10 Years!

It doesn't seem like 10 years ago yesterday that we got a call telling us a birthmom had chosen us to be her baby's mom and dad.  And she had already been born that morning!  I cried for 2 whole days from so many different emotions, while we quickly got as many things ready as possible.  We didn't have any clothes, diapers, bottles, or other baby basics.  And we just had to get her in our arms.  It was so exciting and nerve-wracking!  I still cry when I think about it too hard.  :)  We are so blessed to be entrusted with such an amazing spirit that Shaylee has and be able to be parents to her forever.  Happy 10th Birthday, Shay!!!

 The cake - don't look too closely or you might notice it is collapsing.

 The gifts - fun clothes, National Geographic magazine, lots of earrings, and a Young Ambassador concert.

 The candle blowing - everyone helped.

The pierced ears - Shay only cried before they pierced them (from fear), but it actually didn't hurt when it happened.  :)

Christmas 2010

What a fun Christmas we had this year!  The kids were so excited about everything.  And Deryk understood what was going on.  We had Christmas Eve dinner at Mom's (yummy noodle soup) and came home to open pj's, read the real Christmas story in the scriptures, and watch a movie.  We watched Ramona and Beezus - cute movie! 

 New pj's

Pillow pets - thank goodness Santa pulled through with these.  That is all the kids really wanted from Santa.  Those darn commercials are good!

Deryk got a remote control 4-wheeler, so he plopped down in the box and lounged in it while he drove his 4-wheeler around.  Cute little guy!  

Just had to show how great this Harley jacket is.  Else gave it to Deryk and he loves how the leather feels.  He is so cute in it!  He wanted to go outside and ride his motorcycle tricycle, but since it's been sooooo cold - that hasn't happened yet. 

The Before Christmas Fun

Seems like every December is full of extra craziness. But it all seems to be the fun kind. Here are a few pictures of some of the things we (the kids) did before Christmas. (Kath - this is for you!)

Got the Christmas decorations up. Deryk spent a lot of time on the piano looking at the village pieces we have, which were all displayed on the piano. He HAD to get really close to them to see all the details, but did great at not touching them.

Shaylee and Maycee had a school Christmas concert. Shaylee played the recorder with all the 4th graders. Maycee sang 2 songs with the 2nd graders.

The girls also had a concert for their TaVaci singing group they are in. It was all Christmas songs and they all did so great! Shaylee did a little solo (almost died several times the day of from nerves) and it was beautiful!

We always go up the Rock Creek Canyon to see the Christmas lights. Seemed kind of strange without snow this time, but Santa was there and the kids just love that funny camel at the end. Get to feed him carrots and pet him. He is quite cute in an ugly animal way. :)

Halloween 2010

So this year the kids decided to be a vampire, Snow White, and a witch. Deryk is still loving vampires - his jack-o-lantern even had to be a vampire. He went around trying to scare people all night. And laughed at himself when they were scared. Maycee kept telling people that it was really her, Maycee, because she thought nobody would recognize her. And Shaylee ended up not feeling well and is still sick. It was a fun weekend! Thankfully Halloween is only once a year!

The Adventures of Deryk

This picture says it all. Deryk is so full of sneaky, interesting ideas and experiments lately. Every time I turn around there is another "mess". He is a little tornado that never stops. It's no wonder I'm wanting to go to bed at 8:00 every night. (I wouldn't trade it for anything) :)

Josh found a frog in our driveway and brought it in for me the other night. (I just love frogs! Something about them are adorable to me.) We put it in a jar so the kids could see it the next day. Deryk wanted to play with it, so we let it out in the back yard. He spent an hour trying to catch the frog and gave up. Cute!

I ran upstairs to check email for a minute and came down to Deryk making a "tomato and banana soup". That's what he called it. He had climbed onto the counter with a big bowl, put the bananas I had ready for banana bread and the 8 tomatoes from our garden and mashed them all together with some tongs. He was very serious about it. Thankfully I managed to divert his attention later on so we didn't have to eat any of it.

Back to School

School started a few weeks ago. Finally getting pictures up. Shaylee is in 4th grade with Mrs. Garrett and Maycee is in 2nd grade with Mrs. Coleman. They both love their classes and school! Deryk has adjusted to the girls being gone, but he was sure lonely for a while without them around.

Maycee's 7th!

Maycee had a great birthday! She was mostly excited because Grama came home from the hospital on her birthday and we had her party at Grama's house. (My mom had both knees replaced and is doing "remarkably" well, according to the doctor.) Mayc wanted a shooting star cake this year, so this is what we came up with in a very short amount of time due to everything else going on. She still loves Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop and can sit for hours playing with them. Maycee is such a thoughtful little girl and always wants to be making a new friend or help someone. She loves to read and teach school to Deryk. Her bright, dimply smile can make anyone else smile back. We are so lucky to have her in our family!