What a week

This past week has been quite the week. On Monday we were able to finalize our adoption.

Then on Tuesday we were able to celebrate Aleeya's first birthday.

I made a flower cake and my mom and brother came by that night and brought her a doll. Aleeya loved the doll and got upset if anyone tried to touch it. I also got her a little toy music box, which she loved because she loves to dance and sing.

Then this weekend we were able to have Aleeya sealed to our eternal family. It was such a blessing to have all three of our children in the temple with us, and to remember the great blessings that come from within those sacred walls.

"We are a happy family"

Dan and the kids were having fun together as they watched "Ice Age 3" Caden looks a little sandwiched, but thats where he loves to be, right in the middle. Halley and Caden are getting so big lately. Caden is such a cute boy. The other day he spilled some noodles on the floor and he kept telling me, "sorry about that", and when I told him that it was okay and I would just sweep it up he said,"thanks, mom". He is so sweet. I love him so much.

Aleeya loves her sister Halley. She loves it when Halley carries her around and plays with her.

Halley had a little Halloween party today at school. She dressed up like a little fairy. I made most of the costume myself to make it unique to her personality.

Her friend Aspen also dressed up as a fairy. Halley is also such a sweet child. Yestrday we had a ward Halloween part and Halley told me, "if you want to dress me up then that's okay, but if you don't want to dress me up then that's okay too, mom". And she said the same thing about today dressing up for school. Although I must say that she looked very excited that I had come with her costume. I love my babies- they are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!

I took this picture of Aleeya, she had fallen asleep in her high chair.

I also forgot to say that Halley played soccer this year and she loved it. She says she wants to try every sport there is.

2009 Elk Hunt

We had so much fun as a family this year at the elk hunt. We were ble to drive up Wed. night and then stay until Sat. afternoon. It had been about three years since we had gone hunting with Dan's hunting buddies, and so it was nice to visit and catch up with each other. The kids were able to do a few crafts and there were lots of kids their age for them to play with. Dan's hunting team got three elk this year which has been the best they have had so far. I was excited to see Dan enjoying his time both as a family and with his buddies. I think that being up in the mountains and enjoying nature is one of the most calming and relaxing places to be. I love to sit and listen to the sounds and see the beautiful landscapes.

"Sugar and spice and everything nice..."
"...that's what little girls are made of."

(Aleeya kept laughing, but she would not take her hands out of her mouth)
Aleeya has gotten so big and is becoming very aware of her likes and dislikes. She loves just about everything about paper including the sound the feel the taste and most of all how it sits in her little hands. She also loves to pinch, claw, and pull on anything that she can get her little hands on. Her little feet have also become a favorite thing for her to hold and she loves the taste of her sweet toes.

Do they get any cuter?
(Can you tell she loves her baby food?)

Is there anything better than being a mommy?

Caden is our little trooper

He had surgery to close his hard pallete and to put new tubes in his ears. They had given him some medicine to help him so he would be calm when they took him from us into the surgery room. Well, it didn't seem to help too much and when he woke up he was a monster. He was screaming and pulling at his IV and any other thing that was on his body. I have never seen him like that before. The nurse said that it was probably his body reacting bad to the medicine they had given him before the surgery and so they quickly gave him a shot to reverse the medication. It helped a lot, but he had already pulled his first IV out by the time they got him calm. I was sad that they had to give him another one, but Caden must not have been too sad because just after they got him up to his hospital room he pulled out the second IV. It is always hard to watch your baby go in for surgery, but I almost think that the coming out part is worse. He is doing well now and has now becone very good with the things he can and can't eat until his little mouth heals.

Potty Training

"Oh no!!! Not the girly diapers!!!"

I have tried and tried and tried to help my son get potty trained but he would have nothing to do with it. I am sure that he found it quite humorous to see me clean up the fun messes he made, and so for his sake alone he peed everywhere but in the toilet. And then like a blessing sent from above we ran out of his diapers and so he had to wear his big sisters pull-ups that she wears to bed. The next day I told him that we had to change his diaper and he told me, "no I want to wear my Spider Man pants" (which are the little under-wear that I had bought for him) or in other words he would rather have to pee in a potty then have to wear those girly diapers. It has been great since then. He has had very few accidents and he has made my life a lot easier by not having to change a three year olds stincky bumb. Yuck!! Don't get me wrong I love him to death but those poopy diapers are enough to take out a whole squadron if you know what I mean.

Families Can Be Together Forever

This past week we got family pictures with my (Alyssa's) side of the family. It was so nice because my sister and her husband were here from back east and so my mom was able to get the first family picture we have had with all of her grandchildren. The last big family picture we had gotten was when Halley was almost one.