Thank Heaven For Little Girls

Little Miss Cheer

2012-01-08T15:01:00.001-07:00

Hannah and Daphne did Little Miss Cheer this year and they absolutely loved it! Plus they looked super adorable. Grandma Jeep came to see them as well. Our neighbor Aylah came home with us from church and wanted to be in the picture

Last Camping Trip of the Summer

2012-01-08T14:39:00.003-07:00

We spent two nights camping up at Stateline Dam. Had a gorgeous spot and a fabulous time. I really like going camping (of course with modern conveniences)These cute girls were the grand daughters to the camp host. They all played so cute together. And of course by now I have completely forgotten their names. It made camping a lot more fun for everyone though.

I LOVED all of these lily pads at Bridger Lake. We didn't catch anything but it was so pretty.

The campground was paved so the girls even took their bikes

I loved our spot. I definitely want to stay here again next year.

First Day of School

2012-01-08T14:24:00.004-07:00

My Daffy Dru started Kindergarten this year. Pretty sure I hated it. However she has loved EVERY minute of it. She was so excited on the first day. And of course had to wear camo! Gotta love her!My beautiful 3rd Grader

My baby started preschool this year too. She goes Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 - 11:30. It is so quiet in the house during that time. Its a perfect time to study for me but I miss them terribly!

Taylor Family Reunion

2012-01-08T14:11:00.004-07:00

I wasn't at the family reunion this year so I can't describe all of these pics so I will just post them. Looks like everyone had a great time.

Daphne and Bella
Great Grandma Taylor and all the kiddos

Kenzie and cousin Lyndee
JD and Peyton. From what I hear she was his little sidekick

Filling in the blanks

2012-01-08T14:00:00.002-07:00

I sat down today for the first time in over 6 months and saw my sad little blog. No attention. No changes. Nothing. And I think it dawned on me why there hasn't been any changes. Why there isn't any updates. Why there is just a lot of nothing. Well there is a simple reason. This summer was one of the most difficult I can ever remember. Our family struggled a ton and in particular our marriage. I even debated not posting this because of the shame of it all. I realized however that I am mainly the only one that reads this blog. And years from now I will look back and wonder why the gap. So this post is mainly for my own memory. JD and I have struggled greatly. In fact to the point that we both wanted to be done. We spent the majority of a month apart from one another. The girls were tossed back and forth between here and Utah. It was difficult to say the least. During that time I realized that I felt trapped and that the only person I could blame for that feeling was myself. So I pulled up my big girl panties and laid it all out on the line. I told JD I was going back to school. I need to finish my degree because if things continued down the path we were on I was going to be a single mother without a proper education. So I enrolled in school and started classes in October. Between trying to get over a lot of hurt and anger and classes and the girls it has just kept me busy. Plus I wasn't able to look past the frustration and post happy pictures of our family. Today I had an epiphany and realized that this too shall pass and that I will regret more not having a record of our time together. So I'm gonna play catch up for a while and just get it done.

TBall

2011-07-24T16:21:00.002-06:00

Daphne had her first year of tball and absolutely LOVED it!! Her Daddy was her coach which of course meant when he was working graves I was the coach. Poor kids. ha ha

Father's Day Camping

2011-06-21T19:11:00.004-06:00

This year for Father's Day I thought I had the perfect present in mind. It was FINALLY warm enough to take our trailer out for the first time. We were all so excited. We weren't able to leave until Saturday afternoon. Everything was going fine until we got just a few minutes from the campground when it sounded like our tire blew out. We got the trailer parked and started to investigate. It turns out after much searching that this large bolt had fallen off the brake. Super! Next came time to get the jacks down on the trailer. JD had one heck of a hard time getting them. In the process of all of this he smacked his head on the glass hatch of the Expedition twice. To the point that he about knocked himself out. After getting the jacks figured out we realized we had forgotten an ax. Luckily the campground host brought us some dry wood so we were able to get a fire going so we could roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We sat outside for a long time and had quite a nice evening. The girls loved the trailer and everyone slept surprisingly well. Oh and I should add JD's uncle Milo was nice enough to loan us his generator so the girls were able to watch movies. Which turned out to be a good thing. Because when we woke up in the morning it was pouring and it eventually turned to snow. So our fishing trip got cancelled as well. Two one day out of state fishing licenses down the drain. So this was Sunday and Father's Day. JD went for a walk for several miles down the road and luckily found the bolt that fell out. So he was able to fix the Expedition. Which is a good thing since there was also no cell service up there. He had also planned on cooking lunch in the dutch ovens. Which was great except that he ended up doing so in the snow! Poor guy. When I went to wash the dishes after lunch we discovered that the hot water heater wasn't working. Yep...just one of those experiences that afterwards you just have to look back on and smile.

Kenzie was nice enough to share her bed with Roxie. Harley also ended up there later in the night.
The girls in their bunk beds
Silly girls....all 3 of them

My cute hairy boys

Nothing like winter apparel in the middle of June

Now THIS is how you start a fire!!

Even though there were several bumps in the road...the girls had a blast and there were even some fun moments in there for JD and I as well. Happy Father's Day!!

Girl Scout Camp

2011-06-21T16:28:00.005-06:00

This past weekend was our 3rd annual Girl Scout camp. Being on of the leaders I definitely saw a new perspective to just how much work goes into something like this. It is a lot of preparation and meetings. I am utterly amazed at our Service Unit Leader and all the hard work she puts into making it a success. I didn't get a chance to take many pictures because I was so busy helping but that's ok. I think all of the girls had a great time. My favorite part was the skits and Hannah's favorite part was the ice cream in a bag.

The girls doing Zumba

Hannah and Brynlee playing in the dirt. Of course...
Hannah making her ice cream in a bag

It may be old....but new to us

2011-06-21T16:22:00.001-06:00

A few months ago we bought an older trailer. We kept hoping it would warm up enough to us. We finally did but much later than anticipated. It may be older but they girls love it and it is super nice on the inside. We are so very excited about it!!The bunk beds

My bed (I am sure the zebra gave it away)

Swimming and Zoo

2011-06-21T16:18:00.002-06:00

The girls started swim lessons again. I think they all may be part mermaid!!

Hannah
Daphne
We went to the zoo a few weekends ago and wouldn't you know this is the ONLY picture I got all day. Wow I am a slacker!!

Summer Randomness

2011-06-21T16:11:00.002-06:00

Here are just some more random photos from my phone.....

Every little girl needs a Minnie hat right?
Kenzie was pretty sick the one day and all she wanted was her Hannah and the kitties.
I just had to post these pics. Our yard is looking soooo good this year

My pretty whiskey barrel
Just for fun JD bought me this super cute stuffed weinie dog from Build a Bear

Antelope Island

2011-06-21T15:15:00.004-06:00

While at my Mom's house a few weeks ago we decided to take the girls out to Antelope Island since they have never been there. I had not been to the ranch out there since I was really little. I had completely forgotten how pretty it is out there. Plus I love old houses. The girls loved it too. It is so isolated out there I couldn't even imagine being out there now let alone years and years ago. Those people were tough!

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-21T15:05:00.001-06:00

We didn't do much for Memorial Day. We went to Mom's and pretty much just hung out. All of the girl grandchildren (except Alyssa) had so much fun playing and eating chips of course!

Trying something new

2011-06-21T15:00:00.002-06:00

I have been very bored with my hair lately so I decided to try something new. RED hair. Well at least part of it is red. I started with just the bottom. Then decided to try some through out the top. Unfortunately the top turned pink but it is still cute. She is going to darken it up later this week and I will post pics again.

Oh and I had to get a new wallet and purse to match....

Yep....more bribery

2011-06-21T14:47:00.004-06:00

ike I said....I believe in bribery. The girls had all been being really good and finishing up school so we rewarded them with a trip to one of their favorite places....Discovery Gateway

Kenzie LOVED the helicopter outside.

Yes I realize that the one pic of Kenzie is in here twice. I cannot figure out how to remove just that one so I gave up on it!! oops

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-21T14:12:00.004-06:00

My sweet and stubborn little Daphne is going to be a Kindergartener next year!! Where has the time gone?? She had her preschool graduation. And of course insisted on wearing a Justin Bieber shirt. Plus she got to be the line leader that day and was pretty proud of herself for that!

Daphne and her best friend Eben
With Great Grandma Taylor

May 29th....are you sure??

2011-06-21T14:10:00.002-06:00

I still cannot believe that we had this much snow at our house on May 29th!!

I believe in bribery

2011-06-21T13:56:00.003-06:00

I admit it...I believe in bribery. I usually tell my girls that if they will do a good job at their dance recital that I will let them get their nails painted by Julie. It always works. This was Kenzie's first time and so I did some extra bribing because I was so nervous about how she would react. So I told her that I would even let them get their toenails done too. As you can see it worked and the next day they got all prettied up. They loved every bit of it. I may have started a bad thing there....

Spring Dance Recital

2011-06-21T13:48:00.001-06:00

It was so much fun to go to a dance recital for all 3 girls. I was really nervous how Kenzie would be but she did a fabulous job!! And of course they were all beautiful as ever!

The fabulous Mr. Drew!!

2011-06-21T13:11:00.003-06:00

Daffy had the BEST preschool teacher!! He started to tease her one day about her Justin Bieber shirt. So I told her it was because he has Bieber Fever himself. She told him that and it became this cute little joke between them. So I decided that he needed a hot pink Bieber Fever shirt. Luckily the fabulous people here at Silver Stitch made this one up for me. When Daffy gave it to him his face turned bright red. And like the fabulous teacher he is he wore it the next day. Everyone absolutely loved it. All of the staff and the moms especially were just dying laughing. He is such a good sport.

Random pics from my phone

2011-06-21T12:46:00.005-06:00

So since I rarely take my camera anywhere I am very glad to have a phone that takes somewhat decent pics. These are just some random ones I found on it.

The girls are obsessed with watching Justin Bieber videos on youtube
My new favorite shirt
This chair cracks me up. JD looks like a little kid in it. I am gonna have to buy this for him.
And of course we always have pics of the girls with their kitties
I was trying to take a pic of me and Roxie and the little brat decided to kiss me. I so hate that!
More kitty pics
I was buying a whole bunch of hula hoops at Walmart for a Girl Scouts award ceremony. Kenzie thought it was her boat. She kept telling everyone that there were fishies everywhere. It was so cute!

My new bed

2011-06-21T12:01:00.002-06:00

Since JD and I have been married we have never had a new bedroom set. I finally couldn't take it anymore and begged and begged until he finally agreed. I absolutely LOVE it. I am finally sleeping better. Plus it is gorgeous!!Oh and of course I needed zebra lamps too.....

eAsTeR 2011

2011-06-21T10:18:00.005-06:00

I am not sure why these pics are so out of order but I don't want to spend the time to figure them out since I am so far behind. Anyway we always spend Easter here and my Mom usually comes up. It is probably my second favorite holiday. What can I say I am a little kid at heart.

One of the rare family pics we have. My camera died of course so I had my mom take this with my phone. Not the greatest pic but at least we got one of all of us.
I wanted to try something new this year so I made Prime Rib. Not to toot my own horn but it was most fabulous! I think it will be my new tradition.

The girl's presents

Daddy always picks out the Easter dresses. I must say he did a fabulous job this year. They matched their personalities perfectly. Plus they are gorgeous as always.

Kenzie is obsessed with Tangled and so we got her the entire outfit. Isn't she just too cute?

My new old piano

2011-06-21T09:59:00.003-06:00

When I was little my Mom bought a beautiful antique piano for me to take lessons on. While I didn't like playing the piano I always loved it. It was beautiful and I love antiques. Well several years ago my mom offered the piano to me so she could clear out some space. I was trying to be practical about our space here so I said no. I have regretted it ever since. I mentioned this to my Mom a few months ago. She felt really bad because she had wanted me to have her piano. So she offered to buy me a new one. Well an antique one I mean. We looked all over and finally found this one on ksl.com. It is absolutely B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L, well on the outside that is. It looks as though it was either restored or very babied. We think it is about a 1910 or so. However the inside is pretty bad. It has many keys that don't work and quite a few that are missing the ivory tops. It also came with a gorgeous stool that was pretty trashed. The stool is currently being replaced and we are having a guy come look at it here soon to fix the inside so it can be played. I am really hoping at least one of the girls will want to take lessons. But even if they don't I love it so much. It is my personality and fits so well in my living room with some of my other antiques. I am super excited about it!! Thanks Mommy!!!

He & Me Night

2011-06-05T21:10:00.008-06:00

I am sooo far behind I am going to spend the next little while playing catch up.

Right before St. Patrick's Day the Girl Scouts had a He & Me Night. Because I am the Brownie Girl Scout leader I was able to help plan it and attend. We did a St. Patrick's Day theme. The girls learned to dance a jig, we ate yummy beef stew, and of course did a craft and played bingo. They all had a ton of fun.

Sometimes things just work out differently than planned

2011-03-06T13:39:00.005-07:00

You would think that I would be old enough to understand that sometimes things just don't work out as you planned. Last weekend we had plans to be sealed in the Manti temple. But the weather decided not to cooperate and at the last minute we had to change our plans. We ended up in Salt Lake. However even though I was so disappointed in the location it was by far one of the best days of my life.

We spent Friday night at the girls favorite motel and swam around like a bunch of fishes. We even took the girls to see Gnomeo and Juliet. That night it snowed a ton. I absolutely LOVE snow so I was super excited. We decided to head to the temple early because the roads were crappy. (On a side note the road to Evanston was closed for a while that morning so my in-laws were freaking out that they weren't going to make it. My poor MIL was sick to her stomach!) We got there super early which was really nice actually. We were able to drop the girls off and spend nearly an hour just sitting in the Celestial Room. It was gorgeous! JD and I were sealed first. One of the very first things that our sealer said was that we had loved ones there both in the physical and those that has crossed the veil. I know for a fact that my Dad was there with us. Before he died he made JD and I both promise him that we would be sealed in the temple at some point. I also felt many other spirits in our presence. After that our 3 gorgeous girls were brought in to us. I lost it and just bawled. They were so reverent and super sweet. It was beyond touching!

Afterwards we went outside and JD's sister took a few pics for us. The grounds were covered in snow and it was absolutely perfect for me! I can hardly be outside without sunglasses on so it was really hard to take pics though. Plus it was snowing and the girls were tired so we only did a few. Then we headed to the Spaghetti Factory for lunch. My awesome Father in Law paid for everyone which was so sweet of him and we really appreciate it.

So that I won't forget I wanted to thank everyone that was there for us. I know several were unable to make it and we truly understand. The people that were able to make it were: My Mom, my sister in law Aimee, JD's parents, his sisters Stephanie and Cami, his brother in law Tyler. our neighbors and friends Arlin and Shannon, JD's uncle Milo and aunt Janeil (Milo is also our bishop), Lamar who is a close family friend, and Bishop Powers and his wife Geralyn. Bishop Powers is the Bishop that married us 10 years ago.

On a funny note the Sealer also mentioned something about procreating the earth. Of course everyone in the room caught it. So at lunch I had to remind everyone that he obviously just says that to everyone since we are done having kids. I am not sure JD's Dad was listening since he just kept saying "Give me a boy!"

Here are some pics of the girls having fun at the hotel pool.

We changed the girls back into their regular clothes at the temple and so I never did get any pictures of them all dressed in white. They wore their dresses to church today and so I had to get some pics. Aren't they so gorgeous?!?

I am a big believer that things happen for a reason. And although I don't know yet why our plans had to be changed I am certain that at some point in life I will understand why. JD and I are going to go to Manti one of these weekends so I can still go to the temple I had always planned on.

It was a beautiful day and everything just seemed to work out so well. We are truly blessed and very grateful that we had the opportunity to be able to be a family forever.

Families Can Be Together Forever

2011-02-22T14:03:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting so long for this day that I can hardly stand it. Now hopefully the weather will cooperate so that we will be able to make it to Manti and back. 10 years of marriage....3 adorable girls....and finally we will all be together for eternity.

A long couple of weeks.....

2011-02-12T08:25:00.003-07:00

The last couple of weeks around here have been very busy and wonderful and awful all at the same time. The Monday after her baptism we made a mad dash to Ogden to get a few things. When we got home that evening Daphne got sick. She stayed sick all week long! Poor little girl. I spent the entire week arranging and rearranging plans to go through the temple and take out my endowments. The mad dash Monday was to go get garments and my temple clothes. Everyone kept telling me that I would be stressed out and that plans would keep changing and boy were they right!

Luckily Daffy got better and so Saturday morning we dropped the girls off early at my friend Malona's house and we headed to Bountiful. For all the stress leading up to the day it turned into a gorgeous and fabulous day. I was able to take out my endowments with my hubby, my mom, his parents, my sister-in-law, and one of my best friend's next to me. It was more than I ever had imagined. After the temple we went to lunch, purchased some more garments and headed back home. JD had worked the night before and so I drove home.

By the time we got home though it was apparent that he wasn't just tired he was also sick. By Sunday he was miserable!! Monday afternoon I took him to the doctor and he tested positive for Influenza. Before I went to bed Monday night I realized that I was sick too. Tuesday I went to the doctor and I had also tested positive for Influenza. Now I am not a big whiner normally but let me just say that I have never been so sick in at least 8 years. High fevers, chills, body aches, stuffiness, headaches, coughing, unable to breath....just to name a few of the symptoms. JD and I were so miserable we pretty much just laid around. And then of course by Thursday morning Hannah and Kenzie had it as well. Luckily we got them started on the tamiflu quickly and their symptoms never got quite as bad.

So here it is Saturday and I gotta say I still feel terrible. JD is at work but feeling terrible. And the girls still feel terrible. So far Daphne hasn't caught it yet and I keep hoping that she won't. I haven't left the house in days and don't plan on it until Monday. Ugh...

In happy news JD and I will take our girls to Manti on the 26th (as long as the weather and our health cooperates) and we will be sealed. I am so excited!!

I cannot have a blog entry without any pics. However I have two pics. And both include the cat. I know....imagine that.

Roxie is super jealous of Eugene's new bed and constantly is trying to share it.
Eugene has been doing an excellent job taking care of all of us sickies.

Baptism Invitation

2011-02-12T08:22:00.001-07:00

I somehow managed to forget to include Hannah's baptism invitations. She loved them so much and wanted me to put one on my blog. So here you go sweetie.

Hannah's Baptism Day

2011-02-06T16:35:00.004-07:00

My beautiful Hannah was baptized Saturday January 29th by her Daddy. It was a beautiful day and I could not be more proud of her for her decision. She is a fabulous big sister and helps me and her Dad out a ton. She is doing so well and in school too and is in the top reading group. I am so sad to see her grow up but am so proud of the girl she is turning in to. Here are a few pics of her special day. Thanks so much to all the family and friends that were able to come!!

Silly Silly Silly

2011-02-06T16:16:00.002-07:00

I just had to share a few silly pictures.

Kenzie woke up the other night with a really horrible dream. She has night terrors and most of the time she will just go back to sleep but this particular night she was freaked out completely. So I brought her out to sit on her Daddy's lap and a few minutes later when I looked I found them both sound asleep!Have I mentioned that our new kitty Eugene loves to be held like a baby. Luckily for him that is exactly what Hannah loves to do most.

Monday was crazy hair day at school. All Hannah wanted was pink and blue hair. It was actually pretty cute.

Preview Pics

2011-01-25T19:01:00.001-07:00

My fabulous friend Joni came over and took some pics of Hannah for her Baptism. I just had to share our favorite. I will post more this weekend! Oh...she is getting baptized this Saturday at 11:00. She is so excited!!

The Alaskan Inn

2011-01-25T18:11:00.002-07:00

Last weekend JD and I went on one of our little outings. We have decided that at least twice a year we need to get away with each other for at least one night. It has been a wonderful thing for our relationship. I LOVE my girls more than anything. But I have realized that I need a break from them once in a while so I can be a better Mommy to them. And I think they need a break from me as well.

This time I got an amazing deal on a room at The Alaskan Inn. I think JD and I both agree we could totally live there. It was beautiful. Especially all snow covered. And the room had a HUGE tub that I sat in for at least an hour and a half. I loved it!

I think this cute dog must have been the mascot. He was so old he could hardly walk and super friendly. JD just laughed at me that I had to stop to pet the dog and take his picture. What can I say...I am an animal lover!
We stayed in the Glacier Cabin.
Now if I could just talk him into going to Vegas next time. I think he might agree....not sure if our babysitters would though :)

It's Great to Be 8!!

2011-01-20T21:11:00.003-07:00

I think I have been slow posting these pics because I am still in denial that my Hannah is 8. I can't even believe it!! Not to brag...but I am pretty sure she is the best little girl out there. She is fun to be around. Smart as can be. And the most nurturing little girl you will ever see. She cares for everyone and takes such good care of her sisters and her pets. Even her Mom and Dad when we need it :) I love her to pieces. And I am so proud of the girl she has grown up to be.

She has been begging for a pillow pet. We thought it was funny that it matched her new kitten as well.
Her birthday was on Sunday and her Daddy had to work. So we decided to take her out of school the next day and have it be a day all about her. She wanted to go to Build a Bear instead of have a party and we were thrilled about it.

Yep...imagine that. Daphne picked a Camo bear and then dressed her up in pink. Silly girl...
Kenzie instantly fell in love with a pink bear. She dressed her in a Tangled outfit and named her Rapunzel. (Go figure)

After Build a Bear and lunch (Famous Dave's cause it is her favorite) we teased her and said we were going home. Then pulled into the Aquarium's parking lot and surprised her. The girls all love it there!

Daddy was the only one brave enough to pet the stingray.

Then we took her for ice cream and headed home. I hope she had a fabulous birthday. I know we sure did!!

Random Pics

2011-01-20T20:55:00.002-07:00

I am sure I have mentioned this a time or two but we have a new kitten that we love. He is so mellow and laid back. The other night he jumped right in between the doxie's and made himself at home.

And then of course he decided to join Kenzie for her naptime as well.

Hannah got her second Samurai at school. It is part of their reading program. When they meet a certain goal they get this as their reward. It is a big deal here and we are super proud of her. She is an awesome reader!!
JD was a good dad and took the girls sledding the other day. To help out....I went to the grocery store to get dinner and cooked for them. Yep...I know...I am so nice!

Dancing Chicken Legs

2011-01-06T12:54:00.004-07:00

I think I am still in shock that my baby is old enough to be in dance class. She has been so excited and I have been super nervous. She can be such a pill I wasn't sure if she would behave or not. But much to my surprise she did an awesome job! I was so proud of her and her little chicken legs (My Dad also had those same skinny legs and we called him chicken legs too) I took a cute little video of her dancing too that I need to figure out how to upload on here. In the meantime here are some cute pictures....
I wanted to get a picture of her with her cute little outfit but she of course had to include the new kitty.
Hannah had my camera at this point. Love these two pics!

Eugene Rider

2011-01-06T12:45:00.002-07:00

I have been thinking for a while now that we needed a new kitten. I kept telling JD that Hailee (our other cat) needed a friend to play with. He of course kept saying no. But as luck would have it he was in trouble last weekend and so I got a new kitten! (Hey I am not beyond letting JD buy me off with a new kitten) He is the cutest lil thing. Kenzie got to name him and she picked Eugene Rider. If you have seen Tangled you will totally understand why. Hailee is VERY happy to have a new friend to play with.

Druzella turns 5!!

2011-01-04T15:27:00.004-07:00

My little Daphne Dru turned 5 on December 28th. As I often do on my girls' birthdays I pulled out old pictures of her to remember her as a baby. I was well drugged for her birth and so it was by far my most pleasant. She was just the easiest baby. Hardly fussed and was a wonderful sleeper. Plus she had the cutest little chubby cheeks. She has slimmed down but still keeps remnants of these fabulous cheeks!
I am pretty sure that Kenzie's love of Tangled inspired Daffy's choice for her birthday cake.

A few of her presents

We call her Druzella because her middle name Dru is actually short for my Great Grandmother Druzella. We absolutely love her to pieces. She is the most stubborn spunky little girl and going to be Daddy's little hunter I am sure. However only if she can do it in style!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T21:31:00.006-07:00

Once again we had a fabulous Christmas at our house. The girls were spoiled rotten as usual. Although I gotta say even JD and I were spoiled too. This year we decided to do the 12 days of Christmas which got us more into the true spirit of the season. The girls loved it and we will definitely do it again next year. I had so many pictures that I just had to pick a few of them....

Kenzie actually got these one piece jammies from Grandma Pooley. They were way too big for her and so Daphne decided to try them on. Silly girl loves these and wears them almost every night. I personally liked the boots as a final touch!

Kenzie's favorite present...the doll from Tangled. Her favorite movie. The dolls hair even lights up. She is obsessed
The pink 4 wheeler that Kenzie has been begging forMy extremely spoiled Hannah with her ipod touch. Yep...spoiled!
The girls' dollhouse that Grandma Jeep gave them
Daphne's skunk hat
Daffy and her mp3 player Santa gave her
Kenzie and her cute frog hat
Two of my sweet girls

Hailee was apparently not getting enough attention
My fabulous purple tree. I love it soo much!

Kenzie turns 3!

2010-12-19T16:11:00.005-07:00

It was a very exciting and sad day at our house yesterday. My baby turned 3!! I cannot believe it has been three years already since this tiny little thing came into our lives. She started out 5 lbs 4 oz. In three years she has still not grown a ton but has a HUGE place in our hearts. At 4 months old she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It was devastating. I cried and cried. All I could imagine was all of the things she was not going to be able to do. At 6 months old we started physical and occupational therapy with her. We also ran up massive hospital bills testing her for all sorts of things. She is tiny and her size was very concerning to my fabulous Pediatrician who cried with me the day she told me of her CP. Every blood test, MRI, and Spinal Tap that we ran came back completely clean. Finally the Pediatric Neurologist told us that she simply has Spasticity which just means that her muscles are extra tight in her shoulders and her hips. As a result she has freakish upper body strength. We had to get rid of her crib at a very young age because she could pull herself up and out of it.

Fast forward to two months ago when she was deemed by her fabulous Occupational Therapist whom we also love dearly that she is no longer delayed at all and no longer qualifies for services. I was so excited I cried. If you are around her at all now days you would never know there is anything wrong with her. Down the road if she plays sports she may have some issues but for now she is good to go! Kenzie loved "Her Breezy" as she called her (the occupational therapist) so much that she insisted we buy her a pink Christmas tree. And so of course we did. It even made Breezy cry. We will never be able to repay her for all that she has done for our daughter.

So now we have this healthy completely spunky little girl that is such a joy in our house. I decided to take my Girl Scout Troop to go see a private showing of Tangled here at the theater and the only day we could do it was on Kenzie's birthday. So of course Kenzie told everyone that we were going for her birthday. She truly believed that all of those girls were there for her party. And there were over 40 Girl Scouts there. I will never be able to top that birthday party next year!!!

Now onto the presents. Because of the time of year my girls get clothes for their birthdays(and maybe a few other things) and toys for Christmas. Kenzie's first present was a Pillow Pet and she absolutely loved it!
She wanted a new blanket so I made her a Backyardigans one with minky on the back. She LOVES it!
Grandma Pooley got her a Miche Purse. Yep....you read that right. A 3 year old with a Miche Bag. Spoiled!
JD was taking pics at this point and he forgot to get a close up of the cake. It was also Backyardigans...her favorite show!
The dress my Mom got her. I love it and I love even more that she matches my purple and gold tree perfectly!!

Temple Square

2010-12-19T16:05:00.002-07:00

We decided after going to see my new niece and nephew that we would go to SLC and walk through Temple Square. The girls (especially Kenzie) have been begging to ride the "train" downtown so we figured since we really didn't have much else to do that we would give it a shot. They had SO much fun and giggled the entire time. Then we walked around Temple Square for a bit. It was gorgeous as always. After a short time I asked Kenzie if she was enjoying Temple Square. She replied "Temple was good. Let's go ride the train again!" Too cute. And since it was freezing cold we agreed not to stay too long and got back on the train. Had I have known ahead of time how thrilling that would be for her I would have just done that for her birthday. I should add we all had a fabulous time as well!

Twins!!

2010-12-19T15:57:00.002-07:00

My brother Nick and his wife Tracy had their twins on December 16th. And of course we had to go down to see them. Baby Alissa weighed 5 lbs 9 oz and Baby Rex weighed 5 lbs 13 oz. They were so tiny and precious. I am so happy for them. They have waited for such a long time to be able to have more children and were indeed blessed with twins. I didn't get a chance to hold them since we only stayed for a few minutes and they were in the nursery. But I am sooo excited to get to go see them again. Can't wait!

For Grandma Pooley

2010-12-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

This picture is purely for Grandma Pooley. The girls have these cute little play irons given to them by their Great Grandma. I was pretty sure they would have no clue what to do with them since I do not iron. Apparently they have picked up a lil something from their Grandma Pooley afterall!!

Letters to Santa

2010-12-14T13:00:00.002-07:00

Since this blog is primarily my way of scrapbooking and journaling I really wanted to include my girls letters to Santa this year. I am typing them out word for word. Silly girls.

Hannah's

"Dear Santa,
How is your dog? Do you have any cats? How is Mrs. Claus? I would like a pink digital camera. Thank you.
Love,
Hannah"

Daphne's

"Dear Santa,
How are the reindeer? Did you go on vacation this year? I have been a very good girl. I take good care of my pets. I am usually nice to my sisters. I would like an Mp3 Player so I can listen to it in the car while we drive to Utah so I can't listen to my parents or my sisters.
Fly Safe!
Love,
Daphne
Dru
Fackrell"

Kenzie's

"Dear Santa,
I have been a very good girl this year. I am even potty trained! I would like a Tangled doll with a purple dress and a comb and shoes. Thank you.
Love,
Kenzie Lee"

Each letter truly reflects their personality. For Hannah she always asks about Santa's pets. Daphne wanting to drown us out while in the car doesn't surprise me one bit. And Kenzie is so particular about certain things. I love them all so much!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2010-12-09T20:30:00.004-07:00

The girls had their dance recital Monday night. Now I KNOW I am prejudice but aren't these the cutest little girls you have ever seen?? They did such a fabulous job and I am so proud of them. They were so covered in sparkles. I wish the pictures showed that.

Hannah and her friend Mackenzie
Daffy with two of her friends. Ashtyn on the left and Emry on the right.And of course Kenzie had to join in. Starting January she will get to join them as well! (We will see how that goes)
My little ham....
Hannah is growing up way too fast....

Christmas Cards

2010-11-30T13:52:00.001-07:00

I am such a slacker this year. I kept thinking we would get pictures taken or something for Christmas Cards but it never did happen. So I just picked some of my favorites and did them that way. It was super easy and they arrived extremely fast. Maybe next year I will have my act together a bit more. Ok...maybe not.

I LOVE Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T10:53:00.002-07:00

Oh how I LOVE Thanksgiving! The entire weekend is always so much fun.

JD worked Wednesday night so as soon as he got home we went to my Mom's for turkey and all the trimmings. Getting my two brothers together always makes for some interesting and hilarious conversations. That night we went to see TANGLED!! Ok I just have to say I loved it sooo much. I will be buying it for sure. And the girls may have some presents under the tree that are Tangled related :) My favorite part of the movie was the mom singing "Skip the Drama...Stay with Mama!" Oh and of course the horse Maximus. I think we will start going to a movie every Thanksgiving.

Friday we do the crazy Black Friday shopping. JD loves it so I tag along for the ride. That night we go to the Nutcracker ballet. I think I love it more and more every year!! Plus we go to eat at Prairie Schooner which makes me even that much happier!

Have I mentioned I love Thanksgiving?!?

Love my silly girls

2010-11-30T10:34:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I just have to stand back and laugh at the silly girls that I have. Daphne discovered Cabela's Big Game Hunter on the wii. She absolutely loves it! The only part she doesn't like is the bears because if you don't shoot them fast enough they eat you! Kenzie and Elmo are best of friends. She loves to just go sit next to him and chat. Sometimes she plays doctor and makes sure he is ok. And lately she has decided that he should be read to. What a sweetie!
I have realized lately that poor Hannah doesn't make my blog much these days. I guess that is what happens when you are at school all day while the other two are home. Sorry Banana....I will get you on here eventually!

New Display

2010-11-30T10:32:00.001-07:00

I got so tired of putting all my bows out on a table for craft fairs so this year I purchased a display for them. A little more time consuming to set up at the beginning but it is sooo much easier and looks much better. I am thinking about spray painting it now though.

My Dad

2010-11-22T13:55:00.002-07:00

I have been sitting here today doing a LOT of thinking about my Dad. The emotions have ranged everyone from anger to sadness. My cousin posted a picture of my Dad and my brother from a deer hunt way back before I was even born. The picture brought me to tears. Seeing my Dad so young and full of life was harder than I thought it would be. It got me to reminiscing about him.
Growing up I was never close to him. In fact for many, many years I was scared of him. It really wasn't until my brothers were both out of the house that I became closer to my Dad. Growing up everyone loved him. He was so much fun and full of personality. He had this laugh that I still hear in my dreams sometimes. It was a completely unique laugh and when you heard it you knew he was close by. He also had a temper which is I am sure where mine comes from.
Somedays like today I find myself being angry. I am angry that I didn't get to know him better before he died. I feel like I just didn't have enough time and I blame us both for that. I am angry that my girls never got to know what a great man he was. How he loved the holidays and was very big into traditions. I try to carry on a few of those traditions still today. I am angry that I lived so far away when he died and I wasn't there for it. I am angry that he smoked those damn "cancer sticks." I am angry that my Mom and my brothers kept saying to me "You weren't here...you don't understand." And at the funeral my name was not ever mentioned. Not once. And yet I am not angry at anyone for this. I am mostly just sad about it. Sad that it took losing him to understand how much I needed him.
So today I sit here all full of tears. Thinking back to some of the great memories I have. I know that mine are so much different than my brothers. I never went hunting with him and I know that is a lot of what they remember about him. Plus they all worked together for a while.
I often think about silly things. I think about going for steak on my birthday or his or just for no reason at all. I think about his tall stories that always got such a laugh out of everyone. The silly Russian dance he did while my brother was on his mission. Or the stupid sayings that I find myself using today like "up shit creek (pronounced crick of course) without a paddle" or "better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." I think about the days when he and a few of his friends would sit out in the shop for hours on end working on his 53 Chevy Belair. And how they would let me come sit out there with them. I remember how he would always tell me how beautiful I was no mater what I really looked like. That old piece of crap truck "Old Blue" that he drove into the ground. It was covered in drywall dust and worked just as hard as he always did. I remember when he would call me shortly before he died and we would both complain about the horrible nausea we were experiencing. Mine because of pregnancy and his because of chemotherapy.
I have so many things to be thankful for I know that. But for today I am going to sit here and cry and wish that I had more time with him. I am incredibly thankful for him and for teaching me about hard work and family. Love you Dad. Miss you tons!

End of soccer...yay!

2010-11-04T16:26:00.002-06:00

I figured I better get these pictures posted before I forget. The girls' soccer season is finally over (Insert happy dance here). They really did have a great time and considering we live in Wyoming and they scheduled soccer for all of September and October, only one game was cancelled and that was the last one. I have to say though that on the soccer field my girls switched roles. Normally Daphne is the aggressive one and Hannah content to sit back. This year though Hannah kicked ass if I say so myself. She had multiple goals and got right in there. She was one of the few on her team that didn't beg to sit out all the time.

Now I can't leave my Daffy out. She was awesome too. My favorite part about her was that she smiled the whole time. It didn't matter what was going on she was just happy to be a part of it!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T14:51:00.003-06:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday. However this year I had a hard time getting into things. I don't know what my problem was. I forgot to take pics when the girls had parties at school. I forgot to take pics at story hour. I swear if JD hadn't reminded me about it I may have forgotten entirely. That is so not like me! I even took down my decorations today and usually I leave them up for a few days. Oh well...I guess there is always next year to pull it together! Daphne as a Diva Ladybug!
Kenzie as the cute little witch
Hannah as a Go-Go Girl. She also wore her witch costume from last year to school because the day of the party she decided that is what she wanted to be. She only dressed up as the go-go girl for our ward party. That child is just like me....can't make a decision for the life of her!!

October

2010-11-01T14:41:00.002-06:00

I haven't been blogging very well and since this is my scrapbook I better get my butt in gear. So here are a few pics from the past month!

Apparently my camera is either broken or was on the wrong setting. Anyway this year we decided to paint pumpkins instead of carving them. The girls can't use knives anyway so we thought this may be a better way to get them involved.

The girls LOVED the first snow of the year. Ok I lied...Kenzie hated it. She got all ready to go outside and was there for about 1 minute and then cried to come in because she was too cold. Poor kid...she is cold in 70 degree weather. (I so cannot relate to that)

Daphne wasn't feeling very well a while back and Hannah wanted her to come hang out in her room but did not want her on the bed. So she made her this cute little bed on the floor. It was so cute and so sweet of her. It was the first time all day that Daffy had smiled.

Breakfast with the Witches

2010-11-01T14:29:00.003-06:00

My lovely mother decided that we should go to Breakfast with the Witches at Gardner Village this year. Now for those of you that know me well you know how much I love this kind of thing. Hanging out with a bunch of witches is perfect for me. In fact I could totally have that job!! It was great. Luckily for me other people had their cameras this time because I once again forgot mine. My sister-in-law Aimee and her three girls were with us as well. It was a blast!! We will definitely make this a tradition for sure.

This is my favorite costume. My goal next year is to have something very similar...but maybe in purple!

This cute kid was there last year and so the entire time we were there this lovely witch (and of course I forgot her name) kept calling him her boyfriend. Across the room she would yell "Zachary!! Don't forget about me." He was such a good sport. At the end she even serenaded him on stage. Too cute.

All the girls and my mom. (Ignore the little boy in the pic...we couldn't get him to move)

Thanks Mom! I keep telling JD that you are by far a better date then he is. He better step us his game!!

Guess who sent this to me??

2010-10-28T17:54:00.002-06:00

Hunting with Daddy

2010-10-20T10:21:00.003-06:00

Last week JD and our friend Mike decided to go hunting and bravely take with two cute little girls. Daphne and Mike's daughter Emry. JD woke up Daffy early in the morning and once again she RAN down the hall with excitement. After a quick stop to Maverik for donuts and Dr. Pepper (no judging) they were off. From everything I have heard the girls were extremely well behaved and had a blast. They can hardly wait to go out again!!

JD with Daffy and Emry
Mike with Daffy and Emry

Now JD actually got this deer a few days before taking the girls out with them but I didn't have anywhere else to include this pic so I threw it in here. I told him next year no more baby deer!! ha ha
After a full morning of hunting Kenzie and I met the mighty hunters at Subway. Now tell me...isn't this the cutest hunter you have seen. Such attitude. Oh we are in so much trouble with her when she gets older. She insists upon looking good all the time but doesn't mind getting dirty at all.

Contact High

2010-10-20T09:56:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I went with my Mom to see Willie Nelson in concert. She is a HUGE fan and I am the only nice enough child of hers to agree to go with her. I actually do like Willie quite a bit. In fact this is the second time I have seen him in concert. In true ME style I forgot my camera...go figure. Luckily I still had my phone though. The concert was freezing cold but was a good one. My poor Mom had a horrible ear infection and I think she may have been pretty miserable. And of course you can't go to a Willie concert without getting a "contact high." Lets just say MANY of our neighbors at the concert were smoking weed. Great fun!Aren't we so cute?
While we were at the concert JD took the girls to Chuck E Cheese. I have decided since I am not a big fan of that place that he can be the one designated to take the girls there since they love it. He of course didn't have a camera either so thank goodness for phones once again!

A few weeks

Napping

2010-10-04T14:42:00.001-06:00

Around here as long as Kenzie will nap I pretty much let her nap where she wants which is usually on the couch. The only problem though is that Roxie isn't much for sharing. Poor Kenz gets shoved into the crack. Silly dog.

Little Diva's

2010-09-25T12:23:00.004-06:00

This has been an utterly fabulous week!! One day I will share in full detail about it but for now I am going to keep it private. I did however want to share some cute things.

Kenzie is our little diva around here. Yep hard to believe she can be more of one than her sisters but it is true. Her new favorite thing to say when you ask her something is "Um...actually..." and of course she says it just as a proper diva would.

Both she and Daphne LOVE to dress up. My favorite though was this week they both insisted on wearing their ballerina outfits. Then we went shopping at Sportsmans Warehouse. Let me tell you they were the cutest little hunters in there. And to top things off Daffy wore her camo jacket. A ballerina dress and a camo jacket...nothing cuter than that!

Ear Piercings/Soccer

2010-09-09T14:33:00.003-06:00

I have been terrible about blogging lately and I really have no excuse. Oh wait yes I do! It's called life gets in the way. Daphne is doing two preschools so she goes Monday through Thursday. Then of course there is soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am the new Brownie Girl Scout leader so there are meetings and preparations there. Plus I am in the Young Women Presidency. Hopefully it will all slow down here in a while. Or at least I will get better about keeping track of everything. For now I just feel like a chauffeur!

The girls started soccer. They both had their first game this week. It makes for some long nights so I hope they are at least having a good time. They at least look cute in their "outfits" as they call it.

Daphne has been BEGGING to get her ears pierced for quite a while. Actually ever since Hannah got hers done. Somehow she talked her Daddy into it. (I say somehow but really she has him wrapped around her little finger) She looks so adorable and surprisingly has been taking very good care of them.

Found Birthday Pictures

2010-09-09T14:19:00.002-06:00

My mom turned 60 on August 9th. So to celebrate her birthday we all met at Olive Garden for dinner and then headed to the demolition derby at the Weber County Fair. Let me just say it was a blast!! Unfortunately though I forgot my camera and so all I have are the pics from my phone which are not the greatest. And of course I only took pictures during dinner. Oops. Above is the lovely cake JD and I got for her.
Kenzie just being super cute
Hannah and her cousins Lydia and Julia.
Don't you just love the hat I made her wear??
The demolition derby was the best part. Of course besides the usual crashes and wrecks there was a huge brawl that broke out. Multiple arrests. Fights in the crowd. The worst part though was that one of the drivers had to be life flighted and that was a shame. JD even got in between two guys that were drunk and going after each other. For a second I thought for sure he might get arrested with them! Such a fun night. We plan on making it a tradition every year!

P.S. I hope you had a fabulous birthday Mom. I love you!

School Starts Again. Yipee!!

2010-09-02T15:22:00.002-06:00

I couldn't get Daffy to just stand up straight. Such a little Diva!
Hannah was so excited she RAN all the way to the bus stop!

The girls started school on Monday and in true procrastinator style I am just now getting around to posting pics about it. So for those of you that have asked (my mother) here you go!

JD & His Girls

2010-08-29T15:08:00.002-06:00

Have you ever seen a little girl beam so much?

JD and Daphne went out antelope hunting with his bow the other day. However the story doesn't begin there. A while back he first asked our cute little 4 yr old if she would like to go hunting with him. Well of course she said yes. And then immediately asked if she would get a new outfit to go hunting. (Because every little girl needs a new outfit to go hunting right?) JD agreed and they found her some cute camo. The night before they went he told her that they would stop at the Maverik and get a little something to eat and a pop before they headed out. She even convinced her Papa (JD's Dad) to let them use his 4 wheeler so they didn't have to walk the entire time.

So 6:00 am rolls around the morning of and she woke up yelling and running down the hall with pure excitement. It was like Christmas morning I swear! And she of course woke everyone up in the house. They got ready and headed out looking too cute in their matching camo. They didn't stay out very long and even missed a huge antelope but she had the time of her life. JD told me that he had a better time just hanging out with her than he did actually hunting. She is so stinkin' cute. She is like our pretty little boy. Loves to dress up cute but can play rough like a boy. Are we ever in for it or what?!?
I had to throw these pictures in even though I will probably be in trouble later. For years my husband has swore that there would not be a cat in this house and that he didn't like them. Well a year ago we convinced him to let us have one. (Hey he couldn't fight off all 4 of us forever!) He can argue all he wants but he LOVES that cat. He even told me last night that she has become his favorite pet. And she of course loves him too. Aren't they so sweet?

Princess Slide

2010-08-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

The last time that cousins Tyler and Bella came to play the girls (except Hannah) decided that they needed to play dress up and of course all princesses should go outside and play right? Itwas too cute not to let them. They play so well together it was quite shocking.

Catching Up Again!

2010-08-29T14:51:00.005-06:00

It seems that I have neglected my blog this past month or so. I mainly keep it for myself so that I can print it out at the end of the year so I am quite certain that no one is heartbroken about it. Since I am short on time what with school starting tomorrow I am just going to throw in some pictures. Daphne has a new outfit for school and insists that I make her new bows to go along with it. That's my girl!

We love to go shooting. Well everyone except Kenzie. She generally sits in the Expedition and listens to music. She has very sensitive ears and so isn't a fan of the loud guns. I love shooting JD's 7mm but as you can see I am terrified of it kicking me so I use a blanket as protection!Daffy thought she was so cool shooting the bb pistol.

Not every guy can pull off the "I shoot with a pink gun" look but JD can!Hannah is becoming a better shot. She is still hoping for a .22 for her birthday. We'll just have to wait and see....

My pretty girls all ready for church. I just thought these pics were too cute not to include.

Daffy and Kenzie love to play dress up. This was their invention for the day.

Still Here

2010-08-23T22:02:00.002-06:00

I really haven't neglected this blog it is just that apparently I don't take pictures anymore. Go figure. JD and I got new phones a few weeks back and I took a whole bunch of pictures of my mom at her 60th birthday celebration with my phone (because I forgot my camera once again). And of course I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get them off my phone. I really will though and post them. We went to Olive Garden to eat and to the Demolition Derby at the Weber County Fair and it was a blast! One of these days I will start remembering my camera. For some reason I hate to post things unless there is a picture to go along. So on that note I will quit ranting since I have no pictures!

10 Years??

2010-08-04T18:32:00.004-06:00

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to post today. In fact it will probably still be coming to me as I type. Today is our 10th Anniversary. To say I can't believe it has been 10 years would be a gross understatement. In some ways I sit here today and feel like it was just yesterday that we were newlyweds totally clueless about marriage. In other ways I feel like it has been 100 years and we are still clueless.

JD and I have a very unique relationship. We really don't have many interests in common. He is very into sports and I am not. He is outgoing...I am quite shy. He loves the outdoors...other than up in the mountains I would prefer to stay inside. There are tons of days when we look at each other and wonder how in the world we got together.

We also both love to argue. We will argue about anything from the small to the big and everything in between. Needless to say we have had some pretty huge fights over the years! ha ha

And yet on the flip side of that we believe in the same things. We both believe in me being a stay home mom. We believe in the ways our children should be raised and what they should be taught. We both have very tender hearts. And our favorite thing to do is just to hang out together with the girls.

He also balances me out very well. I am extremely pessimistic and quick to get upset. He is awesome at getting me to see the positive and to help me calm down. He always seems to know just what to say when I am hurting inside. When my Dad died and we had a newborn at home to take care of it was an awful time. He knew though that what I needed most was just to hold that cute baby in my arms. She may have become very spoiled because of that but it is what I needed most at the time.

There are days I absolutely want to strangle him. However, I am also extremely grateful for him. He works incredibly hard for our family. And he is awesome to come home after working a long day and take care of things that I need done as well.

The girls absolutely adore him and I know now why we were blessed with 3 girls. He is amazing with them. Not all guys would be so great with daughters but he truly is.

For those of you that know me best you are wondering what is with all this mushy crap!?! Well I agree...I am not the mushy type normally. But I guess after 10 years I am wise enough to know that sometimes I need to say how I feel. (Even though I doubt he will ever read this).

I had to throw in some pictures just for fun. This first one is the night we got engaged.
Our wedding day. Now if you want to hear me get super pissed ask me what happened to JD's facial hair that day. Yep...not the best way to start off a marriage when your wife wants to choke you. Our families are still hearing about it to this day.
My favorite picture of the two of us. It was taken above Laramie July 5, 1999. (Check out all that snow) It was shortly after we started dating.
My anniversary present. JD has been wanting to get me a new wedding ring for years now and was finally able to trade up for this one. I LOVE it so much. I wish the picture did it justice of just how gorgeous it is. We also got to go spend the night at the Anniversary Inn and just hang out in SLC a few days ago. We had a blast. Thanks hun...love ya!!

Just for fun

2010-07-31T16:03:00.002-06:00

I had just a few random pictures that I wanted to post. JD has decided not to cut his hair all summer and see just how long and curly it can get. This is what it looks like when he wakes up in the morning. It cracks me up!
Every time we watch Tucker he takes good care of Kenzie.
Although I don't drink...I do "whine" a lot. My mom brings me the best t-shirts. I have a love of the peculiar.

Dr. Kenzie

2010-07-31T15:57:00.002-06:00

As most of you know we have a very beloved 3 legged dog named Elmo. My girls all take such good care of him. The other day I told Kenzie to be very nice to Elmo since he was really sore. She immediately ran and got her doctor kit out so she could check on him. Now how could that not just melt your heart??

New Pictures!

2010-07-22T15:13:00.003-06:00

I have this fabulous friend who is super good to me and takes adorable picture of my girls. I know secretly when I ask this big favor she is rolling her eyes at me but she is a good sport. (Now I just need to think of a great way to repay her)

I have been waiting since May to get these pics done. The problem was though that it rained constantly and never let up. Then it was just a matter of picking a good day to work with. My girls had been asking every day if they could wear these shirts so I finally agreed that we better get pics done so they would be able to.

The shirts were the best part. JD loves the Lakers and I love purple so it was a win win for both of us. Here are just a couple of pictures that I love. It took me forever to decide which ones to order (and then of course Walmart messed up my order...I know I shouldn't be surprised) I did add a slideshow with my other favorites at the top.

Thanks again Joni. You are awesome!

The Gorge

2010-07-21T18:24:00.002-06:00

Every year JD takes the girls (well the two oldest anyway) to Flaming Gorge. Normally they stay overnight. This year however they only got to spend the day since he needed to get ready to leave for Scout Camp all this week. My mom, myself, and Kenzie normally go to the horse races at Wyoming Downs but since they are closed this year we didn't get to. (Yeah don't get me started on how irritated I am about that!!) So we went shopping at Park City instead. We still had lots of fun and I was able to get some cute school clothes for the girls. Obviously since I wasn't there I am not sure all of what they did but I did get some cute pictures home.

Oh Daffy....what a goof you are!
I am not quite sure about the silly hats they are wearing but at least their heads didn't get sunburned!

Cousins hanging out
They have talked about the Paddle Boat the most. Apparently it was a hit!

4th of July

2010-07-06T17:15:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to throw in a couple quick pictures of our 4th of July. This year was probably the chilliest I can remember in a long time. Which of course made me super happy. Unfortunately though I have a nasty cold and so that made it miserable.

Kenzie finally understood the concept that candy is thrown during a parade. Usually she just hides in my lap. She was so cute running back and forth to show us her stash.

I tried so hard to get a cute picture of the three of them together. No luck.

Kenzie wanted to play hide-n-seek in this one.
And then Hannah was far too occupied looking at some cute dogs. What a bunch of silly girls!
When it got dark we went over to our friends Mike and Malona's house to set off some fireworks. For those that know JD well will probably not be surprised to know that once again he started something on fire. With one try he lit a small brush fire in two separate spots. I can't figure out why I keep letting him light fireworks!

Their little girl Jersey saw me pull out the camera and so was just posing away (well and Kenzie too).
All in all we really did have a nice day. We are so very grateful for our freedom and for the soldiers and their families that sacrifice so much for us!!

Soda Springs

2010-07-04T18:49:00.005-06:00

On Wednesday we decided to go see JD's sister Stephanie and her family in Soda Springs, ID. It was so beautiful there and we had a ton of fun. I am sure we will be going back very soon.

The kids and JD had a blast at Lava Hot Springs. I am not much for the water and heat and sun - bad combination for me. It was really fun to watch the girls having so much fun though.
Kenzie was like a maniac going down this slide. Thankfully Steph was nice enough to keep her entertained!
JD, Kenzie, Hannah and cousin Tyler.
JD was like a little kid. As soon as I saw the high platform I KNEW he would eventually go off of it. I think it was about 37 feet high. The look on his face was priceless!!

Hannah loved the little diving board. I swear that child is half fish. She is such a chicken most of the time but in the water she is like a totally different kid! I am so glad she got that from her Daddy.
After we were done at Lava we went to a Thai restaurant. To say I was nervous about that would be a huge understatement. I went the chicken route and got fried chicken with the kids. However, it is the best fried chicken ever! JD ordered some pork thing and he even loved it. Quite a shocker considering we don't eat Chinese (or similar) food at all plus this restaurant was in an old gas station!

There is a geyser right in the middle of town. It is on a timer so it goes off every hour. The girls thought it was very entertaining. Here is Daphne and her cousin Izzy.

Dirt Baby

2010-06-27T13:53:00.002-06:00

Towards the end of the school year Hannah's class made these cute little dirt babies. When she first brought it home it had a few tiny pieces of grass growing in but not much. We put it in the window seal and kinda figured it would be dead within a week. Nope! Her little dirt baby is alive and kicking. In fact it has grown so much that she has had to give it a haircut twice now. It is the silliest little thing and yet it just cracks me up every time I look at it. JD keeps saying he has a hard time growing grass in the yard and Hannah can grow it out of a nylon!

Swim Lessons

2010-06-27T13:45:00.002-06:00

Have I ever mentioned that my girls are half fish? Well I really believe they are. And thank goodness they got that quality from their dad. I like to swim but am terrible at it. I could probably save my life but that is about it.

Even when Hannah was little she loved the water! She was such a chicken about most things unless it came to the pool. She is pretty much fearless and because of that has become quite the good little swimmer. Daphne on the other hand who is normally pretty fearless was a bit chicken this year and scared to go to the deep end of the pool. By the end though she managed to get over it and even jumped off the diving board. They both did!

I am so excited that they got this gene from JD's side of the family. They are soooo excited to start swim lessons again in a week. You gotta admit....those are two cute little fish!!

Father's Day Fishies

2010-06-20T20:45:00.004-06:00

We decided tonight that we would take the girls fishing at the kids pond. I personally think it was a little bit more for JD and I then for them though :) (Plus it made for an excellent Father's Day present) The girls were super excited. And the excitement lasted for almost 30 minutes. But of course in that amount of time we had not caught anything. We kept at it and finally JD was able to snag one and let the girls reel it in. They were SO excited until they actually saw the fish and then like the little girls they are they completely freaked out! It was pretty cute. I was able to finally get them to come close enough to get a picture of their tiny prize.

After their big catch they wanted to keep trying for another. No luck. I finally decided that we were going to head home after the next cast. I threw it out there and about 5 seconds later I had one on the hook. I called for the girls to come reel it in but they knew this time what was at the end so they were completely unwilling. Not to brag but my fish was about twice the size of JD's. Ha ha!

I hope JD had a great Father's Day. He really is one hell of a good Daddy!!

We are so proud of her!

2010-06-15T13:19:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of this year Hannah wanted so badly to meet her reading goal of 80 books and get her Samurai. I thought it might take her all year but it turns out she did it rather quickly. Then she decided to get her second Samurai (160 books). After meeting both of those goals she went after getting to 200 books. Well she did it! And we are both so incredibly proud of her. She worked so diligently. We very rarely even had to remind her to read.

At the end of the year they had an awards ceremony where she received a little award. **On another note I am still so upset that I was not at the ceremony. She told me the night before that parents were not suppose to be there so of course I did not go. Then later found out I should have been there. I was not a happy Mommy....still proud....but not happy.

Then in the paper they put all the kids pictures in that reached their 200 book goal and they printed her name incorrectly. Yep...gonna have to go yell at someone over that one.

She is a fantastic reader and we are so super proud of her! Love you Hannah!!

Didn't want to forget

2010-06-15T13:08:00.002-06:00

We did these cute pictures while at Chuck E Cheese a while back and I just found them. I wanted them to be included in my blog.

Flooding

2010-06-15T13:00:00.002-06:00

The lakes and rivers around here have been extremely full so on Saturday we decided to take a drive to see just how bad it really was. We drove up to Meeks Cabin and also to Stateline and they are indeed full to the brim. On our way back home we were surprised at how much flooding had already taken place. This first picture above is the parking lot of Pamida.

This next picture is in Mountain View just down the street from our friends' house. Needless to say I think they were pretty worried.

This was a house out in Robertson. I am guessing that whomever lives here had no idea their vehicles were half under water.

Pet Friendly Home

2010-06-13T19:49:00.003-06:00

I may have mentioned this a time or twelve but at our house our pets are part of the family for sure. Kenzie decided the other day that her Hailee Rose (yes that is the kitty's name) needed a can of soft kitty food. She then also promoted herself to supervisor of kitty dinner time.

I had to throw in this picture because it looks like they are sharing the food. I assure you they are not but it was still cute.
This one doesn't have anything to do with the pets but I love this picture. Kenzie would wear a tutu everywhere if I would let her.
And this is my Harley. He is a gorgeous (and super fat) long haired wiener dog. Poor guy just gets too hot in the summer with all that fur so we give him the lion cut at least once a year. After he gets cut he runs around like he is something special. And of course we agree.

1600 ft. underground

2010-06-04T08:37:00.004-06:00

I have been very curious to see where JD works but VERY unwilling to actually go down underground. So a few weeks ago he took a camera down there with him after getting permission to do so. I can honestly say the pictures definitely made me much more appreciate of the hard work that he does.

The miner in all the dust
The cage to get down into the mine
Roof support bolts
Roof supports
JD running his beaver bolter
Crib roof supports
JD in the miner
The two guys he works with (Justin and Bill)
Crazy Eye Bill

Scandinavian Festival

2010-06-03T17:41:00.006-06:00

This past weekend me, my Mom, my 3 girls, my sister-in-law, and her 3 girls all took a little mini vacation to Ephraim, UT for the Scandinavian Festival. Actually that was just a good excuse for me to go with my Mom back to where she and my Dad grew up. I really thought she would be teary the entire time but she really held up well. There is lots of history there of course for our family so it was fun to drive around and have her tell me stories about different places.

Our first stop was to the Pioneer Cemetery. However it was so windy that we could hardly even stand up so pictures were definitely out of the question. Too bad...it is a pretty creepy place to be!

These pictures are out of order but I just do not have the patience to try to fix them.

This was one of the Viking's in the parade. (I know you are thinking that next year you really want to see this parade...it's ok...you can admit it)

Hannah and Lydia watching the parade

This is the house where my Mom grew up. On the second day I convinced her to go knock on the door to see if the owners would let her come in. Luckily they did. I think this may have been the best part of the trip for her.

Daphne and Kenzie hanging out at the cemetery. (We ended up going to 6 cemeteries that weekend)

This is the house where my Great-Grandma Druzella lived. My mom use to spend the night at her house up in the attic where there was no heat. Yep...that is one of those stories she tells us when we whine about being too cold here in Wyoming. Daphne's middle name is Dru which is short for Druzella. I just had to get a picture of her in front of the house. She kept telling me that this is where she got her name. It was pretty cute. The house it about 140 years old and I was amazed at how well it has held up! My mom's cousin Jane still owns the house so we got to hang out there for a while and visit. She also gave each of the girls the cute little flower headbands that are in some of the previous pictures. They looked so cute! Just like little Scandinavian girls of old.

I tried so hard to get a pic of all the girls by this tree but Daphne and Kenzie were NOT cooperating.

When we first got into town the girls were hungry so we stopped to have some pizza and even got a free ice cream. The ice cream parlor was adorable!

It appears I took lots of pictures of the girls at the ice cream parlor and neglected to get pictures of some of the other things we did. Oops.

Friday night Mom told me I could pick where we ate and so of course I had to choose the bakery in Manti. When I was little I would stay at my Grandparents while everyone went up in the mountains and Grandpa would always walk down to the bakery with me to get hamburgers, picadillies, and ice cream. What is a picadillie you ask? Well for someone like me who loves their potatoes they are just heaven. They are just basically a fat french fry. (Very much like English chips.) I know it is silly but that is my favorite memory of Manti. I do not have any Grandparents anymore so it was nice to be able to go back to where they lived.

We also got to eat barbecued turkey and picadillies (hmm...I am sensing a pattern here) at the Scandinavian Festival. It was super yummy! I really wanted to stop in Moroni on the way back to get some turkey but we somehow forgot to.

All in all we had a really good time. There were some minor glitches as always when you are dealing with kids. My niece Julia got sick and had to go home with her mom early. Daphne lost it towards the end and got in trouble by me. But surprisingly for having 6 girls under the age of 10 with they all got along really well.

Preschool Graduation.

2010-06-03T16:47:00.003-06:00

Daphne had her preschool graduation last week. Of course she needed a new outfit for the occaision. Oh my little Daffy....she is so stinkin' cute! They did a cute little song where 5 students were picked to stand up in front. She was one of them and she was also the last one left standing. The teacher down in front was trying to get her to sit down because the song says something about there being no more ducks left. She just decided to head straight back to her chair on the stand. It was so funny.

She keeps telling us that next year she is going to attend two preschools because she is "so super smart." Hopefully we will be able to afford to do that for her.

Daffy and her cousin BoDee

After she received her diploma. She was pretty proud. (Picture taken by Hannah)

She has also been attending a little preschool at the High School. The graduation for that was the next day so she just wore her same cute outfit.

All 4 preschool classes at Miss Holly's.

We got this cute little video of her singing a graduation song at the High School. I hope it will work ok on here!

I thought it was May 22nd???

2010-05-22T13:58:00.003-06:00

I was extremely surprised when I woke up this morning and discovered this.......I guess it is a good thing I haven't planted any flowers yet!!

Sleep where you want to

2010-05-22T13:51:00.002-06:00

Have I mentioned before that my kitty thinks she can do whatever she pleases around here? Her favorite thing of course is to sleep where she really is not wanted. The table and above the fireplace seem to be her favorites. It's a good thing she is cute and super nice to the girls.....

Craftiness

2010-05-22T13:47:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Daphne and Hannah to do some cute "make and take" crafts. I am really not sure why but I only got pictures of Daphne with hers all completed. I kept thinking I would get around to taking a picture with Hannah's and the one I made for Kenzie...but it never happened. So before I forget I figured I would at least include these pics. The girls had so much fun making these and I thought they turned out so darling.

Potty Training???

2010-05-22T13:43:00.002-06:00

We have been trying to work on the whole potty training thing with Kenzie. I found her doing this with her new pull ups. Hmm...I don't think she quite has the right idea!

Daffy's Picture

2010-05-22T13:40:00.002-06:00

Daphne brought home this cute picture a couple of weeks ago and I just had to share it. She told me this is her daddy with a pink tutu on. Gotta love that girl!!

Chickmunk

2010-05-18T16:51:00.002-06:00

The other day we discovered that there is a chipmunk (well we hope it is only one) living under our shed. He is actually really cute. The girls unfortunately have grown very fond of him. Kenzie calls him a "chickmunk." We got this cute picture of them out checking out their new friend, the chickmunk. If you look really closely you can see him running under the shed.

Too bad we have to get rid of him.....

End of year dance recital

2010-05-18T16:43:00.002-06:00

Another dance recital has come and gone. The girls were gorgeous (as always) and did a spectacular job (as always). Hannah is wanting to add clogging next year. I really hope she does because I think that it looks like so much fun!!

We want to steal her!

2010-05-11T16:47:00.002-06:00

We were finally able to get over to Matt (JD's cousin) and Katie's to see their new baby girl, Sammi Jo. (Hannah absolutely forbid us to go without her) She is so dang cute we just wanted to steal her. I mean after all I do know a little bit about girls! I wish I had remembered my camera because my phone does not take very good pictures at all. Plus she has the most amazing hair that I would LOVE to be able to show. Her hair is dark except it looks like she has blonde highlights in it. In fact there is one section that is just as blonde as can be amidst all of the dark hair. So precious!

Kenzie was more interested in all of the dogs outside and the cat inside than the baby. Hannah and Daphne spent the time arguing about who got to hold her next. They were both quite the little baby hogs!

JD sure seems like a pro holding a baby girl.....
When we first got there Matt and Katie were both outside riding their horses. (Yes you read that right....Katie just two weeks after having a baby was on a horse. What a woman!) Anyway I would have loved to get on and go for a long ride but I suppose since we were there to see the baby that is what I should have been doing. We did manage to get Hannah up on the horse for just a minute. Daphne chickened out. Kenzie freaked out. What brats!

What I spend my time doing!!

2010-05-03T22:42:00.003-06:00

As most of you know I have a bit of an obsession. First it started with bows. Now it has progressed into something worse. I LOVE trying out new hairdos on my girls. Luckily for me they are very patient with me. These two styles are my new favorites. Unfortunately though...the one that Hannah has especially takes me too long so it won't be a frequent one. Maybe after some practice I will get faster. Anyway just had to share some pics especially for those of you that whine at me too much (yes Mom...I am talking about you!)

Sluffing School

2010-04-30T18:54:00.005-06:00

Sometimes you just have to sluff school right?? Just teasing. We really did pull Hannah out of school for the day but it was only because JD had a doctor's appointment in SLC really early Wednesday morning. Hannah really didn't want to stay without us so she came along. They were all so good during the doctor's appointment and since my mom gave us free tickets to Discovery Gateway we decided to go play for a while. The girls had a blast like always.

The first picture up top is Hannah and Kenzie hanging out in the shopping cart at Costco. Poor Kenzie was so tired and just wanted her Hannah to hold her. I swear that kid loves Hannah more than me!!

Kenzie's favorite part of the museum is getting her hands wet in the water thingy (a technical term I am sure) and then drying them off with the air dryer. She probably went back and forth at least 50 times. I even posted a video of it!
Daffy was trying really hard to find the mouse in the little mouse door. Silly girl...

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This is the first time I actually got them to get up on the horse. My girls love animals but for some reason this plastic horse always frightens them off.

I love being able to get away and do something fun with my girls even if it is only for a little while!

Small Town Entertainment

2010-04-26T21:05:00.003-06:00

If you live in a small town like we do there is often not a lot of entertainment around. Tonight however we actually did have something fun to do. We went and watched a little Donkey Basketball. I had never even heard of such a thing until just recently. I must say it was hilarious!! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. The best part however was watching the players try to get back on the donkey. Good times!

Of course the girls just had to pet one of the Donkey's. And we even got them to get on for a picture opportunity....

JD's cousin Matt was one of the participants. So was his Uncle Milo but I didn't get a good pic of him.

Anyway if you have never witnessed such a sight I posted a little video here. I sure hope it works!

My little V.I.P.

2010-04-24T21:27:00.003-06:00

Hannah is the V.I.P in her class this upcoming week and she is beyond excited. Everyone gets a turn to be V.I.P and create a poster all about themselves. I think Hannah did an awesome job on hers and so I wanted to share it. I did help her just a bit but for the most part she did this on her own. She was beaming when she got it all finished. It was cute to hear her explain what she wanted on it and why. She is growing up much too quickly. Most days I really wish I could freeze time....She really wanted to include a picture of her Grandpa Gordon (my Dad). He was only alive for one month after she was born but I believe they have a very strong bond.

As you can see throughout her poster her dogs are a very important part....especially her Elmo. When he was a puppy she would use him as a pillow. He is part cattle dog and so he loves to corral her. It is super cute!

She also wanted to include a picture of Great Grandma Taylor. Grandma is getting pretty old and she always says she feels very special because she has a Great Grandma that is still living. What a doll.
She also threw up in some pics of her favorite foods and things she likes to do. She was an amazing big sister when both of her sisters were born. She would hold them until her arm began to fall asleep!
Hannah is always the V.I.P in our house and I am so happy that I got to work on this poster with her. She is growing up into an amazing girl and we just love her to pieces!

Nice Kitty

2010-04-24T21:25:00.000-06:00

I just love this picture and so I had to share it. I have such a nice kitty.....

She finally got it!!

2010-04-21T08:43:00.001-06:00

Now I know that most of you will see this and say "wow...it's about time." And we would probably agree. But my Hannah is so much like her Mommy in so many ways....a big chicken. She has been terrified to ride her bike without training wheels (even though we knew she could do it). So we haven't pushed the issue. We just figured that she would eventually be brave....or get made fun of! Sunday she decided she was feeling brave and after about 10 minutes she finally got it. This is an experiment to see if the camcorder on my phone will work or not. I wish I had gotten pictures but i was so busy with the two camcorder's that I completely spaced it out. Oops.

Girl Scout Field Trip

2010-04-21T08:26:00.004-06:00

First of all I have to apologize for these pictures. I forgot my camera and so I had to use the one on my phone which is not great.

Now then, this past Saturday I went along on the Girl Scout's field trip to the Treehouse Museum. I would love to say it was a fantastic day but quite frankly I would be lying. The trip might not have been that bad except that I drove and my Expedition was acting up. Apparently the tires were off balance and so it shook the entire way. I was so car sick I could hardly focus on anything else. I think the girls had a really good time though.

You will notice I started with a pic of Hannah next to the cardboard cut-out of Pres. Obama. I mainly threw that one in because JD hates it.

Imagine that....Hannah playing babies. That is the majority of what she plays at our house so I was not surprised at all when she ran straight for the babies. What a cutie!
Hannah and her cousin Brynlee.

My two front teeth

2010-04-12T21:57:00.003-06:00

My cute little Hannah Banana finally got a couple more loose teeth. (The last time she lost a tooth was over a year ago!) She has been wiggling them so much she was starting to drive me crazy. Finally after much coaxing I convinced her to let Daddy try to yank them out for her. It only took two tries and he got the first front tooth. She was thrilled! Too bad the Tooth Fairy forgot to leave something under her pillow that night (luckily she covered it up well the next morning....don't ask)

Then this morning she wanted to let her Daddy try to get the second front tooth. This time it only took one try and it was out. She was so excited to get to go to school without her two front teeth. This time I am certain the Tooth Fairy will remember to leave something under her pillow!

Every time I tried to get a close up she kept closing her eyes. I didn't want her to be late for school so we had to settle with this pic. Oh how I wish I could stop time so she would quit growing up!!

Just some cuteness

2010-04-12T21:11:00.005-06:00

While JD's sister Amy and her family were on vacation we watched their dog Tucker. My girls absolutely adore him and I think he loves to be here as well. His best friend while he was here....the kitty of course! They played, and played, and played. It was so fun to watch them chase after each other. I really think Tucker believes himself to be a cat.

When Amy got back from their vacation she brought my girls some presents. I didn't get pictures of Hannah and Daphne's but had to throw in this one of Kenzie. She LOVES the Disney Princesses. Amy got her this cute set of 6 of them and since then she has not put them down. Last night they had to shower with her and sleep in her bed. Today they were dragged all around town with us. Silly girl.
I haven't told JD about this yet but Kenzie has a need....a need for speed! Oh I just had to say that. She has a little 4 wheeler of her own but she has decided that it doesn't go fast enough so she rides with her big sister. I guess I know what we will be buying her next!

The girls love to ride their 4 wheelers with our neighbor Eben. Luckily for us they all play really well together.