Christmas 2011

It is sad to say that we got the flu on Christmas day. We got to enjoy some festivities and opening of presents but then it was all down hill from there.
We got to Travis parents house on Wednesday and spent the week with them. We had lots of fun and the kids loved going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Friday we went to the park which started the lovely string of events. Graysen got sick in the car on the way back and lost it, so grandma said she would stay home with him while we went with grandpa and Aunty Mel to John's Incredible pizza. It was actually really fun and McKenna had a blast! She got to play lots of games and go on some fun rides and we got to eat good food and as much of it as we wanted. We wish Grandma and Graysen could have been with us though, and Uncle Tyler.
Saturday we had fun hanging out but Graysen still wasn't feeling too hot so we didn't do much. Grandma and Kenna and Graysen made some cookies to leave on Santa's plate, so that was really fun and the kids loved it of course. The cookies were really yummy too. We went out to Stanford's for a nice dinner. The food was really good and it was nice to be with the family. We had a nice evening except for having to clean up after poor mister Graysen lost it a few more times. Poor thing was not feeling well at all.
Kenna put out cookies for Santa and an apple for ther reindeer and left Santa a very nice letter saying "thanks for bringing me and Graysen presents. We made you some cookies, we hope you like them." She was so excited.
Since church was at 9:30 in the morning, we decided to wait to open presents until after church which was pure torture for McKenna. She woke up so excited and just wanted to open presents so bad. She was so patient and didn't touch the presents until later. Unfortunately Grandma got sick too so she stayed home in bed and I stayed home with Graysen so I could take care of him.
After church Kenna came home and was ready to open presents, but we still had to have breakfast and all that good jazz.
Finally after breakfast and everyone was ready, we got to open presents. Kenna was so funny this year. She would just zip through all the presents wanting to open one right after the other. She must have had a lot of built up excitement or something.
She was very happy about her presents and I wish Graysen was feeling better because he didn't really want to open any presents and wasn't too into anything except the first thing we opened for him.
We got a lot of really nice things and I am so glad that we were able to have such a nice Christmas. Right after we opened presents McKenna said "mom I think I am going to throw up like Graysen did" and sure enough she lost it on the floor. Grandma and Graysen were out, Kenna was out, Aunty Mel was out, and then low and behold I get it that night as well. It was not a fun experience. Travis was so good though and took care of the kids and me. He was a real trooper. The next day we felt a little better but Kenna was still having a hard time keeping anything down.
We finally took her to the ER the next day because she was so dehydrated. She felt so much better after that.
I hate it when I get sick, but the worse is when the kids are sick. It makes me so sad. Traivs dad got sick the next day too, so Travis was the only fortunate one to escape the full on sickness. He was our super hero for a couple of days and we are so grateful.
I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. It comes quicker every year. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us such a special gift on Christmas, his son Jesus Christ and that we are able to worship him and celebrate him. I hope that I can always have the spirit of Christmas with me throughout the year and I am grateful for the church who teaches us to have Christ at the center of everything we do and not just remember him at Christmas time.

Santa Clause and Carousals

We took the kids to see Santa clause on Saturday night at the Riverfront Park by our house. Last year McKenna cried and wouldn't take a picture with him so this year she kept telling me "mom I am not afraid, I will sit on Santa's lap so I can tell him what I want for Christmas. I won't cry." It was so cute.
True to her word, we got there and she went and sat by Santa and told him what she wants for Christmas. She said she wanted a barbie house with lots of barbies and a table and chairs. Graysen actually sat on his lap too but didn't really have an expression just a blank face. I think Santa knew what he wanted though without having to be told.
Santa gave them each a bell which they continued to shake for the rest of the night, and in McKenna's case swing it around so it almost hits everyone....good thing she was a good sport about putting it and keeping it in her pocket the rest of the time.
We got to ride on the carousal with the kids which was really fun. The kids absolutely loved it, McKenna was the very essence of pure joy and Graysen had fun even though he was holding onto the pole for dear life. They were so sweet and I am so glad we could create these special memories with them.

I love my family and am so grateful I get to spend time doing little fun things like this and see the happiness that it brings to all of us. I am grateful for the Christmas season and for the special spirit that is everywhere. What a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of our Savior and to create traditions that will last a lifetime.

Pumpkin Patch 11

We were up in Beaverton for the weekend so we decided to go with Grandma and Grandpa Allen to the pumpkin patch. We were so glad because Travis was actually able to come with us this year. We go to the Lake View farms one in North Plains which we love.
McKenna was so excited to ride the train and the barrel ride. It was so much more fun for Graysen too since he was just a little one when we went last yearThe kids had a blast riding the train, Kenna got a little scared when we went through the tunnel where there are scary things in there, but she still liked it.
We got to the pumpkin patch and Kenna and Graysen helped us with the wheelbarrow so we could get our pumpkins.
Graysen and Kenna both picked out the pumpkins they wanted and they did a great job!
Graysen would try to pick up the bigger pumpkins and would just grunt and get frustrated that he couldn't pick them up.
He was so excited about all the pumpkins and just kept running around and saying "ooh" It was really funny to watch. Kenna was content on rolling them all over the place and putting them in the wheelbarrow and trying to help push it.

They played in the hay bale maze which they both thought was pretty neat and loved just running around in there with all the other kids. They also climbed on top of the hay bale mountain

We took the boat back which was fun because there were sea monsters that popped out of the lake and a shark which McKenna thought was so cool.
Kenna got to ride in a barrel pulled by a tractor which was really fun for her. I loved seeig the esxcitement and joy on her face. She was so happy that grandma and grandpa treated her to a fun ride.

We had a lot of fun and will definately be going there next year again. It was so nice of Grandma and Grandpa Allen to be able to share this fun time with us too and we were glad they came with us.

Fun days at the Park

We have been trying to go to the park as much as possible before the rainy season begins and we are confined indoors. McKenna and Graysen love the park and get so excited every time I ask them if they want to go.
They have a lot of fun playing with eachother and it is so nice that they can entertain themselves for the most part when we are there. They each have their own thing that they like to do.

Graysen's favorite thing to do at the park (aside from trying to drink out of the dog water fountain) is to go down the slide. He will just climb up the stairs and go down the slide over and over again. He just loves it! His face is so cute and he tries to climb up it but he just falls down and laughs.

McKenna used to really love swings, but her new love is the Monkey Bars. She is so good at them. She used to be only able to do about one or two, but she just kept practicing and now can go back forth at will. She is so strong and so proud of herself. It makes me so happy that she has that kind of focus and determination to keep trying something until she figures it out. She does that with everything and I think that is so awesome.

I love my little monkey and my sliding man. I am glad they like playing outside so much and it is nice to be able to get out of the house. I can't wait to see what their new loves will be in a few months or if they will stay the same.

Ears and Tears

So a few months ago Courtney came to Oregon with her girls and Lexi had her ears pierced. Ever since then McKenna has been asking if she could get her ears pierced too like Lexi. I was fine with it, but Travis thought she was too young because it was going to hurt.
Well one day Kenna had asked Travis if she could get her ears pierced and he told her it was going to hurt like someone pinched her hard. She knew it would hurt but wanted to do it anyway, so he told her she could get them pierced.
We went up to Beaverton last Saturday so Travis could play golf with his dad and so my mother-in law and I took the kids to the mall to get Kenna's ears pierced. She was so excited and couldn't stop talking about it.

We took her to clairs and she sat in the chair bouncing up and down with glee. We picked out some pretty white gold balls and she wanted to sit on my lap while they pierced them. I told her it would hurt a little bit and to hold really still. When they did the first ear she was like "oww" and then just hung her head and started crying. They did the other one really fast. She cried for a little bit, but as soon as we showed her how pretty they were in the mirror she forgot all about it hurting.

She also got to pick out her very own earrings.
She chose some Hello Kitty ones and she can't wait to wear them.I should have gotten a picture of her in the chair, but I didn't :( She is very happy she now has her ears pierced like Lexi and shows them off to everyone she sees.

School time

My little girl is growing up. She had her first day of preschool today. She has been looking forward to going to school all week and it finally came. As soon as she woke up she asked if it was time for school yet and she had to wear her hello kitty backpack all around the house.
We got her all ready and she picked out a cute outfit and told me what she wanted in her hair. She looked so grown up and so cute! She looks like she could be in kindergarten already, but I am not ready to let her go to school every day yet, I would miss her too much.
Me and a few other ladies in my ward are doing a co-op where we take turns teaching each week at our houses. There are 6 kids total and so I think it will be really fun. We will see how it goes. I will be nervous when it is my time to teach, but I am sure it will be fine. This is my first time doing something like this, and Kenna's, so we will see how it works out, but I am excited about it.
I dropped her off and she went right in and started playing, she didn't even care about me or that I left so I guess that is good that she isn't apprehensive about going to school at all. She told Graysen on the way that when he was older he could go to preschool too, and that she would be back later. It was really cute.
McKenna said she had so much fun playing with her friends. They learned about

Just Dance

McKenna loves Angelina Ballerina the movie, and so when I told her we were going to put her in a dance class she was sooo excited! She is always dancing and twirling around the house and she loves music.
We went out and picked her out a dance outfit and of course she had to put it on right away, and of course it had to be all pink just like Angelina Ballerina. She looks so cute in it and is looks forward to going to class every week.
She had her first day of dance class yesterday and she had so much fun! It is kind of funny because she is so tall that she towers over all the other girls there. If she wants to do ballet she will have the perfect little body for it since she is tall and skinny.
She listened to her teacher really well and had a lot of fun doing all the dance moves. I was really surprised at how good she was at doing the things they asked her too. She was really sad when it ended, but she will have something to look forward to each week.
I can't wait until she has her dance recitals, she is going to look so cute and it will be so fun to watch her dance. I hope she will keep on with it later in her life, but for now she has fun and likes it so that is all that matters.
I love my little princess dancer!

Escape to Nauvoo

So I know I should have posted this a few months ago but things have been a little crazy. We went to Nauvoo in May for about 5 weeks while Travis was in China. I had to do something to keep my mind off him being gone so I wouldn't go crazy since he was gone for 3 whole months. I had a really fun time with my parents and sisters and brother and all my neices. My mom and dad always had a full house while we were there and we loved it!
McKenna was especially so excited to be able to play with all her cousins She doesn't get to do that very often any more so it was really nice for her. Graysen of course just was as happy as ever and just loved all the attention from everyone. It was his first time meeting his Uncle Brett and Grandpa and our new addition to the family Uncle Don whom he just loved.
Can I just say that my kids did amazing on the plane. I seriously couldn't have asked it to go any better then it did. I was very blessed because I thought that it was going to be a nightmare. They got extra brownie points with me that is for sure.
We got to go to Iowa city and spend time with my brother and sister and law and there kids and go to the Amana colonies which was really fun. I got to meet my nephew Everett for the first time too and he is adorable! We also went up to Galesburg and stayed with my sister and her two kids for a little bit which was really fun too. I got to be Annie's patient which was nice cause I got my teeth cleaned and it felt good.We were always doing something, my parents spoiled us a lot! We went to see a lot of the little things in town that I hadn't seen yet and we went to the pioneer park a lot and to Carthage again and just had fun doing whatever.
We went on oxen rides and horse carriage ride, it was a blast. We went to the zoo and played outside a lot.
I got to go to the temple with my sister and her fiance which was really nice. I am so glad he will be part of our family cause he is a great guy.
My mom and I went on walks in the mornings and got our excercise on.....the hill with a double stroller that wasn't a jogging one was not especially fun, but oh how it gave us a workout. I was dying by the time we got up the hill, but at least we made it. We would also sit out on the porch or in the back on the swing and just look for fireflies and watch the sunset and just talk. It was those times I think I enjoyed the most and will always remember them. I love my parents and I feel like I became closer with them and with my other family while I was there since I don't get to see them that often any more.
Graysen had his first bath in the sink which he thought was so fun!
He also cut more teeth while we were there so that was a little hard on him but he was still a good trooper all things considering.
We also all took the kids horseback riding at these people's house my parents know. It was so much fun, the kids were extactic and were talking about it all week. It was the highlight of McKenna's trip that is for sure. It was so fun to see how much fun they were all having and to see the joy on their faces. It was a fun day.
I had so much fun spending time with my family. I just love visiting Nauvoo. There is a special spirit there and I just feel kind of at home in a way. I have decided I love small towns now and wouldn't mind living in one.
So that is my little escape to Nauvoo and I am actually going back to Nauvoo in August now for my sister's wedding and then for Christmas so I am super excited. It will be so fun!

All about Kenna

Kenna had her four year old check-up today and all is good with her. I am glad to have two healthy beautiful children.
Just in the past couple months I have seen McKenna mature so much and it has been a joy to see her growing into a beautiful young lady. She seriously amazes me at her wisdom and her kindness and her willingness to help and for her compassion and freindliness. She just has that personality that just draws you in and she has so much zest for life and makes you want to be so happy. She gets so excited about everything and I love that!
If you would have asked me about a year ago I would have told you that I will always have a wild child, but now I am pleasantly surprised to say that she is becoming more mellow which I am very appreciative of. She still has her exuberance don't get me wrong, but she is a lot more contained in her roudiness and will actually sit down with me for more than 5 minutes.
Now that one is finally settling down I have another who is into everything, but I guess that will always be the case right.
McKenna will be starting dance classes in a couple weeks and preschool which she is so excited about. She keeps asking if she gets to go to dance class and school yet and I know she will have a blast with both of those things. I am interested to see how well she will do in both those aspects of her life. I am sure she will be great.
She is really excited about Halloween too. She keeps asking me if it is Halloween time yet and I have to keep telling her it is not for a couple of months, it is a ways away yet....lets just say she doesn't quite grasp the concept of months, because the next day she is asking me again.
She has become a little mother to everyone and everything. She is always telling Graysen what to do and helping him with everything and she does this with any kid she sees. It is so sweet to see her to take on that nurturing roll and be so kind and soft with everyone. I just love her to death and am so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter.

All about the G-man

So Graysen had his 12 month check-up on Monday and all is well with the G-man. He is getting so tall, he is 30 inches and is now in a forward facing car seat since he grew out of his other one. He is only 21 lbs. which I was surprised at because he only gained 1 lb in like 3 months. Guess it went to his height instead. He absolutely loves the forward facing carseat and is a lot happier when we go anywhere. Kenna got a new booster seat so of course she is happy too.
Graysen had to have 5 shots which was kind of brutal on all of us. The first two shots he was just like oww ok this hurts, but then after they kept coming he was like mom what are you letting them do to me. It was so sad and I hate seeing him cry like that. He does really well with shots though as far as not having any reactions to them so I am blessed in that department. Kenna was crying and getting upset at the nurse again which was so sweet and funny at the same time. She looks after her brother so well and is such a good big sister. The nurse just kept saying "I know I hurt him and I am sorry, it will help him though so he doesn't get sick." I felt bad for her cause she had to deal with the wrath of Kenna.
Graysen is walking all over the place now. He was taking a few steps here and there in July but nothing major until the 27th, the day Travis came home he decided he would walk all over the place. With this new found freedom he has decided he will just get into everything and try to climb on everything now so I have to keep a close eye on him at all times. He has 6 teeth now with one more coming in, which is why I cut him off about a month ago and have introduced him to cows milk. He doesn't really like it that much but I think he is getting used to it.
He is still the happiest little boy I know and does so many cute things. Whenever he hears music he will start bouncing up and down and tries to twirl around, it is the cutest thing ever. He also tries to wave his arms like he is trying to bust a move, it is awesome. McKenna and him love playing with eachother and when he gets up in the morning he is so happy to see her and climbs all over her.
He points to everything and says "wassat" and tries to neigh like a horse and trying really hard to talk in general. He is really curious about everything and just wants to see and touch and taste what he finds.
He loves being outside no matter what we are doing. Rocks and dirt are among his favorite things to play with as well as put in his mouth....he is all boy. I am amazed at how entertained he is with just one little thing and it can keep him busy for so long. Kenna was the total opposite.
Graysen really isn't a water person though which I am kind of bummed about because he will only go in the little pool with Kenna for a little bit and he won't get wet at the splash park because he doesn't like being wet all over. I hope he will grow out of it.
I am so glad he is happy and healthy and that he is learing so much and enjoying life. I love this age and am so grateful for him. My favorite thing is when he gets up in the morning and we cuddle while he drinks his milk and then Kenna will come in and we will all just lay on our bed and look out the window and play, it is moments like that I hold close to my heart and enjoy life and love being a mom.

Graysen's 1st Birthday!

I can't believe my little boy is one years old! The time has just flown by, it feels like yesterday that I brought him home from the hospital.
He is such a happy little boy and loves everyone! He always has a smile on his face and is so happy go lucky about everything. He is walking all over the place now and is so proud of himself. He points to everything and says "wassat" and is always giggling and laughing at everything, especially big sister. They love to play together and I love watching them have fun with each other.
For his birthday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's house. We had a really nice dinner that Grandma made. It was so nice outside so we had it outside. Aunt Melanie was here from Utah, and Uncle Tyler came over and celebrated with us.
We opened presents after dinner. He wasn't quite sure how to open the presents at first, but towards the end he started to get a hang of it and started opening them by himself. He started to eat the paper though instead of unwrapping it. Of course McKenna was so excited and more than happy to help him open his presents and play with them afterwards :) He got a lot of fun toys and a cute outfit and book and pillow pet and shoes. McKenna and him have been playing nonstop with all the new toys.

We sang him happy birthday and had cupcakes after the presents. He devoured his cupcake, he loved it! He was a mess afterwards of course, but it was so worth it to watch him have so much fun. He didn't know what was going on but I think he still had fun and enjoyed everthing.
We love him so much and we are so happy to have him in our family. He is the sweetest boy and so cute! I love his little personality and I am so excited to make many more memories with him and to watch him grow.

McKenna's 4th Birthday

So I can't believe my little girl is already 4 years old. She has grown up so fast and I love seeing what a young lady she has become and watching her figure out the world in new ways.
She is such a joy in our lives and I am so grateful for such a beautiful, happy, loving, and wonderful little girl. She brightens each day and gives me resolve to be a better person and live life to the fullest. I love her so much and could have not asked for a better daughter.
Since daddy was gone for her actual birthday we waited to celebrate it until he got home. I did however take her up to grandma and grandpa's house and we went out to lunch at Burger King (her choice) and then we went and saw Cars 2. She was happy about that and liked the movie even though it was kind of long. We went to the speghetti factory with grandma and grandpa Allen which was really good. Aunty Abbey and Uncle Trevor gave her a princess doll you could change clothes and some jewelry and she absolutely loved it! We waited until later to open her other presents.
Travis came home the next week so we celebrated her birthday then. She was so excited that it was her birthday and made us sing the birthday song to her about 50 times. She helped me make her cake which was a princess castle cake that she wanted. I used the wrong kind of cake so it was really crumbly and hard to frost, but good thing she is four and doesn't care if it looks that good :)
Grandma and Grandpa Allen came down to Salem and we took Kenna to Chucky Cheese. She hasn't been there since she was like less then 2 so she was so excited! I think her favorite part was putting all the tokens into the games and rides. She really had a blast and it was so fun to see the joy she had and the pure excitement that exuded from her. She played tons of games and rode a lot of rides and she redeemed her tickets for a slinky and some squishy ants. It was so fun and Graysen had a blast too looking around at all the pretty lights and flashes from all the games.
Kenna said she wanted french toast for dinner so we decided to go to Sharis which was really good. After dinner we came back home and opened presents and had cake and ice cream.
Kenna got a princess tent, hello kitty backpack and watch, a super cute outfit, a pink piggy pillow pet (what she calls it,) a book, some makeup, angry bird toys, tops that light up when they spin, candy, and two remote control cars. She loved everything she got and it makes me happy too because she has new toys to entertain for a while. Graysen loved all the paper when she was opening presents and he loved the princess tent because there is a tunnel that is attached to go into the tent and he and Kenna had so much fun playing in it together.
It was a such a fun time for McKenna and I am so glad she enjoyed herself and that she is so happy.
I love my little girl so much and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me with such a wonderful daughter. She is such a sweetheart and I am lucky to be her mom.

Emergency room trip

So I was talking with my sister in law Amy the other day and saying that I was really surprised that McKenna had never had to go to the emergency room yet. Needless to say I jinxed myself because the next week where did we go but to the emergency room.
My mom and dad and I were all out on the front porch enjoying the warm Sunday evening and Mckenna was playing on the front steps. The next thing I know Kenna is crying and I see her on the ground. She told me she hurt her arm so I gave her kisses and hugged her. Usually by this point she gets up and just goes right back to playing but she just wanted to be held and kept crying. She wouldn't really use her arm and kept saying it hurt.
I took her inside and got her ready for bed thinking she would just shake it off, but she was not her normal energetic self. Her arm was kind of starting to swell a little so I was worried she might have broken it. After much debate in my mind we decided to take her into the emergency room in Fort Madison Iowa.
She had to take some x-rays of her arm which was actually the worst part because they had to bend her arm and straighten it out and she was screaming because it hurt so bad. The doctor didn't find anything on the x-rays but said that a radiologist was looking at them tomorrow and if they saw anything they would call me.
I was hopeful that nothing was wrong, so we went home. Kenna was happy cause she got a cute bear and 4 stickers for being so good for the x-rays and everything.
The next day her arm had swollen up pretty big and she was still not really using it and was not playing like she normally was. I got a call from the hospital that afternoon saying that the x-rays actually showed a hair-line fracture on her elbow. We were referred to a Orthopedic and took in her a couple days later.
They didn't put a cast on her because they said at that age they just grow so fast and heal so quickly that a cast wouldn't be the best. Instead they gave her a sling.
I was really skeptical that she would actually keep it on and that it would do any good. To my surprise she not only kept it on, but if I forgot to put it back on when she took a bath she would remind me she needed to put it back on.
She was so brave and good considering what happened and she went right on using it and adapting to the sling like it was part of her arm.
She was pretty sad daddy wasn't there to show him her arm and tell him all about it but at least we were able to tell him over the phone. It was quite the experience and now I can no longer say she has never been to the ER.

no Easter bunny this year

The Saturday before easter we went to our church Easter activity at this nice park. They were doing easter egg hunts in shifts according to ages and we had to wait a little before they started. There were other activities to do while we waited to do the easter egg hunt, but before we started they had the "easter bunny" pay a visit. I proceeded to point him out to McKenna and try to have her take a picture with him but she was not having it. She took one look at him and started crying, granted the face on the costume was kinda angry looking so I don't blame her. She kept saying she wanted to go home and just wanted me to hold her. I told her we didn't have to see the easter bunny and she said she didn't want him to come to our house. I could have used this as an opportunity to keep her candy for myself, but instead I told her that the real easter bunny was cute and soft and that this bunny was just a worker for the bunny. I think that made her feel better because she was fine after that as long as we weren't around him.

McKenna got her face painted and she asked for a pretty butterfly. She was really excited about this part and she kept showing everyone.
She also did a relay race which was funny because you are supposed to put an egg in the spoon and try to run to the end of the cones and back without dropping it, so McKenna just held the egg in one hand and the spoon in the other and ran there and back, it was pretty hilarious to watch. She had fun though so that is all that matters.
When the easter egg hunt began, McKenna took off and started getting all the eggs in sight. She collected so many eggs I had to tell her to stop so that the other kids could get some too. She was very happy with her spoils.

Graysen was content with just observing everything and playing in the grass. He really like the feeling of the grass, it was so cute. We tried to have him pick up some eggs but he was more interested in eating sticks....go figure.
I guess next year I am not buying him anything, I will just go out in the yard and collect sticks.
McKenna and I colored easter eggs together later that day. Daddy was studying for a final at school so he couldn't do it with us :( We had fun though!

Sunday morning McKenna came out and found her easter basket and was so excited.
She went on another hunt for eggs around the living room which was fun for her. Graysen found a couple eggs and opened them right away and started eating the little puffs in them.
It was so fun to see the joy on their faces.
We had a nice day at church and then we went over to Travis parents for a nice dinner. It was nice spending time with his family and the dinner was soooo good! both Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids little easter baskets with lots of goodies so they were happy campers. McKenna also got a new princess bike which she was obsessed with and Graysen got a cute little wagon that I can pull both of them in They absolutely loved those things. It was a very nice weekend.
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And of course the most important part of Easter is that Christ is risen and that he lives! He has paved the way for us to break the bands of death and to be able to live with him and all our loved ones again. I am so grateful for him and love him with all my heart. He is my Savior, king and friend and I know that he lives and loves us too.