The Doty Family

Christmas in Idaho

2011-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

We went to Idaho two days after Christmas to see my family. We traveled Tuesday night before the storm hit. We woke up and spent Wednesday together and then Wednesday night we ate dinner as a family and then opened family exchange presents. The kids had fun seeing what their cousins and grandparents had gotten them. Thanks everyone for such a nice night! I love my family and I'm grateful that we have this tradition of coming home to spend a little bit of christmas together.

Thanks Camden!

Thanks Tahlia!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Thanks Wyatt!

Thanks Bailey!

Thanks Bailey!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Thanks Dane!

Thanks Reagan!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Christmas

2010-12-31T10:25:00.004-08:00

We started off our christmas season by making a gingerbread house. This is something that has quickly become a tradition in our house. The kids really look forward to this. We buy a gingerbread house kit, but this year the house came pre-assembled so the gingerbread house was finished much quicker.

On Dec. 23 we decorated cookies with Michael. I had bought some food coloring so hopefully get some good red and green frosting. The kids had a good time and didn't make too much of a mess.

For christmas eve we decided to have turkey and funeral potatoes. Alan wanted to try something new for cooking the turkey, so he got on line and figured it out. I let him because that meant less work for me. He did a really good job. The turkey turned out great! We had Megan over for christmas eve dinner and had a great time. We eat dinner and after cleaning up we watch some christmas shows with the kids and then we open new pajamas. I look forward to this every year and the kids love opening a present on christmas eve. After opening pajamas, we set out cookies and chocolate milk (cause Santa loves chocolate milk!) and got the kids to bed. They went to sleep pretty quickly.

The kids woke up around 6:15 Christmas morning. Alan jumped up to start making his christmas breakfast that needs to cook for 90 min. Then we let the kids start opening presents. They had a really good time. I love watching their faces as they open their gifts... their looks are priceless!

Alan thought it would be fun to buy nerf air guns for the whole family! I was a little nervous but they have been a hit.

After we opened presents, we ate Alan's breakfast casserole, which turned out really good. We then played with our toys for a little while and then it was time to get ready and go see family. We went to Great Grandma and Grandpa Doty's around noon. We exchanged gifts and then ate some really good food made by Alan's Uncle Donald. We played with our new toys and played games until about four. Then, it was time to go to Great Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's. We were the first to arrive. Michael got Nerf air guns and decided to show them to us... well he unloaded the one whole gun on me and the war was on! We had a good time chasing and shooting each other! We then played a few more games and had snacks before we headed home for the day. We were all tired, but it was a good day. !

Kairi's Christmas Dane Recital

2010-12-31T10:25:00.003-08:00

Kairi had her Christmas dance recital on Dec 13 and did so well!! Kairi has a good presence on the stage. We get complements all the time. She loves music and dance. Thanks to the family and friends who came and supported her.

Family Pictures

2010-12-31T10:25:00.001-08:00

When we came to Idaho for Christmas I asked Leslie if she would use our camera and try and take some pictures of our family to use in our Christmas card. She did a great job, but I was so busy that I never got the Christmas cards out! Thanks Leslie for being willing to help us.

Camden in the girls make-up

2010-12-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

It's time to catch up on the blog... never too late!

Camden and Tahlia were playing while I was working around the house. They had gotten really quite and then I heard crying. I ran upstairs to my bathroom and I found Camden with pink make up all over this face! We keep the girls make-up in our bathroom and Camden found it! Instead of getting mad I thought to take some pictures.

He was much happier after he was cleaned up!

Kairi gets her Tonsil out!

2010-03-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

When I took Kairi in for her 5 year doctor appointment he was concerned with the way she breathed and pronounced her words. After having x-rays, seeing a specialist and trying antibiotics the specialist, Dr. Hill, thought it would be best to get her tonsils and adnoids out. We scheduled the appointment as soon as we could so as not to interfere with her dance competition and soccer in April. We were scheduled to be at Primary Children's Hospital on Mar 23rd at 11:45 am. Alan and I both took the day off to be with her. She was so excited to have her tonsils out! We took her shopping for ice cream, pudding, yogurt, etc so she was really excited for the food she got to eat afterwords. She had no idea what was about to happen.

Primary Children's is a great hospital. There are all about the kids. The have fun murals on the walls and ceilings, toys, and lots of activities to take kids minds off what is happening to them. The doctor said Kairi was happy right until she went to sleep from the gas. The surgery only took 30 minutes. Dr. Hill said Kairi did great! We had to wait at the hospital for about an hour and a half to make sure she was doing well enough to leave. After she woke up from surgery, she was a little grouchy and didn't want the nurses to touch her. After the anesthesia wore off a little more she calmed down. We were leaving the hospital about 3:30. When we got home she ate a chocolate pudding and had some liquid. She did so well. Yesterday she was is a little more pain, but she is doing great. We can't wait for her to be back to normal... and to hear what she will sound like now!

Kairi on the train waiting to get registered.

Sporting her hospital pajamas.

They gave her a cloth doll to color that had a hospital gown just like her.

Watching some TV after she took her medicine.

The drive home.

Brian Regan

2010-03-26T11:34:00.001-07:00

For christmas, Dustin got Alan and I tickets to Brian Regan and offered to babysit for us the night of the show! The tickets were for his 7 o'clock show on Saturday Mar 13th at Abravanal Hall. We looked forward to it since Christmas. We have heard a lot of his comedy and he is hilarious in a clean way. If you ever have a chance to see him you should. Thanks for the gift Dustin!

Reagan Spring PTC

2010-03-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Alan and I went to Reagan's spring parent teacher conference on March 17th at 4:00. She is doing great! She loves going to school and learning. I love that she gets so excited to tell me what she has learned at school. She has been doing challenge (2nd grade) spelling words since January and she has not missed any words on her spelling tests! She hates that we make her write each word she misses five times during our nightly practice, but she is always so excited to see that she spelled all her words correctly. She is still doing great in reading. She has gone up 3 reading levels since our last ptc, she is a level K. She is also doing well in math (good thing or what would people say! :-)). She received all 4's in all other areas. We are so happy that she is liking school and doing so well. Keep up the good work Reagan!

Kairi's 5th Birthday

2010-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Kairi is 5! She is so excited to be going to kindergarten in the fall. She loves to learn. She loves to write and color. She loves to "read" books to Camden and Tahlia... she is a pretty good story teller! She also loves to learn at church. She is always telling me things she learned at church and telling me how important it is to live "good". I love her sweet personality. She is always thinking of others. She goes about life with such a positive attitude.

Kairi is the only girl her age that we know so, we decided to go to Idaho and celebrate her birthday with Kahler. They are about 8 days apart on a non leap year. Her birthday was on aTuesday and we wouldn't be going to Idaho for the party for a couple of weeks, so we decided to do a little celebration at home Tuesday night. We went to the grocery store and she picked out donuts to eat for desert. She opened a few presents. She got some new pajamas, a pink Snuggie (she really wanted one), a book and some money. We saved a few more things for the party in Idaho.

The week before we went to Idaho for the birthday party, Kahler was in the hospital with RSV. Mary and I had planned to go bowling and play in a bounce house in Rexburg, but when Kahler got sick we decided to just stay in Idaho Falls. It ended up to be just as much fun! We brought up Disney Bingo and the kids loved playing that. After bingo we broke a pinata that Mary had brought. She put some great candy and prizes in it! We were really lucky that the weather was nice enough to go outside and break it. After the pinata we had homemade pizza. This was a great idea! I love homemade pizza. After pizza we opened presents, sang happy birthday and had cake. Leslie made Kairi the cutest cake ever! Leslie called me about a month before Kairi's birthday and wanted to make the cake. I showed Kairi the cake and after a few minutes of thinking she said yes. Thanks Leslie for helping make her birthday extra special. Kahler had a cute little dump truck full of cake. He really didn't want to much to do with it. Eventually he had some and made a mess. Thanks to everyone who helped with the party! It was great.

Valentine's Day

2010-03-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day came and went quickly at our house. Alan arranged for a babysitter and we went to each at a Brazilian restaurant the Friday night before valentine's day. We really enjoy eating there. It was nice to go out with Alan and spend time together. When we got home there was an edible arrangement waiting for me. I have always secretly wanted one of these! I think they are so neat. This one had lots of strawberries... I love strawberries. It was a very nice surprise. I love Alan so much. I don't know what I would do without him! We were too full from dinner to eat any of the arrangement, so we had it Saturday night at dinner and shared with the whole family. Saturday night after dinner we decorated valentine's day cookies. The kids love decorating cookies. It's a fun tradition.

Reagan was off track for valentine's day, but they had their party the following week when they went back on track. She was suppose to make her valentine box and boy did she get creative. She had a great time being creative and Kairi had fun being her assistant.

Mom and Kairi Time

2010-03-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

February was Kairi's month to take me and do something together. She wanted to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks; the Sqeakquel. After work on Monday Feb 1st, I pick the kids up from the babysitter and dropped everyone but Kairi at home and then we left. We had to get popcorn and drinks, it was our dinner! Kairi loved the movie and we have fun talking before and after the movie. Kairi has such a positive attitude about life, it is good to be around her because she reminds me to be happier. I love that we are spending time individually with each of our kids. It will be nice when it's warmer so we can do some things out side. Love you Kairi!

No More Cribs!

2010-01-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

It's official... no more babies in the Doty house. Tahlia is out of her crib. She stayed in it longer than any of the other kids so it was time. We took her shopping to find a bed set. There weren't many options so it came down to Dora or Tinker Bell and she chose Tinker Bell. It is a really cute set. We bought her bed a couple of Saturday's ago and put it together during nap time. It is a toddler bed and it wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. After nap we, I mean Alan, took down the crib and we cleaned and put together your new bed. She loved it! She is doing really well sleeping in it. I just realized I haven't taken a picture of her new bed or her in it. I will get on that. For now is picture of the Tinker Bell bed set she got. We love our Tahlia!

Dress Up

2010-01-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

About a week ago Kairi asked is she could play dress up. I haven't let her do it in awhile because she never cleans it up, but I gave in. A little while later Kairi came down in her dress and Camden came too in his shoes, necklace and head dress. Alan couldn't believe it! Camden has all sisters so it's going to happen from time to time. We took some pictures and Tahlia decided she wanted in too.

Fiesta Ole

2010-01-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

It is quickly becoming tradition to eat at Fiesta Ole when we go home. The kids like it because Grandma and Grandpa give them quarters for rides and toy machines an we like it because we have gone there forever and the food isn't too bad either.

Christmas/New Year's

2010-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

After Christmas was over went to Idaho Falls to visit my family. We left Tuesday after Christmas and stayed through the New Year. We have started saving family exchange presents until we all can come. So, we had a mini Christmas. The kids had a great time. It is so fun to go home and see everyone.

Reagan could hardly wait to make a snowman. Good think it snowed! There was really no snow when we go there. She made this all by herself and then Grandma and Grandpa helped find the accessories.

Camden and Dane play so well together. There is no telling the trouble they will get into in the future though! I found them playing guns... very cute.

Dane love the girls games.

Cute Kahler!

On Saturday we opened presents. Thank you to everyone!

Christmas Time

2009-12-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

The Doty house has been counting down the days until Christmas since Thanksgiving. I finished teaching school on Dec 22nd and Reagan's last day was the 23rd. On the 22nd I planned to decorate a ginger bread house. That was also the night BYU was playing Oregon in the Las Vegas bowl. We ate pizza, decorated the gingerbread house and watched football. Great night! Then on Wednesday, the 23rd, I made sugar cookies while Reagan was at school so we could decorate them that night. The kids had a great time. They all picked their favorite cookie to leave for Santa.

Camden loved the frosting!

Christmas Eve Alan had to work, so we stayed home and got ready for Christmas. I made a turkey for dinner and the kids cleaned up their rooms to make space for their new ones that were sure to come. Reagan wanted to open her new pajamas all day, so after dinner, the kids opened their pajamas and we watched some Christmas cartoons we had recorded.

We thought this would be the year that Reagan would wake us up early to open presents, but she didn't. The kids woke up around seven. They were all so excited as they came running into our room! I think Reagan got them hyped up! They could hardly wait for us to get up. I remember those feelings from when I was young... good memories. I wanted to get a picture of the kids coming down the stairs, but they started going before me so I couldn't capture their reaction, so I made them recreate it.

The kids started with their stockings, but Tahlia wasn't too sure at first. She just watched until she warmed up to the idea. It didn't take too long though. Then she wanted to open everything in sight. Alan and I had a great time watching the kids enjoy their presents. We tried to have each kid open a present at the same time... it worked pretty good.

After we had Alan Christmas cassorole for breakfast, which was very good, we all go ready to go see a movie. We went to see the Princess and the Frog. It is a very cute movie. The kids loved wearing their new Christmas clothes and getting popcorn. Everyone watched the movie and behaved really well. After the movie it was nap time. We had all had a big day so far and needed a rest. After everyone woke up we had leftover turkey and played with new toys, What a great day! The kids are already talking about next year!

Christmas Dance Recital

2009-12-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

The girls has a dance recital on December 21st. It was at West Jordan Middle School again at 7 o'clock. It was a little crazy getting there by seven. After I picked the kids up from their babysitter, we quickly drove home so I could start working on the girls hair and make-up . They were so excited to get dressed up! I bought some new eye glitter that they couldn't wait to try. The hair dues this year are much easier than last... so we were done much faster than I thought. While I was doing hair and make-up Alan was making us dinner. We quickly ate dinner and then the girls got into their costumes and we were off by 6:30. The girls both did a tap and ballet routine. They both looked beautiful and danced awesome! Now they get to learn new dances for their spring competitions and recital.

Reagan's 1st Grade Christmas Program

2009-12-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

Reagan had her Christmas program on December 3rd. I thought it was kind of early, but it ended up to be perfect because we got busier as Christmas got closer. We were told to have her there at 6:30 and then the program would start at 7:00. We got there at 6:30 on the dot and we had to sit almost at the back of the gym! Reagan's class started the program and parents in front of us were standing taking pictures of there kids so we could hardly see! I was frustrated and finally a lady behind us got up and said something to the parents. I was happy she did so we could all see our kids. Reagan had a great time learning Christmas songs and Christmas jokes. She did a great job! We loved seeing her perform.

Every 1st grader decorated a stocking to decorate the gym during their performance.

Family Pictures

2009-11-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

We got our family pictures back! They turned out really good! I can't wait to get some of them printed and hanging on my wall.

Night Out

2009-11-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

We have decided that once a month one of the kids get to pick an activity that they want to do and mom or dad to do it with. Reagan was the first one to choose and she chose to go take me and go see the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". We had a great time! The movie wasn't too bad either. Reagan really liked it and it was fun watching and listening to her enjoy it. I think this is going to be a great family tradition. We are so used to doing everything together that to be able to have some one-on-one time with each of our kids will be good for them and us.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-14T15:59:00.001-08:00

The kids, mostly Reagan and Kairi, had been looking forward to Halloween several weeks before it came and even had a count down. It took the girls a long time to decide what they wanted to dress up as. Reagan decided to be Hannah Montana, Kairi was a Barbie Princess, Camden was a soccer player (that one was easy!), and Tahlia was a lady bug. Alan ended up having an RSL soccer game to go to with his family, so I got the job of taking the kids trick-or-treating. I decided to go around 5:30. This has proven to be a good time for us. It's not too cold, still have light, and we are done before the kids get too tired. We started getting dressed at about five and we were out the door a little after 5:30. I took the wagon and Camden and Tahlia rode it in until the realized what this trick-or-treating thing was. They just rode and ate candy! The girls had a great time going door to door. It was nice not having a baby to take this year! About half way through a man was trick-or-treating with his son and he had a pretty scary mask on and all but Reagan freaked out! I had kids in tears! I was wishing he would take off his mask to show the kids everything was Ok, but he didn't. I just moved on as quickly as I could. We saw some great costumes this year. Hopefully we can remember some of them to use for next year. Around 7 we had a few houses left. The kids were ready to be done... at that moment Alan got home from his soccer game. We finished going to the last few houses and then loaded in our van and went to Dustin's house to watch the Utah football game. All the kids were on a sugar high... they were going strong until about 10 and then they died. The sugar high was gone, so we packed up and headed home!

Dressing Herself

2009-11-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Tahlia has been trying on clothes lately... and most of the time they aren't hers! A few weeks ago I was doing laundry and had clothes on my bed that needed folding. I went down stairs for something and got distracted. Tahlia saw the clothes and found some of Reagan's underwear to try on and came down stairs to show us! She is our last one to do these cute things... we are sure glad we have her!

Sick Eyes

2009-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

Monday after we got back from Idaho, I picked the kids up from their babysitters and Camden's eyes were swollen and had green stuff in the corners. I took him to KidCare to get some drops. He was pretty happy despite his eyes. He was great at the doctor's except he didn't want to be weighed... weird. After the doctor examined him, she looked at Tahlia and said she looked like she was getting it too. I hate this time of year. All of the runny noses, sore throats, etc. I'm just lucking my kids don't have worse.

Wyatt

2009-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

What a cute little boy Wyatt is! I am so happy that we got to go to Idaho and spend some time with him. How can you not love this kid. Just look at his face... I want to squeeze it! Tyson gave him a great blessing Sunday. They look so much alike walking back to their seat! We all met a their house after for lunch. There was so much family there. I love getting to see everyone. Wyatt makes one more in our wonderful family. Thanks for the good weekend Luke's!

The kids found a pile of leaves to play in before we left...

Painting Pumpkins & Making Haunted House

2009-10-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon, we painted pumpkins. Mom and dad grew all of the pumpkins in their garden and kids got to go pick which one they wanted. Things got a little messy, but they all had a great time! I wish would have had room to bring them home to decorate our porch! Megan brought a haunted house kit for the kids to put together. They had a great time!

Drying Apples

2009-10-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

After Reagan's parent teacher conference on Thursday we all headed to Idaho for Wyatt's blessing. We decided to get family pictures on Friday. They seemed to go really well! I can't wait to see the pictures. Friday morning Reagan and grandpa went and picked apples and brought them in the house to get them ready to dry. Grandma washed them, Grandpa peeled them, and the kids arranged them in the drying trays. They had a blast. I"m glad my kids get to experience these types of things when they go to my parents. It reminds me of being little.

Parent Teacher Conference

2009-10-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Reagan had her first parent teacher conference for 1st grade on October 22nd. Her teacher, Mrs. Ott, said she is doing great. She received 4's in all areas. She is doing really well with her reading. She is at a level H and the average is a G by the end of the year. I was really shocked to here this. Alan and I can get a little frustrated when we are reading with her because we think she can do better. Obviously she is doing fine. We are going to try and not be too hard on her. She is also doing well in math! I was really happy to hear this. Overall she is doing great. She is off track for 3 weeks now. She can't wait to go back.

This is something Reagan made that was hanging in the hall by her class.

Cornbelly's

2009-10-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Nancy, Bailey, and Trevor came and visited us for a week before going to Idaho. Nancy was brave and watched the kids while I went to work. Things seemed to go pretty well. I"m sure things got a little crazy at times, but Nancy said everything went fine. Other than it being a lot of work for her, I"m glad she did it because it gave our kids a chance to play together. They had looked forward to seeing each other for months! That had such a good time! They are already talking about the next time they get to see Bailey and Trevor. I hope it's sooner than later! I took Friday off the week they were here and Nancy and I took the kids to Cornbelly's. I have heard about this place for a few years, but have never gone. The kids had a blast! The weather was perfect and the kids were pretty good too. There were so many fun stations for kids to play with or on. They loved the bounce area the best! We decided to eat lunch there and then played a little more. By then the kids were pretty tired and so were Nancy and I. Letting kids have fun is way more work for parents! I will definitely go again!

The first place we went let the kids dress up if they wanted to. Of course the girls did!

Next, we went to the Duck Races. You had to pump water to push your duck in the race. We were at this station for awhile! Trevor especially loved it!

The kids saw a cow ride and wanted to go on it. When we got there only Kairi and Bailey would get in. Readgan saw a track where you rode a bike that looked like a tractor... she did it instead.

After playing on slides, we went to a bounce area. They had these animals for little kids to ride. Tahlia sat on hers or a long time. She wouldn't get off!

These bounce things were buried in the ground. I have never seen anything like them. The kids really had a good time on them.

We hadn't seen Reagan or Trevor for awhile... when I found them they were leaning against the bounce thing and laughing. They had also been building sand castles.

When it was time to go eat lunch, Kairi and Bailey and joined them.

After we got our shoes on the kids went and started playing behind this... cute picture and we didn't even have to ask them.

Waiting for lunch.

Big chair!

We had promised the kids cotton candy...

We tried to get a group shot as we were leaving, the kids were past wanting to do this. We went home and took a great nap!

Fall Soccer

2009-09-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

In the spring when we signed the girls up for soccer, Alan put down that he would be a coach if needed. Well, when roster where distributed, Alan was the coach for both teams! We weren't expecting it but I think he is really liking it. He holds practice every Tuesday. Kairi's team first at 5:30 and then Reagan's team at 6:15. They have had a few games so far. They have been fun to watch! Some of the kids, on both teams, have played before so they really understand what to to. Our girls however, have not played before and are learning. They are getting better with each game though. At this age the kids just all run around in a herd of players. There are no positions, it's just a free for all. If you aren't aggressive enough you may not touch the ball very often. They both love their uniforms and getting ready to go play. Alan is doing a great job coaching. Some of the parents have called the organizers and told them what a great coach he is. One of the parents even asked if he was going to be the coach as these kids grow up. I think that that is a great complement to Alan. I am very proud of him! I couldn't do what he is doing. Hopefully I will understand this game more as the kids keep playing.

Dress Up

2009-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Our girls have loved playing dress up since they could walk! Now it is time for Tahlia to join in! She loves dressing up. Especially wearing the tiara! She even puts on the shoes and make such beautiful noise as she walks around the table. Reagan and Kairi love that they can help her dress up. She is growing up too fast! Kairi helped Tahlia get dressed for these pictures.

Visitng Wyatt

2009-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

After Reagan's first week of school, we left for Idaho to see Wyatt who was almost 1 week old. He is so cute! We all fell in love from the moment we saw him. Leslie and Tyson have done a good job! Leslie brought Wyatt to moms Friday when we got there for a little while. Then Saturday morning, while mom and the boys went golfing, I took the kids and we went and spent the morning with Leslie and Wyatt. It was so relaxing and nice... It is amazing how you can love a baby so much and it not be yours. I love all of my nieces and nephews. I know I would do anything for any of them. I can't wait until Nancy comes in October so they can all be together. I think Leslie is such a great mom! She takes great care of Wyatt but isn't too worried that she is paranoid over little things. Love you guys!

I don't know if Leslie knows I took this picture... if not now she does!

When Tahlia saw Wyatt sitting on the coach she wanted up by him. She sat there for a minute and leaned in to give him a huge... so cute!

After spending the moring with Leslie, Tyson and Leslie had to go to his side for lunch, so everyone else went to Fiesta for lunch. Camden and Dane were crazy. They found some bug in the window that occupied their time.

Reagan is a 1st Graders!

2009-09-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but Reagan has started 1st grade. Her first day of school was Aug. 17. She was really excited but a little nervous because she moved from Monte Vista to Jordan Ridge Elementary this year. I tried to assure her that everyone would be nice. She was mostly worried about missing her friends. I know how important it is to have friends. I told Reagan to be nice to everyone and in time she would make friends. Her first day was not a normal day of school. She had an appointment to go meet here teacher and do a little testing. So, she actually went to school all day on Aug. 18th. She woke up extra early and made sure everything was perfect. She had picked out what she wanted to wear the night before, but that is normal at our house. I didn't start school until that Thursday so I was lucky enough to take her and pick her up from her first few days of school! We arrived at school at about 8:15. Her teacher said she would come outside to get them about 8:25. So all of the kids played on the little playground for a few minutes. Then everyone started to line up to go inside. Reagan started getting really excited. She had a backpack full of things to give Mrs. Ott, from her teacher wish list. Reagan loves giving things to people! I felt a little emotional as I gave her a huge and stood back as she started to walk away. I didn't get to take her to her first day of kindergarten because I was already in school, so I think this was make up from last year. I just can't believe she is growing up so quickly. She is loving school! She is learning new things everyday. She is recognizing so many words that reading is becoming easier each week. It is amazing how quickly kids learn at such a young age. She loves math... she talks to me about patterns and things she notices with numbers weekly. Inside I am really happy because I know how some kids struggle and I hope she gets a good understanding at each level. She loves that she gets to each school lunch! She was a little nervous that she wouldn't like what the school made, but so far there has only been one thing she hasn't liked. They get to choose between two food items per day. Reagan also loves recess. The first day of school, she was playing and didn't hear the whistle to in and got left outside. She was crying and someone saw her and helped her find her class. She has payed better attention since! She is also making friends now. It took about two weeks, but now she talks about different friends. There was a big difference from kindergarten to 1st grade. In kindergarten, not too many kids know each other, but by 1st grade they do. There were some girls that didn't want to play with her because they didn't know her. Reagan was really sad about this. I told her to keep trying. It would take some time, but she would make friends. Then, one day, after I picked the kids up Reagan said, "Mom you were right!" I asked here what I was right about and she said, "You said it would take a little while to make friends and I made one today! You were right!" My heart was immediately happy for her! She told me all about her. When I asked Reagan what her name was she said she didn't know and that she would ask her her name tomorrow. We went to a fundraiser last night at Bingham High for the PTA and she saw several classmates and they had a great time. I'm glad that she has settled in!

Reagan didn't want any special breakfast... just Fruit Loops.

This is the first grade door. They line up around the corner... I just wanted a picture.

Playing before time to line up.

Waiting in line.

One last wave goodbye... I love this girl!

This is Reagan coming out of school... she is in the back of this picture.

She had a great first day!

Slip-n-Slide

2009-09-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

The girls had been begging me to play on their slip-n-slide after they played at Grandma Duncan's, so on one of the last days of summer we got out the slip-n-slide, most likely for the last time this summer. Reagan really understands how to play on it and Kairi is really trying! As for the Camden and Tahlia they just like that the water shuts up in the air! We don't have much of a yard to spread out on, but the kids never complained. We had a great afternoon.

Potty Training!

2009-09-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

We decided that we had had two babies in diapers for too long, so after the kids got back from my parents house this summer, I started potty training Camden. He has done amazingly well! We have had some rough moments but we are getting closer and closer every day to being 100% potty trained! He is telling us about 50% of the time that he needs to go potty, the other 50% we are just making him go. Potty training a boy after two girls has been A LOT different! There are certain things you don't have to worry about with girls. We tried using a potty seat but we were cleaning up way to many messes. Our babysitter just decided to try him on the toilet after a few days and no more messes! Camden's one downfall is he loves to lay in bed after he wakes up... so accidents happen. We have started opening his door after he goes to sleep so that he knows he can get up when he wakes up in the morning. He has been waking up at 5:50... no wonder he has been having accidents. We don't usually get them up until about 6:15. Hopefully we have fixed this problem. I can't wait for the day when I don't have to worry getting him to the potty. Independence is a wonderful thing. Camden loves wearing underwear (not panties... like I keep calling them after having two girls!) he even wanted me to take a picture of him in his training pants! Funny boy.

Camden Dancing

2009-09-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

Camden has been into dancing the past few months! He does some interesting moves. We aren't sure where they all come from, but I'm sure he gets some things from watching his sisters. I finally had my camera when he started to dance. I love that at one point, he has to stop dancing to make sure Tahlia doesn't get into the cupboard! This isn't one of the best performances he has put on for us... but it's still pretty cute.

Hunting for Frogs

2009-09-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have been awful about updating my blog since I started teaching again! I have several things to blog about starting from the first of August. The pond behind our house allows us to find many interesting things. One of our kids favorites are the frogs. One night after we put Tahlia to bed, Alan and I walked with the kids to look at the frogs they had been finding. They were literally everywhere! I was afraid that I would walk on them with every step I took. We had a fun time walking, talking and looking at frogs.

Week at Grandma and Grandpa Duncan's

2009-08-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

This summer we decided to have the kids visit Grandma and Grandpa Duncan from July 28th to August 5th. Alan and I drove the kids to Tremonton were we met mom and dad at Wendy's for dinner. After we ate mom and dad took our van and kids to Idaho and Alan and I drove their Honda back. The kids were so excited to see everyone and play. Mom and dad planned some fun activities to do with the kids.

Eating in Tremonton Tuesday night.

The kids got to help pick, or eat, the raspberries! Reagan and Kairi remember doing this last summer so they were really excited. From what I hear there was more eating than saving for later though!

After picking raspberries Leslie made raspberry shacks and Tahlia thought Grandpa eating was hilarious!

The kids also got to go for rides in Grandpa's tracker bucket.

Camden got a much needed hair cut!

The kids always have fun playing in the back yard and on the patio.

When the weather didn't cooperate they went and played at Artic Circle.

They played at a water park in Rexburg.

They Visited Great Grandparents.

They played at the park.

Playing in the water.

Playing at Tauphus Park.

Random Pictures....

Tahlia loves Kahler!

Ready for church.

Not sure what happened... but sweet picture of Mary and Camden!

Tahlia fell down the stairs outside... the cost of playing outside.

Loving cousins... most of the time!

Thank you mom and dad for letting the kids come spend time with you... they had a great time!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's been 7 years since Alan and I were married! So much has happened in that time. Where does the time go. It feels like yesterday we were in our first apartment waiting for Reagan to be born... now we are paying a mortgage and worrying about how to get our kids to soccer and dance. It has become a tradition for our kids to go see my parents in Idaho for a week every summer. We have done this over our anniversary for the past couple of summers! Great idea! We get to have time to do whatever we want whenever we want. Alan thinks I spend too much money during that week, but I can always justify it! This year, Alan surprised me by taking be to Providence Inn in Logan, UT. It is a great bread and breakfast. We left Sunday afternoon and came home Wednesday afternoon. We had a great relaxing time. We got plenty of rest, saw a couple of movies (that are not kids movies!), ate at restaurants (again not kid restaurants), saw a local baseball game, walked, talked and shopped. We had a great time. It was bitter sweet having to come home. We missed our kids but having to go back to work, cleaning, cooking, etc was not so good. Now our minds shift to getting ready for me to go back to teaching and classes for my masters, Reagan starting 1st grade, the girls playing soccer and dancing, Alan traveling for work and our babies growing up. We have a lot to be grateful for and look forward to. Thanks for a wonderful seven years Alan... I love you!

We didn't take many pictures, but those I did take Alan is either making a weird face or putting something in his mouth!

We stayed in the Bridal Suit. It was a nice room but we new why it was the bridal suit.

Sunday night there wasn't much open so we went to a local dinner called Angie's. It was really good food. It reminded me of O'Brady's in Idaho Falls. There was a triple double cheese burger on the menu. The minute Alan saw it he new he had to try and conquer it! He could barely get his mouth around it!

Monday we tried a restaurant called Cafe Sabor. I had no idea what kind of food it would serve. It ended up to be Mexican which was great for me. Alan told me he figured it was mexican based on the name... he could have let me in on that one! The restaurant is in an old train station. They have done a really good job of preserving the atmosphere... very neat.

This is the only picture that Alan isn't doing something weird, but I'm the one holding the camera and I am way closer than him.... oh well!

Playing House

2009-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

The kids love to play house. Last summer Camden was the baby and got pushed around in the baby stroller, this summer it is Tahlia. She loves it! Kairi loves being the mom and in charge, obviously Reagan wasn't playing or she would have been in charge! I had to take a few pictures... too cute!

Car Wash

2009-07-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

About a week ago we went to the car wash. Camden and Tahlia did not want to do it. Camden's way of dealing with things lately has been to close his eyes and turn away, he did this at the fireworks too! Tahlia was just crying. Alan and I thought it was a little funny so I took some quick pictures.

So cute... as soon as the driers shut off he knew we were finished and he opened his eyes.

Look at that face!

Alan's Birthday

2009-07-27T09:23:00.001-07:00

Alan's birthday was Saturday July 11, so this is just a little late. He decided that he wanted a day free from kids. So, he arranged with his parents to take them. We all went to dinner at Red Robin, go figure, and then played some games at his parents. Then all of the kids spent the night. We were able to sleep in! It has been a long time since that has happened. I think it was about 9:30 when we woke up and had to get moving so we could make it to Transformers! After the movie, which was really good, we spent the afternoon doing whatever we felt like... weird! Then we went to a soccer game. It was a really hot night. I was wishing we were in the shade. I ended up to be a good game. We beat a pretty good team, at least that what Alan told me. The game got over around 8 and then reality hit as we went to get our kids. We had a great day! Happy Birthday Alan, I love you!

4th of July

2009-07-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

We stayed home for the 4th of July this year. Alan took Friday off so we went swimming (I need to get pictures from Megan). We thought the pool would be really busy on Saturday, so we went early. We had a fun time. Reagan loves the water, she continues to amaze us with how brave she is becoming! Kairi is still pretty timid,but has a good time. Camden and Tahlia just wanted to be carried around at first, but both would "jump" off the side by the end. We had the pool to ourselves for a little while which was very nice.

Saturday night we meet Megan and Justin at Riverton Park at 7. We went to Taco Time and got burritos to eat first. After we ate we played on the toys and played golf and baseball before the fire works started. A little before 10 someone let off one of their own fireworks and Camden got scared and wouldn't look up for the rest of the night. Tahlia seemed unimpressed by the fireworks... at least she wasn't crying. Kairi and Reagan both enjoyed them. It's always fun to see all of the colors and patterns that fireworks make. We got home around 11 and everyone was tired... we went straight to be.

Mary had a great idea... we all need to be in Idaho Falls for the fireworks next year... it has been awhile!

New Driveway

2009-07-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

It finally happened... a new driveway! It only took 5 years! It has been getting progressively worse and our HOA decided it was time to replace it. They came July 2nd @ 7:30 and they were finished by around 4:30! We can drive on it for two weeks, but it is worth it!

Finished with Kindergarten!

2009-07-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Reagan's last day of kindergarten was July 2nd! What a great year she had. We are amazed at how much she has learned and how much she has grown up. She loves school! She loved her teacher, Mrs. Beckstrom, and is going to miss her. One of her last days of school they had a field day. She got to wear her class shirt, all the kids drew a picture of themselves and put them all on a shirt! The school rented blow up slides and play equipment! Reagan had a blast. Before Reagan left for her last day of school she wrote a thank you card to her teacher. She is such a good writer. She brought home all the the things that they had worked on throughout the year like her poetry book and journal. She showed me every paper as soon as we got home. I can't believe she is going to be in first grade! She excited for summer vacation, but can't wait to be in her new class. Way to go Reagan!

Dinner and Feeding Ducks

2009-07-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

After Leslie's baby shower, we all went to Red Robin, I can' believe Idaho Falls has one, then we went to the falls to feed the ducks. While we were eating a man in the Red Robin suit was walking around. Dane thought he wanted to meet it but started crying when he got close, Camden did the same thing. Funny boys. After dinner Mary and I went and got bread and met everyone at the river. The water was really high! The ducks weren't as hungry... I'm sure that had been fed a lot that day. Then we walked and let the kids see the falls. The falls are amazing. All of the water... It was a fun way to end our day.

Camden hiding from the Red Robin.

Weird light in this picture....

Reagan and Kairi love seeing the temple Alan and I were married in!

Cute picture of the boys walking to their car.

Leslie's Baby Shower

2009-07-05T15:56:00.001-07:00

My baby sister is having her first baby! We went to Idaho Falls for the baby shower that was on June 27th. We had it at her house, Grandma Sautter's house, at 3:00. Several of our family couldn't make it... thanks to those who could. He had a great time. We spent a lot of time talking. In my family there are 31 grandkids and most are married with kids, so we need to catch up whenever we can! Leslie had a time of day shower, for example play time, bed time, eating time, etc. She got a lot of great gifts! She shouldn't need much else. Mary was in charge of the game. She rounded up baby pictures of my parent and all of us kids, and Tyson's parents and kids. It was fun guessing who everyone was. When we saw my picture, we saw how much Tahlia really looks like my side of the family. Thanks for the game Mary! Leslie is due until August 14th... we can't wait to see Wyatt!

Leslie and Grandma Sautter.

Mary and her game.

The car seat cover I made Leslie.

Wyatt's bed...

Kids Pictures

2009-07-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

We tried around Christmas last year to get a group kid picture, but Tahlia got too tired. Our photographer wanted to get their pictures, but we had a hard time connecting on a time. We finally did on June 13th! We went to her house were she has a studio. Camden and Tahlia were awful! I don't know what was wrong but taking their picture was like pulling teeth! Kayleen, our photographer, is amazing patient and did the best she could. She had to edit cookies out of mouths and still Tahlia had one in the only decent group picture. I can't wait until they are out of this stage! Here are some of the pictures!

Oquirh Hills Temple Open House

2009-07-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

It is amazing that this is our second temple open house in a matter of months! I have had the opportunity to serve this time because this will be our temple. Before my service, we decided to go through as a family. We went through June 24, 2009 around 5:30. They were not very busy so it was nice. The kids didn't have the questions they had at the Draper Temple open house... then were a little more in depth. I will really impressed with their questions. You start the tour and go to the baptistry first. Everyone loved this but Kairi... she would not walk past the font, Dustin had to carry her! She was Dustin's companion the whole time... lucky Dustin! Reagan started counting all of the pictures of Christ and had counted a lot but then we had to do a lot of stairs and she lost count on the stairs. It is a beautiful temple, simple elegance. It has amazing chandeliers! I noticed a lot of circles. They were in the carpets, on the ceilings, in the glass and on the upholstery. We had a great time. After the temple we went to the hospitality tent, where I would later serve, and had a cookie and water. I can't wait for the dedication.

Two days later, June 26, I had the opportunity to serve from 6:30 to noon. I thought I would be an usher, but when I arrived I had been switched to the hospitality tent. In our briefing we were told this was on of the most important places to be. We were told that as people finished the tour of the temple, they needed to be greeted and made welcome. I found out that they ordered 400,000 cookies for Kneaders, very yummy, and I believe they said $250,000 worth of water. There were two sets of sister missionaries there during my shift who answered a lot of questions. I wondered how busy we would be since it was so early in the morning. We were told that two youth groups and a boys ranch would be coming through around 9... we knew we would be busy. In the two youth groups I saw several of my former students, it's fun to see them outside of a school setting! We handed out an enormous amount of cookies! I really had no idea. A little before noon everyone on my shift was tired. It is hard work... they warned us we would be tired, but I didn't believe them. All we did was hand out cookies, but smiling, talking to people, and standing in one spot for a little over 4 hours was hard work. What an amazing opportunity! I'm looking for to my next service on July 13th.

In the hospitality tent.

Kairi and her friend Dustin.

Being a Daddy

2009-06-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

I know it is a day late, but hey I am a busy guy. I thought I would make a quick post on why I love being a Dad for Fathers Day. I guess I will start with a quote that has always stuck in my mind that my own Father said at my Mission Farewell. "When you are young boy you dream of being as big and strong as your dad. He knows everything and is the greatest help to you. Then you become a teenager and suddenly your Father is a pain, making life a hassle and not letting you do anything. On top of that in a matter of years you notice that he went from knowing everything to being Dumb and not knowing how anything works. Finally at some point you realize that you want to become your Dad and just hope that you can fill his shoes and be as great of a Man as he is. This is usually the point where you become and Adult and realize your Father is not only a good man but the Greatest Man." he then said He hoped that he had made his father proud, and I echo that sentiment in that I hope to make my Father and now my Father in Law proud of me. I Love that as a Dad you get to raise kids and struggle with the Hard Headed and lazy (you can figure out which of my kids fall into which). I love that I have three girls each different from the other. Reagan will always be held to a higher standard but that is what the oldest gets. She is the greatest blessing in the way she has forced me to become even more patient and understanding. Kairi, will always have a smile to make my day and is always able to show me the happy part of life. I love her as she never seems to be mad, ever! Even if you are mad at her, she will just cry and make you feel horrible or smile that smile that you have to love. Tahlia our baby is a blessing in that she will always be the Baby (look at her she is tiny). She seems more like Reagan temperment wise, but hey she has three great examples of how to get into stuff and what to do. I love that she is willing to do anything and show courage already in all that she does. That brings me to my Boy Camden, I can only hope that he can be proud of me as a Dad and that I can forge a Relationship like I have with my dad. The boy is a Freight Train but has the heart and compassion of a Teddy Bear. I love that if you do not see him for like an hour and then come back to see him you would think it had been months. I love all my kids and am so Happy to have had a great Fathers Day with them. I love you kids.

Dad.

Random

2009-06-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Tahlia and Camden have been doing some random cute things lately. Tahlia loves shoes! She will put on any shoe she can. We were waiting for the girls to dance at an arts festival and Tahlia was trying on their tap shoes. She is also starting to grow hair. One morning her hair was totally crazy... so we had to take a picture! We just laughed. Camden is loving to set the table. I didn't even know he could. About a week ago I set the plates and silverware on the table and kept fixing dinner. Next thing I new Camden had set the table and he did a great job! Now he does it all the time. Cute kids.

More Memorial Day Pictures

2009-06-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through pictures and found these. We were outside playing with new and old toys.

Alan's Work Party

2009-06-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Alan had his work party. This was also Camden's birthday and the day after I finished school for the year. Alan wanted Camden to have a soccer jersey, so we gave that to him Saturday morning. The game didn't start until 8 o'clock. We were a little worried about the kids, but they did great. It was a little chilly, but not bad. The kids enjoyed the game for the most part. They loved getting snacks! Alan got food vouchers for all of us from work. We told the kids if they ate their dinner then they could get treats at the game. Reagan was so excited to get cotton candy. The food vouchers didn't end up working on the cotton candy, weird I know. She was heart broken. We didn't bring cash because we didn't know we would need it. So we owe her cotton candy. Other than that it was great. David Archuleta sang a few songs after the game as part of a charity thing. The kids had fun jumping and dancing. Then we went home. We got home around 11 and went to be immediately. Church came too quickly Sunday morning!

He had his back to us most of the time, so I had to take a picture of the screen to see his face.

Duncan's & Doty's

2009-06-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Bryce and Mary came the Thursday before Memorial Day to spend some extra time before the birthday party. Friday, after work, we went swimming and had a picnic. Camden wasn't feeling to well so he and I didn't swim. I brought Camden's swimming suit just in case he felt good enough. After we had been swimming for about 45 minutes Camden started feeling better. He started throwing a ball into the pool to Alan and then Alan would throw it back. Before we knew it, Camded was soaked! So we changed him into his swimming suit when it was time to go. Bryce and Alan had gone golfing that morning and Alan had taken the day off. So I asked him to pack the dinner so we could go when I got home. We had decided to have sandwiches, chips, etc. He did a great job packing expect for one things... plates! He forgot plates! We were all hungry after swimming so this presented a little bit of an challenge. Everyone was a good sport and we had a great time. The kids played on the toys after we ate... we had a great evening. Thanks for coming guys!

Camden is 2

2009-06-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Camden is 2! Time is going by fast. It seems like he as been with us longer than 2 years. He is such a good boy. He loves playing with his sisters, especially Tahlia. He takes such good care of her. He loves any activity that involves a ball. He loves to throw them and kick them. If he is feeling shy, mad or sad and we want to distract him all we have to say is, "Were is the ball?" and he totally switches gears. One skill he has been working on mastering for the past few weeks in drop kicking a ball. No one showed him this, but he loves doing it! I love hearing him laugh as he plays... his laugh is very infectious. Tahlia is trying to learn to kick the ball and Camden is very patient as she kicks a ball back to him. There are great friends. A few weeks ago we had a family birthday to celebrate Camden, Dane and Reagan's birthdays. Reagan had already had a friend party so this was more about the boys. Mary got this idea rolling. My family all came from Idaho over Memorial Day weekend. Saturday, the girls got up and went shopping, and then we did the party in the late afternoon. We went to Riverton Park and let the kids play while Alan and Bryce went and got some chicken. We had brought salads, fruit, chips, etc to eat with the chicken. After we ate we had a football pinata, which was the toughest pinata I have ever seen. It was hard to break open! Thank Mary for the pinata. After the pinata we sang happy birthday and had cake. Mary also found a great football cake mold. She made a football cake with the boys names on it... Poor Camden had been getting some teeth for the past few days so when it came time for cake the medicine and worn off so he wasn't really into eating the cake... Dane made up for it though. Reagan had requested cup cakes, so we had cup cakes for the rest of us to eat. After we cleaned up the kids got to open gifts. They all got spoiled. We started off trying to open them slowly but it soon become a free for all! I was trying to take pictures but there was too much going on... so much that I forgot to take a picture of Camden's big present a basketball hoop. The party was a huge success but everyone was tired and ready to leave around 8. Parties are fun but wow... I'm glad I'm done for another year! Thank you everyone for coming! Thanks Mary for doing so much work for this. Happy birthday everyone but especially Camden. We are so glad you are in our family!

Fabulous cake... thanks Mary!

Reagan was so excited when she opened her present from Jannuzzi's!

Camden loved his golf set for Leslie and Tyson!

I love this picture. The bat is blurry but look at Dane's face... he new what he was doing!

Poor Camden... he had no color in his face.

How many Grandpa's does it take to put together a big wheel?

Camden and Dane playing with Camden's new big wheel... Dane was pushing Camden.

Dance Recital

2009-06-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

The girls have finished their first year of dance. They had their recital at West Jordan Middle on May 29. They did such a good job. I'm so proud of them. Reagan got make-up from Jannuzzi's for her birthday and just had to wear it to the recital. She did a pretty good job of putting on the eye shadow (I helped with the rest). She keeps asking if she can wear make up to school, church, etc. So far she is just taking no for the answer and not pushing the issue... some day I know that will change! Kairi wanted Reagan to do her makeup too. It was so cute watching Reagan put it on her. She said a lot of the things I have said to them... hold still, shut your eyes, open her eyes and let me see... things sound so funny coming out of their mouths. The girls have loved dancing and "being on stage" as they call it. They are ready for a break, but are already talking about next year. Here are a few snap shots of the recital. Good job girls!

Hair

2009-06-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Tahlia just keeps doing things that make her more grown up! The past few weeks she has been climbing up on the stool in the kids bathroom and trying to comb her hair! She usually does this in the morning while we are quickly getting ready so I just barely took pictures. She loves climbing up... even if someone is already standing on it. We love Tahlia!

Scooter

2009-05-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

Tahlia loves Reagan's new scooter! She played on it so cute. She naturally new how to get on... she is growing up too fast. She is walking without any help and loving being mobile.

Reagan is 6!!!

2009-05-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been six years since Reagan was born. It doesn't feel like that much time should have passed. She amazes me almost daily with something she has learned... she is just soaking up all kinds of information. Thursday, before her birthday, while she was a school Reagan lost one of her top front teeth! She was so excited. She said it was bleeding so much that her teacher helped her pull it out. Her teacher put it in a bag and put a tooth sticker on her. Reagan said everyone wanted to play with her at recess that day. I was a little sad because we had an appointment to get her 6 year old pictures Saturday... oh well, I guess we will forever remember her without this tooth. Friday was her spotlight day at school. We made a poster with pictures and information about her. Alan worked from home so that he could go to school and talk about Reagan. He made the day a little extra special by taking her to breakfast before school. Alan didn't need to do the presentation until 8:45 so he dropped her off and waited a little while before going in. Reagan got to wear a crown and a button that said It's My Birthday. She sat on a big chair and Alan sat on a little chair... the kids thought that that was hilarious! I'm sure it was funny to see. After Alan talked about Reagan, her classmates got to ask her extra questions. Reagan loved being in the spotlight. That night after school, we got ready for her party the next day. We needed to stuff the pinata and get all of the party stuff together.

Saturday morning, birthday day! Reagan came down for breakfast around 7:30. She wanted frosted flakes with sugar on them, fancy I know. Then we let her open her birthday clothes. She loved all of them! Then we got ready and went to get pictures for both her and Tahlia. When we got back we had lunch and waited for her friends to arrive around 12:40. Her friends in the ward met at our house and we drove to Riverton Park. Her school friends met us there at 1:00. Reagan was so excited to see everyone... her adrenaline was running! All the kids started by playing on the toys. It was a beautiful day... a little hot compared to what it has been though, so the kids complained after about 20 min. Alan broke out our bubble machine and that kept them busy for a long time. Then we broke the Hannah Montana pinata. This is always fun! The candy started flying after the first hit! Everyone got a turn before it broke though. Then we decided to open presents. She got some great things: Hannah Montana pens, purse, notebooks, towel, pencils, a cool Cinderella coloring book, Polly Pocket Mermaid and Animals, Bratz doll (this didn't make dad very happy... but we couldn't be rude) and a scooter (she got one for her last birthday too but it got stolen at school). After presents that kids played while we got the cake ready. She had a Hannah Montana cake that came with a lip gloss guitar.... just what we needed! After she blew out the candle I started cutting the cake and realized that I didn't bring any forks! The thought never even crossed my mind! The kids thought it was great. They ate with their fingers and leaned over and just took bites of the cake. Good thing we have diaper wipes! It turned out to be a good mistake. After cake we gave the kids an ice cream bar and they went and played until their moms came or it was time for us to take them home.

Reagan had a great day! We were all tired though. She is already talking about next year....

Toothless

They went to Carl's Junior for breakfast.

Reagan in her crown.

About to open her clothes.

This is one of the only pictures I took of the bubbles... they don't look that interested... it got better!

Reagan's friend Maliea is taking a turn at the pinata.

I had a hard time getting them to sit much closer.

Tahlia loved the cake... or should I say the frosting!

Resting with Tahlia after the party.

Mother's Day

2009-05-17T15:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was Mother's Day and I had a great one! It started on Friday. Reagan was having a special Mother's Day program at school. I found someone to cover my own classes and I went over. I pulled out my camera to take some pictures and guess what... my battery was dead. I was so upset! I took some pictures with my cell phone but they didn't turn out very good. She did such a great job. They sang about 15 songs all together. After she sang she came found me and then we went and got in line to get a picture taken together... I'm thinking I will get that one! Then we got to go eat lunch together. They use this as a day to give the kids an idea of what it will be like to eat lunch next year in 1st grade. After we ate I took her back to her babysitters then went back to work. Then Saturday morning I woke up to Alan making breakfast. He said since we have 9 o'clock church he made breakfast on Saturday. I wasn't complaining... it was very good. The girls colored me some chalk pictures and Reagan wrote me a little message and Kairi wrote me her name. I took pictures of those... very sweet and from their heart. Sunday was nice, we got up and went to church. Sacrament is last so I was anticipating the primary singing all through church. After the first talk the primary sang. The girls were so excited to sing to me. They were the loudest singers, especially Kairi! Then we were surprised and the elders quorum all sang. I don't remember the song but it was very nice. After the meeting the mom's were given a flower and chocolate. When we got home we put the babies down to nap and we rested. Later for dinner, Alan made salmon. It was very good! They did a good job of taking care of me. I'm so grateful to have such a loving husband and great kids! I hope that I can be the kind of mom that I see in my own mom. I love her very much. She has taught me so much and has been very patient. I see more and more of her in me as I grow older... not a bad thing! Love you mom!

This is from my phone... to make it bigger is gets grainier. You can't see her, but Reagan is on the second row in the middle.

Translation: Mom you are cute very very cute. Mom I want you to know I think you are great. Very great mom. You are my love my true love. Love Reagan Sweet isn't!

Flying a Kite

2009-05-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

For family home evening last Monday we promised the kids that we would have a picnic at the park and fly a kite if it was windy enough. Alan got home from work a little early and packed us a dinner. When I got home with the kids we loaded everything and left. We ate dinner first and then Alan got the kite ready to fly. We were worried that there would not be enough wind... thankfully we were wrong. We were able to get the kite up for a little while. We decided to fly Kairi's kite and it was almost too much for her to handle, but she loved it. They are looking forward to going again really soon!

1st Dance Recital

2009-05-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Reagan and Kairi had their first dance recital April 25th at Hillcrest Junior High School. They were both so excited! We woke up Saturday morning, had breakfast and played for awhile. Then around 9 o'clock I started curling hair. The girls played their V-Smiles while I did their hair. The did so good holding still. Then we did make-up, they loved this. Kairi's eyelashes are so long that when I put mascara on her she opened her eyes and got it in her eyebrows! Everyone commented on how beautiful her eyelashes were. We quickly got on costumes and we were out the door by 10:40. Alan had gotten the other kids ready, packed the diaper back, and got the camera ready while I got the girls ready. He was a big help. We arrived at the school at 11:10, right on time! We found our dance teacher, found a spot to sit in the auditorium, and got ready to dance. The Pre-School devision went first. Kairi did her "Rock-n-Robin" song first, which was tap, then her "I Know I Can Do It" which was ballet. I thought she would have stage fright and not perform, but I was wrong. I thought she was great! She was so excited when she came off the stage for the first time. The first thing she asked me was if I got her picture. She wanted to see herself on stage. Then we went and got her ready for her next dance and waited for our next turn. After her second dance she got her trophy! I was so shocked. After being to so many dance competitions for my sister's, I thought we would have to wait until the end. I found out they give the young performers theirs so they don't have to wait until the end of the day... good idea!

Reagan was next, the Kindergarten division. She did her "Twirl My Baton", which is ballet, and then "Candy and Cake" which is tap. Reagan wanted to be on stage so bad, but I was still worried that she might get afraid. She came marching out on stage leading the rest of her class. She was very confident. After her first dance she ran into my arms and asked me if I loved it. Of course I did! We got ready for her next dance and waited. Reagan does not wait well! I thought I would go crazy! Finally, it was her turn again. After her last dance she got her trophy too. Now we were free to go home! We were all tired and hungry for lunch. Alan had packed us a lunch but we really didn't have time to eat it, so we took it home and ate.

Thanks to Megan and Alan's parents for coming. The girls can't wait until next time!

I recorded their dances if you care to watch them. I'm not the best, but you'll get the idea.

Kairi is the middle in her first dance and just right of middle, looking at the stage, on the second.

Reagan is the 2nd in from the left in the first dance and the far left in her second dance.

Wow a Year Old

2009-04-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am not sure Mandie will get around to posting for a bit, but I thought I would get on and make a quick post as I had an interesting morning. It seems that for the last 2 years we have had a baby in our house at all times, but this morning my little baby girl turned one, yeah I know ONE. Now I have two little one year olds in the house and thank the Lord for this blessing. She was willing to give me a big hug and just let me hold her this morning what a great gift she is. I love my little Tahlia and realize the Lord knew we needed her. Tahlia, Happy Birthday. You are loved.

We decided to have donuts to help us celebrate... Tahlia loves donuts!

Jannuzzi's sent Kairi a present and I forgot to take it with us to her birthday party, so we decided to have her open it on her birthday. It turned out to be nice. Thanks for the doll and toy Jannuzzi's!

Easter

2009-04-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter in Idaho again this year. It is always fun to go and visit my family. It is a big trip now packing for 6 for just a few days but it is always worth it. We let the kids color Easter eggs last Thursday night. They absolutely loved it. Reagan and Kairi were double and triple dying their eggs... most of their eggs turned out pretty well. Camden and Dane just wanted to keep dunking their eggs. Dane even decided to try drinking it! Crazy Dane! No major spills happened though. On Easter morning we woke up and had breakfast, let the kids go through their Easter baskets and then we had to get ready for 9 o'clock church. Reagan was pretty upset that there weren't any eggs to get. We didn't want to do the egg hunt until after church so we wouldn't be late. So, we had the Easter Bunny write a not explaining when the egg hunt would happen. That satisfied her for awhile. We went to church and then came home and waited for Dane to come over for the hunt. Alan and Bryce had hidden the eggs. So, about 12:30 they started finding eggs. They had a blast! Dane was using his chin and every other part of his body that he could to gather eggs. Reagan took off running getting as many as she could. We had to remind her that there were younger people that still needed to gather eggs. Kairi and Camden had a great time finding eggs too. When they emptied their candy I was amazed at how much fits into eggs. We had way too much candy! What a fun tradition we have started with out kids. On Monday, after we got home, we talked about the reason we celebrate Easter. The girls were really receptive. We have great girls that are learning so much about the gospel. I can see that they will be teaching me many things.

Camden and Dane wanted to eat all the candy that came out of their eggs.

Weekend at Duncan's

2009-04-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Idaho for Spring Break/Easter. We did a lot of things in four days. Alan and my brother Bryce went golfing twice. My sister's, mom and I went shopping, we colored easter eggs, had Tahlia's birthday, Kahler was blessed and then Easter Sunday. We had a great time... it's always hard to go back to normal life. It is so nice to go and spend time with my family. I miss them a lot. It is hard to have us inundate their lives when we come so thanks to my family for putting up with us. We love you all!

Tahlia loves Kahler!

I think the kids ate more cheese than they put on the pizzas.

I'm not really sure why Dane was in the fridge, but it was a cute picture moment.

Camden loves Kahler too!

Cute Kahler in his blessing outfit.

Tahlia's 1st Birthday

2009-04-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby is 1! We were not planning on having a baby after Camden but Heavenly Father had another plan for us. I can't imagine her not being in our family. She is such a joy! Here are some things we love about Tahlia:
1. She is happy.
2. She loves to be with her family
3. She is trying to be so independent
4. She has cute chubby checks
5. She gets so excited to see her mom and dad
6. She completes our family
7. She has an infectious smile
8. She makes us laugh

I don't have words to express how much we love Tahlia. I'm so grateful to be her mom. Happy Birthday Tahlia!

Tahlia started opening presents by herself but with older siblings that soon changed.

Tahlia mostly got clothes because we already have too many toys.

She couldn't keep the flower on her head long enough for a picture.

We thought that she would be more aggressive with her cake. She started digging into it but then started eating everything that she got on her fingers. She ate more of the cake than the rest of our kids did! Then we gave her a spoon and she was able to eat more of the cake and even try and feed others.

She loved feeding her dad.

Before we knew it everyone was eating cake with Tahlia.

No More Baby Car Seats!

2009-04-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

We have taken Tahlia out of her baby car seat. She is almost a year and we getting harder and harder to put in it because she hates it. She loves sitting forward like the rest of the kids. A few days before we moved her out I caught her climbing in her car seat. She is crazy but we love her!

30th Birthday

2009-04-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, I'm 30 years old. People keep asking me if I feel older or weird, but I can honestly say I don't. It is different saying 30 but not weird. I feel like I have accomplished so much in my life that I should be 30. I have been married for almost 7 years, I have 4 kids, I have a teaching degree and I'm going to start my masters program this summer, I have a house and am active in a great ward. I have a lot to show for my 30 years. Alan, surprised me for my birthday and got his parents to watch the kids for the whole weekend. He took me to a place called The Homestead in Midway, Utah. It is up past Park City and is a really pretty area. We left last Friday April 3rd after I got off of work. We actually drove through Provo Canyon to get there because it's a pretty drive. Saturday morning we ordered breakfast into our room and had a pretty lazy morning. Around 11:30 we went to see what we could find in Midway... there is nothing. We had to drive to Heber to find a store or restaurant. We went back the Homestead a little before two because we had an appointment to swim in their crater. The crater is 60 feet deep and his filled with natural mineral water. It is around 90 degrees all year round. People come from all over to scuba dive and experience the crater. I had never seen anything like it... After our swim we had appointments for a massage. I love a good massage. No one is as good as my sister Leslie though! It was really relaxing. Then we went back to our room and got ready to go to dinner. We found a local restaurant to eat at. It was so nice to eat our food right when it came to our table instead of getting our kids ready to eat first. Saturday ended with us watching the NCAA tournament. Sunday came to quickly. We had to check out by noon. What a great weekend away. It was just what I needed. Thanks for the great birthday Alan.

You walk into the crater through a tunnel. To the left is the dressing rooms... a little scary.

The walls inside the crater are naturally made by the mineral water, we were asked not to touch them.

This is were you could sit and soak if you didn't want to swim out. Not too many people can sit and soak though.

A group of scuba divers about to go under.

You can climb to the top of the crater and look down. It's 60 feet to the waters surface.

We saw a lot of deer up there.

March Happenings

2009-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

I know that it is mid April, but I haven't had time to update my blog for awhile. Not much happened in March so here are a few random pictures of what did happen.

Kairi taking care of Tahlia.... she loves do things for her.

Camden and Tahlia taking a bath...

Reagan had crazy hair day at school. She was excited for about a week before. Her teacher had cancer so she is wearing a wig and told the kids if they all did their hair crazy she would not wear her wig. It's a little hard to see Reagan's hair, but she had a blast!

Camden helping with Saturday clean up... he tries really hard!

Tahlia crawled under the table while Camden was sweeping and started to eat leftovers from breakfast.

Someone in our family can always be found doing some kind of an art project.

Reagan is doing so well learning how to write. We got her a notebook to help her organize her writings.

Pay It Forward

2009-03-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me during this year.
When and what will be a surprise!
There's a small catch though.... Post this same thing on your blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in.
Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift.
*Don't forget to post this on your blog first, then come back and leave a comment on this post!*

Dance Update

2009-02-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

I finally took a few pictures of the girls at dance. They are loving it! I found out that their first performance is April 25th at Hillcrest Middle School. Reagan can hardly wait to "be on stage" as she calls it. Kairi loves the songs that she dances to, she comes home and sings and practices during the week. Reagan comes home every week with a new skill she needs to practice before her next dance class... and she does. They are both doing great.

Kairi's 4th Birthday!

2009-02-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it... Kairi is 4! Where has the time gone. She is growing up so fast. She decided a few weeks ago that she wanted to go swimming again for her birthday. Her birthday is on Feb 23, which was a Monday, so we had her party the Saturday before. Kairi wanted to invite all of her family and Dusting to come. She loves Dustin! We decided to go swimming at 3 so that we could give naps before we went. Kairi and Reagan were the bravest I've ever seen them swimming. We bought them the blow up things that go on their arms and that gave them new confidence. We went down the lazy river several times, played on the slide and had fun playing and splashing. We played for a little over an hour then got dressed to go home and open present. Once everyone got to our house we had Kairi start opening presents. She was so cute! She loved everything she got... she is so fun to watch. She got Barbie's, a boy one finally (thanks Aunt Leslie), make-up (thanks Bailey and Trevor!), clothes (those didn't make her too excited), a V-Smile like Reagan's with games, an ice-cream sandwich maker, coloring books and crayons, doll with extra clothes (just what we needed Dustin), sun glasses and probably other things that I'm forgetting. Basically she got spoiled. After presents we sang happy birthday and had some of her princess cake that she picked out. She had a great day and was tired by the end. Thanks Megan for taking pictures while we were swimming. Thank you to everyone who came and helped us celebrate!

Kairi waiting patiently to open her presents.

Thanks Jannuzzi's

Thanks Jannuzzi's

Thanks Mary, Bryce and Dane

Reagan's infamous homemade presents... Kairi absolutely loves them!

Kairi loved this cake because of the things she could take off and play with.

Up She Goes!

2009-02-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it's happened, Tahlia can crawl up the stairs. She is barely 10 months old, which is early compared to my last 2 kids. She just seems too small to be doing it. She is also walking around furniture. She will be totally mobile very soon.

Leslie saw Tahlia crawling up the stairs first. She was using a toy to try and entice her to show me.

She made it to the landing.

Almost to the top where Alan and toys were waiting.

Temple Open House

2009-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Feb. 17th, we had tickets with Alan's parents to go to the Draper Temple open house. Pat got tickets for the 4:40 tour which meant we had to be organized to pull it off. Leslie was great and started getting all of the kids ready before I got home from work. I came home and finished helping and then when Alan got home we all pilled in the van. We drove to a church where we watched a brief video about the Draper Temple and the city it's in. Then we boarded a bus that took us to the temple. We had had a family home evening the night before about temples and why we have them and how we act in them. The girls were so excited to finally be going. When we got off of the bus we walked through a tunnel to the temple. I was a little worried about how the kids would act but they were amazing! They loved being in the temple. Reagan loved to point out all of the pictures of Jesus. Kairi found pleasure in all of the small details. Camden just wanted to pull me along. He didn't want to stop and wait his turn. Tahlia was just content to be carried. The temple is beautiful! It always amazes me. The detail that is put into every aspect takes my breath away. Our final stop was a sealing room. We were able to sit and listen as a couple spoke to us and gave short testimonies. We talked to our kids about being married in the temple and they thought that it was a beautiful room. They loved looking in the mirror... Reagan was amazed that she couldn't see then end. What great promises and blessings the temple offers us. I can't imagine not being with my husband and kids forever. We can wait for the Oquirrh Hills Temple open house this summer!

Thank You Leslie

2009-02-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

On President's Day, our babysitter had a family emergency come up and told us that she wouldn't be able to babysit for us all week. We were immediately stressed! It is hard finding a babysitter short notice but especially for 4 kids. We tried calling people but finally I thought to call my sister Leslie. She was at work so we had to wait for her to call us back. When she did, she willing accepted to drive from Idaho Falls and spend the week babysitting our kids. What an amazing thing to do! She had to leave her husband, house and job, but she did! She has always been so willing to help. She got here late Monday night and was up early Tuesday morning before Alan and I left for work. Our kids love her so much! She plays with them and knows just how to handle them. She is going to be an amazing mom someday. I felt so calm having her here all week. She was going to come for Kairi's birthday last weekend anyway, so she just stayed through the weekend. Well, Sunday night, we found out do to several things, that we had lost our babysitter of nearly 3 years. We were devastated. We didn't know what to do. Reagan was going back on track on Monday and I had parent teacher conferences and possibly jury duty and Alan had a big week at work. We needed to go to work but we had to take care of our kids first. Alan immediately text Leslie. I felt so bad asking her for help again, but she again was great! Dad brought her back down late Sunday night and they stayed through Tuesday. We are eternally grateful for her willingness to help us. When I told people I worked with they were all amazed that she had to drive 3 hours and still came. That is just the type of person Leslie is! Thank you Leslie for helping us through this hard time ... WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Cute!

2009-02-16T19:44:00.001-08:00

Tahlia is growing up so fast. She will be 10 months old on Kairi's birthday! She follows Alan and I around and tries to be involved in everything we do. She loves her sisters and brother and they all love her. What would we do without her!

Sick Boy

2009-02-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

We were home today because it's President's Day. I took Kairi and Reagan and we went and had Kairi's 4 year old pictures taken and Alan stayed home with the babies. He fed them lunch and put them down for their naps. Around 4 o'clock Camden still wasn't up from his nap so we asked Reagan to go open his door and check on him. He wouldn't get up. A little while later we were all up stairs and I went in to check on Camden and he had a fever. I went to get some tylenol but he wouldn't take it. I had Alan come pick him up out of bed and carry him to the chair we have upstairs so I could give him medicine. Just as I was about to try Camden got threw up. It was all of his lunch. We quickly got things cleaned up and gave him a bath. Then we took him down stairs to lay on the couch. Camden is usually so happy that seeing him sick was so sad. He wanted to watch Sponge Bob. He layed there while we ate dinner and then when we had family home evening he fell asleep. Tahlia is the only one that hasn't had a little 24 hour bug in the past week. We are going to the temple open house tomorrow so I hope he's feeling better.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

We started our Valentine week off by labeling valentine's cards for family and friends. We decided to do it for our family home evening activity. The girls have had them for several weeks just waiting to put names on them. We did Bailey and Trevor's a few days early so we could mail them (hopefully they have them by now... if not they're coming). After we labeled valentines we decorated sugar cookies. The girls love decorating cookies, Camden just likes eating them as you'll see in the pictures. These activities allowed us to talk as a family about love and the people we love. They were able to come up with quit a list! It's amazing the love that kids show... it has no limits!

On Saturday, Alan arranged for Megan, my sister, to come babysit so we could go to a late lunch. We went to the Grille from Ipanema, a Brazilian restaurant. It was really nice to being together and not worrying about kids. Alan gave me a camera that fits in my purse so that we don't have to carry our bigger one everywhere we go. It has great zoom and some fun features. After lunch, we took the time to go do some birthday shopping for Kairi. Her birthday is Feb. 23rd. I commented how her future husband will have valentines day and birthday to do in a little over a week! We got home around 5 and said goodbye to Megan. After the kids were in bed we watch a movie, not a romantic movie... why would we do that? We watched Eagle Eye. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could be, it kept my attention the whole time. We got to bed a little after 10, which is soooo late for us, well mostly me. It was hard getting up for 9 o'clock church the next morning. It was fun spending time with the man that I married a little over 6 years ago. I love him so much! I can't imagine life without him.

Camden's new favorite thing is coloring. So while the girls labeled valentine's Camden colored.

Camden had 3 unfrosted cookies while we frosted the cookies. He didn't even want to frost, he was just content to watch and eat.

The girls were taking decorating very seriously and as you can see below Alan was having fun.

While we were decorating cookies Tahlia crawled under Alan's chair and was trying to sit up. Every time she tried to sit up she bumped her head... so got so mad!

Day Off

2009-01-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today is Mr. Luther King Jr Day and I had the day off and so did Reagan. Alan decided to take the day off too. We planned to take the kids to the The Mayan, which is a restaurant that features a jungles atmosphere and divers. We thought the kids would love it! We invited Alan's parents and Michael to come. They wondered if we wanted to go bowling too. So, after a few set backs, we ended up going bowling and then out to eat at The Mayan. We had a great time bowling. Camden loved it so much he ended up bowling other peoples turns, especially Grandma Doty's. We didn't tell the kids anything about The Mayan except that it was special and that they would love it. We weren't wrong! The kids sat as close as they could during the diving shows. Reagan loved getting splashed! Now that the day is over we are feeling sad that we have to go back to work tomorrow. Sometimes days off are more exhausting than just going to work and school.

#2

2009-01-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

Having two babies in our house has been interesting... last week we saw them both working out #2. Sorry for the graphic images, they were just too funny!

Alan was giving Camden and Tahlia a bath while I had the girls at dance last Thursday. While he was getting Tahlia dressed he heard Camden start crying and this is what he came in to find.

While we were eating dinner one night last week. We could tell that Tahlia was trying to poop. Alan ran to grab the camera. Her facial expressions are hilarious.

Random Pics

2009-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

I had 2 full weeks off for Christmas this break so I was able to catch the kids doing random cute things. They are all growing up too fast. They each have there own personalities and things that they are learning. I ended up taking more pictures of Camden and Tahlia because they spend more time playing around me. Enjoy the pictures.

Tahlia loves playing with toys, even her brothers car.

Now I have two kids who like to play in the dishwasher.

Kairi is such a little mother. She is helping Tahlia get more Cheerios.

Kairi tried on her dance clothes and Camden wanted to dance with her.

Camden thinks he's hungry all of the time! He opens the cabinet to see what he can find.

We keep toys in a corner basket on our main level so the kids can play. Sometimes they end up playing in the corner. Tahlia is learning quickly.

Camden went and got his blanket and a pillow to watch cartoons while I did laundry on my bedroom floor. Yes, he is sucking the ties of his blanket... someday he will hate that he did it.

Tahlia learned how to stand up to things this holiday season. She even fell out of her crib... guess that means it's time to lower her crib!

Cookies

2009-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

The girls got an Easy Bake Oven from Santa, but because we spent Christmas day away from our house and then went to Grandma and Grandpa Duncan's house, they didn't get to use if for awhile. Last Saturday, we had had a long day so when we got home I told the girls if they got their pajamas on they could make a cookie for dessert. That was the fastest that they had gotten dressed in a long time! Reagan was a little disappointed that the Easy Bake Oven didn't actually open though. She also thought that it took to long to cook. She is all about time lately. Kairi of course thought the whole process was great! They really liked there cookies. They can't wait to make a cake!

Playing in the SnOw

2008-12-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

We took the kids winter clothes to my parents so that they could play in the snow. We didn't get a chance to play until Sunday after church. We put Camden and Tahlia down for a nap and dressed Reagan and Kairi in their snow clothes. Grandpa had used his tractor and made a snow hill for them to play on.

Going to Artic Circle to get out of the house

2008-12-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon, Mary had a great idea to take the kids and all go to Artic Circle to let the kids play and get a shake. It was so fun watching the kids play together.

Going to Idaho

2008-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Friday after Christmas we drove to Idaho to see my side of the family for the weekend. The weather wasn't too bad, and the roads in Utah were worse than the Idaho roads. We got there safely in time for dinner. Mom made some yummy clam chowder, it really hit the spot. We woke up the next morning and had french toast and then opened the rest of the family exchange gifts. There weren't many but we had a great time. Mom got new quilting things and Camden and Dane found two aluminum poles and started swinging them like swords. We thought it was so cute! Reagan got her present from Dane... he gave her jewelry! Perfect gift! Kairi gave Dane the same Tonka Race ramp that Camden got. Dane figured out how to play with it really fast. Mom gave the kids new clothes, which they always are in need of. They are very cute. Mom and Dad gave each of their kids a massage from Leslie... that was the best gift ever! It made Leslie work, but we sure did relax... thanks Leslie! Tahlia got more gifts: Mary and Bryce gave her a cute oufit that's blue and brown, Leslie and Tyson gave her a cute sweater, and Megan gave her a super cute hat with ribbon running through it. She really scored this year! We had a pretty laid back morning watching the kids play and talk.

Dane and Camden playing with the race track.

Tahlia's cute hat from Meg.

Kairi's new sweater.

Reagan's new sweater.

Camden unwrapping new clothes. He was more interested in Dane's toy!

Tahlia got a very cute sweater dress from my mom!

Tahlia's cute sweater from Leslie and Tyson.

Tahlia's cute outfit from Mary and Bryce.

Reagan's jewelry from Dane.

Camden and Dane playing with the aluminum poles.