tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887082054726036772012-01-25T19:37:51.974-07:00Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-38365395959391318382011-11-22T09:00:00.002-07:002011-11-22T09:32:19.064-07:00

Anya Gracieborn October 13thlovingly placed in our waiting arms by her amazing birth parents November 3rdadopted November 18thShe has brought us so much joy!Hers is a story of more miracles than we can count.We are so thankful!

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-65623684603153118482011-10-31T16:50:00.000-06:002011-11-01T05:04:09.078-06:00

Halloween Dinner 2011Tom is an undercover CIA agent, Gavin is a werewolf and I found this dress at the thrift store and thought it would be perfect for Halloween. My mom said I looked like a movie star, so maybe that's what I was (it was just fun to wear - but super ugly!).Gav is trying to show off his origami claws.Chris and Tara (above) decided to be ghosts to match their puppy, Ruby Dew. The

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-72963598453188768732011-10-23T21:24:00.003-06:002011-10-30T08:03:39.960-06:00

Dear Friends (we wish we knew your names),These letters must start to sound the same. All of the families sound so ideal. We are not perfect, but we are perfect for each other. Maybe we are the right fit for your baby.We haven't met you yet, but we already love you! The love you have for your baby is evident in your considering another family to raise him/her. We want to help you in any way we

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-87085861533375402012011-09-18T14:15:00.005-06:002011-10-26T21:32:35.330-06:00

Let us tell you some of the things we have to offer:A family who loves to do things togetherA mom and dad who are happy togetherParents who are committed to each other and our kidsThe sweetest big brother in the worldTwo fantastic grandmas and grandpas who we see all the timeSeven loving auntsSeven silly unclesNine fun cousins (with another baby girl coming around Christmas)A Christian lifestyleA

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-27518200166030734062011-09-14T23:06:00.003-06:002011-10-26T21:16:00.459-06:00

Traditions by TomSunday dinner with Shian's side of the familyBirthdays - dinner for each person with cake, presents, and goofy hats. This is an extended family tradition, so the parties keep increasing as the family grows.Family Fun Night every weekHalloween Dinner - if you don't wear a costume, the rest of the family gets to find one for you (not a pretty picture). Read about it here.Bedtime

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-37964347550245425262011-09-03T09:34:00.005-06:002011-10-30T08:44:15.463-06:00

I haven't been to Tracy Aviary since I was a kid. Gavin and I were going to use our Salt Lake Connect Passes because they were going to expire (Tom had to work). We decided to make it a family affair and invite, Tara (my sister), Clif and Camey (my brother and sister in law) and Robyn (my sister) and all the nieces and nephews on my side.(left to right - Addelyn, Oliver, Spencer, Gavin and Shian)

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-14630117241675479492011-08-15T15:33:00.000-06:002011-08-18T15:51:13.247-06:00

Tom and I took Gavin and a couple of his friends (both girls) to the fair the other night. We waited in line forever for the rides, but the kids loved them. They made us laugh so hard. I'm glad they're still young enough to want to be with the "grown-ups." I try to enjoy it now because I know it won't last long. While waiting for the ferris wheel, the girls saw two police officers standing

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-59777182196693899062011-08-03T23:10:00.000-06:002011-10-26T21:49:43.955-06:00

As a couple, Tom and I spend time talking every night after Gavin goes to bed. He usually comes home for lunch, so we can have a little more time alone. We also connect through instant messenger during the day. Tom loves to watch movies and I love to have my feet rubbed, so we put the two together and are both happy. We also enjoy reading out loud to each other and going for walks in good weather

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-17527002937710501092011-07-25T08:08:00.002-06:002011-07-25T08:11:59.159-06:00

Tom - The Kingdom by Clive Cussler Shian - The Help by Kathryn StockettGavin - Pillage by Obert Skye

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-49191859591840626292011-07-01T15:13:00.000-06:002011-08-18T15:33:48.015-06:00

My sister and brother-in-law took us to see the traveling Broadway production of Les Miserables. It was incredible! I don't have words to tell you how amazing everything was. All of the singers were so talented, the sets were fantastic, the music superb. We had possibly the best seats (and company) in the house. (Tom, Shian, Tara, Chris, Robyn, Gordon) Before the show we had dinner at P.F. Changs

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-54512998389351424232011-06-29T19:55:00.002-06:002011-10-05T16:39:45.524-06:00

Neither did I! But he surprised me the other day. I walked into the kitchen and found him making chocolate covered pretzels and peanut clusters. They were so yummy!

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-65852204527083584222011-06-09T16:14:00.004-06:002011-10-26T21:33:19.485-06:00

Tom's sister married a great guy this month. It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful day. We got to spend the day celebrating with all the family. While we were waiting for them, we entertained ourselves by taking some pictures. I decided Gavin needs to start standing in front of Tom. Soon he will be taller than me and hide me completely.Here is all of our family on Tom's side. It's the only

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-7910125916951227132011-05-26T08:24:00.002-06:002011-05-26T08:30:59.587-06:00

Tom and I are right-handed, but both of our mothers are left-handed. We each have one left-handed sister as well. I think that's a funny coincidence.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-10169184216648439912011-05-17T13:49:00.004-06:002011-10-26T21:34:55.338-06:00

We saw all sorts of amazing art (and lots of bizarre stuff too) when we visited the art museum on the University of Utah campus.Tom stayed ahead of Gavin and I and strategically stood in front of the nude pictures. I didn't get what he was doing at first and thought he was just teasing me because he kept moving so I couldn't see whatever picture was behind him. It took me a while, but I finally

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10973196121303454396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-51369784225106472172011-02-17T09:40:00.001-07:002011-05-26T08:31:58.028-06:00

I learned something new about Tom today. I discovered that if I want him to eat salad I only need to provide beets and blue cheese dressing. I knew he liked both of those, but I never knew how much.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-49668925091572443842011-01-29T09:29:00.002-07:002011-05-26T08:32:26.449-06:00

I am 8 1/2 months older than Tom. We were born the same year, but my birthday is in February and his is in December. He likes to tease me about robbing the cradle. He did, in fact, graduate the year after I did. I have a few more weeks where he can't tease me because we're the same age right now. I better enjoy it while I can.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-54205768388745025382011-01-01T09:44:00.030-07:002011-03-14T10:11:49.047-06:00

Since it is freezing cold and snowy outside, I thought I'd try to warm myself up by thinking about Moab. We went in October which is the perfect time of year in Moab. The weather is just right. Maybe I should take that back after looking the pictures. We got more rain than I've ever seen in all my trips to Moab combined. I didn't get too many pictures the first day. It was much too wet to get out

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-37345302652488691692010-12-25T14:44:00.001-07:002011-03-14T08:49:13.655-06:00

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-47155016327607196882010-12-24T12:40:00.001-07:002011-03-14T08:48:46.478-06:00

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-74537202768343820582010-11-29T09:31:00.096-07:002011-03-14T08:48:11.599-06:00

We are thankful to be blessed with the greatest families ever! We spent Thanksgiving Day with Tom's family. His sister, Erica, hosted it at her house. She loves to entertain large groups of people. She even loves to do all of the cooking. She must have done nothing but cook for days and I must say, it paid off. She is a fantastic cook and everything tasted so yummy. I was too busy enjoying myself

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-70179106293608199612010-10-26T21:23:00.001-06:002011-03-14T08:50:20.358-06:00

Gavin has had a Jack O'Lantern smile at Halloween for the last few years. Here's the 2010 version with the pumpkin he carved at Scouts with his pocketknife. He is planning to dress up as a scarecrow this year.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-64457784396455874752010-09-26T22:51:00.001-06:002010-12-24T14:45:34.163-07:00

Here is quick run-down of this year's Sink or Swim Zucchini Boat Race. To read more about this tradition go here. Our boat (complete with sticky yellow passengers) Showing off our masterpiece Top view Line-up with the competitors The launch (well one of many) Gav's face when he won one of the racesGreat fun!

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-76280910122122510972010-09-25T07:31:00.001-06:002011-05-26T08:32:49.715-06:00

The chores I dislike the most are cleaning the shower and putting clean sheets on the bed. Tom usually does those things for me.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-54300252482046416202010-09-19T08:35:00.002-06:002011-05-26T08:33:04.777-06:00

Tom got the white spot in his hair after being hit there with a rock when he was six years old.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-5403016438831363052010-08-19T20:27:00.001-06:002010-09-25T07:29:22.704-06:00

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-46329603208312435932010-07-07T16:49:00.001-06:002011-10-26T21:40:35.935-06:00

While getting ready to go to Lagoon Gavin said, "You better put lots of sunscreen on the top of my cheeks because I'm going to be smiling a lot." That alone made the trip worth it.When we got there and took out the camera, I discovered the batteries were dead. I couldn't even get one shot, so we crammed in a photo booth later in the day. It's not easy to get all of our faces in the right place,

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-14741032253928345442010-04-24T17:14:00.005-06:002010-06-04T21:12:49.098-06:00

We dyed easter eggs with my (Shian's) family this year. I didn't know my mom was planning to buy all the eggs, so I bought a bunch too. We ended up with tons of eggs, but we seemed to run out too fast while dyeing them. Gavin made some extra pretty eggs. He made one for me that looked like a sunset. I made a green plaid egg for Tom. A few years ago my mom came up with the idea of having a

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-89107706732343880192010-04-17T14:26:00.001-06:002010-05-27T23:21:01.650-06:00

Breakfast in bed! Gavin loves to make up his own menus and serve us. You never know what you're going to get (even after ordering from the menu). Tom and I especially like it because Gavin will tell us we can't wake up until he brings our food :) Isn't that a great menu? Now look at my order and see if you can guess what I chose. The R2 Surprise was Rice-a-Roni, the Assassin Droid Laser Beam

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-53200313811463668472010-03-15T08:31:00.001-06:002010-05-27T23:20:33.010-06:00

We celebrated our 3rd anniversary last month. It's funny how I can feel surprised that it's been three years, but feel like we've always been together at the same time.  Here are some things I've learned about Tom in the last three years:He will eat almost anything. He is an awesome dad. He would rather stay up and watch a movie than sleep. He is in love with every form technology. He showers

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-70219815054868693162010-01-19T11:33:00.002-07:002010-05-27T23:09:06.636-06:00

(Gavin's cake is made out of cookie dough. He doesn't really like cake.) In honor of Gavin's 9th birthday, I thought I'd share part of a letter I wrote for his third grade teacher. She gave a homework assignment to parents at the beginning of the year. We had to write about our children to help her get to know them better. I have taken out parts that go into lots of details about school, but I

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-56037652549563703542010-01-05T16:39:00.006-07:002011-10-26T21:45:36.797-06:00

I thought I'd tell you a little bit about our families. We are fortunate to live about a mile from Tom's parents and 11 miles from my parents. Gavin gets to spend quite a bit of time with grandparents. He's the oldest grandkid on both sides. All of our siblings live within a two hour driving distance.Tom's parents have been married for 36 years. Their relationship is a great example to us. They

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-30395746173476240472010-01-03T17:29:00.006-07:002011-03-14T09:39:09.955-06:00

Gavin decided he wanted to be a cat. He used permanent marker. He is growing out of it, but he has always loved costumes. He wrote the funniest song. The only lyrics were "Bad guys you suck!" (imagine it screamed over and over while wildly strumming any old chord). He doesn't know how to play yet, but he thought he did that day. It was hilarious. He has a way with animals and especially bugs

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-88801474953998654882010-01-01T11:50:00.001-07:002010-05-27T23:18:14.796-06:00

December is fun at our house. We enjoy all sorts of traditions at Christmas time. We put up our tree for Family Night just after Thanksgiving. We got it up this year and put all the lights on. Just as we started to put on the decorations, the stand broke. I don't think I've ever seen Tom move faster than he did to catch that tree. It would have fallen right on me. Ouch! He held it while I looked

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-55930695612194041992009-12-25T19:01:00.001-07:002010-05-27T23:16:57.776-06:00

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-82087448604897855982009-11-01T12:24:00.002-07:002010-05-27T23:13:01.467-06:00

Every year we have Halloween dinner with my (Shian's) family. My mom works really hard to put it together for us. She plans a menu with different appetizers, main dish items and desserts. Then she names them all sorts of crazy Halloween names. The kitchen is off limits all day, so no one even knows what she is making. That way you can't guess what food the names represent. She even renames the

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-84497583228217654962009-10-26T06:11:00.002-06:002010-05-27T23:12:41.471-06:00

Around Halloween every year we go to the Pumpkin Walk. Different groups of people (like school classes, scout troops, businesses and families) make displays using pumpkins and other produce. They base it on a new theme each year. It's fun to see how differently everyone interprets it. The path is also lined with hundreds of jack-o-lanterns. I've always been glad that wasn't my job. Gavin

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-64846906770729729632009-09-26T22:26:00.003-06:002010-06-04T11:02:04.513-06:00

Today is free Museum Day. I wish we had know earlier in the day so Tom could have gone with us. He had to work tonight. Gavin and I needed something to do and the historical farm was perfect. We were lucky the farm was open until 11:00 pm, so we had plenty of time to explore. We got lost in the corn maze for 49 minutes. Gav started to get a little nervous, but we found our way out. Gavin rode a

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-66170596194538328832009-09-19T23:27:00.000-06:002010-05-27T23:28:17.234-06:00

I thought it was cool that she would wear her pajamas to work. I remember thinking she was short, but I thought she was cute. I never dated anyone I came in contact with for work. I figured it would be weird if it didn't work out and I had to see them again. I didn't know why at the time, but I called Shian anyway. Good thing I did!

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-43292243204678764642009-09-19T23:26:00.002-06:002010-12-14T13:24:52.156-07:00

We met when I stopped by my office in my pajamas. The office was closed, so I wasn't expecting anyone to be there. Little did I know, Tom was installing a new phone system that day. I still had yesterday's mascara under my eyes. I hadn't even combed my hair. We ended up chatting for over an hour. I was surprised when he called that evening to ask me out (a coworker gave him my number). I felt

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-61018479871936511202009-09-18T09:02:00.004-06:002010-05-27T23:19:36.452-06:00

Our parenting style is rather relaxed. We tend to follow the Love and Logic style of parenting where you allow kids to experience natural consequences. It has worked well for us so far, but we also pray every day to know how to be the kind of parent our child needs. We don’t believe in spanking or hitting of any kind. We try to treat each other with respect at all times, kids included. We feel we

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-11035729664409490472009-09-01T08:56:00.001-06:002010-05-27T23:15:34.306-06:00

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-12172850815016825212009-08-23T11:45:00.001-06:002010-05-27T23:12:17.710-06:00

This summer Gavin saw kids racing zucchini boats at the park. He thought it looked like fun. He knows Grandma has lots of zucchinis in the late summer, so he mentioned it to her. This weekend, all of my family was together so it was the perfect time. After making a big mess of the kitchen from cleaning out zucchinis and gathering sticks and paper to decorate them, we had four very different

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-54629250315962911712009-08-10T16:46:00.001-06:002010-05-27T23:14:41.429-06:00

Gavin's friends found this thing behind the dumpster. I have no idea what it was originally. Someone has written "Soda, Try Me" on the side. The bottom is open and the top has a hole just big enough for a head to fit through. The kids wore it around like this for a while. Then they came up with the idea to get inside and roll each other up and down the street. They got such a kick out of this.

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88708205472603677.post-44549552667042405022009-07-05T16:50:00.002-06:002010-05-27T23:11:15.672-06:00

We went to a firework show was on Thursday, the 2nd. Tom, Gav and I went with my mom. Gav played with this glowing thing (the glowing doesn't show in the picture). He was spinning it on his finger. I love the perfect timing of this shot. He came up with this silly game a few years ago. He poses for us and we throw the ring at him trying to get his head or arms or feet (whichever he chooses each

Shianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03629520455672189553noreply@blogger.com0