My Kindergarten Graduate!

My baby girl graduated Kindergarten!! I can't believe that she is done and headed for first grade. I remember every detail of the day that she was born like it was just a few weeks ago. Makes me kind of sad that she is growing up so fast- but I am oh so proud of her!! She was so excited at her little graduation ceremony! She pretty good with her final report card and only had 2 areas where she "needed improvement". Subtraction, and paying attention in class. I had to smile a little bit at that one- she is such a little chatterbox when she is in her comfort zone. A Lot of people don't believe me when I say that because most of the time she is so painfully shy- but when she is comfortable she will talk your ear off and not stop to take a breath! 

I love my feisty, sweet, super smart Kindergarten Grad!

Love to read the Scriptures

I had such an awesome mommy moment the other day and I knew that if I didn't write it down I would forget it. Kennedy and Elijah were playing upstairs while I was working on some dishes. All of a sudden it got very quiet and so I went upstairs to check it out. Kennedy and Elijah were laying on my bed with my scriptures open. They were snuggled close together and Kennedy was "reading" the bible to Elijah. I was totally melting as she was "reading about how Jesus loves us all, and he wants us to keep his commandments, and on and on. She was very intent- and Elijah was just looking at her and paying close attention to everything she was saying. I stood there being so proud- and thinking--"Gee...maybe I'm not so bad of a parent after all"---THEN- Kennedy looks at Elijah and says "Now Elijah- you have to pay VERY close attention to everything I am saying. You have to learn this stuff- because someday you are going to be a missionary and you are going to be teaching this stuff all day long.............. AND HOW BORING IS THAT?!?" I couldn't hold it- and I busted up laughing and gave myself away. It was CLASSIC! My mommy moment where I was so proud was totally deflated to plain pure enjoyment of my quirky, awesome little kiddos. It was great.

What's up with us??

We have had a wonderful Fall season so far. My kids have LOVED being outside as it starts to get colder and have spent long afternoons bundled up, playing in the leaves and riding bikes before it gets too cold. We got back from Disneyland a few weeks ago and it was absolutely wonderful! We went with amazing friends and the kiddos all had so much fun. We played to our hearts content and took the kids to the Halloween party after hours where we got to trick or treat all through Disneyland. They scored a HAUL and they all looked so darling dressed up in their costumes. Traveling with dear friends was the best- Lots of parents to look after the wee ones- and we all have a blast together. Definitely a wonderful adventure.




Kennedy and I on Main Street.

Elijah and his buddy Caroline- so excited to see Pluto.

Elijah and Ava- (He has a MAJOR thing for Ava- but who could blame him. Look at her she's gorgeous!)

One of the few shots we have of our little family. Seems like I was always the one holding the camera.

I love this shot on the carousel because it shows my little dude and then our sweet friends behind us. It was seriously so much fun.

Two darling girls in front of the castle. Disneyland is magic for kids.

Beautiful Divalicious on the carousel

We had a great Halloween also. We went over to the Drakes and partied the night away with soups and breads and salads. The kiddos were SO excited to go trick or treating with each other and we lucked out because the weather was so great- perfect even! They all looked so darling!

Homeslice went as Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. (One of his all time favorite Pixar movies) Although the little booger would get SO upset if you called him "Mike" and insisted he was Buzz Lightyear all night. But whatever. Made me laugh that's for sure.

Kennedy went as Mulan. She was hell bent for MONTHS that she was going to be an Indian-but changed her mind at the last minute. :) She says that "This is the dress Mulan bought AFTER the movie." Makes me smile. As always I was blown away by how beautiful she is. My kids are the best and I love them more than anything. Hope you are having an awesome fall-time too!

Oh Happy Day!

Yesterday was the best day ever!! After 5 long years of wishing and waiting we were finally reconnected with Kennedy's birth-family! YAY!!
This has a long story to go with it- so hopefully I can relate it without it being too crazy-
But- when we first adopted Kennedy- for whatever reason- we were lead to believe by our agency that Kennedy's birthmother did not want to meet us, and that she wanted a closed adoption. We were pretty disappointed, but obviously every situation is so extremely personal that we really didn't want to pry. BUT- in the hospital we did end up meeting her and got to spend a few precious moments with her and Kennedy together- and then we signed the papers and went our separate ways. I sent letters and pictures to the agency all the time- just in case she changed her mind about wanting information and a relationship with us. I was assured that they were saving them in a file for her until she was ready to ask for them. But- as of a few months ago- I had been told that she had never sent for her mail. WELL- a couple of months ago- I started thinking about our amazing "L" non-stop, and Kennedy (on her own) had been peppering me with questions also and wondering if we would ever be able to talk to her. So I called our agency and talked with someone I had never spoken to before and I asked her if she would be willing to just try and contact her to see if they even had an updated address. Well she did- and the most amazing thing is that our "L" never did want a closed adoption! She was missing the relationship with us just as much as we have been missing her!She had been searching for us also, but didn't know our last name to find us. And she was overjoyed to hear that we had been sending letters and pictures and that she would get a chance to see Kennedy. The agency worker called me back and told me the news and I immediately sent out to write another letter and get some more updated pictures out with our contact info so she could finally find us. And yesterday we finally connected! We were able to talk on the phone for over an hour and it was absolutely wonderful!! I am just so thrilled- for Kennedy, for her, and for us! I don't know if I can adequately describe my feelings- so many times I have had people ask me how it is that I can be so at ease with my children's birth families- and the answer is so simple. I LOVE my children- these are my children's flesh and blood- and that makes them mine also. Our "L" made it possible for me to be a mother- she sacrificed and went thru Hell to give Kennedy LIFE- and a family that loves her more than anything. I love her like she is my family- and I am so thrilled that my beautiful daughter will not ever have to want for her past, or her roots, or family history- or even just the crucial relationships of people that love her as much as I do. It is just so exciting to me. I am so lucky that both of my children have those ties now. So to "L" and her beautiful family I say- WELCOME to ours! We could not be more thrilled to have you in our circle- and we are so excited to start building those family bonds with all of you!

Adoption Day

This past week I have had adoption on my mind. Yesterday my little family celebrated adoption day- it's our way of celebrating the anniversary of going to court and to the Temple. We do things kind of like a big birthday party- and my kiddos LOVE it. The dates for both kids just happened to fall in August- so we combine the two and do them both at once. It makes for a really great family day.

I remember so vividly my feelings as we were driving to the courthouse. After months of waiting and wishing I knew that the precious baby in the backseat would be legally declared my daughter/son. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on them that they were...but it was so wonderful to have the rest of the world know it as well. The court proceedings are very simple- and pretty quick, as far as most things in open court go. When we adopted Kennedy, there is one moment where the judge looked at my husband and I and asked us why we wanted to adopt her. My heart welled up with so much love and emotion- and I started crying and all I could squeak out was "because I love her." What I wanted the judge to know, was that ever since the moment she was placed in my arms I had never loved anyone more. That every time she cried my arms would ache until I could hold her to comfort her, and that my life would be forever dedicated to making sure that she would grow up healthy, happy and confidant. That I honestly felt like I wouldn't be able to breathe if I could not be her mother. But all I could get out was "Because I love her."

I told myself that for sure- when we were going to court with Elijah that I would have more control over my emotions, and I would be able to express everything I felt when the judge asked me "Why do you want to adopt this little boy." But again- my weepiness took over and I could hardly squeak out an answer. I felt better about that one though- because the judge got a little emotional also...so it wasn't just me. :)

Yesterday I woke up to two beautiful children jumping on my chest and screaming for me to wake up and start our fun family day. My little girl offered to do my hair for me- and proceeded to spray me with copious amounts of apple scented detangler. My tiny one- sat on my chest/neck with his huge and soggy morning diaper and told me he loved me. It was magic. Then I went in the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day and my little girl snuck into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and ran away squealing while the ensuing cold water made me scream. Then my husband and Elijah came in- and proceeded to let loose 2 rocket balloons that blew all over the room and scared me to death. I have never been so grateful for such an interrupted shower. I am so grateful to "L" and "D" for my family!! So happy that I have two incredible, amazing children that I love to the moon and back! Happy adoption day Kennedy and Elijah!

Defying Gravity

Hello all! This is McCarrey, I thought that I would take this time to break into Shannon's blog. I don't have to tell the world that Shannon is wonderful because they already know. But I am going to anyway. I have an amazing wife, who is a friend to all, a lover, a giver, an inspiration, an example, and one who consistently thrills me and gives me all the happiness and excitement that one could want.

Now not to toot my own horn, but I wanted to do something different for Mothers day and got her tickets to the Deer Valley Music Festival with the Utah Symphony and Idina Manzel. That was 2 and a half months ago. For anyone who may not know who Idina Manzell is, she was in the original casts of Wicked and Rent, she has also been in Enchanted, and Glee and more... I knew Shannon would love it.

We went to dinner before hand and shared a Apple pie Carmel apple from Rocky mountain chocolate factory and had a good time just being out and talking, it could have ended there and been great. Because of working the late shift and other things we have not been on many dates lately and it was wonderful.

Then we proceeded to the concert. The symphony played on their own first. They did some great numbers, and it was the last night of having Keith Lockhart officially a conductor of the symphony. They were very fun and it was nice to listen to the symphony outside with e the mountains and trees. Shannon said that the concert could have ended there and it would have been wonderful.

After the intermission, Idina Manzel came out. When I go to a concert and all the Artist does is sing songs then I think I could have saved money and listened to their music at home. When i go to a concert I want to see who this person is and to have then talk about the songs, why they chose them what meaning they have, and other things about themselves to learn that they are real people. Idina Manzel was herself, she talked a lot and sang a lot. She had the perfect mix of song and commentary. She was fine with getting off on tangents, telling stories of her life, shows she had been in, her family, talking to the people, and stories that were funny and others that caused her to get emotional. Her music was phenomenal, she sang songs that most people knew and then also some songs she had made up for her son of 23 months. Shannon could tell you which songs they were, I am good at enjoying but not remembering the specific songs. We both agreed that it was one of the funnest concerts we have ever been to.

Back to Shannon. I am glad that she had fun and to be able to spend such a wonderful evening together. One of the songs that Idina Manzel is known for is Defying Gravity, from Wicked. I feel that I am so blessed to be with Shannon that I defy gravity when we are together. Time flies by too fast and my feet don't touch the ground. I truly love her and am ever grateful for her in my life.


Not our picture, but just to give an idea of what it was like.

A Lullabye for our Birthmoms...

To our wonderful "L" and "D"- we love you so much! Thank you for our precious babies! I love this song.

You'll need to pause the music at the bottom to hear it.