MaCkY vIsItS

One of my best friends, Lauren, came for a visit. We loved having her here and Everett loved meeting a new aunt. She was my college roommate at BYU-Idaho for a few years and we clicked the first time we met.

She arrived late, late Thursday night and left early, early, early Monday morning.

We ran some errands on Friday and had lunch at Taco Bell. (One of our favorite places to eat in Rexburg)

Nic was able to come meet us

We love cooking together and made delicious meals every night she was here

 We went ice skating Friday night and wore matching green scarves

 Saturday we headed to Crater Lake

 Lots of snow on a clear, sunny day

 We had to trek out in the snow to get a clear picture of the lake.

We sunk in a few a times as you can see below.

The snow hits her knee.

 Making our way through the snow...

 What a great dad to carry Everett through the snow

 It really was a picture perfect day to see Crater Lake

 Sunday brought church and relaxation.

We ended the night making another delicious meal and this beauty of a picture.

We do miss Lauren and had a great time!

Love her.

JaNuArY

For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures from January.

All ready for church and all smiles

 Showing off the monkey booty

 Hangin' out one morning while mom was getting ready

YoU hAvE tAuGhT mE...

You, meaning adoption and infertility. Here are some things that both of them have taught me:

1. Adoption is still hard post-placement. You will never fully understand all that adoption is and what it takes out of you until you've experienced adoption from the beginning (same things goes for infertility).
2. Kelbi and Dylan have set the bar very high for future birth parents. 
3. Emotions about infertility pop up at the most random times and even after we've adopted.
4. I have a love/hate relationship with bottle feeding. I love it because other people can feed Everett. I hate it because it can be a guessing game for how many ounces he should be eating.
5. I underestimated how hard being a first time mom is even if Everett is only 3 months old. When they (they meaning experienced moms) tell you being a mom, especially a first time mom is hard - believe them!
6. I have a deeper appreciation for my mom. I have always appreciated her for the woman and mother she is, but I have a new understanding and new appreciation for all that she has done and continues to do.
7. Nic is extremely patient with me and Everett. It can be sickening sometimes...in a good way. :)
8. I love being a stat-at-home mom more and more everyday.
9. Bedtime is my favorite time of night and I can fully appreciate why parents enjoy it so much.
10. I love the nights Nic is home because he gets to spend time with Everett.
11. Being a mom means you need to learn to be selfless and patient (still working on these two).
12. I'm blessed with amazing case workers who care and listen to me.
13. I'm not alone in how I feel about adoption and motherhood. I just recently connected with an adoptive mother - talk about a blessing to seek advice from her.
14. The first adoption is hard, but it will get easier (as I've learned from other adoptive mothers).
15. Unfortunately I had expectations about many things and I'm learning that I have failed on my own expectations. 

These are just a few things that I have learned. You may look at this list and pass a few judgments against me. The #1 thing that I have learned is that if you haven't experienced infertility and adoption, you really don't know what it's like or how you'd feel. I'm grateful for infertility and adoption, because there are lessons I'm learning on a daily basis. For whatever reason, Heavenly Father knew I could handle infertility and adoption - this brings me a great deal of peace and comfort.