6 Years of Love

Can it be that Kristoffer and I have really just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary?!  It seems like just yesterday that we were married and yet, with everything life has brought to us, it seems like we have been married for ages!  I'm sure you know what I mean ;)

This year, Kris took me to Log Haven, up Millcreek Canyon. We don't eat out often, but when it's our anniversary, we take full advantage.  It was peaceful and beautiful and delicious, the perfect way to celebrate 6 long, hard, totally worth it years of marriage.

 2011, fresh transplants in Salt Lake City.

 2010, fresh transplants to Oregon, and pregnant with Owen!

 2009, our final fall in Vegas.

 2008, celebrating with a brand new baby Marin!

 2007, at the Las Vegas Temple staring into a bright, hot sun.

 August 17th, 2006, The Day.

 

I am extremely grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me such an incredible husband.  He is my rock.  He is so kind and generous and hardworking.  He has never spoken an unkind word to me and loves me despite my girly ways which can be just plain silly sometimes.  He loves our sweet children and wants to give me the world.  He works with me to accomplish our goals and is always willing to help despite what he wants for himself.  We have each had to make sacrifices, but it's part of what makes a great marriage. Never for a minute have I regretted my decision to marry this man, and I am looking forward to what the next 6 years (and more) have to offer us!

Owen-Up!

This little buddy spent this last Sunday in NURSERY!!  His very first nursery experience now that he is 18 months old, and he seemed to do pretty well.  I love my sweet babies, but I don't really do the whole clingy-child thing, I want them to love me, but be able to be adaptable and be without me for a few hours, I think it's a healthy thing on both sides. 

I can't believe my little Owen is 18 months!  He is growing so FAST, it blows me away.  Some of Owen's latest things include:

*Climbing *everything*, chairs, tables, cribs, beds, stools, bathtubs, bookshelves, you name it, he will climb it.  And it's exhausting!

*Owen says a handful of words: Mama, dada, dog, baba (for bottle), pizza, shoes, no.  He doesn't say a lot, but I can hear him trying to sound out words, and I remember with Marin that her vocabulary just *exploded* one day, so that's what I'll look for with Owen. 

*Follows commands very well and helps put books away, put his diapers in the garbage, sits on his bottom when I ask.

*When he's hungry, he'll climb up into his high chair and whimper until mommy gets him some food.  It's pretty cute.

Both of the kids had their check-ups today and are healthy and growing!  

Owen

24.5 pounds, 30th percentile (good progress with the goats milk, up 10%). 33.75 inches, 86th percentile.

Marin

32.2 pounds, 26th percentile (she lives in this percentile).  40.5 inches 68th percentile.

The Birthday Party

I think Marin has officially had her first "real" little girl birthday party, and it was super cute.  She had three little friends there, and they were all doing their thing, such four year olds!  I told myself I wasn't going to make a lot of food and overwhelm myself with being stuck in the kitchen, which I accomplished, but I think I overwhelmed myself with everything else!  With helping four 4-year olds decorate pizzas and run them inside to to bake and play games and hand out prizes and help with drinks and fruit and veggies and cutting the pizza and blowing on the pizza and helping them to eat the pizza.  Oh my goodness, I don't think I talked to one adult the whole time!  Thank goodness the party was only 90 minutes.  I was exhausted at the end, phew!!

Here are the cute little girlies!  And then the cupcakes in the second picture, with strawberry frosting, Marin's request.  And then the little pizza's in the third picture (sorry it's sideways); I bought some pizza dough and let the girls decorate their own little pizzas, it was super cute and they LOVED it....getting them to actually *eat* it was a totally different story.

 Little Owen partying with Grandad and his own slice of pizza.

 Blowing out her candles!!!

 Funny girl, she was so embarrassed when we were singing to her!

 Handing out party favors!

 My happy birthday girl.

 We played a game called "Give Princess Violet a Hand".  I drew a little princess and had the girls try to tape them on without looking.  Almost like pin the tail on the donkey.

 Drinking strawberry lemonade!

 Owen trying to get in on the action.

The party was exhausting, but totally worth it and waaay fun!  I'm so glad we were able to have a party for Marin, she scored some super cute gifts including a bike from mom and dad, a helmet and shoes from bestemor, some games and crafts from grandma and grandpa, a necklace, some little toys, a gorgeous quilt from Sallie and more. 

And Then She Was Four

Once upon a time, there was born in a city, far far away a lovely fair skinned baby, with soft light brown hair.  Her parents rejoiced in her birth, and loved her and kissed her and watched grow and grow every day, until one day, their sweet baby happened upon her first birthday.  Her mother wept tears of bittersweet love, and the little girl...continued to grow.

 One year...

 Two Years...

 Three Years....

And finally, the time came for her fourth birthday; and her mother smiled and kissed her beautiful girl while thinking of her birthdays past, and she kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

I really can't believe that my sweet daughter is FOUR!  Time is absolutely *flying* by and I'm not sure how I feel about that...let me rephrase, I *do* know how I feel about that, and it's slightly terrifying!  So, I'll share a few things about my brand new four year old:

Marin Elise Lyman

Born: August 21st, 2008...5 days late!

Birth weight:  7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Current weight:  32 pounds.

Favorite food:  Mac and Cheese, chicken nuggets, anything that sounds 'fancy'.

Favorite game:  Being chased, screaming.

Other things she enjoys:  Playing in water, reading books with mama, doing crafts, helping mama in the kitchen, singing songs, watching movies, calling grandma and grandpa, tattling on Owen (which is often helpful), eating chocolate, jumping jumping jumping, her stuffed animals.

And some of the things I love about my little girl:

~She is just so sweet and innocent and I love that about her.

~She loves her little brother, and it makes my heart melt to see them playing together and laughing together.

~She is always willing to help me out and saves me extra steps during the day.

~She gives the sweetest kisses and will stop to say "I Love You" and give a big hug during the day.

~She is just a good girl.  She's still four, but she is a good kid.

We couldn't imagine our lives without this cute girl, Happy Birthday, Marin!!

In The Meantime

I'm realizing that it doesn't take much to make a busy family!  With just working and callings, and sometimes just working for the weekend to get a few minutes together...I already feel relatively busy.  Which is fine, I actually like being busy, it helps me feel.....productive?

So, I have many happy updates, but they may have to wait until after the birthday party, the long awaited and waaaay overdue date night with the hubs for our anniversary, the dinner party on Sunday, the four days at work next week, the doctor's visit, the dentist's visit, the bridal shower, the pre-school orientation and the wedding.  All of which I am SUPER excited about (well, minus the doctor's visit; shots for both kids, meh.), but, one thing at a time.  Perhaps I'll be able to squeeze in a picture or two in the meantime!

Dinosaur Park

So, when I was about 15, my family came out to Utah and we took the boys (my two little brothers who were about 8 and 6 at the time) to this dinosaur park in Ogden...I still totally remember it!  And Saturday, we took the kids up there.  It was a HOT day, but the park had enough shade to keep us moving along.

We brought some lunch with us and had a little picnic before we started our Dino walk.  I was a little curious to see how Owen would do, but he charged ahead full steam.  Marin had some moments of trepidation, especially when we walked by the indoor Dino robotics display.  She kept herself pretty flat against the back wall!

Here's Owen, headed out to see some Dino statues.

 Raaaaaar!!  Check out this feisty feasting T-Rex!

 Checking out the large teeth.

 I tried to coerce Marin into making scary faces with me....she was less than interested.

 Hey mama, this is my belly.

 Say cheeeese, tail-finned Dino!

 Look scared, Owen!!

 Under the brontosaurus big-top.

 Lunchtime!

 Trunk slide, wooo!

 Happy boy on a swing.

 Caveman Owen.

 World's Most Dangerous Creature, eh?  I think maybe....

 Marin walking under that Brontosaurus!

 Point at the skeleton, Marin!

 A nice picture in front of the very furry ice-age rhino relative.

 A prehistoric alligator head, that would be able to swallow my little Marin whole!

 This little guy is a happy guy when he's hanging out with daddy, daddy is SUPERMAN right now and can do no wrong.  And mama is pretty much chopped liver when daddy's around.  It's ok, it's the way it was meant to be ;)

 Marin found this huge crystal in the corner next to the broom (of all places) and was mesmerized.  She was ready to take it home.

It was a little bit of a trek to get up there, but for the price of admission, it was pretty fun and something new to try.  We may need to do it again sometime.

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