double the birthdays = double the fun

so once again, i am late with this post because of my crazy busy life right now. i am super excited about this summer and then coming back out here next fall. next year is going to be awesome!

anyways, april 21 is a very special day.... it is the birthday of two of my most favoritest people in the whole world! my mom and my granddad.

(this is kaycie telling us what sound a cow makes)

i had one of the most amazing childhoods.

i got to know my grandparents.

i think i have said this before, but i know some people that only get to see their grandparents once every couple of years, but i got to see mine just about every day.

i got to have the most amazing meals every sunday evening, i got to learn how to make pies, and i got to watch my granddad turn into putty when his girls came around.

and this is what we have become

i have continued the legacy he started by becoming a third generation captain.

i only hope that my children have the privilege of knowing and loving this great man as well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR OLD GRANDDAD! WE LOVE YOU!

now, onto mom...

i'm not sure that i have the words that could fully convey what i feel for this great woman.

we have had a special connection from day one.

she knows when i am sick, she knows when i am hurting, she knows when i need her to come and save the day.

and she knows all of this without me saying a word.

mothers and daughters have a special bond.

through all the friction comes a bond that can't be broken no matter the time or space between them.

there is nothing more comforting, no matter how old or independent us daughters become, than knowing you have a mother who prays for you, worries for you, and loves you fiercely. best mom ever :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! WE LOVE YOU TOO!

mark+lori = 32 years

what started as this...

has turned into this...

happy (late) anniversary mom and dad! love you! :)

little baby kaycie

so i'm only one month and three days late, but let me tell you about my little baby kaycie. kaycie is the baby sister in our special trio. we never knew how incomplete our family was until she came into our lives. her special little spirit has been a breath of fresh air in my life, and i'm sure the life of anyone she comes in contact with.

she was such a special little baby. she was cute as a button, and good too! i remember that day she was born. i was in kindergarden and i was incredibly mad that my hair had gotten curled that morning, so i was pouting. krista, who was in second grade, went to the office about every hour to call the hospital. I remember her running into my classroom to finally tell me she had been born.
we weren't always the best of friends like we were now. on the day they brought her home from the hospital i didn't go with my dad and krista to pick her up... i stayed home to roller skate. it was tough for me. i had been the baby for 6 years, and here comes this little angel that no one can help but fall in love with... i thought everyone would forget me.
what's not to love about a baby that loves to eat cat food?
or one that has the bored face down pat? (this might be my favorite picture ever of her)
or whose best friend was the most wonderful dog in the world?
or who had the voice of an angel and a passion for theater?
or was one of the best dancers you ever did see?
or was the super smart valedictorian of her high school graduating class? (i was on my mission when this happened... her last month of high school might have been one of the hardest months of my life because i had to watch it from afar. when she was about 15 and i was about 21 we became inseparable, and not being there for such a big moment was torture.)
she and krista were amazing bridesmaids and i couldn't have asked for anything better.
kaycie baby... you are my little angel, and i miss you so much. happy (late) birthday, and hopefully we will be together again soon! i love you!!!

coming attractions

so i have been swamped this past week. work has been crazy getting ready for the wells fargo take-over, and i got a new teaching job! SO EXCITED! i have absolutely loved working at the bank... well, not so much the work, but the people. anyways, because of that i have gotten behind on my blogging...

little baby kaycie had a birthday on the 9th

the parents had their anniversary on the 11th

so coming attractions will be blogs about those fantastic people...not to mention that julie came out for spring break this week, and jenny and kristin are coming next week!!! WOOT! lots going on... more to come...

out

NO motivation

this is me on my day off... which is today. i was up at 6:30 with JJ, sent him off to work, and had every intention of cleaning my apartment, going to the gym, and actually being productive today. then i sat down to watch my dvr'd "gray's anatomy." that then turned into "gray's anatomy and private practice." that then turned into "gray's anatomy, private practice, and project runway." that then turned into "gray's anatomy, private practice, project runway, and models of the runway." and as you can imagine... my motivation is now completely gone, i am tired and grouchy, and i need a nap... a nap because i am tired from doing NOTHING! we shall see what the rest of the day holds for me......

i have an older sister... her name is krista

this is my beautiful older sister krista. i don't even know where to begin to tell you about this amazing young woman. it was pretty tough coming along behind her as clumsily as i did, but she has been the most amazing example and friend.

now, to be honest with you... we had a bit of a rough start. she was pretty intrigued by me when she first saw me, but soon after, she informed my parents that they could take me back to wherever it was that they had gotten me. we are only 23 months apart, but that was 23 months of all the attention being on her. as you can see in the picture she obviously got over her initial dislike, and we were fast friends. as my grandma always likes to remind me... i was "always trying to catch up." the month between our birthdays was always my favorite because i was only "1" year behind her instead of 2.

now, us being friends isn't to say that we didn't have our issues. sure we fought, but she was always so protective, and we had the best time.

she was always there to calm me down and help me behave... as you can see from this picture, i wasn't having the best day. the ties on my dress are undone, and i have a look on my face that says i'm looking for trouble. krista apparently was holding me down. :) we had a blast for six long years.

and then came our very special baby. we felt like our family was complete... then kaycie came along, and then we KNEW our family was complete. she was the glue that we needed to solidify everything. now... i was the baby for six years, which made for a very interesting time in our sister world. krista was the peacemaker. she had wonderful relationships with both kaycie and me, and she would always be the intermediary in our little spats.

she was such a good big sister and took her roll very seriously. she always made sure that she set a good example for her little sisters. she took great care of us, even mothering us a bit... well, a lot. :)

(insert awkward teenage years here... kris, i decided to save us both as neither of us fared so well during those years) ;)

like i said, it was a bit tough following so closely after krista and trying to live up to the name that she had created for us. she was well spoken, creative, well behaved, well mannered, lady-like, smart, and SO incredibly talented in everything she pursued. i wanted to be just like her and completely different at the same time. she went to BYU, so i went to BYU... she went on a mission, so i went on a mission... but i know that the way that we approached those endeavors were so incredibly different.

one of the things i will always remember was the day the way i looked at krista completely changed. i had always looked at her as that older sister/mother figure... someone that i would never be able to catch, no matter how hard i tried, and someone who was stronger than i would ever be. she called me one day to tell me about an assignment she had for one of her classes. it was to write a short paper on three people she considered heroes... she said that she just wanted me to know that i was one of those people. krista told me she was grateful for the example of strength that i gave to her... because every time i fell into a hole (usually of my own making), that i fought like hell to climb back out of it.

when krista left on her mission, that was a time that allowed kaycie and i to grow closer (more on that for her bday next week) and now the three of us are best of friends. my junior and senior years at BYU were the greatest just because all three of us were there in utah.

i just thought i would throw this picture in here. krista has just hit me... and it actually hurt. :)

i could not have gotten through my wedding week without krista. she did my hair and make up, she made my bridesmaid dresses, my cake, took most of my pictures, helped mom put together my reception.

it was so special to have here there. i know it wasn't such a vacation for her, but there was something so amazing about looking over and seeing here in that sealing room...

krista, you are such an amazing and strong example to me... the way that you live the gospel and live your life helps light a fire under everyone around you. you teach us to go for our dreams and live life to the fullest. you are AMAZING and i LOVE you!!! :)

lessons learned...

as you read in my last post, my sister krista's friend catie just passed away from a three year bout with cancer. her husband steve posted his eulogy on her blog tonight, and i just got done reading it... while laying in bed... with my husband on the couch... because that's where i told him he was sleeping tonight... because of a silly fight...

how ungrateful can i be? i am sure that catie would give anything to be sleeping next to her husband tonight with her children in the next room...

steve said, "Catie was also strengthened by her faith. She had always prayed and read scriptures diligently, but she began to make an even greater effort as she relied on spiritual strength to help fight and beat cancer. Catie posted scriptures around the house as reminders. Two of her favorites were Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:18.

Philippians 4:13 reads: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
And Romans 8:18 states: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Catie looked to the Lord for strength, and found hope in his words. Catie also found peace and comfort in the words of her favorite hymn, “Be Still My Soul.” The first verse reads,

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In [every] change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy [heavenly] Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

through the toughest experience of her life she looked to the Lord to bring her strength... that is my resolve... i have always had a tough time with this... maybe i feel like he has more important things to worry about (like the catie's all around the world)... maybe i feel like i don't deserve his help... maybe i am afraid of his help... it says in john 7:17 that if we want to know something, we have to live it.. it's time for me to live it...

i just unlocked the bedroom door...

and he came to bed...

(check out this song.... it's AMAZING)