Wedding, Blessing, Sealing, and Christmas!

We went to Utah for about 9 days for Christmas and it was the most action-packed week we have ever had there! Shad and I got there on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday we went shopping in Farmington with my mom and Alex and got outfits for my brother Andrew's wedding and then had lunch at Zuppas. Yum! Thursday we went shopping at Target with my sister Holly and her sweet Olivia, and we met my mom there for lunch. Shad and Olivia loved riding in the cool cart.

Friday was my little brother Andrew's wedding in Brigham City and we added a new member of the Grose family: Megan! She is a darling girl and hopefully one day she can teach me how to have such cute style!

That night was their wedding dinner in Ogden, it was quite the party! Shad definitely busted out some sweet dance moves:

Shad and me

They had a photo booth instead of a signature book to show that you came to their wedding. Cute idea! Here is our little family of 3:

Afterwards, while we were waiting for the happy couple outside, we lit sparklers and floating lanterns. 

Shad and I also started getting sick that day with really bad coughs and sore throats, and I lost my voice completely for about a week after that. But that didn't stop us from having an amazing vacation!

The next day on Saturday we had the opportunity to be sealed to Shad in the Bountiful temple. The drive there was crazy in a blizzard and we passed 5 car accidents on the way, witnessing two of them, and Shad was really sick and did not look well. We were really worried that it might not be a good day. But we made it safely and when he entered the sealing room all dressed in white with his hair combed he looked absolutely perfect and angelic. It was the most spiritual experience I have ever had. The happiness and joy I felt is beyond words and I am so so grateful that Heavenly Father placed him in our family forever.

It was too cold to take pictures in front of the temple, so we had to settle for taking some pictures inside the rotunda area. My best friend Sierra came to his sealing and took these beautiful pictures for us. 

Is this not the most angelic face you have ever seen?! And those eyes!

 My sisters and parents, and Jared's parents

 My parents

 Jared's parents

Sweet Grandpa Grose

 The Masons

 The beautiful and talented Sierra (click on her name to see some of her amazing work!)

It was an absolutely perfect day and we wouldn't have had it any other way.

The next day was Sunday and we blessed Shad at his parents' church. Sierra came again and took a few more pictures for us. She really is the best!

Besties

The next day, Monday, was Christmas Eve Eve, my mom's annual Christmas party complete with the nativity. Shad was a shepherd and left the thing on his head for all of 1.5 seconds (if that). I love that my mom does this every year so we can always have all the siblings there at the same time. 

Tuesday was Christmas Eve, and we spent it between my Grandma's and Jared's Grandma's house, but we only stayed at each for a few minutes because Shad had a fever of 104 at this point. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this day. Shad and I were both feeling pretty awful still so we went home and slept for almost 12 hours.

Christmas day was nice, we spent most of the day just chilling at my parents' house. This was our first Christmas together as a family of 3 (Shad joined our family on December 27th last year!)

Shad opened some presents and then went back to sleep for another few hours. He got his very first train set. It was so much fun even though he's still a little young to realize what was going on.

The next morning we left early in the morning to go back to Michigan. It was probably the most exhausting yet the best Christmas vacation we have ever had (well I guess you could say it's tied with last year's Christmas vacation when we came home unexpectedly with a baby!) 

Some highlights

Highlights of the last few weeks:

 

 Shad became a toddler over night. It was a little bitter sweet for me to see him so grown up in a matter of hours!

 

 

 

Shad made his first piece of artwork in day care. It went straight on the fridge so I can show it off to anyone who cares!

 

We got a very kind letter from President Uchtorf, the second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, congratulating us on the adoption of Shad. It helps to have family connections. ;) I love that Shad will always be able to look at it as he gets older and know how truly special he is. And, as a friend pointed out to me, it also puts the pressure on Jared and me to step it up and "bring him up in truth and righteousness and help him prepare to be a valiant servant of the Lord." We will definitely try our hardest to do so!

 

I am so grateful for our sweet Shad in our lives. I am so grateful to Sasha, his birth mom, for her willingness to follow what she knew to be right in allowing us become his adoptive parents. I know that Heavenly Father had already planned for him to be our son way before we ever knew it. I know this sounds a little strange, but I am also really grateful for my infertility. I am thankful for all of the pain, physical and emotional, that I felt almost every day for two years before we became parents to Shad; the joy he brings us was worth every bit of it. I don't know if I will ever be blessed in a way to bear children through my own body, but I do know I will have more children in the future in whichever way the Lord sees fit. He definitely has a plan for each of us and each one is so unique to our own situations and capabilities. I am so very thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, for His atoning sacrifice. He truly knows the pain and suffering that each and every one us has and will experience. I am so thankful that because of His atonement, that we will be sealed to Shad for eternity, and that families truly can be together forever.



I love to see the Temple....

Today Jared's little sisters Sasha and Alina were sealed to their family in the Ogden temple. They were so dang cute in their pretty white dresses. They are such gorgeous girls and it made me so happy to be able to share this special day with them. I love my in-laws so much, I really lucked out in that department. They were so good to let us live with them for a few months while we got back on our feet. I'm so grateful to have such an awesome family for my in-laws. I love you all Smedleys!


Cute eternal sisters



These girls look up so much to Jared, he's such a sweet brother to them.