New Adoption Website

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have now created a family website specifically meant for birth families who are interested in finding out more about us as a prospective adoptive family. Please feel free to give the site address to anyone you know who might be considering an adoption plan for their baby. You can always find the link to the website, as well as the link to our LDS Family Services online profile, here on the blog, over on the sidebar to the right.

Thanks so much for your support through our journey to finding baby number two!

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Birthday Cake!

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Two Today

The morning started out with a cheerful, sweet little boy after he slept in! So glad!

We began his swim party at 5:30.

It was "Backyardigans" themed and Carter wanted a Pablo mask...

He was excited to see me in the Uniqua mask!

The cake:
Hmm... wonder what he wished for.
Just getting started...
He totally dominated that thing...
I heard everyone start laughing and turned to see this --Wow:Proof Mom and Dad were there:
Everyone was so generous! Thank you for sharing in our special day with Carter! We can hardly believe he's already two! Our days are definitely busy, but we are so happy he is in our family! We just love his excitement as he discovers the world around him. Can't wait for him to have a new baby sister or brother... hopefully soon.

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Sweet Sunset

I LOVE the way CJ wraps his arms around Shane and I when he hugs us! NOTHING feels better! Had to share this sweet picture of Carter hanging onto his favorite person right now: his Daddy! Plus -- isn't that a great sunset???! We love swimming and had a fun night in the pool.

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Almost Two

We had a mini photo shoot today in Joe and Claudia's backyard since Carter is coming up swiftly on two and I feel like I have been slacking in the photo department! Carter was not super cooperative -- mostly just glad to be outside and I think afraid that if he got too close to me I might take him back inside! He cracks me up. You'll see him making "binoculars with his hands to look at things. Shane taught him this and I think it's just too cute! Also, he is in love with the "cozy coupe" car Claudia bought and he might be a little possessive of it. I thought the colors of the car along with the colors in his shirt made for fun pictures. Oh, and you will also see one picture where Carter has just spied another favorite right now -- an airplane!

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Playing at the splash park (best ward activity ever!)

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My happy news for the day

I miraculously passed the certification exam to practice as a massage therapist in July 2003. I'm not sure how, it was impossibly difficult! The certification lasts four years... so it lapsed last year because I didn't think I could afford the Continuing Education and recertification fees. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never practice again outside my family and friends (not that I don't love you... I just want to have the option of practicing again in the future). Well, The NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork) sent me an e-mail in May offering to drop the lapse fee and allow me to re-certify with no further consequences if I completed the requirements and applied by August 15th. To make a long story short, I knew this would be the last chance for me to renew my certification and ever have a chance of practicing again. I knew there was no way in heck I could ever pass that exam again. I did what I needed to do -- ordered, paid for (ouch!), completed, and passed 5 home study courses and submitted all the required paperwork and documentaion, and paid some more (ouch again!). I just received this via e-mail:

Congratulations Megan!

The NCBTMB is pleased to inform you that your certification has been extended through: 07/22/11 00:00:00.

Your new certificate should be arriving in the mail within the next couple of weeks. If you do not receive your new certificate within four (4) weeks, please contact us so that we can research the cause of the issue.

The NCBTMB wishes to thank you for helping to maintain and keep the profession safer through your continued commitment to professionalism and ethical practice.

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Memory Game

This one's going around. I thought it'd be... interesting to read some memories.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together (you can leave a memory you have about Shane, Megan, or Carter, or all of us if you prefer). It doesn't matter if you knew me/us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

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Sippy Spills

We've had a spilling problem lately... an intentional one. Carter does this every day at least once. At least when he does it in the highchair it's somewhat contained on the tray, but you would be surprised how far liquid can splatter when little hands are pounding it on the highchair tray. He's gotten sneakier and speedier, too. So if I turn my back for just a few seconds, it seems, he can empty an entire sippy cup masterfully in no time at all... I am tiring of the clean-ups. At least this one was next to the rug rather than ON the rug.

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Sunday afternoon thunderstorm

After we'd been home from church for a while Sunday afternoon, a huge storm rolled in and just poured on us for quite a while -- until the planters and walkways outside were all flooded over! As it has been terribly humid since then, our front porch rug still hasn't completely dried out! I was starting to get concerned that it might never end. Anyway, we ended up just powering down the computer for safety (we had a neighbor's house struck by lightning once in Gilbert during one of these summer monsoon storms) and turning off all the lights so we could gather on the couch and watch the storm through the big window in the living room. Here are a few pictures. Carter loved it and we enjoyed some of those rare moments when a two-year-old will sit still and just be with you! Here are CJ and I:Here's the view from the window:

and here's Shane and Carter:

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Carter loves coloring...

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BBQ at Joe and Claudia's

We didn't get a lot of pictures on the fourth, but enjoyed our day together. We gathered at Joe and Claudia's for a BBQ in the evening and enjoyed good food, good company, and swimming until a thunderstorm threatened. Then we played Wii and sat and visited under the safety of the back patio cover! Here are a couple of pictures of Carter from the first part of the BBQ -- playing with the hose and eating watermelon.

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CJ's Punch Balloon

CJ was having so much fun playing with this balloon, until...

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Baby Bird

Yesterday, when Shane came home from work, he saw a baby bird on the ground and took Carter out to see it. That explained the loud chirping I'd heard all day long outside. Shane said the mother bird was flying around frantically above, but we shouldn't do anything because it was "the circle of life" playing out.

Fast forward to this afternoon. I heard the chirping even louder, and to my surprise, when I looked out the window, I saw the little birdie right outside on our window ledge! Carter woke up from his nap just then and I took him in to show him the baby bird. You should have hear how cute he says "beebee burd!" After a while, Carter suddenly moved too fast toward the bird and scared it right off the window ledge -- I know you are thinking that's terrible, but it didn't fall, it flew! We were so happy for our little bird. Carter couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the night! Here are some cute pictures of the baby bird and Carter:

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Carter Loves Wii!

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Cool New Website: Ingredient Challenge

Hi friends and family members! Just have to brag a little about how cool Monica's new website is! In case you don't know, Monica is Shane's cousin. I like to think she's my friend, too. ;) Anyway, Monica came up with this really cool idea for a new website and with her hubby Jon's help, has brought her idea to fruition for all of us to enjoy. Go Gibsons! I would encourage you all to go check it out, sign up, and begin posting recipes. Why? Because it's a really unique, totally awesome concept, and because you can win prizes! They are good prizes, too, like Williams-Sonoma gift cards... just for posting a recipe including the ingredient of the week! This week the ingredient is LIMES. Yum.

Here is a quote from Monica's website explaining the concept:
“What should I make for dinner?”

During my 2-year stint as a teacher in NYC, I rode the train to work most every day with a teacher friend of mine, Neil. Neil belonged, and still does, to a CSA (community supported agriculture) group. He told me that sometimes he would get a new vegetable/fruit that he didn’t quite know what to do with and that he enjoyed the challenge of cooking with something new.

Make a dish using the ingredient. Then take a picture of the dish and post both the picture and the recipe. Just by contributing you could win one of the weekly giveaways.

Every week there will be a new ingredient. Use this as an opportunity to challenge yourself!

Okay so it's called Ingredient Challenge. Just click on any of the three hyperlinks I have created in this post and you will be on your way to experiencing a fantastic new way to step up your culinary skills with superb inspiration! And spread the word!

Thanks,
Megan

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