A Few of My Favorite Things. . .

My blue eyed girl


My brown eyed boy


Keldon discovering nature



Katie in pigtails


Chubby babies


Love of family


Relationships between the generations


Princesses at breakfast


Keldon and Katie doing things together


My girly girl

February 2010

February was such a busy month for us. We celebrated Keldon's birthday, Granny's birthday and my birthday. It seemed to never stop! Luckily March has slowed down so I can get these posted! Keldon is still likes school. He is reading really well now. He has learned to clean his room and become more independent. Katie is talking so much now. Her word list now includes: mommy (momeeee), daddy (daddeee), cookie, pretzel, bubbles, bath, baby, pizza (peezee), outside, doggie, back, yea, shoes, coat and I will need to keep thinking of the rest. She loves to throw things in the trash. The other day I found her tossing a whole pile of clean socks in the garbage can. We have had to start checking it before we empty it. She also loves putting her dirty clothes back in her dresser. She knows that is where they belong. She just does not understand the whole cleaning process! She loves being outside. We go to the park all the time. She loves doing the big slides now. She has also learned to go down on her bottom instead of her tummy. She wants to do everything big brother Keldon does and hates it when I have to stop her from things she is just too small for still. She is such a girly girl. She loves her hair "pretties" and loves carrying around a purse. She also has a shoe obsession. We try on many pairs throughout the day. She makes me smile all day long. Her newest love is saying prayers. She folds her arms now when she thinks it is appropriate to say a prayer. I love it! She tries to say amen, but does not quite have it yet. I love my children. I am so thankful they are a part of our family. I hope I can do my best everyday to teach them and help them grow into their full potential.

Keldon's 6th Birthday

For Keldon's sixth birthday this year we took him and a couple of his friends up to a bouncy place in Austin. The boys dressed as Star Wars characters and bounced the night away! Keldon loved being able to play with a few close friends. On Saturday night (the day before his birthday) he told me "I am going to hide from the day that way I will always be five and not have to turn six". Sometimes he is worried that he is growing up and not a baby anymore. Other times he is so concerned about when he will be all grown up. I hope the time moves slowly. I hope I get to remember the moments we spend together. An interview with Keldon: A few things Keldon enjoys doing right now: riding his bike and scooter, reading, playing games, petting his doggie, playing in his room and watching tv. When he grows up, he wants to be a ambulance driver. The best part of being five was snuggling with mommy! His favorite thing is Star Wars.

January 2010

Our month of January seemed to fly by! Since we were gone over the holidays, we celebrated here in January. Keldon learned how to ride his bike with no training wheels. I was so suprised how quickly he got it. We went out to the park by our house and he rode up and down the paved trail. I tried to get a picture of him from the front, but he was too fast! Michael was out of town so I was still helping him take off. Katie loved watching her brother! Katie got to meet her cow. She has not picked out a proper name yet, just "mmmm" (for moo).

Our Trip to Utah Christmas 2009

So, the next several postings are about our trip to Utah. We were so blessed to be able to visit family there this year. We drove the trip there and back only stopping for gas. The kids did awesome! We felt a little crazy after 28 hours in the car, but the break in between helped. I have determined that next time we will either have to fly or move there. Driving was one of those things I can now check off my list - road trip with the fam -CHECK. While we very much missed the traditional Christmas here in Texas, it was a trip we needed. We had experiences and blessings that we needed to increase our faith. If I could only share with you all the times we saw the work of the Lord on our trip, I know it would touch you as well. I however cannot, my posting would go on and on. Our family was blessed with safety, love and time together. I know my Heavenly Father lives. I know that he loves me and my family. He knows our needs and blesses us. While this trip was just a small part of our journey in life, I hope it leaves a lasting impression on my children about the miracles of our times. I hope Keldon remembers his trip to Temple Square. I was so proud to watch him express his knowledge of the gospel and of our Heavenly Father. Please enjoy reliving our time in Utah!

 

One of my last adventures on our trip was to experience snowshoeing. After Michael's enjoyment of his trip, I felt I needed to experience it as well. Thankfully we found a wonderful aunt to watch the kids for us (I still owe you Lori) and headed up to Big Cottonwood Canyon one last time. Michael, Matt, Adam and I were excited about all the fresh snow (it kept on coming down the whole trek!). It was a great workout! We also saw a total of 8 moose as we went up towards the lake. We had a goal of making it to a lake that was not too far up the mountain, but it started to get too dark and we had to turn around. We still had fun though! Matt and Adam were good sports about slowing their pace so Michael and I could keep up! The air up there was brutal! The cold and altitude got to me on our way back down. I could not stop coughing. We had fun though and Michael and I left wishing we could enjoy this sport in Texas. Oh well. They probably don't even sell snowshoes here!

 

There was a day that Katie really needed a nap and Keldon really needed some one on one time with me. So we ventured out and found a cute little aquarium to visit, just Keldon and me. Keldon absolutely loved it! We saw all kinds of aquatic creatures. There was a really giant octopus (that we could not take a picture of) that moved all around while we watched. We got to go on a scavenger hunt and learned lots of facts about polar animals. We also joined in on a story time and a few crafts. Keldon was so excited at each aquarium and would ask me "what does this eat?" "What was this fish called?". I loved it! It was so nice to just be with Keldon and follow him around in an environment that was very exciting and educational to him. He was very hesitant to touch the sting rays though. It took him the whole two hours we were there to muster up the courage. He finally did though and was proud of himself! These are the times I really miss sharing with him now that he is in school all day. We used to have moments like these everyday. Now they are far and few between. I need to find them and take advantage while he still wants to just hang out with mommy.