Making Christmas Goodies

Yes-- these are chocolate drizzled pretzels!

And of course-- we sure do LOVE those Christmas Cookies, Sugar!

Bah Humbug!

"Shop with a Cop"

The girls had the opportunity to go Christmas shopping at Shopko with a very, very, nice and enthusiastic Ogden City Officer, where they picked out a ton of gifts. I am pretty sure that we could spread their gifts out, over the next 5 years or so. We were very lucky to enjoy such an awesome experience. First Santa came down in a helicopter,

then we went shopping with the officer and ate a donut,

volunteers wrapped every single item,

and then we enjoyed a pancake and ham breakfast. We had a lot of fun together.

12/10 Sealing in the SLC Temple

The sealing was completely perfect! Thank you to everyone who was able to come. The girls looked absolutely beautiful in their little white dresses, and we are so happy and grateful that we have the opportunity to be together forever. (more pictures to come at a later date)

Family in town!

We were so excited that Paige, Allison, Mom, Adrienne, and Clint could come stay with us for our special days. Thank you for coming, and we had a lot of fun.

Paige came with Brian and I to the Beneficial Christmas party where we ate a delicious meal, heard President Monson speak, and chatted quickly with President Oaks and Scott. By the way, Monson encouraged everyone to fix anything that may not be in harmony with anyone we know by sending them a card, or calling them with a greeting to wish them well, forgive the past, and have a great new year together.

We also went skating with Mom (yes that is Janna and Mom in the photo) and did a little shopping. Thanks for beautiful sign Adro & Clint. I absolutely love it!

12/8/08 Adoption Ceremony

At approximately 11:30am Brian and I were sworn in and then said yes to the following questions (plus a few other ones)... "Are you at least 21 years of age? Are you at least 10 years older than the child? Have you formed a bond of affection for the child? Do you agree to be the legal parents of Mya and Ana? Do you know that once you accept, you cannot change your mind at a later date? Do you agree to treat them as you would your own child? Do you have the ability to provide for them and educate them?" Then the judge pronounced that she finds it in the best interest of the children for us to be the adoptive parents, and then that was it! Ana was getting a little loud during the questioning so she decided to put on some eyeliner, eyeshadow, and bronzer. That was about the only thing we had to keep her occupied, but it worked.

These photos are all at the courthouse: 1) Judge Nelson and the Wayman family 2) Adrienne, Clint, Paige, Jessica, Waymans 3) Guardian Ad Litem Sherene, Waymans, case worker Lisa.
These were the main individuals that helped us with everything legal (and more) throughout the past year, which allowed us to keep the girls. THANK YOU!

Thanksgiving

Since Brian was just getting back into town, we decided to spend Thanksgiving at home with just us four. I still cooked the traditional dinner, and the family ate, ate, and then ate some more! I was very excited because Ana went potty for the first time on the toilet that night. Yeah hoo!! All of the times that we have sat, sang, waited, and sang, and waited, and waited and it finally happened! I wish I would have caught her face on film because she was so funny. She looked a little confused on what was going on, especially since I was yelling horray and jumping around. I hope that this is something that she is ready to continue because I am sick of buying diapers!!! I am so thankful for all of the blessings that the Lord has given us. We are so blessed!

11/20 Ana's First Skate!

We went to Classic Fun Center again, and since Ana wanted so badly to be on the floor by herself-- Brian strapped her into Mya's skates and away she went. She absolutely LOVES it...and could skate all night if (Mom and Dad's backs could handle it). Ana likes to skate fast, while Mya likes to skate slow and carefully. Ana didn't want to give Mya back her skates, which was fine with Mya because she took a long turn getting pushed in the stroller.



(Please ignore the big bootie in the jeans above). When we first got to the rink, they had just started the Hokey Pokey. I took Mya out there so she could learn it. I taught her the "Texas" Hokey Pokey. The Utahans do it a little differently. When it was over, I heard the little dj say that they had chosen a winner of the Hokey Pokey, and "would the lady in the black sweatshirt and pink undershirt please come and claim the prize." Yep-- it was me!! It was kinda' embarassing because they gave me the prize instead of a little kid, but we got our first free glow necklace of the night! Mya won a second glow necklace because she participated in the sock race around the rink with the other girls. She wasn't the winner of the race, but she was the littlest one out there, so they gave her a prize too. It worked out perfect because then both girls had a necklace. The night was a lot of fun!

SYTYCD Workshop

A little while ago I went to a "So You Think You Can Dance" Workshop where the 4 Utah dancers taught dance combinations and performed. I am posting the hip hop dance that Gev taught--so Adro or anyone else can learn it if they'd like. The girl to the left is Kelly, and she made it to Vegas before she was cut.

And if you're really up for a challenge...you can learn Gev's solo.

Matt taught a modern combination, and Chelsea barely taught anything. My favorite combination was a lyrical piece that Thayne taught to "When a Man Loves a Woman", although I didn't get it recorded, because I was busy dancing!!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY JES!!!!

I don't know if you view this blog, but we are thinking of you, missing you, and hope that you move back soon. We hope you get minutes on your phone soon, too. We love you!!!

"Little Mya"

We have welcomed "Little Mya" into our family as an effort to help give Mya more control in her life. As you can see, she looks just like her mom, Mya! (who chose her baby's name, of course)

Mya is being an excellent mother as she teaches Little Mya the rules that will keep her healthy and safe. She also encourages Little Mya to obey, so she will feel happy and have more fun. I am hoping this will satisfy her need to be in charge of something. So far it is working wonders!

Riding the Front Runner Train

Brian has been studying a lot for his upcoming LSAT, so I thought it would be fun to have a family outing. We rode the Front Runner train downtown, transferred to the Trax train, and walked a block to Trolley Square for some activities they were having to celebrate their 100th Anniversary. It was cold and dark by the time we got there, and most of the activities were over, so I guess we just spent 3 hours of travel time to go to Macaroni Grill and back. Oh well, it was still nice to all be together.