Maddie and Mike...sitting in a tree.......

It was recently brought to my attention that I have been slacking in the area pertaining to publicly praising my true love and sharing with the world what wonderful things he does for me.

He truly is an amazing guy. When we first got married he would try to do little things and go buy me a hoodie or something just to suprize me. I always had a hard time with things like that because NO ONE that I ever dated did things like that for me. I never really even got asked to dances in high school, boyfriend or not. I usually had to ask someone or get someone to ask me...anyway...that's not what we're talking about. But I had a hard time because if you know me you know that I hate spending money and I don't think money should be spent on me unless absolutely necessary. But he would do these cute little things like go through his mission journal, figure out what his first day at church was in my Branch in Belgium and he would get me an "anniversary" gift for the first day we met, even though I had no idea when that was.

In October he had been looking online at flights for my grandma and was looking at some of the awesome deals that delta had elsewhere. He found a really inexpensive round trip flight to Colorado from SLC even. I told him it was a bummer that I had to work and so did he or we could fly out to see my family because my dad was going to be going home for a visit from his deployment in Las Vegas. Well, as the week went on I was kinda bummed about it. Mike had been to my parents' house over night the week before or something like that for an ROTC thing. I was really jealous because I miss my family a lot. Well, Friday came and Mike called me at work and said he figured out what we were going to do that evening, but I had to guess. I was asking questions to figure it out and was asking things like "is it in Utah Valley?" "Is it in SLC?" "Do we have to travel to get there?" "are we going camping?"...I found out that part of it was in SLC and that it included travelling but not camping. Eventually I asked if we were flying somewhere....YES! we were going to fly somewhere. Colorado in fact. He had already arranged for my brother, Spencer, to pick us up at the air port. I had to call my dad to get information about his flight because I knew that he and my mom were staying in a hotel in Denver because Chase and Austin (brothers) had a State Marching Band competition up there the next morning so my dad knew about us flying in too. Well we drove up to the competition, just barely missing the performance...we saw part through the fence...but we called my dad and got him to walk to find us and then he took us up to where my mom was helping load the band equipment. He took Lilly and just walked up and said "can you hold this for a second?"....my mom was so suprized she almost started crying!! then we came around the corner and she freaked out. It was such a fun suprize. we spent the whole weekend with them. It was awesome and I'm so greatful to Mike for thinking about it and doing it. It was such a sweet suprize.

(our family, Nov 2009)

I appreciate these things a lot, I really do. I guess in all the hassles of working full time, his school, his part-time job, never seeing each other during the week and having a baby I forget to find ways to truly express my gratitude.

Even when he happens to make the bed since he's the last in it every day or if he decides to do even a few dishes that are in the sink or to clean part of the house or vacuum without being asked...I'm so grateful! I don't know, maybe I thought that since I'm the one that always does these things without being asked because it's in my "job description" as wife a mom, that I didn't need to thank him for doing it....but I am entirely grateful. It really helps me out so much.

I want to be better at telling him thanks not just by saying it but by doing sweet little things for him from time to time. Then maybe I won't be put to shame by some of the other wives whose blogs we read....

so to Mike, my one and only love, my eternal companion, my sweetheart, my other half, the frosting to my cookie....

I love you and am so grateful to have you. You are the best dad I could have asked for my kids. Lilly loves you so much and I love to watch the two of you together. It always puts a smile on my face. I love all of the little things you do for me and I'm sorry that I haven't seemed as grateful as some of the former recipients of your doting. I love you even when you are a gross boy. I love th at you took me to the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. I love you with all my heart and honestly don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. I have a hard enough time when I can't get ahold of you when we are separated by work and school....thank you for all that you do for me and for the love that you show me. I love when you suprize me with even and sticky note on the mirror for my early morning. I even love you when you have played video games all day instead of spend time with me, as frustrated as I may seem. I always get over it, eventually ;). I love that you are pursuing your dreams of being a pilot and that you're going to take me all over the world. I love that you have a passion for travelling, even when it makes us poor, but that you always want to take me with you. I lovethat you have compassion for others, even when your patience falls short. I love you when you have patience with me and even when you don't. I love you even when I won't talk to you. I love everything about you (except your stinky feet)...basically I am just madly in love with you! ~forever yours, Maddie

(our first date)

(date of our first kiss)

(wedding day)

(engagement pictures)

(time and all eternity)

(Mexico cruise 2007)

(cruise 2007)

(Paris 2008)

(new daddy 2009)

(Lilly's first bath)

(minky snuggles)

(daddy and his girl, Nov 2009)

p.s. I even love you when you won't stop snoring no matter how many times I kick you and when you steal the blankets!!