Happy Birthday Stacey

Here's to my sister-in-law Stacey (the only "sister" who is officially a Smith these days!) I am hoping we can get her started in the blogging world someday so we can see how she and Tye are down in Phoenix :) She did have lunch at Fashion Square today so I know she has found a key location in that city--seriously I love that mall but that is for another blog, another day...

I think my favorite memory with Stacey would have to be our entire girls' weekend together this past April. It was so fun to hang out with her and enjoy each others company without hubbies or kids to distract us. We all chatted so much on our drive down to St George that I could hardly believe we had been in the car for 4 hours already when we arrived. Our time together just reaffirmed several things I already knew and loved about Stacey: She is one sophisticated lady. I love shopping with her (somehow we always end up at Nordy's or TJ Maxx) because she works full time and gets to have one classy wardrobe. It is so fun to see her in pencil skirts and blouses, tailored sweaters and patent leather heals, etc... I love that Stacey is a very hard worker and studied like crazy to become the amazing accountant she is today. I love to talk to her about money and bills and she how perfectly organized she is with her finances (Joe wishes I would listen harder and even take some notes :) I have always thought that Stacey is very brave and determined, especially when dealing with my brother and his crazy habits and strong personality. She is a great fit with him and I am so happy they have each other. I will never forget how emotional Tye was when he saw his stunning bride come walking down the aisle--I know he is still totally in love with her.

I love how much attention Stacey gives her nieces and nephews and how they are attracted to her calm and gentle nature. Last year in Lake Powell, she spent a lot of time with little Bentley digging big holes in the sand, walking hand in hand on the beach and having many conversations about "Kunkle Tye." I am excited for her to experience motherhood in the future because I know how tender and loving she will be. Stacey is a great example to me in many ways and I am thrilled that she is part of our family. Happy Happy Birthday Stacey!!

10080 Minutes

Not as monumental as "525600 minutes" but you get the idea...One week has passed and I have meant to blog about at least 10 things ("meant to" being the key words here). It was one of those busy, busy weeks where I sadly (and stupidly) forgot my camera most of the time--boo. I am forced to recap for the sake of my own journaling/blogging efforts--I'll see if I can narrow it down. Here goes:

1) Girls Night Out to see Becoming Jane--loved it immensely and seriously, how can you go wrong with anything about/from Jane Austen right?
2) 10 year High School Reunion--go RAMS :) I still have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I was thrilled to see my good, good friends who now live far away and revive our old bonds of friendship. I honestly had THE very best group of friends in high school and they made those years so much fun. I love them all so much. I guess that's why it felt so odd--only a handful of them were there and I missed those who weren't. I also would have loved to see some old faces that I've lost touch with or just haven't run into since college, missions, marriages, etc... It was great to talk with fun people I wasn't necessarily close with in HS and see how amazing and cool and down to earth they are (and most likely were 10 years ago except that I was too caught up in my own life and own things to really find out...) I was impressed with everyone's maturity, honesty and openess at our little gathering--says a lot about the quality of people there.
3) Dinosaur Park--Cec already blogged about this perfectly but we did have a great time checking out the huge bones, mystery trails, huge dinosaurs and their loud roars, and way cool (as in temperature) gift shop :) Ethan was our guide for the day, reading the map and directing us to the varied dinosaurs outside. Bentley thought that was a way cool idea and so each time Eth pulled out his map, Bentley did too and pointed and told us where we should go next.
4) Joseph's Birthday--Thanks for all the calls, emails and blog shout-outs--my hubby felt pretty spoiled! I felt bad because it was such a rushed morning (I had to get myself and the crazies out the door by 8:00 for a faculty meeting up at the U of U). But Cares and I did manage to make Joe some breakfast in bed and we shared it with him nice and early at 7:30 (Beans woke up just in time to score some bacon and orange juice and help daddy open his presents from us) After a long day away from home, Ruth Ann and Neil took the kids while Joseph and I grabbed a quick birthday dinner at Trio Cafe before heading back to ole' Herriman. Once the kids were in bed Joseph played X-Box and I read Harry Potter--how's that for an awesome evening in!
5) Secret Garden at the Hale Center Theatre--I honestly think this is my favorite musical. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I saw it for the first time in NYC when I was 12 years old with most of the original Broadway cast (minus Mandy Patinkin--so sad I didn't see him in it!) I adore the story, the music is so lovely, the characters all human and flawed but wanting to be better, and the symbolism inherent in almost every song speaks volumes about love and hope--it's all just so wonderful. Last night the show was good but not great. I did love the girl who played Mary--she gave the show some much needed energy and charisma plus she had a sweet young voice. I still loved hearing such familiar tunes and some rather amazing numbers that just grab at my heart every time (Lily's Eyes, Race you to Top of the Morning, Hold On, How Could I Ever Know). Makes me want to watch A Little Princess again :)
6) Rebecca Mudrick Photo Shoot-- I am so excited to see how the pictures turn out!! Rebecca met us at my mom's and photographed the kids both inside and out in the yard. She is one amazing photographer and I love all the pics she has posted on her blog and website. Cares and Beans were both very accommodating and really sweet so I hope we get some stellar shots of each of them. I will post a link to the pictures online once they're ready (in about 3 weeks).

Happy Birthday Joseph

My hubby turns 30 today. Quite a monumental birthday--another decade under his belt--but he still seems just like the fresh, smiling, newly returned missionary I met almost exactly 9 nine years ago. Did I know that August day that I would be the one to share his 30th birthday with him let alone his life, and his children? Not at all--because it would have seemed only like a happy fantasy or an incredible dream.

Joseph is my favorite person--the love of my life. If I actually wrote all that I could and wanted to about him, it would fill the pages of a short novel (well--maybe a long novel since being succinct is not one of my strong points :)

I love how friendly, open and warm Joseph is. I love that he is optimistic, determined and incredibly hard-working. I love his creativity and humor which so easily go hand-in-hand. I love his smile, his curly hair, his moon eyes and his kind heart. I love his faith, his testimony and his honorable nature. I love to hear him sing whether he is performing in a concert, in church or simply singing lullabies or a popular song from the radio. I especially love to see Joseph with our children. He is totally and completely enamored with them and he makes sure they know it. He makes our home so spirited and playful--we are so lucky that he is ours forever.

Joseph is my heart, my happiness, my protector, my smile, my day-in and day-out, my morning cuddle and my late night kiss. He's my home, my best friend, my laughter and my lover.

Happiest Birthday honey--I love you.

30th Surprise

We pulled it off. I seriously can't believe it! Even during the last few seconds it could have been the surprise that wasn't. But thanks to some tricky maneuvers, bold-faced lies, and Joseph's total trust in all of us, he was indeed surprised--phew! A huge thank you to all of you for coming--it was so great to have a big crowd there to shout surprise and play with us on Tuesday night. I know it made Joseph happy--he couldn't stop smiling all night.

Here are my best pics from our climbing experience (too bad they don't allow cameras out at the pool since we rocked those water slides hard ;). Most of them turned out blurry which tells me only one thing: Joseph really does need a new camera for his birthday. I'll see if I can get things rolling on that for one more surprise on his birthday morning.

Check out Jess and Tommy's blog for a great pic of my hubby as he walked into the surprise party :)

Potty Time

Last summer, after Bentley turned 2, I thought about potty training him. But I had just had Caroline and found the transition from 1 to 2 kids a huge change already so I waited. Then fall came and I thought about doing it then. But the holidays loomed and I knew that we would be away from home time and time again with unpredictable schedules so I waited, again. In the new year, I bought Bentley a little portable potty and he tried sitting on it a few times. And then I put off potty training again. At his 3rd birthday in May, I realized he was getting pretty old and those size 6 diapers weren't quite the same bang for my buck as Caroline's size 3's. I decided to potty train him as soon as the lazy days of summer came along. But then we had a big family trip to Sun Valley planned and another to Lake Powell which would most certainly interrupt the process. So I waited yet again. And last week...I finally ran out of excuses. We are in the throws of this crazy process and Bentley is doing very well...with pee pee anyway. He has only had 2 accidents during the past 7 days and has kept his training pants dry during the night every night except 1. "Number 2" is a quite a different story and a gross one at that. Enough said. Bonus to this big change--Bentley is pretty darn cute in his big boy underwear :)

Bentley's Potty Chart

All About Me

Heidi posted this on her blog and it said all who read must do it themselves. Since Heidi is the queen of blogs I am obligated to obey. Here goes:

Favorite Places for a Weekend Getaway {from Salt Lake City}
1. St George
2. Newport Beach, CA (too bad there won't be anymore CPA meetings...)
3. Phoenix (even in the summer heat I love that city and miss it)

Movies I Can {and do} Watch Over and Over
1. Notting Hill
2. Bridget Jones Diary
3. Princess Bride
4. Moulin Rouge
5. Dirty Dancing
7. Thomas Crown Affair
8. Orange County (way dirty but so funny!)

Guilty Pleasures
1. Banana split with hot fudge and Canadian vanilla ice cream
2. Homemade oatmeal cookies
3. Pedicures and eye brow waxes

Places I’ve Lived
1. Denver, CO (birthplace)
2. Germany
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. London
5. Phoenix, AZ

What I First Thought When I Met Ben
1. Reserved but funny
2. Way fun at games
3. Totally in love with Heidi

oooooooh--you want me to write about MY hubby ;)

What I First Thought When I Met Joseph
1. Awesome smile, great hands and adorably curly hair
2. Tall and slender--perfect kissing height...
3. Friendly and outgoing...man I got a catch :)

Places I've Never Been but am Dying to Visit
1. Israel
2. Italy
3. Brazil
4. Tahiti
5. Bali
6. Washington DC
7. New Zealand
8. Anywhere in Australia

Favorite Foods
1. Pizza and Pasta
2. Tacos and chicken enchiladas
3. Peaches and Bananas and Watermelon
4. BREAD (especially restaurant bread--know what I mean Heid? :)

If I’m In a Jam With Joseph, Tactics I Use To Get Out of the Doghouse...
I am still learning. Seems that after almost 8 years I'd know better :) But we are good at making up when we decide to!

Places I’d Rather Be Right Now
1. LONDON- all day every day I wish I was there (I had to copy Heidi's answer!)
2. Laying in the sun on the beach--any beach, anywhere
3. Disneyworld with my kids--I know they would eat it right up and that Joe and I would love it too!!

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged (meaning you have to do this same thing). Have fun!!

Beautiful

Just wanted to share a lovely piece of choreography that makes me proud to be a dancer. Simple and stunning.