Happy 10 Year Anniversary

Happy 10 years of marriage to us!!  A usually anniversary celebration for us typically consists of a temple trip to do sealings together and dinner out (often with the kids).   It's always wonderful but every year we really wish we could get away and celebrate, without the kids.  We just never want to spend all the money that requires and inconvenience somebody with watching all of our wonderful kids.  Well.  This time we did!  We decided to ask my sisters to watch the kids and they all did.  We were gone for two nights and two days and it we tried to cram in all the fun things we always want to do together but don't because we always have our great kids around us.  We ate at the nicest restaurants we could find, we spent a day skiing together at snowbird (first time we've every done that together and have always wanted to), we enjoyed a night at the symphony which we both really loved, and stayed in the nicest hotel around and shopped.  We basically tried to spoil ourselves because we knew we probably might not do something like this for another 10 years. 

 

Our hotel

The Grand America

It was beautiful

 Since our hotel was right downtown we always just walked to find a restaurant or to go shopping or even to the symphony.  We kept stopping to read all the plaques that the Historical Society had placed that gave the history of all the old downtown buildings.  It was so cool to read the stories of the old buildings and what life was like in the city 100 years ago.  The picture above is of Dave in a little museum of the old SLC Social Hall. 

I'm so glad we got to have this weekend together.  It was weird to not have anybody else to take care of and not worry about getting home to get kids into bed.  I loved being with him.  I love taking with him and joking with him.  He is such a good, good man and I feel so blessed to be sealed to him forever. 

Just had to grab my camera for this one.  James was happily drinking one bottle when he stumbled upon an old bottle that he quickly snuggled up to his face while finishing his other bottle.  He really loves his bottles!

 Well what else are you supposed to do with that nice project you made at preschool?  Soon after he got home he ripped off the eyes from his project and stuck them on his face of course. 

Just documenting the mess and happiness :)

I know it's blurry but it was still a great night.  We always go out to dinner for each others birthdays and it is always a great time.  

Josh was helping Lincoln finish his dinner.  They were actually being bribed with cookies for dessert.  We actually got a ton of work out of them that night while the cookies were baking and cooling.  I think it was less work for me to make the cookies then it would have been for me to get them to finish their dinners, get pajamas on, clean up the kitchen, pick up stuff around the house, etc.  It was a cute night.  

Spending time with Lincoln, in a fort, eating lunch. 

A Valentines tradition in Dave's family was to get their own box of a favorite cereal on Valentine's Day.  It is a really cute, exciting (and easy) tradition to carry on.  

An Update

I love the idea of having a family blog and journaling the cute things that happen every day...I'm just really bad at it.  I always want to edit the pictures or think of fun things to say but the pressure of all that is actually what prevents me from ever blogging.  But I love these days that I have.  I love my young family and my wild boys.  I want to remember what a happy life we have from day to day.  So that is why I'm making another attempt.  The pictures won't be perfect and the commentary will probably be boring and unedited but I hope I will show what our daily life is like.  Here is to another attempt!!

 Joshua didn't eat candy for ONE WHOLE YEAR!!!  He literally has more willpower then David and I, combined.  We couldn't remember which day he started but we knew it was before Valentines Day (because he kept all the candy he didn't eat that year in a bag).  Here he is, after Valentines Day of this year with his first piece of candy in a year.  We were so proud of him.  We were so proud of him when he had the desire to make the goal in the first place.  We were so proud of him when he made it through the first month!  It is still strange for me to see him eat candy because I have seen him pass it up for so long.
We decided to pay him for all the candy he saved through the year (we kind of didn't want him to eat it all at once and we are always trying to think of ways that they can earn money).  We gave him $50.  He quickly and happily paid his $5 in tithing first.  He owed David $10 that we had him pitch in for a new desk he wanted for his room.  He wanted to put $20 into a mission fund that we decide we would start matching what ever amount he starts putting into that account.  And so he had about $15 left over to buy toys. 

 We finally made it to the store, on a 'date', so he could stare at all the toys for as long as he wanted and spend his money.  He was so cute and tried to get the most bang for his buck.  Once he got home he realized that the toy he picked out was not very exciting at all.  He felt really bad that he had worked so hard to earn all that money and he had nothing really to show for it.  When I tucked him in that night he began to cry and cry, which is unusual for him, about how he wished he bought what he had planned on buying and what he really wanted and how long it would take him to earn all that money again.  I just held him and tried to calm him.  Part of me knew it was a good lesson but part of me wanted to go out and fix it all and have him wake up to the toy he had worked so hard for. Dave was wiser and talked me out of it which was a good thing.  Josh woke up happy.  Sad that he had $0 again, but back to his happy self.  He ended up do jobs and earning money pretty quickly and got the toy of his dreams not long after.  Good lesson learned by Josh. 

 This is just my sweet little baby that I love so much.  He is playing with Cheerios and putting them into his Cheerio book. 

We went to visit Nanny and I kept making James walk over to Nanny and give her a hug.  So sweet.