Marriage

I've been married to Brad for 11 years today! It's crazy to think about. It feels like it has gone by so fast, but at the same time we've been through a lot together and we've grown a lot together and I am grateful for the person I have become thanks to Brad. A few weeks ago I was writing in my journal about how much Brad has changed my life for the better. There are many things I've done or learned to do that I love so much since meeting Brad and I don't know if I would have had the opportunities or desires for those things if it weren't for him. He's always been so supportive of my hobbies and interests and I never wonder if he loves me. I know he does.
One of the best things he's given me is our three children. He's always been supportive of me being a stay at home mom and I'm grateful we both feel the same way about that. It's been the best job I could ask for. I love our kids and I love getting to be their mother.

We had another fun day together. There is a lot of good food here in San Diego! We had brunch in Little Italy at the cutest bakery. They had gelato there as well so we had that for dessert and it was so delicious! For dinner we decided to try a Chinese place since we've had Mexican and Italian already and the Chinese restaurant was delicious as well! Yelp has been a big help in finding yummy restaurants! We spent most of the day at the zoo. It was a lot of fun to explore! When we got back to our hotel, the nice staff had left us chocolate covered strawberries for our anniversary. It was really nice! San Diego has been good to us!

San Diego

Tomorrow Brad and I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage together! We decided to plan a fun getaway and come to San Diego. My friend Becca is taking care of my kids at home and Brad and I have been having a lot of fun together.
We had an early start to the day with a 6 am flight and staying up late talking to Becca made it harder but it was totally worth it! I love our long talks.
After  our short layover in Boise we made it to San Diego before lunch! It was nice not to have a long travel day.
The nice guy at the rental car place gave Brad a free upgrade to a camero, which he has had fun driving around, and recommended a delicious place for California burritos called the Lucha Libre Taco shop. The burrito was huge and it was super yummy!
We drove out to The Hotel Coronado after over filling our bellies to lay on the beach, take a nap, and walk along the coastline searching for sea shells for the kids.
We video chatted with the kids for a bit and then we ended the night walking around the beautiful San Diego Temple. It is gorgeous!
I love having this time with Brad but I sure do miss my cute kids! It helps a lot to know that they're in such good hands!

Reading

Brad and I were up way too late last night watching the election coverage. We had both thought that Hilary Clinton would be elected and were definitely surprised when Donald Trump. We both hope for the best for our new President! Kade said he got sick of hearing about the election at school. He said all the kids were talking about it and asking who they all voted for which I though was hilarious since they can't even vote! It was cute though.

Brad and I got to go to Kade's class tonight to meet with Kade's teacher for parent teacher conference. It was fun to see more of his work and hear how he is doing. Kade is a really smart boy and I was so proud of him as I heard all his teacher had to say about him. We're so lucky to be Kade's parents!

One of the things he is best at is reading. He really loves to read and I hope he passes that passion on to Tenley and Ryder. He always reads us a book in the afternoon that he brings home from school and then we Kade and Tenley take turns choosing a book to read at night. Kade loves reading his choice to us now instead of me reading it. Tenley decided to do the same things tonight! Kade helped her with a lot of the words, but she still did a great job!

Home

I had an epiphany last night as I was reading Kade and Tenley a story in their beds. I realized that it doesn't matter where we live or what is going on in the world around us. What really matters is what is going on inside of our home.
Home is our safe place, our happy place. A place where we learn to be better and do better. A place where there is love. A place where the spirit of Christ is. Home is a special place. No matter what happens outside our door, as long as we keep our home a happy place for us and our children, then we're going to be OK.
I've probably heard those things said before and believed them, but last night was one of those moments where that belief became knowledge and I can truly say now that I know that.

I love this quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley:

"Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations. Who can put a price tag on the influence a mother has on her children, a grandmother on her posterity, or aunts and sisters on their extended family?

We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable family life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future. The decisions made by the women of this generation will be eternal in their consequences. May I suggest that the mothers today have no greater opportunity and no more serious challenge than to do all they can to strengthen the (home)."

New Nieces/Nephews

I learned today that I'm going to be an aunt again! My little brother's wife is pregnant with their second child. I'm so excited for them. It's so fun to see my little brother as a Dad and I'm sure he'll love being a Dad of two! And this sweet little girl is going to be a great big sister!

A Cuddle Sandwich

Sundays are the best. I always welcome this day of rest and spiritual enlightenment and extra family time. I needed it today!
After church I was freezing. With this nice weather we've been having, Brad likes to keep the windows open a bit which means the heat doesn't run during the day. It really isn't that cold, but when I'm sitting around doing nothing, it feels really cold to me!
Kade recognized how cold I was and he said he would cuddle with me to make me feel warmer. So I cuddled up with Brad and Kade cuddled up with me and I got warm in no time! I'm grateful for my sweet, thoughtful boys!

We got to enjoy a fun evening at our friends house tonight having a campfire and eating s'mores. Ryder played a lot with the big kids and loved copying everything they did. He's adorable.

Beautiful Fall Days

The weather was perfect again today. I love seeing the sun shine on the changing colors of the leaves. It's so beautiful! The kids and I played for a while outside this morning to enjoy the warmth. We ended up having a picnic on the porch as well!
Then after Ryder's nap and the BYU football game we headed out again for a family bike ride and some playtime at the park. I never want this weather to end!

Teaching Moments, Waffles

One of my favorite things about Brad as a Dad is the time he takes to teach the kids something whenever there is a teaching moment. He's constantly helping the kids learn and teaching them about things whenever they come up.
Today he needed to fix a flat tire on one of the bikes so he had Kade and Tenley help and taught them all about how to fix it. How to find the hole, what PSI to fill it back up to, etc. It was really sweet. He's a pretty awesome Dad!

Kade didn't have school today which was great! We got to sleep in a bit and then we took the kids to a waffle restaurant. Tenley and I went there several months ago for one my friends' birthdays and Kade was bummed he wasn't able to, so we were finally able to take him today. He loved the waffles!

After that Brad and I decided to go and vote early. And, of course, Brad taught the kids the importance of voting.

Porches

The weather was beautiful again today. When Kade got home they all just wanted to play outside so I sat on the porch and watched them and it was perfect. I've always wanted a nice big porch for that reason.
This morning was great too. Tenley loves her friend Nora and loves being able to play with her at zumba. It's nice that she actually likes to go now and I'm so glad that Tenley has her own little girlfriend to play with.

Prayer

After we picked up Kade from school today the kids played in the leaves for a bit because it was such a beautiful day! They had a lot of fun. But when we finally made it back into the car and were about to leave, Kade realized that he had left his jacket at school somewhere. He couldn't remember if it was by the trees where we were playing with leaves, or inside his classroom. He checked inside but couldn't find it and we looked all around outside and couldn't find it there either. We decided to leave and Kade was not happy about that decision.
I had an errand to run at the bank and while we were there Kade decided to pray for help to know where to find his jacket. He asked me if we could go back one more time to check for it. So we drove back again and Kade ran into his classroom one more time. While he was in there Tenley prayed for him too. He came out of the classroom empty handed but noticed his jacket next to a tree we hadn't checked! He and Tenley were so happy the jacket was found and their prayers were answered!
I was so grateful and happy to see their prayers answered so immediately. It was a really sweet moment to be able to help them realize how much their Heavenly Father loves them and how willing He is to help us when we ask for help.

November

I love the month of November! I love the fall, Thanksgiving, lots of days off school, and celebrating mine and Brad's anniversary. I also really love the tradition we started a few years ago of a thankful tree. Instead of taping construction paper to the wall this year, we have a little tree to hang our notes on. I like that it has become our table centerpiece so we can see it all the time. Today Kade was grateful for food and school and Tenley was grateful for electronics and toys.
And I'm pretty sure Ryder is thankful for suckers.