10 Wonderful Years!

Last Thursday Brad and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary!  I really can't believe that we have been married that long and yet it seems like I have known him forever.  I have been thinking about how blessed we are since we both still love each other!  There is absolutely NO way I could make it through this life without Brad.  He is such a wonderful husband and an incredible father.  He still knows how to make me laugh, calm my worries, and swoop in and rescue me when things get too tough!  As we go through hard times and wonderful times, I'm thankful that we continue to grow closer together and more in love.

Brad and I met in a student ward in Orem.  I went to church with a friend from high school because I was living at home at the time and I had the feeling that my parents' ward was not the ward I was suppose to be going to.  I was also on a dating strike.  I was sick of going on a million first dates and so I decided that it was time to focus on my schooling and wait for my missionary to get home.  After I met Brad I was surprised by the fact that I wanted to talk to him every Sunday.  I kept reminding myself that I was on strike.  But for some strange reason I kept hoping that he would ask me out.  After much talking with myself about the fact that I was on strike, the thought came into my head, "Give him a chance he could be the one!"  So I decided that I would give him one date.

Brad finally asked me out.  We went to Sundance to watch Fiddler on the Roof.  After the date I couldn't believe myself when I said, "That was fun, so you have my number right?"  Yep, I was hooked!  I wanted to be with him every possible minute from that time on.  I seriously love spending time with him.  I love talking to him.  I love that I am married to him and have the opportunity to spend eternity with him!

For our anniversary vacation we went down to St. George.  We stayed with Brad's parents'.  We spent the mornings spending time with Aleah and Cade and Brad's parents.  Then we spent the afternoons and evenings shopping, playing mini golf, bowling, going out to a movie, going out to lunch, going out to dinner... you know, everything we haven't really done together in a couple of years.  I was amazed at how much fun it was to go shopping, just Brad and I.  We really enjoyed eating out.  Just eating really really good food, talking and relaxing!

Here are a few pictures.  Our goal was to take lots of pictures of the two of us.  I don't know why we forgot, maybe we were having too much fun.

Cade loved to climb on and off of this step.  One time he lost his balance and started falling head first off the step.  With my quick gymnastics coach skills I grabbed him right before his head hit the ground.  As I flipped him over to see if I caught him in time he pushed me away and then ran off.  I guess I caught him in time!

Aleah has been watching the big kids!

Aleah had to try out the big slides.  She loved them.

Easter with 2 Cute Kids!

When I stop and really look at my kids I am blown away by the fact that they are getting so big and grown up!  I seriously love these two and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the joy and love that they have brought into my life.  This was our first year coloring eggs.  They had so much fun, and didn't want to stop!

Easter morning was just a usual get the kids up and hurry and get them ready and rush off to church morning.  They looked soooo cute!

After their nap we all went downstairs to see if the Easter Bunny came.  Sure enough!  Aleah really caught on to the easter egg hunt.  After she found an egg she had to open it to see what was inside.  Cade was a little distracted, but he would find an egg here and there.

We went to my parents' house for another egg hunt and dinner.  Aleah and Cade were ready, they knew what to do!

 Cade loved to pick up the egg and then set it back down and then pick it up again and again and again.

Aleah is really the cutest sister!  She found all of her eggs and then she helped Cade find his green eggs. She would say, "There's one Deed!  There's a green one!"  She would make sure that he got it in his basket.

Cade's special egg gift was bubbles.  He thought it was cool at first, but we didn't open it so it quickly lost it's coolness.

 Aleah's special egg gift was a slide whistle.  She loves it and figured it out fast.

 While Aleah was playing with her whistle Cade decided to put all of her eggs in his basket.  He was so proud of himself when her basket was empty and he's was full.  After a few minutes Aleah looked in her basket and was a little confused.  I could read the look on her face, "Humm, I know there were eggs in there a minute ago.  Where did they go?"