The Hauck Family

4 months old

2012-02-17T12:26:00.003-06:00

ans SO excited about it! Marshall is growing so fast and is absolutely adorable! (If I do say so myself...)

My Valentines...

2012-02-17T12:22:00.001-06:00

I love my boys!

Crazy Cousin Fun

2012-02-14T09:42:00.004-06:00

Some more Arizona Hauck cousins came into town and it made for lots of fun....and not a lot of sleep! :) The Taylor Swift Dance Party

Sleepovers!

Playing in the snow Pizza Party at Uncle Chris's house with matching hair-do's by Aunt Melinda.

And the biggest event: saying goodbye to Michael Ammon who is leaving today for his mission to Zimbabwe! We'll miss you!

Happy 75th Birthday Dad!

2012-02-13T00:12:00.004-06:00

My wonderful dad turned 75 a couple of weeks ago. We just had a laid-back family get-together since he was struggling with a fractured spine. (Which, unfortunatly, has since become MUCH worse). My dad is such a kind, patient, easy-going, wonderful man and the hardest worker on the planet. He is always willing to help those around him and has always been such a good example for me. I love him so much!
(It is so sad that when I took this picture I had a feeling that his health might soon severly decline and it has... )
The grandkids at the party.

My kids adore my dad and vice versa!

The cousins had lots of fun together, as always!

A picture-perfect moment with adorable Mara.

We love you Grandpa! Please get better soon!

Cutest Baby Boy

2012-02-12T20:54:00.002-06:00

Marshall at 3 months old. I can't get enough of him! I love all his boy clothes, his babbling and rapsberry sounds (aka, the boy sound effects gene), his first haircut-- everything! We are so blessed to have him and love him so much!

The girls all love Marshall but Elie is particularly smitten with him. She loves to hold him and I love how, when he is fussy, she will rock him in the rocking chair and sweetly sing Primary songs to him until his calms down. So precious!

Brad Paisley

2012-01-28T08:38:00.006-06:00

This concert was the BEST birthday present EVER!!
TOTALLY worth turning 30 for!
Steve and I have never been big concert go-ers, but we had SO MUCH fun! Brad put on an awesome show! It was a great night with my hot date!
He sang all my favorite songs and I was singing along to every word!

He came back to sing to the "cheap seats" right below us.

When he started playing "Remind Me" I was a little disappointed because I didn't want to hear the song without Carrie Underwood (He sang "Whiskey Lullaby" with the girl from The Band Perry and it just wasn't the same as Allison Krauss), but then they did this awesome video thing and at first I thought she was really there and I was freaking out. It was still SO awesome!

Thanks Honey for such a great gift and such a fun time last night! I love you! (WAY more than I love Brad Paisley....:)

3 months old!

2012-01-17T20:35:00.004-06:00

Our cute little Marshall is already 3 months old! I can't believe it! He is so sweet and happy. I absolutely LOVE to see him smile and hear him laugh! He is an excellent sleeper--often doing 6 or 7 hour stretches at night. He still likes being swaddled and loves his binkie now too. Daddy wanted to try out the Bumbo, and though Marshall still needs a little head support, he loves sitting up. He has discovered his hands: he sucks on his fingers and even reaches out for his toys!

Emma loves to love Marshall-- and isn't always as soft as she should be. I guess she'll make you tough, buddy! I'm sure you won't be the "Little Brother" for long!
But isn't she cute!? Emmaline is in such a fun stage where she loves pretending. She fills up bags, purses and/or boxes with things and carries them all over the house, loves accessories, and is always talking or singing to herself. Three-year-olds are so funny and sweet (and a little crazy too...) !

Is that really me?

2012-01-17T20:02:00.004-06:00

Yes, I turned 30. I'm not depressed-- its just weird. In my mind, the 30-year-old women with 4 kids are the people I babysit for-- not ME!
But I couldn't ask for any greater blessings at this stage in my life: here are 4 of the biggest ones with me.

Steve spoiled me with breakfast in bed, a surprise early night home from work, beautiful flowers, the sweetest card and tickets to see Brad Paisley in concert!! I can't wait! My girls were so sweet too. I was showered with homemade cards and gifts. Elie made me a necklace and fabric creation. Katelyn designed, pieced together and sewed a sleeping mask for me all by herself (seriously, I don't know where she gets these creative ideas!) and signed her first acrylic painting with a message just for me. The best kind of presents by far!

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-17T16:35:00.002-06:00

We welcomed 2012 with our East Coast loved ones.....meaning, we let the girls stay up until 10:00pm! Everyone else in the extended family was sick, so we enjoyed munchies with Grandpa and Nana, counted down, watched the fireworks on the 10:00 news, banged some pots and pans outside the front door, and put the girls to bed. But we had fun!
Steve also continued the tradition of a puzzle over the holidays with his Dad.

Here's to a fabulous new year!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T21:44:00.005-06:00

Cute kids in new jammies on Christmas Eve! Our little Elf!

Absolutely adorable!

Santa brought Katie more art supplies and her favorite: an MP3 player!

Emma got what she'd been wishing for: a dollhouse!

And Elie had the biggest box: a Barbie house!

Daddy was SO excited for Marshall's presents this year. He made sure to get a Transformer too!

Katelyn worked some magic at school and traded her gift to get an Optimus Prime Transformer just for Daddy. Such a sweet Daddy's girl!

Cousins and Christmas

2011-12-27T17:34:00.010-06:00

Playing with some of our Arizona Hauck cousins in what little snow we have so far. Two wonderful boys: Marshall and Kolton Marshall

The "Show" girls Elie and Lilli

The Nativity Pageant on Christmas Eve with the Haucks

An angel kissing baby Jesus

Two of my angels: Elie

and Emma

Loves from Grandpa Hauck

Smiles with Nana

The Nativity Puppet Show on Christmas Day with the Barnes

A talent show at each Grandma's house featuring "Jolly Old St. Nicholas," and "Jingle Bells" in English and Spanish! Katie is loving piano lessons from Nana and a little Spanish from her school teacher.

2 months old

2011-12-17T22:29:00.005-06:00

Happy 2 month Birthday Marshall! We couldn't love you more!
(all 14 pounds of you!) He always smiles for Daddy!

Today we had SO MUCH FUN at the BYU vs. Baylor basketball game! It was a tough loss but an amazing game to witness in person. It was crazy and loud and awesome (and Marshall slept through the whole thing)!

My Little Man

2011-12-17T22:19:00.004-06:00

Oh I could just eat him up! My friend Melanie was right, little boys looks extra grown up in church clothes. 8 weeks old We love to see Marshall's big smiles now. 7 1/2 weeks old Cuddling with Evelyn. These two were born just days apart. SO cute! 8 1/2 weeks old

Marshall's Blessing

2011-12-06T18:28:00.003-06:00

Stephen gave Marshall the MOST amazing blessing on Sunday. The Spirit was so strong and I felt so much love for both of my boys! We enjoyed being with wonderful family and friends as well.

Can you tell I got a new camera? Merry early Christmas to me! Thanks honey!

Temple Square

2011-11-30T21:30:00.002-06:00

On Brandon and Monique's last night in town we went to Temple Square to enjoy the lights.
(I'll have to replace my dark pictures with the ones from Monique's better camera.)

Katelyn, Emma, Sarah, Kalum, Ryan, Heather, Elie, Bradyn Cute Cousins!

Under our favorite red tree!

We love seeing the lights-- we missed that last year in Kansas. It really got me ready for Christmas! (now I just have to figure out all the gifts....)

Basketball Buddies

2011-11-30T21:13:00.002-06:00

Here is Marshall and his newest cousin Joseph in their coordinating Air Jordan outifts from Brandon and Monique. They were born only 1 month apart! It won't be long before these two are out on the basketball court together!

Goooooooo Cougars!

2011-11-30T21:10:00.003-06:00

This little shirt was a purchase Steve and I were very excited to make!

One Month Old!

2011-11-17T19:16:00.002-06:00

I can't believe Marshall is already one month old! It is so sad to see how much he has grown and lost the newborn look, but it is so fun to see him become more aware, hear his little voice cooing and see him smile! He smiled his first real smile at me as I was changing his diaper when he was exactly 4 weeks old. We are loving every minute with him!

On his one month birthday:
Priceless!
4 weeks old

Still rockin' the mohawk!

We love you buddy!

Growing too fast!

2011-11-11T12:13:00.003-06:00

Emma is making sure Marshall doesn't get lonely! LOVE THIS!

Little Brother!

Love the sports jammies!

So Sweet!

He looks so grown up in real clothes!

We love you buddy!

I can't believe Marshall is almost a month old. I just want to freeze time with him!

Cute Cousins

2011-11-11T12:10:00.003-06:00

My brother and I have had all of our kids within weeks of eachother. First 3 boys and 3 girls (respectively) and now these little game changers!
The MAR's: Marshall and Mara Jack and Elie

Lagoon!

2011-11-10T14:12:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a nice afternoon at Lagoon for the University of Phoenix Alumni Day (cheap Mommy enjoyed it so much more because it was free!). It was a few days before Halloween so we got to do some of the Frightmares attractions. (FYI: it had been crazy hair day at school and I broke out my original 1985 hair crimper for Katie!)

I love seeing them on these old kiddie rides-- it brings back SO many memories!

We did do a few big rides. Steve took the big girls on Centennial Screamer-- always a classic! And Katie and I rode Wicked together. It was awesome!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T10:59:00.004-05:00

We had a great Halloween! There is nothing cuter than kids running around all decked out in costumes!Our little Punkin!

With Grandma and Grandpa Barnes
With Nana-- apparently this mask has a long history and used to scare Steve when he was little!

We had fun trick-or-treating with our cousin Heather in Kaysville-- our kids have never gotten so much candy! Emma was totally into it this year running from house to house. One time she was a little behind the big girls getting to a door and yelled to the people, "Wait!! There's one more! There's one more kid!" Then she started sitting down on the bottom step, waiting until they opened the door, and then making her way up to get some candy.

Little Red Riding Hood checking out a 614 pound Jack-o-Lantern!

Emma resisted letting us hold her very heavy bucket for a long time!

Marshall spent the night snuggled up in his carseat at Aunt Becky's.

We really should throw away most of this candy.......maybe not. :)

Happy Birthday Elie!

2011-11-01T19:15:00.004-05:00

Elie had a great 6th birthday!

We brought donuts and presented her photo poster to her Kindergarten class. (it was Crazy Hat day at school) She had breakfast in bed (still a little sleepy!) And she got the horsie she had been dying to have for months!
Elie had been planning a costume birthday party since this summer and, even with a newborn, I couldn't tell her no! So we just had a few friends, a few games and lots of fun!

Elie and her great friend from Syracuse, Caroline! (I love that Rapunzel brought her frying pan!)Mummy hot dogs were a hit!

SO excited to be SIX!

We love you Elie! You are such a special part of our family. We love how happy and enthusiastic you are. We love how you are constantly singing and dancing around and always want to look beautiful. We love how you sing Primay songs to Marshall when he cries and always want to be so careful and protect him. We love how polite you are and that you are always the first one to say Thank You. We can't believe you are already six-- it seems like just yesterday we were coming home from the hospital with you! Happy Birthday Beaner!

Fall Fun!!

2011-10-31T16:19:00.006-05:00

We've had a busy week full of Fall Fun!
Daddy took the girls to the Halloween Parade at their school. We got started on raking the leaves.

We went to Pack's Pumpkin Patch to pick out our pumpkins!

It was cold and windy!

And we carved our pumpkins on Elie's birthday!

Katie picked the biggest pumpkin she could find! And we made sure to get a tiny one for Marshall. They all turned out pretty cute (before the deer started eating them)!

And on Halloween we finished up the leaves with Grandpa Hauck.

Now THAT is A LOT of leaves!

Marshall stayed snug and warm inside!

I guess we have to be ready for the snow now!

Our First Week

2011-10-24T12:26:00.006-05:00

3 days old-- so precious! Why can't the newborn stage last forever? I am already mourning that he is growing up! This outfit doesn't even fit anymore!!
Marshall's first BYU game! 5 days old

TOUCHDOWN! First faux-hawk! 6 days old

1 week old-- I finally caught a smile with the camera!!

We are so blessed to have our precious little baby! We've had a wonderful week all snuggled up at home alone as a family-- just the way I like it!

Baby Marshall Stephen

2011-10-20T12:19:00.014-05:00

We are so excited to have our baby brother with us!
Born at 1:44pm on October 17. 8 pounds 11 ounces, 21 inches long The happy faces of an epidural!

Daddy's little buddy

So in love! Family of SIX-- Crazy!
Now the girls look SO big.

His sisters sure love him!

Snuggle bug-- he loves his tummy!

He has been such good sleeper! His hospital photo shoot

We love his hair!

Ready to go home!

Snuggled up tight!

We are all completely in love with our little Marshall. He is so sweet! And plus, he is such a good sleeper and hardly ever cries! There is nothing like a newborn.

Off to Priesthood

2011-10-07T10:21:00.001-05:00

Just some of the Hauck/Wykstra boys off to Priesthood last week. Congratulations to Michael Ammon on his mission call to Zimbabwe! How exciting!

Happy Birthday Emmaline!

2011-10-01T23:24:00.008-05:00

Emma was so excited for her birthday this year! When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday presents or party she only said "Purple!" We had fun after General Conference with both sets of grandparents and some cousins.For the second year in a row, she immediately blew out the candles after we lit them and started singing! So we kept singing and lit them again. Super excited!

Happy Girl with some Purple!

I guess she loved the Princess Barbies we got her!

Emmaline, I can't believe you are already 3 years old! You are such a delight in our family. I love how you play pretend in the little kitchen or talk to your dolls, and when you dance around and sing at the top of your lungs. I love how you say "Oh Tay," or "Mommy! I need to tell you sumping!" You love to watch movies. You love Tangled but don't like the scary parts and always hide under your pink blankie when Gothel is on. You love to do whatever your sisters are doing and are so smart and grown up already. You are super excited to be a big sister and can't wait to help change diapers!

Happy Birthday Emma! We love you SO much!

GO COUGARS!

2011-10-01T02:38:00.002-05:00

We were so excited to take our girls to a BYU game! They've been talking about it ever since we knew we were moving back to Utah.

Rah Rah Ra Ra Ra Goooooooooo Cougars!

Way too grown up...

RILEY! RILEY! RILEY!-- Back-up quarterback Riley Nelson came in mid 3rd quarter and beat the Aggies. His 96 yard drive with 2 minutes left was an AMAZING finish!

We even went down on the field after the game--the girls LOVED it! Cute cheerleaders!

Pretty happy brothers!

So much fun!!!

Stretching out Summer

2011-09-29T21:19:00.004-05:00

Well, before school we bundle up to go to the bus stop and then after school it is warm enough to go swimming! We're enjoying it as long as we can! Look at that face!

She's not drowning-- she vigorously thrusts her head in the water and swims really fast!

Katie is our diving girl!

Go Elie!

I can't get enough of this girl!

Living by grandparents has its perks!!

Definitely Not In Kansas Anymore...

2011-09-29T21:11:00.006-05:00

Since we literally live in the mountains now, we remind our girls that we could never see this much beauty in the landscape of Kansas!
We took a little hike up Mueller Park Canyon and the girls LOVED it! I think they could have made it all the way to Elephant Rock! Mommy on the other hand (or should I say, our baby) wasn't so sure.... Emma cried for 20 minutes about putting on her socks and shoes (she's definitely a flip-flop girl)and then she never wanted to stop hiking!The girls!

We see deer almost every day and all the leaves are changing to bright, vibrant colors now. It is gorgeous!

And it was a good thing Elie finally got her tooth out-- I wasn't going to let her go hiking if she didn't. OH THE DRAMA!! What happened to my brave girl who pulled out her bottom 2 teeth all by herself without a single tear? Oh well....3 teeth down and the 4th is still hanging by a thread!

Game Day

2011-09-23T14:06:00.002-05:00

I'll admit, it was a lot more exciting to put on these shirts before we saw the Cougars play like a high school team against the Utes last week. But we're still true blue and wearing them again this week!

Foreshadowing for how the Utah game would go.....?

The only thing constant in life...

2011-09-12T01:19:00.002-05:00

is CHANGE! Yes, it is true. We are moving back to Utah this week! It is such a bittersweet time. We are so sad to leave Wichita yet we are excited for Steve to rejoin his campus in Utah. We have absolutely loved living in Kansas. We will miss our ward, the missionaries, the girls' school, and of course all of the wonderful friends we have made. It has been such a blessing to live here.

First Day of Kindergarten!

2011-08-22T14:24:00.004-05:00

FINALLY! Elizabeth gets to start school and she couldn't be more excited! She kept saying all day, "I can't believe I'm really starting school!" Ready to go!

Her teacher Mrs. Jimenez seems like she'll be great!

Elie is SO ready for school. It has been hard to wait almost a whole year longer than Katelyn because of her fall birthday. But I still shed a couple tears today after dropping my second baby off at school (compounded by pregnancy and a sweet poem her teacher gave the parents). But I know she will thrive and love it so we are all excited! Have fun Elie! We love you!

First Day of Third Grade

2011-08-19T16:16:00.003-05:00

Katie was so excited to start school! Doesn't she look so cute and grown up? Have a great year Katie!

Ready to Go!

2011-08-17T16:08:00.003-05:00

I can't believe we'll have TWO girls in elementary school now. They are both SO excited!! Here are their cute new bags all packed and ready to go! Isn't shopping for new school supplies so fun?

Last Lazy Days of Summer

2011-08-17T16:00:00.002-05:00

The girls had been wanting to sell lemonade all summer and we finally did it. It was SO HOT but they stayed out on the corner for hours and made over $10! Little Hauck entrepreneurs! Pampering Daddy after a long day at work!

Emma loves to put on this headband and tells me she's a pirate! And she loves her purple socks.

We have been absolutely lazy in these last couple weeks of summer. The girls have been hanging out at home which, for Katelyn, always means projects. I can't even begin to explain this one, but we're hoping all this brain energy turns her into an engineer or something!

Park City

2011-08-06T11:13:00.005-05:00

We enjoyed one last day of family fun before our long drive home to Kansas. After some school shopping at the outlets, and yummy nachos at Baja Cantina, we headed to Jeff's timeshare to swim.
Livie, Jack, Elie Elie and Grandpa

Katie and Grandpa

Fearless Emma!

Livie, Emmie and Elie

Katie surfing on Daddy's back

Our drive home was long, but uneventful. Thanks for the treats Grandma!

Tony Grove

2011-08-06T11:09:00.002-05:00

After leaving Bear Lake, the last of the Haucks found a great spot to enjoy the day at Tony Grove in Logan Canyon.
Nana, Emma, Elie, Lilli, Katie and Heather Katie and Ryan trying to paddle together

Elie and Justin

Justin and Emma

Thanks guys-- it was fun!

Bear Lake 2011

2011-08-06T11:00:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed another great Hauck Reunion at Bear Lake this year.
Look at the view from the great house we rented! The girls had so much fun together. Amy and Sarah even helped Elie perfect her cartwheel!

We had a fun day at the Garden City Park. Madison, Amy and Emma

with Water Dodge Ball

and some killer games of kickball. The adults came so close to beating the teenagers!

We were good spectators

Water fight!

And we enjoyed our day at the lake! Noah and Emma with Grandpa.

Uncle Jason with Katie and Madison

Aunt Nancy with Elie, Lilli and Heather. (Elie loves Aunt Nancy!)

Heather, Katie and Madison

We LOVE Bear Lake!

Katelyn's Baptism

2011-08-04T10:30:00.005-05:00

The highlight of our trip was Katelyn's baptism. It was so nice to be surrounded by family and friends.
We had our own little photo shoot:

Katie was so beautiful and so excited. It was such a special day. She was baptized at the same church where both Steve and I were baptized. I have a picture in this same spot with my dad! The water was very cold but she was happy! Afterward when I was helping her get dressed I asked her how she felt and she said with a huge smile, "Clean!" The Spirit was so strong. It was wonderful!

Utah fun!

2011-08-04T10:14:00.004-05:00

We, of course, had lots of fun swimming! I love this face! Lots of cousin fun!

We met our adorable newest cousin Mara.

Visitied the aquarium with Grandma. My girls were much braver than me and loved petting the sting rays!

We hung out with lots of good friends!

Elie was quite a good swim instructor for Caroline

and she loved seeing Aubrie too!

We were SO excited when Daddy finally came back to join us!

and enjoyed the Bountiful parade and fireworks together.

Minus a bad sunburn and hand-foot-mouth disease, it was perfect!

St. George

2011-08-03T16:10:00.005-05:00

We had a GREAT month of July in Utah with our families.
Our first mini-trip was to St. George. The girls had SO much fun with their cousins!
We celebrated Emmie and Livie's birthday: Matching shirts...

more matching shirts

and matching dress-up. Go Wildcats!
Even matching hair!

My parents also took us to see "The Little Mermaid" at Tuacahn. It was fabulous and the girls loved it! They even loved the rain storm that stopped the show a couple of times! Emma is still talking about seeing this show at the "theater" and loves to talk about Ursula!

I made sure to take my girls by the St. George temple. We don't take seeing a temple for granted anymore-- there isn't one in the whole state of Kansas!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!!

2011-07-01T13:31:00.005-05:00

I can't believe my baby girl is EIGHT!!
Katelyn's special day started with breakfast in bed: homemade granola and fruit salad. Then she decorated her cake for her party. She painted her nails (why is it so hard for me to let her do this on her own?)

Then it was time for the Hula Party!

We played water balloon games

and enjoyed her new Slip 'N Slide!

It was over 100 degrees that day and I guess Emma needed a drink!

Isn't her beach cake cute? Make a wish!

And some more hose fun!

And the day was finished off in true Katelyn style-- a wrestle fight with Daddy!

Katelyn you are such a wonderful girl and a special part of our family. We love you so much! And we are all looking forward to your baptism in Utah!

Zoo

2011-07-01T13:28:00.002-05:00

The girls and I made a quick afternoon zoo trip last week.
This time we enjoyed the random animals at the petting zoo. Emma is still talking about the huge pig. The gorillas didn't disappoint this time either! This big one had his face right up to the glass by the girls' faces. He was eating his throw up but that's another story...

It was VERY hot and the girls found the perfect solution!

Yard

2011-07-01T13:18:00.003-05:00

We finally made some more progress in our yard with the bushes and flowers. And we took out all the bright red mulch/bark and replaced it with black-- much better.

We finally filled up the sand box...

and got the playhouse put back together. The girls are loving them!

One thing we love about Kansas is the Thunderstorms-- when it rains, it really rains! Steve got caught at the BBQ when this storm hit. He was drenched in seconds!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T20:55:00.004-05:00

The girls and I made cards for Steve with pictures like these:
This one said, "Daddy, we love everything about you!" "And you make everything more FUN!" Stephen is such a wonderful father. We are the luckiest girls -and little boy!- in the world.
WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
And we are so grateful for our awesome Dads/Grandpas and all they've done for us. We can't wait to see you!

Winter Quarters Temple

2011-06-13T08:35:00.007-05:00

We had the awesome opportunity to visit the Winter Quarters, Nebraska Temple and Pioneer Visitor Center last week. We drove the missionaries to the temple so Elder Hedman could see the Endowment and Sealing of a couple he met, taught all the lessons with, and baptized. We love being with the Elders!

It, of course, is a beautiful Temple.

I loved the stained glass windows.Behind the temple is a Pioneer Cemetery. 600 Saints died that first winter and being there made us so grateful for their sacrifice. This statue made me so sad. You can see the outline of the baby they are burying. The words of "Come, Come Ye Saints" were written at this monument. That song always makes me cry but reading it along with all the names of those who died was very solemn. Under this couple it said, "Gird up your loins, fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake." I can't even imagine how completely difficult that would have been to bury a child or spouse and just have to keep going. Across the street is the Mormon Trail Visitors Center where we had a lot of fun!

We all got to be Pioneers!

Its a lot harder to pull that handcart when even small rocks are in the way!

We loved Sister Meyers who took us on the tour. Here she is showing us the Pioneer's version of an odometer. So cool!

Emma was either really interested or really tired....

We also drove into Kanesville, Iowa to see the Tabernacle where Brigham Young was sustained as the Prophet and the First Presidency was re-organized. On the right is Stephen's (I'm not sure how many greats) Grandpa Willard Richards. There was a picture of he and his family in the Visitors Center after they were sealed in the Nauvoo Temple and the girls thought it was SO cool that their relatives were real pioneers!

We had a great day and can't wait to head to Independence, Missouri next!

Success!

2011-06-12T19:45:00.002-05:00

This week has been a good one....Emma has said goodbye to diapers! She filled up her chart and earned her prize: a Rapunzel dress!

She was very excited and wants to wear it for Halloween!

Being Silly!

Emma is in such a fun stage. She talks like crazy now and says so many funny things. Her newest thing is saying "That's AWESOME!" She loves to watch and read Peter Pan and even told me during our last thunderstorm that Jesus would help her and take her in His hideout (like Peter Pan's hideout). We love you Bem!

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T10:42:00.004-05:00

We had a great Memorial Day that started out with a Tri-Ward 5K/1 mile race at Andover Central Park. Katie was so excited to see her friends from our old ward! Elie with our good friend Meagan Kimball. Our girls did a great job running the 1 mile!Elie with our cute babysitter Rachel. My girls love Rachel and her sisters!

And we finally started on our yard getting rid of all the ugly, old bushes and putting in things we like.

Which turned into the girls running through the sprinklers. They were having so much fun and kept yelling, "BEST DAY EVER!" Ahh the simple joys of life!

And Steve finally upgraded from the hand-me-down we've had and purchased his own new BBQ. He was in heaven!

And we made one of my all-time favorite meals: Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches with pineapple and swiss cheese. Heaven!

And we finished it all off with our patriotic dessert! Today we're so thankful for our ancestors and all the soldiers who have sacrificed for our country. We're proud to be Americans!

After all the sun and WIND, at the end of the day Steve and I were exhausted and were in bed 10 minutes after our girls!

Soccer

2011-05-31T10:30:00.004-05:00

We've had a fun spring filled with Soccer! Elie was SO excited to finally get a medal like Katie's. (Yes, they are both growing out their bangs...not a fun process.) Katelyn did SO well on her team this year. She is #8 with that great defense!

After 8 weeks of exhausting Saturdays, we're ready for our summer break!

I had to post this sweet picture. Katelyn is growing up way too fast! She loves being in her own room (until October anyway!) and is just so mature lately. One more month and she'll be baptized....I can't believe it!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2011-05-18T21:09:00.005-05:00

Steve and I got such a great surprise at our ultrasound today: We are having a BOY!! We are so excited picturing our new little boy: a precious newborn, a mama's boy, boy toys, Cubscouts, football, Priesthood session with Daddy, a missionary....all of it. We can't wait!

We were so excited to tell our girls... First clue: a football

and suckers that say "It's A Boy!"

Yea!!

Emma is excited!!

There was a new blue outfit for him in the bag too. I wanted all the boy clothes-- I think they are ADORABLE!

And while at the candy store buying the suckers, Daddy couldn't resist these chocolate cigars to spread the good news at work. We are ALL excited, but Daddy was definitely smiling from ear to ear and whooping and hollering once we got to the car! We did it!

Now we can't wait until October!!!

I love my girls!

2011-05-09T12:19:00.009-05:00

Boundaries were recently changed in our Stake and we were put in a new ward. One Sunday a woman came up to us in Sacrament meeting, complimented our cute girls, and asked if they like to play with Barbies. Well, the next week she gave them a whole bag FULL of beautiful, hand-sewn Barbie clothes. They are amazing! Thank you Sister Buck! Elie is quite the fashionista and loves to coordinate perfect outfits. She put herself in this beautiful pink and white ensemble and asked me to take her picture. Katie and I ask Elie for her opinion on our outfits all the time!

This day she decided to be a cowgirl and asked me to do two braids in her hair.Emma got in on the fun too. (Yes, they went to Target like this!)And these are her own design: tape-on earrings! And she always loves to put on make-up!Elie also decided to get her second tooth out last week. She just went into the bathroom and wiggled it right out. Not a single tear for either tooth--even when she saw the blood. (That is NOT how Katelyn was!)And we enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day with the Elders over for dinner and games. They were so calm about calling home to their families!

In addition to breakfast in bed, my sweet girls made me some yummy brownies for Mother's Day. I love those messy faces! I love you girls and I am so lucky to be your Mom!

Preschool Zoo Trip

2011-05-09T12:12:00.002-05:00

We had another freezing but fun day at the zoo! Ahh the lovely midwest WIND!Again, we saw and did some amazing things at our zoo. Elie got up close and personal with a hungry giraffe!

We were just in time for the elephant exercise time!

Now you're just showing off....

Ta-da! Some zebras!

Elie's Art Show

2011-05-03T10:48:00.002-05:00

Well, little Miss Elie could not have been more excited for her school Art Show. She has such great teachers and loves to go to school. They wrote on her report card that she is "a teacher's dream!"

She wanted to wear this scarff to the show-- doesn't she look like quite the artist!?

Happy Easter!

2011-04-26T10:49:00.003-05:00

The girls couldn't wait to color Easter eggs! There was more color on the table than her eggs, but Emma had fun!

That tricky Easter Bunny surprised us Sunday morning! He hid all the baskets in the dryer!

I think I was more excited than the girls to get "Tangled!"

The other big hit was the girls' umbrellas.

There were lots of eggs to find in the backyard!

Good big sisters!

Yummy!

And it even rained the next day and we got to take a walk with our umbrellas!

April showers bring May flowers!!!

We love you Julie!

2011-04-25T09:36:00.007-05:00

Yes! My wonderful sister, and her friend Alda, drove all the way from Vermont to Kansas to visit us! They did come to pick up a dresser and oil painting, but the visit part was way more important!Do you think we look alike? (why are my teeth so big?)Here we all are at the Keeper of the Plains statue over the Arkansas River (our list of places to see in Wichita hasn't grown very much yet...)Enjoying "The Donut Whole"

And, of course, the Nifty Nut House!

I realized this trip how much more of a girly-girl my sister is than me. My girls were in heaven with her painting their nails and adding glitter, stickers, and jewels.

She also let Elie decorate her hair...

We all love Julie and we enjoyed having her visit SOOOOO much! Love you Julie!

Cake Wrecks anyone?

2011-03-31T09:52:00.005-05:00

When Stephen's mom bought this cake the decorator asked her, "Is that Stephen with a V or a PH?" She specified PH, but somehow it still got lost in translastion. Hilarious! (and if you haven't read the blog "Cake Wrecks" you need to check it out now!) We just spent a wonderful week in Utah and SO enjoyed our time with family and friends. I wish I had pictures of all the fun the girls had with their grandparents, cousins, and friends, but I've been way too sick for that! It was so nice to be with everyone. We love you all!

Now I'm the one throwing up....

2011-03-31T09:47:00.004-05:00

but I have a pretty great reason!We feel very blessed and are SO excited to meet our new little brother or sister in October! Now if I can just survive these last few weeks of sickness........yuck!

Great Surprise!

2011-03-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

When you live far away from everyone, visitors are VERY exciting. Well, after church last week we came home to a fabulous surprise of our good friends the White's (minus their deployed dad) in our driveway! You should have seen Elie's smile when she realized Caroline was here! It was so great to see you-- thanks for stopping by!

Best Zoo Visit EVER!

2011-02-24T17:19:00.006-06:00

With the warmer weather we were so excited to finally check out the Sedgwick County Zoo here in Wichita that we've been hearing so much about. It ended up being freezing, but I think that was the key to the BEST Zoo visit EVER. The animals were incredibly active-- Steve and I were BLOWN away and kept trying to tell our girls this much action was not normal! All the exhibits are set up so well for observation. We watched this Chinese alligator swim underwater (through the glass right at the girls' eye level) and climb up on the shore just a couple feet from our faces.

These Tortoises were amazing! They were huge and it was so cool to watch one walk around and come over to chat with his friends. It was so amazing to watch them out in the open right in front of us!

This is inside the Jungle they created-- Katelyn was so excited to see two Scarlet Macaws since she wrote a report about them last year.

The kids were thrilled to find a playground!

And the most amazing part was the Gorillas. Usually gorillas live in groups with one male and lots of females. Well, this zoo only has 4 males and they are definitely competing to be the alpha!

We watched 2 gorillas literally chase each other around this enclosure. One would stand up, beat his chest, and then charge at the other. They were running around the floor, sliding on barrel lids like skateboards, and swinging from rope to rope. They were unbelievably fast and a couple times they even slammed into the windows right in front of us!

They were HUGE and right in front of us!

Nature gone wild!

If you look closely, you can see them chasing each other.

Yet another amazing part was the Lions. There is a male (which I've never seen in a zoo) a female, and their baby. And as if that wasn't cool enough, the male decided to re-inact The Lion King and climbed up this rock and started roaring! It was so awesome!

There was a growling cheetah, I was scared to death when I almost ran over a wallaby walking around in the Australia exhibit, and my personal favorite, the anteater. Have you ever seen one of these in person? They are, by far, the strangest looking animal with the huge, fan tail, the small, skinny head, and stout front legs that are completely different from their slimmer back legs. Of course it came right up to the fence in front of us and put on a show digging and sticking its snout in the dirt too!

Maybe I sound lame, but it really was the most amazing zoo trip EVER! We bought a season pass and can't wait to go back and see the other animals we missed.

Seriously!?

2011-02-14T16:08:00.008-06:00

Well, we've had more throw up from our girls in the last 2 months than in the rest of their lives COMBINED. I'm serious! I don't know if it is new germs from a new place or what, but they've been through the ringer.
Last night it was all 3 of them....at once.....for 7 straight hours.
I spent a great night on their floor.

Here is Daddy's shift "keeping watch." Gotta get that bowl there in time! (and please don't judge me for the horrible mess on the dresser and the pictures that are still not hung!)
It was a long night--- this was in between trips to the bathroom.
Elie put herself down for a nap this afternoon.

Oh, and missing the Valentine's party at school-- that was the worst part. :(

Get better soon girls!

UPDATE: It was only one night of sickness, we made our own Valentine cookies at home, and everybody was fine after that!

Snow Days

2011-02-14T16:01:00.002-06:00

Well, after complaining that we didn't get a drop of snow until the middle of January, we've now had FIVE days of school canceled due to either falling/blowing snow, or icy temperatures after the snow. Don't get me wrong, this isn't serious snow. All us Utahns have driven through worse on our own driveways at times. BUT, it is COLD and WINDY and that is not fun. The snow blows into drifts and creates ice, etc. Yuck. But the girls have managed to have some fun in it! This snowman was only possible after it warmed up and started melting a little. Because it is so cold here, the snow is complete powder and doesn't stick together at all at first.

Fun in the backyard!

Who needs to see anyway!? Love her!

Oh what do you do in the winter time?

2011-02-03T14:41:00.003-06:00

What do you do when school is canceled for the second day in a row, your husband is out of town and it is 20 degrees BELOW zero with wind chill outside?You go swimming at the Y!

It was crazy but we had fun!

And we didn't even play in the snow this time-- that is what they wore over their swimsuits so they didn't die in the cold.

Besides the crazy cold wind, the snow here isn't fun to play in anyway--it doesn't stick together at all. You can't even make a snowball let alone a snowman!

Definitely not in Utah anymore...

2011-02-03T14:30:00.003-06:00

All Elie has wanted for years was to be in a dance class with a big recital on a stage at the end. She couldn't wait for the costume, the flowers, everthing. We joined the YMCA shortly after we moved here and have been loving it, so we decided their dance class would be perfect. We had some issues getting her in the right class, but finally she was enrolled and loving it. Then we got the date for the recital in June.....on a SUNDAY. This hasn't been the first time we've faced this either-- Katelyn's first basketball team practiced on Sundays. Yuck. Katelyn was easily able to change teams, but Elie had to withdraw. She was so disappointed, but I was so proud of both of my girls for knowing what was right and not second guessing it at all. It just melts your heart when your 5 year old knows she wants to keep the Sabbath day holy.
So for now, Elie is going to try the Y's monthly classes starting with cheerleading, then soccer, and maybe gymnastics. And maybe next fall we'll pony up for the really expensive dance classes at another studio (everything is more expensive here). She's just too cute to not get a recital!

Milestones

2011-01-27T18:29:00.004-06:00

Yea for Elie! She lost her very first tooth this week and couldn't be more excited!

Here she is showing off her dollar, note from the tooth fairy, and her shiny tooth that she polished with her toothbrush and some toothpaste then, (despite my warning) dropped down the sink! Don't worry, Mommy came to the rescue and found out how easy it is to unscrew the pipe under the sink to retrieve it!

Do you want to know something funny? Katelyn and Elie both lost their first tooth at the exact same age: Katie 5 years and 4 months and Elie 5 years and 3 months. But, Katelyn was in Kindergarten and Elie is only in Preschool. It is so strange how that school cut-off date makes them experience the same events almost 1 year apart. It seems like Elie has to wait FOREVER for everything. I guess she'll be happy when she's the first one in her grade to drive and date!

Ahhh the good old days of Beth (who has the same birthday as Elie) driving us around (past boys' houses!) in her mom's Bonneville (with 3 of us in the front seat!) every Friday night........:) Awesome!

Give-Away

2011-01-26T12:47:00.004-06:00

I have heard to many awesome reviews of these DVD's that I would LOVE to win one! Check out the give-away on the blog BE WELL and wish me luck-- I need the workout more than you do! :)

*UPDATE* I actually WON one of here DVD's and I am SO EXCITED!! I never win things! :)

Tremendous Blessings!

2011-01-20T08:48:00.003-06:00

My twin nephews, Chase and Taylor, participated in a miracle yesterday. Chase, in addition to a host of medical problems, was in kidney failure and his body was slowly shutting down. His identical twin Taylor was a perfect match and was able to donate a kidney to Chase yesterday. The surgeries went well and they are both recovering.
We are so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for each of us and surely sent these boys down together as part of that plan! We also know He guided the doctors hands and helped things all line up in Chase's surgery. Tremendous blessings!
We love you Chase and Taylor! Get lots of rest and feel better soon!

Here is a link to a news story about the 2 Heros!
Vt. twins share bond, and now kidney - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Meet Sunny

2011-01-18T13:44:00.003-06:00

For a while we were seriously considering getting one of these Yorkie-Poodle puppies. Who doesn't think a puppy is adorable? But after much debate..... I had to admit to my family that I'm really not a dog person. At least for right now. So we tried to smooth things over with the girls by getting this.... meet our goldfish Sunshine or Sunny for short.

Yeah, I know......I'm pathetic.

Maybe someday Steve, maybe someday.

Catching Up

2011-01-18T13:31:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things about Kansas is the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets we see. Elie is finally in Preschool here and she wishes she could go everyday!

We got our first snow of the year on January 9. At first it was just flurries and I didn't think it would stick, but the next day we had about 4 inches. The girls couldn't wait to get out and play in it (it wasn't so fun once the wind kicked in-- that is one thing I don't love about Kansas). That wind turned everything to ice and it took days for the roads to clear. School was even cancelled on Tuesday and everyone got to stay home with me for my birthday!

Katelyn joined a basketball team at the YMCA and she is loving it. I am so proud of her for trying something completely new. She is still getting the hang of it, but her first game was great-- her team won 27-0! I can't believe my baby is this old.

We finally got around to having my birthday cake a few days late (the stomach flu has really been hanging around our house this last month or so...)

The girls love to HELP make things.... :)

Happy 29th on 1/11/11!

I loved the beautiful flowers and take-out Chinese my husband braved the cold to bring me on my birthday!

I can't believe I am this old!

New Year's Eve

2011-01-18T13:16:00.002-06:00

New Year's Eve meant saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Barnes who, thankfully, made the drive back safe and sound. Hanging around playing with new toys...And we bundled up at about 7:00 and did some fireworks outside! (Katelyn just had to make a party hat for the occasion!) The girls were SO sad I was making them go to bed on time, that we promised to wake them up at midnight. They saw the ball drop through sleepy eyelids then climbed back into bed.

Here is to a year of new adventures!

Ahhhhh!

2010-12-29T23:41:00.002-06:00

Yes, my husband is awesome! He gave my mom and I gift certificates to a spa so we could get pampered together. Today she got a facial and I got a massage and then we floated home. It was AMAZING!! Thank you honey-- you are the best!

Wichita Fun

2010-12-28T09:30:00.003-06:00

We finally were feeling well enough to do a little exploring in Wichita yesterday. After breakfast at IHOP, we ventured downtown to the Keeper of Plains statue and bridge over where the Arkansas (pronounced "Ar-KANSAS" here-- hilarious!) River and Little Arkansas river meet. It was cold but really pretty! Then we went to the Exploration Place-- an amazing children's museum built right out on the river. It is a beautiful setting!
Here the girls experienced a tornado simulator with 80 mph winds. I hope that is our only tornado experience here!

The view outside those windows was amazing!

Grandpa taught Elie how to drive a tractor!

Grandma helping Emma fly with the Wright Brothers

The girls loved the Veterinarian Station. Steve almost talked me into getting a puppy for Christmas....these stuffed ones will have to do for now....

We also stopped at a great candy store The Nifty Nut House. It was a fun day!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-28T09:12:00.003-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas and we were so glad to have Grandma and Grandpa with us!
Of course, the Armenian girls made berogg together. Instead of my family's traditional puppet show, we had our own Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve. (Sadie is the donkey!)

A very cute angel!

The shepherd and wise{wo}man-- complete with a fancy robe!

Joseph, an adorable Mary and baby Jesus

All ready for bed in Christmas jammies and slippers!

Love you!

Steve's siblings tried sleeping in the same bed one year on Christmas Eve and the girls loved that idea! After at least 30 minutes of straight giggling mean Mommy made them get in their own beds. (they would have never fallen asleep! They were still all in the same room though!)

I finally caved-- all Elie wanted was an American Girl doll. She was thrilled!

Santa brought lots of doll accessories! Emmaline only wanted a kitchen from Santa-- I couldn't wait for this one! She loves it!

And Santa brought Katelyn a blue bike-- not a single Barbie or Princess on it! When I watch her ride around our circle she looks so old-- it kills me!

Ready for Church with Grandpa and Grandma-- we were all still feeling sick but we made it for Sacrament Meeting at least.

The gift that keeps on giving...

2010-12-23T15:08:00.003-06:00

We are THRILLED to have Gr. & Gr. Barnes visiting for Christmas! We are not so thrilled to have the stomach flu visiting as well. Emma was the first victim on Saturday. Last night (all night) it was Katelyn's turn. She almost made it to the bathroom.......yuck. My new carpet isn't new anymore!!

We tried to quarantine Katie today but now Elie's stomach hurts. Here we go! My mom and I spent the entire day yesterday shopping for food that no one is going to want to eat!! But we are still grateful to be together!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-12T18:35:00.003-06:00

A blurry picture of a really fun time! Steve's company asked for volunteers to ring the bell for the Salvation Army outside Walmart last week and the girls LOVED it! Steve said Elie was putting on quite the show yelling, "Merry Christmas!" and bringing smiles (and donations) from all the people! I can't wait to help them next year! (I used the time to do a little secret shopping alone!)

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T19:57:00.006-06:00

On our first Thanksgiving away from family, we were so thankful to be together as our little family. And we are especially grateful for our wonderful friends the Kimballs who had us over for a tremendous Thanksgiving dinner and a fun day relaxing together. (Well, Alisha, it probably wasn't that relaxing for you.... but it was all wonderful!)

The kids got a little chilly playing outside and came in to thaw their feet!

We were thankful for our own feast that lasted for days! (I love not having to cook!)

And we were thankful for other true BLUE fans --who created this monument-- with which we could commiserate after a tough loss to the "PUkes" (as Steve likes to call them).

We have so much to be thankful for. We are so grateful to have a happy, healthy family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ with all the tremendous blessings that brings. We wish you all a very warm, wonderful Holiday season!

The Rockettes!

2010-11-20T20:13:00.005-06:00

My mom grew up in New York City and saw the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular as a child. She saw the show at Radio City Music Hall again a few years ago, so when she found out the tour was stopping in Wichita this year she got us tickets! My older girls and I were excited for a Mommy Daughter Date!

The show was GREAT!

The Santas were my favorite part!

The famous kick line!

"Another picture Mom?" Katelyn is embarrassed by just about everything these days!

And we finished the evening with dinner and this little piece of heaven from Chili's. YUM!It was so nice to have a night out with my girls! Thank you so much Mom and Dad! It was wonderful!

P.S. Utahns-- we looked bundled up, but it was in the 60's today:)

I love 2 year olds!

2010-11-20T20:01:00.003-06:00

Emma is so adorable-- I love the stage she is in.
She loves to spend time "washing dishes." The first thing she says in the morning is "Princess?" She wants to watch a princess movie-- any princess movie! She loves to wear her "Rella" dress and shoes, and loves to wear backpacks. (Yes, she has been taken grocery shopping in this dress over her clothes)

Doing flips and being silly like her sisters!

She loves all her stuffed animals in bed with her-- and always her pink blankie!

We love you Emma!

So exciting

2010-11-09T15:16:00.001-06:00

Apparently our Family Home Evenings are so exciting... I want to keep that face forever!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T14:43:00.004-05:00

Ward Trunk-or-Treat Carving Pumpkins (it is never warm enough to do this outside in Utah!)
And since we didn't want to go trick-or-treating on Sunday, we had our own little Halloween party at home.
Katie made a "pin the face on the pumpkin" game,
we danced to our favorite spooky tunes,
(Post Edit: Whoa people! Don't doubt my love of the Cougars-- as you can see on the sleeve, that is an old Bountiful Braves jersey!)
and the girls had fun handing out candy to other kids!

Nothing Cuter!

2010-10-29T11:23:00.005-05:00

There is nothing cuter than kids in Halloween costumes.
I can't get enough!!

Go Lions!
Princess Ariel
Cleopatra

I LOVE them!

Where did my baby go?

2010-10-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

Seriously!? Time flies too quickly. Love that smile!

Happy Birthday Elie!

2010-10-27T15:14:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth had a great 5th birthday!
When she woke up in the morning she was so surprised and loved the decorations in the kitchen. We had some yummy French toast for breakfast (made with Mommy's homemade white/wheat bread!) .
She helped make her strawberry cakeand told me just how she wanted it decorated. Pink cake, purple frosting, with red decorations-- that's Elie!

After Katie and Daddy got home, we headed to Chuck E Cheese's! (or CHUNK E Cheese's as Elie calls it)

We had lots of fun playing games!

"Wait a second....didn't my mommy tell me never to get in a car with a strange man...?"Super excited to blow out her candles and get home to open presents! She got the singing Ariel barbie that she really wanted! Ariel is her favorite princess. We bought her a singing Little Mermaid card and I wrote in it how Elie is a sweet girl full of life and music just like Ariel (and I wanted to add, "But please don't rebel against us as a teenager and run off to marry some strange man from another world!")Elizabeth is such a sweetheart. Her way of speaking and the things she says are just priceless! She loves to sing and is almost always doing so. She also loves to dance around, though her moves are a little too grown up for my taste sometimes! She is our sweet cuddlebug who loves to sit on our lap, or get her back rubbed. As you can see, she loves her stuffed animals and always sleeps with one, if not five at a time! Elizabeth can write her name, is learning to sound out words, and constantly amazes me with the things she notices. Elie, you are a wonderful, loving girl and a very special part of our family. We love you! Happy 5th Birthday!

Our New Normal

2010-10-27T14:14:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody! Life is going well here in Kansas. We've spent the last couple of weeks finding our new normal. We've getting a routine down, finding stores, doing our thing-- just in a new place! Of course, we miss everyone in Utah, but we are happy here and doing well.

Emma and Elie playing in the backyard. Katelyn's school had a "marathon" fundraiser where the kids got donations to run laps around the halls and gym. Elie joined in for a few laps. It was fun!

Emma sporting her awesome accessories! The girls have been so positive and happy. I am proud of Katie every day when I drop her off at school and she says goodbye with a big, brave smile on her face. She still misses her old school and friends, but she is meeting new friends at school and doing well. Our ward has been great and we feel very comfortable here (though I'm not looking forward to speaking in Sacrament Meeting this week...:)

Steve's job is busy but is going really well!

Party Time!

2010-10-11T13:23:00.004-05:00

We had quite the weekend! We went to the University of Phoenix Homecoming party and enjoyed bowling (and free drinks, as you can see) Emma's first bowling trip!

And indoor go-carts! I smoked Steve in our race, and it was so adorable to watch the girls drive. Elie did really well!

Katie was a speedster and passed a bunch of kids! and stared down a few who tried to hit her!

And we also enjoyed our Stake Fall Festival.

How do you like Katie's peace sign? That is what happens when a 7-year-old has free reign at the face painting booth!

The girls had fun learning a folk dance too!

Plus, BYU finally got another win!

Happy Birthday Emmaline!!

2010-10-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

Emma has been talking for weeks about having an Elmo party for her birthday. Here she is in her new Elmo shirt. Yes there is a lamp and a rocking chair in my kitchen-- we were still painting! She was so excited about her Elmo cake! It was yummy too! I love her smile!

Who knew she was an expert at blowing out candles! She didn't even wait for us to finish the song!

She loved her Elmo and Big Bird cars and loved covering them in frosting!

She loved her new Elmo-- thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Emmaline is such a sweet little girl. We can't believe how fast she is growing up! She is talking so much now and we love to watch her little personality. Her smile always melts my heart. She us such a joy in our family. We love you Bemma!

Best and Worst

2010-10-03T20:27:00.003-05:00

The best part of this move was coming to our senses and hiring a moving company. There is NO WAY we could have done it on our own (without leaving tons behind). And both the crew loading and unloading complimented my excellent packing job. Not a single crushed box! I always enjoy a good game of Tetris... The worst part was the 3 straight days we spent painting to get rid of the dark brown, flat paint, ugly faux finish and other nasty, hole-filled walls in our entire house. We are never painting again! Sorry, I didn't get any better "before" pictures.

Everything feels bigger, brighter and cleaner now. We just need to get new flooring and we'll be completely at home.

The girls watched a lot of TV while we painted! It was so nice to finish and just spend time with them during Conference weekend.

We Made It!!

2010-09-26T22:11:00.004-05:00

Yes, I made my husband stop and got my children out on the side of the freeway to take this picture!
Our old cars made it too!A few more hotel stays...

and we'll soon be living in our new home!

The girls are excited! Emma kept saying, "My house!"

The swing set is definitely a huge step up from our old one!

Our new ward was great! The girls all loved their classes and we were even invited to dinner at someone's home tonight. We are so glad to be here and are so blessed to be members of this Church!

Hard Goodbyes

2010-09-26T21:51:00.007-05:00

I have always said that I know we are supposed to move to Kansas, that it is the right thing for our family to do. But, that knowledge didn't make it any less SAD.

Elie and Katie's handprints in our back patio... Elie's friend Aubrie threw her a big Surprise going-away tea party! Elie was really surprised and it made her feel really special.

We are so sad to leave the Whites who became such good friends so quickly.A pizza and movie party with our best friends the Forsbergs....that was the hardest of all.

Katelyn and Mya are very best friends, Elie adores Liv, and since birth Avery and Emma have been little best buddies. And Melanie, you became like a sister to me.

The girls got to have some good Nana and Grandma time two nights this week while we furiously packed. Thank you so much for watching them while we worked and making us all feel so loved. We will miss you but can't wait for your visits!!

One last day at Grandpa and Grandma's house while we finished up a few important things for our closing here. Nothing like saying those hard goodbyes a million times this week!

Trying to make things a little sweeter with freshly-picked raspberries and cream!

Thank you to everyone who helped us clean, watched our kids, gave us gifts and plenty of sugar for the car! We can't tell you how much we appreciate it and how much it helped. We love you all!

I would not recommend...

2010-09-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

packing up your ENTIRE house, cleaning and moving in a week and a half! Things have been crazy!!

Sooo excited!

2010-09-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Elie has been SOOOO excited to start real Preschool. She couldn't wait for today to come. I left crying because she only gets 6 days of it until we pack up and move!

DISNEYLAND!!

2010-09-13T12:37:00.000-05:00

Best family vacation ever! We're a little busy right now, but I'll post more later!

Lion King

2010-09-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

For Christmas my parents gave all the family in Utah tickets to the Broadway show of Lion King at the Capitol Theater. It was wonderful!! Thank you Mom and Dad!

We had great seats!Elie and Emmie are so cute together!

More Cousin Fun

2010-09-13T12:02:00.001-05:00

We had one last fun swimming day with our cousins from down south. Now we're going to be the cousins that moved far away!

Elie loves playing with Emmie and Livie! (and maybe someday she'll stop mixing them up!)
Katie and Maddie
Emma and Sophie

We love you guys! (and we're really sorry about the cat...)

Soccer Success!

2010-09-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Never has a girl been more excited to play soccer than Elie! She has been watching Katie play for 3 long years and now she finally has the chance to play on her own team. Her first game with the Blue Dolphins was amazing-- Elie scored TWO GOALS!! We were so proud! We knew she'd be one of those kids that knows just what they are doing and takes charge of the game!

Katie has been waiting 3 long years to be on a team that can actually WIN! At this first game Katie scored 3-5 goals, depending on how many of those last ones you decide to count. I used to sit on the sidelines when our team was getting killed and wish the other team would just stop scoring, but at this game I couldn't help it-- I was ecstatic! It felt so good to win and the smiles on their faces were priceless! (Just for the record, when they are up a few goals, Katelyn's coach tells them they can only kick with their left foot!)
Emma can't wait for her turn to play soccer!

Grandma Barnes came to cheer the girls on

So did Grandpa!

And by the way, I love AYSO soccer! It beats any city league.

To my older sister: YOU WERE RIGHT

2010-09-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

When I told my faithful sister Julie about our plans to move to Kansas and how I was worried about selling my house she told me, "If the Lord wants you there, He will make it happen." I thought to myself, yes I believe that, but it might not be that simple. I might have to lose a lot of money first, or live without my husband for months and months, or end up having to rent it out, etc., etc.
And then.....it sold. In less than 2 weeks, without even putting a sign in the yard or printing a single flier. Granted, all the paperwork has to go through and everything, but it is under contract and in a time when NO ONE can sell, we did. Every detail of this move has fallen unbelievably into place and we are utterly amazed and so grateful. Julie, you were right. Thank you for showing me how to have greater faith. We are so incredibly blessed.

"Dorothy, we're not in UTAH anymore!"

2010-08-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

That's right folks! Stephen just received an Enrollment Manager position with his company and we are moving to Wichita, Kansas!! He starts in mid-September and we hope to sell our house quickly and join him as soon as we can. Steve and I got the chance to visit the Wichita area last week and we were very pleasantly surprised. We are really excited for this new adventure as a family!

P.S. Anyone need a great house in Syracuse? Please pass the word along!

First Day of 2nd Grade

2010-08-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

Katelyn was very excited for school to start this year. She has a good teacher and her best friend is in her class-- doesn't get better than that! Have fun Katie! Elie, Emma and I are keeping busy at homeOur bike ride to Jenson Pond

TEN YEARS!!

2010-08-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

Steve and I were married 10 years ago today!! Best day of our lives, right honey!? I love you more than anything! Here is looking forward to the adventure of another 10 years and eternity! My scanner wouldn't work today, so--yes-- I took pictures OF my wedding photos with my camera!

Do we look young or WHAT!?

To celebrate our anniversary, first we watched our wedding video (emabarrassing-- all we do is kiss through the whole thing!) and then we took our girls to Salt Lake to reinact our wedding day. First we went to the Salt Lake Temple, and then we had lunch at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we had our wedding luncheon.

The Salt Lake Temple, where we were sealed for time and all eternity.
Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Pretty good accomplishments for 10 years, right!? Temple Square is such a majestic, peaceful, and beautiful place. We were so happy to be able to take our girls there and help them feel how important the temple is to us. We also saw the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy theater and it was so powerful and amazing. We are so grateful for his courage and strength and all he and the early Saints sacrificed to build the foundation of our wondeful Church. We got to tour the Conference Center as well, and marvel at President Hinckley's vision and the grandeur of that building. It was a great day! We are going to miss Utah.