The Widowmaker

Last Friday morning the kids and I headed up to the mountains past Morgan to see their Daddy ride his motorbike. Ryan was competing in a motorbiking hill-climb. The purpose of this is to see who is the bravest and who can get their bike to the top of this mountain the fastest. The event is called the Widowmaker, and to be honest I wasn't real sure if I wanted him to do it based on this name. But I will have to say, when it came down to it, I had a great time watching my husband be tough and manly. He got two tries to make it up the hill and he did it! The hill was much steeper than the photos depict, and he made it up in 13 seconds. Honestly, it was quite sexy.

Singing Time

The last few Sundays have been a whirlwind of activity and I come home from church and lay on the floor and wonder what just happened. A few weeks ago I got a new calling. Goodbye Relief Society and Hello Primary. I am now the Primary Chorister, loving referred to by the children as the new music lady. This is a calling that had me a little nervous, but I was pretty excited also. I just had no idea how much time and effort it would take. It is very intense and a ton of preparation. I think that I have probably spent 30-40 hours on it already. I hope that it pays off and the children learn to love me.
Needless to say, church has now become somewhat of a marathon. Between wrestling Rylee in a church bench for an hour, during which my boys both want me to scratch their backs, or I am trying to take away the markers that have conveniently turned into "light-sabers". Then it is straight onto Primary where I have to sing for forty minutes straight, trying all the while to keep kids attention with many games or pictures. Then to the nursery where I get to sing to 15 small kids that just want to run around, with the exception of a few who lay on the floor. Then back to primary where we finish out closing exercises with a bunch of songs. A lot of which I am still learning myself. By the time that 4 pm comes, I am exhausted and all I want to do is take a nap.
Something that I have learned through all of this.... Never underestimate the intense preparation and time it takes to make something look easy.

The Definition of Love

So the last few days I have been thinking about what makes real lasting love. Is it the never ending display of affection, the gifts that show up on special occasions, the times when he listens to your crazy thoughts, the electricity that screams through your body when you realize he is yours? Or could it possibly also include being willing to do something most unpleasant?
Two days ago it was our anniversary and Ryan came home from work two hours earlier than he told me he would. He came home to help me clean the house for the babysitter so that he could take me away for the night. I was thrilled. A night with just him, and just for fun. We settled in the babysitter and went on our way to dinner. We had a nice private booth with a great waitress at a restaurant in Layton, called Corbin's Grille. Then we headed off to see a movie. After the movie he took me up to Huntsville to a small bed and breakfast at a historical home. It was all such a wonderful evening. Later on in the morning, around 5 am, I awoke to an awful stomach ache. I was very nauseated,cramping, and had a horrendous headache. I had been poisoned by the seafood I ate for dinner. (ps don't go to Corbins) We had to leave the hotel early so I could have a comfortable place to throw up. This sickness continued all day and ended up with me throwing up for the last time into the bathroom sink, which ended up clogging it.
This is where I found out that true love happens in the bathrooms. Ryan quietly came to my rescue and told me to go lie down and that he would take care of it. He cleaned up my puke and put me to bed. That my friends, is the definition of true love.

8 Years!

Well today marks year number eight with the best man in the world. I can't believe that I am so blessed to call Ryan my hubby. I saw this tag on my cousins blog and thought that it would fit perfectly today.

1. Where did you meet? The first time I saw Ryan was in the church foyer at my brother's welcome home. It was just like a movie, where everyone else gets real fuzzy except for "the one". (I know, way cheesy, but true)
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? All I could think was, "I hope that he is one of Matt's friends and is coming over to our house!"
3. Do you remember what he was wearing? White dress shirt and khakis. Later he changed into some wranglers, and I must admit that I was caught way off guard. I remember a conversation that I had with Carly, where I told her that I would never date anyone who wore wranglers. I guess God has a sense of humor, and I will admit I think they are cute now.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? On the corner of the houseboat down at Lake Powell.
5. How did he ask you out? We were eight hours apart (me in Cedar and Ryan in Rexburg, so we only got to call each other.
6. Where did you go for your first date? Ryan drove down to Cedar to visit for the weekend, and we went out on a double with my brother. We built a campfire and roasted marshmellows, and of course snuggled and kissed.
7. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? It was pretty intense from the very first second (at least for me), but I don't think that it was very long for him either. The first time that we said the "M" word, was on my birthday.
8. Has this person ever proposed to you? I guess you could say that we proposed to each other. On October 10th, we were laying out on the tramp in Idaho, and I said, "Let's just get married and stop talking about it." So then we set a date. Later on in November he came down to my dance concert, and in front of the whole audience came up on the stage and proposed before my concert. It was elaborate and public, and perfect in every way. I have it on film and it was played repeatedly on the local college news station.
9. Do you and this person have kids together? Three wonderful beautiful children, all of which remind me of Ryan in there own separate ways.
10. Have you ever broken the law together? Not unless you count speeding.
11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person? Right away, but the moment I knew that I was going to marry him, was only the second day that I saw him. I was playing flag girl for him while he was water skiing, and I just heard a voice say, "You are going to marry him." It was so loud that I almost looked around to see who said it. I must say, I was taken quite by surprise.
12. Do you get along with this person ex's? I don't think that he has any.
13. What's the most expensive thing this person has given you? Rylee, she cost $39,000 in hospital bills before we could bring her home. (Good thing for insurance)
14. Where do you see each other in 15 years from now? Kids grown up, one still on a mission another in high school. Retired and playing every day, and living life to the fullest extent possible.
15. Wedding date? June 9, 2000
16. Wedding day memories? My whole life I wanted a garden reception, and the whole week prior to our wedding was nice, but it was supposed to rain on our day. I prayed and asked that if I had any blessings in store that they would come on our wedding day and it would be nice for our reception. While in the sealing room a major storm came through the city and there was lightning and thunder like crazy. The sealer said, "I hope you don't have an outside reception planned." I wanted to cry, but by the time we were sealed and out onto the temple grounds, the rain had stopped and it was overcast. (this was perfect for photos because the rain scared everyone away and no one was squinting) Later, at the reception the sky was blue and there was not a cloud in it. I guess I did have a few blessings in store and I was so thankful for them. The day was perfect, and everything was just how I always hoped and dreamed it would be. It was a perfect start to an incredible life with the man that I love.

I love you Ryan, and hope you know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Visit from Jodi

My amazing friend came for a visit last week. It was so good to see her, but it went entirely too fast. She surprised me one morning by jogging to my house from her grandmother's house in Ogden. We let the kids play on Tuesday and it was as if it hadn't been almost two years since they have seen each other. It is amazing how they can pick up right were they left off. Then the next day Jodi and I went to get pedicures together, then out to Cafe Rio. It was a joy to have her around for a moment, and I am looking forward to September when I get to go out and see her.

Eric's Exciting News!

So I thought that this was worthy of a seperate post. Eric has been accepted into the acelerated learning program at a new school for next year! Along with one other student from his class, he was recommended by his teacher to test for this program. 45-50 other kindergarten kids from the Ogden School District were also submitted to test for a classroom size of 22. Teachers and Parents had to submit evaluations on each child and Eric had to attend two days of testing at a different school with the other children. It was hard for me to wait for the results for so long, but I am so proud of him. It shows you how well he is doing because he is in the top 22 for his grade in all of the school district. Way to go Eric!!!!!!

Graduations!

We have been busy with programs and graduations for my boys. Tyler from preschool and Eric from Kindergarten. It was fun to watch them sing the songs that they had learned throughout the year. I can't believe that they are already this big!

My Friend Jodi

Once in a while Heavenly Father sends someone special in your life to touch it like no one else can. Someone who you have an instant connection with and know that you knew them before this life. Jodi is one of those friends to me. She is the perfect example of the kind of person that I want to be and yet she accepts me where I am at. Almost two years ago she moved away with her family, following a job to Wisconsin, and I still miss her fiercly.
The last few weeks have taught me that true friends stay true friends no matter where in the world they are. And that when you do find those kind of people that come into your life, you need to hold them close and make sure you thank Heavenly Father every day for the gift of friendship.
Thank you Jodi for being such a friend to me. You always lift my spirits.

Shoes and Stairs.....

So the last 24 hours have been interesting to see the new developements in my children that I have to now deal with. Last night Rylee figured out how to climb stairs, it only took about 3 minutes and she was off. For those first three minutes she would climb up and down the landing at the bottom and she must have gotten bored of that because the next thing that I knew, she was half way up. Well I promply grabbed her, which she then thought was a game, and as soon as I put her down she was up the stairs again. I need to now spend some time forcing her to go down the stairs backwards and not turn around and giggle, because I caught her doing that and had to stop her from falling.
Now to Tyler... Thinking that I needed my child to look presentable at school, I banned an old yucky pair of shoes to become "play shoes" and told him that he needed to wear the new ones to school and then he could change when he got home. What I didn't know is that a 4 year old can be kind of sneaky, and for the second time this morning I found his old shoes in his backpack so that he could change at school. One clue to look in his pack, was that he was trying to keep it away from me) Can pre-schoolers minds really work that way? Amazing, and to think what I am going to be dealing with later in life.......

Yea for Spinach!

So Christa told me that she learned a brilliant new idea to get your kids to eat spinach. Make a frozen berry shake and add handfuls of fresh spinach. I tried this for dinner tonight and my kids loved it. All I put in was milk, frozen blueberries and strawberries, ice, vanilla, and just a bit of sugar to sweeten. And I can't forget the three cups of spinach!!!! Even Ryan liked them! I guess I might have to make these daily to get fruit and some veggies into Eric.

Photogenic Kids

While in Phoenix, we took the kids to get their photos taken. These are a few of my favorites.

Spring Break

Pama and I drove the kids all the way down to Phoenix to see their cousins for Spring Break. We got to break in Pama's new car, and enjoy some sun. It was a great time. It was even warm enough to go swimming, and play outside everyday. One of the big highlights was when Uncle Matt took us up in his airplane to see the lights at night. The boys loved it.
We also go to see how manipulative Rylee is. On the way home, she got woken up and started screaming in her car seat. By the sound of her screams, we thought that she was in major pain. I pulled over and let my mom drive so that I could try to calm Rylee down. Nothing was working. So I got her out of her seat for just a minute to try to help her stop, and do you know what happened next? As soon as she was on my lap, she looked at Pama and started giggling. What a stinker. So when I turned her around to put her back, she immediately arched her back and started screaming again. I am not sure what is going to come when she gets older, but it's a good thing that we think that she is so cute.

The Birthday Girl

Well, Rylee is now one! I can't believe how time really flies. Her birthday was on Saturday, but we had her party on Sunday after church. Everyone came to support her and have great hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner. Jason and Ivy were here too, but had to leave before any photos could be taken of them. Rylee was just about the funniest one year old I have ever seen. She got so excited for her gift and just loved the jewlery that Ryan and I gave her, and the new baby from Pama. When it came to eating the cake, she picked at it with her hands for just a few minutes, and then decided that it was too much work to do that, so she leaned over and started eating it like a dog. We just laughed and laughed. She could definatly tell that the party was for her and she was playing up every second of it. We are so lucky to have such a cute girl in our home. We love you Rylee.

Last Easter

So I had to give a talk in Sacrament today about the Savior, and I chose to focus on the love that he has for us. I was reminded about that neat talk by Elder Bednar on the Lord's tender mercies and it took me back to last Easter when Rylee was still in the hospital. She had been there almost two weeks and still didn't eat on her own, which was the only thing left to conquer before she could join our family at home. That morning was my sister Carly's homecoming in Sandy and so it was the first time that I wasn't able to be with Rylee at the hospital. After church I called the nurse to see how she was doing and was told that although it took 30 minutes, she ate 30 cc by herself. (1 oz.) I got off of the phone and started crying because I knew that the Lord was watching over her and that he loved me. It seems like yesterday when she was born, and next Saturday is her birthday. Time just keeps going faster and faster.

Easter

This year we tried a new idea that Pama gave us. Daddy called the Easter Bunny on Saturday morning and asked him to come to our house that night so that Sunday could be just about Jesus. He came while we went out to eat at Wingers, and the kids were pretty excited when they got home. They were finding eggs so fast that I couldn't even keep up with my camera, so photos of grabing the eggs didn't work that well. Rylee didn't understand all of the fuss and just wanted to go to bed, but there is always next year with her.
The kids also got some new clothes for Easter, and I have to say that little boys in suits is just as cute as little girls dresses. They loved being just like Daddy. I don't think that I will have to beg Tyler or Eric to wear these. The dress that Rylee is wearing was my favorite thing that I bought when I was pregnant. She looked so cute, but hated the dress because she can't walk on her own and it is too long to be able to crawl. Oh well, beauty is sometimes uncomfortable.

THIS GAME OF TAG......

*What television show or movie did you want to be in when you were little? 90210
*Which character or star? KELLEY TAYLOR (JEANNIE GARTH)
*Most embarrassing moment your friends wont let die? PROBABLY WHEN LANAE HYTE AND I WENT "HIKING" IN LAKE POWELL AND I WORE THESE AMAZING, CLEAR WITH SPARKLES, JELLY SHOES, COMPLETE WITH A 2 INCH HEEL. I THINK THAT WE WERE HEADED TO CHECK OUT SOME BOYS AND I THOUGHT THAT THE SHOES WERE HOT. UNFORTUNATLY THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT IS FUNNY, BECAUSE I DON'T GET EMBARRASSED TOO EASILY AND IT IS ALL THAT I CAN THINK OF
*Your proudest moment or accomplishment? WHEN RYAN TOOK ME TO THE LOGAN TEMPLE AND THEN AGAIN SIX DAYS LATER TO THE SALT LAKE TEMPLE
*What adult did you have a crush on when you were little? JORDAN FROM "BOYS TO MEN"
*What habit or personality trait do you have of your mother or father? MOM: LOVING THE "UNLOVEABLES". DAD: HAVING A HEART ATTACK WHEN WE ARE FIVE MINUTES LATE, AND LOVING TO HOLD BRAND NEW BABIES.
*What did you want to change your name to when you were little? WHITNEY (THERE WAS A PERFECT GIRL IN MY 1ST GRADE CLASS WITH THIS NAME. I REALLY JUST WANTED TO BE HER.
*What three adjectives would someone from high school or middle school use to describe you? CRAZY, LOUD, LIKES-TO-BE-IN-CHARGE
*What hairstyle, cloths, or accessories did you rock back in the day when it was cool? UNITS (THANKS TO LINDSEY'S AUNT!), FAKE GERBOIUS (I COULDN'T AFFORD THE REAL THING), SCRUNCHIES, THAT THING WHERE YOU TIED STRING INTO YOUR HAIR AT THE BASE OF YOUR NECK, AND THEN CONTINUED IT ABOUT 4 INCHES PAST YOUR HAIR AND TIED SOME KIND OF CHARM AT THE END, (YES, IT WAS AWESOME) THIGH HIGHS, AND WHO COULD FORGET THOSE AMAZING JELLEY SHOES.
*What job did those long annoying surveys in school say you would be good at? A PEOPLE PERSON OR PREFORMER. I THINK THEY SAID THINGS LIKE: SALES, WAITRESSING, PREFORMANCE, OR SOCIAL WORKER.
*And what did you try to make the test result outcome be? I ACTUALLY DID ALL OF THE ABOVE LIST.
*What made you laugh harder than you have ever laughed before? WHEN CARLY AND I WATCHED AND REWATCHED "TOY STORY" OVER AND OVER AND OVER, JUST SEE THE SHARK POP OUT OF THE TOY BOX AND SAY, "LOOK I'M WOODY.... HOWDY, HOWDY, HOWDY." OH YEAH, THERE IS ALSO THE TIME THAT RYAN TOLD ME WHAT HIS SCHOOL MASCOT WAS....A POTATO
*Favorite memories about hanging out with your best friends? BACK IN THE DAY: READING MAGAZINES WITH NIKKI BAILEY AFTER WE HAD WALKED ALL THE WAY TO SMITHS JUST TO BUY GUM, MAGAZINES, AND A DIET COKE. (I THINK THAT WE WERE 14) RECENTLY: VISITING JODI IN WISCONSIN AND SHOPPING THE ANTIQUE STORES WITH HER.
*Whats the most trouble you have ever gotten in with your parents? ?? I TOLD THEM I HAD TO WORK ON A SUNDAY, BUT REALLY I WENT TO LAGOON WITH FRIENDS, AND THEN GOT CAUGHT.
*What was your 5 year plan after high school? MOVE TO CALIFORNIA AND LAY ON THE BEACH SOMEWHERE AND DATE SURFER DUDES.
*And last but not least... What is your 5 year plan now? BRING RYAN HOME FROM HIS JOB, BUILD A NEW HOUSE, AND VISIT SOMEWHERE EXOTIC.

I TAG.... HEATHER, IVY, AND MARISSA (ONLY IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD YOUR BABY YET!)

Tithing

There are some days that being a Mom is filled with special moments and glimpses of Heaven. We have been teaching our boys about Tithing and helping them understand what the money is used for. After we gave them seperate piggy banks to keep "savings" and "tithing", they got really excited. A few days ago Eric found some money (a few coins) and wanted to put it into his bank. I explained to him how much would be going to tithing and how much would be going to savings, and he replied by saying that he wanted all of it to go to Heavenly Father. I was proud of him for understanding that it is a commandment, and his willingness to do it made me smile. My children are a constant reminder of why we are on this earth and I love them.

Tyler's Amazing Skills

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I came home from Costco today and Ryan had just taken the training wheels off of Tyler's bike, he then went out to the circle to teach him how to ride. In a matter of 5 minutes, Ryan was back in the house wanting me to come and see. Tyler picked it up fast and this is the results. I am proud of him being so courageous. Last time this year, he would only stand to the side of his bike and push it while chasing after all of the other kids. He is awesome!!!

Family Photos

So we got these photos taken last year after Rylee was born and I just now remembered about them. These are some of my favorites.

Bathroom

Well we finally got our bathroom completed. I am very excited that it is done, and I think that it looks fantastic. Now our hope is that when it is time to sell, people comment on how nice it is, not how small it is.