What have we been doing all winter??

Well, we packed up our car the second week of December and drove to Long Beach, California to board a cruise ship. We drove along with some friends and met my parents there. They decided they didn't want AnYthInG to do with driving 12-13 hours. I can't blame them, we had a bit of a rough start. We drove to Las Vegas where we spent the night, and Kelsey got sick with the flu. It was a long drive for poor Kels the next day - we stopped to puke or use the bathroom about every half hour..... sometimes sooner.

It was a huge relief to board the ship and settle in. Kelsey was thrilled to see a bed to crawl into. The rest of us checked out the ship and the beautiful evening lights while we waited to debark.

One of funnest things we all looked forward to, were the towel animals. Cutest thing ever!

About the time Kelsey started to feel somewhat better, I got sick. Second day on the ship, and Kelsey and I spent it in bed. Steve and my parents cruised around the ship, and Aly was off with Kylie meeting new ship mates.

I felt a little better that evening and pushed myself to get up and get ready for our first "formal" dinner. The girls were really excited to get dressed up in there new dresses. The food (though I didn't eat much), was nothing short of amazing! Anything we wanted, they brought - even things that weren't on the menu. (Hence, we have children, and sometimes Mac and Cheese, or pizza sounded better than fancy food.) Bless our waiter!

After 3 days at sea, we arrived at Puerta Vallarte. The beaches were beautiful. Our friends talked Steve and I into going snorkeling, which is something we had never done. It was so incredible! The fish were so cool. I can't wait until we do that again!

Our next stop was Mazatlan. We went to a private resort that allows the cruise line to bring their guests. It was amazing! The swimming pool had these big rocks that you could jump off, and just steps away was the beach. The girls decided they wanted to go para sailing. YES, para sailing! My two little girls just dangling above the ocean being towed around by some stranger in a boat! I reluctantly agreed to let them go, even though I felt like I was going to throw up from nerves.

They arrived back on the beach in what couldn't have been a more perfect landing. They loved it! I'm so glad they got to go. It turned out to an amazing experience for the two of them to share.

As we were preparing to pack up to meet our driver, Aly's arm started to sting terribly. She had small circle patches on her forearm. Sometime, while they were playing in the ocean, we think she got stung by a jellyfish. To our surprise, everyone told her to pee on it. If you know Aly, you know there was NO way she, or anyone else was going to put pee on her arm, even though the stinging brought her to tears. The pain did eventually subside later that evening, without any pee.

Our last stop of the cruise was Cabo San Lucas. We had so much fun there, yet the ship spent the least amount of time in that port. The shopping was so much fun, and the town cleaner than the others. If we get the chance, we're headed back!!

Steve and I were able to spend quite a bit of time by ourselves. The girls had their friends and came and went as they pleased. They loved the freedom, and we didn't have to worry too much about them. Every time we passed Kels, she had an ice cream cone in hand and was headed off to do something exciting. Aly and Kylie made some new friends and loved hanging out in the teen club.

The cabin hallways were filled with these pictures of men and women. I just thought they were strangely funny!

We had such a great time, and loved that we got to be with my mom and dad and our friends. It was the best vacation our family has had. However, coming home to the cold and snow in shorts and flip flops wasn't easy!

Winter Dance Recital:

The Nutcracker

A few days before Christmas, (and in a huge snowstorm), Aly had her winter recital. Getting there was slow going for me as the roads to the school were terrible! Shortly before the performance was to start, I got a phone call from Kelsey telling me that she and her dad slid off the road at the end of our street, and that they might be a little late. My heart sank. Thank goodness it wasn't bad, and we had the truck at home. A very nervous dad left the car, ran home, jumped in the truck, and arrived just in time.

Aly's dance school performed a condensed version of the Nutcracker. They did such an awesome job! It was really nice to watch, especially that close to Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa even braved the weather to be there. :)

Christmas 2009

Aside from the cruise, the Wii was the big hit! (Note to self: should've done that sooner!!) We love it!

We LoVe that our Grandma's and Grandpa's always come out to visit and share in the girls' excitement.... and ours too! We love you!

Randomness

This is how we found Jake on the couch one night. I think he's been hanging out with Steve too much, the way he's holding that remote......

Aly and the BABY experiment...

For one of Aly's classes this year, she got to sign up for an overnight instant parent experience with a mechanical baby. She was pretty excited about it, and kept telling us what her "due date" was. Keep in mind, this baby had to be taken care of just like a real baby. By the way, this thing weighs about 7 lbs! If it gets thrown, dropped, hit, or neglected when crying, an ABUSE light is supposed to come on in the computer in it's back, which is then recorded for the teacher, which will reflect the grade. To make the experience even more life like, they have to lug home a car seat and a gigantic diaper bag full of diapers and clothes. In spite of Aly's great parenting with this "baby", (even getting up in the middle of the night) she decided it was too much work. Thank goodness!

My Valentine....

Love you babe!

HalloWeen

According to Aly, you're NeVeR too old to go trick-or-treating! The girls were very excited to head out for their evening venture. Aly met up with her group of friends, and Kelsey joined her "other family" with Ashlynd. Ashlynd's dad was so sweet to drive them around on the trailer behind the four-wheeler....it's becoming their "family tradition", or so I'm told. Steve and I rented a scary movie and stayed home together for Halloween for the first time since having the girls.

It wouldn't be Halloween without Jake in his bat costume!
My nephew Jayden (BMX)with his friend.
My nephew's - Jaxson and Jayce.

Random pics

One of the programs I was watching on TV a few months ago had a photographer as a guest. They were talking about taking pictures of everyday things, especially when the "subjects" aren't looking. So, that afternoon I watched for little things that I wanted the girls to remember. This picture was taken right after Kelsey walked in the door from school. Jake always runs over to greet her. I snapped the photo just before Jake went in for a 'kiss'.

The girls talking about their day over dinner.

How Jake spends his afternoons with his 'friend'.

Bike Ride

Kelsey and I had been riding our bikes on a 7 mile ride a few times a week. On this particular day, she wanted to invite Ashlynd to ride with us. As we rode the dirt trail behind the truck stops, Kelsey's bike slipped and she fell into a big puddle of mud! It was so gross! Ashlynd and I couldn't stop laughing. Kelsey eventually found it to be funny.... (thank goodness she wasn't hurt.)

I was able to take a picture on my cell phone while I rode behind them. Good thing we didn't have too far to go... she had a very soggy bottom!

The Horse Next Door...

Kelsey LoVeS horses! One day while she was out skateboarding, William, (the neighbor) asked if she'd like to ride the horse. He had been given a few lessons from his dad and was willing to teach Kelsey. She was in HEAVEN and did not want to get off!

MisMatch Day at School

Once a year during spirit week, never fails.... there is always a mismatch day at school. Being the perfectionist I am, this is really hard for me! (I did have to make sure her hair looked good though!) Kelsey and I picked out different things with all different patterns to throw together.Maybe next year I'll be brave enough to send her to school in mismatched socks and shoes... (ugh!) Citizen of the Month Awards

Aly was chosen by one of her teachers for citizen of the month! (Since our sweet Aly is quite the 'social butterfly', this kind of took Steve and I by surprise!) The school honored them in a small ceremony and she received an award.

We are so proud of you Aly!
A few days after Aly's citizenship recognition, we received a message on the answering machine from Kelsey's principal. Apparently, the fourth grade teachers were asked to pick one student who was doing well in school, that was deserving of a phone call home from the pricipal. She said that Kelsey has such a sweet heart and kind personality, and how the teacher often finds Kelsey helping or encouraging someone when they are struggling. Kelsey is doing SO well in school, and has been on the honor roll since school started. We are so proud of you Kels!
Steve and I are so blessed to have such beautiful girls that are doing fabulous in school!

One Last Camp-Out

I finally remembered to bring my camera! We headed up to Lava for one last camping trip on the last warm weekend of the summer. Aly brought two of her friends, Kylie and Bailey along with us. The ride there, with four girls in the truck was quite a party!

Kelsey was anxious to shoot some targets with her new BB gun.

This is our "WANTED by the law" pose.... (you know, with a BB GUN).... I couldn't quit laughing at Kels taking our picture, so I didn't get the look as well as Steve.

Just having Grandma's homemade peach pie! YUM!

The texting tent: Kylie, Bailey, and Aly.

Our camp guard dogs....

We had a lot of fun - especially down at the Lava Hot Pools! It was SO relaxing....can't wait to go up there in the winter!

Thanks Kylie and Bailey for spending the weekend with us!

Kelsey's 10th Multi-Birthday Party

Kelsey ended up with 3 parties this year! School starts about one week before her birthday, and things start to get so hectic that we usually let the friend party "slide". She is ALwAyS wanting to have a swim party, so this year, we let her have a few friends over to swim and "celebrate" her birthday a little early.

Ashlynd, Kelsey, and Taelor

The girls thought it would just be hilarious if they went head first into the whipped cream on their plates.

Silly girls! They had a blast....

Thanks for coming over to party Ash and Tae! You girls are just too cute!

Kelsey's AcTuAL birthday was two days after my surgery, and I wasn't feeling up to doing too much. However, I wanted her to still feel special on her day. My parents and sweet friends, Rhonda and Jeff came out to the house and we had dinner.

The one thing she's been wanting for quite some time was a BB gun. And yes, this all made me think of the movie "Christmas Story" and the whole "you'll shoot your eye out!" Well, she sweet talked Grandpa (it doesn't take much with my girls), and he surprised her with a BB gun. (With a long list of rules, of course!)

Thanks so much for bringing a cake Mom! (Especially from Roger's Bakery... YUM!) About one week later, we had everyone out for a big birthday BBQ bash. By this time, the THIRD time, Kels was loving it!

Kelsey, I hope you know how special you are to us and how much we love you! Keep smiling and always be yourself. Your sweet spirit, loving personality and love of life is such a blessing to your family. We hope you had a FABULOUS birthday!On a side note, we had a visit with Kelsey's doctor at Primary, and things appear to be going really well. Her doctor has moved her from 3 month checks to a 6 month check up. It was very exciting news for us, and Kelsey was just thrilled!