it was more like 5!! I have 4 presentation boards, 1 fabric notebook with 200+ sample to identify and describe and a resource notebook with over 20 companies to explain in detail! Needless to say I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed!! However, I am staying positive. I only have a few more weeks left and then I'll be done till Fall!

That's about it for now. I suppose I'll post a few pictures we've taken. Some are from Easter and some are just for fun. I particularly like the one of Kalaya though. She crinkles her nose like that all the time now. It makes us laugh every time so I suppose that's why she does it!! :D There are no pictuers of Peter and I because let's face it; as cute as we are, the kids are SO much cuter!!! :)

Princess Lindsay

2009-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

For my birthday Peter took me out to dinner and a movie. Nothing extravagant but I had a wonderful time. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have such a great husband. Even though he picks on me...alot. lol Especially on the 1st of April. He always does something that I don't pick up on until it's too late! He hasn't done anything yet, it's only 9am, but I'm sure something will turn up!! Anywho, back to my birthday...we went to dinner and a movie. We saw Numbers. It was pretty interesting. Kinda freaky at some points but good. One present that Peter got me was a tiara. You know, the ones that brides wear on their wedding days? Yeah, one of those. He made me wear it. It was sweet but I felt kinda silly. Oh well. We had a great time. Thank you Peter for making my 24th birthday such a special one!! I love you!

Daniel Manuel Vanderpool

2009-03-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Our little Manny man is now a big boy. Today was his 5th birthday. He had such a great day. I didn't even have to be there with him to know that! Peter and I have a tradition of making whatever the boys want for breakfast for them on their birthday. This year Manny decided he wanted biscuits and gravy! (Is he my little boy or what?!) So after a big breakfast this morning he went to school to celebrate with friends, and cupcakes. And then on to daycare with cookies!

When I got hom from school this evening he was at the kitchen table eating spaghetti and my heart just melted. This little boy who came into our lives so suddenly has captured our hearts in a way that I can't even describe. I love him more than I ever imagined I could.

He has turned into such a boy lately that it breaks my heart. He doesn't need me the way he used to. He doesn't want me to hold him and love on him when he gets hurt anymore. He's, and I quote, "a big boy". He has started liking to do more boyish things instead of toddler things. He LOVES riding his jeep in the back yard and playing basketball with Peter in the mornings before he goes to school. And just mention camping and his eyes light up. (He even got his own tent and flashlight for his birthday!)

There's really not much else I can say about Manny. Danny. My little love. All I really can say is how thankful I am that he's here with us; How grateful I am for Heavenly Father and the blessings he has given me; how amazing it feels to have such a wonderful family. I love Manny and that's all there is to it.

Just one more!!

2009-03-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just this one last picture I promise. I couldn't help it. This was too cute of an opportunity to pass up!! lol, It's Angel on Peters shoulder's FYI!!

2009-03-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Camping pics cont'd...

2009-03-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok I lied...one more post and then I'm done I swear!! I have alot of homework to do!!

More Camping pics...

2009-03-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have a TON of pictures from this weekend and just thought I post some more!! There will be one more post even!!

Bryce Canyon

2009-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the boys to Utah and go camping with Amy and Justin and their kids. We stayed at the KOA about 20 minutes east of Bryce Canyon in Cannonville. We had a great time!! We went hiking to a mossy cave and waterfall near the bottom of Bryce and the next day we went to Bryce Canyon. Peter and Justin took Manny and Logan and hiked down into the canyon. They 'went on an adventure' as Logan called it. Amy and I kept Kennedy and Angel at the top of the canyon. Angel was coughing so we didn't want to send him down the canyon and have it get worse. So instead we walked along the trail from Sunrise point to Sunset point and back. It was beautiful and VERY windy!! There was a storm blowing in. The morning we left it started snowing a little bit. Not enough to stick but just enough to see it and to make it really cold! All in all we had alot of fun adn are already planning another camping trip with Amy and Justin sometime this summer!

Our Big Boys!!

2009-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Manny and Angel are both getting so big! For the past almost 2 years they've been sleeping in toddler beds. Peter and I have decided that they're big enough for big boys beds so yesterday we put together their bunk beds. They even got new bedspreads and everything! They were so excited to see those big beds! And they were even more excited to sleep in them last night!

We have joined the dark side!

2009-03-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that when you first get married you have a pretty small family? Usually only a husband and wife right? Well then something crazy happens right? Someone decides that they're ready for a family and want to have kids. One kid turns into two kids which turns into 3 kids right? That's just how it happens. Families grow. Well...a few weeks ago our family grew just a little bit too. We welcomed a sweet little girl named Kalaya into our home as a foster placement. Ha ha...I bet you thought I was going to say we were pregnant huh? Nope, no such luck. Not yet anyway. Back to my point for joining the masses...right. The past couple weeks that Kalaya has been with us have been so fun. A learning experience to say the least but more fun than we could have imagined. All except for one thing...The Malibu. We love our car. Have always loved it and always will. It'll most likely be the car we pass on to the boys when they're old enough to drive. It's nice and comfy with a lot of leg room in the back. Just what we needed. However...it's REALLY hard to get an infant car seat and 2 booster seats in the back. The past couple of weeks we had to downgrade Angel to a car seat again (he wasn't happy about it at all), Manny was squished in the middle so tight he couldn't buckle himself in and Kalaya was so close to the seat in front of her we had to lift the car seat up a little before we could unlatch it from the base!!! So what did we do about it you ask? Well...we bought a new car! We got a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country Touring edition. Let me tell you, compared to the Malibu, it's a dream! We're so happy we chose it. Even the car buying experience was great. It was the first and only car we test drove and we got a great deal on it. The salesman was wonderful, didn't pressure us at all! It only took us about an hour and a half to look at a few cars, test drive 'the one' and sign the papers. I don't think we'll ever buy another car from anywhere else!

Ideas needed...

2009-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

Ok guys. I need your help. Manny's birthday is on the 25th. He's going to be a whopping 5 years old!! I can't believe that he's growing up so darn fast! Anywho, I'm at a complete loss as to what we should do for his birthday! I have no ideas whatsoever! So I'm asking for your help. What should we do to celebrate this wonderous event? I'm up for any ideas!!! Just let me know!

Say hello to...

2009-02-22T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is Kalaya, she is the newest member of our family. Temporarily at least. She's 11 months old and absolutely adorable! She's always happy and just a gem to be around. We really luck out with our foster kids! I'll post more about her soon! Until then, this is Kalaya(Kia or Kiki as the boys call her) with Uncle Sisco and Aunt Robin. Robin and Sisco just announced that they're expecting over Christmas and from these pictures you can tell they'll be great parents!

The more exciting news mentioned below!

2009-02-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

So I do have something more exciting to post! Peter's brother, Spencer, and his wife Rieko just welcomed their new little boy to the world on the 10th! He is absolutely adorable! And so tiny. I always for get how small new babies are! Congratulations again Spencer and Rieko, he's adorable!! Here are a couple pictures just so you can see how sweet he is! Oh and btw...I'm posting this not only because he's so darn cute but also because it's what Favorite Aunts do! lol :)

And the winner is...

2009-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so obviously the winner is Ryan. By a land slide. Peter and I love both of the names though and just can't decide. However, when we do decide for sure, which has to be pretty soon, we will let everyone know. We do appreciate all of the responses and help we've gotten over the past few days. Hopefully we'll have something more exciting to post about in the next few days! Love you all!!

We need your help!!

2009-02-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

I know this is going to sounds weird but we need help choosing a name for Angel for when the adoption is complete. We have narrowed it down to 3 names anf just can not decide. The names are Thomas, Ryan and Joshua. Whichever name we choose is going to be his first name and from there it will be Angel Clyde Vanderpool. Manny's name is going to be Daniel Manuel Vanderpool. Please help us make a decision with the poll to the right of your screen! Thank you so much! We love you all!! Peter, Lindsay, Daniel and ????? :)

2009-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty crazy lately. What with doctor's visits, school and more appointments than I can count; we've barely had time for ourselves! But i did want to post a few pics of the boys that we've snapped! They're nothing special and nothing new has been going on, I just though they were cute!!

Cute little boy

2009-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

This is an adorable picture of Manny. I can't believe that this little boy can take this kind of picture at the dentist!! How crazy is that? They were taking pictures of the skin tag on his upper lip to send to the insurance company to see if they'll pay for it. And this was the first one. This beautiful little boy is such a wonderful addition to our family and we can't wait for him and Angel to join our eternal family!

Christmas Day

2009-01-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. The boys were most excited about getting their big big big big choo choo train, as you can tell by the picture below. We had a pretty big Christmas, even though we didn't think we were going to. Peter got some air tight containers and a shelving system so we can start our year supply. And I got a foot massage bubble bath and a new hair straightener, which I love! Even though this is late in coming I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did!

We spent Christmas day with the Vanderpool family. It started with breakfast at Carri and Joe's house. We had a lot of fun. Peter and Angel had a great time swinging in the backyard and all of the kids had fun on the merry-go-round. Even some of the adults did too!

After breakfast we went to my sister Mary's house and spent some time with them. Aunt Deann and Aunt Luann and Joe, my 2 aunts and uncle, got the boys bicycles with training wheels. I about cried when Manny climbed right on and had no problems from the start. It breaks my heart to see how big they are getting! I don't want them to grow up yet! They also got Diego "talkie talkies" as Manny calls them. They play with the all the time! They're pretty annoying. They make the sounds of animals that you're supposed to be rescuing and it gets old really fast. All in all we had a great Christmas and look forward to having many more with the two beautiful boys!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we went to the Harrison's home. (Aka: my parent's house) We spent the evening playing with Bandit, my parents' recently adopted dog, and enjoying our family. Beth and Gus, my sister and her husband, were able to come with their little guy, Kalel. He's getting so big! And my other sister, Robin, and her new husband, Sisco, were able to be there as well! They also announced that they are pregnant! We're so happy for them!

This is the only picture I have of Beth, Gus and Kalel. Peter was taking the pictures and I was helping the boys open theirs. And I don't have a picture of Robin but this is her husband Fransisco. He's a funny guy, we like him!

The boys got so much stuff! Including a V-Smile video game system for kids, which they play with all the time! And some trains and track to add to their new train table and set. (They got it from Santa though so they didn't know about it yet.) I think Manny was a little disappointed to open that gift. He had been asking for a big big big big choo choo train for months and when he opend the small one his face kinda fell! All was fine in the morning though!

Peter's Graduation Party

2009-01-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

As previous posts might have mentioned, Peter has officially graduated! To celebrate we had a party for him at the Vanderpool's house and a special visitor showed up to see all of the kids! Here are some of the pictures:

Matthew and Michael were pretty nervous. This was the real Santa after all, you couldn't even pull his beard off! They settled for just whispering their Christmas wishes into Santa's ear!

Little Elizabeth was pretty oblivious to anything going on. Isn't she just adorable?

As usual I had to bribe the boys with ice cream. They're pretty cute too though don't you think?

It's official!!

2008-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's absolutely official now. Peter is a college graduate! All of his grades came in and I have to say I've never been more proud of him! He finished his last semester, which he says was his hardest, with all A's and B's! I am so thankful that this semester is over! And I know that Peter is as well. I'm trying to convince him to take a couple weeks off before he goes to work for the mortgage company, so he can spend some time with the boys. And I think I've got him hooked with that argument!

Quick post

2008-12-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

So I have a few minutes before I have to leave for the dentist so I thought I'd write a short post. Things have been pretty crazy around here the past couple weeks. With the holidays, school, sickness, work and finals we haven't seen a whole lot of Peter lately. But, I am excited to say, that should all change soon! Peter took his very last final this morning and will be graduating from the WP Carey School of Business at ASU on Thursday! We Are all so proud of him and so thankful that it's over! We'll be having a party on Friday at the Vanderpool's house at 6. If you'd like to come we'd love to have you! There will be hamburgers and hot dogs and chips and what not so come hungry if you do come! It would be great to see some of you whom we don't get to see very often! Think of it as a catching up party!

The Vanderpool's address is 4144 E Houston Ave in Gilbert. It's off of Recker between Baseline and Guadalupe.

Here Comes Santa!

2008-12-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

So I decided that since the boys didn't have school today and I only had one class I was going to take the boys to see Santa. Well... it didn't quite work out how I planned. First of all, I was at class til 1 which is not typical at all. I usually get out around 11:30 or 12. Then when I did get home I picked the boys up and we went to the mall and had a quick lunch. We then got in line to see Santa at about 2:15. We were in line for almost exactly 2 hours. Ridiculous right? I don't know why I stayed... I think it was because today was the only day I could take them. I have officially decided that this is the last year we see Santa at the mall. From now on it's only Grampa Santa for us! For those who don't know, my dad dresses up as Santa every year and sits outside of my parents' house every night. He has a real beard and decorates the house too! If you want to take your kids there please go for it! He encourages pictures and hands out candy! The address is 4155 E Hopi Ave Mesa, 85206. It's off of Greenfield and Southern. I'm sure he'd love to see you!

P.S. The boys did really well and it only took 3 shots to get this one! Santa however, I'm not so sure about...

Sunday dinners and what happens after everyone leaves...

2008-12-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to Peter's parents' house for Sunday dinner, as we usually do. We like to stay and play games or watch a movie or just chat with his parent's and anyone else who decides to stay. Last night was no exception. We went over there about 6, talked, laughed, ate and had fun. Then after everyone left we decided we wanted to play some games. Peter and I and the boys were the only 'kids' who stayed. We played Boom-o and Mom beat us all. I was really fun. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we played Boom-o, Peter wanted to eat the last of the cherry pie. Dad wanted to eat the last of the cherry pie too. You see where this is headed? Well, Dad decided that he was gonna arm wrestle Peter for the last of the cherry pie. I snapped a quick picture and promised Dad and Peter that it was going on the blog! Not only is it on the Vanderpool Family blog, but now it's on ours! So, without further ado, the winner is...

DAD!!! Peter still ate the pie though... :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today is such a wonderful day. We just got home from a great Thanksgiving 'dinner' with my family and Peter and the boys are now taking naps. I'm not a big turkey eater so I'm not feeling tired, yet. My family has our dinner at Usery Pass every year, that way no one has to clean their house! Brilliant right? We weren't sure if it was going to be able to happen though because of the rain. But luck was with us and we had a beautiful day! Not even a sprinkle. It was a little chilly at some points but other than that it was great! The food was amazing. My family has a few really good cooks and a few people who know where to shop! Lol! All in all it's been a great day so far. It's only 3:30 and we've still got a long night filled with pie, games, laughter, pie, arguing I'm sure and probably some more pie. Peter's family does an early lunch and then pie in the evening. So we weren't able to eat with both families this year. :(

The one thing that I'm really going to miss about eating Thanksgiving dinner with Peter's family is a tradition that I'm not sure when it started. We bless the food and then while everyone is serving food and eating we go around the table and say something we're thankful for. Every year that Peter and I have been married, with one exception, I've had to really think about what I wanted to say. Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for a lot of things, I just want to say something meaningful ya know? The only year I can actually remember what I said I was thankful for was the year my Grandpa died. He died just a few days before Thanksgiving in 2005 and I was so grateful to have been given that last year with him. I wasn't particularly close with him. He wasn't the kind of man that actually said "I love you" to anyone. But a few days before he died he said it to Peter and I. I'll never forget that. It makes me cry even now. Anywho, I've gotten off topic.

Since we didn't get to share that tradition with Peter's family this year I thought I would write a little of what I'm thankful for on here for everyone to see! First of all, I'm thankful for such a wonderful husband. He is always there for me when I need him and is always helping me try to better myself. I'm thankful for the Gospel and the Church. In the past 5 1/2 years I've learned so much and grown so much as a person and I really owe most of it to the Gospel. But what I'm really thankful for this year is two things actually. They are Manny and Angel. I'm am so grateful for these two little boys who came into our lives so unexpectedly. From pretty much day 1 we've been in love with Angel and when Manny moved in with us it was just so much better. They are 2 of the most wonderful children and Peter and I are so lucky to be able to adopt them. I can hardly wait for that day to come! Also, I'd like to say one more time that I'm so thankful for all of the prayers and fasting that were done on our behalf. Peter and I are really lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. We love you all so much! Anywho, now that I've written a book I'm gonna go! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We love you!

Grand Canyon

2008-11-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to post pictures from our trip to the Grand Canyon over Labor Day for a long time now. But...being the smart people we are, we forgot to take our camera with us. So we were stuck paying $10 for a disposable camera with 24 shots. Ridiculous right? I know, but we wanted something to remember the trip by!

We had a lot of fun, even though it rained the whole time we were there. We got to spend a fun filled, memorable weekend with family and that's really the best part of it all! Anywho, keep in mind that these pictures aren't that great. But hey, at least we have some! :)

This is our campsite the morning after it almost blew away!

This is everyone eating breakfast...or lunch...it's hard to tell. By the end of the trip the kids were eating smores for pretty much every meal so... yeah...

This was on the walk we took on the rim. It was beautiful that day!

This is Peter and I and Manny and Angel. I'm terrified of heights so this picture is a HUGE deal for me. I could just see me tripping and Manny and I falling over the edge the whole time I was standing there! But it was worth it. And this is actually our most recent family picture! :)

Strippers and Cross-dressers...

2008-11-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

So this is a little late in coming but I'm a slacker so really what can I say? :) About a month ago I took the boys to my sister Robin's bridal shower. We played the game where you make a wedding dress out of toilet paper and Manny was one of the 'models'. We tried to get Angel to do it but he cried about it! So...we have our previously mentioned cross-dresser. Then a little bit after that Angel had to go potty and when he was done he proceeded to show everyone his big boy underwear. He pulled his pants down and did a little dance for everyone to see! It was pretty funny. But , it's one of those times when a normal person would cover their face and think "they get it from their father". However...I was laughing right along with everyone else! And actually, he probably gets it from his mother...she's the insane one!

This is everyone except for my mom, she was taking the pictures.

Superheroes

2008-11-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

The boys had a great time trick or treating this year. They figured out that they get candy for dressing up! Angel was superman and Manny was batman. We went to see Gramma Barb and Grampa Ed and they kept saying 'trick or treat' to Grampa to get more candy. Manny kept telling me that he wanted to go to alot alot alot alot alot of houses. They were really good and had alot of fun, and even though Daddy wasn't here to help me, I had alot of fun too. I dressed up as a 50's girl but I don't have any pictures because I was taking the pictures! Lol, no Daddy remember?

It's FINALLY over!

2008-10-23T21:12:00.001-07:00

Today was the trial for the severance of parental rights for the boys. Everything went fairly smoothly. Peter and I sat down with the boys' bio-dad and explained to him that we want him to be part of the boys' life. That we're planning on an open adoption, with him at least. So that being said; neither one of the parent's wanted a full blown trial and everything took about an hour. We get to keep the boys! Every time I say that, or write it for that matter, I start to cry. I've been crying since about 11 this morning! This just reaffirms to me the power of prayer and fasting. We must have had alot of people out there praying for us! I CAN NOT explain to you how I feel. I'm completely overwhelmed with gratitude, happiness, joy, nervousness and love. Among other things! Peter and I are so grateful to everyone who has helped us through this ordeal. And now we can really begin to start our new lives as a family! We're looking forward to the adoption and being able to be sealed to these amazing children. Thank you again for all the love and support. We love you all!

Peter, Lindsay, Manny and Angel

Good times ahead...

2008-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

So, I emailed Richard last night to see if he had heard anything about the possible placement for the boys and I got a response back this morning. He tole me that he did talk to the relatives but that they were only willing to take one of the boys. He said that he is NOT going to consider them for a placement at this time! I can not tell you the burden that has been lifted from my shoulders! Peter and I feel so blessed to have even the smallest chance for these two wonderful children to be part of our eternal family. I am overwhelmed by the support and love that everyone has shown us through this whol ordeal and pray that at some point Peter and I can show you the same love and support! We're not done with this yet though, the trial is on Thursday and Friday; and even though we've been told that there's no chance the parents will be able to keep their rights there's always that little bit of a possibility that it could happen. There is also a small chance that the relatives could come back and say 'ok we'll take both of them', however if they do, they only have the rest of today and tomorrow to contact Richard. We'd like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love and support we've been shown! And I know I've said it before but it's true! We couldn't have made it this far without all of your prayers for us and the boys. Thank you so much and we'll be sure to keep you updated with everything that happens this week! We love you all!

Peter, Lindsay, Manny(Daniel), and Angel(Ryan) :)

New Pictures

2008-10-17T21:58:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd post some more recent pictures of the boys so here they are...

I was going to explain some of them but decided that they are pretty self explanatory...the last one though...I don't know! Angel was just being silly and I caught his face at just the right time!

Daisy

2008-10-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything new to say about the situation with the boys. The trial is on October 23rd. And we most likely won't know anything more for a while.

Peter and Manny have both been sick with pink eye and Angel and I both have coughs. So we've had a few pretty long days lately. Also, we've started potty training Angel. He's doing really well. he only had one accident yesterday. The only thing that's changed since we've started is that we can't go anywhere with him! I took the boys to the costume store to get Halloween costumes and Angel peed on the floor! He started crying and Manny was screaming 'Mommy, pee!'. It was a lot of fun! Oh and I failed to mention that the store didn't have working bathrooms...lol. So needless to say we don't go anywhere now! At least not until he's doing better!

Anywho, I just thought this picture of Daisy was really cute. You can really see that she has two different colored eyes. Peter says she has Marilyn Manson eyes! lol!