After ten years things keep getting better!

Ryan and I were able to spend three days together without the kids. We missed them terribly and had to go get them before we were planning on. With that said, we had a great time! We went to Disneyland on Thursday. The longest line was no more then ten minutes or so. I got to go on rides I ad never been on because I have always had the kids or been pregnant. I love roller coasters and I laughed from surprise in Tower of terror. Then we went home. I do not really enjoy hotel beds. I never sleep good. The kids went to stay at other peoples houses so the house was so quiet. It was great. We then spent the next day at the temple. And enjoyed a nice dinner at a Japanese place. It was so good I am craving it right now. We slept in super late on Saturday. We were able to just lay there and talk. It was so nice! Thank you to everyone who helped to watch my children. I really appreciated it! I do love this man so very much!

While we were there they were taping a part of Dancing with the stars. When we walked up there had been people waiting for over an hour. We had a great spot to see but I didn't want to waste our time waiting to see Jenny Garth. About 2 minutes after we walked away we heard the crowd go wild. I looked over and good see that they were there but that was it. I guess I will have to watch it on line to see it.

I have been tagged.

This tagging is different then in the past. 7 random things about me. I had to really think about this. It was good for me to think of the things I love and aspire to.


1. When I love someone I love them completely. I would do anything I could to help them. The down side to this? I am slightly afraid of being let down so I have been more reserved when it comes to making close friends. I hold back when I first make a friend, waiting to see if they are going to love me fully also. But once they do they have a friend for life!

2. I consider myself a very nostalgic person. I look back on the past with great fondness. I remember old friendships with deep feeling and I love to look at pictures of my past. Today I was changing pictures from an old photo book into a new one. They were pictures of our first year of marriage. Jared was a baby. When he came home from scouts I hugged him and just felt close to him. I feel as though remembering the good times helps me to get through the hard ones. I savor those moments.

3. Some day I will write a book. I already have the title, and basic plot written. The fictional story is meant to give women hope and joy in their calling as wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. I do acknowledge that I am not the best writer and I don't expect it to be published in stores. But I feel compelled to write it and I will chip away at it until it is done.

4.I have a need to help people. I want to ease their burdens and sometimes I give advice when it is not asked for or needed. I don't know if this is a blessing or a trial. At times it has been both. When I am successful in helping to lift another's burdens I feel like I am on cloud nine. And I feel so helpless when I can't help.

5. I love to sing in my house, the shower, the car, and even in the store. I used to get embarrassed when my Dad would do this (sing in the store). Now I do it all the time. Music soothes me and energizes me. It helps to change my mode quicker then anything else. I love that my children love to sing and that they usually join in. (I know it is only a few short years before this will too embarrass them.)

6.This goes along with number 5...I want to compose my own music. I am taking piano lessons, less then a year, and I hope that once I am good enough composing will come naturally to me. I believe we all have a song in us and I am anxious to hear what mine sounds like. The music I hear in my soul is strong and soft and moves people to tears because they will feel the love of our Savior. Is that to much to ask? I do dream big, greatness is just around the corner.

7. Moving right along... I feel that my children are destined for huge things in this world.
Whether that means they will raise amazing children or they will be governor it doesn't really matter. I just see so much goodness in them, each in their own way. With each child they bring a new identity all their own. I look forward to the day when my youngest has a couple of children and I can see the person each one has grown to be.


Their it is 7 random things you might not have known about me.

Now I tag Megan, Shannon, Sarah, Amy ( I know you read this and you need to get back to blogging) Kelly, (same for you) Hope (this could be your 2nd blog entry), and Michelle.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

I never posted on Ryans birthday and I need to express my deepest love for this man I have spent the past ten years with. I feel like we are entering into the best years of our marriage. Our love has reached a higher level, one of understanding and tranquility. We are not perfect and we have come to an acceptance of this. In fact it seems as though we are greater able to laugh at one another's faults instead of trying to change them. Ryan loves me in a way that surpasses my expectations of a husband. With all the phisical stuff I have been facing he has been so wonderful. He helps with the dishes and laundry and even mops my floor. He helps me to take it easy when I need to and he makes me laugh. Like this picture. He finally convinced me to watch Nacho Libra and I did laugh. This is the goofy grin from the character whose name I can not remember.
I can not imagine my life with any one else. I look at other couples and hope for them the same kind of love I have for my husband. He is my everything. With him I am a better person. I was telling my girls the other day that I hope they marry someone like there dad that will love them so very much. I always saw tenderness in my own dads eyes towards my mom and I feel so lucky to now know what that feels like. I remember long car rides as a child and I would listen to my parents talk for hours and wonder how they never ran out of anything to talk about. That is one of my favorite things about the man that is my prince and king. Being married to your best friend, you can lay in bed and talk about the deep to the mundane and enjoy it all.

Thank you Ryan for choosing me to spend the rest of eternity with.

Bates Nut Farm

Shout out..

...to my wonderful MIL. I have had the flu, Tis the season. She let Jared come over for the afternoon and then when she dropped him of she saw that the house was a mess and picked up for me. She even wiped down my stove. I don't think she knows how appreciated that is. I will be able to wake in the morning not dreading the mess that accompanied this sick day. Thanks Mom.

Halloween

The kids went trunk-or-treating at my MIL's church. There were not a lot of people there so the kids went around three or four times. It was nice because they didn't get to much candy. It was a mellow evening. We then went to Great Grandma and Grandpas to show off the kids.

The family checking out their treats.
Joshua did not really get the reason we were walking around. He just loved being free. He would crack us up. If we let go of his hand he would take off and go until you stopped him. I think he was my biggest candy eater though. Boy did he love it!Joseph was a little bit grumpy. Instead of saying thank you he would grunt and make a crusty face. He also made Ryan hold him for a long time. He did say he had fun though.
I made all the costumes except for Sarah's. Aunt Amy gave that to her a few years back. Since she has been reading all the Little House on The Prairie books she wanted to be Laura. She did insist I make her an apron though. By the way, Thanks Hope for the super easy hat pattern! You saved me.

The gang ready to forget dinner and eat some candy. I love the cheezy grins!

Robin and his Merry Men. There was no way I was having my boys wear tights. so yes they are wearing jeans.

Joseph was Little John except he didn't want to be "little" so we called him Big John.
And Joshua was Will from the Robin Hood book. The kids also stated that he was baby John.

Robin Hood

Our tooth fairy (like the boots?)

Laura Inglis Wilder

My heros!

Some relatives of a friend of ours lost their home to the fires. Last Saturday. Ryan went down with his scouts to help clean up as best they could. Jared begged to go. After being down there for five hours I thought that Jared would be ready to come home. When I called Ryan he said Jared had not been felling well due to the smoke and debris. I headed down. What I saw was sickening. It made me so grateful for our safety and I developed such sympathy for those who had lost so much. This family lost all their pictures. Breaks my heart. When I came to get Jared he was upset. He did not want to go. My friend later told me that Jared came up to them and said, "I am so glad I am here." It was such a neat moment for me as a mom. To see that he felt so good because he was able to do something.

We past houses and cars that were burnt like. The starnge part was seeing trees that were only burnt on the bottom. I guess the wind blew the fire around so quickly that it didn't have a chance to burn everything. What a blessing. I talked with the kids school teacher yesterday and she said she could see fire out her back window and they had 5 minutes to get out. Luckily the winds changed and her development was saved.

Jared wanted me to take a picture of this bucket. The family owned a vending machine company and often kept the quarters. Ryan told me the amount kept going up as to how much there really was. Jared believed it was over $5000. Jared collected a lot of quarters for them. Most of them had been melted but you could still tell what they were.