The Whole Nine Years!

108 months of marriage

94 months of crazy hormones spent pregnant or nursing

(I think Nate deserves the most credit for this one)

228 weeks of pregnancy

25 hours of labor (for 1 kid)

6 first times tearing up about holding each beautiful new baby together

6 different homes

7 different vehicles

2 out-of-state moves

12 weeks away from each other

9 different employers

8 surgeries

11 hospitalizations

1 ride in an ambulance (and it wasn't as cool as I had hoped it would be)

4 deaths in the family

3 years of college

8 first days of school

65 well-child Dr. visits

11,731 pictures (not counting all the deleted ones :))

42 Birthdays

at least 400 Family home evenings

25 talks in church

18 callings

4 cameras

7seasons of 24

16 feet

80 toes

1 forgiving husband

1 lucky wife

and

8 happy people

I don't think that back on that Tuesday, 9 years ago today, that we could have ever imagined our lives to be this full. I'm happy it was though, and that we've made it through alive. There have definitely been some ups and some downs, but we've been through them together and been made stronger. I love Nate more than life itself. It blows my mind how much my love for him has changed and grown over the last 9 years. I never could have imagined I'd love someone as much as I love him. I can't wait to see what the next 9 bring..... and eternity after that....

I love you, Nate!!

Happy Anniversary!

and just for me 3285 days that I could say the words "my husband"

(Before I got married, I LONGED to be able to say those words. And I'll never forget how excited I was to say 'I'm waiting for my husband' to the valet guy while Nate ran into the hotel for a minute..... it made me smile then and still does. Maybe it's just because I'm married to Nate..... who knows :) )

Things to remember

1- Yesterday we finally got Noah to really play the wii :) It was SO ADORABLE!!!! He did the bird one where you flap your arms.... SO CUTE! He totally wouldn't let me help him move to the center of the board so his little birdie was flying in a circle.... he loved it! Then he did the kung fu one, that was funny because he was actually getting some of the moves. He loved doing the one where you tilt to drop the balls into the paint.... he kept saying that he "shoot you" to all of us :) So cute. It's just fun when everyone sits around and enjoys something with Noah. The older kids all laugh and make it twice as fun as it would have been for him alone. I love those moments. 5-13-10

2- We did a quick little competition between all of us just before scriptures last night, on the hula hooping, and I totally kicked everyone's trash :) I loved it :) Charity jumped up and brought it on :).... she says she's going to spend the next day beating my score. She gets her competitiveness from Nate of course :) 5-13-10

3- This morning Brad was playing with Erika. It's funny how much fun he has with her.... but at one point in the getting ready for school- crazy morning- I heard giggling under the blankets on Charity and Kelly's bed. I went in there and guess who I found under the covers.... Brad and Erika!!! Just playing around :) He was showing her how fun it can be to be under the blankets :).... I had to put an end to it, just so that I could have them closerby, but he repeated it all in the tv room with one of Erika's little blankets.... it was adorable. And she just acted like she was a big kid and enjoyed it with him :) She's hilarious. fun kids. 5-14-10



4- Luke just told me that he "can't find a shirt" while his closet is PACKED (and I mean PACKED) with shirts.



5- Today I realized that when I blog, I am happy. I need to keep up on my blogging.... I've missed it. 5-14-10



6- We finally got the call from the renters.... I think we're gonna move!!!! 5-14-10

Chocolate Cake! Kelly style!

Here's Kelly with her Chocolate Cake that she made for our Family Night Treat. She was actually the lesson but NOah was the treat, so we let Kelly kind of head that up since she was dying to make her recipe from the little book that she gave me for MOther's Day. I'll never forget the look of pride on her face when she was passing out the "2 slices for everyone!" She's such a little homemaker :) I love that she gets into this kind of stuff right now. And who doesn't love a little Nutella~!!! I'll have to go get it and type up her exact recipe later, it's in the other room and the kids are going to sleep :)

Happy Mother's Day TO ME!!!

I know it's not a favorite of some, but I can't help but love it!!! Mother's Day is just such a cool day! I have the usual guilt that I'm not doing all that I can as a mom, and of course there is always more that can be done, but HEY! I'm a mom!! And that's all I have to be to enjoy it! I especially like to think about all the things I can do better, and get new ideas of how to make things run more smoothly around the home. A few ideas I've had for a while, just more motivation to get them in motion. It's fun to be spoiled by my kids (Nate does such a good job at heading that up.... course he ALWAYS spoils me). They did the "traditional" Breakfast in bed. This time it was even better than usual! Nate made some really amazing eggs and put them on an onion bagel that for some reason just seemed so heavenly! The way it was toasted, but not crunchy.... I don't know what it was, but it was fantastic!! And of course my favorite..... BACON!!! Love the Mother's day bacon! Then the kids all showered me with gifts that they had picked out on their own!!! I had no idea how special something could be just knowing that one of my little angels had picked it out!! Noah's was first, a little plaque with a sweet saying on it about Family (sorry, not exact, I need somewhere to put it :) but as soon as we are in a house!!!). Then Luke gave me a sweet little book called, "Mom said I can" and we read it. The picture in the end looked just like Luke and I when he squeezes my cheeks. Reminded me of the pictures my Dad took of Luke and I just days before Noah was born. He really has always been such a Momma's boy, and I love that. Brad gave me a sweet Ladybug necklace that he saw MONTHS ago at Five Little Monkey's toy store and decided then that he wanted to get for me for Mother's Day :) He said, "I just kept it in my head" when I asked him how he remembered it!! Such a cutie. I haven't taken it off since :) He's very proud to see it on me.... I don't know if I'll ever be able to take it off :). Kelly gave me a few gifts. Some that she made in school, a flower and a cook book. It's so cute that she made a cook book again. Last Thanksgiving she made one and was heartbroken when I told her we couldn't really make most of the recipes since they were just made up by the kids. But this time, her recipe was for "Chocolate Cake" and involved spreading chocolate on "10 pieces of bread" and stacking them on top of each other :) PERFECT!!! We used Nutella and had it for Family NIght treat the next night. She was thrilled! She also gave me a sweet horse- a WHITE one- that she picked out at the toy store. This one I saw coming since she had asked me several times during previous days if I "liked horses? white ones?" I LOVE my new Kelly Horse. I don't think I would ever be able to look at that without thinking about Kelly and picturing her galloping through the grocery store like she always does :) Makes me appreciate that chaos a little more :). Cute Charity picked out a really awesome book of Motherhood secrets! It just happens to be by Linda Eyre, an author whom I've LOVED ever since the first book I read of hers and her husband's called 3 Steps to a Stronger Family. It's very inspiring. This one is of she and her daughter and their experiences and thoughts of motherhood. It's been really fun to read. The mom Linda Eyre had 9 children and Shawni, her second daughter, she has 5 children. It's just so nice to have this book written by people who share similar experiences and feelings as me. I really enjoy reading it when I have the chance.... I'm pretty sure I'll be sharing little bits of wisdom from their book. Charity sure picked a good one!!! She says I have to read it over and over and over again.... at least then it will stick I guess :). Mother's day continued, I sat and watched the boys all wrestle with Daddy and the bean bag chairs..... but mostly I just relaxed. I love relaxing :) We had a nice time at church. Sister Lybbert filled in for me at the piano during the Primary singing to the moms in Sacrament Meeting(bless her!) so that I could enjoy watching my kids :) I thought it was a little strange that they would ask me to play it since my kids make up a quarter of the primary :) But I didn't really mind until the girls brought up that then they "wouldn't get to sing to me!!!" How sweet are they!!!! I love that it means that much to them. I didn't cry because I was holding back my nerdy tears, but apparently that bummed out Brad :) He had really wanted me to cry.... such a cutie. I loved Luke's wave. :) And I loved watching Charity this year.... she's almost got that "big kid" look to her already!!! Even when she's embarrassed to be up there she still looked at me and smiled though, so I know she's not all the way there yet :)
I just love my kids so much!!! I think the world of them!! I don't know what I'd do without them!!
Nate fussed over the no-bake cookies so that I wouldn't have to make the dessert for the family meeting and then we headed on up to Daybreak. We had a nice time with Nate's family. Ruth seemed to like the Temple Bracelet that Kelly and I made her.
I wished I had seen my Dad.... it was his birthday that day as well!! But he had a nice one I guess, so it's all good. I had made plans with my mom to hang out the next day which we did, we ran all our errands together and had lunch at Carl's Jr. because she had had to work till late on Mother's Day. I gave her the bracelet I made her. Overall it was a really nice day!!! And now I have to wait a whole 'nother year til' my next one :)



Nate's so patient with the kids!!

cute chins :)

This is what I looked like on Mother's day apparently :) Charity played with the camera a little and I love what she got :)

She took a bunch of pictures of Kelly's drawings.... this one's me and Kelly :) [in heart world obviously]

This is cute "I love my family so much..... especially Charity" :)

"call the police there's a tornado in town!" LOL!!! creative.

"outer space" and it says something else, but I mostly kept this one because of how cute Kelly looks in it :)

Bradley and his little sister

The other day Brad was holding Erika and had this urge to take pictures of her. I consented and he just went to town! I had to fight the need to be overprotective of my camera and just let him have fun. I'm so glad I did. These pictures are priceless! He took this first one himself! Believe it or not. And all the cute ones of Erika! He did such a great job! He told me he wants to hang them on his wall :) I will have to develop them just for him. I love that he loves her so much. I'm pretty sure she likes him too.... to be so content while he's moving her around and shining a flashing light in her eyes at such close range :) HA! Gotta love it. Anyway- here they are.... Brad's still talking about them, and reminiscing about how cool she looks in these :)



"who me?"

she's so stinkin' cute!!! Even when she's just staring at the camera, she still just looks SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

He LOVED this one :) I have to agree, it's pretty darn cute!

awwww

Oh, and here's one of Brad TRYING to ride the bike without training wheels. He is getting there. I decided not to post the videos of him doing it yet, since it's really not riding it, he's just kind of one footing it.... BUT we got him to take the training wheels off and THAT is a step! He wants to be able to ride with his friend Carson who actually does races on his bike! I'm grateful for the motivation because I was never enough of one for him :)