9 years and counting

Jay and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary on July 9th. I can't believe it has been that long. It seriously has gone by so fast. Of course when I was looking through pictures to post I was laughing at how young we looked when we were dating and first married. . . so I guess nine years has really speed by.
I feel so blessed to be married to such an amazing person. I know he loves me unconditional! He is absolutely the best father. If he could do fun things with the kids all day long he would. He loves his days off and so do the kids. I might not be able to get him to clean, but he is always up for playing with the kids. I have so many friends who's husbands don't watch their own children. That is never an issue at our house. He is also our family chef and even lets the kids cook with him. He is patient and loving. He strives daily to have a relationship with our children that will last all their lives.
Jay is still the first person I go to for help, comfort, and laughter. He is my best friend. He is always so understanding when I am emotional :) (which is so not often). He always has great advice for me. I seriously would be lost without him. He makes me want to be a better person. He is always supportive of all my activities and projects----and there are a lot!
Although I am very self sufficient when he is gone, I hate it when he is gone. I feel so much safer when he is here. We really do miss you!
He is extremely compassionate towards other people and always willing to serve. Some how over the past nine years he has become the cooler one in our relationship. He is always starting coversations with random people and makes friends easily. Which I love!
The best thing Jay has given me is our three beautiful children. I feel so blessed to be a wife and a mommy.
The second best thing Jay has given me is the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. He sacaraficed so much for me to do what I absolutely love. He has never made and always tells me if I want to go back to school or work he fully supports me. But I don't want to do anything else right now. I know that he has gone without and still does so that I can raise our children full time.
Jay I love you and am so lucky to have you as my husband.

Pictures of us after we had been dating a few months.

Poor Jay had no idea he what he was getting into. My friends and I would dress up for just about anything and sometimes for no reason at all. I made him dress up and go it a party with me that was so not a dress up party. Which was so not Jay but he did it any way for his crazy girlfriend.

When we got engaged. Aren't we so cute?

Going Ice Skating I always wanted to go and do things. After we got married I could have taken months of just to go have fun. Every moment we both weren't in school or working we were out doing things!

Our engagement pictures. Yes that is Utah Lake!

July 9th 1999

This was our third Christmas.

Our sweet family the day we welcomed Brayden into our family

Our four year anniversary. We went to the Dixie Chicks Concert.

The fourth of July

Our Christmas card picture Don't we have the cutest kids?

At Disneyland for Cambryn's 4th Birthday. A couple months after we moved to CA

Okay pictures of me these days are hard to come by. Okay I take them for my kids, I just don't like to show them to the world :) But I think Jay looks super hot in this picture so I had to put it up. And it doesn't hurt that I can say I have lost 40+ lbs since this picture