April Newsletter

Whew! Could April have been any busier? Not sure it's possible... :)

Family Fun: Included looking at homes, land, and trailers to buy, watching general conference as a family (and having a girls night with popcorn and nail-painting while daddy went to priesthood session), Salt Lake fun with cousins, aunts, and grandparents, Cindy & Mike's ring ceremony, San Diego & Disneyland for a week (see this post for details), Salt Lake again for Heidi's 1/2 marathon with Chelsea, celebrating Dave's birthday at our home with the Devenish's & Hamiltons, yummy pre-Easter meal at the Hamiltons, opening "Resurrection eggs" 2 weeks until Easter, fun Easter egg hunting, easter baskets & new dresses, having the Bealers over for dinner, going to the temple (THANKS Keeley & Camri for watching the girls! :)

JASON: Jason continues to enjoy his new job & is learning a lot! He even got certified with CPR & they gave him a work cell phone. He was really close to going on furlough the day we left for Disneyland, but Congress approved a budget at the last minute. . Jason enjoyed his first vacation to Disneyland – he loved to go on rides with McKinley & loved to see how the girls lit up when they saw the characters. He also had fun on the big Screamin’ roller coaster ride he could go on with Heidi. And he liked the Bug’s Life 4D movie. Jason got called to be the Elder’s Quorum Secretary at the end of the month & is looking forward to that calling.

HEIDI: It was a lot of work with all the packing, unpacking, laundry and cleaning to basically be gone for 2 weeks, but it was all worth it. So many wonderful memories. So great to be near family that we hadn’t seen in a month. She had a fun time shopping with Trisha at Kohl’s & Target while they were in SL (thanks mom for watching the girls!) Heidi’s also really enjoyed being closer to the St. George Hamiltons. Keeley & Jeff are so great to have us over – seems like we’re there every week! Heidi enjoyed the ½ marathon and is looking at doing a triathlon and maybe another race this year. Heidi also has enjoyed meeting the activity day girls & McKinley, Ireland & Kezia have enjoyed coming to the activities as well! Heidi still goes to the ward playgroup 1-2x a week and enjoys visiting with the other moms J

McKINLEY:

- When we went to Salt Lake for Cindy’s ring ceremony, McKinley snuck into the back of Cindy’s van. Cindy didn’t know till she was at the turning light that McKinley was back there. We had quite a talk that night with McKinley about trust.

-McKinley earned her Leapster from doing her chores on Handipoints – just in time for us to leave to Disneyland! She has enjoyed learning games on it.

-McKinley wanted to go swimming the SECOND we got to San Diego & didn’t stop asking about it for 2 days until we could go to the beach & pool.

-McKinley says her favorite ride at Disneyland was the Dumbo ride. She really loved the beach, too – and loved to be near her cousins. And, of course, she loved meeting all the princesses & dressing up. When she was Belle, she got so many comments about how beautiful she was.

-One day McKinley was throwing her purse in the air & catching it. She said “I’m a genius!”

-McKinley said that when she gets to be a mom that she would get 2 dogs and she would name one Tundra and one Sydney to remember her dogs growing up. And then she said that they would have puppies, but they would have to get married first.

-One afternoon, mom was watching a documentary on God in nature and it was quoting scripture & talking about the power of a storm. McKinley said “Wow, Mom – Satan should read the scriptures.”

-Just before bed on the 19^th, daddy pulled McKinley’s top front right tooth out! It was pretty wiggly. It bled a little, but a new little tooth was already popping through. She got a dollar from the tooth fairy! And she’s still waiting for that other wiggly front tooth to fall out!

-McKinley is pretty good at sounding out words when she writes things, but she also likes to spell them right, so she asks mom sometimes how to spell something. One time she said “Mom – how do you spell OK?”

-McKinley got quite a collection of quarters from the Easter Bunny eggs this year. She was counting her stack & said “Mom – does the Easter Bunny know about tithing?”

-Then, later, she was counting all her money in her room. She came out while mom was reading to Ireland & Kezi. She said “Mom – I’ll entertain these girls. Will you please go in my room and see if I’m rich?”

-McKinley’s homeschool was a little lacking this month with all the traveling, but she still managed to memorize Alma 26:1 – and we learned about Aphids for our character quality. She continues to do really well with reading. She knows a lot of sight words. Her challenge is that she is tired of sounding things out, so she tries to just sight-word-read & ends up looking at the word “grill” and saying “girl.” Mom has to constantly remind her to slow down & look carefully at words.

-McKinley continues to make friends & enjoys playing with Addison & loves playing with Parker at play group.

-On Friday fun day at the end of the month mom asked what McKinley wanted to do. She thought for a minute & then said “Drive to Disneyland!!”

IRELAND:

-Ireland was almost as excited to see her friend Sienna Benson as to see her cousins and grandma & grandpa. She sure loves playing with Sienna. She was happy to see Joshua, too, and it took almost 30 minutes before they fought over something!! J

-Ireland wasn’t sharing too well at Grandma’s & mom told her she needed to share. She said “NO! Everybody just has to share with ME!!”

-On our way to Disneyland, Ireland saw the Excalibur castle & got excited. She said “LOOK Mom! It’s the temple!”

-Ireland really had a good time at Disneyland. She really loved all the Characters and would hardly eat because she’d be looking for them coming. She loved the rides, too, but was a bit scared on the Pirates of the Carribbean and the Bugs Life 4D show.

-Ireland LOVED swimming at the San Diego hotel, but the pool was just too chilly. She kept getting in, teeth chattering, hopping out, getting her coat on, getting warmed up, and hopping back in. this happened about 4 times before she finally stayed out!

-One night, Ireland put her head on the pillow and with a sigh said “Mom – Jesus loves me.” It’s moments like those that are truly treasures in a mother’s heart.

-One night, Ireland was having a really hard time & was crying & Mom blew her nose & went to throw away the tissue & Ireland launched into another fit, screaming “You took my germs!”

-Ireland was not doing what we asked & mom said “I’m the mom!” and Ireland said “But I’m the Ireland!!”

-We were talking about the country that Ireland is named after. She likes to look at pictures online of “her country” and when we drive through new places she will say “Mom – is this my country?”

-One night driving home from a long day of looking at lots, Ireland was cranky. She was just crying & wailing & screaming that she wanted this or that. Out of nowhere she starts screaming “I want to go to the dentist!!”

-The previous entries make it sound like she’s always difficult, but really her worst moments are when she is tired. She’s really usually a good little girl. She recognizes most of the letters of the alphabet & now mom is teaching her what sounds they make & how to identify numbers. Ireland is a helper & is always the FIRST one ready for bed – the FIRST one ready to get out the door – the FIRST one to pop out of bed. She has so much life & energy in that tiny body. We sure love our Ireland!!

-Often when we ask what Ireland dreamt about, she’ll say “Sienna!”

KEZIA:

-Kezia is so expressive right now. She’s really learned a lot of words and can tell you now if she hurts or if she wants an apple or if she’s stinky. If you read her a book, she will point to almost everything on the page & say its name. She loves to try to sing A,B,Cs and when mommy is threatening time out & counting to 3, Kezia likes to join in.

-Kezia is able to start repeating after the prayer words. So cute!

-Mom was in the living room & couldn’t see Kezi, but heard her making noise in the kitchen. Mom said “Kezi – are you making a mess?” Kezi said “Yeah!” Seriously!

-Kezi loved to see her grandma & grandpa. It took her a minute to take it all in, but once she did, she was so excited & wanted to just cuddle with them.

-Kezia had fun at Disneyland. She wasn’t so sure about the Characters at the beginning. Her match, Sleeping Beauty, was a little frightening to her for some reason, but by the end, she was running up to them saying “hugs! Hugs!”

-She enjoyed the slow boat rides, but really didn’t like the rides or shows that puffed air or water at you. She also was a bit scared on Pirates of the Caribbean.

-Kezi did really well at Disneyland for being stuck in the stroller so much. She fought it, but by the second day she was pretty good about zonking out in the stroller. She would NOT wear her cute mouse ears, though L

-Kezi still has some disgusting infatuations. She still loves the toilet and we have to constantly watch her so she’s not into the toilet water or putting various things in the toilet.

-One day Kezi was playing outside with her sisters. Mom opened the door & she walked right in, holding a piece of dog poo in her hand. YUCK!!

-When we pick her up & hold her, she likes to put her head on our shoulder and put her arms down the front of her between us. It’s so cute.

-When we sign I love you to each other, she tries so hard to make the sign, but ends up just kind of scrunching her fingers together.

-She knows a lot of animals & the sounds they make. She loves to say “Cow! Mooooooo!”

-Kezi is having a hard time learning how to share. Her version of sharing is coming up to a child, taking the object from them and saying “SHARE!” And if anyone tries to take ANYthing from her, she says “MINE!!” Sigh… we’re working on it!

-Kezi sure loves the dog. She has even learned to take control when Sydney jumps up on her – she says “NO! and pushes her away.” One day the dogs were fighting/playing & Kezi was shouting to them “SHARE! SHARE!”

-Kezi went to the nursery for the first time this month. Her first time went pretty well, but we were just a couple minutes late picking her up & when she saw the other parents leaving with their kids, she started screaming. The next week was a bit more difficult, but after 3 times of going out & coming in, she stayed & was fine.

-Kezi also loves looking at pictures from the family. One of her favorite things to do is sit and watch mom’s screensaver & name all the people in the family. It’s so cute. She also loves to call family, but she has to see their picture on mom’s phone to talk to them.

-Her hair is getting so long we have to pull it back everyday just so she can see.

DISNEYLAND!

Whew! We've been home for over a week now & I'm just barely getting to posting this.

That tells you. I've finally conquered Mt. Washmore & feeling like we've recovered - because it wasn't just Disneyland. First it was driving to my sister's wedding celebration/ring ceremony in Salt Lake. Then packing. Then a week of Sea World & Disneyland. Then back to Salt Lake for the SLC 1/2 marathon. Then back to Cedar. So... it was a busy couple of weeks there. But wonderful! Truly precious memories.

This post is about our trip to Disneyland. We'd been talking about wanting to go for a year or two, but never really found the money for it. This trip was really a gift from my aunt. I believe she would have wanted us to do it. And I've felt her and dreamt about her a lot the past week or so. I miss her.

We didn't tell the kids directly. McKinley knew we were going to go sometime, but didn't know when. When we got back from Salt Lake, I packed while Jason bathed the kids & entertained them so they wouldn't know. We were up till 1am packing that night.

The next morning (Friday, April 8) we woke the girls up & told them we were driving to where Disneyland was! They were excited. McKinley was especially excited that her cousins were going to be there & that we were going to the beach! The trip was actually pretty smooth. We got to San Diego in 8 hours & were able to check into the Bahia right on time & out to dinner with the Simons & Potts. We went to Luigi's, which has HUGE pizzas!

Saturday morning Dad & I went for an amazing run. Literally breathtaking. Wish I would have brought the camera. Boardwalk right by the ocean. Sigh... could someone please buy me a house by the beach? I mean - all I want is a house by the beach & a house in the mountains. Is that too much for a girl to ask? Afterwards we ate breakfast & headed to Sea World. So much to see & do! It was a lot of fun. The dolphin show was amazing. And the arctic wild was so neat. The shows were fun (though we never did get wet even though we were in the "soak zone")

Sunday was a beach day. The girls had actually never been to the beach (by the ocean), so it was a LOT of fun. A bit too chilly to REALLY get in & enjoy the ocean, but really nice - especially since we could just walk to the hotel pool when it got too cold. It was windy enough that we had fun with the kites, too. We had fun in the sun for about 4 hours before driving up to Anaheim. We checked into the Disneyland Hotel & they were good about changing rooms for us since we wanted one that was bigger with a space for Kezi to sleep. That night we went to good ol' Mcee-Dees for dinner.

Monday-Thursday was Disneyland and CA Adventures. Jason had never actually been to Disneyland, so this was a whole new world (cough, cough - sorry) for him, too! We got together with the Edwards, Potts, and/or Simons some of the time. It was neat to have family there. And it was fun to do some things just with our little family. Below is the slideshow & then some memories/lessons learned for our first family trip to Disneyland. All-in-all, I was say it was a smashing success. The girls are constantly asking when we can go back.

-Driving. I would say I maybe "overplanned" the driving part. I spent way too much money on stuff to keep the girls entertained (coloring books, magnetic toys, etc) when all they really did the whole time was sleep or watch the DVDs. Snacks were good, though. It was SO nice to have a van. Even with all our stuff we packed, we really didn't need to put any luggage or anything in the seat area. I used a laundry basket to fill with books, games, etc - along with snacks. It worked well to pass back & forth to McKinley who was in the back seat.

-San Diego. It really could be a vacation in and of itself. I wished we had more time here. It was so beautiful. And the beach was so close. Sea World was fun - especially the Sesame Street area for the kids. I was surprised at the security to get in. Everyone needed their own ticket with their name printed on it. And they were very strict about ride heights. The shows were packed, so you really had to get there early. And - even though I warned Jason - you still really have to prepare yourself if you're eating at the park (whether Sea World or Disneyland). Just don't think too much about how much you're paying for that hot dog & you'll be OK. We stayed at the Bahia right by the beach. It was an older hotel, but perfect location & we got a full kitchen, so I made french toast a couple mornings.

-Disneyland Hotel. You know, it was really neat. At night, you can flip a switch and the headboard above the beds light up with fiber optic fireworks and sings "A dream is a wish your heart makes." It's really cute. And it was fun to stay where they was the Disney flavor everywhere. The bummer was that it was under construction - and the pool was only half open. And no free breakfast. It was fun to stay there once - and I DEFINITELY want to stay in a place within walking distance to the resorts - but I don't think we'll stay there again.

-Disneyland. I think the time of year worked out well. We only waited 40 minutes tops for any ride and we really used those fast passes, which were super nice. The weather was great - 75-80. Our favorite rides were It's a Small World, Pirates of the Carribbean (I love how all the old rides have been updated to include the new movies), the Teacups, Space Mountain, and the Tiki room. We loved rides we could go on as a family - even Kezi. We also loved going to the Princess story time & coronation. It was fun to dance with the princesses. The fireworks show at night was AMAZING. Really. I bought the soundtrack to it because it was just so magical.

-California Adventure. Fun! It's nice that it's right across from Disneyland, because we really did go back & forth a lot. Our fave rides were the Buzz Lightyear Arcade (SO fun!), California Screamin' Coaster (Jason & I just went on this but it was a lot of fun - we went 2x in a row!), all the kid rides in Bugs Land - especially the cute catipillar ride, and the Tower of Terror was fun even though McKinley was too scared to go on it. Soarin' over California was really awesome, too. The rides weren't even the best parts, though. If you go, you HAVE to see the Aladdin show. Seriously amazing. The World of Color was breathtaking. We really enjoyed it, though it was sad that Ireland and McKinley had to go to the bathroom when there was only 10 minutes left. There is a lot of construction going on at California Adventure right now, so if you wait till 2012 to go, there is going to be a TON more things opening up - including a huge Cars movie area.

-Character Dining. I would highly recommend this if you are planning on seeing the characters. It is definitely expensive, but completely worth it. Rather than wait 30+ minutes to see them, they come right to you while you eat! And not only that, but they are able to really visit longer & dance & talk. Kezi was pretty unsure about them at first, but by the end, she was running up to them & saying "HUG! HUG!" It was so cute. The only drawback here is that your little ones spend more time watching for the characters than actually eating.

-Early entry. Yup...nope. Didn't make it either time. I just had to let go a little when it came to getting out the door in the morning. With 3 little girls and a sleepy husband, we never made it before 9:30. Good thing we had 4 days there so we could be more relaxed about it all.

-Girls ages. I'm glad we went now while the girls still are into all the princesses and fairies and magical things. McKinley could go on almost every ride but the Indiana Jones ride & the screamin' roller coaster at CA Adventure. Ireland wasn't even 40'' so there were quite a few rides she had to miss (which was sad because her cousin Joshua is 9 days younger than she is, and he could go on all the rides McKiney could), but she took it in stride & we did other fun things. Still... I think we'll wait till the girls are all at least 40'' before we go again.

-Family. What was great about this trip is that my family was around, but we didn't have to schedule every minute together. We could meet up here & there for rides or meals. McKinley especially loved having her cousins around.

-Sleeping in a hotel. I was honestly worried about it. We've had some nightmare hotel experiences in the past with babies up & crying & no one getting any sleep, but honestly it was great. We would roll in past 10 every night & the minute their little heads hit the pillows, they were completely out. Our room was nice, too because they had blackout blinds, so it was nice & dark & quiet in the mornings. Also - we "blanketed" off the section by the door for Kezi to sleep in, so we could be up & moving around & not bother her. She slept pretty good amazingly enough.

-Potty trips. If you do a trip like this, just mentally prepare yourself. I felt like we were stopping at bathrooms every 5 minutes. In the future, I will make everyone go to the bathroom at the same time - even if they don't need to.

-Nighttime. I bought these light spinner things at Walmart for a couple bucks. Best thing ever. Those light-up bubble-blower things were 12 bucks each! So- plan for the night life.

-Gear. Surprisingly, I wore flip-flops every day for 5 days & I was just fine! Jason wore his tennies & his feet were killing him by the last day. Go figure. Ponchos a must. I was glad I brought ours for the wet rides. It wasn't hot enough to really enjoy getting wet.

-Souvenirs. Dang, I forgot how expensive little things were. We dropped $100 at the hat store for heaven sakes. Wouldn't change it, though. They have these new ears that has the black hat base & then you can snap on different sets of ears to go with it - so McKinley has 2 sets of ears to go with her hat. And I love how the girls love showing of their embroidered names.

March Newsletter & Jan-Mar Slideshow

Well, it's been a life-changing past month for the Hamilton family, for sure. In March, we had a great time exploring our new surroundings - finding new parks, the library, running paths, stores, etc. We have enjoyed getting to know the people in our neighborhood & ward, who have been truly wonderful & welcoming. We enjoyed going down to St. George a few times to visit my grandparents, Aunt, and the Hamiltons to celebrate Camri's birthday and also to go to the temple and go out with some friends and family. We bought a 2005 Toyota Sienna (a.k.a the Swagga Wagon). We got to have a get-together with some wonderful friends, the Barons. And we had a great ward Hawaiian Party at the end of the month. We've looked at schools, homes, at building lots. Still have a lot of decisions to make. But we are together. And we are happy.

I spent a lot of time putting together a slideshow for Jan-March, but for the life of me, I cannot get it to finish uploading. If I can in the future, I'll put it on here, but for now, here's the newsletter:

JASON: Jason is excited to be starting his new job. He really likes his boss and is more than excited to be able to go to work in jeans and a goatee (he hasn’t had a job in the past 11 years where he could wear jeans!). Also – his work hours are very flexible and he’s close enough that he can come home for lunch sometimes. It will take him a little while to learn the systems, terminology, and structure of the Forest Service, but he is a fast learner. On the 22^nd, Jason got to take Ireland out for her date that she earned. They had fun at McDonald’s.

HEIDI: Heidi has really enjoyed Cedar City so far. From the first Sunday, she felt welcomed & like she fit in. Heidi has been training for her ½ marathon. It was a slow-go at the beginning with all the unpacking & not knowing where to run – and the unpredictable weather, but she did her 12-mile run last Saturday & is feeling good about the upcoming SLC half in a couple weeks. On the 19^th, Heidi went to the Cedar Stake Women’s Conference – and was blown away with the amazing women and leaders in this area. Wonderful talks and workshops. On the 24^th, Heidi took McKinley to McDonald’s for their date that she earned. We had so much fun throwing hoops, playing air hockey, playing on the slides, and eating ice cream & cookies. Heidi also enjoys getting back into the tradition of baking bread on Sundays. She also got called into Activity Days, which she is excited about.

McKINLEY:

-McKinley has done pretty well with the move overall. She truly does miss her cousins & especially asks about Michael all the time, but she is very good at making new friends. We go to playgroup & she loves playing with Parker Johnson (who she says reminds her of Michael) and she’s had play dates with Kayla Clawson and Allie Porter. One day, she had a play date lined up & had another girl call to play with her, too! She’s already popular! She also loves her new dance class & says she loves her teacher. They are learning a dance to Animal Crackers in My Soup.

-We’ve been busy and prayerful about what to do about McKinley’s schooling next year since it’s sign ups right now. We went ahead & signed her up for the local school, but we’ve also toured the Montessori Charter School. And we still haven’t ruled out home school. We hear good things about the local public school – East – and we’ve heard some negative things about the Charter School. And then with home school, we can feel better about having God in her schooling, so we are still being prayerful about it.

-For some reason (maybe the name), McKinley really thinks Ireland is a leprechaun!

-McKinley had a lot of fun going to McDonald’s with mom for the date that she earned. She was so excited the whole day & when we left she said “Mom – I’m just so excited!” We had a great time talking & playing basketball & air hockey & she even met a new friend there.

-One Sunday morning, we were hanging out in our room & the girls were giggling. We looked over to find them helping each other try on mom’s bras.

-We watched some America’s Funniest Home Videos & afterwards, McKinley was on a mission to find something funny. Mom let the dogs in one day & they were licking Kezia’s tray & McKinley said “Hurray Mom! Get the camera – take a video for AFV!” Mom said she didn’t think it was super-funny. McKinley said “But mom! It might be funny to some children!”

-McKinley likes to dip her PB&J sandwiches in ranch.

-Apparently, Tiarra has told McKinley that some stuffed animals are really real & now she is convinced that all her toys move around & talk when we’re not looking & she said her dog told Tiarra that it didn’t eat but it wanted water to drink.

-We haven’t been as consistent with homeschooling this past month, but what we have done has been really good. McKinley is reading really well. In fact, her real issue is getting impatient with sounding out. She knows so many sight words that if she sees a word that has most of the same letters, she’ll just assume it’s that word. We’re learning about Benjamin Franklin in History, and she’s doing really well with her skip counting, adding & subtracting. She also memorized Matthew 2:16 this month & the 1^st article of Faith.

-One day McKinley was outside & she came in & said that she was building a slide for the bugs. Sure enough, there was a little slide made of sticks so the bugs wouldn’t miss out on the fun. She also loves to collect interesting rocks from the backyard & mom will find them in random places inside.

-McKinley still LOVES experiments - though now some of them are actually edible. She made a pretty good salad the other day and she made some dipping sauce with ranch and ketchup & mustard that daddy actually really liked!

-McKinley kept asking when they were going to see Michael, so mom helped her make a count-down chain & she colored pictures on each chain of her & Michael. Every day when she wakes up, the first thing she wants to do is take off a chain.

IRELAND:

-Ireland seems to have the hardest time out of any of us with the move. At 3 years old, she doesn’t understand what’s really going on. She has felt out of control, so she feels like she has to control everything else that she can. From her clothes to the bowl she eats out of to her shoes to where she sits at the table, she is SUPER-picky. She was always picky, but after the move, she just freaks out when she doesn’t get her way. Mom tries to choose her battles, and therefore has let her go out with dresses & snow boots and the like just to have some peace. She also misses Joshua & Sienna. She doesn’t understand why they can’t just come over right then.

-One day after dinner, daddy blew his nose. Then he said “hey Ireland – come here & let me clean you off!” Ireland said “NO!! That has boogers on it!”

-Ireland has loved the (sometimes) warmer weather. She asks every day to go to the park. And she even asks to go the park after we’ve already been!

-Ireland’s thing lately is saying “Ewww! Dis-gust-ing!”

-One of the girls’ wands says “There’s magic in the air!” Ireland had a fun time dancing around the house spreading magic. When she went to bed, she said “I need my magic in the air!!”

-Ireland has missed her daddy a lot when he’s at work. She asks where he’s at & mom will say he’s at work & Ireland will say “No! But he isn’t! He wasn’t wearing a tie!” We keep telling her that he doesn’t need a tie for this job, but she doesn’t believe us yet.

-Ireland had such a fun time going on a date to McDonald’s with her daddy. They had ice cream and played games.

-McKinley’s two front teeth are still loose & she will talk about it & wiggle them with her fingers. Ireland will try to pull hers out & say “My teeth are STICKIN!”

-Ireland loves to find matches. She calls them matchy-matches.

-At the ward Hawaiian party, they had some Hawaiian guy dancers who danced in their skirt things. Ireland says (loudly) “But Mom – why are they NAKED?”

KEZIA:

-Kezia has done OK with the move. We kept her in the portable crib, so she seems to do well – although she still seems to wake up before 7 & then again at 7am. When we Skype with family, though, she points to people (especially grandma) & kind of whimpers “gama!” “gama!”

-Since the doors in this rental home are the lever kind, Kezia has learned how to open them easily. We really have to watch her especially with the bathroom. She loves to take things out of the trash & put them in the toilet. She also loves to pull out the T.P.

-Another one of Kezia’s new tricks is getting on the kitchen table. She thinks it’s so fun to climb on the chairs and get up there & dance.

-She also is a drink dumper. Once she’s done drinking any drink, she will turn it upside down & shake.

-Kezia loves to say “Dora!” and “Daddy-o!”

-One day mom found Kezia in the bathroom with a toothbrush – dipping it in the toilet & sucking on it. EWWW!

-Kezia loves to sing “Happy Birthday to you!”

-She still loves watching Signing Time and Baby Einstein.

-The girls love Kezia – they fight over who gets to sit by her at mealtimes.

-It’s been fun having the dogs closer – they get to come in & clean up the floor & Kezia just laughs & giggles & says “Tundra!” “Sydney!” as they clean up around her & her tray.

-Kezia is still changing between 1 & 2 naps, depending on when she gets up in the morning.

-Kezia is really struggling with the concept of taking & sharing. At Sunday School, she will find the nearest baby & start taking their toys one by one & bringing them to us. And when we try to give them back, she shouts “MINE!”

-Kezia’s molars have finally been coming through! We are so glad to have that part of teething over with!

-She’s started to do the fake cry. If one of her sisters is hurt & mom is comforting, she will come with her fake cry to get some loves, too.

-She LOVES to be outside – even when it’s cold. We can’t wait for the warmer weather when she can play in the water because right now she’s always getting into the dogs’ water.

Wonderful Weekend!

This past weekend was truly great.

It started on Friday afternoon with a get-together with a dear childhood friend, Lena Baron, and her family. We met at Discovery Park and had a great time playing. It was a bit chilly and windy, but the sun was shining and the kids got along great and had lots of fun exploring the park. I had a wonderful time visiting with my friend who I hadn't seen in about 4 years. After the park, we came back to our house & made omelets with fresh-from-the-farm eggs they brought. The kids had fun playing here & we ate dinner & had some yummy chocolate ice cream for dessert. It was all-too-soon that they had to make a long drive back home, but we promised to do it again! Here's a few pics from our fun Friday:

Saturday was a busy, wonderful day. It started at about 7am with an 8 mile run. The wind was crazy, but at least it was an hour later than I usually go, so I could actually see - and there was a beautiful sunrise. The nice thing about the wind was that it was a tail wind coming back up those hills. After that I had to rush, but made it just in time for the Cedar Stake Women's Conference to start. I wasn't sure about about going with all there was to get done that day, but SO glad I did! I am amazed with the women in this area. Wow! There was an amazing, inspired speaker (she spoke on the book Weakness is Not Sin, by Wendy Ulrich) & then we chose 3 workshops to go to. I had a hard time choosing, but loved the ones I went to - creative service, women who know do less, and finding your strenghts. And after that amazing spiritual feast there was a physical feast. I came home truly filled. Thank you Love for watching the girls!

The next 8 hours were spent turning our garage from this:

to this:

Yay for being able to pull our new van in there! Seeing how much stuff we CRAMMED into the one side of that garage...seriously. It is a miracle.

And finally, today, we had a wonderful time at church (and even made it on time to get a soft seat! Yes!). We've had family council, watched picture slideshows from the past 10 years or so, we've enjoyed slow-cooker minestrone soup, bread (though that one took 2 tries), and cookies, and enjoyed talking or Skyping with loved ones.

Yay for great weekends!

The Knots Prayer

I haven't read this before today - saw it on someone's Facebook & really loved it. Had to share.

Cedar!

We just got internet today in our new home. Hooray!Well, here we are almost a full week in a new home, a new town, and soon to be a new job.

So- what do I think so far? It's been really great. I couldn't have asked for our move to go any smoother. We had SO much help on both the Salt Lake City end & the Cedar end. My parents came & brought a load & helped, too. Thanks mom & dad! Jason's brother & family & a couple friends also came up from St. George to help & support. They ROCK! My birthday was last Sunday & Jason was so cute to sing to me (no breakfast in bed this time. I guess that's what happens when your birthday falls on a fast Sunday :) and we had a wonderfully delicious chocolate cake & ice cream that night - amidst a sea of boxes.

We both truly believe we were supposed to be in this home for a reason. And the first reason is the 2-car garage. We were looking at a lot of homes with one-car garages & we thought they would be able to fit all of our things. Um... WRONG! It was a tight fit with a 2 car garage. You better believe we will be having a yard sale/D.I. trip soon.

Another reason we believe we are supposed to be here is the amazing ward. Seriously - everyone was so friendly and kind on our first Sunday. We are looking forward to getting to know everyone.

And the third reason is the fenced backyard. The dogs are MUCH happier & it's so fun to have them right outside & door & be able to interact with them so much more.

Jason has had the week off & we've been able to unpack 80% of the house & get things organized. We've also done some exploring. We went to a park on Wednesday by the High School

& then yesterday we went to the MOST AMAZING park! It's the Discovery Park - and it's only 5 minutes away - by the Walmart. It is amazingly huge and has hide-0uts, dinosaur digs, swings, you name it. We were there for 2 hours & didn't see everything. So much fun. And the weather the past few days has been so wonderful. CUE SPRING!

Thanks again for all the people who helped us get here. We still have a lot of work to do, but are taking our time - keeping perspective & enjoying our little family. Jason starts work on Monday & is very excited! We're still exploring - finding the library, the gym, the post office, running routes, etc... it's an adventure!

The girls have been excited for the most part. You should have seen our home on Sunday morning after they dug into all their toys that had been in storage - Christmas morning!! It was so fun to see their faces. Since we finished Narnia, we are now reading Little House on the Prairie. It just so happens that their move from the Little House in the Big Woods to the Little House in the Prairie coincided with our own move. McKinley did not miss out on

the parallels - Pa moved to be in a place with less people, so did we. They have 3 little girls, so do we. They had to say goodbyes to close cousins and family, so did we. We both moved in the winter. Thank goodness, though, that we didn't have to move in a covered wagon. I can only imagine the stretched wagon that it would take to fit all our "things" :)

Oh - and did I mention that I've been to Walmart 3 times this past week? - and have another list started as well! Yay!

Why I love being a sister - a daughter - a girl!

Painting nails? Gabbing? Facial Masks? Crazy Hair styles? Jewelry Making? Shopping till dropping? There's no WAY guys get to have this much fun!

This year was our year for our traditional sister retreat - and mom got to come this time, too! We had so much fun and I tried to cherish every moment with these amazing women since I won't get to be around them as much :( Good thing we all have unlimited minutes!!!

We started the retreat on Saturday night (the 26th) with dinner at Chilies, which was wonderful - and the molten lava dessert (to die for!!). Then it was off to the Extended Stay America Hotel, where we found out that there was no oven :( BUT it did not daunt us. Especially Trisha & Tiffany - they were the cooks and every meal was wonderful! That night we stayed up late gabbing, pampering each other (foot rubs, brushing hair), taking crazy pictures, and just enjoying each other.

Sunday we went to Trisha's Sacrament meeting - and then to her house for naps & making the pie for the fruit pie. Then it was back to the hotel for a mini-lesson out of the Ensign, BBQ chicken lunch, jewelry-making (beaded watch bands, necklaces, earrings), and watching movies (You Again & 4 Christmases). We also painted nails & did masks that night :)

Monday was breakfast at Jamba Juice (thanks mom!) and a trip up to the Park City Outlets. I got some much-needed new running shoes & we found a few good deals.

Thanks goes to the hubbies for watching the kiddos so their wives can have some down time.

All-in-all, it was a perfect weekend with some of my all-time favorite women in the entire world.

LOVE YOU GIRLS!