The Big Day

A little over a year ago, Jason proposed to me on this bench at the Bountiful Temple. Life has changed so much since then!

On Saturday, June 7th, Jason and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Bountiful, Utah temple. It was a great experience and one that I am sure will be with us forever. I'm still unable to find the words to express my feelings about that day. It was something so spiritual that it's difficult to describe yet it was such a wonderful experience that I wish I could. I feel so blessed to have Jason as my eternal companion and best friend. He truly makes me want to be better everyday and be the best wife, mother, friend and sister I possibly can be.

After the sealing we held a lunch at North Canyon Park in Bountiful, which has a beautiful view of the valley and has become one of our favorite places. We were surrounded by friends and family which was a really good thing since it was fairly cold. The sun would peak out every once in a while and we would enjoy it while it lasted. Jason and I want to tell everyone that came to the sealing and/or the lunch and all of those who helped out with the lunch and pictures....THANK YOU! You really helped to make the day special and it was great to see all of you! To all who weren't able to come, you were in our thoughts. We missed you and hope to see you soon.

Our First Anniversary!

June 1, 2008 - 1 Year Anniversary

Have you ever found yourself somewhere you thought you would never be? A place that is bEyOnD anything you ever thought possible? A comfortable place where you cHeRiSh every moment and try to tAkE iN as much of it as you can? That is where I am. I am overwhelmingly grateful for the blessing that Jason is in my life and for the perfect husband and wonderful father that he is. I've told him before, that I would consider myself lucky just to know him, but not only do I get that, but I have the opportunity to be his wife and eternal companion! He makes me feel grateful, peaceful, gIddY, happy, secure, cHeRisHeD, appreciated and most importantly......LOvEd. This last year has been so much fun and we have learned so much about each other and ourselves. This has been an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I look forward to each moment, each day and eTeRnItY together..

Catch Up

2 months!!! That's how long it's been since my last post! Life has been crazy busy and it's been so hard to find time to get on here and get everyone updated on what is going on in our lives.

We've been able to get out and do a few fun things as a family. Ammon started his baseball season and we've been cheering him on at every game. So far they are undefeated, with a 6-0 record. I have been really impressed with how well Ammon and his teammates play! Go Padres!

We also purchased a year pass to Hogle Zoo, so we took the kids there last Saturday and had a great time checking out all of the animals, though I think usually our children are much more "wild". I have only one complaint: they should hand out nose plugs for the amphibian building. Ewwww!

Mother's Day was great! Hopefully all of you mothers out there had a good one too. Jason made me breakfast in bed (french toast, scrambled eggs w/cheese and orange juice.) When the kids woke up, he talked to them about how it was my special day and how they needed to be really, really good. He got them excited about it and by the end it sounded somewhat like a pep rally from where I was in our room getting ready for church. It brought a smile to my face. Of course he threw in a few threats here and there just in case any of them decided to step out of line. Amazingly, the kids managed to make it through the entire day without having to suffer the wrath of dad. :) The next morning, Jason said, "I bet the kids will be really bad today to make up for being so good yesterday." Unfortunately, he was right and the kids then had to suffer the wrath of mom. That's how it goes though. Moms occasionally get little breaks here and there, but kids will be kids and moms will be moms.

Tomorrow is Ashlyn's 9th birthday! First of all, how the heck do I have a 9 year old?! I am so amazed by how much she has matured over the last couple years and by how quickly the time has passed. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was holding her as a little baby, with her tiny fingers wrapped around my finger.......her soft skin.........her big beautiful brown eyes.......her itty bitty toes. She has taught me so much and has changed my life forever. Happy Birthday Ashlyn!!!!! We love you!!!!!! This picture is from a month or so ago when she preformed in Suessical the Musical at her school. She did a great job and the entire cast put on a great show. I was so proud of her for all of her hard work! She really put her heart into it! She is already talking about wanting to be in next years production.

Lastly, Jason and I are so excited that our sealing day is almost here! June 7th! It's crazy how fast our first year of marriage has passed. We have both enjoyed being together and are convinced that we are spirit twins because we are so much alike. We think the same things at the same time and have even been known to break out into the same song at the same time, out of the blue. No clues, no warnings, just coincidence.....or something more. I have never in my life had such a connection with anyone. I still don't know that I deserve such a great man, but I will be holding on to him as long as I possibly can, which will hopefully be forever. I tell him all the time that I am the one who got the good deal in marrying him. (and of course all of my family and friends could back this up), but he is still convinced that he is the one that got the better deal. Silly Jason, I don't think he realizes just how good HE is! :)

Ok, I really am going to try harder to post more often. Hopefully I haven't lost all my readers by now.

Love you all!

Crippled Mom Chasing Kids

Well, I am healing nicely from the surgery, though I did take a good tumble down 1/2 of our stairs the day after and landed right on my knee....of course. The funny part was, that I didn't even fall because of my bad leg. It was my other one that slipped! I am just clumsy by nature, so it really wasn't a surprise. I am doing much better though and so thankful to everyone that helped out during the first few days. Now it's life back to normal as far as taking care of the family and kids is concerned. I still have a while (@ 6 weeks post surgery) before I will be able to get back on the treadmill, but my physical therapy is going really well so far. The kids were really helpful during the time that I was down and Jason managed work, the kids and house, like a pro. I'm convinced that he can take on anything and succeed.

The weekend before surgery, we took the kids to the Discovery Gateway. They had tons of fun and Jason and I had a good time watching their little minds at work. It's cute to see how they get so excited about things and how they work to figure stuff out. It turned out to be a really fun day.

Jason and I are going to our first Ward Temple Night together this weekend. It's an exciting time for us and we are happy to live in a place where there are so many beautiful temples to visit. It's also the best to have a husband who enjoys doing that kind of stuff and who has such a love for the gospel. It makes life so much easier and so much more fulfilling to be able to work toward goals together. When he and I were dating, I told him that I wanted "a team mate, not a spectator" when it came to raising children, going to church and doing the things that we believe to be right. He has proved that he is just that. He is constantly helping and settting a good example for not only the kids but for myself. He sets the bar high and makes me want to be better each day.

Christine's update

The surgery is finally done and I am doing well. A little tipsy and absentminded from the medication, but heck, when am I not that way anyway. :) I'm amazed by all of the wonderful people, both family and friends that have offered to help us out. We really appreciate it! Thank you!

I'll write more when I'm a little more with it and when I feel like I'm not going to tip over and fall asleep on the keyboard.

Stinkin Church Basketball

The day is soon approaching. Next Tuesday I will have surgery to repair my knee. Stinkin church basketball. :) I tore my meniscus. For you to have a better idea of where that is, I've included a picture. It's basically the cartilage plate between the bones. My doctor said the surgery only takes about 30 - 45 minutes and I should be home a few hours after that. Unfortunately they do have to put my under to perform the surgery, which I am a little nervous about. I was hoping that they could just give me a shot in my knee and go to town on fixing things. I'm sure everything will go well though and I will be back to chasing kids around the house in no time.

Jason will also have to refrain from calling me "Gimpie".

Last week the 3rd graders put on a program about Native Americans. Jason and I were able to go watch Ashlyn perform with her class. They did such a great job. I was extremely proud of her and amazed at all the songs and actions that they all learned. She nailed her speaking part and impressed me with her dancing. It was one of those moments where I had to use all my strength to hold back tears. Yes....go ahead, make fun of me.....but I can't help it.....I love my kids and I am so proud of them!

Ammon took us to his first Blue and Gold Banquet. He has really loved being part of the Cub Scouts and it's been good for him to get out and make some more friends. He's starting to pass off things in his scouting book and I'm sure Jason will have him earning every badge and belt loop possible. He also lost a tooth last week. Unfortunately it took the Tooth Fairy 3 days to show up. I may have to call her customer service line to complain. ;)

Alyssa is starting to read and is now learning simple addition. Every day I am still amazed at how much happiness and energy can fit into such a small little person. She is such a great little helper and is always asking me if she can help me do things.

McKenna has taken some lessons from Alyssa and has started helping more. The other day she asked me if I would like a drink. I told her "Sure. Thanks." She came back a couple of minutes later and set a glass of water next to me on the desk. She then said, (in an English accent) "Here you go maddam." It was hilarious!

Jason is still my favorite thing ever! I'm sure by now everyone is just about gagging on how I can go on and on and on about him and about how mushy we are, but dang.....I just can't help it. He really is sooooo great! I've come to the conclusion that I had to go through so much crappy stuff before he came along so that I wouldn't ever take him for granted and I would always realize how wonderful he is. Well it worked. I think he is completely and totally amazing and I will love him forever and ever. He's stuck with me. :)

We will have all the kids here this weekend so we're going to try to do somthing fun together.

Ammon and Alyssa are gone most Saturday's, so it will be nice to have everyone home at the same time.

Tonight I'm learning how to make hair bows at our RS activity. I'm up for learning something new. I went and bought a whole bunch of pretty ribbon then realized that I probably wasn't saving all that much by making them myself. Oh well. It should be fun anyway.

Better bring your A-game.......

Ok, so I thought I would be really good at this whole blogging thing. I thought I could find the time I needed to do it and be able to keep all of you lovely folks up to date on what is going on in our lives. Well.......to say it plainly....."I stink at it." I have only posted 2 entries before this one and I've had this site up for a while! I am amazed by how quickly the days go by. I guess that is what happens when you're having fun.......or maybe when you're an out of your mind crazy like me and don't realize it. Either way, I need to really step it up on this whole blog thing. Here goes entry #3.

To catch you up on the kids: Ashlyn is still practicing for Suessical the Musical which she will be performing in mid-March. She is so excited to strut her stuff across the stage and show us all just how talented she really is. Her Suessical music continues to drive me out of my mind, but it's all for a good cause. :) She is hard at work studying up on chinchillas for an animal report. She saw them on tv the other day and fell in love with their cute little beady eyes and bushy tails. I agree....they are stinking cute. But as I tell the kids...."If they poop and can't do it in the toilet, I don't want them." Ammon is now old enough to join the Boy Scouts. He has enjoyed meeting new friends and doing "big kid" things. Last week we attended my first pack meeting. It was actually a lot of fun....though I have to admit.....I think I would rather pull out all my teeth using no anesthesia than be a den mother. Watch, now lighting will strike me dead for saying that.....or maybe someone will be "inspired" to call me to be in the scouts. Ammon is helping me learn more about boys every day though and maybe eventually I will understand them. :) Alyssa continues to be our "little diva". She tries out different hair styles and clothes 24/7. She dances around the house constantly and we all get tired just watching how much energy that little stinker has! She NEVER stops! Sometimes we check on the kids at night and Alyssa will be sleeping in some really strange contorted position. She is the most flexible "gumby girl" ever. Hmmmm, maybe we can sell her to the circus if she turns into a bad teenager someday. I'm sure she could do all kinds of tricks for them. McKenna still runs the house. She sings constantly and when she's not singing she's yelling. It's funny how people think she is soooo good natured because of her "little voice", but they haven't seen her hold her own against her older siblings. She really can be sweet though and tries really hard to be a good girl. Out of all of the kids, I see myself the most in her. I understand her, so she probably gets away with more than she should......Jason thinks I'm just a sucker.

Now, on to Jason and I. We are still pathetically mushy and manage to gross our kids out about every day.

Thursday after my 1st pack meeting, I played a little basketball with some of the other sisters in the ward. Now if any of you have ever seen me play anything sports-like, you will know that sometimes I get a little competitive. As we played I realized that I would probably fit in better playing with the brothers in the ward. It cracked me up to hear how many times the girls said "sorry"...."sorry"....."sorry". Believe me, there is a HUGE difference between men and womens church ball. The men don't say "sorry", they say things more like, "what the ____? You freakin _____! Quit playing like a ______!" Not to say that I was talking or even thinking things like that but I was out for the kill. I was there to play a serious game. It was a lot of fun until I came down bad on my knee and injured it. But did I quit playing? Nope. Stupid me kept going. It may have been the adrenaline...or just my natural competitive nature, but I just couldn't stop! So, with nostrils snorting steam and a will to play till the death, I continued. Then, when it was all over, I wanted to die....or at least gnaw off my own leg. It hurrrrrtttttt! I was finally able to get in to the doctor today and from what he can see at this point he thinks I have torn my meniscus. (The cartilage between the bones in the knee.) So, now I will probably be having surgery. Lucky me. :(

I managed to get up (limp up) to bear my testimony on Sunday. Whenever I tried to say anything about Jason or the kids I got really emotional and got that froggy thing in my throat that makes it so I can't talk. I sounded like a mix between a croaky frog and squeeky mouse. It was embarrasing. It was good for me though. I hadn't been up in a while and needed to do it. It had been an emotional week for me with the passing of President Hinkley. While Jason and I were watching his funeral I had a thought come to me...."Why are we so lucky? Why have we been given so much? Out of all of the billions of people who have lived, why were we born here....and now..... and into the church?" In thinking about this, I also felt that we must have all been amazing spirits before coming to earth. We were given these blessings because we promised to help others and bring them back to our Heavenly Father. We aren't supposed to just sit back and enjoy what we have been given....we are supposed to step it up and actively work to spread the gospel and bless lives. I think President Gordon B. Hinkley demonstrated this his entire life. I once heard that his wife Marjorie, said she had never seen him do anything unbecoming a prophet of God. What a compliment! Though we all make mistakes, we can always resolve to start today......to be better....work harder and to do our best.

Jason is doing great. He's still HOT as EVER and makes my heart beat double time. He's been busy with work as usual and still manages to give us his all when he's home. He keeps the kids in line and has babied me during the time that I've been limping around the house...though he usually babies me anyway. I am sooooo lucky to have such a wonderful husband! He's the love of my eternity.

The countdown is on. We should be getting sealed in just under 4 months! The clearance paperwork is still in process but it should be done by the time we have our anniversary. (June 1st) I can't think of anything better than knowing that we will have the opportunity to be together forever.