Happy Adoption Day for my Gorgeous Girl!

Well- we survived it- and we had a WONDERFUL time! Kenna's 2 year adoption day was this week and we had the best time with a lot of friends and family. This is her cake- which the awesome ladies at Costco were more than happy to turn into an adoption cake fit for a princess. I thought it was darling and I was so excited because they didn't even charge extra for it! YAY for Costco! I swear I couldn't survive without that store.
We had a BBQ- and grilled up Burgers, Brats and hotdogs. There was WAY too much food, and awesome company. Mac and I feel so blessed to have such a great support system- everyone has been so incredible and supportive since we even started thinking about the whole adoption process and they have welcomed our little girl in with open arms- we love you guys and are so grateful for your love and friendship-

We had a pinata for the kids that were there. Most of them were small enough that we just didn't even bother with the blindfolds or trying to save the pinata from getting hit. We were just lucky that the darn thing even broke! (Well...ok- I guess I have to be honest- the darn thing didn't break and I literally had to just shake everything out of it!) But once it was all out on the grass- the kids just scrambled and it was absolutely delightful! We had the best time just visiting with everyone- and Kenna loved playing with all the other kids. It definitely was a wonderful night- just celebrating our family coming together. Hey- it makes me think that we should have more random celebrations like that- just celebrating the fact that you get to be a family...I know I like to shout it from the rooftops...let's start a petition and maybe we can get a holiday out of it!

The Big Girl Room Revealed!

TA DA! I know I know...the moment you have all been waiting for! Kenna's official Big Girl Room!! You have to understand the insane pleasure I get out of this tiny little bit of square footage. It went from the nastiest- junk room in the whole house to a bright, pink and purple toddlers haven. Kennedy loves it- and is always asking to go up to her room so she can lay in her new bed. she has it made because everytime we go up to lay in her new bed she wants lots of storybooks which we are always happy to oblige her with. McCarrey and I had a great time looking for all the bargains and deals we could to fix it up on our little budget...and when all was said and done we were able to outfit the whole room, including paint, furniture, shelves, and accessories for only $350! Wahoo for us! We have been having a great time watching her have tea parties and play in her new space. She is still getting used to the idea of actually sleeping the whole night in here...but I guess I can't expect everything to go smoothly. :)

Adoption day Preparations...

The other day Kennedy was throwing a HUGE fit. I was trying to calm her down by saying things like " There's no need to cry- you're ok. You're a good girl...when you wanna be..." and things like that. I guess that I didn't take into account how much Kenna sucks up into her brain every time I speak, because shortly after she finally calmed down and I was working on wiping off the counters, Kenna comes up to me and says "You're a good cleaner Mommy...When you wanna be." Awesome.

Yesterday was Kenna's official adoption day- but we are going to celebrate it tomorrow when more family can come over. I am just trying to get the last minute things done today...like buying all the groceries, making all the salads, cleaning the house, and ok..ok... I have to do EVERYTHING today. I am really looking forward to having everyone come over to celebrate with us. It's kind of hard for me to describe my feelings over the last couple of days. Celebrating adoption day seems like more than just a birthday to me. I love Birthdays and believe me I will NEVER forget the day Kenna was born and I got to see her and hold her and it was INSTANT love at first sight. But- adoption day is when I could officially put my fears at rest- and that point she was ours legally and I knew no one could come back and take her away. Then being able to go to the Temple that day and be sealed... no words can describe that. I used to be kind of jealous about parents who got to have the experience of pregnancy, and all of the different feelings and emotions that come with that. In a lot of ways it felt like a loss that I had to mourn, almost like a death. BUT- now that I have experienced adoption- I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. When I married McCarrey-it was such a beautiful day- and looking across the altar at my new husband at the Temple was wonderful- and I always used to say that I wish I could repeat that moment in time. Well- when Kenna came we were able too- and being able to look across the altar onto the love of my life, and my beautiful, brown, baby girl was incredible.
Well- I guess I have gone on and on enough. I have lots to do today- and I don't have much time. This has just been a wonderful week. Lots to think about, and celebrate. August is the month that my family came together. I don't think that anything can be better than that!

Five Years and still Counting!

Look at us goofy kids! We have the most cheesy faces on the face of the planet! (I am sure that it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we were dropping off Kennedy with Grandma and we were just about to go out and spend the day together with just us...) Yesterday was our 5th wedding anniversary! YAY FOR US! McCarrey and I both had the day off so we decided that we would make the most of it. And a HUGE thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Hancock for watching Kenna all night! So-We started out our day by going for Indian Food! (My absolute favorite!) Thank Heavens I have an adventurous husband who is willing to try anything! He must love me lots and lots because he takes me out for Indian food all the time. We found a new restaurant downtown called the Star of India and we went there for lunch. Mmmmm! Then we decided that we would drive up to Park city and go horseback riding- which I would have LOVED- but sadly when we got up there they were full for the day and we weren't able to go. But- we consoled ourselves by doing the alpine slides and the mountain coaster. I really like the alpine slides- but I always get so nervous going on the ski lifts. I know it is dumb and ridiculous- but I just have this thing with heights and the whole way up I keep thinking to myself..."Well- if the cable has to break... I hope it breaks here because then I could land in those bushes..." or other irrational thoughts like that. We were able to talk alot though which is great- and I survived the ski lift. Oh my heck though! The mountain coaster is SO FUN! We had done it before- but I just have to say how much I loved it! I love that you get hauled all the way up the mountain on a track- like a roller coaster- so I am always close to the ground and don't feel like I am going to die. It is SO much faster and so many more dips and turns and SO fun!! We had a great time in Park city and got amazing caramel apples from Rocky Mountain chocolate factory. After that- we headed back down the canyon for dinner and a movie. We saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 3D. It was fun and definitely a novelty having the whole thing in 3D. Then we went to Ruby River Steakhouse for dinner. Can I just say Amazing?! All in all it was an amazing day- and I was just so glad to be able to spend it with my honey! Sometimes it just blows my mind that 5 years has come and gone already! I am such a lucky girl to be able to ride through this crazy life with someone as wonderful as my McCarrey is! This is a busy week for us- our anniversary yesterday and adoption day is on the 28th! So many wonderful moments to remember and celebrate! Kenna's big girl room is officially done and I will have to post the pictures of it next time around. Happy anniversary McCarrey! I love you!

Just a quick story...

Today is our FIVE year anniversary! YAY! Because we are out doing so many things today- I don't have tons of time, but I thought this was pretty funny- and I will try and get some more posted maybe tomorrow. Anyhow- I went to the store with Kenna and I was looking for some ribbon to wrap a gift. I happened to see a bag of old fashioned creme drops that were fairly cheap. I LOVED these as a kid and was so excited to see them. So I bought them and was telling Kennedy how much I loved these awesome candies and how lucky of a girl she was that she got to taste them with me. I gave her one and she took bite out of it and said, "Mmm! This is good Mommy!" then she puts her hand up by her head like she is thinking and says,"Hmm... I wonder where the garbage can is?" HA!! I laughed so hard! She was trying so hard to please me by telling me that she liked my treat- but at the same time she was NOT impressed at all! i just thought it was a priceless moment. I could definitely hear her thoughts at that moment where she was thinking, "Ok mom...whatever! This stuff is crap!" I just love that little girl! Well I am going to go and have an AMAZING day with the love of my life! Happy Anniversary to me!

Summer Projects...

We have been so busy this summer working on the yard and in the garden. Mainly this post is for Annie- She and Neil helped us SO much getting our yard done this year. I wanted to show what it looks like now that it is just about done. When we first bought our house- there was no backyard whatsoever! No grass, no patio, no awning, nothing. We had weeds literally that towered over the top of the fence! We fixed up the front yard last year- and because it costs ridiculous amounts of money to do yard work- we saved the backyard for this year. We had the concrete poured for the patio, then built the awning (Which can I just say how much I LOVE it!) Then came the horrors of never ending weeding and raking and shoveling. We took our yard clear down to the dirt. Then we had to install sprinklers and sod, buy rocks and boulders to build my little flower bed, shovel 27 cubic yards of dirt to fill it up...(I wanted to kill myself by the time we were done!) then plant the flowers for the bed, and the seeds for the garden, and paint the fence. It has been a nonstop process so far- and while we still have tons more things that we want to do in the backyard...Alas...the money is gone and we have to wait until next year. To be completely truthful though- I am ready for a break,and just to be able to enjoy what we have done so far instead of constantly worrying about finishing the next project. My wildflowers are my favorite. We bought several packets of seeds and threw them in at random. Except for the sunflowers. Oddly enough those came from the seeds in the bird feeder that sits right there. (Maybe I'm an idiot- but I guess it didn't really register that the bird seed would actually start growing!) Over all- we are so glad to finally have a yard that Kenna can play in and a place where we can have friends and family over for BBQ's. Our garden is doing really well though! I picked 24 cucumbers in one day! I am fast turning into one of those neighbors who is constantly trying to offload veggies on people! We have been really blessed though and we are excited to be able to bottle some homemade salsa in about another month. (My favorite stuff!) Anyhow- Thank you Annie and Neil for all of the help you gave us before you decided to move to Lame Washington! We wish so bad that you were here to enjoy it with us!

Jet Skiing with the Fam-

We had the funnest weekend this week! We went up Provo Canyon with with the family and did jet skiing all day! (Thanks Mike and Jean!!) We had a blast!! Kennedy was a speed demon and loved going fast. She and Josh played in the sand and the water ALL day long- it was a HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE trying to get all of the sand our of her hair before church the next day- but still worth it to see her having so much fun! My cousin Scott brought his fiance Katie to hang out with us, which was great- and my dad wowed us once again with his dutch oven cooking skills. Definately an awesome day! The only thing that would have made it better was if Neil, Annie and the boys could have been there too. We had a great time though- I LOVE being out on the water! I just think that it is completely exilharating to be out on the water, going really fast with the wind and the splashes in my face....mmm! Makes me want to do it tomorrow!