Summer Update #2

In June, my cousin Owen got married to his cute wife Lindzee. The place they got married is GORGEOUS. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed getting to spend the day celebrating with them. Matt got to meet some of my family from Arizona for the first time there, which was great. I hadn't seen them in a long time, so it was fun to catch up. Here are a few pictures from that:

*The lovely couple.*

*Ian and Matt playing in the trees.*

*Chilling in a neat sitting area on the grounds where Owen and Lindzee were married. The following pictures are of the surrounding view from where we were sitting. Everywhere you looked on the 5 acres was at least this gorgeous. The land was seriously amazing!*

I really would like to go back there someday. These pictures remind me of just how beautiful the area was.

Next up: 4th of July and the week following.

Matt's family was down here for the week of 4th of July, so we got to spend quite a bit of time with them, which is always fun. On the 4th, Matt, Ian, and I headed up to Elwood for the good ole 4th of July celebration they have. Each year, the community gathers at a park and has lots of fun activities, including a candy drop from a crop duster, chasing/catching chickens (and some years, a greased pig), shotgun shooting competition, a greased pole, a mini-parade, sometimes foot races, some water games, and lunch. Matt's side of the family gathers there every year. It is a lot of fun! This was my second time going, and I think it's probably one of the funnest celebrations I've seen. Matt's uncle has been the one to drop the candy from the crop duster for the last 10 years, but has decided to retire from it and let someone else have the fun. :D I didn't get many pictures, but I did get these ones of an interesting version of a dunking booth.

Kind of gross, but funny, huh? The next few pictures are of Matt's niece and nephew hitting the target with a ball and Matt getting flushed on. It looked super cold!

I think I'll leave you on that happy note. :) On to the next update!

Long Overdue

Holy cow. I don't know how time passes so fast! I can't believe it was May the last time I wrote. Sorry everyone!

Life has been so crazy these last few months. We've packed our summer with fun and we've enjoyed every minute of it. I'll try to update you as quickly as possible. :) Bring on the pictures!

First up: SLC trip June 2010

To celebrate Matt's b-day and our anniversary, we spent a few days down in Salt Lake City. We had an absolute BLAST!! It was way more fun than we had even hoped. I know we all enjoyed every minute of it.

*The cutest turtle I have ever seen.*

*Matt took this awesome picture. We were lucky enough to get there right as they started feeding the giraffes. It was such a neat experience to be there, right by their faces.*

*You probably can't see it well, but on the left side, there is the sweet baby elephant we got to see. She was adorable!*

*I love how it looks like Ian is petting the porcupine. :)*

*Ian with the birthday boy. :) I love my boys SOOO very much.*

*The second day, we hiked Ensign Peak in the morning. Just starting out in this picture.*

*The next pictures are of some of the AMAZING views we were able to see.*

*Look at that cute little guy sleeping on his handsome daddy's back. Ian fell asleep not long after we reached the first hill. He did so well and Matt was so sweet to carry him the entire time. What an amazing daddy he is! We're so blessed to have him.*

*After hiking Ensign Peak, we headed down to temple square where we found these huge, gorgeous flowers. Look how BIG it is!!*

*Now I'll finish off this post with these last two pictures. Can you tell Ian enjoyed some chocolate chip cookies? ;)*

*Does it get any cuter??*

I have to brag...

As many of you know, last Monday (May 24th) was Matt's and my second wedding anniversary, and this week his 24th birthday is coming up, so I wanted to take this opportunity to brag about my amazing hubby.

To show you what a great person Matt is, I wanted to share a story from today. Matt and I decided to begin giving Ian the Sacrament today (as Matt says, "Teach him while he's young."). Matt was holding Ian when the Sacrament was passed, and as Matt carefully fed Ian the bread, he leaned down and whispered in his ear, "This is to remind you of Jesus." It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me once again of how blessed and lucky I am to have Matt as my eternal companion and a father to our children. I am so grateful that I get to have him by my side as we raise our children and so that they and I can look to him as an example of who we should become.

These past two years have been amazing. Matt has treated me better than a queen. He treats me as someone of infinite worth and who is very special to him. I cannot thank him enough for the ways he has loved and supported me, and helped build my confidence in myself. It's not hard to feel good about yourself when your hubby always makes you feel on top of the world. :) I'll forever be grateful to Heavenly Father for letting me be with Matt for this life and for all eternity.

Honey, thanks SOOOOOO much for being there through all of the ups and downs, the aches and pains, and the jubilant moments. Thanks for sharing your accomplishments with me, and for talking with me and valuing my opinion. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me more about hope, faith, and perseverance. Thank you for sacrificing your time to take care of our family. Thank you for being there to offer advice and being a shoulder to cry on or vent to. Thank you for teaching me how to magnify our callings, and to go above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you for being worthy to use your priesthood and being able to take me to the temple. It means the world to me.

Thank you for making my life heaven on earth. I love you. Ofa atu. Je t'aime. Te amo. MUAH!!!!

Great Moments

"We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one."

I love this quote and just wanted to share. :) Have a great day!

Changes

Hey everyone! How is everyone doing today? I hope you're all doing fabulously. :)

Life around here lately has been pretty busy. To begin with, Matt's parents and Tanner were in town for about 10 days, so we got to spend quite a bit of time with them. It went way too fast! Here are a few pictures of our adventures together:

*Grandma Jo and Ian*

*Matt, Katie, and I -- I just love our faces! bahaha!*

*Matt, Tanner, and Katie*

*Aunt Katie and Ian -- I love how they're just chillin. :)*

*Tanner and I*

We didn't get any pictures of some of our other adventures, but I'll tell you about them anyways. :) On Dave's birthday (Matt's dad), we went to Famous Dave's Barbecue in West Jordan. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Talk about yummy barbecue, holy cow! I've never been one to love most bbq sauces, but I would love to go back to this place. Everything was flavored amazingly. Okay. I'm digressing. But seriously, if you have a chance, check it out. You will not regret it!

Later that week, Dave and Tanner came up to visit Matt, Ian, and I in Logan. As a 'birthday' gift for me, Dave took me to get my eyes checked (which is long overdue) and bought me some glasses! I just got them today. :) I love them! I don't know if I'll wear them all of the time, but because I'm nearsighted, it's fun when I'm outside. I never knew what I was missing. ;) Here is a pic of me:

*Thanks, Daddy Schmoldt!*

When I see myself, I feel like I look like a librarian or a teacher. It looks like I'm ready to say, "How are you today? How can I help you?" Haha! :) But I love it and Matt tells me he likes how I look, so I'm not complaining. :D

Then, this past Sunday, we blessed cute little baby Micah (Keliann's son). I felt the spirit very strongly there, as did Matt and his parents, and I'm sure many others did as well. It was such a neat experience. Thanks for letting us be a part of it, Kel!

This week was finals week for Matt. He had one final last week (during no-test week at USU), and then two on Monday and one yesterday. We are so glad that he's done and that he made it through! He did fabulously in his classes, and now we're excited for this summer. It'll be fun to have more free time together and a more flexible schedule.

Monday night, our bishop called me and asked us to meet with him on Tuesday night. I just knew it was a calling, and at first I was freaking out because I knew it could be almost ANYTHING (because we go to a married student ward and almost all of our ward just moved out for the summer). I was nervous and wondering what calling was in store for me. Then, I read my scriptures and spent some time pondering and felt at peace. I knew that I could handle whatever was coming my way and that I would accept it, no matter how far out of my comfort zone it was. So... any guesses what it could be? :)

I was called as the first counselor in our Relief Society presidency. I really like our new president and I'm excited to see who else we'll get to work with. I'm excited for the opportunity to get to know all of the women in our ward so much better and I'm grateful that I'm a stay at home mom so I can spend more time helping others. There are lots of parts of this calling that are a little scary to me, but I know that I can do whatever is asked of me, with our Father in Heaven's help and the help of His Son. Even if I will never be any good at teaching lessons or whatever else, I know I will learn and grow with this calling and I'm grateful and humbled to be able to serve our sisters.

In other exciting news, IAN GOT HIS FIRST TOOTH ON SUNDAY!!! We are so excited! It feels like he is growing up so fast. He's eating solids, sitting up, and he is probably not too far off from learning the army crawl. He is already trying, so it'll be fun to see him conquer yet another skill. He is such a sweet little boy and we feel so blessed to be his parents and have him in our home. Ian is such a happy boy, even when he is not feeling well. I had no idea he was teething till right before the tooth popped out. He is just such a mellow boy that we couldn't even tell the difference till it was almost all over.

Being a parent is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. It has its challenges, but I wouldn't change a thing. I love being married to such an amazing man and having one of the sweetest little babies around. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to be a wife and a mother in this life, and I'll try not to take anything for granted.

I feel so very blessed to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and of a loving Heavenly Father who knows each one of us and watches over us. I know that He loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to show us the way, and also to prepare the way for us to return, by suffering for all of our sins, sorrows, pains, and afflictions. Through Him, we can be made clean, if we will repent with a sincere desire to change and be--and do--better. I know that Jesus Christ rose from the grave on the third day, and that HE LIVES. I know it because the Holy Ghost has testified of the truth of this to me. I know that because our Savior rose again, that WE will also rise again. I know that we can be with our families forever, in the presence of our heavenly parents and our Savior. I know that we have been put here on this earth to be tested, and that we have not been left without comfort or a roadmap of sorts. We are blessed with the scriptures and modern-day prophets and apostles to help us know the way. We have the Holy Ghost to testify of the truthfulness of what we are being taught, and also to guide us in all important matters. I know these things to be true.

I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be sealed to my best friend and now my eternal companion. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be with. I feel so in awe when I'm with him and I still think "How did I get so blessed to be with him?!" Matt is the love of my life and I'm so very grateful to have him and our son in my life. How very blessed am I?

6 months and counting...

Hey, everyone!

Sorry I have been slacking so much on posting here. I have been doing lots better in keeping up with my cooking blog, so if you want to know what we've been eating lately, check it out! :) Haha!

Last week, Ian turned 6 MONTHS OLD!! We cannot believe how fast the time has flown. Here is a pic from the his 6-month birthday taken at a family party on my side of the fam.

Ian is now:

* sitting up by himself.

* rolling over when he feels the desire. :)

* eating solids. He prefers bits of cracker, apple, banana, and bread over cereal, though he does enjoy that.

* drinking out of his own sippy cup. Though he loves that, he loves drinking out of Mommy and Daddy's cups even better! :)

* loving all kinds of interaction. He loves when we all laugh and he loves to giggle and play with Mommy and Daddy.

* knows that even though he can't see Mommy and Daddy that they are still there.

* loves playing outside in this new-found warm weather.

* LOVES for Daddy to suck on his fingers! If you're holding him and he reaches up and keeps touching your mouth, he wants you to suck on his fingers. Just FYI. :) Probably a bad habit for later, but it's so cute now.

* sleeping in his OWN room! We are all getting much better sleep since moving him into the spare room. It has been a blessing for all of us.

He is still such a happy, healthy, sweet little boy. Matt and I are so grateful to have him in our family! We couldn't imagine it any other way!

I'll add a few other pictures of the happenings in our lives since I last posted.

*New Bed*

*First Easter egg hunt. Not pictured is the "big prize" egg that we found and the cute children's story we got. :) *

*Down in West Jordan meeting Cousin Micah for the first time. Ian and Micah are only 6 months apart, so I'm sure they'll be buds. (Ian & Micah were almost the same size when they were born. We can't believe how much Ian has grown!) Matt holding both cute little boys.*

*Me holding Micah for the first time.*

*After meeting baby Micah, we took his older brother and sister to the park. Here is Ian playing on the slide.*

*Maddie, Ian, and Levi playing on the swings, and Matt giving them pushes. :)*

In March, we were able to go down to St. George with some Matt's siblings and it was SOOOO fun! We are definitely planning on going back before too long. Here are a few of the pictures from that trip.

*Ian and Maddie swinging. Isn't Kel such a gorgeous pregnant lady? She is Micah's beautiful mommy.*

*Matt, Josh, Maddie, and Katie playing basketball.*

*Ian and I chillin' while we watch the others play ball. :) It was such a beautiful sunshiny day! Loved it!*

*After lunch, we hiked up a neat rock formation/hill and the views were gorgeous. (I'm blanking on the name of the place right now...)*

*This place not only had cool rocks and neat views, but hikes, and some awesome red sand dunes. These next few pictures were taken at the sand dunes. This one is of Ian and I.*

*Everyone gathered around to see if Maddie's sandcastle worked. Yay! It did! :)*

*Cute little Ian!*

*Ian's and Mommy's feet.*

*The place we stayed had some neat swimming pools at the clubhouse. Ian getting dried off after playing in the kiddie pool. He wasn't sure about it at first, but he warmed up to it really quickly. :)*

I think that about catches you up on our lives. :) Matt finishes school in just a couple of weeks (the first week in May), and then things will slow down a little bit. Matt's parents and little brother are coming down this week and next to spend time with new little Micah, and it'll be so fun to see them! Until next time! :)

COOKING BLOG!!!

Hey, everyone! When I have a minute, I'll update everyone on our lives, but I just wanted you all to know that I started a cooking blog. Trying out new recipes has become a new hobby of mine, so if you're interested in some yummy recipes, check out my blog: http://mommychefinthemaking.blogspot.com. I started this blog because I ran into some recipes that were just too dang good to keep to myself. Trust me, there is some yummy stuff on there! :)