Cousins are HERE to play

My sister, Lyndsay, and nephews, Jayden and Braxton, came to town for a 2 week starting on May 20th. We have been having so much fun hanging out and going on adventures together.

The boys especially love playing in my parents backyard and climbing trees. Jayden and Braxton can't climb the trees unless there is an adult in the backyard with them, so when we are there we help them climb the trees.

This is the first day that Lyndsay got to town. We went outside to play in the sun and my mom got a picture with all the grandkids together with her.

Leili, my Mom, Kara, Braxton, Kasiah, and Jayden

Hanging out in the tree is one of the things the boys like to do as there aren't any trees for them to climb at their house.

Jayden

Braxton

One of our outings was to Costco. Good thing we all went as Kali bought a new car seat for Leili and couldn't fit it in Lyndsay's trunk, so I took it in my car in the front seat.

Leili, Jayden, and Braxton

The boys have super hero pajamas. One of the nights when I was over at my mom's, I told Jayden that Matt would love his pajamas. Jayden told me, "Well take a picture and send it to him then." Very cute and smart.

Jayden and Braxton

My mom bought one of those orange and yellow cars for the grandkids to play with and they love it. On this adventure with the car, its wheel decided to fall off. Check out the video my mom was taking, she caught it all on video.

One of the days we were outside, Leili was sitting in the grass and trying to eat it. Of course, I just video taped her. She is such a cute little chunky baby.

Braxton got a hulk mask for his birthday and I couldn't help but try it on. 

We have also gone to the Dinosaur Museum and Zoo (check out the separate post for these).

3rd time the charm...to see the Elswood's

We were finally able to see our best friends, the Elswoods. We had attempted to 2 other times, but someone was always sick and we didn't want to expose Kara, so we stayed away.

Well we finally got together on Friday, May 17th. It was Kara's first adventure other than a grocery store or a relative's house. It was also her longest car ride, 45 minutes! Doesn't seem long when she isn't fussy cause she is hungry, but we made it.

It was a beautiful, stormy, Utah day. By that I mean, sunny then rainy then sunny then rainy.

Kristin took our family pictures for us before Matt dived into helping David with some new steps from their kitchen into the backyard. Kristin and I chatted and made some homemade enchiladas. They were yummy!

The kids loved Kara, especially Katie. She was quite curious when I was nursing Kara what I was doing. I didn't know how to answer, well more of how much you are suppose to tell a 4 year old, so I kept telling her to go ask her mom. Good practice for me on public feeding, especially with being asked questions by little ones and not showing anything.

Parker checking out Kara while Matt was trying to wrap her up. 

Gracie and Katie helping Kara keep in her binkie. 

Katie and Kara

We had a good time and can't wait for more to come with our little Kara in tow.

Dates...they are so important

Matt and I went on another date. The day after Mother's Day. We went and saw the New Star Trek movie.

It was really good for us to get out and be together. We left Kara with my mom for about three hours. The next attempt for a date will be going out to eat.

It seems weird not having Kara with us when we are together, but it is really good for us. As being married for almost 9 years and all of a sudden we always have Kara and that was all we were about.

I missed Matt over those first weeks of adjusting, but now we are back to goofing off and laughing together.

We are committed to go on a date at least once a month without Kara, but oh do we love our time with her!

Mother's Day 2013

What a weekend!!!! It wasn't a big deal or extravagant by any means, it was just who I got to spend it with...MY LITTLE KARA!!!

I am still figuring out the finer points of being a mom, like the no sleep or the interrupted sleep, or how to have your brain work on no sleep, but who cares about these. It is the memories I will have with Kara and Mattie that are important.

Matt had to work all Mother's Day weekend, but I hung out with family and Kara. On Saturday, I went to Kristin's parents house and hung out with them. We good food and a relaxing time. It was good being around them as they as my second family. Plus, I got to show off Kara, which I never realized could be so much fun.

Parker, Katie, and Grace were so cute around Kara.

David, Kara, Katie, and Grace

On Mother's Day, we woke up early to get ready for church. I went down stairs to find a card with Kara's feet prints on the front made by Matt. Very adorable and thoughtful. Matt also wrote a great message and had "coupons" inside. We went to church together, but Matt only stayed for the first part as he had worked the night before and needed to go to bed. So Kara and I stayed the rest of church, walked home, ate lunch, and then went and visited Matt's mom and then my mom.

Front of the Mother's Day Card

Photo shoot with Kara after church...she was hungry and wanted to eat, which you can tell in a couple of the pictures that she wasn't excited to get her pictures taken. 

It was so much fun just being with Kara on Mother's Day! Can't wait for the many years to come to be with her.

Mother's Day 2012

Recap 2012 Mother's Day weekend:

We were suppose to have met the birth mom we had been communicating with for over 12 weeks for the first time at dinner. We had been in contact on Friday and were suppose to go to dinner with her on Saturday. Mind you that we had been texted all week and she even sent us her picture on Friday, so we could know what she looked like. 

We were so excited and we hadn't told our family yet about the adoption and were going to let our Moms know for Mother's Day. Well we got stood up, with no communication. We waited for over an hour. I was so heart broken I could barely stand it. 

We ended up going to our parents house right after telling them what happened and gave them their Mother's Day presents a day early. On Mother's Day, we ended up staying home because all I could do was cry my eyes out. We eventually found out that the birth mom no longer wanted us to be parents for her baby and had gone out and chosen another family.  

Third adoption fell through and made us lose our respect and hopes for adoptions....which turned out with a happy ending as we ended up with our own miracle for the best Mother's Day 2013 yet.

At this time it was hard to remember that Heavenly Father's plan is so much better than the plan we could have for ourselves. It is hard to see it while going through it, but looking back is one of the greatest things we can do to reflect and appreciate where a broken heart can lead to. 

Home videos of Kara

Here are some videos of Kara. My favorite is of her crying. Wanted to capture her cute fake cry that she loves to use to get our attention or her binkie.

First Date...since Kara

Well Matt and I finally went on our first date, since we had Kara. Was a little strange just the two of us, but needed time together. Can't say that I didn't miss Kara while we were gone.

We decided to do a babysit swap with my sister Kali and her husband Shawn so we could both go see Iron Man 3 on Saturday, May 4th. Kali was actually the one who watched Leili as Shawn was still at work up until basically the time the movie was completed.

Kara dressed for our first date away from her. 

Cutest baby ever!

We dropped off Kara at 12:30 and went to the theater for our show at 1:00pm. We got great seats and waited for our movie to start. Right before the previews started, in walks a couple with a car seat and their little baby. They sat right infront of us. Matt was a little ticked off as we made sure we found a sitter, so everyone else in the theater wouldn't have to be distracted by a crying baby. People pay quite a bit of money to go see movies nowadays and it is rude to bring in an infant or have crying children in the theater. That is our opinion anyway.

Well we enjoyed the movie and the previews. We can't wait for a couple more to come out this summer and go see them too.

After the movie, we went to Kali's house to switch off babysitting. I took Leili and Matt hung out with Kara. Kara ended up falling asleep, so we put her in Leili's crib. Matt went out to grab us dinner at Cafe Rio while I tried to feed Leili, but Leili had a different idea. She thought she would randomly start crying and screaming. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, so I tried feeding her. She would take two bits and then scream. So I took her out of her high chair and she was fine. Put her back in and she took two bits and started to scream. So I took her out and she was fine, well the third time she surprised me and she fell asleep. I didn't figure it out obviously that she was tired until she should me.

Leili finally feel asleep so I would get the hint. 

Perfect. She was asleep in her high chair, while Kara was sleeping in her bed. Luckily Matt just got back. He got Kara out of the crib so I could put Leili in her crib.

Then the dinner disaster happen...Cafe Rio totally messed up on our order...Matt was ticked off enough to call them and went back talked to the manager and got another order that was correct and got it for free.

Well, we ate dinner, I feed Kara, and then woke up Leili and feed her and then Kali and Shawn got home.

Matt and Kara hanging out while I fed Leili

Kara awake while Matt tried to get some rest.

Leili and I waiting for Kali and Shawn to get home

Such a fun Saturday spent with kids and adventure, plus a good movie!