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.