To Our Sweet Sweet Tyler.... Happy Birthday!

Just over three short years ago my heart was breaking as I wondered what Heavenly Father had in store for our family as far as more children goes.  Then one day we got a phone call that a sweet woman from Louisiana was going to have a baby boy and would like this baby to be a part of our family.  We were so excited for your arrival.  I'll leave out many of the details, they are all written in my journal but may I just say, Tyler, the joy you have brought to our family is more than I could ever put into words.  You completed us as a family and you healed my broken heart.  The night you were born I sat in the bathroom and cried until my head almost exploded because I knew the answer to my prayers had finally arrived.  I can never repay your beautiful birth mother, she gave me the world through you.  I love you, I love you, I love you.  Happy Day!  "I'll love you forever,  I'll like you for always, as long as forever, my baby you'll be." 

I have hit an all time low...

Dear Trav just walked out the door for school in a pair of shorts that he slept in last night and wore to school yesterday.  I know, it's pretty low, but I have other things to be worrying about, like why my three year old is calling me a succor and running around naked with a cowboy hat and a golf club.  When he's does finally get dressed he is in his brother's underwear because he keeps peeing in his and I can't seem to reach the bottom of the enormous pile of laundry.  I'm not quite sure why all these people depend on me for their physical and emotional well being, I really shouldn't be trusted.  Jake got terribly mad at everyone in the family the other day and said, "I can't stand any of you, you're the fattest family in the whole world."  That was sure thoughtful of him.  Tyler wet his pants everywhere we went today including all over in the yogurt shop (that can't be sanitary), you ask, why are you potty training him then, but I do see a glimmer of hope every few days.  I went to Walmart with Q the other day and he wouldn't even walk by me and told me everything was SO STUPID because I wouldn't buy him all the box tops items so his teacher could keep winning the box tops competition.  By the time we got home I was almost in tears and he has no idea that he was such a teenager.  I tried to be nice and let things go, started talking to him about golf and he told me he said a swear word at the golf course, yes, my son said the S word.  We are pretty much falling short at everything over here.  I sent Jake out to pick up dog poop (TONS) and I looked out when he was about done and guess where all the dog poop had gone, it got thrown over the wall.  Who knows how long that has been going on.  Luckily, it's an empty lot but it's still someone's property and I'm sure they don't want it covered in dog poop.  I was determined to make sure I spend more QUALITY time with Ty everyday, so we got out the puzzles.  I walked away to change the wash and he threw the puzzle pieces all over the kitchen yelling "FIYA (fire)."  The floor is covered in puzzles, the bathrooms never get scrubbed, the laundry is overflowing, there's dead cockroaches everywhere, I'm sticking to the floor,  I have lost all control.  So now I just pray.  I pray that through all of this chaos something good we have taught them will stick.   

More pics coming..

Watch out here he comes.

Sacrament meeting with these rowdies is always fun!

And in the end...

Broc and I both agreed that one could never understand this experience unless they have experienced it.  We came home and people ask us how the trip was, we try to explain how incredible it was and they say, "so what part did you play in the pageant?"  Then we say to ourselves, they don't get it, it's not about the pageant, it's about bringing souls to Christ, especially your own.  When your engaged in that work all day long, it's a happy day every day, and you come home a changed person and a changed family, with a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ and a loving Heavenly Father and a stronger desire to do a little better each day.  The sacrifice we thought we were making to give up two weeks of our summer turned out to be the most wonderful time we could have ever imagined. 

Nothing could erase what Nauvoo had given us... THAT we took with us.

This is one of the families we stayed with, the Austin's, love love love them!  

The Lord had his hand in that one. 

This sweet girl, Sarah, reached back and held Broc's hand all the way through a program we were watching where Broc was sobbing so hard he was having a hard time.  The next night she asked him to dance and told him she loved him the best then gave him a big kiss, right on the kisser. 

Saying goodbye to our many friends, it was a very emotional night.  We cried till' we all had headaches. 

Doug and Tyler, Doug is 15 and has an amazing testimony, he was such a good example to the boys. 

Quincy, with his friend Jenny.  They tore up the dance floor. 

Friends forever.

These are all members of the core cast that wrapped their arms around us

and loved us as much as we loved them.