A Little Child Shall Lead Them..

Tristan served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is graduated from BYU-I with a degree in finance. He and Alessandra were married in the Nauvoo Temple in Dec 2023. She works as a therapist for autistic children. They are expecting their first baby-a girl! in June 2026!

Khaelia lived on and off with us throughout high school. She got her CNA license and is pursuing further education at Kirkwood. She is now married and expecting her first child in April 2026.

Melin and Chris were married in the Philly Temple August 2023. They are both graduated from BYU-I. Melina is getting her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and Chris has his sights on being a guidance counselor.

My name is Ciomara (See-oh-mar-uh) Jean. I am studying Elementary ED-music education at BYU-I. enjoy playing piano, organ, violin, percussion, and riding my horse in my free time. My favorite singer is Harry Styles:) I teach piano and horse riding. My best friend and long time boyfriend is Cade.

My Name is Asher Vincent.

My name is Delaney Faye. I love to read and do crafts. My favorite sport is bowling and I also love tap. I am a Cheerleader and play post on the JV basketball team. Another hobby I like is swimming. I am a Junior this year.

My name is Laurel Anne. I'm in 9th grade. My favorite subject is Math. I love to play with my brothers and sisters. I'm number 6 in my family.

My name is Nigel Lewis. I am in 8th grade. My favorite animal is any kind of reptile. My favorite color is green and orange. My favorite thing to do build things. I love to play soccer. I want to be a robotics engineer.

My name is Gideon Joshua. I am in 6th grade. My favorite color is blue and pick. I like to watch tv and draw. When I grow up I want to be an author.

2/1/2024 *Winnie tells Mommy that the baby that was in her tummy before Winnie and died was a girl baby and her name was Minnie. She laughs hysterically that their names rhyme. Except she doesn't know that her great great grandma and great great great grandma were Minnie and Winnie!!!!!

A came to stay with us when he was 13 years old. He comes from Ukraine. Russian is his primary language. He loves soccer. He loves anything citrus, orange juice and oranges. He really like hamburgers and french fries and ramen noodles. He will eat ranch, sour cream and mayo on anything. He is not a big eat during the day, but is ravenous in the evenings. He likes to sleep in, is very active during the day and wants to stay up late. He loves video games and is a great friend to other kids at his orphanage/school as well as his host siblings. He is patient and kind to younger kids. He looks up to Tristan and will do whatever Tristan is doing. He would excel at Parkour as he is constantly jumping and climbing on things. he is a great swimmer and enjoyed the waterpark, trampoline parks and giant playgrounds. He LOVES the animals, especially cats but I worry he may be allergic as he coughs a bit after playing with them/at night. We really enjoyed having A in our home, and he fit right in and was comfortable with us within the week.

K came to us at 7.5 years. She spent the summer after COVID quarantine swimming and playing and having fun with 8 siblings (Tristan was in Guatemala)! She loves the water! She loves rollercoasters and always wants to ride up front. She loves hard candies like Tic Tacs and lifesavers. She doesn't enjoy cold drinks or cold foods, except for Coca-Cola. She loves to play on the iPad. She loves Momma, and other women, but is anxious around men. She did come to like Josh and got excited when he arrived home, but it took almost the whole 8 weeks. She fought like any other 7 year old and can hold her own and typical of this age, she likes to tattle. Her and Asher did not get along but what kid likes an older brother when they tease and laugh at you? I would say by the end she tolerated him. No one activity keeps her attention for too long except swimming. At home she enjoys barbies, dress up and dolls. She played with the kitchen too and made meals for us. She is super willing to try 1 bite of any new foods and finds often that she actually likes them! For example, she was hesitant to eat a corn dog but now its her favorite and she can devour 2-3 in one sitting! She is all girl and really enjoy wearing skirts or dresses. She gives lovely hugs and wants Mom to approve and praise her all the time. In the beginning she could say Hi in English, but after a few weeks she understood almost everything we said. She even started speaking a bit in English, although when she is upset or excited she babbles along in Russian like I can understand! She told us she has 2 younger brothers but they don't live at her orphanage and she doesn't know their names. Overall, a happy child, very willing and obedient, a few tantrums but nothing extreme and we really enjoyed making her part of our family for the summer of 2021!

Winter 2004
*Daddy tried to put Mel's coat on and she says, "Don't touch me!" (First sentence ever, we swear!)
5/05
*Tristan (while holding his hands in his lap, with fingers pointed out), "These are my boys! (referring to his make-believe friends, Hemet and Berber Dick. I thought Mom (Stubz) was gonna bust a gut!)
2/07
*Melina to Dacia, "Stop smelling my penis!"
*Melina in her sleep, "Don't take my pop tart!"
4/07
*I put the kid leash on Mara so she could walk along next to the stroller without wondering off and she says, "I NOT DACIA!"
3/09
*Melina, "how come that lady has pointy ears?" Mara, "she did not eat her green beans!" Mel, "I am never gonna eat green beans cuz I want pointy ears!"
*Tristan "I am going to be a vegetarian when I grow up so I can help animals!" (I suppose you can help them by not eating them! :o)
*Daddy to Dacia "Lay down or I will split you in two!" then Mara said, "Then we can have 2 Dacias!"
*Mara, "Please pass the cheeps" (she meant peaches)
*A song came on the radio talking about Haley's Comet. Josh asked Tristan, "Do you know what a comet is?" Tristan said, "Sure. Just how fat are you?" (Nice try but we asked for a comet not comment!)
*Daddy says, "I love Mommy." Melina says, "Yeah, they love each other so much, I can't stand it!"
4/09
* Melina, " The Easter Bunny lives with Santa Claus." Mom, "Oh Really?" Mel, "Yes because the elves make the toys and how else would the Bunny get the toys to bring to us for Easter?" (I see that I am teaching an important life lesson--the Bunny unfortunately brings toys to our house too :o)
5/09
* Melina, "Sometimes I dream with my eyes open. It is easy. First you stare at something and then you look into your head!"
6/09
*We are having a discussion of where Melina came from and she says, "the ballet part, that came from you Mommy!" as she twirls out of the room!
*Bedtime and Asher is throwing a fit in his room. Tristan yells, "Mommy, Daddy! Come quick! Asher is having a hurricane!"
9/09
*While getting sandwiches at the gas station, Melina says, "I know why it called Kum and Go. Cuz you come in and then you go out! HA!" Sometimes she just cracks herself up!
*Melina is rushing to get her stuffed animal for the car and she says to me, "I need it so I can be pumpkin-pied (occupied!)" *Tristan, "Mom can I take my Legos to college?" Mom, "Um, of course." Tristan, "Cool! Then I can take a day off and just play Legos!"
10/09
*Tristan, "I am so glad people invented food so that we don't have to eat vegetables!" (while he was drinking a pop :o)
12/09
*Tristan, "When I grow up, I am going to name one of my girls Bailey and one of my boys David McCoy."
12/27/09
*Asher poops in the potty and looks at it and says, "I poop airplane!" Sure enough, it did look like an airplane!
2/10
* Tristan, "I have a good imagination. I pretend like my baboo talks to me, and my stuffed animals too."
3/10
* We are singing "I am a Child of God" at bedtime and Asher belts out, " I am a child of Josh!"
6/1/10
*After opening a dart gun for his birthday, Asher turns to Josh and says, "I'm gonna shoot you in the FACE!"
7/15/10
*Tristan says, "Someday Mel or Mara or Laney could be the first girl President!" Melina says, "No, then you have to work." Tristan, "But, life is about working...." Mara chimes in, "So you can have MONEY!"
8/12/2010
*Tristan, "You know one time at our old house I saw a fox with a hammer. I think I was sight-seeing. Melina, "You mean daydreaming." Tristan, "No, I was definitely sight-seeing."
9/5/10
*During Sharing time they are playing charades and no one can guess what it is. So, the teacher gives a hint: something you do at home (answer: wash dishes). Mel raises her hand and says: "Print money off the computer!"
9/18/2010
* Asher ran away from me and hid at the store. When I found him I grabbed his arm and he yelled, "Don't touch my arm like that! You are gonna break it and then I'll die and you will go to jail!"
*Asher in the drive-thru says to me, "My penis hurts." Me, "why?" Asher, "Cuz I touching it." Me, "Stop touching it." Asher, "But it goes up and down when I do!" (The cashier had a really red face :o)
9/2010
*Mara says during dinner, while watching football, "I love BYU and those Hot Guys (Hawkeyes)!"
10/2010
*Tristan, "I am just not sure that I know what I want to do with my life yet!"
*Melina, "Mom, your legs are so fat, it looks like you are growing the baby in them!"
*Tristan, "who invented football?" Melina, "Jesus did." Tristan, "no, Jesus invented the person who invented football." Melina, "oh."
*Asher, "D is for dog, E is for elephant, F is for friggit! (frog)"
12/2010
*Asher, "is Laurel staying with us?" Mom, "Well, would you like her to stay?" Asher, "I don't want her to go to the orphanage." Mom, "ok, I guess she is staying."
01/2011
*Asher going pee in the potty, "Daddy, Daddy, I have a big penis!" (Yes, that is my boy, obsessed with his manhood!)
02/11
*Asher, "I need to suck in my duck! (gut)"
03/2011
*Melina, "Sometimes I think in my brain that if Jesus wasn't real there would be no reason to be here. And, why would we be here if there was no Jesus? So, there has to be a Jesus because we are here."
*Melina, "If you dog dies while the vet has it, do you still have to pay?"
09/2011
*Melina, "Praise to the man who cacooned with Jehovah!"

10/1/11
* Melina says "aminal" and Mishamarry"
* Melina, "Mommy while you were in NYC, they said we had to do service at Church. You can do service once for your family and twice for your neighbors. I already *serviced* Daddy!"

11/6/11
* Melina, "my hands are really worm."
Mom, "W-A-R-M."
Melina, "I said worm NOT WORM!"

12/2011
*Melina, "My country Tis of Thee,
Sweet land of Liberty,
LOVELY I sing! Land where my fathers HIKED!"...

08/2012
*Daddy asks Laurel who the babies are in the nursery. He points to each one and she says who it is (correctly). The he asks, "Who is the cutest baby?"
Laurel think for a second and says, "Ummm, ME!" (She is 21 months).
* Mommy is putting laurel down for a nap. She says, "Everyone say good night to Laurel!" Laurel says, "Night, ME!"

11/2012
* Mommy says, "Laurel eat your piece of cake, just don't lick off the frosting!"
Laurel says, "You eat it! I want a new one!" (she is 24 months and 5 days)

12/2012
* Laurel says to Mommy, "You are the dog and I am the princess."
Mommy, "ok"
Laurel, "Say RUFF, RUFF!"
*Laurel says something.
Mommy, "I don't know what you are saying."
Laurel, "I know what I am saying!"
*Laurel calls BYU, "BYE-YOU "

My name is Dacia (DOT-CHA) Sue. I was born Nov 2006 in Iowa. I passed away Feb 2017. I had a great life and I loved my kids. They miss me terribly. My favorite things were socks and chew rawhides. I loved to lie around especially on warm sunny days and I could run with the best of them.