...and we are HOME!!!!

After 12 days of Traveling to Utah and Colorado, we are home. There is so much to blog about, but first we will just enjoy being home! Many times during the trip Anna asked to go back to California and asked about Mia, our dog. When I told Anna we were going to go on a plane yesterday she said, "And go home and see Mia... she is saying 'where's my Anna?'" The whole day she talked about Mia and going home to her. Too bad she fell asleep on the way home. Though this morning the first thing we heard her say from her room was, "I hear Mia!!" They are buds. Mia was very excited for us to be home as well, she slept in our room (not in our bed... I am not THAT willing) and hasn't left my side all morning! So cute!

We all slept the best I think we have for almost two weeks. Though the lack of sleep was worth it most of the time. So far this morning Anna has been wandering the house finding all her favorite toys and bringing them to me to see. I am thankful that even though we miss family and friends, Anna favorite place is still home! Mine too!

I return home with a craving for home cooked food (after cafeteria food for the reunion... which was okay, but I am excited to cook) Rumbi, Cafe Rio and Mom's cooking,

the lack of desire to do dishes (I had the BIGGEST Eczema breakout and haven't done dishes for weeks!),

lots of laundry to do, but LOTS of prego clothes to grow into (THANKS HOL!),

more appreciation for family and heritage,

thankful for wonderful conversations and moments of relaxation,

a renewed love for mountains and sunsets (man i miss them!),

and an excitement to get Anna on her regular nap schedule...perhaps I will now join her so I can catch up!

7 years . . . Really?

(This was ready last week, but Dave beat me to it, so read his previous post too if you would like).

Today, Dave and I celebrate our seventh anniversary!! And though we are apart physically on this day, I feel we are closer than ever. Living away from our "Utah Home" and family and friends has made us grow together in ways that I never would have imagined. I always heard that moving "away" will make your family stronger, and never understood how we could get any more close, but I have been more than pleasantly surprised.

We have had to be each others' support during busy, hard times; work together through parenting struggles; be flexible with schedules to make time for all our various demands; be there through daily emotional struggles; be there through loneliness; make some MAJOR decisions together; lean on each other's faith, make new (and amazing) friends, make time to have fun as a family, learn how to experience and enjoy each area we live in, and just be together. It has been an amazing seven years and I cannot wait for 7+ more!

I am thankful for Dave's constant dedication to each important aspect of his life. His ability to balance so many needs amazes me, I feel like he takes care of our family and leaves time to just relax with us when he is home. I am thankful he is WORKING now instead of coming home as a student and studying, it is WONDERFUL!

Thank you for making me feel special and loved and for helping me create a wonderful home and family. I am so blessed to have a little angel that looks like her Daddy! I love that I get to see you in her all day long! Those eyes kill me!

I love you babe, more than ever before! I am proud of you, proud of us, and proud of our family!
Happy Anniversary, I cannot wait to truly celebrate with you in two days!

To My Beautiful Bride

Happy 7th Anniversary Heidi!!! I can't believe it has been that long already. Time definitely flies when you're having fun. Thank you for being my best friend and for bringing constant happiness into my life. You're even more beautiful now than when we first met (yes, even with the cute prego belly!). Tomorrow will be a bit different of an anniversary in that we won't be together but I'm sure I'll still go all out and get some fast food to celebrate! :)

I love you and can't wait to see you in a couple of days!

Love,

Your T.W. (inside joke that most of you readers won't recognize ... don't worry about it!)

The "other" Graduate

Anna was playing with my jewelry the other day she came to me and said, "I graduated." (Just like her Daddy and Auntie.) I love her imagination and all she is learning everyday!

Our Lizard Friends

These little guys are all over the place. They scare me when they rustle in the bushes as I walk by, but we love watching them on the walls. Anna even has me tell her stories about the "girl lizard and the boy lizard racing on the walls" before bed. I tried to catch them on video, but couldn't get them... did you know they do push ups? Between that and running all day they put us to shame!

Good Ole' Stanislaus County Fair

We ventured out Saturday afternoon to the fair grounds in Turlock, CA. It was over 100 degrees, but we survived. He had a great time petting animals, seeing baby ducks just out of their eggs, watching the Budweiser Clydesdale's in their parade, going on the carousel (Anna's favorite), eating junky food, listening to a country band, going through a mock rain forest and seeing a show about the cutest monkey in the world as well as Zeus the Boa constrictor. We stayed up late and waited with a crowd to see "KC and the Sunshine Band" rock it out at 60 years old to "Shake Shake Shake... Shake your booty" among others. It was a fun night! Anna was a bit nervous to pet the animals.

I don't know why this didn't flip, this was the lead horse in the parade before he was all hooked up.

This was actually at Michael Jackson's "Never land Ranch." We didn't ride on it due to Anna not being tall enough, but it was cool to see!

We brought our smaller camera and it's shutter is a LOT slower than our Nikon. Here is the best shot on the carousel. Let's just say it was a good thing that horse stopped a little lower to the floor.

Checking out the snakes... not my favorite

In front of the Macaws

Seeing a real Scorpion. Dave touched it, Anna and I opted out, but Anna was interested in looking.

the little sister

We are excited to still be a family of girlie, pink GIRLS! I think Anna understands the concept of a little sister and is excited!

Here's to one more girl to help us have tea parties, play with princesses, babies, and barbies!