Post Christmas

We had planned to have a second Christmas with my parents and Elisa's kids the week after Christmas, but since we went up to my grandfather's funeral we never did get together. So I took these pictures last week before I took the tree down, just to get pics of Mina's first Christmas. The bib in the pic above is from our neighbor. Thanks Alla!

This Christmas outfit was actually for Ethan from aunt Patty and uncle Larry, but he outgrew it before Christmas so Elisa was kind enough to pass it on to Mina. It looked so cute on her!

This is a typical look for Mina, too, hands together, in mouth. She will bring her hands together, look at them, then stick them in her mouth, take them out and start the process over again.

Cute girl with the tree. I broke down and bought a fake tree this year :( After paying $80 for a real tree a few years ago I decided it was better to buy a fake tree to save the money. It wasn't as bad as I though it would be. The tree turned out nice and we'll be able to use it for years to come. Plus, it was pre-lit, no stringing of lights!

Christmas

My whole family with the exception of 2 brothers in law and 3 cousins.

Gram and Gramps with the grandkids.

Cousin Conor making Mina laugh. So cute! (Thanks for the pics from your blog, Krista! I took my camera on the trip without realizing the memory card was full. Woops!)

These pics are from Geoff's sister Kathy. THese are the yummy wings we ate while there. MMMM!

The wings gang.

We had a quiet Christmas this year. For Christmas eve it was just Geoff, Mina and I with Geoff's parents for dinner. His sister and her family came later. For Christmas we went back to Geoff's parents and had yummy Christmas breakfast! The cousins exchange gifts and Mina's gift from cousin Jill was a cute outfit and little book. We then went to see Blind Side while Geoff's sister and his mom watched Mina (thanks again!) It was a great movie. I got teary, especially since we ourselves just adopted. It hit close to home! We went back to Geoff's parents for dinner and that was about it.

The next day we went to see Sherlock Holmes, an excellent film. When we got home I got a call from my brother saying that my grandfather (my mother's father) had just passed away. He started coughing up blood, the neighbors came to help my grandma get him to the hospital and he actually died of cardiac arrest on the way. It was sudden, and that's the sad part, because we didn't get to say goodbye, but my grandpa was 84 and had progressively worsening dementia. He didn't remember who I was the last time we saw him. My grandmother said she was having more and more difficulty caring for him at home now, too. With all the lingering and suffering I see working at the hospital I was glad for my grandpa's sake that he went quickly and didn't have to suffer much.

Geoff and I were able to join the rest of my family in Utah for the funeral and it was a nice reunion, despite the circumstances. All of my siblings were together for the first time in several years. We were actually only missing one brother in law and 3 cousins. It was great spending time with them. We also spent time with Geoff's sister and their family who treated us to good food and great company. Thanks again everybody!

cute Mina

Mina has really been smiling and laughing a lot this past 2 weeks. Here are just a few of the cute pics I took. I sure do love this little girl! It's hard to believe she's only been in our lives 3 months.

more cute pics

Elisa with Ethan and Mina

These next pictures capture Mina's smile, bummer they're blurry!

Gotta love the hair!

Cute baby Ethan.

Mina update

We all went to JC Penney for pictures on Saturday and I think they turned out cute. I was hoping to get a really good one of Mina smiling but is was not to be. She is really smiling and has started laughing now, too. It is so cute! She is also really alert and everyone comments on how unique this is for her age (she'll be 3 months tomorrow.)

So cute!

National Adoption Month

Just by chance I spoke to two amazing women today. The first was a birth mother Geoff and I had met just prior to Maria. We had a good connection and really liked each other after we met. We found out on a Saturday, though, that she had picked another couple to adopt her child. She had met them and the spirit told her they were the couple for her child. I admit, it was hard on Geoff and I. But how could we deny the influence of God in this work?
It was actually only 5 days after that that we got the call about meeting with Maria, and two weeks after that we took Mina home.
This birth mother had just heard that Geoff and I had adopted and she called to congratulate us, apologizing that she hadn't chosen us, telling me she had been thinking about me a lot ever since she made her decision. What an amazing woman! She herself was going through a difficult time of decision making in her life and yet she was thinking about me, not wanting to hurt Geoff and I, and wishing that it could have been us, but knowing she couldn't deny the spirit. She has a great relationship with the adoptive parents of her daughter and sounded very happy on the phone, stating that the adoption process had turned out to be one of the best experiences of her life. It was great talking to her and being blessed by her amazing character.

Maria also called today and it was great talking to her. She is also an amazing woman, doing a great job raising her other children, maintaining her positive and happy nature. I feel so blessed that she picked us and that she has become such a good friend. I can see God's hand in this work more and more every day. God knew that Mina was meant to come to us and if the first birth mother had picked us we would not have been able to adopt Mina. Maria felt a connection with us just by looking at our picture and we all felt that connection when we met. It only took Maria two days to decide that she was serious about adoption and that we were the couple to adopt her child.

Geoff and I recently listened to a program on NPR about abortion and one of the Dr's on the show mentioned that women who choose abortion are actually unselfish because they realize they would be unable to care for a child. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, especially after being involved in the adoption process and having met birth mothers who had made the decision that really was unselfish. Birth mothers, too, realize that they would be unable to care for a child, but proceed with the pregnancy and give life to a child as a gift for someone else. Not much comes closer to the atonement of Christ, giving a life while putting their own life in danger, literally, to do so.

I found this poem about birth mothers and would like to share. Geoff and I are in awe of these amazing women.

Birthmother

by Leslie Gallimore of Charlotte Pregnancy Center *as published in the July 2004 BirthMom Buds Bulletin

B is for the bravery of putting your child first
I is for the interest you have in your child
R is for remaining true to what you believed is best
T is for the tears you shed
H is for the hours you spend pondering adoption
M is for the months you were pregnant
O is for the overwhelming and mixed emotions
T is for the terrific woman you are
H is for the honor you deserve
E is for the experience of labor
R is for the reward of choosing life

Geoff and I want to honor all birth mothers and encourage everyone to do the same, especially during this month celebrating adoption. Let's celebrate birth mothers and the miraculous decision they have made.

Mina's real photo session

This is Mina at 6 weeks old. Isn't she cute? This first picture is my favorite.