| The Bidwi, the boys, and me...and 365 days in the UK.

Day One-Hundred and Seventy-Three: "I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain..."

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Today was such a special day for our family, Tagg was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so incredibly proud of him for making this big step in his life and for the wonderful young man he is becoming!

Here are some photos I took of Tagg to mark the special occasion. I am not going to lie and say that when I was editing and looking at them I didn't get choked up, because I absolutely did. I can't believe what a little man he is now!

After church was over we hung around and got things ready to celebrate Tagg's big day, and then the baptism began. Tagg looked so handsome in his white, clean baptism clothes. Love this boy!

The baptismal program and service were beautiful, and as a mother I was overcome with emotion. To see these children grow up and make correct choices and strive to do what is right is absolute pure joy. Nothing compares to the feelings I felt today watching Tagg go down into the font with Todd. I hope he will always remember how special this day was, that he was able to be baptized in London surrounded by his family who loves him dearly.

We had a little celebration after the program with our ward family, which was fun.

The cake was rainbow inside, I wanted to get a good picture but was busy getting everything served up. It was so fun to make!!

I always want to remember these wonderful faces of these great people who we have grown to really love like family. It is amazing when you are in a situation like living in a foreign country how quickly you build great friendships. We felt so supported and loved today even though we were far away from our friends and family in the states.

On the cab ride home we were all exhausted, and Tagg was very pensive looking out the window. When we got home he found Todd and I in our room and told us that he was thinking about today and being baptized and that he felt so good inside. He told us that he never wants that good feeling to go away. It was such a sweet moment, and a great memory. I hope today will be a wonderful memory for him for the rest of his life, I know it will be for me.

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Day One-Hundred and Seventy-Two: Happy Birthday Tagg x 2!!

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Today we let Tagg pick a couple of friends to go see a movie and then come back to our flat and have some cake and ice cream to celebrate his birthday. Todd took all the boys to the movie while Tate and I stayed home and made Tagg a birthday cake.

I put those crazy sparkler candles on top of the cake and Tagg was FREAKED out by them! Ha!

Here he is spazzing out about the candles!

Getting brave and gearing up to blow!!

Tagg with his friends. I am lucky enough to get to be around these great kids every Sunday in primary and I am telling you, these are some of the sweetest, nicest most respectful and wholesome little guys I have ever met and I feel grateful that my boys have such wonderful friends here in London!

We had a great Saturday celebrating Tagg's birthday AGAIN and then going around replacing all the lights in our flat, which is like a monthly chore it seems! The power here ZAPS all the light bulbs in record time which is annoying!

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Day One-Hundred and Seventy-One: Welcome to the BIG KIDS club Bidwi!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Happy, happy birthday to Todd! He is the BIG 3-2 today...and in true tradition that was started on his 20th birthday as a missionary, I was able to say to him, "welcome to the big kids club!" for the 12th time today! Whoa. We are getting old.

Todd requested "game food" for his birthday dinner since he will not be able to partake live in many of the BYU games this year because of the time difference. This is a great and terrible burden for him, since he bleeds blue and is the most loyal of loyal BYU fans, so I complied with his melancholy wishes and made him all his favorites, even though I wouldn't say it's the most well rounded or healthy of dinners. But you only turn 32 once, so I figured, what the hay!

Ham and Cheese Sliders, 7 layer bean dip, jalapeno popper dip = heart attack by age 32? Perhaps.

The birthday spoils!

Todd doesn't do cake, which to me is like 2nd to blasphemy, but it is his birthday so I made him this flan-ish/tart-ish thing that turned out delicious.

The birthday Bidwi!

I love this guy, he has my whole heart and he has not only shown me the whole world but given me my whole world in every way...

Anyone who knows Todd well knows the guy is a ridiculous reader. By ridiculous I mean he reads anything he can get his hands on and so incredibly fast it blows your mind. For his birthday he requested all the books in the "Wheel of Time" series. He was a happy camper.

Happy Birthday to the best husband, father, byu fan and person around!!

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One-Hundred and Seventy: "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

I remember back in the the 90's there was a Staples commercial about a father pushing a shopping cart down the aisle filled with school supplies, the Christmas song "it's the most wonderful time of the year!" playing in the background. I remember thinking it was funny as a teenager, now I don't just think it is funny, it is the HONEST truth!

I love my boys. I really, REALLY do. But being crammed into a small flat for six weeks with no yard and two big active boys day in and day out and no car was enough to DO ME IN. So today was a good day at our house. BACK TO SCHOOL!

These boys are owning Year 5 (4th grade) and Year 3 (2nd grade)...ahhhh it's so confusing!

Oh, and Thatcher is a punk.

Hello I have a grown up for a child. I cannot take him getting any bigger. Make it stop.

Tagg is now a full on boy, losing his baby chub and all.

It's going to be a wild ride for these two boys this year, but if anyone can do it they can. I am marveled every day how these two smart, compatible, talented, amazing little men came from me. I couldn't love them anymore.

After the obligatory pictures, they were off finding friends, which warmed my heart.

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Day One-Hundred and Sixty-Nine: It's GREAT to be EIGHT!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Tagg felt so lucky that school held off starting until the 2nd for him to celebrate his birthday in style at home.

I headed out bright and early before the boys got home to grab some Krispy Kremes (who would've thought they had these in London!?!) and set up a little Happy Birthday breakfast table for the birthday boy to wake up to.

He was thrilled with his birthday breakfast and happy to stay home in his PJs all morning watching movies and being lazy. We hung out all day and played and waiting anxiously for Dad to get home so we could get the par-tay started!

Oh our Tagg! This boy came into this world screaming his guts out and has made his presence known ever since. He is the last thing from shy, and you can always count on him to speak his mind. He is the most creative, passionate, imaginative boy and I often watch him playing in his own little world and wonder what he will be like as a grown man. I cannot imagine him ever losing his fun, spunk, and creativity. At 8 he is in love with all things pokemon and lego. He loves to play games, run until he drops, and he worships his older brother. He is a tender and kind older brother (when he wants to be!) to his little brother, and loves for Tate to give him kisses and hugs. He feels things and has amazing perception, and always knows when I am not quite feeling right. He is fiercely loyal. Tagg gives the best kisses and hugs and loves to be sweet and kind to his mama, which I love. I cannot even fathom my life without Tagg, he is my wild child, and my sweet boy.