Our Babe, Wendy

No, we don't have a new baby--besides sweet Madeline!

And when she reads this, no, Wendy, I'm not referring to you as my "Baby Sister" (something I was very fond of doing until just a few years ago...much to her chagrin.)

What I am trying to say is that she is just such a babe!!! As in the 80's term! AND its her BIRTHDAY!!! You should go to her blog and wish her a happy one.

See? A babe!

I couldn't resist including this one. It totally makes me laugh. For Wendy, I will comment on the photo (she does this too. A lot! :)

Here we are with our cuter than cute mom last Mother's Day, getting pedi's. One thing of note to me was that the pedicurist had never been told to look around the entire frame in the camera lense before cliking the button. Otherwise Wendy's head wouldn't have been cut off. Now that I think about it, though, look how nicely she has framed her work--our painted toes! Awesome! OK--never mind the heads!

The other noteworthy thing is the funky shadows that outline our shapes. It makes us look like we are cutouts. Still, a cute picture nonetheless.

But back to Wendy. There is much I could say about her, but I will just say that I am very glad she's my sister! You should consider me very lucky, because I do!

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

Our Big Day

On Saturday, October 18th, we three went to the temple to be sealed together as a family forever. For us this was equally (if not more) exciting as the day we adopted Madeline! It was beautiful and unforgettable.

Heading inside the temple.

Afterwards with our immediate family that was able to be there with us. I prefer close-up shots, but how could I crop out the beautiful fall leaves in the background?!

She was so done at this point! This picture does not do her true feelings justice. Little did she know that we had a big party/lunch planned at our house for right after, and she would not get a nap for another almost 3 hours! Thankfully she perked up once we got home.

What a great day!

What if...?

That's how it all started. One was wanting the $1.99 plastic bag holder thingie from IKEA. What if we should make the 5-hour drive down sometime? What if we went without our kids? We would have to get husbands to agree...would they? And on the idea went.

What started as an idea of a little one-day getaway turned into a fabulously fun weekend. Our husbands all amazingly agreed to take on the kids alone. And we had a sisterhood-bonding weekend that was soooo nice--footless (er...footloose is what I meant!) and fancy-free.
Maddie wasn't taking "no" for an answer. She wanted to go with the girls!

Us in front of IKEA. We ate both breakfast and lunch there. The food in the cafe is as cheap as the merchandise!

Ah, yes. I couldn't leave until we took a photo in front of our inspiration for the trip in the first place--the plastic grocery bag holders.

And here's a better view, with Jill too (Melissa's mom). This little contraption can hold quite a few bags.

OK, so we told our husbands we were going down to the Women's Conference and were going to shop IKEA while we were there. The fact that it was pretty much the other way around doesn't really matter, does it?

Actually, the conference was great. President Uchtdorf said something very memorable: "In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance". His whole talk was excellent, and so was all the music.

We look forward to getting away again. It might be an annual, or maybe semi-annual, event. It was well worth it. And we watched the latest "Sense and Sensibility". Have you seen it? Its good.

Adoption Bliss

Ah, this is the life. I doubt our emotional celebration is going to end anytime soon, so just beware! Sometimes I can't believe its real and we've actually ADOPTED her!! There's no changing it!!! Nobody can come in and alter what's been done. Nobody, nobody, nobody. I really thought it would be less shocking than it has been. She's been with us a year, so you would think things wouldn't be much different. And they're not, in some ways. But in other ways they just are!! Its so fun and so miraculous and so exciting and so, so, so utterly joyful.

Every so often since the adoption I'll talk to Madeline about the fact that we adopted her. I'll say in a really excited voice, "Maddie, we adopted you and now we get to keep you forever!!!" Then I'll talk more about it, and about how it makes me feel. I usually clap my hands excitedly, and its so fun to see how she's really starting to get it. She gets excited too and starts clapping her hands. I know she's at least understanding the word because now even if I just say in a fairly calm tone that we adopted her, she lights up and claps her hands! So while it may not all connect for her now, at least she's learning to associate adoption with joy and excitement.

Have I mentioned before that Madeline is a total Daddy's Girl? She is so smitten with, and connected to, Ray. (And who can blame her?) They're like peas in a pod. Here are some cute pics of her wearing his socks, which she refused to take off!



Here's a rare one: Madeline being still. I love this thoughtful pose. I also love how so often she opts to wear hats.

What a joy she is in our lives! We love you, Maddie!!