Mike & Amanda's Blog

Say Cheese!

2010-03-05T14:13:00.003-07:00

Lilly holds Emma for me every morning while I make them breakfast.

Emma is a really smiley baby! I am glad about that :) She is so cute. She always has a big smile for me when I come and get her from the crib.
These two little girls are so sweet to eachother, I am so lucky to have such cuties to call my daughters

Here's a big gummy grin, I live for these :)

Over a Decade...

2010-02-26T16:28:00.012-07:00

Mike and I are celebrating our 11 years of marriage. I am so blessed to have such a good man in my life, he is awesome! I love Mike more now than I did 11 years ago. Mike is my best friend and I am really lucky to have found my true love for eternity.

(Mike & Amanda February 27, 1999)

I made this video last year for our 10th Anniversary :) http://mandamike.com/blog/2009/02/zen-ten.html It has a ton of fun pictures of our life together.
This past year has been pretty amazing, hard, fun, and full of life. I am excited for this year and what it holds for us and our family.
Cheers to Forever!

Daddy's Helper

2010-02-19T10:59:00.006-07:00

Mike really does let Lilly help him with everything, it's wonderful! Because of this Lilly knows all of her tools and also has total admiration for Mike. Today Mike decided not to go to the studio to work on his art projects and he is working at home. Lilly of course is fully involved and even using a real power drill :) They decided it was too cold to work in the garage, so the living room is our studio today! I love it because now I don't have to clean the living room :) I think it's pretty cool to have an artist for a husband, and Lilly thinks it's pretty cool too :)
Fridays are one of my favorite days of the week because Mike is home and I am home too :)

Pretty in Pink

2010-02-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that my girls are very pretty in their pink dresses :)

Fun with my Camera

2010-01-27T11:37:00.006-07:00

So instead of cleaning the house today while Lilly was at preschool Emma and I did another photo shoot :) I have to say I am loving my camera and having a new beautiful baby to pose.

Emma's birthmother is really musically talented so I thought I would dust of my guitar and try and take a few photo's of Emma with it... let me know what you think.

Emma photo Shoot

2010-01-25T09:25:00.005-07:00

While Lilly was in the bathtub this morning I decided to take a couple of pictures of Emma. Emma is such a sweet mellow baby, we are really enjoying her. The past few nights she has slept 4 hours and it has been WONDERFUL :) Emma loves to take baths and she loves to hear Lilly sing to her.

2010-01-17T13:43:00.011-07:00

Seriously, this is my favorite picture EVER! Proof that Eventually, my dreams are coming true!

The past 2-months really have gone so quickly! I am so grateful for how our family has changed and grown.

Lilly and Emma had their well child check ups last Thursday. Here are the stats: Lilly at 4 years old: 30.86lbs and 40 inches tall, she gained 4 pounds this year and grew 4 inches :)
Emma at 2 months old: 7lbs 13oz and 20.75 inches tall she has gained almost 3 1.2 pounds and grown 4 1/4 inches since her birthday.

So far January has been CRAZY! With Lilly's birthday, Mike's brother and his family visiting, Mike's Mom visiting, the new semester starting at BYU and me going back to work there really hasn't been a lot of down time for our little family. Mike and I are longing for the days when he is done with school... soon? (we hope) :) I keep reminding myself that life is what you make it and we are doing this because our hard work and sacrifice now will pay off in the end. Mike will be able to pursue his dream and I will be able to fully enjoy my family with a more rested body :) EVENTUALLY...
Anyways... pictures are the real reason most of my readers look at my blog so here you go!Lilly, Belle & Sophie playing Hungry, Hungry Hippo's!

We always do a pinata at Lilly's birthday party. This year her theme was rainbow! It was such a FUN theme! We had our guests wear their favorite color and everyone had to decorate their drink cups with their favorite color, tons of balloons, rainbow mosaic crafts and the rainbow pinata that Lilly and Mike made :) I feel kind of bad that we didn't do a 'friends' party this year for Lilly, but life is so hectic we just didn't have time to prepare for it, maybe next year... eventually :)

Lilly is four!

2010-01-08T11:10:00.012-07:00

I can not believe that Lilly is four! I've been thinking a lot about little Lilly the past few days and how special she really is. Here are a few things about Lilly my big four year old :)
She loves peanut butter and will eat it by the spoonful
Lilly LOVES to sing, she can make a song out of anything
Lilly's favorite thing to do is wrestle with Daddy
Lilly loves to read books, she always has.
Lilly loves preschool
(This is Lilly's school picture, taken last month)
Lilly has a quirky sense of humor and likes to tease.
Lilly's favorite color is pink, but the other day she told me she's starting to like purple and yellow now too.
Lilly is the worlds best big sister, she Loves Emma so much and tells everyone she meets
Lilly's middle name is Grace, not Bug... but she insists that it is Bug.
Lilly's a little Mommy, she always wants to help
She loves Christmas!
Lilly is an artist
Lilly is photographer
She is a thoughtful little girl, and always wants to include everyone in her fun
Lilly knows the difference between a philips and flathead screwdriver
Lilly is a tiny little sprite, she's in the 12th percentile for weight and 50th for height, but her pink cowgirl boots make her tall :)
Lilly has been talking since she was 9 months old... she has a huge vocabulary.
Lilly likes science, the other day someone was talking to her about the melting ice and Lilly plainly states "I know, that's called reversible change" :)
Lilly is smart and beautiful!
Lilly wants to be a firefighter, mommy, doctor, teacher, giant when she grows up. I'm not too sure about the giant part...
Lilly has great faith, she knows how to pray and has a testimony of prayer.

I could go on and on about Lilly Bug, she is such a cool kid and I am so proud to be her Mommy. It was raining the day I met her, and there really has been sunshine in my life ever since.

Lilly is such a good big sister!

2009-12-30T08:49:00.004-07:00

Lilly loves to sing, and lately she has been singing a lot to Emma and Emma loves it!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-28T08:48:00.003-07:00

C is for Christmas Cookies!

2009-12-24T17:41:00.005-07:00

Lilly and I made cookies today while Mike and Emma took at nap :) We had lots of fun and Lilly did a great job. She made sure we had plenty of pink frosting.

Emma is changing so much, at her Doctors appointment on Tuesday she weighed 6lbs 1oz, she has almost gained 3 pounds since she was born. Emma is such an easy going baby, she loves to listen to Lilly sing and also smiles for Daddy.

I am so excited for Christmas this year! I will try and post a picture tonight of the girls in the Christmas P.J.'s. We've been keeping track of santa today, Lilly is soooooooo excited! Merry Christmas!

Lilly's Winter Showcase

2009-12-21T08:25:00.008-07:00

On Thursday Lilly had her preschool winter showcase. It was really cute to see all of the kids and how creative and smart they are. Lilly's preschool teacher is so nice and sooooo patient with the kids. I wish she was MY teacher :)
Here are two of my favorites of Lilly's pieces:

This one is called "The Treasure of the Pirate"

This one is my favorite, mainly because of the title:
Lilly is learning a ton at preschool, I am really glad that we decided to start her in school this year. She is reading, counting and growing as an individual Lilly is a really special girl I'm so proud to be her Mom.

My Girls....

2009-12-18T16:27:00.001-07:00

Two of my favorite things :) My little girls are already bonding, Lilly LOVES to hold Emma and has also discovered that she has ticklish toes :)

Get your tissues :)

2009-12-13T21:53:00.010-07:00

My friend, who is also an adoptive mother sent me this beautiful poem, it made me cry. (thanks Laura) :)

The Best Gift (Rosemary Clooney)

The best gift that I ever got
Didn't really weigh a lot.
It didn't have a ribbon 'round,
And it sometimes made an awful sound.

The best of all it seems to me,
It wasn't 'neath the Christmas tree.
And yet, I guess I'd have to say,
That it made all the other presents twice as gay.

The best gift that I've ever known,
I'd always wanted most to own.
Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice,
I never thought it could be so nice.

The best gift that I'll ever get
Was sometimes dry and sometimes wet,
Was usually pink, but oftentimes red
As it lay so innocently in its bed.

The best gift of the year to me,
The one I hold most dear to me,
The gift that simply drove me wild,
Was a tiny, newborn child. Little Emma has filled our home with so much love! She is a month old today, I can't believe it, we've only had her home for a few days, and they have made our Christmas magical. It is so much fun having two girls, they are both so sweet. I can't imagine my life with out them. Our family feels much more complete now, my heart is at peace.

Emma is Home!

2009-12-10T12:49:00.005-07:00

We were able to bring Emma home yesterday, and she is so fun and still tiny! Her hospital discharge weight was 4lbs 14ozs. We really are enjoying every moment with our new family of four.

Lilly is an amazing big sister, at the hospital she even let her prized favorite stuffed animal ride in Emma's car seat with her. The nurse was really sweet and let Lilly help her carry the car seat out to the car.I have a feeling Lilly is going to teach Emma a lot :) Lilly lets us know when Emma cries and loves to help change and feed her. Last night she came out of her bedroom to just check on Emma, what a sweetie pie.

I am so very grateful to have experienced adoption for the second time, it is a modern day miracle and I feel so blessed to be mother to these two beautiful special little girls.

This was Lilly's first time ever holding her baby sister, you can see the delight in her eyes. It was such a tender moment for all of us and I can hardly believe that it is real, I feel so lucky.

Christmas time is here!

2009-11-30T10:22:00.008-07:00

I thought we would be preparing for Emma to come during our Christmas season this year, but that didn't quite work out :) Sooooo it's been a very busy time for our family between visits at the hospital, Thanksgiving, school, working, and decking the halls. We put up our tree this year and Lilly had a total blast! She woke Mike and I up and practically dragged us out of bed to go decorate the tree. I have a feeling this Christmas is going to be very magical for Lilly. We found this cute ornament for Lilly, since she is a big sister now! We've had a few opportunities to visit Emma during Thanksgiving break and she is now in an open air crib and learning how to suck on a bottle! She's growing and has made it to the 4lb mark! :) We can't wait to bring her home it's been hard being so far away from her. Lilly really can hardly wait to meet her little sister :) We are hopeful to bring her home by Christmas, she needs to learn to eat and breath on her own. She's almost there with breathing she's only on a small amount now.
Now that Emma is in an open air crib she can be swaddled and she LOVES it! When we go and visit the nurses let me change her diaper and try to feed her and whenever I take off her blankets she gets so upset :) she wants to be warm and snuggled :) as soon as I wrap her back up she falls back asleep.

Pictures of Emma

2009-11-21T17:05:00.006-07:00

Emma was getting light therapy for a few days, but hasn't needed it the past couple of days, she is happy about that. Emma did not like the bright light and seems much more comfortable now.

Mike and I are finally able to hold little Emma, she is so sweet... I wish I could snuggle and hold her all day, but NICU only allows 30 minutes twice a day.Emma is usually asleep when we come and visit, but when she was only 3 days old I was able to snap a quick picture of her with her eyes open.
Mike is already making Emma laugh :) She was so happy to see us and we were able to hold her.Last night, one week after Emma was born Mike finally got to hold her! He was just going to let me hold her but I made him have a chance, and the nurse on duty ordered it! :)

We are so excited to bring Emma home and Lilly is dying to meet her! Unfortunately because it is flu season Lilly isn't allowed anywhere near the NICU, so she has been patiently waiting to meet her little sister. Hopefully Emma will learn to eat and breath on her own in the next few weeks and we will have her home by Christmas.

Baby Emma

2009-11-13T19:08:00.005-07:00

We would like to introduce Emma Rose! She was born at 9:07 AM today, Friday the 13th. Emma weighed 3lbs 7ozs and is 16.5 inches long.Emma came 6 weeks early, so she will be staying in the NICU for awhile. She is breathing on her own and we even got to hear her cry a little while we were with her today, she is so sweet and we are very excited to have her join our family.

Lilly Bot 3000!

2009-11-02T09:02:00.009-07:00

Lilly was a robot for Halloween! Mike made her costume, I have to say it was pretty impressive. Lilly is one lucky girl to have such a handy and creative daddy. Her costume was wired with LED lights with several different settings, we didn't need a flashlight when it got dark. Lilly led the way :) Mike also painted a t-shirt for Lilly to wear under her costume, it worked out great for pre-school and when Lilly got tired of wearing her robot gear. Supergirl (AKA Lilly's cousin Rowan)thought that her costume was pretty cool. (that's a blues brother in the background, Lilly's other cousin Jaden) :) We had a fun Halloween this year and are already thinking of ideas for next year. I can hardly believe that next year we will get to have two sweet little girls dressed up! :)

BYU Homecoming Parade

2009-10-24T12:43:00.007-06:00

We've made it a tradition to go to the BYU Homecoming parade every year. We started out the morning by going early and eating blue pancakes and drinking blue milk. Luckily we went early, the line for the pancakes was really long, we waited in line for about 40 minutes for our blue pancakes.
I think Lilly's highlight of the parade (besides getting candy) was one of the swing club dancers danced with Lilly. She thought that was pretty awesome.

Lilly wore her cheerleader outfit over her clothes and of course blue bows :) We had fun, even though it always seems to be extra cold on homecoming day.

Feeling Hope

2009-10-10T15:26:00.015-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about hope and what it means to me and to my family during this time in our life. I have to admit that a few weeks ago, I was lacking hope and I had burried my desire to have another baby.

I rationalized that we didn't have a big enough house, or maybe when Mike finishes school, among many other 'reasons' why we hadn't been chosen yet. Deep down, though, I knew that modern day miracles exist. I have proof - just look at Lilly :) She is my miracle, Heavenly Father knew she needed us and we needed her. He also knew the right time to send her to us. During our +2 year wait to be chosen again we have had lots of ups and downs with the adoption world. Several scams, a potential contact that never really turned into anything and one almost baby if we were willing to go into deep debt. I feel so blessed, so lucky to be able to experience a modern day miracle again. I am again filled with hope and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby girl.
I have learned a lot by being infertile and I am grateful for the love and support that we've had throughout our journey to build our family.

Abound in

Hope

through the Power

of the Holy Ghost

- Romans 15:13

Last week we had the amazing experience of meeting M. She is amazing and kind and talented and so fun! We also got to meet M.'s Mom, I am so glad that she has support from her mom. We talked about what wants she has for baby and also decided that an open adoption is the best plan for everyone. We are really excited for this. We feel that we aren't just adopting a baby, but a new family too. Hopefully someday Lilly's birthmother will want more contact too.
I still can't believe that this is actually happening. Yesterday at church I finally got to write my name down on the 'expecting' list they pass around in Relief Society. It felt so cool! I hope that people ask me about our new arrival, so I can spread the word about our adoption modern day miracles. Adoption has been a HUGE faith builder for me and I know with all my heart that adopting is the path that our family needs to be on.

We are Blessed

2009-10-03T10:29:00.011-06:00

We have been matched with a wonderful birthmother! We are soooooooo excited and happy to be blessed again by another miracle.
Our caseworker called us into the office on Wednesday to 'sign some paperwork'. Fortunately, that wasn't the real reason :) We were presented with this adorable card made by our birthmother.

We've been e-mailing our birthmother for a couple of weeks, just getting to know eachother better. She is so fun and talented and beautiful. We are so excited to have her as part of our family. We love you M.!
Lilly can hardly wait to be a big sister, she is going to be great! Our baby girl is due January 1st! and it can't get here soon enough, we are already in love with her. Our family of four!

Smarty Pants (time to brag)

2009-09-11T15:38:00.009-06:00

Lilly is doing fantastic in pre-school and loves it! I really like it too, I have 2 hours a couple of days a week to work on 'things'. So far I've canned salsa and pickles, exercised, lost 5lbs and took a nap :) It's been nice, at first I was really sad and quite anxious that my baby was growing up. Now that we finished up our 2nd week my emotions have settled down and I am enjoying it. Lilly is loving pre-school. She is getting the extra stimulation that I couldn't give her and seems much more content. Lilly's teacher has really put me at ease too. She is so nice and the kids just love her.

Last week when I picked Lilly up from pre-school her teacher came up to me and asked me if Lilly was reading yet. She said that they went over all the sounds of the letters of the alphabet and Lilly knows ALL of them! I wasn't suprised, because Lilly loves the alphabet and lately we've been encouraging her to sound out words. She sent Lilly home with a book, and Lilly READ IT ALL BY HERSELF! Also, in pre-school they learned about astronomy and Lilly was the only student who knew what the big dipper was :) Lilly's teacher said that the kids never know that and was impressed with her again. Yup, she's a smarty pants! That is one reason why I really wanted Lilly to be in pre-school. Even though she is only 3, she really loves to learn and it is already showing. If you are ever interested in Lilly's pre-school her teacher keeps a blog http://thestudiopreschool.blogspot.com/ It's so fun to be able to have a little glimpse of what they do while at school. I am really excited for Lilly to learn more and hope that I can give her the tools she needs to keep using her wonderful mind.

Jump on in and help us!

2009-09-06T11:50:00.010-06:00

We updated our adoption pass along cards! I think they look awesome and am so excited to send them out to everyone. I recently heard this story http://queandbrittanysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/one-where-you-learn-how-it-happened.html and it really made me want to have new cards available for our family and friends to give. These cards work, and we need your help passing them along to people you know who are thinking about adoption or who might know someone who is.

So jump on in and help us build our family through adoption. Please let me know if you would like some cards and I will put them in the mail ASAP. We are so excited to grow our family and know that someone is missing. We've been hoping for a second child for a few years now and are asking for help from our family and friends to share our story and desire to adopt again. Thank you to everyone that passed our last profile cards out to people. Mike, Lilly and I would love to have one more adoption miracle come into our lives and we need your help.

Just like everyone else Lilly is growing up!

2009-09-02T11:15:00.004-06:00

I wish I could freeze time and make Lilly stay little forever... but then again I feel like the universe would really be missing out on the great woman that she will become. Yesterday was a bitter-sweet day for me, I know that it's only pre-school, but it's a big stepping stone to what comes next. Kindergarten, junior high, beauty queen, high school, college, marriage, president...

Lilly's first day of pre-school 9/1/09

I am so proud of my little girl. She is growing into a beautiful, charming, smart, creative person. I am excited for what comes next in her life and am so grateful that I get to be a part of it.