Four Wheeling Fun!

My Aunt Margene and Uncle Bob won this about a year ago and then it took a long time to get to them. They were going to give it to us before we left Vegas, but it didn't arrive until right before Christmas. They sent it up to Utah with my grandparents when they went to visit and then my dad brought it to us this week when he came out! What a trip! The kids are in heaven! All they want to do is ride the four wheeler, all the time! They are so cute on it too! Thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Margene and thanks to my dad for getting it going for us!

How?!

How do you lose a seat for your boat? Adam got back around 10:00 tonight from taking the Young Men out to Pyramid Lake only to realize that one of the seats from the boat was missing. He left to go back looking for it and drove all the way back to the lake and is half way home and still can't find it. How does a boat seat fly out of a boat and how do you not find it when it should have ended up on or near the side of the road? Man life is expensive! I am not looking forward to how much the seat will cost to replace. If a windshield and frame were nearly $600 then we are certainly going to be spending some pretty buckaroos! On top of that, Adam's truck broke down last week and we have to pay for that too! Holy cow! When will the money stop running out of the wallet and start running into it? Any suggestions?! Sorry to be complaining. I should make it very clear that we are and have been very blessed! I know the Lord is mindful of us and our needs. I count our blessings every day for all the things we do have and the millions of things we are constantly blessed with. Sorry to sound like such a whiner! As Adam always says to the kids, "We're not whiners, we're winners!"
Update: Adam just called to tell me he found it! Actually the Young Men's President found it. He followed Adam all the way up to the lake and back. Adam pulled over to the side of the road to tell him thanks for helping him and when Brother Andrus got out of his truck it was right there on the ground! Thank you Brother Andrus! Adam said it is scratched up on the back side that you don't see so hopefully we won't have to get it reupholstered! The Lord does bless us! Now I feel really silly for complaining!

Funny Kids

I was going through some drawers today and found some funny things the kids had said that I had written down. Boy am I glad I wrote them! In no particular order, here they are...

Lily 06/03/06 Her breakfast prayer: "Bless me that I don't have a bad dream about dinosaurs because I don't like cereal. Amen"

A conversation between Ammon and Lily on a Sunday morning 05/13/07 Ammon, "Mom I don't want to wear a tie today." Lily, "But Mr. Hinckley wears a tie."

Lily's morning prayer 05/13/07 "Help us not to fall off the bridge and sink. Amen."

Lily talking in the car 05/13/07 "Are we on the freeroad?" (She meant to say freeway).

She must have been on something that day. That girl is absolutely hilarious.

Ammon 06/09/07 "I'm not an angel, I have bones mom!"

Ammon 06/10/07 " I'm not a Mormon, I'm an angel!"

Ammon 05/18/07 "We could put them (he was talking about some sticks he had gathered) in the fire and it would disappear them and turn them to ash."

Sometime in the summer of 2007 Ammon was talking to me about daddy's swim goggles and that we needed to be careful with them so they didn't break. He asked, "Mom, if we break them will daddy cry like a woman?!" You have to understand that sweet Adam had tried as simply as possible several times to tell Ammon that sometimes women (mommy and Lily) just cry, that is just what women do. Ammon obviously was dealing with lots of emotion from us girls and so this conversation he had with daddy was fresh in his mind. I absolutely laughed until I cried when he said this!

Sometime in the spring of 2008. I don't remember if I wrote this one down last year or not, just in case... I was in the car with Lily and we were driving down Craig Road in Vegas. There are some pretty colorful people there as I am sure you can imagine. Well, we stopped at a light and there was a black man jumping/jogging/going crazy in place. He was on one of those little triangular medians off the edge of the road where they have a turn lane on one side and through traffic on the other. So he was basically in the middle of the road. Lily said to me, "What is he doing mom?!" I said, "He is exercising." She wasn't convinced and responded with, "Or he just needs to go potty really bad!" I busted up over that one too!

Other cute things my kids say:

piano=plianano

helicopter=helitocter

Of course I can't remember any more! Argh! I'll be sure to post more as they say them!

Ammon's latest thing is using the word dignified, but not properly. He will often say, "This is all the way dignified mine!"

He also has been big on this phrase lately (especially when talking to Lily), "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

When I was pregnant with Anna Lily was saying something about being able to see the baby. I was helping her on the potty and must have been leaning over when she said, "Mommy, I can see the baby!" I said, "You can, where?!" She said, pointing to my chest and shirt, "Right there down that big hill!" How funny she is!

Too Long!

You know your hair is too long when

1. You can sit on it.

2. Your kids can step on it when you are sitting down.

3. Your kids can step on it when you are sitting down and it is in a pony tail.

4. You get stuck on it in bed when it is down and you can't move.

5. When it touches the toilet seat when it is down.

I know the last one is kind of gross! So to solve my problems, I had Adam cut my hair for me on Thursday. I wanted to make sure I had enough to give to Locks of Love and they need 10 inches, so we cut about 15 1/2 inches just to be safe. The ends were pretty tattered so hopefully they still have enough. It feels strange to have my hair only to the middle of my back. It feels so light and short, but I really like it. It is actually manageable now. Today I let it air dry for almost an hour and it still took a good 20 minutes of blow drying to get it all dry. My hair is super-thick and takes forever to dry! I love it though. I just don't dry it too often. I will more now. The total length before I cut it, measuring from my hairline at my forehead down my back, was 44 inches. Now it is 28. It is still long, but so short for me. The kids like it and I am glad I don't have to worry about them stepping on it anymore!

Fallen Leaf Lake

Adam and I were able to spend the whole day together up near Tahoe. We drove half way around the lake, almost to Emerald Bay to go to Fallen Leaf Lake. It was so beautiful. We were able to hike a little, wade in the lake, enjoy the wildflowers and beautiful views, drive through the gorgeous mountains and just have some good quality time together. It was so nice to spend the day with Adam. We don't often get out alone and it was a real treat. Thanks to Grandma Margie for watching and spoiling the kids. She took Ammon and Lily home with her. I already miss them and hope they have a fun time. I can't wait for them to get back!

Oh Pooh!

So Anna is getting interested in the potty and I am not pushing her, but if she wants to use it I let her. She usually just sits on the potty, wipes a few times and then she is done, but never really goes. The other day she wanted to go and I was in the middle of sweeping up ants in the kitchen so I took her in and sat her on her little pooh bear seat on the toilet and left for a few minutes to finish sweeping up the ants. I could hear her in the bathroom talking and saying something but I wasn't paying attention to what. I finally went in to get her and opened the door right into a nice pile of pooh she left on the rug behind the door! By opening the door I smeared it all across the floor. It was all over her hands, shirt, feet, door, rug and her toilet seat. Her latest words are, "Oh Man!" So as I am cleaning up she is in there saying it over and over and over in her sweet little voice. It was hilarious! She kept trying to help me but was just making it worse. I told her not to touch it and she said, "Okay," but then she smooshed her foot right into the middle of it! I didn't even know where to start. I grabbed the wipes and started wiping her and then the piles off the floor, then got rid of the rugs, then washed the door and finally the toilet seat. There was one piece that stuck to the side of the toilet that didn't go down when I flushed it so sweet little Anna trying to help again, reached her hand into the toilet to get it to move. Ahhhhh! The whole time all I was doing was laughing to myself and thinking how hilarious the whole thing was. Anna was adding her cute commentary of, "Stinky" and "Oh man!" which made me smile and laugh even more. I am glad I didn't freak out. I wanted to grab the camera but think you can understand why I did not. The bathroom is clean and sanitized and I no longer leave her alone on the toilet, even to sweep up ants for two minutes. Hopefully we won't have a stinky episode like that again!

Mermaid

Lily loves Ariel. She is her favorite Disney Princess. The other day she said, "I wish I was a mermaid," to which Ammon replied, "Oh, but Lily, then you couldn't jump on the tramp because mermaids can't jump." What? Where do they come up with these silly things? I am just glad they make me laugh!

I Love To See The Temple

Adam and I went to the Reno Temple tonight and were able to participate in sealings for over two hours. It was so awesome! The sealer was amazing and there were several people there with their own family file names. It was a great experience. I am so thankful for the temple and the wonderful blessings it brings to my life and to my family. I can't think of a more wonderful place to be, especially with my husband, and hopefully one day with my children.

No More Crib

In her big girl bed with her babies!
My sleeping angels!
Anna's big girl bed and Lily's big girl bed.
Her crib mattress on the floor the day after she climbed out!
Right after I got back from my trip to Utah Anna decided she was finished sleeping in her crib. She had been in the habit of getting into bed with me while we were gone and so when she would wake up, she would cry for me to come get her. Well, I didn't want to be getting up with her at night so I was just letting her cry after we got home. A few nights after being home, she started crying and I didn't go get her. After awhile she stopped and I thought, "Oh good, she went back to sleep." A few minutes later I heard my door open and her sweet little voice say, "Momma?" I about jumped through the ceiling! How on earth did she get out of her crib?! When I went in her room Ammon and Lily were out. I knew they hadn't gotten her out of her crib. She climbed out all by herself and didn't even get hurt! I picked her up and went and slept in Ammon's bed since it was empty. She slept fine with me right next to her.
The next day I took her mattress out of her crib and put it on her floor because I didn't want her to try to climb out again and end up having her break an arm or get hurt! She didn't last long on that and I ended up in Ammon's bed with her again. The next night I put the crib mattress in the corner next to the wall and it worked a little better, but I still ended up in Ammon's bed with her yet again! The next day was Saturday so I took the crib down and took Lily's bed apart and just put the mattresses on the floor so Anna's bed looked just like Lily's. I tried to make a big deal out of it to make Anna excited about her big girl bed and she seemed to be happy. She went down pretty well and now if she wakes up I just sleep in her bed until she falls asleep and then I go back to my bed. I really need to get the girls beds sanded and painted and put back together so the mattresses aren't on the floor. It is getting a little difficult to get up off Anna's bed!
Anna is getting so big and she is so much fun! I am glad she likes her bed! I have a pillow and she has a pillow, both on her bed. I am not allowed to sleep on, "Nanna's lillow," only on, "Momma's lillow." She makes it very clear that she has her side of the bed and I have mine. She loves me to sleep with her though. Every day for naps and bedtime when I put her down I lay down with her for a few minutes and then leave. When I try to get up or when I haven't laid down yet she always gives me the sweetest look, pats my pillow and says "day down, day down," (lay down, lay down). Her voice is so sweet and angelic! I absolutely love to hear her talk. I can't ever turn down her request to lay down with her and it helps her go down much easier. She is such a little angel. I am sad she isn't going to be the baby anymore, but glad she will always be my sweet little girl!

Summer Fun!

Okay, so if we ever have any free time, guess what we are doing? Boating! We are loving having a boat so much! I am beginning to wonder what we ever did for fun before we got it! We are out there every Saturday and it is so great. It is the perfect way to spend time together as a family. Ammon loves to drive the boat, but nothing else. Lily will tube, wake board, and is willing to try skiing too! Anna hates the cold water, but loves being on the boat. She talks about it all the time. She tells everyone about, "Daeee, da boat, da waer!" She likes to just sit in the garage in the boat with her life jacket on! If she is sad, I can always cheer her up by talking about the boat. She is absolutely hilarious. She is beginning to like driving too and pulls Adam's hands off the wheel so she can do it all on her own. Adam is getting better and better at wake boarding and slaloming too. He is almost ready to start trying flips again! He gets a lot of air and I love watching him! He makes it look so easy. I have been tubing, slowly, but think I am finished with that! Way too bouncy! I am not ready for this baby to come just yet, so no more tube for me. I did get up and wake board last weekend, but not for very long. The water was so smooth so I gave it a try. I had fun, but I think I will continue to be a spectator until this little guy joins us! I am finally getting the hang of backing up the truck with the trailer. It is a little tricky and I have put in quite the show for anyone at the launch ramp, but I think I am finally getting it! Last week, the guy next to me said, (after watching me try to back it up and getting everywhere but where I needed to be), "Oh, you'll get it eventually!" I just laughed and said, "Yes, eventually!" Thankfully Adam is ultra-patient and kind with me. He has never yelled at me or gotten angry with my inability to properly maneuver the boat or truck, he is great! All in all it is the best family toy ever and we are loving it! If you ever want to come, just give us a call. We are always happy to take along friends.
Oh, yesterday we got stuck in a terrible wind storm on the way back to the launch ramp. Some of the waves were up to three feet high! The wind was blowing dirt everywhere and you couldn't see very far in front of you. The pebbles in the dirt where blasting my legs. Not good for the paint on the truck or the boat! We made it back safely, but lost Adam's life jacket and gloves(which I just bought him a month ago)! Lily was scared to death and was crying and praying. Ammon was laying flat on his belly on the floor of the boat. Thanks to Lily's prayers and Adam's good driving skills we made it back okay. The boat is absolutely filthy from being wet and then all the wind and sand, and plus it always dirty from the alkalinity of the lake, but it is all in one piece and so are we! The Search and Rescue Patrol was heading out when we got our boat out of the water. I hope everyone else was alright. It was crazy because it was as smooth as glass on the east side of the lake where we like to go, but it was like driving into a different world half way across. Weather is so powerful and humbling. I am just glad we had a good, safe and fun day of boating!

Daddy Daughter Date!

Adam took Lily out a few weeks ago for a date. She wanted her hair curled, put lip gloss on and even put on a pretty sparkly shirt. She is such a sweetie and she loves her daddy so so so much! They went to Scheels and rode the Ferris Wheel and got ice cream. It is a fun and cheap date and the kids favorite store ever. Lily also played on the playground while daddy watched. Adam said when they were getting ice cream the lady at the counter said that she was so precious. Yes she is! We love her and I am glad she got to spend a special night with dad.

My Angels

These cards are only 1 3/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches, smaller than a business card. Jameson's footprint is about 1 5/8 inch and Bryson's is just under 1 inch.

This is similar to what Bryson was wearing, he was so tiny!

I only have a hat and blanket for Jameson. His gown was also white, but larger than Bryson's. If they would have needed diapers that is how small they were! His head filled his hat very well. He was much bigger than Bryson but still so tiny! I am so glad I got to hold them and hug and kiss them. It was very difficult, but helped tremendously for closure. It made me feel validated that they were real babies with real full, but tiny bodies. Life is such a miracle. It is amazing to me how a baby grows. I have no doubt in mind that my little guys were real and not just some strange creation in me that couldn't be considered real until full term. They were perfect in their own way, and perfect to me.

Margie gave this to me as a Mother's Day gift in 2006. It is such a beautiful picture and I am so thankful for her making it for me. They truly are my little angels watching down on us from Heaven. Thank you Margie for your thoughtfulness! This is a treasure to me!




My Aunt Angie made this for me the year after it happened. She had this poem just come to her one day and hurried and wrote it down. She then made the frame, cross stitched the poem and had it matted. I think it is so beautiful! It also made me cry when I saw it! Thanks Angie, I love you!

July, 8 2005

Four years ago today I lost my sweet baby boy twins, Bryson Wayne and Jameson Reed, during my sixth month of pregnancy. It is amazing how time can heal pain and loss, but at the same time, how fresh and sad the memories are. I think I am a little more sensitive right now because of my current pregnancy and especially because it is a boy. I am thankful for the gospel and the peace and comfort it brought and continues to bring to our family with their loss. I am thankful for the little angels they are! They are buried in a beautiful cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska on a hill with many other babies and children which is appropriately named Lullaby Land. It is such a peaceful and sacred place. Adam and I went there every Sunday after church the whole last year of Law School. It brought great peace to me to go there. I hope to be able to make it out there to see their grave again and I know Ammon and Lily want to go too. Ammon talks often about his brothers that are gone. It is really sweet. He is so happy to be getting a new one soon! I am thankful for eternal families.

Father's Day

So, I am a little late in making this post. but I just had to let Adam know what a great father I think he is! He is so good to our kids and they absolutely adore him. As soon as they hear the garage door open when he gets home from work they all yell, "Daddy!" and run to the garage to greet him. When we get to church on Sunday Anna always shouts an enthusiastic Daddy, as soon as she sees him too! He is always there early for meetings and I usually show up right when church is starting. So her shout out to daddy is always heard by everyone in the chapel and is met with a sweet and loving smiles. I hope you know how much we all love you Adam! He is the best at playing with the kids. He wrestles with them, jumps on the tramp with them, spins them, plays in the yard with them, rides bikes with them, chases them, and does all the fun daddy things. I always tell him that if it were up to me to provide the kids with that then they would certainly be deprived. He does his job as dad so well.

We celebrated a week early because we were going to be away from home on Father's Day. The kids all made him sweet cards and drew him a picture of why they loved him. Ammon's was about fishing with dad and Lily's was about boating. We bought him chocolate covered raisins, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Golden Grahams, new sponges to clean the cars and boat with, and some drinking glasses. I have managed to break almost every single one of our glass cups and all we had in the house was plastic and Adam likes glass, so he finally got new glasses! Hope you like them! We had one of his favorite dinners, creamy chicken enchiladas, and then of course chocolate mousse pie! It was delicious! We had fun celebrating the special day and are so happy to have a reason to celebrate it! Thanks again for being the most most amazing Daddy ever!

Recipe for Chocolate Mousse Pie (You really should try this!) This is from Adam's Mom

graham cracker crust (I usually make mine, but you can buy one)

1 pkg chocolate chips (We prefer milk chocolate, but it is also good with semi-sweet)

8 oz Cream Cheese at room temp

1 can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz container of Cool Whip

Melt chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each until all melted. Add milk and blend well, then add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Pour into crust and let set up in fridge. When set, top with cool whip and if you want grate up a few of the chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top. Enjoy!

More Utah Pics

So thanks to my sweet husband, I now have more pictures to share! Thanks for doing that Adam! You're the best!

Happy Birthday Ammon!

My sweet little Ammon is now 7 years old! We celebrated his birthday by going boating and then having a friend's family over for dinner and cake and ice cream. His birthday was Saturday June 27th and I have to say a Saturday birthday is the best! We had raspberry waffles and grape juice for breakfast, Ammon's favorite. Then he opened his presents. He got two puzzles, a Cars lunch box, some glitter paint pens, and a used bike to repair his since it got run over last month, oops! He was very excited to ride his bike again!

We played at Pyramid Lake for most of the day and Ammon had a great time driving the boat. He does a really good job at it! He doesn't want to do anything but drive. He is so cute! Grandma Margie came up and joined us at the lake and gave Ammon his presents there. Thanks for the new clothes! Grandma also got up and slalomed on her ancient, but awesome ski! Way to go!

After a great day of playing and getting sunburned, we headed home for some dragon (tri-tip) which is Ammon's most favorite dinner. We call it dragon and i think he really thinks it is dragon! It is the kind you can get from Costco that is already prepared. We like the traditional flavor. He loved his dinner, all but the shrimp. He has been begging for it for quite some time, but then he said he didn't like it. I don't know when he has had it before, but he no longer likes it, good to know. He was happy to have his friend, Brayden and his family over to enjoy dinner and cake and ice cream. He designed his cake all by himself. Well, I did it, but only exactly what he told me he wanted. It turned out really cute. He loved his lego helicopter from his friend. boy, Legos are the best toy for boys! He has built and rebuilt that thing probably five times since Sunday!

I can't believe my sweet Ammon is getting so big! I love him so much and feel so blessed to have him in our family. He is such a good boy. He is so affectionate and loving and really amazing. Thanks for being such a great boy buddy! I love you!

Boating at Folsom

We went to Sacramento a few weeks ago for a family reunion and spent five days at Folsom Lake. The kids were able to play their hearts out with their cousins. They had so much fun. Our schedule was pretty much, get up, go to the lake, play all day, come home when it got dark, eat dinner and then the kids would play in the pool and hottub. You'd think they would have been sick of the water! They wore themselves right out. They all three came down with fevers and stomach aches and sore throats by the last day, but they had already done all their playing so it was good timing. It was so fun to visit with everyone and enjoy the beautiful lake. We love boating and we love our family!

Oh, on the way down, the windshield on the boat shattered before we even got out of Reno. We made several calls to Sacramento and Reno while driving to find one and ended up turning around and coming back to Rfeno to get it replaced. It was a super-expensive fix, almost $600, but atleast we got it done and no one was hurt. Thankfully that was the most drama all week.

Busy Busy Summer!

I have more pictures on my phone but havne't taken the time to figure out how to get them on to my computer yet. My camera battery was dead for the first part of my trip so most of pics are on my phone from that. I'll add more later.
We have had a wonderful and busy summer so far! I was able to make a trip to Vegas, St. George and Utah County to see most of my friends and family! We had a great time and the kids were the best travelers ever! Our total travel time was about 23 hours spread out over 11 days and they were angels! We had no DVD's, just books and toys and they were so good! Thanks kids for being so happy so mommy could make the trip! It was real nice to see old friends and catch up, to let the kids play with their cousins and friends who they love and miss so much and to see our grandmas and grandpas! I love my family and am so thankful to them all. Thanks to everyone who let us stay in their homes and for feeding us! We all love you and miss you!
We started our trip in Vegas with a visit at Gilcrease Park, where Ammon broke his arm in November and which I don't think we had been back to since it happened, and were able to see some of our friends from our old ward. The kids had so much fun playing there. We stayed at my Aunt Margene and Uncle Bob's house while we were there and it was so nice to visit with them! I got to see Emily's new baby, Grace, and she is beautiful! Even though our visit was short, I am so glad I got see you! I hope you are all feeling better by now! Her whole family was sick with Tonsillitis so we said hi from the front porch and talked for only a few minutes. We were able to go to Ammon's old school and see his first grade class. They were all so excited when he walked into the classroom. They all yelled "Ammon," in unison. I think it made Ammon feel special. We also stopped by to see our awesome neighbors that lived across the street from us. It was fun for Lily to play with Olivia. The next morning we headed up to St. George and played in the pool at Hidden Valley where we used to live. We had some friends meet us there to play. We stayed with Keri who is the most amazing friend ever! Part of the reason I wanted to go there was to see her because they are moving away to the East Coast for five years and I don't know when I will see her again. She is such an amazing person! A quick story about her. When we moved to St. George, it was on a Wednesday and about a week before Christmas. Adam unloaded the whole truck almost by himself, we had a neighbor come over when he got home from work and helped Adam finish, thanks Dave. It took him about 12 hours. Keri came over around 5:30 and asked us if we wanted to come over for dinner. We went to her house and there were still boxes sitting around and the kitchen table wasn't even up. They had just moved in on Saturday and weren't even settled yet, but she still fed us dinner! That was the beginning of our friendship that will last forever! Keri thanks for all you did for us! We are really going to miss you guys! Friday we went to a park and met more friends from our ward there. It was really fun to play and visit. That afternoon we drove up to my mom's and enjoyed a fun weekend with her and my grandparents and some of the cousins. My mom cooked us a yummy dinner Sunday and all my siblings came over with their kids. I think that is the first time that we ever had all of us together as a family. It was great to talk about old stories and laugh and let the kids enjoy their cousins. Thanks mom for all you did!
On Monday another one of my most amazing friends drove all the way down from Price to see us. She was my neighbor in Omaha during law school. Her Sam and my Ammon are only two weeks apart and were the very best of friends. People called them Sammon. They picked right up where they had left off! Those boys are so cute! Lily, Anna and Lizzy also played well together. Aubrie thank you so much for coming all the way down to see us! You are amazing! I miss you tons!
Tuesday I went to see my sister's new home and to swim with her and her boys. Thanks for a fun day Adrienne! Your house is beautiful! I was also able to see my sweet friend from High School and college roommate, Sabrina. Thanks for letting me come by and your baby is so beautiful! I spent the next two and half days at my Grandparents and Dad's. I was able to see my aunts and cousins and spend some good time with all of my family. My dad came home with us to help me out on the drive. It was nice to have company on the ride and the kids were crazy excited about having Grandpa Wayne stay at our house for a few days. It was great to have him visit. My kids wore him out! They jumped on the tramp, played Pac Man on the Ipod, built castles, wresteled and Ammon and Grandpa had a slumber party every night. The only time Ammon sleeps in his room is when Grandpa Wayne comes to visit. They had a T-ball game the night we got back and it was freezing cold! Saturday we drove up to Tahoe in the rain and it was beautiful up there. It was actually snowing! We also took Grandpa to Scheels to ride the Ferris wheel and see all the animals. That is a fun store. On Monday night we were able to take Grandpa out on our boat up to Pyramid Lake. He and Adam wake boarded. It was a pretty night and thankfully we didn't get stuck in the storm on the lake. There was thunder and lightening and tons of rain on the drive home, but it was gorgeous at the lake! We were so happy to have you come out dad! Thanks for your help!
All in all it was a wonderful trip. The only bad thing was how much we missed Adam. It is always nice to go visit, but truly there is no place like home! The kids were so happy to be at home in their own beds and have their own toys. It was funny to see how happy Anna was to be home!

Nine Wonderful Years

Adam and I celebrated our ninth anniversary on Tuesday June 9th. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. I am so blessed to have Adam as my husband. He is the most amazing father, husband and person. He is perfect in every way to me. I absolutely love him to pieces. I have been so amazed how love grows. I loved Adam when I married him but now I love him even more! I can't imagine how much more that love will grow over the next 10 or 30 or even 50 years. I almost cry sometimes when I think of how much I love him. Marriage is such a beautiful thing. So thank you Adam for being so wonderful and for making me so happy! I can't imagine life without you.

We celebrated the day by going to Scheel's and getting ice cream cones with the kids! It was a simple anniversary, but such a great day to remember! I am so happy to be in love with my best-friend!

Markers

Why does she insist on coloring herself?! I bought washables, but to be honest, they are not that washable. She may have blue and purple skin for a few days and some stained clothes, unless my Oxi-Clean gets it out, I love that stuff!

Build-a-dad

So, what does your five-year-old daughter do when her daddy has been out of town all week? My sweet sweet Lily built her daddy on the wall. She even traced his shoes to make it just right! She is such a thoughtful and loving little girl. We love her so much! She brings so much peace and joy into our home. Adam, we love you and miss you and can't wait for you to get back! Have a safe flight!