15 Year Anniversary and Q+ A With Joe

my skirt (temporarily sold out) similar here | top | shoes | necklace || joe’s top (similar) | shorts | shoes

Joe and I are celebrating our 15 year anniversary today!! 15 years has flown by, but honestly it feels like he has been a part of my life forever (in a good way)! Since we had such good feedback on the q+a I did with Hunter a couple weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to have you send in questions for Joe and I. I put it out there to send in any questions you had for us about marriage, relationships, anything at all and you came through like crazy!! We had so many that we are breaking it into questions about family/marriage here, and then we will do another post talking all things med school/residency! Hope you enjoy!

junior prom – our junior year

:: DATING + GETTING MARRIED QUESTIONS

How did you meet?
How long have you been together?
Tell us your love story!!

We had a lot of questions wanting to know more about our dating life and how we met! I actually did a whole blog post on kind of our “how we met” you can read here. People die when they find out we’ve known each other since I was 12!! I had the crazy impression I was going to marry him the first time I saw him (as a 12 year old!) and I didn’t even know him yet. We didn’t admit our feelings/start dating until quite a bit later. You can read all the detail in that post!

Where did you get married and how old were you?
We were married in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints St. George Temple! We both grew up close to it and always loved it! I was almost almost 21 and Joe was almost 22.

. . .

my tank | sports bra | shorts | hat || joes tee

:: GETTING TO KNOW US QUESTIONS

What is your favorite thing about Kailee?
She has an ability to care for those that she doesn’t even know and wants to reach out in some way to help them. She is so on top of things and schedules things so far in advance that is makes me sick, but I am so last minute and relaxed about things that I’m pretty sure I couldn’t survive without her.

Kailee, What is your favorite thing about Joe?
He is so kind to everyone and ALWAYS thinking of others. I don’t think he’s ever said an ill word about anyone ever. Anyone that meets him is instantly drawn to his smile and laugh and always leaves as a new friend.

What annoys you most about Kailee?
Her phone.

What annoys you most about Joe?
When he picks his nails.

What exactly do you both do for jobs?
Kailee runs this blog and her Instagram full time while being a mom (chauffeur, maid, and chef) to 5 kids! :)Joe is a Cardiac Anesthesiologist, which means he works mostly with the doctors doing heart procedures. He also does epidurals for deliveries and other anesthesia work.

What is Joe’s typical schedule?
Everyday is different. Each day he is given a different number. Depending on the number we know if it will be a longer day or a shorter day. He has to work one-two weekends a month and maybe has 3 24 hour shifts and a few night shifts a month. It can be hard, but overall it is a million times better than residency.

How does Joe feel about your blogging?
He says it is both good and bad. Good because I can see how much Kailee loves doing it, but bad because it takes so much time.

Why won’t Joe be in you Instagram Stories?
His answer: I am!! haha. I just don’t really care to.
Kailee’s answer : He may not be on screen often, but he is always right there behind the scenes teasing me.

Does/did Joe ever take any of your Instagram/blog photos?
Yes he used to always take them when I first started (just with my iPhone). Now if I’m not using a photographer for a scheduled shoot, I just ask the kids and they are stoked to do it. haha. He will still take them if I ask. He might not ever even look at the camera as he’s taking them… but usually I can get one decent shot! haha

Do you each have a celebrity crush you can joke about without it being weird? And who are they??
Great question, but no. We honestly don’t watch TV (besides Joe will watch a little sports center). I hardly know any celebrity by name.

What made you decide you wanted to design your own house?
We actually really didn’t want to design or build home at the time. We came house hunting in the new area we wanted to live and made a few offers on houses and everything fell through. 2 hours before we could get our down payment back on a quick build everything just fell into place. We had a new lot (we had never seen), a builder, and a house design to go off of. We just knew it was the right thing for us to move forward and design our own house.

Do you have similar styles in home decor and fashion or does Joe just go with the flow?
Absolutely not!! Joe honestly doesn’t really care about much. He hasn’t changed his style since high school and was really great about letting me do what I wanted with the house. I did want cement floors and he said absolutely not… because it was too hard and didn’t feel like a home, but for the most part he is very go with the flow.

I shared some more fun/random facts about us in this post too if you want to get a good laugh!

. . .

my dress | shoes | clutch || joe’s shirt (similar) | jeans | shoes || harper’s dress | leggings | bow

:: FAMILY QUESTIONS

How did you know you were ready for kids? How old were you both when you had Hunter?
Kailee : We waited almost 3 years after we were married before we had Hunter. I think if you think to much about it and analyze everything you’ll never do it. I was 23 and Joe was 24.
Joe: we just thought we were ready.

Did you always plan to have a big family?
We had always talked about 4. Four was the number. That being said, I just found out Joe said he knew we were having five the whole time. But he just never said anything! haha. I got mad and asked why and he said “Because it didn’t matter, and you would have said “are you crazy, nope four”. So why would I argue with you? I knew you would figure it out.”

Are you going to have more kids?
Nope, we are done!

How did/do you manage two kids 18 months apart?
They are the last two so they just kinda tag along. haha . No really we had Hudson and Hayden 2 years apart so I don’t feel like it’s a ton different. I always wanted twins so I feel like this was just the easier way of getting that. Plus I think your way more laid back with your last babies so we are just enjoying them as much as we can and not letting too much get to us.

What kid duties does Joe take on the most?
If he is home, bath time and bedtime. He really helps and does so much when he is home. Whether it is making dinner or cleaning up, he is always willing to jump in for whatever needs to be done. We just divide and conquer.

Does he do one on one dad dates with your kids like you do? What does he like to do with them?
Yes!! They kinda choose dad over me most times! But we just do what works that week. Also if he has an early day and one of the kids doesn’t have practice after school, he’ll take them for ice cream or grocery shopping and just chat with them. Hudson just loves to hit baseballs in the backyard or play a card game with him. The girls on the other hand just wanna talk his ear off and get treats.

How do you both handle the stress of working and having 5 kids?
Joe is pretty good to just go with the flow. I on the other hand just have to tell him all the things to relieve the stress. Date nights and early bedtime for our kids usually give me time to calm down and regroup and remember that its all going to be okay.

How do you afford vacations with 5 kids?
Joe said we just don’t take them!! haha. We save up and only do a big family trip (like flying on an airplane) about every other year. The other year we try to just go somewhere that is a quicker drive, like Park City or St. George. Joe and I are always researching and looking for deals when it comes to vacation. I think that helps save a lot of money.

. . .

my top | jeans | shoes (similar) | hat || joe’s top | shorts | flip flops

:: MARRIAGE + RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONS

How do you find time for you and joe time?
Early bedtime is key. I am a planner and know I need one on one with Joe so we put it on the calendar and make it happen. Once a week date nights have been a game changer for us. Sometimes its even just going grocery shopping together, but it’s honestly still so fun because we just mess around and can take our time because we don’t have any little people.

How do you keep the spark alive?
Joe: We go on trips together.
Kailee :We try to do a weekly date night so we have a chance to really chat and catch up. It helps remind us what it was like when we were dating.

How do you keep things sexy with so many kids?
Joe: Get the kids to bed early. (done and done)
Kailee: If Joe is going to have a later night I try to have the kids all down by 7:30-8 at the latest so we can just have 30 mins to talk and catch up before he crashes.

What do you argue about the most?
Honestly we don’t argue. We do have disagreements and we will have deep conversations but we really we don’t get into full blown arguments. But we disagree most on maybe me being too strict. Because I am really strict and want to keep my people safe from everything. Joe is more laid back and lets them live.

How do you make life/your marriage work through Joe’s long hours?
Honestly, I really don’t know anything else. I am a work horse and always have been since we got married. Back then, I did hair for 12 hours a day and Joe would drive an hour north for school + playing baseball and had a part time job so we have dealt with long hours apart from the beginning. Also I learned from my sister in law to just live my life and if he makes it to activities with us great. But if not that’s okay too.

Have you ever been to couples counseling?
No, but we have good friends that have and are definitely not against it. Also our first year of marriage we had a hard sit down with my mom and that changed everything. So does that count?

What is your favorite memory together?
Kailee : Gosh we have so many. Definitely the day we had our babies. I wish we could have a baby everyday to relive the pure joy.
Joe : Easily the delivery days for our babies. Except for the second or third one, can’t remember for sure, when she progressed so fast she didn’t get an epidural and she was hurting pretty good with that one. That was not as fun but still a great day.

What are the top 3 things you think keep your marriage strong?
I would probably say don’t expect them to read your mind. Communication is key! Also to always put them first. We just did a great post on 5 tips for a happier marriage that goes into lots more helpful detail!

. . .

And that should be all of them!! I hope you had fun getting to know us a little better! We had so much fun answering the questions together and seeing what the other would say!

I know you don’t see a lot of Joe on here, and what you do see he may not always seem super thrilled, because it’s not his thing. I don’t usually get too mushy on here but I am so so grateful for him and his support. He is such an amazing dad, a crazy hard worker, and the best example to me to always be more kind. One thing that drew me to him and still to this day is one of my very favorite qualities is that he has never said a single bad word about anyone in his life. He doesn’t talk bad about anyone, even if the rest of the room is. The kids and I are so obsessed with him and couldn’t ask for better! Can’t wait to see what the next 15 years + beyond hold for us!