Genny's Wedding

On August 13th, my little sister got married:

presenting...Mr. & Mrs. BarrettGenny was a very beautiful bride. Everything about her was elegant and gracious 1. a kiss2. Dustinn & Bradshaw on temple square

3. Colt & Bradshaw while everyone is proposing toasts4. Bradshaw wore a tux for about fifteen minutes. Handsome boy.

5. Mommy & son by pond

6. the party itself was so fun. Following the theme of Gen's announcements, there was a photo booth by the guest book. Her book was filled with hilariously creative photos of all the guests. 7. Cake

8. Kates & Stef (sorry I caught you guys off guard)

9. This is the only night picture without the flash. It's blurry--but it captured the ambience of the evening

10. James & his sister Laura. I love this picture.

Everyone was holding white roses and formed an archway for Genny & James to run through as they left the reception. Right afterwards, Stefanie and I were standing there talking, when we see Bradshaw cherubically ask a man for his rose. The man hands it to him; Bradshaw whacks it repeatedly against the ground until every last petal is gone, and with a smile hands the stub back to the man. Too funny.

Jamer & Gens, we love you so much!

Utah

While I was in Utah for Genny's wedding I got to see Stefanie several times. She spent the night at the cabin and helped with wedding stuff (thank you!!) That night, I set a phone alarm and at 2am Stefanie, Nelson, Lindy and I woke up and went out into the cold mountain air and watched a meteor shower.

Stefanie invited me to her 34 week doctor's appointment. (Isn't that so cool!) And I also went with her to "group." One night a week, all the birthmoms get together to have fun, discuss pertinent issues, and support one another. The evening I went they were having an adoptive panel. The room was already packed when we arrived. The panel consisted of 4 kids (ranging from 12 to 17 maybe?) They answered questions such as:
"What do you wonder about your birthparents? (All 4 kids had closed adoptions.)
"What would you want your birthparents to know?"
"Is there anything that has been hard about being adopted?"
"Is there anything you'd like to say to prospective adoptive parents?"
And that's just to name a few of the questions. I feel SO lucky to have been there. The group of girls was amazing. A spirit of sacrifice and unconditional love coated their words and I kept tearing up thinking about all that Stefanie has to go through.
On a lighter note, the 12-year-old boy on the panel was hilarious. One of his many qoutable qoutes was, "I'm glad I'm adopted because if I wasn't I wouldn't have my gecko.
Afterwards, one of the girls, who had had her daughter 2 weeks before, shared her placement story. ...Wow.

Another day, we went to Stefanie's house. Her parents are so kind & warm; it was wonderful to visit with them and Stef's sister again. Meanwhile Bradshaw was having the time of his life playing with Angel (a fitting name for Stef's dog.)

In short, we are totally S.P.O.I.L.E.D by Stefanie. We know it is rare for an adoptive couple to share in so many of the pregnancy experiences; we are very lucky to have Stefanie in our lives.

Colorado

We don't have internet access from home, again, so what would be a leisurely activity during naptime (blogging) becomes a rushed & calculated excursion. bah.

In July we vacationed in Palm Springs, Colorado near where Dustinn's Grandpa herded sheep as a young man. During this vacation, Dustinn's Grandpa said, "we gather as a family here (and on other vacations) for one reason and one reason only--to deepen our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

During the week, we visited the home in Manassas where Dustinn's grandpa was born. His neice(?) Carma now lives there and welcomed us with ham and an assortment of the most delicious salads. The home itself (porches, parlor, etc.) was magical to me.

Annie's movin.

Life with Linders

My baby sister Lindy lived with us for a couple weeks this summer. I loved having a best friend around to do anything & everything with during the day. Bradshaw loves his "Ance."

We went to an outdoor concert at the US Air Force Memorial. The monument looks out over part of the city, the weather was cool & breezy and the music was really fun. A perfect evening in my book.

Summertime

We spent a week vacationing with family in Colorado (post to come) and now we're in Utah (frantically) preparing for my sister Genny's wedding. Just three more days!