A Little JibJab Fun

My SIL put a fun little Jib Jab music video together. See if you can guess which one is Landon.

Click on this link and see it for yourself.

A Quick Fun Trip

Blog Post 1 of our 3 day trip to Pennsylvania. 1200 miles, $40 in tolls, a nice time meeting other adoptive couples, and a quick fly through Gettysburg makes for an exciting weekend. Landon was AMAZING on such a long car ride. He captures our heart. He officially turned 2 while we were traveling and we enjoyed every minute with him. A few pictures of Gettysburg will come later. Those in charge asked us to blog the FSA Northeast Regional Conference so that is our top priority for now. Just 3 weeks til we head out west and as Hallie looked at the 10 day forecast and the 40 degree temps that are on their way it won't be soon enough.

Landon after he woke up inside Boyds Bear Country

The only bear I may have bought, and Army bear for dear Bryce

In front of Boyds Bear Country. Landon was hard asleep. Cute Halloween backdrop

When Hallie was younger she LOVED Boyds Bears. Times have changed and she still likes them but not as much. So I guess it was a bit anticlimactic to go to Boyds Bear Country after all this time. We did not buy one thing.

Landon and Papi in the Hershey Gift Shop

Landon enjoyed spending his 2nd birthday surrounded by chocolate and being able to run wild

Some outside shots of Hershey Chocolate World

Landon definitely enjoyed the chocolate we received from taking some of the tours at Hershey

The colors were amazing and our cameras don't do it justice

Some Thoughts

A while back, my friend Aaron turned me on to the BYU speeches podcast. Recently, Elder Kim B. Clark of the Seventy and President of BYU-Idaho gave a powerful talk called Are Ye Stripped of Pride? I took it as a call to reflection. Take a look, a listen, or a read if you get the chance.

Also, Elder Scott said something in his October conference talk that I only caught on a later hearing and which meant a lot to me: "I witness that as you gain experience and success in being guided by the Spirit, your confidence in the impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependence on what you see or hear." In my work, we are encouraged to trust our five senses only, and yet much of what I know to be true about the gospel comes from those impressions of the Spirit to which Elder Scott referred. I can't explain some of what I know without going beyond the five senses.

Anyway, Happy Sunday! We enjoyed our trip to PA, and photos and story will follow soon.

You've Had a Birthday; Shout, "Hooray!"

Landon has turned 2! We decided to celebrate with our great neighbors before we left for Pennsylvania. It just so happens that their son Miles birthday is the same day as Landon's. We met up at a local burger joint where we all ate dinner. While we were waiting for our food there were sirens going down the street and a bit of a commotion. We had no idea that we were eating dinner right on the parade route for the local High School's homecoming parade. Landon sat on Papi's shoulders enjoying every minute of it. The band, the cheerleaders, fancy cars, fire engines, and all of the kids cheering on their year with pride. It made eating a bit easier since he was able to get some energy out before sitting and trying to eat a burger and fries. After our yummy burgers we went back to our house and had an ice cream cake with none other than Lightning McQueen on top. Our $6 was well spent when we found out that the car could be pulled back and would then race forward. Landon went to bed saying, "Car, car, car, car." All while Mami promised him he could have it first thing in the morning. Miles and his family gave Landon a great Mega Bloks set and he had tons of fun playing with it. Yet, still at 2 getting the tissue out of the bag was almost as fun. Miles received from us a gift card to Ace Hardware and a speed limit sign. He collects them and was very happy with his gifts. Miles is so good to Landon and we could not have been happier to spend the evening with them.

Coincidence that our order number and Landon's age were the same.

Miles and Landon each had a balloon so everyone knew it was their special day.

Watching the parade with rapt attention.

Every parade has to have a fire engine and living in a small town ensures that the police can block off the streets for a 30 min parade.

Miles picked the ice cream and Landon picked the design. He has watched Cars every day but Sundays since the middle of July.

Landon almost did not make it till the neighbors came. Landon kept on insisting that he should have the car.

Mile, Landon, and across the table Gabby playing peek a boo.

Mark and Dawn the parents next door. They are so nice to us and especially Landon. Mark recently cleaned our gutters and Landon was so amazed at watching him climb the ladder.

Miles, Mike, and Gabby playing with Landon.

Dawn and Landon.

Landon went at the cake with his fork. No holds barred this kid.

Miles and his presents. I will have to take a picture of Landon with his present another time and post it. We were all having so much fun. Next time you hear from us we will tell you all about Pennsylvania (Northeast Regional FSA Conference, Hershey, and Gettysburg).

Not Exactly Martha

Hallie's attempt at being Martha pictured first. The inspiration is last so as there can't be any direct comparison :)

Since we will not be in Michigan for nearly two months I thought we should take our favorite friends at WSU treats before the holidays. When I received my Martha Stewart Living Magazine for October I found something I was sure I could do. I never quite read all of the directions for things or look at the fine print. Just now as I was pasting this picture did I see that the pros had the box that is open stuffed with stuff so it looked like a lot of Jelly Beans. So when I started stuffing mine we figured it would cost us nearly $96 to fill the boxes the way I thought they should be done. So in the end we ended up with Candy Corn and M&M's. It worked for our purpose and all of the folks at school loved Landon's little gift. It is so wonderful to take Landon to Mike's work and have all the ladies oohh and aahh over him. Even the Dean demands his presence when we come to visit. Needless to say mom is always a lot more worried about her little monster when we go and visit.

Safety for the Soul

On my (Mike's) bike ride with Landon this crisp and sunny fall morning, I listened to Elder Holland's talk, Safety for the Soul, from October 2009 conference. Poetry.

I removed my earlier post. Seemed a bit heavy, even for my tastes. ;) I will just keep this bit, though: "What the Church and the gospel represent goes so much deeper than a clever young man, a claim to prophetic gifts, a talent for storytelling and organization, and so on. There’s a richness and a subtle elegance to it all that is profound and beautiful and that can be understood if you’re willing to just keep at it and trust it will make sense in time."

I feel like the point of the gospel is to teach us about love for ourselves and others. Through the gospel, we learn about God's love and how that love gives us hope in Christ, the capacity to see beyond ourselves, and the goal to become like God and Jesus Christ, whose work and glory is wholly centered on love--on building others up to become like them, partakers of eternal life. I see the Church is the social vehicle that helps us practice God's love as we work with others and get over our selfishness through living the gospel and serving others. It all boils down to love. If you can get that, the rest will fall into place.

Gratitude

We feel so blessed to know so many wonderful and caring people. This evening I was talking to my Visiting Teaching companion on the phone and she was telling me about how she said a prayer before she took the cards out to hand out. After another person received their cards in the mail she called saying how filled with the Spirit she was to receive them and then she proceeded to tell me the joy she felt in giving the cards away. All those who have taken cards form us by hand or received them in the mail, THANK YOU! We will not be able to find our child without you. We have said many prayers as our cards go out almost 700 of them to date that these will be the way in which we have some sort of connection with a Birth Mother/Birth Parents. If you have not received some of our Pass Along Cards please email us at lookingtoadopt at gmail.com . We would love to have you on our team! God will grant us our next miracle we know this to be true.

P.S. Thank You Courtney L. for the cute photo and Spaces for Faces for the great Pass Along Cards

If I find this fascinating am I an infidel?

So I'm back on a Lego kick as the weather turns cooler and Landon (finally!) seems interested in learning the fine art of the Brick. That's not what makes me a potential infidel. This link is. I mean, come on! The Christus, in Lego! THE Christus, like at the LDS temple visitors centers, but in wee plastic bricks. Those are definitely two great things that go great together (like peanut butter and chocolate, but not for the tummy).

A New Resource In A Trying Time

The LDS Church has posted a new section on their website specifically dealing with hope. Here is one video clip that I enjoyed.

Here are th lyrics to one of my favorite songs on this subject

HERE’S A LITTLE SONG TO HELP YOU GET ALONG

IT WILL SEE YOU THROUGH WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BLUE

AND THOUGH IT’S NOT PROFOUND WHEN YOU’RE FEELING DOWN

SO DOWN

SING THIS LITTLE TUNE AND YOU’LL FEEL BETTER SOON

YOU’RE NOT ALONE, EVEN THOUGH RIGHT NOW YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN

YOU ARE LOVED IN WAYS THAT CAN’T BE SHOWN, YOUR NEEDS ARE KNOWN

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

AND WHEN YOU CRY YOU’RE JUST LETTING GO A HEARTACHE DEEP INSIDE

SO TOMORROW THERE’LL BE SUNSHINE AND SKY AND LOVE CLOSE BY

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

WELL I KNOW THAT IT’S NOT EASY, BUT I KNOW THAT IT WON’T LAST

CAUSE ONE WHO LOVES YOU MORE THAN ME

IS SENDING BLESSINGS FAST

YOU’RE NOT ALONE…SAY IT ONE MORE TIME, “I’M NOT ALONE”

AND EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD TO FIND THE WORDS

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ALWAYS HEARD

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

and a link to listen to it

http://www.facebook.com/michaelmcleanmusic

I Want to Ride My (Papi's) Bicycle

We can hear Queen playing the background as this blog is being written.

Over the last two days Landon has started into his next adventure, bike riding. To say he gets into a lot of things might be an understatement. So, we are trying to put all of those wiggles into an outlet, riding a bike with Papi.

This picture is at B3 where Landon is getting fitted for his first bike helmet. He was so good letting the man put it on him and fit him for it.

Hallie wishes she could have gotten a video or a picture of Landon throwing a fit as she put him in the car and he just kept saying, "Bike! Bike! Bike!" We are getting him one for Christmas, but you know how Michigan winters are. He more than likely will not be able to ride it until the spring.

Here is Landon posing with his little gear on for his 1st bike ride with the new gear this morning. It was not even 40 degrees out, but he kept insisting that they go outside. Unfortunately, Mike had to pacify him with a quick trip in the car to Ace Hardware to get a new filter for our furnace hoping that would help make it work. No such luck, it is still 60 in the house.

Here are the boys ready to go on their first bike ride with the new seat.

Here is the bike with the Kangaroo Seat on the front. Mike said it was easy to install and did not take long to do.

Landon thought the handle bars were for him. Even while riding he thought that he was in control. Mike had to ride holding on to Landon's hands as Landon gripped the handle bars.

The battery ran out on the camera just as we were taking the pics! Grr. I wanted a video, but his is the closest thing I could get to the boys on the bike before the camera died. Anyway, they had a blast! Mike said he got smiles and good comments while they were riding. We are so glad that we got this for the bike. The boys are going to have so much fun riding. Let's just hope the weather holds out a bit longer so they can get some use out of it.