Christmas 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Secrets....

Well, we're letting you in on a little secret we've been keeping for a few months now. We're having a baby! We wanted to surprise our families on Christmas so we haven't been able to tell anyone and it's been driving us all crazy! I am due on July 1st, and am 14 weeks right now. We are very excited and hoping, praying, crossing our fingers that it is a little boy, but whatever we get we will be thrilled. Durke's says because we want a boy so bad we'll get a little girl, but hey at least I'll have a lot of clothes.

Time flies when you're having fun...

Well, I think we've been having fun anyway. I looked at my blog today and realized I haven't posted anything since November 19th. Ugh! I'm becoming one of those once a month bloggers that make me crazy! (Sorry if you are one of those :) We have been so so busy, as I'm sure you all have been too. Even the people I talk to regularly I haven't talked to in a while. I'll chalk it up the happy holidays.

We had a great Thanksgiving down in St. George with my family. The girls loved staying in the hotel as usual. I think we could go to the Willowcreek Inn here in Ephraim and they would think it was a wonderful vacation. Durke got to ride his bike, after much whining and complaining about the rain, I finally had my prayers answered and the sun broke through for a few hours. Whew! I think we were both going to go crazy if he didn't get his ride! I got to ride horses with my girls, eat yummy food, and do the crazy Black Friday thing with my mom and sister. I think it's safe to say it was a great time had by all.

Last weekend, we went up to Salt Lake and rode "tracks" with the girls, went to the lights at temple square, and out to dinner. This wasn't quite the magical holiday tradition I had always remembered. Our girls were crazy, tracks was packed, and there were more people on the temple grounds than live in our entire town. I told Durke I've lived in Ephraim for way too long, too many people give me anxiety. Needless to say, it was good to be home and we can mark that off our check list of "Christmas musts".

In the meantime, I have finished my Christmas shopping, Hooray!;threw a Bonko bash, husbands and all, (boy am I glad that's over), went to my sister's baby's blessing, and a bunch of other things. Now on to Christmas cards!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. Here's to January and life slowing down!

I thought this was hilarious!

Funny conversation...

Gracie: Mom, what does it mean to "make sense"?
Me: Well, it means that you understand it or you think it's true.
Gracie: Laughs
Me: Why is that funny?
Gracie: Because it makes sense.

Mom Moment:
I ran me a much needed bath this morning and I really just wanted to soak. I had been in all of 30 seconds and in comes Gracie and Abi. Needless to say I didn't get to soak all by myself, and it was anything but relaxing. Oh well, chalk it up as a fun memory.

Picture Tag

I am finally getting around to the 4th picture in my 4th folder tag. I have kind of checked out of life lately, but I am finally getting around to the really important things! :)

I smiled when this was the picture I found. It was like 3 years ago and Gracie was so little. We were making sugar cookies and I was being brave and letting her have fun. We have flour everywhere, but it was fun. Isn't she so darn cute!

Time...

I have been thinking a lot lately about time and how precious each moment we have on Earth is. Yesterday we watched some of our friends bury their one-year old little boy. It was one of the hardest things I have ever seen let alone for them to be going through. I feel so sorry for them. They had so little time with their sweet little boy. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have of the plan of salvation and forever families. I know that this is what is helping them through this difficult time.

On Sunday in our Relief Society lesson there was a quote that has been on my mind; it is from the May 2008 conference talk that Elder Ballard gave, it was from the author Anna Quindlen, she said: "The biggest mistake I made (as a parent) is the one that most of us make...I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

I am starting to understand what it means to "live in the moment", and how important it really is. The most important thing we do in our lives is our how we treat those we love and the relationships we cultivate; not how clean our house is, or what we make for dinner, or how cute our house is decorated, or all the other things that we spend so much time worrying about.

I don't want to have any regrets when my kids are old. I want to remember all the little things, and I want them to remember how much I loved them. Because we never know how long we have here, I guess my challenge to you all is to live in the moment and enjoy all the little things in your lives that make it great.

I love Fall!

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. I love the colors, the coolness in the air, the smells, pumpkins, leaves, hunting season, the food, the holidays everything.

I also love the fun things to do in the fall. We have started a few fun traditions with our families. Last weekend we went to Herriman's Pumpkin Festival with my family. My girls had a blast. It is targeted towards kids, but we had fun too. The girls got to dress up in their Halloween costumes and they thought that was great. They had a costume contest, some fun games, lots of candy and some fun blow up toys. It was way fun to be with my family. We also love to go to the pumpking patch in Centerfield with all of the Gordon's. It seems like a lot of you have that same tradition but it's a great one. The girls had a great time finding the perfect pumpkin and I think we found some fun pumpkins. This year on Halloween (Durke's birthday) my parents are coming down, and the girls are way excited. We usually go to the Halloween carnival at the elementary school and go trick-or-treating. I think Durke and I like that part more than the girls.

I also mentioned that I love the food! I love anything made with pumpkin. Pumpkin pies, cookies, dinner-in-a-pumpkin, my mom's pumpkin roll, and any other yummy dessert I can find.

This is by far the best time of the year, I hope you all enjoy the season!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

My dad's birthday was on Sunday, and I wanted to wish him a happy birthday then, but I am a little slow. I don't get to see my parents often enough because they live in Salt Lake and I hate it. My dad and I have always been really close and I think the world of him. He has always made me feel like the most special daughter in the world and he thinks I am perfect.(Little does he know!) He would do anything for his kids and does. He has taken all over the state doing high school rodeo and sports and him and my mom are our biggest fans. He spent countless nights out in the barn teaching me all that he knows about horses and I cherish those times in our lives. He is so cute with my girls, and they love him to death. Dad I love you and think your the best. Happy Birthday!

Abi's 2!

Abi turned 2 last week and had a great birthday, I think! We had all of the family over again and my mom brought a really cute pinata. We made her a cute Dora cake and she was way spoiled. Some of her favorite gifts were her cute car from my parents, her princess castle, and her new Scooby Doo movie. Thanks everyone for spoiling us so much in September. Happy Birthday Abi! We love you sweetie.

Cash Louis Bawden

My cute little sister and her husband had their baby! We were able to go and stay with them for a few days and try to help her out, although I don't know how much we really helped. He is so darn cute, I wanted to steal him. Here are some pics. The girls loved him I think it might be time to add a little boy to our family what do you think?!

To be or not to be...

Trendy... I have been battling with myself over the whole stretch pant trend. At first I thought there is no way I will ever where those; I left that behind in elementary school! But, my mother-in-law gave me the cutest outfit for my birthday which included gray stretchies and a cute black sweater-dress. I am actually wearing it today, and I kind of like it. So if any of you Ephraim ladies see me around town and think I look goofy just know I gave in to the craze! I feel a little like a "teenie-bopper" but hey it beats feeling old and matronly like I usually do! So I guess the question for you all is to stretch or not to stretch!?!

Busy, Busy, Summer!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hi everyone:

I have turned into one of those bloggers that never blogs. I have had good intentions, but that was all it was, intentions. I feel like we have been running since the first part of August, and I haven't really gotten anywhere; we have done some really fun things though. This is going to be a catch-up post.

The first part of August, Durke did an the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race in Leadville, Colorado. He had been training all summer for this race and he was really excited. We were able to stay in Vail at a really nice resort for a few days and had a really nice vacation. The Leadville 100 is a 100 mile mountain bike race at the top of the rockies. The race starts at 10,200 feet and climbs to 12,600. The cool thing about this race is Lance Armstrong raced in it too. Durke thought it was pretty cool that he got to ride with him. Durke did really good and finished in 9 hours 50 minutes, and he got a really cool belt buckle. We both love Vail, and were able to spend our anniversary there, and we were able to spend the week with Durke's sister Naloni and their wonderful family. We love you guys!

When we got home Durke's cute sister Joni was married to a really cute guy, Casey Thomas. Their wedding was beatiful and it was nice to be able to see all of the family. I don't have very many pictures of the wedding, but I did post a few that I had. I do have some funny pictures of us all re-decorating the wedding cake. It was the ugliest cake before the Gordon girls got to it ( I can say that because Joni thought so too), but we worked magic and it was beautiful in the end.

Two weekends ago, Durke did his final race of the season, the LOTOJA. For those of you who don't know what that means it is a race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Get it? Lo-to-Ja...anyway it is a 206 mile road bike race, and Durke did it in 12 hours 45 minutes. He did this race last year, and our brother-in-law Rich wanted to try it. Durke always says he doesn't like this race, but I'm sure it will be an annual thing for us. I really don't get why he puts himself through the pain, but I guess it's his thing. We stayed in a really cool hotel in Jackson for one night and hurried home.

We have also had a few other things going on, Gracie started Joy School and turned 4 years old. She had a really fun birthday party with a lot of friens and family. We made her a princess castle cake, it was definitely a family project. I think everyone had a little part in the decorating including my sister's husband Chase, and Durke. She was very spoiled, but she deserves it! We love you Gracer-Racer. We also sold our truck, had fun at the county-fair, and I've canned 12 quarts of peaches, 8 quarts of salsa, 6 quarts of tomatos, and 8 jars of jam.

We hope things have slowed down a little bit for our family and we hope all is going well for yours.

I hope we both make it through 2!

Already this morning Abi has "given my cell phone a bath", thrown 2 very passionate temper-tantrums, dumped a full glass of water on my bed, and went potty on the bathroom floor (we're starting to potty train)! I have blow dried my cell phone, put Abi in "time-out" twice, soaked up as much water out of my mattress as I could, mopped the bathroom floor for the second time this week, and screamed into my pillow! I really don't remember Gracie being this hard. I hope it doesn't get worse with each child, because Durke and I want a few more and I don't know if it really could get any worse!

5 Years...

Durke and my anniversary was last Friday on 8-8-08. We celebrated in Vail, Colorado and had a great time. As I look back over the last five years it has been pretty amazing. Just like everyone we have had our ups and our downs but we are so much better for all of them. We have grown so much through the hard times like losing Durke's brother, starting a new career, and all the stresses of having our own business; but I am so thankful for those times. We have also had two beautiful little girls that make us so happy, and lots of laughs and great memories. I have enjoyed watching Durke this past year as he has done so well in his bike races. He is so strong and motivated, I hope that some of his talents can rub off on me. He is such an amazing man and I am so proud of him and all of his accomplishments in work, sports, and being a dad and husband! He is such a great guy, and I am so blessed to have him in my life. Thanks babe, I love you.

Memory Tag

I thought this was such a fun tag, so I thought I would join in! Leave a comment on our blog of a memory you have had with/of one of us. It doesn't matter if you've known us for a short time or you've known us forever... just let us know what you remember!! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many memories people come up with. It's fun to see the responses. Ready.... get set.... leave a memory!!!

Pictures, pictures, pictures...

We finally got out girls pictures taken, it's one of those things I have had on my mind to do forever, but I always procrastinate. The girl that takes them for me was moving, so I had to get them done and I was sooo happy with them.

Our summer fun...

We have had a fun and busy summer so far. We have been camping, to all of Durke's mountain bike races, stayed at my families for a week to help my dad after he had back surgery, played with friends in the water, to the splash park by my parents house, BBQ's, to the lake, and tons more. We hope you are all having a fun summer too.

One word Tag

One Word Tag...
1. Where is you cell phone? Abi
2. Your significant other? Durke
3. Your hair? Gracie says it's "wazzy!"
4. Your mother? Beautiful
5. Your father? Handsome
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Forgettable
8. Your favorite drink? Strawberry-Lemondade
9. Your dream/goal? In shape
10. The room you're in? My office
11. Your children? Happiness
12. Your fear? Lonely
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Brazil
14. Where were you last night? In-laws
15. What you're not? Loud
16. Muffins? Chocolate
17. One of your wish list items? House
18. Where you grew up? Riverton
19. What are you wearing? P.J's
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Lost
22. Your computer? AFLAC's
23. Your life? Busy
24. Your mood? Fine
25. Missing someone? No
26. Your car? Parked
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
28. Favorite store? Tai Pan
29. Your summer? Too Fast
30. Like someone? Natalie
31. Your favorite color? Black
32. Last time you laughed? 5 minutes ago
33. Last time you cried? unknown

Lost turtles and too much water!

We've had what I'll call a "different week". For the most part it has been pretty normal, except for a few minor glitches. On Wednesday, Gracie and Abi were given a little box turtle. They were soooo excited. This is the first time Dad has given in and said they could have a pet. We made it a cute little home outside with sand, water, and a large supply of lettuce. What more could a turtle ask for really? We made sure he was secure and couldn't escape before we went to bed, but apparently he could. Yesterday morning he was gone! We searched all day for him in every bush, in the river, at the neighbors, but according to Gracie he is "no-where to be found". We are quite sad, so if you live near us and happen to find a lost turtle, please let us know:)

The second crazy thing that happend is our basement flooded. A sprinkler valve that is right outside a window well, broke and started filling the basement with water. Luckily we found it pretty quickly, but it still had put a lot of water in one of the bedrooms downstairs. We spent all of Wednesday night cleaning that up.

Anyhow, I hope you have all had a great week and enjoy the weekend.

I do have a little creativity in me...

Here are a couple little projects I have been doing this week. I am not creative at all, but I thought these were cute and decided I would share. We actually made similar treat bags in Stamp Club last week, so I can't claim the idea for myself; that was Addie, but I did add my own touch. The black and white card is one of my sister-in-laws bridal shower invitations. I don't make cute things very often so this is quite an accomplishment. I still have a long ways to go!

AHHHHH!!!!

I think I am going to go crazy. Mosquitos have taken over Ephraim and I think their headquarters are in my yard. I counted 37 mosquito bites on me and probably few dozen more on each of my kids. I told Durke my chances of getting West Nile are growing very quickly. I am up all night scratching, and it is literally making me crazy. I have tried everything under the sun to try to keep the little pests away but to no avail. Please, please, please tell me if you have any secrets to keep the little bloodsuckers at bay!

100 Things about me...

Thanks to Addie... here's everything you ever wanted or maybe didn't want to know about me!

1. My full name is Jessica Marie Gordon.
2. My maiden name was Crane.
3. I was born on September 28, 1982.
4. I am the oldest in my family.
5. I have a little sis named Jaimie; she's 22, married and pregnant with her first baby boy.
6. My little brother's name is Austin, he's 17 and 6'4" tall.
7. I am way close to my parents and I love them very much.
8. I grew up in Riverton, Utah.
9. We lived on 5 acres with a horse barn, arenas, fields, a pond and lots of animals. I loved it.
10. I grew up riding horses nearly everyday.
11. I miss that. I hope that my girls will be able to ride someday too.
12. I competed in the National High School Rodeo Association. My events were barrel racing and poles.
13. I used to train horses during the summers.
14. I would like to compete again.
15. Even though I rode horses, I never considered myself a "cowgirl".
16. I graduated from Riverton High School in 2001.
17. I came to Snow College all by myself and I'm glad I did.
18. I have two cute little girls named Gracie Pearl and Abigail Marie Gordon. I love being a mom.
19. I am married to Durke Gordon and I am one lucky girl.
20. We were married August 8, 2003 in the Manti temple.
21. I sell Aflac insurance.
22. I love, love, love any kind of flower.
23. I also love lighthouses.
24. I have the greatest in-laws in the world, I am so glad to be part of their family.
25. I had a tumor on my thyroid in college and had to have it removed.
26. I worked for the the President, Michael Benson, while I went to Snow and loved it!
27. I drive a white Pontiac Grand Prix. Durke brought it home to me right before we had Gracie.
28. While I was in high school and college I bought a black Ford Escort. I loved that car. My sister drives it now.
29. I bought it myself.
30. I would like to one day be an aerobics instructor or a personal trainer.
31. I am a clean freak.
32. I love to vaccuum.
33. I am a homebody.
34. My great grandma, Pearl Patterson is my hero. I hope to be just like her.
35. I used to be a bookworm, I still like to read quite a bit.
36. My last read was "The Host" by you know who:) I really like it.
37. I love old country music. Wierd I know, but I think it comes from my dad.
38. My family wasn't active in the church until I was ten years old.
39. We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in December 1993.
40. I love to travel.
41. I love shoes, and I have a ton of them.
42. I have broken both of my arms, and as of last week 2 fingers.
42. I am the enrichment leader in our ward right now.
43. I love to cook and would love to cater some day.
44. I have always wanted to be a mom and a wife.
45. Some places I would like to go are: Europe (we are probably going next April), New York, Tahiti, Brazil, Church history sights, and New England.
46. Some places I've been are, Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington. Not too many!
47. One of my favorite vacations was up Hwy 1 on the Pacific Coast.
48. I am addicted to blogging.
49. I love to get the mail. Durke thinks this is really wierd!
50. Half way, are you bored yet?
51. I am a perfectionist.
52. I am very un-cordinated. I think I gave all those genes to my sister. You're welcome, Jaimie.
53. Except for Durke, I would say my best friend is my mom. She's the greatest.
54. I don't really like to talk on the phone.
55. My favorite restaurants are The Roof, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Chili's.
56. I like to work in the yard.
57 I love my parents barn. It has a lot of wonderful memories for me.
58. I fall down all the time.
59. I love summer BBQ's.
60. Some of the jobs I have had are: secretary at the middle school in Riverton, sweeper at the same middle school, in-bound call center(this was the easiest job ever!), I trained horses, taught swimming lessons, worked at Sanpete Community Training with handicp children, secretary at Snow college, and now Aflac.
61. I really like to play board games. Durke hates it though.
62. I hadn't ever ridden a motorcyle until I married Durke and I really like it.
63. I want to have a lot of kids.
64. I am actually really shy.
65. I have a little confession, I love General Hospital and I faithfully watch it everyday. Pathetic I know. It's my weakness, but don't ever tell Durke.
66. When I was younger, I used to dream of going to Harvard. I didn't quite make it, but that's ok.
67. I really like camping. My family always had a nice 5th wheel trailer that we stayed in, Durke likes to roll his sleeping bag out on the dirt; we compromise and stay in a tent. I am still working on him to get a trailer; someday maybe, hopefully!
70. My hair wasn't curly until I was 10 and it is very much controlled by my hormones. When I am pregnant it isn't as curly.
71. One of my pet-peeves is women who say they love being pregnant. Come on that is such a lie. People won't think less of you to tell the truth. It's the longest 10, yes 10 months of your life.
72. I am a list person. Ask Durke I make a list for everything! Grocery lists, to-do lists, packing lists, want lists, Christmas lists, you get the drift.
73. My favorite color is black.
74. I also really like brown, red, and green.
75. I think I was born in the wrong decade. I would have been perfectly content with living in the 50's. I just like being a housewife; cooking, cleaning, sewing, and taking care of my family. I hope none of you are too feminist, you probably think I am crazy!
76. Some of these are getting a little strange, but maybe I am a little strange though. Aren't we all?
77. I am a hopeless romantic. I really think love should be like it is in the movies.
78. I don't drink soda pop. It gives me a belly-ache.
79. Spring is my favorite season.
80. I love shopping for Christmas and I usually start in July.
81. My most embarrassing moment was in college. I was on a date in Provo, and we went to the Red Robin at the Provo Mall for dinner. When we were leaving I was talking to my date and accidentally went out the fire exit. The alarm starting buzzing and lights started flashing; the people who worked their were in a panic. My date and I ran. It was really bad!
82. I get stressed really easily, but I am pretty good at hiding it.
83. I hate confrontation or tension. I will do almost anything to avoid it.
84. I am really scared of open water, like lakes and oceans. I hate not knowing what is under there.
85. Durke and I talk about everything. It is on of my favorite things about our relationship.
86. Another pet-peeve of mine is when people burp; especially women. It is so rude and gross.
87. I love the zoo. I always have; I think I get more excited than my kids.
88. Durke introduced me to mountain biking, and I love it. (As long as we're going downhill!)
89. I think it would be fun to be a wedding planner.
90. "The Wedding Planner" happens to be one of my favorite movies. I also like Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, Enchanted, anything real mushy.
91. I think Matthew McConnahey? is one the most attractive men on the planet.
92. I love a good rain and thunderstorm.
93. I tried out for Miss Riverton twice, and it was the scariest thing I have ever done.
94. I like to go to the dentist. I love the feeling of clean teeth.
95. One of my favorite splurges is a one hour swedish massage from the day spa where my sister works.
96. My hair is shorter now than it ever has been.
97. Wow this is getting really hard!
98. One of my very favorite things is to cuddle with Durke and the girls in our bed in the mornings. It's one of those things I know I am going to really miss when they get older.
99. I can't believe you made it this far!
100. I am so glad to have the life that I have. It has made me the person I am today. Thanks Addie for making me think about myself; that doesn't happen very often.

Now I tag, Melissa Zuber, Angeline Coleman, Julia Stallings, and Janille Olsen. It's fun, promise.

Ouch!

I have had what we'll call a "rough week". On Wednesday night I had a typical Jessi moment! We were at Durke's bike race in Draper, and we were sitting on the bleachers; which were made of cement. My parents were there and Niki's boyfriend Kelly. Abi being her typical handful self, was pulling off her pants and her diaper so I went to grab her and somehow fell. (I was wearing some high sandals which may have had something to it. Durke has since outlawed me from wearing anything over an inch!) I started tumbling down, down, down. Luckily Kelly grabbed my leg and stopped me as I was headed into the 3rd roll. I think he may have saved my life! Anyway, I was pretty beat up, I had blood all over, on my knee, my toes, my arm, my leg, but the worst thing were my fingers. I went to the doc yesterday, and apparently I have 2 joint fractures. My fingers are huge and black and blue. I didn't get a chance to take my wedding ring off before my fingers swelled up like a balloon, so it is stuck. I have been really nervous, because Durke says they may have to cut it off, if my finger doesn't go down (my ring, not my finger:). That will be a sad day! Here are some pictures!

5 of your favorite things....

I thought it would be fun to list 5 things you have recently came across or bought that you love or has made your life better or easier. If you read this consider yourself tagged and post 5 of your favorite things. Have fun! Hopefully we can all add some of these things to our lives to make them a little easier and a little sweeter too!

1. My new Tart & Tangy stamp set from Stampin' Up. This is the funnest set, it is so versatile and great for summer cards; and I have used it a ton! (I didn't make these cards, but I wish I had!)

2. Edemame- This is my new favorite snack & it's way healthy. Edemame is a young soybean still in the pod. It looks a lot like a pea and is grown in Asia. Katie Justeson introduced this to me at Supper club last month, and my family loves it! (even my girls) You can find it with the frozen vegetables; just boil it for three minute, sprinkle a little salt on it, and enjoy! (Note: don't eat the whole pod, just the inside; I made that mistake the first time, and trust me it's not very good:) The greatest thing about this is it's way healthy, so enjoy!

3. My new Colbie Caillat cd Addie gave me. (Thanks Addie, for keeping me up with the music trends, if it wasn't for you, I would be such a music dud:) Her songs are so fun and they put me in a good mood.

4. The Swivel Sweeper- My mom gave this to me for Mother's Day, and I absolutely love it! (Thanks mom you're the greatest!) It is a cordless vaccuum, that picks up anything from anywhere. With two little girls, it has made my life much easier. They're $30 at Shopko, or Target. Get one, I promise you'll be glad you did!

5. Suave Kids Cowabunga Coconut Shampoo/Conditioner. I know I am a little weird, but this is the best kids shampoo I have found. It smells so good, and it makes my girls hair really soft and easy to comb. Plus it's cheap, all the better!

6. Okay, so I have to add one more. If you're a "clean freak" like me, you'll appreciate this website. http://www.flylady.net/ Check it out, I promise you'll like it.

I can't wait to see all of your favorites.

Tag Time!

Both Gracie and Durke were tagged, so here's a little bit about two of my favorite people...

All about my cute husband

What is his name? Durke Zeb Gordon

How long have you been together? We will have be married for 5 years on 8/8/08. (A little crazy huh!)

How long did you date? We dated for about a year and were engaged for 3 months.

How old is he? He is a halloween baby and will be 29 this year.

Who eats more? Durke eats more treats, but we actually eat about the same. That's pretty bad!

Who said I love you first? Durke finally told me he loved me when he asked me to marry him. He had a little bit of a committment problem or he will tell you he is so committed he couldn't tell me until he knew for sure. I think that's kind of sweet though.

Who is taller? Durke is 6' I am 5'3.

Who can sing better? I don't know that I have ever really heard Durke sing, but I definitely don't sing very well, so he probably has me beat there.

Who is smarter? We both have our strong points, when it comes to insurance and fixing things Durke is a genius, but everything else I am! :)

Who does the laundry? I do. Durke wouldn't even know how to turn on the washer or dryer. He could wash them by hand with a washboard though, he learned that on his mission to Brazil.

Who pays the bills? I do.

Who sleeps on the right side? Durke does.

Who mows the lawn? Me, me, me. At least I have a riding lawn mower!

Who cooks dinner? I do, but Durke can make a mean french toast!:)

Who drives? Durke

Who is more stubborn? Durke will say me, I will say Durke and neither of us is willing to budge:)

Who kissed who first? Durke kissed me at his parents cabin. It was very romantic.

Who asked who out first? This is a long story, you'll have to ask me if you are interested. I ended up asking him out first.

Who proposed? Durke. He took me up the canyon and made me close my eyes, then he had a dozen roses and for each rose he told me a reason why he loved me and wanted me to be his wife. It was definitely his romance peak, he has had a little bit of a struggle trying to top that.

Who has more friends? I think we're the same.

Who is more sensitive? Hands down me. He is a pretty sensitive guy though.

Who has more siblings? Durke has seven and he is the youngest boy. I have 3 and I am the oldest.

Who puts the kids to bed? We both do.

Who wears the pants? Nobody. We both think this is a ridiculous saying. We both respect eachothers opinions and make decisions together.

I am so glad Durke is my husband, I love him so much. He makes me a better person, and I am grateful for that.

I now tag Jen Jensen, Brandy Elegante, and Tasha Peacock.

Gracie's Pics

8 Things about Gracie:

1. She was born on September 14, 2004 at Gunnison Hospital. She weighed 6.5 pounds and had a ton of black hair.

2. She is my little social-lite. I have no idea where she got this characteristic because Durke and I aren't very outgoing, but she could make friends or talk to anyone, and she does. She used to call every old lady or man we saw Grandma or Grandpa and then proceed to start a long conversation with them. It was a little embarrassing, but she seemed to make friends and to make their day.

3. She loves to ride her bike. It's in her genes, compliments of her daddy. He is always so proud of her when she "rides so fast" or leaves a really long skidmark in the driveway. The funny thing about her bike is it isn't a pink one with flowers on it, but a blue one with flames and Specialized stickers all over it.

4. Gracie hates snow. She doesn't like to be out in it, for it to touch her, and she definitely hates sleigh riding. Needless to say, this winter was very long.

5. Gracie loves my dad. They have always had some sort of a connection. A lot of this love could be from the fact that he spoils her rotten and she couldn't do anything wrong in his eyes. My parents live on a little farm with horses and all kinds of animals, and they do High School Rodeo with my little brother. Gracie can usually be found with Grandpa out in the barn feeding the horses, or tagging along to the rodeos. She is starting to become a pretty good rider. Durke and I aren't sure if she'll be a bike racer or a little cowgirl. We'll have to see.

6. Gracie has a ton of friends. She loves to play with them. Some of her closest friends are Abi, Joslynn, (they are like sisters), Phoebe, Chance, Colby, Mariah Cherry, and many others. I hope she is always as good at making friends as she is now.

7. Gracie talks a lot! Sometimes we have to say "Gracie, it's time to be quiet now." That doesn't sound very nice, but you have no idea how it gets sometimes. She not only talks to us, but she'll talk to anyone about anything. She always seems to pick the meanest looking person and starts talking to them, and they always smile. She has a gift of making people smile.

8. Gracie is a very special little girl, and we are so blessed to have her in our family. I love you Gracie.

We now tag Kayson Jensen, Kiara and Ace Elegante, Keldon Stallings

Happy Mothers' Day!

I found this cute poem and thought I would share it.

What is a Mother's love?
It is something that is very, very special.
It is something that no one can really explain.
It's something that is made up of much deep devotion, joy, pain and sacrifice.
It is endless and unselfish and it endures whatever may come.
It is full of hopes, dreams, tears and pleasure.
Nothing can ever destroy it or take that special love away.
It is very patient and forgiving.
A Mother's love is a lifelong commitment to selflessness.
More often than not, it requires much more giving than receiving.
But it is something that is given with delight, gratitude, enthusiasm and much satisfaction.
A Mother's love never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking.
It is always believing when all the rest of the world is condemning.
A Mother's love is a splendored miracle that man cannot understand.
It is something that cannot be measured, for it has no beginning or no end.

I have been thinking a lot about what I have learned since becoming a mom and how I have changed, and I think it has been a lot. I thought I would share a few.
1.I have learned that a kiss from mom really does make "owies" all better.
2. I have learned that I am not quite as patient as I thought I was, and it is actually something I need to work at.
3. I have learned what it looks like at the wee hours of the morning and how to stay awake really late.
4. I have remembered how fun it is to just play.
5. I have learned what and how deep true love is.
6. I have learned what it really is to sacrifice; sleep, the last cookie, your favorite show, time, and so much more.
7. I have learned that sacrificing so much somehow makes you feel good.
8. I have learned there is such thing as love at first sight.
9. I have learned how exciting the world can be.
10. I have learned how much I love being a mom.

Dandelions or Sunflowers?

Much to my annoyance, dandelions have been popping up everywhere in our yard. I cannot tell you how much I despise dandelions; probably because every Spring they take over our yard and it seems as if we spend the entire summer trying to keep them at bay. Gracie, however, loves them! Everytime she sees those little yellow demons popping up she says "Mom look at the beautiful sunflowers!" and then proceeds to pick as many as she can for me to put in a vase and put on display in the house. Today, I was digging up a few from my flower bed and she was traumatized that I would kill the flowers. You are probably wondering where I am going with this. . . After Gracie's and my conversation about why I was killing the dandelions/sunflowers, I started thinking how nice it would be to have the heart and mind of a 3 year old. To look at everything and everyone for the good that is in them instead of the bad. They seem to be able to find joy in everything. When or where in our lives to we lose that? I have decided to try to look at the world more as a child does, I am willing to bet it will make a big difference. So my point is enjoy the dandelions!

Peter Pan Syndrome

Do any of you ever get really sad when you think about your little ones growing up? I 'm sure I'm not the only one having issues with this. I just love my little girls so much; I love when they cuddle with me and Durke in the mornings, I love when they climb up on my lap, or fall asleep in my arms. I don't ever want them to get big, and not want to hug me anymore, or even worse get so big that they move away. That sounds like the most horrible thing ever. I know that all stages of life are probably fun and we can learn a lot, but I am selfish and I never want Gracie and Abi to get bigger than they are right now.

General Conference...

I love General Conference. It is so nice to be able to have our leaders speak to us. I don't know about you but it seems like every time I feel that one or two talks are just for me; this conference was no different. I loved Elder Ballard's talk to the young mothers. It gave me a little boost of energy to keep going. Motherhood can be very difficult and sometimes it does feel like we're doing it all alone. It is so comforting to know that Heavenly Father knows how we feel and is there to help. I also liked the little bit to the husbands, boy am I going to use that against Durke! I also really liked Elder Russel M. Nelson's talk and when he said "Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life." What great advice for all of us parents. President Monson is so amazing. He is so sweet and such a great example. I hope you all enjoyed conference too.