The Christian Crew

I can't believe its been 4 years already! I remember this day like it was yesterday!!! Jessica, His gorgeous birth momma!       He is such a SPUNKY boy and his PIRATE PARTY Was Fantastic & fun! Over 60 ppl and loads of kids! Here's a whole bunch of pics to feast yer eyes on!     Lots of GAMES and Challenges!   We had a big potluck after snacks:)   The fish food was the pirate's booty and natural gummy fish:) the play set made a GREAT Ship!   Loads of fun was had by all! Aren't we the coolest pirates ever? Nah, we try though!   So Glad our special boy had a great day! We always have a BIG party for our kiddos. It's not about how many people come or how many presents they get- Its about the amount of FUN they have, no matter the cost/ time/ effort! I believe in Celebrating every moment and the kids are only young once, then its over! So Party On!      

Summer is in FULL swing and in a few days CAMPS and lessons start up! We had a wonderful vacation ( which I will post about soon) and the kids are loving the gorgeous weather here in Evergreen. Today they decided to play in the tiny creek and have a mud fight!!! ( followed by a hose down). The fun camps ahead are Adventure camp, Mad science- sleuth/ detective camp/ Archery lessons for both girls/ swim lessons and gymnastics for Gavin! I'm excited and can't wait to see what these sweet children learn. Here's some updated pics from the wedding of the kids ( more about the wedding to come!) BRIELLE SLADE    GAVIN     ARIA

well, try moving 2 times in 2 years and adding two kids along with those moves-Oh and switch companies and become a business partner owner... That's how it all seems so fast! I can't believe we are planning Gavin's 4th Birthday already- it's bittersweet!  He is SUCH A JOY now that he is out of the terrible twos and is doing so much better as a big brother and overall, little person. I'm not sure if I ever shared his 2nd year with everyone but let's just condense it to a few words- Fecal fiesta- every other day, lots of dirt, yelling, messes and screaming! It was HARD and I'm so glad he is speaking so well now- most of his yelling was in frustration that we couldn't understand what he wanted or was try to say. Enjoy some BABY pics of this little man!!!   5 days old...       10 months old  7 months old  

And Give us AWESOME days like this! Yep, Misty FOG hanging in the mountains- so what did we do with it???  Go for a nature Walk, what else!!! GAVIN is a little Man now- love this crazy boy!  Holding the ANTLER , Brielle found!   CRAZY ORANGE FUNGI growing on an old log! Brielle took this picture too! giant MUSHROOM our locals! Slade is getting so big!

G-man is growing like a weed and will be 3 in May! He is working hard learning is words, colors, shapes etc. He is 90% of the way potty trained, loves cars, trucks, and most importantly CHOO CHOOs !!!  He plays well with Slade and teaches him funny things ! He loves his HUGE doggie- Hemi , and crawls all over him.  He loves anything physical and enjoys hugs kisses and snuggles and is very affectionate and friendly. He hates going down to sleep and doesn't like certain foods these days but that changes day to day! He is roughly 30.5 lbs and is a SOLID little guy. Not much body fat on him ( except in the two cheek areas:) We are so blessed by our little man , our open adoption with his Loving birthmom and birthdad. Seriously- we are LUCKY and overjoyed by this FUN, loving Mini Man!

I've been thinking about this as I've been moving boxes around, unpacking and decluttering! It takes a while to really feel AT HOME in your new space. Its nothing you can rush, or it just ends up frustrating you to no end! The same goes with your birth parent relationships... Remember when (if you've had this already) you first started communications with your child's birth parents? You'd respond in a timely manner, thinking things through before you said or wrote them. You'd spend hours thinking about them and how they were doing. Sometimes when AC's ( adoptive couples) RUSH to UNLOAD on a EP ( expectant parent) it scares them away. NO one likes every bit of info thrust onto them about anyone. TAKE IT SLOW. Don't avoid topics, just don't feel the need to pour it all out at once. Communication is also like planting new seeds. If you give it the right soil( timing) and the right amount of nourishment (trust) something good is bound to spring forth! I...

WE'RE MOVING!!! only about 28 miles away! But, we are moving in one month to a great home with 3,600 sq. feet of living space, 7 rooms, 2 living rooms, walkout basement and deck, ranch style and space enough for us to have a dedicated foster kids room! So very blessed that the Lord has let this happen and things have fallen in place. I really feel this will be so wonderful for us. Yes, we will miss the new friends we have made ( but we will come to this area often for doctors appointments, temple trips, shopping etc) but, we are excited to see who the Lord has put in our path this time! For right now, we are moving over slowly stuff each weekend and in between we are getting stuff ready for FC. Can't wait to share more exciting news soon! Happy Leap Day! *Our family at the ice castles in Silverthorne!

Just a couple of quick pics from our Valentine's Shoot. Much more to come! Man, I'm so blessed by these 3 crazy monkeys!

Both my husband and our sweet boy were brought into their families through the miracle of adoption! This was taken just moments before we had Gavin's finalization! As I saw my husband holding and playing with Gavin, I couldn't help but think of how unique and special this is, not only for us but, for him. His parents also had an experience like this. They probably choked up when the judge said his/her final words as well. It's surreal and such a miracle! Jessica and Dustin- thanks in not even close to enough. Having Gavin join our little family is our pleasure, honor and joy! We will do everything in our power to be worthy of this little man and give him everything and most importantly a solid upbringing founded in Love and Righteousness! We will do our very best to provide and nurture all our sweet children into loving, honest, well-rounded and talented young adults! I imagine that Brandon's birth mother hoped and prayed for these same things for his life! I hope she i...

To Halloween and our visit with Jessica and Daylen! The kids loved playing with both Jessica and Daylen! You know kids are the best filters for BAD/ODD people, right? So, if they can see and feel love in your eyes- you are free to jump all over them and play till they peel you off!* Thanks for being very patient with the girls, guys! We attended a Church Halloween Trunk-Or-Treat, went to a dance and had dinner with friends and played games and such. It was relaxing at times and stressful at times too ( way too many parties and cold). Jessica and I handled this beast of a pumpkin carving project! Food Network Challenge- here we come! Bring it! ( okay not really- don't call i won't answer) Gavin IS the BEST Tootsie Roll EVER! I let the Girls PICK what they wanted to be this year- Brielle chose Sleeping Beauty! Aria chose Ariel. Both girls got their costumes for their birthdays but, i had to severely alter Aria's and add 7 inches to Brielle's so, i got a bit creative with ...

to the first two days with Gavin.... Such a Tiny lil' Man! Boys were exhausted from traveling and late nights! Gorgeous Jessica, Gavin's First momma! One Adopted Child kissing another adopted child! BLISS! Love knows no Bounds! Getting the idea of being a Big Sister now! Gav's Aunt and her family- YES, this is where his RED comes from! Grandpa MAX, Gavin's Birth grandpa! Jessica and Brielle getting some Quality coloring and bonding in! I love this head shot! It signifies the arms and life that Brought Gavin into this world before he was brought into ours! WE LOVE Our Birth Family and are so honored to have adopted again! We often wonder what the future Holds and How long before the Lord brings another child into our family! We are in no rush at all but, we know our family is not complete yet. That may sound odd to some but, what lies in your heart and in your soul about your family, is individual and sacred to each couple. We will act upon our inspiration and follow th...