Tonight I got to take Keslee to see Tangled. All the other kids wanted to go and see Harry Potter and I knew that there was no way Keslee could sit through that movie. There were a few times during Tangled that I didn't think we would make it through to the end. She got restless and she was having a hard time following the story line. We hung in there and she ended up loving the movie. I have to tell you that it was quite the process getting to the movie. Keslee had two babies, a stroller and a backpack filled with everything she just knew that her babies would need to make it through the show. This is nothing new for us....everywhere we go, Keslee has to pack and re-pack her bags taking a lot of time and great thought into what she needs. I have learned that it is best to just help her with this process or it will take us twice as long to get anywhere. Everywhere we go.....we are hauling around strollers, high chairs, cribs and bags and bags and bags!!! For those of you who know Keslee, you know that once she has made up her mind about something, there is no reasoning with her. You also know that I give in to her because I hate to see her upset. (You might call it spoiled....I choose to use the word SPECIAL) Well, tonight I am glad that I lugged part of our house down to the movie theater. When Rapunzel got home to her mom and dad, Keslee held up her two babies and yelled out "YES". It was so cute. As soon as the credits started, Keslee jumped out of her chair and started dancing up and down the aisle with her two babies. I was already crying of course because you can't watch that movie without bawling like a baby at the end. Keslee was in her own world and completely unaware that everyone was watching her and chuckling because she was so cute. She danced through the entire credits all wrapped up in her own little world. I just sat there alone in the theater crying like a fool (thanks to my Dad's genes) and watched my little angel dance her heart out at the front of the theater. I sat there and thought about how lucky I am to get the chance to raise such a sweet, pure and innocent daughter of God. I don't know how I was lucky enough to be chosen to be her mother, but I love that little girl so much! I am grateful for the gift of patience that I have been blessed with to raise a special spirit like Keslee. She has made so much progress this last year. That being said, I know that she will always be Keslee and that is just fine with me. I honestly wouldn't want her any other way. Anyway, I mostly blogged this so that I can always remember the details because tonight will always be a special memory of my sweet Keslee and the truly angelic girl she is.
Oh and Audrey, both of these baby's names are Lily, so now we have 4 babies named Lily and you only have one. :) (My sister just had the cutest baby girl and named her Lily. Now every baby we have at our house is named Lily because Isabelle has a baby Lily.)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Our Family's Top 10 of 2010
We did so many fun things this year that it is hard to pick just 10, but we have narrowed it down.....
10. SKIING/SNOWBOARDING We all had ski passes to Solitude and it was crazy getting all the hats, gloves and boots on, but we loved skiing (the pure sport) and snowboarding. Alyssa learned this last year and she was a natural. Bubba tried some snowboarding and all I can say is I am glad I make him wear a helmet. That kid has no fear and just took right off.
9. RIVER RAFTING We got to go up to Jackson Hole and run the Snake River with Paul's brother and his kids. The kids loved the rapids and hanging on to the boat being crazy. We also got to experience a huge hail storm!
8. CAPITAL REEF We got to go to Capital Reef with Paul's family for Spring Break. We had a lot of fun hiking, swimming and playing with cousins!
7. CALF CREEK We got to go to Calf Creek with my family. We had fun camping, hiking, jumping off waterfalls and cooking over the camp fire!
6. OAKLEY We always have so much fun going up to Oakley to see my family. The kids ride the golf cart, go hot tubbin', see cousins, throw tomahawks, play dress ups and we all play killer night games!
5. BOATING We love to go out on Grandma Daybell's boat. We swim, play on the beach and go absolutely crazy on the tube. Grandma is by far the most daring and we all have so much fun!
4. MOVING TO OUR NEW HOUSE Moving to Springville was a huge adventure for us this year. We love our new house and new schools. Everyone has made great friends and we love our new ward. Sometimes Daxton still misses Pleasant Grove, but I am so proud of him for how great he has been and I hear through the grapevine (Jake and his friends) that he is very popular at school.
3. SPORTS We have so many kids that love and are great at sports. Our year was full of getting to cheer on our kids. Amanda and Alyssa played softball. Jake played Football and Basketball. Daxton played Football and Basketball. Rylan played Flag Football and Basketball. They sure keep us busy, but we love seeing them excited about life and proud of their accomplishments.
2. BEACH We spend an amazing week in San Diego playing on the beach! It was the first time that my kids really got to enjoy a beach and we could not keep them out of the water. San Diego is one of Paul and his kids favorite places. They loved staying in a condo right on the beach. We got to see lots of our family and just enjoy being a new family!
1. WEDDING Now there is some differences in opinion as to if the beach or the wedding is number 1, but since I am writing this, I say definitely the wedding!!! This is one of the highlights of my life! It was the perfect wedding and the start of our fun family. We were surrounded by family and we got to spend a lot of quality time with our kids.
WOW! We really had a great year! So far, 2011 has started off amazing. So many great things are happening for our family. We have so many fun things already planned, so stay tuned...you don't want to miss out on any of our adventures.
10. SKIING/SNOWBOARDING We all had ski passes to Solitude and it was crazy getting all the hats, gloves and boots on, but we loved skiing (the pure sport) and snowboarding. Alyssa learned this last year and she was a natural. Bubba tried some snowboarding and all I can say is I am glad I make him wear a helmet. That kid has no fear and just took right off.
9. RIVER RAFTING We got to go up to Jackson Hole and run the Snake River with Paul's brother and his kids. The kids loved the rapids and hanging on to the boat being crazy. We also got to experience a huge hail storm!
8. CAPITAL REEF We got to go to Capital Reef with Paul's family for Spring Break. We had a lot of fun hiking, swimming and playing with cousins!
7. CALF CREEK We got to go to Calf Creek with my family. We had fun camping, hiking, jumping off waterfalls and cooking over the camp fire!
6. OAKLEY We always have so much fun going up to Oakley to see my family. The kids ride the golf cart, go hot tubbin', see cousins, throw tomahawks, play dress ups and we all play killer night games!
5. BOATING We love to go out on Grandma Daybell's boat. We swim, play on the beach and go absolutely crazy on the tube. Grandma is by far the most daring and we all have so much fun!
4. MOVING TO OUR NEW HOUSE Moving to Springville was a huge adventure for us this year. We love our new house and new schools. Everyone has made great friends and we love our new ward. Sometimes Daxton still misses Pleasant Grove, but I am so proud of him for how great he has been and I hear through the grapevine (Jake and his friends) that he is very popular at school.
3. SPORTS We have so many kids that love and are great at sports. Our year was full of getting to cheer on our kids. Amanda and Alyssa played softball. Jake played Football and Basketball. Daxton played Football and Basketball. Rylan played Flag Football and Basketball. They sure keep us busy, but we love seeing them excited about life and proud of their accomplishments.
2. BEACH We spend an amazing week in San Diego playing on the beach! It was the first time that my kids really got to enjoy a beach and we could not keep them out of the water. San Diego is one of Paul and his kids favorite places. They loved staying in a condo right on the beach. We got to see lots of our family and just enjoy being a new family!
1. WEDDING Now there is some differences in opinion as to if the beach or the wedding is number 1, but since I am writing this, I say definitely the wedding!!! This is one of the highlights of my life! It was the perfect wedding and the start of our fun family. We were surrounded by family and we got to spend a lot of quality time with our kids.
WOW! We really had a great year! So far, 2011 has started off amazing. So many great things are happening for our family. We have so many fun things already planned, so stay tuned...you don't want to miss out on any of our adventures.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bubba's New Hair
So Rylan has been sporting his long hair for a long time now and he decided to get a new look. I had to take some pictures before he cut it and then some fun ones after. I think he is absolutely handsome either way. What do you think?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Christmas
This Christmas was the best yet! We had a very full house with 7 kids. We went a little overboard with gifts, but kids are only young once right? We got some fun family gifts that have been used so much already that we are happy we bought them. We got a trampoline, a ping pong table, a x-box 360 and lots of nerf guns. We also got everyone their own iPod docking station and alarm clock so that they can all enjoy their music in their own rooms. The boys also got some neat tie pins and the girls all got a porcelin doll that they love. I was surprised that the kids all were patient and we got to watch everyone open all their gifts. It was so fun!
Jake
Jake got a lot of fun stuff for his room for Christmas. He was able to order some things for his room and he got a dry erase board to hang in his room. It has been so fun to see all the comments that teenagers write on it. They really are funny! Jake also got a new iPod, ski helmet and ski pants.
Daxton
Daxton got a new iPod touch this year. He also got a new memory foam topper for his bed, some Aggie shirts, a basketball signed by the whole Utah State University basketball team. He also got a mini fridge and a chair for his room. His favorite was the x-box 360 and that is what he always wants to play!
Josh
Josh had a hard time deciding on what he wanted for Christmas. He finally chose a long board and some really cool hats. He also got a few surprises... a mini fridge, remote control helicopter and a balloon animal making kit. It was fun to see him so excited!
Amanda
Amanda wanted a pink camera for Christmas and that is exactly what she got. She was so excited when she opened it! She also got a blingy iPod case, a funny but cute elephant hat, a disco ball to hang in her room, a pogo stick and some cute jewelry. Her and Rylan spent a few days on their pogo sticks and got so good on them.
Rylan
Rylan had a great Christmas this year! He got a pogo stick, a mini fridge for his room, a long board, basketball hoop for his room, money jar counter, body pillow, a basketball singed by the whole Utah State Basketball Team and lots of nerf. He and Josh were outside riding the long boards on Christmas morning and they are both naturals!
Alyssa
Alyssa was so cute this Christmas! She wanted a iPod and a dog. On Christmas morning we knew we had done a good job because she licked everything she got. In Alyssa language this means I REALLY LIKE IT! She also loved the matching pajamas for her American Girl doll and her new chair for her room!
Keslee
Keslee had a great Christmas. She was just as cute and excited as ever. Some of her top hits were a new crib for her babies, a microphone, puppy with babies, jewelry, matching pj's for her Bitty Baby and the only thing she asked for.... a barbie swimming pool with dogs that swim.
Jake got a lot of fun stuff for his room for Christmas. He was able to order some things for his room and he got a dry erase board to hang in his room. It has been so fun to see all the comments that teenagers write on it. They really are funny! Jake also got a new iPod, ski helmet and ski pants.
Daxton got a new iPod touch this year. He also got a new memory foam topper for his bed, some Aggie shirts, a basketball signed by the whole Utah State University basketball team. He also got a mini fridge and a chair for his room. His favorite was the x-box 360 and that is what he always wants to play!
Josh had a hard time deciding on what he wanted for Christmas. He finally chose a long board and some really cool hats. He also got a few surprises... a mini fridge, remote control helicopter and a balloon animal making kit. It was fun to see him so excited!
Amanda wanted a pink camera for Christmas and that is exactly what she got. She was so excited when she opened it! She also got a blingy iPod case, a funny but cute elephant hat, a disco ball to hang in her room, a pogo stick and some cute jewelry. Her and Rylan spent a few days on their pogo sticks and got so good on them.
Rylan had a great Christmas this year! He got a pogo stick, a mini fridge for his room, a long board, basketball hoop for his room, money jar counter, body pillow, a basketball singed by the whole Utah State Basketball Team and lots of nerf. He and Josh were outside riding the long boards on Christmas morning and they are both naturals!
Alyssa was so cute this Christmas! She wanted a iPod and a dog. On Christmas morning we knew we had done a good job because she licked everything she got. In Alyssa language this means I REALLY LIKE IT! She also loved the matching pajamas for her American Girl doll and her new chair for her room!
Keslee had a great Christmas. She was just as cute and excited as ever. Some of her top hits were a new crib for her babies, a microphone, puppy with babies, jewelry, matching pj's for her Bitty Baby and the only thing she asked for.... a barbie swimming pool with dogs that swim.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Christmas Eve
We decorated cookies for Santa with Paul's family at our Daybell Christmas Party. Here are the cookies our kids did for Santa. Don't they just look so yummy?
We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The kids helped decorate the tables, set out the fancy china and light all the candles. We enjoyed listening to what the kids were all thankful for this year. Jake gave a 5 minute speech that was priceless!
The boys all got Springville Red Devil shirts.
Here we are reading the story of the birth of the Savior. We are eating Alyss'a favorite treat (peanut butter rice krispies with chocolate on top). After this story we read The Night Before Christmas and the kids went downstairs to "go to bed". Whatever....they were up unitl 2:00 playing and trying to peek. They finally crashed and promised us that they would be up at 5:00. Luckily, they all slept in and we woke up to Josh jumping on our bed at 8:00.
We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The kids helped decorate the tables, set out the fancy china and light all the candles. We enjoyed listening to what the kids were all thankful for this year. Jake gave a 5 minute speech that was priceless!
The kids all got to open the gifts that they bought eachother. We set a $15.00 limit and made the kids earn the money by working for us. They all had fun picking out the perfect gift. I thought we would never get to leave the store.
We all got to open up our Christmas PJs.
Here we are reading the story of the birth of the Savior. We are eating Alyss'a favorite treat (peanut butter rice krispies with chocolate on top). After this story we read The Night Before Christmas and the kids went downstairs to "go to bed". Whatever....they were up unitl 2:00 playing and trying to peek. They finally crashed and promised us that they would be up at 5:00. Luckily, they all slept in and we woke up to Josh jumping on our bed at 8:00.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Halloween Part 2
I finally got the pictures off my camera. So I am blogging out of order. Here are some fun things we did around Halloween! While we were still at Grandma Flora's house, we got to carve our pumpkins. We made a huge mess on the table, but the kids all had so much fun picking out their designs and then actually helping to carve them out. It took a long time.
Here we are up at Grandma Bingham's annual Halloween Party. There is always great food, games, costumes, and a spook alley. You can tell the boys are all getting old and just want to be scary.
Alyssa the cute little cupcake
This pumpkin costume on her baby doll is the same costume Keslee wore on her first Halloween in the NICU still in the incubator. Sh loves that story and put her baby in it all month.
It is so cool to hear Josh to the scenes from the Joker. It freaks me out how good he is!
Amanda the cutest crayon box ever!
The kids all went out to do the traditional spook alley in the barn. This year we had a few new items. They had a fog machine, strobe light and new scary masks. It was so good we invited some neighbors to come and get scared. Great job kids (and Paul) you got us all really good!
Amanda walked around in character and was super scary. She kept telling everyone "I'm going to get you"
We got to go out to pick our own pumpkins at our friend's field. We had a lot of fun. I think driving the trackor was the main hit for the kids. Grandma Daybell brought yummy donuts and chocolate milk. It is a very fun family tradition.
Keslee found her pumpkin and would not get off of it until someone came to pick it up so she was sure not to lose it.
Here we are up at Grandma Bingham's annual Halloween Party. There is always great food, games, costumes, and a spook alley. You can tell the boys are all getting old and just want to be scary.
Alyssa the cute little cupcake
This pumpkin costume on her baby doll is the same costume Keslee wore on her first Halloween in the NICU still in the incubator. Sh loves that story and put her baby in it all month.
It is so cool to hear Josh to the scenes from the Joker. It freaks me out how good he is!
Amanda the cutest crayon box ever!
The kids all went out to do the traditional spook alley in the barn. This year we had a few new items. They had a fog machine, strobe light and new scary masks. It was so good we invited some neighbors to come and get scared. Great job kids (and Paul) you got us all really good!
Amanda walked around in character and was super scary. She kept telling everyone "I'm going to get you"
We got to go out to pick our own pumpkins at our friend's field. We had a lot of fun. I think driving the trackor was the main hit for the kids. Grandma Daybell brought yummy donuts and chocolate milk. It is a very fun family tradition.
Keslee found her pumpkin and would not get off of it until someone came to pick it up so she was sure not to lose it.
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