10 years!

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary!!!!  Yep, Mike has had to deal with all of my issues for 10 years now.  I can't believe the time has flown by.  We had a great day yesterday.  It started Thursday night when he gave me 10 coupons for car washes.  LOVED THAT!!!!  And then I woke up on Friday to 10 tulips and cards with each one.  He has been doing this every year.  Can you imagine what my house will look like in 30 years with 40 tulips in a vase?!?!?!  I can't wait!!!!! Then we went out to eat at Tuscany.  Good food.  Great company.  Great presents.  Mike gave me 10 new pieces of jewelry.  They are beautiful!  I truly was spoiled yesterday!

But this post is for my Mikey.  You can read it if you want to....I won't get dirty.  But just to let him know my feelings.  I don't express my happy feelings very often.  (But if I am frustrated he hears it.)  So here are some reasons why I love Mike!

1. He is the best father!  I love how he comes home and just plays with the kids.  I am nothing when daddy is around.  And I love that!

2. He honors his Priesthood. He hasn't missed a day of reading his scriptures since he has been home off of his mission.  (I have missed 3 days just this week!)  That amazes me.

3. He is a helper.  He will help anyone, anywhere, anytime.  You call, he is there.  And he can work magic at home as well.  Whole house cleaned in 2 hours!

4.  He makes me laugh.  Especially when I don't want to because I am trying to be mad.  I hate/love that!

5.  He loves to socialize.  Party?  Anyone.  Anywhere.  ANYTIME.  He always has something going.

6.  He helps raise our kids.  I remember the first diaper he ever changed and how he had to have a towel completely wrapped around his face.  And he was gagging.  Those days are long gone.  He can change a diaper in 5 seconds flat.

7. I love his passion for sports.  My favorite dates last year were going to the byu football games.  I will be sad that we don't have season tickets this year.  (Recession and all!)

8.  He will go to see a chick flick movie with me.  

9.  I love his laugh.  And his dimples.  Those bad boys have saved him so many times.

10.  He will watch the Bachelor with me and be just as excited as I am.

11. He won't watch Dancing with the Stars with me.  That is how I know he still has his manhood.  That would scare me a little.

12. He tells the girls 'Silly Sally Princess' which I found out last nite and made me cry.  My dad used to tell us make believe stories as well (George, Fred, Herbie stories)

13.  We can talk out our issues.  And then he fixes them.  J/K.  It is me who usually needs the fixing.

14.  He thinks Honda Odysseys are cool! And they are.

15.  He laughed when I told him I wanted to train for a triathalon and then told me what it exactly entails.  Why would anybody want to do that?!

16.  He is a good tipper.

17.  He freaks out about money.  My motto: when you don't have any, what is there to freak out about?  Ha ha ha

18.  He likes to play cards with his mom and dad.

19. He constantly wants his back scratched and now Spencer is onto the goodness.

20.  He listens to the Spirit.  Thanks for checking up on Addie at school.  Sorry the whole house was locked.

21.  He doesn't question my parenting skills.  Or lack there of.

22. He is tender hearted.

23. He married me in the Mesa temple and ripped Parley P. Pratt's temple robe, twice.  Shhh. Don't tell my family.

24. He wants to participate in the Nauvoo pageant as badly as I do.  (There is sarcasm to that.  I would love it...he would hate it but would do it for me)

25.  He thinks I am crazy because I love This is the Place park a little too much.

26.  he loves me for me.  Not how I look, how skinny (or not) I am, or what I am wearing.  he loves ME!

27.  He will hold my hair and rub my forehead as I am puking 7+ times a day being pregnant.  Then he will clean the floor since I was puking so hard, I peed my pants.  Are we really ready for that again?!

I LOVE YOU MIKE!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT 10 YEARS ARE LIKE!

The perfect day!

I have definitely had those days where my kids were so horrible I wanted to cry.  But Monday was a different day.  It was a perfect day.  The weather was perfect.  The kids were perfect.  We had fun, which was perfect.  Which made me want to cry but in a good way.  Addie is off-track and so I thought it would be fun to go to This is the Place park and have a picnic.  And then ride the train a couple of times.  (Nothing much to do there since it is still off-season but those two activities can really get my kids excited.)  And so we packed a picnic, drove there and began our perfect day.We started our picnic and just enjoyed it.  After our picnic, it was time for the train ride.  We were waiting for the train conductor to come for over a 1/2 hour and so I said, tired of waiting, "Kids, let's go to the zoo." Not wanting to go home and definitely enjoying the weather too much to drive home. 

So we drove across the street and had a blast!  I didn't have to deal with a stroller, diaper bag, diaper changes or anything.  I had Spencer hold one hand and Jayne was holding the other.  We saw everything!  All of the animals were out!  And my kids were sooo good!  Literally, a perfect day!   The sweetest moment of my perfect day was when I was holding Spencer's hand and he kissed my hand as we were walking around.  It melted my heart.  What a perfect gentleman.  I told him "thanks buddy" and he did it again!  I just think he was enjoying the perfect day as well.  

So I told the kids, let's get some ice cream sandwiches.  We enjoyed those on the drive home.  My kids were so tired they all fell asleep in the car ride home.

Easter scrooge or 'real' meaning of Easter celebrator

I don't know about you but I do not go all out for Easter.  We hardly talk about the Easter bunny. I definitely don't buy the $20 Easter baskets filled with junk.  And I really don't buy a lot of gifts.  Blame it on my growing up.  My friends would act like it was a Spring-time Christmas, getting $200cash from the Easter bunny, 5 new outfits, and then massive baskets from the Easter bunny.  Call me an Easter Scrooge if you want, I don't care.  We do color Easter eggs.  We do have an Easter egg hunt and have the kids get chocolate and have fun.  And I did get them new church outfits.  And Mike and I give them some kind of gift from Christ.  It might be a new book to keep them quiet in church.  This year it was cute CTR rings.  Not expensive but kid friendly.  Especially since Jayne chewed hers up in 10 minutes.  But on Easter I was wondering if I am doing my kids a service by focusing more on Christ or am I just making Easter boring.  And then I found this video and realized that, for my family, I like our 'traditions'.  Just go to Youtube and search Mormon Messages.  It is titled "An Apostle's Easter thoughts on Christ"  (for some reason I had issues downloading it on the blog).  Elder Holland's talk was, by far, my favorite talk during Conference.

But here are some pix to prove I am not an Easter Scrooge.