At it again...

I know I've said it before, but my kids are truly hilarious. Almost every day they say or do something that just cracks me up, and If I don't get these things down, I will most definitely forget them. So, once again, here is another installment of "kids say the darndest things"...

Sam is all about losing teeth right now. So one day she asked: "Mom, is the tooth fairy real? What about other fairies, are they real?" And my reply was: "Well, I've never seen a fairy before, so I'm not sure if they are real or not. What do you think?" Then Sam says: "Well, I believe in magic, so I believe in fairies too. They must be real!"

While playing with the babies, the boys say: "Hey mom, look! Carter and Taylor have Popeye arms!"

Just after getting a pair of new pajamas (and if you've seen the movie "Tooth Fairy" you'll understand this one) Gavin comes to me, sticks his bottom out and says "Do these jammies make my butt look big?" And of course my reply was: "Yes! Huge!"

During dinner one night Gavin didn't want to eat his beans so Kaden told him: "Gavin eat them! They taste good, they're good for you, and they make you toot!"

While watching America's Funniest Home videos (one of the kids favorite shows) the kids saw someone wipe out and Gavin says: "Ooh, that's gotta hurt. That's gonna leave a mark!"

During a bath, I told the boys it was time to get out and to let the water out. Gavin lays down and tries to grab the water and says: "No, not my precious, precious water!" (Ok, I just had Lord of the Rings flashbacks!)

Again at dinner, Gavin was complaining about eating some of the almonds in his salad. I told him that they were good, they had sugar on them. Then he says: "I don't like sugar." So I said, "That's good to know, then I don't need to worry about getting you guys any cookies, fruit snacks, or treats." So then Gavin looks at me and says: "Ok, you got me. I do like sugar!"

After putting on my sunglasses, Gavin turns to me and says: "Hey Mom, I look fabulous!"

And my favorite: On the way home from picking the boys up from school after I told them they could play the Wii when they got home they both said: "You are the best Mom I ever had!"

Yeah, I know!

10 Years and Counting...

I have to take a few minutes just to dote on my sweet husband a little bit. Yesterday was our 10th anniversary. I honestly can't believe we have been married for that long, and it has definitely been one crazy ride!
We spent yesterday morning in a walk-through of our new house in preparations for our closing on Tuesday. Every time I look at our new house I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for our blessings. I feel so blessed to have a husband who works so hard and is able to provide such a wonderful home for our family. I had always hoped that he and I would be taking a trip to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary, but our life took a different turn, giving us another set of twins, and instead of Hawaii, I'm getting a great house for my anniversary. I think it's a pretty good trade off.
Looking back on our life together, neither one of us would have ever guessed we would be where we are today. When we met we were only freshman at BYU. I can't say that it was love at first sight, but after dating for a little bit, I definitely knew there was something special about him. We only dated for a few months before he went on a 2 year mission for our church to Belgium and France. Those 2 years were invaluable to our relationship. Although we weren't allowed to call or see each other, we were able to stay connected through writing letters. I can honestly say that it was during that time that I fell in love with him. I have saved every one of the letters he wrote to me and cherish the opportunity we had to share our personalities with one another so openly and honestly. It was also during this time that my sister Katie passed away. Needless to say, it was a very difficult time for me, and although he was half a world away, I could feel his tremendous love for me as he comforted me through his sweet letters. He had known Katie and personally knew of the great loss I was suffering. When he finally came home, I can't even tell you how excited I was to be near him. I was finally able to spend time with this amazing man who knew me inside and out, and had already shared so many of life's ups and downs with me. He came home from his mission in July of 1999, and by that December we were engaged.
I absolutely love this man! Life has thrown a few unexpected curve balls our way and he has been my anchor through it all. He is a sweet father and very involved with our children. He is very thoughtful and attentive to me, and always tries to make me happy. He is responsible and dependable, and I have never once worried about our family's well-being with him by my side.
After Gavin and Kaden were born, it took us a few years to decide whether or not to have any more children. Mike was very concerned about the health issues I had experience with the twins and was worried for my safety. Finally he gave in to my emotional pleas and we decided to have one more child - which as you know came as a set instead of just one. When the same health issues and risks were realized, he never once gave me a cross word, or an "I told you so", but just went to work taking care of me and our family. When things fell through with the sale of our home he wasn't the angry or emotional one, but the steady calm that picked up the pieces and moved forward. He takes every hurdle we face or trial we bear in stride, and does what is necessary to overcome the situation and take care of his family. He is my rock, my confidant, and my best friend. I've even called him the "best wife ever" since he is never too busy to help around the house. There really is nothing this man won't do for me and our children! I love him more than I can say and feel so blessed to share my life with him. It will be exciting to see what adventures the next 10 years hold for us, and just maybe we'll be able to get that Hawaii trip in there somewhere!

Back to school

Now that we are finally finished traveling and things with the house are starting to calm down, we were hoping to have a few quiet days to enjoy together, but there is definitely no rest for the weary! Summer is over and and the craziness of getting back to school has begun! Sam started her first day of second grade on Friday at her new school. We are so excited about her new school. We got to meet her teacher on Thursday and really like her. After we completed all the items for registration, they gave each of the kids a t-shirt to wear on the first day of school, so on Friday when I dropped Sam off at school, we drove in to a sea of gold! It was so neat to see all the student and teachers in their cute Gold Rush, Golden Retrievers t-shirts. Sam was pretty excited about it. Although she is sad to leave Legacy Point, I have no worries about her fitting in and making new friends at Gold Rush. So far so good! She loves her new school, loves her teacher, and is still as excited as ever!
On Monday, Gavin and Kaden had their very first day of preschool! Although they turned 5 last month, we felt like they needed an extra year before starting kindergarten, so we found a private preschool in the area. It is a really cute little school, and they are in a 3 day a week pre-k program. When the boys got home from school on Monday, they said they loved school and had a lot of fun, but that they didn't want to go back to that school again. When I asked them why, they said, "Mom, that school takes too long!" I tried to tell them that when you are 5 and big boys, you have to go to a longer school but they were lucky because Sam has to go to school all day! That didn't provide them much comfort, despite my best efforts to make them excited about it. Personally though, I think they love school, but just don't like the fact that it cuts into their Lego Start Wars Wii time. Boy, life is tough!