3 Little Pigs!

Well this week has been a doozy. Shaeler got the stomach flu and has been sick until last night. Brian and I have been down in the dumps and then the snow! THE SNOW!!! AAAHHHHHHH!! Last night as I looked at my house, it was a complete disaster. No one picked things up and we were just a mess. Physically and emotionally and housely.

My thoughts went to last weekend when one of the birthmothers talked about picking a family because their pictures were of a crazy household. Kids hiding in drawers with socks on their heads, etc. She said it was more than just the "beautiful pictures" that they see over and over. I thought to myself why on earth would I want the world to see how messy we are in print. And then I had the thought, if our birthmother could see our house now!

So, here it is! I am going to show you what our home normally looks like on a Thursday night.




This is Shaeler's version of cleaning her room. Throwing it in the closet in a large pile or under her bed. I have to say that I did the exact same thing when I was a child. Smooth, real smooth!



Before Shaeler got sick, she was obsessed with saving 2 suckers for 2 very special people. Her room was so messy, that I finally found them behind her closet door in the corner.



So, I awoke this morning with a determination to get the house clean. I really believe that the home has an effect on our moods and we needed a pick me up. A big one!

When I started opening the blinds, I had an extra terrestrial moment. There were X's and circles on my fence. Can't quite figure that out. I have never seen anything like that before.




And for you Jennifer, here is my lilac bush. It's just not fair!



I srubbed and scrubbed away with a song in my heart. It feels so good to clean things out and my goal this week was to get Shaeler's closet organized.

So here are pictures of what my house usually looks like Friday afternoon!





There you go! I cannot tell you how revitalized I feel and I do enjoy cleaning! I feel better and here is to a better attitude and the house staying clean!

Preparing for Trek: Daniel Henrie's Story

Tonight for Young Womens, I was going to take the girls out walking, but have had strong impressions to need to talk about history and heritage. Everyone has a history of how they came to the United States or Salt Lake City. As I have been preparing myself for Trek, I have been researching my own heritage, which gets richer and richer every time I find more. I want my Young Women to have the same experience. My goal is that when they are walking in Wyoming this summer, their spirits can be in tune with the spirits that were part of the Pioneer Trek.

So today, for my family and for my Young Women, I would like to tell part of the story of Daniel Henrie. In this picture, Daniel is the first man on the left sitting down.




Daniel Henrie, eldest child of William and Myra Mayall Henrie was born 15 November 1825 in Hamilton County, Ohio. (He is my great, great, Grandfather). Daniel was a farmer and a miller in his native state of Ohio and he lived with his partents until he was 17 years old. In the year of 1841 the family embraced Mormonism and soon after moved from Ohio to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Saints were located. Daniel had not been converted to the teachings of Mormonism so he remained in Ohio. A year later, he joined his family in Illinois and after listening to the Prophet Joseph Smith speak on several occasions, he became interested and a short time later was baptized in the Mississippi River.

After the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, Daniel witnessed a remarkable incident which strengthened his faith in the Gospel. While the members were struggling to hold the church membership together in unity, Brigham Young, who was the Senior member of the Apostles, arose to speak to an assembly of church. During his address he suddenly appeared to look like the Propeht and his voice sounded like Joseph's and many in the audience bore testimony that they thought it was the Propeht speaking. This incident was referred to as the "Mantle of Joseph falling upon Brigham Young." The Saints accepted it as a sign from God that Brigham was to be the leader of the Church.

Mob persecutions increased until their treatment became unbearable, and speedy preparations were made to leave Nauvoo and go West where they could worship according to the teachings of their leaders.

I will stop there for now, Daniels story continues on with more incredible stories. I truly believe that our families that were Pioneers had a very unique strength and endurance that I would like to be part of. They were incredible people and I am over joyed to learn their stories.

A Family Birthday Party

Yesterday we celebrated the birthday of 2 of my nieces. As you get to know us better, you will see that we are very close to our extended families. At I's birthday party, they always have a pinata stuffed full of candy. (Due to the timing of the year, usually leftover candy from Easter). I's dad is from Cancun, Mexico and this is part of their tradition to have a pinata at her birthday party.








As you can probably see from the pictures, we are a very diverse family. We have nationalities of Mexico, Japan and Brian's adoptive sister is Navajo. I want you to know that because our family is so diverse, it doesn't matter where or how someone comes into our family, you just need to know that you are loved.

Dear Birthmother,

My dear friend,

We just finished the adoption classes today and my thoughts are heavily thinking of you. I don't know who you are or where you are at, but I know that someday we will meet.

After attending 2 days full of classes, I wish to express to you some of the things that stood out to me. My favorite part of the adoption classes were 2 parts. First and foremost, the birthmother panel. I met 5 incredible women that have recently just given up a baby for adoption. It was such an wonderful and sacred moment to hear their side of the story. Their struggles and their experiences. These girls had limited support and made huge life decisions on their own. I have nothing but the utmost respect for any birthmother. I was touched by their courage to do what they felt was best for their child and I also had sympathy of missing that child and trying to move on with their lives. I cannot comprehend the emotions that you must be going through as you are making your decisions, but I believe that this experience will be the toughest and the most rewarding experience in the eternal spectrum.

My other favorite part was the adoptive parents panel. The more and more I get to know adoptive couples, the more I am noticing that there are incredible couples out there. Their stories are incredible also. I am thankful for the grueling and complicated process that we all have to go through to be able to be considered for adoption. When I was talking with Lorna, she knows that she is presenting the best parents out there for the birthmothers.

Tonight, if you are going through any type of struggle, please know that I am thinking of you and sending you the most positive vibes I can give. You are not alone and that their are many people out their praying for you and only wish the best for you and your situation. Most of all, to me you truly are a miracle!

Sincerely,
Suzanne

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our family Blog! This site is dedicated to giving out information about our family with the hopes of adding a new family member through adoption. Please stay tuned as I update the page with more information!