That girl is sweet....

"That girl is sweet,...just like her name. Strawberry Shortcake!"

When the twins turned 3, My sister gave Nyah a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book. It became her favorite coloring book and she was so excited when she spotted a Strawberry Shortcake video on top of the $5 movie pile at Walmart. What a find that was, I'll tell ya! There was no question what Nyah would be for Halloween. When I asked her who I should be, she immediately exclaimed..."Orange Blossom ofcourse! You already have an orange shirt, mom!"

Nyah is my sweetest baby girl! She is a tender-heart and has a memory like no other. The other day, I was a little grumpy with the kids and she said to me...."Mom, if you want to go to Grandpa's house, you need to be happy!" Hmmm...I wonder where she heard that before? I LOVE being her mommy and feel so blessed to learn from her everyday!

You've got a friend in me.....

Ethan's greatest love these days is TOY STORY! Back in October, he made the decision to be Woody for Halloween. And.....even more exciting, he wanted Daddy to be Buzz Light Year. So we made some costumes and they were set. When we went trick-or-treating, Daddy and Ethan ran from house to house exclaiming,.."To infinity and beyond!" The kids in the neighborhood were thrilled to see "Buzz" in true form and Ethan was so proud! From then on,...he eats, breathes, and sleeps all things Toy Story. Even his little Woody and Buzz figures snuggle up at night with our little guy!

Daddy and Ethan like to sing the song, "You've got a friend in me" to eachother. It is so cute. It perfectly describes the bond they have. They are best buds and it is such a blessing! They have been that way since the very beginning! Forever friends these two will be!!! I love my boys....

I love to see the TEMPLE...

One of our family traditions is to go to a temple once a week with Ethan and Nyah. We have been doing this for almost two years now and it is one of our most treasured traditions. We feel blessed,..so BLESSED,..to be so close to so many temples!

Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson said..."As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us." "Even young children have been encouraged to visit the temple grounds and touch the temple." (You can read more about that here.)

Ethan and Nyah LOVE the temple. We can feel their testimonies growing and it is a treasure to us! On one trip to the Bountiful Temple, Nyah brought one of her baby dolls. I noticed that she sat down with her doll on the fountain steps and began to tell her little doll about the temple. It was amazing to hear her.

Proverbs 22:6 says: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Oh how we hope they will hold on to the temple!

Marty and I struggle to always know what is the best for our little ones. Are we disciplining the best way? Are we teaching the right things? Do we show them enough love? Do they understand the importance of work? Are we being good examples to them in all we do? One thing that I have felt confident about is our attempts to teach them about the temple. It is something we strive to help them understand because we go there often and they get to touch the temple, they feel the spirit, and they are then "touched by the temple."

I love that Nyah had the desire to share her little testimony and knowledge of the temple with her little baby doll. How humbling it is to have her as a daughter.

Once there was a snowman....

We're back! Our blog has been so neglected lately! Life has been busy and our old camera was giving me fits so I found very little motivation to post. Now,..I feel more like it! I have a new camera (YIPPY!) and I feel inspired!

Yesterday, the snow just kept coming! This is April! One wouldn't expect anything less from Utah though. So we took advantage and built our very first snowman! I know,....we might be the worst parents ever waiting this long but the kids loved it!

Nyah's favorite part of it was putting the carrot and hat on. When she woke up this morning she wanted to see if it was still there! Ethan LOVED raking the snowman! (Daddy's idea) It was an attempt to get the leaves off. He was diligent. After we had the snowman totally decked out, Ethan ran inside and got his Dr.'s medicine syringe and gave the snowman a shot. It was hilarious. I guess he wanted to make sure this snowman stayed healthy. This morning Ethan went back outside and continued to rake snow. Hilarious!

When Ethan and Nyah sing "Once There Was a Snowman" it is so darn cute. Daddy taught them his version which emphasizes the "melting" in a slow drawn out kind of way. It actually sounds like a toy whose batteries are dying! m--e--l--ting! In fact, Daddy loves to change songs, now that I think of it! His version of "Book of Mormon Stories" is quite catchy and the kids love it! Our kids might get funny looks in primary though because they add Daddy's special parts.

Tonight I am going to see Oklahoma with my sweetheart after a nice dinner. My sister is having the kids sleep over! Lucky me huh! I think I like this day......

My thoughts today...

These are the best times....

Every morning I wake up with a song in my head. Seriously,...I get up,..go right to the bathroom, and I start humming the song that was there upon waking. This morning...I had the song "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music in my head. I've been singing it all day and the twins probably think I am crazy. I've been desperately wanting to catch up with some blogging and I realized that I might be able to get his tune out of my head if I use it "to death." So.....Here is my silly attempt to recap all the summer fun we have had. (to the tune of: My Favorite Things)

3 year-old parties, with Mickey and Minnie
Father-Son Camp Outs with Ethan and Daddy
Having to plan girl’s camp meals for thirty
These are the craziest times don’t you see.
Out of town guests for three weeks was quite crazy
Having late nights,…then morning we’re lazy
Starting his Masters, can’t wait ‘til that’s done
Summer’s been great,..summer’s been fun!

When there’s tantrums
When laundry's never done
When our garden's sad
We simply remember these are the best times
And then we don’t feel…so bad


Lesson plan writing cuz’ preschool comes quickly
Treehouse museum and fun getting dirty
Going to Logan for a weekend of FUN
We’ve camped and we’ve boated until we were done
Our 10th Anniversary we spent in a grand way
Our New York family flew out for a fun stay
We’ve gone to some temples both near and far
And now we are ready for autumn to start

When Daddy’s gone (for 10 whole days!)
When we've burned the lawn
When potty training goes bad
We simply remember these are the best times
And then we don’t feel so bad!

A Decade Old...

My sweetheart and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary this last weekend! As a tradition, we take turns every year and plan some type of surprise for eachother. This year was Marty's turn. My day started with breakfast in bed! French toast,...my favorite! The rest of our actual anniversary day was super busy with normal life so Marty planned the surprise for me on that Friday! He planned for my sister Machelle to watch the twins and told me to pack a bag! (I LOVE when he says that!)

He wisked me away to the Grand America Hotel. (I know,...expensive usually but he found a smashin' deal. Signs of the economic times I guess.) It is a STUNNING hotel! Our room was gorgoous and Marty had chocolates and a beautiful red rose already in the room when we arrived. I have a dream of one day having a grand piano in my home. So.,...Marty had a "baby grand piano" carved out of chocolate and placed in the room as well. So fun! Our room was also on the 22nd floor which made the view breathtaking!

We listened to Jazz in the Lobby, went for a late night stroll, slept-in, and had the most delicious food. The service was really great too and we were able to take home some complementary slippers which are nice and cozy and a beautiful bottle of French lemonade. I have to say we felt really pampered! I will remember this anniversary for sure!

Happy Annivesary to my sweetheart! I can't believe we are a DECADE old!

You are my everything!