Three Years Ago Today...

Ryan and I were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple on September 30, 2004. It was the happiest day of my life! I am so lucky to be married to such an amazing guy. He is such a hard worker, fabulous husband and incredible father. We have been so blessed in our three years of marriage. We have had some wonderful experiences and done some fun things together traveling the U.S., going to plays, concerts, etc. Most importantly we have been blessed with 2 beautiful, healthy baby boys who have given our lives and marriage a whole new meaning. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. Happy Anniversary Ryan! I love you!

We Failed Again...

So last night they were playing Monsters Inc. as the outdoor movie at The District. We decided that it would be a fun one to go to and hopefully not get rained out. We met some friends and got our yummy Mexican food and headed over just in time for the movie to start. This time the problem was not rain, but people. Last week it was not too crowded and there was still plenty of room, this time it was packed and there was no where to sit at all. We went over to the side and sat down to eat our dinner. We could see the movie through other people and trees but not very well. It was such a nice night and the weather was perfect. We hung out there for a while and then decided to go over to our friends house and hang out instead. It was still a fun night but we were disappointed that we had failed in our attempt yet again. Maybe third time is a charm! These are all the husbands with their kids. Jesse and Ezra, Mike and Anna, and Ryan and Brady and Easton!

My Hubby Is The Best!

So because Ryan goes to a Jewish school he gets all the Jewish Holidays off. In case you don't know, there are a lot of them. He has today and tomorrow off. I was so excited to be able to spend some time with him and today he was so sweet to me! This morning he got up with the kids and let me sleep in. We went birthday shopping for the boys and when we came home I had the worst headache and he just let me lay down and relax. Then I had to go start working right when the boys woke up from their nap so he got them up and fed them dinner, he had already fed them breakfast and lunch. He put our dinner in the oven and made a salad while I worked. We ate dinner and hung out with the kids for a while before we put them to bed. Then he went and got me a Dr. Pepper while I worked which I needed! He is such a good father and husband. He tries so hard to give me breaks from the kids and help me out when he can and today he saved me! It was a great day and I am so lucky to have him!

Update On "One Year Ago Today"

So I will quickly do an update on the pregnancy last year. I decided to put up this picture so you could see how uncomfortable I was with the IV in my arm and all the monitors on my belly!

The 21st was a pretty boring day. I was still on the mag and I am sure feeling pretty crappy! I have to say I have the best mom ever. Almost every weekday night she spent the slept at the hospital with me so that I did not have to be alone and Ryan could sleep at home since he had school early in the morning. She came to see me every single day and was the best through all of this. She is amazing!

The 22nd "Someone told Grandpa that every 1 day the babies stay in me is 4-6 days less they would have to stay in the NICU." I had made it 6 days so we were feeling pretty good. My sister-n-law Katie was a nurse at the hospital at the time and would come to see me when she was working. It was so fun to spend time with her!

On the 23rd there was a BYU football game against Utah State. It was Nick Holland's birthday and my brother Jake made a surprise visit. Kelsey came and sat with me during the game so Ryan could go. I was sad to miss Nick's birthday party and it was hard knowing all of my family was together and I was laying in a hospital bed. Jake came with my parents and stayed late and chatted which was so fun!

On the 24th Whitney and River came and sat with me for a couple of hours. It was so fun to see River and made me anxious to have the babies. I had a lot of visitors all through the day which was a lot of fun and helped to pass the time. We put a paper up on the wall with names on it. It had Brady, Easton, Logan and Hunter. Brady and Easton were winning (and won!)

On the 25th they FINALLLY let me go see the NICU. We had been so anxious to get in there to see babies that were born around the same time and would be about the same size. They made me go in on a guernie and my vision was still so blurry I could hardly see. It was good for us to see it though and helped me remember that all the suffering was worth it to get these kids bigger before they were born. Abbey and Kelsey came and Abbey gave me a pedicure. My little brother Chad was the best and came to visit me every night. He would call and tell me when he was going to make his "nightly visit" My family truly got me through this and were the best!

A Funfilled Weekend!

We had a great weekend with Jared and Heather. They got here late on Thursday night and we hung out and chatted.

On Friday morning they went out to breakfast with Jared's brother and his wife. We went and met them in the afternoon and went to the outlets for a day of shopping. Ryan and Jared found these shoes called "Margaritaville" They bought the same ones and I wish so bad I would have taken a picture. Then Heather and I went to Banana and bought the same outfit...kind of funny!

That night we planned to go the The District and eat dinner and then head over to the outdoor movie which was "Goonies." Ryan and Jared were so excited. We went and got our Mexican food and as we were walking over to where they show the movie it started to rain. We went over and sat under a tree and started to eat our food just as they started the movie. About 2 minutes later it started to rain harder and lightning so they cancelled the movie. We were so mad.
So we packed up and headed home. Ryan and Jared went and got some treats and we watched Mission Impossible 3.

Right when we moved in I had signed up to do a bunch of stuff at our ward's super saturday which was this weekend. I woke up and headed over there to make my crafts. The boys took a nap and then Jared, Heather and Ryan took them and went to Hoover Dam. They had a good time and said the boys were really good and had fun!


I had a great time at Super Saturday and made a clock that I love! One of our friends has it at her house and was teaching the class. When I was asking Ryan what to do at Super Saturday he said he really wanted me to make the clock. I think it turned out pretty good. It was a fun morning with my ward! (This is kind of a weird picture and don't mind the background...sorry it was still drying.)
That night we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...Yummy! As we were waiting for our table Utah fans kept walking out wearing their Ute gear and red. Our kids had on their Y shirts. It was funny! We kept hearing people make comments about it. I just love that BYU won and Utah got killed! We sat outside which was fun and surprisingly it got chilly. We had them turn on the heater that was by us but then we got too hot. Brady and Easton were pretty good. They brought them a plate with banana's and bread and they scarfed it down. It was a fun dinner! We rushed home and got our kids ready for bed and took them to Monica (Aleena's sister) and went to meet Jared and Heather for Phantom of the Opera. It was such a great show! We loved it! On Sunday morning we woke up and had Sweedish pancakes and watched the Sound of Music. Then Ryan and I headed to church and Jared and Heather headed home. We were sad to see them go but we are so glad they came. It was a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Nick...a day late (sorry)!

With our visitors and a busy weekend I totally forgot to post this yesterday for my nephew Nick! He turned 4 yesterday. He has the best mommy who gave him a Thomas the Train birthday party and even dressed up as a conductor, overalls and all! We are sad that we missed another birthday of Nick's but we are glad he had a good day! We love you Nick~!

Where We Have Been

Here is a quick update on where we have been. I just spent all this time doing this and somehow deleted half of it. AHHHH

On Wednesday morning I took the boys for a walk over to see Aleena. Come to find out she had fallen down the stairs the night before with Laila in her arms. Don't worry Laila was fine but Aleena hurt her shoulder. Long story short she decided to get an x-ray. Lucky for me I got to watch Aria. She is so funny, I love her.

Aria: Hi Suwa!
Me: Hi Aria did you come to play?
Aria: Buddies?
Me: Oh the buddies are napping.
Aria: Buddies napping? High School Musical?

Well at least she asked for my kids first. She wanted to sit right in front of the TV in "her chair" aka the bumboo, and eat goldfish out of a bowl. Then as soon as the boys woke up she wanted them to sit by her and feed them goldfish. The good news was Aleena was okay and we had fun with Aria!

On Thursday my kids were still sick and so fussy. I stripped them down to a diaper because they now insist on feeding themselves. After they ate I put them down to let them play and they came up with a new game. They would throw this ball thing on the tile and then chase it.
They entertained themselves doing this for a long time which was so nice. I won't complain. I decided to keep them happy by letting them do their favorite thing in the world. Take a bath! They were pretty good the rest of the day and I think they are finally starting to feel better.

Last night Ryan's best friend Jared Morris and his wife Heather came to stay with us for the weekend. Stay tuned to hear about our exciting weekend with them!

Quick update...

I will do a quick recap on one year ago September 18, 19, and 20...

Tuesday (18th) they came in and turned the "mag" off. I finally took a shower and it was heavenly. I got back in bed and was having lots of contractions so they quickly started the IV again. They put it at a 4 which is really high. I was miserable again.

Wednesday (19th) was the worst day yet. Grandma White sent me really pretty flowers which made my day! Abbey and Kelsey came in the afternoon and watched Saturday's Night Warriors with me. Oh the childhood memories! Abbey also made best friends with the cleaning lady. I had some visitors and then at about 6:00 p.m. I started having really bad contractions that I could totally feel and it hurt. They called the doctor and they came in and gave me a shot of morphine and turned the mag up. I got up to go to the bathroom and had an "episode." I was totally limp on the toilet. Ryan, my mom, and the nurse were all in there trying to snap me out of it. All I remember was the nurse hitting my face and saying, "Sarah you are scaring me, do I need to go call the doctor?" I remember thinking, "okay I am scaring them, I need to try to get up." It was the weirdest thing I have ever felt. They came and drew my blood and found out that my levels were way too high and they had to turn it down. We were sure the babies were coming tonight. All of my family gathered at the hospital and my dad gave me another blessing. They gave me some medication to help me sleep and we made it through the night without having the babies, thankfully!

Thursday (20th) was a pretty boring day. They didn't want me to do too much after my episode so I just laid there all day long. I had lots of visitors which I loved! I had a lap top and I spent a lot of time on it looking at baby clothes.

It's been a long day...

Two sick babies makes for one very exhausted mommy. So I know this picture is totally blurry but I hurried and snapped it before giving my kids their bottles. I sort of felt bad but I had to show how they have spent the last two days, crying and miserable. They have cut at least 3 teeth in the last few days and possibly working on a fourth. Last time they were teething they got runny noses which turned into a sore throat, ear infection and wheezing and they both ended up getting breathing treatments. I have a feeling we are headed down the same road. Poor kids and poor me. Ryan has a test so he has been gone all day long. The good news is it is bed time and we are hoping their medicine will help and they will wake up happier babies tomorrow. Sick babies is the worst especially when there are two and they both want their mommy.

"Bad Day"

So my mom did not write much in my journal today. She just wrote "Bad day, Mag all day." I remember that I was so hot and so flushed so my mom went home and got a fan. I put it on the table next to me and set it so it would blow right on my face. It helped a lot. I also had them turn the air in my room up which was great for me but anyone that came to visit me would freeze! I was so frustrated because I would watch the monitor and it would show that I was having consistent contractions but I could not feel anything. I had not been out of bed at all since I had been admitted on Saturday. I had to have a catheter and everything. All I wanted to do was take a shower and walk 5 feet but they would not even let me do that. I decided day time television is BORING! More to come...

A Crazy Sunday

It was a Sunday morning and I woke up to a busy day. To be honest it was all a blur but my mom kept a handy journal for me to help me remember. All of my brothers and sisters came to the hospital to see me which was so nice of them. Renee had called everyone and planned a family fast in my behalf and people even came to the hospital to give Ryan and me the sacrament. A doctor from the NICU came in for a consult and talked to Ryan and me about what would happen if I were to have the babies that day. Lets just say it included high chances of heart problems, brain damage and death. It was not fun. On top of that the medication I was on made me crazy. The room was spinning, I couldn't see anything because my vision was so blurred, and I was totally flushed and hot. It was miserable. After hearing all the things that could be wrong with my babies it was worth it. I just had to keep telling myself that over and over again. The good news was they moved me to the best room in the house where I had a great view of Mt. Timp! That night after things calmed down my dad and Geoff gave me a blessing (Ryan was having a hard time) It was so neat and such a comfort. I knew that no matter what happened we were all going to be okay.

So I am just doing this recap for fun! People always ask me how my pregnancy was so I thought this would be a fun way to share the story. It was a hard time in our lives but we got through it and every day I was pregnant was worth it. I want to keep posting about the present too so I might have 2 posts a day for a while. Some of the days were much less eventful than others so they won't all be this long. I won't be offended if I am boring you and you skip these posts but it is kind of fun for me!

Thanks Daddy!

I am so white trash. This is a picture of a picture (the real one is so much cuter) but my scanner is broken, so annoying.
I just want to say that I have the best dad in the world, seriously. My kids have been really sick but I really needed to get home yesterday. I decided it would not be a good idea to stop where I usually do because they have a brand new baby. I was very stressed and on Saturday night I said to my dad, "Can you think of anyone that I could get to drive home with me and I would buy them a plane ticket home?" Without even thinking about it he said, "I will go with you!" Five minutes later he had a plane ticket. We had a good drive and my kids were great! We left about 9:15, arrived around 2:15 and Ryan took him to the airport at 5:00. If you don't know, my dad is 6'5 and doesn't fit very comfortably in many cars or on planes which made this an even bigger sacrifice for him. He is an amazing man and a fabulous dad! I am so lucky to be his daughter. I love you Daddy!

"I Think I'm In Labor"

One year ago today I was 29 weeks pregnant. I woke up and felt good. Ryan moved me to the couch in the family room where I spent the day watching football with the family. BYU played Boston College and lost. Every time I moved from the couch everyone would freak out and yell at me to lay down. This bed rest thing was getting very old very fast. Ryan's mom and dad picked him up to go to Weber to watch his brother coach. About 2 hours later I started having really bad back pain that just kept getting worse. We finally decided to call the doctor on call (since it was a weekend) and he did not call back. My doctor was a good friend of my dads in medical school so my mom finally called him at home and explained what was going on. He told her to take me straight to labor and delivery.

My mom and dad got me in the car and Renee called Ryan to tell him what was going on. We got to the hospital and got checked in. They took me to a room and hooked me up to all these monitors. I had one for my contractions and one for each baby. It was so uncomfortable. I had a fabulous nurse but there was a HUGE mix up with who my doctor was supposed to be and I had a horrible experience. I was so nauseous and they wanted to give me a shot but I HATE NEEDLES so I convinced them to give me oral medication instead. Soon enough they confirmed that I was in labor. They did everything they could to stop my contractions including giving me about 7 shots (so much for my no shot goal) but nothing worked. After many hours, many shots, and many phone calls to my poor husband, they decided to admit me to the hospital. They finally got an IV started, after about 4 tries, and started me on the most horrible medication you can imagine called magnesium sulfate. Ryan got there at about 1:00 a.m. and we spent the night at the hospital. We could hear the babies hearts beating which was comforting but I can honestly say I have never been so scared in my life.

Funny Boys!

We had a fun time visiting our family in Utah! I love my kids to death! They make me laugh and entertain me all the time! Here are a few things they did this week that I love!

 

The other night Brady fed himself in the middle of the family room. I went into the other room to go to the bathroom and when I came back this is how I found him. It was so cute and I felt so bad moving him to bed!

 

This is something that both of my kids do all the time. They just lay on their side and watch tv or watch people and just sit there and hang out. I didn't realize this was something unusual but everyone that ever sees it freaks out and says it is not normal. I love it when they do it, especially when they face each other and do it at the same time

 

Okay this is my absolute favorite thing in the world. Brady has been doing this lately. He loves his sippy cup and he will put it in his mouth and then let go. I laugh every time!

 

Last but not least, Easton has decided that he does not like his bib. He is fine while I am feeding him but every time I go to give Brady a bite he tries to get his bib off. Sometimes he is successful. I try to hurry Brady along so he doesn't have too much time to work on it.

Bed rest it is...

When I woke up on September 15th I was feeling much better. I was anxious for my doctor's appointment though because I still had a lot of pressure. My mom came with me and Ryan met us there. The doctor did the ultrasound as usual and I explained to him what I had felt the night before. In order to see "baby A" (Brady) he had to go really low with the ultrasound. The good news was the babies looked great as always. The bad news was he decided to check me and see what was going on. He took Ryan and I in the other room. He checked me and I could tell by the look on his face it was not good news. He said I was dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced. He put me on STRICT bed rest only getting up to go to the bathroom. I had to get dressed so Ryan went out first and told my mom. I was so upset and was crying. I HATE sitting around more than anything. I had to call my boss and tell her I could not work anymore which was stressful because I was the source of income and the insurance. She was nice and very understanding, she has 2 sets of twins! I went home very depressed. Our friends Whitney and Wes Jensen came over and hung out with us and brought CPK and The Office. It was fun and they helped me get my mind off it and cheer up a bit. Bed rest sounded horrible at the time but little did I know it was about to get a whole lot worse. I know you are all hanging on the edge of your seats so stay tuned for more!

Happy Birthday Laney!

This picture is a little outdated but I love it! This was the first time she met the boys and she was so confused that there were two of them.
Happy Birthday to my darling niece Laney! My mom flew to Texas today to see Jake and Michelle and celebrate the day! I can't believe she is 2! It seems like yesterday she was born and we were all gathered around the computer looking at the pictures of her and wondering where she came from, she was so dark. I have seen a lot of Daddy's Girls in my days but she takes the cake! She is so cute and we love her! We can't wait to see her in a few weeks!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

So 1 year ago today I had a very busy day. My mom and I went up to Salt Lake to pick up my Grandma from the airport. We headed over to Trolley Square where we went to lunch and bought some of my baby bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. We came home and I worked. Later that night we went over to TJ Maxx and that is where it all started. I was almost 29 weeks pregnant with my twins and I had this horrible pain and cramping feeling. I told my mom and she brought me home right away and I went to bed. She said to me, "luckily you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow." Luckily was right.

For all of you who miss my posts when I skip a day or two no fear, you will be sick of me as I reminisce the weeks and months leading up to the birth of my kids! Stay tuned...

Our First Haircut!

So some of you may have noticed in recent pictures that my kids hair looked different. The other day I finally gave Brady and Easton their first haircut. I have been wanting to do it forever because they had that weird baby hair which never grows in even and there are pieces that are way longer than the rest. My mom kept telling me that I was going to regret it and made me a little nervous. The day I got here I decided to just do it because my mom has hair clippers and that is what I have been waiting on. Abbey helped me and the boys did so good. I just stuck them in the high chair and gave them some puffs and went to town! They just sat there. They were a little confused by the noise but other than that it didn't seem to bother them. We gave them a bath and spiked it up. I am so glad I did it. I think it looks so much better! It definitely needs to be cleaned up and fixed before we leave but overall it was a pretty good first haircut!

Melba Toast!

So sorry I have disappeared. I have been very sick. The good news is I don't think Ryan had food posioning afterall (even though he still does) because I have the same thing he did. The bad news is I have felt horrible the last few days. I am so sorry for all of you who are going through withdrawals from Brady and Easton. I will make sure to be better.
Here is another night I left my children with my mother and she fed them Melba toast. When I came home she said, "Sarah I got pictures for a really cute blog page." So here it is. My mom and dad were watching them and she just put them in their high chairs and gave them each one and they went to town for like an hour. She said it was so nice! They are also fabulous when kids are teething cause they feel good on the gums.

My kids LOVE melba toast. Well lets be honest, they love anything they can eat!

Grandma Loves Us!

So every time I leave my children with my mom I come home to new pictures of them. On Tuesday I had a big work retreat and my mom babysat in the morning and of course took these pictures of my kids. She loves to get them to look as much alike as possible. We think they look identical in this picture and people have been guessing wrong on who is who. So can you tell? Take a guess!

Congratulations Chelsea and TJ!

Ryan's cousin Chelsea Brady got married today in the Salt Lake Temple. The sealing was wonderful and the reception was amazing. It was one of the prettiest receptions ever! They served pizza and had an icecream bar...YUMMY! We had so much fun hanging out with all the Brady's who we love dearly! We are very happy for Chelsea and TJ and I am so glad I was able to be here for it. This is Ryan's cousin Brett and his wife Emily. We love them to death! I thought this picture was so dang cute so I had to post it!

Let's Go Cougars!

We bleed Cougar blue! Today we got all dressed in our Y shirts to cheer on our team! My mom whipped out her camera and took some pictures!

This is my favorite picture...I think they look so cute and they love their Uncle Chad. Today he babysat them and made his first bottle. When I got home they had very full, poopy diapers. I asked Chad if he realized it and he said yes but he was not about to change them. We appreciate him watching them even though they had to sit in dirty diapers!

Our Best Friend!

This is River Max Jensen. His mommy Whitney and I have been best friends since birth. The other night they came over to see us and when they walked in we noticed that our kids had on the exact same outfit. It makes me think of the two of us growing up and our mom's making us match every single day for years! It was so cute so of course I took a picture. We love the Jensen's and are so lucky that we have our kids so close in age. They are such good friends!

They made it!

Geoff and Aleena made it to Las Vegas! We could not be happier to have them living so close. It is approximately 2 minutes from their front door to mine! I love it! We spent the week trying to get them moved in and organized. My mom and dad and Aleena's mom all came down to help. Aleena's sister (super mom) fed us and was great help too! Sad to say that last night their air conditioner went out. Needless to say they are a little hot. Other than that things are going well and I think they really like their new place. Geoff starts work on Tuesday and we are excited for him! We are so lucky to have such awesome families and feel blessed to have Geoff and Aleena right around the corner!
This was taken in front of Geoff and Aleena's old townhome in Provo, Utah! Laila got lost with all the boxes. She was a good girl and slept a lot! She is so cute!
Brady and Easton were on garbage duty, putting everything in their mouths! Aria loves when I come over because I always have puffs. She sits on the ground and eats them and feeds them to the "BUDDIES!" We tricked her and put cherrios in the puff can and she was still thrilled, she just likes the can!

Olive Garden

So today I went to lunch with a bunch of friends from my ward for a birthday! It was so much fun and so chaotic. The kids way out numbered the mommies. They put us in this room in the back and they had this long table set up for us. When we walked in they had all the highchairs on one side of the table and all the chairs on the other. When we walked in someone said "these people obviously don't have children." Our waiter helped us move all the chairs around in a more logical way. We had lots of fun chatting and don't you worry, I found out that a few of them have blogs! Yeah more friends! Anyway, here are some pictures from the fun event!

How I spent my Labor Day...

The day started at 7:00 a.m. when I had to start working. For my job we always have to have someone typing so we rotate through the holidays. I personally think I have the worst holiday schedule ever this year...4th of July, Labor Day and Christmas Morning!
Anyway, I had to be working from 7:00-3:30. You would think no big deal since Ryan is home today. Wrong! Ryan got food posioning (I won't tell you where from just in case you like it) and has been deathly ill the last 2 days. The problem is I had to work this shift. This morning he just put on Baby Einstein and the boys played and were good. They went down for their morning nap and Ryan slept but when they woke up he was so weak he could hardly stand up. I have seriously never seen him this sick.

Being the good wife that I am I decided that I would just put the kids upstairs with me and lock them in the bedroom and let them play while I worked. Easton was kind of fussing and I was being a great mom and kind of ignoring him. I would type for a minute and then turn around to check on them. Well at one point I checked on them, typed for a minute and when I turned around again Easton was gone. My first thought was the stairs but I had shut the door so I knew he did not fall down the stairs. Then I thought my bathroom because they love our tile floor and always find it. I checked but he was not in there. I could hear him but I could not see him. Well, after a minute I figured it out. The little stinker had rolled under our bed.

I finally brought them down to Ryan and said I had to finish without them so he watched them for the last little bit. After I was done they went down for their afternoon nap and I got to cleaning. My mom and dad are coming tomorrow to help Geoff and Aleena move and are staying with us. I cleaned until they kids woke up and then I played with them and tried to relax.

I made them some macaroni and cheese for dinner and Brady grabbed the spoon twice and got macaroni in his eye and in his hair. (I couldn't find my camera at the moment) If you look close in the picture his eye is kind of red still.

It has been a long day and I am not going to lie, I am glad it is over. I am praying that when we wake up Ryan is feeling better. So there you go, that is how we spent our Labor Day. How did you spend yours? Hopefully it was a bit more exciting than mine!

Lake Las Vegas Triathlon!

He did it again! On Saturday Ryan did his second triathlon in hot Las Vegas. It was at this place not too far from our house called Lake Las Vegas and I have to say it was beautiful! It was like a resort town and was like being in a totally different place. Anyway, Ryan did an awesome job. He said the course was a lot harder than the last one but he still wants to do it again. I think he is crazy but he is my hero.
Brady, Easton and I went to be there at the finish line. Ryan was confused and told me to go to the start which was 1.5 miles away from the finish line. I had already had to park far away and decided it was not worth it to walk back to where I started, get my stroller back in the car (which is a big task), get my kids back in their car seats and drive to the end. Instead I decided to walk all the way. Okay it might not sound like that big of a deal but it was so hot, my poor kids were covered in sweat, they had rubbed their sunscreen into their eyes so they were all red and we were walking on the running trail so towards the end my huge stroller was totally in the way. Then at the end when Ryan was all worn out and tired he was so nice and walked back to my car and came and picked us up. So in conclusion my idea to walk was not such a brilliant idea afterall...I should have just put my kids back into the car and driven to the finish line!

In the end it was all worth it to watch our daddy cross that finish line! He is amazing! He took 10th in his division which is incredible for this only being his 2nd one! We were so proud of him and were so glad we were there to cheer him on!

Tag I'm It...Again

So Sunni Lyman tagged me but this time it is questions about my hubby, kind of fun! Many of you already know all this but for those of you who don't this will be great! It might be long, bear with me!

1.Where did you meet your husband?
Well I actually met Ryan when I was 10 years old. He was on Geoff (my brother's) baseball team that my dad coached. Then Geoff and Ryan were friends in Jr. High and best friends in high school. And to answer the burning question everyone asks, no we did not date in high school or have a "thing" for each other until after the mission.
2. What was the first thing you said to your husband?
I have no idea to be honest. I was too young. But after his mission I think I said, "Welcome home Elder McGiven!" That was the first time I noticed him in a romantic sort of way.
3. Where was your first date?
Stadium of Fire on the 4th of July! We went with Ryan's family and Justin Wilde came and brought a girl he was working with at the time.
4. Where was your first kiss?
Next to my car on my parents driveway...and yes, I made the move and it was also before our first date.
5. Did you have a long or short engagement/courtship?
We had a VERY LONG courtship. As many of you know, Ryan and I dated for about a year and then he broke up with me because he needed to make sure that there were no other fish in the sea for him. That lasted almost 1 year and then we FINALLY got back together. From there it was quick...after 1 week we were engaged and we were married 2 months after that.
6. Where did you get engaged?
At a lake in Idaho, I am drawing a blank right now on the name. It was so cool though. I had gone ring shopping with my mom and picked out a ring but Ryan and I had never gone together. Little did I know the sneaky jewlery shop knew my dad and put the ring aside for me. Ryan and his mom went and got it. It was not going to be ready in time for the family trip we were taking so they agreed to mail it to my sister-n-law Michelle's parents in Boise and then they drove it up to us. Oh my gosh, they went to a lot of trouble to make this work which was so cool! Everyone kept the secret so good and I had no idea. Ryan was going to propose on the boat but the morning the ring was coming the boat broke down. Abbey, my mom and Kelsey went and scoped out a new spot. Later that day I went to the bathroom and when I came out Ryan was gone. They told me this big lie about how we were having a fireside and he went to see the spot and he could take me later with Geoff and Aleena. Well later came and Aleena was all of the sudden not feeling well (she was a good faker too) So Ryan and I left but first we had to go get a drink. (I later found out this was so that Geoff and Aleena could go up and hide in the bushes with the camera and video camera) It was on the top of this mountain overlooking the lake and the sun was setting. We were talking and all of the sudden Ryan pulled out a watch that he had bought me for my birthday the first time we were dating (I gave it back when we broke up, so mature I know) He said, "this is for TIME" and then he got down on one knee and said "and this is for ETERNITY." He pulled out my ring and I started to cry. Then he said some cute stuff and asked me to marry him! Of course I said YES...how could I not after that?!? It was the best!
7. Where did you get married?
We got married in the Timpanogos Temple...it was beautiful!
8. How did the reception go?
The reception was perfect! I loved everything about it. It was in my parents backyard and was so fun! We had ordered 1 tent and then a couple of days before the wedding my dad ordered a second one to be safe and then the day of the wedding ordered a third because it had poured down rain the night before. It ended up being a beautiful day with no rain but the tents made my reception...they were the icing on the cake and it all turned out fabulous!
9. How was the honeymoon?
It was great! We went to Midway the night we got married and then to the Anniversary Inn for a night. Ryan was in the middle of school so we came home after that and went on with normal life. Then in October we went to Disneyworld! It was over Halloween which made even more fun! We loved it!
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Britt Birnel
Heidi Nelson
Christina Cardon
Heather Morris