BLESSINGS!

Time and patience is something that I have grown to learn and accept over the past 8 years. For example:

*3 years = the time it took for David to finally agree that it was time to start our family (Kylee)

*27 1/2 hours = the length of my labor with Kylee (without a functional epidural)

*3 1/2 years = the amount of time we spent doing fertility treatments and other surgeries to try and get pregnant again

*3 months = the time it took to get certified to adopt (thanks to a lazy case worker)

*3 weeks = the amount of time it took to hear from our first birth mother

*5 months = the dry spell we had where we didn't hear from a single birth mother

*2 weeks = the amount of time it took for the perfect birth mother to decide we were the family for her precious baby

*Eternity = the endless amount of time I get to love and cherish my sweet miracle baby that is soon to join our family!

The events that have taken place over the past month have been absolutely amazing! I've never before seen the Lord's hand so evident in my life. We decided to move to the West Valley with my parents to pay off our astounding fertility bills, but little did we know that the Lord was directing us here to put us in the hands of those that were going to help us expand our family. The first Sunday here I met the first person that was going to help us in this journey. She taught the Relief Society lesson and told of her own adoption story with her 3 children. It was just what I needed to hear after being discouraged with our adoption situation. She then referred me to an amazing case worker out here on the West Valley. This case worker was the next person to help us in this journey. She has given us new hope and ambition to move forward with adoption (after wanting to give up). The 3rd person to help us was someone that has been in my life since I was a baby! I grew up with her. She is one of my most dearest and BEST friends. Miss Christina Contreras was in the right place at the right time and had certain friends in her life that helped her become an instrument in helping us expand our family. Due to a friend contact who knew a birth mother wanting to place her baby, we were able to find the answers to all our prayers! We are now preparing to become a family of 4 and our lives are forever changing!

Words can't express just how much I love and appreciate this birth mother. Not only is she entrusting her precious baby to us, but she has also been the perfect example of faith, endurance, love, and courage. We have learned so much from her in the short amount of time that we have been in contact with her. The Lord has guided us into each other's lives for a very special and unique purpose. It's amazing to me to see how great His love is for each and every one of His children. I know He loves me and knows the desires of my heart. I am so thankful to have this knowledge. I am in shock at how fast this is all happening after years and years of heartache....but I know that it is happening this way because it is meant to be and it is all in the Lord's hands. I can't wait to hold our new baby in our arms....to love him, kiss him, watch him grow, see his talents and abilities form and prosper, and the list goes on and on. I just can't wait to be his Mommy!!!

The happiness we feel as a family cannot be measured. The smile on my face hasn't left since July 1st when I read the first email from this amazing birth mother. Life is SO good and I feel extreme peace knowing that my Father in Heaven is the one in control. I just pray that I can continue to live my life the way He wants me to so that I can receive those blessings He is waiting to pour out upon me and my family. His plan is greater than any plan I could ever want for myself. I'm so thankful to be on this journey! Our Pewfect family is closer to becoming complete! Life is just Pewfect!!!!!!

OLD MAN!!!!

I'd like to dedicate this entire post to a very special someone!!!! The one, the only....MR. PEWFECTION!!! He's my birthday boy today, turning the big 32! I could go on and on about this amazing guy but I'll let the pictures do most of the talking!

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We have so much fun together and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have him FOREVER! :)

(At Disneyland on the Toy Story ride)

(Road trip home from Utah)

(At a Diamondback's game)

(Bowling with friends)

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I can't say enough about the kind of father David is. Kylee (and any future children to come) are the luckiest kids ever to have him as their Daddy! One thing that I absolutely LOVE about David is how great he is with children. So it's no wonder why every other kid loves him.......but no kid loves him more than his Kylee princess!!!

(Dancing at the Daddy-Daughter dance at Kylee's school)

(Making faces at the camera...being silly together, as usual!)

(Playing with each other while waiting in line at Disneyland to see the princesses)

(Posing before we eat a yummy meal at Cheesecake Factory)

(Gotta love how Natalie captures all the great moments behind her camera.....this is one of my most favorite pictures of all time)

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The number one thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about David is how he always makes me laugh. There is never a dull moment around our house and in our lives thanks to this guy right here. Here are just a couple classic moments caught on camera that pretty much define who David is...

(Always cracking sarcastic jokes and he laughing at himself! No one laughs more at his jokes than HIMSELF!)

(Posing next to his "twin"....Jared from Subway. HAHAHAHAHA)

(And of course, playing practical jokes on all of us at the beach. Just incase you are wondering, this is really a twig! Haha)

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Oh how I love this guy!!!! Happy birthday old man! :) I love you more than you'll ever know!

Adoption Journey Update...

We haven't had much to report in the past 5 months....until now! We had a crazy long and sad 5 month dry streak where we hadn't heard from any birth mothers. It was a very trying time for me personally. A time where I began to doubt renewing some of our paperwork that was due, and quite honestly, I started to doubt whether or not I wanted to keep going down this road. We have been certified for just over a year now and within our first year, we were contacted by 5 birth mothers....3 of which we communicated for long periods of time. But for one reason or another, contact was cut short and we have no idea why. I'm not sure why every single birth mother we have talked to just suddenly decides to stop talking to us with out giving us an explanation, but then again, I can't imagine being in their shoes and to be experiencing what they are experiencing. I know that this is hard for David and I....to be on the adopting side of things. But I can't begin to imagine what it must be for the birth mother's who are desperately trying to find the RIGHT family that their baby is supposed to be with. So I can't get angry at the fact that I have no idea why communication keeps getting cut short without explanation when it seemed to be going so well. The only thing I can keep telling myself is that when the right birth mother finds us and gives us the opportunity to love and care for another baby, everything will work out and all these "bumps in the road" and tears will all be worth it!

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The past 2 weeks have been an answer to our prayers! We got a new case worker who is absolutely AMAZING! We have new found hope and ambition to keep going because she is making all the difference in this journey. It's nice to have a case worker who genuinelly cares and is excited to help us find our baby. We never felt that one time with our other case worker. So we are super excited to have her! And even more exciting news....because of a close friend of ours (you know who you are), we are now in contact with an amazing birth mother! I don't want to give details because this contact is still very new and we are just starting to get to know one another, but regardless of what happens...I'm just so thrilled to be in contact with a birth mother again. It's so hard to not get my hopes up but I'm trying to find the balance of reality and getting too excited! Haha! It's so hard for me not to get my hopes up because everyday I pray for this, and with every contact I get from birth mothers, I'm that much closer to finding our baby!

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I always knew that taking this adoption route was going to be difficult and emotional, but I guess no one ever really knows how difficult something is going to be until they are in the middle of it. Regardless of the pain and tears....and ups and downs....I KNOW that this is what we are supposed to be doing and that there is a precious spirit out there who is meant to be a part of our eternal family. I can't wait to meet him/her and to love him/her forever. I pray that this moment will come soon for our family. I think the only person that wants this as much as David and I is our sweet little Kylee girl. She continues to pray daily for a brother or sister and because of the events that have transpired these past couple weeks, she hears us talking and praying constantly about it and she thinks we are getting a baby any day now. We try to keep her out of things because we don't want to get her hopes up. Getting our hopes up is one thing, but to let down a sweet child is another. So we don't tell her when we are in contact with birth mothers. But she met our new case worker and she knows that she is going to help us find a baby.....so it is fresh on her mind and she thinks our case worker is going to bring us a baby tomorrow! Haha! She is so sweet and innocent. But I sure hope she is right! I pray that she is right!