Happy Tax Day!

We made it!  Our family has now survived 12 tax seasons (aka: 10+ weeks of too many hours without Jared), and we’re glad to see this one done!  I think he worked more hours this year than any other...and every year I wonder how that can possibly happen!  I’m guessing he averaged between 77 and 80 hours per week.  So proud of Jared for all his hard work – and still making it home to see the kids a couple of times a week.

Just for fun, here is a list of random statistics relating to taxes.  (I got them in an email and have not researched them at all, so believe what you will.)

• The Gettysburg address is 269 words, the Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words, and the Holy Bible is 773,000 words. However, the tax law has grown from 11,400 words in 1913,  to over 7 million words today.

• The IRS sends out 8 billion pages of forms and instructions each year.

• 300,000 trees need to be cut down every year to produce enough paper for all IRS forms and instructions.

• American taxpayers spend $200 billion and 5.4 billion hours of their time to comply with the federal tax laws each year. That’s more than it takes to produce every car, truck, and van in the United States.

• The IRS employs 114,000 people; that’s twice as many as the CIA and five times more than the FBI.

• 60% of taxpayers must hire a professional to get through their own return.  (I happen to know a really good one if you need a referral!!)

• Taxes eat up 38.2% of the average family’s income.

• Taxpayers spend more on taxes than they do for food, shelter and clothing combined.

We hope your family gets to enjoy Tax Day as much as ours!!

2012 In Review

It was quite an eventful year for us.  It’s nice to have some proof that we did more than just build our house!

Daniel: Turned 1, heart healthy (!!), surgery for tubes and to open his tear ducts, normal hearing (!!!), sprouted at least a dozen teeth, got his first haircut, learned to crawl, learned to cruise, learned to stand unassisted, learned to blow kisses and play Peek-a-boo, learned a few signs…oh, and won the popularity contest everywhere he went.

Caleb: Turned 4, broke his nose, had surgery to fix his nose and place ear tubes, crammed a broken plastic pipe into the back of his mouth, got lots of scrapes and bruises, fell off his chair at every meal, cut his hair and Daniel’s too, cut his finger open with a box cutter, started preschool, perfected every ninja move in the book.

Rachel: Learned to read, turned 5, graduated from Preschool, lost her first two teeth (in the same week), started Kindergarten.

Josh: Ran the Wellsville Mile, earned his Bear in Cub Scouts, turned 10, participated in his first Pinewood Derby, started 5th grade.

Emily: Participated in the Young Writers’ Fest, went to Girls’ Camp and won the “Giggler” award, started 7th grade, earned her Faith in God award, turned 12, started Young Women, gave her first Sacrament Meeting talk, spent lots of hours babysitting, got her first 4.0.

Heather: Went to Girls’ Camp, said good-bye to the most amazing Young Women in the world, spent countless hours painting, made lots of meals, did lots of laundry, put lots of miles on the Suburban, and is in the process of filling 2 million finish nail holes (and we won’t mention anything about getting her first ticket).

Jared: Started the process to become a Certified Valuation Analyst, was appointed to the board of directors for the Sunshine Terrace Foundation, was released from the Bishopric, did 99% of the finish electrical work in our new house, and did a lot of sub-contractor babysitting.

Jared's Handiwork

If Jared ever loses his job as a CPA, he could go into business as a craftsman! Here are some pictures of the nightstand he made for Emily (and he didn't start this until Friday afternoon, had it finished by Monday night - so basically 2 full days of work). I am so impressed - it is perfect!!

Oh, and the scalloped part on the bottom he cut by hand with a coping saw (not sure what that is)!

Where Were You...?

Where were you on this day in 1999 when this happened?

I was on my honeymoon!! More precisely, I was running to get into the Jeep that Jared had pulled up to the front door of Olive Garden (where we had lunch) and trying not to die by hail pelting! In the process, I stepped on, and crushed, the container that had our wedding cake in it!! Good thing my parents took some home to freeze!

I am soooo thankful we didn't decide to have Aug. 11 as our wedding day!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 10th anniversary!! And it's a magical one too, because it's also the 10th of the month!! I had planned to put some pictures of our wedding day in this post, but for some reason, our older pictures aren't showing up on the computer! So instead, here is some fun trivia about the past 10 years...

• Location of our wedding: Salt Lake Temple
• Places we've lived: 6 (4 different cities)
• Most we've paid for rent (not a mortgage): $1700 a month
• Least we've paid for rent: $440 (our first apartment, 2 bedrooms, no A/C, but a great little apartment)
• Number of jobs (Jared+Heather): 9 (I think)
• Number of degrees received (just since we've been married): 3
• Number of perfect children: 4!!!
• Number of vehicles: we're currently on #5 and #6
• Tax seasons we've made it through: 8!!
• Number of gardens we've planted: 5

And now, 10 things I love about Jared (in no particular order):

• He's handsome
• He's strong
• He's a hard-worker, willing to provide for our family
• He loves music
• He is thoughtful
• He loves to play games
• He is smart, and also wise
• He is trustworthy
• He has a rock-solid testimony
• He loves me, even when I'm my absolute worst!

I love you Jared! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me! Thank you for being my husband and wanting me for your wife! I look forward to the rest of eternity with you!

Tax Day

Today is one of my 3 favorite days of the year.

Yes, it really is right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Today is the day that tax season comes screeching - literally - to a halt.

Makes me feel like singing...

It's the most wonderful time of the year,

When the taxes are done,

And the long weeks are gone,

And our daddy is here!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!