From the beginning......

On Nov. 21st Wendell and I celebrated our

5 year Anniversary!

When I say celebrate I mean we remembered as we were going to bed that night!

A lot of people have asked how we met so I thought it would be fun to blog about it!

It all started 5 years ago. (well obviously) I was 17 and just starting Grade12.

On the very first day of school a group of us were sitting on the temple lawn trying to decide what we would do for the rest of the day. (Yes that is the day I almost killed 6 of us in Kimball but that's another story!) Wendell drove by in his little white car and I remember thinking to myself, "Dang that Wendell Walton is cute!"

Soon football season started and my friends and I loved going to the games. We got some old couches from our friend Taylor (little did I know he would become my future nephew) that we used to haul all over Southern AB.

One night in particular I remember sitting on the couches watching the game when I looked behind me and down the row a little bit and there sat Wendell. Again I thought he was really cute but he was sitting next to a girl I didn't care much for so then I spent the rest of the game wondering if they were together! I had never even talked to the guy in my life before but I was stewing over the fact he was sitting next to that girl!!

This picture was taken that night. If you look above Tess's head (girl on the far left) you can see Matt Prete in the green vest and Tell Jensen with the black hat on next to him. Wendell was actually sitting next to Tell. Wendell's parents are also directly behind Matt and Tell. I never realized this until we started dating! I wish Wendell was in the picture!

Anyways back to the story. A few weeks later after a football game a group of us were parked in the high school parking lot having a dance party! Lame I know but what else do you do in Cardston on a Friday night?!! When out of the corner of my eye I saw 2 guys run to my truck and grab my couch! Instinctively I ran after them and jumped in the back of their truck just as they were driving off. There were 3 guys - Colby, Matt, & Wendell!! Come to find out it was actually Colby's couch that he had given to my friend and now he wanted it back! Well I wasn't ready to give it up willingly. They drove around town and the reserve in the freezing cold (it was October) and they wouldn't stop unless I promised to give back the couch. I would not give in so they kept driving! They finally stopped on the reserve and made me get out and walk. They took off and left me there. I'm guessing one of them felt bad so they came back and picked me up. They finally let me sit in the truck with them and there I was all snuggled up next to Wendell!!

They drove me back to the high school and they eventually gave me back my couch. They were just about to leave when I saw a different guy that I liked pull up in his truck which was full of girls. I was mad so I jumped in the truck with Wendell (willingly this time) and hung out with them for the rest of the night.

The next night Wendell, Colby, my friend Kori, and I went to Lethbridge. Wendell calls its our first date but I disagree! We went bowling and then just cruised around for a bit. (Cool I know) Things were going good until Wendell forgot my name on the way home which was super awkward!! Which is why I don't call it our first date! When we got back to Cardston they dropped me off at my truck and headed home. It just so happened that I had to drive past Wendell's house to go home and there he was standing in the middle of the road waiting for me!! I stopped and he apologized for forgetting my name and we talked for about an hour.

I would call it the start of our relationship except for the fact he didn't call me again so I had to take matters into my own hand. One day after school we were going around soaping vehicles (once again cool I know) and his car was parked outside his parent's house. So we jumped out and soaped the heck out of it. I left my phone number on his window. This started the soaping/Vaseline under my door handle war between us.

Finally he called me over to his house to just hang out. For weeks after that we were practically always together. This was our first date! We went quading in the pasture! I guess he thought I was a crazy driver!!

Eventually I had to sit him down and have the DTR talk! He didn't like the idea of dating a high school girl and we almost didn't date because of it. He wanted to wait 8 months until I was out of high school but I told him it was now or never. I wasn't waiting. I gave him some space to figure out what he wanted and within days he had decided he wanted to be with me. And we have been together ever since. He even came to my grad with me and sat at the head table!

Well that's the story of how we met and started dating.....

I would love to hear your stories so blog about them!

Anything like Wendell....

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new song by Brad Paisley.

It's the perfect song for Wendell & Wyatt!

Anything Like Me

I remember sayin' I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm okay
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said, "You see that thing right there, well you know what that means"
I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me

He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride his bike too fast
End up every summer wearin' something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street

He's gonna get in trouble, oh he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

I can see him right now, knees all skinned up

With a magnifying glass tryin' to melt the Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on?
That'll be his first love 'til his first love comes along

He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens

And heaven help him if he's anything like me

He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket, he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skippin' class and be grounded for a week

He's gonna get into trouble, we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

He's gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by and I already dread the day

He's gonna hug his momma, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he can't wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out if he's anything like me
There's worst folks to be like, oh he'll be alright if he's anything like me

One of THOSE posts!

I normally don't do posts like this. I usually talk about Wyatt & Wendell and our trips or special occasions. I don't know if its the hormones or the upcoming Christmas season that's making me even more emotional than normal or what. I just feel like I can never articulate how I truly feel but I am going to try because I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for and want to share it.

It's sad that sometimes it takes an accident or illness to make you realize what's really important. My brother Brett recently got into a dirt biking accident. We were able to go down to Lethbridge on Friday night after he got out of the hospital. While it was fun to laugh at his memory loss it was still scary to think about what could have happened.

This experience and also the experience of watching loved ones go through illnesses has truly made me realize what is important and what I am thankful for!

I am thankful for our parents.

I know with all my heart they love us and would do anything for us. I just wish I could repay them for all they've done for me and my family.

I am thankful for our siblings.

(I couldn't find my pictures!)

Even though we don't get to see them as often as I would like I know they would do anything for me and vice versa.

I am thankful for best friends.

I love these girls so much. They have always been there when I've needed a shoulder to cry or someone to go get a pedicure with.

I am thankful for amazing cousins!

I have many more cousins that I love too but these girls were the closest to me growing up. I will never forget our cousin sleepovers and riding bikes singing "Peanut, Peanut Butter & Jelly!!"

I am thankful for my husband.

He is not perfect (don't tell him I said that!) but I love him anyways. We have been together for 5 years this month. (Another post to come about our story) He has been there by my side through the ups and downs of marriage and is an amazing daddy to Wyatt.

I am thankful for my little man!

I never thought I could fall for someone as quickly as I fell in love with him. He makes me laugh, he makes me cry, and he makes me very thankful for bed time!

I am thankful for eternal families.

I have never been so grateful for the knowledge that I can be with my family forever as I have been lately.

Like I said it's sad that it takes an accident or illness for me to truly appreciate and be thankful for the important people in my life. It makes me want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend to those around me. I guess I've learned that life is too short to not be thankful especially to those that really deserve our thanks!

Treat or Treat

This year we went to our first Trunk or Treat. I was really impressed with all the effort that went into it and there seemed to be a lot of families there.

My little man was a little NINJA!

He tried to smuggle out the crayons!

By the end of the night he was getting really good at saying

"TREAT THANKS"

"HIYA!"

And then of course we had to carve pumpkins.

Wyatt was soooo not impressed with the "yuckies" inside.

I know its so mean but watch the videos......lol

April showers bring May.....

FLOWERS

BABY!!!

Baby Walton #2 due May 3, 2011

Camping in October and a trip to Urgent Care!

We went on our first camping trip of the summer this weekend. (I know it's technically FALL but the amazing weather made it feel like SUMMER!)

We went to Mclean Creek campground just west of Calgary with Wendell's bro's family. We haven't taken Wyatt camping very much so we weren't sure how he would do sleeping in a tent. Well needless to say he didn't sleep.....at all.....the whole night.

Here is the run down of our night!

11:00pm - Wyatt finally falls asleep on the air mattress laying next to Wendell after about an hour of crying

11:30pm - We hear Wyatt screaming from the trailer so Wendell goes out

12:00am - Wyatt is finally back asleep so we go to bed

12:10am - Wyatt wakes up and Wendell tries to pull him into bed with us. He cries every time he tries to lay him on the air mattress.

1:30 am - Wyatt is still fussing and crying and won't settle down. Wendell's bro comes out and offers him a bed in the camper. Wendell takes him inside and again he cries whenever he tries to lay him down.

2:00am - Wendell takes Wyatt into the van and turns a movie on for him thinking it will help him get to sleep. But he won't lay down and all he wants to do is watch "Buzz." (Toy Story)

2:15am - Wendell comes and gets me out of the tent to try to help him to lay Wyatt down in the van. (To my defense I was awake the whole time! I was amazed at how much patience Wendell had. I know I would have been way more frustrated than he was!)

2:40am - Wyatt was wide awake and talking away so we decided there was no way he was going to be going to sleep anytime soon. We decided to head back home! We left our tent and all our stuff and drove the 40 min back to Calgary. The little turd was awake the whole way and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow at 3:30am!

WHAT A NIGHT!!

Saturday afternoon we went back out to the campsite and spent the rest of the day out there. Other than the sleep deprivation the weekend was really fun until....we noticed this....

At first we thought it was eczema but when the blisters started forming I knew something else was happening. The rash started spreading up his legs and to the back of his knees. The little blisters on his fingers were the worst. If you didn't see the rash you wouldn't even know it was there. He wasn't sick or irritable (okay other than the sleepless night which we later realized was probably because of the discomfort of the blisters that were forming.)

So this morning at 10:00am we decided to take him in to the walk in clinic. Thank goodness for PVR's so we could record conference. After waiting in the waiting room for an 1 hour and a half we finally got to go to the back where we were seen by a Dr. within 5 mins and 30 secs later we had a diagnoses! HAND, FOOT, and MOUTH DISEASE. His mouth has little blisters in it too. The bad thing about it is that there is no antibiotics or creams they can give him we just have to wait it out! The little spots look so painful but thankfully they don't seem to be bothering him at all and he is still eating normally.

So that was our weekend! I hope your's was a little better!

Busy...busy...busy!!

Where to begin? The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of busyness.

To start off I guess I can introduce the newest member of our family.

Meet

Rhonda the Honda!

That's right we are mini van owners! We knew we would get one eventually but the opportunity arose to get it now so we took it. It has a few glitches and flaws but we love it. Wendell actually likes driving it which is really shocking! So that being said we are selling an amazing white Mercury Sable!! If you are interested let me know!!

My big man turned the big 27 a few weeks ago! I decided to surprise him with a birthday dinner with a bunch of our friends. Needless to say I am not very good at surprises and blew it! Oh well...I think everyone had a great time! Of course I forgot to take pictures so here is one from last year!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!

A few months ago I blogged about how bored I was and needed a craft or hobby. Well I wish I could be bored again and have time to do my crafts! My days are filled with driving kids to school and chasing around two toddlers and my nights are filled with school work. I am in school again this semester taking two courses for my Early Learning and Child Care Diploma. I just keep telling myself get through this semester and you will be done. For now anyways....

My little man is as active and outgoing as ever. He goes non stop. Apparently he's the little escape artist in nursery because he is constantly opening the doors and trying to get out. I guess his new thing is turning off the lights too! How did he become THAT kid?

I pulled my camera out the other day because I haven't taken pictures of Wyatt in so long! Every time I told him to say cheese he did this little head tilt thing. Of course I had to video it! I think it's funny because I did that until I was like 10. Every picture of me is with my head tilted!

ENJOY!!

One year older & wiser too...

Guess who is finally turning 22 tomorrow!!

That would be ME!!

And in honor of this special occasion I have decided to create a list of the

"22 Things I Love about being 22!"

(just kidding)

But I can say that I love being 22 and married with a toddler because it sounds much better than being 21 and married with a toddler.

MY BIRTH DAY!

Aug. 28, 1988

(Seriously my dad is such a hunk!)

I will be back home for my birthday which I haven't been since I turned 16. I think Wendell is going to take me golfing and for Chinese food before we go to our friends wedding reception. I am excited to spend the day with family & friends!

Oh and P.S. HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to my niece Shiloh who was born on my birthday last year!

Hunger, Fire, & Jays

If your looking for a good non-vampire series to read I have the best suggestion.

THE HUNGER GAMES.

The books in order are "The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay."

"Mockingjay" is being released Aug. 24 which is just in time for my Birthday!

I normally don't read a lot. Mostly because I have a hard time walking into the store and picking a random book. I like to get other people's opinions before I spend the money and time reading it. So a few weeks ago I asked on Facebook if anyone had any suggestions. I was surprised at the number of people who suggested this series. I took their word on it and went and bought the first book, "The Hunger Games." It was amazing and I LOVED it. My sister happened to be here the weekend I finished it so I lent it to her and told her she had to read it. I borrowed the 2nd book from my neice and decided to save it until we went on vacation to B.C.

The weekend before we went on our trip I was at my moms and lo and behold guess what was sitting on her kitchen table. Book 1 & 2. I guess someone in her ward had suggested it to her then I found out when we got to B.C. that a different sister had also gone and bought them because she also heard they were really good. None of us knew that each other were reading them. I read and finished "Catching Fire" in about two days. I can't decide which book I liked better they were both amazing!

So long story short my entire family seems to love them (well all the women at least.) If you enjoyed the love triangle in "TWILIGHT" (but trust me they are nothing like it) then you will love these books. I'm not going to tell you what they are about just go and read them. I will hopefully be getting the entire set for my birthday (hint hint Wendell) so I am willing to lend them out if anyone is interested!

Happy Readings!!

Summer Lovin!

We were finally able to get away for a vacation! We started off at the Cardston Parade. It was Wyatt's first parade and he was more interested in running in the street than in the candy.

Then on Sunday we left for a week to B.C. We have a timeshare at Lake Okanagan Resort with my siblings and parents. The car was so packed that the only empty space was for Wyatt.

He actually traveled really well as long as he had food in his hands and a movie in front of him.

We spent most of the week laying on the beach, riding the boat & jet ski and eating. Wyatt loved playing in the sand and could do it for hours. We were able to go into Kelowna for dinner with the family and then just the girls went in to a movie. It was a fun week and I'm glad that we get to get together every year!

Playing on the beach with Addie

Riding on the tube with Mom & Dad

Eating supper with a few of the cousins

This is the face you get when you tell him to "SAY CHEESE"

Some of the family hanging out on the floating trampoline

Wendell pushing the kids around on the mattress

By the end of the week he finally stopped crying when we put on his life jacket

The boys right before they rolled off

The six grandbabies that were born in a year

(With grandma's head sticking out the back)

Riding Takahashi's jet ski

17 grand babies & ONE on the way. (My sis)

This was a hard shot to get but I'm so glad we did it.

Wyatt loved riding the boat. I have never seen

him more relaxed and quiet

I can't wait till next year.........

Date night with my little man!

Wendell was away tonight so it was just me and Wyatt. Normally I would clean up after dinner or go on facebook or check out blogs until Wyatt goes to bed! But tonight I decided to spend some quality time with my little man. We built a fort and had snacks. He LOVES Toy Story. He can always spot Buzz & Woody on different items when we go to Walmart. So of course for our date we watched Toy Story in our fort. I had so much fun laying next to him and watching him.

Extra hugs & kisses tonight!

I came across this blog the other day and their story has really stuck with me. Especially since their little girl is Wyatt's age. (WARNING it will make you cry) I have never lost a child but I know family members who have. Simply put I can't even imagine it.

The other day I was complaining to Wendell about Wyatt and his constant shrieking. I am trying to get him to use his words when he wants something but as of now all he does is scream. After reading this story I felt foolish and ashamed. I bet they would give anything in the world to hear their little girl cry.

Tonight when you are tucking in your kids read them that extra book and give them those extra hugs and kisses. Life is too short and we need to cherish all the moments we can with our children and not take them for granted! I LOVE WWW!

Where did the time go?

I can't believe my little man is 18 months old already! He is closer to turning 2 than he is to his 1st birthday. It amazes me how smart he is. I am always shocked when he does something that most kids his age do because in my mind he is still a baby!

18 things I love about my 18 month old

18. I love that he is finally sleeping through the night!

17. I love that he gives me hugs & kisses whenever I want.

16. I love the way he says “mommy” & “daddy” like we are his favourite things in the world.

15. I love the fact that he looks like Wendell.

14. I love that he plays so well with the other boys in my day home.

13. I love it when he sees another child crying he will give them hugs and kisses without being asked.

12. I love the way he wants to snuggle when he wakes up.

11. I love the way he tries to help me sweep by insisting on holding the dustpan.

10. I love that anytime he hears or sees a dog he calls out “PUPPY!”

9. I love that he loves coming to our Sr. Nursery class with us. (We’ll see how it goes when we take him to his Jr. Class on Sunday!)

8. I love the look on his face when he is trying to be sneaky.

7. I love it when he tells me he has pooped. (It makes my job a lot easier)

6. I love the fact that he can entertain himself when mommy needs a second to do things.

5. I love it when he folds his arms for prayers.

4. I love that he loves his FROGGY and would take it everywhere if I would let him.

3. I love the fact that he loves to play in our little pool even if the water is cold.

2. I love the way his rosy cheeks bounce when he runs.

1. I love the fact that he is ours forever and for all eternity!

I LOVE YOU

WYATT WILLIAM WALTON!

We are excited to announce......

Wendell, Wyatt, and I are excited to announce that............... we got new family pictures done!!

I have an amazing friend Leah who takes amazing pictures. Check out her blog! She had to put up with an irritable toddler who did not want to sit, sporadic rain showers, and ravenous mosquitoes. In the end she got some amazing shots and I'm glad we decided to get them done.

These are two of my favourites but I love them all!

Thanks so much Leah! We love them!

A Weekend with the Waltons

This last weekend we spent it with Wendell's family. We went to Lethbridge for bowling and Chinese food. This was Wyatt's first time bowling and he was a natural.

They had the cutest size 6 bowling shoes for him. Somehow he knew exactly what to do.He would go get a ball ( it was 5 pin so the balls were little) and walk to the lane and throw it. He did it all by himself before anyone else had even started. He was loving it so much that he started throwing tantrums when we wanted to use the lanes. One of his aunties even tried tricking him into throwing the ball into some shoes but of course that didn't work for him. We all had alot of fun and we will definitely be taking him more often.

(He is saying ball)

For Father's Day I made Wendell the "6 Layered Chocolate Dessert." I gave Wyatt the spatula and cool whip container to lick! He went outside and climbed up on the chair and this is what I found! What a mess!