If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

    All the kids. . .(top row) Kate, Kenna, Kayla, Maggie, Hays (bottom row), Carver, Gabby, Abby, Tiki & Dax The Willis Family

I just finished Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing To SEE" and it was super.  Go get it and read it!  It was perfectly Mary Beth: funny and sad and honest and raw and real.  Thanks, MBC, for writing that book and for being real with the world!!  I love you and cannot wait to see you on Friday!

Made totally out of M&M's Well, Jennafer left several days ago and now GoGo is gone. . .I'm the last one standing in Vegas and I am ready to go home, too. It has been a fun trip. . .mostly because of the company I've been in! Thank you, mom, for this wonderful week of friendship and laughter! I cherish these moments every year! I love you so much! Vegas, it has been real. I never want to come back, but I'm glad I've checked you off of my list! Andy, Hays, Maggie, Tiki, Dax and Gabby (and Lesley), I am coming home. The break was nice, but I absolutely hate being away from my favorite people in the world! I cannot wait to snuggle you all! Blog readers, it will be stories about my darling children again for another year!  Get ready to hear how exceptional I think they are!

We walked. . .and walked. . .and walked. . .and walked some more. . .then we walked. . .and walked. . .and walked until we got to where we were going and there wasn't really anything there, so we came back to the hotel and napped (and read) until it was time for dinner and Cher. The Cher show was fun. . .better than I expected!  She changed outfits and wigs with every song and I was amazed how many of her songs I actually recognized!  I'm glad we went. So there was today in a small nutshell. . .did I mentioned that we WALKED a lot?

Today was Jen's last day (sad face).  We started at the outlet malls where I spent my newly acquired 250 (ish) dollars.  It was fun to do some "free" shopping!  (Don't worry, BeBe, I didn't spend your portion. . .and get excited Hays, Maggie, Tiki, Dax & Gabby you all got a little something!) Then Jen left. And that left mom and I wondering what we are going to do with ourselves. . .so we decided to watch another Cirque show, "Mystere."  It was good. . .more of an original Cirque.  Very entertaining and I would recommend it, but I liked "Viva Elvis" better.  We had a yummy dinner at a different Mexican restaurant than before and tried on fake diamond rings for a long time.  It was a fun evening. . .and now we're off to bed (without Jennafer here, the 2 old ladies are fairly boring)! Good night!

Oh my. . .how do I even begin to describe today?  It was so wonderful!  First thing this morning (first thing in terms of sleeping in and not having to wake up for anything) we headed to the Qua Baths & Spa at Ceasar's Palace.  (No spa pictures. . .we were to busy relaxing!) The spa was wonderful. . .the atmosphere was perfect and I felt so relaxed from the very beginning.  We each had our treatment done and my person was wonderful!  The treatment was a mixture between full body exfoliation and a hot oil treatment with a massage and a head and scalp massage (which I slept through because I was just so relaxed).  It was a dream!  Then we just sat in these heated chairs by some waterfalls and read for the next several hours.  After showering and taking our time to get ready, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. Dinner was yummy.  We ate at Tao which is excellent Chinese food.  We had tempura sweet potatoes (I know, a little advanced for me) and some Thai shri

So, today is going to be wonderful. . .my idea of a dream day (no offense to the six people I love most in this world: Andy, Hays, Maggie, Tiki, Dax & Gabby).  We are headed to the spa for the day followed by dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. So, here is the description of the treatment we will all three be getting: Ancient herbal formulas are personalized to rejuvenate the mind and body, restoring peace and vitality. First, enjoy an herbal body mask from head to toe. Then a stream of warm oil trickles onto your forehead before being massaged into your hair and scalp, a treatment known as Shirodhara. A gentle scrub removes the herbal body mask and prepares your skin for a relaxing finale with a soothing, moist heat wrap.  I cannot wait!  I am bound to be a better person once I have taken this "journey" at the spa!  So, here is to today and the time I will be relaxing at the spa. 

We have been having so much fun!  This is how our night started last night.  We were walking through one of the malls on our way to Serendipity when we got side tracked by a very pretty young lady selling anti-aging creams and masks and stuff.  She was good.  She snagged us with the "are you three sisters" line and then lured us into her shop by telling us how young and beautiful we all are.  Then she started applying these creams (taking off our make up for the evening) and began to point out all of our flaws and lines and wrinkles and sags.  HUGE ego-boost.  So, this is GoGo and I getting younger (notice that Jennafer isn't in this picture because the beautiful lady thought she was thirteen). This is the three of us in front of Serendipity before we had dinner last night.  Which one looks like the daughter and which one looks like the daughter-in-law?    This morning we began our day in Paris with a yummy breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi.  Then we spent the next six hou

. . .will not stay in Vegas on this trip!  We are already having so much fun and I have to share it with you!  Yesterday I got in at 7:30 in the morning after taking one tiny airplane from Farmington to Sin City (literally, now I know why they call it that).  Then Jen got in at 10:30 and we were off on a roller coaster quest!  Below are the pictures of the pictures (so not great quality) of the rides Jen and I went on.  By the way, the one at New York New York was by far our favorite. . .we'll be riding it again!       We also played $1 each in the slot machines because how can you not when you're in Vegas.  They aren't that much fun because they are all electronic and it just seemed like we were playing a video game.  (Don't worry, BeBe, I'll be playing your $50 for you!) Then Mom got in town around 4 and after relaxing in the room a little bit we were off to dinner at Serendipity. . .we tried to eat there on our Girls Trip to NYC in 2007, but we couldn&#

I am so excited!  Here I sit in the tiny Farmington airport waiting at gate one (of one) to board my non-stop flight to Vegas.  I cannot wait.  And it isn't really even Vegas that I am excited about, it is the time that I get to spend with my mom (8 days) and my sister (in-law), Jennafer (4 days).  I cannot believe how blessed I am to get this opportunity every year to go on a "girls' trip" with my mom and whichever of my 3 sisters get to go each year!  I cannot wait to savor the fellowship, to laugh hard, to hug a lot, to enjoy the yummy food, fun shows and amazing spa day! Well, my little flight is boarding, so I am off. . .more details to come as my week goes on!  Thank you, mom, for taking us to Vegas!  Thank you, Andy and Lesley and BeBe for taking care of my kids! Mom, Jen & Vegas. . .HERE I COME!!!

This was the first picture I took from this morning, but you can't see the mountains very well because the sun wasn't up and over the mountains behind us.  Gabby looks SO OLD, though.  I cannot believe it! Then the sun came out and I made a big U-Turn and took the picture again! This is the same view minus Gabby. . .much better with Gabby IN the picture!

Today is my dad's birthday!  I am so blessed to have such a great man in my life who I get to call "Daddy!"  He is one of a kind!  He does everything BIG!  He loves BIG.  He dreams BIG.  He lives BIG.  He gives BIG.  I love him so much!  I admire him so much!  He is dedicated and determined and hard working and a great encourager.  He is deep and his compassion is endless.  His heart is dear and true and loving.  Daddy, I love and adore you so much and I am so thankful to have you in my life!  So, to the man who loves so deeply and so unselfishly and who has tied my heart back together on so many occasions:  Happy Birthday, Daddy!  I love you! Love, Peanut

Did you know that we have changed our prices, our dates, our term lengths and our options at Camp Kivu for Summer 2011. I will be highlighting some of those changes in this post and in future posts. This post is for my friends and readers with children ages 11-18. Did you know that your child has two options this summer. . .yes, ages 11 to 18!!! He or she can attend Kivu for one week or he or she can go on a four day parent/child backpacking trip or BOTH!!! So, please sign your child up for the one week adventure! Or sign you and your child up for the parent/child trip! Please don't just sit there nodding your head thinking about what a great idea that is, go to www.campkivu.com and SIGN UP!!! Come on, friends! Support us and let your kids enjoy Kivu or come enjoy Kivu with them!!! Who else is going to support us if our friends don't?

So, just when you think the adoption saga is over, it isn't. I went by the social security office last week to get Tiki a SSN so that we can get him a passport so that we can go to Mexico for Christmas. Easy. Right? Nope. Apparently (no one told me this would be an issue) if you change the child's birthday legally and with a US birth certificate and everything, that isn't official (or even okay?). Because his name and birthday are different on his certificate of citizenship than they are on his US birth certificate, the Department of Homeland Security won't give him a social security number. Shouldn't someone else know that before hand. . .the courts or something? I had no idea. So, now I am petitioning Homeland Security to acknowledge his new birthday. We'll see. I'm supposed to check back November 1st. I guess I am needing prayer again. Please pray that this first rounds (okay, second) works so that I can get Tiki a SSN with his new birthd

So, I have hoof and mouth disease.  What?  Yes, hoof and mouth.  Jamie, you mean you have a virus that only children seem to get in the Spring and Summer.  Yes, I have that.  What is hoof and mouth?  Well, I have huge blisters covering the roof of my mouth and my throat and working their way onto my gums (and hopefully not my tongue).  The good news?  They aren't on my hands or the bottom of my feet (yet?).  Bottom line, I am miserable and I am kind of being a baby, too.  My mouth and my throat hurt so badly and there is nothing that I can do because it is a virus.  Thankfully, last night I discovered Chloraseptic lozenges with Benzocain oral anesthetic in it. . .that has taken the edge off and made me a little bit more tolerable to be around.  Please pray that these go away. . .especially before my much anticipated girls trip to Vegas with my mom and Jennafer in less than a week!  Thanks!

My kids love art!  All five of them do and I love the things they draw and paint!  Here are two recent pieces of Braner Family art.  The first on is Dax's self-portriat from the first day of school.  And the second one is a picture Gabby drew of our family this morning.  Dax's face is great, but I am SO impressed with Gabby's family.  If you look closely, you can really see seven people (that fact blew me away and was maybe even an accident) and you can actually see faces and stuff.  Wow! I'm not sure who, in the family, is scribbled out (probably me), but I am SO impressed with her picture!

So we had the best weekend ever !  I know that I keep saying that, but we really did!  Our family (plus Lesley) went to Moab, Utah with the McKinnis family for our four day weekend and it was perfect!  The McKinnis family are some of our new Durango friends and we really love them!  They have two little girls (Kate & Abby) and they are adopting from Rwanda!  Mom and Dad McKinnis (Valerie & Darrin) are great and our families are a good fit.  And for those of you who don't know who Lesley is, for some reason, she is my life saver!  She has been working at KCO/Kivu for MANY years and she is living with us this fall just because she loves us.  She is the biggest help and because of her I get to be the mom and wife and person who I truly want to be!  (THANK YOU, LES!!!)  And the kids ABSOLUTELY ADORE her (big bonus)! Anyway, we went camping in Moab and spent our days mountain biking and hiking (yes, I mountain biked and LOVED it) and our evenings sitting around the fire

We got Tiki's new birth certificate yesterday!  I am so excited!  It is so fun to see his new name and his new birthday on the same page with Andy's name and my name and our ages back in 2004. . .on his BIRTHDAY!  Now on to the social security office and then a US passport!  Yipee!!!

14 years ago today (tonight), Andy asked me to marry him in front of a packed house at the Baylor Theater production of "Me & My Girl."  (He played an old man. . .explanation of photo.) And today he sent me this video and dedicated it to me.  Awwwww. . .

So, I have started this Zumba class and I love it!!! According to the official Zumba website, "The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!" I love it!  And the best part is that Lesley and Tamara join me twice a week in the class.  We have the best time laughing at ourselves shake our bon bons!  It actually makes me feel like I have the potential to actually be sexy one day hidden deep inside of me and I cannot wait to finally tap into that potential! So, I highly recommend that if you can find a Zumba class, you should take it. . .especially if you hate working out but want to love it!!!

Sassy! Innocence? She is practicing her Princess Aurora stand to be like Aunt Jen!