It is done! Now on to the next .

It's finally done! The first room in the addition to be officially done is our Master Bath. 

Most all the work was done by Aaron and myself. I am pretty sure the framing and the plumbing were the only things we did not have our hands on. 

The shower was our first real tile job. It turned out great. The window is a glass block window the picture doesn't show the texture really well. We love our shower, I do not know how the rest of the world lives with just one shower head in the shower. :o)

We Painted the cabinets and they look beautiful. First we painted them a chocolate brown and they looked really dull still. So I took a high gloss black and dry brushed them in black. Now it looks like a high end stain. Pretty cool. The shelves above the toilet turned out really great. It took a long time to come up with a plan for that area, we think it turned out great. 

The next project is to get the Master Bedroom done. The fireplace has been tiled it just needs grout and then the room needs the crown and baseboards put in. And a little touchup on the paint. 

Nap Time

Today after lunch I looked over and saw that my Shane was getting a head start on our nap. I had to snap a few pictures of him before I laid him down on his bed. 

They look so sweet when they are asleep. 

10 Fingers and 10 Toes

Aaron and I were able to peek inside and take a look at the new baby. It was fun to see the heart beat and the tiny hands and nose. The baby kept stretching it's legs out as far as they could go. Another one that doesn't want to be bundled up I suppose. 

The official due date is Dec. 1, but if I get my way and am induced a week early like the last two, the delivery date will be Nov. 24th. 

Adoption

We have this wonderful family as our friends who desire to adopt a baby. Kim and her husband Lance have 3 beautiful boys and have tried multiple times to have another but due to health issues have not succeeded. Their desire for another child is sincere and beautiful and I could not think of a more deserving couple. Kim has shown herself to be a most affectionate and patient mother and Lance a most wonderful and loving father. Her boys include Zac, Scott and Brycen. Zac and Scott are challenged with an extremely rare genetic disorder, but their spirits are as beautiful as any young boys. Brycen was a miracle of science and is free from this disorder and doesn't even carry it. Their small family now desires to bring another of Gods children into their loving home. If by chance you hear of anyone who is willing to make this ultimate sacrifice please contact them. 

Following is a link to their adoption profile. 
http://www.providentliving.org/ses/birthmother/viewsingleprofile/0,12272,2133-1-7184,00.html

They also have a blog of their own at http://hopefulfamily.blogspot.com

 

This is a letter from the Jones Family please read it and consider posting a similar blog on your own web page or blog so that the word might be spread. 

Thank You 

Christina 

Dear Friend,

As we sit down to compose this letter we picture you sitting down to read it. Oh the thoughts that must be racing through your mind. We admire you for your courage and pray for you daily. It is our prayer that you will be surrounded with love and support as you make this most difficult decision.

Kim: I grew-up always knowing that I was immensely loved, valued, and cherished. Still when I fell in love with Lance I was surprised to discover an intensity of love that I never knew existed. Even now I find myself glancing at Lance or watching him play with our children, and I marvel that my love for him continues to grow each day. He is absolutely perfect for me and I am eternally grateful that we are together.

Lance: Kim has warmed my heart from the first time I met her. Her sweet smile and fun personality bring a special love into our home. Kim’s incredible love for our children is reflected in the amount of time and effort she puts into creating a happy home for all of us. When I come home from work, I am often greeted by my children who excitedly show me the treasures they have created with Mommy. We would like to give you a glimpse of life in our family and hope to be able to share more with you.

We enjoy spending time together and try to go on a date once a week. In Kim’s spare time she enjoys, visiting with friends, playing tennis, scrap booking, and curling up with a good book. Kim also loves to shop. Although Lance is the civil engineer in the family, Kim is the number one toy train track builder! Lance loves being outdoors, he loves to snow ski, bike ride, and play tennis and golf. He is thankful that a portion of his work involves being outdoors. Lance has a passion for cars and hopes to one day restore a classic as a family. He also makes up the best bedtime stories.

We absolutely love being parents, and we are so excited to welcome a new child into our home and our hearts, and to have the unique opportunity of also welcoming a birth family into our lives. Being parents has taught us that every phase of childhood is a magical and miraculous time. We believe in celebrating this special time in their lives by enjoying it to the fullest. We have three precious sons, Zachary is nine, Scott is seven, and Brycen is four. Zachary and Scott have been given the challenge of living with some developmental delays. We marvel at their abilities and at their desire to do everything everyone else can do. As we have struggled with infertility for the past seven years we have come to understand so profoundly the blessings children bring. Our children have brought immeasurable joy, excitement, and fun into our lives. We have also come to realize that our family is not yet complete. Our desire to have another child has never been stronger; we continually pray for the special child who will complete our family.

Spending time together as a family strengthens our love for one another. There are countless activities we enjoy doing as a family. Simple things like taking our golden retriever for a walk by the river and letting the boys hold the leash. It is an adorable sight to see a small child walk a big dog. The boys love to work on projects with Daddy; they built a fantastic play structure in our yard. We love swimming in our pool, going to visit Nana and Papa (Kim’s parents live about ½ hour away)—Papa built and entire room to run his electric trains with his grandchildren. We love getting together with our families; our boys love spending time with their cousins, aunts and uncles. We also like to launch model rockets at the park, go jet skiing on the lake, and jump on our trampoline together. Our bigger adventures include, our annual trip to Disneyland, vacations to Aspen Grove family camp, weekend trips to the aquarium, frequent visits to Lance’s family in Utah, and going camping as a family, and with friends.

Of course, quiet times at home are also nice. A fire in the fireplace in the winter, summer campouts in the yard or family room, movie nights with popcorn, and game nights are some of our favorite things. We end each day with family prayer, and then we read books with the boys sing them each a song and snuggle with each of them before they go to sleep. On Saturday mornings, our bed usually becomes the family gathering spot. Everyone climbs into bed and we cuddle and tell stories. Sometimes, Lance and I hope they will fall back asleep with us, but that usually doesn’t happen.

We strive to teach our children to be compassionate, and to love others. It is amazing how much children can understand at a very young age. We enjoy teaching them that their Heavenly Father loves them. We keep journals for each of our boys. In their journals we write the important things that happen in our lives from their points of view; we also include all of the little adorable things they say and do. What fun it would be to share our next baby’s journal with his/her birth family!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little bit. We would love to have the privilege of getting to know you. We would be honored to be your baby’s parents and the boys would be thrilled to have a little sister or brother. While we can not comprehend what this experience must be like for you, we do understand how much you love your child. We want you to know that you will always be a welcomed member of our family. Your baby will be fortunate to have two families that will always love him or her. A birth family that gave him/her life and hope, and an adoptive family to help him/her fulfill dreams. Just knowing you’re considering us we feel you are a part of our family; you will always hold a special place in our hearts. We look forward to sharing our lives with you.

With more love than words can express,
Lance, Kimberlie, Zachary, Scott, and Brycen
Adoption blog: hopeful.blogspot.com

Jumpin' Fun

This summer has been a lot of fun. Last summer we promised the boys something to play on in the back yard, we decided on a trampoline. The boys love to jump, especially with their Dad who can spike them up into the air. It has become the favorite activity. Especially when jumping while getting wet in the hose. It is very nice especially on the 105 degree days. 

Shane loves to be on the trampoline with his older brother, I am glad that he is a tough kid and doesn't mind falling on his bum. 

Jared loves to jump with his Daddy and counts the minutes until Aaron is free to be able to jump with him. 

Dallin is getting a lot braver on the trampoline, He loves to play and jump around and around in circles. 

Aaron is loving reliving his younger days on the trampoline. Gratefully there is a net now so we do not have to worry about the boys getting the same scars as Aaron has from his younger days on the trampoline. 

Shane misting the boys while jumping. 

 

4th of July Weekend

This past weekend we went to the Northern California Coast and camped for the weekend. The Camping part could have been better, but the beaches were perfect. We camped at Ocean Cove and the campground was great but the lack of flushing toilets and showers made the entire experience difficult. We had to go to a State Park and take showers there. 

The greatest part of the entire trip was the wonderful beaches. The first beach we visited was Black Point Beach. It was nice but the water was too dangerous for the kids to play in.  Then we found Stigel Beach ( lat=38.7158018844, lon=-123.459818025 ) We had the entire beach to ourselves and there were plenty of things to entertain kids and dog. The greatest thing was the rocks about 100 feet out that broke the surf so the kids could play in it. It was still FREEZING but the boys didn't seem to notice. We wished we had time to go back, perhaps another time.

We left on Saturday and headed to Bodega Bay to watch the fireworks there. (they had them on Sat. not Fri. still not sure of the reason for that. ) Dallin said that the fireworks were his favorite part of the trip. We sat in the parking lot that they were shot from. It was loud and very very cold. The fog rolled in an hour before it was supposed to start and I was wondering if they would still have the show. Well they did and it was a pretty cool effect, each firework lit up the entire sky. 

It is nice to be home, although I miss the cooler temperatures on the coast. 

Dallin at the camp ground. All the kids were covered in dirt from the second we got to camp to the second we left. 

Shane loved the s-mores, although I do not think he ever roasted his marshmallows he just ate them right off the stick. It was really cute because the stick was the perfect height for him to get the marshmallow to his mouth. 

Seagull

Jared and a Sand Flea he found while playing in the sand at Black Point Beach. 

Shane filling buckets to dump. Shane is anti-sandcastle he loves to stomp on them and when the others were digging a hole all he wanted to do was to fill it up again. 

A cheesy grin from Aaron. 

A view from Highway 1. 

An old barn on Highway 1. This is one of my favorite shots. 

Jared playing in sand at Black Point. 

Aaron and Darcy at Black Point. We didn't let him off the leash because we didn't want him in the water. They had all these warnings about sleeper waves that had killed lots of people. Black Point was supposed to be one of the deadliest beaches in California. 

Shane digging in the the sand at Black Point. He was so cute in his little hat. 

Shane and his cute hat. 

The view walking into Stigel beach. 

Darcy fetching drift wood at Stigel Beach. 

Darcy loved to rub on this piece of drift wood. It was really funny to see him try to get it out of the surf when the tide came in and picked it up. For some reason he really liked the way it smelled. 

Jared throwing a piece of drift wood for Darcy. 

Dirty Dog

Shane buried in sand , he sat there for the longest time it seemed he liked the idea of being buried. 

The funniest thing we saw was a cow on the little strip of land between Highway 1 and the coast on the way from camping to Bodega Bay. Its just not something you expect to see. 

One of the pictures I got of the surf breaking on rocks. I loved to variety that the Northern CA. beaches offer. 

Scenic Highway 1

Fireworks in the Fog.