Welcome to our World

I just had to take pictures the week of Valentine's Day because my girls already owned matching heart clothes from Gymboree's Panda Academy line. After offering them candy if they cooperated, we had some fun for a few minutes. (Yes, I have to bribe or threaten or both to get what I want around here.) After being really cheesy I gave them things to do, such as give Michelle a kiss or make a funny face and am quite pleased with the results. Someday I will look back on pictures like these and miss my little children so much! It's good to be able to write a post like this at 6am when said little ones & the dog have kept me awake since 2am.

In December Danny loved the cake Grandma Karyl made him to celebrate moving from being 2 to 2 and a half. He is totally obsessed with Buzz Lightyear & Grandma did a great job. There were so many different colors of frosting I think I might have taken an easier way out. Thanks, Mom! In January Kaelah loved her 4.5 year cake so much she didn't want us to eat it. lol. This one was from Target b/c Grandma Karyl was sick (she got bronchitis from my girls). The children were thrilled it had their 3 favorite colors on it: pink for Kaelah, blue for Danny, & purple for Michelle. Turns out $8 can buy all my children happiness at the same time. And then I'm not sure Dan would want me to tell you how old he turned on his REAL birthday in January. I was feeling very uncreative but he didn't complain. He & I went out to eat while Alex babysat the previous weekend & on his actual birthday we used the Panera Bread gift card my parents had given us for Christmas to...

Every year we love going to see the Longmont Lights & this year we added more lights when we received 2 free tickets to the Denver Zoo Lights. The children loved being able to see & high 5 & hug characters without having to wait in line! See, Disney World is a great place for learning as well as fun. The reindeer station was my favorite b/c I thought it was very clever: a dot of red lipstick for the noses. Danny & Kaelah liked decorating cookies with tons of frosting best. Before attending the Zoo Lights we went to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science with Lisa, Ethan, & Joseph again. It was nice that Dan could join us this time. He found a great, quiet, place for us to eat our sack lunch that we will definitely use all the time! Here is a picture of Ethan & Kaelah eating at their own table. I teased Lisa that we were letting our 4 & 5- year-olds go on a date. She informed me that Ethan had said he was going to marry Kaelah someday because she...

This Christmas was full of surprises! First we weren't going to travel since we went to Florida the month before. Then we decided we really wanted to see Dan's family. We got all packed up and ready to go... and then our children got an awful cough & I came down with Strep throat. So back to plan A: a quiet Christmas at home. I tell you what, getting sick is waaaay better when your spouse can stay home and take care of all your responsibilities. I have been in a good mood ever since. Dan & I were laughing at how much happier our entire family is now that I got my vacation -- aka illness. Dan did a wonderful job with Christmas dinner & kiddos were spoiled as usual. Kaelah's was a Disney princess Christmas: 6 dolls, a purse, dominos, a tea set. Danny had a Toy Story one: a new toddler bed I got off Craigslist so Michelle could have his old one, Buzz Lightyear, a puzzle, a shake-n-go Buzz. Unintentionally, both my parents & Dan & I bought Mich...

Around this time last year I was called to be the Young Women's President of our ward (congregation), which I wrote about a little on my mormon.org profile . One of the many things I began to do after taking on such a heavy duty volunteer position was to begin working on the Personal Progress program again. It has been changed a lot since I graduated from high school a dozen years ago. I think it might be more daunting for youth now, but it is better at building lasting habits that help you become a more Christ-like person. It has taken me almost the entire year, but I have finally finished one of the 8 values (sections). I decided to share all this on my blog after writing the required journal entry for my Faith project. Simply stated, I need to study the scriptures more & be more vocal of my testimony of the Savior & Redeemer of the World. Merry Christmas! "I am grateful this project gave me the opportunity I needed to dive back into the New Testament (and with...

Christmas is just around the corner and we sure are loving this holiday season! Grandma Karyl helped us make reindeer treats to give to friends, our neighbor, Marshon, spoiled the children with giant Pillow Pets, and we loved playing at Bernadette's & Clementine's new house. We've also enjoyed Christmas crafts, such as Danny & Michelle sponge painting while Kaelah was at preschool. Of course one of the season's highlights is the annual ward Christmas party we bring our neighbor, Darrel, too. It is so fun to to get the children all dressed up in Holiday clothes and take some pictures in front of the Christmas tree. (I've added a picture of how proud they were to decorate the tree too.) This is truly our home and we are grateful we can share Advent with such wonderful people. I don't have any pictures from Kaelah's preschool Christmas party but it was very sweet and very much in keeping with the true spirit of Christmas. I'm so glad Kaelah s...

We've gotten some great snow this year! At this age, we've found being pulled is the best option -- our little ones fly out of the sled if you send them down a hill too easily. Well, and Kaelah wasn't allowed to try due to her broken collar bone. Here's a picture of Kaelah at her preschool enjoying a ride & a couple pictures of when Dan took Michelle & Danny out around our neighborhood. Also this winter, the children have enjoyed it when we went swimming. Michelle loved it so much I signed her up for a month-long Aquababies class. I couldn't believe how Michelle would put herself all the way under the water repeatedly! She was a natural! She was one of the happiest babies out of a dozen and couldn't get enough -- except the water could have been warmer for her. I promise I took this picture of her before we went into the pool on her last day. She looks so skinny in a swimsuit -- which she calls a swimsoup & I love it. (: We had a great tim...