EXERCISE!!

So I have been living my life lately in a happy blissful state of not caring to much about the whole body image, trying to tell myself that "this is who I am, like it or leave it" until my doctor crashes my whole eat and be merry party! I have high cholesterol, so much so that I have been told to lose weight, EXERCISE, and eat better and told to start on a medication (this does not thrill me) and to top it off, I have also been battling kidney stones (not so fun to say the least) So I decided to join a club and a nutrition program....Now it is the exercise that I am struggling with, I of course am very out of shape and not a big fan anyway, so I started with the Seniors aerobic class and this was going well (for about a month), the senior citizens are the sweetest ladies ever and one day I even had one of them call me at home to cheer me on, most of them look pretty amazing too, they are like my new best friends, and the classes have been manageable. Then my friend talks me into going with her to the new body combat class, it happens to be taught by another friend of ours...Well let me tell you, I don't think I am ready to combat anyone. That class is out of control and those ladies are crazy, some of which I would not want to meet late at night on the streets, they would take me down! And, I am not just saying this so that someone will say "oh that is not true" trust me it is true, I am by far the largest individual in the class. Some of the ladies in the class have real combat gloves on, they are ready for battle! So at one point in the class we are boxing into the air at our pretend hanging down boxing ball and I have got my eye on the instructor concentrating on her every move and trying to keep up without actually having a heart attack and then it happened, I punch myself under the chin, bite my tongue and cause my tongue to bleed... yea, for sure I am ready to take down the intruder, if the intruder happens to be ME. So really is exercise all that it is cracked up to be, I mean seriously I could cause some bodily injuries to myself. So for all you exercise buffs...my hats off to you. I hope I actually survive!!

Do you think there is any kind of Plastic surgery that will remove high cholesterol and kidney stones? If so maybe I should start saving my money....I am thinking that I may have to stick to the poor man's plastic surgery!

sEaSoNs

Season's in Utah can sometimes be confusing especially to a 5 year old, snow falling in the morning and sun shinning bright in the afternoon....this is Rob on his way to pre-school the other day...All the seasons are represented here, rain jacket, snow boots and mittens (you can never be too sure when a rain burst or snow storm might break out) and to top off his ensemble.....swimming goggles!


As you can see, I have learned over the past 22 years as a parent to choose my battles (okay, so maybe it actually took me 22 years to figure this out), so Rob goes to pre-school pretty happy with some of his outerwear choices!! And truly is there anything cuter! I think not! So as we are headed out the door I grab the camera to take this picture and Rob just looks up at me and says "I'm cute, huh mom!" No doubt about it!

HaLLOwEEn hOtShOtS

So I am a little late with my Halloween post...But here we go anyway...As you can see that as children get older it might be a little difficult to tell what they are actually dressed up as.. Here we have a rocker...two cruella devil's (one a friend) and an M&M rocker......

...Next we have a couple of Bonneville football players with a little bling bling on their hands..(one is mine and one is a friend)....

..... Next we have a hippie!!

And saving the cutest for last is batman!!! At a halloween party he won the costume contest as the child with the costume that most fit the child. Darren wanted to know what they meant by that until we saw our son flying off the stage at the party.
This costume actually gets plenty of use...he wears it everyday and has it on as I type....sweet little batman!! (PS, no we have not let him see the grown up versions of batman, but he does love the commercials and has wanted to be batman ever since they started playing)

AdOpTiOn

I came across these photos today of my niece Dari's fourth birthday party at McDonald's. While we were there that day a couple of my friends came in to celebrate one of their daughters birthday. As we all sat there watching the children play it occurred to us that right there in that little McDonald's there were 6 little children (with us) that had been adopted (by 5 families) from different parts of the world. One child from Micronesia, one from Bulgaria, two adopted from the foster care system and two from Haiti. It was very touching to all of us. Who would imagine that in a a McDonald's in South Ogden Utah, there would be children from all around the world touching the lives of so many families...What a blessing...What a joy...We decided to take their picture...(this was harder than we had anticipated and one little boy chose not to be in the photographs)

"Adoption is like a scavenger hunt, you have to travel so far sometimes to find the little treasures God has left for us but it is worth it in the end!" Maureen Kerik

"My Harvest I did not plant you, true. But when the season is done, When the alternative prayers for sun and for rain are counted, When the pain of weeding And the pride of watching are through, Then I will hold you high, A shining sheaf above the thousand seeds grown wild. Not my planting, But, by heaven, My harvest -My child."

Carol Lynn Pearson

For those of you my friends who are on this adoption journey, let me tell you from the bottom of my heart, It is worth it in the end, and no matter what part of the world they are coming from they will be YOUR child!

hAiTi

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

I just spent an amazing week in Haiti and wanted to share a few things that I felt with my heart...
To start off; I have A huge amount of love for adoptive parents who love unconditionally, they take their little Haitian children that they meet for the first time without reservation, most sick with some sort of parasite inflicted upon them by the conditions of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere! I leave the country in love with the adoptive parents and their children and feel it a privilege to share in their adoptive journey's. I have Gratitude! gratitude for more things than I can name, but here are just a few; A sweet man named Harry Mardy, who worked tirelessly to arrange our trip, provide us with vehicles and drivers and be our translator; Nannies at orphanages that work hard to love and care for the children in trusted in their care, with little compensation and sometimes going without food themselves so that the children can be fed; Orphanage directors who take children off the streets, sometimes when they absolutely do not have the room, money or goods to care for them, but they cannot bear to hear of another child dying on the streets; Volunteers who go to places like Haiti, using their own funds, dedicating their own time, leaving families behind, sitting in hot orphanages, (or on the ground in the parking lot of an LDS church) feeding and playing with children without any regard for the conditions in which they find themselves! Gratitude for people willing to raise money for food for the orphanages and/or so that children in a program called Haitian Roots can go to school; I feel grateful for the opportunity to be part of such organizations and to have gone to Haiti to be with all of the these children, parents and volunteers. I felt overwhelmed at the feeling of the Spirit when attending church in Petionville Haiti, walking into the chapel having it so full there was hardly room for us to sit! There are no words to describe the feeling in my heart at hearing the hymns sung so loud, a literal praise to the Lord, in French! (and no accompaniment) Knowing and feeling that we are ALL God's children where ever we may live in this world!
I left the country of Haiti a better person, with so much love in my heart, with so much gratitude for those that touched my life, and for the eternal friendships made along the way. And for the miracles that I was privileged to witness!

hAiTi HiGhLiGhTs

Loading the lugage filled with bags of food from Feed My Starving Children.....

The food (bags of rice with dehydrated vegies and protien) from Feed My Starving Children....

Children in the Haitian Roots sponsorship program 115 children currently enrolled in school (only half with sponsors)...what an amazing site!

iNsPiRaTiOn

Harry Mardy and Guesno Mardy...two brothers who do nothing but inspire you. They both run and coordinate orphanages, they both live at orphanages with their wives and children loving and caring for the orphans of Haiti. They love their country and want to make a difference and on top of that they are both men of God.

We all have people who inspire us...Well Perla is one of those people, I believe she inspires all who know her. She is one of the Founders of Haitian Roots (haitianroots.com) she made the journey to Haiti even though she is about 3 months pregnant, but she wanted to be with all the children in our program so bad before her baby was born. She is pictured here with two of the boys in HR. We all had an amazing trip and felt that much was accomplished!

LOOK WHO JUST TURNED 5

A couple that live down the street from us, who just adore Robby brought him this blow up chair for his birthday! He LOVES it! (He is such a little celeb!)

After Rob blew out the candles on his cake he turned to his cousin Dari (who is 6 months older than him and a couple inches taller) and ask her to stand up and see who was taller now...ofcourse he was thinking that now that he was 5 like her he might be at least AS tall as her.

Robby celebrated his 5th birthday on October 5th! funny thing is he kept telling us all day that he wasn't 5 until everyone came over, sang happy birthday to him and he blew out the candles. The Moyes family came over at 5:00 for dinner and finally at around 6:00 pm it was official, robby turned 5!!

iT aLL wOrKs OuT!

I have been working for Wasatch International Adoptions for about 5 years now. There have been many times when I have gotten a bit stressed out over things that I do not have control over...A baby dies, a birth mother takes her child back, an adoptive family changes their mind. Recently in the middle of one of these little crises-es I was able to witness a miracle unfold, and a darling young couple reminded me of this valuable lesson taught by President Gordon B. Hinckley..It all works out the way the Lord would have it!! (Bonnie, Joel and Katelyn, thanks for your inspiration, I love you!)

“It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. Put your trust in God and move forward with faith in the future. The Lord will not forsake us . . . if we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

gUaTeMaLa

Be grateful. Every day is a new canvas-- a new opportunity...Choice
blessings await those who live in thanksgiving daily....Don't wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. Joseph B. Wirthlin

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala and escort a baby home. It was an amazing experience, one I will never forget. But one thing that touched my heart was the generosity of many people. Just a week before leaving I learned of an orphanage that was in desperate need of money and supplies, I sent messages out to clients of Wasatch that are or who have adopted from Guatemala and to many of my friends and neighbors, and within a week I had two bursting suitcases full of supplies and nearly $4000.00 for the orphanage....what a privilege it is for me to see people open their eyes, hearts and arms to help others!

The orphange in Guatemala City, Guatemala