Happy Birthday Markie!!

Three years ago, on April 3rd, I was blessed with one of the greatest blessings of my life. I was given the opportunity to be the mother of this adorable little baby boy...

Now see how he's grown!!!

Super Hero Mark

The newest cub scout

Holding baby James

Pioneer Day Primary Parade

Am I as big as an Eagle yet?

Enjoying summer

Mother-Son date (and yes we caught a fish)

Practicing artist

Buddies!

Cookies anyone?

I made it taller than me!

Fun with dad

My first pinewood derby car

Nap time for bear

I love computer games

Markie, I love you this much and so much more.

Markie, you have grown and changed so much this past year. You have your own way of doing things and you like to do things on your time, which can sometimes be a source of frustration for dad and I. You are such a great helper with James and the older he gets the more you enjoy him. You have watched me rocking or bouncing James as I have tried to put him to sleep, and I have caught you wrapping your bear in a blankie and doing the same. There have been many times when you have shushed me and told me bear is sleeping. You enjoy singing, playing computer games, cooking, spending time with dad, reading, playing soccer or basketball, and building/crashing towers. You have really started to love watching movies; your favorites are Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Mulan. You also really love to watch the short Jack Jack Attacks from The Incredibles because the baby starts on fire, you are only three and you are already a piro, I am in trouble. You really enjoy nursery and are getting better at sitting quietly during church. You love the temple and will often wrap one of dad's ties around your neck and tell me you are going to the temple. You are very good at reminding dad and I about Family Home Evening and you always want to say the prayer, and you do pretty well without help (especially when we are blessing the food). You still are a daddies boy and you are dad's shadow when he is around, yet when it comes to reading a bedtime story or rocking you to sleep you still choose me. As I said last year, that time with you is something I will always treasure. I love you Markie, Happy Birthday!

Flour Fun

For Family Home Evening I thought it would be fun to play the flour game (I was inspired to do this after I saw my sister in law Shanalee's post). We really had a lot of fun. Markie especially enjoyed sticking his face in the flour because he thought it tasted good. YUCK!

Markie trying to get the quarter.

I got the quarter!

We all got a little messy, but that was all part of the fun. During clean up Brett thought it would be fun to throw a handful of flour at me and start a flour fight. The fight went like this--Brett got me, I got him, Mark thought it looked like fun so he got me and then Brett got me again. I think I need a girl or two over here to be on my team, these boys are ganging up on me.

Me after my boys got me, I am a mess!

For only getting Brett once I think I did a pretty good job.

Let's Dance!

Brett and I have been asked to be in charge of a dance festival for our stake! I am so excited! We have been preparing for the dance festival for the past 3 months and Friday is the big night. The wards have been broken up into 4 groups and each of the groups have learned a dance and will be performing the dances on Friday. After the performance the stake will then open it up for a stake dance. Brett and I have been teaching our wards group the two step, it has been so great to have an excuse to go dancing with Brett. We used to go up to BYU-Idaho all the time to go dancing but since Mark and James came along we haven't gone. I really miss it. Anyway, as we were planning the dance festival it was kind of stressful and difficult at the beginning because I was trying to coordinate 10 different wards schedules as well as the 4 instructors schedules and do it all within 2 months (it took a month to find the teachers) but it is going to happen and it is going to be great. I have lived in the Iona Stake for 4 and 1/2 years and I have never heard about the stake having a dance. Coming from Utah where my stake would have 3-4 dances a year and there was some other stake doing a dance on the other weeks that my stake wasn't it made me sad that there weren't stake dances here. So when I was told that the stake was putting one together in conjunction with the dance festival, let's just say I have been on cloud 9 ever since. (I have recently found out that there is a tri-stake dance held on the 3rd Saturday of every month.) My one hope now is that everything goes well and the youth have fun.

I love to see the temple

Mark has always loved the temple and he is constantly asking to go, so last Sunday when the temperature had warmed up to a beautiful 50 degrees we bundled up the kids and went. We walked around the temple a few times and talked to Mark about the importance of the temple. We told him that Mommy and Daddy got married in the temple and because we did we will always be a family. We then when to the visitors center and listened to the Christus presentation. We showed Markie the prints of the nails in Jesus' hands and feet, and the senior missionary invited Markie to touch the marks. After seeing the displays Markie sat in front of the Christus again, the senior missionary played the Christus presentation for me in Spanish and then once again in Japanese for Brett. I loved the Spirit that we felt as a family and it was so neat to share my testimony of the temple to Mark, and to watch him as he looked at the different pictures there and as he heard the presentation.

Funny Faces

Markie and I wanted to have some fun while we were waiting for daddy to get home so this is what we did.

We spent 30 minutes making faces at the computer and really having a good time. We took about 35 pictures before Mark got board and daddy got home. Isn't technology grand, what a fun way to spend an afternoon.

5 Wonderful Years in Review

This post is dedicated to Brett and the last 5 years of wonderful marital bliss. I am truly grateful for my husband. He is an amazing example to me and a wonderful father to our children. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. (I warn you it is a little cheezy, to avoid the cheeziness just look at the pictures.)

July 9, 2005. My one day to be Cinderella and my dreams came true when I was sealed to my very own Prince Charming.

Brett can always make me laugh! He can sense the mood I am in and is very good at listening and helping me feel better. (2005)

Brett and I graduated together which was hard work to both be doing our student teaching at the same time, but we supported each other and things worked out. (2005)

Brett and I planned a trip to Arches over Spring Break because I had never been there, Brett has always helped me and tried to help me experience new things. Arches (2006)

Grand Teton National Park. After hiking all day we waded into a lake, I began to splash Brett so he decided to throw me in, I took him with me. (2006)

Building our home, not one of the easiest things we have done with all the decisions that needed to be made, but we learned a lot about each others tastes and we truly grew closer as a result. (2006)

Our first cruise! A second honeymoon, we had an awesome time! (2006)

23 mile hike in 3 days! I have always loved the outdoors however since marring Brett I have camped more in the past 5 years than ever before. Because of that I have seen some truly beautiful and amazing places.--Union Falls (2007)

Facial Date! I don't think Brett knew how crazy I was before we got married, I am truly grateful he is willing to go along with my craziness. (2007)

Working on projects has always been fun. Brett is so skilled and good at fixing things, and if he

doesn't know how to fix something he is willing to ask questions. (2008)

Family has always been important to Brett so he always tries to put his family first. (2008)

First Family Picture, don't my boys look handsome! (2008)

Memorial Day in Zion's National Park. I love this picture because Brett really looks great! (2009)

Family in Zion's (2009)

Twinkie Date! I wasn't so sure about this but it made for a fun and creative night. (2009)

Welcome to the family, James!!! (2010)

Memorial Day--Yellowstone National Park (2010)

We have had 5 wonderful years full of blessings, trials, changes, and challenges. We have learned a lot, and had a lot of laughs. And I am looking forward to making eternity just as wonderful. I love you Brett!