All in a day

I feel so blessed to have a wonderful and supportive husband who is such a great help around the house and with the kids.  Especially with the demands of my church calling I am grateful that he is willing  to "cover down" at home so I can attend meetings and do visits.  He is awesome about getting the kids out and making sure they have lot's of active outside time.  I don't remember what I had going on a few weeks ago, but it was something that took all of the morning so he took the kids on an outing to the Bingham Copper Mine, to lunch, and then hiking in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Whew, just listing it all out makes me a little tired, but not him!   Here are pictures of their fun day!

Football food

We don't watch a lot of TV at our house.  Actually I guess I should say J and I don't watch a lot of TV, but one thing that he really looks forward to is football.  So we were discussing the upcoming BYU football game and J was saying how he wished that it was something that we could enjoy as a family.  So in attempt to make it more fun for the kids (and in all honesty me) we started brainstorming some fun food that we could enjoy while watching the game.  AP suggested making footballs out of cocoa pebbles.  What a fabulous idea!

I attempted chocolate covered strawberries, but it wasn't really working out so I just used the chocolate to top some ice cream cones instead.  Messy, messy chocolate.

 We made some sandwiches, piled our plates, and headed downstairs to watch the game.  The treats were deliciously fun and the kids lasted as long as the food did (then they were off to other things).  I guess we'll just keep exposing them and maybe eventually they'll come to love football as much as their dad.

Preschool begins!

D went back to preschool last week and when I talked to Miss Karie on the phone yesterday she said she can't believe how much he has grown up in the last few months!  He is doing a great job following directions, coloring and cutting, and he even wrote his own name.  He is in the same class as several of his friends from last year, and most importantly he gets to walk with his best friend every morning.  Here they are ready to set off.  (As a side note, there are two kids in his class that have family members with celiac disease so they have the gluten-free thing down and one mom especially was excited at the prospect of play dates.  Looks like we're off to a fun and productive year!)

Anniversary post disclaimer

So J was reading my anniversary post and expressed it was a little on the negative side.  So, I just wanted to apologize for the "heavy dose of realism" I supplied ;).  My disclaimer is that I have been rather preoccupied with the marital struggles of people around me and seeing marriages and families falling apart has caused me to really contemplate why and to try and figure out what can be done to help those who are struggling.  I guess that leaked into the anniversary post a little too much, but I was simply trying to point out that even those marriages that might appear perfect have challenges and that happy and successful marriages don't happen, they are made through constant effort and attention, and by really trying to live the gospel.  We all have "rocky" and "rough" spots in our marriages,  and I think many people hit a point where they feel like their marriage is a mistake and they can't make it work.  That just happened to us early on, but in a way I'm grateful for that because, like I said, it helped us figure out earlier rather than later that we were responsible for the outcome of our marriage and that the only way to achieve our goals was through daily effort to live as our Savior and church leaders have prescribed and to make each other's happiness the focus.  Even then there are so many factors to be aware of that I just want to say we should never be embarrassed about asking for help from our ecclesiastical leaders or trained professionals who can provide tools and training to help with a struggling marriage (see this link for some helps and information: https://www.lds.org/topics/marriage?lang=eng).  I also want to testify that the atonement is real and is for struggling marriages as much as anything and that (except in cases of abuse or serious trauma) all marriages can be healed.  Here is a Mormon message that applies: http://mormonchannel.org/mormonmessages?v=1699267361001

Fabulous Fourteen!

Fourteen Years today we were married in the Vernal, Utah temple.  We had a rocky engagement and it's been a little rough going, but I believe that the best things are not the easiest to come by and despite the challenges we have and continue to face, we have an awesome marriage and I am grateful everyday for the man I married.  We may not always agree and our interests may differ, but we have always had the same ultimate goal and have tried to maintain an eternal perspective.  We learned early on that the keys to a happy and successful marriage are compromise, serving each other, and focusing on a celestial marriage and eternal family).  Several years ago I had a friend comment on how lucky I am to have such a perfect marriage.  I was really surprised by that because honestly our marriage is far from perfect.  It is wonderful though, and that is because we have both been willing to work hard, make sacrifices, and we try really hard to put the other person first.  I am so grateful for a husband who truly puts my needs & wants above all else and tries really hard to ensure my comfort and success.  Love him SO MUCH!!

So to celebrate our anniversary we spent the weekend in Midway where attended Swiss Days, shopped at Kimball Junction, and did a lot of walking/hiking, and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views.

Thank you once again to my parents who took the kids for us!!  They are always so generous with their time and I love them for their willingness to give us some time as a couple.  They met up with us in Park City and we dined at Park City Pizza, owned and operated by a fellow celiac.  We enjoyed GF pizza, lasagne, grilled cheese and garlic bread.

Sorry Mom, for including this shot, but it is just so fun to see you enjoying that yummy GF grub!