Happy Anniversary to the BEST husband in the world!!!!

You told me the day you asked me to marry you that you wanted to spend the rest of your life making me happy. Even through medical school and residency you have done just that. I love you more than ever. You are my best friend and I love every moment we have together.

Thank you for..........

1. Being my best friend
2. Always doing the dishes
3. Loving your children
4. Putting God first in your life
5. Doing everything possible to give your family the best future
6. Sacrificing much of your time. energy, and brain power to do so
7. Loving me when I am a drained and crabby mom and wife(even though that rarely happens) Ha!!!
8. Telling me you love me everyday
9. Still telling me I look "Smokin Hot"
10. remembering the simplest things I say or want...I sometimes can't even remember saying them
11. Making me laugh
12. Staying up late to talk
13. Talking to me so many times when you were so tired but you knew I needed to ramble
14. Giving me three beautiful children
15. Never second guessing anything I do or buy ;)
16. Keeping our marriage covenants sacred for time and all eternity!!
17. Always picking up after yourself and your kids...and sometimes me
18. For always making me feel loved!!!
19. I love how much you love your children and how your face lights up every time you come home to see them
20. As Thomas use to say "You make me happy"


I could go on and on. I am basically the luckiest girl in the world that I have you for ever and ever. Everyone told me I was soooo picky and that it would be a miracle if I got married. Nope....it just took meeting you! You had everything I was looking for in a husband and so much more. I love that we compliment each others weaknesses and strengths. We have been married 8 years now all of which have been in medical school and residency and through it all we are closer than ever. Together we can conquer anything. I love you!!!!

Today.........

Thomas melted my heart by saying (I was upstairs and he was in the kitchen), "Mom I love you".........I told him I loved him too. I kinda thought he was trying to melt my heart in return for something so I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that."

I got to play all day with my kids. I gave them my full attention all day and we had a blast. I wish I didn't have any responsibilities so everyday could be like that.

The kids wanted me to pretend they were my babies again(little do they know they always will be). I rocked them and sang them songs and tickled their faces. I loved rocking Thomas as he actually fell asleep in my arms. I soaked in the moment and thought to myself where the time has gone where my sweet little baby turned into a boy. I love those moments where I think about the time when me needed me so much and now he wants to do everything all by himself. I'll be honest though....I loved my children as babies and newborns but I am glad they are were they are at today. I love seeing their personalities blossom. I might freeze Brynnley to stay were she is at though. I am so enjoying her at her little 14 months of age. As I did Avery and Thomas but you don't realize how much you will enjoy them as they grow too.

I loved watching the kids take Brynnley on carpet rides(with their towels). Thomas would pull Avery an then they would switch. They both just kept giving Brynnley turns as because she loved it so much. I loved hearing them all laughing as I made dinner.

How could I forget the "one eyed T Rex" that came downstairs to scare us all. I must say, he sure had Brynnley eyeing down his one eye. He was adamant that only one eye was showing.

FYI.........those red riders on his head were fresh out of the dryer!!


Today.......was great!

Dedicated to my brother Spencer.....this song does have a great message, but it also makes me laugh so hard when I hear it because of my brother. I was in the car the other day and heard this song on the radio and thought of you as I began crying because I was laughing so hard thinking about the controversy this song brought! Spence that is why we all love you. Have you looked in the mirror lately Spence and made that change??

Moments......

Thomas trying to hear the ocean with his cup at lunch...LOVE this boys imagination! I wonder if that works:)

I picked the kids up from school and had to run to Target really quick and had to take a back road to get there quicker. The kids know my usual routes, so Avery quickly noticed we were not on the "target path." She was concerned and said, "Mom we are lost." Thomas didn't skip a beat and said, "Avery we aren't lost....Heavenly Father and Jesus will help us." He said it with total confidence. Oh the faith of a child!!! It's always a great reminder.

My little girl is growing up....She came into my room the other morning and said, "Mom I need to show you the steps to do my own hair"... so she showed me "the steps" of putting a clip in and how to put it in a pony tail. I thought it was soooo cute! She really can't see me putting her own pony tail in but somehow she figured it out. I just thought she wouldn't be doing that for a another year or so I haven't showed her how to do her own hair but she figured it out on her own. She is very proud of herself.

Sisterly love!! I hope they don't fight over clothes, room space etc. like me and my sister did! I remember when my little sister and I shared a room(keep in mind we are 5 years apart) and we literally drew a line to separate our own side of the room and the other was banned from entering! We are good friends now though...that's all that matters:)

Ready for battle! How convenient the big lightsaber came with a minisaber for little sis! Oh and Brynnley does have two legs!! Not sure where the other one is though in this picture.

Click onto the link below(Brynnley Jean the bouncing queen) to see my workout buddy!.....Sorry it's sideways and kinda dark...you get the idea of how entertained I am though:)

Brynnley Jean the bouncing queen


She is so cute! She'll bounce, dance, and gab at me while we jam to some tunes.........I LOVE IT!

"Mom let's talk!"

As I was getting the typical Monday stuff done I quickly stopped folding laundry when my Avery said, "Mom let's talk."

We talked about our move to Cincinnati and when I told her she would have her own room she quickly replied, "Score....YES!" (Score???Ha!) She has been sharing her room with her little sister who use to wake Avery up from time to time. Avery never has complained. She also loves Avery's toys and loves to destroy her doll house. Avery rarely complains about that either. Based on this comment, I think she is excited to have her own space! She deserves it.....especially because she always keeps her space clean!

She then wanted to plan Thomas birthday and all that WE needed to do together to get it planned. I was cracking up at her ideas. We are going to be making a cake together, plan some games that she made up, and we will both put up the decorations. She has it all figured out so I just have to help her execute it. She must have talked for 30 min. none stop. I love and cherish those "mom let's talk" moments! Luckily, they happen often. She is growing up too fast. I love her so much and have always had so much fun with her. As she is growing up I see a great leader in her. She makes friends so easy and often gathers them up and starts a game with kids she doesn't even know. Like the other day at the mall we were playing in the play area where she had a group of 5 girls playing some made up game and after I told her we had to go, she was arranging for them to meet up the next day. Where is that timid little girl? She is a girl with mission and a plan. She still asks me every night what we will do the next day. I just plan on continuing to cherish these conversations and moments while I have them. I have a feeling I will have them for a long time!!

Mom look what you started.......I know your laughing!!!

I had to post this for you mom! This is has been added to our after Sunday tradition. Instead of boring old round pancakes at our house we now offer letter, shapes, animals, etc. The kids think its the greatest thing as their requests become pancake art. Too much fun........Eric thinks I have gone too far......I think he's just jealous he can only make frisbees!!


On a side note I have to post a quick cute story of sweet little Brynnie. Today at church Eric was talking to a man who was sharing with him some of his hardships. I wasn't surprised when Eric told me as the man was talking, Brynnley took out her binkie(which she loves)and handed it over to him. It was as if she was trying to comfort him since that is what comforts her. She doesn't just give her binkie up to anyone. I thought that was a sweet story and great representation of this little girl with such a big heart. It amazes me the strength these little ones come down with and what an impact a 13 month old can and does make!

The kids are so proud of the flowers they made...turning a white flower into a green/red flower. Thomas showed everyone that entered our home!

Brynnley wants to keep up with Avery and Thomas and their friends so bad. She just sometimes has to look at the window and talk to them as if she is right there with them. She loved that Avery kept coming up to the front door window to make faces at her. I also can't resist a baby in a diaper. I love those chubby little legs and round tummy. She best enjoy them while it's still cute:) She would live in her diaper if I let her. I'm sure around the house she will be in a diaper a lot as the heat and humidity kicks in! I forget every year how much I dislike humidity! The only good thing is you don't need any lotion. Most of this years spring has been pretty cool.

This is the scene at our house most evenings when Dad gets home. The kids adore their Dad!!!

We did figure out a way to keep Brynnley out of trouble...It was great for a few minutes and she wasn't able to get into the drawers, toilet, or TV console! She is pretty easy going and goes with the flow but if you keep her restricted so she can't move her legs, she'll do anything to get out of it. She is always bouncing and moving around.


FYI Mom....I am sure you already know ; ) but if you click onto the pictures it will make them bigger! Since you are so computer savvy now I'm sure you've got it all down but thought I'd mention it in case you didn't! Love you!!

Mother's Day weekend.....

It was wonderful....

Kids having a great time with the neighbor kids. Every time I looked out the window, there was another kid in our side yard. Saturday they played their hearts out and literally fell asleep before hitting the pillow. I LOVE spring!!! There is definitely a reason why Mother's day is in the spring. I think I appreciate mother nature more at this time of year after a looooong winter!

While the kids where playing, Eric was vacuuming out my car for me and Brynnley and I were making dinner. I was busy cutting up chicken and veggies thinking how sweet Brynnley was quietly playing of the floor with her toys. Eric came in and said, "What did you give Brynnley." Apparently she got a hold of Avery's purse which is full of everything known to man and had found gobstoppers....opened them up and was sucking on one with pure delight. I know, I get the mother of the year!! As you can see she enjoyed every second until Dad came and ruined it for her. I love her new tie tied shirt that is still soaking in Oxy clean!! She is the sweetest, happiest little girl ever, but she is too smart for her own good. She loves to partially open our "child safe" drawers and cupboards in the kitchen, slip her little hand in just enough to bend down the clip (that is SUPPOSE to prevent little ones from opening them) and opens her drawer of choice feeling so proud of her achievements while delighting in the goodies inside. She figures out EVERYTHING! You will always find her moving, exploring, and bouncing...laughing all the way with her cute little chuckle!! Her new words are, thank you(Tan-tu), hello, and nose(as she sticks her finger in her nostril).

Eric made me a delish dinner....Yummy chicken Kabobs before hitting the grill....there were 4 more rows piled on top of these. He made plenty of food, so I am excited for lunch tomorrow!!

My favorite part of the day was when Eric and the kids piled in my bed(after letting me sleep in) and getting kisses and cards from them. I think I got 20 kisses from Brynnley alone! Can't get better than that! I loved Eric's card he gave me only I think we are both lucky. He is always saying how lucky he is...I will let him think that however I know I am the lucky one! Thanks sweetie for an awesome weekend and for all that you did for me!

These three angels are by far my greatest gifts! I love them so much. I am so blessed to be their mommy!

A spring evening with the fam!!

Thomas was collecting some rocks and he came up to me and told me he had found a "D" and an "A"(aren't they awesome)....He has the greatest imagination. He got distracted with what Dad was doing and took on another project that you can see in the pictures below otherwise I would have had him find another "D" to spell DAD.

Thomas followed Eric around the yard as he was spraying the lawn for weeds. He was asking him all sorts of questions about what he was doing and why. Eric and I went inside to grab something and when we came back outside we found Thomas finishing the job. He told us he was strong and could finish the job. It was so adorable to see him pumping the spray bottle and then perfectly spraying each weed in the yard. I was quite impressed at what a good job he was doing. He was so proud of himself as he took over Dads job. We are aware this stuff is poisonous and washed his hands right after he had gotten every weed in the yard....he even wanted to go help the neighbors in their yard but we told him to stay in our yard. Soooo cute!!!

He worked quickly and efficiently!! Avery was with us for a few minutes until she got taken away to play with a neighbor friend. She came back home telling me the plans she and her friend made for tomorrow. Hence why Avery isn't in the pics! She is my social gal.

I was playing around with my camera and took some "celestial" pictures:) Eric looks like he's in the Matrix movie!! Either that or it looks like his lenses were replaced with marshmallows. I had to take a picture of Brynnley with the man she loves most! Brynnley has Eric wrapped around her finger. She gets so excited when he comes home. He has to hug and kiss her first thing or she is not happy. I know it makes Eric's day.

Brynnley was thrilled watching all the action for a few minutes but quickly wanted to get down so she could eat and throw rocks and get all dirty getting into everything else outside....we should have waited to bathe her! Man am I lucky I get to kiss that face a hundred times a day!!!! I love her long eyelashes and petal lips. She is just so sweet!

I had to post this for my mom. I laugh every time I see it. His face is hilarious. He wasn't crying but when I took the picture I guess that is what his fake cry/sad face looks like. Oh I love you Thomas!! My mom was here for a couple of weeks and the kids were in heaven. I really can't compete with making the kids princess, mickey mouse, and dog shaped pancakes every morning with their choice of chocolate chips or blueberries. I can however play pirate ship on their beds. Thanks again mom for watching the kids so Eric and I could have a getaway to find a rental and enjoy time together. I loved being with you. We are so blessed to have the best Grandma, Grammy, and Grandpas in the world!! The kids get so sad when they have to leave. After we took my Grandma to the airport, Thomas went and got their picture, hugged it, and asked if he could put it in his room. It was so sweet. He got through it though knowing Grandma would go home and talk to Grandpa and both of them would come back in a month. That was the deal. Sounds good to me!!! He liked that. In fact, all his favorite people will be here together as Grammy and Grandpa will be here too. The kids will be in heaven!

Life is so fragile.....

I recently found out that a friend from high school passed away. She was my age and had 3 beautiful children with one on the way. I will always remember Wendy with a big smile on her face. I imagine this smile as she welcomed her little girl back into her arms to be the presence of their Heavenly Father once again. She was the kind of girl that I have no doubt will have everlasting joy with her family forever. I read her blog with the loving words of her husband recalling the events from the past few days where he lost his sweet wife and soon after had to say goodbye to his precious daughter. I couldn't help but feel the pain us here on earth are left to deal with. I can't even begin to feel his. I took Brynnley up to bed and hugged her tight and cried. She looked at me with such concern with her big blue eyes as if she knew that something was wrong. She looked at me and began to wipe my tears and then gave me a kiss. I then held her tighter and felt of her calming strength. She continued to look deeply to at me until I smiled at her at which she began to giggle knowing I was okay. It was one of the sweetest moments with her that I will not forget. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that I will be together with my family forever and death will never separate us. I felt this overwhelming peace as I hugged my sweet daughter. I am grateful that Eric and I were able to be married in the temple for time and all eternity and be sealed to our children that we would have the privilege of raising on this earth. What a comfort this knowledge brings as these earthly tragedies come. I know Wendy will see her children, husband, and loved ones again and that she is working with her daughter by her side to be ready for them when that time comes. Life is so short. Life is a test. If we endure it well, the blessings we will reap will be far beyond our earthly knowledge.

Our trip to Cincinnati........

Well we are back from our pre-anniversary/rental finding trip! We had a blast so it seemed like we were on a 4 day long date night!! We did miss the kids too but knew they were having too much fun with Grandma to worry any.

I would say we had a successful trip. On day 1 we found an awesome rental that we will more than enjoy. My favorite part is the big FENCED in back yard with a built in fire pit(our kids live for sitting around the fire as a family roasting marshmallows) so I imagine there will be many of those nights. The neighbors are super friendly and we are told there are 24 kids in our cul da sac. When we got there, there were 5 little boys playing hockey.

I was most excited to find out that Avery's kindergarten is all day but it will be every other day!!!! Yay....In my opinion that is perfect! I may be crazy, but I will take as much time as I can get before 1st grade and all day school begins! I just don't think all day kindergarten is totally necessary at this age. Again, my opinion. So I am trilled! She is such a bright little girl and makes friend so easy that I know she will have a blast. I was also told that she has 10 little girls her age at church. She will be in heaven!!!

I never imagined Cincinnati would be so beautiful. It also has every store known to man. I laughed at their goodwill. It looked like a very nice boutique. I will have to post a pic when we move there. The nicest goodwill I've ever seen.

Eric and I ate at all the famous restaurants and stopped at the infamous Graeters ice cream. We stayed up until 1am(playing scrabble on the ipad...our new couples game that I must say I enjoy)and we slept in until 9 or 10. I always wondered how long I could sleep in without kids. It was fun for a few days!!

Anyways...I am now enjoying time with my mom. She is so much fun and we have loved having her here. Tomorrow we will be having a mother daughter outing for our mothers day together a little early. Can't wait!!! It's been a while since we have been able to celebrate together. We are so much a like so you can imagine how much fun we can create together. She is also my sewing partner in crime and we had a great time creating the cutest decor pillow for my bench. It turned out awesome and it only cost 2.00 to make!! We rock mom....can't wait for the many creations we will make together in the near future!!!!

We have been so blessed in our married years to have lived in Chicago, Madison, and now Cincinnati. We have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people that will forever be our friends and literally our family since we have been so far from our own families. It's always hard to say goodbye, but I am so glad to have met such wonderful people and created such wonderful memories. I am grateful for med school and residency for that reason alone. I have been so grateful for all the experiences we have had, things I have learned, and ways I have grown in each these wonderful places. It is really surreal that residency is almost over. I don't think it will hit me until our graduation dinner where both of our parents will attend to celebrate Eric and his great achievements! He is one amazing man!!!! I am so proud of him and feel so blessed to have married such an incredible guy. I love him so much. I feel like we can conquer anything together. I am excited for our future. He is my best friend. We get each other through the hard times, support each other in everything we do, and have lot's of fun in between. I love the now and can't wait for the future together!