Our sweet Lucas

This post is dedicated to my sweet Lucas. I'm so very sad to report that our Lucas's adoption fell through. I'm heart-broken by his departure, but I know Heavenly Father will take care of him as well as our family as we grieve.

Luke is the happiest baby I've ever encountered. He brought smiles to everybody's face. He slept and ate like a dream and rarely cried - never without cause. He has a special soul. Even though I miss him terribly, I'm forever grateful Heavenly Father sent him to our home for a short time. He has a sparkle in his eyes that gives away his special sweetness. 

Here's your test, see if you can look at some of my favorite snapshots of our time with Lucas and not smile. 

First sight of snow

I took the boys to Salt Lake for their first glimpse of snow. The boys ooh-ed and awe-ed at all of the gorgeous mountains and snow I've learned to cringe at as we make the long trek to Utah. We stayed with our good friends, the Rowe's who were such great hosts. Trey became fast friends with Jackson, and Caleb and Laila co-existed in their strange and feisty similarities. 

We decided to hit up Hogle Zoo and brave the 15 degree weather. What a great choice! Although the delicate elephants and giraffes were inside during the inclement weather, the indoor facilities allowed my boys to come within inches of deadly predators.

Does something look wrong here? I didn't think it snowed in Africa - apparently zebras are more cold-tolerant than elephants. You can see for yourself what happens when they leave the elephants out in the cold - they turn to wood and their ears turn orange.

Our first crocodile sighting.

Dinosaur discovery

Another great Salt Lake find is Thanksgiving Point's Dinosaur museum. Being boys, Trey and Caleb were in their element as they gawked at huge dinosaur skeletons and played in the sand and water play area. 

They even got to dig for dinosaur bones!!

Bet you didn't know sharks were dinosaurs too!!