Have you met my In-Laws?

Rhonda and Garth

Clamming

Watching Grandma make Fireweed Jelly

The babies loved playing on the piano with Grandpa

Gabe had a soft spot for Auntie Jane

Walking the harbor with daddy and Grandpa

Taking a bath is Grandma's HUGE bathtub

Gabe hanging with Grandma

Garth with the 2nd love of his life!

These were taken when Rhonda came for 2 weeks after the babies were born

Okay this is way over due and I have been kicking myself everyday that I have not posted about my amazing in-laws since we returned from Alaska. As many of you know, we had to go to Alaska for the summer for work, but did you know that Jared's parents, Rhonda and Garth, opened up their beautiful home to us and allowed all 6 six of us to move in! I can't tell you how grateful we were to have a place to stay and to feel so welcome.

Not many people can say that they LOVE their spouse's parents, but I absolutely do! Garth and Rhonda are so wonderful and I have always admired them both. This summer I felt they were an answer to prayers and I learned so much from them.

I will be the first to admit that I have so much to learn when it comes to being a mother and a wife. I am not very organized, I want to be, but I am not. I struggle managing my time, getting into a proper routine, which gets me so frazzled because I feel like I am working all day long and at the end of the day I have nothing to show for it. I don't handle stress very...productively and I end up yelling-a lot!

My in-laws, completely opposite. Garth is calm, quiet, soft spoken and thinks before he speaks.
Rhonda is clean and organized. She can tell you where anything that you are looking for is in the house. You could ask "Where is the bug spray" and she will be able to tell you "upstairs right bathroom, under the sink, second clear tote down, labeled bug spray". I would tell you "not sure...where were we when we used it last?!" Rhonda can work circles around anyone, I've never seen anything like it. I will just be getting up and get babies changed and dressed for the day and come upstairs and she will have already been up for 2 hours beds made, laundry done, the entire main floor scrubbed by hand, home made bread in the oven, breakfast out on the counter and is outside mowing the lawn (again) about to go on her 3 mile daily walk.

I watched Rhonda in awe all summer and tried to keep up, but quickly learned it was not possible.

Rhonda helped me get the babies on a sleeping schedule right away, which was instantly life changing! Helped me learn to manage my extremely difficult three year old a little better. She was quick to let me know when I needed to calm down, breathe, turn around and walk away.

I really loved watching Rhonda as a wife and mother. She was always showered and looking her best when her husband came home, always had his lunch made before he left in the morning, dinner ready when he walked in the door and his socks picked up off the floor at the end of the evening. Between all the working, organizing, cooking and cleaning she would spend time on the phone with all of her distant children and then fulfill many of her duties as Young Woman's President.

You inspire me Rhonda to be a better wife and a much better mother. Thank you for a your patience, kind words, great company and babysitting hours! I want to be a Rhonda when I grow up!

Garth thank you also for your example of patience and for your help with the babies and for all the Muddox rides. The moose hunt was a dream for Jared, not just for the thrill of the kill, but for the time he spent with you. Thank you thank you thank you!

Jane (Jared's younger sister) thank you for putting up with us being there-I know we are large and loud and the boys got into your things so thank you for sharing your space with us.

Halee, Jose, Cayden, Naeveh and sweet little Mya, it was so fun to spend the time with all of you and watching the cousins become best friends...most of the time! Thank you for sharing "grandma" for the summer.

We love you all so much. This was a summer non of us will forget because of the time spent with you when we couldn't have needed it more and all the adventures in between.

Thanks again

Britny, Jared, Joshua, William, Gabriel, Gracey and Blue