Faith Funnies

One morning Faith informed me that she made me a shopping list and that I was expected to go shopping while she was at school (o:

Here's the list:  Cheerios, ?, Vitamins, Suckers, Gum, Candy, Popsicles

She got all the essentials right?

And here's her hilarious pirate!  I'm definitely framing this one - too cute!!!

Family date night

The girls and I planned a date night with daddy.  We made Indian food and spoiled Thomas with a candle-light dinner and relaxing indian music.  After the dinner, we all watched movies.  Faith came in to our room with this surprise dessert for Thomas!

Daddy Daughter Dance (Late post)

Faith's school put on a Daddy Daughter dance this year - SO cute!!!  Faith was beside herself with anticipation.  She made sure she looked just like a perfect princess and she certainly did look like a perfect princess (o:

Faith had a ball dancing with all of her girl friends from school and of course with her leading man!  I'm a fan of her handsome date and couldn't wait to steal him for myself!

.....Rahel got a little jealous of all the pampering and flat-ironing that went on that night, so we had a little mommy daughter salon night.  Just the two of us (o:

AAI Family and Friends Gathering

Saturday, April 9th 5:30-8:00PM

Herrimann Fort LDS Church

13381 South 6000 West, Herrimann

Please join Merrily Ripley, founder and director of Adoption Advocates International and local families who have adopted through AAI for a fun evening!

5:30-6:00PM AAI families meet and mingle with Merrily, and her family. She would love to meet children adopted through any and all of AAI’s programs and see how they are doing in their families!

6:00-7:00PM Potluck dinner (bring a family sized potluck item or items to share, paper products and drinks provided)

7:00-7:45PM Presentation and Q&A by Merrily- what is new in the world of international adoption and what can be done for the children who will remain in Ethiopia. (Activities provided for the children during the presentation.)

We are also doing a supply drive for Layla House/Opportunity House Orphanage in Ethiopia. We invite all who can to bring supplies for the children. We have a family travelling the following week to Ethiopia who will take the donations directly to the orphanage. Below is a list of the current needs:

Kirkland Brand infant formula from Costco

School supplies and toys for preschool age children (puzzles, memory games, play dough, markers, construction paper, pipe cleaners, glue sticks, kid scissors, simple craft materials, books, and kindergarten/1st grade level educational toys, etc.)

Cloth baby diapers and plastic diaper covers

Spread the word! We encourage you to invite extended family and friends who may be interested in adoption, especially of older children. This is a fun opportunity to meet other families who have or are adopting and see how the children are doing in their adoptive families.

Information will be provided about AAI’s humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia to preserve families, help the children who will remain in Ethiopia and ways to contact AAI after the event to make donations. A fundraiser dinner/auction to benefit the children is being planned for later this summer! Details coming soon!

When our hearts are united there is no limit to the good that can be accomplished in the lives of these precious children!



St. Paddy's Day!

I put some green milk in the fridge the night before St. Patrick's Day to surprise the girls in the morning (which Faith thought was pretty darn cool)

We dined on a variety of rainbow foods 

The girls made these cute leprechaun cards for their friends - and Mom forgot to mail them - sorry Gabe and Kent - we were thinking of you!

Rainbow Jello was a hit with the hubby - I accidentally froze the bottom layers though (o:

We had Green eggs and ham - SO gross looking but the girls LOVED it!  Faith was beside herself!  I have to say, the work payed off.  The girls' reactions were classic!

Here is the first clue to our scavenger hunt for Leprechaun gold.  We started by reading Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham.

Second clue

The girls golfed for their last clue 

Here's our rainbow with a pot of gold - the girls absolutely lost it!  They had SO much fun!

The neighborhood kids all came over to claim some gold at the end (o:

What a fun day!

Oh, and a little something for the Hubby:  A box of kisses. 

Our "new" sofa!

Problem:  Teeny living room

Solution:  Small Second hand couch from D.I.

Problem:  This couch is UGLY

Solution:  Killz paint

Walmart is getting rid of Killz brand, so we got the paint for a screaming deal!

First: Prime

Next: Add some LOVE

I broke out the sewing machine - a daring thing for me to do. 

Walmart had grey outdoor fabric that worked perfectly!  I ripped the zippers out of the old cushion covers and put them in the new ones I made.

What do you think?  I'm quite happy with my girly pillow too!  Thomas is NOT a fan of the ruffly flower (o: I LOVE it!

Rahel's new ears - late post

Life's been so busy, I forgot to post on Rahel's new ears!

What a difference hearing aides have made in our lives!!!  I am so grateful that we have such good insurance and that Rahel can hear so well now!

She chose clear with purple and silver glitter (o:

Rahel calls them her earrings.

Hello Herriman!

Wow!  Can I just say, we have officially had the craziest few weeks we've EVER experienced?  Okay.  I'll just say it!  We have officially had the CRAZIEST few weeks we've EVER experienced!!!

Intrigued?.. I knew you were!  Here's the run down:

Friday Feb. 18:  Thomas lost his job

Saturday Feb. 19:  We get through shock and comfort one another

Sunday Feb. 20:  Living arrangements are arranged with family in St. George

Monday Feb. 21:  Call-in-the-reserves type search for a job begins with fervor

Tuesday Feb. 22:  Today is spent in fasting and prayer

Wednesday Feb. 23:  Got an AMAZING job!!!  Thomas' friends from USU's Tax Challenge team recruited him to work with them in the Tax department at Mona Vie in South Jordan.  Packing ensues.

Thursday Feb. 24:  Oh!  We've started packing, but where are we going to live?  We have to be out on Saturday!!!  That's okay.  We'll just drive on down to South Jordan and find us a place to live within a few hours!...Apartment secured.  Drive back to Syracuse to finish packing and cleaning.  Thank you Angie for your help packing!  You're the greatest!

Friday Feb. 25:  Take Faith out of school in Syracuse.  Women lined up to help pack and clean at 2p....no show.  No problem!  I'm on top of this!  Pack and scrub house.  Divide belongings into 2 heaps:  One for storage and one for Apartment.  Done!  Scrub scrub scrub!  Relief Society Pres. comes to help and works for hours!  Done!  Men with trucks lined up to help move stuff to storage at 6p....no show.  No problem!  Brother-in-law has a truck.  Other brother-in-law helps Thomas move stuff to storage shed.  Mom arrives from St. George.  (The woman will be Sainted!)  8 or 9p....the reserves arrive and in about 20 minutes everything is Done!!!  Wow!  What a relief!  We're SO grateful for the help that came - we couldn't have done it without you!

Saturday Feb. 26:  We now reside in Herriman Utah!  Hooray!  Now off to unpack (o:

Sunday Feb 27:  Church and a meeting with a humanitarian group to plan a fundraiser to raise money for Children in Ethiopia.  Done!...Anyone want to join my team and help with a HUGE dinner?  I sort of volunteered to take care of an Ethiopian dinner for hundreds of people.  Heh heh.

Monday Feb 28:  Thomas starts work!  Old insurance expires, new begins - We are SO blessed!  Melanie CRASHES in bed almost ALL day.  Girls are so sweet to come in and check on me every 10 minutes (o:

Tuesday Feb 29:  Register Faith for school and finish unpacking.

Sigh.

Did I miss anything? 

I can't believe how beautifully everything fell into place for us.  I've truly needed some sunshine in my rain and I am basking in it right now.

This is what we woke up to on Saturday (Moving day)