Friday check in

Someday Tucker is going to hate this, but for now, one of their favorite games is zookeeper. I'm always a little hesitant to watch it go on, but they both seem to enjoy their roles. Tucker is always the submissive caged animal and Cameron is the zookeeper. Notice the two princess wands stuck in the side of the cage? Yup, those are here weapons of choice. And she does use them if Tucker tries to escape. All I can say is Tucker is going to make a wonderful husband someday. He will be so used to having a woman boss him around, it shouldn't be a problem to have a wife that acts the same way.

And Cameron....well Cameron I'm a little concerned with. God forbid she meets a boy someday, (and you know she will) that wasn't raised with an overbearing big sister. But, I'm sure she'll do just fine...after she uses her Princess wand on him.

I don't know about all the other mom's out there....but since they were little babies, I have always thought about those future husband and wives. In fact, I pray for them daily. It is such a huge decision to make and I hope to instill in my kids some basic values that I hope somebody out there is instilling in their own children right now. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to be able to find someone "good enough" for yourself, but then think about your children. I know it's a long ways off, but someday I'll be able to tell that daughter in law or son in law, "I've been praying for you since you were just a little kid". Creepy mother-in-law? Absolutely! Can't wait! And can you imagine being Tucker's wife and having me hand off god knows how many huge scrapbooks of Tucker for her to keep and cherish? She'd better appreciate them!

So anyways, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, just thought I'd chat randomness about my thoughts on love for my kids and also how lucky I am that I found Matt. This just convinces me even more that you can look and look and look and think you know exactly what you want and then BAM you realize you've met the perfect one for you and he's not at all what you had in mind. He's even better. I even went to school with Matt during high school and I would have never looked twice at him. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have looked twice at me. It's just funny how life works out. But when I saw him sitting in the corner of that bar, wearing his Carhartt sweatshirt, wranglers and drinking from a longneck, I pretty much knew I was screwed. I had spent three and a half years in Montana at college, dating and dating and dating and expecting to find a husband (yes, I was one of those girls) as part of the whole Bachelor's Degree package....you know, the MRS. Degree that usually goes hand in hand? And all that time, he was back home in Emmett working in the woods and actually making something of himself while all of the boys I was dealing with were simply trying to figure out how to make Daddy's allowance stretch out to buy another six pack of cheap beer. I was EXHAUSTED!
So when Matt started driving the eight hour stretch, in the snow, after working massive amounts of hours all week, just to see me for a few days, I knew I had found a keeper.

One time he drove from Emmett to Helena (for Valentine's Day) brought a sweater (which is so not him) because I told him we were going somewhere nice for dinner. Took me to Salvatore's, (the local Italian place) where they were running a $39.95 per couple special....or so I thought. It was actually $39.95 a PIECE and that didn't include drinks. $100+ later....I was apologizing all over myself because I didn't want him to think I was a snooty bitch that expected that kind of thing but he still just paid and only gave me minimal crap about it.

We then left Helena, drove back to Emmett, and left the next day for Eugene for my first of many Logger's Conferences. And then back to Emmett, and back to Helena. That's a lot of driving! I think I knew after that that I was in it for the long haul....and that was seven years ago. My how time flies! I love ya, Matt!

I'm off to take Cameron and her friend Mary to a Valentine's Day Party with some of their little friends. Tucker is sick with ear infections, so I think we'll be hanging out on the couch for the afternoon. Hoping he feels better tomorrow because we have tickets to see Valentine's Day tomorrow night. My sister, Marianne, is babysitting. I'm hoping to hit the Olive Garden too. The one good thing about being pregnant. I can finally enjoy all you can eat breadsticks without the guilt that happens after two and the shame that happens after four. You know what I'm talking about?