Trick-or-Twilight?

This year, Alex and I decided to go as Edward & Bella from Twilight. I think it's fair to say that Alex wasn't entirely thrilled of the idea; playing Edward isn't exactly the most manly of costumes. :) But I absolutely LOVE the movies & the books, and we thought it'd be a popular idea amongst the family, so we decided to run with it. Turns out, we looked pretty close to the real thing. ( See pics!)

We went to the annual Halloween party at his aunt's house & we had so much fun! Right as we were walking up, every girl there immediately knew who we were. As for the guys....well...they thought Alex looked like Tom Cruise from Risky Business. Our adorable nieces dressed up as Sleeping Beauty & Belle; my sister-in-law came as the Octo Mom; there were pirates, and 1920's flappers; football players and mad scientists. It was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we went over to a family member's home and watched scary movies. I don't love Halloween so much for the scary stuff, but I do think it's a lot of fun to get dressed up!

"Other Things May Change, But We Start And End With Family"

Alex and I recently celebrated our anniversary & we both cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Alex surprised me with a dozen roses in my favorite color- fire and ice- and they bloomed into some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. We went to a nice dinner & just spent the evening talking about some of our favorite memories since we've been together. We exchanged cards, and I was so touched by Alex's words. He always speaks directly from the heart, and his words are so incredibly honest. He is such a wonderful man, and he is going to make an amazing father someday.

This past weekend, we were able to spend some time with our cousin who is a Marine and is leaving for Afghanistan soon. We are so grateful for his service and the many sacrifices he makes, as well as his family, so that we can enjoy the many freedoms we have. We were sad to say goodbye, but we know he believes so strongly in what he is fighting for, and we pray for his safe return.



We carved pumpkins on Friday with my two nieces- Alex carved a mummy & I carved a bat. I must admit though- we did cheat :) We bought a carving & stencil kit from Wal-Mart, which really are essential for pumpkin carving. The kits provide the perfect little tools to carve the best images, and we had such a great time. We munched on halloween candy, and spent the time with family just laughing and enjoying each other's company. We love the holidays!

Pumpkins 'n' Bread

You know the fall is finally here when you're bundling up in your sweatshirts and boots & heading to your local pumpkin patch! Alex and I took our nieces, sister, and brother-in-law to a favorite pumpkin patch where there is a giant hay slide, a pool or corn kernels that the kids can dig around in to look for candy, and a giant corn maze that's pretty easy to find your way through, no matter what age. We had an absolute blast!! ( I'm sorry that I don't have a picture of Alex for this post- somebody has to take the picture :). We had such a great time, and it was so much fun to see our nieces get so excited. We were kind of disappointed to find out they had run out of hot chocolate because you can't go through a corn maze & be in your sweatshirts without ending the night with a cup of hot cocoa :).

I am also so proud to present my very first loaf of HOMEMADE bread! We had a very chilly day earlier this week, so I made a homemade chili that slow-cooked for 6 hours, and topped it off with...get ready for it... 6 loaves of homemade bread. That's right-I misread the recipe serving size and thought I was making a single loaf of bread, but it actually called for 6 loaves. So, we surprised family with a hot loaf of bread and I happy to say they all loved it :)

Bring on the Holidays!

Hi There!

We're sorry it's been some time since our last post. We've had a lot going on, but we have committed ourselves to keeping up on our blog as often as possible.

We absolutely LOVE the holidays! We love the smell of autumn spices, weekend football games, and getting together with family over good food. This week, we had our two nieces over for the day, and had a lot of fun activities planned. Let me start off by saying that Michael's is the best store for the seasons. The store is filled with so many great ideas for home decor, but also has a lot of neat things the kids can get involved with. Alright, so we picked up some halloween masks- an owl & a pirate- along with paint & brushes. In the pics above, they hold up their finished products. We also made these fantastic spider cupcakes. We took chocolate cupcakes, topped them with fudge frosting; then, added chocolate sprinkles for the "hair" and orange candy gel for the eyes. We finalized them with black licorice for the legs. The girls had an absolute blast! Many times, I caught them taking the sticks of licorice and scooping out fudge from the jar. I hope my sister-in-law forgives me for all the sugar they had yesterday :)

This weekend, we are going to a pumpkin patch with the family. We are bundling up in our sweatshirts and picking out pumpkins, and may be going on a hay ride as well!

To any birth moms reading our blog, we love you and hope you are enjoying this time of year as well.

My Cousin's "Little Miracle"

My cousin had to deliver her baby girl 5 weeks early due to toxemia. We're so happy to report that both mom and baby are doing well! Her little girl was born at 4 lbs., 14 oz., 18 inches long. Before we went to visit her in the hospital, my cousin sent me a picture text of her, and she looked so tiny. However, it wasn't until we actually saw her in person & got to hold her, that we really saw how tiny she is and what a "little miracle" these premies are. My aunt asked if I wanted to hold her, and I was afraid to because she is so small and fragile, but also because I knew I was going to ball my eyes out! And sure enough I did! We are getting close to welcoming our new spirit in to our home, that holding this little one felt like a small glimpse into the future. It makes me so incredibly grateful, every single day, for our birth mother's sacrifice. I would never get to experience the joy of motherhood if it wasn't for her. So thank you!

Birthdays, Weddings, & Homecomings!

Birthdays...

August a very busy month in our family! It feels like it's somebody's birthday every week, sometimes even twice a week! In this case, it was my niece, Amyrlin's, 4th birthday. She was so excited to open her gifts-and so was her sister :) They are so sweet to always share with each other and let the other sister help open gifts.

Homecomings....

My youngest sister returned home from her summer job- we couldn't be more proud of how hard she worked & we're excited to have her back in Utah! It was so fun to have my sister & good friend back so we could spend some girl time together before she starts school. We had a lot of family events going on (missionary homecoming, weddings) and we were able to meet up with extended family to celebrate. In case I'm not making my point... I LOVE FAMILY!

And finally...Weddings!

Our cousin had his wedding reception in his parent's backyard and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! They have a gorgeous backyard, with a white fence and horses, and draped white christmas lights all around the back. They had a to-die-for dessert bar and it was so fun to see everyone get a little dolled up for the occasion. Weddings are always fun in our family because we appreciate good food, good music, and love to dance. We love spending time together and when we see all of our nieces and nephews, it gets us so excited for our baby to arrive!

Bees, Bees, Bees!

Have you ever seen the Bee Movie? Well bees in real life aren't nearly as sweet as the ones in the movie. :) Alex was at work, which requires him to spend the majority of his time outside. As he was approaching one side of the house, a bee-obviously in a panic-came flying out of the side and stung him, right on top of his hand. Now Alex has been stung before, and sometimes it would swell up for a bit, but never anything serious. This time is was different. That night when he got home, his arm was huge!! (See pics).

He went to the doctor and he has a pretty bad infection. Poor baby :(. Thanks for working hard for our family!

Thanking my lucky Stars & Stripes...

Family, fairs, and food= 4th of July for the Hubbards! Each year, I look forward to this weekend. We love to go to breakfast with family, pick up some phenomenal BBQ at the local fair, (sneak in some Cotton Candy), and watch the fireworks show. My favorite kind of firework is the glittery, golden, poinsetta that sparkles like a hundred cameras are flashing at the same time. It's always a bit stressful finding parking, as usual, but once we set up the lawn chairs, grabbed our sunflower seeds and diet cokes, we love to sit back and watch the sky light up.
Our two nieces are such a blast to watch and be around. We love to take them swimming and cook out in the backyard. Our oldest neice has just learned to swim on her own and it's so exciting to see her growing up so fast.
We just want to say thank-you to all of the men & women who are fighting for our country each and every day. Thank you for making our country a safe place to live.

We love you all & happy 4th of July!

Happy Father's Day, Happy Grandfather's Day!

Father's Day was such a fun day for Alex and I. We went to his Dad's house and joined his sister and her kids (in picture above), Alex's 2 brothers, and of course...his Dad! It is also his Dad's birthday this week, so we celebrated both. It was so funny because Alex's sister bought some "trick" candles for the birthday cake & we all couldn't wait to see his Dad struggle with blowing them out. She lit the candles & we watched in anticipation, his Dad blows them out, and they didn't re-light! His sister's face was so funny as she was more bummed out by them not working then his Dad was.

Our two neices were adorable as always! They dressed up in their Disney princess dresses & gave their Father's day gifts to their Dad. You could tell it really melted his heart.

All in all, the day continued to make Alex and I excited to become parents some day. I know Alex is going to be a great dad and I can't wait for him to have that opportunity.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. We love you!

Lightning McQueen!

My INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, PERFECT husband surprised me and took me to see my family out of state. We packed up the car after we both got home from work on a Friday and drove through the night to surprise my family for the weekend. It was one of those weeks where I just needed a big hug from my mom, to hear my sister's contagious laugh, and to be there in the morning when my nephew wakes up and gives me the kind of hug that makes any heart melt.

My nephew is arguably the most adorable little boy out there. He is almost 3 and worships the Disney movie, "Cars". He has every character car from the movie, some he has multiples of, and says "Liiiiightting McQueen" cuter than you can imagine. I just so happen to drive a red car and my nephew is convinced that it's the lifesize version of Lighting McQueen. In the picture about, Alex let him sit in the passenger seat of "Lighting McQueen" for a few minutes and I think my nephew's smile says it all. You would think he was at Disney World or something!

What would we do without family......

Morning Rain

I just love waking up to the sound of rain. I love to pull back the curtains above my bed & look out to see hundreds of rain drops bouncing off the window pane. For some reason, the sound is so soothing to me. I love when it rains on Sundays especially- we go to church and then get in our comfy clothes and "vedge" out. We like to get our comforter blanket and bring it out to the front room, turn on a good movie, and drink our diet cokes while listening to the rain. I look forward to days like these.

I went out to our backyard to check on our puppy (well, he's almost 3 now, but he has such a puppy face that you'd never know the difference). Dodge, our boxer, was sprawled out on the patio, chewing at his brand new leather collar! This is probably the 4th or 5th collar he has gone through. He is extremely smart and always seems to find his way out of it. Take a look at the pic above-do you see the little piece of his collar hanging on the end? That's Dodge for ya.

Well today we are going over to Alex's family's house for Sunday dinner and ice cream.

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday as well. We are thinking of you!

Until we meet.....

A great joy is coming....

First off, I must apologize for the delay between now and my last blog. I can honestly understand now what it means when people say, "time flies when your having fun"! These last few months have been packed with paperwork, visits to the adoption agency, family visits, and what else-work. We completed our last adoption class, which brought a mixture of feelings-a sense of excitement & anticipation that one finish line, of many to come, had been finally crossed; a feeling of sadness because Alex and I had made so many wonderful friends; and a feeling of hope of what was to come next. We are thrilled to FINALLY have our profile online & are excited to have so many amazing birth mothers out there who get to learn about us.

I will do my very best to keep this blog as up to date as I can from now on!

In the picture above, I'm hanging out with my older sister while visiting her and her family. Her and I are especially close & we love getting together for barbeques, movie nights, or picking up dinner at Red Robin! Vacation with my family is always such a blast. I'm not one of those people that needs alot to make me happy or to make things fun. Just being around good people, taking it easy, is when I'm most happy!

The picture next to my sisters, was taken at my birthday party thrown for me by my in-laws. It was a surprise from my husband-what a great guy! I always feel so lucky when I look into those kind eyes of his.

The last picture is of me and my precious niece. She is my little buddy and I look forward to her sweet smile everytime we got to visit. She is so tender to his younger sister, and does so much to help her Mom and Dad. Many days, when I have been feeling down or discouraged, she always seems to know what to say or when to give a hug. I believe all children have the sense of understanding; they may be small, but they have a way of seeing straight through to your heart.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. We have supportive & incredible parents and siblings who I know, has shaped Alex and I into the people we are today.

To anyone reading this, I hope you have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

Stay tuned....

Smiles and Sunshine

I had the privilege this past Saturday to speak at my cousin's baptism & I have to say- I was so nervous! My adorable neice called me last month & asked me to speak on "Baptism". It has been quite some time since I reflected on my own baptism, the feelings I had, and the excitement I felt as I took my first big step as a member of the church. My niece and I have shared a very special friendship since she was tiny, and I felt honored to play a small role in her baptism day. As I watched her parents look at her with pride, love, and the bittersweet realization that their last child was now baptized, you see their eyes glaze over for a moment as they ponder on where the time's gone & how their little ones are growing up so fast. I feel so much gratitude to be witness to those moments & I look forward to becoming a mother someday and sharing in that kind of love with my children.

Speaking of children, the adoption process continues to move forward & even though the paperwork seems endless and each day that passes feels like a day lost, I anticipate the moment we recieve the call telling us our family is going to grow. I look out my window, feeling the warmth of the sun & staring up at the blue sky, and I immediately feel comforted; I have all of this beauty around me & am blessed in so many ways by my Heavenly Father everyday.

Sundays at Our House

I love Sundays... the smell of Alex's perfect pot roast, taking Dodge (our boxer puppy) for walks around the neighborhood, an afternoon sports game (football season is our favorite), and of course-going to church!

I have always loved Sundays & I owe it to my Mom. There was always a special feeling in our home on Sundays. I would wake up to the sound of church music playing, my mom would be in the kitchen getting the afternoon roast in the oven, and I remember the Spirit always feeling especially close on Sundays.

Alex has his own family "Sunday traditions" too! Every Sunday, growing up, they would attend church together and when they would get home, he and his 2 brothers would have Sunday dinner assignments. Alex's family has a huge garden out back, so the boys would be in charge of picking potatoes and vegetables from the garden. It's cool because on Sundays, the men cook and clean up the meals. It can't get any better than that! They like to play games together and eat lots of dessert.

We like to combine our family traditions in our home and create a few new ones along the way.

Faith in His timing

I'd like to start out by saying how truly grateful I am for my Savior, our Savior. I can truly testify to His mercy & His love for each and every one of us. I know how crazy this may sound, but I'm especially thankful for my trials; whether private or public. I say this because during those moments, I feel my Savior's love and His support especially close.

Today brought with it a bittersweet moment, one that I have felt many times before and know will continue to be a challenge for me. A co-worker and friend of mine has been trying to get pregnant for the last 8 months or so. She came into work today announcing that she just found out she was expecting! I'm immediately overcome with a mixture of feelings in those first few seconds. I am so happy, sincerely happy for my friend; but I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard at the same time. I immediately turn to my Heavenly Father for comfort and help; I don't turn to Him for an explanation or to ask "Why not me?" (at least not anymore :) . I turn to Him because He knows better than I; because He knows how I am feeling; and because He has a plan for Alex and myself. "Faith in God includes faith in His timing."
My mom has always taught me that the best way to get over the blues, is to get out there and serve someone else!
This friend of mine is just that-a friend and one who deserves all the happiness that pregnancy brings!
I had a fun idea come to mind so I ran to the store and picked up a few pregnancy essentials: prenatals, baby magazines & catalogs, and some munchies. Hope she enjoys it!

For any birth mother reading this now, I want you to know how excited I am for each one of you!

New Year....New Beginnings

I can't believe January has nearly come and gone already-it seems as if it were December just yesterday. I recall that same feeling I get before ever new year; that feeling of how strange it will feel writing 2009 instead 2008; planning my resolutions (though I feel like I am constantly making new ones every day); and the feeling of anticipation for what is to come, what lessons I will learn, what trials I will overcome.

It's an amazing feeling isn't it?-to know that you can start fresh at any time; that you, and you alone, decide the path you will take and who will be by your side.
I have my Heavenly Father with me each day, guiding me and constantly shedding light on questions I may have or decisions I need His help to make. He has blessed me with a wonderful husband, to take my hand & walk by my side. Alex is the man I had always hoped I would find, and so much more. His gentle eyes, his kind way of offering help & encouragement, and his sense of humor are a daily testament to me that Heavenly Father loves me; that each woman is a daughter of God who deserves to love and be loved.

After much prayer & personal confirmation from the Savior, Alex and I have chosen to adopt. When we were engaged, we discussed adoption and our shared desire to one day be blessed with the opportunity to do so. We were married in the fall of 2006 and wanted to build our family almost immediately! After nearly 5 months of negative pregnancy test results, we were finally blessed with a positive! That morning, Alex had left for work & we figured the test results would be the same as before, so I can honestly say the "PREGNANT" result was a complete surprise! I called Alex immediately & made the second important phone call to-who else-my mom! She was thrilled at the news & encouraged me to visit my doctor to confirm. However, she gave me a friendly reminder to share the news with co-workers & friends after my first trimester. I didn't pay much attention to her advice because I figured everything would work out just as it had for sisters and friends around me. Alex gave the news to his Dad as well, and recieved the same response! We felt very confused-here we are, pregnant finally, and our parents had given us the same advice. Within weeks, their advice would prove to be true. We miscarried at 8 1/2 weeks and the heart ache & disappointment was nearly too much to bare. We have been trying, with the help of wonderful doctors and faithful prayer, ever since. "Faith in God includes faith in His timing". We are still waiting for our time. And, little did we know the plan Heavenly Father had for us & how much our lives would change....

I got a phone call from my younger sister, Danielle, about 2 weeks after my miscarriage. Danielle was 19, single, and had just started school at her local community college on an academic scholarship. She had made the girls basketball team, enjoying the college social life, when she found out she was..... pregnant.
Danielle and I come from a family of all girls and we are the closest in age. We have always shared a special relationship and bond as sisters, and I cherish her greatly. When I recieved her call, before a single word had been said, I knew in my heart the news she would eventually share. I surprised myself with the feelings that overcame me- I felt an overwhelming amount of love and compassion for her and the circumstances she was is. The first phone call soon turned in to dozens, some filled with fear & anger that she felt because of the situation she was in, others filled with understanding and hope that she would make it through. To this day, I cannot imagine the chaos of feelings she must have experienced-she was 19, pregnant, and had no support from the father. She had just started her life away from home, began building new friendships & getting good grades; and yet, as she has told me so many times since, somewhere along that road of change and trying new things, she had somehow lost her way for a bit.
She delivered her beautiful son, which I gratefully witnessed, on Thanksgiving day. He couldn't have been more perfect, more beautiful, or looked more like her. To this day, it is one of the most sacred moments in my life. She had considered adoption throughout her pregnancy, but decided to try and raise him on her own. After 4 months of struggling to make ends meet & her realizing that living a college lifestyle, at his expense, wouldn't be best for him, she met with LDS Family Services. I couldn't have been more upset! We had grown up in a family where our bond with one another was unbreakable, where each of us would do anything for the other, and adoption just seemed out of the question. Danielle trusted her heart & made the most selfless act of love a mother could make for her child-she gave him more. She gave him endless possibilities and the chance to have the very best of life. And I see and know that now.
He was adopted by an amazing family who loves him as much as we do. There is a glow about him, as if to say, I'm happy and thank-you!

I look to my sister as a pillar of strength and believe, without any doubt, that her experience has and will continue to touch my life and the lives of others. She made a selfless choice that I know her son will forever be grateful for, and I know how proud Heavenly Father is of her. I know how proud I am of her.

I share this story not to say that adoption is always the answer for everyone, but to share through my sister's experience, the powerful healing that can come to all involved. I know because I have felt and witnessed it.
I believe that there are no coincidences in life and that we can grow and be refined by our experiences.

Alex and I are so grateful for each and every birth mother. You are all daughters of God and I know how much he loves you. We look forward to the journey that surely lies ahead and we are praying for each one of you every day. Continue to seek out your Heavenly Father; "knock and he shall open."