Christmas Morning!

Santa came to town! He brought some fun things and Santa's Elfs are hoping that the things he brought will provide hours of entertainment for the coming year!





Santa doesn't wrap the presents in our house. Part of the tradition is setting out the blankets for Santa to cover the presents up. The elfs are worried that a certain very smart 4-year-old will recognize that mommy and daddy use the exact same wrapping paper as Santa does.

Gratitude Day 22 - Christmas!

I'm so thankful for Christmas! This year was an interesting and fun one. We had a blast with the Christmas anticipation. We went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Mikayla had breakfast with Santa, which she loved. We went to a few Christmas parties. We were busy, but enjoyed every minute of it. Gweny had influenza the week before Christmas and had consistent fevers of 103.3 to 103.6 all week. She didn't eat or drink for 4 days and ended up in the Insta-Care a couple of times. She started feeling better the day before Christmas Eve. We woke up on the 24th, excited to have everyone feeling better and ready to celebrate Christmas Eve. We didn't anticpate Mikayla waking up with a very high fever. She had influenza as well.

Side note: I know you are probably thinking, "Why doesn't she get her children flu shots?" Here's why. I called back at the beginning of October, the office didn't have any yet. They said that they would have some at the beginning of November. The girls got really sick at the beginning of November with what turned out to be some strange Virus that caused high fevers and a really bad rash. The doctor wouldn't give them flu shots until the fever was gone for at least 3 days. By the time they got over this sickness, it was time to go to Colorado for Thanksgiving and I didn't have time. Gweny gave my entire family some lovely stomach flu while we were there, with a fever, so when we got back the doctor still wouldn't give them flu shots. The point is...they haven't been well enough to get flu shots. They keep getting sick before they can have flu shots.

Anyway, Mikayla tried so hard to feel well on Christmas Eve. She half-heartedly decorated cookies for Santa. She slept through Daddy's reading of the Christmas story. She threw some carrots out in the yard for the reindeer and went to bed at 7:30. She barely woke up at 7 am on Christmas morning to open her presents. She played with some new toys for about 15 minutes and then went back to bed until 5:30 pm. She slept off her fever the day after Christmas and is finally staring to feel a little better. Poor girl. It was nice to just stay home and celebrate with our little family. We had some friends and parents come celebrate with us on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. We had a great Christmas this year. We feel very blessed.

Gratitude Day 21 - Low Gas Prices (for now, anyway)

I'm so glad that gas has been cheaper lately. I hope that they give us a break with that for at least a few months. I know it will go back up eventually, but its nice to be able to fill up the car for a reasonable amount.

Gratitude Day 20 - Hot Chocolate

I know that hot chocolate is one of life's trivial luxuries, but I REALLY enjoy it. This year, I introduced it to Mikayla and she told me yesterday, "I could be really happy if I could have hot chocolate every day!" Today while Gweny was sleeping, I made some candy cane hot chocolate and Mikayla and I enjoyed it together as we snuggled on the couch and sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Gratitude Day 19 - Food

I just love food. That's all I have to say about that!!

Gratitude Day 18 - Childhood

I'm thankful for childhood and for all the curiosity, innocence and truthfulness that comes from it. My children are constantly curious and in awe of the everyday things around them. Just yesterday, I noticed Mikayla and Gweny both looking out the front window. I walked past them a few times while doing my daily chores and heard a few giggles, a few whispers from Mikayla to Gweny and then finally a loud, "Mom, come look!" I walked over to the window where they were sitting and looked for what they were looking at. It wasn't difficult to find. Our entire street was covered in birds. There were birds covering all the trees and on every rooftop. They were everywhere on the sidewalk, in the street, on lawns. There were hundreds and hundreds of birds. It was amazing. The girls had been sitting there watching the birds while they flew here and there, pecked at the snow-covered ground, and chattered and chirped away to eachother. I sat and watched with them while they asked questions about where they had come from, what they were doing, why there were so many, etc. Then, a mini-van pulled around the corner and the birds all flew up in unison in an enormous black cloud that blocked the sun on our street for a few seconds. They didn't come back. But those few minutes reminded me of the importance of childhood. That time spent with my curious little children reminded me to take some time to ask questions while watching the birds.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
The first picture was taken from our front door and the second picture was taken from our back deck. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Gratitude Day 17 - Christmas Time

I'm so thankful for this time of year. We were able to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert on Saturday night. It was so amazing. We got to see Brian Stokes Mitchell, who just happens to be Josh's favorite Broadway guy. We also saw Edward Herrmann, which was cool. The choir and orchestra were so awesome! I love Christmas and this whole time of year.

Jay and Leeann

Don't ask me. I don't know...

Gweny sits on the cupboard - all night! (ask Leeann about this title)

I love the unexpected, hilarious moments that we have with our children that remind us of the happiness and innocence of child hood.

Fun Christmas Trees

During our stay in Colorado, my wonderful sisters came up with these very cute and delicious Christmas trees. They turned out great! The kids had a blast making them and even more fun eating them. Thanks to Jennifer and Katie for the great idea!

Gratitude Day 16 - Josh's Family

Josh has a great family. His parents are all very kind and generous and I love spending time with them. His siblings are all very supportive and loving and they are really wondeful people. I love Josh's family.

Gratitude Day 15 - Music

I love music! I love listening to good music and I am always so very impressed with people who have been given the talent and perseverance to be good musicians. Take this guy, for example. I've never seen anyone's hands move so quickly and accurately. If you haven't seen William Joseph before, prepare to be amazed! He really gets going after the first minute, so keep watching!




Anyway, he's amazing. I love to watch him and listen to other talented musicians. I love music and I'm thankful that I was taught to find joy and happiness in the music of the world.

Book Suggestions??

I need some new reading material. I'm getting bored with what I have. Does anyone have any good suggestions? I'm pretty much up for anything as long as it isn't sad or scary.

Gratitude Day 14 - Siblings

I know I already mentioned my family, but I am truly grateful for my siblings.

Jennifer, you have always been such a great friend to me. I hope that someday I can have your compassion and your positive outlook on life. You are always so kind and thoughtful to everyone around you. I love talking to you.

Scot, you always make me laugh. I loved being in high school with you and I still think that one of the best summers that I have ever had was when we worked at the North Pole together. That was so much fun. I love you, big brother!

Katie, I look up to you more than you know. You are such a great mom and a I admire your gospel perspective on life. I really will miss you when you move. We need to hang out more.

Leeann, you are so amazing! I love spending time with you. I love your laugh and your willingness to share your happiness with me and everyone else around you. You are an inspiration to me.

I stole this picture off of Scot and Jenny's blog. Sorry guys. I'm a thief. But it was too cute to pass up. We took this picture at Scot and Jenny's house when we were all together for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun!

Gratitude Day 13 - Friends

I have been so blessed throughout my life to have such wonderful friends wherever I go. I had a few great friends in high school and we still keep in touch. I met one of my best friends at Ricks and we are still the best of friends now. We have great friends from our amazing ward that we left in Colorado and we have been able to meet some really nice people here too. We've been so blessed throughout all these years to know and love some really awesome people.

Gratitude Day 12 - SNOW!!!

Its finally snowing in Utah! Hooray! I love the snow this time of year. I admit that I get tired of it in March and April, but December Christmas Snow is definitely fun! It is looking beautiful outside and I'm loving it!

Gratitude Day 11 - Joseph B. Wirthlin

Yesterday, Josh and I attented his funeral. It was a bittersweet time for the Wirthlin family. He was such an amazing man and he will be missed, but he must be so happy to be reunited with his sweet wife, Elisa. President Monson gave him a wonderful tribute about how the University of Utah football team has put the initials JBW on the back of their helmets. Most of you know that he was Josh's great uncle. Tonight is a family night to remember him and here are the contributions from Josh and I.

One of my favorite memories of Uncle Joe happened just several weeks ago. Grandmother called me to accompany her to a University of Utah football game with her and Uncle Joe. I jumped at the opportunity, not only because the U is my favorite team but also because spending the time with her and Uncle Joe would be priceless. I picked Grandmother up and we met Joe Jr. and Uncle Joe at their house. We all drove over to the stadium with Joe Jr. and on the way we talked about education and the importance of my job, which meant the world to me. We were at a very busy intersection and I looked over to see a gentleman with his two daughters about Mikayla’s and Gwen’s ages and they started to wave to Uncle Joe. He rolled down the window and he started to talk to the girls. He asked them how they were and he told them to have a good day. I was proud to witness this man really show the love and admiration of the Savior in every aspect of his life.

While we were at the game, we sat with the President of the University of Utah and President Uchtdorf. There was a moment in the game where President Uchtdorf whispered to Uncle Joe, “Joseph, they need you in the game.” I remember seeing the fondness between President Uchtdorf and Uncle Joe. The U eventually started to blow out UNLV and for every touchdown Uncle Joe would stand and sing the “Utah Man” fight song.

The last verse of the fight song says,

“We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere, but while we do we’ll live a life of merriment and cheer. And when our college days are o’er and night is drawing nigh, with parting breath we’ll sing that song: "A Utah Man Am I."
This one is one of the events that meant the most to me. Uncle Joe, “A Utah Man Am I,” also. I will miss you.
Love
Joshua


Uncle Joe will always be special to me because he was present on one of the most important and memorable days of my life. In January of 2005, Mikayla truly became a member of our family when she was sealed to us for time and all eternity. There are not many people who get to experience being sealed to their child. It was a day I will never forget. We feel so blessed to have had Uncle Joe perform the sealing for us.

I remember sitting in the sealing room waiting for Mikayla. The spirit in the room was indescribable. Josh and I were waiting for everything to start when Uncle Joe began speaking. Aunt Elisa kindly reminded him to wait for the baby. They then wheeled Mikayla into the room in a little stroller. She looked so beautiful in her long, white dress.

The sealing was perfect and the made even better by the blessings that Uncle Joe left us with. He blessed our little family and we have felt his spirit ever since that day.

In February of 2001, he also performed the sealing for Josh and me. He left us with an Apostolic blessing saying that if we were faithful to our covenants, we would have a happy marriage and bear many faithful children. At times in our marriage, it seems that this promise has been hard fought, but the day he sealed Mikayla to us, that blessing was fulfilled and left us with no doubt that he truly was a man of God.
Love,
Merilee

Gratitude Day 10 - My House!

I'm back and can finish my 30 days of gratitude now. I thought about catching up all the days I missed today, but decided that it would be better to still do one thing a day.

Today, I'm thankful for my house. I missed it while I was in Colorado. We were so blessed to find this house and I love it so much. Josh had it all decorated for Christmas for when we came home and it looks beautiful. He did a great job. I love my house and I'm thankful for a nice, warm, comfortable place to live.

National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. There are three times of year when I become sentimentally contemplative about adoption. One is around Mikayla’s birthday, then the day after, when Josh and I waited anxiously in a tiny hotel room in Riverton, WY, then the day after that, when our beautiful little girl was finally placed in our arms.

Then, I become especially thoughtful about adoption in January, when we were able to take Mikayla to the temple to be sealed to us. It was the kind of day that you read about in the Ensign, not one that you get to experience yourself. I remember when they brought Mikayla into the room and I looked over at Josh and thought to myself, “Heavenly Father wants us to be an eternal family. This is going to be spectacular!” That is a day that I will remember always.

Then, November rolls around. I’m so grateful that they have designated a month to celebrate and raise awareness about adoption. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you came from, everyone deserves to have a loving family. Everyone deserves to grow up knowing that they are treasured by someone who wanted them desperately.

Our little family has been so changed through adoption. Through this little miracle, we have been shaped into the family we are today. I can’t imagine my life without Mikayla. Her sweet spirit fills our home with laughter, dance, dainty girly-ness, and the happiness that only a child can bring. We love her so completely and that word describes what adoption has meant for our family – Completion.

Our birth parents are such amazing people. Words can’t describe the gratitude and love that we feel for them. So, this month, I celebrate you both and hope that you have happiness and joyful success in your lives.

Also, I celebrate the many friends of mine who have been touched by adoption. Congratulations to you all!

And those who are going through it now or will, and just don’t know it yet, it’s a bumpy ride, but when you get off, the bruises fade before you remember you had them to be replaced by scars that mean that your hearts are capable of producing and setting free more love and compassion than you ever thought possible. Good luck to you all.

Adoption – its about love and Mikayla, we love you more than you will ever know.

Gratitude Day 9 - Colorado!!

I have some catching up to do on my 30 days of gratitude. I have been slackin'. I'm so thankful for the beautiful state of Colorado. I'm here visiting my family and I forgot how absolutely gorgeous it is here. The weather has been fabulous and I just love Pikes Peak. I'm sad that we had to move away from here. We are slowly making good friends out in Utah, but we will never be able to replace the wonderful friends we had in Colorado.

Silly kids....

Mikayla was singing in the car last night and occasionally, she would forget the words and I would help her by singing along with her. At the end of the song, she said, "Mommy, you sing like a princess. and I sing like a princess." I said, "What about Gweny?" She said, "Gweny sings like daddy." I asked, "Does daddy have a nice singing voice?" She said, "Well........." and just left it at that. But for the record, Josh does have a very nice singing voice.

Mikayla randomly said to me the other day, "Daddy is the smartest, then you, then me, and then Gweny is the dumbest." Nice.

Mikayla said to Gweny, "Gweny, you are my best friend, but I don't like it when you hit me or yell at me. Then you are my worst friend."

Gweny's new favorite thing to do is come up to me or Josh and say, "Hand?" and then she holds our hand and leads us all around the house. Sometimes, she leads us into a room and in a very high and squeaky voice, she says, "Where is it?" We rarely know what she's talking about, but its still adorable.

Gratitude Day 8 - Autumn

I'm so thankful for this beautiful autumn we've been having. It has been so beautiful here in Utah. The weather has been warm enough to play outside and the leaves and such have just been so pretty.

Gratitude Day 7 - My Family

I'm thankful for my family. Dad, Mom, Jennifer, Christian, Beck, Ainsley, Eli, Scot, Jenny, Josh, Mikayla, Leeann, Katie, Travis, Teagan, Leeann, and Jay. I love you all so much. I can't wait to see you all in a few days!

Gratitude Day 6 - Josh's Job

I'm so thankful that Josh has a good job. High School teachers definitely don't get paid enough, but Josh does come home happy every day. He loves his job. He loves the kids he works with. He has a passion for the subjects that he teaches and he loves to be good influence in the lives of the high school students. I'll admit too, I'm really looking forward to him never having to work on holidays. I get to have him home for a few days every Thanksgiving, and don't even get me started on Christmas break. TWO WEEKS!! and three months of summer, yeah baby! Anyway, I'm thankful for Josh's job. I'm grateful that he has found something that makes him feel happy and fulfilled.

This is the giant "C" that sits outside of Cyprus High, the school where Josh teaches.

Gratitude Day 5 - BOOKS!!

I love to read. I love books. I just started the Harry Potter series again. I love reading a good book, so today, I am thankful for books!
My current favorites (they change all the time) are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Enna Burning by Shannon Hale and A Perfect Day by Richard Paul Evans.

Gratitude Day 4 - Nieces and Nephews

I'm thankful that my siblings have such great kids.

I love my nieces and nephews! These are just my siblings kids. I don't have pictures of Josh's family, but I'm thankful for them too.

This is Beck, Ainsley and Eli.

This is Gweny and cutie little Teagan.

Gratitude Day 3 - Gweny-Bean!!

Gweny is the sweetest, cutest, mood-iest, loudest kid in the world. I love her to death!

Gratitude Day 2 - Mikayla!

I'm so grateful for Mikayla. I love her so much!

This is Mikayla with one of the cheerleaders at Josh's school. She loves to watch them and "practice" with them.

30 Days of Gratitude Challenge - Day 1

I belong to an LDS email group and we were challenged to a 30 days of gratitude challenge. 30 days, 30 things you are grateful for. I challenge you to do it too!!

Day 1

I'm so grateful for Josh. He makes me so happy.

This is Josh with his Grandmother and Uncle Joe at a University of Utah football game!

We Love Primary!!

Mikayla had her Sacrament Meeting Primary Presentation on Sunday. She did great, despite the fact that she elbowed the boy next to her (he WAS pulling on her dress ties) and got in trouble for running up and down the stairs and in front of the pulpit a few times, resulting in her having to sit with the teacher for a while. She said her part very loudly and clearly, just like we practiced and she sang (and danced) to most of the songs. Sunbeams are so much fun

Hello from Washington

We arrived here in D.C. yesterday and we have not stopped running since we got here. I won't bore you with the details but I feel can not sleep so I wanted to at least show Merilee and the girls pictures of Daddy in D.C. By the by, I freaking miss you guys. Gweny please stop throwing up on mommy in public. Mikayla you are such a good girl. Merilee, I miss you and you are the best wife a guy could dream of. I really wish you were here. I wish I could figure out why the pictures are not loading. Anyway we pitched our tent today on the national mall right below the Washington Monument. It was awesome. My kids started to help so many other people set up their tents that the people setting up their tents thought they were part of the staff. It was fun to see them work together and reach out to other people.

A homeless guy gave us a tour that was really in interesting.

We went to the library of congress and we saw Jefferson's personal library and no Twilight was not there. It was something else.

We also had a private tour of the Senate and the House of Reps. Orrin Hatch's aid gave us the tour. Mikayla, we got to ride on a train underground that only the Senators are allowed to use. It went really fast and they let me hit the button. We then talked policy changes with president elect Obama, had lunch with him and Michelle and then went to the next sight.

As we were walking home we walked past the White House. As we were walking we saw a woman being taped for a documentary on her feelings about Obama being elected. We watched this and most people got teary eyed when we saw the real emotion of this man being elected. My thought is, worse case scenario he does nothing and just him being elected to the President will erase a racist scar this country has been plagued with since we stole 12 million slaves during the founding of our country and only counted them as 3/5 of a man.

We also saw the old supreme court room where Marbury vs. Madison happened and let me tell you it was fancy.

We finished off the night walking to see the huge Abe. I stood where Dr. King stood. As I was looking at the reflection pool and pondering the words "being judged on the content of their character" and not on the color of their skin, I was sad that Dr. King was stolen from us and he would never know Obama. As I looked at my students eyes, many were filled with excitement and I realized that most of my students are not white. Maybe the color issue in this country is coming to an end. I really hope so. I was proud to have helped in electing Obama, just for this moment in history. "Free at Last!!!"

As I touched the Vietnam War Wall I felt shame of the past and how we should have helped when we didn't. If you look at the base of the memorial you will see all sorts of personal belongings just left for the soldiers. Flowers, medals, poems, patches and a old army hat were among the ones that I saw. After studying Vietnam and teaching it to students it was never really real, until tonight.

Well I am proud of what we are doing. These kids will be changed forever and I know they will think of Darfur and our Brothers and Sisters in this area of the world in despair. I do not say often enough, but I am grateful for mac and cheese. I am grateful for t.v. I am grateful for a little girls dancing shoes. I am grateful for electricity and the ability to keep my family warm. I am grateful for my family. If I lived in Darfur, well I would not be alive. Merilee would not be whole and my little babies would be in hell. I need to do more.

I love you girls with all of my heart and on this restless night, know that your daddy loves you. Merilee I love you!!

Please be safe!!

J.

A Very Special Day!!

On Halloween, we decided to visit all of our Utah Grandparents. We didn't make it down to see Josh's Grandma in Lehi, and we miss Poppa Rog and Grandma Pat, who are in China right now. We also desperately miss my mom and dad in Colorado. We wish we could have visitef them as well.

We got to visit with my Grandma and Grandpa Brinkerhoff.

We also saw my Grandma and Grandpa MacCabe.

This is Josh's mom, Gweny and Mikayla's Grandmother.

And finally, one of the Grandmother's that Gweny was named after. This is Josh's grandmother.

We had such a fun day visiting with everyone.

A Princess and a Fish

I finally figured out what a princess and a fish do when they get together to play. They play in the leaves, of course! I am so grateful for the beautiful autumn we have had.

When Daddy is in Charge of Breakfast...

I asked Josh to get breakfast for the girls yesterday and I came out to find this...

Cold Pizza and Cuddles

These girls love their daddy. He's always doing fun and unexpected things; like letting them eat pizza on the couch while cuddling and watching cartoons on a Saturday morning.

The History of Jennifer

Dear Christian,
I just wanted you to know that I found these pictures while I was going through my old textbooks for history. Jennifer is WAAAYYY older than you thought she was.
Sorry man.
Josh

Feel The Love

This video is dark and a little long. Sorry about that. But it is worth watching as it will give you some insight into the inner-workings of the Adams Family. This video comes complete with Gweny and Mikayla both being camera hogs. Mikayla constantly yells, "Move the cramera over." Gweny just yells, "MOM!" Gweny also spits at , shooshes, and hits her sister. Following that nice little scene, Mikayla tells you all how much she doesn't love me. And lets not forget Gweny constantly and repetive "CHEESE!" because she thinks I'm trying to take her picture. Really, this video is a treat. I promise you won't regret spending two whole minutes watching it. So with nothing left to say, I present to you, "FEEL THE LOVE!!"

That's a Cheesy Line

Mikayla keeps coming up with these cheesy one-liners. I don't know where she comes up with them.
We pulled into the drive-way last night and Josh was really tired. He leaned his head against the seat and jokingly said, "I quit." Mikayla lovingly said, "Don't give up, Daddy. Just go on."

Then, we were walking into the house and she said with too much added sweetness in her voice, "If I didn't believe in mommy so much, I would afraid of the dark." It was like a bad episode of Full House. I was waiting for the "everything is going to be ok" music with the cheesy "hug and love everybody scene."

Its a good thing I love her so much. Those lines coming from her make my heart sing. But if anyone else ever said those things to me, it might me a little sick.

Gweny's Ghost and Buck Teeth

This is the weirdest picture. Not only does Gweny have some sort of spooky spector sitting next to her, she also has crazy buck teeth and a really weird look on her face. Not one of your best moments, Gweny. Just thought I'd share...

"Yash"

That's how Gweny says, "yes." She says it for an answer for any all questions that anyone asks her. For example...

"Gweny, do you want to go to bed?" - "Yash" Even though she cries because she really doesn't want to go to bed.

"Gweny, where are your shoes?" - "Yash"

"Gweny, what are you doing?" - "Yash"

Josh - "Gimme a kiss, Gweny"

Gweny - "Dad, you're squishing my guts and brains!"

I'll be watching you Wazowski..allllways watching.

Except in Mikayla's case, she alllways listening. Last night, we went to Chili's to spend Josh's well-earned gift card that was given to him by his principal. Mikayla was quietly coloring her kids menu. We didn't think she was paying attention to us talking about what we wanted to order. Josh said, "I really want to fajitas, but I got the buffalo chicken salad last time and I like it." He kept debating between the two and finally Mikayla looked up from her coloring, dramatically rolled her eyes and said, "Daddy, just get it. Get what you want."

Sheese dad, make up your mind....

Josh's mom took Mikayla to get a pedicure a few weeks ago. Here is a picture of her very cute toes.

For Grandma and Grandpa!!

Hi mom and dad! We miss you. I just wanted to show you these pictures of your far-away kids and grandbabies. We love you so much and can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!

Sorry Katie, Here is your picture that you requested a few months ago. Is it a little late?