All because two people are still in love

Okay so step 2 isn't complete yet but look how great it looks already. Tomorrow the mudding guys are coming and in five days we're done with step 2. I'm so excited...It might actually get finished;)

These pictures don't look like much BUT for us they represent something AMAZING...PROGRESS! We're complete with Step 1 of the basement which includes the plumbing, electrical, framing and heating.
Dan has put in hours and hours of work which hasn't always been easy with a pregnant wife, work, church and daughters that miss him too. We can't take credit for all the work...we've had help along the way. Dan's dad has been right alongside him in doing the framing and sometimes he would work late into the night by himself. He also did all the plumbing which saved us a lot of money;)
We had some great neighbors who are expert electricians that helped Dan do the electrical work.
Man if I knew how much work goes into completeing a basement I don't know if I would have been so excited to start!
Today the sheet rock guys are here and it's so exciting to see progress.
Stay tuned for Step 2 (soon to be complete;)

Halloween is such a fun holiday! I know how much kids enjoy it but last night I realized you're never too old to get dressed-up for Halloween. There were hundreds of witches at Gardner's Village and the girl's loved it. If only I had known then all of us would have dressed-up as witches too.

So you know it has to be a special day for me to curl Katie's hair...

Tonight we celebrated our friend, Mike Kingsley's BDAY! We had dinner at an awesome Mexican Restaurant in OGDEN (in all places:) It's always good being around friends. I wish I took more pictures but here's one from our drive home. Lilly came in our car and Sharon was trying to stop her from sucking her thumb;) I'm surprised because she loves doing whatever Lilly does so lately she's been sucking her thumb too;)







Today was a busy Saturday BUT we made time for some fun anyway! Why are the simple pleasures (like picking out a pumpkin) so great for kids?

I just thought I would share with you how fortunate I've been to have the father I have.
My dad is seriously one of the most generous people I know! His whole life has been and continues to be one of service. There are so many examples of this and the most impressive thing is that he often does kind things for people that would otherwise be forgotten by most of us (like the elderly, poor and forgotten). My mom really compliments him with this. Hopefully I can be less lazy and selfish and be more like him this way.
Also...he is a good dad. We always had good 'ol dad time with him. My friends loved coming to my birthday parties when I was younger because my dad was so much fun and wasn't afraid to throw us into the pool and tickle us. I still can't handle Dan tickling me because of this.
He is so dedicated to the Lord. He has always put Heavenly Father first in his life and done an incredible job of serving Him. I know callings don't really matter in the church but it's amazing that my dad has been a bishop twice and is currently serving in the stake presidency for the second time.
This leads me to the fourth thing I love about my dad...he is a leader and a go getter. He seems to achieve leadership positions without even trying. People who know him always so highly of him.
He is the hardest worker I know. In South Africa I had early morning seminary (at 6am) and it was a 30 minute drive from our home. He would wake up EVERY morning to make sure we got to seminary on time. THIS DROVE ME CRAZY by the way but I'm so grateful.
Lastly he's the best OUPA in the world. Katie thinks my dad is truly her best friend. Whenever she is hurt or upset or anything she says she wants to talk to her oupa. Her and Sharon love "oupa time."
I don't think my dad has ever read a blog in his life but I just wanted to tell him that I love him and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So anybody who knows me knows that I don't have much in the way of homemaking skills.
One thing I've always wanted to learn is canning... thanks to my homemaking diva friend Cari Jessup I finally had a chance to give it a try. Look at the AMAZING RESULTS!
After a lot of work and one cut finger I have 24 cans of peaches and five cans of peach jam;)
THANKS CARI! The best was seeing all the "fruits" of our labor and feeling so good about it.
I think I might be able to get into this homemaking thing after all. Well at least the canning part of it:)