Wedded Bliss

Yesterday marked 5 years that I have been married to the man of my dreams.

In 5 short years, Seth and I have shared 2 homes, had 2 kids, gotten 2 dogs, had 4 cars (5 if you

count the one I wish we didn't have), gotten pregnant 4 times - all planned, been through 6 jobs, received 2 college degrees, held 10 church callings, broken 1 leg, 1 finger and removed one appendix (all Seth's), had some hard times and a lot of good times, laughed a lot and cried a lot (all Jen - mostly at church, excedrin commercials during pregnancy and at songs/commercials/movies/etc.).

It all started with a sorority/fraternity exchange in the canyon when we were both "waiting" for missionaries, escalated when Seth invited himself to Lake Powell with me and some friends, was filled with fun adventures and exciting activities every day (none of which were ever called dates), and then as we neared some missinoary returns became a "light switch" relationship until we broke up. A few weeks later, we went from not dating to engaged the first night of our Lake Powell trip, and less than 3 months later we were sealed for all eternity.

So, in honor of the past 5 years here are some memories, moments, and things I love about Seth (If some of it doesn't make sense, I apologize in advance - they make sense to us).

Rose petals strewn on my car or bed after the roses are freshly clipped

My favorite breakfast (sausage and fried potatoes - Seth style) in bed

No complaints about changing poopy diapers, cleaning up vomit, running bathtime/bedtime, etc.

Help with dishes, cleaning, laundry

Our "folding clothes" agreement for the sake of marital happiness - I am picky about how my clothes are floded and Seth could care less, so instead of folding together and driving him crazy when I refold anything that doesn't meet my standards we each fold our own clothes, I fold the kids clothes and he can fold the towells, rags and blankets if he happens to have time.

The phrases he teaches our kids - ie "Mommy is hot!" as I am getting in the shower

Feigned interest and "Aaaws" as I parade the kids new clothes from our shopping excursion/finished scrapbook pages/craft projects/new decorations that Seth will have to put up/etc.

I have never had to put up Christmas lights on the outside of our house

I have never had to mow the lawn

I never worry about car maintenance

Watching funny things is 10 times funnier with Seth

Seth can quote more lines from movies than you can imagine!

My red rice pillow Seth made me when we were dating

The light flipping on at 3:30 in the morning when Seth gets home from a night shift so that he can read scriptures and say prayers with me, because we can't miss even one night.

Sharing Burnt Almond Fudge ice cream or IKEA chocolate bars in bed

The pile of floss I find when I sweep next to Seth's side of the bed

The amazing deals on anything electronic

Soft sheets

A quesadilla filled with a "spicy surprise"!

My kids have the most incredible dad

Seth listens to all of my ramblings...and I ramble a lot...he probably knows more about my friends, family, the young women, public relations, Morgan's buddies and the irritations of pregnancy than he ever wanted to know.

All of my Willowtree figurines from various holidays

Priesthood blessings

My blogging addiction - it is all Seth's fault for starting this thing!

Seth's infectous laugh - laughing for hours

Saturday Night Live

Blue Steel

That the only movies we ever watch are Chick Flicks and Romantic Comedies - such sacrifices for love

The beautiful flowers Seth surprised me with last night when he got off early for our anniversary

Seth's calm and composed nature...

Except for when he is driving and turns into the most impatient man on earth

Going to the temple

That we never fight - disagree, get irritated, yes - but never fight

That I am so quickly forgiven when I use my bratty tone of voice

Hugs and kisses

Seth never leaves the house or goes to bed without kissing me goodbye/goodnight

When I see cute movie stars, celebrities, etc. I still think Seth is cuter!

Those amazing calf muscles

That Seth never misses trick-or-treating - with his own bag

That Seth filled eggs with dog treats so Callie could have an Easter Egg Hunt

24th of July Fireworks at Liberty Park

Tate Family movie night

That my family likes Seth as much as (if not more than) they like me

That Callie gives her daddy hugs when he gets home - and he lets her and loves it!

That the dogs get all excited when Seth goes anywhere near the door with leashes in his hand.

My cozy human bed warmer

Our different pillow preferences

I always feel loved - and according to Seth that means he is doing his job!

Helping me finally figure out that mind reading isn't love, but willingness to do anything for me is!

That my best friend is also the man I love

That the thing I love to do the very most is cuddle in bed with Seth and the kids, followed by a close second of hanging out with Seth anywhere without the kids!

I could go on forever, but Happy Anniversary, Sethy! I love, love, love you! Thanks for the best 5 years a girl could ask for, and here's to many many many more!

Lessons Learned

Today I learned something that I am sure I will never forget: don't send anything that might possibly break to preschool with your 3-year-old. No duh, right?

Yesterday I made applesauce for bottling while the kids were napping and when Morgan woke up I was still at it. He could not get over how cool it was to put the apples into the little machine, turn the handle and have it spit out applesauce in one bowl and icky apple gunk into another. Once he became my taste-tester he was really sold on the whole applesauce making thing.

Well today was show and tell at preschool, and when Seth got home from work last night and saw how excited Morgan was about the applesauce, he suggested Morgan take some applesauce for show and tell. Perfect, I thought, and so creative! So we rehearsed what he would say about how we made applesauce and this morning, I packed a quart jar of applesauce into his backpack, told him to be very careful with his backpack so the bottle didn't break and sent him off to school with Seth (he was helping in the classroom today).

Well, Morgan was careful, but apparently one of his classmates moved his backpack and wasn't so careful because when he went to get his item for show and tell, he reached in and cut his finger in a mess of applesauce and glass jar. Ooops! Luckily, it was all contained to his empty backpack, dad was there for moral support and his preschool teacher was prepared with a bandaid and some applesauce from their snack cupboard that he could talk about so it all worked out. The question remains, though, what mother of a 3-year-old sends a glass jar to school in their kids' backpack? That's right - me...but hopefully never again!

Wedding Pandemonium

That is what has been keeping me from updating our blog this week. Seth's litttle brother Jess got married yesterday, so we have had family in town, children to deck out in fancy attire and lots of setup and takedown for the big event.

On a side note, wedding celebrations were definitely not created with kids in mind. Poor Morgan and Chloe have been toted around, missed naps, done a lot of "waiting", gone to bed very late and have basically been totally thrown off of their routine all week. They are sure happy to have Aunt Sariah as part of the family though, so I guess it was all worth it in the end. :)

So, to make up for my slacking, I present to you the most adoreable pictures of my children in their wedding attire...doing cute and silly things.

This is Chloe throwing a tantrum, Amelia wondering why she is doing so, and Morgan having fun playing the piano, oblivious to the meltdown happening next to him.

Chloe loved climbing on the stairs and making fish faces. This is a pretty amazing shot of her fish face, I think.

Chloe and Morgan both enjoyed the bubbles at the end. In fact, they used theirs all up before Jess and Sariah were even ready to go.

Morgan really wanted to talk into the microphone, so when we found one in another room that wasn't hooked up, we let him go to town. He sang the ABC song a couple of times.

When they opened up the dance floor it was all latin music, so here is a picture of Seth and Chloe shaking their hips.

I could not resist how cute this little boy looked in his suit. What a stud he is!

Inspired

I have really enjoyed general conference this weekend. We went on our conference drive for the Saturday morning session and enjoyed 3 hours of complete happiness as a family. We used to have fun family adventures all the time and with Seth back in school and the craziness that was our summer, we have really been in a family-time draught so this was very refreshing. The kids listened quietly (until they started making noise to hear their voices "narrate" the bumpy road through Guardsman's Pass), we were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery of bright and colorful leaves, Seth and I got to hear all of the talks, and we stopped to take some darling pictures. We took turns driving (since it is just so darn fun in the new car) and experienced dirt roads, snow, rain, and sunshine. We enjoyed laughing with the kiddos at all the silly things they were doing in the back seat and just enjoyed being together as a family with nothing to do but drive. The kids went down for naps right before the afternoon session started, so I got to soak it all in as I conquered the endless piles of laundry.

I realize that I am closing my eyes in this family photo, but that was as good as it got. Considering we had the camera balanced in the tree, it was raining, Chloe was irritated that she was getting wet and we were using a self timer - the picture is really not half bad! :) I just love this picture of Morgan even though it is blurry...more picts of the car to come.

While I "listened" to all of conference today, I felt like I missed most of it. The kids were hyper, loud and cranky, despite my preparation and plans to keep them happily quiet - including the set-up of a tent and fun activities, so the house was a bit chaotic all morning, and then Morgan decided to skip his afternoon nap! Of all the days... Thankfully, the talks will be available on the internet. I was touched by the bits and pieces that made it through the noise, though, and look forward to soaking it ALL in!

I feel so uplifted and recharged after hearing all of the inspired talks. I especially noticed a theme of hope - something I have been needing to embrace a little more lately. Hope in these times when the world around us is filled with economic instability and degrading morals, hope despite the everyday challenges that weigh us down, and hope that we can make a difference in the world by strengthening our families and communities. I am so grateful for the message of hope that comes through the gospel!

Looking forward...

...to tomorrow's general conference addresses. I love October conference so much because we always take a family drive up the canyon to look at the changing leaves as we listen to one of the sessions (not to mention that this is the perfect excuse to take a joy ride in our supercute new car). I am excited to hear what guidance our church leaders have for me and recharge my spiritual batteries. I was so touched by the General Relief Society Broadcast last week and it really gave me a boost. If you didn't see it, click the link and check out the talk by President Uchtdorf - you will not be disappointed!

This Has Changed My Life!!!

That's right, this is a post about a mop! Not just any mop, the H2O mop - yep, the one from the infomercials. Anyway, since getting it, my kitchen floor is sparkly clean at least twice a week - something that used to only happen every couple of weeks. Not to mention that my laminate floors look amazing and I have gotten some really stubborn 4 year old stains out of my carpet. Added bonus - it loosens all of the icky dirt from my grout and I don't have to use ANY cleaning solutions! So cool! No, I'm not selling these door-to-door, I just think this is one of the greatest things I have ever bought!

My Little Princess is Growing Up

Chloe had her 18 month check-up yesterday. I can't believe she is already that old. Her appointment was great. She taught the doctor some sign language she has picked up from watching Signing Time with Morgan and showed off her social skills and verbal skills. He was pretty impressed. She has only gained about 1/2 a pound since her last appointment, so she is now tipping in at 26 lb. 4 oz. and is in the 75th percentile (this is surprising to me because Morgan has never been below the 80th percentile in height or weight) but she has grown almost 3 inches measuring at 33" and in the 84th percentile.

Here are some random things about Chloe at 18 months. She is now putting 3 or more words together in sentences and talks non-stop. She loves to sit in her room with Morgan or by herself and "read" her books out loud while she flips through them. She gets so attached to her books that she won't leave them home when we go somewhere. She loves babies (which include the real thing, dolls and stuffed animals) and hauls them around with her everywhere. She eats anything and everything, unless you make her mad, and then she does this tounge thrust thing to make everything fall out of her mouth to get back at you! She is the MESSIEST eater I have ever seen in my life, probably because she loves to enjoy her food and shoves way too much in her mouth at one time. Most of her clothes end up at the Dry Cleaners because I can't get the spots out - thanks Grandma and Grandpa for getting everything looking like new! She loves to play with her big brother - he is her best buddy and I don't know what she woud do without him. Her favorite thing is bathtime with Morgan.

She is a major daddy's girl. She adores her uncle Michael, all of her Grandpa's and her Uncle's Jess and Stephen. She loves all of her aunts and uncles and grandparents and they all love her too! She loves to identify pictures of Jesus, daddy, babies and Uncle Michael. She carries around a framed picture of Uncle Michael when we are at my mom's house and kisses it periodically (kind of creepy if she weren't so little and cute). Anytime she sees a camera, she looks directly at it and says, "Cheese". She loves to play ring-around-the-rosie. She does not feel fully dressed until she has shoes and a bow on. If you forget these things, she will say "bow" or "shoes" repreatedly until you remember. If you want her to do something like get dressed, you just have to say each item of clothing is "pretty" and that putting it on will make her look "pretty". This is also a good way to distract her - "Where are your pretty toes?" - sadly, she got her vanity from me! She is very polite and says "thank you" when you give her something or do something for her as well as when she gives you something or does something for you. She has finally mastered going down the stairs backwards and is working on doing them standing up, facing forward. About a month ago, she fell head first off of the step out our front door and would stand at the top of the stairs and cry until someone would carry her down, so this is quite the accomplishment.

She is very loving and sweet. She gives lots of hugs and kisses and loves to sit on your lap and cuddle. Happy 18 month milestone to our little grown up girl!

Big News and a Sales Pitch

We have been searching for a new car for almost a year now, knowing that we would be expanding our family and needed the space, and today, we bought our new car! We haven't done all the paperwork yet, but we are so excited! Our wonderful friend is a car dealer and his business is finding specific cars for people at auction and selling them at or below trade-in value, so we got a super deal on this car (which is saying a lot because I am a master negotiatior with car dealerships). Plus, extra bonus - it is my lifelong dream car!

So what is it, you may ask? A 2005 Black Toyota Sequoia - with leather interior and DVD package and all! Yay! I am so giddy about it and I haven't even seen it yet! I know it is a gas guzzler and probably not the most economic choice, but we thought about it long and hard. I even set aside my dislike of mini-vans for a minute, and it was still the best choice for our family. (If you have a mini-van and are reading this, don't think I don't love you or your car, they just aren't my cup of Dr. Pepper). Seth is excited about it too, because the deal was, if we got a Sequoia we had to visit Sequoia National Park in it! So, Sequoia National Park, next time Seth has more than one day off in a row and doesn't have a sibling getting married, here we come!

So, that also means we must bid farewell to our lovely CR-V. We are so sad to see it go because it has been such a good car, but we only need one SUV. If you know of anyone who is interested in a CR-V, let me know. It has been very well-maintained, has a clean title and gets great gas mileage. We want to sell it fast now that we have the new car, so we have it listed for $1500 below blue book.

I'll post pictures of the new car when we get it! So exciting!