Blessings

This morning Sam woke up at his usual time at about 5:30. Usually it's not a problem because BJ and I are getting up around that time to either work out (Shannon) or go to work (BJ). However the night before BJ and I had stayed up too late so we were not ready to get up with him. So, once again we brought Sam into bed with us so we could at least all cuddle together before it was a time that BJ and I felt like getting out of bed. I dozed off again and woke up a little while later to find this cuteness. I just couldn't help but take a picture of my two men.

I don't know if it's Thanksgiving so I am thinking about my blessings or that we are getting ready to look for another baby to adopt but moments like these have become more heartfelt and precious to me as I think of the what ifs in my life that would make a precious moment like this, my son and my husband snuggled up together, not have happened. I hope that makes sense. As I have had the wonderful opportunity to be Sam's mommy, I have felt more acutely, the true sacrifice that was made on my behave to have this special boy in my life. There is no way to ever express the gratitude for son. He is my son because of the impossible sacrifice of others.

In my struggles with infertility I remember, and still do feel on occasion, that this was a thing I could never be grateful for. How could it be so easy for others to bring children in their family and me be denied the blessing. I was very wrong though. Adoption has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I have been able to experience life from a prospective few others have. I am mystified by the great love I have for Sam's birth family. At an adoption class that we had when we started the journey of adoption someone said that before their adoption they underestimated their ability to love. I feel the same way. Through my ramblings here, I just want to say thank you to those who allowed me to wake up this morning to see the two most important people in my life cuddled up together sleeping and letting me be a mommy. However, the words "thank you" will never express the depth of my gratitude.

Cute Cute Sam

I have just a few random pics of Sam that I just have to post. Each of which have a little story to go with them.

This is a picture of which Sam is not as Innocent as he seems. He woke up at 3 am wouldn't go back to bed. BJ and I were both sick so we finally gave up and put him in bed with us so that we could at least lay down. Then spent the remainder of the night being kicked, pushed, and having Sam play with our snarly hair. He finally fell asleep around the time we gave up and were getting up. But man isn't he so cute when he's asleep.

Here he is asleep again. This is just a cute story. Before we drove home from the zoo the other day I gave him a little container of cereal to eat on the way home. He fell asleep not long after I started driving and his arm twitched and cereal flew all over him. It didn't phase him at all, although I got a pretty good chuckle out of it.

I made cinnamon rolls yesterday. BJ and I keep forgetting that just because we put something on the counter doesn't mean that it is safe anymore. This morning Sam came into the living room with a cinnamon roll in his hand. I went in the kitchen and he had taken the plate that they were on off of the counter and helped himself to one, knowing that there was no way he could eat the whole thing I cut a piece off for him. A little while later again he came out of the kitchen with a huge grin that he had gotten another roll. By this time it was pretty munged up so I just put him in his chair and let him do his worst. I love the proud smile. I also love how he doesn't quite get that if he does something naughty he shouldn't come and proudly show me the evidence. I will keep that to my advantage as long as I can have it.

Invite

Just in case you may not know I am having a Lia Sophia Party at my house at 1 pm this Saturday. If you don't know what that is it's super cute jewelry. This is a perfect opportunity to do a little Christmas shopping for others or yourself or just come and hang out with some yummy goodies.

So I had a dream the other night that I forgot to clean my house for the party. Does that mean that I have become a true house wife?

So, does anyone need a cake?

I am making a ball shaped cake for my cake class this weekend and I certainly don't want a whole cake just sitting around the house. If anyone is in need of a boy cake this weekend I'd be happy to donate it. I can ice it into any ball one would desire. I'm not promising it will be great remember I am in Level one and I ditched the first class, but let me know and the cake is yours.

I'm a little impressed with myself

Ok look over to the right side of my blog. It's all of your updated blogs!!! I know, I know many of you have figured out how to do this forever ago. I will talk to someone one who I haven't seen for a while and try to catch up with them, and they will say, oh yeah, I read that in your blog. I've always thought how do people have the time to actually keep up with everyone else's blogs. Now I know, the secret is out. This is great!

Lexi's cake

So after about 10 calls to my sister who teaches a cake decorating class and several trips to the store I finally finished Lexi's cake. It was the first cake that I have ever done doing fondant and wasn't as difficult as I imagined. (I even made my own fondant) I am going to start taking a cake decorating class this weekend. This has made me even more excited than I was before. The whole time I was decorating the cake, Sam kept saying "Ball, Ball". I guess Cinderella is going to a ball so he got that part right.

She is immodest because I couldn't figure out how to do sleeves. Hopefully that won't have a lasting effect on a 4 year old.

Halloween

So I think that my blog spot got haunted and I can't seem to change the background to anything other than the Halloween deco. Any hints from you master bloggers.

Sam had a fun Halloween. He was a duck. I know what you are thinking? It's still 90 in AZ what in the world are you doing putting a fleece jumpsuit on him to go outside. I did feel a little guilt, but I guess not enough because come on, isn't he so cute!

Instead of the traditional trunk or treat our ward hosted a neighborhood party in a near by park. Sam has confirmed once again that he's no pushover. He got pretty frustrated that little girls in big fluffy dresses take more time to get up the steps to the slide than he does even if he did have on as many layers as the stay puff marshmallow man. So Sam started to push the little girls in the back to move them alone. He had some sliding to do. Here he is with cousin Sadie, who I have to confess got pushed up the steps multiple times.

Here's another picture of Sam cutting in line up the steps.

He and another kid found a pumpkin laying around and he had the best time rolling it around. The other kid was pushing it up a hill and letting it roll down. After he wrestled it away from the other kid he couldn't quite get it pushed up the hill but settled for pushing it around as if he were making a snow man.

The pumpkin was fun until he caught sight of the most amazing thing he had ever seen, A GLOW IN THE DARK FOOTBALL!! Would the fact that it was being played with by some local teenagers deter him, of course not, Sam's got guts!! He waddled over to the teenagers (of course waddling because he was still in the duck suit) and took it from them. Notice the confused stance of the teenagers not knowing what to do about the baby having taken their ball.







We were at the children's museum the other day which has a great area designed for kids 1 to 4. Sam loves it. However, this particular day a kid about 4 years old decided that he was going to kind of bully Sam. Anything Sam would play with the other kid would come and mess with. There were about 20 other kids there but he for some reason honed in on Sam. I was trying not to intervene too much so that he can learn to well "stand up for himself". After a little while of this Sam was getting pretty tired of it. He was going down the slide and the kid sat down at the end of the slide so Sam ran into him. On there way back up the slide, I saw cute little Sam go up to this big kid (for him anyway) poke him in the chest and say "No! No! No!" It's good to know that Sam will stand up for him self. Now it's time to learn a few manners like sharing and taking turns, it's a hard concept to learn when you are an only child and have the rule of the house at home.