Mother's Day

I have such mixed feelings about Mother's Day. For so many years it was such a day of sadness, really more a day of feeling empty. Now I am so grateful to be a mother, but at the same time I know that there are many who have empty arms and sad hearts on this day and I feel for them. I sat in church and my heart ached for those dear to me who long to be mothers, but aren't yet. I hate how they pass out flowers or whatever and even thought they give one to everyone, it still is a painful reminder of what you don't have. One of the counselors in my primary presidency hasn't been able to have kids and the other recently adopted. They are such amazing women, sometimes it is so hard to understand the why to infertility! Also, I love my sweet birth mothers and know that this day certainly has a bit of an extra sting for them. 

Now that the kids are getting older, they really love to spoil me and are constantly planning and scheming with their dad all the things they can do. Vela told me about a week before Mother's Day that she told her dad he should take us all on a cruise for the holiday, but said the wasn't going to happen. Thanks for the awesome suggestion though Vela! Maybe one day! 

I may not have gotten the cruise, but I was spoiled nonstop for about a week, and really am so grateful to get to be the mom of these sweet kids that I feel loved and spoiled every day! 

On Friday Vela had her Mother's Day program at preschool. It is their big, end of the year program and she did so great. Here she is with her teacher Mrs. Yates, who has been wonderful for Vela. 

 Vela made the cutest card for me and gave me this cute plant. 

 I told my husband and kids I didn't want to go anywhere to do anything big on Mother's Day. Things have been so busy and I just wanted to take a nap on the trampoline and snuggle my kids and relax. My mom insisted that we come to her house for dinner and that we couldn't bring a thing. I'm so glad we went. She made ribs and sauerkraut and all kinds of tasty stuff.  I really am blessed to have her for a mother and to live close enough to be spoiled!  

 Hema made this cute little candle holder at school. He brought it home a Friday and asked me about every 10 minutes if I wanted to just go ahead and open it early. So I did, and we waited until it got dark and burned a candle with all the lights off for about 30 minutes while the girls oohed and awed about how talented he was for making it. He is so sweet! 

 Hema got me chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels from a ward fundraiser our Young Women did. They were gorgeous and yummy! 

 I haven't ever really been the type that loves flowers, but it is so fun to see how excited the kids are when I get them. It has made me love to get them. Vela always insists that Hema gets me flowers. I love these beautiful roses I received! 

I also got a great date night out on Saturday with my love for sushi! Yummm! 

Hema and the kids also cleaned the house, massaged my feet, planned a fun movie night with chinese take out on the trampoline in the back yard, gave me a 1,000 hugs, kisses and compliments and were basically pure angels all week long. 

Honestly, I was spoiled rotten! 

My favorite gift of all was an awesome video that Hema and the kids made for me telling me how much they love me and why I am a good mom. They did some sweet dance moves on it too! I'm keeping it close during their teenage years, just in case they are anything like me or Hema were as teenagers. It was so thoughtful and sweet. I can't figure out how to load it, but maybe when Hema gets home he can do it. 

I am beyond blessed and grateful to be a mother and for a loving family that makes me feel like the luckiest girl alive!  

And of course I am grateful beyond words for these 3 brave women who share the title of mother with me! My children's birth mothers are the best!! Love you women to the moon and back! 

Independence Day

We had such a great day on the 4th of July! We feel so very blessed to live in this beautiful country! And we are grateful to all of those who sacrifice to keep it that way! 

 We started out the day going down to see the hot air balloons go up. This year the wind was really different and they all went up and north pretty quickly so this is the best picture we got. 

Can you even see the Bank of American for pig in the background? 

 The kids were really tired so we headed home and put them back to bed. I decided to whip up something festive for the girls to wear. I picked up a yard each of 2 cheap fabrics at Walmart and planned to make little ruffly shorts, but ended up switching last minute to making these simple little dresses. 

My cute kiddies ready for the day! 

 The dresses came together fast and I am really happy with how they turned out. I kind of followed this online tutorial from my amazingly talented cousin Anneliese over at Aesthetic Nest. If you have never seen her blog you have to check it out. She is unbelievably talented!! 

Vela wanted to do a little posing! 

Cora wants to do everything Vela does! 

We relaxed and did some things around the house and neighborhood, then headed down to my grandfathers house to BBQ and watch the fireworks! My grandparents both passed away, but my aunt Kris lives there now and it is the PERFECT location for 4th of July festivities! We had a big BBQ and got to visit with lots of our Hawkins family. 

When you hear and see the jets do the stadium fly by, you know its time to move to the front yard and put the blankets out! 

There go the jets! 

 We busted out the Snowie machine and served up about 100 snow cones. Definitely the perfect treat for a ward summer night! But I didn't get any pictures since we were busy making them! 

Our little family celebrating! 

 My brother Jason and his cute family! 

 I love love love taking pictures with the fireworks in the background. Here are a few I took.

My sweetie!!!  

Little Hema super happy to be taking the picture! He was mad
that he was missing seeing the firework. 

Vela loved playing with all of my cousin's kids. She ran around non stop all night with the girls and almost tried to load up and go home with the Mahoneys!

Mylee and Vela had so much fun running around together. 

Vela and cute Becca had fun too!

 Cora didn't quite get the concept of looking at me for the picture so I got about 50 of the back of her head. (Which is pretty dang cute anyway!) 

 She almost looked in this one. 

All in all is was a fun day filled with food, family, fireworks and festivities! We feel so blessed to be part of the Hawkins family and love them all! 

A Thankful Fathers Day

It's fathers day and I am so thankful!

I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be a father to three of the most beautiful children in the world and for providing me with the opportunities and resources to care for them. I love them so much!

I am thankful that I share the responsibility for these little ones with the most beautiful and amazing woman whom I absolutely love and adore and look forward to spending the eternities with. Thank you for everything sweetheart!

I am thankful for the divine plan that brought my little ones into my life and for the birthparents and families who made the courageous choices that allow me to be a father.

I am grateful for my father, for showing me what a father is supposed to be and do, and for making so many sacrifices for our family. Only now, as a father myself, can I fully appreciate what you have done for me. Thanks for showing me how to be a good husband and father.

I am also grateful for my father-in-law, for his wonderful example and support, and for raising the most wonderful woman in the universe. Thank you sir!

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there and may God bless us with everything we need to care for the people who call us father.

- Hema

Best Visit Ever!!!!

Our family has been blessed with three little miracles, three children all that came into our family because each time a very brave and amazing young woman chose to place her baby in our family through adoption.

 These wonderful women our children very affectionately call their birth moms. 

We are double blessed because we have open relationships with each of these beautiful women. And triple blessed because they all live within about 40 minutes of our home. It's pretty great! We have lots of friends who have birth families that live far away, across the state or country or even the world. That just makes it a little more complicated to get together. So yeah, we have it pretty good! 

Our children know their birth mothers. They love them, They talk about them and look forward to visits. We get to see each of them regularly.

But these awesome ladies had never met each other...

until yesterday.

Last year over Mothers Day I thought how nice it would be if they had the chance to meet. I tucked the thought away until it came closer to Mothers Day this year and asked each of them and they all thought it sounded great. It didn't have to happen near Mothers Day, but somehow I wanted the all the women who are my children's mothers, all 4 of us to meet up in close to Mothers Day. So we did yesterday. 

It was awesome!

(Oh and if you've ever wondered why my children are so stinking cute just check out these pictures with their gorgeous biological mamas!)

Krychele and Cora

Vela and Chelise

Katie and Hema

I wanted to get a good group picture... but they all ended up something like this...

Baby Alysha (Chelise's daughter), Krychele, Chelise, Vela, Me, Cora, Katie and Hema
Oh and where is Bubba? 

Or this....

Krychele, Bubba (Vela's full biological sister), Chelise, Vela, Cora, Me, Hema and Katie
Where's Baby Alysha?
Where is Hema?
How did I not get one single photo with Hema in it? 

 (For the record Katie and I are notorious for always wearing the same color shirts when we get together. It is kind of freaky! From our first face to face to today I think there was only one time ever that we didn't have on the same color.) 

Vela and Bubba - GORGEOUS! They are full biological sisters. 

It was really awesome to have these amazing women meet face to face and talk and get to know each other in real life. We ate, played, visited, ate some more and visited some more. It was amazing how well we all just meshed. I think it was really comfortable. These ladies are each different in so many ways - age, race, interests...but we all share a special bond through our love of the same 3 children that together sort of make us all family.

I have said it a thousand times, but I am so grateful for open adoption! I am eternally grateful that I am a mother, thanks to these 3 women. I am so grateful that these women allow me and my family to be part of their lives! We are so very blessed to know each of them! 

Can't wait to all meet up again! We just might have to make this an annual tradition! 

Easter Fun

We had a fun Easter season. Filled with many egg hunts, lots of family and learning of Jesus Christ.

Between the conference sessions on Saturday we had an egg hunt with the Hawkins cousins who were in town. Next time I won't face all the kids right towards the sun for a picture. 

Hema, Cora, Brynlee, Beckam, Vela, Halle and Hunter 

Hema getting a lift from dad to get an egg that was up high. 

Vela gathering all the yellow eggs. Her favorite color. 

Beckam showing his egg off. 

Cora a little hesitant to touch the plant in order to get the egg. 

Then on Monday our neighborhood always does fun egg hunts and a get together for all the families. We really love our neighbors and are so grateful our kids have such good friends close by. It was a really windy evening but the kids had fun. Unfortunately both of my cameras were having issues so I only got 2 pictures. 

Hema, Cora and Vela ready to go! 

Cora after she emptied her treats into her basket. 

 On Saturday before Easter we had all the Katoa Family over to eat, have FHE, celebrate Lote's birthday and of course hunt eggs. They always bring so many eggs we have to lay them about every few inches on the lawn to have a place for them all. 

The youngest kids got a head start.  

Aunt Taiena sending the next group out.

Cora showing off her goodies!

My camera keep doing these annoying blurry pictures indoors. I really need to get it in to get fixed this week! 

Aunt Lote blowing out her candle. She is the best auntie!!

Sunday morning the Easter Bunny skipped bringing any candy because these kids had already gotten way too much. But they did get bubbles and a few toys for outside which they are loving! 

Another blurry photo! Ughhh!

This was such a cute shot in real life. Easter Sunday right before church. Rarely do all three smile at the same time and want their pictures taken. By the way, the indoor pictures didn't look blurry on the little screen on the camera so it was only afterwards that I found out they all were junky! Booo! 

If you squint just right you can just make out their cuteness!

 My mom is back east visiting Jake and Jessica and their families for a few weeks, so my Daddy got to come over for Easter dinner. Another blurry picture but still worth remembering. 

Cora, Vela, Grandpa Hawkins and Hema.

♥ Valentines Day!! ♥

Boy somehow I've fallen way behind in blogging. Here's the rundown from Valentines.

Vela's Valentine buckets for her preschool class. Filled with treats of course.
I had seen cute little shovel Valentines on Pinterest, but found these buckets cheap and went with them. 

I did several fun heart hairdo's on Vela during the week,  but only took this picture. 

We had a fun party at Hema's school class. He was home sick though and missed it! :(

Our traditional Seafood Valentines dinner. Yummy!

Hema and Vela opening Valentines presents from Dad. 

Touch MP3 players. They love them!  

This little cutie loved all the treats, especially the chocolate. 

Sweet Hema, such a good boy! 

The beautiful Vela!!

Had to post this sweet smile! 

I sure do love my sweet Valentines Hema, Vela, Cora and of course the love of my life my eternal companion Hema!