BFF's

Since Ethan doesn't have any siblings, I try to keep his social calendar PACKED! He loved playing with other kids, and it's so fun to watch him interact with other children. 

Yesterday, we invited some friends to go to the park, and then ended up meeting up with three other moms who had the same exact thought to go to the same exact park. Crazy, right?

Being Mormon has its perks, people.

Christian, Ethan, and Henrik

Ethan was ecstatic to have so many friends to play with. We ended up at the splash pad because it was so hot out. Don't you miss the days where running around, having water splashed in your face was fun? 

If only life were that simple! 

I love having Ethan to keep me grounded.

Our Agency Profile

As mentioned below, we were notified today that our home study has been approved, and that our profile is now posted on itsaboutlove.org. 

I can't tell you how much work and work and more work that has gone into this moment! All the paperwork, the fingerprints, background checks, adoption classes. Not to mention the hours and hours spent agonizing about what to write in our letter to the birthparents, or what pictures to put. And honestly, that's not even the half of it!

Now that it's all done, that it's all finished, I find myself aimlessly sitting in front of the computer, thinking I'm forgetting to do something! I'm so used to always having something that can be worked on, that I think I've forgotten how to relax :) It's a pretty good feeling to know that we now have all our ducks in a row.

So here it goes, let this roller coaster ride truly begin. We are so ready!

If you feel comfortable, please share our profile on your Facebook or blog. We are currently working on getting a blog "button" that you can put on the side of your page. 

Thanks so much for all your kind words and support!

If you'd like to view our page, click here.

Guess What??!

We are having the best day. Want to know why?

I got this in my e-mail inbox today :)

I got this e-mail after watching The Croods at the theater with Ethan. I MAY have cried a few tears in the parking lot. 

Blackberry Syrup

Why is August awesome? 

One word:

Blackberries

Blackberry picking is something I've done since I was 12. I would visit Oregon for a few weeks every summer, and blackberry picking became a beloved tradition! It's one of the main reasons I get excited for summer. I know, I'm pathetic..

Ethan and I have been out picking fruit for a few weeks now, and I decided to finally do something about it! Which is:

Blackberry syrup! 

Ethan thought he would help me.. here's out it went!

First, we ground the berries in our AMAZING Vitamix. 

Side note - if you don't have one, get one. We use it almost daily!

Then, we strained the seeds from the juice in our colander.

Then Ethan got distracted, and decided to make himself a peanut butter sandwich. He proceeded to eat peanut butter from a spoon for the next 20 minutes :)

While Ethan was eating peanut butter making his sandwich, I heated up the blackberry juice along with A LOT of sugar.

And there you have it! The most delicious blackberry syrup we've ever tasted!

Family Time

One reason we love Oregon is because of how green it is. It's gorgeous! I really can't understand why any of you suckers wouldn't live here. Seriously.

Yesterday, we joined some friends (the Johnsons), drove down to Corvallis, and explored. 

It was the right choice.

Ethan got to dress himself. He was so. excited.

Do his socks remind you of a certain movie?

Yeah - me neither.

Who wants to pull THIS handcart? Anyone? Beuhler?

This needs to be my backyard.

This was surprisingly easier than it looks. We all got to walk across to the docks in the middle of the lake. Ethan was better than both of us combined!

Just contemplating the Universe...

Redneck teeter totter.

Looking up just happens to be as gorgeous as anything else we saw on our hike!

After we were done hiking, we decided to introduce Ethan to a train park in Corvallis. We thought Ethan would love it, and - well - we were right!

Endless fun. There was a definitely tantrum when we left, but can you blame him?

Youth Conference

Recently I began working with the youth in my church, and I LOVE IT! 

Maybe because I'm way too immature for my age? 

We may never know.

So you can imagine how excited I was to spend more time with them this past Friday and Saturday. We met with other youth in Lincoln City (love that place!) We attended some good mini-talks at their ward building, and then headed to the beach for some kabobs and dancing.

That night, we slept in the local high school gym. Due to stupid poor planning on my part, I didn't bring a mat to sleep on, so me and my bum hips had to sleep on the gym floor. And no, it doesn't stop there. The gym lights wouldn't turn off. Wait - there's more. 

AND we had a snorer. A really, really, really, really loud snorer.

I got about 4 hours of restless sleep.

The next day, we headed over to help the ladies at Connie's Garden Conservatory. Some of us volunteered to help dig up some pesky ferns that are taking over. 

Why, you ask? Because it looked easiest. 

Boy, were we wrong! That's what we get for being underachievers, I guess!

 The amazingly huge pile of ferns.

Katelyn and I holding one fern. 

Youth Conference was so much fun - I can't wait to go again next year (maybe with a baby in tow?).

Side note - if anyone is in Lincoln City and wants to keep their kids busy for an hour or two, the ladies at this conservatory could really use your help. It's back-breaking work, and one volunteer informed us that there is no one under 60 involved with their garden. It was worth it, and we got the chance to learn a little something, too!

Adoption Update

I've had many (awesome) friends ask us for an update, so I figured I'd post just a little about what's going on in our neck of the woods. I'd first like to thank those of you who are reading for taking time out of your day to touch base with us! We are truly truly blessed to have the friends and family we do. Billy and I are constantly discussing how lucky we are. You guys rock.

Right now, we are just waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting...

And for those of you who know me, you know I'm awful super good at this.

We are still waiting for our home study to be completed.

Whilst we are waiting, I've been doing research on other adoption agencies - it can never hurt to have too much exposure. Am I right??? We also need to take a few courses to fulfill our agency requirements.

We recently just completed the final draft of our birth parent letter, which is what potential birth moms read when they click on our picture. This has been particularly nerve-wracking, since this is our first impression! How scary is that?

Scarier still is how awful I tend to be at first impressions. I just get so nervous, and then I say the wrong thing, so I've been practicing how to not completely freak people out upon first meeting them. And I've gotten so much love, support, and advice from family and friends.

I really appreciate the people in my life who have previously experienced the miracle of adoption, and the time you have taken to advise me on each step of the way. I have a young women's leader from when I was 12 who has been an absolute God-send - I don't know what I'd do without her! This post is dedicated to this wonderful woman. Thanks Sheridan - you rock!

I plan on updating this page as soon as we hear any news on our home study. Until then, I'm sure there will be many silly pictures to keep me entertained!