SO FUNNY

When Brinkley was a baby, she was really chubby. And I LOVED it! For about the first 18 months of her life people would always comment on how great her chubby cheeks were. It kind of became her trade-mark. Well, as you know, she has outgrown the chubby cheek stage. But the other night we found a SUPER GREAT photo of Brie as a baby - we died laughing at those cheeks! They were SO huge that when she smiled, you could hardly see her eyes...and they look like they could pop!!! So here's a NOW and THEN photo posting of our sweet Brinkley.

I LOVE this first picture. It was SO beautiful at Solitude. Here's a few more from our vacation there.

We saw a few deer while we were hiking. The kids thought that was really cool.

The resort had a really great pool with a large shallow end for the kids, and a water slide! Deagan was brave and tried the slide the first day, and Brie gave it a try the second day. On the last day Kylee and I discovered you could really FLY down the slide if you go on a tube! :)

And here's a few videos of the kids going down the water slides!

My how she's grown!

I was giving Emmy a bath the other day and decided to snap another photo...I just can't resist capturing those chubby little arms and legs! So here's how she looks at 3 months old. But it you take a look at the next photo, you'll see she's grown a ton! Look how chubby her legs are now compared to 2 weeks old! They change so much from month to month!

First Day of School - 2009

Today was Kylee's first day of school. Actually, it was her third, but she was really sick her 1st two days, so it became her first day to go. I always take a first day photo (what mom doesn't?) so here she is...ready to head off to the 7th grade! That sounds SO strange - I remember the 7th grade like it was yesterday! Have a fun day Ky!

Working?

Steve says he's out working in the yard.

I think I know better...

Love you baby! :)

Ahhh, Solitude

We finally got to go on our little summer vacation about a week ago and it was HEAVEN! I saw this place on a friend's blog and just knew it would be perfect for us...and it really was. We left for Utah on Friday and the first stop was the fountain at Gateway Mall. I thought the little kids would enjoy running thru it. It took them a short time to get used to the idea & then they liked it, however it was a really cold day and the water was freezing, so it didn't last long.

I think Kylee decided she was too old to run thru, but she watched with us!The next stop was our good old friends Jared & Kristin's house. We used to live next door to them in Rexburg and LOVE them to death! We were SO sad when they moved back to Utah, but I'm thankful we've been able to keep in touch. They are the BEST house hosts ever - we really enjoyed our stay with them. (I'll bet everyone loves me for getting a shot of us stuffing our faces!)

Kristin and I both had our 4th child on the exact same day...it was SO fun to have a friend with the same due date, going thru the same things as me, and counting down the days with me. We spent our day of labor texting each other to see how things were going...and I have to admit that when I got that text from her saying she had given birth before me, I was a little jealous. :) So here's Emmersyn and Aislynn together at 3 months old! SO CUTE!

On Sunday we headed up to the Solitude Ski Resort - the kids LOVED getting to sleep on bunkbeds! This was the kids bedroom. I didn't take a photo but there were 2 bedrooms, a family room and a kitchen. I LOVED having the kitchen so I could cook - it made it much cheaper and convienent. It was perfect weather while we were there, and SOOO beautiful. I really was in Heaven. The smell of fresh air, the stars at night, getting to see the kids so interested in exploring every little thing, the hikes & nature...just talking about it makes me want to go back right now!

There are SO many more photos, but I'm super tired so I will post more later. They are beautiful!!! There's just SO much to say about this place!

Emmy's Blessing - 8.2.09

Yesterday we had the opportunity to bless little Emmy. It was so nice to have family in town - I love how supportive Steve's family is about being there for things like that. (my family probably would be if they didn't live on the other side of the country!)

It was a really nice day and I'm glad that Steve could bless her. We are both so thankful to have her sweet little spirit in our home. She's so small, yet adds so much. The other kids love her so much and Emmy's always so happy and smiling - I hope that is a trait that stays with her forever. It's amazing how much you can love your children...they all have us wrapped around their finger.

We named her Emmersyn Malulani - it has been a fun tradition to give all of our girls Hawaiian middle names. Hers means "Under Heaven's Protection" - and I am sure that if she stays close to our Heavenly Father she will always be under His protection. We love you Emmy - thank you for choosing us.

My Dream House

I have found my dream house! Of course it'll be 10+ years before I could ever afford to do anything like this, but this is it!!! I want our next move to be our last move...the house we stay in FOREVER...so it has to be something big enough to for family gatherings, have spaces for all our grandchildren, be beautiful and make you want to stare at it...just a little bit. I like houses that have a different look - not an Idaho Ranch style cookie cutter home. I like to be unique. The floor plan for this house has everything I wanted out of a home. This is my new goal. :) Donations Welcome! :D