I love my teeth!

In December of 2007, Matt and I had extra money sitting in our "Flex Spending" account at his work, and it was either use it or lose it. So, I bought all of the over-the-counter medicine I could think of and then still had additional funds sitting there. I am not one to see good money go to waste, so I called my brother-in-law (who happens to be a fabulous orthodontist) and asked him to slap some braces on my teeth.
I had braces when I was a teenager and while my teeth are nowhere near as bad as they were when I was a kid, they had shifted and it bugged me. So, for the last 13 months I have endured braces on my teeth and while it was not fun, it definitely was not as bad as I remember them as a kid. (This may have something to do with my liberal use of Ibuprofen and my much improved dental hygiene.) :)
Matt and I had a cruise planned at the end of January and we were going with friends and my sister and brother-in-law. You guessed it...my orthodontist. So, for the last 4 or 5 months I have been giving him a hard time and telling him that he had until our trip to get my teeth straight or he was gonna have to hear me whining the entire vacation. Have you ever tried snorkeling with braces on your teeth? You can't bite down correctly on the mouthpiece and it is NOT enjoyable.
So, two days before we left on our sunny vacation, my braces were removed and I LOVE my teeth. I smiled and smiled and smiled for days on end. Thank you Mike (my handy and very kind ortho)...I am one happy customer.

This picture was taken in San Juan while we were on the aforementioned vacation. I have a lot more pics to share from this trip and also (if I can figure it out) a video of me and Mike (orthodontist extraordinaire) jumping off a 40 foot waterfall. Soooo fun!!!

The best photographer ever!

Ok, I may be a little biased considering the fact that the photographer is my husband, but seriously...could these pictures be any cuter???

Infected

Philip has the chickenpox.

Michael got them a week before Thanksgiving and he had to miss a week of school. He was immunized against chickenpox, but they got him anyway. His case was mild...only 60 or 70 pox...but it was still miserable.

Now, my baby is miserable. He is currently talking/crying in his crib after a whopping 30 minute nap. His morning nap was a no go. I am going to go love on him some more and count down the time till Matt gets home.

Sealed

On November 8, 2008 we were sealed to Philip.

This day was the culmination of all that I have waited for.

We arrived at the temple at 8:30 and ushured our kids into the playroom. The temple had staff there waiting to help our kids during the entire process and they were very helpful and kind.

Matt and I then went over all of our family information with a temple worker to make sure that everything was correct. This process took about 20 minutes to complete and when we were finished she asked us which two men we would like to be the witnesses of the sealing. A totally unexpected wave of grief hit me then...when I realized that I wanted my dad to be there to witness this event. Matt said he wanted his father and then asked me if I wanted to have Devin, my brother, stand in for dad. I said yes and was overwhelmed with how much I missed my dad. Since the time that he died four years ago, I don't think I have longed for his presence more than I did in the temple that morning. Tears started to stream down my cheeks and Matt held my hand tightly.

I whispered to Matt, "Dad will still be there, right?"

"Of course he will be, Carol, he wouldn't miss it," Matt replied.

I am crying as I write this because I know that my dad was there to witness this miraculous event in my life. I know that he was there to support this decision Matt and I had made. I am so grateful for the knowledge that life doesn't end when we die. This is the whole purpose of the temple and the reason why we wanted Philip to be sealed to us for time and eternity. I am so grateful for His gospel that doesn't deny anyone from receiving His choicest blessings.

Anyway, after we finished the paperwork, we headed back to our designated dressing rooms so that we could get changed into our white clothing. (We wear white in the temple to symbolize our purity and equality before our Father in Heaven.) Once I was dressed, the temple worker led me to the Celestial room where Matt was waiting for me.

It reminded me so much of our wedding day. We were married in the same temple and we were able to sit alone together in the Celestial room on that day as well. The peace I felt about my decision to marry Matt was overwhelming and it has been a sustaining influence on me when times were tough.

Once again, as we sat in the room together, I was overwhelmed with peace about our decision to adopt Philip. I knew that he was our son and that Heavenly Father wanted me to be his mother. When the time came, Matt and I were led into the Sealing Room where all of our friends and family waited. When we entered, the first thing I noticed was my Michael, James and Anne, all sitting in a row in their beautiful white clothing. They were all grinning up at us as we walked into the room and Michael had big tears in his eyes. The Spirit was so strong and once again witnessed to me the truthfullness of His gospel. I then noticed my mom who was holding Philip. He was as calm as can be and absolutely darling in his white outfit.

Before the sealing ordinance was performed, our sealer chose to share a scripture that he said had come to his mind. It was 1 Corinthians 2:9 and it says,

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

For those sitting in the room with us, this scripture may not have meant much, but to me personally this scripture was a tender mercy from the Lord.

Remember this post, way back in April, about our journey to Philip? I quoted this particular scripture in that post because it described exactly how I felt about the whole process...heart altering process...that led us to Philip. And yet here I sat, with a man who was ordained of God to be with us in the temple this day and he 'thought' to share the one thing that would testify of Heavenly Father's love and awareness of me. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Tears filled my eyes as I listened to him recite this scripture. It was as if Heavenly Father was once again telling me that He knows me...Carol...and that He loves me so much. He has known this path all along and He has been preparing me and leading me to this point. I just need to have the faith to follow His lead and I will never be left alone.

The Sealing Ordinance was then performed and Philip was as sweet as can be. Once it was over, Philip didn't want to let go of Matt and my hands...he just grinned at us and we were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

All of our kids were able to stand by us at that point and the sealer had us look into the large mirrors that they have hanging in the Sealing Room. The mirrors cover opposing walls and so when you look into one your image goes on forever and ever. The sealer took the opportunity to teach our kids that now that Philip was sealed to us he would be ours forever and ever, just like the images in the mirror.

I want to share the second verse of one of my favorite Primary Songs...I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE

I love to see the temple.
I'll go inside someday.
I'll covenant with my Father;
I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God,
I've learned this truth;
A family is forever.
(Words and Music: Janice Kapp Perry)

I feel so blessed and so grateful. Thank you for all of your kind words and support during this process. They have meant more to me than you know and I am grateful for the positive influence and encouragement that good people have brought into my life.

All my love,
Carol






If you would like to know more about Temples and the work we do there or anything else about my religion please visit http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

November 7, 2008

On November 7, 2008 Philip was declared our son in every legal sense. Words cannot adequately describe how I felt this day, but I will do my best.

Our court time was set for 2:00pm and the kids were out of school due to Parent/Teacher Conferences and so it was perfect. Grandma decided to join us at the courthouse to show her support. As she said, "I wouldn't miss it." It was an absolutely beautiful fall day. The sun was shining and it was crisp without being too cold. We loaded into our van and headed down to the courthouse. We arrived extra early and after sitting in the wrong hallway for 20 minutes, I realized my mistake and we found our way to the correct room. Luckily, we still had five minutes to spare. Our caseworker and our lawyer were there waiting for us and we filed into the courtroom. It was the first time I had ever been in a courtroom and I was very grateful it was under such happy circumstances. Matt and I were asked to hold Philip and then sit at the Plaintiff's desk. Our lawyer and caseworker sat at the Defendant's desk, while Michael, James, Anne and Grandma Charlotte sat behind us in the general seating area. Our lawyer explained how the process would work and brought the adoption papers over for us to review.

Our judge entered the room shortly thereafter and Matt and I were sworn in "to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God." The whole experience was a little surreal. We stated our names for the court and when it came time for Anne to say her name she absolutely froze and looked at me with pure terror in her eyes and said, "I don't know..." (Later, she told Grandma that she couldn't remember her middle name and she didn't know what to do.) While I didn't want her to feel afraid, her response was rather cute.

The judge then turned the time over to our lawyer who asked us some basic questions about our identity and then asked us how we felt about Philip. Matt went first and told the court how much we loved him and considered him to be our son. Then it was my turn, and I tried to express how much love and devotion I felt toward this little boy. I told the judge that I knew that God had led us to him and what joy and love he had brought into our home. I told her how much I loved him and how much my other kids loved him as well.

Our attorney asked Matt, and then me, if we understood that we would be Philip's parents with all of the rights and responsibilities pertaining to parenthood and we said yes. The judge then informed us that she had reviewed Philip's entire case as well as our home study and she thought that it was in his best interest to be our son.

A wave of gratitude washed over me and I started to cry at the realization that he was finally ours. I looked over at Matt and realized that he was crying too. We both felt so happy and peaceful. Our kids were absolutely beaming out of their seats and they couldn't wait to come and give Philip a hug. James said, "Now you are really my brother for ever and ever." It was so sweet.

After we signed the adoption documents we took a picture with the judge that declared us a family. Hooray!!!



"Oh no, I'm stuck with these guys forever..."




This post wouldn't be complete without me expressing my gratitude to my mom. We are so grateful for the consistent love and support she has shown us since the day Philip was placed in our home. It is amazing really, considering how much she had to open her heart (and risk it being broken), but she has loved Philip unconditionally. Her love for him has been a gift from Heavenly Father and I am blessed to have witnessed it. Consequently, Philip is drawn to Grandma Charlotte as much as she is drawn to him. What a blessing Grandma's can be.

Also, I must acknowledge my Heavenly Father's hand in this entire process. Matt and I are consistently amazed at how we were carefully led to this little boy. This heart changing process took us years to complete, but I know that Heavenly Father was the driving force behind it. He loves me, He loves Matt, and He loves Philip. He is accutely aware of my strengths and my weaknesses and I am grateful for His patience with me. I cannot adequately express the gratitude and love I feel for Him.

He's Ours...Forever!!!

For with God nothing shall be impossible.
St. Luke 1:37

After many months of praying and waiting,
we feel blessed to announce the adoption of
our son and brother,

Philip Bennett

Born: June 18, 2007
7 lbs. 4 oz.
19 inches
Forever placed in our arms: June 25, 2007
Adoption Finalized: November 7, 2008

Love,
Matt, Carol, Michael, James, and Anne

I have so much more to say, but I haven't been able to get my thoughts down on paper. I will post again soon so that you can know all of the details.

Now or Never

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Not Everyone Can Cook Like Me

Papa came into town for the first time in 6 years. Papa is my grandpa on my mother's side and he and I have always had a really special bond. I look up to him more than I can express and he has taught me what it truly means to serve and love your spouse. I watched him lovingly take care of his wife up until the very end. This was not always an easy task, but he rose to the challenge and I will always admire him for the way that he loved her.

After Tutu's (my grandma's) passing, my mom convinced him to join her at her house for a couple of weeks and we were lucky to have him agree. During his visit, he came to our church to see the kids in their Primary Program and we had him over to dinner a couple of times. The first time he came over I made a concerted effort to have everything be just so. I cleaned the house and prepared a particularly yummy dinner...which included homemade garlic breadsticks and lasagna.
While the lasagna was cooking, I made the breadsticks



(which turned out perfectly, by the way) and Papa let the kids create a stuffed animal extravaganza all around him. James and Anne had a wonderful time posing the animals 'just so' and then getting their pictures taken. Papa was, of course, as patient and loving as ever.




Even Philip had a great time playing with Papa.




Once the lasagna was finished cooking, I removed it from the oven and set it on the counter. At least, that is what I had planned in my mind.

In reality, once the lasagna was finished cooking, I removed it from the oven and then promptly dropped the entire thing on the floor. No...I am not kidding. It was cooking in one of those flimsy metal pans and the whole thing just bent in half from the weight of the lasagna and I couldn't stop it from falling to the ground below. Here I was trying to show my Papa what a mature, responsible mother I had become and instead I dropped his dinner on the floor.




As you can see, most of the cheese and the sauce was lost on the floor, so the only thing remaining of the lasagna was the noodles. Luckily, my mom, husband, and Papa were all very kind about the whole thing and they all suggested that we eat it anyway. I sprinkled the top with some new cheese, dumped a bunch of spaghetti sauce over the top and served my masterpiece for dinner.

In the end, I guess I am still the little girl dying for approval from the adults that I adore. On this night, I learned that the only thing I have to do to gain their approval is to be myself. I don't have to be the best cook or the most accomplished mother. I only have to be me and that is enough...failed dinners and all.

Nemesis

When I was about 8 years old I was stung by a bee while I was asleep in my bed...in the armpit. It got horribly infected and caused me all sorts of pain. In order to help me feel better, my mom used to sit with me and read all of the information about bees/wasps/yellow jackets out of our 1977 Encyclopedia Britanica. My one condolence was the hope that it was a bee that had stung me and therefore had given his life to do so.

When I was about 10 a bee/wasp got me on my ankle while I was playing on my Grandparents teeter-totter in their back yard. I was minding my own business and everything. We then headed up the mountain to Snowbird and I remember being awake that night in the hotel hating bees with all my 10 year old heart.

When I was 15 I went boating with some friends in a nearby reservoir. I jumped off the boat to go up to the picnic area without my shoes and...you guessed it...I stepped on a bee. I think he was even dead, but the bugger got me anyway...right in between my toes. That one got really infected as well, to the point where you couldn't tell which toes the sting had occured between because it was all so red and swollen.

As you can see, I do not have a great history with bees, so when I found the huge nest the wasps had built under our gable roof I was a little intimidated. My sister Joanne saw it as well and advised me to wait until dusk to kill it. Apparently the bees are at their calmest at this point in the day and they are all back at home, allowing the greatest number of the little buzzing beasts to be killed.

On this particular evening, Matt was out mountain biking and so I could not defer to him to be the in-house pest killer. So, I herded all of the kids inside, made sure our patio door was unlocked (so that I could make my quick escape inside), and I got out my can of wasp killer. This wasp killer is the kind that shoots up to 20+ feet away. Anyway, with my heart pounding in my chest, I did a test run to make sure that the can really worked correctly and then I aimed and fired. Wow, that stuff works great!!! The 20+ wasps on the nest immediately started to fall dead to the ground. After emptying a quarter of the can on them, I decided I had done my job really well...and I wasn't even going to have to run for it.


Here is the mega nest and the remaining dead wasps that got stuck onto it as I sprayed them.

Just at that moment, I noticed a renegade wasp come swooping down on me. I tried to swat him away with my hand, but...you guessed it...he STUNG me! Aaii yai yai! Those stings hurt bad. I (rather quickly) made my escape to the aforementioned patio door...silently cursing the entire breed of my nemesis. I got on the computer and looked up what to do for a bee sting and discoved the best thing was to
1. Scrape the stinger out with a credit card
2. Wash the site thoroughly with soap and water
3. Apply ice for swelling and pain
4. Apply some type of antibiotic ointment
5. Take ibuprofen for pain

So, I fished out my handy credit card and scraped away. It hurt like crazy, but I hoped it would help. I then washed my hands with soap and cold water and already the burning sensation started to subside. I decided that the scraping had removed the stinger and so I didn't feel like I needed the ibuprofen and to be perfectly honest, I completely forgot about the Neosporin.

Mostly, the whole event just made me angry. Angry at the nasty little beasts (which are very fast and vindictive...now I know why people use the term bee-line), angry at myself for not spraying and running (which was my original plan), and angry that my hand now hurt.

In the end though, I had killed them, and I had done it on my own. Lesson learned...right? I had even decided that the sting was mostly my own fault and the wasp was just trying to protect his family. I mean, how would I like it if a huge creature came and doused my home with poison?


Fast forward to two days later. I woke up this morning and unconsciously scratched my hand. OWWWEEEE! What was that?!? I looked down at my old bee sting and realized why step number 4 was so important and should not be forgotten. Yep. My hand is infected. It isn't too terrible (not like the armpit or in between the toes) and I know my immune system will fight it off, but man oh man, I really do not like wasps!

So much for me feeling bad about destroying his home.