Valentines 2011

February 14, 2011

My Dear Daniel,

I wanted to do something huge to show you how much I love you.  I started thinking of all the things you are to me.  You are my best friend.  Being at home with Sophia has been such a wonderful blessing thank you.  As we have been away from you, I have really missed having you by my side throughout the day.  I have missed being away from you.  A Sophia grows so quickly, I am tri

1.       I love the way you are always willing to pick up the house

2.       I love seeing you do the dishes with the towel over your shoulder

3.       I have love seeing you be a father to Sophia

4.       I love watching you holding Sophia on your chest and loving her with tender kisses on her head

5.       I love when you reach over and hold my hand, to let me know you care

6.       I love waking up in the night and finding you searching for me with your foot

7.       I love that you want to be with me

8.       I love that no matter how crazy the day was, you always come home and make it all better

9.       I love that I can always count on you

10.   I love that you are mine forever

11.   I love that even after our children are raised and have families of their own, you will be here with me

12.   I love that I get to grow old with you

13.   I love that you are so talented in so many ways

14.   I love that you are so articulate

15.   I love that you are a dreamer

16.   I love that you are always dreaming of how to make our house and yard our home.

17.   I love that you love the little things in life like a walk around the yard or a bud breaking the surface of the                     ground

18.   I love that you serve your parents so selflessly

19.   I love that you love Libby so much and show her regularly how much you care

20.   I love that you give me hints so that I can get the perfect gifts for you

21.   I love that you support my many hobbies

22.   I love that you want the best for our family

23.   I love that when we dream of worldly riches you don’t want them for yourself, but want them for our                         family and for the blessing of others.

24.   I love that you are always willing to use your priesthood to bless us

25.   I loved watching you take Sophia and give her, her first priesthood blessing of many

26.   I love that I know that we will be together forever and our journey is really just beginning

27.   I love that you call me “your everything”

28.   I love that you get teary sometimes and tell me how much you love me

29.   I love your tender heart

30.   I love that you love to decorate

31.   I love that you have surrender the sweet spot on the couch for me

32.   I love that you cheer on my parking job in the garage

33.   I love that you know me so well that you can sense when something is wrong

34.   I love that you are always serving and thinking of others

35.   I love that you use your talents to fill our home

36.   I love that you painted and finished the nursery so perfectly

37.   I love that you will do projects with me

38.   I love that you love Oregon as much as I do

39.   I love that you trust in the Lord that things will always work out

40.   I love the you love to read and always have a book on cd playing in the car, and are willing to catch me                     up on the story line

41.   I love that you suggest visiting my family and will sacrifice to drive down whenever I want.

42.   I love that you have always helped to write thank you cards

43.   I love you handwriting

44.   I love that you have welcomed Laurel so warmly

45.   I love when you make me smile

46.   I love it that you dropped everything to go clothes shopping with me

47.   I love the way you smile

48.   I love the way you say “like that” when you are joking

49.   I love that you leave magazines in the bathroom to remind me of you, like when I leave the cupboards                     open to remind you of me.

50.   I love making our bed with you

51.   I love lying in our bed close to you

52.   I love that you are the designated floor mopper

53.   I love that nothing gets me in the mood more than seeing you clean.  Its hot.

54.   I love that you pack Sophie in the baby bjorn and sing and talk to her

55.   I love that you try to reason with a 6 week old and start with “ now listen, you are ok”

56.   I love that you let me make lunches for you, but always check to make sure there are enough treats.

57.   I love that we have matching squinty eyes

58.   I love that you love gardening as much as I do

59.   I love that you love the outdoors

60.   I love that you want me next to you not behind you

61.   I love that a garden catalog makes your day

62.   I love that you will watch the Bachelor with me.

63.   I love that we can go for drives and look at houses

64.   I love that you will explain things to me that I do not understand

65.   I love that you work to give our family what we need

66.   I love that you pray about your job, knowing the Lord will open the doors when the time is right

67.   I love to watch you dress Sophia

68.   I love it when you wrap your arms around me

69.   I love it when we cuddle

70.   I love it when we snuggle on the couch with me in between your legs

71.   I love it when you pray with me in the morning

72.   I love it when you share what happened at church with me, when I have to stay home

73.   I love that you were so happy to convert me to the passifier

74.   I loved the concern and love you showed when I was sick after having Sophia

75.   I love that the last 18 months have been a dream come true

76.   I love that the best is yet to come

77.   I love that you want more children, even though it is a lot of work

78.   I love that you call me from work

79.   I love that you are never to busy for me

80.   I love that for you family comes first

81.   I love that you buy clothes for me

82.   I love how thoughtful you are

83.   I love that you do your laundry

84.   I love that when I am away for the day you miss me

85.   I love that you loved and supported me so fully when I was pregnant by picking up the extra work. (IE                     Cleaning the bathroom, etc.)

86.   I love that you want to live in Utah forever

87.   I love it when we go on walks together

88.   I love when you give me foot massages

89.   I love that you spend months planning the perfect gift for me

90.   I love the memories we have made together

91.   I love that we don’t love hearts, but come on it is valentines day

92.   I love that I have BFF in you

93.   I love that you wake up in the night ask if everything is ok even if you are to asleep to remember it

94.   I love when you wake up in the morning and say, last night was good right? As if asking if you you are                       making sure you didn’t miss a moment with Sophie.

95.   I love that I start coupon shopping and not only are you supportive, but the first conversation is where                       we will add more storage.  I love you.

96.   I love that you will eat the dinners I make even if you don’t like it.

97.   I love that you discovered that Sophie loves the bobby and that you two bonded and played while I had                  a break.

98.   I love your dedication to me

99.   I love the Man you are and the one I can see you becoming as the Lord molds you

100.  I love the sweet moments we share in the yard

Busy time...

December 30, 2009

This year I have truly realized again how much the Lord does bless my life.  It has been full of major events in my life.  I have wanted to belong somewhere for a very long time.  On April 13^th I closed on my first home.  It was a very exciting time.  It is in North Salt Lake and is a 1337 square foot townhome.  It has three bedroom, 21/2 baths and small patio backyard and a one car garage.  It is just perfect for an independent single woman with roommates.  Little did I know this would be very short lived. 

I work with Daniel Seelos, now my husband.  We were married September 12^th in the Bountiful Temple.  I started working at the Chamber as an event planner in March of 2007.  I met Daniel while I was interviewing at the chamber. 

Although we interacted at work we did not work that closely together.  In February we started going to church together trying to find where we belonged in a singles ward because Daniel was 31 and I was 30 and would be asked to leave my singles ward soon.

Needless to say that was very short lived because the wards we a scary reality of the options of people in the 31-45 age category. 

In April, when I moved into my new home, I found out that Daniel loved gardening.  There is a wonderful greenhouse (J&J) in Layton that I had never been too.  One day while at the office stuffing invoices as a staff, I asked Daniel to let me know the next time he went to the greenhouse because I would like to go.  He called me that weekend.  He told me his parents wanted to go as well so that we would stop for breakfast at Granny Annies, a spot they love in Farmington.  I drove over to Daniels, and we all went.  We enjoyed looking at all of the plants at the greenhouse.  I asked Daniel to help me plan out my yard so that I would know what to buy the next trip. 

Daniel drew a landscape plan a couple of weeks later and showed me while I was at his house. 

The following are sweet memories that I wanted to add but are not written out.

• Giving Daniel a hug when he came to see my house with realtor the first time

(when I gave him a hug he said, ok that was weird.)

• Day we want to temple square for church
• Mothers Day at Daniels parents
• J&Js picking out plants
• Garage sales
• Spending Saturday planting my yard.
• Buying succulents and knowing we would be getting married and Daniel was worried about how much I was spending on plants for a home I would not live in for long, but never saying anything to me about it
• Oquirrh Mountain – he told me he cared, decided to date
• Sunday, June 28, 2009- having the where is this going talk
• Saturday, July 4^, 2009 – to my shock Daniel proposed
• April 21, 2010 – found out we were expecting
• May 22, 2010– threw up the first time
• June 3, 2010- had first appt. listened to heartbeat and saw baby for first time on ultrasound
• Tuesday, June 15, 2010 – 13 weeks today.  YAY!

Reflections of our Future

August 14, 2013

I found this journal entry while looking at some old computer files this morning.  Even though it is not in order by date, I wanted to include it so that we can look back and realize the Lords hands in the details of our lives.

January 25, 2012

The last few weeks have been a big test of faith and hard as I try to make what is happening into a concise plan.  If I do A then B will happen.  As I have been learning and has I have learned many times in the past, the Lord does not work that way. 

The events of the last few weeks culminated with last night.  Daniel and I were called to meet with the Stake Presidency.  Last night at  7:15 we went to the appointment and the call was extended to Daniel to be the second councilor in the new Bishopric that will be sustained and set apart on Sunday at ward conference.  At that time Daniel will also be set apart by his dad as a high priest. 

I know that this is a custom fit calling for Daniel and that he has been prepared for this.  He will learn and grow so much as well and our family will be blessed.  Daniel has a way of crossing all barriers with people and making the feel welcome and loved.  He is also a great an eloquent teacher.  Currently we teach the 16-18 year old Sunday school class and trade of each week.  I am always in awe when he teaches.  How lucky I am to have him teach our children.  We are all given talents and I struggle to get what I am trying to teach across.

Yesterday I felt excited and strong as we talked about his fears and worries related to this upcoming calling.  Today, I had a chance to think more and cried as my fears rose to the surface.  I will have a 14 month old and a new baby that I will need to care for while he is already at meetings on Sundays, and where he will be gone on weeknights my support and tagteam is being torn apart.  I know if may seem trivial, but with very little sleep and two young children, I am not sure how I am going to feed, nurse, change, give baths and cuddle two little girls by myself.  I can pull off 8 hours, but the long days from 6 a.m. when Daniel has to go to work early until 9 p.m. when he get home from visits, bishopric meeting or young mens activities will be a challenge.  

I am trying to have faith, and I know it will all work out.  I hope I look back on this time and can expound later how it all became part of life and that we were blessed. 

We also planned on moving and were moving forward with plans to list our house in April.  That is not what the Lord had planned apparently and we will now be staying at least three more years.  Daniel said we will reevaluate at that point.  We will be and do what the Lord wants.  I know this calling will prepare us for the path that the Lord has planned.  I will try to use my faith to follow his plan and be flexible with my own plan.  I am just so thankful I have the gospel to lean on.  If I did not know that the lord was in charge of this church it would be hard to put my will on the altar and try to let my plan go. 

Molly is due to be born on March 29^th.  I am so excited to welcome her into our family.  This pregnancy has been relatively easy.  I have never had morning sickness and being busy with Sophie has made this time go very fast.  I am now having a hard time walking because it hurts, but only 8 more weeks and she will be here. 

The Lord will bless us.  I just pray he continues to give me the strength it will take to support Daniel and be the mother that Sophie and Molly deserve. 

Summer lovin...

We have really enjoyed our summer so far.  I have loved having friends and family over to play.  Laura and Tabitha visit on Wednesdays and we try to have a project in mind.  We still want to go the the zoo, make homemade rolls and create a birthday board.  Kaylene has also come to visit a few times and it has been fun letting the kids play in the water while we sit outside and visit.

We have been working on potty training Sophie.  She has been doing pretty well and we can now leave the house for extended periods and just have to stop at the occational gas station or store to go potty.  She is also loving the juice otter pops whenever she goes. It is cuteto hear her talking a ton more.  When I say, "Sophie what do you say when you need to go potty".  She responds, "potty mommy, potty".  She has pretty princess panties and loves them.  She even went to church without a diaper this week.  I am so proud of her.

This week Molly responded, "love you" when I put her to bed.  It melted my heart.  She has been walking for six weeks now and just turned 15 months June 22nd.  She spends her dayswalking around the house exploring.  A couple of weeks ago, I started toy time.  It is a simple concept really, I call toy time and the girls runs to the playroom with great excitement and shut the door.  Usually it occupying them for a good 30 minutes.  I am loving that they play together now.

Last week the sibling of the week award goes to Rick and Kaylene.  They sacrificed two nights in 100+ weather to help us move and install shelving in the garage.  It is looking great and we can't wait to have the garage organized again.

The Small Moments with the Girls

The last few weeks have been stressful and hectic.  We sold and closed on our Bountiful home.  As we walked away for the last time it was a bit emotional.  I am glad we are now living on our permanent home and will not have to move again.  When I was single I lived so many places that I have lost track, sometimes moving 3 or more times a year.  I am glad to be home for good.

Molly is growing up fast and I feel like I am missing out on recording the moments.  She has started talking.  The other day she was sitting in the highchair at the Badger Ranch and as clear as can be arched her back and said, “stuck, stuck”.  My dad was there and it was so cute to hear.  She also says milk, momma, dada, and go, go..  I am loving it.  She has also developed quite the personality the last few weeks.  There is a little feisty in her.  Last night she didn’t want to go to be.  I asked her and she shook her head multiple times and said, “no, no” .  It was so funny.

When Sophie is not around Molly is much more brave at walking.  This morning Sophie went into her room and Molly wanted to follow.  She walked from the base of our bed almost to the door.
We are teaching Sophie to always say please and thank you.  Molly has begun to imitate Sophie so guess what she did tonight… I handed her a doll and out of the blue she said, “Thank you”.  So fun to hear her talking.

Sophie also said something cute the other day.  Daniel, the girls and I were driving and I told Sophie, “I love you girl, girl.”  Then said, “Are you Mommy’s girl”.  She responded, “No, daddy’s”  it made us both laugh.  Sophie had also started signing like an opera singer climbing up on the fireplace and throws her arms back poses and just sings.  She has also just learned Book of Mormon stories with the actions.  So fun to watch.
Sophie is constantly saying “I do it”.  She is very independent and loves to wash her hands, go outside, put her shoes on herself and climb everything.  With a stool she can get into anything.

I am happy to spend time with them and am lucky to be their mother.

How I Want to be Remembered

• I have a testimony of the gospel and lived it in the small quiet ways
• Dedicated to the gospel by serving a mission as a youth and with Daniel
•  Love her husband and children
• Understood what unconditional love was
• Known as a hard worker
• Love canning and emergency preparedness
• Love to work in the soil, plant and watch the garden mature
• Love the little moments watching Sophie and Molly as they grew

My Perfect Day

My perfect day would start after waking up from a good night sleep where Molly and Sophie slept through the night. 

Molly and Sophie would sleep in until 8 a.m.  I would make a smoothie for breakfast.  It would be the beginning of May.  After breakfast I would go out and work in the garden by myself and enjoy the cool air. 

After awhile Daniel would bring the girls out and they would be fed breakfast and dressed.  We would work in the yard for awhile and then go to J & J Garden Center to get plants.  We would stroll through the isles and enjoy a couple of hours there.

On the way home the girls would fall asleep so we could plant during their naps.  Daniel and I would enjoy a nice lunch on the back patio and discuss our dreams for the yard, house, etc.   After our lunch we would plant the flowers and vegetables and enjoy our time together while we dream of the harvest and how our little plants will grow to maturity. 

I would then take a nap while Daniel enjoyed a movie with the girls.  I would know everyone was happy and I could relax and sleep.  I would sleep for about an hour and then I would wake up and we would all go for a walk.

We would come home and enjoy dinner.  It would be made the day before so I didn’t have to cook, but would still be delicious. After dinner we would split up and bath the girls.  They would laugh and giggle and be so cute.  After baths Daniel and I would dress them in their pajamas and read stories to them.  We would read a Book of Mormon story and Sophie would respond and know who we were talking about.  I imagine her having a favorite that she would get excited whenever we read it. 

After we would tuck Sophie in and she would give us kisses on the cheeks like she has just started doing.  I do love those kisses. I would nurse and snuggle Molly before putting her to bed. 

After the day was over I would snuggle in our bed and look at pinterest or read with Daniel reading a book next to me. We would snuggle and fall asleep remembering the perfect day we had just had.

The Top Five Things I Will Miss

The five things I will miss about our little house on 493 E. 900 N. in Bountiful.

In no particular order here they are:

Moving the chicken coop I built
into pla

1.  My Chicken Coop

2.  My raised beds with the drip system

3.  Seeing the yard and house - Not being able to sit and look at the shed and yard we had worked so hard on.  It is hard when you move away because you just have the memories in your mind.  You can’t go see the progress and be there to reflect.

4. The Ward – I have worked to make friends and will miss having people in my same situation in life to spend time with. (I hope I make a great “best friend” in our new ward)

Raised beds with drip system

Saying Goodbye and Embracing a New Beginning

March 9, 2013

Well for most people today was just an ordinary Saturday, but for us it was another beginning.  It was the beginning of the rest of our lives living in Oak Hollow.  We went to sleep last night knowing it would be the last night in our sweet little home at 493 E. 900 N. in Bountiful.  The home we lived in when we got married.. The home we made many good memories in....  Some of my memories are...I remember how nervous Daniel was when we decided to build the shed, but we succeeded.  We also lovingly put in a garden with raised beds and a drip system.  I remember getting a saw and drill for Mothers Day and while Sophie at about 6 months old sat in the stroller I built our first chicken coop on the patio, with the help of Laurel who lived with us for a year before meeting an marrying Daniel.

I will remember canning and putting all of my stores on the shelves in the storage room that we custom ordered and assembled together to fit the alcove.  Oh how I loved and will miss those shelves.  My favorite part of canning is seeing the "fruits of my labors" lined up on the shelves and not an empty bottle left at the end of the season. Every year I want to can more than the year before.  

It is in that home that I not only became a wife, but a mother.  Sophie and Molly joined our family while we lived there.  I remember taking Sophie out when she was only about four months old to lay her on the grass to look up at our maple tree, while I worked to build the rock wall.  I was one of the first warm days of spring but she loved it and from then on we worked outside and Sophie just seemed to know the like her parents she belonged outside in the yard, near the garden.  

This last summer was a treasure.  Sophie does love the outdoors.  So much so that daily I would find that she has escaped out the dog door to play in the yard.  For the first couple of months I worried she would get hurt etc. being alone outside.  She was in her element.  She would go visit the chickens, smell and pick a few flowers, or sometimes follow Libby on her dog path in the back of the flower gardens.  She also loved playing in the water in our yard and sitting next to me in the lounge chairs under the maple tree.  Molly also took many naps on the lounge chair under that maple tree.  Such a calm baby and content to be with Sophie and I.  

I will remember the walks in the stroller around our neighborhood and to visit grandma and grandpas house.  So many discoveries and good chats with friends and neighbors. 

Our home in Bountiful was a stepping stone and will always have a special place to me.  We have now taken the next step in our lives as today we begin the journey to settle in at Oak Hollow and continue to make it our own.  I look forward as I see the snow melt and the yard emerge.  Many may call them projects to be done, I feel love and call them memories to make.

Thank you Mom and Dad for allowing us to make your home, our home.  We will carry on your legacy as we raise our family here and love our surroundings.

Our Week

February 6, 2013

Letter to Seelos' in Serbia - I hope your day yesterday went well after getting some sleep.  We went over to the house today for a little while.  Sophie kept saying Grandma and was looking for you.  I told her you went bye, bye and are missionaries for Jesus.  She of course said ya.. with an up sound at the end.  She was so cute.  We also put her rug in the green bedroom and so now she knows it is her new room.  She even played in there for a bit...  That was of course after she soaked Molly's head in toilet water.. arg.  I swear they were not alone for more than 2 minutes.   She would be Sophie is she didn't keep me on my toes.  I have learned though that she is very obedient if I give her a juice popsicle as a reward.  We also went to Walmart today.  She threw a huge fit because she didnt want to sit in the cart.  Yes, sprawled out on the isle floor crying like the world was ending.  I told her you have a choice,  you can cry or you can hold the cart and help mommy push it.  She loved the idea and the trip was much better.  She only got loose once when i took something off of a shelf in time for her to almost push the cart into cross traffic. lol..  I got there just in time.  Thankfully it was another mom and she thought it was cute.  arg..  I bought groceries of course and a couple pairs of jeans and a shirt for Sophie for Valentines next Thursday.