I'm a slacker...

So I haven't done my weekly post in a week or two. I'm here in Portland at the Wilkins home with Dustin, Gina, Drew and Beau. It has been great fun and VERY COLD.

I am very thankful at this time of year for heaters. I can't imagine not being able to get warm. I hate being cold. It makes me very angry. If my toes get cold, it's all over! I am so thankful for warm beds and warm baths.

!!!Cheese Glorious Cheese!!!

I am thankful for cheese this week. It makes me hap, hap, happy to see it melted and sometimes crunchy. Who doesn't like cheese?

Fried Cheese

Extra Cheese

mac and cheese

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with 5011 kinds of cheese!!!

!!!!!!!!CCCCCHHHHHEEEEEEEEEESSSSSEEEEE!!!!!!!!

What can I say.......

Almost Famous?

My cousin Alex, Matheson Dental, has a float in the Queen Creek Christmas Parade and we got to be on it. We had so much fun and pulled the twins in their new little (ginormous) Radio Flyer Wagon behind the float. People pointed and stared at the "caboose" and we got a lot of laughs from it too. The bebes loved to see all the people and anytime they saw a dog, they would do their little, "woof" sound. They wouldn't wave so much in the begining but of course as we got to the end they started waving like crazy! Levu had both hands up waving to each side of the street.

A couple little ones get pulled on the back of their float in their

wagon during Queen Creek's Christmas Parade. Dec. 5, 2009.

Photo by Darryl Webb, Tribune

Anyways this pic made it to the East Valley Tribune. Yay us!

P.S. In case you were wondering, the float took FIRST PLACE in the Equestrian Category! And to make it even better.....we were pulled by two mules!!!!

The movers and the shakers

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So Dustin and Gina decided to move to Portland. While I was not happy about it, I could little about it so I decided to suck it up and make it a place to visit. This is the family in front of their house. The trees are beautiful! I'm going to visit for Christmas before I start school because I don't know when I will be able to go after it starts. I miss them terribly and am SUPER DUPER EXCITED to go see them.


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These two bebes are the shakers. We turn on music and they start shakin it!! Well, Liahona does this twisty thing with her arms as she gallops arounds the room and Levu stands in one place and sways back and forth. It is so cute!

This week I am thankful for...

!!!ADOPTION!!!

This is the last day of National Adoption Month. I am so grateful that adoption has been part of my life. I have added some wonderful people into my circle of family and friends because of adoption. I have the most wonderful people who have become parents to a sweet little spirit that I gave birth to.

Let's try this...

Today I am going to make a resolution to try to blog at least once a week about something that I am thankful for. (I'm starting my resolution now instead of on New Year's because we all know that those don't work. Maybe this will.)

Today I am thankful for many things, being Thanksgiving and all. I am especially grateful today for the knowledge I have of the resurrection. What joy this knowledge brings to me. I honestly do not know how people without this knowledge go on after a loved one dies! This is what gets me through the rough times in life.

Today would be my brother Paul's 34th birthday. For those of you who don't know, he died almost 12 years ago. He was the only boy, who also happened to be the oldest of us four kids. He left behind a beautiful, now 16 year old daughter Soleil. Oh how I miss him today. I've thought of him so much this past year with all of the changes that have happened in my life. He is in my thoughts everyday. Zaddy boy looks like him in so many ways.

I am grateful

Steve and Angie~

I just wanted to let you know how very grateful I am for you. I am so grateful that you were living your lives right when I needed you the most. I am so grateful that even though you, Angie, had major surgery 3 days before I met you, you were able to come to my house and meet with me and my family. I am so grateful to you, Steve, for being the kind of man I wanted my son to be. I am so grateful that you are everything I wanted and needed for this little boy. I am so grateful that you both are eternally sealed to him. I am so grateful that you have allowed me to be a part of his life. I am so grateful that you have allowed my family to be a part of his life. I am grateful that you want me to succeed in life.

I am so grateful that you are everything I dreamed you could be as parents for this little boy who needed you to care for him and love him.

I will forever be grateful to you.

I love you,
Norma

Birthmother Baskets

I stumbled upon this awsome blog last nite and wanted to share it with everyone. This woman has come up with the idea of giving a basket full of pampering items to a birthmother when she's leaving the hospital so she won't go home empty handed. Now, a basket could never compare to a baby of course, but it's just a little something to help. I love this idea!

Halloween Family Home Evening Fun

Every year my family gets together at my cousins house and we have a Halloween party. The kids, and some adults, dress up in their costumes, we eat, play games (doughnut on a string, bobbing for apples and carving pumpkins).

This year the Owensby's came to celebrate with us. Zaddy boy was an adorable pirate!

Here is Kali as a Dodgeballer! He fro'd his hair and had a dodgeball under his arm at one point.

This was the doughnut on a string for the bebes. It was so fun to watch.

Liahona and Levu were monsters. When they walked they waddled because the outfits were big.

Here Levu is trying to suck on the stem.

And Liahona crawling up some stairs

and walking away.

Zaddy boy LOVED his Krispy Kreme!

Zad and Steve

I just want to eat him up!

"OH AUNTIE!, YOU'RE SO FUNNY!"

His cheekys are so squishy

This next series of pics is when they had the girl round of doughnut on a string.

The pics came in backwards so I'll tell the story first.

Monica, Angie and I were tying our strings to make them long enough for us. Then you see Monica whispering something to Angie, and I'm smiling for some unknown reason. Then you see me hysterically laughing because Monica told Angie to hit my doughnut when they started the competition so it would swing. I was taken by surprise when Angie suckerpunched (okay it was a suckerpush) me in the cheek!!!! After I tried to compose myself for a bit, it was off to the races! I didn't win because of what they did, but they didn't either. Oh wait. I think Angie did win. So sad for me.....

Here's Gina and Beau. I'm so sad that they are moving to Portland. It will be a great experience for them though. Drew moves too fast so we didn't get any pics of him blowing out all of the centerpiece candles. I will have to ask Dustin if he got any.

Here is Zad taking a turn at a game.

Yes Angie made his outfit. Yes those are "leather" cuffs tied around his wrists.

Here's Angie and Zaddy

We all got what we all wanted....

This weekend we all got what we all wanted....An eternal family for Baby Zad. On Saturday I was able to attend the sealing of Zadok to his mom and dad. This is what I had wanted for him when I placed him. This is what Steve and Angie wanted for him when they adopted him. It was something I will never forget. He looked so beautiful. My family was able to be there and I will forever be grateful to the Owensby's for this opportunity.

On Sunday, Zad was blessed. We went to dinner afterward at the Owensby's and it was great.

This is the weekend that I pictured in my mind when I thought about Zad needed to have an eternal family. Thank you Steve and Angie for continuing to have me in your lives and share these special moments with you. I will be forever grateful that I was able to find you and that you were ready to take this sweet little baby overnight.

The Babes

Drewfy looking so handsome for church. I love when he comes to see me! He yells my name as he's running up to me and gives me a great BIG hug and kiss!!!

Zaddy boy got to come and have a sleepover with the twins from Aug. 16th to the 20th. It was so much fun! He slept in my room and Monica and my mom watched him during the day. I stayed home on Wednesday to play with him though. He's getting so big! Steve texted me the other day and said he's getting tooth #3. Here he is on his way home from Flagstaff in his grandpa's plane. Angie says he loves to fly.

This is what I got to wake up to in the morning. I love how his his booty sticks up in the air.

Here's Drew boy. He's learning lots of new words and has fun jumping on the trampoline.

Sweet little Beau Beau. His smile is beautiful and I love to watch him watch everything that's going on around him.

He's so fun to play with! His giggle is contagious!

Hmmm...this is the only recent one I have of Soleil and the fact that Zad was about 2 months makes this an old pic. I love when Soleil comes over! She is so much like her dad in that she loves to tease and can make anyone laugh.

These two babes are so fun! They are at the age where they are starting to "talk" to each other. It's so fun to watch them play together and get mad at each other.

Her new nickname is Ping Pong. Liahona loves to get into anything and everything! She loves to give hugs and kisses and can wave bye and blow kisses.

This little boy is gonna give his momma and daddy a run for their money! He acts like he is innocent but wait til he older! I love when he waves bye and now he can say-"Uh-Oh!" He likes to push his sippy cup off the highchair and say it. Over and over and over again.

32 random questions

1. Where is your cell phone? You really wanna know? It's in my bra so I know where it is at all times.
2. Who is your significant other? My under cover lover is somewhere out there, beneath the pale moon light......
3. Your hair? is big right now!!!
4. Your Mother? Is amazing, beautiful, and so much more
5. Your Father? can you say donkey???
6. Your favorite? ADOPTION ADVOCACY, making jewelry
7. Your dream last night? I can't remember it.
8. Your favorite drink? Cherry Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal? Get married and have a family
10 What room are you in? Kitchen
11. Your hobby? Traveling, cake decorating, making bracelets, photography, ADOPTION ADVOCACY
12.Your fear? Ending up alone, heights but I do like roller coasters sometimes.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 yrs? Married with at least one kid.
14. Where were you last night? here at the house making bracelets
15. Something that you aren't? uhhhh.....
16. Muffins? eh....they are ok
17. Wish list item? Love and marriage
18. Where you grew up? Arizona
19. Last thing you did? put a piece of dubble bubble in my mouth.
20. What are you wearing? a shirt and capris
21.??????
22. Whats on your TV? its off
23. Pets? No.
24. Friends? yes...i like almost all of them.... :)
25. Your Life? Mi Vida Loca.
26. Your Mood?Blah, tired
27. Missing Someone? Yeah a little I guess.
28. Car? Chrysler PT Cruiser
29. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
30. Your Favorite Store? Beads Galore and the Beaderie
31. Your Favorite color?I like pink cuz I'm a girl
32. When is the last time you laughed? Just a minute ago.

With 21 missing, thats only 31 questions.....hmmmm.....

Lake Powell

So I am kinda late in getting these up. The Owensby's invited me to go to Lake Powell over the 4th of July weekend and stay on their houseboat. It was so much fun and so relaxing. We got to know each other a lot better too.

He looks like he's in a cage.
I love this picture

He loved to float in the lake.

I love all of his cute rolls.

"Don't bug me! I'm relaxin'!"

On our way to church

He's a cool dude!

This was his first dip in the water. As you can see, he didn't like it.

I love the dimple just under his chin. He's had it since he was born.

This helicopter landed on top of this houseboat.

I love how he sucks his thumb!