Basic Black

Kesslynn is soooooooooooooooooo difficult to dress. Rather difficult to convince to wear anything she isn't in the mood for. This outfit is one she picked out, then that same day refused to wear. She chose to wear it this day and I decided that I had better get a picture while I had the chance.

Talon Moving...

Talon left on his mission December 29, 2010. We spent most of the holidays getting everything together just in time to celebrate Christmas then take him to the MTC in Provo. He has since moved on to Alabama where he is serving and has his first companion (above) Elder Dansie. If you want to know more let me know and I'll add you to his blog: ala-birm.blogspot.com

Family Picture Time

Before Talon left on his Mission, I thought we really should have a current family picture taken. So Mindy was soo great to get them for us! Plus as an added bonus she got pictures of all of my siblings/ spouses. I love Mindy's pictures and would recommend her to anyone.

Holiday Busy-Ness

Holidays start out every year with Holly Days. Some of my kids really love it while others.....

Don't

Ice Skating with Daddy. Though Daddy couldn't do it for long.

Geocaching! and Finding the Perfect Cache for Kairi!

Seeing Santa!!!

Playing in the Snow

Christmas Morning

Small Town Kids

NUFF SAID

Chomper Check

I took Kesslynn for her first check up at the Dentist. I thought that things would be okay, but that was before they told me that she had 5 (yup 5) cavities. I was given a referral to the Pediatric Dentist, but during that check up they told me she only had 7 (oh yeah 7) that needed to be fixed to the tune of $300/hr just for the Anesthetist!!!! Not to mention however much it would cost for the Dental work itself. Plus 2 hours of her being sedated. So I took her for one last consult who fixed 2 cavities, then told me the others weren't yet ready to be filled. So this now has taught me that I should stick with the Dentist that I trust (the one who only fixed 2 cavities- He's my regular dentist.) Live and Learn. She is now doing great, and we will keep going through Door #3.

QuickPics...

Kairi Age 7

Elika Age 1

Kesslynn Age 3

Having some fun with a Fall photo shoot!!!!

Firefighter Kesslynn

As a preschool, we were able to tour our local Firestation. The firemen were AWESOME with the kids. They talked with them about not being afraid of the firemen. Gave them a demonstration of what the firemen look like all geared up. Talked with them about calling 911 and having an emergency plan. We had a lot of fun. The kids got to tour the firetrucks and were given all kinds of cool swag. All in all I think it was good for them to get to see this side of life. I hope to NEVER need their help, but I hope my Kess knows what to do.

S*E*7*E*N

My sweet girl is 7!!!! I still can't believe that she is this old. Only one more year and we will be baptizing her. There are sooo many things that I love about this little girl. As you can see her passion at this time is "Save the Planet." She loves science and learning. She is the champion of the underdog and always wants to give a voice to those who don't have a voice. She is passionate about the things that she loves.

Kairi- I am soooo glad and grateful you are mine....

SO....

to celebrate:

Elika helped me to make her cupcakes while Kairi and Kesslynn were at school. Elika enjoyed herself immensely.

Interestingly enough, Kairi loves BATS. I have no idea why. She specifically asked for bat cupcakes- and what kind of mother would I be to deny her. There was no birthday party this year, as I want her to live it up next year. We just had a quiet family gathering.

Burger King was the party spot of choice, and as you can see Talon thought that he might try and trump Kairi for Birthday Royalty.

Kairi also shares a birthday with her Great-Grandmother Winn. So we took a couple of cupcakes to her house to wish her a happy birthday and have them blow out candles together. It was a great day and we are so grateful for them both.

Minute to Win It (Achievement Day Style)

I have been an Achievement Day Leader for about a year now. In that time we have done so many fun things. One of my favorites was this Daddy- Daughter Date we had. It was based on the show "Minute to Win It." Of course we started with dinner and potluck salad. Then we moved onto...

Moving an Oreo cookie from your forehead to your mouth without dropping it. It was great fun to watch the girls and their fathers attempting this.

From there we moved onto this gem:

Do you know how difficult it is to keep a feather in the air for one minute? Neither do I! Not one person was able to accomplish this.

Next up we split into teams, and instructed the teams to attempt to retrieve a penny from each leg of a (new) pair of pantyhose. All the while not using your hands to assist. That means- one hand down one leg and the other down the other leg. As you can see it was quite entertaining.

Next each team had to take a stack of red cups with a single blue cup at the bottom. Alternating hands, we instructed them to move the blue cup from the bottom to the top by only moving the top cup to the bottom. It didn't matter who won (mainly because I can't remember) but I know the girls (and the dad's) had fun.

Next and Last with the light fading fast, the girls insisted on this one last game. Using only toilet plungers we instructed them to wheel themselves on a skateboard from one side of the parking lot to the other. Every dad and every daughter did this. The laughing that ensued carried me through the night. I have the best pictures of this and great blackmail for our bishop and Sunday School presidency.

Preschool Part Deux

My Kessie started preschool at the beginning of the school year. She was SO excited, and so was I. We again are doing the round-robin type preschool. The group I am associated with is a lot of fun and so creative. We have two groups a 4-year-old group and a 3-year-old group. Kessie is in the 3-year-old group. She is loving it! Making friends and learning is what she is doing. Once a month we also have a field trip. So far we have been to the Fire Department (pictures to come), partied with both groups, and been to the Bakery. It has been a great experience.