Today

Five years ago today, I won the battle. What battle, you ask? The battle to get Mike to realize that he NEEDED to marry me or his life would be incomplete. That's right, today we celebrate five years of wedded bliss.

Okay, it hasn't all been bliss, we have our spats like every couple. But, I can honestly say that I married the best man for me. The first five years brought lots of excitement and I'm anxious to see what the next five will bring.

Happy Anniversary. Love you, Mike!

Little Baker

Anyone who is close to me knows that I do not particularly enjoy cooking. It just isn't fun to me. I do, however, love to bake. I'm not the greatest, but I do have my specialties. I have been told that I make some pretty amazing cookies. I was on a baking kick for a couple weeks and made several different types of cookies during this time. Dylan became my right hand and helped with every aspect...beginning to end. The kid loves to be in the kitchen helping. Perhaps he'll be on the Food Network someday. Fine with me.
There always has to be some prep work. Dylan thought it was fun to pull out all the measuring cups and spoons.

Okay, seriously? What little kid doesn't like to lick the spoon?

His favorite part was spooning out the dough and 'plopping' it on the cookie sheet. He would hold the spoon up really high and then let the dough just drop onto the pan. When it landed he would yell out 'Ploop' really loud. Hilarious!

Our finished product.

I love having my little man around to help with all the fun things in life.

It's Coming

It's taken quite a while to get to this point, but I can honestly say that I am perfectly content with my life at this moment in time. I don't know that I have ever been able to say that before. I have always been depressed about something, waiting to find out if I have to move, waiting to finish school, wishing for Dylan to get to the next phase, trying to lose those last 5 lbs, worrying about some member of my family, etc. The other day, however, it occurred to me that I am happy!

I love where we are living and have recently found out that we get to stay put in this house for awhile longer. I have the most amazing friends here in North Carolina. We are always having fun and finding new things to do. I am enjoying our ward and have an easy calling. My family is safe and no major drama is going on. Mike's job is stable. Dylan is amazing. And, I have a few things going on for ME.

Growing up, my Dad used to say he prayed for learning experiences for us kids. Those learning experiences usually came in the form of trials. So, as I sit here content and happy with my life...I am well aware that I am probably about due for another learning experience. I just know something is coming my way, but have absolutely no clue what it's going to be.

I just have a feeling...you ever get those?

Quiet on the home front

This has been an incredibly fun summer. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but we have just had a lot of fun with family and friends. However, I think I am about ready for Fall. If I had a child in school, I would definitely be ready for Fall. I'm already tired of the heat and humidity. And, believe it or not, Dylan and I are both suffering from pool burnout. It's been over a week since the last time we visited the pool! I guess that's what happens when you go almost every day for two months. I have a few things lined up starting at the end of August that should keep us pretty busy in the coming months...Little Gym, community center class, speech therapy. I am ready for the change.

The past few weeks have been a little slow moving, but we did manage to have some fun while our friends Noelle & Riley were in town visiting. Here are just a few pictures from our adventures.

We went to this place called Hopper House. They have a bunch of those inflatable jumping aparatus as well as some other fun play areas. The kids had a great time and us moms were able to relax a little bit since they were in an enclosed area. The moon sand pit seemed to be the most popular exhibit.

Dylan and I spent one evening at Renee's house (Noelle & Riley stayed with them. It would be weird for her to stay with us since we are living in HER house.) The kids had been outside playing in the sandbox and I didn't want to put Dylan in the car all dirty. So, he and Riley took a bath together. Totally cute and appropriate at this age. After bath time, Dylan tried to put the moves on his BFF's girlfriend. He and Riley were snuggling in bed and they kept kissing each other. Again, totally cute and appropriate at this age.

These kids just make my heart melt and my mouth smile.