May Your Days Be Merry & Bright!

Dan the Dad

Well as always, this year’s Wouden Family MVP award goes to Dan. Dan has been working at Merrick Bank in South Jordan for a year and a half now. He’s just taken on some new responsibilities at work and is excited to see what new challenges that brings. Dan has been working with the scouts this last year and has had a great time reliving his childhood adventures through them. One of the yearly highlights for Dan is going to Lake Powell with the Wouden family. Dan’s dreams especially came true when he got to take Grady out for his first wave runner ride!

Meg the Mom

I tell you what, the stay at home mom life is pretty great! As long as Dan makes it home by 5:00 and I get my break ha ha! It has been very fulfilling working so hard this year on our home, our yard, and chasing our little boy around all day. The feeling of being established has been so refreshing! The highlight of my year was FINALLY going on a trip to Disneyland, just Dan and I for 4 days. It was MAGICAL being just the two of us with no nap schedule or diapers for a few days—but boy we missed our little guy!  The all boy life has been treating me very well!

Grady the Baby

Holy cow, this boy keeps growing and getting more handsome! He is 21 months old now and continues to be in the 90^th% for height, weight, and head size! Grady is the best. And I know we're completely biased, but he really is. He's got a great sense of humor- he loves to laugh, make other people laugh, and be silly! He loves cars, tractors, airplanes, boats- anything that he can ride on, or that has wheels. He loves animals and is starting to get pretty good at making animal noises when you ask him to! Grady is equally a momma's boy, and a daddy's boy. And we love that about him!

We are continually humbled by the love and support our family receives from friends and family near and far! Wishing you and yours the very merriest of Christmases this year!

SUMMER, YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND

Summer 2018 is going down in my book as the best yet.

We have had SUCH a good time ENJOYING being a family of three, and not just SURVIVING as a family of three.

There have been endless trials for our little family since Fall 2016. They have all been things that I NEVER could have comprehended experiencing. And have rocked our lives like a boat on a stormy sea during a never-ending hurricane. I have felt so stretched, torn, twisted, and terrified. And we finally made, and perhaps were given, the time to heal. To remember what joy felt like.

The fireworks, splash pads, nightly visits to the park, boating, tubing, jet-skiing. THE SUN. The yard work, the road trips, hiking, the dinners on the grill. Lagoon, Disneyland, the Dinosaur Park, and weekly visits to Thanksgiving Point. It all led to a healing we desperately needed. Healing through time- time with each other as a family, time in nature, time to progress.

And now, we'll take a deep breath as we plunge into the next season of our life- this time with a more conscious effort to not just endure our challenges, but to find joy during them.

Summer, you were my best friend through it all. Let's get together again soon!

HOMEMAKER STATUS

Well I just wanted to pop on and say we are in our house! And it's a beautiful disaster and probably will be for SEVERAL months. Because as it turns out, getting 2 things checked off my to-do list is a HUGE accomplishment these days... Mr Grady keeps my hands, heart, and time FULL. And to be honest, that's been a huge adjustment for me... I'm a very task oriented person, and being a mom is not a task oriented job. Because having a baby for my boss is like herding cats all day! haha

I also have realized how REAL the word "homemaker" actually is... and that making somewhere a home is no small thing. Making a home is one of the things I've looked forward to the most as I've climbed up the adulting ladder. Now if only I had a whole bank account dedicated to make all my decorating dreams come true...

Anyways, now that we've been in our home for a month, it's starting to feel a little more like home-- and less like a very large and messy hotel full of boxes. People would keep asking us if we were moved in yet, and "moved in" implies to me more of the idea of being settled, unpacked, feeling established... so I would reply that we are "boxed in"... we have all our boxes under one roof and sleep among the boxes if that's what you consider "moved in"... but I think we're passed the boxed in stage and more in the organized mess stage... maybe?

Also, I'm never moving or packing again... at least for 5 + years... preferably 10...