Happy 7th Anniversary to Us!!

**This is what 7 years of marriage has done to us! Ha!

Curt and I got back today from a 2 day vacation to celebrate our anniversary (which is actually tomorrow the 18th!)!! Grandma Holbrook came over on Thursday afternoon to stay with the kids and as soon as she arrived we were OUTTA THERE!!

Curt had made reservations for us at the Doubletree Resort in Scottsdale, so we didn't go far! We had such a great time!! I haven't laughed that hard in y-e-a-r-s!! We went to the movies (twice!), shopped, ate, played Skee Ball, air hockey, and lots of other fun games at Dave & Buster's, rented movies to watch in our room, and just really truly had an enjoyable time!!

It is so easy for me, as a mother, to focus all of my time and energy on our kids and neglect my dear hubby. It was such an awesome opportunity for us to just focus on "US", and we hope to do that more often.

My mom wrote this to me shortly before she died: "...November 19, 2003... Yesterday was your 3rd wedding anniversary. It was so nice that Curt's mom watched Luke part of the day so you could spend some time together. It's so important to never lose focus on the two of you, or someday you wake up and realize you have nothing in common...just kids."

How right she was.

Of course, none of this would've been possible without Curt's mom and her willingness to take care of our rambunctious boys. The boys had a lot of fun with her and Grandpa and I didn't have to worry...I knew they were in good hands.

I Can Snugll Wif Mom

I knew that Luke likes it when I climb up into his bed with him and snuggle. I just didn't realize how much until I saw this drawing in his backpack after school the other day! It was sooo sweet and brought tears to my eyes. If you look closely you can see the ladder going up to his bed and I think those sticks are my arms sticking up in the air. Very cute and made me feel very happy that I made his night by climbing up there with him. It is something I will definitely do more often now.

My Fabulous Life...as of late

This past weekend I made my 2nd attempt at cake decorating! My friend had a baby shower over the weekend and I volunteered to make the cake. As it got closer to the shower date, I was in a panic and thought for sure I would screw it up! I decided to just do my own design at the last minute and am very pleased with how it turned out. I was so nervous at the shower and really wanted to make my exit when they were ready to cut and serve the cake! After lots and lots of compliments and encouraging comments, I was able to relax.

Along with starting up cake decorating, I have recently taken on babysitting full time during the week! I watch a neighbor's baby girl and will be adding at least one or two more kids to the mix soon, too. I am extremely busy now (and tied down more than ever), but I am enjoying it and am excited about the extra $$$ !!

We also have a new roommate! Ashlie moved back in with us last week and will be staying with us until she transfers to the U of A in Tucson. We're excited to have her around!

Halloween 2007

Breakfast in Bed

Yesterday morning when I was getting the kids ready to go to the bus stop, Luke really wanted to surprise me and make breakfast for me. I told him he could another morning when we didn't have to get ready for school.

I thought he would forget about it (I should've known better!), but this morning he and Ty were up at 6:30am and I could hear them padding around in the kitchen. I knew what Luke was up to! I stayed in my bedroom so that he could "surprise" me.

It was so cute when he came into my room carrying a waffle, and it even had butter on it! He, of course, got lots of hugs and kisses in return.

Luke can be so thoughtful and sooo darn sweet. He is setting such a good example for his little brothers.

Girlfriends and Pancakes

I ran across some old pictures last night and found this one of Luke. It blows me away how much it looks like Jake!! Crazy.

Now on to explain my title...

Luke informed Curt and I tonight that he has a girlfriend. He was saying that he needed to find his Pokemon cards so that he could give one to his girlfriend tomorrow on the bus. Huh?? I asked him to repeat that again, and sure enough, I had heard correctly. He says "Yea, Mia's my girlfriend and I'm going to marry her." He just "met" her 2 days ago on the bus, and now they're talking marriage.

I told him no girlfriends until he's 30.

**I also had my 2nd mammogram done today, hence the pancakes.

Priceless

Luke and I were snuggling on the couch tonight spending some good quality time together. The other boys were already in bed alsleep and Curt was at Scouts. The house was nice and quiet.

We had read about Nephi in the Scriptures and then read a wacky Dr. Seuss book that Luke had checked out from the school library. We went through all the months of the year and discussed whose birthdays were when. He can hardly contain himself when he talks about turning 6 on December 4th!! He still cracks up every time we talk about how he and Grandma Debbie share the same birthday. I don't know why it's so funny to him, but it makes me laugh that he's so tickled by it.

And then, there were the snuggles. I love to cuddle with my boys, but Luke is usually the only willing participant. Occasionally Ty will cuddle with me, but he usually doesn't last very long. Tonight, though, Luke said..."Mom, I just really love you too much. I think I have a crush on you." It was funny that my almost 6 year-old is already talking about crushes! So, I tried my best to explain what a crush was and that he didn't have one on me. It reminded me of when my nephew Andrew was around Luke and Ty's age and had determined that he was going to marry me when he grew up.

Little kids are so innocent, and I wish I could freeze my kids at that stage forever!

A Must Read!

My mother-in-law Marla gave me this book to read. I thought it sounded "interesting", but was not expecting it to be life-changing by any means. It has totally done that...changed my life! I feel so much more at peace with how my life has unfolded so far. Since reading this book, I feel an even stronger desire to dedicate my life to my family, my Heavenly Father, and to serving others. I have read and re-read this book as to not forget the messages in it that have touched me so deeply.

This book may not impact others as it has me. It may have been just what I needed at the time to get my priorities in check and to get my life back on track. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially to those who have lost a loved one.