9 Wonderful Years and 2 Rugrats Later.......

I love seeing pictures of our wedding day. It brings back so many great memories and such a special day I got to share with my best friend. I can't believe it was 9 years ago that we were married. The time has gone fast and we have had some amazing and hard times. I love that no matter what we go through we are a team and we cheer each other on. I am so happy to be married to such a patient and easy going fella cause I tend to be a bit on the crazy side at times. I love that we have two AMAZING children together and that we get to raise them and see them grow into such adorable little people. Each day can be challenging and fun all in one and I thank my Father in Heaven each day for the life I have and for the wonderful family I get to be with. I know that we are truly blessed and I am so grateful for that. Here's to many more wonderful years together Todd. Thanks for being so amazing!!!

BYE- BYE Binky!!

Last Friday was a big milestone in the Christensen family. Our sweet almost 3 year old has had the hardest time giving up her binky or as her dad and I like to call it "her friend." We called it that when we didn't want her to know what we were talking about. I realize she was too old to still have this "friend" of hers but when we moved to Florida and there was a new baby brother in the picture we weren't ready to rip it from her just yet and that could be part of the reason it was hard getting rid of it. I realize that most kids have their security to help them sleep at night and she just needed her binky and her green blanket. We tired convincing her that at Christmas Santa Claus was going to come and take binky away on Christmas eve and then we would be done with it. She talked about it and understood what we were saying and then when Christmas eve came she was NOT ready to give it up. So we carried on our way letting her have her binky. We have only let her have it for nap times and bed times for the past year but we just needed to get rid of it cold turkey. I was willing so many times to just throw it away and deal with a few rough nights and naps but her daddy thought otherwise.

So the last few weeks I have been telling Tatum that she is too big for a binky and that if we don't get rid of it the binky is going to make her teeth all funny looking and the dentist would want you to get rid of it. Then one morning she said " Mommy I need to throw my binky away so that my teeth won't grow in funny and the dentist would be sad." She then walked over to the trash can and threw it away. I was shocked and just went along with it and said," I am so proud of you Tatum, you are such a big girl!" Then when she wasn't looking I went and took it out of the trash and kept it well hidden from her just in case. But I had NO intentions of giving it back. I kept telling Todd he had to be on the same page with us so that we could pass this big change in her life. I knew that it would be a hard few days but we got through it. I would just lay by her to help her fall asleep and some nights she stayed up until 11 cause she had a hard time falling asleep on her own and would eventually just passed out of just complete exhaustion.

I am very proud of her and for her deciding she was ready for it. There are hard days still but I just have to be extra patient on those days and realize that she is making big adjustments in her life from being potty trained to becoming a big girl.

So BYE- BYE BINKY!!!

There's no STOPPING this kid now!!!

So Many Memories.....So Much to Catch up on......

My Goodness it's been 3 months since my last post!!! Yikes is right. So be prepared for a TON of pictures and captions to explain them. To start off, we recently had my Mom (Nana) here to visit for 8 wonderful days. She was over due on needing a vacation from work and the nasty cold weather in Utah. I was grateful that we had some sunny and clear skies for her most of the time she was here. Man I sure miss having my mom close, she is so amazing and so fun to hang out with and talk to. From the moment she got here to the moment she left we utilized our time with her. We have not seen her since we moved here over 8 months ago. So I was VERY homesick for her. Like always we crafted it up pretty much every day. Made some dang cute stuff. I swear my mother is Martha Stewart times ONE MILLION!!! We ate at yummy resturants, ate yummy desserts, played on the beach several times and made some princesses sand castles with Tatum and collected some pretty amazing sea shells that she took back with her to Utah. My mother LOVES the beach and would move here in a heart beat. I told her I am looking for a single military mature man that could sweep her off her feet and come live where it's warm pretty much all year long. There is nothing more relaxing than laying on the beach or walking along the beach and listening to the ocean waves, it's  so therapeutic.  We made some great memories while she was here and can't wait for her next visit.

My mom couldn't believe how fast the kids had changed. Tatum is talking up a storm and thinks she is the princess of the year ( which of course she is) and Kolvin is just our little man with the softest heart. He is our snuggle bear that will melt anyone's heart. And he finally decided to start crawling at 11 months, and is into EVERYTHING. I have to baby proof the whole house now.

Nana made Tatum this adorable apron so she can help mommy make cookies in the kitchen. One of her favorite things to do with me. She is getting so good at it too.

Ahh yes and Nana was here over Easter so we got to share dying of the eggs with her, egg hunts, and helping me find fun Easter presents for the kids.

Yes the Easter Bunny did come to see the kids at Todd's work. The costume is a little freaky looking but needless to say you have to get a picture with the Easter Bunny right? The kids didn't freak out too bad and no tears were shed either so I think we did pretty good.

We did some FUN shopping at one of the coolest outdoor malls in Panama City Beach. I don't get out there often since it's a 35-40 minute drive and with two kids shopping by yourself it's the easiest. But Kolvin was a very good sport for all the places we dragged him. He had to get out of the stroller every once and a while to take a break.

We went to three different beaches while Nana was here. She loved the private beach we have here on base the best cause it's so secluded and she found the coolest sea shells ever. Tatum loved making her "princess" sand castles and then knocking them over immediately right after. So I had to get this picture really quick before the demolition began.

Kolvin thinks he is invincable now that he is crawling. He thinks he is the big shot in town which can be crazy chasing after him. He LOVES the beach and LOVES eating the sand. It's hard watching after him but I have to let him explore and even if it means eat a a little sand then let it be.

Next visitors we had was Todd's little sister Jill and her hubby Mark. They live in Fort Worth Texas for Marks medical school and had their spring break and decided to drive out and spend some time with us on the beach!!! We had SO much fun with them and had so many laughs like the old days. It was a much needed break for us all. It's been over 8 months since we saw them last too. We went bowling with them, to the beach, out to eat, did "Just Dance" on the Wii and watched many fun movies together. Jill and Mark are expecting their first baby and it's  a girl and she is due in July. We are so excited for them to be parents, they are perfect with kids and will love being parents.

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We got to watch Todd play on his soccer team he is on here on base. He hadn't played soccer since his mission so it was fun for him to play again. Tatum was his biggest cheerleader, it was so cute.

I found this adorable car off Craigslist for a sweet deal and couldn't pass it up. Both kids love taking rides in it. It's perfect for both ages since we can push Kolvin until he can walk it by himself.

Kolvin is such a joy to our family. He loves to be with people and loves to be outside. He loved the swing for his first time. It's so fun to see the excitement through your  childrens eyes when experiencing something for the first time.

A few random pictures but wanted to post them cause they are too fun. Tatum got to go to her very first princess tea party for one of our church's play groups. It was so cute seeing all the girls all dolled up in their dresses and accesories twirling around and singing all the Disney Princess songs.

This bug of mine is just growing up too dang fast on us. He has the most amazing head of hair with curls that go on forever. His eyes stop everyone in the stores. They are such a pretty blue color and they have the sweetest personality shining right through them. You can't help but love him and want to kiss him over and over again. I love that he is a mamma's boy and loves to give me hugs and snuggle with me. I want him to stay this little forever!!!

Now this hunk of military man is all MINE!!! I am one proud wife and am so grateful to have him in my life. He is my better half and is the most hard working, non-complaining person you will every meet. He is amazing and I am so happy to be his wife. It's wonderful to see him working in his profession and being active duty in the military. He is so good at his job and loves all the employees he works with. What a perfect first job to get his feet wet and have great experiences. And did I mention he is SEXY???

More random pictures but there is a super fun park we found one day while driving through this small town. It's the perfect park for any kid but especially for boys!!! Pirate ship park paradise!!

And the views are amazing all around Florida. This is next to the pirate park.

Arts and Crafts are big around our house!! Tatum loves to paint and explore her inner talents.

What did I tell ya about these eyes??? AMAZING right??? And that hair??? Perfect baby I know:)

Snuggles with babies are the best, and falling asleep is priceless!!

These two love bathtime. I love that Kolvin is big enough to sit up and handle his own in the tub.

There's those blue eyes again!!!

We had fun taking pictures of the kids for Valentine's day and sending some to our families in Utah. I know that the grandparents miss them so much so I try to send all that I can to keep them up to date.I think they turned out way cute!!