Say What?

Little Miss Bailey is six months old now. We have a handsome dog next door and she was starting to get a little too interested in him. The time had come to get her spayed. So, this past Monday Jason dropped her off early at the spay and neuter clinic. When I went to pick her up I had to sign paperwork. On the paperwork they had a whole bunch of boxes that weren't check...except for one. Next to the box it said tattoo. What? I asked the lady what did tattoo mean? She went on to explain that they tattoo a small "S" under her incision, showing she is spayed. I was a little taken back that they would tattoo my dog but it had already been done so what was I going to do about it anyway? I didn't want to look at it. On purpose. I was so infuriated that they would put a tattoo on my little Baileys belly!! It was a perfectly pink/white belly and now it has a black "S". The lady said it was a little "S". Yah, not so much! Hey, maybe she's got some new street cred. with her dog homies now :o)


Doesn't this look like a homemade tattoo you would get in prison?! Oh my.

Valentines Day

For Valentines day this year we continued our tradition with a heart shaped pizza and a movie. I really love decorating for the kids. They get so excited to see all the balloons and goodies. The whole family has been dealing with a little flu bug so we kept things very low key. It was a great night.

Happy Valentines Day!!

Forever Family

February is the month we celebrate the adoption of our little Nicholas. What a day for our family! We were so excited to have him become a permanent member of our family but also scared at what would lie ahead. Through lots of therapy we learned that he had RAD (reactive attachment disorder). We were relieved to find out what was actually wrong and why his behaviors were so extreme. But, we also were given the information on how much work it would be to raise a child with RAD. Fortunately for us we knew all of this before our adoption. We did not go into this blindly like so many others have. There have been days that I have wondered If I am really the woman that he needs as his mother. Am I strong enough? Can I give him the unconditional love he needs, regardless of how many hurtful things he says or does to me? Can I forgive him every single day? Then I always come back to the fact that I cannot do this alone. This is bigger than me or my husband or any therapist. It is only with God's help that I am able to be compassionate, forgiving, patient, and give unconditional love to this little boy. God placed Nicholas in our lives to teach us. To teach us that even when things seem impossible...God is bigger than impossible! Here he is three years later, living happily in our home, going to school with other "normal" children, showing compassion, saying he loves us, giving us hugs and kisses, coming to us for comfort when he is hurting. These things are nothing less than a miracle! With that huge Nicholas smile, I can see he knows how much we care. Even if he is unable to show it at times. We love him beyond words. Here is a slide show in celebration of our adoption of our son, Nicholas Gabriel...our treasure that is forever revealing Gods love for us.

Happy Birthday Tyler

For Tylers birthday this year we planned a snowboarding trip and an overnight at one of the Hot Springs. We had a wonderful weekend with our birthday boy! He's not so much a little boy anymore but is becoming a wonderful young man. We feel so blessed to be his parents. We love you Tyler!! Happy 11th Birthday...


Oh yah, he's the man!!


The Hot Springs were calling his name!!