Nothing But Smiles 08.06.08

Our Anniversary was so incredibly fun! My parents were so sweet and came over and watched Nicci most of the day for us. We went to the Phantom of the Opera (it was my first time ever seeing a play, it was SO amazing!!) We had the most perfect seats right under the chandelier and the play was phenomenal! I could seriously go on and on about how amazing it was... for the first 10 minutes i was bouncing up and down in my seat out of sheer awe and excitement i could not for the life of me contain. After the play we had reservations at Olive at the Bellagio on the patio so we could watch the water show while we ate, but the wind ruined that for us. We decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory at the Caesars instead, back to where we had our official first date. It was so fun! The whole night was just so magical, i feel like i can't express in words what a special night we had. While we were in the car we had our own little Karaoke night as well! Ohhhh, it was just SO fun. Maybe these pictures can tell the story a little better than me! :)

The excitement was indescribable.

While waiting literally 30 min. for valet to get our car we found some sweet cars! Seth's dream car is a Ferrari and i love Minis. :) This Mini was HOT pink but it looks red in the picture...if you look at the color by the front headlight you can see the actual color of the car.

When we got to Caesars we got Gelato right away :) In this first picture we missed the Gelato...and in the second we missed Seth's head. Pretty funny. :)

Dinner was absolutely delicious of course!

We spent quite a bit of time with the Fish after dinner. :) These pictures were for Nicci, she LOVES the fish tank at Caesars and she loves to give fishy kisses!

We even found fish that represented the colors we had for our wedding! Yellow & Blue. So creative we know. :)

Every year we go to the beach for 1 week during our anniversary. It's our very favorite place to go together. Well, this year has been so hectic with Nicci burning her arms and such that we weren't able to go. SO my parents gave us this Precious Moments for our Anniversary. It's a limited addition and only 3,000 have ever been made. My mom did some digging and found us one! It's titled "Washed Away in Your Love". They said that since we weren't able to go to the beach this year, that they'd bring it to us, and this way we'll still have a symbol of the beach for our 3rd Anniversary! (How ridiculously amazing are my parents?!) Thank you so so much Mom & Dad! It meant more to us than you'll ever know. :) What an incredibly perfect day.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I love you.

It All Started With the Dynamic Duo...

In the spirit of it being our anniversary month i thought i would post just a couple of our favorite pictures from 3 years ago. SO...this is us three years ago...madly in love... (me 15 lbs bigger, grr) ...completely inseparable, and hand in hand ready to take on the world!

We took most of our engagement pictures at the temple. The grounds are so beautiful and it was so special for us since that's where we were going to be sealed for all eternity.

See that mountain behind us? That's where Seth proposed to me...at the very top, overlooking the temple. It was absolutely incredible. :)
This was taken at the Anthem waterfalls. Ironically enough that's where we live now, and where we just took our family picture!

Being on the temple grounds was so romantic & magical. We have some really special memories there.

The Engagement Photo :)

This was SUCH a fun day! We took bridals one week before the wedding and this was the first time Seth had seen my dress!

I LOVE when he does that. :)

We could do this all day...

This is one of our personal favorites.

Absolutely, completly,and utterly 100% Picture Perfect.

August 6, 2005 was a perfect day. Absolutely Perfect.

Digital Camera Nightmare

My camera just deleted our entire beach trip with Nicci & our best friends. It was Nicci's FIRST time to the beach and it all got erased. Words cannot express the frustration/anger/sadness i am feeling....GRRRRR. There were only 4 pictures salvaged...these are them -

BOO on digital cameras, BOO. What ever happened to the good old 35mm film that couldn't delete itself?!

"Fathers Are So Special...

...with a very special love, they watch us and protect us, they guide us and direct us, back to our home above." I know it's really late coming but i wanted to give a tribute to my wonderful father and my sweet husband for being such wonderful fathers. Being the only girl in my family i've never had to share the "Daddy's little girl" spotlight. I love it. I have such wonderful memories of me & my dad...i remember going to play tennis with him early Saturday mornings and having him teach me over and over how to hit the ball...poor guy never had a chance! lol. I have -0- athletic ability but he was always so patient with me. (Although, i CAN throw a football almost as far as my husband!) Afterwards we'd go get McDonald's breakfast and i remember never wanting those moments to end. I've never met anyone like my dad. He has this incredible unconditional love for everyone he meets. He sees people for who they are, not for the problems they have or mistakes they've made. He has a testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and when he bears his testimony i can't help but cry as he pours out his heart. I love my dad so much. I've been able to have him as the father of my home and also the father of my ward for a long time. As my bishop and my dear father he has given me such wise and inspired council that literally helped me find my eternal companion. He has sacrificed so much for me and my little family. During a really difficult time for Seth & i my dad was always there for us, never taking sides, just simply counseling us for hours and hours while bringing us back in unison with our Savior Jesus Christ. When i went to Girl's Camp when i was younger i was so lucky to always have my dad there because he was in the bishopric at the time. I remember one year he had to leave early and my tent was positioned so i could see the road leading out of camp...and as i watched him drive away i couldn't control my sobbing. I missed him terribly and Girls Camp simply wasn't the same without him. My dad is one of the hardest working and busiest men i know and yet i've never heard him tell anyone 'no' when they needed him. He understands so many levels of love and is such a passionate person. My dad is my hero, he's a leader, he's my buddy, he's one of the very few people that knows everything about me and still loves me with all his heart. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with such a special father to care for me, teach me, love me, and guide me back to my Father in Heaven. I love you Dad...SO much.

I still remember like it was yesterday the day Seth & i found out i was pregnant. It was magical. (Since i was vomiting and refused to eat hot dogs it was a dead give away that something was up. :) After i took the pregnancy test we left it on the bathroom counter and stepped out into the family room to pace and pace and pace. We couldn't stop smiling...it was like our faces were stuck in cement, and nothing could erase our excitement. I quickly ran and peeked around the corner of the bathroom and swore i saw two lines and i squeaked...Seth ran after me yelling for me to wait for him and he grabbed it while we both stared at each other. Within seconds Seth was swinging me around in his arms calling me 'Mommy' over and over. Then we jumped on the couch, the bed, and around the kitchen while we went through every emotion possible. Something changed in Seth that day, visibly. He looked so...fatherly...so proud...so capable. He was even more gentle with me (if that's even possible) and our love for each other multiplied by hundreds. Since that day he has loved little Nicci with the most beautiful tenderness. Seeing him hold Nicci for the first time is a memory that i will cherish forever. He held her like he was holding the most precious and delicate of all diamonds. Nicci was jaundice after she was born and she had to sunbathe everyday, and he would always lay in the sun with her...like her little buddy. :) Seth has worked so hard and gone to school since we've been married and he always makes it his first priority to come in the door at the end of the day and hug his girls before anything else. He shows Nicci how to love her mommy and it's just so overwhelmingly beautiful. Seth plays the guitar very well and sometimes he plays primary songs and sing them to Nicci in Portuguese...my heart swells a million times it's normal size as i watch him with her...our angel. He's such an incredible father and i am beyond blessed to be able to raise a family with him as the head of our home, so blessed to have such a wonderful father for my little girl, and so very blessed to share eternity with this wonderful man i'm still trying to comprehend as MY companion...for eternity...

Happy Father's Day to the two most wonderful men in my life! I love you with all my heart.

Three Years Down...Eternity To Go!

Three years ago today was one of the most magical days in the history of the world. We were sealed for time and all eternity. It was the definition of the perfect day. Everything, and i mean everything, was just how i dreamed it would be since i was a little girl. Although i have to admit i never thought i would ever marry someone so darn handsome! Seth is literally my definition of a perfect man. No one (besides my mom) gets me like he does. He makes me laugh harder, smile bigger, and impossibly happier than anyone i've ever met. So many times people laugh at us and say, "Wow, you two were made for each other!" And we simply just smile because we both know how very true that is. We are so very lucky to have found each other. Today is going to be a very special and fun filled day, so tomorrow i will write all about our amazing wedding day 3 years ago. I love you sweetheart! I'm so blessed to have you all to myself for time and all eternity!! :)

Breaking Dawn...

Let's me explain TWO things before i begin. I am a Twilight FREAK. :) I am also team Edward all the way and can't seem to comprehend anything different. Those of you who are team Jacob out there i would really like for you to leave me a comment explaining WHY. :) I'm very intrigued!

After i finished reading all 7 Harry Potter books everyone was begging me to read the Twilight series. When i heard the word Vampires i was suddenly NON interested to say the least. Time went on. One day i was itching for a good book to read so i decided to give it a try...4 days later ALL 3 books were read and i had morphed into a Twilight FREAK. I've dreamed about Bella and i am completely and utterly fascinated by this love story. Yesterday (Aug 2) at 12:01am i was one of the crazed fans freaking out as the 5,4,3,2...1 countdown began for the final book...Breaking Dawn...to grace my presence!

Me and my good friend Emily :)
We saw our other friend Meleah and she had decorated her CAR all Twilight crazy...it was pretty awesome.

So we took pictures...OF COURSE. :)

THE COUNTDOWN!
(We were making fun of the girls that were seriously crying. lol.)

Thanks to Seth going and standing in line earlier that day to get us tickets we were first in line to buy the book! (Thank you honey!) So after we bought the book we couldn't help but start reading the first chapter right then and there. :)

And then we proceeded to literally drive an entire hour trying to find a darn Denny's (you wouldn't think it was that hard but every one we found was either not there anymore or oddly closed) We eventually found one and we got a Banana Split and a Carmel Apple Crisp and read the book to each other for a very long time. After we got tired of Denny's we went back to Emily's house and read some MORE until 7am! Let me just say this...Breaking Dawn is amazing...
When i returned home (around 7am) i went into Nicci's room to check on her and she wasn't there. So i figured she was sleeping with Seth. So i turned around to go to our bedroom and i saw this...

Nicci was sleeping in our doorway waiting for mommy to get home! It was the sweetest thing i've ever seen. When i scooped her up she looked at me and said, " Mommy! You back!" Life could not get any sweeter than this. :)