10 Years...

To my husband...I'd marry you again in a heartbeat...

10 years ago today (May 12, 2001) we said 'I do'. It was a perfect day for a wedding and for the most part everything went very smoothly. Though I do remember bits and pieces from that day, I think I 'floated' through it. We've said many times that if we didn't have to plan it we would love to enjoy our wedding day again and again and again.

As I look back on the last 1o years I am so thankful for the man that I was blessed to marry...you! We have served in church together through the Prism, ministering to high school students, leading kid programs, taking students to Uganda, Africa together, we have served in an orphanage in Jamaica together, we host a missional community together in our home, most importantly we have learned and grown together and through that we have served together in the best ministry the Lord could bless us with and that is our family. There is no one else I would want to be teamed up with!

Four months after we were married I was pregnant with Josiah, we were both in our last year of college, we had little to no money and you hadn't even begun the process of applying for jobs for after college. We knew it was best for our family that I stay home when the time came and so we stepped out in faith and as I look back on those years I am brought to tears with how God provided each and every step of the way. Many times we were on pins and needles...and our knees...waiting to see what He was going to do, but He always provided. This spring/summer we are enjoying our first year without wondering which one of us is going to find a job to help compensate for the summer months. I am so thankful that we don't have to do that, but I also don't want to lose sight of how we were blessed year after year with opportunities that only the Lord could dream up to help us.

There are many things I appreciate about you...
you're handy, you're my steady eddie, you tell corny jokes (yes, I even appreciate that), you encourage me, you are an amazing dad, you play with our kids, you lead our family in prayer, you lead our family in learning more about God's Word, you push me in my spiritual walk, you are faithful, you provide for our family, you lead people in our church, you love others well, you have your priorities straight, you come home from work on time, you help around the house without me having to ask, you appreciate that I stay home and love me for it, you dance with me in the kitchen, you tell me you love me countless times during the day, you tell me I'm beautiful all the time, you hug and kiss me every time you leave the house, you give me breaks without hesitation, you still flirt with me and tease me, you get up with the kids at night, you always eat what I cook and appreciate it...even when sometimes I don't like the new recipe, I know I could go on and on, but the thing I love most about you is that you are the same person when we are out in public or with friends or with our family that you are when you are in our own home...you are real and I love you for that.

It's hard to believe that just over 10 years ago when we were pregnant and knew one of the things we would be sacrificing for me to stay home would be big trips, due to the cost. We said then that we wanted to try our best to take time for just the 2 of us in small ways each anniversary and for our 10 year we wanted to take a trip. Well, the plane tickets are bought and the hotel is booked...I can't wait to celebrate 10 years with my best friend...even if we can't celebrate until June due to the school schedule...I'm ok with that. :)

I love you and I'm so glad that you are my husband...you're my favorite. :)

If you click on the collages below, they show up a bit more clearly...

Now blessed with 3 beautiful children...it's been a GREAT 10 years!!!

In my rearview mirror....

This morning as Seth and I were driving, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw this....
(I parked at the store before taking this pic)
He was singing along to the music wearing these goggles! What a crazy kid...

A Day at the 'Farm'

If you weren't in the Fargo area Friday and Saturday you may not realize that it was BEYOND cold and soooo windy that the thought crossed my mind that I should tie weights onto my kids so they didn't blow away walking to and from the car. That being said, a certain adorable 3 year old who happens to be...how should I say it...OBSESSED...with horses and dogs didn't care one tiny bit that it was miserable outside and he spent nearly the entire day (except when his mean parents told him to come in to eat and to warm up a couple times) outside chasing and playing fetch with his grandpas dogs Maggie and Jack.

As a mom, I admit to feeling slightly guilty that we don't have a dog. Seth has met every dog that walks past our house or if we walk past a house with a dog, he always asks the owners if he can meet/pet their dog. Am I a mean mom???? In my defense, I DID just get done with a nearly 9 year span of changing diapers and the idea of picking up an animals poo when there is no possibility that they will eventually be cleaning up after themselves seems somewhat horrendous. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! (but I do still feel guilty that we don't have a dog)

They enjoyed a little popcorn action along with Kinect boxing
(what a workout...I think my arms are still sore!)

If you look closely (or click on the picture so it enlarges) you will see 2 boys (2 handsome boys that happen to be our children), a grandpa, and a dog. They saw 'critters' and they went to see what was out there. And for fun, grandpa brought his 22 out there for Josiah to practice a little...from what I hear, that boy has really good aim. He's already excited for the next hunting opportunity! Not sure how I feel about it though...thankfully his dad, grandpa and uncle are SUPER careful when it comes to hunting. I'm still a paranoid mom though! :)

**I know my pics have all been a bit random looking lately...I'm trying new apps on my phone to see what style of picture taking I like the best. :)

Hard Workers!

Our lawn was aerated yesterday which means we had tons of mud chunks all over our yard. Though I know you can leave them there, I've learned we either pick them up out of the yard OR I'm cleaning mud off of shoes and off my kitchen floor!! After school the kids and I got to work raking them up.

ok, so maybe he wasn't the hardest worker to start...in his defense, he DID help me for a few minutes that morning when I raked a few piles. :)

TEAM WORK!
Work = Fun! The boys were trying out other ways of hauling the mud chunk piles.
They determined the shovel still worked the best. They were ALL very helpful in getting the backyard picked up with little to no complaining (I hate to admit I was surprised by that, but I was)!!

Our Warrior

After playing in the basement, Seth came upstairs and said..."I'm David and I'm fighting the Philistines!"

Don't worry, this mom was not hit between the eyes in the taking of this picture!

What's wrong with me???

Why have I been such a bad blogger??? I've totally fallen off the wagon and now I feel soooo far behind on what's happened in our lives that I haven't even wanted to write another post. BUT, today is a new day and I'm going to (try!!!) to blog more regularly again.

Josiah:

- He's a rockstar 3rd grader. He's been in the advanced classes for every subject and so far he's loving school.

- This summer he will enjoy a week of Science camp and he couldn't be more thrilled to "take things apart, create inventions, experiment with chemistry, decipher secret codes, and investigate the world of animal inventions".

- We've worked through books/movies some of his friends read/watch that we won't allow him to and he's handled it great. We've showed him info. about the books/movies that explain in detail about them and have asked him if he thinks it would be good for him to read/watch. Though it hasn't been easy for him every time, he's handled it well and come to the conclusion often times on his own that it wouldn't be good for him. It's been 'fun' to work through life decisions with him.

- He has a corny sense of humor (which I'm certain comes from his dad and grandpa Holder!)

- One difficulty right now is his incessant need to be 'in the know' of whatever Dan and I are talking about...and the reality is...HE DOESN'T ALWAYS NEED TO KNOW! :)

Alayna:

- She has loved kindergarten. I'm not going to lie...we've had great teachers with both Josiah and Alayna so far, but this year...her teacher is exceptional!

- It's been fun to see and hear about her leadership at school (after all she is a middle child and oftentimes they shy away from that). One funny example is that she was sitting by a boy who had a messy desk and he noticed her's was always clean, so she taught him how to keep his clean (a girl after my own heart!)

- She's the top reader in her class and there's only 1 other kindergartener that is even at the same level as her...I LOVE that she loves to read!!

- She has a loose tooth that she is desperate to have fall out...another gap face is soon to be a part of this family.

- Her imagination play with Seth is really fun to listen to...when they are getting along (they are siblings afterall...best of friends...except when they aren't!)

- She could still care less about clothes, dresses, shoes, her hair, etc...that is A OK by me! She prefers if I lay out her clothes because she could care less.

- I'm looking forward to summer when she can enjoys naps a couple times a week...school zaps her energy and though she's a pretty 'even keel' little girl, I see her emotions at work when she gets too tired...maybe she can sleep through the teen years?? :)

Seth:

- Well, he's still Seth.

- Mr. Personality...makes friends with complete strangers in every check-out line, meets anyone who walks past our house and would love if everyone was as excited about hugs and wrestling as he is. His lack of fear with strangers is a blessing in many ways, but it gives me the creeps!! Stranger Danger!!

- He has zero personal space and has no idea why anyone else does.

- He STILL plays with my hair anytime he sits with me or near me...if you have hair, I can guarantee he will reach up and play with your hair too...he doesn't even know he's doing it!

- He's a big time cuddler!!

- He can make me laugh and pull my hair out within the spance of a minute.

- After talking with or hanging out with someone, (whether he really knows them or not) when we walk away he always says, "I like her" or "I like him". Friendly doesn't begin to describe him!

- I love that boy, but I'm certain the gray hairs I have found on my head are the result of him. :)

And because my husband has found this video on his phone again and loves to relive it...I figured I'd let you guys go back in time too...enjoy!

Ok...now if only I could get back into blogging more regularly so that I can keep track of the day to day moments...

Turning a Corner

I feel like we have really turned a corner over the past month. What corner am I talking about? Well, if you've been reading my blog for a while or know me at all, you realize that Mr. Seth hasn't always been the easiest child. He has always been a happy, cuddly child, but easy...well, I wouldn't use that word. :)

Some of the areas where I've noticed a HUGE improvement:

- of course, having him potty trained a couple months ago was, well, AMAZING!

- he has really learned how to play with his friends as well as his brother and sister

(if you've read any of my post from 6 months or a year ago, you realize what a big...HUGE deal this is!)

- he uses his words much more than his actions when he's frustrated

- he LOVES to be helpful in any way possible

He is a much more fun, happy and enjoyable kid to be around...man I love that little guy! Many prayers have been said, my patience has been tested beyond what I thought possible and now we are at a new stage and I'm LOVING it!