....And now we wait

For those of you that have been following our adoption story, I'm hereby letting you all know that our profile with LDS Social Services is now active! After several weeks of last minute adjustments, and photos not showing up, they've fixed our profile. It can now be viewed on the provident living website under the profile name DaronAndElisa .

At the risk of sounding serious for once, this is the part where we ask all of you to keep us in your family's prayers. I know that you have all been rooting for us, so don't stop now. We need all the help we can get. It's going to take the Lord's hand to deliberately steer someone into a family this crazy. Let's face it, on paper we don't look so good! :) But our hearts are in the right place, and we have to have faith that the Lord will bless us with our righteous desire.

Thank you to all who have been our support system. We love you!

Daron and Elisa

SNOW DAY!

Make no mistake about it- the prospect of a snow day is just as exciting as an adult, as it was when you were a kid. Suddenly, the day ahead of you that was once filled with assignments and commitments is now yours to enjoy as you wish! Yes, I understand the ridiculousness of an entire city shutting down because nobody can drive in 3 inches of snow. But I don't care! I'll take it! My personal philosopy on snow days is that no actual housework, or daily chores can be done. This day off is a gift, and must be enjoyed properly! (Ok, secretly, I DID do two loads of laundry- but there was plenty of other housework that I ignored) I baked bread, made cookies, watched movies, had a nap, played in the snow with Daron and Skip, and made a wonderful dinner. Best of all was laying on the couch all warm and snuggly watching the snow fall.

I understand that by looking at these pictures, you might have a couple questions. So here we go: Yes, we ARE wearing matching Carhart snowsuit/coats. (Not fashionable, but VERY toasty)No, it's not mine, it's Daron's. Yes, it's warmer than my usual coat. Yes, that is a grown man making some sort of oversized, redneck snow angel. Yes, that is the same grown man wrestling with a small white dog. No, I doubt the dog enjoyed it very much. He did enjoy playing in the snow, however. He was frozen solid by the time we got him home. The dog, not the redneck...

Christmas 2008 - Ten Fabulous Memories

1. Daron and "Esmerelda" (Anna's alternate personality) singing great made-up songs together... These two share an amazingly loose grip on reality that allows them such imaginative play.

2. One of my most fabulous gifts- Three new casserole dishes, and nowhere to store them. I remember when we moved into this house, I thought, "This kitchen is ENORMOUS!" Yeah, it's really not. Just bigger than the apartment kitchens I was used to.

3. Look closely- this is actually a scuffle in progress. Competition rears it's ugly head, as Hudson feels Tanner might have ripped more paper than he should have off of their "joint gift." All in all, watching kids open presents was such a highlight. I miss the pure unadulterated joy of opening presents with reckless abandon, and clinging to the hope that if you were REALLY good, Santa would deliver the goods...

4. Skipper opening his present from Aunt Sherri. Imagine his disappointment when he discovers that not only does his gift NOT contain anything squeaky or edible, but is actually a "Pedi-Paws." The only thing that this dog hates worse than unregulated squirrels in the backyard, is having his nails done. Just like a boy.

5. Uncle Jared- Every kid needs an uncle like Uncle Jared. Only a good sport like him would tote around a pack of wild, Nerf-gun toting hooligans around the backyard on a John Deere mower. Now this isn't just any John Deere mower- notice the absence of any grass on the property? This mower was procured by Grampy primarily for the entertainment of the Nerf-gun toting crowd mentioned above.

6. Tanner, Hudson, and Waste Management- To Tanner's delight, Santa brought him a garbage truck. He is fascinated by all things garbage and/or recycling. He even dressed up as a garbage man for Halloween. Jared and Catherine need to check and see if BYU has a Waste Management degree. It's got management in the title, that's respectable, right?

7. Lucy and Maj-lis: there's nothing better than growing up with cousins. I wouldn't know this personally, but I can imagine how much fun it would be. Getting reaquainted with these two little ladies was wonderful. They both have very laidback personalities, and hardly cried the whole week. Throw in that sweet baby smell right after their baths, and it was pure heaven.

8. Lindner Girls and Bubble Baths: Emma, Anna, and Leah threw caution to the wind, and decided to test the limits of Grandma's whirlpool tub. Lucy would have joined in, but was deemed "too short" to participate. Notice how all the bubbles are magically contained in the tub? Fast forward 10 minutes, and it was a completely different story. And mom thought we were washing all those towels because people were using them...

9. Grandma hit one out of the park when she purchased these two hoodie/vest combinations for Aaron and Josh. Normally a clothes purchase for an 11 and 9 year old is a risky gift move, only reserved for the really uncool, and out of touch gift giver. But Grandma must know something we don't- because these vests and hoodies were approved of whole-heartedly, and worn almost immediately. Good one, Grandma!!

10. The best gift of all. As mom put it so eloquently, "looking down the pew at church, and seeing what has come to pass over the last 35 years.." Couldn't have said it better. I love this picture.

Happy New Year!

Its always at this time of year that I start to think of fresh starts, and things that I'm grateful for. Always at the top of my list seems to be my family. I know everyone says that, but I really do like these people! They are all so smart and funny, and I'm better for having them in my life. I'm also one of the lucky few that can say they love their husband's family as much as their own. Twice the blessings, and twice the love (and fun) to go around.

This year was the year for Huffman Family Christmas in Texas. We all converged on my Mom and Dad's house outside of Austin for a week of fun, and a level of mischief only Huffman's could achieve. Our family seems to grow each year. Babies continue to appear out of nowhere, and our numbers have now swelled to 19. How did a modest family of six have it's own population explosion? How I love these trips, when I get to snuggle the little ones, and savor all the little moments that I miss all year long. I also get to reconnect with my brother and sisters, and relive all the funny inside jokes from childhood. I often wonder if our spouses think we are crazy? (A little shout-out to Daron, Tod, Shelly, and Jared- these people were either brave or crazy enough to marry in to this madness, and truly are our better halves!) Only in our family can we have a heated political discussion, and transition with lightspeed into jokes and hysterical laughter. Often, and almost assuredly at someone's expense. "Growing up Huffman," as Rebecca calls it, has given us all thicker skin! I marvel at what different directions and places our lives have taken us, and our uncanny ability to resume the threads of our previous lives together with no conscious thought whatsoever. Thanks to my family for making this a great Christmas for me, and reminding me of what's important in my life.