8 sushi rolls and then some!

Friday night Ben and I went out on a date. When he asked me what I wanted to do, I told him

A. YOU should plan the date, not me. Since you are the one taking ME out!

and

B. I really want to go to Restaurant Depot. Please, pretty please? With a cherry on top? Just to check it out. It is literally right down the street from us. It’s members only, VIP access, okay, maybe not VIP access. But, you DO need to have a membership and you can only have a membership if you own a business. We don’t own a business, but he was lucky enough to get a card from his friend, a fellow fireman.  Sooooo….with that being said, I’ve been dreaming of going inside. Really. I had a dream about going there. And I also dreamed that I got a job offer for the San Deigo Zoo. $400,000 a month! Sidetracked. Sorry! Restaurant Depot. I just want to see what’s in there! I know, I’m a dork. But, I don’t get out much, mmkay? Needless to say, we didn’t go because it took us too long to get out of the house. So, instead, we went out for sushi! {Surprise, surprise!}

I looooove this guy. I can’t believe we’ve known each other for 9 years! Wowza, we’re getting old! Okay, not really. But, it has been a while! I mean, that’s almost half my age. Emphasis on almost! Parker was our photographer for the night, and by golly he was having a blast! Tickled, would be the word!

He was going to drop me here, what a pill! And what’s up with the tongue? I have NO clue!

This cracks me up. Parker’s climbing up my back, and you you can see Preston climbing up Ben. Silly kids!

I don’t know about you, but it is very seldom that we go out on dates. So, when we do get out……we definitely make it worth it! And, I try to go with an empty stomach that way I can get my “fill.” Know what I’m saying? We love love love sushi! Love it! Despite what my sister, ahem, not to name any names, Peggy…. despite what Peggy says, tempura sushi is STILL sushi! You get the best of both worlds. Sushi. And deep fried. :) Anyway, we placed our order: 8 sushi rolls. Is that a lot? I could eat 8 by myself, just saying. Apparently, for the 4th time dining here this past year, our waitress looks at our order and says, “8. That a lot a rolls!” And then she ‘tisk-tisk’s’ us. Really? Come on! We know. And we are starving! At least I’m not ordering an order of cheese fries, a salad, a big steak and loaded baked potato, and THEN dessert. Because that’s what we used to do. 8 rolls is NOT a lot!
Boy, were they yummy!

You see that, Peggy. The one with the orange looking sauce on them {yes, we got two of those rolls}. Two words for you. Tempura. Fried. Yumm……that’s a Volcano roll. And, it’s my favorite. Although, the spicy tuna roll is coming in a close second now. And I’m pretty sure that that is “real” sushi! :) Such a fun night!

Could this little girl be any cuter? I think not?

I’m debating about throwing her a big birthday par-tay. I’m undecided. It was nice not doing anything over-the-top for Parker. And yet….I’ll never get to throw another 1st birthday party. Ever. I have a feeling that will be mantra for the next I don’t know, gazillion years! “But, she’s my baby! I have to do it! It’s the last time!” She really is growing up too darn fast.

So, I have two girls potty trained. Yes, you heard that right. Two girls. One of the girls poops and pees in the pot-tay. All day long. She “rocks my socks!” The other girl poops, like clockwork, in her diaper every.single.morning at 6:30 am. Every.single.morning. It wakes her up. Every.single.morning. I don’t know how more “trained” you can get?!

But, not to take the lime light away from Miss Paisley. Stubborn, in-her-own-time Paisley, finally is wearing panties! {Not underwear. They are panties! Heaven forbid you call them underwear!} Can we get a Hip-Hip-HOOORAY for having only one child in diapers! I never thought I would see the day! But we have! :)

Parleigh sure loves her Papaw! Anytime he comes over, once she hears his voice she goes crawling as fast as she can to him. Super cute, I tell you. And check out her stomach in these pictures. She is full as a tick! Her Mamaw fed her fish, beans, strawberries, and churros. She was in hog heaven! Her pants wouldn’t even zip! We love having grandparents so close for our children to be around!

This morning, while we were getting ready for church, I over heard Paisley and Parker talking. I turn around, and they are looking at the picture of the Savior. Parker is telling her that He died for us so we can live again.

My heart has been so full today. I love my kids so much. And, they tell me that they love me, so I guess I’m doing something right! I am so blessed to have children who are patient with me and overlook my weaknesses. They are so forgiving, and I pray that I can learn from them.I am learning that they really are the ones that are teaching me.

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother... Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." Elder M. Russell Ballard

First Comes Love

Then Comes Marriage

Then Comes Baby {or 4 babies} in the Baby Carriage

My sister-in-law took our family photos last week. She did an AMAZING job! I think she captured our family perfectly. Seeing these pictures---it hit me that I am a mother of 4 children! 4 CHILDREN!!! When did that happen? Seriously! And, they are cute. How lucky are we? I feel so blessed with the family that I have.
It was a lot of fun, and hopefully we can get some more great shots next week! {hint hint!} And, check out elove photos for more of Emily’s work!

sushi? you think this is about sushi?

For our anniversary we went to Kanpai, which happens to be the yummiest sushi around! So much fun!
I love being married to this man. He is amazing. Period.

8 is Gr8!

Looking back at the past 8 {can you believe it?} years, I can’t help but think that Brad Paisley is the soundtrack to our marriage! Without further ado:
Wrapped Around
Ben and I met on December 1, 2002. For the next 6 months we saw each other every.single.day {minus roughly 14 days in that amount of time}. We were both working crazy retail hours {I worked at Wal-Mart and he worked at Lowe’s} but we managed somehow!?!
When he purchased a ring for me, he was going to find a creative way to propose to me and wait at least a few days, but….he was so excited and proposed in the flip-flop aisle in Wal-Mart. He is such the romantic! {Or, straight to the point!}
He said he loved me the moment he met me. Even if he thought I had a daughter. Yes, he thought my niece was mine….but he didn’t care! I still find that information amusing.
Little Moments
Ben still holds it against me the first time he heard me swear {the first and last time, mind you.} A co-worker made me so upset, I called her a bad word {not to her face, just in frustration when I was talking to Ben.}
We used to cuddle on the couch and watch T.V. I miss that. We would take the back cushions off, and watch movies. That was B.K. {before kids}. Now, if we turn a movie on, I might last 10 minutes. Max. Then I’ll fall asleep.
It really is the little moments. Because that’s all we get. Especially in this stage of our marriage with 4 little kiddos!
She’s Everything
Ben loves me. All my quirks. All my imperfections. All my crazy ideas. He loves me. He would do anything and everything for me. He is a.maze.ing! I really don’t know how I got so lucky to find him. And marry him. And spend my life with him. It truly is amazing. Little girl from po-dunk Idaho meets country boy from big city Virginia Beach and falls in love. It’s perfect, really.
Waiting on a Woman
I know he finds it amusing. It takes him 2.5 seconds to get ready. And he’s constantly waiting on me to go somewhere. Get used to it, honey. It’s not gonna change! :) And, you like it, you know you do!
Then
Looking back to our dating months, I really didn’t see how I could love Ben more. I mean, I loved him a WHOLE lot! He was handsome. And sweet. And funny. And nice. And he loved me in return. I never had been treated like how he treated me. He was so, what’s the word? Perfect! He was perfect. It was in the little things. Like, when we would go to his house {that was 30 minutes away} he would come and pick me up, then bring me home. Whereas, the previous guy I dated made me drive {30 minutes} to see him.
As I was browsing through all our pictures, seeing all the pictures of our little family makes my heart so FULL of love. As the song says, and I thought I loved you, then! I love Ben so much more now—even if we aren’t able to spend as much time together—just the 2 of us. Even if some times it seems like we are like ships passing in the night. I love him so.much!
I’m Gonna Miss Her
What can I say? I married a hunter and gatherer! :) Ben loves fishing and hunting. A lot. I wish you could hear the excitement in his voice after a day out on the boat. At least he’s good at what he does, right? He is an amazing fisherman, and hunter. If all else fails, we should never go hungry! :)
Remind Me
It’s too easy to get caught up in the day to day busyness. Especially when we talk more about the kids than about us when we go out on dates.
So, Ben. After 8 years and 4 kids later, remind me what it was like when we were dating. Remind me why I married you. {Not that I need you to. Really, I don’t. Because I know you do} But remind me why I love you so much. And I’ll remind you why I chose you. Because, I know I am so lucky to have you. And I don’t want to forget that. Ever.
Happy Anniversary, Ben. You are the best. And I love you. Forever.
Here’s a video. It’s crazy to look back at the past 8 years! We {I} were so young! I was 18 in the first picture. {The YSA had a dance, a Ben, I mean, I asked him to go. I was technically in charge of planning it. So, he couldn’t say no.} That was the first week we met! Anyway, like I said. Here’s a video. And, after posting about how Brad Paisley is the soundtrack to our lives, the music in the video is NOT one of his songs. Go figure. I wanted to, but they were just too slow. :)

8 Years from kate on Vimeo.