Hawaii Trip!!

We had the best time in Hawaii with Randy’s parents and brother! We were so lucky they invited us on vacation with them, and had the best time. Here’s a little recap of our
Day 1: We got on the plane in the morning, and Graham didn’t sleep much and watched shows, it was pretty long and crazy. We had to RUN through LAX to catch our second flight just barely. Randy was so sweet and helped me and a guy called out “DADDY OF THE YEAR, BRO” as we ran past which was so sweet. We actually saw TAN FRANCE on our first flight though, so it was very worth it! Randy’s parent’s plane was delayed so we waited for them in the Honolulu airport. When they arrived we got the car, Graham loved playing with the birds all around, we went to Target to get groceries and then to Aulani, the Disney Resort! We got beautiful leis and beads when we arrived which was so amazing, and then went out to swimming which Graham loved. We went to a curry house for dinner and then went to bed pretty early, we were very tired! 
Day 2: We woke up and had breakfast (eggs and sausage and fresh fruit!), went right out to swim and Graham LOVED playing on the beach. We relaxed while he napped, then went to Monoa Falls and hiked which was beautiful, then went to some old ruins of a royal palace that was also beautiful! We went to the mall where there was a whole Japanese village and ate dinner, Randy found chicken nan ban and I had ramen. It was SO fun to see all the fun Japanese restaurants. We stopped at Leonard’s Bakery on the way home and got delicious masaladas. Randy went to swim later that night and I hung out with sleeping baby.
Day 3: Breakfast of eggs and bananas, then we were off to the Dole Plantation. Randy and Graham and I rode the train and it was so cool to see all the pineapple bushes and cacao trees, mango, sugarcane, and more. Dole float topped off our adventure there.. Then we went to the North Shore which was so beautiful. We stopped at Fumi’s shrimp truck which was soooooo good. Then to the Polynesian Cultural Center We went to Samoa and met Kap, the artist who does all the Samoa demonstrations, and their demonstration was climbing a coconut tree, shredding coconut, making milk, etc. It was SO cool! We went to New Zealand and the buildings were beautiful and they did some dances and songs. Then Fiji where G got a tattoo. Then we watched the canoe show. We went over to Tonga where they made the poor Japanese guy play the drums, he couldn’t understand what they were asking him to do and it was SO funny and also sad.. Then we went to Tahiti. The only “island” inside the PCC we didn’t get to was Hawaii. We went and watched the Hawaiian journey video and then toured the BYU campus and the temple which was so fun. All the sister missionaries LOVED Graham and a bunch of them were from Japan which was so cool. We went to the luau for dinner which was delicious! SO much yummy food, so fresh and amazing. And the entertainment was amazing, complete with two eight year old boys doing fire dancing. Then we went to the Breath of Life show which had so many cool dances and fire dancing. Then back to the resort, and to bed! 
Day 4: Randy ran to the store to get some groceries, we had breakfast, then we got ready and went to Hanauma Bay! It was beautiful and busy but sooo amazing. We went snorkeling and saw beautiful fish, Dory fish and white stripped fish and bright orange and purple fish. Graham loved putting rocks in his cup on the beach and sitting in the waves. We ate some snacks and a weasel tried to get into someone’s donut box! We stopped at an udon shop on the way home and went to the Japanese store and got Aquarius (my favorite Japanese drink). We came back to the resort and Graham and mom walked around and made friends, had a Dole whip, and had a great time. We fedGraham dinner so he could go to bed since he didn’t have a good nap. We made Japanese food for dinner which was delicious!
Day 5: We woke up early and had breakfast, then Graham and mom went for a walk. We went down to the pool and played around until Graham was ready for a nap. We rested and just relaxed while he slept. Then we got ready, stopped at McDonald’s, and went to Pearl Harbor. It was so sad, beautiful, and hard to be there. Sam called while we were there and he broke his arm on his mission! He should be better soon. We fought traffic home and tried to get Graham to rest with no success. We got ready and went to have an amazing all you can eat dinner. Crab, fresh sushi, amazing desserts, it was just the best food! We were all stuffed and it was the perfect final dinner in Hawaii.
Day 6: Graham woke up early and we went on a walk, ate breakfast and went for another walk down to the neighboring resort’s beach. It was so beautiful and the waves were amazing. We packed up to get ready to go home. We went to lunch at a yummy ramen place, then went to the Pacific National Cemetery. It was so sad to see all the young men who died in the war. We went to the mall and Graham had a blast playing on the fake grass hill, he kept trying to climb up and sliding down, it was so sweet. We had Hawaiian shaved ice and açaí bowls that were soooo good. Then it was time to go to the airport! Security was LONG but all the airport crew was SO nice to us (on our way to Hawaii and home) and helped us get everything we needed. We got dinner at the airport and then it was time to get on the flight. It was a red eye so luckily Graham slept the whole time! It was only 5 hours so we didn’t get a full night’s sleep but it was good! We had Shake Shack for breakfast at LAX and then got onto our flight home!
It was an awesome trip, and we already miss the island life! 

Memorial Day & G MAN WALKS

The rest of May and our Memorial Day was so fun! My cousins were in town and we watched some of their competition soccer games, and GRAHAM IS OFFICIALLY WALKING. I just can’t believe it. He was doing a couple steps and then BAM he was just walking all over (video to come). We’ve been having a super fun, relaxed month of May, making delicious food and trying not to set off the fire alarm in our house, baking cookies, getting everything together for our Hawaii trip (ONE WEEK) and having the best time.

4 Years

We have had the best year, and every year we get to spend together is just the best. This past year of marriage we have moved (again), Randy graduated, we’ve worked and played, had the best time with our little boy, and fallen even more in love.

When we were dating, Randy and I would play a little game, imagining what our life would look like in exactly four years. We talked about 4 years because that’s when Randy would be home from his mission. We wondered what our life could look like then.

Our best friends even took this little game, and put it in a song they sang for us on our wedding day.
The day we were married, we played this little game, imagining our future. We wondered if we would have a baby, if we’d be done with school, where we’d be living, all of it.

Where we are today, and the love we have, is more than I ever could have dreamed.

“Do you remember that game we played together when we talked about forever… This is our dream, and nothing’s going to take it away from me, we built it together, so marry me, and I’ll never let you go.” These are some of the lyrics from that song that Caleb and Alexon wrote, and it just captures this moment perfectly.

Can’t wait to see where the next “four year” game will take us!

For our anniversary we had muffins for breakfast, I sent Randy off to go play at Guitar Center while I worked. Then we went to Salt Lake to have lunch at Eva’s Bakery (which was SO yummy as always). Our evening was filled with watching Friends and eating ramen which is like the epitome of our marriage.

Friday we had my mom watch Graham so we could go on a fun date! We went shopping at Fashion Place, one of our favorite things to do, scootered around SLC and went to dinner at Cafe Molise which was DELICIOUS. We had such a wonderful time talking about our past and our future. I just loved it.

Graham Is One

Check out the video I made taking a look at Graham’s first year with us: 
I wish there were words. Having you in my life this past year has been the greatest privilege. Getting to watch you grow and learn, and being your mama is the most important thing I will ever do.
So for every long night, every dirty diaper, every time you fell asleep in my arms, every story and song, every cuddle and gummy smile, every long walk, every little sound you made, all the milestones you met and all the times you let me know it was OK that I didn’t have everything figured out—thank you. I love you. Happy birthday Graham. 
Pictures of course by the amazing Amber Bird who is one of our best friends and an absolutely AMAZING photographer.

]

Mother’s Day

Holy cow MOTHER’S DAY. What a wonderful day to celebrate all the amazing women in my life. 
My mom is the best mother, grandmother, friend, and example I could imagine. I am so lucky that I get to look up to her and that she always emulates Christ-like love.
My mother in law raised my favorite person – RANDY. She’s so cute with Graham and we have so much fun with her! 
My sisters, sister-in-laws, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends, and all the amazing women in my life are just such great examples to me. I am so lucky to have such strong women and mothers to look up to. 
On Mother’s Day Graham and Randy made me breakfast in bed, got me flowers, and Homebody by Joanna Gaines which I had mentioned months ago to Randy (who of course remembered. He’s the best.)
We had a great time at church, a delicious dinner with my family, and a perfect day to be honest. 
We also took some cute photos of Graham in his kimono that Randy’s parents bought while they were in Japan. They turned out SO CUTE. 
And lastly. I can’t talk about Mother’s Day without talking about my sweet baby boy. Graham, almost one year ago, you made me a mother. Everything came into focus because of you. I understand love on a completely new level, and have discovered an entirely new part of my heart and soul.
You are one of my greatest triumphs, and being a mom is the best job I will ever have.
On Mother’s Day, and every day, I am grateful for the chance I get to love you. Thank you for letting me be your mom.

Staycation

We had a great time with our family going to Thanksgiving Pointe for a little staycation! We loved going to the gardens, the museums, swimming in the pool, getting ice cream, and going to dinner. Graham has the BEST time playing with his little cousins. Candace and Tommy are so cute with Graham and love to play around with him.

We tried the Zulu Grill which is African food and it was SO GOOD. Totally recommend it.

We love hanging out with family and this little staycation was just what the doctor ordered!

Graham’s First Birthday Party

We had the absolute best time celebrating Graham’s first birthday. We celebrated a little early to make sure as many cousins and family could be there as possible! The theme was WILD ONE because Graham is such a cute little wild guy! We also celebrated Randy graduating with his undergrad at the same party – two birds, one stone! 
We had it at the park with a trail mix bar, cake, some little treats, lots of outdoor games like spike ball and frisbee. The best part was that so many people came to spoil Graham and it was the best. Our families, extended families, and lots of our friends (and even a few kids!) came to celebrate our little guy.
He LOVED his smash cake and sat, just eating contentedly for probably 40 minutes. It made my mama heart so proud that he just dug into his cake and kept eating!
Candace helped bring presents and sometimes she would unwrap them on their way to bring them to Graham which cracked me up! He didn’t mind and loved every toy he got. Everyone was so sweet to think of special things just for him, that he would really love. He never wanted the toy to be taken away and wanted to keep playing with it instead of opening something else!
He was so sweet and excited his whole party, everyone got a chance to play with him and celebrate with him. I know he won’t remember any of the day, but it was so awesome to get to see all these people come together to love on my little boy. What an amazing day, and what great friends and family we have!
Alexon took all the pictures and I’m so grateful he was there to take them! I could just focus on Graham and making sure everything went well, and the whole party got captured which was amazing. THANK UNCLE ALEXON! 

THE GRADUATE

Oh my goodness, my heart is going to burst with pride.

Randy started college at UVU before his mission. He had no idea what he wanted to do. He got his mission call, and school became his last priority. Let’s say, he left that first semester with a pretty low GPA.

He thought he’d figure it out while he was on his mission. He got home, and he still wasn’t sure what sounded like the perfect major, or career.

He did another semester at UVU, and wasn’t loving it. He decided to try taking classes at BYU Salt Lake instead, and hopefully transfer to another school later. We moved to Salt Lake, so that was the best option.

He took an accounting class at BYU Salt Lake, and got a good grade. The professor said that if students got a good grade, and didn’t hate the class, they should 100% pursue accounting. Randy talked to some other accountants and people who did business, and thought it was worth a shot.

After going to BYU Salt Lake, Randy decided to transfer AGAIN to Utah State University via their remote campuses. We were thinking we would move to Logan so Randy could attend USU and get his degree in accounting there. I went to Logan for a job interview (which I got) and as we were driving home, out of the canyon, we both knew that we weren’t meant to live in Logan.

So, we decided to try and go for the University of Utah. The tuition was expensive and the program was difficult to get into. But we decided to go for it.

Randy worked REALLY hard at the USU remote campuses to get his associate’s degree, and get his GPA up.

Then, it was time to transfer AGAIN, this time to the U. Randy went to that first week of business classes on that campus and absolutely loved it. In a way I had never, ever seen him love school. (I’m tearing up just thinking about it!) He absolutely thrived at the U. He got into the business school, and then into the accounting program. He made awesome friends, studied so hard, loved his professors and classes, and then HERE WE ARE.

I have never been more proud of Randy. He is graduating from the U after finishing an internship with Ernst and Young, one of the Big 4 accounting firms (which is a HUGE deal). He’ll be going back to school in August to get his Master’s of Accounting, and then he’s accepted a full-time offer to do audit for Ernst and Young!

He’s done SUCH amazing work and I’m so so so PROUD. My wifey heart is going to explode.

Tulip Festival

We’ve been having a ton of fun at our place lately! We went to our friend’s gender reveal party and Alexon snapped this AMAZING pic of Graham that just makes my heart melt.

We went to the Tulip Festival and G had the best time! He loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa, he loved all the flowers and feeding the fish. If you can’t tell from his face, he was in heaven.

And we made some AMAZING cookies with leftover Easter cookies and they were SO bomb! Yay for candy and desserts!

EASTER

We have had the best time celebrating EASTER! It’s been so fun to have Graham’s first Easter and we have loved every second of it.

We’ve been playing with plastic Easter eggs for weeks, on Saturday the Easter Bunny came by with bubbles, a bike, and plenty of candy. Which Graham DEVOURED and was crazy obsessed with, which I loved. We dyed eggs with my parents and Randy, of course, did his signature theme egg set. This year, was the Muppets. We had an egg hunt with Randy’s family and it was a blast! He loved crawling around, but wanted to stay and play with his eggs and balloons instead of finding more.

Today we had a family Easter devotional which was so sweet. Randy shared this video which is one of our very favorites.

Today especially, I am grateful for Jesus Christ. I may not know all the answers, but because of Jesus Christ, that’s ok. He helps with the things I don’t understand and know. And the most important thing I’m sure of is Christ. I’m so grateful for His Atonement and what it means for me, and for our family.