An AMAZING weekend!

For those of you who know and LOVE my sister Shana as much as I do, I thought I would share with you our most wonderful weekend we had last week. For those of you who don't know her, I will feel you in, and am quite positive you will soon see her in the light that everyone that comes into her path does!
Shana is amazing. She is the kind of person everyone wants to be like. She's beautiful, kind, thrifty, industrious, hard-working, devoted, motherly(and she has been her whole life...trust me! She still thinks she's my mother sometimes..eheheh) and many more things that I could go on to mention, but truth is she will probably read this and yell at me, so...whatever:)
So here begins my story...her story. Shana was able to have 2 children of her own, but after that, the doctors warned her that if she were to have more children it would mean her life. But being the person that she is, she didn't take the news easy. She has always wanted several children, and she is the kind of woman to handle it. Her husband and her prayed and prayed for years, enduring a lot of heartache. They finally realized another child for them was not possible. However, about 2 years ago, they decided that maybe adoption was the way for them. They put in their papers and patiently waited until July 30th 2008 when she got the call that they had a son for her, and he was to be born on August 1st! It was an amazing time. I am sure that some of you remember my excitement from it all. So, on August 1st Jedediah Steven Mortensen was born.
Not too long after, in the month of November, Shana's family was chosen for National Adoption day to be the family in the valley that got to finalize their adoption early in order to promote it. So on November 13th, Jed was made an official part of the Mortensen family. It was really neat. The judge made a big ordeal of it, and Shana's sweet family was on the news, and it was very special and emotional for them and the rest of our family.
Here they are at the event.
This is where they stand before the judge, and swear to love him. what a SWEET picture!
Adoption has come to grow very fond in all of our hearts. I was able to serve in orphanages in Ecuador and see the profound effect of what taking a child into your heart (and home) can do for you and for them. And on top of that in March 2006 my Brother and Sister-in-law recieved one of the biggest blessings of our family, our own little man Mitchel! I remember sitting on the bed in the apartment when I got the phone call from them, and i started jumping on the bed sobbing. Caleb came in very confused, but that memory still brings tears to my eyes. He is great, and we love him. And now adding Jed to our family has been amazing too. I had quite the same reaction to Jed's. Lots of tears, lots of emotion, and loads of Gratitude to our Father in Heaven for hearing our prayers.
But, making him officially theirs doesn't end with a judge. No, they still needed to have him sealed to them so it could last not only in this life, but for Eternity. So that brings me to this most WONDERFUL OCCASION of sealing Jed into the Mortensen family. I can't even begin to express to you how beautiful it was. My family is really lucky to have done this before, and get to do it again! There was sure an amazing spirit that day. I thought I would better be able to express my feelings on the subject, but I'm finding it a little difficult and incredibly emotional. All I can say is that I love this guy! He is so sweet, and I KNOW that he was meant to be a part of our family, and I am so grateful that he is. Here are some pictures from the big event....
Even if we had to drive in this crap-ola weather,

And even if everywhere we looked there were these...

It couldn't keep us away from this!!!
Don't they look beautiful!? Kira and Reese were great. I think it's really special that they are old enough that they are going to be able to remember this.

Jed loves his Grandma very much. I think the feeling is mutual:)

Jed has some competition though, because everyone else really loves grandma too! But I don't think he minded...(check it out, he's holding her hand!)

Mitchel really LOVES babies. He was kissing on his cousin. I tell you what, he's so cute I could just squeeze him to death! Funny story actually. Emersyn was asleep, so I went and laid her in the corner of the couch, and covered her with an extra blanket on the side so she couldn't roll anywhere. The adults were all playing games in the kitchen, and all of the kids were sleeping except Mitchel, and he was watching a movie. When it came time to leave, we went to get Emi, and she was clear on the other side of the room laying there under the piano smiling and playing with Cousin Mitchel! He must have just picked her up and moved her. Thank heavens he was gentle and sweet. Very cute!

Funny thing is here he is treating and loving Adi the same way when she was a baby:)

And one last picture of the awesome FAMILY on their special special weekend! I am so grateful for good family.

Economically Hard Times

Well, it started probably about a year ago. See, I do bookkeeping for small business clients, and about a year ago I started to see some of them begin the process of going under. Some escaped in time, one went Bankrupt, and some continued on just fine. Over the process of a this last year I have weeded out some clients until I was left with only 1. He's great though, and has been really good to us, and the income was enough to make it work. This last Monday however, he dropped the bomb. Business is too slow, and my hourly wage will be cut in HALF, and I will be working a total of 8 hours a month. I was devastated. I know he has to do what he has to do, but I felt so lost and full of frustration. We just closed on our house in December, and I felt so ... wronged in a way I guess. Not at him...just that "angry at the world" feeling I guess. Anyway, I was approached by a friend, and she mentioned trying Mary Kay...DON'T STOP READING NOW...and so I thought about it, considered the situation, and the benefits, and the disadvantages etc. Here are my thoughts. I use Mary Kay, and have for a long time, so I guess loving the products isn't an issue, it's just having to pedal Lipsticks that hangs me up I guess. I didn't mind...I don't mind scentsy, because I just do it for fun, I don't push or pursue it heavily, and I just like smelling things:). But I'll just be honest with ya here, Mary Kay women are sometimes overbearing and pushy, and they turn me off. Which sucks, because I love it, and it's the best product out there, and has been for 13 years straight. Anyway, I've considered things, weighed my options, and I am going to give it a go. DON'T STOP READING AGAIN! I don't feel like there is a lot to lose, because the company is set up amazingly well. The only thing that is still hanging me up though, is you...my friends. I just want to post this to tell you all that I am doing Mary Kay. And I am SO excited about this....The opportunity, the friends, everything. And it IS a great product, and you should definitely check it out. But more than anything, I want you to know that I don't want to push anything on anyone. So I will let you all know when my debut show is, and hopefully you will come. But just know that the reason I want you to come, is because your my friends first and foremost, and I don't ever want to feel as though I have obligated you to anything. So wish me luck!

I need some great advice!

The kids are both sleeping, and even though it is Sunday, I am trying to get some order put back in my house from the weekend. Lots of laundry and cleaning. Doesn't it seem like there is always lots of laundry and cleaning? Maybe when I'm done I'll have time for a quick nap. But real quick-like I wanted to post this to see what great advice I can get from you all!
Not to re-hash this, but today was a long day in Church again. Caleb was working, and Adi was working me. The Talk that was given was on reverence, and wouldn't ya know Adi was having one of her days. The speaker says that if children are not reverent, than the problem falls on the parents, not the child. Just what I needed to hear! :) When Adi got taken out the 3rd (and final) time today, someone had offered to hold Emi, so I had a better opportunity to address her. At the end of our discussion on not screaming in church, she had to put her nose in the corner. After doing this for 2 minutes she said "it hurts mommy. I'll be nice in church now." Because apparently that 'burlap-ish' wall wasn't fun to put her nose on. hehehe...i'm mean, I know. Suggestions for what you do with your kids on Sunday's like this would be great!
Adi has been having some rough nights sleeping still. I wonder why she keeps waking up crying. Last night she did it twice, but one time she went back to sleep on her own. The second time she screamed out loud "NO!" like she was mad at someone. I went in to see what was wrong, and she said "she took a bite of my apple!" HAHA. I told her it was OK, that we needed to share, and she went back to sleep. Maybe it can all be attributed to dreams?
Also, my stomach has been driving me crazy. This may be superficial, but everyone wants to feel good about themselves right? So for all of you skinny-make-me-sick-mothers out there, how do you do it? I am just going to go ahead and subject myself to some embarassment here and be honest with ya. It's bad. I've really been wanting to work on this, but it seems that no matter what I do, I can't lose the little poochy part.(big poochy part in my instance.) I am down 7lbs from what I was BEFORE I got pregnant with Emi, but my body is NOTHING like that. Any advice or tips would be great. I've heard that not eating carbs after 3:00 in the afternoon can help. Also heard that no matter how many crunches I do, that won't solve the problem because it only builds muscle, it doesn't slim the pooch. Cardio on the treadmill is great, but that is only trimming more weight which is not my main concern. Anyway, help me out here. Share the big secret out there that everyone--but me--seems to know OK?! :)
On a brighter note, I got to go on a date last night, and it was great. We had a good time. We went and saw bedtime stories, and really enjoyed it. I love dating my best friend! I don't know why I was in such a silly mood, but I LAUGHED MY HEAD OFF! He was such a gentleman too, always opening my doors etc. It was great. After the movie we got to go get me a new vacuum. WOOHOO! My old one broke forever ago, and we've been using this little dinky thing.It looks like a toy huh? I am so glad for a new one. Yesterday I was doing some cleaning, and I just hit my limit. It was definitely time for a new one. It even has some pretty sweet attachments that I can't wait to try out. Also, while I was cleaning I was getting pretty anxious for spring cleaning and organizing. I have some great ideas for what I want to do with all of our stuff in this cute little house. Any great ideas for organizing you have, I would also love to hear! What are your tips?
OK...done with my rambling, and off for napping. Seriously though, if ever I wanted someone to comment, now would be it. I'd really LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear your thoughts on these things. Thanks everyone!!! Happy Weekend to you all!

Funny Girl!

Adi cracks me up. She says the funniest things all the time. I've been trying to keep track of them so one day I can show her what a stinking kick in the pants she was. Here is one of our most recent funnies...
Everyone in our house has been sick. Caleb has had pneumonia, and bronchitis, and she has been sick too,

as well getting in her 2 year molars. It is apparently quite unpleasant, because she's been MISERABLE! The other night we put her to bed at 5:00 in the afternoon because she asked for it, and she didn't wake up until 9:00 the next morning. That shows you how terrible she's been feeling. Well, one night she woke up at about 10:00PM crying, and so we went in to see what was the matter. She had her blankets thrown off, and she was sweating real bad and running a low fever. I asked her what was wrong, and she said in the most dramatic voice imaginable "I need to go to the Doctor, TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL!" It was so funny! It took everything in me not to laugh at the poor girl. So I asked if she wanted medicine, and again she pleaded "take me to the hospital!" So I told her I would call the doctor and see what he said. I got some Tylenol and came back in and said that he told her to take this, so she did. And she went back to sleep.
What a funny little terd! She is so dramatic, and she makes me laugh so hard.
Today we were playing hide-n-go-seek, and here was her hiding place. I just thought it was funny because her little jammies blended right in with the curtains and her laundry basket.

I just love this girl. She is so sweet and fun. The other day she wanted to dress up like a ballerina, so we put on a onesie and tights and her tutu. She was so excited. Then she had to have her hair like a ballerina too. After we were all finished she wanted to "take pictures to show my nanny"(her aunt shana who gave her the tutu).



After the pictures she refused to get dressed, and we ended up venturing to Broulims in this attire. Like I said, what a funny girl!

Word of 2009

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009? It is like setting goals, but you come up with just one word that you will use to inspire your life throughout the year. Like a Theme.
Well, being inspired by the blog Tip Junkie, and several other people out there, I have decided to come up with a 'Word of 2009'.
I have to say that this is my first year doing this(I know others have done it before) and so many things came to my mind. I guess I have a lot to improve on. Wonderful, simple, and common words came to mind such as Faith, Love, Hope, Believe, Dream, Imagine, Charity...etc. However, the word I have chosen is SINCERITY.
sin·cere (sn-sîr)
adj. sin·cer·er, sin·cer·est
1. Not feigned or affected; genuine: sincere indignation.
2. Being without hypocrisy or pretense; true: a sincere friend.
3. Archaic Pure; unadulterated.
I realize that Sincerity can encompass a broad spectrum, so a few ways that I hope to implement SINCERITYinto my life are through words, intuition of the soul, honesty, friendship, appreciation, love, forgiveness, contribution, affection, and through purely striving to keep a Sincere heart.
If you so feel inclined, I think this "word of the year" is a great idea. Try it out, and leave me a comment to tell me your word of choice!
“Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.” ~Anthony Robbins

Computer is back, and the Holiday's were great!

Well, our computer is back, and I couldn't be more excited! I guess I must be an addicted blogger, because I have missed so much being able to see all of your cute blogs and the fun things going on in your lives! It also sucked not being able to check e-mail and every other necessary thing the internet provides to our lives. Wow, it's a technologically dependent world isn't it? Oh well, I love it.
First big news, Caleb and I finally closed on our house right before Christmas. Hooray! What a wonderful Christmas present. Thanks to Mom and Dad for all their love and patience, and kind giving. You are the best parents we could have asked for!
So Christmas came, and it was wonderful. But, before I go into the festivities of Christmas itself, I just want to say how grateful I am for this time of year and the chance it gives us all to stop and reflect on the life and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to him for his loving sacrifice, and for the life he gave so that we can return to be with Him, and with our families for all Eternity. I love my Savior.
Christmas Eve was spent with my Brother and Sister who live here in Idaho Falls with us. We had a nice big Christmas Eve dinner here at my house, and played games and opened presents to each other, and decorated Santa's cookies. It was great. And Santa loved the cookies so much he ate all but 1 and a 1/2! Stupid me was too involved in the excitement of it all to remember to take pictures. Oh well. Just know it was beautiful and wonderful. The best part was that SANTA CAME TO VISIT that night before Adi went to bed! I won't mention that the worst part was that he was my drunk neighbor, and falling up and down our stairs, cause hey...It was the thought that counted right?!
Christmas morning did not dissapoint either. Santa visited and brought with him a doll house for Adi. It was a huge hit, and so were the barbies to go in it.
Emersyn got a little stuffed lamb that is Heavenly soft from her "Grandma Boise". She loves it.
Adi also got a dress up trunk from Santa. It is full of all sorts of great dress up clothes, and she loves it and insits on Emi dressing up with her. It's cute.


In the trunk there is a wedding oufit. One day she put it on and said "I need a prince." She then went downstairs and said "Daddy, you be my prince?" It was cute. Then they got married. :) O don't have pictures of that. Just video.
Caleb and I had a real great time. Watching the girls, and sharing in their excitement was amazing! I love the spirit Christmas brings with it. It's the best.
After Christmas I got the chance to get together with some girls from High School. It was a blast. So fun to see everyone, and get caught up. I love these girls!
Then New Years night I got the chance to hang out with Beth and Chance, and their cute little one Bailey. She was being a rock star. After some hanging out with them we went to my Sister-in-law Ariana's house. All of Caleb's side of the family that lives here was there. It was a great time. The cousins all love each other so much, and we had a ball. We rocked out on Guitar Hero and ate way yummy goodies, and went wild.
Adi likes to rock out too!

The kids really enjoyed the air hockey table. Way too much fun! So much fun Adi felt the need to strip to her diaper I suppose!
`
Here is some pictures of my neice Taylor striking some poses. What a pill!



Ok, this is getting to be so incredibly long...you don't have to finish if you don't like, but here comes the best part...We blessed Emersyn this weekend. It was wonderful. We were going to do it Thanksgiving weekend, but some things happened that made it not work out, but we were able to plan it for this weekend, and it went perfectly. Caleb gave such an amazing blessing. He has such a way with words, and it was really beautiful. How grateful I am for a worthy husband who uses his priesthood. What a true blessing in my life. And yet the truest blessing continues to amaze me. The blessing of motherhood, and the wonderful joys and ups and downs that come with it. Heavenly Father has blessed me so immensely with these 2 wonderful girls I able to call my daughters. It was so fun to have most of my family here to share in this wonderful event with. We missed those of you who could not be here. Especially you Cory and Kristen as I know it is hard to live so far away and miss so many things. We can't wait to see you soon though.
Here are some pictures of the beautiful babe on her special day.
I love this picture! I couldn't have got those perfect smiles at a better time. This is Emersyn with My dad.






Well, thanks to all of those who made it through this increidble novel. I am sure it was completely inthralling, and you didn't want it to end:) Hope you are all having a HAPPY NEW YEAR!