Our Day & The Good Samaritans

4 years ago, I married my best friend. And today, he really means even more to me than I thought was possible. He always thinks of my needs first, quick to volunteer to cook dinner or take the kids so I can have a break. He is a better dad than I could have imagined he would be. Our girls are incredibly lucky. And even though he has so many other responsibilities, he always makes me feel like I'm the most important part of his life. Jared, I love you!

Our day didn't go as planned. Very little sleep the night before, and sick, grumpy kids all day, lots of other craziness, too. But Jared's brother Kyle came over and watched our girls anyway so we could go on a date. Free baby-sitting for 3 1/2 hours! And we didn't even have to put them to bed. :) We NEVER eat out, like a couple of times a year. But we decided to splurge a little and ate at Canyon Crest.

They seated us right next the the window overlooking the Canyon and we enjoyed a fantastic dinner as the sun began to set. We even splurged and shared a piece of cheesecake for dessert. As we finished, our waiter approched and asked if we needed anything else. We said we were ready for our check, and he replied, "Oh! It has already been paid." We thought he was joking, and he showed us the receipt with the food WE ate and someone else's signature paying for our meal, including a $15 tip. We will never know who did that for us or why, but THANK YOU!!

Change

Maddie started walking last night. She is now weaned from formula and drinking regular milk.

We took the girls swimming again last night and Emma is becoming a little fish. She can play in the shallow end completely by herself. She is totally potty trained now.

I'm officially looking pregnant, which makes sense since I'm already 21 weeks.

My little sister should be gettting her mission call in the mail TOMORROW.

The primary president in my ward is moving in August, so our primary presidency will get released by the end of the summer. I've been in there for 3 full years and I really love those kids.

One of my best friends moved away in January, and another of my best friends will be moving away as soon as they can sell their house. Their daughters are the only friends her age that Emma has ever really known. I have a hard time explaining to her when we drive past "Lydia's house" that she isn't there anymore. And when Olivia & Brady left our house last night for the last time I felt a sense of loss, and don't know that Emma will be able to understand that her two friends who have been coming to our house at least once a week for the last year and a half won't be coming anymore. She has grown up with them as part of our family, and probably doesn't really remember life without them.

And the truth is, this list is only the beginning of the changes coming our way.

My Dad served his mission in Japan, so we was always quoting Confucius. Later we learned that sometimes he would just make up something wise and say that Confucius said it. But this is a Confucius quote that I love...

"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

I'm grateful that each of these changes bring new joys and/or new wisdom to my life.

Even if I can't see it all yet.

Love them!

At Ann Morrison Park in Boise...

Shoshone Falls

We love the canyon and the river that run through our town. They add so many fun things to do and see. Saturday we went to see Shoshone Falls. It is best in the spring and it has been a really wet spring so we knew it would be beautiful. But WOW, it was spectacular. Our cell phone cameras don't really do it justice. It was also drizzling rain, so the mist from the falls combined with the mists from the rain made it even more beautiful.

Happy Mother's Day!!(& some Easter pics)

I had a great Mother's Day!! My husband spoiled me like crazy, and my kids chose all the right moments to give me big hugs and slobbery kisses.

There is something about Mother's Day that makes me feel guilty. I can't help but think maybe I shouldn't get so much special attention when I could be a much better mom.

But by the end of the day I just realized I'm not going to stress about it, and for me, Mother's Day is when I celebrate the fact that I AM a mother.

To all of you Mom's out there- THANK YOU for all you do so selflessly. I'm always inspired by my friends and my sister-in-laws. You make me love being a mother because I see how much it means to you.

I'm so blessed to have a great mother-in-law that I can call to just chat with. She teaches me so much about motherhood by her example and I will always be grateful to have her in my life.

To my mom- I can't imagine a world without you. I love that you can be my friend and mentor and always take care of me(sometimes just by saying the right thing). I am only just beginning to understand how much you have sacrificed of yourself over the years. Thank you.

Because I Have Been Given Much

I have noticed lately that my blog is more of a journal than a scrapbook. That's ok, it seems like I have needed a place to put down some of my thoughts.

I read about THIS family today. Seriously, you will need a box of tissues, so be prepared. I can't help but think they could use as many prayers as they can get, so I wanted to share.

Part of why I love blogging is that it gives me the opportunity to be inspired by everyday people. I enjoy reading and learning, and your blogs really do so much for me.

Sometimes I feel like I blog about only the positive things in my life. Truly, I have so many blessings that I could fill pages and pages of a book. But I am also grateful for my imperfect life. I'm sitting at my kitchen table with the remnants of the lunch(crumbs, etc.) still on the table, the ingredients still on the counter to be put away. I have no idea what I'll make for dinner. My lawn needs to be mowed. I spent the morning taking the girls for a walk and to the park so I haven't even showered or changed out of a t-shirt and sweats yet. I'm a serious procrastinator. I tend to set goals and miss the mark.

But I'm grateful for the crumbs on the table, toys on the floor and laundry that needs to be washed that represent my little family. They each bring me SO much joy and I don't want to imagine a life without them.

I'm grateful for the food sitting on the counter and in the fridge because my family doesn't go hungry. I might not know WHAT I'll make for dinner, but I know there will be dinner.

I'm grateful for the sweats and t-shirts I always feel like wearing because this little guy inside of me is quickly depleting my wardrobe options.

I'm grateful for my green, growing grass/flowers that gives me such joy and time with my family.

I'm grateful for the goals I don't achieve, because I still progressed by attempting them.

I'm grateful for my health and my family's health that enables us to go for walks, runs and play at the park.

Most of all, I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who blesses me with all these things and so much more.

Spring Organizing & A Date

I was feeling desperately behind on my organizing plans. Other things kept coming up that I needed(or wanted) to do, like yardwork. We spent an entire Saturday a few weeks ago in our flower beds, lawn and rosebushes. It ended up being an entire day because of our little helpers. This weekend Jared's parents kept the girls and Jared had to work a few hours Saturday, so I attcked my projects. I really should have taken pictures, but I was focused on getting things done. Anyway, I have all but one project in the house(which is really close to being done) and then just cleaning out the cars to do! It is amazing how fast I can move without my kids' schedules to work around.

I slept in clear until 7:57 AM(my goal was 8, so it was close). I even got to go on a date with Jared last night and I think my golf swing is improving. :) Then he took me maternity-ish clothes shopping and patiently helped me choose a couple of things. (I have never been pregnant during the summer and had NOTHING) My best friend is the manager at American Eagle here in Twin now and she magically found me all sorts of cute stuff that will last the whole pregnancy without making me feel huge. Seriously, if you want new clothes, just go and find Chantelle and she'll make you beautiful. The only cute things I own from college and on are either gifts from her or she helped me pick out.

All in all, it was a great weekend!

However, I miss my babies. Well, technically they are both toddlers now. Maddie took a few steps on Friday, she'll be taking off any day now. They both seems so grown up all of a sudden. And I'm ready to see them today!