I know this is late but I just had to brag about how much Mike loves me. 

The night of the Breaking Dawn release I decided not to go get the waited for book because I was going to go to the Layers Clothing sale early the next morning.  So I was very surprised when I woke up at 12:40am to a huge thud on my chest. I opened my eyes and Mike was smiling at me and said "There’s your book!" It took me a second to realize what he was saying.  Then I had to wake up all the way to hear the story because Mike thinks that me and my books are silly. The thought of him standing in line waiting made no sense. 

He had a new part on his motorcycle and had to give it a test ride and decided that he should go drive by Barnes and Noble and see how long the line really was.  He said it was crazy. Girls in prom dresses, limos…..and a huge line.  So he drove away laughing.  Then he passed Walmart and thought he would give it a try.  So he walked in and saw a big pile on a table and no line.  So he walked over and bought it with no fan fare! 

And that is how I got my book.  So of course I couldn’t just leave it on the dresser waiting for tomorrow.  I was too curious.  And then on Monday when Mike came home and not much housework was done, I reminded him that it was his fault.  But I finished it that night and now life can go on. 

Holy Moly… we’ve been married nine years as of yesterday. It’s hard to believe that nine years have gone by since we knelt in that Temple sealing room and said our “I do’s”. The time has just seemed to fly by.

In those nine short years our lives have undergone quite a few changes. We’ve lived in six different places (seven if you count the couple weeks we stayed with the Laursens). We’ve had a combined total of eight different jobs. We’ve owned six different cars. We’ve watched out youngest siblings grow up and get married (just this last week for Scott). And we’ve seen the birth of 12 new babies in our immediate family (4 of which have been our own).

It’s been a pretty wild ride and although we’ve had our share of trials over the years, we’ve also been blessed with way more than we deserve. And through it all, I couldn’t ask for anyone better to share the past nine years with. Emily is my best friend, my greatest support and my one true love. So we decided to celebrate by heading up to Park City for the weekend (sans kids). We spent Saturday going to The Dark Knight then heading up to Park City for some shopping and fun. We spent the night at The Homestead in Midway and then went back to Park City on Sunday to ride the ski lift and stroll the fair they had going on Main Street. It was a nice relaxing weekend and a great way to celebrate these last nine wonderful years together.

 This post is dedicated to Christopher………

A few months ago I posted about finding the perfect strawberry.  Well I have had nothing but teasing from Christopher about it. I think he is just jealous because he didn’t find it or get to eat it!  So the joke is on him!

I found a batch of strawberries at Costco and I could not believe how big they were! So here is an update…..The Perfect Strawberry!  And no, I didn’t save any for Christopher. Maybe if he is nice I will give him some of the jam I made with them. But it is hard to tell how perfect they looked when they are mushed up in jam!

Today we attended the funeral of our neighbor who passed away this week.  This day was a beautiful tribute to a good man.  His life was dedicated to scouting and I could not hold back my tears as the color guard presented the flag and the casket came into the chapel.  My heart just sobbed as I watched his family follow behind.  The speakers did a wonderful job of honoring Brother Duckworth.  I was especially impressed with his children who spoke  about the things they remember best about their dad.  The whole congregation wept as his 8 year old daughter talked about her dad taking her to the daddy daughter dance and getting their picture taken.  I pray that she will never forget every second of that night.  How he felt dancing with her.  How he sounded when he laughed. How he smelled. The things they talked about.  I just think how easy it would have been for him to say they were too busy to go. But he didn’t. 

So today I learned a lesson.  I need to be more for my children.  I fill so much of my time with little things that in the end won’t matter.  I think back and I can’t remember if my house was dusty or not (by the way, it was always very clean-thanks mom). But I do remember the things I did with my sisters and my parents.  I remember bed time. I remember dinner time. I remember folding the laundry with my mom and cleaning the bathrooms with my mom.  How lucky am I to have such incredible memories and now I need to be better about using my time to make memories with Hailey and Mallory and Annie and Jack.  And sitting next to a sad Mike today I could tell he was thinking the same thing. 

So off I go to tuck in my children and bring them a drink of water "from the toilet" just like my dad always did.  (He always flushed twice!!) 

Jessie came into town last week so Lauren got us tickets to go see a taping of Good Things Utah.  It was so much fun to be the audience and by that I mean it was  the five of us and about ten other ladies and one man.  It was so much fun.  We got free lip stuff (which me and Mal love).  It was fun to ride to the station all together and be able to finish a conversation with no kids interrupting! I love my kids but it was nice to be with the girls. 

It was kind of crazy to watch the taping and see the behind the scenes activities.  We want to go again when Jess comes back in July so if anyone wants to come let us know!