Curtis

My husband Curtis is an amazing man. Part of me has no words to describe how amazing he is and the other part of me can not cease to describe his wonderful qualities.

When I met Curtis he was very much single and enjoying his single life. He had a decent number of girls who adored him and would have married him in a heartbeat if he had only asked. I on the other hand was barely single after a heart breaking divorce and thought very little of myself after my confidence had been completely shattered. There were a few guys who seemed to have taken interest in me following my divorce but none of them seemed capable of loving me the way I wanted to be loved. When I was first introduced to Curtis I thought to myself, "this guy will be a good friend to have". But as I got to know him I realized he and I had very similar views on what a relationship should be like and what it would feel like to be truly loved. Why Curtis chose to marry me... I'm not sure I will truly ever understand that answer but he did and I am thankful for that every day if not every minute of my life.

Curtis can do anything he wants to do. He is a very capable man. So when he chose to be a father and husband he took the role on seriously.

I have watched Curtis as he has tried so hard to be the man he knows he should be. I have watched him become a father to two kids that needed him as much as I needed him. I watched him give up a lot of his play time so that he could be home to help raise them. I saw him take total and complete legal and emotional responsibility for Sage and Ashton when he did not have to. I mean lets think about the life change here... single with very little responsibility to married with two kids and soon to be one on the way. That is a hard step to make and he has made it with little complaint.

Curtis loves me with all that he has. He tries hard to put me first before other things. He tries so hard to make me happy. He loves his kids too. He is a strict father and the kids get away with very little, but you can tell he loves them and you can tell that he has made a positive impact on the kids lives. He may not be down on the ground playing with the kids but he is there for them and will never let them down as long as he is living. He is a father that a child can depend on to always protect and provide. For this reason our children respect Curtis and love him dearly.

Curtis is a softy inside. This may be a secret that I am not to reveal but its true. He can be very sympathetic, romantic, and yes, even silly. He really is a sweet man despite the fact he comes off a little hard sometimes.

I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for the fact that he chose to love me when to some I was unlovable. I am thankful that he loves me even when I am having a bad day and get a little snippidy... (Is that a word?). I am thankful for the fact that I know he will always love me and the kids and would never push us away. I am Thankful for My Curtis. Curtis I love you.

Being the best dad he can be!

Curtis being Cuddly

Curtis being a good Daddy

Curtis in is playful splendor

Cali and Back in 10 Days

Our family just took our trip to California with Mom and Dad Dudley so that Mom and Dad could take their grand kids to LEGOland. We had a great time! Legoland is the perfect place to take small children because they can ride all the rides. Even Jace could ride a few. The best thing to an adult about Legoland Is that everything is made out of millions of legos! Both Curtis and I grew up LOVING legos so it was fun to see what could be done with them. Here are a few picture of our adventures in Legoland.

Roller Coaster with Grandma, Grandpa, and kids.

Jace getting some shade from Dad's hat

Jace sleeping in Dad's hat... made a lot of people smile.

New York made out of 2.5 million legos.

Grams and Sage on the Lego Cruise.

Curtis RAN to get to the yellow one that said rescue Patrol. He would done anything including chucking a kid out of it so he could ride it. Silly Curtis.

I have a thing for Wookies. Everything of course made out of legos.

Dad and Baby Jace having fun.

Im sure the kids feel like this when I tell them they have to clean their rooms before they can come out.

This is one of the kids favorite rides. It just bounces up and down.

While we were there we also went to the legoland aquarium. It was not bad for an amusement aquarium! Here are a few pics.

Grandpa Dudley in a bubble looking at the fish.

Sage feeling the starfish. She even got to feed the red one that is attached to the rock.

Ashton loved all the little Nemos!

Curtis insists on taking pictures of me because I generally hold the camera.

Like Father Like Son

While we were there the kids also went to the beach with Grams and Gramps a few times and collected plenty of shells. Grandpa even went as far as getting wet to get a few sand dollars from the ocean to give to the kids. Ashton was afraid of the beach at first because he thought it was filled with sharks but got over that fear thanks to Grandpa.

On another night we visited the open market and walked on the largest pier in the United States. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous but I forgot my camera :( So I have no proof of it and you will have to just take my word that it was rather romantic. On the pier we saw fishermen catch a few sand sharks. That was neat but I could not help but feel sorry for those sharks… guess it’s the animal lover in me that hates to see things killed.

On our last day there my little family took off to visit some relatives of mine that lived about 40 minutes north of where we were staying. Sage got to meet her cousin Hannah. The two hit it off right away. They loved each other. My Aunt Donna then took all of us out to eat. Thanks Aunt Donna!

Ashton, Hannah, and Sage. They love each other.

On our way back to Utah we stopped at Vegas where Grandma/Mom treated us to a Vegas Buffet! I loved trying different fish, sushi, salads, and deserts. Curtis filled up on crab legs, meat and sushi. Sage tried clams and mussels and decided they were not all that good. She then filled up on what was familiar to her and of course the sweet stuff. Ashton ate mostly Italian and Mom and Dad got the comfort food that they love. Even Jace got some sweet potatoes from the buffe:).

The trip was a lot of fun! Thanks to Mom and Dad Dudley for taking us! But we are glad to be back. So much to do now! Now to get back to work packing.

Together Forever

On May 21st our family had the great opportunity to be sealed together as a family in the Timpanogos Temple. We are so overjoyed to know that our family will be able to be with each other for an eternity. Curtis and I were rather emotional about the whole thing and the kids were just too darn cute dressed all in white. Ashton being the character he is, asked a lot of questions including, “This is Jesus’ house… where is he?” He also told the sealer that he was going to get to go to Texas Road House when we were done. He had everyone laughing in the room. I am personally so relieved to be sealed to my eternal companion who adores me and I him. It really is an amazing thing to be truly loved. We are grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for making it possible to return to them as a family unit one day. For those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and would like to learn more about Temple sealing’s, you can find out this information on www.lds.org.

A few things the sealer mentioned struck me deeply. I would like to share them. He quoted President Gordon B Hinckley in saying that you have to be “fiercely loyal” in a marriage. Your spouse should always come first and you should always have their back. He also said that the two words “thank you” will help keep your marriage strong and should be used on a regular basis. What a wonderful thought! Such a great way to uplift your companion letting them know how much you admire them and appreciate them! Finally he mentioned Faith. Faith Faith Faith. We need to have faith to get through our rough times. Rough times will happen… there is no doubt about that. But if we have faith and hold on to our beliefs in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, everything will work out in the end and we will be rewarded. I can personally testify that is true.

We would like to thank all those who took time to come and support us on this special day. Special thanks to the Manwills for taking video as we came out of the temple and another special thanks to Andrew and Cami for taking pictures of us in front of the temple. As of now I do not have picture of this day but hope to track down some soon☺. When I do I will post a few.