Thoughts on Norma tonight...

I am soooo exhausted, happy, emotionally drained, and gleefully happy every time I look at my new baby all at the same time tonight.

I was just leaving a little note to Norma (wow even writing her name makes my heart swell) and I thought I would let all of you in on a few of my personal thoughts I am feeling for her tonight.

"Just wanted you to know tonight that I think of you constantly, every time I look at Z the image of your smiling face with tears streaming as you walked into my house Monday night comes to mind and my heart feels as though it will burst with love for you. I asked myself tonight who I thought I had grown to love more in the last 5 days since I met you, you or Zad? And then thought I am so grateful for Heavenly Father cause he allowed my heart to grow bigger than I ever thought a heart to grow, I love you both so much. My old heart could not have contained it. I love you with my giant heart, all of its new size and all and Z just as much. Yes, I think I have a Grinch heart now, you know the kind that breaks the little measuring tool they use to measure hearts in that movie, the original? I just hope I wasn't that awful before I met you.

Thinking of you tonight..."

And he shall be called Zadok

Angie is letting me, Grandma Dutton, update her blog while she gets ready today! They have decided to name the baby Zadok Paul Owensby. Norma chose the middle name of Paul after her beloved brother, and Angie and Steve want to keep this name as a tribute to her. Zadok is the name of Angie's great-great-great grandpa Zadok Knapp Judd. Zadok Knapp Henry Judd crossed the plains with the pioneers searching for a place where they could practice their religion without persecution. He also marched with the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican-American War before he married. His wife Mary Minerva Dart crossed the plains as a little girl, and watched her mother and brother die from cholera. They were married in Salt Lake, and were called to settle southern Utah. In their life together they moved and settled more than 15 times, often in frigid winter weather. Zadok and Mary buried 7 babies and adopted 3 native American children. We have often walked the beautiful cemetery in Kanab, Utah and read the inscription on his tombstone "Prepare to Meet us in Heaven."

Surprise Surprise Surprise

This is the song that I woke up with running through my head this morning..."Open up your heart and you'll find love, love, love." Love for so many I feel today, here's our weekend!

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing our weekend has been. All within 24 hours (literally) we went from trying to get our pictures resized for the new website for our adoption profile, to getting a phone call from our friend and birthmom case worker, to then meeting a birthmom and her family a few hours later, to then having a wonderful chance to seen her again the next morning, to finding out SHE CHOSE US!!!!

Here is a quick recap of our morning yesterday, pic style.


Our beautiful nieces Elizabeth and Kayla anxiously awaiting the birthmom, birthgrandma, and of course the baby.


Me, feeding our NEW LITTLE ONE for the first time!! I still can't believe he will be ours ON MONDAY!!!!!


My dad with him...


I don't even have the words....just tears.


Elizabeth and her new little cousin!! She has waited for so long for us to have a baby!! In fact I sit here this morning remembering all the times holding her and pretending in my heart that she was ours. Watching her grow up Steve and I have always been so fascinated with her as she is the oldest grandchild on both sides just like both of us were. I can't believe we will not have to pretend anymore!! It is truly surreal.


This is one of my favorite pictures. She kept saying things this weekend like, "So you are preparing to be a new mother?" Then right before they left she asked, "So do you get to keep him?" I didn't know what to say except, "I hope so, we will see!"


This is our new sister Norma. She will never know how much we have to come to love her in the last two days. Not only for the beautiful, amazing little baby she is entrusting us with but because she is truly a wonderful woman who follows the Spirit of the Lord and is willing to sacrifice everything she loves for the life of her son. Words can not express how much I admire and love her for her courage and amazing faith is us. I have spent so much time praying the last two days that we will be able to live up to all she wants us to be for him and all the Lord expects us to be. Please pray for us, her, and her amazing family.

The Polar Bear Club

Every year just after midnight passes and we begin a new year, Steve, Jared, and Chaz jump into our pool. It started the first year we lived in this house and each year someone has jumped into the pool to bring good luck and good health for the next year.

So on the 5th New Year's we have spent in this house, ringing in 2009 it was no different except...Jared said he wasn't going to jump. He didn't even bring his suit to the party! We had a great party, baked brie and everything. I even cleaned up and beat everyone, that's right everyone at the games we played! But I was bugged...no Dutton blood would be jumping into the pool at the start of the new year. I couldn't believe it, Jared didn't even have a good reason, he just didn't want to.

Now on other years I have said I would jump and then something happens. Two years ago, the start of 2007 I had a large hole in my abdomen from a surgery that had gone wrong trying to discover the cause of our infertility. So jumping into the pool was forbidden as my wound was not yet closed. The start of 2008, I was simply...a chicken. I have no good reason for 2008, sorry to say.

As the night grew closer to 2009 we did the usual, pull out all the big towels, turn on the lights to the pool, and get ready for a good kiss before the big jump. So here are the jumpers, Steve and Chaz, they look reluctant don't they?


But, they go for it as you can see. This is the look of, "I can't believe I do this every year!"


"OOOOOOO, that's cold."


Then Chaz goes and I start to feel my excitement building...



Then I hear myself blurt out, "I gotta jump this year!" To which Jared responds, "If you do I will!" Well that just confirmed it in my mind even more, I was jumping. So I run inside grab an extra suit of Steve's and throw it to Jared and quickly change myself. I run outside to hear Steve saying to Jared, "Now just wait, she probably won't do it, so don't jump until she does." I couldn't believe it, my OWN HUSBAND!!

So I handed the camera off to Jenny and went for it! Too quick for anyone to even catch a pic of me in the pool! And WOW was it shocking!!! But surprisingly not as bad as I thought, it actually felt good!


However, Jared was not too happy. But there was no way I was letting him out of our deal. After a long deliberation, he finally went for it!


Jared is never too cold to pause for a pic of him smiling in the pool, every year!


So we got it, two Duttons in the pool. Next year Elizabeth says she is jumping. Since I was the first girl, she wants to be the youngest, she'll be 10! I can hardly wait! :)

Our Christmas

We finally had a white Christmas in Flagstaff and it was wonderful. We drove up after I got off work on Christmas Eve and the roads were so nice. It started snowing just we came into Flag and didn't stop for about 3 days! This is what we woke up to Christmas morning at my grandparents house, we loved it.




This, apparently, is the face of Christmas, we were all so happy! You can even see a bit of Tommy's version in the corner.

Jenny said I looked like a cancer patient with this hat on, I was so cold...but I have to agree. I could fit in with my patients, at least I'm in good company!






My four cute, happy, funny nieces. Kayla, Ella, Galey, and Elizabeth. My three favorite memories of Christmas:
#1-See the doll Ella is holding? When she started to open her first gift, my dad yanked the doll out from her arm by the head and chucked it across the room. She didn't really notice, but I laughed so hard. I guess old toys are not allowed on Christmas.


#2-Ella walked around yelling, "Jaaared, Jaaaared, Jaaaared, Jaaaared, Jaaaared." Not for any particular reason, just cause. Even when he asked her what she wanted she would just start up again, Jaaaared.


#3-Kayla with this dog, Honey. She is my Grandma and Grandpa Frost's new puppy. She has tremendous energy, then Kayla found her. She learned lots of new tricks, how to walk on her front feet, wheelbarrow style. Then how to walk on her back feet and she even became Honey Bunny the amazing flying dog. They were never parted. Honey tried to make her escape but didn't ever get very far.


Tommy and Casey


Joey


My parents


Blake, my nephew didn't quite make it to sledding and feel asleep on the way.


Can you tell we don't live in a cold place anymore?


Couldn't resist adding another one of Kayla, she is so cute right now and loves to pose for pics. Where were you J&J? I didn't get any of you!

Happy New Year

Ok, so we were really lame with our Christmas cards this year. We actually didn't even get pictures taken until 4 days before Christmas. So here they are. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Cards

We are sending out Christmas cards and REALLY want to send you one, will you please email me your address at adowensby@hotmail.com
Then I will be mailing you some Christmas cheer!!