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We are STILL in Colorado! :) Crazy I know! We really are planning on going back to Idaho...really. :) But anyway, since we are still in Colorado I thought I would do this week's Reasons to Be Joyful Colorado style. :)
I can be joyful because:
1.) We have had AMAZING weather here. It has been unseasonably hot--like in the 100's down in Longmont- but in the mountains it has been in the 80's. I really like the 80's. Some people think that's way too hot- like my hubby- but I LOVE it!
2.) Everett has learned to blow kisses. It is the sweetest thing ever. One night before bed Everett kept putting his hand over his mouth and was making a kissing sound. It took me a minute to figure out what he was doing but then I realized he was blowing kisses. Adorable.
3.) We got to go to Qdoba. YUUUUUUUM. We don't have one of those in Idaho...sadly. But we have gotten to go to Qdoba twice- once in Longmont and once in Steamboat Springs. Delicious!
4.) Everett loves to give his little cousin Dacia lots of hugs...although he doesn't really understand when to let go. :) He tends to hug other little kids for a REALLY long time. He doesn't quite get appropriate hug length, but it's still adorable.
5.) My Mom has an awesome camera and she lets me use it! During the time I was at my parents' house and the time spent at the cabin my Mom and I took over 1,000 pictures with her camera. I know, kind of overkill, but when you have access to a SUPER cool camera you gotta use it! :) Now we have lots of memories recorded for a lifetime!
6.) We had a wonderful time with our ENTIRE family at a cabin in Winter Park. It has been so long since we have all been able to be together for several days to spend quality time together and it was a blast! We had so much fun! I will make sure to post again about our trip to Winter Park.
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| The whole group on the porch of the cabin where we stayed. |
Once again I am reminded of how richly God has blessed me- which makes it so easy to be joyful. :)
I love coming "home". "Home" is in Colorado at the house where I grew up. Obviously, I call it "home" because now my real home is in Twin Falls with my sweet little family, but whenever I come back to my parents' house I always feel right back at "home." :) I remember after Tyler and I got married and we were packing up getting ready to move away, my Dad pulled me aside and said: "Just remember, this will always your home and you are always welcome back anytime." Yeah, I cried. And although I love where I'm at now in Twin Falls with my little family it's always nice to come back to Colorado..."home." :)
There are so many old memories here that I love. And it's so fun creating brand new memories now that we have Everett. That's mostly what we have been up to on this particular trip- creating special memories. My Dad and I have taken a walk with Everett the last several mornings and that has been a really special time for the three of us. We've watched a movie as a family, played some games, watched Everett play...which is an unending source of entertainment... and talked, talked, and talked some more. My parents have been spoiling Everett ROTTEN. Yes. ROTTEN. And I'm loving it. It's special seeing your son get loved on so much by grandparents, and it's even more special watching your son get loved on by YOUR parents. Not to mention that they don't live in the same town, let alone the same state. (So, Mom and Dad, feel free to keep it up. :)) We have gone swimming with Everett and played outside a TON. It's been SO wonderful to be "home" and relax. And it's SUPER awesome now that Tyler is here too.
Anyway, I was looking at some old
pictures of when I was young searching for ANY hint of me in Everett. :) As
you all know, Everett STRONGLY favors Tyler in looks- which I don't mind
one bit! But I thought surely I'm in there somewhere! :) So this is the
closest I could come up with.
Obviously, I'm in the picture on the bottom...apparently trying on some of Mom's earrings. Anyway, I see a little resemblance. :) THEN, I got started looking a lot of pictures from back in the day. I thought I would share just a couple of those as well.
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| The famous fishy lips |
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| Apparently my pop addiction started while I was still young. :) |
I wish I could write about every little memory from this last week, but I don't think you want to read THAT long of a post. But...since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll share some pictures from this week.
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| Having fun at the pool! Everett is half fish. |
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| Laughing |
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| Love him |
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| Not quite sure what to do the with chalk, but still having fun. |
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| "Driving" Papa's car |
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Hope you all are enjoying summer, and are getting to spend meaningful time spent with your family...whether it be at home or at "home." :)
Tyler and I were planning on traveling out to Colorado at the end of June, but our plans got changed...and I'm so excited they did!
My Mom and Dad called and asked if they could fly Ev and myself out early so that we could be at the house to celebrate my sister's engagement. Marissa had no clue she was getting engaged this last Saturday, but my sister's future fiance called and filled my parents in on his grand plan for asking her. Part of the surprise was to have a party with a bunch of Marissa's friends and relatives once they got back to house...hence, they invited the life of the party--Everett. (You thought I was going to say ME didn't you! :)) Anyway, we got to be with Matt and Marissa after they got engaged and hear "The Story" first hand, and admire and drool over the ring (which is AMAZING by the way). So I was SUPER excited to be able to be a part of their special day! Which leads me to my first reason to be joyful...
I can be joyful because:
1.) My sister got engaged! I am so happy for Matt and Marissa. They make such a sweet couple and I am more than excited for them! Welcome to the family, Matt! You fit right in!
2.) Tyler is coming out to be with us in Colorado on Friday! YAY!! I simply can't wait to see him! Everett keeps walking around my parents' house calling: "DaDa?" It's such a sweet thing to know that your son remembers who "his people" are and to even be able to recognize that a key person is missing...for now. :)
3.) I have such wonderful in-laws. Later this week Tyler's family and my family are all going to Winter Park for a special "get away" together. I am so thankful for the family I married into. And it's EXTRA special that my family is also such good friends with Tyler's family.
4.) My little boy has good manners...most of the time. I love how Everett knows how to say please. He doesn't always do it, and most of the time I have to remind him, but I LOVE it when he does it! There is also something very sweet about seeing your kid fold his hands to pray before meals. It melts my heart. And every once in a while he will yell out a loud "Amen!" (only it's baby language so it sounds more like: "Mamen!":)) It may be right in the middle of the prayer at times, but it is something special.
5.) I get to have a break from cooking. I really do enjoy cooking, but there is something amazing about getting a break from doing the same thing everyday. I am very thankful for the time spent with my family in Colorado and all of it's little joys. :)
I hope you all have a very special week! Keep smiling. :)
Happy Father's Day everyone! I feel like I should make this a two part post simply because I know TWO of the best Daddys ever- my Dad and Tyler. :) But I'm just going to be focusing primarily on my Dad for today. Since Father's Day is all about honoring your Dad, I thought one of the best ways to do that was to list all of the reasons I am thankful for my Dad.
I am so thankful for my Dad because:
--He taught me how important a relationship with God is. This is the most important lesson I have ever learned from my Dad. I can remember coming downstairs in the morning to see him reading his Bible in the living room. His faith is real and it was obvious to me then, and it is obvious to me now too.
--He always has time for his family. Growing up, I can remember asking my Dad incessantly- "Daddy, will you play with me?" I'm sure I was really annoying about this after a while. :) My Dad would always make sure that he had spent quality time with me before I had to go to bed. And now, even though I'm out of the house, I know that I can call anytime at all and he will talk with me for as long as I need to.
--He taught me how to throw and catch a ball. I remember COUNTLESS hours (and maybe a black eye or two :)) spent with my Dad playing catch. I never would have thought this at the time, but now I am so glad that my Dad shared his love of sports with me so I can do the same with Everett someday.
--He taught me how important it is to do your best at everything. I was SO lazy growing up and would often try to do jobs or school projects halfway. My Dad gave me so many talks about how important it is to him, and ultimately to God how I do my work. I am more than thankful for that life lesson now.
--He gave me a love for CU football. :) I absolutely loved getting to go to CU games with my Dad. I always had a list of instructions from my Mom about how much talking and how many bathroom trips or other distractions were acceptable because she knew Dad would never tell me he was a little perturbed at the frequent interruptions. :) (Mom always reads my Dad perfectly :))
--He gave me his "concentrated look." Now, he didn't actually KNOW that he was giving this to me. It's called genetics. :) For those of you how know both of us well, you know exactly what look I'm talking about. Or maybe you just know one of us well, but if you've seen "THE concentrated look" you know exactly what I'm talking about. :)
--He told me everything I needed to know about boys. He taught me how to be wise in looking for a husband, and he and my Mom both prayed for the perfect man for me since I was born. Prayers answered. :)
--He taught me about patience. I can't remember my Dad yelling at me- ever. If I was in trouble could tell if I had disappointed him by his face, not his voice. I have really been striving to be the same kind of parent to Everett as both of my parents were to me. They are both so wise!
--He didn't let me get away with anything. I am very thankful for a Dad (and a Mom) that didn't stop correcting me even when they were tired of it.
--I am thankful that my Dad tried to teach me to love running. :) My Dad has run SEVERAL marathons, and many other races. I used to ride my bike behind him as he ran to train for those marathons. He loves to run! I ran a couple of Sunrise Stampedes with my Dad and one Bolder Boulder. My Dad genuinely loves to run, but sadly I just can't love it. I tolerate it. :) But I'm thankful he included me in things he loves to do.
Basically, I can sum it all up by saying: I am thankful for my Dad's example. He has taught me so much and he continues to do so. I could have never asked for a better role model in my life. I love you, Daddy.
I can be joyful because:
Please make sure you mentally insert the above phrase before each point- otherwise it will sound like I'm crazy. :)
1.) I have such a wonderful hubby- This week was our anniversary and I can't even describe how thankful I am for Tyler. He makes me laugh, encourages me, and he is such a wonderful daddy. He really is my best friend and I couldn't be more blessed.
2.) My dishwasher is constantly full. It's summer vacation which means that Tyler is eating breakfast AND lunch here with me- which means more dishes- and I LOVE it! I am LOVING having Tyler home all week long. I know that most wives don't get to have their hubbies home for a "summer vacation" like I do...(unless your hubby is also a teacher) :). It's so nice to be able to eat all three meals with him. It's the little things in life... :)
3.) Everett loves water. We got Everett a little plastic pool and he has SO much fun in it. Which is awesome, but it is also special for Tyler and me. We, of course, watch Everett while he is in the pool and really it only takes one of us to watch him, but inevitably we will both be out there watching Ev play and we always end up talking...and laughing at whatever Everett is doing. It's really special family time that I cherish.
4.) I own a Brita water filter. I know this seems a little random...especially from the girl that would rather have a constant supply of Mountain Dew in her water bottle than boring old water...but I'll explain. I HATE drinking water. Loathe it, actually. I have never been a good water drinker- even in Colorado where the water is AMAZING because it comes straight from the mountains. :) If you think I'm joking, go drink water in CO and then go drink some water in some eastern state and then tell me what you think. :) Anyway, the water in Idaho isn't that bad but it's not the same as CO water. And I bring all of this up because at the beginning of this week Tyler and I made a commitment together to drink 64 oz of water everyday. Bleck. And again I say, BLECK. Hence, I am very thankful for my Brita. :) (And yes, so far I have had 64 oz everyday....and yes, I spend half my day running to the bathroom...ask Tyler how many times I had to go during our movie date.) :)
5.) Someone invented Skype. Since all of my family lives in CO it is SO nice to be able to Skype with them. This week we have been able to skype with Tyler's family and with my family and it was so great. We just set up the computer on a little table in Everett's room and then we close his door so he can't leave and we skype away! It's great because then the fam can see Everett but he isn't cranky sitting on our laps the whole time. He can still move around and play in his room while our families watch and we talk. It's so great!
Hope you all have a great week, and remember that there is always something to be joyful about! :)
"Moment of Merriness" time!! Woohoo! One of my favorite things to write about! There have been several things that have made me laugh this week. Everett is in such a fun phase right now. He LOVES exploring new places and touching new things...and he loves to eat rocks- my mission is to make sure he doesn't swallow them! He is a bit ornery at times! Which leads me to my story for this week...
Everett LOVES watermelon. In fact, he is infatuated with it. If I gave him a choice that's all he would eat. Yesterday, Tyler and I were getting our lunches ready while Everett was eating his lunch in his high chair. Everett ended up finishing his lunch before Tyler and I were ready to start on ours. I got Ev out of his chair and let him wander around while we finished. Everett had eaten 5 chicken nuggets, a cheese stick, and about 2 slices of watermelon...(I would have thought that would have been plenty for a 15 month old, but apparently not.) Tyler finished preparing his lunch and went to set it down in the living room on one of our tray tables, then he returned to the kitchen. We were both in the kitchen and didn't notice Everett moseying into the living room. Tyler got a drink from the fridge and went to set it down on his tray table and that's when Tyler saw him. Ev had hit the jackpot! There was Everett reaching as far as he could on his tip toes to get to the watermelon on Tyler's plate! He had already eaten about 1/3 of Tyler's watermelon by the time we realized what Ev was up to! Tyler and I just started cracking up at Everett's guilty, watermelon juice covered face. Adorable.
On a side note, we have been doing a lot to our yard. I got some strawberry plants (thanks to Heather and Brooke who gave me some of the offshoots from their plants) and we planted a tree! Now, I have no delusions of being a gardener. In fact, when I went to pick out our tree at the store I could almost hear the shrubs and trees begging me NOT to pick them so they could live. :) I definitely have a black thumb, so anytime I grow something and don't kill it I get pretty excited! So just this week my tiny little strawberry plants produced two itsy bisty strawberries! I'm sure the plants could have produced more fruit this year if I had gotten the shoots out of the pots I had them in and into the ground sooner, but I'm just excited that the plants are green and soft and not brown and crispy. By the way, the strawberries...all two of them...tasted AMAZING. As did the Mountain Dew. :)
Also, thank you so much for all of the anniversary wishes! We had a WONDERFUL day! We got up and made scrambled eggs and toast together, went on a walk, relaxed at home together, and went on a date to a movie, Target, and Applebee's. So fun! :)
Hope you all have a very happy rest of your week!
Tyler and I are celebrating 4 years of blissful marriage tomorrow! Time flies when you're having fun! I am one of those sentimental type of people who likes to look back and remember and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :) So because it's our anniversary I thought I would look back at how God brought Tyler and me together...and I thought I would share it with you. Sorry, if it's a little bit of picture overload. :)
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| I'm on the right- note the evil PERM! |
Tyler and I met in 2nd grade. My Mom and Dad and just moved me from public school to a small private Christian school (Faith Baptist School in Longmont,CO). It's funny to think of it now, but back in the day, Tyler and I were completely different than how we are now. Back then- mostly through elementary- I was the shy one and Tyler was the talker. (Haha! So weird!) I know I've told a couple of people this before, but I really believe it was because I had a perm. You know the kind where your bangs poof out so far that no body can even get near you to talk to you? Yes. I had one of those. Anyway, I started coming out of my shell a little more in later elementary when I started playing sports at recess instead of house...or whatever it was we played. :) Kickball soon became one of my FAVORITE games at recess! I think I found it easier to talk to people while we were playing a sport or something...but pretty soon I lost ALL of my shyness and I haven't shut up since. :) Now Tyler on the other hand, he was really outgoing in elementary, but as he has gotten older has gotten quieter. I hope this isn't a continuing trend, otherwise when we're 60 he may not talk at all. Haha! :)
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| Our very first date when we were 16 :) |
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| Our senior year of high school |
Once we hit high school and we both turned 16 we got our licenses and then Tyler asked my Dad if he could date me. You'll have to ask Tyler about that sometime. :) We dated all through out high school. Our senior year we were deciding where we each wanted to go to college. We purposely didn't tell each other where we had planned to go to college so we wouldn't be tempted to make our decision based on where the other one was going. As it turned out God led us both to Northland Baptist Bible College (now Northland International University). Tyler majored in Math Education and I majored in Elementary Education.
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| Where we got engaged |
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The spring break of our junior year of college we got engaged. Tyler took me to the mountains for a day and proposed as the sun was setting in front of a beautiful lake with the mountains in the background. It was perfect!
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| Driving out to Idaho to check out TFCA |
Then our senior year we started looking for jobs for after we graduated. We hadn't really started looking seriously yet when Tyler got a call from TFCA. They were looking for a math teacher. Tyler asked if they were possibly also looking for an elementary teacher as he was marrying one that summer. :) The Lord had already worked things out because the church was just getting ready to vote on starting construction on another building so they could split the 3rd and 4th grades....meaning they would need another elementary teacher! Tyler said we were definitely interested.
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| Graduation! |
The spring break of our senior year of college we went out to visit TFCA to see if this might be where the Lord wanted us. Turns out it was! We graduated in May and went back to Colorado to finish up preparing for our wedding.
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| I LOVE this picture, but Tyler isn't huge fan because the photographer made him do crazy things. :) |
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| The house we rented and lived in for 3 years |
We got married on June 12, and then we moved out to Idaho on August 1st. We rented a house from the Galkins and stayed there for 3 years and 25 days. :) During that time, we had Everett join us in March of 2011. Another one of those "best days ever!" And 5 months after Everett was born we bought our first house and moved in on August 26th.
I am so thankful that God allowed me to marry Tyler. He is one of God's special gifts to me. I certainly don't deserve a husband like Tyler. I am SO thankful for his leadership, wisdom, and love.
So there's our story. :) It was so fun remembering and going through old photos to share! If you made it to the end of my super long post, thanks for reading! :) :)
I've decided to do my best every week to post several things that I can be joyful about. I believe that living in joy is a choice and to choose to NOT live in joy can rob you of some of God's richest blessings. So this is my small way of remembering to choose joy. :)
1.) My family- I am beyond thankful for my sweet little family and for my extended family. Each one of my family members has a special place in my heart and I am so thankful that God has blessed me so much in giving me such wonderful people to live my life with.
2.) My house- It's been almost one year since we bought our house and it is a dream come true! Tyler and I often joke about how God must have made the housing market crash for the sole purpose of allowing us to buy a house. Not only did God bless us with a house...He blessed us with the PERFECT house. It is exactly what we had been praying for. We knew that we were praying for 'wants' and not 'needs' but God gave us our 'wants' as well as our 'needs'. We prayed specifically for a bigger backyard, a two car garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, (and I prayed for a dishwasher- no joke.) and all of those things we were praying would be able to fit into our budget. Hence, the Lord made the housing market crash. :) That's what we say anyway. :)
3.) Moving to Idaho- It might be hard to imagine that it would be a joyful or happy thing to move away from both sides of your family and the Promised Land of Colorado...but when you are in the center of God's will it's hard not to be joyful. We are SO thankful that God lead us to Idaho, Twin Falls Christian Academy, and Grace Baptist Church. God has allowed us to have such incredible friends and an amazing church family. Our lives are RICH.
4.) Everett- I didn't realize that such a small little person could bring so much joy to our lives. I knew that having a kid would be an amazing blessing, but I didn't realize HOW MUCH of a blessing. There is something very special about holding your own brand new baby and then watching that baby grow each day and learn new things. My heart overflows with gratitude to God on a daily basis for Everett.
Have a joy filled day! :)
I always enjoy seeing and reading my friends' blogs. I always come away having learned something new about them and their families, or I come away refreshed and challenged...or with a new recipe to try out. :) SO...I decided to give this a try! Apparently, I have some serious learning to do about technology because in order to set up this blog I ended up using most of an afternoon! Ridiculous. I really didn't think I was that far behind technology, but apparently I am. I will say that I didn't have to ask Tyler to help me at all and that's a little bit of a redeeming point. :)
I decided on the title "Life is Better with Laughter" because I really do believe that laughter in life is key. (Of course I'm not saying that's all you need in life to be fulfilled. But I do think it is important.) I can remember my Dad saying to me at one point that it is a real benefit in life if you can learn to laugh at yourself. I can't remember if I was receiving that talk because of my shortcomings in that area, or if it was just a little nugget of wisdom he wanted to pass on to me. Regardless, it has stuck with me and it is something that I try to remember. My Mom and Dad gave me a lot of very sound Biblical advice growing up and it is something that I am very grateful for.
Anyway, I plan to use this blog to share a lot of the things in life that make me laugh. Whether they be things that I have had to LEARN to laugh at (because I didn't find them funny at the time) or things that just naturally make me laugh. Basically, I want to be an encouragement. I want to share the lessons that God is teaching me and the things in every day life that have tickled me.
So, for my very first "Moment of Merriment", as I'm going to be calling these random stories of mirth (sorry, I couldn't resist another 'm' word :)) I want to share with you what happened today.
I've been on an organizing frenzy these last couple of days and I was in the process of organizing our walk-in closet. Everett had just woken up from his nap so he was wandering around our room as I organized. I was on my way out of the closet with my arms full of stuff when I saw Everett going for my nightstand. It wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that I'm delinquent and I had left my cup full of water within Everett's reach. Before I had time to do or say anything Everett grabbed the cup and inverted it over his head spilling water ALL OVER himself and the carpet. I just about DIED laughing. He had such a shocked expression on his face from suddenly getting wet and I think he was also concerned about his Mama laughing hysterically on the floor. Anyway, I got control of myself...and my bladder...jk :) and grabbed the camera to document the moment.
Notice the water on the carpet behind Ev. :)
And here he is all wet. :) He ended up running around in his diaper for some time after this.
Well, thanks for taking time to read my post. Have a great day with lots of laughs!
