46 Years, Aged to Perfection.

That's right, Lance turned 46 today.  It was fun to focus on doing some special things for Lance today.   He has been such a rock these past several months (I know you are all shocked that Lance never wavered!)  He has put up with all of my crazy and really held down the fort with a lot of things lately.  My goal the past few weeks has been to get him set up on my old road bike so he can ride it to work rather than the 21 year old mountain bike that is as heavy as a tank.  We got all of the remaining parts today, so tomorrow we will start operation "Learn the art of clip in shoes and a bike computer!"  I keep telling him that after riding that ridiculous bike for the past two months that he is going to feel like he is riding on air when he gets on the road bike.

Lance and his haul....

Hilary suddenly wanted to be in a picture.

 Heidi made this cute little firework for lance.  Adorable.

 Mmmm CAKE...

Walker's are going to have fun tomorrow..

Tonight when Lance got home from work, he took a quick look at his presents and then we went up to Salt Lake to look at the floats for the Pioneer Day Parade tomorrow.  They display them at the expo center so you can look at them up close.  We have gone for several years.   It is amazing the creativity of people and the hard work that goes into making these floats.

Recognize these little pioneers?  Holden and Heidi.  Cute.

When we got to the expo center I could not help wondering if we had possibly walked into a toddler/baby convention.  It seemed like everyone had a double stroller with a 3 year old and a 1 year old or baby.  Or was pregnant!  Usually it doesn't bother me, but they were everywhere.  That should be us.  We should have a double stroller with our sweet Tatum and Hilary.  I am so very grateful that I did not buy a double stroller.  I researched and researched and had 2 different ones that I liked.  I went to buy one about 3 or 4 different times but it just never felt right.  When Tatum was little I just left her in her car seat and put her in the stroller part and Hilary loved riding on the triangle above the front wheel of our BOB stroller.   We just turned our single stroller into a double, ghetto style.  It worked and now I know why I just never felt right about buying a new stroller.  Tonight I was wishing that someone would just drop a baby on our doorstep. (Probably because that is the only way we will get to have another baby)  Missing my life without our little Tater Bug.

 After the float expo we were going to go out to eat.  Well, we got to where we were going to eat at about 8:40 and the place closed at 9:00.   We decided to go somewhere else.  What we discovered along this journey is that all places close at 9:00.  Apparently we live in a state that closes at dark.  We finally decided on Mimis Cafe.  Delicious.  After driving through some pretty scary parts of own, we arrived at Mimi's.  May I just say that Hayden ordered a steak and mashed potatoes and FRIES!  Who does that.  I am finding out that 15 year old boys do that.   It was fun to spend time together as a family and celebrate Lance's bday.

Earlier today I was looking through some pictures and I ran across a few pictures of last Halloween.  I had totally forgotten that Tates had worn Trevin's clown costume from his first Halloween.  That is an eery foreshadowing of things to come.  I remember asking Lance if it would bother him.  I really did not remember that she had worn his costume.

Today a friend posted an article about a lady that had learned to slow down and essentially "smell the roses" because one of her kids needed that slower pace.  One day she realized that she was always telling this particular child to hurry, hurry hurry all of the time.  She started making a conscience effort to not tell her to hurry and to just go at her little girls pace.  Over the next several years this mom became very grateful for the slower pace that they now lived.  It made me think of Tatum.  I am a real goer all of the time.  I am usually not one to stay home much.  That all changed on February 12th.  Sometimes I would choose to stay home so that we didn't have to worry about Tater bug getting sick from some one's inadvertent germs.  It wasn't very fun for her to be moved around a lot towards the end of her life, so we just stayed home a lot.  A lot slower pace than I have ever lived.  I would give my right arm to have that pace back.  I have been able to maintain some of the perspective that she gave to us.  I will forever be in debted to her for that.  She has made me want to slow down and enjoy things a little more.  Live life more fully and less cluttered.  I want to fill my time with the best things not just things that are good or OK.  This article just made me think so much about these beautiful lessons that she taught me.  Missing that sweet girl.

Tomorrow we celebrate the pioneers that settled this beautiful place that we have to live in.  So grateful that they had the courage and endure to the end attitude to help restore the gospel to the earth so that we can all have and partake of its fullness.  What a blessing in my life.  Because of our Temple sealing I  know that she is ours forever.  And we are hers.