I Still Got It.....A Little

On Monday I went to the Mormon Trail Center to interpret for a group coming in from the Deaf school in Iowa. There were about 35 kids from 5th to 8th grade. I was pretty nervous because it has been about 4 years since I've done any interpreting. But I must say, I was okay. Adequate at least. I was nothing like I was when I was in my prime, but I held my own and they still got something out of it. There was another girl there interpreting also. She is in an interpeting program right now and is going to graduate in May. I could still voice better than her (voicing is a deaf person signing and the interpreter says out loud what they are signing), actually she couldn't do any of the voicing. So I wasn't horrible and it was very fun to sign again and get to hang out with some deaf folks. Now I remember why I love signing so much.

Happy Holidays!

Yes, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The judge did grant our appeal to adopt Moses and Matt and I both cried. I don't know what to say about the sealing. It seems to kind of trivialize it when I try to describe what it was like. They took me into the bride's room to get ready and to get changed after. When I was in there with my escort after the sealing I told her that it was much better than being a bride. I am so overjoyed to be the mother of Ava and Moses and that was an incredibly happy day.

We are glad to be back home, although it was great to see our families. And we are so excited for Christmas and Matt getting out of school! I decorated the house with the kids and Ava and I made fudge (it didn't turn out very well, it was my first time making it without my Mama). Now if Matt lives through his finals (he had taken 3 when I asked if he was halfway done and he said, "No, I have 11 more."), we'll be able to enjoy this Christmas season.

I will share pictures when I get them. Until then, here are a few Fall pictures my lovely friend Carissa took.

Tagged

Here are the rules:

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


1. In the almost 5 years Matt and I have been married we have lived in 6 states and moved 10 times (I think). Many thanks to the very professional Stephenson Moving Company.

2. I get very talkative as soon as I go to bed. Perhaps it is because that is the only time I have a moment to myself to think. Well, probably not because I've been that way since I was little--my dad used to make me sleep on the couch so I would stop talking to my sisters. But don't worry, Matt just falls asleep and I talk to myself.

3. I only like flat soda. So I undo the lid and leave it in the fridge for a couple days, then it's good.

4. I used to be up there with the top 'high endurance shoppers', but then I had children and my skills have been seriously depleted.

5. I once dated a boy who became a professional surfer.

6. When I was little I wanted to be a judge. Now someday I would like to interpret again or else open a shampoo store. Oh, how I love shampoo.

Blessed November

It is finally November! It seems like I have been waiting forever for this very month. This is the month we are going to Utah to visit our families, have Thanksgiving, and get a break from dental school life. AND, most importantly, this is the month we are finalizing our adoption and Moses is being sealed to us. I can't tell you what it feels like to even think about it. I even get teary eyed when I read the letter from our lawyer about our court date. I am really so grateful that eveything has gone perfectly and we have no fears that we will finalize and be sealed without any problems.

I am thankful to our agency, to our families and friends, and mostly to Moses' birthmom. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her. I hope that I am, and can continue to be, the mother she wanted for her son. I hope that she is finding peace through her grief. I hope that the pictures and letters I send to her convey some of the love and respect I have for her. I think she knows how loved Moses is--because she loves him too.

Halloween

Halloween was fun. Ava was much better at trick-or-treating this year than last. She would knock on the door, say "trick-or-treat" and then she would say, "I a witch! Thanks. Bye. See you tomorrow!" Moses just likes to chew on wrappers. I'm glad it is over and I don't have to dress those kids up anymore. After the dental school party, the dental school parade, and trick-or-treating I am done.

Still Alive...

I know it's been a while since I put anything new up. Just so you know, I didn't drop off the face of the earth. I have two kids is all. We've all been taking turns being sick and whatnot. But before the sickness gods rained down on us, we had fun last week when Matt had 3 days off for fall break. We went to a "pumpkin patch" that was really more like a fair, we rearranged our back room and bought a futon (hint hint--I have somewhere to sleep for anyone that wants to come visit now), and Ava and Matt went on a daddy/daughter date to the zoo. So here's a whole mess of pictures of the darlings.

Little Miss Thing

Average Height for Age

Well Above Average Height (what a stud)

Hey Good Lookin'

With My Sidekicks

Daddy Daughter Date

Serious Shopping Potential

The Darlings

Little Black Buddha

The boy can eat!
And eat.And that is why he looks like this. Fat and happy.

The Making of a Dentist

Here he is, folks, your soon-to-be Dr. Stephenson.

Cute, Cute, Cute

If they weren't so darn cute....

Mother of the Year, But Only for a Day

Last Friday I was a successful mother. We got up and Ava and I played with her train tracks and blocks while Moses practiced his scooting. When Moses was ready for a nap I rocked and sang him to sleep instead of just putting him in his bed. Then Ava and I made Halloween cookies and had lunch. During her nap I got the house cleaned up and a shower too! Then when the kids woke up we had Kaydee and her mom come over for a tea party. Then we all played outside for a couple hours because the weather was gorgeous.
It's just not that often I feel like I am spending enough time with both my kids and getting the things done that I need to do. But I'm workin' on it..........and every so often I do something right.

Ava's New Book

I made a book for Ava about Moses coming to our family. I wanted her to start to get a general idea about how this all came about. I wrote a little story and put pictues with it. I finally got it finished last night and we read it for family night. When we read the part about Moses' birthmom she said, "A birthday cake?!" It may be a while before it all makes sense.... I plan on making a storybook for Moses too that has more details about his other mama, but that can wait a little while.

Here is the story and a couple pictures I included:

Ava and Moses

Once upon a time there was a pretty little girl named Ava. She had a beautiful smile and bright, shining eyes. She made everyone happy with her funny laugh. Everyone loved Ava.

One day Ava found out she was going to get a baby brother. Her mommy and daddy wanted Ava to have a brother to play with and they knew they would love a little boy.

A mommy who lived far away heard about Ava and her mommy and daddy. She thought Ava was so pretty and looked liked a good big sister. She wanted her baby boy to come to Ava’s family and be her baby brother. She knew that Ava and her mommy and daddy would love her baby boy.

She came to where Ava and her mommy and daddy lived. She went to the hospital and Ava’s mom and dad went too. It was a wonderful day. Do you know why??? Because that is the day Moses was born! Moses was a perfect baby boy. He had curly black hair and big, dark eyes.

Everyone was so happy when he was born. Everyone loved Moses.

Ava came to the hospital to see her new baby brother. She thought he was really cute. Moses started making squeaking noises and Ava called him a “monster”. When it was time to go home, Mommy and Daddy said goodbye to Mosey’s birthmom. They said thank you for giving us Moses. She was happy Moses had a family that loves him. Then Mommy and Daddy took Ava and Moses home. Everyone was happy that the pretty little girl, Ava, now had a perfect little brother, Moses.

Life After Exhaustion

The last three nights Moses has slept from 8:30pm til 6am. To celebrate we cleaned the house, went to the zoo, and today, shopping. Life is liveable again, I can come out of survival mode. Oh, the thrills in the life of a mama.

Love You Pops

My dad had a heart attack yesterday. Quite the scare. He had an angioplast and a stint put in and he is 'fixed' for now I guess. Still, you are never ready for a call like that. It makes you contemplate on a lot of things--how fragile life is, everything that would be different without this person, your own health and habits, etc. I kept thinking, "I'm not old enough, I still need my dad." But when will I ever not need my dad? He's a good one, the best really.

He should be getting out of the hospital soon. He is being his old stubborn self and just wants outta there. Glad he didn't go anywhere, after all, he told me he is going to die when he's 95, on his motorcycle, doing a wheelie across the train tracks. I'll hold you to it, Dad.

My Funny Ava

A few funny stories:

We have church at 3 pm and sacrament is last. Yes, it is brutal. So last Fast Sunday we are halfway through testimony meeting and a man is finishing up. Right when he says, "Amen" Ava shouts out, "Amen! Enough, Mama. Enough!" I couldn't agree more.

So Halloween has arrived in the stores. The kids and I were passing the monster aisle in WalMart and we see a demonic figure in a black hooded cape. Ava says loudly (like she says everything), "Look, Mama, it's Jesus!" Uhhh, sometimes words escape me.

Ava has a secret stash of pens somewhere. I always keep the pens out of her reach, but she always manages to find one. The other day I found a lovely picture drawn on my couch. I called her in, pointed to it, and asked her if she drew on the couch. She replied, "I draw on the wall

too!" And she wasn't lying.

Heaven help me with this child.

Good Mojo

The title of this post is a tribute to my favorite cousin Emma. For those of you who don't know, Mosey's name is Moses Jordan--MoJo. We took a little while after he was born to decide on a middle name. Jordan is actually the name his birthmom picked out. Emma was very helpful in the process. She came up with gems like Moses Theodore--MoTed and Moses Matthew--MoMatt. I can't remember them all, but there were quite a few. Emma, feel free to post the others, they were quite funny.


Anyway, on a more serious note, recently my mom has told me about a couple incidents of extended family members having negative reactions to Moses being in the family. Now these are family members that I am not particularly close to, and I will grant that they are older and I realize it was different "back in the day", although racism was, and is, never okay. He is my son and while I don't let it bother me too much I do have a gut reaction when I hear these things. The ignorance of racism is not my fault, and cetainly not Mosey's fault. I didn't go into this unprepared. I've known I would adopt since I was 15. I've read many a book and study on transracial adoption. I was fully aware that the moment we adopted a black child we would become an interracial family and open up even our white daughter to racism. And in a way that is good. I think it will be good for Ava to know what racism is like and why it is so despicable and ridiculous. The very thing that makes certain people think my son is beneath them is the thing that made me want him. So I'm not surprised and I'm not hurt. I don't have anything to say about racism that has not been said before. Racism is an expression of ignorance and fear. Racism can only result from a lack of understanding of God and an unwillingness to step outside your comfort zone. Racism is a tragedy that has plagued us from pretty much the beginning, and probably will until the end. I will be a fighter when it comes to racism, but not a warrior. I will fight some battles for my son, then let him fight his own. His road won't be easy, and I wouldn't want it to be. How can he change the world if he never learns to rise above the nonsense?

Overachiever

Moses is rolling over and scooting across the floor--at 3 1/2 months! He pulls his feet up under him, pushes his bum up in the air, and then shoves his legs out to move across the floor. He can go quite far when he wants something. Matt is so proud because there are two little girls that are 6 months and they don't move yet. Matt wants his boy to show up those girls. I, on the other hand, am not looking forward to moving everything out of reach and picking up the contents of my kitchen cupboards numerous times a day.

From the mouth of babes...

Our bishop and 1st counselor came over for the get-to-know you visit. Now, our bishop is quite young and was called just a few weeks ago so ya gotta give him the benefit of the doubt. But, they stayed WAY too long. Honestly, we're talking an hour and a half. It was getting to be Ava's bedtime and she needed her mama. Finally Ava said right to the bishop, "Leave now! Out the door!". I love that girl.

Kids' Room

Here are some picture of Ava and Mosey's room. Also for your viewing delight there is a picture of our downstairs bathroom. No, I did not decorate it that way. I miss the beach, but not that much. Someone had a lot of time on their hands.......

Motherhood makes me crazy, but I love it, every stinking moment. Everything, and I mean everything, becomes worth it when Ava says, "I luf you most, Mama." So here they are, the joys of my existence.

Sucked in

I really don't think I'm the blogging type. Something about writing about yourself and thinking other people want to read it. But I must admit that I do occasionally look at a few friend's blogs and I see nothing wrong with them doing it. However, Lechelle (one of my oldest friends) has been pushing me to start a blog and I realized that people don't want to read about me, but they do want to read about and see Ava and Moses. So I guess this is really the Ava and Moses blog. Enjoy!