The Big 3-0!

Yep, I turned the big 3-0 today, and I would be lying if I told you that it didn't make me feel old to say it.  During my 20's I got married, graduated from college, had 4 beautiful children, built a home and became a certified MT.  Part of me thinks, what could possibly top that in my 30s?  Well, time will tell I guess.  But I have to say that the more I think about the future and my 30s, the more I get excited.  As sad as it is to think of maybe being done having children, I am so excited to put that stage behind, and move on to the next stage of parenting.  For school events, recitals, sleepovers and just generally being able to take them anywhere without a diaper bag. Growing up I always loved that I had a younger mom.  She had her 4 kids before she turned 30 and was grateful for that.  I never knew if it would be possible, but I thought that it would be great to be done by 30 as well.  Well, it is not permanent, but Chad and I are pretty sure that we will have no more additions to our brood.  So I have matched my mama, and it feels nice. 

My dear friend Ida Mae's birthday is just 2 days before mine and she just turned 95!  We had to stop by for a visit and wish her a happy day.  For 95, she is as spunky and spry as it comes.  She and her daughter Carolyn are very special to our family.  I don't know what I would do without them.  They are such great examples to me of what it means to be a mother and grandmother.  I guess if Ida Mae can reach 95 with grace and beauty, then turning 30 isn't so bad.  And If I am as healthy and active as she is when I am her age, I will be happy.  So here's to my 30s, and may they treat me kindly.;)

SiX for SaM

We went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant tonight.  I never would have thought that Sam would have picked it for his birthday dinner, but he did.  As our families all know, the kid is wild about hamburgers and I thought we would be heading to Burger King.  But he picked Chinese and ate a lot, like a big 6 year old would.

We have only had Sam in our family six years, but it is really hard for me to remember our life without him.  He is such a big personality and full of life.  Our home was definitely quieter and cleaner before his arrival, that is for sure.:)

Sam is a special little boy. He was blessed with a good sense of humor, a handsome grin and matching dimples.  He has boundless energy and loves being around people.  I am glad we got to show him how much we love him today.

We invited Grandma and Grandpa "Saker" to come with us and we were delighted that they were able to join us.  Happy Birthday Sam, we love you Bud! 

Never say Never

It is funny how growing up there are things that we all say we will never do or never like.  I grew up with two very passionate sports fans for parents.  It was very common to be upstairs and hear my dad yell (very loudly) with joy or disgust from the basement depending on however his team was doing.  I would just shake my head and say "That's my dad!"  My mother matched his passion on more than one occaison and would usually be there beside him.  I could never figure out why they liked watching sports so much.  

During junior high I started liking the Jazz thanks to John Stockton and Karl Malone, but I didn't watch every game or even care to.  Then there was my dating years, and how annoyed I would get when my dates would absolutely love to sit and chat with my mom about sports.  They all said how "cool" she was.  Naturally, I could never ever see myself watching many games when I got older, let alone be passionate about a team. 

Now here I am about to turn 30 and I am obsessed... I'll admit it.  It started a few years back when Chad and I got tickets to the BYU football games.  I only thought I would go to a few that year and let Chad take the boys to rest.  However, I was bitten by the "football" bug and refused to give up my seat for the rest of the season.  Here we are going into our 3rd year of season tickets come this fall, and I can't tell you how much I look forward to that first home game.  It is crazy I know, but true.  I never would have imagined in a million years that I would: a) Ever want to listen to sports talk on the radio b) Actually turn the TV to ESPN when Chad wasn't around because I wanted to see the latest headlines c) Have to read the latest articles on CougarFan and ESPN everyday after I check my e-mail and d) Want to sit down with Chad and watch sports all day Saturday, but I do.  

And as if being obsessed with BYU football wasn't enough, now thanks to a Mr. Jimmer Fredette I have also jumped on the BYU basketball bandwagon as well.  It is really sad how much a win or loss determines my mood for the rest of the night and how much I look forward to watching these games, but I love these BYU teams and as any good fan, I love to see them win.

This has been a good thing though.  Not only now do I appreciate my parent's love of sports and often talk with them about it, but it has brought me and Chad's marriage to a new level.  Chad is not a hunter, fisher, golfer or anything like that.  Sports is his passion and in particular, BYU sports.  You can imagine how much more fun we have had as a couple over the last couple years now that I share in his favorite pastime.  If you ask him, he would probably tell you that he was more surprised than I was about my sudden interest.  Whatever the cause, I see no end to my passion for BYU football and basketball coming to an end soon.     

She cracks me up...

Emmi was quite the little chatterbox in the car tonight.  

We had a couple funny conversations that went like this:

Emmi:  "Mom, I think there is garbage in the car."

Me:  "Why do you say that?" (As if that would be something new:)

Emmi:  "I smell somethin' stinky."

Me:  "No Emmi, that's a skunk."

Emmi:  "Boys, do you smell that?  A skunk tooted in the car."

Then a few minutes later-

Emmi:  "Mom, I just saw a police car."

Me:  "Yep, that was a police car."

Emmi:  "I saw a policeman and a guy.  The guy must have killed someone with a knife."

Seriously, where did she come up with that?  I need to monitor her TV shows more carefully I guess.)

DiSnEyLaNd!

We just got back from Disneyland, and we had a blast! The kids were young and at times it was a little bit chaotic, but it was well worth it.  The best thing we did was not tell the kids until the morning we left.  The night before Chad and I finished all the packing when the kids were asleep and hid the bags so they wouldn't see.  Early the next morning Chad and I got all showered and dressed.  The kids were still eating breakfast and watching cartoons in their pj's when I got the camera out.  Cue the video...

There was too many pictures that I wanted to show you from our trip, so here they are in a slideshow.  Enjoy!!