Snow Cave

Matt made a snow cave as a scout once and wanted to make one for the girls to play in. So much fun! They loved having an igloo.

best dad

Daddy's Girl

Charlotte has always been a daddy's girl. I love watching these two together.

Have a Heart

It snowed! A lot! Perfect for building a snowman with Dad. Vera and I watched from indoors.

eclectic snow gear

Matt is such a fun dad.
Even with the snow being pretty powdery, he made them a great snowman.

Our snowman even had a heart!

Birds on a Wire

I forgot to get the camera out, so this is a picture Matt took from today out our back door.

Day 19-Strung Up

Elise loves to tie strings. She makes some pretty gnarly knots, and we often find things like this:

Gotta love her.

Also, I know my husband loves me because he bakes me gluten free cookies for no particular reason. He's a keeper.

A Photo a Day-Day 2

This morning, Elise put together her mermaid puzzle. (She let Charlotte put the last piece in so they could say they did it together, such a sweet sister.) Then Charlotte wanted to wear the mermaid dress-up dress and "swim" with the mermaids in the puzzle. Having little kids means endless amusement.

Also, could we please have three Saturdays every week? We are loving having Matt home with us for a four day weekend.

28 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

Most of the posts on this blog are focused on our girls. I spend most of my time with them, and they make cute subjects for pictures, so I find it natural to blog about them. I also want to document as much as possible since they get big so darn fast.

I don't post enough about Matt, probably because when I'm spending time with him, I just like to relax and enjoy being with him since he's at work all week. This post is dedicated to him, though.

Since Matt is turning 28, here are 28 reasons why I love him (in no particular order):

1. Matt is such a hard worker. He works 40 hours or more at his primary job every week, and he often works extra hours at the two other side jobs he has. He never complains. He gets up at 5am or earlier most days and gets into work early so he can come home to spend time with us, even though if he chose to he could sleep in and come home later.

2. He is funny without being mean. He is never afraid of making a fool of himself to make me laugh. When I get irritated, frustrated, or stressed, he gets goofy, trying to cheer me up and help me feel better.

one of my favorite pictures of Matt and Elise
makes me smile every time 

all Matt's doing (baby Elise, or maybe Buddha)

3. He is always serving others. I don't I know of a time he has turned down a request to help move someone. He is always willing to help in any way he can, and he constantly uses his talents to serve.

4. Matt is talented. If you need help with audio, video, sound, computers, or electrical work, Matt is your guy. He is also pretty handy around the house, and he is a great problem solver. I swear, he can use the internet to figure out how to fix most anything.

5. He is musical. His talents on the piano and organ played a big part in me falling in love with him. Seriously, you should hear this guy play. He is good enough to improvise and diligent enough to play a hard piece just like it is written. I am proud of his hard work to maintain and expand his musical talents. He also has a pretty good voice and likes to sing.

in SLC

6. He helps me feel calm. I love that because I tend to be a little anxious and overly serious. He is so laid back and helps me put the situation in perspective. And he knows just when I need to hear some Coldplay.

Elise's first time at the beach when she was ten months old

7. He is an awesome dad. He reads to the girls, plays with them, has fun with them, sets appropriate limits, gets excited when they learn something new, enjoys teaching them new things, and is just constantly interested in them and what's best for them.

8. We can eat ice cream together. Or, sometimes, he just brings home some for me. Seriously, ice cream is a big part of my happiness.

9. He has a great sense of direction. I know that may not be a big deal to some people, but it's a selling point for me. You see, maps are like a different language to me. I get lost easily and often, and I don't have a smart phone. I call Matt for directions fairly regularly. Thankfully, he is good at explaining where to go from who-knows-where.

10. Matt is very patient. That's saying something, since he lives with both me and Elise.

11. He is a good driver. I hate driving, and I'm not very good at it. Matt is happy to drive wherever we're going together, even long trips. Score. He also takes good care of our cars.

12. He is creative. He loves to make things that are useful or just fun.

building a big train track with our nephew, Leighton

13. He's a problem solver. If we have a need, he can usually come up with a creative idea to meet that need. He's done this again and again, from baby monitors to sink stoppers to temporary shade for the patio.

14. He's the perfect height for me. Not too short, not too tall. Six feet of handsome.

15. Did I mention that he's handsome? He is.

16. We have fun together.

one of the few pictures we have from when we were dating

17. He likes to make a big deal out of holidays, and he always makes special occasions feel special. Matt does all the decorating for Christmas.

Fourth of July 2009

18. He loves the Lord. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man of God.

May 1, 2009
San Diego California temple

19. He honors the covenants he has made with God and with me.

our wedding day

20. He is kind and respectful of others, including what he says and how he treats people, whether he knows them or not.

21. He is really nice to elderly people. That may seem random, but it is very endearing to me. I believe in respecting our elders, and Matt has a special way with older folk.

just after we got engaged

22. He is generous. Sometimes if we have had an unpleasant visit at a restaurant, I try to talk him down from tipping as much. Usually he just tips generously anyway.

23. Matt is a peacemaker. That has been such a blessing in our marriage and in our family.

24. He is always learning. Not only does Matt already understand a vast array of things I don't understand, he is always learning more. We have different interests and different learning styles for sure, but that just adds variety to our conversations. He often spends his free time looking things up he's interested in or researching solutions.

our first (unofficial) date 

We went bowling.

25. He is responsible and dependable. I can always count on him to follow through. So nice to know.

26. He is a good kisser. Am I allowed to say that?

27. He's wants to be better than he is. I love that we can continually improve as individuals and as a couple, working together and using the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

28. He is happy and he makes me happy! It's hard to keep frowning when you're looking at his smile. I love how content and cheerful he is every day.

Happy, happy birthday, Matt! You mean everything to me. I love you so much.