Life's tough

The day before Christmas Eve I got a phone call from one of the adoption agencies we are working with. They asked to show our profile to a mom who was flying to our state to deliver. She was Native American and the father was Hispanic. I hoped and prayed and was waiting in suspense for a week. I prayed so hard and was really hoping for that phone call. I got an email today saying she delivered last night (on my birthday) and she had chosen another family. I was crushed and cried a bit. It's emotionally draining, but I just have to focus on what I do have (which is so much!). We have been shown to quite a few birth mom's, but this one I really felt like we had a good chance.
So, on with my life again. Our case worker said there is a mom that is coming to our state next month that is pregnant with a bi-racial girl. We are hoping to get shown to her. Keep us in your prayers. This is tough stuff, but hopefully it will be well worth it. Each child is so precious! We feel so blessed to already have 3 healthy cute kids.

Christmas Newsletter

Each year just goes by even quicker than the last. We have accomplished a lot this year and made some good memories with each other.
We have been able to visit with family and friends a lot and feel blessed to live so close to most of them.
Wes's business is going really well. It was really slow the first half of the year, due to the economy, then it picked way up in the fall. We feel really blessed that we can both work from home and still get a lot of business. On the blistery days outside Wes just laughs all the way into his office while wearing his sweats. Ha Ha. J/K It is nice to not have to worry about him out on the roads or in traffic. Wes has really enjoyed spending time with the fam. We have had a lot of good quality moments and enjoy him getting off at 6:00 most days. Wes is in the Young Men's presidency over the deacons. Even though he misses playing with the kids in Nursery, Young Men's is his Niche and the boys really look up to him. He has enjoyed riding the four wheelers a lot this year. He takes the kids on slow trips up by the mountains by our house (with their helmets on of course), they love it. He has helped me plow the driveway this year with my quad and I greatly appreciate it. He loves being a manly man.
I started teaching preschool in the fall and just love it. There are days when the kids get a bit wild, but this is their first experience at school and I have to keep telling myself that. All in all they are really good kids and I love to teach them. They are like little sponges and are all really progressing. It will be hard next spring to say goodbye to some of them, that will be going into kindergarten. But, luckily some of them will be continuing on next year. They are all such sweet hearts and they teach me so much. I have been doing a ton of adoption paperwork this year. Some days it gets a bit overwhelming. We are going through an agency called the Adoption Center of Choice and have just recently decided to go through LDS Family Services as well. We have to redo a ton of stuff, so it has really caused a lot of stress. There are fingerprints, medical records, original birth certificates, a ton of personal questions, etc. Luckily we don't have to redo our home study. We can just use the one we got in the spring. We have shown our profile to probably about 8-10 birth moms through the Adoption Center of Choice and get our hopes up every time, but just haven't been chosen. The competition is really high and it's hard to appeal to a birth Mom where she sees we already have 3 kids. But, we have faith that we will be chosen soon. If you could keep us in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated. I am still serving as the Nursery Leader in our ward. The kids are such cuties and I really enjoy being in there. It is hard though, I feel like I don't really see the Relief Society sisters anymore. I'm in the ward choir too. I don't read music very well, but it's a great learning experience.
My back is slowly getting better, but I still experience pain regularly throughout each day. At least it isn't as bad as it was the first year after I got my injury from the epidural. I have been going to some Chiropractors and doing the spinal decompression. It has been helping a bit.
Byron has had a great year this year. He played soccer in the spring and the fall and progressively gets better. He's in Karate now, taking from a guy at the end of our street. He's really good with the kids. Byron has been learning a lot. He loves it. He has been reading really well and he loves math. He is in first grade now and adores his teacher. He had his first friend birthday party this year and has a lot of friends. He always tells me about kids in his class and we have had a few over to play. He is still drawing every day, I am just amazed at what goes on in the little head of his. Not to brag, but he's pretty smart. :) Byron loves riding his bike and riding on the four wheelers with Daddy.
Ethan is loving having Preschool at his house. He has to let the other kids know this is his house though, and sometimes he acts up because of it. Kindergarten will be good for him next year. He is a social butterfly and loves to talk to people. I'm kinda nervous for him to go to kindergarten, because he loves goofing off with other kids. We went around to deliver neighbor gifts and he would talk to the people at each house. We told him to say, "Merry Christmas" and then give them the gift and come back to the car. We don't know what he was talking to everyone about. Ha Ha. He loves to smile and to be tickled. He has been getting better about not teasing Lilly. He takes good care of her and loves playing with Byron too. They play with each other really well, most of the time, and are best buds. Ethan loves to play out in the back (when weather permits), jump on the trampoline, swing and climb trees. He also loves to ride his bike and scooter. He has been reading a bit too and loves the praise we give him when he's done with each book.
Lilly has probably progressed the most this year. She is saying complete sentences now and it helps a ton on decreasing the whining. Her thing is to say, "I do it". She loves to dress herself, get in the car herself (we buckle her of course), brush her teeth, etc. It's nice in a way though. She just wants to show us she is a big girl. She just loves Wes, and he is a push over for Lilly especially. She likes to come in his office and dance to "Move it, Move it". She loves to jump on the trampoline, swing, ride in the stroller, and play with her brothers. She loves preschool. Even though she just scribbles when the other kids work on their worksheets, eats her snack when they are finishing up toy time, they love Lilly and play with her and pick her up all the time. She was really whinny at first, but is getting better and is getting used to preschool. I think we will start potty training next year, she has been showing signs since she was 18 months, it's just about me putting the effort into it. She brings me diaper and wipes when she is "wet" or "poopy", so that's nice. Lilly loves playing with her dollies and calls them her, "baby sisser". (We're working on it). Lilly knows all the sounds of the letters in the alphabet. She is learning a lot from having the Preschool kids over each week.
We have traveled a lot this year. We went to Snowbird in the Summer for my Dad's side of the families Reunion, I went to Boise with my siblings and met up with my parents and some more siblings for my cousins wedding on my Mom's side, We went to Wes's parents house a few times. One of the times the boys and Wes were able to go fishing with his brother, Grandpa, and Dad. We went to my parent's house a few times. For the 4th of July we went to My sisters and had a blast there! In the fall Wes and I went up to the Park City/Heber area for our Anniversary. It was a blast and we look forward to next year. We went horse back riding, scuba diving (Wes did, I freaked out because it was in a dark cave), snorkeling, we had a blast at the Homestead and ate really good food. It's nice to get away with each other and essential.
We are already having a great Christmas Vacation. On Friday we had my Preschool Christmas Program. The kids sang, Santa and Mrs. Claus visited, everyone decorated cookies and had refreshments, it was a real hit. We have got most of our cards out and our shopping done. Now it's time to relax and spend time with Family.
We have really enjoyed focusing on the Savior this year and really felt the Spirit strong at our Christmas Program at Church. We hope that you all will also focus on the Savior this Holiday Season and Always. He gives us so much comfort and joy!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Wes, Becky, Byron, Ethan & Lilly

Our attempt at Christmas Pictures

This year I have been up to date on getting gifts, giving neighbor gifts, doing our adoption paperwork, preparing for my preschool Christmas Program, etc. But, one thing we have been having a hard time doing is getting the right Christmas picture. Here are our attempts....




We'll keep you posted when we finally snap the right shot. We might not get Christmas pictures out until the new year. Oh well, right? I just want to relax. I'm looking forward to a break!

Reindeer Food

For Preschool I gave my kids reindeer food. I put a cute little saying on it how you sprinkle it out on Christmas eve and Santa's reindeer will be guided to your house. Lilly and Ethan loved to help put the stuff in the baggies and they helped make the sugar. You just put about 3/4 cup of rolled oats in each bag and red and green sugar. For the sugar you just put a few drops of food coloring in and stir until the color changes. While they were stirring I left the room for like a minute. I came back and Lilly had scooped it all over the counter and all over the floor. Supervision is required. Ha Ha.

Enjoy! The kids love it.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had such a great Thanksgiving, it was hard to come home and get back to reality. We relaxed and played. I could have stayed another week.
Every year for Thanksgiving Wes's Aunt Brenda and Uncle Tom host a huge get together in their shop with all the extended family on Wes's mom's side. There was a ton of food and fun. We also do a four wheeler scavenger hunt out in the desert. Wes and I came in like 7th place or something. It was so fun! We played games and did a 3D puzzle. I gave up on that one. Wes's brother Isaac finished it. It took him like 14 hours. On Sunday we went to church with Wes's parents. It was kinda nice to get a break from nursery. Don't get me wrong I love my nursery calling and the sweet kids, but sometimes I just want to sit while at church. I did end up helping Wes's mom with her primary class and being in primary most of the time. Ha Ha. I love kids.
All in all we had a blast. Now on to Christmas stuff. I start my Christmas themed stuff in my Preschool next week. The kids are doing a Christmas program, so we have been practicing Christmas songs. Ethan and Lilly are really milking all the information in that I teach them in Preschool. It has been such a benefit to our kids by me teaching preschool out of our home.