Sterling!

As fathers day approaches I can't help but think how lucky I am to have married the love of my life and have 4 wonderful children with this amazing man!  He has always worked hard for our family and I am forever grateful for his dedication.  He works with lot's of teenagers!  A job that not just anyone can do and I have always said it is like hes a father to hundreds!  On fathers day his phone rings off the hook (which anyone who knows him it does anyway) but on this day it is calls of appreciation from lives that he has touched and changed for the better!  I wanted to beat everyone this year and tell him what an amazing father he is!!!  Individually our kids look up to you with so much love and respect.  Thank you again for always being the best you can be I appreciate and love you more than you will ever know!  XOXO

Pressing forward.

How come it is so hard to just keep pressing forward through life sometimes???  I really am trying to be an example to my children that when life throws you lemons...make lemonade,but they also need to know its not easy to keep making lemonade. This crazy thing with Jose has me up most of the nights which does not make it easy for me to be happy and a nice mom or just even someone nice to be around period.  But I am trying and I have decided that sometimes it's OK for our children to see that we are not just parents we are also human, we make mistakes we can learn from, life is going to throw us lemons we just have to do the best we can and keep pressing forward.  It's nice to know we don't have to go through it alone and I realize now more than ever how important it is that we communicate as families and I feel blessed that I have that relationship with my hubby and children and I hope that they will build on that with their own families someday!

“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”
- President Thomas S. Monson

Family...

On May 9, 2001 Our family adopted a 17 year old named Jose Lyman.  We had known him since he was 14. He is Hispanic and  has gorgeous blue eyes!  He was orphaned in Mexico from the time he was 3 months old and adopted and was living in abusive home so he ran when he was around 9 years old.  He ended up crossing the border into the United States, but didn't realize it.  He said he recalled it being amazing and that people spoke differently than he and was so fascinated he just kept walking not realizing what he had done, but soon it became dark and he was hungry and the coins he had in his pocket wouldn't work to buy food.   Unfortunately this was the start of learning how to survive on the streets, desserts, oceans and mountains for Jose. He doesn't like talking about his pasts because of the horrible reminder it is and it is something he is not proud of.  I know their are many details about his early life that I as his mom will never know and never understand how a little boy at only the age of 9 could have lived the way he had to just to survive.  At age 14 he found his way into Utah not knowing where he was.  He was picked up and put into my hubby's program.  His Judge saw something special in him and so did my husband.  Jose was placed with us and excelled in everything he touched he graduated high school with a 3.7, lettered in Wrestling, graduated Seminary and attended University of Utah.  Jose has a very special spirit and was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and served an LDS mission.  Somewhere in the middle of all of this our family fell in love with him! We adopted him and was sealed in the temple as an eternal family.  It's not always been an easy task being Jose's mom he suffers from Reactive Attachment Disorder also known as RAD and other disorders, so as you can imagine it is hard for him to trust anyone.  The hardest thing for him is that even after being adopted he couldn't become a citizen of the United States even after many attorney's, Judges, letters to Senators etc.  He as never been able to experience TRUE freedoms and now after 11 years of being Jose's mom they want to deport him and take him away from the only family he has.  Right now as I write he is sitting in a Jail cell to await his fate.  I ask myself how can our country be so cruel this is just a little boy who was lost through the cracks of the system and now has a brother and sisters that are trying to understand but really their hearts are breaking. Jose is not perfect, but none of us are. He has suffered so much that today I pray that he can find some kind of comfort where he is at and that we will get through this as a family because that is what we do!  He is my son and will forever be no matter where he has to live!  I also pray for a miracle that he gets to come home and truly start living his life.  Yesterday was his birthday and he turned 30 years old.  Happy Birthday Jose and know your family loves you and prays for you everyday. 

Mc...

I am so proud of this little guy!  He was in a talent show last night!  He did an amazing job and I really think he wasn't nervous once!  He sang and danced a Justin Bieber song! Mc you have a wonderful talent I hope you continue to use it!  It is so much fun watching you!  Love you little Rock STAR!

Valentines Day!

What a fun night out with my hubby for Valentines...it really doesn't matter what we do he always makes it special.  Happy Valentines!

Baba.

I loved these pictures of Colton and Baba.  When Colton was little they would play out in the garage with tools all day.  I believe that is why Colton is interested in doing plumbing apprenticeship.  He received a scholarship for his first year and landed a wonderful commercial plumbing job.  Colton I am proud of you and I know your Baba is too.  Keep it up I know it's not always easy, but as long as you work hard it will pay off.....isn't that a Baba quote???

My Baba....

In December 2011 right before Christmas I lost my Grandfather (Baba).  It is really like I've always had 2 fathers in this world because I have always been close to both my father and grandfather.  It has taken me this long to blog about  it because I don't want to say it out loud because it just makes me miss him all the more!  Since the day I was born my grandpa and I had this special bond and anyone who knew him could tell you all about it! When I was little about 2 or 3 we had to move away from him and it was hard for us to be away from each other so to make it easier we had a set time to look at the stars and moon each night and then it was like he was right by my side!  We did this for years and I tell you now I look out my window every night and it helps me feel close to him.  Yes, I come from a Greek family and we are crazy close and basically live right next door to each other!
  I felt like it was time to pay tribute to such a caring, loving, would do anything for his family, and I can't help, but say honrey old man (baba, you have to admit you always got your way, you thought you were always right, your Greek and no one was going to change you and I was the only one that could tell you to knock it off!)  He was so miserable these last years that it was breaking my heart to talk to him on the phone (at least 5x a day and I am not exaggerating) because his body was failing him!  He was so active in his life he taught me how to work, how to play, drive, fish, you name it and we did it together.  I even had my teenage friends at his house almost every weekend......whos grandpa does that???   Well mine did and I could go on forever about this man and our journey in this world together! Our relationship didn't change when I got married it just got even more involved....he charished his time with my kids and built this wonderful relationship with them as well.  He said he lived for them and I believe that with all my heart!  Baba thanks for all the memories. You taught me the most important thing in this world and that is to love my family and I promise I will take care of all of them to the best of my ability!  I can't wait till we meet again! I love you.

Baba wasn't feeling very good but he put on a good face and we enjoyed our time with him!

Don't judge me by my looks....the girls and I were cleaning their house!

The Girls told him to make a funny face!