Gotcha Day 3 Years Home

Today mark's our 3rd Gotcha Day and Jeremiah's birthday.  Don't faint as I haven't written for 2 years. Life has been NUTS  But, this week's also been such a crazy week in the USA, that I felt like I needed to show something good!
I can't tell you how grateful we are to have Lacey as our daughter. She rules our home and is the Princess to her 4 brothers.  Where do I even start?
Last year we sold our lodge to 5 nuns.It was nothing less than miraculous! Then we moved to a new state and started another business. Thankfully we sold our other home towards the end of the year.
Lacey goes to preschool 4 days a week. She loves school and especially art.  She's come very far, but still is behind for her age maybe around 9 months.  I can't tell you enough how thankful we are to the therapists she had in Colorado. They were amazing and helped her walk, talk and move her left side properly.  She may never walk normal, but it's good enough. So what if she's not a star athlete, she's quite the star.
At this point, she isn't getting as much therapy as it's all done at school and she doesn't get enough individual focus.  But, we are trying to help her at home and re-evaluating the plan for next year. Academically Lacey's a smarty and full of happiness and life.
I'll try and be better at maintaining this blog, but I can't promise you anything as I'm still blogging full-time and  my time is very limited.

Easter 2013

The Next Opera Star

Gotcha Day & Jeremiah's Birthday

I can't believe we've had Lacey one year! It has flown by quickly and has been a joy. She was 9 months when we got her, yet very much a newborn. She could not sit up, eat from a spoon and had no teeth. The orphanage workers hinted of issues but we did not realize the scope.

Lacey is full of love and has a strong will. She is as smart as can be, but has some gross and fine motor problems. Our two therapists have helped her come a long way and she is getting close to walking.

Her Gotcha Day is extra special since it happened on Jeremiah's birthday.We are celebrating in the desert with our ATVs as it is Spring Break.We will post pictures when we return.

Mandarin Doll Pajamas

I came across these Mandarin Doll Pajamas at Emily Rose. Aren't they adorable? I just thought I'd share them with you.

Rent My Timeshare for Really Cheap in 2011

I own a timeshare in Hawaii that we won't be able to use this year. It's actually on a points system through Diamond Resorts International, so it can be used at many places. Unfortunately for us, we won't be taking a vacation anytime soon as we own two homes. So until we sell one, it's stay cations for us. (We will be taking one long weekend family reunion trip to Disneyland courtesy of Grandma). So excited about that as it was a Christmas present.

If you are considering a vacation, I am selling weeks for really cheap. I have a boatload of points and therefore could sell several weeks at different locations or muliple units.

Some of the destinations include:

Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, California, Colorado, Branson, Las Vegas, South Carolina, Washington DC. There are also many International Destinations in Europe, Mexico, Caribbean, Mexico and the UK.

Just email me at Krista@TallClothingMall.com with the destination you are looking for and the approximate date and I will email you back the price. I just have to check the date and see if it's available and rentals are for 7 days at a time. This is a great way to save some money this year on your vacation.

World Kindness Day

Today is "World Kindness Day". Everyone is encouraged to do a random act of kindness. How fitting that yesterday I received an anonymous gift card in the mail. :)
It's been a tough financial year for our family and this gift is really appreciated.
So today, I decided to pay it forward. My business made a small donation to Operation Smile, an organization that performs free surgeries on children worldwide who have facial deformities. They are often performed on orphans. Consider making a donation to this wonderful organization, or do some other random act of kindess today!

Together Forever!

On August 28, 2010 we are able to take Lacey to the Salt Lake temple to be sealed to our family forever! It was the perfect day and I feel inadequate at trying to write the words that explain how I feel about that day. My heart took several pictures and I hope I can retain them forever.

Gerry and I were married in the Salt Lake temple and that means that all children I physically bear, are automatically sealed into our family. Because Lacey was adopted she had to be sealed into our family in order to enjoy the same blessings. The boys had the privilege of being able to watch and we let them choose the temple. I love the Salt Lake temple and the rich history that goes with it, so I was delighted that they chose it. When I was choosing a white dress to wear, i couldn't believe the temple had a Mandarin style dress, so of course I had to wear that one.

When the temple workers brought the children into the sealing rooms they looked like angels and we just cried as they looked so beautiful. We had waited for this day for such a long time. As Lacey was set on the alter, she focused her gaze on the officiator and never took her eyes off of him. Her spiritual side seemed to sense the importance of the ceremony. After the ceremony, I had hired a photographer (another adoptive parent) to try and capture the happiness of the day. I think he did a great job! I'm thankful for our friends and family that were able to attend the sealing with us.

As a side note, there was another family there that day that sealed their 8 year old Chinese daughter to them. Made it extra special to visit a bit with them. :)