We had a wonderful anniversary. Friday night we were able to drop Graham off at my parent’s house (for the first time ever having a sleepover!) We went and picked up some dinner and Randy drove all the way to South Jordan to pick up a cake for me at The Chocolate earlier in the week. We got to watch a movie and stay up late, eating cake. It was the best. And on Saturday we got to sleep in!!!!! Which was a DREAM. And eat more cake. We missed Graham though. We picked him up and then after his nap we went to Cherry Hill to have a great afternoon as a family.

The past five years have been a dream with Randy. Not every day has been perfect—we’ve had fights and issues like every other couple. But every single day with Randy is better than one without him, hands down.

I’ve been super weepy thinking about this anniversary for some reason. 5 years just feels like so much. I watched The Last Five Years and started crying, and I’ve been remembering some of our favorite moments. It’s wonderful to reminisce and think about the happy moments that have made up our marriage.

Randy is the best person I know. And I can’t believe I get to spend my life with him.

We had such a fun weekend! We went hiking with some friends after home church on Sunday which was great, then spent some time with my family!

Memorial Day was on Monday and we went to visit my great-grandparent’s graves which was very special. We talked to my cute missionary sister and had a birthday BBQ with my fam to begin celebrating my sister’s birthday! The kids were SO fun and they are getting great at playing with each other.

The work week actually went by really fast and we had some fun times! Thursday was Liv’s actually birthday so she and I went home decor shopping and then we had sushi and cake with everyone, which was delicious.

Where did the time go!! I can’t believe my baby boy is TWO YEARS OLD.

Graham is the sweetest soul. He is SO polite and kind and I am so proud to hear him say “please” and “thank you” and “scuse me”. He is pretty shy and reserved around other people, but once he’s comfortable he will be screaming and singing in his own little language which is so cute.

He loves going on walks, riding his bike, playing music, reading books, cuddling and being held, playing in the car, pushing his baby stroller, vacuuming and mopping, swinging, and so many other things. His favorite foods are chocolate, pasta, tomatoes, any fruit, eggs, and yogurt. He’s so independent and wants to do things “self” but also just loves being with us and doesn’t love playing by himself. He can count and is starting to sing the ABC’s and things it’s hilarious to tell us the wrong color names.

He’s totally his father’s son and is obsessed with all things Toy Story and with music. He will play drums, guitar, piano, or his musical instruments all day. AND he loves ramen. Totally Randy’s kid.

He loves playing with cousin Melanie and his friends Brooklyn and Hudson. He also likes making friends with the older kids around our neighborhood which is so cute.

He is the best little boy in the universe and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Graham, you are my best friend. I will never get over hearing you say “wuv you” or “why mom why?”

We had a blast celebrating his birthday. On Saturday we went to play in my mom’s backyard, swimming in the kiddie pool and swinging. We ate Chic Fil A and had a great time all together. Sunday we made waffles, Graham’s favorite, had church, watched Toy Story and ate popcorn and candy, had mac and cheese for lunch that Graham wouldn’t touch hahaha. We went over to my mom’s for a party with grandparents and opened presents and ate cupcakes. We went and visited my grandparents from a distance and had the best time.

The party was TWO INFINITY AND BEYOND and it turned out so cute! Graham loved it all so much and it was seriously so much fun. It was seriously the best day, and even though Graham may never remember it I will never forget it!

Mother’s Day this year was too much fun! Saturday the day before Mother’s Day I made a cake to take to my mom, her favorite lemon angel food, and we just had a relaxing day playing in the yard and hanging out.

Sunday started bright and early with Randy making me an amazing QUICHE for breakfast in bed! It went with my gift, both editions of the Magnolia cookbook, and he made the quiche from one of the recipes. It was seriously SO delicious and I couldn’t believe how great it was! And the cookbooks have quickly become a huge favorite and I’m loving getting better at cooking.

Graham and Randy also got me flowers and a card which was so cute. We had our home church lesson, went on a little walk, and then went over to my mom and dad’s house for a delicious lunch! We had pasta salad and steak and bread and two kinds of cake – it was SO delicious and fun!

Being Graham’s mom is the most important thing I will ever do. It’s hard and it’s wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for the world

It’s when he lays his head on my shoulder and gently pats my back.
It’s when he shouts “I miss you” when I come in from another room.
It’s when he asks to listen to the same four songs over and over again.
It’s when he furrows his brow and says “why mom why” a dozen times in a row.
It’s those moments and a million more like them when my breath catches and I feel like this is more than I ever could have asked for. You are more than I dreamed. And motherhood is more than the words I can use.
To my baby and all the babies I will get to hold someday, being your mama is everything. I love you.

Oh my sweet mom. I have no idea who I would be without her.
She is my favorite Monet painting, she is in every Vivaldi song I hear, I see her in Marmee and Elizabeth Bennett and Anne Shirley. She fueled my love of literature and travel and chocolate. She taught me to write and play piano and push myself. She is the best grandma (as you can see in this photo!) and everything I am is thanks to her. Thank you mom, for every second you have given me and all the millions of things you’ll undoubtedly continue to give me in the future.
Happy Mother’s Day!

This week was full of Randy being finally done with school, so he was a great stay-at-home dad and helped do a ton of cleaning. I tried a few new recipes (Lebanese salad and fatayar which Graham LOVED and was delicious) and worked a LOT. We played with cousin Melanie a few times, and got all ready for Graham’s upcoming birthday! I can’t believe he is almost two! It’s so wild, but I’m just so happy to have him!

Saturday I made homemade biscuits and gravy (SO GOOD) and we went hiking in the morning, and spent the afternoon swimming and playing in the yard at my mom’s house. It was SO fun and Graham loves being outside and running around. It was a great way to kick off birthday weekend.

We had a jam-packed week!!

Last Saturday my cute sister Beth threw my mom and sister and I a Mother’s Day tea party! It was SO cute she had made a ton of delicious snacks and had my dad and Randy serving us. It was SO cute and so fun. We just sat in the garden and ate and chatted. It was so thoughtful of her and so fun. We had lemonade, herbal tea, bread and brie, Oreo truffles, cheesecakes—it was SO delicious. Jarem and Beth had made everything for us which was so kind of them.

We had Chinese to celebrate Randy’s graduation too, which made it even more fun!

We spent the next couple days with my family a lot to hang out with my sister before she left to go back out on her mission, eating yummy food and playing lots of volleyball and spike ball. She left on Wednesday morning to go to Everett, Washington. It was SO sad to say goodbye to her again but she’s going to be great in Washington! She took coming home and getting sent back out like a champion, and I super admire how great she did with everything.

We worked and Randy hasn’t had to worry about school anymore which has been SUPER awesome! So we just have been enjoying lots of time together.

Graham loves dressing up in the knight costume at my moms, and uses his sword to cut the floor which is so funny. He and Mel are getting much better at playing together too which is great.

Utah has opened back up from coronavirus a little bit, but we are still being careful. We are wearing masks, not going many places besides family and the grocery story, etc. I think it’s really important to continue to be careful so we can beat COVID-19.

Thursday we went to Riverton to get some social distant family photos and it was GREAT. They turned out SO CUTE! Perfect and just in time for Graham’s second birthday.

Our niece Charlotte had a birthday this week so Friday went to their house in Saratoga Springs and ate dinner in the backyard, roasted some marshmallows, and went to their local pond which so so fun!! It was a great time and fun to hang out before they add a new baby to their family!

He did it.

There aren’t words to express how proud I am of Randy today.
Story time, since he will never share how hard he worked to get here himself. Randy came home from his mission with a 1.7 GPA and no clue what he wanted to study in school. I remember long nights trying to figure out what he liked, what he wanted in a career, struggling to learn physical science or economics.

He attended UVU and then BYU Salt Lake. While there, he took an accounting class. The professor said if they got an A and didn’t hate the class, they should do accounting. Randy got an A and didn’t hate the class, he actually enjoyed it. So off he went to Utah State to do his generals and get his grades up.

I remember how crazy it was trying to meet with counselors and get every GPA point he could so he could get into the U’s business program, then the accounting program. We spent so much time on the phone with counselors, researching how classes transferred, and more.

He then got into the U’s accounting program, and he kept working SO hard. He excelled, getting better grades than he ever had and landing an amazing internship at EY. I don’t think he thought it was possible, but he won them over with his interview.

That internship turned into a job offer and more school to get his master’s degree. Today, 5 years later, he is finally done. I am so proud of every test he took, every minute he studied, every hour he spent meeting with friends or professors trying to learn. I am so proud of how excited he would get to tell me about a class or project. I am so proud of how he was an amazing husband and father the whole way. I am so proud of how he tackled every obstacle in front of him head on.

I am so proud of how he went from hating school, to being so sad he couldn’t finish in-person. Randy was genuinely crushed that he couldn’t finish his master’s degree in-person at the U. He absolutely loved his time there—after going to the major universities in Utah, the U was the place that became home to him. It’s been so hard watching him want to finish his education there on campus and having to do it on the computer instead. Which is why this graduation is even more meaningful. He has overcome some incredibly hard things to get here, and I am so insanely proud.

It’s amazing to see someone you love accomplish something so huge.
Congratulations babe. Can’t wait to make you actually walk and take even more pictures in December!