That one time we went on a date.

Historically, Paul and I are big fat failures when it comes to weekly date night. Like, instead of once we week we go like once a year. Whoops. We keep telling ourselves we'll get better and I keep hoping we actually mean it. Whether or not we come through, this date was a success.

We made our way to Millennium Park and rented a tandem kayak. I was pouting about Paul sitting in the back until my arms got tired and I quit. Then I was quite glad he was in the power seat! For the first half hour we were pretty speedy. For the rest of the time we just soaked up the sun, talked without being interrupted, took selfies like high school girls, and tried to sneak in a kiss or two without falling out of the boat. I love my dreamboat of a man.

Indianapolis Children's Museum

The main reason we went to Indy was to check out the newly constructed Temple, but we decided to make a weekend of it and go to the Children's Museum too. We stayed at a sketchy hotel (Andy was worried about getting Hep C) but we survived the night and had a fabulous day with the Kirkham family. Vince and Simon thought "sticking together" meant holding hands and running off together. Those boys are crazy by themselves, but as a team they are something else!

Vince had a great time in practically every exhibit. He loved dressing up and finding fossils, excavating the terracotta warriors, doing puzzles, playing on and with trains, "driving" hot wheels, wandering through the hall of mirrors, working as an ice cream server, catching fish, digging in the sand, making music, climbing and all of the other things I have since forgotten. It was a blast! We thought the kids would pass out on the drive home but Vince stayed awake for the entire drive. We miss the Kirkhams but love that we're close enough to do weekend trips with them!

Families Can Be Together Forever!

I believe that families can be together forever. Paul and I were married in the Salt Lake City Temple where we were sealed for eternity. No worrying about "until death do you part" because we get forever together. As a family, we've set a goal to attend the temple frequently to remember the promises we've made to our Father in Heaven and to give others the chance to make those covenants too. We were thrilled to have an opportunity to take our kids to see the newly constructed Temple in Indianapolis, IN. Most of all, I enjoyed being the celestial room together. I love my family and have been comforted in knowing we can always be together.

Learn more about Temples

Kid Probs.

When people ask me how it was to go from one to two children, I tell them that it was super easy for me. Paul was around a lot, I had grandparents helping with Vincent, I wasn't in school, and I was mentally prepared for the changes that were to come.

Vincent didn't have such luck. Gaining a sister was brutal for this guy. He had just turned two and his little ego was not prepared to share his parents, toys, time, space, air... you get the idea. We've had small stretches where it seems like they're getting along. Then a week goes by and Vince is back to pushing, crushing, squeezing and yanking on Kate. The hardest transition was moving to Michigan. His world was turned upside down with such force that any progress we had made was erased entirely. Hitting, screaming, and crying were full fledged whenever the delicate balance of life was thrown off kilter. Our sweet boy was becoming quite sour.

It has been hard... like, really hard, to be patient through this particular rough patch. Some say it's a natural part of having a 1 & 3 year old, but when I make the mistake of looking at other families, I don't see this much discord. It was progressing to the point where I didn't want to take Vince to nursery for fear of what report I'd get when I picked him up after church. I steered clear of the park to avoid situations where he would hit other kids. As if having this struggle wasn't enough, I could feel the judgmental stares of other parents making me feel like I was a bad mother. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many good people though. The kind words I've received from friends and family has made all the difference and gave me hope that this really would pass.

Slowly, we're getting back into a routine. Vincent has even stopped asking if we're going back to the hotel (We lived there for over a month, so I can't really blame him)! And then it started happening. I began seeing little flashes of kindness: choosing to share, not screaming when she climbs on his toys, laughing when she knocks over his tower, using his words when someone upsets him. It has been a breath of fresh air to hear the kids laughing together instead of crying together.  He's still a kid and he has his moments, but overall, it seems like we're out of the woods.

Kate: 11 months old

Kate has one tooth! She's very close to cutting her second lower incisor.

Lets go of furniture and stands unsupported for long periods of time. This is such a relief! When she was younger she hardly ever put weight on her legs. Looks like she was just being stubborn!

Screams and yells for food whenever anyone else is eating. Especially at dinner. It's embarrassing when we are eating with guests! We can hardly talk because we're so busy trying to keep food in her mouth. She is most certainly a jealous little girl. She wants what everyone else has.

May have had an allergic reaction to eggs. Her face got red and splotchy. She didn't have any breathing issues so we're not too worried. It's possible the redness was from the enzymes in her saliva but we really have no clue. We'll keep an eye on it and find out in time.

Loves whacking her pacifier on the crib slats. It lets us know she's ready to get out of bed.

Down to 2-3 pacis at night, we wrap her body but her arms are unswaddled!! This is a huge triumph! Perhaps a bit ridiculous, but with the lack of stability we've had around here, swaddling has been a huge comfort for Kate.

Her eyes are still blue as can be-- but that could always change as Vince had blue eyes at this age too.

When she eats her finger occasionally gets caught up her nose and she just leaves it up there!

Learned how to use a big straw! She's been doing food pouches but we mostly just squeezed it into her mouth. With the temptation and reward of a smoothie, she learned to use a big straw. This helps her to eat soup and smoothies with the family.

This girl still spits up after nursing! She must gulp tons of air because she's guaranteed to spew 3 times a day. thankfully it's not all day long like it used to. We expect a little bit after milk and then we're usually in the clear.

She's got a love/hate relationship with Vincent. Really, she adores the boy. She wants to be close to him... but it almost always ends in tears. Vince thinks he's big enough to hold her so he's constantly trying to pick her up... aka putting her in a headlock and lifting. He also tries to help her stand and walk... you can guess how that story ends. Sharing is especially difficult for these 2. When Vince was a baby he didn't care what toy he played with. Set something in front of him and he's happy. Kate, on the other hand, is happy for a fraction of a second until she sees that Vince is playing with something else. She drops hers and tries to get whatever he has. Vince isn't a great sharer either. It's the big struggle of every single day.


She is still happy as a clam. I seriously don't know how she does it. She wakes up happy, goes to bed happy, and perks up within seconds after crying. I love her smile and the light that she brings into our lives.

The First Four Years

4 years

3 college degrees

2 kids and

1 house later...

I still couldn't ask for a better marriage.

Vincent's 3rd Birthday!

My big boy turned three!! He is crazy, loud, and headstrong but he's also the sweetest and most kind hearted kid I know. He loves the the "Cars" movies and is addicted to the show "Octonauts". He acts out scenes from Cars all day long and loves to pretend being Quasi the Pirate.

Vince has blossomed into a good eater! He eats practically anything I put in front of him. He also understands that we always try at least one bite of a new food. He's such a good sport! I've also been shocked to find that Vincent can actually contribute when it comes to taking care of the house and yard. He helps move rocks, rake, weed, clear the table, put clothes down the laundry shoot, "folds" washcloths and burp cloths, picks up his toys and helps Kate when she loses her paci. He's always begging to help whenever he can-- especially in the kitchen!

He knows all of his letters and on a good day he knows all of the letter sounds too. He has shown an interest in reading so we'll be starting him on a reading program next week. I frequently find him sitting on the couch reading a book. Vince could flip through pages for hours on end. It seems like he's a little sponge that wants to soak up every bit of knowledge he can. My jaw drops when Vince spouts off something he learned or saw months prior. His memory is better than mine any day of the week.

Like any 3 year old, Vince doesn't like to listen. He is a free spirit and he runs off to whichever direction his heart desires. And boundaries? Vincent doesn't even know what those are. He runs up to strangers and calls them friends, he tries to follow other kids into their cars/houses, he gets as close to you as possible and he hugs any kid he can get his arms around. He has even climbed over a chain link fence to "find his friends". He's wild!

Vincent lives to play and I live to love Vincent. Happy birthday, Son!