It's the most Wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmas! I love that I come from a family that loves Christmas! I love that I married a man who loves Christmas! There is just something in the air this time of year that automatically makes me think of ornaments, cookies, Christmas carols. It is simply wonderful!!
Tyler and I mailed in our application to LDS Family Services last weekend. Now we can't wait to hear back from them! I think about it constantly, to the point where I have to consciously tell myself not to. After our application process is over, it could take quite a while until we are selected by a birth mother. I have the highest hopes that it won't take long, but for sanity's sake, I need to make sure not to obsess in the meantime.
Last week, one of Tyler's back molars broke, so today he went to the dentist. Turns out it was one of his wisdom teeth that had broken. He didn't even remember he still had any wisdom teeth! Apparently he had his bottom ones taken out before his mission, but his upper ones hadn't grown in yet. Well, they grew in, and today the dentist decided they needed to come out. Poor guy! It was totally unexpected, but I guess it's better this way, so he didn't have to time stress about it. Now he is crashed on the couch, completely drugged out.
Tomorrow evening I am going carolling with the Primary to an assisted living home. Should be really fun! I love my primary kids so much! I have had them for such a short time, I don't want to give them up at the New Year.
The Christmas decorations are up, Kenny and Dolly are playing in my stereo, now I need some cookies!

In about a month...

Tyler and I had a great Halloween, even though he ended up having to work. Saturday night we went to our ward's Trunk n' Treat with Mom, Dad, the Hunsaker's, and the Prescott's. All the kids looked so cute in their costumes and they had a great time!
Mom and I had decorated the trunk of their van, and everybody said we had the best trunk in the lot. Gavin pooped out before the other kids when they were collecting candy, so he became part of our trunk decorations, too!
I have come to the conclusion that whenever one door closes a mail slot opens. Tyler and I had decided we should start looking for a house, but the first banker we spoke to said we couldn't qualify for anything. That really depressed me because it all our goals and plans off track and we weren't sure what to do. After we talked to that lady, we just kept praying and looking for more options. We were recommended to another banker and she not only got us approved for a home loan, but got us a great rate too! Here comes the mail slot part. We are so thrilled we are preapproved for a home loan, but it is a small one and there is hardly anything in our price range. So, now we are just waiting for a house to come available that will suit our needs for the next four or five years. Good thing we are living with family who won't kick us out on our fannies! :) Thank heaven for patient parents with big houses!
Saturday night, after spending time with my wonderful husband and family, it suddenly struck me while I was lying in bed, "In a about a month, we will be submitting our adoption papers to LDS Family Services." Wow. I started to smile, then grin like a kid on Christmas morning. I couldn't fall asleep because of all the wonderful, warm fuzzy thoughts going through my head. I don't know how long the adoption process will take once we turn in our papers, but its our first step towards being parents, and its absolutely amazing!

Trust a bigger picture

Everything has been going pretty well for Tyler and I for quite some time. We have been meeting our goals that we had made for ourselves, preparing for the future. Then yesterday we got some news that really threw us for a loop and slightly derailed our plans. I'm not sure how long it will take for us to reach the point we want to be at by the time we adopt, and it really kind of scares me.

I might not seem like it, but when it comes to the more important things in life, I like to have things planned to the tiniest detail. So, when we got this piece of news, I started freaking out. All my details and plans were thrown out the window, or at least temporarily dangled out the window. :) But in that moment, that's all I could see. Later that night I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants and the Lord was talking to Joseph Smith about how we should put our trust in God and not in man. That really struck me. I realized that I was relying to much on just myself, on Tyler, on people, and not putting all my trust in the Lord.

I hate not knowing what's going to come next. Not being able to be exactly prepared for what lies ahead. But, as Bro. Wirthlin has said, we must have the faith to step into darkness, knowing that only a step or two may be lighted ahead of us.

I guess this is kind of a more serious topic than I usually blog about. I just felt like putting it out there for anyone else who may be struggling with similar feelings.

Hello All You Guys & Ghouls!

It was brought to my attention that it had been awhile since I had posted... ok, this is true! To be completely honest, I don't usually think about blogging until late at night, then my brain doesn't like to cooperate.

Summer was great! My sister and her family came from California to visit all the family up here. It was such an awesome time! I haven't gotten to see my sister since my wedding, my brother in law even longer, and I had never met my niece. She is so adorable! Chubby cheeks, blue eyes and strawberry blond hair! She is one of those cute little kids that you just want to squeeze 'cause they're so dang cute!!! I sound completely crazy, but all my nieces and nephews are that cute. You just want to hug them and never let go.
So, all through their visit, the kids were outside every chance they could get. Riley was king of the water slide! Tate couldn't get enough popsicles, with his, "May I have another popsicle, please?" So polite! Heehee! I only got Calli convinced the last couple days of their visit that she could be my friend. I keep telling Tyler we need to go visit or she's going to forget me. If only money weren't an issue, I would visit all the time!
In August we went on vacation with the Hill family. I got to ride a horse in a national park! That was so much fun!! It was great to see my sister and brother in law and my niece Bailey. She is all cuteness and go go go. She was very into sharing her snacks with everyone, but she wanted to feed them to you. Pretty hilarious to watch!
My mother in law fell as we were walking back from watching Old Faithful and injured her knee and ankle. Now, almost a month and a half later, she is still having problems.

The weather has finally turned to the weather that I love. In the words of Grandpa Milt, "sweater weather"!! I love it when there is just a little crispness in the air and you can smell people burning leaves in their yards. Then next month the temperature will get downright brisk. People will start using their fireplaces, and the night sky will take on that beautiful, immense shade of aubergine that means we are truly moving into wintertime. Winter has always seemed like a more magical time of year to me. Its a time for celebrations and families getting together. Wintertime means Christmas! Winter is a time for nostalgia and reminiscing. And that is why, maybe even before Thanksgiving, I will have the Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Christmas album permanently stuck in my CD player until the New Year.



Riding horses in Wyoming!



Calli and Tate rock out on Rock Band



Riley gets ready for his guitar solo



Two cute girls! :)



August means vacation time!

I have been having a great summer, family has come to visit, Ty hasn't been as busy, the weather has been nice. But, now it's the end of August, almost the end of summer and we finally get our summer vacation! Oh yeah! We left with Ty's family about four days ago and have been going through Yellowstone National Park. I haven't been there since I was 15, and it has changed a lot. So beautiful! I wish I could own a cabin there. We saw a lot of buffalo, and a few elk and deer, and one coyote. No bears, no moose, no wolves. We went yesterday to a wildlife discovery center and saw grizzlies and wolves. So, even though they weren't in the wild, we got to see real live bears and wolves.

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Hill family cabin in Palisades, Idaho, which is just over the border from Wyoming. We have been celebrating my father-in-law's 50th birthday ever since. These people know how to party! There has been food, games, goodies, home movies and spiff. Spiff = prizes you get for participating in competitions and games.

Tyler and I are here until Wednesday. Tomorrow includes white water rafting!! By the time we get home, we're gonna need another vacation to recover from vacation! :)

Sweet Summer Sunshine

Tomorrow I have my last final, then I am officially on summer vacation. Oh, yeah baby! My sister and her family are coming next week and my other nieces and nephew are coming to stay for a week. Its going to be a full house, a mad house, but, boy, are we going to have fun!!

Ashley and Bailey left at the beginning of June. I miss them! It was so much fun having them here. Ashley, Reb and I crafted like crazy fanatics, and even Bre, when we could convince her. :) Tyler was happy to have a niece here who preferred him over me. I told him to enjoy it while it lasted.

I can't wait for my sister and her family to get here, I get to meet my niece! Hopefully she will warm up to me fast because she will only be here for such a little while.

Mom got an organ, and Ernie can't decide if he likes it or if he is deathly afraid of it. He sits on my lap and cocks his heads to the right while he listens to her play. I think his forehead will be permanently creased.

Favorite little kid quotes of the week:

Amelia, "Mom, it really is good being the princess."

Coco, "Tywer scawy." (that's Tyler scary)

Visitors

My sister-in-law and niece are in town visiting from Arizona! We are going to have so much fun. Today we went to the craft store and picked out a project we want to do while she is here. Last time they were here it was December. Now my niece is one and walking and talking! She is so cute and loves to get herself into mischief. She loves my in-laws' dogs and laughs whenever they lick her.

I heard through the grapevine that my sister and her family might come visit us from California this summer. If I had my way, I would gladly go to CA, but I don't think Ty and I could afford that. So, hopefully they will come here to Washington. I haven't seen them since my wedding and haven't met my sister's little girl. *Crossing my fingers* I miss them a lot, so it will be great to have them here!!

Class is kicking my butt right now because I am always feeling sick. I keep reminding myself that the quarter is halfway over, so hang in there! Ugh. :P

Spring, where are you?

This Spring has weather that is as fickle as can be. One minute its gorgeous and the next its gray and cold. I guess that is the nature of Spring weather, unpredictable as it tries to press forward to Summer. I love the Spring weather, and wish the season would last longer. Here in Southeastern Washington, it seems like the only seasons are Summer and Winter.
Went to the CBC campus today to take a math test. Hope I did well. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken my math classes sooner after graduating high school. Since it has been nearly eight years since I took a math class, it has been harder to get back into the math groove again.
I have been thinking a lot about goals lately. Trying to prepare for adoption really makes you think about goals. For quite a while I have wanted to write a book. Fiction, smart and funny, a story that people could relate to their life. I kind of started a couple years ago, but put it down and haven't gone back to it. And now that I read the pages I have written, I don't like my characters or plot line. I need to rewrite it and start over. I need to not give up on the goal of writing a book. It is always good to have goals, long term and immediate. It keeps us pushing forward, looking at tomorrow. So, my assignment for myself is to make some goals and keep them.
I heard about a little boy who is being put up for adoption here in the T.C.. I have been calling numbers and not getting much information at all. I kind of feel like a dog chasing it's tail. I haven't let myself get frustrated, though. I knew it would probably be a long shot, but Tyler is starting to be pretty disappointed. It would be wonderful if it could happen, but I am trying to stay realistic and not get my heart too invested. I know we will adopt when it is the right time. I know their is a precious little spirit that is meant just for Ty and me.

May Already

It is May already and we have now moved into Mom and Dad Hunsaker's house. The move was relatively painless, but only because of our great family helping us out. John, Dennis, Julie, Rebecca, Zach - you are all the best!!! Thanks for giving up your Friday to get us moved. We also had my visiting teacher and the ward missionaries there to lend a hand. Although, I think the elders got more in the way than they helped, but oh well.
I tried to keep what I would take to Mom and Dad's limited, and put the majority in storage, that way moving out again will hopefully be pretty easy. I still don't have everything put away. It's hard fitting everything into one room.
My sister-in-law and her adorable baby girl are coming to visit. Yay! We are going to have so much fun! Now if only I could get my sister and her family from CA to come visit, this would be the best summer!
Monday Ty and I will be doing FHE with our friend Brianna. Should be lots fun, we don't see her often enough.
Odd story of the week for me: got a message on Facebook from a friend that I haven't kept in touch with about a baby she knows that is being put up for adoption here in the Tri-Cities. When I read this it was like lightning struck me. I don't think many people outside of our families and close friends know that we plan to adopt, so this really surprised me. She sent this message to several people on her list, but I was excited she sent it to me too. I immediately started chatting with her to see if I could get more information. She gave me the child's name and age and what agency the child is going through.
I tried calling the agency, but they were already closed for the weekend. I am calling them first thing Monday morning. This could possibly be a long shot, but I am willing to try. I just have to put my faith in the Lord that He will know what child is meant for us and when it is right for us.

Moving Day

Tyler and I are making the final move of all our stuff this Saturday. Hopefully it won't be too many loads, because we have been trying to move smaller things and clothes for the past too weeks.
I was feeling a little overwhelmed this weekend because I had homework assignments due, packing to be done and on top of that, I was feeling extremely cruddy. I am still feeling cruddy, but not as bad. Went to the doctor today and she decided we should test for everything under the sun since I haven't really felt well for a while.
The packing is coming along nicely, finally! We have so many boxes, full and empty, that it doesn't seem like we are making any head way, but we are. It will just be nice to be moved and unpacked again. Tyler is tired of moving once a year since we've been married, but that's called being a newlywed, you move a lot!
Wednesday I get to play photographer's assistant to my lovely sister-in-law. I'm excited to watch her work, maybe I will learn some cool photography tricks!

Spring Spring Spring

Tyler and I are both on Spring break, yeah! Since we moved up our move out date to the end of April, we decided that we aren't going to make any big Spring break plans. Oh, well. Just the fact that Ty is getting more sleep this week is good enough. Just like a little kid, he needs his sleep. :)

So, moving... Is there any activity in the world that is less fun than packing up everything you own into dusty boxes and transporting them somewhere else where you get to unpack everything and then find a new place for all your stuff. And since this is a temporary move, we'll be doing this all again in less than a year. We are hoping the next move will put us into a house of our own, then hopefully we can stay there while we finish school. Which is hopefully going to be soon!

We went to a friend's house on Sunday evening for dinner. After dinner I held their grandson for a little bit. Whenever I hold my nieces or nephews, or an adorable little baby like the one I was holding, my heart feels like it grows two sizes larger. I know it is my life's calling to be a mother and I can't wait until we are blessed with a child. Tyler and I have been trying to learn as much as we can about adoption through LDS Family Services, but the information online is fairly limited. My sister gave me the number for the Spokane office, so I plan on calling them this week for more information.

April should be busy for us. Tyler and I will go back to school on the 5th, and we will be packing up to move out. Also, my mom and I are going to start selling hair accessories for babies and little girls. Just something fun to do on the side. I am guessing the month will go by pretty fast!

And so it begins...

We always knew from the time we started dating that if we wanted children once we were married we would have to adopt. I am unable to have children. While this does tear at my heart; knowing that my children will never have my eyes or Ty's curly hair, or that I will never experience the miracle of a precious baby growing and developing in my womb, I have never doubted the fact that I will be a mother.

So, onward we go towards adoption! I always acknowledged it would be expensive and might not happen on my time table, but it wasn't until I started researching adoption in earnest after being married for a year that I realized how daunting a process adoption seems. Even going through our church's family services is much more expensive than I had anticipated. So now Tyler and I are in frantic savings mode. We are exploring different high yield savings accounts (good thing my brother is a financial guru) and are sacrificing our nice apartment. Come June we will be moving into my parent's home to be able to set aside even more money. While both Tyler and I hate to lose our independence in this way, we know this will be the best thing for us and Mom and Dad Hunsaker will make our stay with them enjoyable.

In the meantime, along with trying to cut back on spending (so hard for me!) we are also both attending school full time. Luckily Ty has received financial aid and his school costs have been completely covered. I have applied for aid, but we have yet to hear back if I have qualified. Stressful! I just keep telling myself that we will get through this period of our marriage. Both sets of our parents have told us how they really struggled when they were first married, and it amazes me how they hung in there and made it through these periods. ...But still, hearing their stories doesn't make our situation any easier. I really don't mean to be all "woe is me", but this is my blog, so I guess I'm entitled to a little self pity, right? :)