11 Years Down and FOREVER to go

We celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary March 10th. We had a busy week so we waited until things slowed down to celebrate just the two of us. This last Monday we booked a room at The Castle Creek Inn in far away Cottonwood Heights (by the Walmart) It was so nice to forget about life for a whole day. We started out the day with a movie and then we headed downtown. We spent some time in the Visitors Center of the Salt Lake Temple. There is a small room where you can listen to a Modern Day Prophet talk on Families. We recommitted to our marriage and family. We ate the best dinner at The Melting Pot. It was a great night. Thanks Steph for taking the kids and getting them off to school the next morning.



Our Story:
We met on our Choir Trip our Senior Year in High School on the Beach in San Diego. I was tempted to body board in the ocean. As I was pursuaded by a group of friends, I requested someone show me how and he immediately stood and said that he would. Shocked, I took his extended hand and we headed into the ocean. One wave hit and then the other. Not much of a swimmer, I fell under and couldn't catch my breath. He held on. We spent the trip pretty inseparable. A friend of mine threw me in the pool and Cody rushed to my defense thinking he had hurt me. I knew at that moment I would always be protected and safe with him. The night he came home from Australia after we had both fasted and prayed, he asked me to marry him. My answer was, "Are you sure?" When he replied. "Of course!" I replied, "Then let's..." and we began our lives really young, with nothing to call our own except each other. From the moment I met Cody, I knew he was the one. The one who would protect, serve, love unconditionally, understand and look forward to FOREVER with.
Our wedding was on a beautiful, cool March morning. He arrived at the Temple before us. (Anyone who knows my dad knows that is quite a feat) Because we were both so early, we had a great deal of time in the Celestial Room waiting for our sealing. So we played paper, rock and scissors and complained we were hungry (no time to eat we didn't want to risk being late). We were sealed by Grandpa Baldwin. I remember looking around at so many who loved and supported us. As Cody and I walked back to the couch, he stepped on my train and popped off every button holding it up. We just smiled. We enjoyed our Wedding Breakfast at Little America. It was surreal. Then on to our reception at Seven Oaks Reception Center. Dad got into a fender bender and mom arrived in a police car holding my china and slip. Seven bridesmaids and seven groomsment later, we cut the cake and headed to far away Park City for our first night.
Cody makes me laugh because he is so real. I love his quirks and his obsessive way he folds his socks. We have grown-up together and I am so thankful for our life and FOREVER. I don't go a day without hearing how beautiful I am. When he asks how my day is, he really wants to know. He is so willing to work so hard for our family.

The Honest Scrap Award

I love these kind of tags. Thanks Kelley! I started blogging because I don't journal or scrapbook. So these kind of tags give me a great opportunity to journal.

Here goes the tag:
It is called the honest scrap award and these are the rules...
A) First list 10 honest things about yourself--and make it interesting even if you have to dig deep.
B) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of Honest Scrap...

I am deathly afraid of the dark. When Cody works graveyard, I have a light on in every room. When he doesn't work night shift he either leaves a well-thought pathway of light for me and then returns to turns them all off. I know that there are spirits all around us, both good and bad. I just don't want to talk to any of them. Honestly, I feel them so I would just prefer to run as fast as I can out of the dark and into the light...

I am very similar to Kelley when it comes to my conversation skills. I worry all the time that I might have offended someone. I get very nervous if I am just one on one with someone. I am not really confident. I was surprised when I read this about Kelley, but finally did not feel alone.

I love to snack in bed. Pathetic, huh. I don't snack all day but something happens when I go to get into bed. I just want a little something. It can be as simple as a glass of milk or as complex as a cupcake (which I usually can't have, so often I go to bed a little honery). The worst part of this habit is I don't clean up after myself right away, so when Cody comes home in the morning...he can usually tell.

I watch Days of our Lives. OK I DVR it. I know...it's bad but it's something I have done since I swear I was 8 years old. I don't die if I can't watch it, but there is a definite effort made to watch it late at night.

I love change, almost too much. I have to change something all the time. I find myself motivated by change. I clean better if I know I will be moving the furniture. I cook better if I am changing the way I serve. I sleep better if I am changing where I sleep. Hence the 11 moves to our house, like 15 different cars over the 11 years and new and exciting painting since I can't move if I want to stay married.

I am a yeller. I have always been accused of talking really loud. (Working in a nursing home for 12 years has not helped me to tone things down.) I wish I were more soft spoken. I have been told, "I can hear you, I am not across the street" MULTIPLE TIMES Maybe I have a hearing problem or something.

I am not very patient. I can fake patient, but I truly lack this virtue.

I don't ever take my contacts out. I have managed to go as long as an entire pregnancy without changing them.

I have a really difficult time letting things go. I worry about the WhAt If'S in life so much that I literally drive everyone around me crazy and find little joy in the small things.

I am a DREAM CRUSHER. I don't allow myself to dream and make extreme goals. I am always thinking that something will never work so why even try.

I tag the following: Liza, Jamie T, Holly, Cheryl, Stephanie, Hanna & Vinessa.

Real-life walls

We are so lucky to have such good family and friends. Thanks Dad and Justin for your help with the sheetrock!

Out of the mouth of Brae

Braeden has always been really conscious of his body. Today he said to Cody, "Why do you look so good?(With a complete irritated attitude as Cody was reaching in to the fridge.) Then he stuck out his tummy and said when I do this...like you...people call me fat. But I guess you're used to it...


In defense of Cody, he has been working out at the gym every day this week and is GORGEOUS as is! Notice the Olympic theme music as I am fully anticipating Cody's workouts to lead to the Olympics :)

Happy Birthday Lexee!

We are so lucky to have Lexee in our lives. She is so smart and willing to love everyone around her. She is caring and enjoys life. She can wrestle with the best of them and keeps up with her brothers. Lexee came quickly to our family and has kept us on our toes. She has given us scares and always seems to come out ahead of the game. She loves school, has great handwriting and spells so well. She loves to teach school to her cousins and brother. She is such a girly girl, always waiting to get a little older awaiting make-up, driving and a cell phone. She loves to say her prayers! We love you, Lexee, Happy 7th Birthday!

Valentine's Day

Breakfast in bed was a wonderful treat from Braeden and Lexee. Last night we were grilled by what we would want for breakfast if we were to someday get breakfast in bed.

Check out the strawberry on top. I love that Lexee pays attention to detail. A trait I appreciate.

We awoke to some rattling of dishes and some requests to "SHHH they are gonna hear us!" This was the first morning in a while that Cody was there. It was a wonderful surprise with exactly our favorites.

I am very lucky, Cody saved money from something he sold to a friend and bought me some Valentine surprises. I am so thankful for the thoughtfullness of my family!

It was an honor just to be nominated

Thank-you Amber for this award!

It truly was an honor just being nominated :)
I nominate:
Vinessa Baldwin
Jamie Taylor
Liza Nelson
Kelley Allred
Melissa Miller (when you do post, they are great:)
Cheryl Loveless
Holly Strong
Kim Rogers
Jessica Lynch
Claudia Cash
This is what you need to do. Thank the person who gave the award to you, post the award on your blog or on a post, nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude, link to the people you chose on your post, and comment on their blogs to tell them about the award!

Electrical..check Heating...check check!

We are moving quite along thanks to Kenny and Jessica! Their expertise is amazing. I wish I knew of a good way to thank them!

NEXT: Sheetrock!

Framing...check!

4 fights, 2 days, a nailgun and a broken water pipe...not bad for amateurs! Thanks Dad for fixing our water pipe (I don't have that much water storage) Thanks Kenny for your nail gun (and all other tools) and help! Thanks Richard for your referee skills and help on the rough DAY 2

After it's all said and done we will still be married. (hopefully) Co just doesn't realize that I am a framer by nature and he really should listen to me.. :)

A journey...a chore...a hammer?

Another boy means we need to build a room. Cody and I are notorious for our handy skills. I think we have a hammer somewhere...
Braeden was anxious to vacuum the spider webs out of the window sill. This was his biggest concern of having a new room he also had an outragous request of some walls and a rug...
Talan is still convinced we are having a girl named Krista, yet was more than willing to help his dad carry the Christmas tree to the shed. He is such a powerhouse!
Our basement is a wealth of treasures...OK we put everything down there we don't care to use, see, or be bothered with...

Lexee is so proud...kind of

We decided to do a gender check at the hospital. Lexee came with us, in the event the baby turned out to be a boy, she would be the one to tell people. We felt that the more involved she was the better for both her emotional status and the well-being of our new arrival. So we got situated in the ultra sound room and the tech came in and started checking. The tech then started saying how much she wished she had only brothers and how she wished she could have been the only "princess" in her family. And then it happened. Lexee was reading the TV above when the tech wrote, "It's a brother!" She seemed OK at first...then she started telling people. Pretty soon I started hearing with a tad bit of attitude, "I know, I know I will be the only princess!" or "Yep all brothers!" or "ANOTHER boy!" I have to admit all I could think about was, "Boys get girls preganant...and now my chances are even greater!"

Talan's 3rd

Talan has been looking forward to his birthday for months. We kept telling him that it was after Santa comes and after Daddy's birthday. He woke up this morning and was thrilled it was finally here. They sang Happy Birthday to him in Nursery. He sang Happy Birthday to himself at his birthday party. We celebrated with his grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins with cake and ice cream. It was perfect! I have had so much fun with Talan. We joke he is an old soul in a little body. He is witty, flexible, athletic & energetic. He is anything but self-entertained, luckily he is a fun guy to be around. Looking over the past short time he has been on this earth, we feel so blessed he chose our family. He is curious, a tad bit mischievious and funny. You should never wake him. You should never think that he will get hurt if he tries that. You should never let him cry alone because he will go down like a ton of bricks. When he comes to he forgets why he was crying and carries on with his original plan. He loves to eat, lead music, dance and play games. He loves to play set-hike with Brae and "house" with Lex. His scooter has worn out and he has decided to take up skateboarding. He can flip on the tramp and has been known to let go of the swing in mid-air. We love you Talan! Happy Birthday!!!

Nana's Banana Bread

Nana's banana bread has become very popular recently. She made some fresh today & sent a loaf to our family. What should have been neatly sliced and enjoyed with a little butter, was ripped into by Talan. He took the foil off and licked the entire loaf and then there was none! Bite after bite Talan polished off the entire loaf.

Laughs & Cheese Fries

It's hard to believe we didn't grow up together. Melissa and I were able to reconnect a few years ago. Cousins by relation and truly friends. We found out after many hours how similar we are. It's amazing to know exactly how someone has felt and it's great to know that someone knows how I have felt. After our husbands laughed about regular yucky boy stuff, we talked about just about everything & we realized that not only were we similar but our cute husbands could have been brothers. We are sad to see them go back to Phily and look forward to their quick return for good!

A lesson learned

A good friend of mine reminded me that blogging is about a history for our children and the importance of helping them see the ups and the downs of life. I realized that I don't want to portray perfection either in my blog. I even dreaded blogging Christmas because it didn't turn out the way I anticipated. I have always felt an incredible pressure to make sure the holiday season was filled with memories, enjoyment & perfection. This year there was emphasis on expectations. I worried about everyone else's expectations, I was enveloped in watching the clock because someone was expecting us somewhere, I focused so much on what I had to do to, I became bitter. Cooking & cleaning for the next guests, party or activity took precedence over enjoyment. I know it's just part of growing up. I hope that by reading this post next year I can prioritize and remember what I did wrong this year.

Christmas Day

Yep that's a porta potty! We are that much closer to being prepared...

Christmas Eve

Gingerbread House makin'

Despite nighttime sickness, I am still trying to make sure we don't forget any basic traditions. So we bought a pre-made house and stuck it together. You don't see Talan, he was way too busy eating the gum balls.

A New Tradition

We decided to spend a little of our Christmas budget to take our kids to Tepanaki. It was fun to see the kids react to the chef who prepared our meal right before our eyes.

Talan didn't enjoy the shrimp hitting him right in the middle of his cheek. In fact he was very put off that the chef would throw food at him.

The kids ate with chop sticks and actually finished the majority of their meal. Braeden wanted to go back the very next day.

The Forgotten Carols

Every year we have a tradition to see the Forgotten Carols. Mom buys the tickets and we have a grown up night at a wonderful production.

Michael McLean is one of the most talented performers I have ever seen. This production makes us laugh and cry at the same time every single year.

I was scolded by a family member (Steph) for taking this picture. OK it was one of a few. However, the rules say no FLASH photography. (I turned my flash off)

She didn't mind me taking a picture of her, though.

Thanks Mom for providing this wonderful opportunity to truly remind us of the real reason for Christmas. I always leave the production with something newly learned every year.

Who needs a nanny?

We had Logan, Aaliyah & Urban over for a sleepover on Friday. Urban awoke at 7:00 am and by the time I got into him, Lexee had made a bottle and was in the playpen (Thanks to Nessa) feeding him. She said, "Sorry Mommy, I know I am not supposed to be in here, but he was too heavy for me to lift out and he was STARVING, I hope Nessa won't be mad!" She assured me she only used 2 scoops of formula...but we'll never really know...
All of my fears of having a 4th have been subsided, Lex will be there!

The Festival of Trees

Every year we celebrate the Festival of Trees. Traditionally, Angi, Vinessa, Marci, Lexee & Aaliyah and myself go. However, this year Lexee was going to perform at the Festival with L.A. Dance Company so we made it a family event. We were missing Grandpa, Jake & Adam of the Baldwin's but Lexee had a huge crowd to cheer her on.

She has worked really hard this season and did a great job! She is very thankful for Nana and the opportunity she has given Lexee & her cousins to be a part of such a great Dance Company.

And so the traditions begin

Every year we trek downtown to see Temple Square. This year we went with Grandma Baldwin, Jake, Ness, Carter & Ethan. We planned to go a little earlier than usual, and we weren't the only ones.

It was a beautiful night and there were tons of people. Apparantly we weren't the only ones with the great idea. We didn't really have to bundle up, it was quite warm for the time of year. Talan particularly enjoyed the "elephanties". There was one elephant on an ethnic display. I wouldn't have even noticed, but he had to see it up close.

While walking through the crowds we noticed some things people were saying. One man said to another woman, "Oh put your big girl panties on and get over it!" Another woman said to her child, "You don't want to know what'll happen if you poke me in the eye again!" We made it our goal to listen to others as we fought the crowds. It was so funny! Not everyone fares well in crowds.

My cheap digital camera does not do justice to the beauty of the temple. And to top it off the batteries died. But you get the idea!