White Christmas

We had a "White Christmas" this year!

We had the amazing blessing of being dressed all in white with our three children this morning in the Mesa temple. Audrey and Elliot were sealed to us and we are now an eternal family of five!

The whole experience was beautiful. I got to dress in the bride's room and memories of our wedding day came flooding back. The temple workers were all so sweet and treated us like royalty. We had lots of family and friends make the trip to come be with us and we were grateful to have them all in the sealing room with us.

Santa Again

The kids were so lucky to get another chance to see Santa! This time, it was at a party at Dad's office. They loaded up on cookies and goldfish and sang songs while they waited for Santa to arrive.

Elliot wanted nothing to do with Santa this time, and was very content to stay in my arms.

Audrey hopped up on his lap before it was even her turn. Santa asked her what her favorite Christmas treat was and she yelled, "hot dogs!" Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Here's Santa and Audrey both picking their noses:

Jack got a turn, too. Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, and this time Jack said a strand of multi-colored lights.

Babies in '12

We're done! The adoption process is officially over. Audrey Rebecca and Elliot Michael are ours for keeps.

The hearing was short and sweet. We had to state our names, birth dates, marriage date, address, and tell that judge that we wanted to adopt...and then it was over.

When Ty and I decided to adopt in January, we made the goal to do everything in our power to get a baby by the end of the year. Our motto has been "baby in '12" and we'd say it to each other all the time to stay positive and focused on our goal. Well, here we are on December 13, 2012 with our three beautiful children. I never dreamed we would get "babies in '12." The Lord has blessed us with a miracle!

Santa's Lap

The kids got to meet Santa at the ward Christmas party!

Bell Ringing

Last year, we had such a great time bell ringing for the Salvation Army that we signed up to do it again this year. It was entertaining to say the least! The kids loved ringing their bells and wishing everyone a merry Christmas. Their cute smiles lulled lots of charitable people in, ready to donate. We even had someone that was driving by pull over and donate just because they saw our kids. This is what Christmas is all about!
 

The Tree is Up!

Everything is looking festive over here, including these cute kids that I am lucky to call my own.

10 BLING!

Jack's school uses a discipline system that rewards you with a "bling" or little jewel every time you have an outstanding day. The little jewels get put on a clothespin that has their name on it. Well, once you get 10 jewels on your clip, it gets retired to the hallway. This happened to Jack last week and it was a very exciting moment for him. Here he is pointing to his clip: