Little Man's First Hike

Last Sunday was one of those absolutely gorgeous, warm, sunny, Fall days that just screams, "go outside and enjoy me because the snow will be here before you know it!!!"

We heard the call and couldn't let such a beautiful day go to waste.  So we put on our hiking shoes, grabbed some water and snacks and headed for our beautiful mountains.  We decided on American Fork canyon and hiked at Cascade Springs.  This is what our drive up looked like.

The colors were breathtaking, and the temperature was just right!!  I love Sunday drives in the canyons and this one ranked right up there among my favorites!  We even rolled our windows down to enjoy the warm, Fall mountain air.

But this was not only a beautiful day, it was a monumental day because it was our little man's very first hike!  

We had the pack all ready in case he got tired, but he walked most of it on his own.

He was so curious about everything, and stopped several times to check everything out.

I love this last picture because of his hands=)
Look closer.

I stopped to show him something on the side of the trail and when I attempted to switch his hand from one of mine to the other, he grabbed on with both of his own hands and wouldn't let go.  I LOVE it that this tough and independent boy of mine still needs his Mommy once in awhile=)

Here is a fish we saw. (If you look closely, it is right in the middle of the picture)

Ian stopped and "read" every sign post we passed=)

We had such a fun day, and eventually even our boundless ball of energy got tuckered out and consented to be carried.

Happy Fall Everybody!!!

The Dirty Dash

Last Saturday, my hubby participated in a 10K run called "The Dirty Dash".  It was 6.2 miles of running through mud with obstacles along the way.

I was on baby duty, so Ian and I stood by and cheered them on.  Let's just say that next year I am getting  a sitter!!  They had SO much fun, and I can't wait to join in next year. 

 I just laughed all over again reading Mike's blog post about it and looking at the crazy pictures.  Make sure you check it out=)

Flashback Friday: No Girls Allowed

Flashback Friday's ~ This idea began one day while I was perusing through some of my old posts on a private blog we had set up for friends and family while our son was in foster care.

A lot of really wonderful things happened to our little family while we had our private blog set up, so every now and then, I am going to re-post some of those wonderful memories. I hope you will enjoy looking back at them as much as I do!

"No Girls Allowed" - originally posted 

March 23, 2010

I have been feeling rather crafty lately.  I have been decorating our newly finished basement, making Ian a "book" of different materials with fun textures and colors, and last, but certainly not least...
the "Fort".  What little boy doesn't love forts?

I found this camouflage material on clearance at the fabric store and decided to make my boys a fort.  It is just a simple cover for the table in our family room, but it will be much, much more than simply a scrap of fabric.

In fact, it has already become a fortress - a fortress in which I was informed upon it's inaugural use that "No girls are allowed."  I am allowed to peak in the door however - aren't they sweet?=)

I finished it one afternoon while Ian was napping.  Mike came home just as Ian was waking up, so he hid inside and I went to get Ian.  He thought it was SO cool!  They took a flashlight in, and of course the blankie... (Doesn't Ian look like he is telling his Daddy a ghost story in this picture?  LOVE IT!!)

...they interrogated their first P.O.W.=)...

...and they checked every so often just to make sure that I was watching the fun from a safe distance. 

Good thing Mike never grew up so his baby boy would have a playmate since "no girls are allowed..."

The Machine Gun Fire

**Photo disclaimer - all the photos in this post were taken either from our local news websites, or neighbors. We took a few, but none of them turned out. **

To say that things have been interesting around here for the past 24-48 hours would be a HUGE understatement!!

I was absolutely exhausted last night, but my mind just wouldn't seem to turn off, so I decided to blog about what was going on. I thought that if I could get some of my thoughts out here, that maybe, just maybe my mind would have a clear enough path to dreamland.  It worked=)

It all began, for us, around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Well, actually, I guess it actually started around 4 p.m. but the excitement didn't come until later. At 4:00, we were leaving to go meet with Ian's birth family for a barbecue at the park and noticed smoke coming over the top of the mountain behind our home. Mike said, "Look, there is a fire up there." It was a lot of smoke, but you could tell that it was on the backside, so we really didn't give it much thought.

We had a great time at the party, and the smoke didn't cross our minds at all. When we began our drive home, I checked my phone and saw that my little sister Jamie had called. I assumed she was calling to see how the afternoon went, so I calmly gave her a call back. When she answered I could hear excitement in her voice as she quickly asked, "Are you guys okay?" "Are you watching this madness?" "Can you believe it?"

I was totally confused!
I said, "I thought you were calling to see how the party went, so I am not sure what you are talking about - What is going on?" She then proceeded to tell us how the "smoke" that we had seen a few hours earlier had quickly turned into a HUGE wildfire that was rapidly spreading down the face of the hills toward all the homes in the valley below.

 

We were driving on the freeway, heading in that direction, and I will never forget the scene as we approached. The mountain range behind our home looked like a volcano. 

There was smoke everywhere, but the flames were what caught my eye. They were glowing wildly in the darkness. Several trails of flames crept down toward the homes, and they were moving so fast that it looked like lava flowing. Our hills were on fire!!

As we pulled up in front of our house, several of our neighbors were gathered, and they filled us in on what they knew. We were getting several texts asking if we were okay and if we were being evacuated. It was "quiet chaos" at that point.  (Later we learned that we were lucky to even be able to get through at all because within half an hour after we got home, all roads into our town were completely blocked off and no one else was allowed in).

What I remember most about coming home that night, other than the site of our volcanic mountainside, was the smoke. It was HORRIBLE!! As we got out of our car, it hit us like a brick wall. Within an hour, I could hardly see the homes across the street anymore because it looked almost like a fog had rolled in.

After we had gotten the update from our neighbors, we went in the house and closed everything up as tight as we could. We put a towel under the door to our basement storage room (with the fresh air intake, the smoke smell was bad in there!) and another one in front of the door to the basement.

We debated at that point about whether we should just pack up and leave then or if we should wait it out and see if they kicked us out sometime in the night. Ian was SO tired from the barbecue and playing so hard, and if we packed up and left then, it would still have been at least another hour until he could get to sleep.  So we ultimately decided to put him to bed and just wait and see what happened. However, we did pack a bag for him before we laid him down so that if we did have to evacuate in the middle of the night, we could let him sleep without disturbing him to pack his things.

I must admit, packing his stuff was HARD! As I picked up a stack of his tiny shirts, I just held them in my hands and stared at them.  I thought to myself, "How do I choose which 5 shirts are my favorite?" All of those little shirts are sentimental to me, because they are worn by my precious baby boy! How do I leave any of them behind in the event that they might not be here when we get back?

We put the baby down to sleep, and turned on the TV to watch what was happening. Thousands of homes had been evacuated, but the latest announcement still had the boundaries several blocks away from us. The fire was out of control and not contained at all. Winds were fiercely blowing from the south (which is down the hill toward the town) and making this an extremely dangerous situation.

By about 10:30 or 11:00 p.m., the smoke had cleared incredibly - probably because of all the fierce blowing winds. It was quite clear and warm, so we went out to see what we could see and to take a few pictures. Neighbors were still gathered in various front yards and a few had even packed up and left by then. We talked for a long time and also shared long minutes of silence as we simply just watched.

This picture was taken from our next door neighbor's driveway.

Despite the late hour, you could feel the activity in the air. You could sense that the entire city was awake with no sign of sleeping any time soon.

It was an indescribable feeling to look up to the top of our street and be able to make out the individual flames that were destroying the mountains right before our eyes. It was quite scary and intense to say the least! Although I never really feared that our house was in any danger, it was a scary scene nonetheless.  And as the night progressed, those feelings of unease grew quite intense and were hard to shake.

By about midnight, the evacuation orders had spread to within 4 blocks from us and there was discussion that there could be more throughout the night. We knew we needed to be prepared to leave at a moments notice, so Mike and I set out to pack up the essentials. We packed 4 or 5 pairs of clothes, and all the toiletries we might need to stay away for a few days. We also grabbed our most important documents, such as insurance information and Ian's adoption papers, birth and marriage certificates and our passports, our photo albums and wedding photos, the dog kennel and dog food, the computer tower, laptop and hard drives, all of our cameras, the travel crib, and my best jewelry.
We were ready.

We kept watching the news, even though we were exhausted, because we wanted to know what was happening. Finally around 1:45 a.m., with no news of expanding evacuations, we decided that it was safe to get some sleep. It was a fitful night, and neither of us actually slept very much.

When I finally got out of bed around 7:30 a.m. Monday morning and looked out the front door, I was SO relieved to see clear skies, and no visible flames!!! Again, I turned on the TV for an update, and saw that the mountainside looked pretty clear. Whew!!! Deep breaths=) The fire was still considered "uncontrolled" at that point, but compared to the scene we were faced with the night before, those few spots of smoke and the helicopters dumping water and fire retardant were such a welcome relief!!!

Mike worked from home and I got breakfast ready.  Slowly, life was returning to normal.  I unpacked our bags and put away all of our most precious possessions, and said a silent prayer that we were safely in our home, holding onto each other - safe and sound.  

THANK YOU so much to all of the people who reached out in concern to see if we were okay, or to offer us a safe place to stay.  My parents slept that night with lights on and ears perked, just in case we knocked on their door at 3 a.m. My brother offered to sleep on the couch and give us his bed.  My sister slept with her cell phone right next to her and her couch all ready for us.  Mike's Mom probably didn't sleep at all. My friend Paige offered to let us stay with her if needed.  Our good old friend Derk offered to take our dog Ferris for us if we had to evacuate. There were several others who texted us to see if we were okay or needed anything.  It was such a wonderful feeling, in such a scary situation, to know that at least we would have somewhere to go if we needed to, and that there were so many people who loved us. Thank you again!  We love you guys!!

As of right now, the fire is 25% contained.  Winds are kicking up again, and fire crews still aren't letting some of the evacuated families back into their homes, but my sense of security and safety is in MUCH better condition!  I am still glued to the news because they are concerned about today's winds, and fearful that it could reignite some of the hot spots, but we have so much to be thankful for today!  I feel so bad for the three families whose homes were destroyed, but grateful that it wasn't much worse!  It had the potential to be such an incredible disaster, and I am definitely counting my blessings today.

Giveaway: You are my baby, I am your mommy - Winner

Today is the day.  

The winner of my book giveaway, "You are my baby, I am your mommy" was chosen this morning.

And I can guarantee all of you that this contest was completely random and unbiased!

First, the names of all the entries were written on a tiny piece of paper and folded neatly.  Next, they were placed in the almighty Shrek bowl, where they were shaken and mixed well.  Then lastly, my impartial judge randomly selected the winner.

AND THE WINNER IS.....  

Jamie from "On Wings of Hope".  CONGRATULATIONS!  I know you are simply going to love this book, and so is your little Milo=)

Thanks again to everyone else who entered, and remember you can get your own copy of this wonderful book by visiting Kimberly Leclercq's website and ordering your own copy today!

Giveaway: You are my baby, I am your mommy

Okay people...if you have never commented on my blog before, today is the day you are going to want to start!

I am SO thrilled and excited to be able to bring you another amazing book giveaway, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

The book is "You are my baby, I am your mommy" by author Kimberly Leclercq.

About a year ago, I was introduced to this book through another adoptive mom's blog, the r house.  Mrs. R was having a giveaway at the time, and although I didn't win, it planted the seed that someday I would have to own this book for myself. 

Fast forward almost a year.  I contacted Kimberly about possibly doing a giveaway on my blog, and amazingly, she was all for it!  I purchased a copy for myself, and she graciously threw in an extra copy so that I could give it to one of you very lucky readers!!!

I anxiously awaited the arrival of this book, and actually squealed with delight when I got home from the store today to find it waiting on my front porch!  As luck would have it, my little man was in need of a nap, so I tore open the package, scooped him up with his blankie, and settled into a comfy chair to finally read it to him.

I couldn't make it to the end without tearing up.  

I know, I am a self-proclaimed 

B.O.O.B.!!

But this book is just beautiful, and is bound to touch the hearts of all you mothers who read it!  

At first, I must admit that I was a little shocked to find no pictures in it.  Don't get me wrong, it is beautifully vibrant and has amazing artistry, but no images of babies or children, which I thought unique for a children's book.  But then as I started reading, it made perfect sense to me.  This book takes place before this Mommy meets her baby - before she knows what he will look like or smell like, or what treasures he will hold.  

So how could she know what pictures to include??  

I just loved it!!

There is a page near the end that talks about all of the things that this child will get from his mommy, and I could barely read through my tears.  I know exactly what it feels like to wonder what characteristics your child will have, and whether or not any of them will come from you.  I also know exactly what it feels like to swell with love and pride when a complete stranger tells you, "Oh, I can see where he gets that big, beautiful smile from!" 

As mothers, I am quite certain that we have all wondered about what our child will look like and when we will get the chance to meet.  I know that my wait was VERY long, and often times, hard and painful, but more worth it in the end than I ever could have imagined!!!!  Yet all along,  I also knew, with all my heart, that he was out there, and that someday we would eventually meet.

For any of you mommy's out there who know what I am talking about, this book is for you.

Kimberly Leclercq is an adoptive Mom, and this book was written almost as a letter to the child she had yet to meet.  Although it is a definite must-have for all adoptive mommy's and their babies, it isn't exclusive to this situation, and is a great book for ALL mommy's and their babies, no matter how you met.

To enter for your chance to win this amazing book, just leave me a comment, with your email address included so I can contact you if you win.  You will have through Friday, September 17th to enter, and the winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday, September 18, 2010.  

And if, unfortunately, you aren't the lucky winner, please go to Kimberly's website and order a copy for yourself today!! 

*** For extra chances to win ***

(Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry)

1) Become a follower of my blog. (The issues with the "follower" button should be fixed, but if you run into problems with this, please let me know).

2)  Blog about this giveaway on your own blog, and leave me a comment with the link.

3)  Email friends and family about this giveaway and include me in the email (shellers@hotmail.com)

 Good luck!!

Just Out of Curiosity...

I am going to admit something here that will probably make me sound dumb, at least as far as computers go.  However, I am the first to wholeheartedly admit that I am NOT savvy in the ways of computers and I admittedly rely (probably too much) on my brilliant hubby to help me out in that arena. 

So, all humility aside, here goes...

I have recently been playing around with my blog, and have discovered that if you look at it through Mozilla Firefox, it looks completely different than if you look at it through another browser, such as Internet Explorer.  Also, my "Followers" do not show up in Firefox, but they will in I.E.

So, just out of curiosity, which system do you use when browsing my blog?  Do you have problems seeing the text because of the font or colors?  Can you see my list of followers?

Your feedback is MUCH appreciated!  THANKS!!!

Patriot's Day

There are several traits that I have been lucky enough to inherit from my Dad - such as his dark hair, and his blue eyes, our love of licorice and our dislike of heights, just to name a few.

But there is one trait, above all others, that I am proud to say came from my Papa - my patriotism.

I have never known anyone who loved their country as much as my Dad. He is the most patriotic person I have yet to meet, and I am so proud that I get this trait from him.

I was raised knowing about the brave men and women who "gave away their tomorrows so that we could have our today's". My Dad never served in the military, but he has always had such reverence and respect around our veterans and those who did. One small example of this was when we had a house warming party a few years back. Mike's cousin Jeff had just returned from his first tour in Iraq and we were seeing him again for the first time since he returned. I told my Dad this, and even though they had just met, my Dad walked up to Jeff, shook his hand, then gave him a big hug and thanked him for bravely serving our country.

How could I not be patriotic with an amazing father like this, right?=)

Well, today is Patriot's Day. I am sure you can all remember, with exact clarity, what you were doing exactly 9 years ago today. My family had just flown in from a family vacation in North Carolina a day or two before, and I was getting ready for work when I turned on the TV. I couldn't pull myself away for the next several days, and I cried helpless tears over both those who had lost their lives, and the loved ones they left behind.

Today, that sorrow has faded somewhat, but as the saying goes... 
"9/11 - we will never forget."

In honor of Patriot's Day today, Mike and I decided to take our son to the "Healing Field" in Sandy. This is a field of over 1,700 flags that are set up in remembrance of 9/11 and all those who lost their lives that day. It was the first of its kind, and now there are several all throughout the country.

I knew Ian would think that all the flags were cool and he would enjoy running among them. 

What I didn't know was how emotional I would get while teaching my son to take off his hat and put his little hand over his heart, just like my Dad taught me.

The tears were unavoidable as I took in all that was going on around me, and remembered that without those who fight for our freedoms, today would never have even been possible.

I would never have had the chance to stand in the warm sun in a field of freedom flapping in the breeze, or listened as a military officer solemnly played Taps on his trumpet as a flag was retired, and soldiers reverently placed it in a cauldron to be burned.

I would never have been able to meet my son, much less be able to pass onto him some of the beautiful things that my parents taught me.

I was so grateful today for all those who have lost their lives, not only nine years ago, but everyone who has ever given the ultimate sacrifice in order for me to be able to stand there today, holding onto my sweet husband as, together, we held our precious son and taught him a little bit about freedom.

I also want to give special thanks to my Grandfather Duane, a decorated war veteran from WWII, cousin Jeff, who honorably served two tours of duty in Iraq and remains active still, my cousin Brian, and to everyone else who loves America as much as me and my Dad!

Happy Patriot's Day!!!

Flashback Friday: Happy Hump Day

For those of you who are new to this little blog of mine, you may not know that before our son's adoption was finalized, we had a private blog set up for just friends and family.  We don't use it anymore, but I still keep it around for myself.  A couple of days ago, I was looking through some of the old post's from it and had the idea that I should re-post some of them here on this blog.  

A lot of really wonderful things happened to our little family while we had our private blog set up, so every now and then, I am going to re-post some of those wonderful memories.  I hope you will enjoy looking back at them as much as I do!

**And just a little side note here... I am going to be having another AMAZING giveaway next week, and you are most definitely going to want to check this one out!  It will be awesome, and you will want to tell all your friends about it!  So make sure you stop back next week and enter to win!!!**

Anyway, without any further ado, here is my first Flashback post - enjoy!

"Happy Hump Day" - originally posted on 
September 23, 2009

You may be thinking to yourself that today seems like an ordinary fall Wednesday morning, and you would be right - it is.  But I have a lot making me smile this morning. 

First... Poopy diapers.  I know, you are probably asking "what the heck"?  Well, let me elaborate.  Poor little Ian has had the "Pee-poops" for several days now and his little bum is raw and sore.  He had two spots that just would not heal, so I took him to see the doc yesterday.  She gave us some miracle cream that is already doing its magic, and the little man is already MUCH happier!  But the whole experience got me thinking.  I am grateful to have these poopy diapers because it means that I have that sweet little bum to take care of=)

Next... Mornings.  I never thought mornings could be so sweet, but waking up to Ian singing and smiling at me makes my entire day!  He wakes up so happy and it makes getting up early SO worth it!  I love these cool fall mornings where we can snuggle up with a blanket and a bottle and just cuddle for a bit.

A couple of days ago, I received what I considered to be a very nice compliment from our dear old friend Derk.  He was talking to his girlfriend Rhianna about the seemingly endless list of chores they have to do at her new-old house.  He told her all she needed to do to cheer up was to hold Ian.  He said, "Look how happy Shelly is. Since she got him she has never stopped smiling." 

IT IS TRUE.  Every day brings a new reason to smile.