Hangin with Uncle B!

So my little brother is pretty excited to be a new uncle.  He came down from Utah to hang out for the summer with his niece and nephew.  We went over to  my parents house for dinner.  We had Xander dressed up in a cute blue Hurley shirt with grey pants.  He looked adorable (of course), but what was funny was to see my brother come out in a blue Hurley shirt and grey shorts.  We were laughing and couldnt resist a picture of the two trouble makers in their matching Hurley Outfits!  Too cute!

Announcing!!!!!

We would have loved to send an announcement to everyone we know to share our wonderful news, but unfortunately, that wasnt possible, so we are sharing it here!  Enjoy!

Modern Blocks Boy Birth Announcement

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Sneak Peak

So my good and talented friend Becca came and took some newborn photos of Xander when he was 2 weeks old.  These are the photos we got so far and used for our birth announcement.  They turned out so good!!!! I am dying to see the rest, so I figured I was tease you all as well! Enjoy!

Visiting Snowflake

Xander got to experience quite a few firsts this weekend.  To start off, this was his very first trip to Snowflake!  He did pretty well on the 3 hour drive but was definitely done being in his carseat by the time we arrived.  This was also his first experience with snow.  He really didnt experience very much of it besides being bundled up and snuggled by a fire, but still.... a first.  

 Another big first was meeting some family members for the first time.  Everyone was so excited that we were coming up!  We have never received such a grand welcome! (we are already chopped liver compared to our cutie pie baby).  He was definitely quite popular with the Larson crew, including the young ones. There were even more people that loved and snuggled on Xander but unfortunately we were having so much fun with family ourselves that we forgot to pull out the camera for a few. 

Hanging with Uncle Nolan

Loving the snuggle from cousin Katie

Starring contest with Uncle Justin

Lovin on Aunt Angela

Love, Love, Love cousin Jessica

Oh Grandpa!  Im so comfy I could just sleep!

Cousin Shelby is so snuggly

One of the major highlights was to meet Great Grandpa Webb!  He is 95 years old and just as sharp as ever!  He has been very hopeful for our adoption to be smooth and successful and was thrilled that he got to meet Xander.

Grandpa thought Xander had a tummy bubble , so he was using his tricks to  help him out, but  I think it looks like he was giving Xander his first spankings. hehehe, for being so stinkin cute, Its naughty!

Shelby liked Xander so much, she came back for more snuggles.

Xander loved Cousin Abbie too!

Xander was so popular, I had to steal him and make sure mama got her loving in as well!  Me and my snuggle boys in a comfy rocker by the fire = Heaven!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 This St. Patrick's Day was the most fun Ive ever had because of this cute little leprechaun.  It seemed like his strawberry blond hair was a little extra red for the day :) I am so much more excited for each of the holidays now that we have a sweet little guys to share the magic with!!!  For this St. Patrick's Day, we were surprised with a little package from our Florida Family *Xander's birth family* They sent us this super cute little outfit for  Xander.  I love the feet.

And they also sent a little gift for Eldon and I as well.... Sweet family St. Patrick's Day shirts!!!  My shirt is hiding a bit behind the cutest part of this picture, but its the Lucky Charm's Leprechaun and the words "Feeling Lucky".  But Eldon's is the absolute best!!  It is hilarious and really shows Carolyn's amazing sense of humor.  She always has us cracking up and this shirt is one of the best ones.  Eldon literally jumped up and down laughing when we opened the box and found it.  We just adore her and are grateful for her thoughtfulness in making some holiday magic for our little family!!   We hope everyone has a Happy St. Patrick's Day and wore green to avoid being pinched!!!

Xanders first airplane show

This is Eldon's Favorite Plane

 If you know Eldon at all, you would know that he is obsessed with airplanes.  This is definitely a good thought since it is the career field he has chosen to go into.  Phoenix Gateway was holding their annual airshow day, and we couldnt resist a chance to get out of the house and the enjoy the wonderful Arizona spring weather, and of course, introduce our sweet little boy to his first airplane show.

Having fun with the girly pose

For the most part, this is how Xander enjoyed the show... comfortably in his new stroller.  He actually slept through most of it since he was snuggly and warm.  

 

It was a fun event and nice to get out and get some fresh air.  I know Eldon cant wait until he can really introduce Xander to his love of airplanes.  Then Xander can stare at the sky with him and enjoy it just as much as he does!

1 Month Old

I absolutely cant believe it!  Our sweet little boy is one month old.  It just doesnt seem real that he has been a part of our life for an entire month!   Time really does fly by when you are having fun!  And we have been having an absolute blast!  A sleep deprived blast, but still a blast!  Xander has absolutely changed our world, changed our heart and changed our life and we love it!  He is such a sweet little boy who smiles when he is deliriously sleepy or just waking up.  He laughs like Sheldon on Big Bang Theory (With the side smile and everything). He loves to be cuddled and held tight.  He is starting to really look around and see his environment and really focuses on bright lights.  At his most recent appointment he weighed 10lbs and 3 ounces and is already 22 inches long.  He is growing like a weed because his most favorite thing to do is eat!!!  He thinks he is starving all the time even though he is eating about 4 ounces every 3 to 4 hours.  We absolutely adore this little boy and are forever grateful to his birth parents for giving us this sweet little gift!

Such wonderful blessings!

Some of our dear friends may or may not know that my big brother and his wife have also been trying to have a family through adoption along side of us.  We both became certified about the same time, but we felt prompted to move quickly to post our profile (obviously because we needed it to be ready for Carolyn to find us, so we could have our sweet little boy).  My sister-in-law only recently felt prompted to get their profile posted.  While we were in Florida, we received a fun little phone call from my brother telling us that they had received a phone call from a birth mother in Utah and that she had picked them to be the parents of her baby, the only catch was that she would be giving birth in 3 days!!!  They had alot of praying and thinking to do to figure out if this was right for their family.  Amazingly, they quickly received confirmation that this sweet little spirit was meant to be in their family and they packed up their car and drove to Utah.  Everything went smooth and beautifully and their sweet little girl was placed in their arms.  So not only did we receive the blessing of a son through adoption, but 11 days later, we received the gift of a new niece!

Introducing Olivia Ranee Seals

We think it is pretty amazing that we were both blessed at the same time and that these two will be so close in age and be able to be a strength to each other because their share the bond of adoption!  It is amazing to us, but we are so grateful for the bountiful blessings that our family has received.

And, to say the least, my parents are beyond thrilled.  They went from not having any grandchildren (besides our twins), to having 2 grandkids within less than 2 weeks!

The Xander Zone

Welcome to the Xander Zone!  Pretty much, our blog is going to be taken over by this sweet little guy, but we realize that everyone would definitely prefer to see his adorable face, rather than ours.  And its ok, we understand, and we totally agree!!!!  So since Xander has been home, we have had quite a few visitors!  There are still so many people that we would love for him to meet, but he is still very small, so we have only had visitors in small doses.  Soon enough (because time is absolutely flying) we will introduce him to church and to my work friends and the public.  In the mean time, we have had fun with those who have come to visit.  Everyone thinks he is just perfect (which he is) and they love his chubby cheeks and his triple chin (yep, he has one).  He is so sweet and just adorable.

Coming home!!!

On Monday, Feb 13, I got the best call ever.... we had been cleared to take our sweet little son home to Arizona.  It was very unexpected (we expected it to come some time around the end of the week).  We quickly made it to the doctor to get permission for the little man to fly, and changed our flights and prepared to come home.  Eldon was beyond thrilled that he didnt have to be away from his family any longer.  On Valentines day, we boarded a plane to come home.  I was pretty worried because I was doing this part of the journey all by myself!!!  Scary!  Amazingly, Xander was absolutely perfect!  He slept the entire flight minus feedings.  He didnt make a single peep!  I totally expected him to cry the entire time, but he truly was amazing.  And on top of it, I sat next to a member of the church who was also a nurse, who loves children and she held him for just a minute while I went to the bathroom (5 hour flight!).  Overall, this was the part that I was really worried about, and it ended up being just fine!

When we arrived home, we found a fun little sign from Eldon's big sister to welcome us as well as flowers from the Young Women's Presidency.  So sweet and such a happy Valentines day!  So glad I got to be with my sweetheart and the new little love of my life for Valentines Day!

Florida

So while in Florida, waiting for all the paperwork to clear the courts so we could bring this sweet little boy home, we basically sat in the hotel room.  There were a couple of adventures.... pics below, but really we spent our time hanging out in the hotel and getting to know each other.  The best part about doing nothing, was doing nothing but holding this sweet little thing and taking some cute pictures of the faces he is learning to make.  He was such a relaxed and sweet little boy, which made living in a hotel for 2 weeks so much better! Enjoy the pics... I know I do!

This pic was taken at Xander's first doctors appointment.  We were so very lucky that the pediatrician in Florida was so helpful and understanding.  They made everything (pediatrician-wise) so smooth!  And just a note, from leaving the hospital to his first pediatrician appointment, Xander grew 3/4 of an inch and almost caught back up to his birth weight. 

One of the few adventures was to Downtown Disney.  My parents came all the way to Florida to help, but never saw more than the Walmart, so I took them to Downtown Disney so we could buy Xander a Disney outfit.  It seemed very appropriate since he was from Florida.  He just hung out in the Mobi Wrap and was as content as could be!

Another adventure that didnt take us any further than the kitchen sink in our little hotel room was Xander's first bath.  It was pretty entertaining to figure out how to bath him for the first time.  He was such a wiggle worm, but the water was warm and he enjoyed it.  So sweet!

Another adventure was to hang out with his birth family and to see his Grandma Bev (birth father's mom).  He also got to meet his older sister Stetson on this trip but unfortunately, the camera apparently wasnt working well, so I dont have a picture of it :(  Even so, we are very grateful for the support of his birth family and so glad for the time we got to spend with them while in Florida. 

Thanks for the fun times Florida!  We love you.  Muah!