Some people are so nice...

Yesterday while at work I had a fellow employee come up to me and he said that he heard that I was leaving the credit union. I told him no, but then he told me that he wanted to make sure that I knew how much my friendliness has meant to him. How my Hello's had made his day and made him feel better. He works in the maintenance department and he is an older gentleman, and is a little different. He has had many trials and hard times so I have always tried to be nice and say "Hi". It was really nice of him to go out of his way to let me know how much that meant to him. You do things and try to make people feel special, and it was really nice to know that it does make a difference. So thank you Fritz for being so nice to me.

On a different note, on Saturday Tony, Tyler, and I went to the BYU vs. USU basketball game at the ESA. It was way fun. I wasn't sure how well Tyler would do, but he had a great time. He got restless with about 3 minutes left to go -- not bad at all. He would clap and cheer and say "Go, go, go", it was so cute. He really loves sports so he loved watching the game.

The USU fans came out to represent. Their were tons of them. They must have had buses that came down from Logan. They cheered and were SO loud, it sounded more like a USU home game then an away game for both teams. One thing that I didn't like is that they would chant that certain people sucked, or would boo people. I just don't think that is necessary. Cheer for your own team and be a good sport to the other team. Maybe I am just getting old, but that is just not right.

Fun at the park

The other day we went and took Tyler to a really fun park by our house. It has a really good play ground that is good for younger kids and big kids. We should really take him there more often because it is just so much fun. Tyler is so daring. He is getting a little better about not just flying off of things, but he is not scared of many things. Tony will go to the top of the slide and help Tyler to go down (if he needs it - he's getting so big, he doesn't need it every time) and then I go to the bottom and catch him. It is just so much fun. He is one fun kiddo.

We put up our Christmas stuff and it was so much fun. Tony had last Thursday and Friday off, so it was nice to have him home for four days. I love the holidays and all the fun parties and fun things to do. I can't wait to see Tyler on Christmas morning and see his reaction for when Santa comes. Tis the season to be jolly, and I love to be jolly!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was yesterday. We went to Tony's parents house and ate dinner there with a lot of Tony's extended family. It was a lot of fun. The food was really good. It is always fun to see his family and spend some time with them since we really don't see them that often. His grandparents came from St. George. They are always so nice and make us feel so special. They have been so good to me and have made me feel like a part of their family from the first time that I met them. They are also very generous. We are truly blessed to have them, and all of our family in our lives.

Then this morning we got out all of the Christmas stuff. I love getting the tree out and all the snow men and the other stuff, it is just such a great way to start the Christmas season. I just hope that Tyler doesn't destroy it all. So far he is doing really well with all of it. Now it just needs to start snowing and not stop until January. I sure do love the snow!

Big Boy Bed

We decided to get Tyler a bigger bed. He ends up in our bed every night, so we were hoping that if he had a bed that was more like our bed that he would sleep in it better. So far it has been better. Now he ends up coming in with us at like 3:00 am instead of 11:00 pm. So hopefully this will continue and only get better.

We did try a toddler bed a couple of months ago - more just for fun. It didn't really work. It wasn't time. Tony's mom had a toddler bed frame, so we decided to try it out. Tyler liked playing on it, but he wasn't ready for it.

My sister got a twin bed for her daughter and it worked really well, so that is what we decided to do. It is a twin mattress on a frame with no box spring. This makes it really low to the ground so that Tyler can get on and off by him self (and in case he falls off, it isn't that far too the ground).

We looked around for where to buy the mattress and decided to get a nicer one from Sam's Club. I am glad that we did. It wasn't that much more then the cheap ones from other places, but it is a lot better. We got the bedding from Sears and we really like it. I didn't want bedding with a theme, so luckily we found one that matches his bedroom how it is.

Tyler loves to get into the covers and read his books. It is so cute. He gets in the bed and then signs and says "book" and then he will go through and look at all of his books there in his bed. It is really fun to see how much he likes his bed and his books. He is getting so big.

Anniversary Weekend

Tony and I had such a fun anniversary weekend. Friday we checked in to the hotel, the downtown Hampton Inn. Because we are Hilton Honor members, they upgraded our room to a spa room and it had a really big bath tub in the room. It was nice. We brought Tyler with us to take him swimming. It was kind of cold, but a good time was had. Then we got ready and let Tyler play in the hotel room and in the halls (he loves that). Then we dropped Tyler off at Margie's and then went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It is our most favorite restaurant. It was so yummy. After dinner we went and saw "Into the Woods" at Hale Center Theater. It was really good. I was in that musical in high school, so it was fun to see professionals do it.

Then on Saturday morning we ate at the hotel (free breakfast) and then hung out in the hotel for a while. Then we went and did a little shopping. After that we went back to the hotel and I took a nap (it was nice). Then we got ready and went to dinner at "The Garden" at the JSM Building. It was...okay. It was high priced for not that good of food and the service wasn't very good. I don't think that we will go back there again. After we decided to walk around temple square. It is always nice to feel the spirit of the temple and see all the church stuff. Then we got some ice scream (bad idea). We were so full after that we just went to the hotel and went to bed.

Sunday we ate breakfast and then got ready to check out and pick up Tyler. We picked him up at Margie's church after their sacrament. They said that he did great and it sounded like they all had a fun time too. It was a great weekend and I am so glad that Tony and I got to spend so much quality time together.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 5 year anniversary and I just wanted to say how much I love Tony. He is such a great husband and father, it amazes me how lucky I am. He is always so willing to help me out and do anything that I ask him to do. He is such a great dad to Tyler. He always comes home from a long day at work and plays with Tyler, takes him outside, or does whatever Tyler wants. It's nice to be able to leave Tyler with Tony and not worry at all. He is a pro when it comes to babies and kids (probably why he wants so many).

He is also SO VERY handy. He has done so much to fix up our house and it has saved us tons of money and he has done a really good job. It is nice to know that we don't have to pay someone lots of money just to come and fix the drain, or the light, or the car, or any of the other many things that Tony knows how to do. I am excited for him to teach our children these skills (like Tony's dad taught him). He does great work and is always looking to learn more. I am so proud of him that he has finished his schooling and got his Business Degree. Even with all his school and work, he always puts his family first.

Tony's is also a genius when it comes to the scriptures. Bible, Book of Mormon, it doesn't matter, he knows his stuff. I know that if I have a question that he will know the answer. He has such a strong testimony of the church and is a great priesthood holder. I am so grateful that he can give our family blessings when we need them and that he ALWAYS makes sure that things feel right before he does anything big (i.e. buy a car). He is always willing to give service when needed and he does it for all the right reasons. He is a great patriarch and truly loves God and Jesus Christ.

Overall Tony is just amazing. I am so lucky to have such a good looking, great husband that loves me so much. He always makes me feel special and beautiful. These past 5 years have been the best and I look forward to many many more years to come. I love you Tony!

Bring on the cold weather

So this week has been pretty chilly. If it isn't rainy, then it is cloudy and cold. We have been able to go outside a play at least for a little bit everyday, so that has made Tyler happy. I don't mind the cold. I like the snow and cooler weather. I like all the seasons. I just try to enjoy the season that we are in.

It is Tony and my 5 year anniversary tomorrow. I can't believe how fast time goes. The older I get the faster time flies. We are going to spend a couple nights at the Hilton Downtown and go to a play and dinner. It should be pretty fun. Tony's mom is going to watch Tyler for us so that we can really have a mini vacation. THANK YOU SO MUCH to Margie for always being such a great grandma and mom. I am really looking forward to spending some time just Tony and me.

I got to go to a baby shower last night at my work for two ladies who are...pregnant. It was tons of fun. I got to be silly and see all of the cute baby stuff. People are so crafty and creative with their gifts. I need to learn how to do that kind of stuff too. I love going to baby showers, they are always so much fun. My sister-in-law is pregnant, so I think that we are having a shower for her next month. That should be way fun too. You gotta' love babies!

First real snow fall of the season

It snowed and snowed and snowed yesterday. It was so beautiful. I really do love the snow. Tyler really enjoyed playing in it too. We put him to work shoveling the snow. It was more the thought that counted, because the quality of is work isn't always the best (he is only 19 months old). He is at the stage where he loves to "help" us with everything. It is tons of fun. I hope that his willingness to help never goes away - yeah right.

It snowed about 3 inches in West Valley. The snow was perfect for making snow balls. Nice and wet and compacted really well. Tony loved showing Tyler how to make them and then throwing them at mommy.

This parenting stuff gets more and more fun. I just hope that with the winter season here that I can find fun things for Tyler to do in the house besides watching tv. We played outside everyday this past summer, so this cold weather and staying in doors will be a big change.

Halloween

Tyler had a fine time on Halloween. In the morning I took Tyler to Tony's work and showed him to the people there. It was an early day for Tony, so after we all went to my work to take Tyler trick-or-treating at our operations center. It was so much fun. Lots of people brought candy and so we went up and down the isles of cubicles and different people would give Tyler candy. That day he learned how to do the sign for thank you and added a kiss to it, so every time he got candy we would say, "Say thank you" and then he would pretty much blow them a kiss. It was so cute. Amazing how fast he is learning things these days. So we had a really good time at my work. The picture below is of Tyler sitting in my chair at my desk - we are so lucky to have such an awesome kid.

Tyler went as a cow. The costume was way cute. It had padding in the middle and in the back, but Tyler didn't really like wearing the hat part very much. I found it for only $10 at Costco (my favorite place to shop).

Later that day we went to Tony and my parents house to show them Tyler. We got out the four wheeler at my parents house and took Tyler for a ride around the back yard. He loved it. He was yelling and smiling and screaming with joy. My sisters kids were there too and Tyler always loves playing with his cousins. My mom was so nice to get Tyler a big bag of m&m's and a little playdoh. It was perfect. Then Tony's mom gave Tyler a couple little treats too. It was fun to visit with family.

He really liked going to the neighbors and knocking on the doors. He knocked, they came out and gave him treats, what could be better? It was tons of fun for all of us. Tyler even liked when we came back and all the kids came to our house. Over all it was a really good night. Happy Halloween to all.

California's Prop. 8

I have heard so much about Prop. 8 these past couple of weeks and how much crap the church is getting for coming out and encouraging its members to vote for Prop. 8 to say that marriage is between a man and a woman. The church believes that marriage is only to be with one man and one woman -- that is straight from God. Now I have done some reading and found this quote,

"[The] Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, issued a statement on behalf of seven bishops Monday, saying the Catholic Church "cannot approve of redefining marriage.'Marriage' has a unique place in God's creation, joining a man and a woman in a committed relationship in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended," the statement said. "The meaning of marriage is deeply rooted in history and culture, and has been shaped considerably by Christian tradition. Its meaning is given, not constructed."

The LDS church is not the ONLY church out there that has this belief and is coming out about it. So I get tired of hearing people complain about how the church shouldn't get involved, but they are not the only church coming out about this topic. There are more consequences to this gay marriage thing then people want to believe. The following was written by my friend Alison's husband Ty and I think that he makes some interesting points:

Everybody has heard about proposition 8 in California. This proposition contains the same language that was approved by 61% of voters in 2000. Four San Francisco judges overruled the voice of the people and called the previous proposition unconstitutional. Proposition 8 simply reaffirms the previous vote and adds a constitutional amendment in order to force the judges to comply.There are numerous reasons why this vote will set a precedent for better or worse for the whole United States. Other states have similar issues on the ballot, but no other state is pushing the envelope on moral issues like California. Religious organizations are not immune from the consequences that will ensue if proposition 8 fails. While the full ramifications are not fully known, the Church's ability to perform marriage ceremonies in the temple may be compromised (unless they forfeit their tax exempt status or perform same-sex marriages), clergy that preach against same-sex marriage can be sued for hate crimes and adoption services that will not place children in homes of same-sex couples will be ineligible for government benefits (and may face lawsuits).

I, personally, don't really care if gay people want to get married. It doesn't change my marriage and I do want everyone to be happy. I can't judge them (luckily I don't have to do that) and we should respect and love everyone. But that doesn't mean that we have to love everything that they do. I have friends who are gay and I totally love them. Lucky for us today we have living prophets who are here to council us on what the Lord wants us to do. The Lord says that marriage is between a man and a woman. So I of course will do what the Lord tells me to do.

I do find it a little funny that everyone is making such a big deal about this, but then if you talk to someone about polygamy, then they say "Oh no that is just not right." Funny how that works. I personally don't believe in polygamy either, but why can a man marry a man, but someone else can't have two or three wives, or husbands? Why can't I marry my cousin that I am in love with? Where does it stop?

The Adversary is hard at work. He is making good LDS people have hurt feeling about their church, he is making people think that this is comparable to women's rights and civil rights. He is working over time and it is becoming a sad, sad world out there. I am so thankful that I have the gospel in my life and that I can know what God would want me to do. Not just because my church tells me, but because I find out for my self by asking God, in prayer, what I should do. That is what is so great about the LDS church, they say ask God and he will tell you what is the right thing to do. We are so blessed, may God continue to bless us and our country.