To: Our Jayme

There are not enough words to tell you how much you have changed our lives, there aren't enough words to express our gratitude, there are not enough words to tell you how much we love you.
But we have to say something....

You are an amazing person, and we can't even imagine your sacrifices.
Thank you for giving life to our sweet baby boy.
We are so beyond grateful for him. He brings us so much love and joy.

Most of all we are grateful for the opportunity to grow love.
(if you would have told me a few years ago that adoption is really about growing the circle of people you love - I would have no idea what you are talking about)
Such an amazing experience to love you like family, barely knowing you prior to this year. Yet you are so influential on us. We are connected. We love you and we love your family.
Love and hope are very powerful, so glad to have learned this way even if it was thru much pain.
What a difference a day/week/month/year can make!!

Celebrating BB's 1st Birthday!

Brant we love you!!  XOXOXO

I'll post all about his exciting day later this week.

Jayme, thru many tears - thank you and we love you!

love this...

http://youtu.be/nR8m8vJ5fn8

Family Pictures

Recently we went and had our family pictures done.  We have an amazing friend who is starting her business and we took her up on an offer.  You can check her out on face book - captured by carrie.

So, we went late one afternoon up Ogden way and found some cool old buildings and garages.

Our sweet 11 year old boy!

I love Brayden's look on his face in this one, to me he looks strong, happy and confident.

I like the angle and the black and white...

This was towards the end of the shoot, our cheeks are getting tired!

LOVE, love, love these to boys!

just us...

I think this picture captures our personalities well...

Josh being crazy and Brayden and I laughing at him....always!

I like this one cause it shows Brayden and I have the same eyes...

He has always asked and thought he didn't get them from me

I love how they turned out!!  And we are hoping to add more to our family soon!

State Fair

Friday night we decided to go to the State Fair.  It was so much fun to go!!  Mel personally loves the fair.  We go to see all the animals and all the fun things they have to do.  Mel and Brayden went down the huge slide.  It was so fun to watch them do it together.

Thats when Brayden saw this mechanical bull to ride.  Mel and I think its good for Brayden to make his own money.  So all the money he has earned this past week he took to the fair.  So he paid $5 to ride this bull.  He did amazing!!  One of the best there. In my bias opinion!!  then we went and saw the Biggest Gator in the whole world!!  It was kinda sad to see.  He seem so isolated.  Brayden loves his Grandpa and Grandma and they came with us.   Grandpa saw a place that Brayden would love to go check out.  It was  a building with all kinds of stuff.  A huge chess board, balancing table, pitch throw and a few other things.

Brayden didn't want to go.  Grandpa had to bribe him to go look at the tractors.  Me and Mel and Grandma went and looked at all the quilts.  After that we met back up and Grandma was really tired so she took my sister in law and Brayden's cousins home.  Mel, Brayden, Grandpa Guy, and I went to look at all the chickens.  Here is where the story gets a little crazy for me.  Brayden found a Rabbit that he wanted to buy.  Again he had his own money.  This Rabbit was pretty cute and Brayden was so excited!!  We couldn't say no.  The good thing was the Rabbit was only $5.  Now we have a Rabbit.  Its a Buck (Male) Rabbit so Brayden decided to call him Bucky.  We found a box from a food Stand next door.  We clean all the crap out of it.  We took it back to the Rabbit

seller and he gave us a bunch of saw dust chip so Bucky could have a nice ride home.  On our way home Grandpa Guy got on KSL and look at Rabbit cages and found a good one in Mt Green.  The next day Brayden and Mel we and picked it up from the lady.
The next day Brayden couldnt wait to go check on Bucky.  He is so funny with him.  Its like his own little buddy.  Trying to take care of it and keep it clean.  This was one of the best Fairs we ever had.  I just hope he doesn't think every time we go there he gets a animal.

Basketball games

Brayden played Junior Jazz this year. In previous years he has played comp, but I dropped the ball and didn't get him on a team. Which actually turned out for the best!

I love the Junior Jazz program! Seriously, so fun!

This year Brayden was lucky enough to be on a team with several of his buddies from school.

He had an awesome coach that pushed him, and we are so grateful for the time and effort his coach (and all coaches out there) put in!

Like I said, his team was mostly the kids that play together at recess...so this was a benefit! They had an amazing season, 10-1 (and the 1 loss didn't count cause it was pre-season) Brayden says. The season was so fun! Each week they had a practice - which was so beneficial, his coach told them what they did well on, and how to improve on their mistakes.

Come friday night, Brayden (without fail) would say, "Mom, I can't wait until tomorrow!"

For me that was a huge pay off. I knew he was excited, and having a good time.

Our whole family, aunts & uncles, cousins, grandmas & grandpas - everyone came to support Brayden. One mom on the team said, "Wow, Brayden sure has a following!"

And he totally does...that day in for example, Josh and I were there, 2 grandma's came, 1 grandpa, 3 aunts, 1 uncle, 3 cousins.

Some might say...kind of ridiculous, all for a silly Junior Jazz game, but that is not the family I am in - thank goodness! Love, love, love the support!

And really, Junior Jazz games are nothing but entertainment! :)

So their little team made it to the finals.

This is serious business.

Brayden practiced hard, had lots of fun preparing...

Friday before the game, Brayden was super excited. Decided he should go practice his free throws so his goal was to shoot 100 free throws and then come in for dinner.

Saturday came, as we entered the gym you can feel the intensity

(yea, seriously I know it is only Jr. Jazz...)

It was a great game!

Brayden did get fouled and he had to shoot 2 free throws. With 50% success.

It was one of those games that was within 2 points the entire game! So stressful!

And the big news is - they came in 2nd place!

So much growth and improvement this year!

Brayden you are amazing!

Josh's Beard

Josh has always been a clean cut guy...

mostly because he didn't know if he could grow a full beard.

Since he has never really tried to grow a beard, after his big 30th birthday, he thought he would try it out. Josh decided to let it grow for 1 month. Then when it hurt to kiss him, he was nice and shaved the stache and charm part.

2 weeks growth:

(Sorry, it is of all of us and not up close of Josh)

3 weeks growth:

4 weeks, 5 days growth:

When people started calling him a leprechaun, he decided to shave!

I personally like the red in the beard, but am so thrilled he shaved!

2012 - goal, post more

I have to admit, blogging is not my favorite. But we are going to try to post more...the goal is once a week (even if it is just a picture and one sentence)!

I have been trying this new scrapbook thing - a picture a day. So far, it is about every other day and several on Saturdays. Here are a few of our days:

The year always starts out great with my birthday! January 4. My boys spoiled me, and it was a great day! Josh and Brayden started my day with breakfast in bed, Josh made cheese eggs and Brayden made toast:

(I know I look super attractive in this picture and mostly asleep)

Then for my 29th birthday I finally gave into this skinny jean look, I always thought they weren't for me, but I dressed bulky on top and I thought they looked pretty good.

Josh took me to the mall, lunch at Zupas and then we went and saw New Year's Eve, while Brayden was in school. When he got home we did homework and he gave me some beautiful bracelets (the picture turned out dark, and we have vampire eyes but here it is):

Then we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, followed by mint chocolate cake and ice cream at my house with my parents.

Happy 29th Birthday to me!

January 5th Brayden had a substitute at school, and he brought home some origami, with a cute note for Josh and I. It was a sweet surprise!

January 7th Brayden had his first Junior Jazz game of the year, it was super entertaining. It was also the first major snow storm of the year, so after the game we built a snowman. Such a fun day!

Brayden is #25

Us moving the head over to the top of the snowman!

Ta Da!

January 10, I asked josh to go to the store to get this:

So I could finish making dinner - manicotti, yum!

January 11: I had a gift certificate to get a pedicure and a manicure from my sweet parents. I decided to get that new stuff, called shellac on my nails...I am fighting the addiction to return to get my nails done in 4 weeks. They turned out so great! I am so rough on my nails, but with this shellac I can clean, wash dishes, whatever and they still look beautiful!

January 13: Friday night, Brayden loves cars and races and tournaments. He let me take this picture of him and the winning cars lined up in order from 1st to last. He is such a boy.

January 14th: I watched my niece and nephews for a few hours, after their mom came my niece begged to stay for a little longer, so she stayed for another hour and she wanted her nails done.

January 17: I am battling a sinus infection...so I layed low today, but my nephew needed a babysitter cause his usual tuesday babysitter had sick kids. We played games all day.