​I wasn’t sure I wanted to post about this but Christian persisted and here we are.
A few months ago I got phone call, which at the time I thought was the greatest blessing Christian and I could ever receive. We had made it to the top of the embryo adoption list at our fertility center and would be receiving the embryo list within a few weeks. I literally thought God heard and answered my prayers. We chose our embryo and started the process to implantation. It was a long process, and just for the record, snakes are about he only thing I fear more than needles so those who know what is involved in an IVF cycle might understand why it was long for me. There were days that I could barely walk because the shots were so painful, but I was doing it for our baby, so I wasn’t about to stop.
Our embryo was girl, I wont bore you with all the details we knew about her but I felt it was such a blessing to be able to give her a body. I pictured this little spirit waiting in heaven for many years and I so badly wanted to be her mom. We implanted the embryo on December 18th and prayed like mad that she would survive. The thaw and transfer were successful and we knew that our longing to be parents was soon over. December 30th was not a day I will soon forget. For weeks we looked forward to the 30th because that was the day we would ‘know’ we were pregnant and we could hardly wait for that reassurance. The 29th was all fuzzy; I wanted time to slow down because what if the 30th wasn’t what I had hoped. I was agitated, anxious, and I started to become angry that I had no control in the outcome. The morning of the 30th I was nervous as we went in for the pregnancy test and continued to be until 10:25am when I got a call confirming my worst fear. There would be no baby. The little girl that we had planned our lives with wasn’t coming anymore and all of a sudden nothing made sense. Did we pick the wrong embryo? Are we not meant to be parents? How could God let us put everything we had into this and then it not work? I’m not sure what the answers are but I’m holding on to a small grain hoping that there is a good reason. I hope I can learn to dance in the rain again instead of run from the storms, but for now I just need a little time sitting here in a puddle of tears mourning the loss of a dream that I thought would come true. 

We completed our home study yesterday so bring on the babies! Thank you Tom Baxter for being wonderful to work with!

We enjoyed the changing leaves while riding down Sundance with the Evans gang. And yes I teased Christian about his goofy looking helmet :)

We had a great summer this year with lots of family time and so many exciting adventures. Cant wait to share these types of memories with our kids someday!

We love gardening and have been canning like crazy all summer! Fresh salsa and marinara are our season favorites this year. 

Favorite week of the year! Christian and I spent the week at Lake Tahoe enjoying the beautiful mountains, going on lots of dirt bike rides and enjoying some well deserved chill-time. We worked on projects, laid in the hammock, went shopping and collected sugar pinecones. Saying goodbye to this beautiful place just about rips your heart out!

This showed up at our place several months ago. Christian was thrilled, me, not so much. It was pretty ugly, had no roof and the worst part was the stench. The weather was not in Christians favor because it rained a ton right after we got it and he quickly learned that rain+no roof=messy camper and not so happy wife. 
We repainted the inside with help from Christina and Jer  Pendleton. A fresh white coat made a big difference and there was a flicker of hope that maybe someday I could like this thing. Well the next day it rained so hard the water leaked through the tarp and the freshly painted ceiling. The camper was then named, Damper (darn+camper). After a few sunny hot days the water dried and Christian was able to put the roof on the Damper. Of course something came up and he didn't have time to seal it....you can probably guess what happened that night. Rain. Rain. Rain- cats and dogs were coming down. The worst part was we were about an hour away from home and knew what was happening to our poor little damper the whole time.  So the roof had to come off, ceiling needed re-sanding and painting and I needed a time out. We waited a few more days for the wood to dry out and then he put the thing back together again and this time Christian sealed it like mad! The true test came when he hosed it down, we were both feeling victorious when not a single drop came through.
​We loved having our camper all summer. It brings camping to a new level for me- tolerable. Just kidding, I really enjoy camping and we had a blast going to the mountains, lave hot springs and moab. Plus,  it served as a perfect 'guest house' for when my sister came to visit. 
We just got back from moab this weekend.  It was a first for both of us. We mountain biked slick rock, hiked through arches and enjoyed the warm campfire at night! 

Help us grow our family through adoption!

We both grew up in southern California as beach babes but didn't meet until we were 18 and 19 years old. It was no coincidence that our paths crossed. I (Chelsey) had recently finished cosmetology school and moved to Christian’s home town to work as a nanny before going to college, all the while Christian was recovering from jaw surgery before he could leave for a two-year service mission. We finally met at an 80’s dance in 2007 where Christian was helping decorate for the dance. I was so impressed that Christian was busting out all the decorations for the dance, then I realized how handsome he was- wowsas- What a package! The rest was history. We dated for several months before Christian left to serve a mission. After his mission we started dating again and were eventually married for time and all eternity.

We live in Utah while Christian finishes his double major in Biology and Business. He is currently applying for dental school. I graduated in dietetics and currently work as an administrative dietitian at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm also working on a masters degree in nutritional science. I love my job and school but hope to fulfill my life's goal of being a stay at home mom. School has been such a privilege for us. We feel blessed to have learned so much and one day would love to take our skills of nutrition and dentistry to other countries serving and teaching those who are less fortunate.  

We have been blessed over the last four and a half years, and experienced so many wonderful things. We love outdoor adventures, spending time in nature, boating at lake Powell, hanging with friends around the fire pit, and visiting family. Christian and I are best of friends and look forward to spending the rest of eternity with each other and our family-however and whenever they come.We both adore kids and cannot wait to be parents. 
 

My dear wife Chelsey is a special person, not only to me but also to many others. I love that she is very driven and accomplishes any task she puts her mind to.

Although being driven, Chelsey is able to slow down and enjoy herself by spending time with others. She enjoys being outside, doing active things like running, biking, camping, and pretty much anything out in the warm sun. She finds a lot of satisfaction serving others; babysitting friends kids, and making meals for anyone in need. She is always looking for a way to make someone else's load a little lighter.

Chelsey has the most tender, loving heart when it comes to children. Her number one goal is to be a mother and love and teach children. We end up watching a lot of kids for our family, friends, or neighbors. I have never seen her raise her voice or become frustrated with a child. While speaking with them, or trying to teach or correct them, she always gets down to their level to speak with them in a loving way. Kids get excited when they see her, because they feel so loved by her.

Chelsey’s fun personality and sense of humor keeps me laughing and she truly is my sunshine each morning when I get up. 

I immediately fell in love with Christian’s sense of adventure and ability to bring groups of people together. Every night of the week Christian has something fun scheduled; volleyball, dodge ball, basketball, football, KGB which is essentially hide and go seek throughout the town and neighborhoods. When Christian isn't organizing a group activity we go hiking, or biking along the river. We are currently restoring a camper trailer which is a big project but lots of fun to do together. Christian loves life, finds joy in making others happy and is a talented athlete (he tries to keep up with me and does a pretty good job:)). He adores our family and loves getting everyone together.

A few years ago I asked Christian if he could build me a baby crib, and he said YES! I showed him a picture of what I wanted and he immediately started figuring out all the measurements and what wood was needed. He spent many days in his grandpa’s wood shop learning how to use a lathe and other machinery so that he could add custom details to the crib. He made the crib by hand, and it is the most beautiful crib I’ve ever seen. There isn't anything Christian cannot do when he puts his mind to it. 

Christian loves kids and kids love Christian. We have a bunch of cute neighborhood kids that always come up to him for a high five. We babysit our cousins and friends kids all the time; Christian is always out playing catch, soccer, jumping on the trampoline, playing board games, and telling funny stories that keep everyone laughing.

He is an amazing partner and everyday I feel so blessed to have him in my life. He is such a great example to me of patience and love. He brightens everyday with his smile and happy countenance. 

We believe that adoption is a great privilege and a wonderful blessing to children and parents. Christian and I hold ourselves to a high standard because we feel our responsibility is to be Christlike in all that we do- in order to create an optimal environment to welcome a child into our lives. 

Birth mothers, we know that life is full of unexpected twists and turns and that beautiful miracles such as adoption can happen along the way. We feel so humbled that our children will be brought to us by others, and we are so grateful to birth mothers and fathers who might choose us. 

Christian and I understand that adoption can be complicated but feel prepared to emotionally support and love our children and help them recognize the great blessings that come from adoption. We feel confident that we will receive added guidance from a loving Father in Heaven.

Ever since I was a little girl I knew adoption would be part of my life. For years I pondered on the miracle of adoption and the great strength that was required from both the adoptive and birth parents. I wasn’t sure if I would adopt all my kids or just some of them. All I knew was that I loved kids and loved adoption. Adoption became a reality when my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for 3 years. One day after many prayers I had an overwhelming feeling confirming that adoption was the path that we needed to take. I’ve felt nothing but peace from that point forward. Christian and I are so excited about the prospect of adopting children that are sent to our hearts and arms.  We are open to adopting more than one at a time and have no preferences in regards to gender or race.