Washington DC Trip

Here are some photos from our trip to DC. We stayed in Maryland with Ty's Brother and Sister-N-Law. We had a blast. Our favorite was the segway tours. We had a blast getting to know Brad and Mary better and their kids, Dayna, Ben and Ava. They are such sweet kids.

Thanks Brad, Mary, Dayna, Ben & Ava for a great trip. We had a blast.

My Birthday, Home Visit and Mother's Day

My Birthday was May 7th. Holy cow I am 25!! I know some people are reading this and laughing... but being 25 is really weird to me. I am realizing really fast that I don't have the same hips I used to have when I was 20. I got money to go shopping, pillows for the couch I have been wanting from Ty and Ty also got me some really cute jeans. He is great at picking out clothes for me!

The next day on the 8th we had our home visit with the social worker and helper. It went very well. They pretty much interviewed us together, a part and then together again. Then, they walked around the house looking to see if we were living in an adequate place for a child, it's clean, healthy environment and safe, etc. On the way out the social worker said she wasn't worried about us at all and that we should be getting approved within the next couple of weeks. Yeah! (That means they can start showing our file to birth moms!)

Here's a sneak peak of what we have done for a baby.... it was nice having it all done for the social worker to see. First off, the wall in the baby's room. Ty did this for back in February, one weekend when I went to Houston. I came home and it was all done! He came up with this on his own and thought to put light sconces on the back wall. He is very handy! The rocking chair in the picture is one I bought at an antique shop. I sanded it down, painted it white, and then did a brown stain over it. Lastly, Ty built me a changing table / dresser a couple of weeks ago. I have already had fun dressing it up making it look like a changing table! The social worker saw all of this and was impressed we had done it all and made the comment that we are ready.... we are for sure ready! We do need a crib and will get that sooner than later. The bedding and paint will have to wait until we know when we are picked and if it's a boy or girl.




And then there was Mother's day. I had a great Mother's day. I was so lucky to have spent the weekend with Ty, my parents and Kim and Steph (two sister's in Houston... we did miss Jen, Whit and Lacey though!) I spent a lot of the day thinking about how wonderful it will be to have a child.

Here is what Ty got me for mother's day...



And a card with some sweet words of love and encouragement that I will get to be a mom soon.

And here is a picture of us girls on Mother's Day... We missed you Whit, Jen, and Lacey! My sister, Stephanie, on the right, has big, red eyes. That is the camera... she really is nice. ;-) Haha.



That's all for now!

Something to Blog About....

Things have been interesting for Tyler and I over the past couple of years. We will be married 3 years this October and it has flown by! But shortly after we got married (6 months) we wanted to try to start our family. Well, anyone who knows us knows we don't have kids... yet. ;-) It has been a long process, much longer than I would prefer. But it's not up to us. So yes, we have been trying for 2 1/2 years and we have realized that adoption is the way to start our family.

As soon as we realized adoption was the way we were going to have our children, we instantly contacted LDS Social Services and began the process. As of now, we have our paper work completed, with the exception of a couple of things we need to do. We have our home visit scheduled and my understanding is we should be approved shortly after that. Hopefully they can start showing our file soon!!!

This may be a surprise to some or maybe you already know, but it's time I put it out there. My sister Stephanie told me "You need to post this on your blog!" And I have been meaning to the past couple of weeks, but honestly, I have been out of loss for words. I didn't really know how to begin to write about something that is meaningful to me right now (if that makes sense). I saw my sister adopt three beautiful babies and what an experience it was! And now, Tyler and I will be going through it. It's closer to home now that we are going through it.

This whole process has made Tyler and I closer and has made me realize that Heavenly Father is watching over me. I have had a lot of people say they were praying for me or praying that something would work, and sometimes I would think for an instant "Then why don't I have a baby?" But it was just that, only for an instant did I think that and then I go on. I still have my moments, but I realize that I have not been in this alone and I have handled everything pretty well.

I know that there is a baby waiting for us and Heavenly Father his telling him / her "Not just yet..." But I strongly feel that sooner or later He will say "You can go now..." and this child will be loved more than words can say.

I didn't mean to turn this into a sappy blog, but it's a happy one! Happy in that we are on the right track and doing what we need to do to start our family!!! I will keep everyone updated.

I feel better now. It feels good to write what is on your mind. ;-)

Why Do You Have Three Stomachs!?

My sister Stephanie just posted a funny story about her daughter, Reese. Reese is always saying the funniest things and the most random things. When I was reading Steph's blog, it reminded me of some things Reese has said to me...

One weekend, Tyler and I kept Reese, Carson, and Davis. I had just put Davis down for his morning nap, so it was a good time for a shower. I got in the shower and Reese comes in. She pulls the shower curtain back and says, "Shell, you are supposed to do your exercises before taking a shower....mom always does."

In the meantime, she saw me and ended up seeing a lot of me and said "Shell, why do you have three stomachs?" (She saw my stomach, and the twin sisters up top). I couldn't stop laughing. I told Tyler and he is practically crying. It still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

I love kids to pieces, especially my nieces and nephews. They all know how to put a smile on my face.

My New Favorite Thing....

I came home the other day and the house was cleaned and vacuumed. It is always a good surprise when Ty does that and I don't have to. ;-) But then I noticed the new vacuum that was sitting next to the outlet in the family room. I have been wanting a new one so bad (a really nice and good one too) and this is what Ty picked out. Some people may think that if their husband ever bought them a cleaning tool, they would kill them... But I actually like it. It's not like it was an anniversary or birthday gift, just a good surprise!! I love it. It makes cleaning a little more fun.

The New & Improved Exterior

Our house was in need of a facelift inside as well as outside. Since we have completed the inside, it was time to focus on the outside. The trim color was navy and the main color was a light beige, almost white. We went with some darker beige colors for both the main color and the trim.

Our front door is also new, we got it just before Christmas. We stained it that dark brown color.

I just need to plant some flowers and put some mulch down and we are good to go!

My Mom & Me

Last weekend my parents came into town for a short visit. Here's a picture of me and my mom before we went to a wedding reception. It's always fun having my parents here and visiting!

Wanna Get Away??

Sometimes you just need to get away for awhile. And that's exactly what Tyler and I are going to do!!!!

We are going to Washington DC and New York in May!!! We aren't sure what we are going to do in Washington just yet (lots of site seeing thats for sure!), but we are going to be in New York for a couple of nights and we are staying at the Marriott in Manhattan. I am really excited about this trip.

A Visit with Mom

My mom came into town Tuesday evening and is staying with Tyler and I for awhile. I am so glad she is here visiting. I have missed her so much ever-since they moved to Dallas. Today we are going to lunch while I have the day off of work and maybe a little shopping!

Happy First Day of School Ty!

Ty started school tonight.

He has been wanting a bigger skillet. (Yes, I do some of the cooking). Some nights Ty has certain things he likes to cook and has mentioned that a bigger skillet would be nice. Bed, Bath and Beyond was having a good sale on the Calphalon skillets, so I got two for the price of one!

This is what he will come home to tonight....



I just hope he knows I appreciate him. He is going to school full time and works full time and it doesn't leave him much free time during the week. I appreciate him for all his hard work and I love him tons!