4 Years of Wedding Bliss

Yesterday Paul and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary! Can't believe how fast time flies! I love to look back and see how far we've come in these last 4 years. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we were married and other times it seems like we have already been married for soooo long! But no matter how much time passes, I NEVER second guess the decision I made 4 years ago to be sealed to this amazing man for ETERNITY! No things are not always perfect between us and there are many things we both need to work on but I wouldn't want it any other way! I feel so blessed that he chose me and that he is the father of my children. He is EVERYTHING I always wanted in a husband... a dream come true... seriously! I am so grateful for him, his commitment to our family and the gospel, his integrity, his work ethic, his love, his consistent and constant desire of me, his humor, and so much more! My biggest and greatest wish for all those close to me is that they find happiness just as I have! 

This year we decided for a little mellow celebration due to my lack of energy and the funds we have recently spent on our house. However, Paul surprised me with an hour and a half professional pre-natal massage! It was wonderful and very much appreciated, although I decided I enjoy my massages from my husband SOOOOOO much more! Then later he took care of Brooklynn while I got to soak in a tub and take a nap! At this point in my pregnancy those little things mean the world! We then took Brooklynn with us to get some dinner and later in the evening had some friends over (Ryan and Jess) to play some games (at least once the kids were asleep). It really was a perfect relaxing day!

A few highlights of the last 4 years:

- 12 moves (12 wards)

- 3 positive pregnancy tests (2 full term pregnancies)

- 4 job changes

- My College graduation

- Birth of Brooklynn

- Blessing of Brooklynn

- Paul's sealing to his family

- Buying our first house

- Purchase of 4 different cars

- Family vacations

- Temple date nights

- Day-to-day ups and downs!

Here is to the last 4 years and many more to come... eternity at that! I love my Paul William always and forever! You make me happier than I ever could have imagined! Thank you for EVERYTHING!

Home Sweet Home

Over the past several weeks, Paul and I have been busy little bees...more Paul, but that is because my energy level these days only allows for one project a day! Our house is coming together and feeling more and more like home!

We have painted, bought new furniture, put up blinds and drapes, picked out a few accessories, hung one or two things, cleaned and organized! Decorating together has been a new and interesting adventure! I pretty much married a genius problem solver and an amazing handyman... who wold have thought!? He enjoys it too. A lot has been done, but at the same time there is still so much I/we want to do! In time...

I am so grateful for our many blessings and for where we are at in life right now. We love our new place, have made friends with great neighbors, we LOVE our new ward and already feel so welcomed! We are really looking forward to being settled and serving here wherever the Lord sees fit. 

It has been soooo nice to have Paul around more often...well actually 24/7....what a difference from our summer life! Now we are just looking forward to the holidays and for our little baby girl to enter our family!

Speaking of the pregnancy...we still have NOT decided on a name! It will come eventually, but thank you for all your votes and opinions! I had a Dr. appointment yesterday and all is looking good and healthy! And the best news yet, my Dr. scheduled an induction date of December 30th (a week before my due date), if she doesn't come before then! Which means I only have 46 more days...at the very most...of being pregnant! Countdown is on! I am ready to be done and to meet this little girl! 

I just love my Dr. I didn't even ask about the induction, he asked me if I wanted to schedule one and when. I told him I wanted to be in and out of the hospital before the new year and he said "okay". What a great guy! I know December 30th is our little neice, Violet's, birthday so there is a possibility these two will share that day, but I PROMISE I will try for sooner!

That is all for now folks. Hopefully I will find my camera battery charger soon so we can continue to document our lives and then share it with all of you!

Lauren's Baptism

Last weekend we were finally able to make it up to Logan and see the Giddings! It had been so long! We gathered for a very special day...Lauren's baptism! It was a beautiful day! Lauren looked beautiful and it was such a special day to share with the family! Of course my battery died on my camera so I didn't get very many pictures (mom, you'll have to send me yours). Dinner at Mama's was delicious and I could not get enough of the ice cream cake...delicious! Brooklynn loved everyone...especially her Aunt Anna! We look forward to our next visit!

Aunt Anna and Brooklynn...they shared so well!

Brooklynn loves her Uncle Joshie

I warned these two...and of course I got the goofy faces!

Brooklynn, Brooklynn, Brooklynn

This little girl is the love of our lives. It truly is hard to believe that we can love another as much as we do her (although everyone says we will...and I DO believe them). I always felt very comfortable and confident in my mothering skills of an infant and really the first year of life, now however, I have less and less answers. I tell all my friends that each new age is filled with both ups and downs, conveniences and inconveniences, but nonetheless, each stage of life in your own child's existence is a gift and a blessing! Brooklynn is no exception. While for the most part she is a gem, she also has moments that try my patience. Her new favorite phrase is "I don't want to." That is just lovely! She loves to make a mess at EVERY meal and can be a challenge at times too. But she melts my heart too. She loves to say prayers with mommy and daddy...say "AMEN" really loud, snuggle, give baby sister kisses, tell us she loves us, go shopping with mommy, tell mommy she looks pretty, repeat anything and EVERYTHING we say...and SOOOO much more! She has adjusted to a toddler bed, with only a few dramatic thumps off the bed...one being last night! She is just such a wild sleeper! When she wakes up she will just knock on her own door and say "Hey!" "Hey!" to get our attention and come get her. It is really cute! We bought her a potty thinking she was just about ready to potty train, but it turned into more of a toy to her, so we put it away and will be giving her a little more time with those diapers! She is getting better and better at letting me do her hair, as long as I can keep her distracted with something she will sit still! She loves "mommy's tub", although the jets scare her. She is well aware when she, or anyone else for that matter, is a "naked jay bird", she is obsessed with her binki (yes again) and blankie and stickers! She loves Barney, Elmo, and Baby Einstein, oh and Puma of course (Steph's cat).

She has become a little more clingy to me lately, I think she is sensing that our family will be growing here soon and she will have to share me, but for the mean time I will enjoy it. However, her attachment to me is becoming a challenge when we go to drop her off at nursery...hopefully that will change sometime soon. Paul thinks we should start leaving her with strangers (like Young woman babysitters) more so she gets used to others... I say fine with me!

Overall she is a typical almost 2 year old and we could not love her more...

The Giddings Family and The Giddings Family

Right before we left California last month, and I literally mean right before we left, we were able to get together at Grandma Giddings house with Josh, Cassie, and Baby Violet. It was the first time the 6 of us had been together since Violet's blessing in April, so naturally the two little girls had changed soooooo much! Brooklynn loved eating Violet's snacks and feeding them to her too! Violet knew right away that Paul WAS NOT her daddy, but she eventually warmed up to him and allowed Paul to hold her! We tried our best to get a picture of all of us, but we COULD NOT get the girls to smile! Oh well, at least it was attempted! As always, it was great to see Grandma Giddings and she was just in 7th heaven to have us all there at the same time! Those moments are FEW and very FAR between these days! So we will thoroughly enjoy them when they come!

Halloween...A little late

I know it has been some time since my last post so there are lots of things to catch up on...Halloween being the first. Brooklynn was Minnie Mouse this year and a darn cute one if I do say so myself! Gramps and Gran gave her an I Love NY Minnie Mouse awhile back and she has become obsessed with it so that is where the idea came for her to dress up as her favorite character! She surprisingly did really well with the entire costume too! She left the ears on, never touched the eyeliner on her nose and kept clean! We practiced over and over again knocking on the door and saying "Trick-or-treat" and she was so cute at it, but when it came time to actually knock on doors she became completely silent when the people would answer. She would just hand them her pumpkin for candy! And boy was she excited to eat the candy later, but daddy only allowed 1...but I am pretty sure mommy snuck her a few more that night! Paul and I took her to a nearby neighborhood and we went to about 10 houses...that was plenty enough for her! Later that night we had Steph and Mike and also Shea and Cameron over for dinner and a scary movie. I had bought tons of candy thinking we would get at least a few trick-or-treaters but we only got one door bell ring! Therefore we had quite a few leftover candies! I guess our neighborhood is too new and people were not sure if there were more vacancies or homeowners...oh well, maybe we will have some more next year!

Once again, holidays are much more fun now with a little one!