Catcing up to Real Life

 Bub got to go to San Diego for a conference and he asked if the girls and I wanted to tag along.  Of course we wanted to go!

 We played......

 and played....

 and played some more.

 We felt so free and alive just playing together all day long in the sun, sand, and water.

 Hailey was my water baby.  She begged me to go deep in the water over and over and over.  She finally got to go deep enough in the water with her Dad at our last day on the beach. 

 This is Mia's face of complete contentment.  I only have one other picture of Mia with this happy face- I love happy girls!

 Bub got to coach Hailey's soccer team this past season.  It was a lot of work but a lot of fun!  I know Hailey loved having her Dad as the coach.  Special times!

 A San Diego trip would not be complete with out a trip to Sea World. 

 I am so glad we got to go to Sea World.  The girls were in heaven, everything was so magical to them.

 Mia loved these turtles.  She was trying to swim just like them.

 We got to go to Sea World for 2 days.  The first day it was just me and the girls so we decided we would get to the big Shamu show early and sit in the 2nd row, THE SPLASH ZONE!

 Just Chillin

 Oh yes, we were wet, very wet and our lips tasted like Salt Water all day.

 My Mia is now 3 Years old.  She tells me she is big like my size everyday.  I'm so glad to have her in our family.  I sure love this girl!

 Bub was able to have time away from school things and come and play with us.  Our time with him was awesome.

 We went on a lighthouse tour.  It was pretty cool except all I could see was ocean.  I'll be honest, I was scared-we were at the edge of land which is pretty scary, right?

 This was our second day at Sea World with Bub, we did not get wet this time.

 This was Mia's favorite animal by far.  She loved the  Polar Bear and growled like it the rest of the day.

 Happy Days and Happy Times.  One night we all went for a walk in our PJ's.  Our hotel was on a little island so we went for a walk by the bay and we got to be surprised by a group of whales hanging out.  It was amazing- we sat on a bench, ate a yummy desert, cuddled and listened to the whales.  It was a great night we will never forget. 

11 Inches Gone

On our last trip to Utah we decided to go to the salon and get some hair cuts.  The plan was to get Hailey's bangs trimmed and Mia had been begging for a hair cut for months.  So we went and while Hailey was sitting there she had a change of plans.  She decided she was cutting he hair off and giving her hair to another little kid who didn't have any hair.  So it happened and she is loving the short hair- maybe a little to much. She will put her hand by her hair and say, " So so cute, so so cute."  Hailey is so brave and was happy to get her certificate of appreciation from Locks of Love.

Bub's 3rd year of Medical School is shortly coming to a close.  Right now Bub is thinking he will specialize in either Family medicine or OB/GYN.  Bub's OB/GYN rotation is during May.  Hopefully by the end of May, Bub will be ready to finalize his decision on what he wants to do. Before we know it Bub will be applying to residencies, doing away rotations, and interviews.  And in about 11 months we will know where we will be moving for residency.  Lucky for us, Bub is going to an OB/GYN conference in San Diego in 2 weeks and we are going to tag along.  We have some friend who are going to, so we will get some much needed relax time on the beach and hopefully Sea World too. Bub has also been coaching Hailey's soccer team and the soccer girls love him.

Mia is my girl.  She love to cuddle with me-if I could I would hold her all day.  She wants to grow up so badly and ride on a yellow bus and go to school with a hello kitty backpack.  She is a funny girl-she makes me laugh everyday.  We will be signing her up for Preschool for sure, she is so ready. 

I am loving being at home with my two girls.  I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do this right now.  I can't seem to get enough time with them as life just gets so crazy and the girls are getting big so fast.  I have been dealing with a few different health problems and am currently recovering from gallbladder surgery.  I am so glad to get that awful thing out of me.  Bub has been by my side through everything and is very supportive of what I am going through and what it in turn means for our family.  He is always by my side- lifting me up, going to the temple with me, helping me smile.  He is so good to say, " It is all going to work out!"  He is my strength, my friends and family on both sides of the veil are my strength, my Savior is my strength.  I am so blessed!

Spring Break in Beautiful Utah

 

We got to go to Utah for Spring Break and we had a lot of fun!

 

4 Years ago on Easter Sunday we ate dinner and sang songs at my Dads bedside at the hospital.  He had just been diagnosed and was recovering from surgery.  I remember him talking about how much he loves Easter and about his testimony of our Savior.  It was a good day as we celebrated our saviors resurrection together.

 This Easter was very special to us all.  The importance of the Saviors resurrection is such a blessing in our lives and I think about it often.  We decided to celebrate again as we released 12 balloons with notes up into the sky.  It was a good moment.  

 We got to meet my newest nephew- Knight Longenecker on our trip to Utah.  Grandma Sandra was also visiting Knight, so we got lucky and we were able to spend time with her too. 

My cousin Joseph Wilson and his sweet wife Laura and Daughter Ryan were sealed in the Logan Utah Temple too.  We got to take an awesome trip up to our old stomping grounds- Logan, Utah.  We got to go to the temple, the sealing was beautiful.  We got to visit old friends and spend the night at a hotel with Bub, the girls, Grandma Tere and Eliza.  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUN!!!!!

Another happy moment happened in our family this weekend. My little sister got engaged to a great guy, Brad.  I am so happy for these two who are sooooooo cute together.  That will make 3 weddings in 1 year- busy year for everyone, especially my Mom.

Hailey had a dance show for St Patricks Day and Mia wanted to be a part of it so bad:)

It is hard to get both girls to look in one place for long:)  My sweet girls loved Easter at Grandma Tere's home.

Hailey is in Love!

 We went with my family to see a show at the Excalibur- The Tournament of the Kings.  This was the Prince of France and Hailey LOVED him.  She would wave and cheer for him and he would wave and smile at Hailey.  I have never seen this girl just melt in her seat and blush.  Hailey asked me, "Mom why does he keep waving at me?" I told her that he saw you wave. Then she said, " No, I think it's because he likes me."  Hailey was soooooo happy to get her picture with him.

So Mia has stopped taking naps. This should not be happening- I am so sad:(  The girl has energy all day and goes to bed around 730.  I love getting to spend extra time with her but I sure do miss my break in the middle of the day.

                                                                  A night together.

For my Sweet Dad

I have amazing parents.  I feel very lucky and blessed!

 I have had so many great times and learning moments from my parents.  My Dad was busy with work and his church callings but always took time for us.  He would play the piano with me, sing with me, teach us to ski on water and snow, play,  boat, talk with me for hours and hours about whatever I wanted or needed to talk about.  My Dad shared his testimony with me daily by his words and works.  I LOVE MY DAD!

 He is one of my greatest examples of someone I want to be like.  He loves my Mom, our family, his Savior and Heavenly Father.  He was a leader at home and at church who taught us every second he could about the gospel and how to love and care for each other.

            I am so grateful to have him as my Dad. I am so grateful that my girls get to have him as a Grandpa.

                            I want to live a life like my Dad did.  Full of love, life, and laughter.

                                                           A life dedicated to the Lord.

                                                     A life to be very proud of.

                           A life surrounded by people that I serve, people that I love.

                                                A life surrounded by people who love me too.

  I want to live a life so that when my time on earth is done, my Savior will embrace me and say, "Well done."

  I want to live a life that will make me be happy and grateful and comfortable when I meet my maker, my Father in Heaven; just like my Dad did.

 I have wanted to post about my sweet Dad for so long.  I love this man!  I am so grateful for the 28 years I was able to spend with him on earth.

 I do wish we had more time to make more memories.  But I am so glad for all the great memories I do have. 

 Although our earthly experience is just a small amount of time, it is of huge importance in the plan of salvation that our Heavenly Father has for us. It is an odd thought to think that my Dad's time here on earth is done, he has been through his earthly trial.  My Dad is now on the other side. 

 I feel happy for him.  It is such a great blessing to know my Dad is now free of his body.  Everyday I think about my Dad and I picture him happy, free of cancer, and serving the Lord yet again.

                           I will never take for granted the blessings of the temple in my family's life.

                      I am so glad to know I will see my Dad again, that we can be a family forever. 

 I have never felt my heart hurt so much as it has the past few months.  I miss my Dad- I love him. 

                                                 My girls will get their Grandpa back soon. 

 The greatest thing I have learned is that prayer is real.  And that every day that I pray to feel close to my Dad, I am blessed by feeling my Dad close by.

 I know my Dad prayed for me, my siblings, and my Mom all the time, he wanted the best for us, he was concerned for our happiness.  

 Now that my Dad is on the other side, I am sure he has a different perspective as a parent and spouse.  I know my Dad still prays for us, that he still wants what is best for us, and that he still wants us to be happy.

And I feel his prayers.

 I am grateful for our time we spent together here, and I look forward to being together as a family for eternity.

                           Good times- I will never forget.  Many more to come our way.  Our family will continue to grow and we will all be grateful to my Dad and Mom for all they gave and continue to give to us.  Our children and our children's children, will know what a great man and Grandpa you are, and be grateful to you.

 I have had a favorite scripture ever since I was in young women's. It is,   There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. [Ecclesiastes 3:1]

 Thank you Dad, for all the memories, love and support you give me.  I am so amazed by the courage you have.  You still helped the family get through every hard moment we saw you go through.  You always had your sweet smile  on.  Thank you for waiting for me to get by your side, to give you one last hug! before you left.  It means the world to me!

 I know that the heart ache I feel is but for a season.  I will always miss you Dad, I know I will see you again and that you will be smiling and happy.  I can't wait to put my arms around you and give you a big hug again.  I love you forever!

Book of Mormon

The missionaries in our area have given us a challenge to read The Book of Mormon by summertime with our families to strengthen our individual testimonies about the Book of Mormon.  We started to read with our family at the beginning of the year.  It was hard! To get our girls to settle down long enough to say lets read, is just hard.  Today I was thinking about how our scripture reading time went and was surprised by the change.  Today was great!  The girls were so quiet I thought they had fallen asleep.  Then when I stopped reading, Hailey said, " Read more."  Okay, I know there is nothing Bub and I have done as parents to help the girls become great and quiet listeners who just can not get enough of reading the scriptures besides actually reading out loud as a family.  The greatest part of my realization is that we feel the spirit in our home when we read the scriptures and I know our girls love that feeling.  I have a testimony of The Book of Mormon and it's truthfulness.  Now, I also have a testimony that reading to children (whether or not they understand it) will not only bring peace in my home but the spirit can dwell in our home, and there is peace, comfort and understanding.  I know this could not come from Bub and I alone but it comes as a gift from our Heavenly Father as we obey and our Savior.  I sure hope we continue in our reading and make our goal.