11 years married!

Jerry and I just celebrated 11 years of marriage this weekend!  We decided to go on a quick weekend trip out to Moab.  Time is really flying by too fast but I think we're doing our best to make the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years count!  We have really come far and I believe we have a lot more time to enjoy life and strive to always improve.  On our trip we did lots of hiking in Arches national park.  We did a crazy trail run in the Devil's garden part of Arches.  The highlight was a zip line course close to the slick rock area of Moab.   

I'm not even close to an expert at relationships, but I do believe the important thing is just loving the other person.  This includes supporting them and putting aside your own selfish wants and truly desiring to make the other person happy.  I feel like I have learned a great deal these last years about how to be a better wife, but I know I still have a long way to go.  Life is great and there are so many reasons to feel gratitude for the life I have been given.  

Birthday time!

My first baby turned 6 today.   I can't believe it has been 6 years already.   I can't believe Xander will be going to 1st grade in a few weeks.  I remember the day of his birth.   It was the same as today,  a sunny July Sunday morning.  I had been admitted to the hospital around 1 am, shortly after my water broke in bed!   After hours of labor my baby was born at 9:44 am.  You see birth stories where they first hand the newborn to the new mom and she eagerly grabs her baby and just holds them and smiles.   That didn't happen to me at all.   I was still dealing with the shock that my daughter was actually a son.  (A story for a different time.)  Then I was terrified to hold this fragile creature.   I couldn't believe the nurses would actually trust a person like me with a new baby.   I had almost no baby experience,  so those first few weeks were baby boot camp for me.  Since Xander is my first child,  every stage is new to me.   I know he has changed so much from his birth,  but I have changed a lot too.   I have learned a lot about myself.   I have struggled to learn how to meet the needs of my children and balance my life.   I keep praying and working on my patience.   I have a long way to go to be a better mom but I'm trying.   I do love my children and want to give them a good life.   I want them to be good people.   I pray for them to grow their own testimonies and want to be part of the LDS church because it is where I place all my faith.

Wesley turns 4 on the 22nd.   It is really bittersweet seeing him grow up.   He is my last baby.   I dream of having another but it may never happen.   I have prayed for it,  but learned that as much as you try to "plan" your family, it truly is out of your hands.   I know am blessed in this life.   As challenging as parenthood is,  I can't imagine living my life without this calling.   Happy Birthday to my July babies!       

Goings on lately

To say it has been a while would be an understatement.  Life has been busy and I have not been keeping up with this blog at all.  Lately we have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather when we can get it.  We just celebrated Easter.  Holidays are more fun as the kids get older and get more excited about them.  I spend more time this Easter reflecting on Jesus Christ more than I ever have.  I really don't think we can comprehend the impact his life had on all our lives.  He literally changed our lives with his sacrifice and his powerful and infinite love.  Here are a few photos from our lives recently:

Xander is 5.5 and Wesley is 3.5.  I can't believe my babies will be 6 and 4 this coming July.  We have a beautiful niece from my brother Mike and his wife Kristen.  She comes to play once in a while and we really enjoy her.  It's weird not having another baby in the home...but you can't really have control over your family or it's size.  I have learned over the last few years that you can't just choose to have a baby and then you'll  magically have one.  You can't even decide if you want a boy or a girl.  I'm not sure how our families our chosen.  I'm sure it has something to do with Premortal existence.  I just know that things don't always work out as planned.  I have had many times where I have been so frustrated and lost faith and hope.  Then I wake myself up and realize that I need to just trust my Heavenly Father and know that he has some kind of plan for me.  It hasn't made the journey any less easier, but it has made me stronger.  I know you can't just have whatever you what when you want it.  It's not a super public thing, but I'll post it here that we are applying for adoption.  We went to an orientation and they said that even if we do everything right, that we only have a 33% of even getting a child to bring home.  I wish we could add onto our family.  I'm trying to be more grateful for what I have and also have a better attitude.  It's hard, but I'm doing my best.

Halloween Post

I intended to post this right after Halloween but got a little busy there for a while.  We had a great holiday.  The kids just wanted to trick or treat forever.  I thought they wouldn't last more than an hour.  The whole month leading up to Halloween is really fun.  When the holiday is over, everything closes down and there's nothing to do anymore.  I don't want to think about Christmas yet, but it gets pushed on me even before Halloween is even over.  I do like Christmas, but in it's own season, which begins after Thanksgiving.  Here are some pictures from our Halloween.

 Trunk or treat

 I would not allow my kids to carve a pumpkin, but they had fun getting dirty while cleaning out the seeds.  

 This was our last day at Lagoon for the year. 

 I decided that I needed to be scary.  

 Those are my cute little trick or treaters in semi-homemade costumes.  

Fall Time!

I really miss summer but Fall can be a really fun time, especially around Halloween.  Xander has been in Kindergarten since the end of August and he is doing awesome.  He is our child that we spend a lot of time worrying over, but he is making great progress.  He has a best friend at school.  This little boy loves Xander so much that he tries to follow us home when I go to pick Xander up from school.  Xander is learning very quickly and is even starting to read small words.  Wesley hasn't started preschool yet unless you can count the little bit of preschool they do with him when he goes to daycare for about 5 hours twice a week.  He picks up on what his big brother is doing though and seems to be a good learner too.  

 We go to Black Island Farms every year in the Fall.  They have this huge courtyard with fun slides, animals and a child's play area.  They do some corn mazes and the kids like going through them.  They also have a haunted corn maze.  Jerry and I did that one year and it wasn't really that scary.  I think I like places like the Fear Factory and Haunted Hollow more.  

 Hanging out with my superhero.  

 Xander waiting to start a school day.  

 In this photo Wesley says, "I"m Batman Superman!"

 We love going to Frightmares at Lagoon.  The kids love Halloween stuff.  They are not even scared of this weird bat creature.  

 I had the big birthday and now I never want to mention my age again.  At least my talented sister-in-law made it better by putting my dream vampire on my birthday cake!  

 Jerry is a wanted man, haha!  

 Jerry and I out celebrating my birthday.  

Another summer...gone in an instant!

 I ran my first half marathon on July 24th 2013!  It was awesome!!!

 Swinging super heroes!  

 In the beautiful blue water at Bear Lake

 Me and Wesley hanging on the boat

 My kids like the tube...sort of.  

 How a 3 year old eats a popsicle! 

My first baby started Kindergarten!  Wesley has to wear his back pack whenever we go to drop him off.  

 We have spent many days at Lagoon as well thanks to our season passes