The Kluge Family

Scarlett's 7th Birthday Party! Hooray for Hollywood!

2011-04-08T21:43:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Scarlett's 7th birthday Hollywood style! Stars, boas, glitter and glam!
The kids got to walk the red carpet when they arrived. We filmed them and they watched themselves later while they ate cake!
Scarlett was so excited for Daddy to be the "door man" and welcome our guests at the red carpet.

We did nails, had a fashion show, and opened presents.
All the girls had a chance for a photo shoot in front of the stars and in the cardboard cutout. Grandpa Betts looked the best =)
There was even gold glitter on the cake.
Everyone participated in our fashion show, even Asher.

Happy Birthday sweetheart!!!

Car for Sale!

2010-07-09T13:00:00.003-06:00

We are trying to sell our 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. It has all wheel drive and less than 55,000 miles. It's in excellent condition inside and out. Power door/windows, CD deck, alum./alloy wheels, lots of leg room and trunk space, and great gas mileage. We LOVE this car but it only seats 5 and we are a family of 6. Kyle has a company truck right now so we really don't need it. Call Kyle's cell number if you are interested. Pass the word along!! 801-920-2811

South Ogden Days 5K First Place!!

2010-07-01T21:47:00.005-06:00

So I the girls and I ran in the South Ogden Days Fun Runs last Thursday. The kids had a 'K" and the adults a 5K. It ended up being in the mid-90's that day (just in time for the races!). I ran with Avanlee and Scarlett ran ahead during the kids' race. I am so proud of them! They both did such a great job and ran almost the whole time. Scarlett always does well in athletic things and she didn't let us down. I think it did a lot for Avanlee's confidence to do so well. She would run awhile, stop, then sprint ahead so fast it would be hard for me to catch up. All in all she did great and has talked about how fast she was for days now.

I was excited for the 5K since I've been training for the 1/2 marathon. I don't have mych time to train (or much time for anything for that matter) but I wanted to see how I could do. I'd only ever run one other 5K and that was with Scarlett earlier in the year... little did we know that she was recovering from mono at the time, poor thing. Anyway, my goal was to place in my age group...

Here's Scarlett after her race.

And Avanlee.

Kyle in his Australian wallaby hat.

And finally her I am after the 5K with Asher and my 1st place medal!! (Juiet was in the stroller with Kyle. I got these pics from a neighbor's blog since I can't get my camera to upload to my PC!) I took 1st in my age group (25-29) and I was the 6th woman in overall. Not bad for my 1st competitive try. I ran 22:04. The course was pretty hard with two super steep hills. Needless to say I was super excited! Big thank you to Lara for being so excited with/for me!!!

Pics of Juliet's Blessing Day

2009-12-20T21:50:00.006-07:00

We blessed Juliet Sophia on Dec. 6th and I'm proud of myself for getting these pics up the same month!

Here are my babies. I'm amazed by them and learn from them everyday. Sweet cousins. They may look a little bewildered, but it was either that or the pic of them looking terrified... or the one where they clearly think Im crazy. I chose bewildered.

Proud Grandma wouldn't give either of them up. Very sweet.

Grandma pulling Scarlett's 1st loose tooth. It was not at all what Scarlett expected, but she was pleased in the end.

Here's our pretty girl all smiles. Love the tongue.

I think she looks like a doll in this one.

Proud Momma. I'm so grateful for my family. I feel blessed beyond measure.

New Pics of Juliet - 2 Months

2009-12-04T14:05:00.006-07:00

Here are the latest pictures of the baby. This first one is when she was only a few weeks old on the quilt my Mom made for her. The rest are of her at 2 months. Sorry about all the pics that look alike. I couldn't help myself... she's too adorable! Enjoy!

The Frenzy

2009-11-16T21:15:00.003-07:00

A quick note on how things are going...
I've decided that four children isn't all that much harder than three. It's just that now there really AREN'T enough hours in the day. From sun up to sun down there is someone or something that needs attention and getting ANYTHING done takes that much longer. It's amazing how many ways your heart can be stretched and tugged and wrapped around so many things and so many people. The human heart is capable of so much love and we can grow with each person we come to truly know, love and care for. I've learned so much as a mother. I've learned more compassion, more patience and more names of My Little Ponys than I ever would have had I not had my children now. I have been forced to be more organized (though it may not always appear that way) and more disciplined than my nature would have allowed otherwise. If I thought I knew how to multi-task before, it's nothing in comparision to juggling four children, caring for a house, participating in church, volunteering at the school, being there for a husband and being inolved in the community. I've learned the importance of a kind word, a hug, a laugh and a smile whether it be from me, between my little ones, from my husband or a friend. I understand now why moms are often teary eyed over the silliest things. Or why women fall in love over a baby's smell. I'm in awe of the power of a mother's influence on and connection with the members of her family. Even more so by the growth I've received back from this experience...this choice. I don't think I could be learning or growing more as a person doing anything else. I won't lie...it's crazy around here a lot of the time. Especially right now with the baby being so little and having so many others need me. But I don't think I'd have it any other way. I love seeing my hard work and efforts at caring for them and teaching them pay off. And it seems that my experiences as a mother are starting to toughen my soft spots and soften my tough ones all at the same time. I appreciate those around me to a greater degree. I judge less. I love more. I appreciate my parents and siblings more and feel the distnace from them even more potently.
Enough of my rambling... I just want to say that I'm loving my life. I thank God for all I have. I thank God for the love and goodness I see and feel in the world and pray for strength to always see His love through whatever I have to bare.

I'll try to post pictures soon. Avanlee turned 4 yesterday. Scarlett has been playing basketball (Jr. Jazz). Juliet is getting so BIG! And Asher is as handsome and funny as ever. Things are hectic as usual (well more than usual) so I'll get to it when I get to it. By the way, our stake volleyball team (well basically the 7th ward's team which I crashed) took 2nd place in the regional tournament on Saturday. Thanks to all the girls who played and thanks to Scott for saving us by bring us pizzas! We played almost 6 hours of volleyball that day... out of 7 girls one was pregnant, 2 of us are nursing and no one thought to bring anything for lunch. Though, truth be told, after a few short breaks in the beginning of the day we ended up playing for 4 hours straight and didn't have time anyway. We scarfed pizza in the one minute before we had to start playing the #1 team. It was a blast and every muscle in my body hurts. Still.

Welcoming Juliet (without an epidural!?!)

2009-10-01T14:06:00.008-06:00

Juliet Sophia Kluge joined us Sept. 28th at 4:29 pm. She was 7'14" and 20.5 in. She has a big dimple in her right cheek. At first she looked strawberry blond, but it lightens a little everyday...

On the morning of the 28th, my water was leaking and we headed over to the hospital after an exam. My water decided to REALLY break while I was standing in the lobby. We knew the pad my OBGYN had given me wasn't cutting it when the girl behind the desk called someone to see if my room was ready then turned to me and said, "We'd rather you kept that to yourself. Let's get you in a room." ...

They started me on petocin to get my contractions going around noon. Thanks to a somewhat morbid medical curiosity, I had wondered during this pregnancy (and the last) how far I could get before getting an epidural. By 2:30 I had gone from 4 to 6 cm and they increased the petocin. At that point the nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist had to do a C-section at 4:00 and that I'd have to decide before that point. As I got to 8 cm, things were getting really intense. The nurse called my OB to let her know my status. When she got back I decided I couldn't do it any more. I asked for the epidural. I looked at the clock as I did so... it said 4:08. I was too late...

Trying not to panic, I realized that I'd have to do it, willing or not. I had the most wonderful nurse. She helped me focus and breathe. Within a few very short minutes (10 0r 15) I went from 8 to 10 cm. My nurse fought with her voice activated call system (it wasn't cooperating) to call for setup and the doctor. I began to worry because I KNEW it was going to be close. To my relief (and everyone else's) my doctor rushed into the room just it time (she ran a light to get there). I was afraid to push at first becuase I knew it would hurt, then I realized that once she was out I wouldn['t have any more contractions! One long, not so quiet push later and voila!!! Out came our beautiful baby girl. She came down and out so fast that she bruised her WHOLE little face. She was pretty swollen and it took her a long time to open her eyes.

Here's her hungry face...

The kids love her so much. They want to hold her all the time.

Avanlee was amazed the first time she saw Juliet open her eyes...

Asher acted so grown up at the hospital!

I pretty much have the best family ever.

We brought her home on the 30th. She looks so tiny on our bed!

Her bruising gets better everyday and she has the cutest face especially when she opens her eyes, which still isn't often. We're so excited and feel so blessed to have Juliet in our family. We're grateful that she is healthy and whole and that we're healthy enough to take care of her and our other children. It's the sweetest thing in the world to see Kyle hold and love her. I love my family and can't wait to get to know Juliet better as she grows and learns!

Reunion Pics for my Mom

2009-09-27T21:40:00.016-06:00

In May over Memorial weekend my family (my parents and siblings plus our families, all 25 of us) got together for a family reunion in Heber. We're spread out over 5 states, 2 families on the West coast, 2 in the intermountain area, 1 in the South and 1 back East so it's rare when we can all get together. We all stayed in a great big cabin/mansion. It was amazing that we all fit and still had room to breathe. We had such a great time! My mom has been asking us to send her all our pics from the weekend and this is the most convenient way for me to do it. Here are all the pics...unedited and rough. I wanted to get it done quickly before I go in to have the baby tomorrow. The next set of pics you'll see will be of our new little Juliet Sophia!

Still Here

2009-09-25T12:43:00.003-06:00

I thought the yesterday was going to be "the day." Wednesday night I went to bed having contractions 5 minutes apart for 2 hours. Then I was up every half hour with more. I woke up Thursday morning and nothing. Maybe one every hour or so. Sigh. I luckily have plenty to do to keep me occupied. Between the kids' activities and all the stuff I've volunteered for, it's probably better that she hasn't come yet! My doctor told me to come into the office Monday morning for a quick check, then she'll send me over to the hospital to be induced if I don't go into labor this weekend. So either way, the end is in sight and we're very excited. It looks like she's measuring about 8 lbs so we'll see! Wish me luck!

Overdue

2009-09-13T20:33:00.002-06:00

So it's the post that's overdue, and not me. Two weeks to go and I'm feeling really good. Aside from a little chest cold, I'm pretty darn comfortable considering my 'condition.' My only gripes: hot flashes and getting a little extra emotional.

Someday I'll post some pics. We've had so many great things going on, I wish I had time to get all the pics up for you to see! Scarlett started kindergarten and she loves it! She says her favorite part is riding the bus. I volunteered to do music with her class, so every tuesday afternoon I go in and do 30 minutes of music with them. It's so fun! In the spring we'll do a little program for the parents to show them what we learned.

Friday mornings we go over and do the choir before school starts. It's 4-6 graders and we have a blast! We're already gearing up for our holiday concert. Luckily I have a great friend who's helping this year and will take over for a week or two when Juliet's born.

Avanlee starts dance class tomorrow. She'll know a couple of girls in the class this year which I think will be really exciting for her.

Scarlett opted out of dance to do soccer and basketball (a girl after my own heart!). She's playing a league up in soccer this year and it's crazy! The games are twice as long and the field is twice as big, but she does a great job. She's super fast and strong and you can't even tell she's playing with older girls (it helps that she's taller than most of them!). Bball will be a new experience for her this year. It's kicks off after soccer ends for the fall so we won't have to worry about overlap.

We finally started canning yesterday. Our fruit is just starting to come on and it's soooo yummy this year. We bottled about 20 quarts of peaches with probably another 60 to go. we did maybe 10 quarts of pears which is about half of this year's crop. We had to chop down the pear tree after we took the fruit off because the tree was so sick. Kyle mourned for 2 days. It was pretty sad. We have a ton of peaches this year and hope to bottle some peach salsa for the first time, I can't wait! We'll have plenty of grapes to juice in a few more weeks. It's so great to bottle fresh fruit to use the whole year. It's cheaper and tastes so much better than store bought stuff. Thank goodness Kyle knows how to can!

So we finally have everything under way and I feel so much better about having this baby. 2 weeks ago i was sweating it a little when my OBGYN said I was dialated. I thought about all the things I wanted to do before she came. Now I think we've got a good enough start that I'm getting excited. Kyle is pretty much down with waiting. I'd like to wait and go into labor myself, because I've yet to have the experience. If not, I'd like to induce on my due date (the 28th) because it was my Grandma Wanlass' bday (Mom's mom). I think that would be cool. We'll see.

COME TO OUR PARTY!

2009-08-21T13:12:00.003-06:00

We're having our traditional "back-to-school" party Saturday August 22nd at 6:30 p.m. in our backyard.

We've told some people, sent a neighbor girl to pass out some invites, passed out some of our own, ran out of invites, called some people and now I'm going online to spread the word.

Kyle has an old (and very yummy) family recipe for spudnuts (doughnuts made with mashed potatoes) and he has a couple hundred in the works. We'll also have homemade rootbeer. It'll be a good time so stop on by!

Our New Car!

2009-08-13T14:25:00.003-06:00

We are now the proud owners of a 2005 (non-van) Nissan Armada SE. We purchased it Saturday from a family in SLC and we were able to get a fantastic deal. It seats 8 with lots of leg room, has a V8 engine, and it cleaned up REALLY well. We now have room to fit everyone including Juliet Sophia who we'll be welcoming in the coming weeks. These aren't pics of OUR Armada per se, but it may as well be! Knowing Kyle and I, you'll find it in these settings soon enough. It looks just like ours (except ours has nicer wheels!), I've just been too busy to download any pics...of anything, let alone the new ride.

When checking out the inside for the first time, Scarlett was really cute and said, "Look we have room to have another baby, and another baby..." at which point Kyle threw a little mock fit and told her not to talk that way. It was pretty funny.

It may sound silly, but we're grateful for the Lord's hand in this for us. We were in the right place at the right time, and did the right thing when prompted to, in order to receive this blessing. We were able to get what we've been wanting and keep it within our tight budget. This deal took place in less than 24 hours and in that time, the family had many other offers on the vehicle. If we hadn't been looking and preparing and listening to those promptings, we would never have had this opportunity. It was yet another good lesson for us and we're extremely grateful.

A Quick Update

2009-08-04T21:42:00.002-06:00

We are healthy, happy, worn out, and busy as always. Kyle is still working lots of overtime and we are gearing up for all our Fall events. We have:

>Prep for Kindergarden - teacher conference, Back to School Night, haircuts, shopping, etc.

>Back to School Parties - *homemade spudnuts and rootbeer Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in our backyard, come on over.*

>Dance Registration - for the girls

>Family Reunions - both sides

>School Choir - I'm crazy. Gathering and purchasing holiday/winter music, getting flyers out, drafting a script, and securing help.

>Looking for a bigger car - we are, frankly, stressed out about finding a larger vehicle in budget that isn't a van. $10 says we end up with one despite all our best efforts.

>Doctor appointments - less than 8 weeks to go!

>Daughters of the Utah Pioneers - meetings, and being a docent for the local museum...twice.

Despite how it sounds, we are not as over booked as we were earlier in the summer (thank heavens) though I fear this is the calm before the September storm. This is not supposed to be a blog about our business, but I do want to keep those of you who may be interested up to speed. I will at some point post more pictures, but I'm more than a little behind in that area at the moment.

Somewhere in between now and the end of Sept., Kyle and I will celebrate 7 happy years of marriage and welcome Juliet Sophia to our family. We witness blessings and miracles in our lives everyday and are grateful for all we have.

Congrats to all the moms out there with your new babies (there are a ton of you right now!). Hope you're well!

From the Mouths of Babes...Like it or Not

2009-07-09T16:23:00.003-06:00

So, I wear thigh high compression stockings thanks to my vein issues. For those of you who know me well, you know that I'm my "meatiest" in the thigh and buttocks region. As I was putting one of the stockings on the other day, Scarlett noticed a little bit of my meat hanging over the top of the stocking leading to this fun exchange:

Scarlett: (giggling) There's a bump right there!

Me: Yep.

Scarlett: Why?

Me: It's baby fat. Your body puts on a little more fat when you have a baby in your tummy.

Scarlett: Will it go away?

Me: I hope so.

Scarlett: How?

Me: I'll just exercise and try to eat right.

Scarlett: But you already do that.

Me: I know. I guess I'll just try to work harder.

Scarlett: Yah, your bum is a little bigger, but that's okay.

Me: Yah, that's okay.

Names and Veins

2009-06-28T18:55:00.003-06:00

Things SHOULD begin settling down around here. I'm back from Seattle. Kyle's back from backpacking in the Uintahs. Plus (hallelujiah!!) Kyle is back to working only 40 hours a week. We are grateful he had the work and the overtime during such a difficult time, but we're ready to have Daddy back.

We are definitely having another girl and we're really excited. Kyle declared that since I named our other three children (though not entirely true because my sister suggested two out of the three) he would get to name this one. I laughed aloud and told him he knew perfectly well that he wasn't naming the baby. He has a tendancy to come up with some very 'interesting' names. He then told me that he already had a name picked: Juliet. I was pleasantly surprised. I like it and it fits in with the other kids' names. So there you have it. Though the jury is still out on a middle name. I like Ester. Or maybe Sophia. What do you think?

Scarlett starts kindergarden the end of August. She has afternoon class with Mrs. Carter. I was dissappointed about not having morning at first. Then I thought about getting up and getting her ready in the middle of winter early in the morning with a new baby and I'm really coming around to the idea of afternoon. I think it'll be great. I'm still debating on whether I'll attempt to do the choir at the school next year. We'll see. It'll be a lot of work, but I already have some great ideas and I just don't want to turn it over to just anyone. If I can get all the music planned and the script written before the start of the school year, I might just be able to pull it off.

One little thing I've got to vent about before I finish up. I have a HUGE varicose vein in my right leg (I can't really describe the grossness of it) and it turns out that I have a clot (no worries!!!! It's in a superficial vein and there's very little danger of it going anywhere that would be harmful). It's just really annoying. I get to wear very sexy support hose all summer now. I'll have one tan and one very white leg by the time this baby's born. I'm glad that I had it looked at though. I'm also grateful that there are thigh high supports that will keep me functioning this summer. Finally I'm grateful that they don't strip veins anymore. Look it up. It's pretty gross.

Condolences

2009-06-04T20:40:00.002-06:00

Condolences to my sister and her family at this time. Here is a letter that her husband wrote in explanation. I'm at a lack for words in my grief for them.

"Dear family and friends - we have felt your amazing sympathy and support and we want you to know that we sincerely appreciate all of your actions, thoughts, words, and prayers. We're still taking things day by day and even hour by hour - we don't know what to expect with each new turn.
Things happened pretty quickly - I've been trying to balance being here for Stacey with my own emotions, not to mention the logistics of childcare and upcoming memorial services. I want to personally thank everyone who has helped us by watching or sharing a kind word or hug with Caleb, Andrew, Matty, and Sammy these last few days while we've been at the hospital.
I know you are all wondering what happened, so let me share briefly what we know. On Tuesday evening, Stacey called me from her regularly scheduled OB appointment. She was crying - really crying, and she told me that there was no heart beat - that the baby had died. There was no way of knowing how, when, or why at that point in time. We decided to go ahead with a c-section delivery on Wednesday.
Eli Quinn Roundy was [still]born at 31 weeks gestation on June 3, 2009, at 1:38pm. He weighed 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 16 inches long. He is our fifth boy, something many of you know we are pretty proud of - we do pretty good with boys! During the c-section, both doctors commented on Eli's abnormally short umbilical chord, and there is a likelihood that the short chord had something to do with the complications that resulted in his passing.
We had the beautiful opportunity of spending the rest of the day yesterday with Eli in Stacey's recovery room. Somehow having him bundled up nearby has made it easier for us to both remember him as our fifth son and let go at the same time. Stacey and I are both bound by the faith that we will be able to be with Eli - and all of our children - again in the eternities after this life. This belief has also been the source of great comfort to us.
Stacey is recovering well - she was taken off IV just a few minutes ago. Her spirits are up. But she has a long 4-6 week recovery period ahead of her. Stacey's parents are flying in this afternoon. We will have a private grave-side memorial service next week with our boys and other immediate family who are here. We want to spend time with our boys focusing on Eli and building a tradition to remember him even though we barely knew him...
Thank you for flooding our email, text, and voice mail inboxes with words of sympathy and kindness. Although we haven't been able to respond to each of you individually, your words and thoughts bring us great comfort and confidence that we will make it through the days and weeks ahead.
From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate all the help and support everyone has offered."

I'll be leaving next Thursday to fly out and help for a few days. Stace, your family is in our thoughts and prayers. We love you.

It's a girl!!! (for now)

2009-05-11T21:19:00.016-06:00

So it's been a bazillion years since I've posted. This spring has been insane. It didn't help that after I bouht extra memory for our computer the mother board decided to fail. Then we didn't have a slow computer... we had no computer. Luckily our super cool, super nice friends saved us by giving us an extra tower they had lying around. Luckily the hard drive was compatible and it was a smooth transition.

My OBGYN didn't get a great look last time we tried to determine the baby's gender, but a boy made sense so that's what we were saying it probably was. Well, she got a much better look this time and it looks like we'll be adding another little girl to the Kluge family. At least that's what we're saying this month. My targeted ultrasound is June 2nd and we'll be 99.9% sure after that. I'm going with girl for now. Kyle's not convinced. It's great to have a husband that seriously has no preference. He loves his kids and it has never mattered to him whether we've had boys or girls. He's a really great dad. I like a lot of super cool old fashioned names that Kyle doesn't. Asher was going to be Gwenyth if he was a girl so that's still in the running. I really like Tabitha too, but haven't brought it up. As I recall, Kyle didn't like it last go around (that doesn't mean he will remember that he didn't like it. He has a habit of changing his mind. He's a moody name liker).

I finally downloaded pictures off my camera today mainly because the memory was full. The stretched back to Scarlett's birthday in February. I'll include a couple for fun. To get a little caught up...we had her birthday, all mother/mother-in-law birthdays, Easter, a trip to St. George, a choir concert, we refinanced, had our deck torn down (it's half done!!), two dance shows, 5 soccer games, 3 preschool field trips and 3 parties, plus Kyle is working 50 and 60 hour weeks every other week. Things should (cross my fingers) settle down in June. It's been a lot of fun and the weather has been really great lately for our latest events.

Now for some pictures. I'll try to keep it condensed (emphasis on try). The last few are boring pics of the house and purely for the sake of my mother and sister who have not been able to see some of the little changes I've made to the house.

Aren't we a pair? I received my shiner in a basketball game--which we won--the day before I had to sing in church. Pretty funny. I covered it the best I could as you can see.

Poor Scarlett took a nasty fall on the concrete in front of the house running home from the neighbor's house. These pictures are dedicated to my dad who loved snapping pics of all my battle wounds from high school sports. He was so proud of my black eyes, knees, hips, etc.... and so was I =)

Here are pics from Scarlett's birthday (finally). My big girl is 5. It's surreal when I say it aloud, "I have a 5 year old," but it feels so natural to be Scarlett's mom it's like it has been this way forever.

We had dinner at McDonald's on her big day.

Avanlee assisted in most of the unwrapping.

We had a family/friends party the Sunday following. Once again, Avanlee was right in the middle of things.

This is a classic "Daddy is teasing me again" face.

And, of course, there was cake.

After presents, cake, and too many stickers... Asher had had it with the party.

Here's a typical Sunday morning for you (I'm only including this because I think my family is so adorable and it needs to be documented). Make rolls...

Doing hair...

Sisters...

Daddy still sleepy...

Some random cuteness...

Here are the Kluge and Harper kids watching a movie in the playroom. The big girls made all the arrangements for the babies.

At Scarlett's birthday dinner, she hauled her little brother to the top of the play gym. It was funny to see them altogether up there. I can't remember how he got back down.

I love these moments.

We took a little trip to St. George and invited the in-laws for my mother-in-law's birthday. We have a kind friend who allows us to borrow her condo. when we go down. We had INN-N-OUT, El Pollo Loco, hiked and had a good time. The kids took some pictures...

Scarlett LOVES to climb. We rock climb with her, but Kyle hurt his back just before this trip so we settled for some hiking/climbing in a local park. It has a pretty sweet view.

Scarlett climbed rock formations....

...while Avanlee and Asher played in the sand, chased bugs, and played with Grandma.

There is a narrow tunnel that leads to a hole where you can climb out on top of the formations. Kyle couldn't fit all the way up, but Scarlett with the help of some teenagers climbed all the way.

A little too much dance class for Avanlee?

If you've never been to Zions Natl. Park, you ought to try and make it out there some day. We love it! The hikes are beautiful and you can customize your routes to fit the endurance of your party. With our little ones we have a favorite easy trail we like to take. As they get older there are plenty of tougher hikes available.

This one is the River Walk and it's gorgeous. I'm not going to include all the great pics we got. I'm already making this post enormous.

Dying Easter eggs is one of my favorite Easter memories as a child. I still love to do it.

We went to three egg hunts (two were family parties) as well as the annual egg roll (another family party). It's always a really fun weekend.

Scarlett is such a good big sister!

The egg roll is a held on top of a smae hill. This year there was a little trench Asher decided to tumble down. After the discovery and recovery, he bum-slid down the trench over and over again. So much for clean pants for the next party!

This is my favorite shot of the day. She actually ate the whole thing too which is rare for her.

Easter morning the girls woke Asher up so they could see what the Easter Bunny left them.

I love this one. It's amazing how exciting chapstick can be!

We tried to take some pictures before church. Asher was too excited to be outside to be cooperative.

This was the only shot we got of him holding still.

Another random cuteness shot. The kids made themselves comfortable in the little "makeout nook" as Kyle calls it. I'm often amazed at the way the girls can get Asher to play with them or sit with them. It's adorable!

The girls are in the same dance class at a great little studio. They dance to Dora music and have so much fun. It's funny to me how specific the instructor was about their hair and make-up. Dance is a whole new world to me. They had a little competition (if you can call it that for the little ones) at Lagoon. It was cold and pouring rain plus we waited in a packed pavillion for an hour and a half before they went on stage. It was pretty miserable but turned out to be a pretty good day in the end.

This past Saturday they performed at the Ogden Ampitheatre. It was so nice! The weather was warm and perfect. The girls didn't have to wait long and did a great job! It's been really fun seeing them perform. They have one more show in June. Scarlett is the tall one and Avanlee has the red hair.

Scarlett is 2nd from the left and Avanlee's on the right.

Scarlett's in back.

Here are the boring pics for my fam. I bought some new pillows.

Here's my beautiful new sink!! I love it so much!

I finally found something to do with my big wall.

PC Issues...grrrr

2009-03-06T20:18:00.003-07:00

So it has been forever since I updated our blog. My hectic schedule is certainly to blame to an extent, but really our computer has been giving us fits and I've almost given up on it completely. We are appearantly having memory problems and everything runs ridiculously slow. I, therefore, have been unwilling to sit down with my precious little free time to battle it out long enough to get something posted. Today I went through and deleted as many programs as I could within reason so I am now attempting to catch you up. Quickly: (sorry no pics!)

Our sweet Scarlett turned 5 years old the first week of February. She is a delight! She's a great help and a second mother. She'd prefer to do everything for everyone herself and even tries to take care of me when she gets the chance. She's an old soul and mature beyond her few years. She reminds me of me as a child with her interest in sports, math, and reason. She'll start Kindergarden in the Fall and I'm not sure if I'm ready to give her up to the school system yet! She's more than ready and will certainly benefit from the new levels she'll find there. We love her so much.

The girls started taking dance lessons and get to be in the same class. They love it! Scarlett will start up soccer again next month and we've dabbled a little more with teaching her piano. I've been playing basketball and volleyball as well as doing the elementary school choir. Kyle just finished up his very first job (first time he's run a whole job himself) and did an awesome job.

Finally we are expecting our 4th (and perhaps final?) little Kluge. We're very excited and plan on welcoming our addition into the world somewhere around sept. 28th (my late Grandma Wanlass' birthday...which I think is way cool. She was great!). What's fun is that this little one will have plenty of cousins close in age--which I didn't have much of. My sister is expecting and is eight weeks ahead of me, a sister-in-law is two weeks ahead, while another sister-in-law is due a week after! It truly is a blessing to have good family that is able to share similar experiences and give support. I'm grateful for the stong wonderful women around me that are such examples to me of faith, patience, and love.

December in a Gigantic Nutshell

2009-01-03T09:08:00.018-07:00

This post will be working backward through the month of December. I thought Asher deserved the recognition first.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHER!!

He has turned 1 year old (Dec. 29th) and the time has flown! It feels like he's always been with us, but I can't believe it's been a whole year since he was born. His name means 'happy' (Genesis 30:13) and happy he is. We are so blessed to have him in our family and he brings joy to all of us. Asher loves to run, climb (he has successfully negotiated the stairs-up and down-today), cuddle, and laugh. We love you Asher. We had friends and family over for a little party the night before his birthday.

He had plenty of help opening presents that night!

Lemon cake and Peppermint ice cream. It's fun having a birthday this time of year. We party all week long starting with Christmas.

Too afriad to dig in at first, he decided to use a no hands approach.

After cake, a fresh set of PJ's and it was time to play with the new toys.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve the kids got jammies from mommy and daddy. We sang songs, read scripture and put out the milk, cookies, and carrots. They all fell asleep really early and we up and going before it was light.

Santa got everything just about right this year and it didn't break the bank! Bubble gum, Build-a-Bear, Webkinz, clothes, $5 DVD's... it was a great morning.

It was Asher's first Christmas but we kept forgetting that fact because he's been with us all year! He wasn't sure what was going on, but the girls' enthusiasm was contagious.

There's nothing like a See's chocolate Santa to make you smile!

All Avanlee asked Santa for this year was a penguin and a sucker. Santa happily obliged.

New paints were a highlight. Within 10 minutes Asher had the red paint spilled all over our very light colored carpet in the livingroom. It caused points of contention throughout the day but we all survived... even if the kitchen was a bit more colorful afterward.

Pixies and webkinz make for great computer fun. I'm very grateful for fun educational PC programs and sites. Check out starfall.com -- it is a great site for preschoolers and beginning readers.

This is one of Asher's favorite and dangerous pass times--hanging out under the sink. we keep a close eye on him while he's in the kitchen. If we don't, all the cupboards are emptied in a matter of mintues.

Asher's aunt made him the cutest rocking chair for Christmas. He and the girls love it and often fight over who will sit in it.

MELANIE'S VISIT

A friend of mine from HS in Cailfornia visited us the week before Christmas. Leaving Asher with a good friend, we took Melanie and the girls to temple square to see the lights. It was beautiful, albeit very cold. We had a good time. Here are my little eskimos.

Coming from Southern California I was fascinated when I first discovered that you can ACTUALLY see the individual snowflake crystals when you catch them on your glove. Who knew they REALLY looked like snowflakes! It sounds silly I know. Icicles were another very fascinating cold weather phenomenon we lacked in Santa Clarita. So when Melanie came it was fun to see that she was in awe of the same things. Here we have Mel holding a very large chunk of a broken icicle up Ogden canyon. Thanks for visiting Mel!

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Kyle's family are all relatively close and we have the opportunity to enjoy annual holiday festivities with them. Here are some pics from one of the events we attended. This first one was in a train were the children heard the Polar Express and had cocoa.

This was the fourth Santa the kids were able to talk with. It was a lot of fun to see and hear their reactions each time.

Sitting on Santa's lap is were Avanlee divulged her Christmas wishes. Good thing I was listening!

Fourth Santa's a charm. It was this Santa that finally persuaded Asher to sit all by himself without crying.

His preference, though, is to sit with Mamma.

H. GUY CHILD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHOIR CONCERT

I've had the priviledge of volunteering and conducting the local elementary school's choir off and on over the last couple of years (when I've been able). It is soooo much fun! I love getting to know the kids and giving them the opportunity to learn music and perform. We don't have a lot of fine arts finding and it's great to give this kind of service to the community. We sing and act and have a good time. My kids come with me and love to participate. We had a holiday concert the beginning of the month and it was a hit! We performed for the school, the parents, and finally at the city tree lighting. It was great!

PRIMARY CHRISTMAS PARTY

At our ward's Christmas party, the primary did a nativity. Scarlett and the other Sunbeams were shepards. It was super cute.

The kids enjoyed the singing and the narration before Santa came to visit them.

This was santa #1. They were so excited! It was pretty chaotic with all the kids there, but they didn't seem to mind!

Being so shy last year, I was very excited when Avanlee couldn't wait to talk with Santa (being allowed to use a micorphone helped!).

Our neighbor Morgan had to help Asher out.

Last and least I chopped my hair a good 8-10 inches the first of the month. I've been promising a picture so here it is.

We are so grateful this time of year to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am who I am and my life is wonderful and blessed because of His love for us and His sacrifice for all. I love my savior, I love my family and I'm blessed everyday to have both in my life. I couldn't ask for more.

Finally Some New Pictures!

2008-11-18T22:39:00.005-07:00

I have finally posted pictures!!!! I'm sorry that I didn't have time to browse for any with more clarity. Thanks to Janessa I'm staying up later than I should to do this quickly. First, this little lady just celebrated her 3rd birthday. I haven't put the pics from her bday party on the computer yet. She's such a sweet girl! She definitely has a mind of her own (in a good way!) and has had a gigantic growth spurt. She measured 41 1/2 inches at her check up (Scarlett measured 41 3/4 inches at her 3 year check up. I didn't know Avanlee was that tall too!). We're so blessed to have her sweet spirit in our home! We hosted a mystery dinner Halloween night. We had a blast! It was set in 1928 chicago and I ended up being the culprit!

Here are my cute kids Halloween night. Avanlee is wearing one of three costumes she picked out (spur of the moment) for this season. Here she is a princess witch.

This is just prior to our neighborhood Trunk or Treat. We pulled out the old Tigger outfit after we discovered her dragon costume was too small (growth spurt!)

These are at Cochran's Produce where they have a celebration each year. Kyle made his famous Spudnuts and we nearly froze to death but had a blast! (There's the elusive dragon that I needlessly purchased!)

These are Asher's 9 month pictures that Kyle snapped in our yard and around the house. Kyle does a very good job considering we don't have the kind of camera for this sort of thing. Asher tries to eat the camera when I get close to him with it.

I took Asher and his cousin running when we watched the kids. They were so cute sleeping in the stroller!

More of Asher from his shoot with Daddy. Isn't he handsome?

Long Time No Blog

2008-11-11T08:42:00.002-07:00

So things have been pretty crazy us. Kyle was working a ton of overtime and between Preschool, sports, choir, church and Halloween, we have been running and running! With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up we're pretty much booked through the end of the year. I'll try to post when I can, but I may be fairly absent from the blogging scene for a while. I'm hoping to post pictures this week. We had a number of Halloween celebrations we attended--for which Avanlee had a different costume each time. We had a murder mystery dinner at our house Halloween night (super fun, set in 1928). I ended up being the culprit. I held solo auditions for the upcoming elementary school holiday concert, and our preschool group had a field trip to the fire station. We attended Stacey Larsen (Ryan)'s wedding and had a good time catching up with some old friends from CA (especially the Larsens, Wallaces, Petrovitches, and Cowdens). We have regional volleyball (co-ed and women's) tournaments, Avanlee's birthday, cutting down our Christmas tree, meetings, visits, writing a choir script, and a doctor's appointment all before Thanksgiving week. We are enjoying every minute of our crazy, exciting, wonderful life together as a family. The kids are growing and learning and we love to watch them as they progress. Kyle's doing very well at work and we're grateful to be in a good position job-wise during turbulent economic times. We are blessed with faith in a God who knows us and in whom we can trust, a loving family, a beautiful home, freedom from fear, safety, transportation, sustinance, good friends and support, among many other things. we give thanks to God who supports and sustains us. We thank our family and friends for their love, support and patience. (I'll post pics soon!)

He Walks!

2008-10-11T18:00:00.003-06:00

He're's our sweet little one walking for the first time! He had taken a step or two here and there before, but this is his first real stroll . The first video's lighting is terrible, but you'll get the idea. As you'll be able to tell, we were all quite excited!

We are still super busy with sports, music, school, work, canning, getting over flu/colds, scouts, etc. (and now Kyle's planning on making 500 doughnuts for Cochran's holiday event Monday night. Yes, he's crazy). Hopefully we'll be able to slow down a bit in November!

Where has the time gone?

2008-09-20T22:26:00.003-06:00

Wow what a month! (and it's not even over yet!) We've had a lot of firsts this month that I've been just plain too busy to post about! Earlier in the month Scarlett had her first day of pre-school, then her first soccer game. She's also riding her two-wheeler without training wheels, though I think she started that last month. I had my first day ever teaching pre-school (a separate occassion from Scarlett's first) and had my first day (this year) of directing the elementary school choir. Next year I'll actually do the choir AND have a child going to the school! Asher cut his first tooth and took his first steps! (I've got to tell ya, that child is growing up WAY too fast, and no he's not even 9 month old yet!). We bottled pears from our own tree for the first time (along with the salsa, grape juice, peaches, etc. that we normally do). I think poor Avanlee is feeling a little left out. She's growing up so fast and is sounding so grown up, but the things she's developing don't have any visible milestones. She'll get her chance at some more 'firsts' soon. She and her sister DID participate in their first talent show this month. Avanlee did a summersault (woohoo!). Kyle has officially been made the Scout Master over the regional Special Needs Scout Troop in our area. It's been a crazy end to a fabulous summer. On top of all of our 'firsts' we've been playing church volleyball, Kyle's been working on some side jobs, and I've been put in charge of our neighborhood's collections for the Pennies by the Inch organization for Primary Children's Hospital. It's funny how busy you can get and at the same time think things will let up soon...because in reality it never really lets up at all. It's amazing how the longer someone lives and the more experience a person gains, the greater their capacity to do things becomes. With each new job accomplished comes an expansion of self. One year you think you can't possibly do one more thing and the next year you find yourself doing three times as much. I'm in awe of humankind's ability to progress and adapt and credit a loving Heavenly Father and Savior for this miracle of life.

Here are a few quick pics of some of what's been going on:

Scarlett's first day of preschool. Three other mothers, along with myself, are taking turns teaching preschool to our daughters this year and they're having a blast! Scarlett asks almost everyday when her next day of preschool will be.
Here's Scarlett (complete with pink soccer ball and pink cleats) on her first day of soccer. She was so excited.

Guess who was a TOTAL natural...?

It was amazing to watch her play for the first time. With no real prior practice or experience she got out there and scored 5 or 6 goals...even when her own teammate decided to start playing goalie!

This was just a super cute picture I had to post. They both kept making faces while I took pictures and played so well together, I just had to capture the moment. It isn't everyday that you see them playing without it ending in one of them crying.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2008-09-03T08:33:00.004-06:00

We had a great/busy weekend and were able to sqeeze in a date for our anniversary. Here's the cute man I married 6 years ago. He and the kids are the best things that have ever happened to me and the best choices I've ever made. He's an amazing husband, father, provider, and friend. He's spiritual, a hard worker, loving, loyal, and a lot of fun. Everyday that we're married, I feel more and more blessed to be with this man.
Here I am in my happy place. My life couldn't get any better.

For those of you who don't know, Kyle has givien up quite a bit to be with us during the difficult and time consuming period of life that is having young children. He doesn't rock climb, backpack, hike, fish, golf, ski, or much of anything else quite as much as he used to because he wants to be around to help. He understands that this season of our lives and the lives of our children is short and he wants to be around for it.

Our date stared out with dinner downtown at the best Macaroni Grill in the state. Yum! Then we drove over the Ensign Peak monument. We hadn't been there since July 5, 2002...the night Kyle proposed.

We hiked to the monument at the top of the hill at almost the exact same time we did more than six years ago. The flat place next to us in this pic is where Kyle had a blanket laid out with a cooler full of fresh fruit, Martinelli's cider, and the biggest rose I'd ever seen waiting for me. He'd hidden the ring in the rose, and this is where he asked me to marry him at sunset.
This picture is dedicated to Lara Deppe who is a little obsessed with taking pictures of feet.

Here we are with a view overlooking the city.

Awwww, aren't we cute?

We hiked down just after sunset (very trecherous...I'm considerably night blind). We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dessert, picked up the kids, went home and watched 27 Dresses (a cute movie for an anniversary date). We had a great time revisiting those memories. I love you Kyle!

Survey

2008-08-28T13:38:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry to all of you who are viewing this blog to see stuff about Kyle or the kids. This survey is being posting in response to an email (instead of replying). Please bare with this self-centered post.

1.What is your occupation right now?
Wife & Mommy (confident, counsellor, choir director, pre-school teacher, cook, maid, nurse, piano teacher, coach, patience tester, fix-it girl, lawn care pro., artisan, shall I go on...?)

2.What color are your socks right now?
I try to be bare foot as often as possible

3. What are you listening to right now?
The F-22's from the AF base and Sesame Street

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
A slice of honey oven roasted turkey from Costco

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes

6.Last person you spoke to on the phone?
The mechanic who gave me the estimate for what it will take to get Kyle's car to pass its safety inspection. Sigh.

7.Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Love her

8.How old are you today?
25

9.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
Beach Volleyball and Gymnastics

10.What is your favorite drink?
Kyle's homemade smoothies or lime rickey's

what happened to #11 ?

12.Favorite food?
Chicken Logs, a good steak, most fruit, and just about all desserts

13.What is the last movie you watched?
Beatuy and the Beast (Dan in Real Life or 27 Dresses before that)

14.Favorite day of the year?
The first warm day of spring and the first cool day of fall

15.How do you vent anger?
Lecture Kyle or the child. If my anger is due to something outside the family, I vent to Kyle about it then get over it.

16.What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Little Pony's

17.What is your favorite season?
Autumn

18.Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries

19.Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Sure!

20.Who is the most likely to respond?
It doesn't really matter to me

21.Who is least likely to respond?
Whoever doesn't check out the blog until after I post again =)

22.Living arrangements?
Married with three babes

23.When was the last time you cried?
...I ALMOST cried while reading part of Breaking Dawn to Kyle last week, and I cried a little after some stressful stuff wrapped up the second week in August or so

24.What is on the floor of your closet?
Lots of shoes

25.Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
Well, I'm hoping my mom and sister will check this out!

26.What did you do last night
We got the girls to bed, I did a little laundry,talked to the PTA pres about the school choir, and battled Asher trying to get him to sleep (a rare thing...he's always really good)

27.What are you most afraid of
Irrational = falling from a great height
Rational = Kyle dying or me dying and leaving him and the kids

28.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers
Cheese!!!

29.Favorite dog breed?
I don't know dogs very well. Super big dogs are cool to look at

30.Favorite day of the week?
Friday

31.How many states have you lived in?
2

32.Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

33.What is your favorite flower
Petunias in my garden and roses in my vase

Seattle!

2008-08-16T09:42:00.010-06:00

I'm FINALLY getting around to posting on our trip to Seattle! We've been super busy with the trip, my parents moving, and getting caught back up with regular stuff that I'm just now doing these extras. We had SUCH a great time staying with my sister's family and enjoying the sights.

In these first pictures, we took a ferry to an island and went to Tillicum Village. This one is of Stace with her big boys and my girls on the boat.

When you get there you walk out onto a path of sea shells. The give you hot clams and broth (it was actually really good) then when you're done eating the clams you throw the shells down and step on them, creating more material for the pathway.

We enjoyed fire roasted salmon and yummy fire toasted bread (among other things) for lunch while watching a show with North Western Native American dancing. The kids thought it was really cool.

These are pictures we took on the pier.

Stacey and I getting home from church.
Matty Avanlee and Scarlett played really well together (most of the time) while we were there.
Baby cousins napping together in the crib.
I love when my kids love me like this!

We took a Duck Tour where you ride in a retired amphibius army vehicle on a tour through the streets of Seattle then straight into the waters of Lake Union. The kids had 'quackers' and made a lot of noise. Our driver was really funny and we all had a good time seeing the sights.

Here are the cousins and Stace & I at Ballard Locks. The kids had a blast watching the boats and checking out the salmon Ladder.

Bellevue, WA is called a 'city within a park' because there are parks EVERYWHERE. Running trails, playgrounds, beach parks, etc. It's beautiful. We had a lot of fun playing.

Stacey is holding my baby and her friend is holding hers. Cute cousins!

So here are the pics of the haircuts! If you can tell, Scarlett "layered hers on her left side, and cut part of her ponytail off. Avanlee cut her whole ponytail in half and also layered the left side. Matty just carved a big hole. Pretty funny stuff.

We're back!

2008-07-31T22:49:00.002-06:00

We had a fantastic time in Seattle last week! The kids and I caravaned with my sister and her fam. back to her house two Fridays ago, and stayed the week. Kyle flew in Thursday morning and we spent time sight seeing and hanging out (playing Settlers of Catan and watching the Office). We drove back Sunday night/Monday. It was great! We visited Tillicum Village, went on a Duck tour, ate on the pier, went to Pike's Place, Ballard Locks, and had a romantic double date canoeing at sunset in Lake Washington! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and CUTTING THEIR HAIR (yes it was hilarious and awful all at the same time). Pictures are soon to come, when I get more than 2 seconds to sit down and load them all up (luckily it isn't THAT noticable). It's amazing how much work a vacation creates for me while I'm away. I'm also organizing all the great stuff I've gotten from my parents since they're moving to Oklahoma City in a week(crazy huh?). Last but not least my amazing husband worked his tail off while he was home without us and on top of putting in 10 hour days at work in the heat, he painted our master bedroom and bathroom, rearranged the furniture, replaced our bathroom light fixture, stained the cabinet/vanity thingy, redecorated, and installed a light (with a dimmer switch) over the tub/shower (my favorite part)! He's a stud! Maybe I'll slip in some pics of my new great rooms if I find the time.

Family Resemblance?

2008-07-15T16:23:00.007-06:00

So it's been a little while since I've been able to update this for everyone. We've been super busy. My sister has been in town from Seattle and next week we'll be heading up there to spend some time at her place. While we're away, I thought I'd elicit all of your guys' help. While some parents produce carbon copy babies, all with striking familial resemblances, we can't seem to get two at all alike! I'd like your thoughts on the matter. Who looks like who? Do you see any likenesses? Kyle and I also can't fully agree on which child looks like which parent! I've posting a number of pics in order to give you, those who haven't met my children, the best possible idea of what they look like. I look forward to reading your responses and I'll be back posting after our trip!

Ballet Beauty

2008-06-27T23:04:00.004-06:00

Tonight was Scarlett's ballet recital. She was in the fall portion of a "Four Seasons" production. It was a lot of fun and she was so cute! All the pre-school classes stole the show. Avanlee kept getting dissappointed every time Sissy left the stage and we had to reassure her that she'd be back. All three Grandmas were able to come as well as two of the neighbor girls and a friend of the family. Thank you to those of you who came to support her. She was so excited that you all came.
We decided to take our own pictures of her in the backyard since the professional photos were pretty pricey. Kyle does a great job.

The other pictures were taken outside the auditorium at Weber state University after the show. Daddy bought her flowers. The show was fun to watch and very professional for a dance recital while still being fun of the girls. It is a good quality ballet school, and if anyone wants info for it let me know.

Surprise! Happy Birthday!

2008-06-27T22:49:00.004-06:00

So we had a 'surprise party planned for Kyle for the 28th and Scarlett leaked the details (funny the whole thing was her idea) so it became a pseudo-surprise party thereafter. Well, something came up and Kyle had to reschedule a different surprise (one for the rest of us) and we were forced to cancel the party. I woke up this moring and decided to round up the neighborhood kids and throw a quick 20 minute surprise party before we had to rush and get ready for Scarlett's dance recital. Since it was so last minute, Kyle was definitely surprised when he got home from work and found us waiting. This is Kyle's post-being surprised, surprised face...goofball.
Albertson's makes our favorite carrot cake. So, though I usually bake, we had to get it for the ocassion. So yummy!

Rock Climbing

2008-06-10T08:26:00.003-06:00

A random moment: These were just so funny I had to post them. They love these crazy glasses!

At the end of May we took some friends with us rock climbing. Their kids are about the same age as ours and had a great time playing together. We took our gear and lunch and spent a couple of hour in the mountains. It was a good time. We love finding things to as a whole family (we're seldom apart) and it's been fun introducing our kids to the things we enjoy doing. I know it will be slow going for a couple of years as the kids grow and learn, but it's well worth it. The memories and bonds we'll make will be priceless.

We had to stop off and buy kid sized climbing shoes on our way. I caught this shot of us coming out of the sporting goods store. They configured themselves on their own.

This was when we were waiting for a spot to climb. The kids were really good even though we had to wait a while.
Here are the kids having lunch together. It was a lot of fun.

Kyle is really good. He's been climbing since he was 16. Our first date was rock climbing and we'd get out to do it occasionally when we were first married , but with the kids we hven't been able to get out and climb as often as we used to (it's kind of tricky pregnant as well, hehe). It's fun that the kids are getting old enough to join us!
Scarlett was a total stud! She took to it very quickly and did better than I did!Look how high she is! She had been begging us to take her climbing since we got a child's harness last fall. We never made it out, mainly because Asher was on the way, until now.
Avanlee tried it too for about 0.5 seconds. She was just excited to be like the big girls. The harness is still so big on her anyway!
Yes, Asher was there too! He was really good...for all 4 hours! Thank goodness he's started solids.It really is a lot of fun andsuper safe if you know what you're doing. Let me know if anyone wants to join us!

Memorial Day

2008-05-29T21:46:00.009-06:00

We are so grateful to live in this free land and are grateful to the men and women who serve and have served to preserve our freedoms. We are grateful to those who have gome before us and helped us become who and what we are today. Kyle and I are both very proud of our heritage and hope to instill love of God, love of family, and love of counrty in our children.

Here are a few pics of our Memorial Weekend. We went up to the cabin to target shoot and fish. Spencer wanted to try out his new rifle (a present for getting his Eagle rank in the Boy Scouts - Congrats Spence!). The girls had a lot of fun too! We had cousin Aubrey with us and had a blast.

Aubrey, Scarlett, and Avanlee

Kyle and Asher

Spencer with his gun

Dad throwing clay pigeons for me

Dad, Kyle, and Spencer

Cute hat on Avanlee...

And one for Mom!

Avanlee, Scarlett, and Aubrey each wanted a turn.

Top to Bottom: Aubrey, Avanlee, Spencer, and Scarlett -- fishing

Grandpa Helping Scarlett fish

Aubrey catching her first fish

Avanlee with her first fish (Kyle missed the fish - hehe)

There's her fish!

Spencer and Dad

2008-05-22T22:20:00.001-06:00

A few random pics of our super cute kids. they really are a joy and a blessing. We 're grateful everyday for the opportunity to be parents and thank God for the gift of our precious children.

Sundays with Daddy

2008-05-22T21:48:00.004-06:00

So last Sunday we were outside enjoying the sunshine with a few of the neighbor kids and Kyle fell asleep. We decided to have a little fun with it. We covered him with all the junk we happened to have lying around. Yes, that is a pacifier in his mouth (and baby shoes on his toes). Then one of the kids decided to try and put toothpaste on his face... Needless to say, he's a sound sleeper.

Tag-Random 5's

2008-05-17T00:08:00.003-06:00

So I didn't know if Janessa tagged me or another Katie so I decided to do this anyway.

Tag-Random 5's

5 things on my "to do" list this week
1. Exercise
2. Laundry!!!!!
3. Email my brother L.P. and congratulate him on graduating from Cal Arts (congratulations!)
4. Find a good used cell phone (ours is about to konk and I'm too cheap to buy a new one!)
5. Wash the car

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Fruit Leathers
2. "Indulgent" trail mix (Walmart)
3. Costco granola
4. Yogurt (blue yoplait)
5. Chocolate covered raisins

5 things I would do if I suddenly became a billionaire
1. Pay tithing
2. Pay off and finish the house
3. Buy two new cars
4. Get all my food storage/emergency preparedness stuff
5. Donate some and save the rest (okay...so I know that was more than 5... I've thought this out. Hehe)

5 places I've lived
1. Garland, TX (Dallas)
2. Canyon Country, CA (Santa Clarita, by Six Flags)
3. Provo, UT
4. South Ogden, UT
5. (yeah, that's all)

5 jobs I've had
1. Target (the regular one, not Super)
2. Lerner New York
3. Subway cart in the food center of our dorms
4. Cutco (ohhh the shame)
5. The Standard Examiner (papergirl)

5 things people may not know about me
1. I've had LASIK
2. I have my BA in Economics
3. I weighed more than Kyle when we got married (shoot...I may weigh more than him right now!)
4. During card/board games I strighten pieces and cards and put everything in it's place often without thinking about it or realizing it. I also color organize candy (Skittles, M&Ms, smarties, etc.) before/while I eat it.
5. Kyle and I met and were married 12 weeks later.

5 favorite musicians / bands
1. Dixie Chicks
2. Lauren Hill
3. The Hippos
4. Dave Matthews Band
5. Rascal Flats

5 tagged friends
1. (yeah I'm no good at tagging so just do it if you want to)
2.
3.
4.
5.

She did it!!

2008-05-14T22:15:00.006-06:00

Yep...this little one is potty trained. Halleluiah! Good job baby girl!

My Arch Nemesis

2008-05-10T01:07:00.003-06:00

The laundry. Who knew that doing the laundry for 5 people (regardless of size) would be so consuming. I wonder why I can't start and finish a day's worth of laundry in one day. I wonder why there is suddenly twice as many loads with the addition of just one tiny person. I wonder whether there really is so much extra laundry to do, or if it's just that I have so much less time, now, to do it in. Either way I'm afraid it's taking over. (A further complication: Who has time to do/finish laundry when attempting to potty train #2?) P.S. I'm very thankful for all our clothes.

A Very Nice Day!!!

2008-05-09T23:50:00.005-06:00

I love it when the weather turns nice! We practically live outside in the spring and here's some proof.

My amazing family

2008-05-01T19:15:00.003-06:00

A rare occurrance: everyone's looking at the camera and no one's crying!

Tee Hee Hee...

I can't believe our handsome baby is 4 months old already!

This weekend continued...

2008-05-01T19:03:00.003-06:00

I had to post the pics my husband got of our cute girls this weekend. For more info. see the previous post.

At the LDS temple in Salt Lake City

At the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly Hotel Utah)

On the roof of the Conference Center

2008-05-01T18:30:00.003-06:00

Over the weekend my sister and her friend flew in from out of state with their babies. We were so glad to have them. We went to Salt Lake City to take in the sites and see a little history. We visited Jeff's family to see the gang with their new little one.

Stace and I at Jeff and Heaather's house.

These baby boy cousins were born within 4 months of each other.

Aren't we cute!

This was taken at the LDS temple visitor's center in Salt Lake City.

Me and my babies.

A Beginning

2008-05-01T17:26:00.001-06:00

We've finally done it. Now that things are settling down with the new baby, we thought we'd give blogging a try. Enjoy!