5 Year Anniversary

5 years ago we were doing this: WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD

5 Years later we did this to celebrate (in addition to going to Huntington Beach last month):

I planned this anniversary so of course it's full of cheesiness!

We got in the car and headed to Freed's Bakery. I have always wanted to go there so we each picked out a couple of desserts for later in the evening.

After that we drove around. I had a few people ask me to take their family pictures and I have been wanting to look around for locations. Unfortunately at one point we saw this behind us -

Nothing like a speeding ticket to kill the romantic mood in the air! Next was dinner at our favorite sushi place - Sumo Sushi. As always it was DELICIOUS!

After dinner I blindfolded Chad and drove around for awhile before ending up at Sierra Vista High School. That's where our relationship started. We used to spend hours (literally) talking in the parking lot in one of our cars. It's how we really got to know each other. To rekindle that, I made these conversation starter cards with 100 different questions. As we sat in the car we answered all 100 questions. It was fun to learn a few new things about each other.

After that we headed to Chad's parent's house. I told him to wait in the car while I got things set up. We got married in his backyard and so I set up a candlelight dessert in the exact same spot we got married 5 years ago. I had made a mix of some of our favorite love songs and had it playing in the background.

It was absolutely perfect! It's definitely the small things in life that matter the most. As we ate dessert and just laid together, I kept thinking "This could not get any better!" We even danced to our wedding song. I told you it was cheesy, and I love every second of it!!!

We don't normally do gifts but we did a little something to celebrate this milestone. Chad gave me a Brighton charm necklace with a tennis charm.

His reasoning was so sweet. He said one of the main things he loves about me is that we have so much fun together and I'm always looking for something new for our family to do. He said this necklace was to symbolize the fun we have together and because I can always change out the charm - it can always symbolize all the fun we have together! It was perfect!

I made Chad a washer bracelet. It says 2005 and C&A. It's simple which is totally "chad."

When we were in Huntington Beach celebrating our anniversary we collected some seashells. I brought them home and they have been sitting in a baggie. I bought a vase and some decorative sand and put our shells in it. I tied some rafia and put the words "sun and sea" on it.

For all you Mormons you might be familiar with the primary song that goes -

I love you and you love me

We go together like the sun and the sea

I love you and you love me

And that's the way it is supposed to be!

Well Chad and I always sing that song together. So I added the words "sun and sea" as a little reminder to the two of us of one of our favorite songs!

I'm not going to get overly mushy, but I do want to say how extremely lucky I know I am to have such an amazing man by my side. I cherish our relationship and look forward to the many, MANY fun years we will spend together.

Happy 5-year Anniversary to US!!!

Take a Guess

We just got a new TV and entertainment center. Take a guess at how much we paid for all of it!
Seriously guess...because you are going to be jealous of how cheap I am!

$40!!! The TV was free from my sister. We watched her kids when they went on vacation and she gave us their old TV (they just bought a new one). I found the entertainment center on craigslist (my favorite). They were moving and had to get rid of it. They were asking $60, but took $40. How amazingly cheap is that! Also I had all the decorations for the shelves so even that didn't cost me anything.

This is our old TV armoire. We are selling it if you or anyone you know is interested. We're asking $80 obo.

Seriously...

There is a Circle K right around the corner from our house. They have 32 or 44 oz slushies and soft drinks for only 79 cents. 79 CENTS!!! A soda from Circle K has become my guilty pleasure. I try to limit myself, but at the end of a busy day nothing melts my worries away as quick as a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper with crushed ice and a shot of vanilla!

If you're ever in my neck of the woods, you can guarantee we'll be going to Circle K.

Go Skyhawks!

My boss's son plays football for Silverado. We went out to cheer him on last week. He's number 51 below!
Vance was pretty into the game before he realized Kevin and Anita would entertain him. He sat on Kevin's lap and said everything he did for like 20 minutes before moving on to Anita. Then he found Anita's make-up in her purse.

Here he is getting mascara and lipgloss on. Chad and Kevin were both a little mortified but Vance was being good so I don't care!

See how happy he is with his make-up? Kevin and Anita are like Vance's 3rd set of grandparents. He loves them and they spoil him rotten!

Good game Hunter!

Last Lake Trip

Last weekend some friends invited us to go to the lake. There were 4 couples (including us) and Vance was the only kid. We spent the night on the boats on Friday. I was a little nervous because 1 - I had visions of Vance climbing out of the pack-n-play and falling in the water and 2 - I was worried Vance would wake up crying and wake up everyone else. Luckily neither of those things happened!


The boys cuddling on the tube before we went to bed. Chad did a nice cannonball right next to them ;)
Vance going to sleep like such a good boy...or so I hoped.

The next day we found a beach and had so much fun. Vance had so much fun getting thrown in the air!

Everyone was so good with Vance. He especially loved Sam and his wife Melanie. Melanie must have helped Vance collect seashells for at least an hour. It was a nice break.

Here is Sam letting Vance help drive the boat. Vance LOVED driving!

We took a break to eat some delicious dutch oven chicken and potatoes cooked by Sam and Cody.

Vance had fun playing on the tube with Melanie.

The boys on the tube -

Catching some air on the tube -

I love this one of the boys "falling" off the tube.

Next it was the girls' turn!

Chad wanted to try the airchair. He looks pretty hardcore in this picture, but he couldn't quite get up.

Sam decided to show him how it's done.

We convinced Sam to try a back flip. Here he is saying a little prayer and going to that happy place before he attempt it.

He almost landed it, but not quite.

Sam and Cody have been friends of mine pretty much my whole life and it has been so fun to get to know their wives. It was also fun to meet Tyrel and his wife, Mandy!

Hopefully we'll all be doing more of this next summer!

My Other Better Half

Of course my wonderful husband is my better half, but I now have another better half. Who you ask yourselves on the edge of your seat? I hired a house cleaner!!! This makes me so happy I'm smiling as I type this.

Now let me back up -

About two weeks before I made this decision I had a minor breakdown one night. I was pretty much overwhelmed with life and on top of that the house seriously needed to be cleaned. For me, cleaning has always been the stick that breaks the camels back. I literally think it makes my heart beat faster and my blood pressure rise when the house gets too dirty.

I told/cried/yelled to Chad, "I can't do it all. I can't have a husband who is pretty much never home, work 4 days a week, arrange babysitters for Vance, teach piano lessons, take care of Vance once I get off, pay the bills, do the budget, do the laundry, buy the groceries, cook dinner and CLEAN! It's not that I don't have time to clean, it's that mentally I can't do one more thing."

Chad lovingly told me he would help more, but that is not possible. I appreciated the gesture but if he is home he either needs to be studying, sleeping, or spending time with the us. I recovered from my meltdown the next day and life (to my surprise) continued.

The next week my friend was telling me about a cleaner she hired who only charges $50 which is a steal! The day after that someone approached me about putting 3 of their kids in piano. As you can tell, I felt my plate was full and I couldn't fathom adding another thing. Then I got thinking...

No part of me wanted to take on another responsibility, but what if it means I can get rid of something else? I could take the piano lessons which will give me added income and use it to pay the cleaner plus still have a little extra to save. That sounded AMAZING so I hired the cleaner!

This has been such a great decision. The piano lessons are going fantastic. The mom lets me bring Vance to play with her 2 year old so it also doubles as a play date for Vance. I love the kids I'm teaching and they are making good progress! This mom is one of the few who religiously makes her kids practice.

Knowing I don't have to clean has been such a relief. The cleaner comes every other week so there are little things that need to be done in between, but those don't stress me out at all. She is a great woman who I feel completely comfortable with and leaves my house spick and span.

Chad loves the cleaner because he doesn't have an emotional wreck for a wife every 2-3 weeks when the house desperately needs to be cleaned ;) I promised myself and Chad that if for some reason the piano lessons end the cleaner will too.

Until then - cheers to my other better half!

Sharp Shooter

Chad got a shotgun last year that he hasn't gotten to use very much. He has used it a couple of times, but I have never gone with him. Last weekend some of the fam went shooting with us. It was so much fun! The pictures are a little out of order because I'm too lazy to change them...deal with it ;)

At first we couldn't convince my mom to try it. We bugged her A LOT and she finally gave in so here's Dad teaching her how to do it.

Another bare bottom shot. My son loves peeing in the rocks. I think he holds it until there aren't any bathrooms around.

Here's Leslie - notice the clay pigeon fully in tact. haha

It was still a little hot so we had the cars set up with umbrellas and coolers.

Joe was all official with his ear thingies (yes that's the technical term). We need to get some of those!

The little boys -

Chad throwing for me -

Vance, Daddy, and Papa

Vance likes to "throw" the pigeons too. For some reason they never make it too far. We'll have to work on that ;)

Somebody had put these mannequins out there. Joe brought a handgun and we used these as our targets.

Chad is a pretty sharp shooter.

It was a kind of windy so my mom was fussing with the umbrellas pretty much the entire time.

Vance loves the gun. I think that if you have a gun it's important for kids to be familiar with its power so here's Chad telling Vance all about it. Chad can hardly wait for the days when they can go hunting together.

You don't have to tell me. I know I look bada** in this picture. Mess with me...I dare you! I was pretty proud of myself. I got the clay pigeon on the first try!

We will definitely be doing this again, but we might wait until it gets just a little cooler.