We're in! And we're out!

We moved in last week, and though there are still odds and ends needing to be dealt with (touch up paint, window washing, towel rods, etc.) , we are so happy to finally be living here!

Getting all of our things OUT of the other house was a huge, miserable task. We have amassed far too much stuff over the years, and I am more determined than ever to go through everything and DE-JUNK!! It would have made moving far easier had I done this BEFORE moving so we didn't have to waste time and energy moving things that are destined for D.I., Ebay, or the dump.... But as of yesterday the house is FINALLY empty and clean, so our renters can move in.

I hope everyone is enjoying the season and that you all have a very merry Christmas tomorrow!

sick. and tired. and sick and tired.

Jeremiah's been working extra long hours at work and I have been feeling sick all week. Of course THIS would be the week I'd get sick and he'd have to work overtime. THE week we've been preparing for and anticipating for, oh... let's say A YEAR!

We had our (first of several) final inspection last weekend. There were quite a few items that weren't ready to pass, as is to be expected - we've been told you never pass final inspection the first time around. So we planned to work on those items through the week and pass them off today.

Needless to say, when you have three kids and you are sick and your husband is working until midnight, you don't find it possible to get those things taken care of like you wish you could.

Thanks to my little sister, who came to my home to keep an eye on my children last night, Jeremiah and I were able to work at the house into the wee hours of the morning. We got a lot done and planned to finish it up this morning.

However, this morning I could hardly stand and had to literally lay on the sidewalk several times as I was out front sweeping sidewalks and clearing gutters (an inspection item).

In the end, we did not get quite everything done before the inspector showed up, but we are thisclose. We'll have to try again Monday.

Meanwhile, we plan to move everything over between now and then, so our home life will be very primitive for the next few days until we move in and rejoin our belongings.

Now that's what I call NEVER giving up!!

All the kids are finally asleep and I am enjoying a mug of hot chocolate as I browse the internet.

I came across this article, which talks about a 70-year-old woman in India who just gave birth to her first child. Then I read the following:

"The mother, Rajo Devi, had been trying for 50 years to get pregnant with her 72-year-old husband...."

Fifty years!!!

It made me chuckle, feel very sad for her, and feel very happy for her all at the same time.

A Baby Changes Everything

I got Faith Hill's new Christmas album from my Grandma for my birthday a few months ago. The last song on the CD is called A Baby Changes Everything. It is fast becoming one of my (many) favorite Christmas songs. Enjoy!

Lack of posts.....

To my three faithful readers, I would like to apologize for the lack of posts lately. I hate to think of the great disappointment you must have felt over the past several weeks each time you have pulled up my blog in anticipation, only to discover - yet again - nothing new awaiting you there. ;-)

One reason for the lull is that we are moving into our new home in about a week (YAY!) and have been extremely busy jumping through all the hoops it has taken to get to this point and preparing for the move itself.

In addition to that is the fact that my pictures are not accessible to me at this point (a very sad and long story of which I will spare you), and pictures are needed to complete almost any post! If and when my pictures come back to me I will happily be posting some!

Holiday Edition Tag

Welcome to the 2008 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Don't be a scrooge!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Looooove Hot Chocolate, not such a fan of Egg Nog

2. Does Santa wrap presents or sit them under the tree? Wrap. And despite his best intentions, he is often up late Christmas Eve doing it. One day he will get it all done in advance, as he always intends to do.

3. Colored or white lights on tree/house? colored

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nah, who needs the excuse of mistletoe?

5. When do you put your decorations up? As soon as I get to it once Thanksgiving is over.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Hmmmm..... ham and mashed potatoes, probably.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: There are two (and they could possibly be from the same year). Here's one.

When I was 10 or 12ish, I remember staying awake with my brother all night waiting for Santa do his thing so we could check out the goods before morning. Our bedrooms were in the basement, and we kept sneaking to the base of the stairs to listen for "Santa" to be hustling around. My parents kept hearing us run up and down the hallway and would yell down to us to go to bed. Finally we heard them putting everything out, and once it was silent we crept up the stairs. We stood there letting our eyes adjust to the darkness and looked at all the gifts overflowing from beneath the tree. Just as we were about to move in for a closer look, I caught sight of some Christmas lights from the tree reflecting off of my dad's glasses. Only then did I realize that he and my mom were sitting silently on the couch watching us. It seems one of them broke the silence with a final warning of "Go to bed!" as we scurried back down the stairs, finally relenting.

The other, for those who know the story, is the eventful trip we took to San Diego to visit Aunt Pam and family.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Probably around eight years old, something about snooping around and finding a bunch of wrapped presents labeled from Santa. I don't remember it being very traumatizing, so I probably had a hunch by that point.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. The rule is one per person, but before we had kids there were several times Jeremiah and I got carried away and opened them all. It doesn't take all that long when there are just two of you.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? no specific color or theme - just colored lights and random assorted ornaments

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love the look of it, just not the temperature. But I definitely prefer a white Christmas!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes. I'm amazing. ;-)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My son, Isaiah, whom we were blessed to adopt when he was born just a month after Christmas a few years ago. It was a very magical Christmas season as we prepared excitedly to welcome a baby boy into our family. We were blessed to have TWO birth moms offer us the gift of adopting their baby boys, and we are extremely grateful to each of them.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family - spending happy times together.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Almond Roca, baby!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? No one thing, necessarily, but I look forward to things like seeing the lights at Temple Square, attending the Festival of Trees, etc.

17. What tops your tree? I grew up having a star atop the Christmas tree, and for Jeremiah it was an angel. So far we have always had a star, but we may use an angel at some point.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I'll plead the fifth.

No, really I do love giving, but I hate the exchanges where you are expected to spend an exact dollar amount and get something off a prepared list, so there are no real surprises and no way for it to seem genuine and from the heart. Too many regulations kill it for me.

I like giving out of the goodness of my heart, though, especially when it isn't expected.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I LOVE the duet Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Also, almost any rendition of O Holy Night. And a few from the Forgotten Carols - He Was Here and Three Kings Found the Lord.

20. Candy Canes! Not such a fan.

21. What is you favorite Christmas movie? One of my favorite movies of all time is While You Were Sleeping.

22. Black Friday. . . all over it or NO WAY? Changes year to year. Mostly, I just prefer to stay in bed and away from the crowds.

23. Craziest gift you ever got? I don't think it would be appropriate to mention here.... Suffice it to say, we were newlyweds, and most of our gifts were fairly risque.

24. Is your tree artificial or fresh cut? We went with fresh cut until just a few years ago. Love the smell, hate vacuuming all the needles. Now it's pre-lit and artificial.

25. What do you eat for Christmas breakfast? a breakfast casserole - eggs, cheese, ham, etc. All the good stuff!

Have fun with this... Now that you know your friends a little better, copy and paste this but change all the answers to your own. Merry Christmas!!

Mothers Who Know

Amish Friendship Bread

I have a bunch of Amish Friendship Bread starters up for grabs. They are going to be ready to bake right in time for Thanksgiving, so they could be a nice little addition to your feast! If anyone wants one, just say so!

Crazy 8s

Crazy 8s

My 8 favorite TV shows

1. Dancing With the Stars

2. American Idol

3. The Next Food Network Star

4. The Tonight Show

5. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

6. AFV

7. Ellen

8. LOST

My 8 favorite restaurants
(in no particular order)

1. Chili's / Applebees

2. Red Robin

3. Lonestar / Texas Roadhouse
4. Fortune Cookie

5. Sweet Tomatoes

6. Mimi's Cafe

7. Zuppas

8. Olive Garden
* Two that I have NEVER been to but am DYING to try are Goodwood and Tepanyaki. I have a feeling they would be among my faves.

8 things that happened to me yesterday

1. For the first time, my 1st grader got 100% on her spelling test! (She almost had the bonus word, too, but missed it by one letter.)

2. Some of the carpet was installed at the new house.

3. vacuumed all the new carpet
4. had to unclog the vacuum when all the carpet clogged it up
5. Someone called to schedule a showing for our current home, which they are potentially interested in renting.

6. read a lot of my book (currently The Looking Glass by Richard Paul Evans)

7. finally tried one of those Arby's pepperjack melts (okay, so I tried two.... all that vacuuming worked up an appetite.)

8. primary program practice

8 things I look forward to

1. moving into the new house

2. Thanksgiving

3. Christmas

4. getting my hands on Richard Paul Evans' newest book, Grace

5. expanding my family

6. clearing up this ridiculous bout of acne (I'm twenty-nine years old! What is this?!)

7. seeing Wicked

8. having all of lifes current stresses in the rear view mirror

8 things on my wish list

1. buyers/renters for our houses

2. to be all moved and settled in at the new house

3. a family vacation

4. a real date with my husband (It's been too long.)

5. Prop 8 opponents to cool it and accept that the people have spoken

6. the economy to bounce back

7. the housing market to recover

8. Wicked tickets (still haven't bought them)

8 people I tag
Anyone who hasn't done this one yet. :-)

Entrepreneur

Carolyn is a very imaginative girl. Where Kylie generally craves constant attention and interaction, Carolyn is content to play on her own for hours. She's crafty and creative.

On a recent day, those wheels in her head had apparently been turning as she thought of ways to turn a profit.
She got a bunch of blankets from her room, folded them up, and placed them in a pile. She also gathered together several books. Then she called for me.

There was a sign, hand printed in her own cute penmanship, placed on the blankets. It read, "Blankets for sale."

The sign she is holding with the book says, "Story time. It will cost you one quarter."

Thankfully, I just happened to have a few spare quarters.

In all fairness, it turned out she wanted to use the money to pay me for dinner.

Silly girl.

Potty Time

Isaiah recently decided on his own that he wanted to try sitting on the potty. Since he is only 21 months old, I had not planned to even introduce the idea for at least several more months. It seems like everyone I know who has potty-trained boys has had a difficult time with it, and, frankly, I have not been anxious to experience it for myself.

Kylie was about this age when she first expressed an interest, and she went on to pretty much train herself within a matter of weeks. But she was advanced (and still is) in many areas, and I don't think I will get that lucky again.

The first time Isaiah wanted to try it out, I was more than happy to let him, and I even gave him a Jelly Belly as a reward. After that, he would see the jar of Jelly Bellies and ask for one, but I made the impromptu decision that those would be reserved for potty treats.

Several times a day he would look toward the jar of Jelly Bellies, then (as the light bulb went on above his head) announce to me, "Potty!" as he turned and raced down the hall toward the bathroom. I wondered if he was actually learning anything or if it was more of a trained response like Pavlov's dogs - in this case, sitting on the toilet = Jelly Belly.

So whether this is the start of real potty-training or just a fluke, he HAS legitimately "utilized" the toilet three times now. He even tells me ahead of time sometimes. Who knows if this will lead to anything, but for now we are very happy with the way it's going.

Fall Colors

Our family went up Big Cottonwood Canyon a few weeks ago to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery.


Carolyn and Isaiah saw a duck on the water at Silver Lake.


Carolyn climbed quite high up this mountainside, and Kylie climbed a bit, too. They both had great fun checking out all the rocks.


Isaiah checked out the rocks, too. He liked to pick them up and throw them over the edge. His didn't make it as far as Daddy's (in fact, most of them didn't even make it over the edge), but he was happy to do this over and over again.


Jeremiah helped Kylie and Isaiah find some leaves in an array of fall colors. They had one in every shade.


Isaiah and Jeremiah decided to do a little climbing.


Carolyn could have played on that mountain all day.


Kylie liked sliding down the mountain.


Isaiah loved roaming the unfamiliar territory.

We had such a great time!

Protect marriage!! Protect children!!

5K for Nie Nie

My sisters and I went to Provo last weekend to participate in the 5K benefit being held for Stephanie Nielsen and her husband, Christian. (I think their story is well known to pretty much everybody by now, but if you are not familiar with it, you can go here or here to find out more.)

I left the girls at home for some daddy-daughter time with Jeremiah and took Isaiah with me. My older sister, Jenny, took her little boy, Peter, who is a few months younger than Isaiah. My sister, Rebecca, was home from college for the weekend and also came along.

The start time (9:00 am) was perfect - not too early, but definitely a great way to start the day! And the weather was just right - chilly enough for a hoodie before we got started, but very comfortable once we got going and shed our outer layers. A beautiful day!

We had the boys in my sister's double stroller, but several times Isaiah wanted to get out and walk. He was a little trooper! He even got cheered on by some of the volunteers manning a station as we passed.

It was great to be there and take part in this event.

My Birthday

My 29th birthday was two weeks ago. We woke up that morning to snow! I wish I had taken a picture, but I didn't think of it until we had already left the house, and by the time we got home the snow had all melted.

We started out the day by attending a baby blessing for some dear friends of ours. After the blessing they had a brunch at their house. Between the special occasion, good food, and wonderful company, it was a very enjoyable way to spend the morning.

I had planned all along to go on a family bike ride for my birthday, but it was such a cold day that I didn't think that would be a very enjoyable experience after all. Bummer.

But we did have a really nice family day relaxing at home. I do remember curling up with my book for a little while, and I think I even took a nap.

I chatted on the phone for a while with my mom, who called me from Hawaii where she and my dad are spending five weeks. Last year she called to wish me a happy birthday from San Diego. I think I am noticing a trend...

My brother Joey's birthday is three days after mine, so we invited him and his little family over to celebrate with us.

Jeremiah made a fabulous lasagna dinner with excellent cheese bread and corn on the side. My sister-in-law, Krista, brought a salad with her homemade Creamy Pesto dressing (a la Spaghetti Factory). It was a delicious meal! I am salivating just thinking about it!

Then there was the dessert(s). When Jeremiah asked for my cake request, I gave him my top three choices. He went with a German chocolate cake and even made homemade coconut pecan frosting to go on it - yum! In addition, my brother and sister-in-law brought a giant pizza-sized chocolate chip cookie for me, which Krista made and Joey decorated.

We bought a brand new dining set right before my birthday, which I considered my gift (and then some). However, Jeremiah and the kids still spoiled me with lots of my favorite treats.

Overall, turning 29 was great!

Have you ever...

I got this from a friend's blog. Copy and paste, then bold the things that apply to you.

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language (Pig Latin's a language, right? LOL.) 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (didn't last long) 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (But I have eaten my fair share of Samoas!) 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee

Thanks, Jenn, that was fun!

Tumbling

The girls really enjoy the community education classes available through our school district. Last fall they took a soccer skills class, then ballet in the spring, and now they are taking tumbling.

Carolyn and Kylie (front row) practicing their right splits

Kylie doing a forward roll

The kids really look forward to the various classes they get to take. I love that they are so affordable and are so close to home. It is a fun way for us to spend one evening each week.

And the girls are so dang cute doing their new moves!

Heaven and Hell, as described by Richard Paul Evans

For some reason, the following exchange struck a chord with me. It closely resembles my own thoughts and beliefs on Heaven and Hell, and I liked the concise explanation. This excerpt comes from a Richard Paul Evans book called A Perfect Day:

"You want to know what Hell is? What brimstone and burning really is?"

"Yes."

"Hell is the perfect recollection of every evil thing you've done in your life, every thoughtless word, every cruel, evil thought or action. It's knowing that you could have helped your brother and didn't. Hell is clarity, Bob. It's nothing more than clarity." He leaned forward as if to confide in me, his gaze intense. "Do you want to know what heaven is?"

I was locked into his gaze. "Yes."

His voice was barely above a whisper. "It's the same thing."

******

Here's another, this time from his book The Gift:

I believe that the difference between Heaven and Hell is not so much the climate as the company. Living in a world populated by people like themselves would, for many, be Heaven. And for others, it would, indeed, be Hell.

*****

Heaven and Hell aside, I really do enjoy his books.

Isaiah's First Haircut

Isaiah had his first haircut a few weeks ago. He was so excited to sit on one of the fun chairs at Cookie Cutters. He picked a Barney movie to watch and was really enjoying himself...
...until the haircut started. He did not like the buzzing and vibration of the clippers. (Isn't that the sweetest little sad face?!)

Thankfully, that part was quick, and with a sucker and a little encouragement, he was alright with the the scissors. Still, I think he was glad when it was all over and he got to leave with a sucker in one hand and a balloon in the other.

Tagged again!

I was tagged by my sister, Jenny. Unfortunately, I am so amazingly normal in every way that I am finding it difficult to participate in this particular tag. ;-)

Do people really find themselves to be quirky? It's always seemed to me that we use ourselves as the baseline of normal, and therefore have no quirks in our own mind's eye.

Okay, fine! While I find none of the following to be odd, I will take a moment to reflect upon some areas where others of you may be under- or overzealous, which may have the effect of somehow making me come across as a bit "weird".

1. I am obsessive about proper spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. It is difficult for me to read anything with such errors. When I was in middle school, I would have to proofread and correct the notes my friends gave me. Then, and only then, could I enjoy them.


2. It is very important for my eyebrows to be combed. One of the first things I do upon waking (right after brushing teeth and inserting contacts) is to comb my eyebrows. I comb them several times a day, usually. I am not overly concerned with the tweezing and waxing forms of eyebrow grooming (it gets done only on occasion), but the combing must never be left undone! Jeremiah loves to torture me by rubbing my eyebrows in the wrong direction, then restraining my arms as I desperately try to push them back the right way!

3. When I eat colored candies such as Skittles or M&Ms... Lifesavers, Starbursts... Gummy Bears or Worms - okay, anything with varied colors -I need to eat equal amounts of each color, in order of the rainbow. I count and sort them into piles before I can begin eating. Eating candy in the dark is not a comfortable thought for me.


4. When I got married at 18 I did not know anyone younger than me who was married. I felt very young compared to any married person. I guess it gave me some sort of complex, because I still feel this way - though I just turned 29 last week. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am as old as or older than (often by a large margin) other wives and mothers I know.

5. I can't function in a messy kitchen. I could be starving but would be unable to make myself anything to eat without first cleaning the kitchen. When I cook, I always clean as I go.

6. I do not have a very active sweet tooth. I can take sweets only in small doses (well, except for when I eat an entire row of Oreos in one sitting....). I would generally MUCH prefer a good, hearty meal over a dessert. When I do have something sugary, I need to follow up with something non-sugary to "neutralize" it (or just because I am a pig - one or the other).

7. I can't sleep in an unmade bed. All my life I have been very diligent about making my bed, but it usually just before I get in it to go to sleep. The sheets have to be tucked in at the bottom and hang over the side at precisely the right length. It is not uncommon for me to wake and get out of bed in the middle of the night to adjust the sheets or blankets, which often become disheveled due to my husband's less civilized manner of sleeping.


I tag: Christa, Julie, Lisa, Danielle, Heather, KelliAnn, Callie

Tagged

My friend Lisa tagged me. I am supposed to look in my picture files and post the fourth picture in the fourth folder, tell a little about it, then tag three people to do the same.

Here is my picture. This was taken in May and is the back and side view of the home we are currently building. This house will be ready for us to move into next month. We are still trying to sell our two other houses and need that to happen asap. Wish us luck cause we really love this house and want everything to work out! The market is just not cooperating! :-(


I tag Amanda E., Jenny S., and Krista N.

Can I just say..... YUM!!!

I fell in love with this mix after discovering it at Costco last year. Once I had made all four batches worth that it comes with, I wanted to buy another box but was SO disappointed to discover they did not have it anymore because it is a seasonal item. (They didn't have my beloved french onion soup, either - for the same reason. It was a sad day.)

Sadly, I had to live without these delicious pumpkin spice muffins for many months. (Yes, I am sure there is a recipe for a fabulous homemade version out there, but I guess I am just not that proactive.)

I was delighted recently to find this mix again at Costco. I use it to make quick and easy muffins, and we have already had them with our dinner several times in the past few weeks. My whole family loves them!

Now, you'll have to excuse me while I brush the muffin crumbs from my keyboard....

Bike Rides

Our family has been going on bike rides several times per week for the past month or so. We really enjoy getting out and riding together. I am SO glad we finally got the bikes out and tuned up after letting them sit dormant for several years. It's something I really look forward to each Sunday, and the kids do, too! Jeremiah is not as gung-ho as the rest of us about it, but he usually doesn't put up much of a fuss.

(Oh, did I mention Jeremiah is reading Breaking Dawn? Yes, I got him to read the series - it should be required reading for all men, in my opinion, along with a thorough and in-depth study of Edward. ;-) Jeremiah doesn't love the books like I do; however, he IS still reading at book four, isn't he?)

When we ride, I pull the two younger kids in a bike trailer. One day I even rode eight miles round trip to pick up Kylie from preschool with the bike and trailer. I had all three kids in there (yes, that's over 100 pounds of kid!), and I about died on the way home. We had to stop for a break at a park along the way, but we made it!

We decided to buy a co-pilot for Carolyn that attaches to the back of Jeremiah's bike. This way, we can go on longer rides without the worry of her tiring out. The girls take turns riding on it, and they LOVE it. Jeremiah is very exciting to ride with - up and down curbs and all sorts of fun.

We found a great deal on the co-pilot online, and we were all so excited when it arrived a few days later. Isaiah assisted Jeremiah in assembling it.



Then Jeremiah and Carolyn were off on the maiden voyage!



I am loving this fall weather and hope it lasts long enough for many more family bike rides this year!

Tarah's Wedding

Last month we had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Isaiah's birth mother, Tarah, and her awesome new husband, Michael.

We arrived shortly before the ceremony was to begin, and one of Tarah's friends asked us to follow her to where Tarah was getting ready. We went inside for a few moments of visiting, then it was time for her big moment!



Tarah's darling son, Austin, walked her down the aisle. He was so cute in his little tux!






Tarah and Michael are such a beautiful couple!










The boys gave each other lots of big hugs!

I just love that they love each other so much!

The wedding and subsequent dinner were so festive and fun! Michael is from Hawaii, and there was a definite Hawaiian flavor to the evening. They even had a few friends perform some live Hawaiian music - so pretty.

I enjoyed visiting with Tarah's mom, and grandmother - two very awesome women - as well as her dad. It was also neat to see and chat a bit with some of her sisters and sisters-in-law. They are a great family!

We adore Tarah and truly enjoyed being there for this occasion.

Breakdancing Kids

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Just look at us go!

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