The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Our family was too busy to pick up the mouse
To give you some news or even a peek
Of what's been going on for weeks and weeks.

Kyle's been busy paying the bills
And in his free time, goes seeking thrills
Hunting and fishing, calling and riding
But not enough fun time quite for his liking!

Catherine is always feeling behind
Dishes and housework and laundry piled high
Chasing two girls who giggle and cry
Watching them grow up - time really flies by!

She also is busy all through the week
With meetings and lessons and activities
A big job, but fun - a blessing from heaven
to serve as president of the 3rd Ward Young Women.

Matty's in kindergarten and doing so well
She loves it. She's happy there and we can tell
She's learning so much and has many pals
Her teachers all love her - she makes them all smile!

Anastyn - Wow! We are so proud of her!
She decided one day to be a big girl.
She now goes potty on the toilet
And wears big-girl panties on her cute little butt!

The girls are excited for Santa to come
Their ages are perfect for magical fun.
We've been trying to teach them about Baby Jesus
And tell them about the true meaning of Christmas.

We know you are busy having a ball
So - Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!
We hope your celebrating goes just right -
Merry Christmas to All, and to All a good night!!

Love,

The Leithead Family

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln was a wonderful man. It was he who made Thanksgiving a national holiday! Here is part of his Thanksgiving Proclamation:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." - October 3, 1863

Wow! I hope we will all take time to remember where all our blessings come from this Thanksgiving.

Also, here is a great clip about Thanksgiving that I thought was neat. Enjoy! Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!!

Leaves, Birthdays, and Spooks!

I woke up one morning. My body ached all over. I moaned and groaned and thought to myself, "I'm getting the flu - oh, I hurt so bad." But I had no other flu symptoms. Then I remembered that the day before I had raked leaves. Millions of them....

And all the while my girls frolicked in these leaves that had had the nerve to fall to the ground without first changing color.And they had the time of their lives! They rolled in them, threw them in the air, and even buried eachother in them. And Life Was Good!

Then I had this birthday. And it was okay as far as birthdays go. Just a normal day of regular stuff. But I did have something to look forward to...
An amazing overnight trip to Billings with my husband. ONLY my husband. No Children. It was a dream come true. And I didn't even feel guilty when at 11:00 p.m. I realized that I had not called to check on my kiddos. In fact, I had not given them a second thought since we left home. I think it was some sort of a break through!
I had been able to enjoy an entire meal without feeding, wiping, hushing, or pulling my hair out. I had been able to put on my swimming suit and sit in a hot tub at our hotel and thoroughly enjoy it. I actually closed my eyes and smiled as I listened to some little girls splashing and screaming in the pool...because they were not mine.
Relaxing, eating, shopping, spending time with my true love. It was Heaven - and it was the best birthday present in the whole world. I wonder if we will ever get to do it again - I hope so!
And as for Halloween, well it was fun. The girls had been excited for weeks about their costumes and trick or treating. We made it back from our weekend just in time to get the girls into their costumes and load them up to go collect their candy. I think they had fun. But I think they had even more fun handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. The sound of the doorbell sent them into quite a frenzie!!
Our Wicked Witch and our Little Cinderella:

Happy Birthday!!!

Just wanted to sneek on and let Catherine know we are thinking of her on her special day!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! We hope you have a GREAT Day!!! :)

(I need to take more pics of you! :) I still think this is a cute one even if its blurry!)

Love you!

Oh "Deer"

We have been cheated by Mother Nature. With fall being one of my favorite seasons, I have been quite disappointed this year. We had an early freeze and all the leaves dropped off the trees before they even had a chance to change color. I hate winter. Winter is no friend of mine. And the beautifulness (is that a word?) of fall buffers those depressing feelings that surface when I know winter is on its way. And so, unfortunately, we will crash into winter this year. Whatever - lets get it over with.

And with fall, naturally, comes hunting. Lots and lots of hunting. Hunting for elk and everyone else's elk. Hunting for deer and everyone else's deer. Hunting for pheasants. Hunting for mountain lion. Hunting, hunting, hunting. I hate hunting. However, my husband does not. My husband LOVES hunting. We don't see much of him during hunting season - and around these parts it seems like hunting season lasts pretty much all year. Exaggerating is one of my specialties.

He did finally get an elk. Even though he was disappointed with its size, I was quite pleased with it. It was just a spike. Hadn't had much of a life yet I suppose. But, it has provided us with some nice, young, tender meat. I like elk meat pretty well. We got a lot of steaks and roasts, jerky, and of course, a lot of hamburger. I have already started using it and its not too bad at all!! The best part about Kyle finally getting his elk is this - the terrible mountain man beard thing that he had going on is now gone!! Our deal was that he had to shave it off as soon as he got an elk! Yay for me - I cannot stand the feel of a beard on my face. Good riddance!

In my opinion, this next image is rather disturbing. Thank goodness I know that my husband is a good man - because he looks really creepy here. Did he just murder somebody in a fit of rage?? No - he just made the mistake of going hunting all alone, shooting an elk, and having to drag it back to his truck and lift it into the back of his truck all by himself. I suppose I would have a little bit of blood on me if I had to do such a thing. Which I never would. That is a situation I would never ever find myself in.
We (especially me) really lucked out this year when Kyle got his deer just a few days after the season opened. And Tyler got one too. And then a couple days later Brent got one. That just leaves Kaleb. Maybe, just maybe, Kaleb will get one this weekend and we will be DONE!!! That is unless Kyle's friends start asking him to go along with them to get their animals. Which usually happens. I think I (not Kyle) might start charging people for his services. A hunting widow's life is not easy, you know.

This fall we have also enjoyed watching Kaleb play football. It has been fun. The girls love to go to the games and cheer him on! Matty's favorite part is the popcorn. She can finish off a whole bag by herself - and she doesn't like to share it either!! So, here is a picture of our little Lovell Bulldog Football fans!!

A Little Bathroom Humor...

I apologize for this post. I’ve never been a huge fan of potty pictures. But what mother doesn’t have a picture of their little potty trainee sitting on the throne stashed away in a photo album somewhere? I know my mom does. I have seen some of Kyle. Yes, it is a really sick tradition. But I just couldn’t resist! What a great little sister Anastyn is holding Matty’s hand and singing her songs for a little moral support!! Against my better judgment, I had to grab the camera and capture this cute little moment…

**Warning** I would advise you to discontinue reading this post now if you are uncomfortable with the word “poop”. If "poop" as a topic of discussion makes you gag, it is suggested that you immediately exit this blog site. : )

I don’t know when our potty training days will be over. Not soon enough I am sure. But someday my children will be able to go to the bathroom all by themselves and I will forget about the diapers, the stinky messes, the number of panties that had to go in the trash can, the number of times that I completely lost my grip and freaked out because poop was everywhere, and the countless hours spent trying to hammer civilized bathroom procedures into their heads. So, I must record some of the funny moments that come with the territory…even if it grosses you out. : )

Anastyn is going to hate me someday for this (sorry, bug). She is a very curious and observant child. Let’s just say she doesn’t miss much…and that includes things that end up in the toilet. : ) The other day she did her duty and was delighted to announce that she had “made a green one”! I was trying really hard not to laugh. I said, “Wow, Anastyn!” Then in a very matter-of-fact voice she informed me, “Now I’m gonna make a blue one!” I giggled and told her, “I don’t think you can!” To which she responded, “How about pink?”

Most kids enjoy looking at the clouds and finding shapes. You know, things like bunny rabbits and cars. Well, the other day my little “stinker” was analyzing her poop and found a DINOSAUR! I’ll admit…I looked. And I saw it too. : )

I am so sorry if you are sick to your stomach now. You can’t say I didn’t warn you. But I’ll be willing to bet you’re laughing. : ) Have a great day!!

First Day!

Well! We made it through day 1 of kindergarten!! This was a big step for Matty and me and we both had to be really, really brave! Surprisingly, neither of us shed any tears and I wasn't as much of a nervous wreck as I thought I would be. :)

So far I am very impressed with her teachers and all the people that are helping her out while she is there! She needs quite a bit of extra help and everyone seems more than willing to provide it for her. I am confident that she is going to LOVE going to kindergarten! And it is going to be such a good experience for her.

I took some pictures of Matty in her new clothes before we left for the school. She looked so cute - and so BIG. Sniff, sniff. :) After school she came home and immediately took off the outfit I had carefully put together for her big day and...well, you can see for yourself. Quite the fashionista. :) Oh - and the Bermuda Triangle stuck again!! We finally had to buy that 6th pair of glasses!!

While Matty was at school, Anastyn and I were able to spend some one-on-one time together. We had so much fun baking cookies, dancing, and making funny faces for the camera. Anastyn did miss Matty quite a bit. She kept asking if we could go get her from school! It will be good for us to spend a little more time together - just the two of us!!

Life is flying by. My little babies are gowing up. It is exciting, but when I stop and really think I get sad. Potty training stinks (literally) and chasing kids is exhausting. But those sweet morning hugs and those angelic voices calling me "Mommy" are precious and treasured. And probably before I know it, will be replaced by rolling eyes and slamming doors. Can't wait.

My Old Man

Well...we finally got moved into a place of our own! But we don't have internet so I have been absent from the blogging world for a few weeks! Sorry, Grandma Wardell! :) Meanwhile, the love of my life had a milestone birthday this month. He turned the big 3-0! I am so happy to have his company in officially being "old"!

In honor of this special birthday that we didn't even celebrate per Kyle's request (not because he has any issues with getting older, but because he is stubborn and didn't want a fuss), I went looking through his photo albums and put together some pictures of him through the years. Just for fun. He was such a cute kid...and still is!! Happy Birthday, Babe!! We love you so much!

And holy cow...check this out! As I was looking through Kyle's old pictures I couldn't believe how much he and Anastyn look alike!!

Negotiations.

Anastyn {aka Miss Sassy Pants} has been entertaining me with her negotiation skills the past couple weeks. You have to keep in mind that she's only 2 years old. I know all small children are like little sponges. They soak up so much - good and bad. The thing that amazes me is that they are clever enough to take all the words, images, circumstances, etc. that they have soaked up and wring it all out in very adult ways.

I know where Miss Sassy Pants has learned how to negotiate. Obviously, I do it with her all day long. For example: "If you eat your dinner, you can have ice cream later!", "If you don't stop throwing rocks, we will have to leave the park and go home!", "No, you cannot have candy...how about a banana?", "If you promise not to yell, stand up in the cart, or make mommy behave like a crazy person while we are at Wal-Mart, I will buy you a toy!!" etc, etc, etc.

But I didn't think she would start doing the negotiating so soon! Her new thing is to say, "How 'bout..." She wanted apple juice - I said she could have water - she said "how 'bout milk?" O-kay. She was supposed to be taking a nap. She wanted to do puzzles instead. I told her we could do puzzles after her nap. She said, "how 'bout one puzzle?" It really is very funny. I get a chuckle out of her. And I am wondering what she will come up with next...

Matty made me giggle the other day. She was sitting on the stairs wrestling with her shoes. She was trying to put them on, but she was having some technical difficulties. She was grunting and making noises under her breath. I could tell she was getting really frustrated. And then she shook her hands in the air and said in her little growly voice, "Are you kidding me, shoes?" Ha ha!

Welcome Home, Kacee!!

My sister-in-law, Kacee, has been doing my hair ever since she started Cosmotology School. She has done an excellent job from day one - she is just a natural! The bad thing was that she never lived close by. So sometimes there was some waiting in between haircuts and color jobs.

About a month and a half ago, after waiting patiently for 6 months for Kacee to plan a trip home without success, I finally caved and decided my hair could wait no longer. And besides that, I didn't want to contribute to the overwhelming amount of family members needing their hair done the next time she was able to make the trip home. So I decided to find a stylist around here to make me pretty again. After asking around I decided to go to a lady that I had never met (I will not mention names. And the lady is not in Lovell.) So I made the trip to her salon-with all the excitement you can imagine from a girl who hasn't had her hair done in half a year. Upon entering the salon I saw that the hair stylist was just finishing up with a previous client. So I sat down, picked up a copy of Short Hair and patiently thumbed through it while watching the lady work. I started feeling uneasy when the stylist started using her very hot flat iron to dry/style the client's wet hair. As thick steam was rising into the air and the water from the girl's wet hair was sizzling on the flat iron, I wondered if this poor girl was going to have any hair left by the time the stylist was through with her. My gut told me to get up and walk out. But, what do I know?? She's the hair stylist...she must know what she's doing!

Finally it was my turn in the chair. I needed two things done - both of which I figured were pretty straight forward and easy to handle. 1) I needed my color touched up - nothing fancy - just the same thing Kacee did six months ago. It should be pretty obvious. 2) I needed my hair trimmed. An a-line with a few layers. I explained all this to the lady. She looked at me blankly and started asking me all these questions about how to go about doing it. I was getting really worried because I've never had to tell a beautician how to do her job before! Anyways, she got a book out and showed me a picture of a lady with blonde hair and highlights, etc. It looked nice so I said, "ya...that will be great".

The next red flag that this woman may have been a beauty school drop-out was that she kept reading some sort of instructions during the whole foiling process. And she just wasn't doing the whole process the same way I was used to seeing it done. At this point I was just hoping for the best. Keeping my fingers crossed that it would all turn out really, really cute like I was counting on...

When the foils came off, and my hair was washed, I explained to the lady how I usually had my hair cut. It seemed like she understood. But, uh-oh...another red flag. She proceeded to tell me that when she cuts an a-line she likes the hair to be dry. Really? That's different. I've never had anyone cut my hair when it was dry. Ever. Of course I didn't say anything. I just bit my lip. She dried my hair. And that's when I saw the color. My hair was full of these brassy, orange chunks. And there was a big chunk on the side of my head that was brown and didn't even go all the way to my scalp. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

She got her scissors out and cut across the back of my hair and down the sides. She didn't put any layers in. She didn't even check to make sure the sides were even! She finished me up and styled my hair with one of those combination curling iron/hair dryer thingies. Barrel size of about 1". She asked me if I liked it and told me that if I didn't she would fix it. I just wanted to get the heck out of there before she screwed it up any more. And I needed to go quickly, because I was on the verge of tears. I wrote out a check for the 70 bucks. 70 bucks down the drain.

I left quickly. The tears started coming as soon as I was in the car. My hair was ugly. I was so upset that Kyle decided to text Kacee. And then I felt terrible because the whole thing that I was trying to avoid - making Kacee drive all the way up here just to do hair - was happening. She drove up about a week and a half later and fixed my hair for me. All better now! Thank you, Kacee!!

The Moral Of The Story:

When your most beloved hair stylist - the one that always does an excellent job, the one that you can trust, the one that can read your mind - when she lives far, far away - go pack her up and move her back home! Which is exactly what I did...

And my hair lived happily ever after.

So, if you are looking for a beautician...Never Fear - Kacee is Here!

She is working at Gracie's Backdoor Salon.

The door is in the alley behind The Box Office in Lovell.

Phone number is 548-2456

Kacee's cell is 435-210-0372

You won't be disappointed!

Life Happens...

June and July have gone by in a blur. So much has been going on and we have been extremely busy. There have been so many activities, family visitors, and basically a lot of chaos. There is really no way to even summarize....to tell you the truth, I probably wouldn't even remember many details. Everything has been happening in such rapid succession!! But such is life.

I am reminded of a quote by Gordon B. Hinckley that I love...it helps me remember that life isn't supposed to be perfect:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey … delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

When I think about the beautiful vistas in my life, I am extremely grateful that I have as many as I do. My family being the most important. What a blessing it is to be surrounded at all times by people who love and care deeply for you. I am so proud to belong to such wonderful families that rally around eachother and support eachother in all things wonderful and difficult!!

Funnies...

I have had a miserable cold the last few days. Saturday we were traveling in the car and i was sipping on a fountain Pepsi. Anastyn wanted me to give her a sip, but I told her she couldn't have any because there were "sick bugs" on my straw. With a look of curiosity on her face, Anastyn said, "Let me see 'em, mom!"

__________________________________

Saturday the girls and I rode to Thermopolis with my parents. My aunt Emily had invited us to come down for a Father's Day BBQ. Auntie Em is just a really fun lady that loves little kids and so they love her in turn. The girls had a blast at her house - she had filled up a little swimming pool for them to play in and provided fun toys and movies to make sure they had a great time. When we pulled up in front of her house, Matty exclaimed in her most excited voice, "Aunt Enemy's house!!!"

__________________________________

The other day I needed to run to the grocery store for something. I was just going to leave the girls at home with my mom because, well, that's just easier. :) While I was getting ready, Matty came in and asked, "What you doing, Mommy?" I explained to her that I was just going to run to the store for a minute and be right back. Then she asked, "Mommy...Matty go a store?" I couldn't resist her cute face, and I figured it wouldn't be so bad to take one child to the store, so I told her that she could come with me but she would have to let me brush her hair because it was full of snarls. Matty doesn't especially enjoy having her hair brushed out and so she replied, "No! Matty cry!" I had to giggle to myself that she already new that it was going to make her cry. :)

__________________________________

Anastyn is really good at remembering things and is a pretty good talker. So we have fun teaching her things and then asking her about them later to see if she remembers. She can rattle off her birthday, Matty's birthday, her full name, Matty's full name, the names of her grandpas and grandmas and her mommy and daddy, what town she lives in, what town BrookLynn and Elle live in, and she even knows the name of our President. We will ask, "Anastyn, who's the president?" and she quickly replies, "Oooooo-Bama!" It is really cute how she says it. Makes us laugh every time.

We ask Matty some of these same questions and she does pretty good, too. The other day I asked her what her sister's name was......she said, "Sissy Belle Leithead". So cute.

__________________________________

This one isn't a very good reflection of the kind of language that escapes my mouth occasionally...but it was pretty darn funny...

We went to Powell with Kari, Kaleb, and Kristin and her girls to have dinner at Grandma Marla's house last week. We were all sitting around after dinner teasing the kids. Somebody threw Anastyn's favorite blanket at her head and she said, "Don't mess up my hair, damn it!" Yikes.

__________________________________

I often have my nose in a book. One day Anastyn was trying to accomplish something naughty, but I kept looking up from my book and giving her "the look". She was getting really frustrated because she wanted to make her trouble without me interfering. After a while she shouted, "No Mom!! READ-YOUR-BOOK!!!"

__________________________________

Because I have had this cold, my voice has been very hoarse. It is very frustrating to try to have a conversation because it hurts to talk and it sounds so annoying. The other day I was trying to explain something to Anastyn. She looked at me, scowling, and ordered, "Mom....STOP TALKING!"

A Peek For Mrs. Leonhardt!!

When Chelsey asked me to take pictures for her wedding I was terrified! I am nothing but an ameteur "mom with a camera". I do not own professional equipment or expensive editing software. And a wedding only happens once. I tried to talk her out of it - I did. Didn't I, Chelsey?? Anyways, I agreed to do it. I felt a little better when my awesome sister-in-law, Kristin, said she would help me out. I am sure you have all seen the beautiful work she does on her blog! She is really getting good at taking pictures. I am so grateful she came to back me up on this one! Two cameras are better than one!!

I am still editing pictures and being critical of myself, etc., etc. But I thought I would give Chelsey a sneek peek of what we ended up with! Enjoy!!

Growing Up...

Matty turned 5 on Thursday!! She had a wonderful day full of bubble blowing, playing outside with her sister, opening gifts, and celebrating with family! She was so lucky to have Great-Grandpa and Grandma Wardell, Great-Grandpa and Grandma Tippetts, Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa Tippetts, Grandpa and Grandma Leithead, Anastyn, Aunt Chelsea, Tyler and Aunt Kari, and Uncle Bob come to her birthday party. We had a fun Luau with Hawaiian Haystacks and Lemonade. And Aunt Chelsea made the cutest "Beach" cupcakes!! There were too many presents to name, lots of clothes and toys and movies! She got so excited over every little card and gift she opened - it was delightful to watch!! Matty's happiness is contagious and she brings so much joy into our lives!!

At Five Years Old, Matty Is:

A music-loving Hannah Montana wanna-be; a crazy-dancing High School Musical finatic; a silly giggle-box that loves to tease; a master snuggler; a flexible contortionist that loves to perform; beautiful singer of primary songs; insufferable loser of glasses; Princess dress wearing girly-girl who loves fancy shoes and flip-flops; professional bath taker; exhausting night-owl who loves to turn on every light in the house in the middle of the night; baby loving, bag carrying, movie watching, meat-lover; Pre-school going, park playing escape artist; Happy Birthday singing, potty-training fan of Rihanna, Kanye West and Taylor Swift; a color-learning, heart-stealing lover of aunts and uncles; a precious angel who is loved more than words can say!

Matty, Happy Birthday! We love you so very, very much!!

My Sister

My sister is my best friend! We were so blessed to have her come visit for a week. Unfortunately the relaxing vacation she was counting on turned into Grandma's funeral. But we still had a wonderful time while she was here. We enjoyed spending time reminiscing, taking family pictures, having wonderful conversations, watching movies, eating, and celebrating birthdays. There wasn't much relaxing going on...but our time together was priceless. Chelsea is a beautiful young lady inside and out! My girls couldn't get enough of her and we were all so sad when we had to drop her off at the airport yesterday.

We miss you, Chelsea! Thanks for coming to visit!!!

Grandma Walker

My Grandma, Verna Benson Walker, passed away on Thursday, May 28th, 2009. She was 81 years old. This woman has been a very important part of my life. I was lucky enough to live in the same town as her and see her nearly every day as I was growing up.

I had a special relationship with my Grandma that I will always cherish. She was an amazing Grandmother and always went out of her way to make me feel special.

After being away from "home" for 8 years, I was fortunate enough to spend more time with her when Kyle and I moved back to Lovell. I would take one or both of my girls to see her every day or two. I feel so blessed that we were able to spend this time with her and that Matty and Anastyn were able to get to know her and enjoy her also.

My Grandma will be missed by many, many people, including myself and my girls. I had the opportunity to give her Life History at her funeral. She was an amazing woman and I will always remember her example.

Here are some words that remind me of Grandma:

Homemade Pie, Fried Chicken, Kiddie Parades, Dress Ups, Sleepovers, Hollyhocks, Raspberry Jam, Fried Potatoes, Fancy Jell-O Pudding Cups, Walker Bears, Country Bunnies, Bandana Skirts, Costumes, Asparagus Hunting, Trips to the Grocery Store with her Coin Purse, Birdhouses, Miniature Shoe Collections, The Picture Room, Books, Grandma Benson Cookies, French Braids, and Rocking Chairs.

I Love You, Grandma! God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again!

A "sTICKy" Situation

Anastyn ended up in bed with us sometime in the wee hours of the morning....again. Nothing new. And when we woke up for the day, we snuggled, and I ran my fingers through her soft hair. Wait a minute - what was that I felt??? What the heck is in your hair?? Upon closer inspection, I realized my little baby had a tick in her hair. No, not just in her hair - it was in her head!!

Well, I didn't freak out. But I did go get my dad out of bed so he could help me figure out what to do! We tried liquid hand soap, and of course a hot match. Neither of which did any good. So I told him to just try to pull it out with a pair of tweezers (which is what the doctor did when BrookLynn had a tick in her head last year).

Luckily, he was able to pull the whole thing out - easy as pie. And Anastyn just laid there so still and calm the whole time. I was so proud of her!! Here she is checking out the bug that was in her head!! She thought it was pretty cool!! - "Look! I had a 'stick' in my head!!" - What a funny girl.

Never a dull moment around here...nope, not ever.

Eleven Years...

Kyle and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on Saturday!! We were able to go on a very nice date Friday night while Kari and Tyler watched the girls...Thank you, guys! And Saturday we took the girls out to the Lake. We had a great time together!

It doesn't matter where you go in life, or what you do, or how much you have, it's who you have beside you.

I love you, Babe!!!

Such A Pretty Face...

{Miss Anastyn Belle}

Most would say that she is a beautiful little girl. I certainly think so. She has her father's beautiful skin and stunning brown eyes. And her smile - it has been known to take my breath away and cause my heart to leap. Yes, she has a pretty little face.

But typically once every month or so she gets a hideous cold sore. She has been plagued with these unsightly, painful curses since she was quite little. You may have noticed she was sporting one in the family photo on our blog header. That one was back in November. She has had many since. She has one right now. But this time it got a secondary bacterial infection which caused Impetigo. These lovely little red dots started popping up all over her face this weekend. She looks rough. I'm glad she isn't old enough to be self-conscious or embarrassed. Poor little gal. So now she is on an antibiotic and I hope it kicks in quickly.

I have never had a cold sore in my life. But it appears she will be suffering from them for the rest of hers. Poor unfortunate soul....

Fancy Feet

Yesterday, Daddy decided his girls' feet needed a little fixing up. Well, Mommy's feet needed it, anyways. And the little girls weren't about to let him get away with not painting their toes too! They love to get all girled up. Matty loves princess shoes and would wear them everywhere if I were to let her! We had to buy her a new pair Saturday because her other pair broke. She was certain we could fix them with batteries, because batteries are supposed to fix everything. But I think she was thrilled with her new fancy pink ones!

Thanks, Kyle, for making our toes pretty!!

VIP Graduation!

Yesterday Matty graduated from VIP. It was a great ceremony - they marched out to Pomp and Circumstance, said the Pledge of Allegiance, sang songs they have learned recently, received their diplomas and had some amazing refreshments! These ladies go above and beyond and make everything so special. They even made a scrapbook for each child full of pictures throughout the year - I was really touched. We didn't even have to be too sad because Matty will be attending VIP again next year!!

Singing Songs

Receiving her diploma

Matty between her special friends, Haleigh and Alyssa Rael. They were so sweet to take care of her this year!

High Fives from Grandma Marla!

Sharing a plate of yummies with Anastyn!