Adam, Eden Kaylyn and Morgan: 2013

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Trials and Blessings

I'm highly tempted to ignore any of my responsibilities (outside necessities for my family - but as I type the girls are fighting so maybe I'll include them in the ignoring) and take the evening off!

Here's my afternoon:
- Took Kitty to the vet for a booster shot.
- Went to Sam's and bought a new mattress set for Kaylyn. But it didn't fit in my van.
- Quickly drove to pick up Morgan at school and got pretty wet carrying the box of book fair flyers through the rain so I could put them into teacher mailboxes
- Made a fast dash over to Walgreen's to pick up prescriptions
- Van acted funny while sitting in carline to pick up Kaylyn (radio turned itself off and on, and off again so then I turned it off) but we made it home for the 10 minutes we had before gymnastics so Morgan could change clothes.
- Tried to leave for gymnastics and van won't start. Okay, let's figure out something for dinner and prep bedrooms for the big bed switch-around
- Decided to pull out the bed frame in the garage to make sure it will fit a queen mattress set and discovered standing water. Wouldn't be so much of a problem if the garage wasn't filled with boxes!
- Looking at the bed frame, I don't think it will fit the queen mattress set
- Came inside and my girls are fighting over a polly pockets sized "hairbrush"; they are both now in their rooms mad at each other AND mad at me.

I would say Calgon take me away, but instead I'm going to say Andy's Frozen Custard take me away! And it may come true since Adam and I get to meet our very giving friend with a pickup truck who has agreed to pick up our mattress set on his way home from work.

Now to continue focusing on the blessings in the midst of trials

- friends who are willing to help
- van is in my driveway and NOT somewhere in the middle of the errands I ran this afternoon
- the girls have toys to fight over (at least today, that may change tomorrow)
- I can smell freshly baking homemade bread in the bread machine to eat with chicken noodle soup for dinner
- Kaylyn knocked on her sister's door to say she missed her and could they play (they sure do love each other)
- I can always get my girls to smile for me, even when they are SUPER MAD at mom.
- the Van started for Adam when he got home

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Kaylyn celebrates being 10

We celebrated Kaylyn's birthday with friends on Saturday Jan 26th. She chose a Minute to Win It theme. We played a few of the games before opening presents but I didn't get those pictures. Kaylyn really enjoyed her presents, and as our tradition, we took a picture with each friend and their present.

Kaylyn with Ashlyn - a bejeweler and also an eraser maker kit

Kaylyn and Maddie - a new puppy to cuddle with

Kiara made Kaylyn a ruffle scarf and she LOVES it!

Rylie got Kaylyn this fun shirt - change the direction of the sequins to change the color of the star.

Kaylyn was well stocked up on candy thanks to Hannah

Amber gave Kaylyn a fashion stencil book. Kaylyn loved it so much she got one for her sister for her birthday.

Lilly helped Kaylyn to be able to keep her nail polish organized.

Kaylyn was being shy when it was time to blow out the candles.

One of our games - you had to hold the spaghetti in your mouth and use it to pick up the penne pasta.

Stack Attack Game - just like cup stacking at school. Lilly was amazed at Ashlyn's speed.

How long can you keep the balloon up?

The next day we celebrated with the Du Brul side of the family.

Morgan attacking Uncle Sandy with her cousin Thomas

Kaylyn took a big breath before blowing out her candles.

Proof that I was there too!

Go West - 4th Grade Performance

Kaylyn's 4th Grade Class Music Performance (in January 2013) was titled "Go West" and Kaylyn was assigned the part of "Pioneer Woman". By the time of the performance, the songs were already stuck in all of our heads.

Kaylyn with her classmates singing one of the first songs

Kaylyn as a "dancer" for the song Steamboatin'. All the girls had boas (Kaylyn used a fun ruffle scarf she got for her birthday from her friend Kiara)

A full view of the "steamboat" with all the dancers. Kaylyn is on the far right

As Pioneer Woman, Kaylyn had a speaking part. We were blessed to borrow this pioneer dress from my friend Beth who's daughter had used it the year before for the Living Museum. Braiding her hair completed Kaylyn's pioneer look.

Kaylyn and Addison during the speaking parts.

As Pioneer Woman, Kaylyn got to sing with a group - here she is with Ashlyn, Seth and Alex from her class.

Close up of my Pioneer girl :)

The 4th graders did an awesome job on the set so we HAD to take a picture of Kaylyn in front of the "wagon"

And what is life without a BFF - here's Kaylyn with Rylie.

January St Louis Trip

Every year we set the goal of getting to the Temple often which means that we almost always schedule a Temple trip in January. Most years, the trip gets rescheduled several times due to bad or potentially bad weather. This year we ended up with great weather for our trip. Our St Louis trips generally mean getting to catch up with one of my BFFs from college - Denise. Our kids have become great friends as well! After heading to the Temple in the morning, we headed to Jayna's basketball game.

Jayna is the tall girl in the yellow jersey. These are 1st Grade Basketball teams.

Our 3 girls - Kaylyn (2 weeks shy of being 10), Jayna (7) and Morgan (5). Isaac and Luke were back at the house with Jim.

Me with Denise - over 20 years as friends!

Morgan cuddling with her "Happy Husky" from Build-A-Bear on the drive home. She almost always crashes on long car rides.

Kaylyn relaxing on the 3 hour drive home.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

1st Anniversary Giveaway

Not to be out done, Morgan has also had a birthday since my last post and I need to share about that. So many things to share on this family blog but yet there never seems to be time.

Today, I'm briefly sharing with everyone that on my business blog, I'm THRIVing!, I'm doing a giveaway to celebrate my 1st Anniversary as a Shelf Reliance Independent Consultant. I'd love to have a TON of entries so please share with your friends and family! You can enter through the widget below, or head over to my business blog and read more about what I'm giving away there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, January 28, 2013

Kaylyn is 10!

Kaylyn's 10th birthday is today! I am amazed at the young lady she's becoming and our love for her grows every day.

10 Years ago this morning we received the call that our baby girl had been born. Adam left work and I loaded up the car and we were off. We arrived the next evening in Salt Lake City to pick her up at the hospital. Before we saw her, the nurses and social worker were quick to tell us she was beautiful, and that she was born beautiful - none of the normal newborn not so pretty-ness. That night we arrived at our friends' home and got our first family picture with the new addition (so this is also Kaylyn's first picture).

Kaylyn - 1 day old

Kaylyn - 3 days old

Kaylyn with Poppa (Eden's Dad) at her 1st Birthday

1st Trip to Florida - age 15 months with Eden's grandmother Nana

Kaylyn's 2nd Birthday Party

Feb 2006 - age 3

4th Birthday

Becoming a big Sister - February 2007

Taking her sister to the Temple - now sisters forever

March 2008

Preschool Graduation

May 2008

6th Birthday

7th Birthday Party - Hello Kitty theme

8th Birthday = Baptism

Having fallen in love with riding horses, Kaylyn became a cowgirl at age 9

January 2012

10th Birthday Party

January 2013

Kaylyn and Hannah

I've been browsing pictures today in honor of Kaylyn's birthday and I'm also working on a couple photo books. And I couldn't resist writing this post of Kaylyn with her oldest friend - Hannah. Hannah was born 7 weeks before Kaylyn so her mom and I decided they would be best friends. And that quickly became true. Once they both started Kindergarten, at different schools, it's been harder for them to hang out but they are still good friends.