Tyce's 2nd Birthday ~ Christmas ~ Etc.!!

WOW!!! A lot has happened this past month. I think my December's are going to be very busy for the rest of my life. Tyce's birthday was December 21st and then of course 4 days later is Christmas!! First, I'll start with Tyce's birthday. Okay...I am going to brag for a second. We had a party at our house and has 30+ people here, including Tyce's birth dad, Jami, and a bunch of his family. It was really nice to see them again. They love Tyce so much and I am glad that things have worked out so that they can be involved a tiny bit in his life! So...here is the bragging part. I made Tyce's cake again this year...a train...check it out!!



But one of the best things that happened this holiday season is that my Dad and Step-Mom (Denise) came and spent Christmas with us!! It was so nice for us to have that time to spend with them with no where else that we had to be. There are so many other people to visit while we are in WA that our time with any one family is precious. Tyce and “Papa Brent” definitely bonded. It was so wonderful to see that side of my Dad. Tyce really took to Denise also and they played a lot! Tyce got spoiled rotten with all things “Cars”. Everything was Lightening McQueen and Mater!! And we got a lot of food and some of Denise’s yummy cooking along with some gift cards, comfy socks and hats and a scanner!! They were a Christmas blessing that we really needed and really appreciated!! Here is Tyce and “Papa Brent” painting their faces with frosting…boys will be boys! My hubby treated me really good and got me the Kickboxing bag that I wanted. It is an amazing work out and it is fun! So now, I can get my full work out at home. Tyce even does it with me. But every so often, he gets kicked in the head if he gets in the way. I guess he will learn huh?! It actually only happened once and we are both more careful now as to what we are doing! He laughed when it happened though. Such a tough guy!




Tyce had his 2 year checkup today and he weighed in at 29.6 pounds and 34 inches tall!! He is just growing like a weed. He is in size 3T shirts and 2T pants and size 6-7 shoes. It really blows my mind that he is so big. He is obsessed with his new movies…especially Cars and The Polar Express. Santa brought him a big train table for Christmas and he plays with it all day every day!!



I really can’t believe how much Tyce is talking these days and the things he is saying and doing are cracking me up daily. His new phrase is “I figure it out” and today he put his baby in Time Out. He came up to me and said…”put baby in time out”. I asked why his baby was in time out and he said “he hit mommy”. I said, yup, he probably should be in time out then! Things like that make me realize even more how grown up he is getting.

Now for our adoption plans. We are making in the process of completing our home study and are making some calls to inquire more about the foster to adopt program through the state. Who knows if that will go anywhere but we figure that we can be on that waiting list while we save up money to adopt through LDS family services again. Either way, we will put ourselves out there so that whatever baby is meant to be ours will be able to find us! This time we are even willing to adopt an older child…as long as they are younger than Tyce so that we can keep the current birth order in tact. So, I’ll keep you all up to date on that as things unfold! And pray for us that our next child will find us and that we will be patient until the time is right!

So, that is all for now I guess! I wish you all a happy new year and pray that you will all be blessed with health and happiness this year!

8 years ago today...This wonderfully goofy man asked me to be his wife!! What a lucky girl I am. The picture above speaks volumes. We are never bored. We have adventures that are usually messy and loads of fun!! WOW!!! What a long way we have come in eight years. I am sure you all look back and think of how naive you were about one another when you got together. It is a good thing huh? I don't know if Mark would have ever asked me to be his forever if he knew the REAL me...but I guess that can go both ways huh?

But we are so much better people having grown together through some of the best and worst times of our lives. The last eight years...

One MAJOR family drama (and several little ones)
One wedding
One cross country move (for me)
One NASTY apartment that was wonderful because is was OURS!!
A few jobs
A few cars/trucks
Three travel trailers (we still have one)
Four 4-wheelers (we still have 2)
One house bought and sold
One house built and for sale
Finding out that having babies was not something we could do ourselves
Finding faith to follow the Lords Plan
Tyce finding us through his AMAZING birth parents
Being parents now for nearly 2 years (the best and hardest years of our lives)

And above all else...

Working through it all together!!

Yes, I am a lucky woman and I have never regretted for one minute that I said YES! I love you Mark...more than anything on this earth. Thank you for making me happy...for making my dreams come true. You are my best friend and the best father I could have ever asked for for our son. Here is to MANY more years as your wife! May our life together be long...and if not...we have ETERNITY!!

Sometimes...All You Need Is A Good Movie To Humble Yourself!

So...I just got done watching a movie called "States of Grace". It is an LDS film that shows the human side of members, converts, missionaries, etc. It is a movie that will humble you and make you so grateful for the Atonement that your heart will ache. I cannot begin to tell you how inspiring this movie is. It teaches not to judge. It teaches the true love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for us. No matter what we do...he loves us the same now as if we were still babies. He hurts when we hurt. He DIED for us...so that our sins may be forgiven. How grateful I am for that. Without that...Mark and myself would never return to live with Him in the next life. We try to be faithful and we try to be obedient but we are not Gods...we are human and we make mistakes...sometimes, horrible mistakes.

I encourage you all to rent or buy this movie. It is one that I intend to add to my video library. It is a movie that I want my kids to watch when they are teenagers. I want them to know that the Lord will always love them and always forgive them if they just ask it. My heart is full tonight as I go to bed. Because I know that regardless of the mistakes we make. If we truly and fully repent...we will live with Him again.

Powerful movie. It is entirely possible that I just related to this movie because a lot of the things in it remind me of different parts of my life that I am not proud of. People in my family who have also sinned as I have sinned and how much I have worried about them and their eternal salvation. It reminded me that they can be forgiven as much as I can be forgiven...and we can all have eternal progression with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. Times like this remind me of how lonley I was before I accepted what I now know. I am blessed. That is really all there is to it and I need to be reminded every so often. It is good for me.

Sleep well my loves...I will!

This sums it up perfectly!

I stole this from another blog...It sums up EXACTLY how I feel about Mark and Tyce! Both I love more than my own life...And both bring all the love I feel into my life! I love you Mark and Tyce! Thank you for being mine!

Before we met, I wanted you …

Before I found you, I loved you …

Before I touched your face, I would die for you …

This is the miracle of love.

Okay...I think I need to loose a few pounds!

So, today I blew up a couple balloons for Tyce! He loves them! Anyway...Mark thought it would be funny to put two in his shirt for boobs and one for a big belly! Well, of course Tyce had to try too. All fun and games right? WRONG!!

A couple hours later, I was laying on the couch and Tyce was sitting on me. He then pulled up my shirt and proceeded to squeeze my tummy and said "BALLOON"!! Then he did the same to my boobs!! OH NO!! I was laughing HYSTERICALLY and so of course, Tyce was too!!

Mark of course got a kick out of this story and I resolved myself to dust off my running shoes...and FAST!!!

Children will always tell you the truth...you don't even have to ask!

"A nation will raise no higher than the strength of it's families" President Hinckley

About a week and a half ago...Mark and I had an Ah...Ha moment. We have been living two seperate lives. It was a scary and humbling realization. We have not been having any problems, fights, etc. but we just realized that we really have lost touch with each other. Again...SCARY! We both knew that with Mark's business and Tyce coming into our family (all within a couple months of each other) that we would have to pay attention and actually make an effort to stay connected within our marriage. A new business and baby is a lot all at once. Eventually, we just went day to day with the occasional outing, camping trip, etc. But for the most part...Mark went to work and ran the business and I began raising our son. So, on my way to work last Wednesday, I decided that it was high time Mark and I got away!! In 7 1/2 years of marriage (not including our wedding night and stops in Boise on the way to WA) we have never gone away to a bed and breakfast or some fun vacation together. And even moreso...we have NEVER left Tyce overnight to go somewhere just the two of us. Tyce is now 20 months old...this getaway is LONG overdue!!

So, I called Mark while I was at work and said..."Can I have your undivided attention from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon?" He says..."Sure...will this be the three of us?" I say "Nope...just you and me. I promise to make it worth your while"!! So, he is now totally on board!! LOL!! So, Friday afternoon, Mark and I dropped Tyce off with Grama and Papa for a sleepover!!! I took Mark up Ogden Canyon to the Oaks. This is an enchanting resturaunt with outdoor wood picnic tables and benches under canopys of fabric and trees...right on the Ogden River. Humming birds were flying around getting their treats out of the hummingbird feeders and the food was yummy!!

After dinner...we went down the canyon just a tad and checked into the Alaskan Inn...a cute and cozy bed and breakfast with wonderfully huge breakfast options!! The room was themed as a mine with real wood beams and a large two person jetted tub...complete with sparkling cider and cookies. We had a wonderful evening "reconnecting"! LOL!! I will spare the details!

The next morning, we checked out and spent the day "dating"! We went to the new Solomon Center in Ogden and spent the afternoon wasting money at the Arcade and playing miniature golf...Galactic!! My toe nails even had blacklight polish on! LOL!! That was fun! We played skeeball and deal or no deal and when all was said and done...we had lots of new little treasures from the prize counter to take home to Tyce!!

We then went out to lunch because Tyce had already gone down for his nap. So, Mark and I took advantage of just a little more time to "date". We went to Bajio (Yum)!! When we finally got to Mark's parents to pick up Tyce...we were exhausted. Tyce was still sleeping so we curled up on the couch and took a nap too! When Tyce woke up we were back to the real world...a place that we love more than life itself! We missed our little boy horribly but have decided that he needs a "connected" mommy and daddy more than anything in his life and so...Tyce will be having sleepovers with Grama and Papa a few times a year so mommy and daddy can "date" and strengthen their marriage!! That is the foundation of a strong family! I love the quote from President Hinckley that is in my home..."A nation will raise no higher than the strength of it's families" and I truly take that to heart!

So, this weekend...I spent an amazing weekend with the love of my life. Words cannot describe how much I love my husband...but I can say with certainty that I love him much, much, much, much more today than the day I married him. That is a very good thing!! I cherish my family and I pray for more to be added to it in the coming months/years!

Hug your families and remember the importance of a STRONG marriage! Take time for yourselves...your kids will survive the temporary neglect and won't even notice if they are being neglected to gramma and papa's house!

Which Villan Are You?

This is fun...post me a comment and let me know which villan you are!!

Your results:
You are Catwoman

Catwoman 50% Riddler 48% Apocalypse 47% Mystique 44% Lex Luthor 40% The Joker 39% Magneto 39% Poison Ivy 39% Dark Phoenix 34% Juggernaut 32% Dr. Doom 32% Kingpin 27% Venom 24% Mr. Freeze 22% Green Goblin 16% Two-Face 12%

With a troubled past and an upbringing on the streets you have learned how to fend for yourself through crime.

Click here to take the Super Villain Personality Test