Alex

2009 will be remembered as the year our family began the dreaded teenage years with our children. So far, things actually haven't been that bad, but check back next year. Alex has had a big year personally. Beginning the 8th grade at North Cache was a big change for him, and he really stepped up with taking all of the initiative to keep his grades strong. He has been an awesome leader in his Deacon's quorum, serving as the 1st Counselor since he turned 12, and just in the last few weeks he was given a new calling as Secretary. He takes his priesthood duties seriously, and really wants to make the best choice in all that he does, even though he is discovering that the older he gets the harder that is. He has great friends, and he is a great friend to everyone. Turning 13 is tough, but Alex has done it well. We are very proud of him.

Ethan

9 years old, with what most days seems like the wisdom of a 29 year old. Ethan is amazing, with a mind that never stops. There are times he struggles with his temper, and his brother and sister, but Ethan has such a good, kind heart. He would give away anything he had if he thought it would make someone happy. Starting the 3rd grade this year was hard for him, because he had the same teacher for the 1st and 2nd grades, and Ethan likes things to stay the same. He seems to have adjusted, and things are going better. Academically he is at the top of his class. He loves anything electronic, and he loves to read. One thing that hasn't changed this year is, Ethan still loves to talk. I was thinking back to when he was not even a year old, and remembering that even before he could say "words" he was always talking. He knew what he was saying, but to the rest of us it was gibberish. Ethan loves days when he can just come home and relax, and there aren't very many days that he will choose going somewhere over staying home. We can't wait to see what he does with and learns during the next year.

Maya

There are many days I find myself wondering what I am ever going to do with this little girl. I never dreamed that raising a girl would be that much different than raising a boy. Sometimes I wish that she would not be so stubborn and full of attitude, and other times I find myself hoping that she stays this stubborn and somewhat full of attitude, so she will be strong enough to make it through in this world that just gets scarier every day. Maya will not back down to anyone, and she will tell anyone exactly what she thinks. She can be full of sweetness too, and those moments make it all worth it. She loves animals, and prefers stuffed animals over baby dolls. If someone had an entire day to devote to reading her stories, that would be Maya's perfect day. I am sure that she has well over 100 books, and has most of them memorized. She will let you know if you skip a word. She keeps us on our toes, working on our patience, and most of all laughing. One of my favorite things she has said lately:
Mom: "Maya, PLEASE come here right now. PLEASE stand still while I get your pajamas on. I am feeling very frustrated and ready to go crazy, because nobody is listening to me today!"
Maya: "Nobody is listening to you today? That is really embarrassing!"

Christmas

It is hard to believe that Christmas came and went so quickly. We were spoiled again, and hope that we helped to make other's Christmas wishes come true. There were family parties, school activities, and our own family traditions that kept us busy through the month of December. Troy took the kids and went into the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree, it is the best one we have ever had, and fun memories were created. Like most Christmas seasons we found ourselves wishing we had more time to serve others, to play together, and to create more family traditions. These are all things we can work on throughout the year, and we will do our best.

Jumprope

For the last few years there has been a jumprope class offered at Ethan's school. It has really been a lot of fun. Once a week Ethan goes at 8:00 a.m. and they teach the kids different jumprope tricks and techniques. They have a whole list that they need to pass off, and Ethan has worked extra hard on it this year. These pictures are from the little program that they had so the students could show off what they have learned. We were really impressed, and Ethan did amazing! There were even a few times that each student went to the middle of the gym alone and did their favorite tricks. Ethan never even hesitated, which is a big step for him. We were very proud.

It is Freezing!

We have been having such cold weather, with highs for the day only reaching around 15 degrees. This has not stopped Alex from going sledding every night after school. This is what greeted Troy when he opened the garage door one day as Alex was coming home. Alex had icicles hanging from his hair, and his glasses were icy. The things kids will endure in the name of a little fun is amazing.

Rabbits

We have two new additions to our family. Alex and Ethan decided they wanted to try their hand at rabbits again. When we moved and built this home they had to give away the rabbits that they had and they have really missed them. So far the new rabbits don't have names, and it has been so cold outside they are living in our garage. I have to admit that they are pretty cute.

Dance Recital

Maya had her first dance recital tonight. She did such a good job. She had been very nervous leading up to it, she had even told me that she did not want to do ballet anymore. Once we got to the dress rehearsal, and she realized what it meant to dance on a stage, everything changed. She LOVED being on the stage, and can't wait to start ballet again after Christmas.

Ethan's New Hat

When we decorated for Christmas Ethan snagged the Santa hat, and hasn't let it go. He asked if he could wear it to a few places, and I told him he could wear it anywhere but school or church. So far, he has worn it everywhere. This picture is of him enjoying his reading reward pizza. Every month if the students meet their reading goal, they get a free individual pizza. Ethan has never missed a month, and it isn't likely he ever will. He reads a lot! A few times a year they have reading reward activities, and by the time the first one rolled around this year Ethan had almost earned enough reading points to get him through the whole school year.

The Nativity

This is the first year that Maya has had any interest in the Christmas decorations. She was so excited when we were putting them up, and kept saying, "Mom, you are decorating the whole house in Christmas, I love it!" After a little talk about how she can look at the Nativity scene all she wants to, but this is something she can't touch, I found her here.

Learning to Tie a Tie

I had to capture this moment. Troy is trying to teach Alex how to tie a tie. Up until this point Alex has always just kept them tied, loosened them, and slipped them on each week. Troy is determined that Alex learn how to do it himself so he doesn't need to do that anymore.

A Mouse?

We found a cute little mouse in the garbage can in our garage. It was just outside the door to our house, which was a little disturbing. I noticed it earlier in the day, but was too scared to pick up the garbage can and do anything about it. When Alex came home, he took care of it. I had showed him to Ethan and Maya, and they both thought he was cute. The next day this was the conversation at breakfast:

MAYA: "Did you see that mouse in the garbage can?"

MOM: "Yes."

MAYA: "He sure would be tasty for some cat to eat, especially a big one like Grandma Pam's."

Personality?

Troy and I have spent some time wondering this week where our children get their personalities (and sometimes attitudes) from. We are both pretty quiet people, yet we have 3 children that NEVER stop talking, singing, performing, running around. We hope that it is because they are happy, that they love their lives, and know that they are loved. Because they are, more than we could ever say!

Snow!

Today we received the first significant snowfall of the season. Ethan was VERY excited for it, and couldn't wait to go out and build a snowman. After going through all of the work of getting the snowclothes out, and getting him bundled up, Mom was sure that he would be back in within 5 minutes. I was so wrong! He stayed out for a few hours and worked hard on building a snowman. Dad got home from work and went out to help him finish it up. It was awesome. We didn't get a picture of the finished product because it was too dark.

Dress Up

I had to put this picture on here even though it is hard to see (those big windows are nice to look through but make it hard to take pictures!) Maya and Mayci were playing dress up and this is what they ended up with. They are so funny when they play together.

Alex's Friends

Alex had some friends over for a late night. Alex decided that they should have a Twinkie eating contest. They were all for it. A.J. (in red) was the winner by far. These guys are so funny, I didn't think that 13-year-old boys could laugh as much as girls do, but they laughed for 3 hours straight. They are great kids.

Carving Pumpkins

The kids had a lot of fun carving their pumpkins. This was the first year that Maya really did anything with hers. She wasn't sure at first about the whole thing, but by the end she kept saying how much she loved doing it. Alex and Ethan are always so creative with theirs, and everyone loves looking at them lit up on the front steps.

Crazy Hair Day

Today was Crazy Hair Day at Park Elementary. Ethan went with green, spiky hair. He had anxiously awaited this day for a few weeks, and had a fun day.

Maya's "School"

Maya would love to go to school, but Mom isn't quite ready for that. She has to settle for learning at home for now. She does a great job of tracing the letters and knows all of the letters and most of their sounds. She can write the M and the A in her name really well. She is working on the Y.

As Maya grows up, and goes through all of the changes that kids do, I am realizing that this is it. I won't get to experience these changes and moments with anyone else. I'm just trying to cherish and take in all that I can every day.

Only From Maya

This morning, when Maya and I were in my bed trying to wake up, Maya wanted to go in the kitchen and get her milk to drink. She went in and Alex was in there eating breakfast. When she came back to bed I asked her if she had asked Alex if Dad was still home. This is what she said:

"No, I didn't speak to him. I'm pretty shy in the mornings."



After I had spent the day cleaning, rearranging, and dejunking the office Maya looked at it and said:

"That office looks awesome Mom! The whole house looks awesome. You do a really good job. Next time we go to Scouts that Scout guy will give you a badge."

Ethan's Beautiful Mind

One of the things that Ethan bought with his birthday money was a K'Nex roller coaster set. He had it put together in no time and had it working (with some help from Alex on the final touches). After that he proceeded to make inventions combining this K'Nex set and others he has. I know that Moms always think their children are brilliant, but Ethan's mind really does amaze me. He is always thinking, ALWAYS! He creates things that are way beyond my realm of thinking. He will tell me his theories on the universe, and has even wanted to contact NASA a time or two because he is sure he has the answers to some of the mysteries of space. I cannot wait to see what he does with his beautiful mind.

Conference Crepes

We have a tradition of making crepes for breakfast on General Conference Sundays. The kids love it because it pretty much translates into straight sugar for breakfast. Alex, Ethan, and Maya love to put chocolate pudding with whipped cream inside of theirs, and then eat and eat until they are stuffed. At least Maya will add a strawberry or two every once in awhile. Dad and Mom's favorite is peaches, whipped cream, and a little brown sugar. They taste just like peach cobbler.

We love conference weekends. Church in pajamas is the best, and we really need the lift that listening to the Prophet and other leaders gives us.

A Little Getaway

The Friday after Ethan's birthday we headed to Salt Lake to spend a few days. We planned on going to the Lion House Restaurant for lunch on Friday. When we got into downtown Salt Lake the traffic was unbelievable. We couldn't even get to the restaurant. We decided to just head towards the zoo and find a place to eat along the way. When we got to the zoo, we couldn't believe how many people there were! I have never seen it so busy. We ended up staying until they closed and the kids had a good time. We spent the night in a hotel in Midvale and the favorite thing there was the swimming pool. The next morning we went to the Utah Museum of Natural History, where the boys got to touch actual dinosaur bones and watch some workers doing work on them. There were a lot of interesting things in the museum. Next, we headed to This is the Place State Park. We had planned on just staying for an hour or so, kind of something to fill the time. We ended up staying for almost 5 hours and could have stayed longer. This was probably the funnest place for all of us. There were so many things to see and do there. The pictures on this post are of Ethan pressing apple cider and Maya riding a horse at the park. The weather was perfect, and there weren't alot of people. To end our day we went to The Living Aquarium. Alex was excited for this because the last time we went he didn't dare to touch the stingrays they have swimming in the open pool. This time he was determined, and he did it, over and over again. We had to put a little pressure on him to keep moving through the aquarium. We had a good weekend, but the combination of not getting enough sleep and eating a lot of junk food makes Ethan and Maya CRAZY!!! Which in turn makes Mom and Dad CRAZY!!! We were all glad to get home.

Ethan's Birthday

Ethan turned 9 today! We had a family party with all of his grandparents and the Andrus family. A few weeks before his birthday he spent a lot of time on lego.com, choosing the perfect sets for his presents. He also received a lot of money, Nintendo DS games, and a special date with Grandma Pam. We love Ethan so much!

He asked for a Lego cake. My plan for making it didn't quite work out and we had to make some quick changes. I told him to hop in the car and we would go to the store and he could choose a cake. He would not even consider it, he wanted a homemade cake. We compromised by using M&M's to spell out his name.

A New Kitten

Meet Junebug! At least that is her name for now, it seems to change hourly. Maya got her new kitten today, and while she is very excited, she is also a little apprehensive. This kitten is the tamest one we have ever seen, even Dad is in love with her.

Money

I have to share a funny conversation that I had with Maya this morning.

Maya: Let's go to town today.

Mom: What would we do there?

Maya: We could go shopping.

Mom: Why?

Maya: So we can buy things.

Mom: If we buy things we will need to pay for them. How will we pay for them?

Maya: With the money in the checking. (Where she knows this from, I have no idea)

Mom: Well, how do you think the money gets into the checking?

Maya: I don't know.

Mom: Someone has to work for that money to go into checking, do you know who does that?

Maya: Brenda!

I'm not sure what she thinks her Dad does all day!!!

Braces!

Alex finally got his braces on. For now he only has them on the top, the bottom ones will come in 6 weeks. His overbite needs to be corrected a little bit first. The first few days were pretty rough, but he came through in true Alex fashion, with little complaining.

Piano With Mom

One of Mom & Maya's favorite things to do is play the piano together. Maya is starting to play a few notes in some songs, and she is very good at plinking out the rhythm to whatever song we are playing. Her favorite song is, "Mary's Lullaby".

Don't Be "Appointed"

We have been having a little trouble with Maya having "accidents". She will sometimes forget to go to the bathroom 7-8 times in one day, and Dad and Mom are going crazy. We know that it isn't anything medically wrong, because she only has this problem at home. Not at Grandma's, not driving to Salt Lake, not going shopping for 5 hours, only at home. We have tried EVERYTHING!! Right now our approach is to simply ignore her when she tells us she is wet. Today when I was ignoring her she just kept following me around the house saying, "Mom, don't be appointed (disappointed), because I am sad about it. And besides, Mom, you make the best cookies. They are so cute and shiny!" How am I supposed to keep a straight face through all of that?

A Great Cub Scout

Ethan earned his Wolf badge in Cub Scouts, along with 1 gold arrow point and 2 silver arrow points. He had to work hard to earn the Wolf badge, there were a few things that he struggled with, but he did it! Mom has been his Scout leader, but when he turns 9 in a few weeks he will move on to another group. I will miss him, but am pretty sure he will not miss me.

Cupcakes

Maya got to go to Grandma Pam's today and make cupcakes (or as Maya calls them, dupcakes). She was so excited to go and said that she would make some for everyone. She chose to make purple frosting, and she made everyone their own special design. Aren't they beautiful?

What Is That Noise?

Today I was doing some things inside of the house and kept hearing a noise that I couldn't figure out. Alex was outside mowing the lawn and so I went over to the window to take a look. The noise was Alex, singing at the top of his lungs, along with his iPod. I am sure that the neighbors enjoyed the concert.

Ballet Class

Today Maya FINALLY got to start ballet class. She looked so adorable, and it was very exciting for her. I admire the patience of her teachers. There are 10 or so 3-year-olds that they are trying to get to listen to them. I can't even accomplish that with one.

Air Show

We attended the RC Air Show at the airport today. We had a good time, and even got to see one of the larger airplanes crash. It was pretty amazing the things they could make their airplanes do. The boys decided that they would love to save up and buy a remote control airplane, but when we got home there was a message saying that we had won the raffle and were the proud owners of our very own. It was pretty exciting!

This Is What Adoption Is

Here is Alex with his birthmom, Mary, and birthsisters, Samantha, Melissa, and Michelle. We had a fun time at the park and going out to dinner. We also got to meet Mary's husband, Michelle and Samantha's husbands, and Michelle's baby Lira. They thought Alex was as wonderful as we do, and we had a lot of fun telling jokes and doing magic tricks at dinner.

This is Ethan with his birthmom, Marnell. It had been 3 years since we had been able to see her and it was nice to get together again. We also got to visit with her mom, sister, brother, husband, 2 children, nieces, nephews, and Marnell's friend Kim. She thought Ethan was amazing and so handsome, and we agree. We met at Murray Park, which is a special place for us. We met Marnell there before Ethan was born, and we have met there a few times since then. It was a fun day.




I am so grateful to all of the amazing women that have allowed me to be a mother. This is what adoption is ... loving and extending families.

Story Hour

Today Maya got to attend story hour at the library. She had a great time and even made her very own "Red Light, Green Light" game. She loves this game, I wish that I could say we all love it right along with her.

First Day of School

We knew that summer couldn't last forever, but we really wished that it could!


Alex, 8th grade.
Ethan, 3rd grade.

Canning and Preserving

We had such a great garden this year. It took all of us to get everything canned and preserved. We made strawberry jam, pickled beets, salsa, stewed tomatoes, green beans, and dilly beans. We also froze a lot of corn, beans, and carrots.

This is a picture of the kids cutting things up for salsa. They were pulling funny faces for the camera, trying to pretend that they were having a good time.

Mom, I'm Bored!

This was my solution for the kids when they were bored one afternoon. They thought that I had lost my mind, and couldn't believe that I was suggesting this. They had a blast!

Alex's Birthday

Today was Alex's birthday. We spent the day a little differently than we traditionally have on birthdays. Alex went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house for the day. When he got home we all went out to dinner, and then rented some Wii games. We had family over the next day to celebrate. This is a picture of Alex's new Trikke scooter. He worked hard and saved for most of it. Dad and Mom pitched in just a little bit, and he is already a pro at riding it.

Sad Losses

Our summer also had some sad times in it.



On July 14th, Madalyn lost her year long battle with cancer.







On July 28th, Grandpa Leishman passed away at the age of 78.



We will miss them both.

Mom's Birthday

My family spoiled me today! I went shopping for a little bit (all by myself!) and when I came home there were balloons, presents, and a delicious chocolate cake. They couldn't wait for me to come in the door and yell "SURPRISE!" Is it any wonder I love them so much?