Birthday Boy. . .

Happy 3rd Birthday Spencer!

Well, Yesterday was a big-Big-BIG day at our house. Spencer turned the big 0-3! We had an amazing day with family and couldn't be happier with the love and warmth we all felt. Thanks to everyone who loves our little boy, you all radiate that love!

The day started with Spencer getting to go to the store and pick out something with some birthday money. He toyed with the idea of a "Buzz Lightyear" flashlight, then "Rescue Mater" quickly took the lead. Spencer finally settled on a cast iron tractor and trainer set. That boy loves to hook things together and haul stuff.

Grandma and Grandpa came over in the afternoon and we got to spend some time with them. They gave Spencer some Legos and an inflatable pool that will soon make and appearance in the backyard.

Our day finally ended with a BBQ with the fam. We ended up with 3 aunts, 3 uncles and 3 cousins all kicking back and having fun. Dave grilled to perfection (as usual) and we all were digging in to summer favorites; fresh fruit, watermelon, chips and fresh salsa. . . By the way the salsa was soooo good. I got the recipe from a pal at book group. . . let me share:

Fresh Salsa

1 can white shoe peg corn (drained)
1 can blackeye peas (rinsed and drained)
1 red pepper (finely diced)
1 green pepper (finely diced)
6 Roma tomatoes (chopped)
1 brunch cilantro
1 bunch (about 6) green onions (finely diced)
2 avocados (cubed)
4 cloves of garlic (pressed)
6 oz. zesty Italian dressing (I used the dressing mix, 1/4 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. oil)
cumin (to taste)
hot sauce (to taste)

Mix together, chill and serve :)

Finally it was time to open presents and Spencer had a ball. He made a haul, clothes, books, puzzles, more Legos (Mater and Sheriff legos at that!) Lots of toys and fun.

Finally we had the Birthday Cake. My sister made Spencer a Tow Mater- Tow Truck Cake!



Spencer loved it!(The face says it all.) It was such a delicious cake and Tiffani really is talented. Next week is Tiffani's Birthday and I get to repay the favor and make her cake. There is no way to top Mater, so I think I will go for understated :) Round is good right?

Anyway. .. enjoy a wee video and a couple of photos:









That is one happy boy!

Photos and More

We had a great Father's Day. Dave got to sleep in, (he had been getting very little sleep last week with work commitments) and said that was one of the best parts of Father's Day.

Once we were all up and at 'em Spencer couldn't wait to open presents. (I think he might be excited about his upcoming birthday.) So Dad and Spencer opened presents.





(Spencer picked the Snowman wrapping paper.)

After Church Dave's parents came over for a BBQ. We grilled salmon burgers (thanks Heather for the recipe) with pasta salad and watermelon. Patti also brought a wonderful dessert, she brought brownies and "Dave's Dessert" which is a sherbet and frozen fruit concoction. It was a great day! I love the summer!




I have loved working in the yard this year. It feels really satisfying. I love mowing the lawn and fussing over my rose garden. Today I even washed all the outside windows, it felt great to get the job done. Spencer was super helpful and wanted to use the squeegee. . . I love that boy.

My roses have also rallied from the demon deer and their smorgasbord mentality. Here you can see a few blooms. The red and white rose is called "Love" and one side of the pedal is red and the reverse white. You can also see the pink Tiffany rose.

Happy Father's Day

To celebrate our fabulous father we put him to work all weekend.

This week we worked on the backyard. I spent a lot of time during the day this week weeding and on Friday night and all day Saturday we all worked and worked and worked some more. I couldn't be more pleased with the result.

We finally finished the back bed! We weeded it all, which was a lot. We planted an apple tree. (Our stake president asked us at stake conference to plant a fruit tree). . . and we added a water feature, sort of. We built the form but will not be adding the water, pond, pump and electric until next summer.

Here is a "before" photo. It shows right before the patio was poured and you can see some of the back bed. You can see all the weeds and the rock barrier between the bed and grass.



Here is the mid-way photo after we did the curbing:


Here is an "after" photo. We can see we weeded, mulched, added some plants and our future water feature.



As as special bonus photo: rose-less rose bushes. . I still hate the deer.

I hate them. . .

This morning all my roses were gone. The deer ate all my flowering roses and some that were on the verge on blooming. . . I HATE deer. I just got the aphids under control and now all my flowers are gone. My pink, yellow and lavender roses were all in bloom :(

Getting a fence for the backyard was # 378 on the list of things to do. After my flowers have been ravaged. . . now it is at #156.

I hate deer. . .

A Little Tiara

I am heading to dentist this morning. . .

Status: Quite Anxious, but not hysterical.

More later. . .

One year ago

One year ago our dossier was sent to Kazakhstan. We had such high hopes that our adoption would be complete in 2009 and our agency was saying that the time line previous families had would put us there in the fall. . . and here we are summer 2010 and no news.

I have emailed our contact twice in the last month and she has not emailed me back. It is kind of rude. I would like to know that they have not forgotten about us.

Our domestic adoption is looking good. Our FBI background check has expired and we applied for a new one. So we wait on that, but it will not effect our adoption time frame. We simply wait until we are chosen by a birthmother, easier said then done.

Well, things are going well here. Dave's job is FABULOUS! He loves who he works for and there is a great energy at work.

I am still just teaching one class for Western Wyoming College, and am waiting to hear back from South University about a class opening. I start teaching for American College of Applied Science in fall. So, things on my work front are going well.

It looks like I will be leaving my primary class (7 year olds), but I will post more about that later. Things are always changing here.

One year older and wiser :)

When I am resurrected

I am surprised how many times I have thoughts that start with, "When I am resurrected. . . " Today I found myself saying them again.

"When I am resurrected I will get my tooth back. . ."

About 10 years ago I had a crown put on one of my molars and let's just say I cried through the whole thing and it it was probably in the Top 5 of the worst/painful/violent medical experiences I have ever had. I couldn't even get my teeth cleaned without shaking violently for about 5 years after. Pretty horrid. . .

So, I went to our dentist (who is wonderful by the way) for my 6-month check up and . . . . you guested it. . . He told me I need another crown. The room started swirling and I started to cry right there in the chair. . . I couldn't breathe and I had to sit up to calm down. I took a deep breath and said to myself, "When I am resurrected I will get my tooth back." My appointment is one week from today to get (as Janelle told me the first time,) A little tiara for my tooth. Intellectually, I know it is a good thing. . . but there is this emotional trigger that I cannot stop no matter how logical I am about it. Even writing this I have a tight chest and can feel the tears welling in my eyes.



We have had this dentist for about 4 years and I really love him. He actually gave me a prescription for Valium to take before I arrive and uses "laughing gas" to help take the edge off. I am still stiff when I think about it. . . but it will all be alright in the end . .. I will see my tooth again. . . in the resurrection.

Speaking of getting things back. As many of you know. . .When I was 16 I lost many of my eyelashes in a tragic Plaster of Paris accident (long story.) Anyway. . . the eye drops I am on for glaucoma prevention have actually helped some of my lashes grow back. So, maybe I won't need to wait until the resurrection to get my eyelashes back :)

Hello June

Welcome lovely June! I have been a small slacker in posting. . . sorry. I am here to amend that.

Memorial Day weekend was so fun. We went to Thomas the Tank with Spencer for his birthday (his birthday isn’t until June 26, but we celebrated early.) He had a ball. It was Friday and Dave took the day off of work. We spent most of the afternoon out there and I just finished putting a video together for it. Spencer, I am sure, will enjoy watching this again and again.



We also spent the weekend in Vegas with Tony, Whitney and Kenzie. It was fun to spend some time with them. We counted 14 police officers on the way down and 12 on the way back. They were out in full force. Fortunately we saw no accidents.

Here are a few pictures:






Dave was in Houston last week on a business trip and I missed him so much. He was gone 5 days and we were not able to talk on the phone. I was so happy to see him yesterday! Ahhhh I love that man.

Tonight I am teaching an enrichment lesson on communication skills, my lecture is titled, "How communication skills can strengthen marriage." I am looking forward to it. It has been a while since I have taught adults, so I hope it goes well.

The yard is shaping up. . . Last week I got another rose for my rose garden, it is called "Angel Face" and it is a lavender colored rose. Tiffani has the same variety so we match :) It has been fun seeing the yard transform this year.

My online summer class started yesterday and it looks like a good group, 11 students and the class is 8 weeks.

Life is great and it feels like summer is in full swing.