Xander came into our lives with so much joy! Unlike all of our other adoptions, there really was no transition period. When we walked into the room where he was waiting for us in Zhejiang, China, he threw his arms up for a hug and yelled out, "Mama! Baba!" And that was it. He was ours. Completely and 100% committed to us. And us to him. And what an amazing young man he has become. As we were on that adoption trip with several other families, Christi and I just kept telling each other that we had won the jackpot. This little guy had charisma and an infectious exuberance and love and smiles and just glowed. We told each other that we had a future student body president on our hands. Sure enough, Xander was just voted to Student Council for his sophomore year.
Xander has become my buddy, joining me on so many fun adventures or watching shows together or playing H-O-R-S-E in the backyard. He has become a chef extraordinaire. You should try his fancy trout or his onion rings and fried pickles! He is so aware of his family members and ready to serve them as he sees needs arise. Xander is such an amazing part of our family. We are SO grateful to have him!
Poor Xander. He had major reconstructive surgery on both feet last November. For over a year he has been dealing with the aftermath as the healing process has not gone as planned. On Thursday he went in for his fourth follow-up surgery! He has been such a trooper through all of it. In addition to the surgeries themselves, it has been painful for him to walk off and on for the past year. He really stepped up his fashion game at the hospital and wanted to show off for the camera:
Christi and I are so grateful to have Xander in our lives. He is the sweetest, most thoughtful guy. He is always looking for ways to help around the house and has a heart of gold. We are so lucky!
Last week was spirit week at the kids' school. One of the days was "Be Yourself" day. I thought Xander might follow the wisdom in this sign that hangs in his room:
I guess he figured he wasn't up to being the caped crusader, so he let his true colors shine through:)
Since 2011, I have had the privilege of spending at least two night each summer at scout camp and/or high adventure. Scout camp is generally for 12-13 year olds. High adventure is for 14-18 year olds. This year, the entire group, age 12-18, went to scout camp together for six days up at Island Park Scout Camp in Eastern Idaho. I was able to make it up and spend half a day with Xander on Thursday morning. Then I had the unbelievably amazing opportunity to go with seven of the high adventure aged young men (including Taylor and Parker) for a two-night, 22-mile hike in Teton canyon and Alaska Basin Wyoming. It was an unforgettable adventure I will always cherish. Thanks to Jordan Johnson for putting it together and taking the time from his busy schedule to guide us!
The morning with Xander was great. We had a great breakfast, some of which was prepared by Taylor. Xander spent awhile finishing up a merit badge (he finished six in all! Way to go:) Then we got to shoot rifles.
Before I arrived, the older scouts did both a low and a high COPE course, shot rifles, and also visited Yellowstone National Park.
They had to help everyone through these ropes without anyone touching the ropes:
Try to keep your balance!
Getting ready to watch Old Faithful erupt:
Bonding time for the boys - Parker putting a ponytail in Taylor's hair :)
The high adventure portion of the trip was incredible. The first day we hiked in six miles to a perfect campsite. No facilities, we packed everything in. As we went through Teton Canyon, we were treated to one of the most scenic trails I've ever been on. Because of the heavy snowfall last winter, there was still a huge amount of runoff in mid July, resulting in about a dozen 200 foot plus waterfalls cascading down both sides of the canyon. Amazing!
On the trail! I love the red backpack to the right. It's as big as he is!!!
It's so hard to capture the beauty of these waterfalls in an iPhone picture :(
Parker plugs along...
On the trail:
At our campsite:
On day two we hiked six miles around the cirque of Alaska Basin. We had no idea that in the middle of July we would be hiking on snow. It was somewhat slushy and we weren't prepared with the best gear. (We should have had snowshoes!) But in spite of the additional challenge it presented, we had a great first half of the day.
We seriously hiked through miles of snow that day. I twisted my ankle three different times.
When we reached the first of the basin lakes, we had another surprise in store. It was still 70% iced over! Parker and I have a deal: if he gets in the water, I get in the water. And he always gets in the water 😂. He was the first one in, but then all but two of our group jumped in as well.
It took a lot a intestinal fortitude to sit in this pond like they were in some warm-water paradise:
After the lakes, we really started to get tired. Some of the seven young men who were with us were not as experienced and prepared as others, and the snow and elevation gain was starting to wear on them. But we all decided to continue on until our destination: Hurricane Pass. Over 10,000 feet in elevation, this is the back entrance to Teton National Park. If we could reach it, we were supposed to have incredible close-up views of the Teton range.
So. Much. Snow!
After brutal switchbacks and many false peaks (where we thought we would be there over the next ridge, but were not), we finally reached the pass. There was immediately no question that all of the effort was worth it. Pictures cannot capture it, but you can get some sense of the ruggedness of these amazing peaks:
Best friends:
The clouds are amazing in this view back over where we had just hiked:
To get back to camp more quickly, we did a variety of things. For one, we slid down the snow where we could. This is a much steeper, longer run than it looks on video:
We also took a shortcut trail that made our hike back only about two miles. But wow were they steep and somewhat treacherous. We all made it back safely and were so glad to be out of the snow!
The next day we hiked six miles out and drove five hours home. None of us will ever forget this experience. I'm so grateful to live in Utah so close to so many natural wonders!
When we fell in love 24 years ago, we started down a path that has been challenging, exhausting, and breathtakingly beautiful. Here we chronicle the blessings and stressings of parenting some pretty amazing children. We think they're the perfect travel companions as we look forward to the next fork in the road. Welcome to our journey.
Our oldest by birth, he's the voracious reader, BYU fan, spiritual giant, sports nut, 4.0 student, huge-hearted ray of sunshine!
Parker Matthew--22
The red-headed social butterfly, he's our all-star athlete, top student, outdoor-loving, spunky second-born, with a heart of pure gold!
Jessica Anne "Jesi"--19
Our little princess with the big smile, Jesi loves fashion, friends, hanging with her siblings, and vacations. She sparkles!
Jacob Michael-- 6/8/2004
Little one of heavenly birth, born too soon to bloom on earth. You have taught us so much--we love you, Jacob!
Emily Anne "Emmy"--9/28/2005
Emily's exquisite little hands and feet have left their mark in this world. Her body was tiny, but her spirit enormous. We miss her!
Elizabeth Mei "Elli"--18
Elli's world may be dark, but she's the light of our lives! Lover of music, chocolate, and new toys, she fights a courageous battle with autism while bringing joy to all who know her!!
Gracelin Kate "Graci"--24
Showing true grace throughout her battles with heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, our Gracester is loved by everyone! She's smart, gorgeous, friendly, and has faith to move mountains!
Alexander Philip "Xander"--18
With a spunk and smile that could outmatch anyone's, our Xander has not let Cloves Syndrome get the best of him. He's a talented chef, a caring friend to MANY, our best helper, and is full of teenage humor.
Alexis Li "Lexi"--18
Meet the friendliest girl on the planet! Blind from birth, Lexi amazes all of us with her braille skills, determination, talents, but mosly by the way she spends her days SMILING. She is an angel in every way. We are thrilled to have our darling daughter home six years from China!!
Sophia Breanne "Sophi"--14
Her eyes called out to us from half-way around the world. Little Sophi is growing up and we would do anything to freeze her in time! She's beautiful, smart, and coy and can do amazing things with her toes! She has inspired people all around the world and we can't believe she is ours. Sophi = perfection.
Calais Rose "Cali"--22
Charming Cali joined our family in December of 2012. This girl is beautiful both inside and out. Born with spina bifida, Cali is confined to a wheelchair, but that does not keep her from enjoying life to the fullest. She is smart, opinionated, strong, and lovely in every way. She is a light in our family and a magnet for handsome young men!
Conner Allen-- 22
Meet our newest addition! Home nine years from China, Conner makes us wonder what we ever did without him. Blind from birth, he will blow you away with his incredible talent on the piano. He is sweet, witty, girl-crazy, kind and finally, OURS! We love you, Conner!
The Dog
Baxter-- 3 years
She begged and pleaded and wrote letter after letter telling us why she NEEDED a dog, and Sophi finally got her wish! Meet Baxter, the cutest mini-audssiedoodle on the planet.
