Adoption Update

Just when we think things can't possibly take any longer, we find out there's still more to be done with our paperwork! We rushed to get all of it turned in back in September, but the agency still hasn't submitted it for certification. Now we're waiting to get CPS clearance from Idaho and hopefully that's the last hang-up. If all goes ok we should be on the list to adopt by the end of January.

It's been pretty frustrating the last couple of months waiting on other people. I try to remember that a few months really isn't a big deal in the scheme of things, but it's hard to be patient sometimes. At least I know we aren't going to miss out on "our" baby just because of paperwork delays. Keep us in your thoughts and we'll keep you updated as things progress!

Yes, we are still here

First: I'm shocked anyone actually has looked at our blog.

Second: Apparently one post every 4 months isn't acceptable.

Third: I'll try to do better (no one likes novel posts), but checking in every couple of months should suffice.

          If you haven't already heard, AZ has had 80 degree temperatures for the last several months. I understand it's the middle of December, but do we still have to be sweating? I've had to wear flip flops for so much of the year that most of them are now broken and Jax only wants to be outside so I'm forced to take several walks during the day (without a jacket). It gets chilly at night, so I have to open my windows during the day to warm up the house. We've even had to turn the heat on a couple of times this month! (Anyone feel bad for us yet??) It's really hard living down here during the winter :)

           We are going to be in Idaho for Christmas (Yea!), but are definitely not looking forward to the cold. Our blood has really thinned out. Adam spent last week in Flagstaff for work and it was still in the 50s. He took a blanket to work with him! If you see us looking a little overweight, it isn't because we ate too many sweets - we probably have 5 layers of clothing on.

            Our adorable puppy, now 1 year old, loves cooler weather however. Back in October we had a crazy rain/hail storm. Jax couldn't wait to dig in the hail and run through the freezing cold water!

 

 



The water was overflowing the curbs, and there were even whitecaps from the wind





They had just planted all of these new trees on our street. Several of them didn't quite make it.

          Since then, my parents came to visit around Halloween. We had a great time using Phoenix Culture Passes to see a few of the sites. Our library does this cool thing where you get free passes to museums, zoos, and other attractions. We visited the Botanical Gardens, a museum of natural history (dinosaurs and stuff), and a Native American museum. My dad has all the pictures, but we had a great time! We love when family comes to visit, and not just because we get spoiled! Thanks Mom and Dad.

           For Thanksgiving we drove to St. George to spend it with Adam's family. His parents rented a house for the week, so we got to spend some great quailty time with his parents, sister Mickel, brother Zach, and Zach's wife Andrea. We had dinner at Adam's grandparents with some aunts, uncles, and cousins, which was super yummy, just like Thanksgiving should be. We had so much fun playing games, shopping, and just hanging out. Again, we were very spoiled! Thanks Ma and Pa Wright!

Overall, we've been enjoying life and keeping busy. Adam is ready for a much needed 2 week break before busy season starts, even if it means freezing our buns off!

The Last 4 Years

The last four years have gone by in a blur! Here's a not-so-brief recap:

2006

We went to San Francisco with my family, to visit more family, and then we got married! After that we just worked a ton and continued going to school at BYU-Idaho. At least we no longer had a curfew!

2007

We got to spend 1 1/2 weeks in Washington, D.C. with some family. It was great!

While in D.C. we went to this really yummy Mexican restaurant where they make the guacamole right in front of you. It looked easy enough. So when we got home, we made our first batch. SO GOOD!! Now we make it at least once a week. Can't get enough. In fact, I might have to go to the store tonight :)

Adam started looking for jobs and an accounting firm in ALASKA offered him a job. They even sent us there to see if we liked it. We did, but not quite enough. We did get some awesome pictures and get to hike a glacier though.

2008

At the beginning of the year we headed down to Arizona for Adam's internship and my student teaching. We visited Hoover Dam along the way, and then settled in for a nice, warm Arizona Winter!

Since we were only there for a few months, and were really busy with work, we didn't get to do too much. But, we did go to our first Phoenix Open (a golf tournament), watched the Suns play (basketball), and visited the Phoenix Zoo (animals).

On our way back to Idaho we stopped at the Grand Canyon. We didn't know it's a one-way in, one-way out sort of deal, so we ended up having to pay for both of our cars to go through the park: $50!! We took our sweet time driving through so that we wouldn't have to go back. Ever. Oh yeah, Adam also broke his hand playing basketball less than a week before we left :(

Once back in Idaho...

Adam cut his own hair

We graduated from college

Spent some time out on the water

And then moved back to Arizona! Adam started his real career with the same company he did his internship with. I did a little substitute teaching and looked at lots and lots of houses to buy.

2009

We finally found a place to live and were able to get all of our stuff out of storage. Adam's wonderful parents flew down to help us paint the whole house, and then we moved everything into the kitchen and replaced the carpet. Our house is a few years old, but it feels brand new!

This was a full, fun year. For the most part. We went to more Sun's games and saw a couple of Spring Training games (thanks Katie)!

Adam and I worked on our glamour shots

We became aquainted with Arizona's creepy crawlers. Frogs, scorpions (luckily no where near our house), lizzards, crickets, earwigs...yeah, kind of gross.

We had family visit

And we visitied family. Adam's brother Zack was serving a mission in New Mexico, se we decided to take a road trip to see him just before he came home. We never need to go back there, but it was fun!

We got this good looking pup. We named him Kopa. Loved him, cared for him, then lost him 3 weeks later. We got him from the pound, not knowing he was already sick with an incurable disease. It was very heartbreaking.

We then went hiking and camping in Sedona

Boating with family in Idaho

Played around more with family in Idaho

Went to West Yellowstone

Golfed in Saint George, UT with Poppy and Grandma Wright, and Dad Wright. Then we sent Adam's brother Sam on a mission to Boston.

Adam helped build houses for work

I attended Twilight parties

And at Christmas we got this adorable and spunky puppy. We named him Jax.

2010

This year is already flying by. Adam's sister Jessica and her husband Michael came to visit in January. We went to the Phoenix SuperCross with them. It was awesome.

My family came to visit again. Sister Tosha and family, and Mom and Dad. We did lots of fun things including: Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Children's Museum, swimming, eating out, and playing games. We love our yearly visits.

I got to go to Girls' Camp again this year! Last year I was a Camp Director, this year a YW President. On the last night we decided our girls needed to be taught how to "Snipe Hunt". It was great fun :)

Adam is working a lot and trying to get his CPA. He is also Elder's Quorum President, and just barely got released from Executive Secretary. He was doing both for the last month. School just started up again, so I will be doing substitute teaching again. Most of my days however involve this little guy and cleaning up after him. Here he is after getting an empty box of Captain Crunch from the garbage.

This is the most common view however. Every day after our walks, during which he chases the lizards from bush to bush, he jumps into his pool for a cool down. And his floppy ears we loved so much...long gone. They never go down now, but we love him anyway!

We're Adopting

Adam and I have just begun the process of adoption! After a couple of years of praying and a year of doctors (who were not very helpful, just expensive), we've realized that this is the route we need to take at this point to get our family started. There is a baby out there for us who for whatever reason gets to come through adoption. Now that we've made the decision, we are so excited about it! We're very blessed to have wonderful adoption stories on both sides of our family, and we have seen how blessed our families are because of it. The adoption process can be long and rough, but there few things as rewarding.


As I'm sure you're all wondering, what can you do to help :) ? Our caseworker told us to tell as many people as possible because you never know where our baby may come from. I know, it seems terrible to market ourselves, but there are so many couples looking to adopt. Birth moms have such a difficult task of finding the right families for their babies. We have heard so many incredible stories of adoptions taking place because somebody knew somebody who knew somebody. A birth mom is more likely to feel more comfortable with a family that has been referred to her than just some picture on the internet (which we'll be doing as well). We're just asking that you keep us in mind if you come across someone who is looking for the family with whom to place her baby. Chances are it isn't "her", but you never know! We are so grateful for all of your support and prayers this far. Thank you for being a part of our lives!