Hoping to Adopt...Again!

HELLO!

Welcome to our blog! We are so excited that you stopped by to find out about our family. We hope you can get a sense of who we are and we would love to answer any questions you might have for us. Feel free to email us at benandbritney@yahoo.com.

How it all began . . .

Ben and I met at Ricks College (BYU-Idaho) after he returned from his mission, for the LDS Church, to El Salvador. Before knowing each other very well, we both attended a church party in January. After, we were walking out with our friends and I had one of my brilliant flirtatious ideas. I picked up a snowball and as I went to throw it in Ben’s face he turned to look at me and BAM! I hit him right in the mouth with my fist. I guess you could say I really knocked him out - Ha Ha! From that point on he was known as "bloody lip" Ben. I don’t know why he continued speaking to me, but I am glad he did. We were inseparable for the next year and were then married in December 1999.

We both have always wanted kids and were excited to start a family. Things didn't go quite as planned and after much thought and prayer we knew that our babies were going to come to us through adoption. We often tell people that our children just needed to find an "alternate route" to us. We love being parents and having kids run crazy in our house. We have two boys who are adopted and hope to have more. We are an adoption family!!

Ben's World

I grew up in Washington with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I am the oldest boy, and as such have the family birthright, if that even means anything anymore. My family was very close growing, and we still are today. We spent a lot of time playing in the yard, going to sporting events, and skiing at the lake.

I was very active in high school sports and enjoyed playing football, basketball, soccer and baseball. After high school I went to Ricks College (BYU Idaho). I played football my freshman year and then went on an LDS mission to El Salvador. Upon returning I decided that I no longer wanted to play football, but wanted to be an intramural All-Star...just kidding - I really needed just to focus on school. Brit and I met at Ricks and went down to BYU after we got married.

I recieved my degree in Marketing and currently work as a National Sales Manager for a company in Utah. I frequently travel across the U.S. and like getting to meet with different customers and see different places. I enjoy my job and the challenges it brings as well as the ability it gives me to provide for my family.

Britney Speaks - Hmmm . . . where to begin. Ben is fantastic (but don't tell him I said so). I am pretty much a spoiled girl. Aside from being an awesome husband and dad, he also loves to cook, do yard work, plant flowers, he even cleans! I mean does it get any better than that? He always puts us first, even when there are more fun things he could be doing. He took Eli to his first BYU football game this year and loves to have daddy - son time with the boys. Eli and Blake adore him and once Ben comes home from work, it's bye-bye mom and hello daddy! He is a pro at bedtime and both boys beg for daddy to read them their story at night.

Ben is a great athlete - which is one of the things that caught my eye in the first place. I always had a soft spot for football & basketball players! It's still fun to watch him play softball and basketball, but the best is watching him spend hours in the backyard teaching our kids the mechanics of the game.

I must say it is wonderful to be married to a handy man. He can fix just about anything (except cars - but no on is perfect). He surprised me once by building shelves in our bedroom closet - I think I cried. He loves a good project and is always working on something, especially in the winter when he can't be outside fiddling in the yard.

I am so lucky to be married to someone that understands me so well and loves me in spite of it. He takes such good care of me is always willing to help me (or anyone) when I need him. He is my rock and keeps me grounded when my emotions get the best of me. I love him so much!!

Here's Britney

My love-it list:
my boys - yep all three of them
volleyball
basketball
eating good food
talking - usually too much
reading
listening to music
sleeping
blogging
walking
boating
biking
watching movies
being with friends and family
hawaii

I'll try and shrink my life down to a nutshell. I am the oldest child in my family - I know bossy pants. I have two brothers and one sister. I grew up in Idaho around both sides of my extended family. As a kid, I spent a lot of time boating, four-wheeling, snowmobiling and just playing. I played volleyball and basketball basically my whole life and loved the competition (people still say I tend to be a bit competetive). My favorite thing was always hanging out with my friends and being busy. After I graduated from high school, I went to Ricks College. That is where I met and married my Benji. We transferred to BYU after being married about 5 months.

I graduated from BYU with my degree in Health Education and taught health to 7th graders. I know I'm crazy, but I loved every minute of it. It was amazing watching lightbulbs go on when the kids figured something out or celebrating when they did well on a test. I know I am a better mom because of my education and teaching experience.

I stopped teaching when Eli was born. From that moment on I have been staying at home and teaching my own kids. Nothing is more rewarding than watching the boys master a new skill or explore new territory. I get so much satisfaction out of spending time with them. I love their sweet faces and hearing them say "mommy". Being a mom is even better than I imagined. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!!

Britney loves to be with her friends and family. She is a people person and loves to talk. She could sit and visit with neighbors, old friends, acquaintances, family - you name it - for hours on end (sometimes too long for me). She loves to read, watch her favorite shows, blog, and shop.

Britney is very responsible and dedicated. When she was teaching, she was always well organized and energized. She takes that same energy and puts it into being a mom. She notices little things and is the first to make sure they get done. She loves to take the kids to do fun things and fills their days with great activites.

Britney and I have so much fun together. She is always game to do what I want (except yard work). I love to spend time with her going to football games, watching movies, playing with the kids or just hanging out and talking. She amazes me constantly and I am so lucky to be her husband.

Big Boy Eli

Eli is 4 1/2 years old. He loves, really loves, Thomas the Train and all his engine friends. He is in his second year of preschool, which is his very favorite place to go. He is very snuggly and always wants to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. His new exciting hobby is playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64. He takes his job of being big brother very seriously and tries to teach Blake new things every day. When the weather is nice, you can almost always find him outside playing in the dirt and making race tracks out of mud. He thinks everyday should be his birthday and is always so excited about life in general! We are so lucky to have him in our family. He will love having a new baby to protect and love!

Blakey Boy

Blakey is 2 1/2 and always on the go. We don't know where he gets all his energy, but it's tough to keep up. He loves Dora and Elmo and talks to them like they are his friends. We call Blake "our little helper" because he is always doing something helpful - or at least he thinks so. He likes to do the dishes, laundry, vaccum, mow the lawn, wash the cars, and clean up toys. He sometimes forgets that he is only two and that he still needs help with some things. He is very independent and figures out how to do everything himself. He misses his big brother when he is at school and follows him around the rest of the day. He loves to sing any song, and if he doesn't know the words, he just makes them up! He is such a happy guy and lots of fun. We love him very much!

We Love Adoption

September 2006 - when we were sealed to Blake

Adoption. It is such an important word in our family. We love adoption and how we have been blessed by it. We believe the decision is a personal and complicated one, both for birth parents and adoptive couples. It brings people together and creates relationships that would never come about in any other situation. Adoption is a beautiful process that allows the Lord to create families in a very unique way. Our two experiences have been amazing and we know that this is the way for us to have the family we always wanted. We love our kids and we can't wait to bring another baby into our home through adoption. We talk openly with all of our family and friends about adoption and are proud to be part of it. It has been a humbling experience and we have learned so much from the process.

We are fortunate to have open adoptions with Eli and Blake's birth mothers. We love knowing what's going on in their lives and keeping them up to date on ours. We are so glad that we have been able to watch their lives progress and hear about all the fun and exciting news in their families. It's wonderful that we can teach our children about their birth mothers and let them know what amazing women they are. We look forward to having a relationship with another birth mother and extending our family again. Our children will always know the deep gratitude we have for their birth parents and how they were loved before they came to us.

Both of our families at Blake's Sealing

Blake's Finalization

October 2004 - Eli's Finalization

October 2004 - Eli's Sealing

Both of our families at Eli's Blessing

Dear Birth Parents

We feel so much love and gratitude for you, and as you focus on the decisions you are making, please know that we are thinking and praying for you every day. We hope you know what an amazingly strong person you are and we hope that you will feel Heavenly Father's love at this difficult time.

We are excited to get to know you and to have a relationship with you. The more your child knows about you, the more comfortable they will be with themselves. They will always know how much you love them and that because of you they were able to come to our family. Please email us with any questions we would love to hear from you!

The first time we met Eli's Birth Mother - April 2004.

Lunch with Blake's Birth Mother - May 2008.

The whole gang!

Fun, Fun, and More Fun

Another day on the boat

Playing Mario Kart in the back yard

We love to have fun as a family. We love to go out on the boat and play in the water. Anything outside keeps us entertained. Four-wheeling, snowmobiling, playing baseball in the yard, going on walks and bike rides. One of our favorite things to do is to watch a movie on the side of our house. We have our very own drive-in move theater in our backyard - popcorn included!!

Snowmobiling with the fam

Taking a dip in the lake

Playin in the bouncy castle

We also love to travel and to visit family and friends. Ben and Britney went to Hawaii for the first time together in March and let's just say it was paradise!