The Best Two Years...to the second power

Four years ago today, Darrell married the most amazing woman he has ever met! And this story gets even better. Four years ago today, Janell married the most amazing man she has ever met!

:)

About 5 years ago, I started my first semester at Snow College (academically as a sophomore, age-wise a freshman). Before going back to Snow that semester, Darrell made the famous statement that he wasn't going to find a wife at Snow, because all the girls were too young. Pretty sure neither of us expected to find one another that year, but I'm pretty sure neither of us mind at all now!! Thanks Honey for coming along this road with me!

I'm so blessed that the Lord has changed almost every single "perfect plan" that I've established. He thwarted my "go on a Mission and go to BYU" by bringing my amazing husband into my life when he did. I then attended USU as an elementary education major, when originally I was an English and Music Major. He thwarted my "wait until I get my bachelor's degree to have my first child" as Steven arrived 13 months after we were married. (At least I got my wish of getting my bachelor's degree before baby #2, as I found I was pregnant with Lillie a week after my USU Graduation :))

Happy Anniversary to my amazing and wonderful husband!! I'm so blessed to be married to a man who works hard for our family, always makes me feel beautiful, and always tries so hard to make our children smile and laugh. (he's VERY successfull, by the way :)) It's been an eventful and exciting four years, that's for sure.

Thanks honey for staying up late while I talk your ear off every night!

Thanks for putting up with my experiments of healthy new fun recipes

Thanks for sitting on the bench with the kids every week in Sacrament Meeting while I play the organ

Thanks for taking Steven on elephant hunts when my brain is fried from a day of hunting

Thanks for traveling all the time with me to see family, see musicals, and check things off my bucket list

Thanks for supporting my desire to run

Thanks for being such a great daddy

Thanks for helping me want to be better each and every day that we have together!

I LOVE YOU!

I found these pictures hidden away, and knew they needed to be documented for posterity sake.

I like playing catch up….

The last week of July we thought it would be fun to go down to St. George and back in 24 hours. :) Okay, so we really had a reason for going down there. Haha.  Our good friend Robert was getting married, and it gave us an excuse to get to Cedar City to visit with family, and to see our adorable new niece and nephews. They’re twins, and I’m basically jealous, cause I’ve always wanted twins. But I’m happy they’re in the family, so that I can enjoy them every so often!!   They were still so tiny when we went. I think Jenny said Wyatt was around six pounds and Ava was around five pounds the day we were there. In other words, you’d need three babies to equal Lillie :)

 

Here’s cute little Wyatt with Darrell

 

Here’s me getting some snuggles from Ava and then with the two cute cute babies

 

 

After seeing the babies, we left the kids with my sis-in-law Jeanette, and headed for the fabulous HEAT! :)  I was super excited to go to the St. George temple, since it’s where my parents got married 43 years ago. I’ve been outside many times, but never inside.  It definitely did not disappoint, and Robert and Amy were simply glowing!! It was a beautiful ceremony, and fun to see friends!!

The Hogle Zoo

Last Saturday we headed up to Salt Lake to go to the Zoo with our good friends, The Fisher’s.  They brought some fun friends and family with them too, and it was a lovely event.  All week I was telling Steven we were going to the zoo on Saturday, and he kept saying “I don’t wanna go to the zoo!”  Then I told him mommy, daddy, and Lillie were going to the zoo, and he replied “I wanna stay in the car.”  Much to his dismay, we made him go to the zoo anyway.  And yet, he absolutely LOVED it!  We weren’t surprised that he kept begging to go back to the zoo while we were driving home.

 

Feeding the ducks

Being turtles 

Three little monkeys sitting on a rock

Zuri, the cute baby elephant.  This is what Steven said was his favorite thing at the zoo

Checking out the penguins and giraffes

 

The Carousel.  Steven rode a Praying mantis, then got pictures with other animals as well.    

Christie practicing her parade wave :)

How Steven measures up with those gorillas

I told everyone to act like animals.  This may be one of the only pictures I have of Todd actually smiling normally……

 

Steven loved the train too

Thanks Christie!! It was so fun to see you!!

 

And here are some cute ones to throw in of my kids playing after we got home from the zoo :)

 

Some bowling, and my funny kids…

A couple of weeks ago we went bowling with Darrell’s brothers, sister, sister-in-law and nephews.  Steven loves a good chance to have some fun, and of course, beat his mom…:)

 

 

And, as it always goes, if I try to take pictures of Lillie, Steven has to jump in as well :)  I really don’t mind though.  I get to continually look at these fun memories :)

 

Six months already! I really cannot believe it!

This beautiful little girl is six months old today. CRAZY!! She is so much fun, and loves to jabber, smile, and blow raspberries.

At her six months check up yesterday, her stats came in at:

16 lbs. 12 oz – 69th percentile

25.5 inches – 43rd percentile

I was totally bummed that her hair turned out so funky with the pictures in her tu-tu. I wish I could’ve known they looked that awful and I would’ve combed them!! Oh well, in honor of my favorite holiday being the 4th of July, those pictures turned out fabulously!