MaTtHeW's sPeCiAL DaY...

The day he became a Deacon, and his 12th birthday party...

This was Matthew's blessing. We were not able to have him blessed until after the adoption was finalized, so he was 7 months old, and then shortly after this, we left for Utah...
This was a great day. We took Matthew to Salt Lake City with us to have him sealed to us for time and all eternity. This was when he was 7 months old, just after his adoption was final!

Matthew with Grandma Terry. Loves and kisses is what makes the world go round!!!

Freshly sealed to us and still on Temple grounds! What a sweet experience. We are so excited to take him back to the temple to do some baptisms!

Today was such a wonderful and special day! He celebrated his 12th birthday two days ago! I remember when he was just a little baby. I cant believe that he is now 12. So today, Matthew was ordained a Deacon in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so excited to have another Priesthood Holder in our home! I know Matthew is really getting excited about learning more of the duties of the Priesthood. Also, after his ordination, we had a small birthday party in his honor. We really worked at keeping his birthday very low key because it tends to be very stressful for him. It worked great. He was really calm, happy and I think it was the most successful birthday in several years. We all went in on a gift for him and bought him a laptop. He is over the moon with delight!

Happy Birthday, Matthew! I love you so much! I love how positive you are in thought, how you love family get togethers, how sentimental you are! I love how you look for the good in everyone and how you have a natural love for learning! I love that you are my sweet son! Love you!!!

HaPpY VaLeNtiNe'S dAy!!!

I swear, Madison will strike a pose as soon as she sees a camera. She will be a model one day. I love her face in this picture. She is so pretty!!! Matthew couldn't wait to get to his chocolate that he got as a weight for his balloon. LOL! Can you believe how tall he is getting?

My Valentine sent me these. I long for it to be Spring. This brought it a little sooner for me!

Each year, we have a fun family tradition. We have a box (this year we EACH have a box). We put the box out a week before Valentine's Day and each day, we sneak in and put something in each person's box. Then on Valentine's Day, we sit together as a family and open our box(es) and view our Valentine's from one another. The kids love this because they get to be devious and plot and plan against their family. :P It is a great thing to teach the kids, to put themselves behind others for a while. We sent balloons to the kids this year with a stuffed animal on the bottom as a weight. Bethanie has always wanted something sent to her at school, so we sent hers to school. She was over the moon with delight! I hope that with as much negative that is in our home, as we live with Asperger's, and Asperger's with PUBERTY now, that this is a little glimmer for them to show them that we love them dearly. Its the little things that they will remember the most. All of the rest is just junk that hopefully will be forgotten along the way.

LaDy LiBeRtY...

Bethanie is so talented. I am constantly amazed at the care and time she puts into her art. I absolutely love this one. The colors she used, the paint strokes she used, it is just amazing. I couldn't see NOT putting this on the blog! It will for sure be a fair entry this summer. I have it posted in her art gallery as well.

HoBbiEs..

So, to keep my mind busy, and my nerves controlled, I started a new hobby. I am knitting stocking hats, only I am not knitting them. I am using looms, so basically I am cheating. I have made many of them and have yet to get one of these darlings for myself because everyone else is getting them before *I* do. Oh well, its a lot of fun and keeps my hands busy. I love that they love them. Even the guys like them. They are double knit and very warm. And so very easy. :)

MaDiSoN...

Madison is growing up way too fast. The other day, she was drawing on her marker board that she got for Christmas. She was so excited a she ran in to get me and to show me what she had done. She wrote her name! She had most of it down. So I wrote her whole name at the top and she has been practicing it over and over again. Not too bad for a lefty! She is working very hard at getting it just right. I am so proud of her. She is an interesting kid. I have never seen a kid with a mind quite like hers. She is a ponder-er. :) She will sit and study the situation at hand and then once she has it figured out, she will then act upon it. She has done this time and time again. But usually when she does this, she does it well and is successful. I am so proud of her and the young woman that she is growing up to be! What a great kid she is! I am sad that she isn't a baby anymore though. :O) But I do love each and every age and stage the kids go through. Not saying each ATTITUDE they have. But still, what a joy they bring!