Today is Ian's 4th birthday. He is such a fun-loving, affectionate boy. He makes us laugh and he makes us feel loved. He melts my heart when he says out of the blue: "Mom, I love you." Kim and I are continually amazed at his creativity and unique personality. He questions everything! He looks at the world in very different ways than we do and he enjoys the simple things of life. For example, he could choose any place he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner tonight and he chose Carl's Jr. And afterward he just wanted to come home and have his Cookie Monster cake. He got his bicycle (with training wheels) for his birthday -- mostly so he can keep up with Connor. We love Ian and enjoy rediscovering the world through his eyes.
Our three-year lease on the Highlander was up this mnonth so we decided to buy a new car this past week. We got a new Highlander and love it! We can't lease anymore now that I'll be driving to "Nevada" every day once the District relocates its offices to West Jordan. My department is scheduled to move in mid-May so my "commute" is about to increase to 40 minutes each way. Now that we own the car we won't have to worry about the number of miles we put on it. Connor and Ian's favorite part is the DVD entertainment system. My favorite part is the built-in bluetooth system and individual heat controls. Kim's favorite part is not having any car payments. We're going to break it in next weekend when we travel to St. George to see Grandma Betty.
Kim and I had the privilege of attending one of the dedication ceremonies for the new Draper Temple on Friday (March 20). It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both of us to be there. It was my first temple dedication. Kim had previously attended the rededication of the St. George Temple. This was very special us because we live five minutes from the temple and have been watching it built since the day President Hinckley broke ground. Kim sang in the dedication choir so he was in the Celestial Room with President Monson and President Uchtdorf. The choir was beautiful and it was an experience Kim is so grateful he had. I watched the proceedings via closed circuit television from one of the sealing rooms. I went with Becca Long (one of our neighbors who was baptized a year ago and recently went through the temple for her own endowments). I love to feel the spirit in the temple. I feel close to God there. And yesterday was no exception. We left the rest of the world behind while we dedicated another house to the Lord. We felt honored to be there. I told Kim that before we know it, we'll be back there with Connor and Ian as they prepare for their missions. In the meantime, we are so excited to have a temple so close and commit to go often. It was a day I will never forget!
I love Saturdays! It's my favorite day of the week. Every Saturday morning is the same. Kim and I try to sleep in, but our human alarm clocks wake us up. First Connor joins us in bed and then Ian finally wakes up and comes in too. It really is one of my favorite parts of being a mother -- snuggling on Saturdays. I take a mental picture because I know the day will come when the boys will grow up and we won't have these kind of moments. Some days time seems to go so slow and then there are days when we feel like it is passing us by. It's hard to imagine Connor will start kindergarten in five short months. We are trying to savor every moment and not wish away each memory we have the privilege to create. We are going to Zermatt Resort in Midway next weekend for our ninth anniversary (talk about time passing us by). As unromantic as it sounds, we decided to take the boys with us because they love Zermatt even more than we do. We are really looking forward to a weekend away together.
