We are back... for now

I have been so out of touch with the world these past few weeks.  I spent 4 days at girls camp with no phone service and then went straight to California where the service was patchy and I had no computer.  So not only do I have laundry, cleaning, and phone calls to catch up on but all of the "important" computer stuff too.

So here is a quick recap before we head off to Utah for the 4th.

We had a fantastic time at the beach with Jareds family.  Minus the 4 hour drive turning into about 7 hours with a screaming baby added into the mix the trip went relatively smoothly.

We played in the sand. 

Jared built a rather cool sand castle, that did not get photographed because the tide got to it first... bummer!  He was really proud of it though!

We ate sand... well some of us did anyway.

Beckam preferred to eat the sand rather than build with it...  He especially loved the rocks and seaweed... Gross!  I love that you can see sand on his nose and around his mouth in this picture.  That was basically him all week.

We rode rides at Disney.  

Beckam loved the merry-go-round and Cade braved Space Mountain.  I do not think he will EVER go on a roller coaster again but I was really proud of him and had a fun time watching him be brave.

We ate cake.  

We celebrated Beckams birthday on the morning we left because we were going, going, going every other moment there.  He loved his cake and had no fear digging right in.

We took naps.  

Cade played so hard that he actually fell asleep on the beach several times.  We are still working on catching up on sleep but definitely made the most of every moment.

We played in the water.

I am pretty sure that Cade was wet more than he was dry.  He did not care what he had on, as soon as he saw the water he was in it.  The only thing he hated was having sand in his flip flops so needless to say he was barefoot most of the trip.

We had plain old fun.

We played games, we ate food, we walked the beach and the pier, we shopped, we laughed, we played jokes, we talked, we told stories, we enjoyed the beach,  and the relaxation but most of all we enjoyed each other.

There are so many other stories and moments to share but as of now it is 1am and I am exhausted.  So, for now this will have to do.  

Thank you to our family for making this week so memorable and exciting.  We cannot wait until next year when we get to do it again!

We love you all!

To be a Lady

I honestly and truly should be in bed right now... I have to be up in 5 hours.  However, here I sit typing away, go figure.  Not much exciting is happening around here.  We are definitely in the throws of summer complete with traveling, summer camps, swimming lessons and the such.  I feel like life is one great big juggling act at the moment however I am so thankful that I have my sweet family there to help keep everything up in the air and working smoothly.

I cannot believe that Beckam will be 1 in a matter of days... baffling!  Time goes by so quickly however at the same time it feels like it stands so still.

I have been working on a workshop that I will be teaching at girls camp this week.  They asked me to teach about self presentation.  I have allowed this topic to swirl around in my head and the thing that has become so apparent to me is how easy it is to allow clothes, attitudes, language, etc. to mask who we are and how we feel inside.  How easy it is to get caught up in what is "in style," "popular," "normal," that we forget to hold on and stay true to who we really are on the inside, to allow US to shine through and not what others say should be presented.  

In Proverbs it teaches that the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies (proverbs 31:10) and then it continues on to say, "Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come" (Proverbs 31:25).  What a beautiful and inspiring teaching.  

Strength and honor. 

 I want to be strong and honorable.  Not only strong and honorable but a strong and honorable Woman.  What an honor and a gift it is to be a woman.  

We have the opportunity to partake of the many pleasures of the world.  The Lord has given us many comforts, leisures, and perks of living in the modern day.  Things that are fun and good to partake in.  However, along with partaking it is in our hands to not allow ourselves to BE taken but to clothe ourselves in strength and honor.  To avoid the distractions and still Present ourselves in a way that is becoming.  In our dress, in our words, in our actions and then we will "rejoice in time to come."

What a blessing and an honor it is to know that God lives.  To know that I am a daughter of Him.  To know that it is a blessing to be a woman.  To know that I can be strong and honorable at all times, in all things, and in all places. 

What a joy.

Nothing like Rexburg

I have been a bit MIA lately... and it is only the beginning!  I had the amazing opportunity to go spend some time with my cute sister, her sweet husband, and my adorable, love able, kissable, little nephew, Maddux.  Beckam and I flew to Rexburg and spent a fun, rainy, full of reminiscing weekend with them.  Love you guys!

I will be home for a few days and then off to girls camp and then to California with Jared's family and then Utah for the 4th.  Quite hectic but I am looking forward to it.  Hopefully I will have more pictures and stories to post soon with the upcoming of my baby Beckam's first birthday, Cade's first talk in primary, Jared's journey with P90X and my attempt to figure out my new camera!  Lots of firsts and lots of fun.  So until then... enjoy this cute family that I get to call mine!

5 Years

Yesterday marked our 5 year wedding anniversary.  

This week has been an interesting week for me.  The lesson that I have been preparing for young women's this weekend has been on temple marriage and I was also asked to be in a fashion show for Allyse's Bridal this Saturday, so needless to say I have had "marriage" on the mind.  

I have gone back and forth trying to decide how to acknowledge this wonderful event in my life.  I thought I could just share our story... but I am sure everyone that reads this blog already knows it.

Then I thought I could make a list of what I have learned being married for 5 years... but I just did a list.

Then I thought that I could list all the reasons I love my husband... but I did that already too.

As Jared and I sat last night and looked at our wedding album and read the notes that were written to us by those in attendance of our sealing I knew what I wanted to do.  Honestly, that day was a blur, swirled with so much excitement, nerves (by some more than others), butterflies, kisses, and just out right love that I don't remember many of the words that were said, only the feelings.  However, lucky for me my sweet sister-in-law had everyone write down what they remembered about the sealing.  The sealer gave us some amazing advice that has always echoed in my mind and filled my heart with warm feelings.  It is on every wedding anniversary that I get to once again connect those constant feelings with the familiar council that seems to fade through the year.  

Our sealer counseled us with these wise words...

-Only shout if the house is burning and leave the pouting to the little ones.  Don't shout or pout.

-Don't ever go to bed angry.

-It doesn't matter who is right only what is right.

-Don't shame or blame.

-You don't always get your way but you still get your say.

How blessed I feel to have been married in Gods holy temple and to know that I get to be with my sweet husband and our precious babies not only now but for forever.  What an honor it is to be a wife and a mother.  

I love you my sweet Jared and thank you for living your life in a way that allowed us to go to the temple together and seal our family for time and all eternity.  

Happy Anniversary.

I love you.

"Surprise"

Was what I heard when I turned around this morning and saw Cade standing in front of me.  He continued with, "I got dressed all my by self, (all by myself), mom!"  Not only did he get dressed all by himself but he also bathed himself, from start to finish.  Thus using a whole bottle of shampoo because the "bubbles are so fun" according to him.  However, despite the bubbles I was really proud of my little guy for being so independent.  My favorite part....

 

...his one inside out, one right side out, red and blue striped socks with his shorts.  You have to love that preschoolers just wear what they feel cool in, not what others tell them is cool.  Love it!

30 Years Ago Today...

The world changed forever.  

These two little guys were placed in their parents arms and I am sure the doctors wished them luck.

As they grew they played together, they fought together(each other actually),

 they laughed together, they got into mischief together...

They chased girls together, they broke hearts together,

they had hearts broken and healed together, they learned the ins and outs of life together...

They goofed around together, they tried to pick up on girls together,

they worked together, they supported and bagged on each other...

But in the end...

they changed the world together.

I feel so blessed to have these two guys in my life.  When Jared and I got married the sealer said to me, before going into the sealing room, "you marry twins and it is like getting 2 husbands.  You need double the food, you clean up double the mess but you also get double the laughs."  I Have not been disappointed.

You two are amazing guys that I am blessed to call "my family."  Growing up I  always wanted a big brother and little did I know that I would get one that would be a carbon copy of my husband.  Love you Josh.

Jared is my greatest hero, my best friend, and my rock.  I am daily amazed at who he is and who he is continually becoming.  I love you, my sweet.

Happy birthday to 2 of the most special guys in my life.

Glad you have each other.

Even more glad I have you.

Beckam: 11 months

It really is that time again.  My baby keeps getting bigger and bigger as time continues to go faster and faster.  There are so many things we want to remember about you as your personality continues to burst with goodness and peace.

- You love everything with a light on it.  You seem to find all the little corners that offer that excitement.  The night lights, the DSL cable modem, the power strip light, the light that creeps in from under a door.  You always find them and are amazed by it for a good amount of time.

-You still army crawl but only push off with one foot.  Daddy calls it the "wounded solider crawl"  It gets you to where you need to be and you are happy.

-You clap for everyone and are so proud of yourself when you do.

-You love to splash in the pool and try to stand on the steps.

-You are getting a little bit better at not freaking out when people leave the room.... kind of.

-You love to look at your reflection in the stainless steel garbage can.  You will try and touch and talk to the baby looking back at you.

-You talk and babble all day long.  Your favorite words- dada and Ba

-You love to snuggle and will snuggle with anyone who is willing to hold you.

-You sleep until usually 8:30 every morning but it isn't unusual for mommy to wake you up at 9:00am either.

-You will always snuggle up and let mommy hug you when you wake up.

-You are so silly about your food and we usually have to disguise your food with yogurt or cottage cheese.

-You absolutely love to try and drink from a cup.  You get giddy and giggle when you see a cup coming your way.

-Your favorite toy at the moment is any one of Cades sippy cups.  You don't get super excited about yours but you love Cades even though you don't know how to drink out of them.

-You have 7 teeth.

You can pull yourself to standing when you are in the tubby and it scares mommy to death.

-To sit yourself up you do the splits and walk your hands up.  You are one of the most flexible babies I have ever met.

-You absolutely love fruit.

- When we lay you down to sleep you will pull your blanket over your head and put your legs straight up in the air.

-You are the biggest smile bug I have ever met. 

We love you big guy!