Learning and Growing

Audrey's first day of preschool.

Since Audrey has this year and next year before kindergarten I thought it would be fun to do one year of preschool with some other moms. There are 3 boys and two girls so each mom will have 12 days to teach and that includes field trips.



She won't be gone long enough for a lunch but I bought her this lunch box to get her excited.

Also on Tuesday, Ryan left for an overnight work thing in Phoenix so it was just the girls. We had a little fun with the camera.

I love this picture of Kennedy because Audrey took it.


I am so blessed to be a mom at all. But to do it for these girls is just more than I can ask. So what if I'm not wearing any makeup because Kennedy was so tired from waking up at 6 a.m. that I didn't have a free hand, so what if I told Audrey that she had taken too many pictures and she took a few more anyway, and so what if our entertainment for the night was "pretending" and taking silly pictures. I am so in love I don't care about those things.

$2 Tuesdays

If any of you moms out there have not taken your kid(s) to Thanksgiving point for 2 buck Tuesdays, you may be the only one in the whole state. Last year my mom, sister Emily, and our kids went on the last Tuesday of August. It was absolutely crazy. The line for the Dinosaur Museum wound all the way around the building. We decided to do the little petting zoo and the gardens. This year we figured if we went one of the first weeks we'd be better off. Plus, we were going to be there when it opened. The Dinosaur museum wasn't too bad in the beginning and we were seeing some great things. But by the afternoon it was so crowded! We planned it just right.

This picture is fuzzy, but In think it's pretty funny. They were supposed to be dinosaurs. Somehow, Audrey missed the memo. The one who does actually look like a dinosaur is Emily's daughter Chloe. She'll be 5 next month.

Here's our group all together and all looking at the camera--except for my girls! The one in the stroller is Emily's other daughter Gretchen. She's 1.

After the craziness at the museum, we felt like we could all use a little peace and quiet. We took a walk through the beautiful gardens.

Some of you may not know this, but Audrey is a photographer in training. Most of her pictures are of her feet, too close to identify, or action shots. But every so often she takes one that I think is pretty artistic.

I would never take a picture like that. I wish I could see the world through the eyes of a child.

I apologize for how dark this picture is, but I had to add one of Kennedy. She's almost sitting on her own!

Roll Over! Run Over???!!!

First the good news...

Kennedy is rolling! It's a big step in our little one's life. The day she went front to back and back to front was the 7th of July. It was so fun because Ryan, Audrey, and I were all there and cheering for her. Audrey was so excited.

On Thursday the 8th we left on a road trip to Denver with Ryan's parents.

Kennedy and Audrey were both really good in the car. This picture is not great because I was laughing so hard at her.

We had to get a baseball game in there. It means both our girls have been to a Major League game by the time they're 4 months old.

We also visited the zoo. It was so enormous! We only saw about 1/3 of it.

Now the (sort of) bad news...

So we're in the parking lot on our way back to the hotel and Ryan is hit by a car. An older guy passed out in his car and hit Ryan on the back of his legs. Ryan tumbled backwards over the hood while carrying Audrey. Miraculously, no one was really hurt. Ryan had a scratch on his shoulder and he was pretty sore for a couple of days. Ryan's mom and I saw him coming so we were able to get out of the way. Another small miracle was that Ryan's dad had gone way around the corner with Kennedy in her stroller. After about an hour of statements and paperwork, we could leave. The rest of the night I spent with the girls in the hotel room.
Now, getting hit by a car on vacation is pretty weird. But for it to happen to the same person twice is absurd!!! About 5 years ago when Ryan and I went to San Francisco/Oakland with my family, Ryan and my mom were the victims of a hit-and-run. That one was also a miracle because from my point of view, I didn't think we'd be able to leave the scene in anything other than an ambulance. But Ryan walked away with a huge scrape on his arm and my mom had bruises pop up all over.
I'm now determined that even if it's to give me lots more beautiful daughters, Ryan has some higher purpose in life that is not yet fulfilled. Talk about an eye opener!
I am so grateful for all the miracles (large and small) in my life!

I Hope You Dance!

This is Audrey on her first day of dance class. I hate to admit it, but I was so excited! I tried to go twice to buy her clothes beforehand (they were closed both times). Once I got the clothes on her I saw this beautiful dancer and had to take some pictures!

I know people say this all the time, but Audrey really was the best one there!

Her only weakness might be that she's too excited. Especially since the warm-up song is Mamma Mia and a couple of songs later is A Whole New World from Aladdin. She sings along to both and her teacher has to reign in her self expression.

Blessing of the Priesthood

As of last June, my siblings are complete. My sisters and brother are married and Ryan's brother and sister are married. We were lucky enough to have the entire group, including wonderful parents, together in our church and our house for Kennedy's blessing.

What a blessing it was! Ryan's prayer had all the blessings in it that we could ask from our Heavenly Father. I was really caught up in the spirit when I thought of all the men encircling her with God's power. I felt blessed to have the priesthood in my home and blessed that every single man in our family was there to share this with us.

My mom made this beautiful dress in just a few days because I'm spoiled and she loves Kennedy and she's extremely talented. Thanks again Mom!

Sweetness and Beauty

A friend from Ryan's Derm Center offered to take some pictures of Kennedy. This is a collage she put together as a sample. I wanted to give a picture to our moms for Mother's Day. I had 250 pictures to choose from! I think they turned out beautifully, even though Kennedy felt she needed her pacifier for lots of them. Thank you Jacquel!

Kennedy is 4 weeks old!

At 4 weeks old, our baby girl is getting cuter, getting bigger, and bringing joy to our family. Audrey has taken on her role as big sister fairly well. She can be quite helpful. For instance, in the car when we ask Audrey what Kennedy is doing, she says one of two things; she's either sleeping or blinking. Sooo helpful!
Anyway, we are in love with her and as the adjustments continue for all of us, life will only get better.

At Kennedy's two week check-up she weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. so she had gained a little over a pound. This is her at four weeks so I would guess she weighs about 9 pounds.

Kennedy is a great sleeper during the day. Most people who come to visit her leave without ever seeing her eyes.

Gotta love the Boppy!