Happy New Year!

We are so excited to announce that we are going to try to adopt again. These 3 munchkins have made our life so amazing and we know there is another little boy or girl out there that will make our family even better! 2011 is going to be a great year!

If you know a birthmom who is looking for a family for her precious baby, please send her our way.

Adoption...it's about love!

My darling cousin Madison and her talented husband Dan did this video of our family for our adoption profile (which should be up and running soon!)

Check out their website here for a pretty sweet deal on a photo session.

The Rose Family from Mad Marie Photography on Vimeo.

Turkey Day!

We hosted Thanksgiving this year and had so much fun...It was perhaps my favorite Thanksgiving ever! It was wonderful to have my Brother Mike and sister in law Ashley with their 2.5 kids, Bailey and Davis in town for the week. The kids were also spoiled to have Aunt Mamie in town...who is... the kids favorite Aunt, shhhhh don't tell the other favorite Aunties ;)....not because we don't have other AMAZING Aunts...but there is just something about Aunt Mames. We also had Ashley's brother Regge and the Eppley crew over for dinner. It was fabulous enjoying turkey, making pies, shopping on black Friday, seeing Tangled with the kids , date night out for Sushi and simply having a fabulous time! I love Family and the older I get the more I realize that Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. Nothing better than being with loved ones and eating. :) My kind of party.

Pics courtesy of madimariephotography My cousin is one amazing Photographer!

San Diego Girl's getaway

A highly recommend a weekend getaway with the girls! I love spending time with amazing, smart, fun women. We went shopping, indulged a massage at the Hotel Del spa, ate amazing food, enjoyed a session at the temple, stopped by to see the best in laws ever, (MINE!) and relaxed and laughed like we were all college roomates.











We even made the trek to Orange county to spend time at Disneyland without kids! We were quite a site to see walking around the park. We kept telling people between the 5 of us, we left 17 kids at home. I think people thought we were crazy But it was so fun!







It was a blast being with you amazing women! Can't wait till next year. Hopefully, we can recruit more members for our posse next time.

National Adoption Awareness Month

November is National Adoption Awareness month. Adoption is amazing. Have you really thought about it? I mean, AMAZING! And it's because of amazing birth mothers, birth fathers, case workers, adoption agencies, hospitals and organizations everywhere who give their hearts to this great cause.

I have known since I was a little girl that if I wanted children, I would have to adopt. I was taught by loving parents about adoption. I am forever grateful for their love, wisdom and support.

I have a sister, my kindred spirit, who shares the challenge of infertility with me and we are eternally connected in a way that no one else can understand. The odds of us having the same condition are astronomical, and yet through the Lord's tender mercies, we have a bond that strengthens us. I love you Amy!

I have an incredible spouse, who, as a young man, accepted this part of me with love and support and agreed to walk this path beside me. He is my soul mate.

For some of us, Adoption is our only path to parenthood.

That is the situation with us.

There was no maybe, no possibly, no let's give fertility treatments a try, no difficult pregnancies, no hard labor, no gift of pregnancy, no loss of pregnancy, no getting big and feeling fat, no maternity clothes, no high risk, no morning sickness, no birth control, no cravings, no at home birth, no epidural, no pregnancy stories.....Pregnancy was not an option. And sometimes over my life, that has been really hard. Sometimes it hurts.

But I would not change it for the world....

Because instead, we got 3 ADOPTIONS. And I am one lucky Momma!

Halloween

Our stake conference fell on Halloween this year so we only went to one Halloween celebration and let me tell you...it was perfect! Usually, I am over-baked with Halloween festivities that by All Hallows eve ...I am already done. This year we went to a Trunk or Treat at our Church and enjoyed a delicious Chili cook off. The Acadia car battery died because Mom wanted festive Halloween music playing and needless to say it was too long.

Thankfully I had my Darth Vadar, cute Halloween witch and hard core Rockstar to keep me company until Dad gave a us a jump. He should have been a knight in shining armor for Halloween! :)

A Deliberate Mother

This post was right up my ally this week. It was like she reached into my heart and mind and tapped into what I have been thinking for the past few weeks. And if we are were both feeling it, perhaps YOU are too.

I love the concept of being a "Deliberate Mother." One who is engaged, present and aware of the spiritual promptings that can lead & direct the lives of her family members and especially, herself. The antithesis of this, is a woman who is stressed, overwhelmed, impatient, running to & fro and stretched so thin, there is barely any glimmer of spirituality governing her life.

I want to be the former.

Dancing through the Decades

Last week Tyler and Taylor performed in the 3rd grade PTO program. They were so excited about their respective eras. Tyler was an afro/disco loving man from the 70's (thanks for the awesome costume Cox family) and Taylor was a blue eye shadow, neon loving, Madonna wannabe girl from the 80's. The performance was adorable and they had a lot of fun learning about what it was like being raised in the 70's and 80's.....you know.....way back then! :)