4 years!

Today is our 4th anniversary! Wow how time flies! We'll go out to dinner and do some sealings at the temple to celebrate. One thing that I heard recently about marriage that I absolutely agree with is that there are no perfect marriages, but perfect moments. No one is perfect, but there are people who are perfect for perfecting each other. I would have to say that Ryan is perfect for me. He knows just how to help me give a little more to be my best, and all though he has a gruff appearance to some, especially right when he gets home from work :), he has a soft heart.

Out of the last 5 weekends he has been on an overnight Scout related outing for 3 of them. 2 of those were for Wood Badge, 2 nights for 2 weekends, which is a great Scout leader training camp that he's been wanting to do for years. I'm proud of him for getting it done. Needless to say I am looking forward to a month or so of no overnights. The next one is sometime in October. I love that he' s a hard worker, do-it- yourself-er, and a great dad. He still has the same sense of humor and story telling ability that attracted me to him over 4 years ago. I just love him!

Discoveries with Daddy

There are dozens of discoveries to be made daily when you're 1. Here are a few fun ones from this summer made with Daddy at Evelyn's side.


Fireworks.



A bug on the floor.



A thunder storm with lots 'o' rain!



Bugs in the grass, and all the wonders of nature!


Mowing the lawn is loud, but fascinating.




Other discoveries with Daddy not pictured here are fish, wearing big hats, blowing big bubbles, riding her toy horse, and chocolate milk. (I think the video is more showing that she knows the parts of her face.)

cute crop of kids

Last summer there were 9 babies born in our ward, 6 of which were born within about 3 months of each other, so we had quite the baby boom. All of us moms have tried to get together a few times with all the little ones for a lunchtime play date. The last one before this was in April, so near the end of August we had one at our house. Two of the families moved out recently, but we were happy that all but one made it. It was a bit crazy to have around a dozen kids 4 and under, older siblings included, under one roof, but Evelyn loved it! Here they are lined up on the couch in age order. Evelyn is the second one on the left. I will be saying extra prayers for our ward's nursery teachers this winter :) Aren't they adorable?!

10 years ago...

I was 18 and in my first semester at MCC. I woke up on September 11th to my mom telling me that Washington D.C. and New York were being attacked by terrorists in planes. I'll be honest, my first thought was, yea right... maybe you heard the news wrong. When she said there was live video I was a little freaked out. I was thinking the whole country was going to bombed or something. Then I saw, and we heard the news anchor say that a plane had been flown into one of the towers. I was a bit shaken, but decided to go to school anyway after praying.

On the drive it was all the radio announcers were talking about and every driver I passed looked just as somber as I felt. Even though we were strangers and never spoke, we all made eye contact and had the connection of knowing.

I am so glad I had an Institute class first! When I walked in the foyer the large TV, that I had never seen on, was turned onto a news station and I watched with about 70 other students and teachers as the 2nd plane hit. It was surreal. I walked into class and the opening song was I Need Thee Every Hour. I can't remember if I cried, but as we sang and our teacher, Brother Holaday, offered the opening prayer, I felt peace. The lesson happened to be on the signs of the last days and our Bro. H handled everything so beautifully. I can definitely say that was the most spiritual lesson on that topic I've ever had. I saw the first tower fall as I left the building, but the peace stayed with me.

The following Sunday night I walked around the temple grounds visiting with a cousin and I remember hearing an airplane fly overhead for the first time since the towers had been hit.

This became one of my favorite scriptures that week:

Ether 2: 12, "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."