Happy Times...

A Visit From "Down Under"
We had the Howes' here from Australia for the afternoon. They are Paul's mission companion's parents. They were in SLC for training to become the next Temple President in Adelaide. They were so kind to come speak in our ward about Temples. We loved having the day with them.


Arranging flowers from Mom Thatcher's garden.
I did this after hearing President Uchdorf's talk about how women gain happiness from creating things--So true! One of my dream jobs is a florist.




Shay and Hannah's baptism.
We were all so happy for this wonderful day to come! They were so full of light, and the Spirit was so strong at that meeting. We knew the Lord was happy as well. The brother who baptized them was a friend in the neighborhood who helped them meet with the missionaries. We have such great missionaries in our stake.




Making cookies with Millie.
I left for a minute to change Gracie's diaper, and when I came back, she had eaten 2 and 1/2 raw cookies. I couldn't get mad. She takes after her mom!



An evening with friends on Temple Square.
Even though Paul works on Temple Square, we've realized that we haven't gone there often enough as a family. Our friends had never been as a family either, and so it was a really fun night. Millie finally got to ride "daddy's train" and Gracie made a friend on the train. By the end of the ride she was snuggling up to give her the biggest hug we'd ever seen. Maybe we should have adopted her as a "great aunt" for Gracie.

Another Reason Not To Leave the Kids Alone In the Bathtub

It doesn't take long to see what I'm talking about. They were only sitting in it for only a couple minutes, but it managed to make it's way all over the place. The ironic thing is that after cleaning up this mess (and wondering if I still smelled like it) the girls spilled half a bottle of perfume all over the floor, so I ended the night smelling really nicely. From the smell of the house, Paul never would have suspected what I'd been through. I earned a "mommy merit badge" tonight.

Our Love Story

We've been married for 39 months today! Last week, I posted a little trivia to see if I could stump some friends. Of the five statements below, four are true and one is a lie. See if you can guess the lie:

1. On my first date with Paul, I knew I would marry him
   
2. Paul and I went on a trip together before we were married
   
3. Paul never asked my dad for permission to marry me
4. Our engagement was only 5 weeks long
5. We spent less than $2000 total on wedding costs (excluding rings)

Here are the answers:

1. False! This one was my lie! We met on a blind date, and I was VERY impressed with Paul. But we both had a bit of a struggle trying to make the decision. In fact, we almost broke up one weekend--we both still get sick when we think of that awful weekend.

2. Yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we went on a road trip together before getting married or engaged. I had been back and forth on the decision to get married, even though Paul had a ring to propose. When we talked about going down to Arizona to see our friends, my parents said it might help me know if I should marry him. They were right! It was exactly what we needed.

The minute we began the drive, Paul said something like, "Well, we have a lot of time in this car...I want you to tell me all about your life. You can start from the very beginning and include every detail. I don't care if it takes the entire 12 hours." What girl wouldn't love this? I talked for 4 hours about my life. Then it was his turn. His was a lot shorter, but still very interesting. We enjoyed our time together so much and didn't get sick of being together. We both felt so sure of our decision to get married that we ended up getting engaged while we were there, on the lawn outside the Arizona Temple.

3. Paul would have asked my dad for permission, but my dad was just so anxious for "the talk" that he had already planned out three questions he was going to ask Paul. The talk went well, but afterward, Paul admitted that he never really got to ask the question...it was just an understood "YES!" My parents absolutely loved Paul and still do.

4. A five week engagement was just fine for us. Once we knew it was right, we weren't waiting around. My mom had already helped to plan 4 other weddings (my four younger siblings) in the previous 10 months, so she was ready to go!

5. We were so blessed financially to have resources and help for the wedding, and were shocked at how little we had to spend. Both receptions were beautiful and the wedding was absolutely a dream come true. I wouldn't have changed a thing, even if I had another $10,000 to spend.