Final Days of Summer

"National Cheesecake Day" - a day where The Cheesecake Factory serves half price cheesecake - 

was the same week as Andrew's birthday.

So I asked my mom to babysit, and he and I enjoyed a nice and probably long overdue night out.

I was going to meet Andrew downtown; he was coming straight from work.

My mom wanted to take the boys on a field trip.

So we rode the Front-runner together.

The boys were excited to be up on the second level of the train.

Andrew and I were trying to keep our evening cheap.

We had dinner at Apollo Buger, then the half priced cheesecake at the City Creek location.

We still had time to spare, so we stopped in at a Deseret Book for some shopping.

By this time, I was feeling pretty sick.

This pregnancy has been hard on me and I haven't been up and out much.

So we headed home and got there just before the boys came back.

They had a blast and were mad at us for being home already.

They had been looking forward to having Grandma put them to bed.

The next morning we had the opportunity to go to the movie with Michael.

The three boys had a great time.

Michael had brought some money, but we didn't buy treats.

So afterwards he and the boys played motorcycle racing games in the lobby.

Ammon did such a great job that he earned a second game free.

On Thursday of that week we had a chance to go hiking.

Early in the summer, I had a friend announce that she would be doing weekly hikes.

I was so jealous!

It was the exact sort of thing I wanted to plan for the summer.

But I was so so sick and knew I couldn't do it.

By the time the morning sickness started to be behind me,

she was onto some challenging hikes that I knew I would be able to do.

But on this particular week I looked at her hiking plans and thought we could pull it off.

It turned out to be a great time.

We went to Cecret Lake.

The walk was beautiful.

There got to be a decent climb, especially towards the end.

But we all made it!

The boys had a blast.

The hike was actually on Andrew's birthday, but we waited until Saturday to celebrate.

We invited all of our families from both sides to come over for cake and ice-cream.

He originally asked for a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

I asked him if I could do something more fancy.

We ended up with a chocolate cake with mousse filling, ganache on top, and toffee chips all over.

It was awesome!

We enjoyed having everyone come that could make it.

One thing we traditionally do at least once a year is go to Silver Lake.

For several years we did multiple trips.

Last year we didn't get to it at all.

(I think moving just threw us off.)

I was determined not to miss it this time around.

Andy was busy with work, so I invited my mom to go with me and the boys.

We had an extra seat in the car, so we invited Kambria to join us.

The evening before our walk, my back started to bother me.

I wondered if I should cancel the hike.

But I really wanted to go.

My mom kept asking me if I was going to be able to make it and I kept insisting that I could.

But by the time we got to the fishing dock I realized that I had made a critical mistake.

Fortunately, Ammon wanted to stay and watch the fishers.

My mom took Peter and Kambria around the lake.

They saved a butterfly who had gotten too wet to fly by keeping it safe until it's wings dried off.

My back was hurting so much that I couldn't even drive anymore.

My mom took the wheel and after dropping off Kambria, she made an impromptu stop.

I wasn't able to get out of the car, but I sent my mom with the camera.

These animals were super friendly and the boys had a great time petting them.

Over the next couple of days my back continued to decline.

I had intended to spend the next week at BYU Education Week with several family members.

I had arranged babysitting and had everything scheduled and ready to go.

As it turned out, those babysitting arrangements came in handy.

I spent the entire next week completely laid up.

The boys enjoyed going to the homes of various people to play.

It wasn't the ideal way to spend the last week of summer, but it worked.

And then, it was back to school!

The summer was plagued with a lot more sickness than I had  imagined or hoped for.

The summer was nothing like I had planned.

But I'm thinking that around the first week of January, when we hold our precious little girl,

we will unequivocally say that it was worth it.

Shave Ice

The name "shave ice" drives my husband crazy.

Why isn't it shaveD ice?

But either way, the boys LOVE it.

We had a chance to enjoy some at an open house for Peggy's work.

It was bright, colorful, huge and delicious!

A perfect summer treat.

Kicking off the Season

This is our first Christmas in our new house.

It was fun to figure out how to arrange the furniture to make room for the tree.

And now that we have a house and place to store things,

I am hoping to start collecting more and more decorations.

(Starting with a bigger tree - hopefully to be found on clearance after Christmas is over this year.)

As excited as I was to pull out our ornaments and the few decorations we have,

Ammon and Peter were even more thrilled.

It was fun to hear them exclaim, "I remember this!" time and time again.

I want to have more traditional things for them to remember, before these years are over.

Once again, Christmas season is the middle of finals for me.

While I went to LifeStone for my internship, Andrew took the boys to Home Depot.

They had fun making projects.

(Shhhh.  Don't tell them I've already seen these pictures - I'm getting their projects as gifts!)

I'm glad they had fun visiting with Santa while they were there.

Since Tucano's gives a free meal to anyone with a birthday, lunch there has become an annual tradition.

For Andrew's birthday he and I go as a date.

For Ammon and my birthday, we make it a family affair.

Ammon still loves the chicken hearts.

He just couldn't get enough.

Peter loved the bacon wrapped sirloin.

It took us a while to convince him to try anything else.

Finally he decided that the brown-sugar ham was pretty good too.

And of course they both LOVE the grilled pineapple.

This year the briscut was my favorite.

Andrew enjoyed the buffalo chicken and bacon wrapped turkey.

After lunch we went to the Andrew's parents house to make cookies.

This has turned in to such a fun tradition - we do it every Christmas season.

The recipe is one that has been in the Shadel for generations and I have come to love these cookies!

And as much as I love the cookies, the memories of making them together are even better.

Of course, we can't kick off Christmas in this house without watching this video a dozen times or so.

I grew up loving this song - mostly because my dad loved it.

We were so excited when the Tabernacle Choir, which my mother-in-law was a member of, themed their concert around this a few years ago.

Even with our enthusiasm, neither Andrew nor I anticipated loving this story as much as we do.

This year seemed to have a lot of really hard situations highlighted in the news.

I was grateful to listen to this yet again and be reminded that even when things seem dark, there is still light.

I've also enjoyed a few nights out for Christmas festivities.

The ladies in my neighborhood did a tour of four homes where we learned about different traditions.

It was a really fun night.

I also had the chance to attend an ornament exchange party.

I'm still wrapping up school and getting ready to apply for graduate school.

But somehow, I've been able to also breathe a little and enjoy the season.

And in just a few more days, hopefully I'll be able to immerse myself in holiday cheer even more.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

The Joys of June Part 2

I tired to get all of my June pictures in one post.

When I was done I realized I missed a TON of pictures.

So here we go again.

My mother-in-law and I hung out with Rosie's four older siblings the day after she was born.

Peggy came prepared with some fun science experiments for the kids.

They had fun!

We surprised my Grandma with a party in her honor the day before her birthday.

All of my parents grandchildren were there.

The kids just love knowing their great-grandma!

It was fun to celebrate with her.

Uncle Dan let all the kids try out his motorcycle helmet after the party.

Peter didn't want to get on the bike - he just wore the helmet.

Cookie Chaser 2K/5K

Pictures taken April 28, 2012

A few years ago Peggy invited Ammon and Michael to run this 2K race with her.

This year Peter and Sophia were old enough to join the fun.

In the past it conflicted with a triathlon Andrew and Derrick liked to do.

But this year the conflict didn't happen.

Peggy and Derrick ran the 2K with the Grandchildren.

Afterwards, Peggy Derrick, Andrew and I did the 5K.

Of my two boys, Peter is definitely the happier runner.

But coming up the final stretch Ammon decided he couldn't be beat by his little brother.

He sprinted ahead and came in before Peter.

That said, Peter was the only one of the four children to place in his age group.

He got a medal for 3rd place!

We also won lots of girl scout cookies!

After the race, the four of us went to Village Inn for breakfast.

Then we went to Peter's soccer game where he ran even more.

Christmas, New Years and Ammon's Birthday

Nunes Family Christmas Party 2011

Every year we enjoy Christmas parties with our families.

With my family we had games, crafts, gift exchanges and great food.

It was especially fun to have my grandparents there.

This was their first Christmas with us in Utah.

Shadel Family Christmas Party 2011

With Andy's family we had the children act out the nativity.
Peter was Joseph (a tribute to his middle name) and Ammon was a wise man.

We had a buffet of desserts and another gift exchange.

Aunt Kara made all the boys hats that looked like Angry Birds.

They love them and have had lots of compliments since wearing them.

Christmas Eve 2011

On Christmas Eve we saw Arthur's Christmas with some of Andy's family.
We really enjoyed the movie.
Afterwards we went to my parents house.
My sister Rebecca came over and we exchanged gifts with my parents and grandparents.
We also enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.
One of the gifts Andy received was a fondu pot.
You can see from the picture that he is THRILLED!
Ammon received his first Monopoly game - he is so into games right now.

Christmas Day 2011

We had a great Christmas morning.

We opened presents and the boys were each thrilled with the things they received.

We enjoyed going to church and feeling the nice Christmas Spirit there.

Sadly, Andy and I ended up with a flu bug and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty lousy.

We learned that the best time for parents to check out is the day when the kids get new toys.

The boys spent the afternoon and evening playing and having tons of fun

While Andy and I drifted in and out of sleep.

Christmas Break 2011

Over Christmas break we went ice skating as a family.

I think I enjoy ice skating more than the rest of them, but we all had fun.

By the time we left, Ammon was pretty comfortable skating around the rink himself.

Peter was capable but not comfortable alone.

I'm betting that by next year they will both be able to do quite well.

New Years Eve 2011

We spent New Years Eve at my sisters house.

The kids have so much fun playing together.

I love to take every opportunity we get to let them spend time with each other.

This was the first night we played Forbidden Island.

Ammon loved it so much that Carolyn, Kylie and Isaiah bought him the game for his birthday.

(Which had already past, but we hadn't had his party yet.)

The kids stayed up all the way until midnight.

Uncle Jeremiah lit some fireworks before we headed home.

The boys were asleep almost as soon as they were buckled into the car.

New Years Day 2012

In addition to Andy receiving a fondu pot, my sister Rebecca did as well.

(Ironically, these were gifts from different people so it was a fun coincidence.)

My brother Joe and sister Katy already had their own fondu pots so we decided a party was in order.

We had four different chocolate dips.

There was a buffet with just about EVERYTHING you could imagine putting chocolate on.

It was yet another fun night with my family!

Ammon's 8th Birthday Party

We had Ammon's birthday party at our church, which turned out to be awesome.

We had so much space for kids to run around, which was good for the 13 of them!

Andy was at work during the party, but thankfully a great friend of mine volunteered to help me.

I don't know how I would have managed without her!

I think the party was a great success and hope Ammon has great memories of it.

Another Miracle

A little more than six years ago, I remember sitting with my sister-in-law, holding my sweet  Ammon, and talking about how anxious I was - even disappointed in my impatience as it was taking longer than desired for me to have another baby.  She was somewhat offended by my comments, making it clear to me that I should be grateful for what I had, and that even just one baby was SUCH a blessing.  Her reaction was an emotional one as she had struggled for years with infertility and unsuccessful adoption attempts.  She was growing discouraged, wondering if this deepest desire of her heart would ever come to pass.

A few weeks/months later, she was a mother herself.  Through adoption, she had finally received the miracle of motherhood and was thrilled beyond belief.  


But her story didn't end there.

16 short months later, she and her husband were contacted with the opportunity to adopt a baby girl who was to be born to the same birth mother of their son.  Of course they jumped on that opportunity and were happy to be blessed with two beautiful children.

Three and a half years passed.  Everyone, including them wondered whether or not more children would come to them.  And then it happened - the miracle of Quincy.  It was a sudden but heart-wrenching journey that resulted in another child finding his way into the arms of his parents.

Soon after Quincy was born, Tim and Jen felt driven to pursue another adoption.  They were certain there was another child that they needed to find.  With some bumps, heartbreaks and difficult choices along the way, they were eventually blessed with their son Sam - now just three and a half months old.  (He is 14 months younger than Quincy.)

Yesterday, Jen learned that, for the first time in her life, she is pregnant!!!  The news is thrilling beyond belief and I just keep thinking back to that conversation, less than seven years ago, when she truly wondered if she would ever get to be a mother in this life.  And yet she is suddenly on the road to becoming the mother of her fifth child!  


It is a testimony to me that Heavenly Father is over all, and that no situation or circumstance is permanent.  Whatever sorrows we are asked to travel through, they will eventually come to a close and Heavenly Father will bless us more abundantly than we would have ever expected or imagined.  The Savior truly is "An High Priest of Good Things to Come".

I just wanted to share with you all the excitement of Jennifer's news.  It is absolutely amazing!

Cow-A-Bunga Bay

Pictures taken August 18, 2011

This past winter, Andrew's parents moved near a fun water park.  Gramma promised the kids that they would get to go play there.  We waited and waited until it got warm enough.  Then, suddenly summer was over and we still hadn't gone.  Just before school started I realize that I'd better get them there before we faced another winter of unfulfilled promises.

Ammon was the perfect age for this activity.  He LOVED it and could have spent many more hours there than we did.  Peter also had fun, but was just as excited to go back to Gramma's house afterwards for some icecream.  Overall, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon and with it being in sight every time we visit Grandparents, I'm sure we'll end up playing there many times more over the years.

Andrew's Birthday

Pictures taken August 06, 2011

This is the second year we celebrated Andrew's birthday at Silver Lake with his family.

It is a fun tradition and one we hope to continue.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Then walked around the trail.

We finished the party with cake.

Gotta love that frosting!

Meeting Sam as a Family

Taken July 15, 2011

I was able to go to the hospital and meet my nephew Samuel, but the rest of the family waited until he was home.  Ammon, Peter and I had a fun play date at Jennifer's house and Andrew stopped by after work.  The boys fluctuated between being completely enamored with the baby and rushing off to play with the cousins that are their own ages.  Andrew acted nervous about holding Sam - he always says he's scared of babies.  But of course he is great with the little kiddos and looked like the most handsome uncle I know.

Samuel

 On June 30, my newest nephew was born.  Frighteningly, he was quite sick.  Fortunately, he had fantastic doctors and medical staff who took great care of him.  I was able to visit him in the NICU when he was just seven days old. 

My visit with him was a peaceful one.  Sam's mom took me into his room and told the nurse that I had permission to hold him.  Then she dismissed herself so that she could speak to the doctors about how he was doing.  We arrived just after his lunch time so he was full, happy and wide eyed.  I was able to talk with him for a few minutes (I LOVE talking to babies).  After a little while I just snuggled him in my arms and he fell asleep.  He is such a precious little boy who has already received so much love in this little life!  When Jen was done learning about the medical updates she needed on her adorable little boy, she joined me in his room.  We were able to sit and visit for a while.  Finally, we headed home, hopeful that he would be coming home in just three more days - which he did!

Play Date in Sam's Honor

On the last day of June our family welcomed a new little nephew/cousin to the gang.  He was obviously in the hospital, so the next day Ammon, Peter and I were able to spend the afternoon with baby Samuel's three older siblings.  We had a lot of fun at their house and at the park across the street. 

Thing 1, Thing 2 and Their Siblings

Pictures taken June 27, 2011

Our brother-in-law was out of town, so Andrew's sister decided to use that as a chance to do some rare play dates for the cousins.  My boys were thrilled to have Will, Kate, Spencer and baby Jack come and visit.  They weren't really sure who Hannah was, but she is only seven months old and has probably been sleeping in her car seat pretty much every time we've seen them, so I really couldn't blame them for not knowing their cousin.  Ammon and Will read a Lego  book together.  Peter did a puzzle with Kate and Spencer.  Jack kind of did his own thing and Hannah, well I think she mostly slept in her car seat...  haha!  Just kidding.  I think she was awake for some of the time - I even held her for a little while.  It was a fun visit.  Maybe Dale should go out of town more often...

Mario Kart Birthday Party

Pictures taken June 26, 2011

On Sunday evening Peggy and Derrick came over so that we could celebrate Derrick's birthday.  We planned to play Mario Kart, which Peggy had only played once and was willing/excited to try again.  Derrick had never played.  They enjoyed the game while I finished up dinner.  We had a mexican fiesta, so we put the candles in the corn bread cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday.  For dessert we had root beer floats.  Weird choice since it wasn't mexican food-ish or birthday-ish, but Andrew designed the menu and after making sure he thought the birthday boy would like rootbeer floats, we went with it.

After dinner we had some more Mario Kart and then Ammon snuggled on the couch while Derrick read Harry Potter.  Ammon was almost at the end of the second book and Derrick read for an entire hour!  Ammon didn't want to stop.  Peter alternated between listening and playing the fish game with Gramma Peggy.

We finally sent the boys to bed and visited for a while longer before Andrew's parents went home.  Thanks for celebrating your birthday with us, Derrick!  We had a great time!

***

Funny comment from Peter:

While looking at the picture of the two candles he asked, "Is Grandpa 11?"

One Last Time

Pictures taken June 14, 2011

Andrew's parents moved to a new home earlier this year.

They love it.

The sale of their old home is finishing up this week (or next).

We went to move some final things and the boys couldn't help but gravitate to the backyard.

After Andrew and Derrick finished packing stuff into the truck, I couldn't resist.

Would Grandpa go out back and push the boys one last time?

These swings showed up in the backyard about as soon as Ammon was big enough to sit up.

OK- maybe not quite that soon, but early on in his little life.

They were there since before Peter was born.

Grandpa Derrick taught my boys what an under-dog is.

(Pushing the swing hard while running under it, through to the other side.)

And on many family occasions, he spent the afternoon indulging them.

I'm glad Peggy and Derrick are so happy with their new home.

But I'll admit, I got a little choked up knowing we won't ever be going back to this one.

Shadel Cousins Visit

Pictures taken June 7, 2011

Ammon was the last of his cousins to have his school year end.  For some reason, his school district seemed to drag it out and he had several short days in those last two weeks.  We took advantage of his half-day, and my sister-in-law brought her kids up to play.  The plan had originally been to go to Heritage Park, but when they arrived, the kids were all happy to just hang out with each other and play outside.  We eventually got moving, though, and still made a quick stop to ride the ponies and pan for gold.  We're looking forward to several more visits over the summer.

Later that evening, we had an opportunity to have the other cousins from that side of the family visit us.  We spent most of our time outside letting the kids play.  My brother-in-law and sister-in-law took their two youngest children and went to a viewing down the road.  They weren't gone for very long and came back and we visited for a while before they left.  It was nice to have them in the area - of all our family, they are the ones we see the least.

I love that my kids have been surrounded by cousins so near in age and geography.  Its a great way to raise a family!

Family Visits

On the day of Ammon's field trip, Peter went to play with his Shadel cousins.

When the field trip was over, I checked Ammon out of school and we joined them.

It was the weekend that Andrew was volunteering for the St. George Ironman, so we were happy to visit.

Afterwards, we ran into my brother at my mom's house.
He was helping her build a small shed on the side of her house.
Ammon and Peter were eager to help out.

My sister and her kids were also there.

My brother-in-law was also gone for the night, so my sister and I had a slumber party at her house.

The kids enjoyed a movie together and had lots of fun playing.

(pictures of the slumber party are in the first collage.)

The next weekend was my nephew's birthday.

The boys and I went to Barnes and Noble to get this book for my nephew.

The boys enjoyed playing with the trains while we were there.

Afterwards, we enjoyed several several cousins for some birthday activities at Andrew's parents home.

May is a big birthday month in our family.

On my side my mom, sister and niece all have May birthdays, as well as my grandpa.

His birthday is the same day as a nephew on Andrew's side.

(A different nephew than the one who got the book.)

On the day of their birthday, we celebrated with my grandpa.

This is the first year that my grandpa has been local to celebrate.

And it worked well that my nephew wanted to wait an extra week for his party.

He wanted to go see Kung Fu Panda 2.

For my grandpa's birthday, my sister-in-law showed my sister and I how to make cake bites.

In Grandpa's honor, we fashioned them after baseballs.

Grandma also bought a cake.

She hosted his party and gave all the children little goody bags - which they LOVE.

After the party, my sister and I kept our families there.

We watched the kids while our husbands played Hand and Foot with my grandparents.

After four busy weekends of Andrew either being gone for work or triathlons, he was home.

I celebrated in STYLE.

My baby sister had given me a gift card for a massage for Christmas.

I saved it for Spring Break, but didn't get around to it.

Then I saved it for finals, but still didn't use it.

I decided I would wait until school was out, but I still wasn't following through.

My sister Katy called and asked if I still had it.

She had hers to, and was going to go.

She scheduled our appointments AND made arrangements for Peter.

It was a LOVELY afternoon.

Later that day I learned that my husband arranged for his parents to watch our boys that night.

So we were able to go on a date.

It was a rare treat and we had a wonderful time.

The boys had a Harry Potter party with the Shadel grandparents.

They watched the first movie and then Grandpa continued reading from where Ammon was in the 2nd book.

May has been a busy, fun month full of family.

Someone recently asked me if being further away from family was a benefit of our move last year.

I was a bit shocked at that notion.

I LOVE spending time with our families.

I love having my children surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

We are only about 35 minutes away from most of our family, but to me, that is further than I prefer.

We are lucky to be related to so many awesome people.

Dinner Guests

Pictures taken February 20, 2011

One Sunday in February, we had Andrew's brother Tim and his family join us for dinner.  They had invited us over the month before, so we thought we'd reciprocate.  After church, Andy and I worked to get things ready, and the boys went about their own activities.

Ammon spent the time waiting for our guests playing the wii.

Peter spent his time napping on the table...

Both boys stopped what they were doing and joined their cousins when they arrived.

I think they enjoyed being at their own kid table.

(I know the adults enjoyed having our own table...)

Dinner guests are always fun: especially family.

Holiday Fruit Cookies

Pictures taken December 24, 2010

Andy remembers making holiday fruit cookies at Christmas time when he was a boy.

Andy's Dad Derrick remembers them from his childhood as well.

Years ago, when I was first exposed to them, I didn't think much of the cookie itself.
They have dates and pecans in them, but I think I missed the chocolate.

But I liked the tradition.

So we make them every year.

This year we made them with cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

It was a fun group!

And somehow, over the years, these cookies have grown on me.

The past two years I have noticed that I seem to run out of them way too fast.

They have dates and pecans in them - who needs chocolate with that?

Yum!

After the cookies were done, my boys had fun with Michael, Sophia and Quincy.

They were especially cute with Quincy.

And Quincy was cute with them.

My Nephew, Quincy

I have found it interesting that we can have powerful interactions with a loving Heavenly Father - experiences that change us and propel us forward in our understanding of Him and His love for us.  And yet, to the people around us, we can often continue seemingly unchanged.  For that reason, I want to share this, and other experiences I have had.  So that I can remember my own interactions with my loving God, and that perhaps, in some small way, they can also bless my family, friends and especially my children.  So here I begin a new section of my blog: testimony.

It was unusual for my phone to ring so early in the morning, but as I looked to see who it was, it kind of made sense.  My sister Katy was calling.  Like me, she would be getting her children ready to head out the door for school; she would know that her call wasn't waking me up.  Still, I was curious to discover why she would call at this hectic point of day.

My question was quickly answered.  She had learned of an opportunity to adopt a little African American boy who was to be born in the coming weeks.  She was trying to pass the information on to whomever she thought might be interested - she wanted this baby to have a family.  And she was calling to request that I pass the information on to my sister-in-law Jen, who already had adopted two babies of the same ethnicity.  Jen's babies were now four and three years old and a newborn seemed a natural and perfect fit to her family.

I wrote down the information and assured my sister that I would be seeing Jen in less than 30 minutes when I met up with her at the gym.  I hung up and went back to my task of getting Ammon ready for school.  But within a moment or two, an uneasy feeling set over me.  And maybe it wouldn't have made a difference, but I felt prompted to call Jen right away.  So I did.

By the time I got to the gym, Jen was in a flurry of excitement talking about the posibilties.  Can you imagine the dream of having an unepected but much desired baby suddenly in your arms in a matter of weeks?  Because I had called her before getting to the gym, she had already been able to pass the information on to her husband Tim.  And both of them had time to let the potential sink in and begin working through some of the logistics.

The biggest drawback to this adoption was the pricetag.  It would certainly be the most expensive of the three, and they just weren't sure they would be able to do it.  As we left the gym, Jen shared her testimony with me:  "I know that this seems like a lot of money to us, but to Heavenly Father, it is nothing."  She finished by asking me to let her know if I came up with any sort of solution.  I left wondering what I could possibly do, not thinking there really was anything.  I had another prompting, which I considered for a while and then followed.  Maybe it made a difference, maybe it wouldn't have mattered.  I don't think I'll ever know.  What I do know is that hours later, Jen called, and with tears being evident through the sound of her voice she said, "We have the money!  We're going to put in for the adoption!"

By this time, the spirit in all of this was powerful.  It was evident that God was guiding this process and that miracles were taking place for this to work out.  People who had received messages from my sister about this earlier in the morning started calling to find out more details.  I found myself thinking, it doesn't matter for anyone else- this baby belongs to Tim and Jen.

In the coming days there were many more feelings of the Spirit guiding the process.  In a whirl-wind effort, Tim and Jen pulled together their adoption profile and officially got signed up with the agency that this adoption was through.  Everything was perfect and it seemed meant to be.  It came to be the day that the birth mom was going to make the choice.  I was so confident that everything had been done exactly right and that this was meant to be.  And then they got the news - someone else had been selected.

Wow.  It was a bit of a blow.  Somewhat shocking and unexpected.  Because the Spirit had been there - prompting, confirming, promising that this was the right path.  But there was a gentle peace that accompanied the disapointment.  An understanding that even though it didn't work out in the way that was hoped for and expected, that there was a reason they were led to travel this path.  At that point, understanding the reason wasn't so important.  Just the assurance from a loving Heavenly Father that all was right, was enough.

The explanation seemed to come more quickly than expected.  A day or two later the couple who had been selected had to withdraw their acceptance of the adoption, and birth-mom was going to pick again.  The agency called Tim and Jen to ask if they would allow their names to go back in for consideration.  Of course they would!  This news fell over a weekend, and not just any weekend, but (if I remember correctly) the weekend of Fast Sunday (a day of the month when we traditionally fast as a part of our weekly worship).  And so we joined hearts as an extended family, and fasted with this situation in mind.

Years ago I read something that taught me to pray according to the promptings of the Spirit.  It is a tricky skill to develop, but sometimes I feel like I get it right.  And this was an experience where I felt the Spirit instructing me about what it was I should pray for.  Over and over again, the prayer that was given to me to say was not, "Please let the birth mom pick Tim and Jen".  The prayer was not an IF.  It was a WHEN.  "When Tim and Jen are picked, please bless the birth mom to know - to have her own witness that this is Thy will."  It was an unmistakable message from Heavenly Father and became my prayer the entire weekend.

Well, Monday came and so did the news: they were not chosen.  Again.

This became a personal crisis for me.  I was looking into the coming months knowing that I was going to face challenging and important decisions.  Things involving Andy's work, my school, where our family would live etc.  And I would need to have guidance in those things.  And yet, at that moment, my confidence in my own ability to interpret revelation from God was shaken.  I had experienced what I had thought was clear, and undeniable promptings.  I had followed them exactly.  And yet the outcome hadn't matched my prayers!  I was beside myself, reeling in confusion and I needed to find reconciliation.

I fell to my knees in prayer and poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father.  I was distressed and discouraged and confused.  But as I prayed, peace poured into my heart.  And as I knelt by the side of my bed the answer sweetly and softly came:  "You prayed for exactly what I told you to pray for.  You just thought you knew which birth-mom the prayer was for, but you did not."

I wanted to jump up, run to the phone and yell the news to Jen, "There is a different birth mom!  You're going to get a baby!"  But I didn't.  This answer was mine.  It was given for me to have my own questions resolved.  And I felt at peace.

The next day I was talking with Jen, and in an appropriate way we were able to share with each other the promptings we had each received.  They seemed consistant with each other, and we knew that her baby would come, and soon.  There were a couple of other twists and turns in her story.  She still had some tests of faith along the way.  But by the end of the week (or early the next week, I can't remember) she received the news that they had been selected to be the parents of a baby boy expected to be born in just a few weeks.

As it turns out, this particular adoption wasn't determined by the birth-mom.  At the request of the birth-mom, the agency made the choice.  Which just makes it seem so much more powerful to me, that Heavenly Father loved this woman enough, that a week earlier, before I knew she existed, He was prompting me to pray for her - not to make this choice, because he knew she wouldn't be the one who made it.  Instead He led me to pray that she could feel the confirmation that the child in her womb was going to the family that He had prepared.  He knew her and knew what she would need.

And with an even greater understanding than I had before, I learned that Heavenly Father is aware of me, and all of His children.  I learned that He will answer my sincere questions of confusion.  I learned that He has a plan for each of us and that it will all unfold in His time.  And that is how my nephew, Quincy, changed my life.

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:


"I have personally verified that concepts like faith, prayer, love, and humility hold no great significance and produce no miracles until they become a living part of us through our own experience, aided by the sweet prompting of the Holy Spirit. In early life I found that I could learn gospel teachings intellectually and, through the power of reason and analysis, recognize that they were of significant value. But their enormous power and ability to stretch me beyond the limits of my imagination and capacity did not become reality until patient, consistent practice allowed the Holy Spirit to distill and expand their meaning in my heart. I found that while I was sincerely serving others, God forged my personal character. He engendered a growing capacity to recognize the direction of the Spirit. The genius of the gospel plan is that by doing those things the Lord counsels us to do, we are given every understanding and every capacity necessary to provide peace and rich fulfillment in this life. Likewise, we gain the preparation necessary for eternal happiness in the presence of the Lord."