I can not believe I have let so much time pass since writing an update on all our adventures. Days have been filled with health coaching, playing with my children, spoiling my husband, and trying to live life to the fullest. I will have to make time for those stories later, but I have a story for you that could be made into a reality T.V. show! Sit back, get comfortable, and let's get going!
On Tuesday March 30, we packed up our bags and hopped on a jet plane. Our destination...a gorgeous cabin next to a frozen lake in Montana. The reason... to meet a family we have always dreamed of meeting. I'll spare you all the tiny details, but Jason was raised by a single mother I was never able to meet. She passed away a year before we were married. She must of been an incredible lady, because she raised an incredible son. Jason was always curious about his dad, and after searching for a long time, he was able to find some answers.
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| Fun adventures on the plane 😄 |
A few years ago Jason decided to work on finding information about his dad's side. After DNA tests for him and other individuals, he seemed to hit a dead end. After almost giving up, and deciding that maybe now was just not the time to focus on finding his dad, he received a message from a man on Ancetsry.com that was a close DNA match. After messages and a phone call, Jason learned that the man was his half brother!
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Our View of the lake from the cabin
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Montana was cold, but beautiful! We stayed in a beautiful place surrounded by snow, and met some pretty amazing people. We ate amazing food, had wonderful conversations, and my kiddos were spoiled rotten with gifts and sweets. My favorite part of being there was meeting Jason's father. He was a very sweet man, and it seemed so crazy to think that Jason found him! Only in his wildest dreams did he think he would be able to meet his dad some day. I can only imagine how Jason felt, and feels still. What seemed like something that took forever, was there and gone in the blink of an eye. Knowing who is father is, I think has brought him a lot of peace.
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| Our beautiful little girl😍 |
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| He loved being outside in the snow |
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| Meeting Jason's dad was so great! |
After meeting family members in Montana, our journey brought us to Spokane Washington for dinner and a quick visit with sisters, and then to the Tri-Cities for a weekend with my family. We celebrated Easter, listened to general conference, and looked forward to the week ahead. Carter, Daxton, and Callie loved doing an Easter egg hunt and playing with their cousins (I was helping Callie with her eggs and basket, I can't believe we didn't get pictures!). They were in heaven!!!
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| The only pic I took while in my home town |
The weekend came and went way too fast, but after flying and driving home, we got ready for a full week of fun with family. The same day we came home, we were shortly greeted by my sister and her family. Almost instantly we had kiddos in the pool and started our week of fun together!
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| We made moon sand, and the kids loved it! |
Carter's birthday was on Saturday, and it couldn't have been a more perfect day! He made the choice to get baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on the same day as his birthday. We had family attend in person as well as virtually. He was baptized in our hot tub, and I hope it was an experience he will never forget!
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| After Carter was baptized |
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| He was so excited for his own set of scriptures |
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| Happy Birthday big boy |
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| Opening gifts |
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| He was spoiled! |
After Carter's wonderful baptism, we all jumped in cars and drove to Sequoia National Park. There we saw General Sherman, a tree that happens to be the biggest tree in the US. We've been there many times, but it was wonderful having most of my family there and creating wonderful memories together. We have loved living here with all the different places we are able to go.
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| Best friends forever! |
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| All of us by General Sherman |
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| Daxton loves his aunt |
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| Cousin time |
Goodbyes are never easy. Sunday both of my sisters and their families left. Carter was devastated that the week went by so fast. We got to hold on to Grandma and Grandpa for one more day, but tears were shed by all my kiddos when they left. Family can be such a wonderful thing.
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| Loved having my family in California! |
