What We've Been Up To

Thought I'd do a picture post since it's been a long time. Sorry, our desktop has been having issues - hence the boring, colorless posts.

So here's a bit of what we've been up to the last little bit:

Finding interesting places to sleep

Developing a serious love for Grandma Sherrie's tickles

Putting on a snowsuit Randy style (I can't put my arms down!)

Getting really, really long hair (this is really, really long for Lauren)

Drawing first pictures of Daddy

Becoming OBSESSED with little stools

And also:
Mya getting tubes in her ears and feeling so much better
Lo writing "L" and "A" correctly
Getting a new kitchen table (yahoo!)
Starting to be really excited for spring!!

Querks

When you're first married, you start to notice strange things that your spouse does.
Things you never knew before, because you didn't live together.
These things aren't big things.
They're small, strange things that you find very odd.
Things that make absolutely no sense to you.
Here is just one of many I discovered about the love of my life.
When we would brush our teeth at night, I would get out the toothpaste, remove the cap, and start to brush.
Bryan would hurry and start brushing his teeth, trying to steal my water.
This turned into a little game.
Then I would put the cap back on the toothpaste and put it away.
Next morning, I would get up, brush my teeth, put the cap back on, and leave it on the counter for Bryan who was getting up in a few minutes.
Came home from work, noticed the toothpaste still on the counter.
Wondered why it wasn't put away.
Over the next few weeks, started to notice weird things about the toothpaste and started doing a little experiment.
Discovered that however I left the toothpaste was how Bryan left it.
If it was in the drawer when he went to brush his teeth, then back into the drawer it would go.
If I left it in the counter with the cap on, he would leave it on the counter with the cap on.
On the counter with the cap off, he would leave it on the counter, cap off.
I have brought this to his attention.
He swears he doesn't do it.
It's been 6.5 years, and he still does it.
He did it just this morning.
I find this extremely strange, but I think if he were to be gone tomorrow, I would miss this weird little querk.
What oddity have you discovered about your significant other?

Just a Little Gushing

Bryan went hunting tonight with his dad until tomorrow night. He was a little late getting home from work, and I was just thinking it was traffic.
He came in the door, carrying lillies, a peanut butter Twix, and a carton of Ben & Jerry's FroYo. 3 of my most favorite things. My first thought was that he was feeling really bad about leaving us for the night. Sweet, right?
But he informed me that it was because of a conversation we had last night.
The other night someone asked how long we had been married. We answered (incorrectly at first), and then he asked what the secret was to being happily married for so long.
Now, 6 and a half years doesn 't seem long enough to be answering that question as of yet, but I guess these days that could be considered long to some people.
Bryan's answer, and he was dead serious, (unusual, I know) was "be nice, and marry the right person".
And it made my little heart so happy to hear that.
So simple. So true.
And then we didn't mention it again until last night, when it somehow came up in conversation during the drive home from our friends' house.
We talked for a little bit about how each of us truly believes that we married the right person, and that's why we're so happy.
And we talked about what we do that makes our marriage work.
So many times you hear people say that marriage is "hard work". And do I think that you have to actively work at marriage to make it work? Most definitely. I think that's true for any relationship.
But what I love about our marriage, is that we don't feel like we have to work hard.
The longer we are together, the more I see how I married the right person.
As time goes by, certain things get harder. Schedules, work, callings, kids.....
But with every added stress and conflict I see what a perfect team we are.
When I'm tightly wound and ready to snap at the kids, he's relaxed and calmly takes over before I even have a chance to open my mouth.
With our ever crazy work schedules, we both have to make so many sacrifices and are constantly figuring out how to make things as easy as possible on the other person.
Bryan practically pushes me out the door whenever I have the chance to go out for a girl's night. Because he knows I need it, and it makes me happy. It keeps me sane.
And at the end of the day, when the girls have finally gone to bed, we can't wait to snuggle up on the couch and watch some meaningless TV together.
Usually there about 5 million things we could be doing around the house at that time, but that's OUR time. And we don't get much of it.
So we snuggle up, most of the time with toys scattered throughout the house, stuff cluttering up the kitchen counter, maybe some dishes in the sink, but those things can wait.
And then we always, ALWAYS go to bed together. We can't crawl into bed without eachother.
He gets up with the girls way more than I do in the middle of the night.
We've learned how to fight. I know that sounds strange, but we all fight, and I think that how a couple handles disagreements is a big deal. I've learned to not hold grudges. I've learned to apologize. I've learned (still learning) to let things slide and not nit pick.
Now, I know this is getting a bit rambly, but my house smells like lilies, I can still tast the PB Twix I just ate, it's 10:30, I'm watching Gray's Anatomy, and I'm dreading going into our empty room alone.
I just wanted to gush a little bit, because my husband isn't the type to bring me flowers for no reason. He doesn't buy me presents after we get in an argument.
But today he did something nice for me because he loves me. Because he married the right person. We both did.

Accomplished

2:15 pm

Have already been to:

Sam's Club
Walmart
Bank
Preschool
Harmon's

Have made:

Dinner for 2 nights for my family
Dinner for pregnant neighbor
Carmelitas for pregnant neighbor

Also have:

Cleaned up messy kitchen/children

I feel very accomplished today
Especially considering I was up all night (literally)
With what I HOPE is just a teething toddler, who screamed the entire time we were at most of those places.
Now it's nap time for the kids
And work time for me
My house is quiet
And I am so relaxed and content :)