Family Pictures

Now, I know that everyone will be getting our basic family pictures, but here are some of the other ones that we had taken.  Our friend Kim Fletcher took all of these.  

I so loved taking these pix on the beach.  We decided to really play up the Hawaii factor.  We had so much fun.  Even Vaughn had fun and he is still so little!

I really like these mom and dad photos with the kids.  They are so fun.  Ally was actually pretty happy this day, she just didn't have her "cheese" smile ready most of the time.  

This one was a little embarrassing to do.  She insisted and we did giggle quite a bit.  I do love my husband so much.  Glad we have this one even if it still makes me giggle.

This is one of my absolute favorites.  I adore my Ally cat and in this one she looks just as cute and cuddly as she actually is.  It was so fun to take.

 And truly what do I say about this one.  My little V is so wonderful.  I was just trying to keep him happy while other pix were being taken.  Didn't even know Kim caught this moment, but I'm so glad she did.  I don't have so many photos of me playing with my kids.  I'm the family photographer and no one takes pix if the photographer is playing!

 So there you have it!  That is our whole family all playing at the beach.  I'm sure that's the best we'll ever look on a beach here in Hawaii.  The rest of the time I expect we'll be covered in sand and swim shirts!  Loves!

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone!

I know that its customary to discuss all that we're grateful for on a post like this and while I am grateful for so many things my list of gratitude is relatively simple and straightforward.

I am grateful for a home full of laughing, learning, silly, happy children.  Never thought I would be that girl who was so enamored by her own kids that she's massively biased all the time, but guess what?  I am!  Ok, so I'm not massively biased all the time (mom's are VERY aware of our kids not so great characteristics), but I am totally enamored of my little ones.  I have these moments where I realize they are just so cute or so good or so, just well, mine!  And I feel so blessed.  It doesn't happen all the time, but often enough I've decided to keep all five.

I am grateful for my amazing husband who regularly puts the welfare of others ahead of himself.  He chose the military because he wanted to do something special with his life.  He chose the LDS church because he wanted to be someone special in this life.  He is amazing and I'm so glad he chose me because now we get to be something special together.

I am grateful for my faith that has both saved my life physically and my life in a spiritual manner.  I could not survive the weaknesses of mortality or the sadness or the frustration on my own.  I could not recognized the joy in sorrow, the light in darkness, or the hope in despair without my faith in a plan and person so loving in charge of that plan.  How much I love my Father in Heaven.

Now you know my gratitude list for this year!

You also know how much fun I had making my first real turkey!  Oh, you don't?  Whoops!  Here you go!

And this is what a happy Thanksgiving looks like in our house!  

Loves to all!

Goodness Gracious! 11 Years!

I know, I can't believe it either!  It has gone by so quickly in some ways and in others I feel like we have earned each year we celebrated last night!

we so love fancy drinks!

We usually have been celebrating big for our anniversary in the summer, like August.  But this year we spent August in a hotel room, not being very happy.  So this year for our anniversary, we went on a great date in downtown Waikiki!  Chris loves it down there and there is so much to do because it's such a touristy kind of place.  I didn't know at all what he had planned seeing as I was still focused on getting settled and being a new mom for the fifth time.  But he got us a babysitter and had me dress up and drove us downtown in the icky traffic.  I was so excited!  I love surprises from Chris, most of the time.

He parked and walked us directly to a restaurant called "The Top of Waikiki".  It's a tall tower with a spinning restaurant at the top.  The best time to go is just before sunset.  Let me just tell you!  It was amazing.  The dinner was so yummy and reminded me very much of a dinner we'd had on our honeymoon in Canada.  The best part was that I got to see my very first Hawaiian sunset!  It was gorgeous!  The company was good, the food was good, and the view was amazing!  What a fun night.

So I don't want to be super mushy - not really my style - but I do want to share how much I love my husband.  Twelve years seems like a lifetime in today's world since so many people never even get married in their relationships, but it seems like such a short amount of time to have done all that we have.  We have both earned our Bachelor's degrees, we've both begun careers (though mine is on hold for the time being), we have five beautiful and healthy children, we love the Lord and work hard to invite him into our home and our marriage, and we are finally beginning to get on top of our finances!  What more could a woman want?  Chris has helped me reach so many goals and made so many of my dream opportunities happen that I'm constantly trying to figure out what else I might want to do.  I'm not being "dreamy" or silly, I really have had my needs and wants taken care of with my best friend.  He loves me and our kids.  He loves his country.  He loves our God.  He is a good man and I am so honored to be his friend and wife.  I'm so glad he was patient enough to wait until I was ready before he asked me to be his wife.  Should have known then it was going to be an adventurous ride!

Love my husband!  Happy 11th Anniversary husband of mine!