to tryen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I have a can of worms for you.
I hope to get them sent to you soon.

Love you.

Have a great birthday.

xoxo

thirty.

This is my friend, Evonne.

I seriously love her. (in case you were unaware)

She is one of my most favorite people. ever.

She is there for me when I need someone to talk to.

I know I can call her anytime at a moments notice.

I can tell her anything and know that she does not judge me.

I can be myself around her and it's okay.

Everyone needs a friend like Evonne.

It's her 30th birthday today.

Hooray for birthdays!

You should go wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Evonne. 

I hope thirty is the best yet!

I love open adoption.

(posts about all of Gage's birthday festivities and part 4, coming soon. Hopefully sooner than later)

We had one of the best visits ever with Korin over the weekend. More about that later, but for now, I want to share a photo with you.

So very thankful.
(painting by Dustyn)

happy birthday mom, love g

to our favorite dad

happy 34th birthday!

we love you.

thanks for being our dad.

love always, 

gage and momma.

And happy 50th to Grandma Bev.

love you

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Thank you so much for all the comments and well wishes!

I just keep coming back over and over again to read them and reread them.

I seriously have the best family and friends.

Thank you for being excited for us!

We are so so excited.

We are thinking of Rin today.

It's her day.

Her birthday.

I wish we could take her out to dinner or something fun.

Maybe next year. :)

Happy Birthday Rin!

(oh... and if you are wondering who Rin is... read here and then here.)

Always a party!

On Monday, Dustyn and I took CamRee to Manti so we could take some photos of her at the Temple. She is getting baptized at the end of the month and we wanted to do a little photo shoot just for her (some of those coming soon). Her birthday is next Friday! She will be eight years old.

We took a few photos on the way.

We were practicing her serious face.

There were a lot of these faces

and a few of these.

We of course had to stop at Fat Jacks (Roy's Pizza) and get some dinner.

At this point we had scarfed down the cheese stix.

After we went to the Malt Shop and got shakes.

I was trying to take a cute picture of us together, but CamRee kept playing with me and doing her serious face. Silly girl.

Such a fun afternoon! We always have so much fun together. I am glad she likes to spend time with me.

Guess who is three today?

My favorite kids.

I miss them.

33? Could it really be?

Look who had a birthday today!

I love you my Englebert.

Thank you for being my most favorite person. Ever.

Happy Birthday to my cute friend Arianne! And my mom too! Did I mention it was Uncle Matt's birthday yesterday? :)

A Happy Birthday Lick in the ear!

Cause I am cool like that.
(of course you already know that)
Happy Birthday Buddy!

Wanna know more about Me? (aka Lady-Queen-Kam)

So you think you want to know more about this scary girl:

Okay then... here we go!

Here are the reader submitted questions:

➪Lease favorite food(s): mushrooms, ham, milk, bananas.

➪Favorite book: Of course I am a huge fan of the Twilight series! (go Edward! Although Alice is my favorite character) I do love me a good LDS Romance every now and again. I have read a lot of Nicholas Sparks book, but get bored of them quickly. I really like Clair Poulson books and other mystery/crime type of books. I plan on picking up a Nora Roberts book in the near future. Everyone seems to always suggest her books. We'll see. If you have any great suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I recently learned that maybe it's better to get a suggestion before you go out and buy a random book. You never know what will be inside.

➪Favorite fictional character: This is a tough one! I did mention earlier that I do love Alice Cullen! (as well as Edward. Totally NOT a Jacob fan) But I seem to be obsessed with which ever character I have seen most recently in a movie. I am weird like that. Somehow I find a way to relate to whatever movie I am watching. This is a really good question that I would love to revisit at a later date.

➪What do you do if you have free time? Honestly? I Plurk. I totally can not get enough of my Plurk friends. Especially Aubrey and Marci. I love them to pieces! They are always there to listen to me vent, make me smile, laugh (and I do mean LAUGH) and always there for a good cry. Seriously they are the best.
If I am not plurking, you can find me watching movies, playing the Wii, playing on my iPod, or just chillin' with Dustyn. We also LOVE going for rides and absolutely can not get enough time camping. I love free time!

➪Who is your "superhero" in life? I would have to say birth mothers/birth parents. I am in complete awe of them. They make one of the most difficult decisions to help someone else's dreams come true. What a selfless decision. What a life changing choice. One that I will forever be grateful for. They are most definitely my heros! I can't wait to meet a birth mother that will make the decision that makes us parents here on earth! It's hard to describe the love and respect I have for birth parents.

➪If you could tell the world just one thing, what would it be? (is anyone else singing Jewel at this point? I can't stop!) It's all okay. Kidding! I would tell the world that, "Adoption is an Option!" A lot of teenagers and unwed mothers don't realize that adoption is an option for whatever reason. Maybe they are afraid of what their friends and family would say or maybe they are afraid of the pain and hurt that comes with adoption. Whatever reason, it seems like so many are fearful of adoption. I would love to educate the world about adoption. That is how you get over your fears, right? Education? It seems like this is the case especially in small communities. Maybe. Maybe not.

➪If there was no chance in failing, would you do something different?
Oh would I! I would do so many things different. Why are we so scared of failure? I am terrified of it. It's okay to fall on your face sometimes. It is! It only makes you that much better and that much more prepared the next time around! If only it were that easy. Let's see... here are a few things that I would do differently. I would have gone to an big out of state school. I would have gone into architect or advertising or design. I would be creative! I would create. Maybe try my hand at painting, drawing, sculpting. I would go get my teaching degree in mathematics. I would run! I would get a real job! I would blog about my feelings more often. I would write a blog post good enough to post on AubreyMo.com . Oh the things I would do! So... what's stopping me?

➪What was an important lesson you learned growing up? I think for sure, it was to WORK HARD! No matter what you are doing, work hard. Go the extra mile and do what it takes to get things done. You aren't going anywhere if you don't work hard.

➪What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you? All I can think is embarrassing moment, which I won't share here. I'm still embarrassed. But if anyone else can think of something, go ahead... share. I will keep thinking, but I can't come up with anything at this point in time.

➪Do you have any brothers or sisters? In fact, I do! I have a younger sister JaKell (28) who is married to Brandon. She has three kids (CamRee, Tryen, and HadiLee) and two step kids (Gillian and Brynnley). Then I have a younger brother Jace (26) who is married to Tina. They have three dogs (Aspen, Tyke, and Mojo). Then last but not least is Chet (18). He is single and starting a new job! (oh and a dog named Diamond! And a family dog named Camo)

➪What is your middle name? Lee

➪Name five favorite things about your hubby:
Only five? ;)
1-He is creative! I love what he can do with a paintbrush or with a computer. He is definitely talented. I could look at his paintings and artwork for hours. He listens to my suggestions and doesn't get upset when I critique his art (even though I know nothing about art). I LOVE talking art with him.
2-His desire for children. I always wanted a large family. With the infertility issues and adoption challenges we have faced, I have decided that I want two kids at the most. He still has hopes and dreams of a large family. A little heart ache can't get him down. As far as a large family, we'll see. I'm still set on two.
3-He always shows his respect for me. He always opens my door, always walks on the outside, always lets me go first, always makes me feel special. He is always there to do little favors and errands for me. Most of the time I know he doesn't want to, but he does it anyways without complaining. I don't have to question if he loves me.
4-He gets so exited over little things. Anything to do with Apple/Macs, movie previews, electronics, TV's, just anything. He comes home and tells me all about what he read about that day. Sometimes I have no idea what he's talking about, but it's fun to see him so excited.
5-He loves the Lord. He honors his Priesthood. He is always ready to serve others and do the best that he can. He tries hard to be the best he can at his calling, he always has great comments to make, he can be counted on when given an assignment, he has a testimony and is not afraid to share it, he helps me be a better person. We aren't perfect by any means, not even close. With Dustyn's help, we are continually trying to better our lives and the loves of those around us.

➪If I lived closer, would you eat Fat Sticks with me? PS we should eat them anyway. Uhm... heck yah! Let's go! Aubs, I am glad we share an obsession with Fat Sticks. We should totally have Fat Sticks soon! P.S. You should meet my friend Carrie. We should all have Fat Sticks!

➪Am I your favorite? (Wait. Don't answer that). Srsly. Do you even have to ask?

➪Umm... weren't we going to swap blog posts?!?! We totally need to get on that!

➪What is your favorite place to eat? Okay, what place isn't my favorite, really. Let's see... there's Texas Roadhouse, Fat Jack's, Cafe Rio, Jason's Deli, anything Thai, Steve's Steakhouse, Zupas, Spaghetti Factory, Cheesecake Factory, Melting Pot, Chili's, and many, many more.

➪What is your favorite Wii game and what is your highest score? Well it would for sure be Dr. Mario! I LOVE that game. I don't know what my highest score is, but I don't really know of anyone who can beat me. My dad can occasionally.

➪Why did you name your daughter Hannah? Do you have names for your future children? It was kind of a joke when I was in college and in my 20's. I would always say, "Oh my Hannah!". I always joked that I would name my daughter that. When Dustyn and I got married we talked about both liking the name Hannah. I didn't think we would ever actually use it. When Hannah was born, we didn't really know how old the baby had to be in order to give her a name and a blessing. Just in case, we came up with a name quickly and that is what we came up with. (We later learned that she was not old enough)
We do have names for our future children. We have a boy name and a girls name. I hope we get to use both. I would share them, but I don't want to just yet. ;)

➪Who is your favorite friend in Stansbury Park? Stansbury Park? Where's that? Ha ha! Kidding! It would definitely have to be Anika! ;) Oh yeah and for sure her mom!

➪If you could live anywhere in Utah, where would you live? Yes, Arianne, I wish I could live closer to you, but I really, really love Sevier valley. I don't think I could ever leave. It's my most favorite place in Utah. Maybe you should retire here. ;)

➪How big was the biggest deer you ever shot? If it wasn't 2AM, I'd go find a picture to scan in! It was when I was 16, my first deer. A 3 X 4. We shot it and were back in town before 7AM on opening morning. Nice.

➪When are you going to come see me? Soon! When are you going to come see me? ;)

➪What is your favorite store to shop at? I love, love, love Target most of all. Can't get enough. I love me some IKEA. I love American Eagle for Jeans, Maurices for shirts, and Keen shoes (where ever you can find them). If I were skinnier I'd shop at Gap, Banana Republic, etc. (oh, okay... and richer)

➪What is your favorite treat? I love Ice Cream (it can't be thick or creamy. Ew) or popsicles. Mostly anything cold.

➪What is your favorite hobby when you have free time? I know I mentioned some before, but I wanna add photography in there. I love taking pictures and learning photoshop. I also love going to the school with Dustyn. I need to learn some more hobbies. I would love how to do more handcrafts.

➪What is on your birthday wishlist? Hmm... I don't know just yet. I will post about it when I have thought more about it. It's a very important list, you know. :D

I think that is all on this edition of "Getting to know Lady Queen Kam!"
Until next time, have a great Thursday!

Happy, happy birthday JaKell.

Can you believe that I have a 28 year old sister ?  I know, I know.
She is getting old!  Glad I am not as old as she is!

Guess who is turning FOUR today?

That's right! It is my Hads birthday!
(i am really trying to post pics - but blogger is hatin' on me)
Happy Birthday Hads! I love you and miss you lots!

Hads got a new birthday haircut!  I can't wait to see it!

Did you know I had a 7 year old niece?

Yep, that's right!  Today little Miss CamRee is 7 years old!

Here are seven facts about her:

~She is little miss smarty pants!  I can't believe how smart she is!  She is LOVING first grade and is teaching herself cursive.  She can read SO well.  Better than a lot of high schoolers I know.  :)

~She LOVES High School Musical.  She has a HSM room.  She wants to marry Troy.  (I'm just teasing you CamRee.  She says she "hates" Troy.  But we all know better.

~She is so creative and artistic.  And has been since an early age.  I am sure this has nothing to do with being her mother's child.

~She was my very first niece.  I am pretty sure she got spoiled to death by me so I could make sure I was her favorite but she was too young to remember it.  But of course, I am still her favorite Aunt.  Right CamRee?  ;)

~She LOVES to play games.  And is always begging us to play games with her.  Most days we play, but when we don't it's a sad day.

~She has a very soft/tender heart.  She hates when she has to leave Grandma and Grandpa's.  (Because I am there.  :D)   She is a sweet girl.

~She is the happiest, smiliest girl I know!  She can always make me smile no matter what.  Most days I just want to take her home and keep her.  And sometimes she considers it because I let her make cookies... but then she remembers that she misses Hadi, so she decides to go home.  Oh yeah, and her mom is cooler than me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMREE!!

Happy Birthday Carrie!

Carrie is one of my BFF's.
If you wanna find out 10 facts about her, you can go here.
She seriously rocks!
She was one of my first roommates at Snow College!

Any you know what?  They are hoping to adopt!  If you know anyone considering adoption, please pass along their information .  They are an amazing couple and will be amazing parents!  For reals!  I love them!

Happy Birthday Carrie!  Lots of Love!!

More random thoughts on a Monday.

~I thought about making a post for Brandon's birthday, yet neglected to do it!  So HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brandon!  I hope you had a great day.

~On Saturday we were able to go to SLC and go through a session in the SLC Temple.  Brandon received his endowments that day.  It really was amazing.  I love the Temple.

~My wisdom teeth holes are really starting to get sore.  They weren't so bad last week.  I think because they were so swollen.  The swelling has finally gone down a little, but that is just making it hurt worse.  Oh well.

~Today was a very productive day!  That is a good change for me!

~I don't have to babysit until 12:00 tomorrow.  The entire house is pretty much clean and laundry is done.  Whatever will I do?  I need to go to the Library and get a new book.

~I have been going to read "The Host" but I left it in Dustyn's classroom.

~Dustyn and I are listening to Twilight.  :)  We are about a quarter of the way through - and he's still listening!  :)  We'll see if I can get him past Twilight.  Right now his favorite character is Mike.  Ha ha.  I am totally kidding.  Mike is his favorite character to make fun of.  It's quite funny.

~I totally miss Dustyn.  He got home late and then two hours later he had to head to the hospital to check in for his sleep study.  :P  I miss him.

~Over the weekend, Greg and Arianne let us stay at their house.  It was so fun to see them, and they are so sweet to let us spend the night.  Even though we had to leave by 7:00AM.  And Anika... she totally cracks me up.  I love her.

~One of the couples in our local FSA were placed with a baby this week!  We are super excited for them!  

~It has officially been two years since we have been approved to adopt.  

~Coming up this next month, it will be 4 years since we lost our sweet Hannah!  Man, time flies.

~We are hoping to get pass-along cards here soon.  If you would like to have some, feel free to send me your address (dustynkamieATgmailDOTcom).  You might get some even if you don't send it to me!  ;)  

~Well I think I am off to bed.  I am pretty tired tonight.

~More randomness tomorrow.  G'Night.

Happy Birthday

Kenz

(She is my super cute cousin.  I babysit her twin brother and sister.  I love hanging out at their house!)

and

Melissa!

  (Here we all are when we were roommates in Cedar @ SUU. Adrienne, Me, Ashley, Melissa, Elisha and Sharon)

I don't have a current picture of Melissa on my computer, but I have to say she is one of my best friends since graduating from high school.  We became roommates at UVSC in Fall of 99.  From there we moved to SUU.  We always had a ton of fun.  When we lived in Orem, we would spend at least one day a week (usually Monday) wandering all over the Salt Lake Valley.  We would often stop at Sconecutters (they are the only place open at 2:00AM) and get a shake or something.  We were always laughing and having fun.  We would often stay up all night, laughing.  We spent a lot of time in Vegas hanging out with Carrie.  She is someone who I could tell EVERYTHING to and I did.  She has always been completely understanding and caring.  Being around her, I found myself.  The person I wanted to be.  She'll always be one of my best friends and I am completely blessed to know her.  Happy Birthday Meliss!  Love ya!

Some favorites for a Tuesday.

My first favorite thing of today is my phone. (the LG Chocolate 3) I love it. (about time, huh?) It's a fun phone, and I love all the fun features. And is has some really cool ring-tones. :) (Oh yah, it may look black, but don't let them fool you - it's blue! I have finally got over it though. :)
Of course, Dustyn own the light blue one (because I thought I wanted Black! Ha ha)


I am totally loving the Olympics and I think this girl is amazing! Nastia Rocks!

I love Bagelfuls!  Yum!  I know you are all thinking - why not just buy bagels and cream cheese?   It would probably cheaper and have less preservatives.  Hmm...  but it's just not the same!  I love pulling a bagel-ful out of the freezer and popping it in the toaster over.  The outside is crispy and chewy and the inside is cream cheese (frozen, of course!)  Mmmm.....  I'm weird I know.  I also just love pulling one out of the freezer and gnawing on it!  :)  I think they are so good and much better than your average bagel and cream cheese.  And nice when you are on the run!

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for Eternal Families! Dustyn's Grandpa passed away on Saturday. Although it is sad, we know that we will see him again. We know that in the next life we can be together forever, if we live worthily. Knowing that I can be with my family members that have passed on and my sweet Hannah, makes me want to be a better person everyday. I love the Gospel and the truths that it shares. This is a photo that Dustyn made of his Grandfather a few years ago for Christmas. I love it.

Chet. It was his birthday on Sunday and I failed to post it. Sorry it's late buddy - not like you would actually read this and know that. :) So Happy Birthday Chet. Can you believe that he is 18 years old? Seriously, how does that happen? I think it finally hit him yesterday that he did have to go back to school today!

Happy Birthday

to my cute cousin Alicia!

This is her with her daughter D.

Birthdays!

So lately I have missed THREE birthdays. I think about them everyday and feel guilty that I never called or dropped a gift off to three of my super good friends. I decided I better at least post them before I go crazy!!!

First of all, one of my good friends Debbie had a birthday back in JULY! I know! It was on the 22nd. We usually like to go out for a birthday dinner, but I haven't even taken 2 minutes to talk to her. I am such a bad friend sometimes! Sad thing is - she is in my ward and I see her every week. No excuses, huh? But she truly is one of my dearest friends. I know she is always there when I need her or just want to talk to someone. She is an awesome listener and I love her to death. We met about 10 years ago at Hogi Yogi. Seriously, it has been that long ago! Crazy!

Happy Birthday Debbie. I hope it was a great day! I thought about you all day!  We should go to lunch!  My treat!

Hopefully she still reads my blog and hasn't given up on me completely!  :)  And sadly I don't have a picture of her.  :(

Next, my niece, Bobbie!  She is such an awesome person!  I love her to death too!  I worked with her at Hampton and we had a lot of good times.  It seems like I never see her anymore.  I do babysit right across the way.  Again . . . I'm a slacker and not such a good friend.  I love talking to her and just hanging out.  Her birthday was on the 2nd of August.  And she is getting married in about a month!  Yay!  I am so excited for her!  But another sad thing . . . her Bridal shower is on Saturday.  And of course you all know where I will be on Saturday.  :(  I am super excited to go to the FSA conference (in case I hadn't mentioned it) but totally bummed that I am missing her shower.  I'm sorry Bobbie.  I still love you lots!

Happy Birthday Bobb.  I love you and think you are the greatest!  We should go to lunch too!  My treat!  I am sorry I am missing your shower.  :(  Much Love!

And my friend Sarah from Cedar City! I also met her at Hogi Yogi! She is so cute! I haven't seen her for a long time!  

Happy Birthday Sarah! I miss you!