For Lexi.....

Disneyland 2010 - At the end of April we headed west with the Tenney's for a weekend filled with all things Mickey.

Madelyn & Jackson at the hotel. They were VERY excited to be in California and out of the car!

Here is Madelyn getting ready to ride California Screamin. She was an adrenaline junkie...I think the final Tally for going on this ride was 5...something she was very proud of!

Jackson's FAVORITE moment of the trip...meeting "race car" or Lightening McQueen!

Jackson's ride of choice while waiting for Madelyn & Dallan to finish their ride on California Screamin.

Hanging out on the pirate boat at California Adventure. I LOVE that smile!

So Jackson would NOT stand close to ANY of the characters with the exception of Lightening & the princesses. He was in awe of them....

Madelyn swinging in Tarzan's tree.

Waiting in line with her autograph book to see the princesses. Which by the way was surprising. She doesn't like their movies, books, costumes, etc, etc. Maybe it was the thrill of adding to her book that made the wait worth while.



The Tenney Family. They are some of our FAVORITE people!


Waiting to board the Finding Nemo ride.

All in all it was a GREAT trip. The kids had a great time with their cousins and Dallan and I got to spend the weekend with Susan & Jeff. The Tenney's LOVE Disneyland, so if I can talk Dallan into it there very well could be a Disneyland sequel next summer.

To a Great Man....

A couple of years ago I had the thought that I wanted to make a list of people who had made a positive impact on my life and then write each of them a letter thanking them. Well like lots of ideas...they came....and then they left. But as I was reflecting on this new year and what I wanted to accomplish again the thought came to me and this time I decided I was actually going to follow through with it. So I made the list. And out of all the names there were just two people who I hadn't seen or spoken to in several years. Finding them was going to be the hardest part. I set about my search and after several emails to the MTC and several google searches later I found one of the two. Actually, I found someone with the same name...Kelly R. Gehret. I decided to take a chance and write this person an email hoping that they were somehow related. And sure enough the Kelly Gehret I wrote was the son of President Gehret who was my Branch President in the MTC. But I was too late. President Gehret passed away in 2004.

So who was President Gehret? Upon arriving at the MTC I was scared...shell shocked...unsure of myself, and above all those insecure feelings I was left feeling VERY aware of all the wrong choices I had made. I felt worthless and in no way worthy to be there. And in comes President Gehret. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement. When he spoke...you listened. This man saw right through me. He knew I was struggling. What I loved most about him was his unwillingness to give up on me. He saw something good in me. He believed in me...believed I was capable of becoming more than I had allowed myself to be up to that point in my life.

The few letters he wrote to me while I was a missionary are some of my most prized possessions. The lessons he taught me about forgiveness, God's love, and the importance of seeing yourself the way God see you are priceless. I am only sorry I never got to tell him how I finally moved past the guilt. How I learned to love myself in spite of the mistakes I had made and how because of him I try harder to see the good in other people. Thank you President Gehret for changing the course of my life...I look forward to seeing you again someday.

The results are in...

Our color choice for this yeat's family photos was quite difficult. I love black. I think just about everyone looks good in black. But it was time for a change or so everyone told me! In the end I went with gray. Dallan thought it was funny that I chose something VERY close to my all time favorite...but give me some credit...at least I tried! Here are some of the pictures. We are waiting for the rest to be mailed to us. Our photographer was amazing to work with, was more than reasonable in her pricing, and in my opinion did a fabulous job. If anyone living in Arizona would like her name and number just let me know!

All Aboard...

The day before Thanksgiving we loaded up the family and headed up North to Williams, AZ. For those of you who don't know, Williams has a Polar Express train depot and for a small fee will transport you and your children all the way up to the North Pole. We were served cookies and hot chocolate by adorable waiters. As we ate and sipped our goodies we listened as the book was read to us. And before you could say ALL ABOARD we were at the North Pole. Buildings with twinkling lights housed what looked like little elves busily making toys. And of course there was Santa's Sleigh loaded with a huge bag of toys just waiting to be delivered. As the train stopped and started to go back in the direction we came the kids noticed Santa wasn't in his sleigh anymore! That's because he had decided to jump aboard. So while we waited for Santa to make his way to our car we all sang Christmas carols. And finally...SANTA... complete with a real beard, rosy cheeks and of course magic bells taken straight from his sleigh for each of the kids. For the next several minutes all we heard was "mom, dad can you hear it ringing"? And we would reply "no, I don't think I can hear it". And their response would be..."well all you have to say is I believe, and then you will hear it ringing". And so we would say I believe and sure enough we would hear the bell! As we deboarded the train we were each handed a little ticket that had the word BELIEVE on it. Madelyn and Jackson loved it enough to make us want to take them again next year. Hope you enjoy the pictures....

Help us Celebrate!

I love November! Thanksgiving, putting up the Christmas decorations and above that November is National Adoption Month.

How lucky we are to be the parents of two amazing children. They are smart. They are healthy. They are beautiful. It is humbling to know I would not be who I am today if it were not for two remarkable women.

Madelyn and Jackson along with their birth moms are our greatest miracles.

Let's Stop the Madness....

As I was lying in bed last night I started thinking about how I often go for the easy route. Frozen pizza for dinner, riding when I could be walking, playing when I should be working. Sometimes the easy way is the best way especially when life gets hectic. But there are certain things in life when opting for a shortcut is just simply not okay.

As I was lying there I thought about the last time I "blogged". It had been forever. In fact it had been so long that most people don't even check to see if something new had been written. I asked myself why. Why did I stop filling in those friends and family who I don't get to see or speak to very often about what is happening in my life? And then it dawned on me....FACEBOOK. I had exchanged personal and most often heartfelt posts about what I was experiencing to one line tags that most people could care less about (I mean who really cares that I am doing the laundry or going to the grocery store). Is that what friends want to know now? Are we really ready to trade in meaningful conversation for real time updates on the ordinary and mundane things we do each day? This lead me to go to those blogs I use to read religiously. There are of course were a few who didn't let me down. I know I can always count on Emily for an enjoyable and often times inspiring look into her life. But for the most part our blogs had been abandoned. Traded in for less than fulfilling conversations.

For my part in this travesty (no, I don't think I am being too extreme here) I apologize. I am not saying that my blogs were always enjoyable or greatly written but at least they were honest. At least it provided a way for those people I love to share in my life. I am sad to say I don't feel CONNECTED anymore.

I am sitting here asking myself how did I allow this to happen. I am someone who LOVES and VALUES her friendships. I just don't want to know what someone is doing I want to know how they are FEELING, what they are EXPERIENCING. I want to be a part, even if it is just a small part of their lives. When did it become okay to trade in the good stuff for...FLUFF?

SO this is my attempt to stop the madness I helped to create. To those friends whose blogs I read sometimes DAILY...I am sorry I have missed out on your life...your thoughts. And for those that are perfectly content with real time I am okay with that too.

Now I think I will go on facebook and post that I have updated my blog. Maybe that is the only way someone will actually read this!

What do you do??

Here is the question....WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING BUT TIME?? I know get all the things on your list accomplished...RIGHT? What if you are one of those people who work really well under pressure but not so good when you have all the time in the world to do all those mundane check points on your list of "What I need to accomplish today". I am sitting here looking around at the MANY things I SHOULD be doing but having NO motivation to do them. However, if someone called me and said I will be in your neighborhood this evening do you mind if I stop by I would have this house SPOTLESS in a matter of HOURS (yes, hours...that is how far behind I am). I am sometimes so bored that I could scream but perhaps wouldn't be if I would just get up and start moving. So here is the final question....WHY DON'T WE DO WHAT WE KNOW WILL MAKE US FEEL BETTER? This could apply to a TON of things in my life. Such as...Why don't I exercise when I KNOW it will make me feel feel healthier? Why don't I read my scriptures more when I KNOW it will yield positive results? Why don't I get up and clean the house when I KNOW how good I will feel once it is done? If anyone can offer up some advice to these conflicting questions you will be my hero!

A New Opportunity!

Several weeks ago our case worker came to do our home visit. During our conversation she brought up FSA, which is short for Families Supporting Adoption. For those that aren't familiar with what FSA is here is a little background....Families Supporting Adoption primarily consists of families who have either adopted or are hoping to adopt, birth mothers and adopted children. anEach LDS Family Service has their own chapter of FSA. The case workers at each office select a couple to act as Co-Chairs for their chapter of FSA. The Co-Chairs organize and oversee several sub-committees some of which deal with local media outlets, schools, hospitals and government leaders.

Back to our conversation....out of the blue she asked Dallan and I if we would be interested in becoming the Co-Chairs for the Phoenix Chapter of FSA. She told us to really talk, think, pray about it and let her know when we came to a decision. So after much thinking on my part (let's face it most of the work will be done by me and not by the other part of the "Co") I decided I wanted to do it. So I called Hannah and told her we would do it. We then got a call a few days later from someone else at LDS Family Services. This time it wasn't Hannah but a guy we had never meet ( I think he is the director for the Phoenix office). He thanked us for our willingness to be a part of FSA and then asked if we would be interested in serving on the LDS Family Advisory Board. The board assists LDSFS in approving enews letters, emails, filling volunteer positions, planning focus group discussions to assist local church leaders, etc, etc.

Anyway, I am finding that this is going to be a lot of work, but I am excited to be a part of something that has completely blessed mine and Dallan's lives.

PS - the picture has nothing to do with what this post is about but it was so cute I just had to include it!

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY MADELYN!! We love you!

WE NEED HELP!

A couple of days ago I got some alarming information. As of now there is a $10,000 tax credit for families/individuals who adopt. In January of 2010 that tax credit will expire unless something is done to stop it. Most adoption agencies (with the exception of LDS family services) charge upwards of $20,000 for an adoption. LDS family services charges 10% of your combined income with a minimum of $4,000 and a maximum of $10,000. This tax credit has always ensured families that there would be help in offsetting the costs associated with adoption.

As of now there is a bill that will stop this tax credit from expiring. It is the Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213. When I researched it there was only 96 representatives who were signed on in support of the bill.

We need help in generating awareness and support from our local and state leaders. This not only hurts me and Dallan but countless other families nationwide. With all that is happening with health care reform and the economic crisis we are in, I am afraid this issue will fall by the wayside.

Please contact your state leaders asking them to support the Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213! Thanks for helping to spread the word!

It's the End of an Era!

Say goodbye (at least for now) to young women's and hello to relief society. I promised myself when we finally bought a house and settled into a new ward I wouldn't complain about the calling I was given. Our first Sunday they were re-organizing the young women's organization and I thought...I think I will finally serve somewhere other than YW. But a few weeks later I was surprised to hear that I would be serving as the Beehive advisor. The only calling other than secretary that I have yet to experience. To be honest I was a little disapointed, but I tried to be happy and excited to just be a serving in our new ward. But the honest truth was as hard I tried I just felt burned out. I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED being with the girls first in South Carolina, then in Arizona, and from there Washington, then on to Rexburg, and finally back to Arizona. In each of those places I have had experiences I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING. There have been girls who have amazed me with their talents, faith, and love for the Savior. There have been more than a few who I have laughed with and even more that I have cried with. I have seen some who have made big mistakes and yet had the strength of character to move forward and turn their lives completely around. There are many thatI am still in touch with today. Girls who are now married and some who have children of their own. Each of them along with all the women I have served with over the years have made me a better person, a better member of the church, a better friend, and a better mom. But I NEEDED a change. Since leaving Washington it has been REALLY hard for me to reach out and make friends and the thing is I NEED FRIENDS. Our Heavenly Father in His INFINITE wisdom knew this and knew that I wouldn't any time soon make an effort to get to know the sisters in our new ward. So He took matters into His own hands and made some changes.

As of last Sunday I am no longer in young women's but am now serving as 1st counselor in Relief Society. I am SO THANKFUL for the change. So THANKFUL that I am being pulled away from what I am comfortable with and into something that will be new and challenging. And even more THANKFUL that our Heavenly Father LOVES us and KNOWS what we need BEFORE we even know we NEED it.

I've infiltrated your network. Raaannnnsssssooom!

COME BAAAAACKKKKK or things will only get worse.

If you change your passwords (and I'm being generous enough to leave those alone so you can still log on) I'll escalate. You don't want that. I'd hate to have to send fish in the mail. And I'll do it, too. Don't tempt me.

For those of you who do not know me, I'm Lexi. Mandee up and abandoned me during this time of year SEVERAL years ago. She has yet to come back. Now looking at this, you'd think, "why would she come back...you're freaking crazy"

that's why she'd come back.

Is It or Is It Not?

So are the little red bumps on Madelyn's tummy and back chicken pox or not? She has had the vaccination and doesn't seem to be running a fever but the dots keep appearing...so it seems to me that the chicken pox have finally made their way to our residence. I will keep you posted!


An update on the wedding..... The flowers arrived in great condition (I had 350 yellow carnations and 80 stems of spray roses delivered the Thursday before the big day), the chocolate flowed, lights twinkled, newlyweds gazed affectionately into each other's eyes, mother's cried, cameras flashed, and at the end of it all I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. It was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for my little sister.

Random Thoughts by Mandee

I thought it was time for a new post but don't have much to write about. I am nearing the end of the tunnel affectionately called..."My Sister's Wedding". Somehow I was hired (free of charge or course) to be the wedding planner. I would like to think that I was chosen because I find joy in making things pretty or because of my love of all things decor but really I think I was appointed simply because I have no life and the only one available all day...EVERYDAY. I will take lots of pictures and share, but only of if the miracle of making a LDS gym look a little less like well a gym actually occurs.

There will be yummy desserts though! I am now the proud owner of 2 Sephra Chocolate fountains (anyone want to come over for some chocolate) and 20 pounds of premium milk chocolate. There will be strawberries (of course), fresh pineapple, frozen bananas, berry kabobs(that is just a fancy name (hey that sounds just like those Fancy Nancy books I read to Madelyn) for blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries skewered together on a stick of some kind, homemade rice krispy treats, cream puffs, pretzel rods, peanut butter balls, slivers of a walnut tart that is to die for, etc, etc, etc. AND....for those who don't like sweets....there will be nachos and homemade salsa. We are a family who loves food but especially MEXICAN food. We wouldn't know that to do with ourselves if there wasn't a tortilla chip in close proximity.

I will be glad when the festivities are over and I KNOW Dallan will be VERY glad when it is all said and done. Then his wife won't have any more excuses for NOT getting the house cleaned up. Having said that maybe I don't want it to be over because as you know....I LOVE A GOOD EXCUSE!

Let's see what else....I am excited that the new season of So You Think You Can Dance is almost here. Although I don't think it could possibly top last season. Madelyn has only 18 more days of school left and then comes the DREADED summer. 2+ months of being locked up in the house because it is too dreadfully hot to go outdoors. I think we will be spending LOTS of time at my grandparent's cabin, but they don't know that yet.

Here is one final random thought and then I must get back to doing something...do you think it's bad that I love watching the Biggest Loser while eating a drumstick (ice cream not fowl) all the while thinking it would be nice to lose a few pounds?

THAT'S MY BOY!!! (embarassing body talk, please read with caution...especially you Heather James)

Over the years Dallan and I have had several "talks" regarding the issue of whether or not you should teach your children the correct names for their body parts.

PLEASE KNOW I DIDN'T WRITE THIS POST SO WE COULD DEBATE THIS ISSUE.

I AM PERFECTLY OKAY WITH BEING WRONG!!

Me? I am old school. I find it a little uncomfortable when I hear certain words come out of a two year olds mouth. But that's just me! I know this parenting theory can cause confusion. Take Madelyn as an example. The other day she noticed a girl wearing a shirt that was well let's just say, having a really difficult time concealing the top portion of the owner's body. Upon seeing this girl Madelyn looked at me and said....Mom, I can see that girl's elbows", I thought about correcting her but AGAIN was a little uncomfortable with the thought of my baby girl talking about breasts, so I left it alone. In my opinion there will be a time and a place for "those" conversations. Dallan on the other hand disagrees with my philosophy. I don't understand why he is adamant about this. It isn't like he has done extensive research. No, I believe the real reason Dallan feels so strongly is because he has never experienced one of those truly embarrassing moments when your child says something so extreme, so ridiculously shocking that you actually want to run and hide, until now....(lucky for him this happened in our living room and we were the only one's around to hear it)!!!

Here's how it all played out.....Jackson has a really big belly. So big in fact that Dallan has made up a little song about it. "Big Belly, Big Belly, Big Belly Jackson, Little Belly, Little Belly, Little Belly Madelyn (Madelyn likes him to sing it saying that she too has a big belly. Can you imagine him singing that to her when she is 16?) all sung to the tune of "10 Little Indians". So there we were, just the three of us....Dallan, Jackson, and me. Dallan was singing his little song and after the first big belly verse Jackson spoke up and this is a quote..."No daddy, Jackson not have a big belly, Jackson has big penis". I don't think I have ever laughed that hard in my entire life. Dallan was speechless. When he asked where he learned that word (and NO I didn't teach him to say THAT!!!!) I explained that I had taught him the proper name for it and did so at HIS request.

So what did we all learn.... Well, Dallan realized that it's okay to be "old school" and that for the time being having his boy use the term "pee,pee" is MORE than OKAY with him.

And me....I learned that I LOVE teaching Dallan a lesson every now and again, especially when the results involve his ears turning red from embarrassment.

Now that was a moment when I thoroughly enjoyed feeling a little uncomfortable!

Modern Day Miracle......

Several weeks after Christmas my grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. The tumor was very large and had connected itself not only to the back of his throat but onto the base of his tongue. He is 91 years old and the prognosis wasn't good. Upon meeting with the surgeon to see if removing the tumor was even possible they were told that if he has surgery he would never be able to speak or eat again. Him and my grandmother decided that they would opt for no treatment and hopefully the doctors could make him comfortable. They were told that he had less than a year to live. Along comes my sister in law.....a couple members of her family had had progressive cancers and again were told by doctors there was no hope of remission and they too had little time left. Not happy with what they were told they sought alternative solutions. And they found one...MEXICO! Of all the places in the world they chose Mexico and they chose Doctor Vargas. Both members of her family were treated and were cured. For days my sister in law asked my brother to call my grandparents and give them Dr. Vargas' phone number. He wouldn't do it. He explained that they had made their decision and that my grandfather who NEVER goes to the doctor would surely NEVER go to MEXICO! Luckily for us she bugged him until he finally caved in. They sent this Mexican doctor all his test results and upon looking at them he told them he could help my grandfather. The cost would be around $20,000. Now while all of this was happening my grandparents received a renewal slip for their safe deposit box. My grandfather told my grandma that they should cancel it because there was nothing in it. She went up to the bank to cancel and make sure the box was empty. She had teased my grandpa that it would be funny if the box was full of money (my grandpa hides money and sometimes forgets where he hides it!). He was confident the box was empty. Well it wasn't. In the safety deposit box was the exact amount they needed to go to Mexico. I am not saying the money magically appeared but it had been saved or forgotten about until they needed it. So the two of them, my mom, and my aunt boarded a plane bound for San Diego and from there they would head on over across the boarder. Long story short....on his first visit he had several weeks of low dosage chemotherapy. He never once got sick and never lost any of his hair. After the chemo was several rounds of radiation. This was the hardest part. Approximately 4 weeks later they returned home. His throat was sore and nothing tasted the same (side effect of the radiation) but he was starting to heal. Several weeks later they went back to his primary care doctor for an MRI and found the tumor had shrunk about 50%. Just this last week they went back to Mexico to have the tumor surgically removed. Now remember the surgeon here explained that my grandfather would never speak or eat again should he opt for surgery. Doctor Vargas ensured my grandparents that the surgery would be simple and virtually painless. We didn't believe him. We were wrong. They were able to remove the entire tumor and three days later they were back on a plane headed for home. He was eating, drinking, talking and laughing. He will go back one more time for another round of chemotherapy and radiation just to make sure they get any residual cells they may have missed. This round will be even lighter than the first treatment he received. The prognosis.....complete remission. My family was amazed at how many people around the world travel to see this doctor in Mexico. Each time they have gone they have heard countless stories of how people had been healed AFTER being told they had little time left to live. I am thankful that my grandfather is recovering and that we have more time to spend with him. He is more like a father than a grandfather and I will forever be grateful to my sister in law whose persistence was the answer our family was in need of.

Are You Serious??

I just saw this on CNN. Here is the link....www.ashleymadison.com....when divorce just isn't an option. SERIOUSLY????

This is HILLARIOUS!!!

So I saw this on Lexi's blog, how I EVER missed this picture is BEYOND me! Madelyn was standing by me when we opened up the picture....YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN AND HEARD HER REACTION.....





First thing said.....That's NOT me!


Second thing said.....I don't EVER want to see that picture again!


Third thing said.....I think I am allergic to that picture mom!

And then she asked if she could go to Bessie's house and play with Ricardo (Carter). Not sure where the name Ricardo came from but I quickly corrected her! She has a habit of re-naming people. There is Bessie (which is really Lexie), then there is Hannah (which is really Nana), and now Ricardo. Bessie and Hannah REFUSE to let me correct her but I think "Ricardo" would DEFINATELY want her to know his REAL name.

The cutest Annie I have ever seen!

Finally....Some Pictures!!

Here are some of the house before we moved in. I will have to take some "after" shots. We had most of the interior painted and so it looks a lot different now.
Front of the house (obviously!)

Entry

Family Room

Kitchen (well at least part of it)

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom (do you see that doorway off to the side? That is another entire...we are using it as storage/excercise room for the moment).

Master Bathroom Shower

Inside of the master bath shower

I will take some "after" photos and post them as soon as possible!

I Am Not Political But....

I am not someone who is overtly political. Like most of you I have my views, my values, my frustrations, my likes, and of course my dislikes. I admit that most times I feel like our government in general is a little like a roller coaster....there are ups and downs, sideway turns and yes, moments of fear that everything you just ate for lunch is about to be thrown up on the person next to you. And just when you think it can't get any worse....the ride is over and all is calm. That has been me for as long as I can remember. There has never been a time when I have felt fear or uneasiness regarding the overall state of our country....until now. Each time I turn on the television or listen to the radio (talk radio that is) I am overwhelmed with what is happening in our world. I can remember during this last election when proposition 8 was being proposed. One of the General Authority's from my church said that we as church members can no longer be silent bystanders when it comes to what is right and wrong. I agree. I guess my apathetic tendencies toward all things government no longer works, especially if I want to feel as though I have a say in what happens to this country I love so much. So please forgive me for getting on yet another soapbox! Surely you must be thinking that there are better things for me to blog about other than the infamous octomom and radio/tv host Glenn Beck...and you would be right but for today this is what has been on my mind.....

I am not a huge Glenn Beck fan or at least until recently I haven't much listened to what he has to say but this caught my attention and I thought I would pass it along. It is called the 912 PROJECT. To me this is what AMERICA is.....and if more Americans took this approach to life we would all be a lot better off!

THE NINE PRINCIPLES
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

THE TWELVE VALUES
1. Honesty
2. Reverence
3. Hope
4. Thrift
5. Humility
6. Charity
7. Sincerity
8. Moderation
9. Hard Work
10. Courage
11. Personal Responsibility
12. Gratitude

If you want to know more about the 912 PROJECT. You can visit Glenn Beck's website!