Monday, May 26, 2008

Outer Banks

Just a couple of pics from our vacation so far. This is my favorite place to come every year; so fun, so relaxing!
Keely on the beach with her best buddy Max

Ben playing in the sand with his cousin Andrew

Ben is hilarious to watch in the sand. See the sand on his face? That's because he lays down and cuddles the sand like it's a bed or a teddy bear.

The boys on their lap tops, a pretty common sight during downtime.

The kids at "church." We had our meeting at the beach house on Sunday because there's an unofficial annual mormon singles trip here every year on Memorial Day weekend and apparently about 750 people show up at church. The little ward here just passes the sacrament and then sends everyone home.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

shining like the top of the Chrysler building

So Keely was in the bathroom for a long time the other day and I figured she was getting into trouble but I was too busy to care; all I knew is that she was busy and entertained and I had a lot to do. After about 45 minutes I decided I'd better check in and I was like, "Keely, whatcha doin?" to which she responded, "Just cleaning the bathroom mom!" I have to say that as soon as she said this I imagined a massive puddle of water on the floor with rugs and towels strung all over the place so I hurried into he bathroom to see if I could minimize the damage. To my great surprise the bathroom was gleaming! I won't pretend that she didn't use a hand towel to clean (gross), and the strong smell of watermelon would suggest that she also used a large amount of hand soap but regardless it smelled and looked great; the sink, the floor, the cabinet, the mirror...the only thing she missed was the toilet (thank goodness!). Relieved and happy I just turned back around, shrugged my shoulders and said, "Wow... good job!"

Sunday, May 11, 2008

10 Years Baby!

Last week Shawn and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I can't believe how quickly time has gone (and how much older we look!). I made a video for him but for some reason blogger wouldn't let me upload it. Anyway, since it was our big 10 how could I not make a list of 10 things I love about Shawn? So here they are in no particular order:

1. I can always be myself with you, whatever I’m feeling. If I’m happy, I can be all the way happy, if I’m sad I can be all the way sad and I know that you’re with me trying to experience whatever I’m experiencing.

2. You’re a mean competitor. You’ve never let me win a game on purpose once and believe it or not, I like that.

3. You’re a great dad. I love that you call and tell stories to Keely every night when you’re on a business trip, even if you’re in London or Ireland. I love that Ben’s your biggest fan.

4. Relationships mean so much to you. You’ve always been better at keeping in touch with both friends and family and you’re always aware of people’s needs and what they’re going through.

5. I love your lack of opinions when it comes to clothing, home furnishing, etc. Sounds funny, but I love that you’ll just wear (almost) whatever I buy and that when it comes to decorating the house your only opinion is “comfortable.” I don’t know how I’d manage with someone who had strong opinions in those areas.

6. I love that you’re so cuddly. I know I’m not the most cuddly person ever, but I really do love that you are. There’s something comforting in knowing that you’re always there with a hug when I need it.

7. You’re one of the most content people I’ve ever met. Whether we go out for the night or just stay in and get a movie, whether I cook or we go out to eat, you’re just happy being with people you love.

8. You’re so thoughtful. I love that you still write me letters, realize when I’m stressed and that you’re always there to help with whatever’s going on.

9. You have such a strong testimony. One thing I’ve never doubted is your belief in the church and you take whatever responsibility or calling you’re given so seriously. You’re such an example for both me and the kids.

10. That I knew what kind of person you were after our very first conversation. You have always been completely genuine and you live exactly what you believe. I knew after our very first date that you were the kind of person I could spend forever with.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

...and here it is

Yay! We move in the first of June and we're so excited. After LOTS of looking, bidding and praying we ended up with a home that we feel will be just right for our family and we're super excited that we'll live near grandma and grandpa when they get home, and until then we get to be right by Kristin and Abram! It feels like June will never come but I'm sure that with all that we have to do before we move we'll stay plenty busy and time will pass quickly.