#25

We are number 25!!!! I called AAC today and armed with a little extra knowledge (thank you Amber) found out we are #25 on the little girl list. WAHOOOOO two steps closer!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I clearly like exclamation points.)

Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!!! (I know late again)
Well I caught the Christmas spirit big time the last few days before Christmas and just finished cleaning the last of the "Christmas carnage" out of the living room, so now I will blog about it.
Christmas Eve was white this year, white and wonderful. I love the snow it just makes me feel all happy inside. I have never gotten over the little girl jittery stomach that comes with the first good snow of the season. We got the house cleaned up and ready for Christmas, (I do minimal cleaning once Christmas day comes because I want to soak up all the little wonderful moments with my boys.) met Omma and Pappa at a great little mexican place for lunch and to get our Christmas P.J's, and then played games, cuddled, and cooked Christmas Eve Dinner together. Then we made cookies for Santa, left out carrots and hot water for the reindeer (Boo's idea), bathed the boys and they went to bed. Michael and I cuddled on the couch and then went to bed so Santa could come. Miles woke up about 7 and waited patiently in bed until 7:30 when Isaac joined us. Then the carnage began it was GREAT!!! Miles was thrilled to give Isaac his gift and Isaac didn't understand why we just wouldn't let him play with the toys and kept making him open more. Miles got a C#melbak and and Isaac was so remiss that he didn't get one that we had to put in a phone call and Santa sent one in the mail straight away! We ate a yummy breakfast and then headed North. We had to take the Manly Truck because it was snowing so hard; lots of smiles from me for that!!! We spent some time with Michael's side of the family and ate a great lunch, Isaac loved the mashed sweet potatoes, thanks Aunt Delonni. Then we headed to the Rich side for games laughed together while we played Apples 2 Apples. Traveling home even in the Manly Truck was a nightmare and took nearly 3 hours but the boys slept and Michael and I spent some quiet Christmas moments together.

Hanukkah

Last night we celebrated Hanukkah. I love this holiday, latkes (fried potato pancakes), and chocolate. Yummy!!!!! Also I love celebrating a holiday that is so ancient; the thought of people for thousand of years celebrating the same miracle we were celebrating feels warm and cozy. Karli and Carson came over and celebrated with us, we even attempted the prayers in Hebrew, that didn't go so well. Special thanks goes to Gail and Ned who have taught me much about loving others, and also about the joy of celebrating those special Jewish holidays. My life has been blessed to know so many caring and wonderful people I am the person that I am because of the things I have been taught by so many people. HAPPY HANUKKAH EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

The Christmas Spirit

I'm not sure why but the Christmas spirit has been elusive to me this year. Could be the lack of snow, watching my Grandma and Grandpa, and my mom struggle so hard with the recent trial they have faced. Could be perhaps that my shoes are too tight, or my head is not screwed on just right, not sure but I was really just not feeling it. So I finally got a little taste of it all when my boys Michael and I decorated the Christmas Tree. Seeing all of the ornaments bunched down low toward the bottom on one or two boughs hearing the excitement in Miles' voice and Issac's joy-full screaching; it just felt like christmas.

I also was blessed to walk in to kickers room to check on him and be reminded of the great blessing we have in having our two wonderful little men who are growing and learning and just so cute. Here is a pic of that night and Michael reading to the boys the following night I am so blessed.

On the adoption front we are still sitting at 27 on the list no girl referrals coming in lately but I am assured that the list will move. I don't want it to move too fast, we need time to prepare, but I would like to see steady movement toward our little girl.

Thanks

I know I am late posting this but......these are the things I am grateful for this thanksgiving. 

I am so grateful for Miles his sense of humor has really started to develop and he makes me laugh. I am grateful for his blue eyes which shine with curiosity and mischief. I am grateful for his love and honesty. I am grateful that I get to know him that when he is hurt he lets me love him better. Miles is always making people smile he laughs and grins and thrives on life.

I am grateful for Isaac. My goodness what a loving child. He knows when I need an extra cuddle and he knows when I need a little smile. He seems to touch everyone he comes in contact with. You can't know Isaac and not love him. He just seems to be able to connect with people on a deep level for such a small person. 

And then there is Michael. God knew the kind of man I would need in life and made Michael just for me. He is all of the things I didn't know I wanted in a husband. He is patient with my shortcomings. A friend to anyone who needs him. A caring, honest, humble provider. I love him with all that I am and know that he loves me. 

Now on a lighter note these are some random things that I am grateful for this year.

• Trees (Look at one next time you have a minute they are really cool)
• Apples (I have really started to enjoy them lately)
• Tile floors (I have two boys)
• Digital Camera's (so easy to capture the fleeting moments of childhood)
• Books (they calm the most wild Miles moments)
• Truth
• Washing machines (see tile floors)
• Warm water
• Hope

And lastly I am grateful to a woman who I may never know, somewhere in Korea, who will give me the most precious gift of all the chance to love another little person. 

Grandma and Grandpa Crazy

I have cool Grandparents. I really do. I have been able to get to know all four of them. Grandpa Kent left this life August of 2003 and I miss him greatly. Gramma Happy is just that, happy so loving and involved in life. She has taught me many things about life and has provided me with guidance in many parts of my life. This post is about Grandma and Grandpa Crazy though... They are cowboys in every sense of the word. They are both in their 80's and still live alone, run a farm, and teach and take care of so many people. Well they were taking care of us again Friday. They got on the ATV and went up in the mountains to go find Christmas trees for all of us.  About 6 miles into the canyon the ATV started smoking and broke down. Grandma and Grandpa were stuck with out a cell phone and no way to keep warm. With more strength than I can imagine they both made it 2 miles in the dark night it was 15 degrees. They kept falling and both got very scratched up. Then grandma had to give up. Grandpa is so brave he keep going he made it 5 miles and then he couldn't make it up the last hill. Luckily someone came into the canyon and found Grandpa they drove to where Grandma was and brought them out of the canyon. My aunts and Mom insisted that they go to the hospital, they are both doing OK. Grandma has frostbite on her lower legs, and may loose toes or her feet, they both are dehydrated but they are doing well all things considered. Again they are teaching me so many lessons, the strength of love, the strength of the will to live, and that age is an attitude not a number. I love you Gram and Grampa Crazy, thank you for the gift of knowing you.

National Toy Hall of Fame

Well this is great!!! They have inducted the stick into the toy hall of fame. I am thrilled. While shopping for Christmas toys this year I was taken aback by the the amount of useless toys in the US. Honestly! So the stick will join the cardboard box in the national toy hall of fame.  I thought that my grandparents, my parents, my husband and I, and my children have all played with and enjoyed the stick. So congratulations to the stick I am actually thinking of wrapping up a stick to put under the tree for my kids, I'll even put it in a cardboard box.

To help you all reminisce about your own childhood I have found a list of the toys that are members of the National Toy Hall of Fame. 

Alphabet Blocks

Barbie (I disagree with this one)

Bicycle

Candy Land

Cardboard Box

Checkers

Crayola Crayons

Duncan Yo Yo Set

Erector Set

Etch a Sketch

Frisbee

G.I. Joe

Hula Hoop

Jack In The Box

Jacks

Jigsaw Puzzle

Jump Rope

LEGO

Lincoln Logs

Marbles

Monopoly

Mr. Potato Head

Play Dough

Radio Flyer Wagon

Raggedy Ann

Rocking Horse

Roller Skates

Scrabble

Silly Putty

Slinky

Stick

Teddy Bear

TinkerToy

Tonka Trucks

View Master

Veteran's Day

Veteran's day has become such an important holiday in my life in the last six years. I used to not even celebrate the holiday and only knew it was Veteran's Day if I looked on a calender. Now I remember those men who have given of themselves and their family's who have given part of their heart. I remember those that never came home and those that came home with visible or not visible scars. I remember my grandfathers who sacrificed so much. I am proud of my military heritage. Today when I called my grandfather to tell him thank you (a new tradition that I began about 4 years ago) I became sad because I thought back to my grandpa Kent and how I never told him that I appreciate the sacrifice that he made to give me the life that I lead now. Thank you Grandpa I love you and I miss you. 

Tonight I will hold Michael and My Boys a little tighter when we have family cuddles and book reading time. I will remember that freedom is not free. I will remember Grandpa Kent, and Grandpa Steve. I will have Miles call his Papa Jay to thank him. I will cry happy tears for being able to hold my soldier tonight and sad tears for those who are separated from their soldier.

Mickey Ears

So Ari and I received one of the best wake ups from our Sunday nap.  A little explanation, in March 2008 our family went to Disneyland and we bought both boys Mickey Ears.  Miles loves to wear his Ears.  So today he has been running around in just his Ears and boxer briefs.  I took  his Ears off before going down for the nap.  Apparently he woke up from his nap and immediately put those ears and came running into our room.  As we are laying their we hear him run in, and climb up on the bed and peak over my shoulder.  This is what we found!

#27

It's official.  We are, as of this afternoon number 27 on the AAC Adoption waiting list for the placement of our little one prayed for, Abeni.  We are so freaking excited....  So here is a picture of 27 dominos representing ourselves on the list.

First letter to Abeni

I have decided at every major adoption milestone I will write a letter to Abeni, so when she is older and wonders she can know just how loved she was before she was ever born. 

Abeni,

     Today we mailed in the Formal application to adopt you. But did you know..... before Daddy and I even got married we talked about adopting you. Did you know..... even though we weren't the first people to hold you we held you in our hearts for years before we held you in our arms. Did you know...... Miles and Isaac waited for you too. Miles often tells me "we are missing our stister Abeni." He also shared his fruit snacks with you before you were born. Did you know...... we thought about you planned for you and worried about you for years before we finally held you. So today as we officially begin our journey to you I wanted you to know that we love you little girl. We are waiting anxiously to see your face to hold your hand to learn about the person you are and watch you grow into the woman you will be.

Love Mom

Happy Halloween

Last night was Halloween; one of my favorite holidays. The boys both got lots of opportunities to wear their costumes this year and even go to do a little trick or treating during the week. Miles trick or treated at his pre-school party, Isaac trick or treated at Kids on the Move. Thursday night we had our Halloween dinner. We ate yummy mummies, bat wings, and monster brains. All three of my boys loved it. After dinner my Mom called and asked us to come trick or treating at the state volleyball tournament so she would have a chance to see the boys in costume. Because the state volleyball game falls on Halloween the volleyball team (aunt Havala) trick or treat a day early in the hotel. The girls were still playing when we got to the hotel so we played in the leaves and made leaf monsters and leaf storms. Well the trick or treating never happened, we tried hard but it just didn't happen. So Miles and Isaac trick or treated to Omma and PaPa's van and then to Karli and Carson's car. Friday was a crazy day, I woke up to the wonderful news that the money we needed to pay for the first phase of little miss's adoption was finally in our account. I wrote out a check and finished up the paperwork. Michael got off early so we finished up costumes and made mini caramel apples together. Then the boys woke up from their naps and jjyyy b cccc Isaac is helping me post where was I. Oh yeah so we all went and mailed the paperwork. Michael and I are excited, it feels like finally getting to start opening that present on Christmas morning. We went to Grandma and Grandpas and did a trick or treat. Then we went to Karen and Juli's I never quite know what to expect out of them on Halloween. This year they were witches and the garage was a spook alley, Everyone looked so great in their costumes and we got to laugh and play like we were all kids. I think that is why I love Halloween; it is an excuse for adults to imagine again.

Lots to post....

but tooooo tired will have to do it tomorrow. HaHa made ya look!

Risky Business and Feet

After Church on sunday Isaac was channeling a little T!m Crui!e. I was loving it and had Michael snap some quick photos.

Then today I was holding Miles as he was falling asleep; I was struck by the fact that he was growing up so fast. I looked at his nose his hands and his feet. What can be said; I love baby feet.  I love how they are soft, how they are chunky, how the pinky toes look, how they wrinkle, and how babies laugh when you kiss where the arches should be. So after the boys woke up I got out the camera and took some pictures of their little feet. Years from now I will hope that I remember these moments and the way their little feet felt in my hands.

Soaking up the last bits of fall.

Not that I don't love snow, but I just love being outside with my boys. Michael finally got the yard in and we have been living it up well the last week we have had unseasonably warm weather so we have had a few great outdoor moments. 

Ok So I screwed up!

What you see on this blog is what happens when a husband is given the reigns to dress up the blog. As i was searching for backdrops, i found a couple before this one.   The first one was really cool, and when I put the script in to use it, I lost all of our gadgets and our adoption timeline.  So yeah I suck pretty bad at this.  So to forewarn any of you that might think about letting your husband near the blog, DON'T!! 

I chose the Blog Background!

So Ari gave me free reign on making the blog the way I want! Yes!!

Fall Fun

      Isaac napping when we arrived at the maze.
Miles taking it all in on Daddy's sholders.
Slidding with my boys.
Wild Child Wild Smile!
Duck Races

The boys and I are in major celebration mode as Michael has some time off work right now. We are having family cuddles and "group sugar" all over the place. We really love spending time together as a family I am living it up having a second set of hands to dress, hold, and corral the kiddos. 

Miles is a lover of all things party related and has an incredible memory. Last year in October we went to the Harvest Festival and corn maze close to our home. Miles was in heaven. He didn't really care about the corn maze but the party atmosphere was like caffeine for him. He ran pin-ball style all over the place. For the last year every time we drive by the corn-maze location I hear "hey mom when are we going to corn-bellies again." About 6 months ago I started answering "in October baby." Three year olds don't know their months right so he would just kinda wait for October forever; YEAH RIGHT! He has asked since then "In October I get to go to Corn-bellies OK?" Well Sept 26th he informed me "Mom Corn-bellies is open cause it is almost October." I don't know how he came up with that but he was right. We packed up and went to Corn-bellies for a night of total ecstasy three year old style. Above is visual proof.

If the Army would just give me that bonus!

So, Michael here.  I just called Adoption for All Children and found that if we were able to get our formal application in today, we would be #26 on the list.  The receptionist also told me that from the time the formal application is process the current average wait time would be 15 to 18 months.  THAT IS CRAZY!!! Just really wish the army would give the bonus that I was supposed to receive in June!!  We are trying to pay as much as we can with our money prior to getting any loans!

Michael

FINALLY!!!!!!!

We have been waiting to submit our paperwork to AAC because we wanted to have the cash on hand to pay for the first phase of the paperwork; well today we got the GREAT NEWS that Michael's bonus from the Army is on it's way!!!! We will be submitting our formal application on Monday!!!! When AAC gets this paperwork and puts us on the list, we are officially waiting for ABENI!!! Ok so I am looking at this and I have lots of capitals and exclamation marks. Trying to express by emotions with words is something that I am clearly going to have to work on. I will post tomorrow about an excellent adventure we all just had. Laters all.

Family pics and day trips!

Here are some overdue pictures of us.

WOW III

Ok so it has been a long time since I posted and I need to finish the story. Over the last year we have seen miracle after miracle with our little man. The first being that he is alive. Isaac came home from the hospital and returned two weeks later when he was having pain and no one could identify where it was coming from. No one would listen to us so we brought him home still screaming before he went to sleep. Isaac caught a cold at the end of October and we had to admit him again because he was just unable to fight the virus on his own. We did an MRI to rule out seizure or brain related problems with his sleep. The Dr's didn't find a problem actually they found something they certainly didn't expect; Isaac had no more visible brain damage. We started seeing a Sleep Dr. to help him sleep and found out that he was really struggling to breath at night. He was given oxygen and we waited to see another Dr. to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. After that his sleep improved slowly and surely. Isaac was also diagnosed with GERD and we began treating that which helped with his struggles. We started physical therapy and early intervention. Our little has gone from not being able to turn his head and not smiling or laughing to walking in just over a year. We treasure every goofy little smile that has always been his trademark. We received yet another miracle this last Month. On Aug first Isaac had a cardiac catheterization to get detailed pictures of his heart. The Dr's were shocked and thrilled with what they say blood flow to the damaged part of his heart had returned as had his flow to his left femoral artery. The truly amazing part is that his coronary arteries have shown remarkable progress; beyond what the Dr's had even given us as a hope. Isaac continues to amaze us and inspire us!

Good Night 

Ari

WOW part II

Ok so the flight crew from the children's hospital arrived Isaac was so sick and there were so many people who had come to care for him that there was no room in the helicopter for me. My Aunts Karen and Juli arrived at the hospital, this was a great comfort to me as Juli is a nurse and had helped me through some medical struggles in life; besides Rib and Juli were always a source of comfort to me as a child and even now they calm my center.

Isaac was taken to the helicopter and everyone raced to the hospital. Michael's parents were on their way there already. We arrived at the hospital and the trauma team there was just doing their job but I was so offended when they began to question me about what had happened. I got the feeling they thought I had shaken my baby. They did a CT scan and figured out that that wasn't the case and he was admitted to the PICU. Michael and I followed him up stairs and watched as Dr's and Nurses swirled around him asking us questions and working on his little body. We had to leave as they placed several more permanent lines to access his bloodstream. It the time they assumed that he had Meningitis and they were treating him for it. A spinal tap was never performed and all of his cultures kept coming back negative. Isaac had began over-breathing the ventilator in the helicopter but his muscles were stiff and the neurologists told us that 35 minutes was just to long for the brain to go without sufficient oxygen. We were told to be prepared for a child that was either brain-dead or close to it. The neurology team hooked  him up to an EEG and the lines were just so flat. The attending thought we should get a consult from a geneticist and they tried to find something but again nothing came up. It was a few days later when Isaac was finally able to get a MRI of his brain. The neurology team was shocked with what they saw. They even had to wait an extra day to try and enhance the images, they had expected to see large areas of dead brain matter, but instead saw only  smaller then sxpected patches of dark areas that they had to look hard to see. Also his EEG was beginning to look more normal. They took him of the sedatives and extubated him. It was so good to finally hold him but he was so stiff and like a newborn all over again he couldn't nurse, couldn't smile, couldn't roll over, couldn't laugh had difficulty moving his head and following objects with his eyes. We spent a few more days in the PICU but then we were ready to graduate to the infant floor. Isaac was doing great but the attending still wanted to be able to give us a reason for what had happened. As a last ditch effort she had an ECHO done of his heart. What they saw gave them a reason for what had happened and us a whole new set of worries. Isaac had giant coronary aneurysms, he had suffered a heart attack that night. We were given the diagnosis of probable Atypical Kawasaki Disease. No one knows what causes this disease, it isn't genetic, bacterial, or viral, it responds to IVIG and generally has a whole list of symptoms, none of which Isaac had demonstrated. We were offered the chance to give Isaac and experimental medication that had sometimes helped with the remodeling of the aneurysms, and went ahead with it. We also started him on aspirin and indictable Lovenox, a blood thinner, to prevent future blood clots and heart attacks. We stayed in the hospital a few more days for observation and then we were on our merry way home with a baby whose future was more then uncertain. More later I need to put the boys down for a nap loves Ari

WOW

Ok so for anyone who doesn't know I am going to post a little bit about my little Kicker and his story. I have found that for some reason writing things down makes them seem more real to me and maybe that is why it has taken me so long to write this but here goes.

Isaac was born at 36 weeks by emergency c-section, my liver was not functioning and he was in eminent danger. Isaac  aspirated amniotic fluid and his immature little lungs were just to weak (I hate to use that word to describe anything about my little man but..) to handle it. He spent the first 8 days of his life lying in a warmer at first he was struggling so hard to breathe that touching him was too much. One day after he had had a particularly long struggle Michael was sitting with him all night. (We couldn't bear to leave the hospital.) He placed his hands around Isaac's fragile little body and sang to him for hours. Isaac's heart rate and breathing settled and he grew stronger. We brought our 5 pound wonder home on IV antibiotics ad figured that was the end of God's lesson on strength for our family. "..by small and simple things."

Isaac was a healthy baby for the next four and a half months. Toward the end of July I began to feel uneasy about Isaac's behavior. He had a low grade fever, irritability, and no other symptoms. I just didn't feel good about it. I took him on Saturday to see the on call pediatrician. He looked Isaac over and figured he must be teething or maybe had a bit of a virus. I was holding him in the bath Sunday night when I had an overwhelming feeling that Isaac was very ill and that I was to watch him closely or he would die. I called for Michael and discussed my concerns he said I should take Isaac back to the Dr. on Monday. I did Dr. Esham did a very thorough check but again didn't find anything, I went home frustrated and confused. I took Isaac back to the Dr. again on Thursday. Dr. Esham always listens so well to me and she decided to draw blood and do chest x-rays. The blood work came back that he was fine his platelet count was a little off but nothing that was concerning. Dr. Esham also had a radiologist read the chest x-ray he thought he maybe saw something so we started Isaac on antibiotics on Friday. Friday night we traveled to my parents home because Miles had a horse show the next day. That night (as we had been doing for about a week) Michael and I were taking turns "sleeping" with Isaac on our chest so we could be sure he was breathing. Dr. Esham had given us specific instructions that if anything changed we were to take Isaac directly to the Children's Hospital. Isaac woke up at 1 am and didn't want to eat he woke up again at 3 and refused to nurse. I almost felt panicked. We made the decision to take Isaac directly to the hospital. My mother and I both felt that we should no put Isaac in the car seat and that I should carry him on the 30 minute drive to the hospital. We hurried to the car and Isaac was behaving so strangely about 10 minutes into the drive he turned his little head and looked at me. I felt in my heart "OK he is going to stop breathing now" Breathe baby breath I called and then I started rescue breaths. Michael made a smart decision to hurry to the hospital and called 911 on the way. I could tell that my little man still had a heart-beat and he was pinking up as I was breathing the 911 dispatcher said that we had to pull over and let the police officer that we had passed at 110 miles an hour evaluate the situation. He came up to the car and I though my rescue breaths trying to tell him what was going on he took Isaac and gave him two back thrusts. I yelled "He isn't choking," grabbed my baby back and Michael and I left. We picked up another officer on the way but we were outrunning them. Michael was an amazing driver. We made it to the hospital and I ran in they were expecting me I lay my baby down on the table and he turned gray. I realized that his heart had stopped beating. They were working on him and I gave a medical history, then they ushered Michael and me out the door. We waited in the hall my parents arrived, we had called them on the way. We cried together and then Dr. Halliday came into the hall to tell us that Isaac had a heartbeat again. It had been 35 minutes of decreased oxygen and 25 minutes of CPR. We were told that he would be transported by Helicopter to the children's hospital. Ok this post is VERY long so I will post more tomorrow night about what happened next. Loves Ari

Boo For President

So Miles has become interested in the Presidental election lately and has started asking random strangers to "Vote for me for president of u the nited states!" Well a friend of mine showed me this and I thought it was funny. VOTE FOR BOO

4th Of July

The 4th of July is one of our favorite holidays. It is just after my birthday and there are fireworks what's not to love? This year Michael was able to get a little time off work so we went camping on Gramma Happies land. Havala, Karli, and Carson camped with us. We set up camp the morning of the 4th and then we went back to O'ma and Papa's for a picnic and fireworks. We arrived back at camp after dark and just dropped into our beds. The next morning after an amazing breakfast, (what is it about camping that makes everything taste better?), we hiked to a waterfall. We had lots of fun hiking exploring cuddling and laughing. Havala took the boys horseback riding that evening, they loved it of course. O'ma and Papa joined us for dinner, yummy "Mt-Dew stew." We broke camp the next morning and went to church with Dan and Cami to be there when they blessed their baby, Asher. It was a whirlwind weekend but so much fun.

On the adoption front we are in a bit of a holding pattern. Michael and I are going to try to pay for as much of this as possible up front so we don't owe lots of money when our baby girl gets home. We are waiting for a check from the army that will cover the first instalment and then we are all ready to submit our paperwork.

My Turn

Hello, it is I Michael, taking another crack at posting...  So this last weekend was crazy..  We traveled to Central Utah (the Sticks) to witness some miracles.  First, on Thursday we made it to Manti, Utah. As one approaches Manti, you can see the LDS Temple on the hill overlooking the town.  So as we approached I mentioned to Ari look at how beautiful the Temple is.  Even though it is hard to miss, Ari asked "where?".  Just made us laugh when she realized what had just happened.  So we made it to Manti and then went further to Palisade Lake which should be renamed Palisade pond.  We got there to find Ari's Father, Mother, one Sister and her betrothed, and her youngest Sister playing in the pond.  So needless to say, we all got in too.  Water was a bit chilly!!  Anyway, we then went back to Manti to have the famous turkey dinner that is prepared and sold by local LDS Church members prior to "The Mormon Miracle Paegent" preformed on the Temple grounds.  

What is amazing to find how many crazy religion fanatics from other churches came out to picket right off the LDS Temple grounds.  Ridiculous!!  This is all I can say about this behavior. C'mon in the 2 years that I taught about the LDS church to people in Korea, I never once told them that their church was evil or stand in front of a religious event protesting what they believed.  So yeah, I got caught by one of these crazies who came all the way from PA to tell me that what I believed was wrong and that it was going to lead me to Hell.  Well I said "Then I am going with the knowledge of what I know to be true, and I am happy with it."  Then I walked off as he cursed me. 

Sorry back to the good things about our trip.  Well we stayed the night in another podunk town called Ephraim, 6 miles from Manti.  Friday, We woke with two very tired boys and made them start moving at about 90 mph.  We then traveled back to Manti to witness the miracle of Ari's sister Karli and her now husband Carson being sealed for Time and All Eternity in the LDS Temple.  The Sealing power of the Holy Priesthood, is truely a miracle.  

Saturday, we had Karli's reception/festival/carnival at Ari's parents home.  By far the coolest reception ever.....  We had a bounce house, Pinatas, fresh Carnival popcorn and fresh Cotton Candy.....  One major problem, every time either Ari or I turned around Miles had a different cone of cotton candy..  That boy was so doped on sugar from cotton candy, lemonade and other sugary sweets that we thought he was never going to go to sleep in 10 years.

Anyway it was a magical weekend.  Two people have sealed their hearts, watch a mormon miracle performance, and had an awesome party.

PS We love you Karli and Carson... Congrads and BE HAPPY

Promising Fortunes

Michael the boys and I  went to the local Chinese restaurant and our fortunes were amazing we are hoping that they come true! Michael's said "This year your highest priority will be your family." Mine said "Your present plans are going to succeed within a year." Wouldn't it be nice if the that were possible :) I am going to scan the fortunes and put them on the site. 

Boo's First Girlfriend

Well Miles has a girlfriend...The festivities in our town continue and we went to the carnival with rides tonight. He made friends with a little girl 6 year old, Taya. They went on the rides together and then they were holding hands. On our way home I asked Miles tell me about Taya and he said. "She's my girlfriend." 

Carnival

Our Internet went out about two weeks ago and it has been a traumatic experience. But on to happier things the boys are growing like little weeds. Isaac had therapy today and he was crawling and cruising all over the place :-) He is funny because he knows that when he does that all of the adults in the room are supposed to be impressed and he looks to each one for encouragement and praise. We took the boys to a local kiddy carnival today Isaac got a balloon and that was all he needed. Miles on the other hand went to all of the booths and very politely asked "may I play please." Then say for example that it was a bean-bag toss game, he would walk right up and put the beanbags in the holes. He saw absolutely no reason why he should have to stand back; that might make you miss. Everyone at the carnival got a kick out of it. They both were sound asleep not 20 min after we got home. There is nothing so sweet as a soft clean baby sleeping in your arms. Sometimes when I hold them as they fall asleep at night I study their sweet little faces, the way they breath, the way they smell, how soft their little bodies are. The moments are moving to fast they are growing and I want to remember forever the precious moments when they are little. That being said here is my first ever attempt at adding video to our blog. I made this for LaWana for her birthday.

St. George Trip

This weekend we went to Southern Utah to see some of our Korean friends. Miles practiced his "eensa" bow and Jieun (the daughter of a family Michael was friends with in Korea), Korean Grandpa, and Korean Grandma (Jieun's grandparents) thought it was so funny. Also of note we officially put our paperwork in the mail. As soon as AAC receives it we will be on the waiting list AAAAGGGHHH!! We are so excited. The poor postal worker was so confused as to why we wanted to take pictures of us dropping something in the mail. :-) Miles and Isaac had a great trip. Grandpa had them both laughing so hard. He is so funny at 80 years old he was running around throwing balls at Miles and rolling on the floor with Isaac. We also went to a dinosaur track site and the guide talked about how dinosaurs in the area would go swimming. Later that night when we got back to the hotel Miles was pretending to be a dinosaur, "swumming" around in the swimming pool.

O-R-E-O

Ohhhh my sweet Isaac. Sometimes when I hold him I am so taken aback by the gift that I am being given. Every moment I get with Isaac is cherished. When he hugs me, learns something, laughs at his brother, or smiles. I can't imagine my life without him. Lately Isaac has started to have signs of oral aversion. He isn't wanting to eat and doesn't like to have things in his mouth. We were eating Oreo's tuesday night and I thought that he would like them and he did he liked them everywhere but in his mouth.

Little Pearl of Wisdom

Tonight Daddy had young mens at church so I was getting the boys ready to get in the bath. I was teaching Miles the hokey pokey to keep him occupied while I got medication for Kicker. He was singing and dancing along when all of the sudden he stopped..."mommy the hokey pokey isn't what it is all about." I couldn't stop laughing I don't think he knows what it is all about but we have ruled out the hokey pokey.

Park Day

Yesterday the boys and I went to the park. It was cold and rainy in the morning and supposed to warm up in the afternoon but it never did so at 3:00 I decided it was time to just go. I figured the boys wouldn't want to stay out long. I fixed my bike and attached it to the trailer and we took off. Isaac loves the swing so we went to a park with a swing. He was laughing and screeching he was having so much fun. I had wrapped Isaac up in my sweatshirt and a blanket. Miles was not going back inside...he was so cold that by the time he finely decided to get in the bike trailer and wrap up in a blanket that he was trying to scrunch up his shoulders to warm his ears. We had so much fun

Michael's First Post

Hi all, 

This is my first attempt at posting on our blog.  We have finally filled out our pre-application for adoption with AAC out of Colorado, now we just need to send it.  Ari and I are both really excited to adopt, we have talked about it since we were dating.  I lived in Korea for 2 years, so needless to say I fell in love with the Korean people, mostly the kids.  I feel once we have our angel from Korea, we might set our sights on another child, probably from another foreign country.  Well I am typing this blog, hoping that Miles will go to sleep, he has been coming in and out of his room since 730 pm, it is now 930 pm.  Anyway, Godspeed.

Missing Korea

All this talk about Korea has me thinking back to the trip Michael and I took in Jan, 04. I remember how kind the people were and how Michael convinced the children he was from North Korea because his Korean is so good. The parents thought it was so funny. I remember going to the special needs orphanage Michael worked at as a missionary, one of the people there still remembered him. Also one boy followed me around stroking my arm. Ok so now I should post about this picture. Everything in Korea has cartoon mascots and these are the mascots of one of the highways. We stopped at a rest stop (amazing rest stop food btw) and took this picture after we were don we got back in the car and started driving and a woman came running up and tapped on the window. The look on her face when she saw that we were megooks was so funny but she asked us to take her to her bus (she was on a tour and had been left at the rest stop) Michael said of course and she got in the back of the car. As soon as she got in she called her friend on the bus and told them that she was in a car with an american she had to keep repeating herself because no one believed it. When we arrived at the bus there were about 50 faces staring out the window to see the crazy Americans who were driving around Korea. The Korean people are so amazing. I love the culture and I hope that we can share that love with the little one who is destined to be our child.

More Question

I remember when I was young and studying things and discovered that the more I learned the more questions I had. Well that is the case with this adoption thing. I ask one question and that seems to bring up more. I have joined a Korean adoption board and that has been helpful informative and strangely comforting, seems to be proof babies actually do come home. So I think we have decided on an agency I am going to call them on Monday and ask them my list of questions if all goes well I think we will send a pre-application in to them next week. Now we just need to find a social worker who is familiar with Korean adoption home studies. 

The begining.

Well, here goes.... The boys are both asleep for the night and Michael and I are working on getting this blog up and running. We have always known we wanted to adopt and now we are ready to start. The whole process seems so overwhelming right now. Which agency in Utah, which agency in the US? Will we have to wait 2+ years for our little angel or will the process go faster than that? Will our little one be on one of the waiting child lists? (I search them often) What is our future child's birth mom doing? How will this whole process change us? Are we ready for all of the heartache and the joy? I am just not sure where to start. I have reached out into the adoption world to try and make contacts and ask my questions. So with that said I hope that we find our little angel out there somewhere. I pray for us, that we will be guided in our search and that with God's help we will reach our hands out and he will place our little one in our arms.