Gavin's First Birthday!!

It was more like an Extravaganza! Prepare yourself for the overload of pictures! I planned this party for months...you could almost say that I was planning this party for years! People could say that I went a little overboard with this party...but I don't care! I loved everything about it, the sleepless nights, the food, the planning...I loved it all! Thanks to my hubby who was such a huge help to me! And also my Mom and Mom-in-law who helped me with the food.

 

 

 I am sad that this picture is missing the mini key lime pies that I made that turned out adorable! They were in the fridge when I took this picture!

 

 We had resisted giving Gavin any processed sugar before his birthday and we debated on whether to have a normal full of sugar cake or a healthier one. We went for the full of sugar delicious one. Well he LOVED it...but didn't go to bed until midnight that night! Oh well! It was worth it to see him devour this thing.

 My beautiful amazing Grandma who I adore and my beautiful birthday boy!! 

He did have clothes on for his party....this is what he looked like after he got cake everywhere!

I can't believe my baby is ONE! I love him so much and can not imagine my life without him. This last year has been the best year of my life.

The Variables in Life...part 2

So I was looking over some past posts when I came across this little number titled, The Variables in Life. I actually started laughing out loud...because I pretty much nailed it! And it made me think about something that we talked about in Sunday school a couple of Sundays ago. We were talking about praying for certain things and that they don't always come to us when we want them. Well of course I had to raise my hand. I explained that I had prayed for something (a baby) for 7 years. And during those 7 years there were times that I was extremely bitter and angry. I was closing my heart to the spirit. I was not allowing myself to be taught. And it wasn't until I changed my attitude that the spirit was able to teach me. The teacher then said, "And it wasn't until you changed your attitude did you receive what you had been praying for." I said NO! If I hadn't been in church I probably would have said, Hell No! That's the way I roll! After everyone laughed and I stood for my bow and gathered up the roses people had thrown at me. I explained that even though I had changed my attitude I didn't receive the baby that I was praying for. And most likely my attitude would slip back over to the dark side. But...it was during those times that my Savior would wrap his arms around me and I felt his love so strongly. I was given the strength to keep going. It was what I needed in the meantime. As a in-fertile person people say a lot of stupid things to you...A lot! One of my favorites is...well if you would stop thinking about it, it will happen. Like people with cancer could just stop thinking about there cancer then it will go away. Oh no she didn't just compare her in-fertility to cancer! I didn't! My uncle has cancer and I bet you he never goes one day without thinking about that fact. What he does though is not let that define him. He doesn't let his cancer decide how he is going to live his life. I wish that I had not let my in-fertility define me. I wish that I would have allowed more days for my heart to be humbled. I would have been a much happier person!
So to wrap up this long speech... Don't let the crappy things you are going through in your life define your life! The Lord understood that I sometimes needed a pitty party. He probably just wishes they didn't last as long as they did. I am just so grateful that when I pulled my head up and cleared my mind that the spirit stepped in and mended my heart! It always gave me the strength to keep on keepin on!

Families are Forever!

Wow...it has been a long time I have posted anything on this thing. Is anyone still out there??? If I didn't have Facebook on my phone...people would wonder. (I hope they would!)
So December was a big month for our little family! On December 13th in the Third District Court, Judge John Kennedy granted our adoption to be legalized.

The fact that we were going to Court to legalize the adoption of our son felt weird to us. He had felt like our baby from the day he was born. It didn't really hit me until the morning of. To sit in front of a judge and to be sworn in...was a different experience. I wish everyone who had a child had to go to court and swear to a judge that you were going to love and care for your baby. I was so happy to have family there that have been so supportive through this process. It was an amazing experience and it was such a great day!

Then on December 17th, 2011 in the Oquirrah Mountain Temple we were Sealed together for time and all eternity! Ahhhhh!!

At the beginning of the adoption process I kind felt a little jipped (is that a real world). I wanted to be the one to carry the baby, to be pregnant...all of those things. Well when I was sitting in the sealing room and my mom carried my baby in. All of those feelings went away! Because not everyone gets to do what we got to do! The sealing was short and sweet and the amount of love that I felt that day is still overwhelming. I'm starting to cry just thinking about it! I have never felt so much love from my Heavenly Father as I did that day. My life is sometimes very surreal! I have been so incredibly blessed!
The next day Sunday December 18th, 2011...my husband blessed our beautiful baby! And during the blessing I was holding our birth moms hand as we both cried! It was an amazing feeling and I felt so much love and gratitude toward her .
Erica...I hope you always know that you were so much a part of that day and it meant the world to me to have you sitting next to me!
When I think about what it took to get Gavin to our family and what we went through...I would do it all over! I would experience every bad day again now that I know the outcome! I know so many people in there lives have hard times and wonder why they are going through something. And its so easy to say that it will get better...but its not always easy to hear. I was that person that would cry if someone with 4 kids would try and tell me they knew how I felt. Well I know now...we all have our stuff. We all go through hard and challenging things. I just know with 100% certainty...that after the hard stuff...there is GREAT stuff!