HappyBirthday

Oh my little, I mean big, Nolie Cannoli, I can hardly believe another year has passed and you are 3 years old! Have I told you the day I found out I was pregnant with you, I cried. And now, and since the day you were born, you have found a place in my heart that is all yours. You make me smile! Just today you looked at me and said, mommy, I love you the mostest.....it melted me a little bit. 

At least at 2 meals a day, you say thanks mommy. You love to come and cuddle your baby brother and tell Clark how much you love him. You are so excited to meet him and to hold him. You ask to go to mommy' doctor a lot so you can hear him. I'm anxious to know how you'll actually react. 

You love playing with Madelynn and Elijah. You have a great imagination! We love to listen to you play. You make us laugh all the time. You are 

You currently love Chewbacca, Baymax (Big Hero 6), and Ninja turtles. Your favorite foods are avocado, strawberries, and chips and cheese.  You are constantly hungry.....I'm guessing growth spurt. 

Nolan, you have big things in store for you. You'll be a light to so many people. I know you'll make a lot of people smile. Always be kind to all those around you. You don't have to be best friends with everyone but you do have to be kind to everyone. That's really important. 

I love you at this age but I also look forward to seeing you grow and become the man I know you'll be. As a mom you often wonder about who your child will become, their accomplishment and their disappointment. You have such a great personality and I know you'll deal with all of life's blows.  I know there will be times that life is tough but I know you'll be able to laugh off most things. But when you can't, remember to pray! Prayer has gotten me through so many hard times, and a lot of good times too. 

I'm so glad to be your mommy. I'm glad you still ask me to cuddle and give me lots of kisses. You also let me pinch your booty a lot. You are such a fantastic little person. I love you so much. Your dad and I will always be here for you. And even more importantly, your Heavenly Father is always there for you. You have a large support system all around you. Know you can depend on us even when you disagree with us! 

You are a choice spirit of your Heavenly Father. He sent you here and wants you to be happy. I know if you do your best, you will be. 

I love you! Happy 3rd birthday! Funny enough, you try to say your 6 or a teenager. Stay little for a little bit longer. 

Happy birthday Nolan love Mimi and Grandpa

Happy 3rd Birthday, Nolan!

It’s hard to believe you are only turning three this year.  You work so hard to keep up with Elijah and Madelynn and you do most of the time.  In recent weeks you have claimed to be 6 years old or a teenager so I was surprised when you actually said you were three on your birthday!  You add so much fun to our family; we are grateful that Heavenly Father sent you to Earth to be our grandson.  Grandpa and I love you very much.

Last fall Grandpa and I took a 3 week road trip across America to celebrate my retirement from teaching school.  For one of those weeks, we came to Paris, Tennessee to visit your family.  We had so much fun watching you kids ride bikes in the drive way and ride your giant cars down the hill.  We loved collecting acorns with you and watching you jump on the trampoline.  We read books, did puzzles, watched movies, played at the park, and enjoyed every minute of our time with you.

One of our favorite activities was our trip to the Tennessee Safari Park. It was exciting and a little bit scary to feed the ostriches, emus, camels, deer, and other animals as we drove through the park.  We all tried to be brave and feed the giraffe, too!  Boy he had a long tongue!

We loved having campfires with you and eating delicious s’mores.  It was a treat for us to go to church with you and see your Primary and nursery class. Another super fun activity was visiting with your Nona and Poppa on their farm.  We enjoyed the delicious barbecue but the best part was the hayride!  It had been a long time since Grandpa and I were on a hayride and it was fun to share it with you and your cousins.

We love to Skype with your family each week.  You often showed us your moves…sometimes dancing and sometimes Star Wars fighting!  We enjoyed seeing you get excited about Paw Patrol or Star Wars or Maui and his hook.  You love so many things!  You have a great imagination and often think you are Ryder from Paw Patrol or Maui from Moana or Luke or Darth Vader from Star Wars.  You love Chewbacca and we often saw you in your Chewbacca jammies.  You really are a super fun kid!

We look forward to your family visiting with us in California each summer. We all went to see Despicable Me 3 while you were here and you kept quoting a line from the movie, “I’m a baaaaaadboy!”  (No, you are not!) We laughed so many times.  You really are hilarious! Our favorite time during your visit was our trip to Manresa Beach.  You were finally old enough to really enjoy the sand and the sea.  You spent most of your day in the water…jumping waves or learning to ride a boogie board.  You did an amazing job!  You helped your family create a beautiful sand castle and got excited by the whales in the bay.

We made so many memories with you during your two week visit in July!  Grandpa had a campout in the backyard with you, kids.  But you weren’t feeling well that night and ended up sleeping inside.  You did enjoy going to Newcastle to visit Great-Grandpa and Grandma Adamson.  You worked puzzles with Grandma and smiled for most of our pictures!

Most of your visit we did fun things around the house.  All 3 of you, kids liked to swim in our little pool, draw with chalk, run through the sprinklers, play with the outside toys, eat popsicles, watch movies, play Candy Land, play with legos, do puzzles and play-doh, watch Paw Patrol, and read books.  One day I brought out an ink pad and stamps and before I knew it, you and Elijah had stamped your tummies so you could look like Maui with his tattoos.  We also played a game of Hot and Cold where you kids looked for coins to add to your money cup.  You made a lot of money while you were here because we had to pay for “smiles” during the hundreds of pictures we took! 

We loved taking you to church for 2 Sundays where we could show off our cute grandkids to our friends.  You didn’t seem to like the nursery class too much and you ended up attending Relief Society with your mom.  One of our favorite memories was singing Primary songs one night with the whole family.  You sing with such enthusiasm that you always bring a smile to our faces.  We loved your earnest rendition of “Nephi’s Courage.”  We hope you will always want to go and do the things the Lord commands.  Since we are kind of old grandparents, I hope we get to live long enough to see you go on a mission and get married in the temple some day.

It is always wonderful when you and your family are here for my birthday!  You guys bought me a beautiful ice cream cake that said, “Happy Birthday, Mimi.”  That made my birthday so special to me!

Dear Nolan, you are so special to Grandpa and me and our whole family!  We love you with all our hearts and want you to know how grateful we are that you belong to our family for eternity.  You are one of Heavenly Father’s choicest spirits.  You truly bless our lives.

Happy 3rd Birthday to you,

Nolan LeGrand Adamson!

Happy Birthday, love mommy

Dear Madelynn,

I know it sounds cliche but I can hardly believe you are 4 years old. While some of the days are long, the years are short and tend to fly by. It is a very bittersweet thing in a mothers life. You love watching your kids learn and grow but you also realize they become more and more independent. And you little lady, came into the world an independent soul. We were so blessed 4 years ago when you joined our family!

A lot has changed in the past year for you. You have started going to preschool 2x a week. You are in Ms Kim Nance's class with Elijah. You love going to school and are learning so much. We had parent teacher conference this past week and your teacher said you had mastered all your skills. We were so proud of you. But even more proud of you when your teacher said you were a good listener, friend, and helper. It's important to us that you are a kind person. 

You have so many amazing attributes that we see shining through even at the age of 4. We are proud to be your parents. You also have some things we hope you grow out of! You have big emotions. There are days you'll cry if Elijah talks and you don't want to hear him or you get touched and completely melt down. We hope you eventually learn to deal a bit better with these things. But for now we are trying to teach you to ignore things and not to react so big. 

Madelynn, your smile lights up any room. You have the most beautiful dimples and people comment on them a lot. Sometimes you'll smile at them, other times you snarl your nose. Silly girl!

You currently love puzzles, all art projects, and flash cards. You ask to do your reading lessons every day and can spell and write your name. You really love learning! We look forward to seeing your continued learning. I often imagine what you'll be. I hope 1st and foremost you have the opportunity to be a wife and mother. Nothing in this life has brought me more joy than holding my sweet babies for the 1st time and every day after watching you all learn and grow. But while you are preparing for these special sacred roles, I want you to excel in your education. I want you to break through boundaries and go all the way to the top. You are a tenacious little lady and I hope that tenacity stays with you forever. 

I'm sure I write this every year, and every year it'll be true. Madelynn, remember you have Heavenly Parents who love you dearly. They are always there for you. They sent you here to your earthly parents and we know what a blessing it is that They have entrusted you to us. We will always be there for you. You won't always like how we do things, you'll disagree, but know we are trying our hardest. I especially love being your mommy. I like when we paint our nails together, when you beg to put on my lipstick, when you play in my shoes. 

Remember who you are! Remember to pray always. Don't fear life, enjoy it! Take chances, listen to the Spirit, and be kind. You are a light to others. Don't let that light dim and don't hide it. You have been truly blessed. I love you my dear, sweet, stubborn, tenacious, loving, crazy, little lady. You teach me so many life lessons daily and I am forever glad to be your mommy!

Loved you yesterday, love still, always have, always will.

Mommy

 According to you:
You currently want to be big kid and mom
 Your favorite colors are pink and purple
 Your favorite show is Mia and Me
Your favorite game is Flash Cards
Your favorite toy is Magnets and puzzles
Your favorite boy is Will
You are really good at dancing
Your best friend is Sadie Noelle (Her doll)
You want to vacation to with daddy and mommy
Favorite ice cream is Rainbow
Your wish is to on a star
Your hero is Rapunzel
Your favorite thing to do with your friends is to eat cake
Your favorite holiday is Easter
Your favorite person in the whole world is
Your favorite TV show is dad and mommy
Your favorite song is   I am a child of God
 If you had $1000 you would buy a unicorn and a horse

Happy Birthday Madelynn, love Mimi and Grandpa

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Happy 4^th Birthday to our Miss Madelynn!

Maddie, I need to tell you something…we love you!  When we skype with you each week, you often stick your face close to the screen, get a big smile on your face with dancing eyes and you say, “Mimi and Grandpa, I need to tell you something!”  We love to hear your stories and adventures.

Just last week you proudly told us that as a new Sunbeam you were passing off the Articles of Faith.  We were so pleased to hear you recite the first one word perfect!  Then you went on to the second one, “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adamson’s transgressions.”  You were so proud of yourself and we had to stifle a chuckle.  That is the cutest thing we have ever heard!  When you are older, you will realize how cute it is but for now, let us say that we just love how hard you are trying to learn and live the gospel.

You amaze us with your skills in putting puzzles together and knowing all your ABCs and learning how to sound out words. We think it is wonderful that you love art and have such a great imagination!  We especially are excited that you are taking dancing lessons and loving that too.  We know you are a very special spirit sent to our family to add lots of fun and love to our lives.

We were so happy that you and your family were able to drive out to California last summer (2016).  We had so much fun together.  We celebrated the 4^th of July with a barbecue and fireworks.  But one of our favorite things to do with you is our campfire time!  We all love to roast marshmallows and make s’mores.  We were glad that your Daddy got to do that with us before he had to fly home to Tennessee.  My favorite times with you included getting to read stories and playing Candy Land Bingo.  You quickly learned how to play dominoes with me, too.  Grandpa and I were so amazed at how quickly you learn things.  You are a very smart girl!

The next 2 weeks were filled with all kinds of fun. You, Elijah, and Nolan had fun playing in the swimming pool.  I can still hear you yell, “Cannonball” as you all made big splashes. You loved to play with the water table or eat lunch on the new picnic table you helped Grandpa assemble.  You rode your cars around the yard. You drew chalk pictures on the sidewalk.  We also pretended to be detectives and we had fun with play-doh and painting. We kept busy!

For my birthday on July 11^th, we went to the beach!  That is always so much fun.

Grandpa, Mimi, Mommy, and Uncle Bryant got to take you 3 kids over to Manresa beach.  You had fun in the ocean but you really liked digging and playing in the sand and eating yummy snacks! 

Mimi’s birthday wasn’t the only birthday we celebrated.  You helped your Mommy celebrate her birthday with a Paw Patrol Party.  We played games, barbecued chicken, ate birthday cake, and gave Mommy some special cards you had made.  It was so much fun!  A couple of days later, we even celebrated Nolan’s birthday a little early and gave him a toy horse that you of course loved!

Speaking of horses, you came with us to Stout Farms for the ward barbecue.  You got to ride a horse again!  You would have ridden him all day long but we convinced you to come and play some of the other games.

Whenever you come to visit, we just love to spend time with you.  We love to go to church together!  You live so far away so when we are together, the time is very special to us. But it always goes by so fast.  Before we knew it, you had to leave to go to Boise to visit your Eaton cousins.  But we were happy that we were going to see you later in Utah as we all gathered for your new cousin, Kasette's baby blessing. 

Our whole family was able to get together. Grandpa and I especially enjoyed going to Temple Square with you.  You were so reverent as we sat and looked at the statue of Jesus.  Finally, you asked Aunt Julie when Jesus was going to talk to us.  Julie tried to explain that this was a statue and not the real Jesus.  You said you could still tell He loved you.  That was so sweet!

We had to say goodbye to you and your family again as you headed home to Paris, Tennessee. On the way home you got to stop and see Mt. Rushmore, Winter Quarters, and Nauvoo.  You had a pretty fun trip but I think you were all glad to get home.  You had been gone for a month!

Because I retired from teaching school, Grandpa and I were able to drive to Tennessee to visit you in October 2016.  We loved watching you ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, collect acorns, play at the park, and have another camp fire where we made s’mores! 

It was really fun to go to the Safari Park and feed the wild animals.  It was a little scary when the ostriches put their heads inside the car!  And we really weren’t sure about feeding that big old giraffe!

Later that week, we had fun at your Nana and Poppa’s at the family barbecue and hay ride.  We also got to go see your school and your classroom.  But then we had to say good bye again. 

But we can’t wait to see you when you come visit us this summer in California!!

Happy Birthday,

  Madelynn!

              Love,

Mimi, Grandpa, &
Uncle Bryant

     February 2017          

Silent Battles

I've been thinking a lot lately about the quote, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." I don't know what is harder, fighting the silent battles or fighting the ones that everyone sees. Oftentimes I feel like I'm not suppose to be sad right now. That it isn't okay to break down and cry. I even think it's ridiculous how sad I am about it all. I mean seriously, I have been blessed so much. So the fact I'm feeling so sad makes me feel like I am being ungrateful.
Today I went to my last dr's appointment for the ectopic pregnancy. I left in tears. I had already had an appointment scheduled today to see my dr when I thought it was going to just be a pregnancy appointment. So going and not discussing prenatals etc just made me sad.
But when you see me or talk to me, I'll smile. I'll say all is well. And I do half believe that. The other half just wants to cry.... a lot. So instead I've turned to eating crap which makes me even sadder when I step on the scale and spending money which makes me sick when I see the credit card statement.
So I know everyone has their issues they are dealing with. And we all need to be kind and loving and nonjudgmental. And be really careful with what we say to one another. A careless sentence can really hurt.
I'll stop babbling. I only write because it's really therapeutic to me. Not because I want anyone to feel sorry for me.