Howcroft Family

Writing Valentine

2012-02-13T22:49:00.001-08:00

Tonight Kirsten and I made her valentines for her class. She picked out princess valentines a few days ago. She has learned to spell her name (yesterday was her first time spelling it all by herself...it was nothing short of a party, complete with dancing and jumping up and down) but isn't quite writing it on her own yet. So on the valentines I would write her name then she would trace her name over what I had written. She was so excited about folding the valentine, putting it in the envelope, and putting the stickers on so precisely. It was a fun/special thing to do with her. She is growing up so much and is such a kind loving person, I sure love this little girl.
PS yes actually she is wearing a wedding dress and veil, gotta live little girls

Christmas 2011

2012-02-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

A post about Christmas isn't late unless it's before Valentines Day, right? Ha ha
We had a fabulous Christmas. The month of December was kind of crazy with Kirk gone out of town for work two of the four weeks, then I had back problems and was down for a week, not to mention all the activities we had going on. It was over much to quickly. I'm just going to go ahead and start off where I left off, no pressure to read this it's mostly for memories sake.

Wednesday December 21
We spent the day finishing up Christmas shopping and projects, making dinner for friends, and going to see the lights at the Ethel M chocolate factory. It's a chocolate factory that also has a cactus garden. They go all out for Christmas with lights everywhere, it is soo much fun!

Thursday December 22
Kirk worked a half day and was home by noon. The girls and I spent the morning packing the car and we were off and headed to Utah by 1pm. We stopped at a rest stop near Beaver UT for a potty break and were shocked at how cold it was! The girls could hardly use the bathroom because it was so cold (14 degrees!). We were very glad we had decided to turn around when we were10 minutes away from our house and to get our coats! We arrived at my sisters house in Santaquin about 8:30 that night. It is always great to be with family. We were all full of Christmas spirit and had a wonderful time.

Friday December 23
We drove up to Salt Lake Friday morning and met with my sister Chelsey and Cody, my brother Garrett, Emily, and Bekah, and my brother Josh. We met at the new Utah Natural History Museum, it was really cool. Kirsten fell asleep on our way up so Kirk stayed in the car with her and Audrey and I went to the museum. Audrey hung out with Cody most of the time, just the way she likes it. We loved the dinosaurs, Indian artifacts, and the tarantula. Afterwards we had yummy hamburgers at Big H's. We stayed at the Marriott that night, Chelsey and Cody, and Garrett, Emily, and Bekah all shared our room with us. Six adults and three kids in one room with two double beds, good times. The girls loved standing in the windowsill with Bekah watching the ice skaters down below. Kirk's parents and Aunt Paulette, Uncle Frank, and cousin Frank also came to Salt Lake and stayed at the same hotel with us. We went to Temple Square that night to see the lights. It was beautiful, magical, and very Christmasy just like I had hoped. We came back to the hotel room ordered pizza, played games, and went swimming. We had a fabulous time, family is the best.

Saturday December 24...Christmas Eve
Saturday morning Kirk and I took the girls swimming as just our family, our girls sure are fishes in the water. After checking out of the hotel we drove up to Morgan to see Kirk's grandma who is living with his Aunt Amy. After a nice visit with them we drove out to Vernal. We stayed with Kirk's parents for the holiday. His Aunt Paulette and family were also staying with Tom and Karen, it was a full house! We arrived just in time to unpack and dress the girls in their fun Christmas Eve clothes. We went to my parents for about an hour. My mom made a yummy dinner, we did the nativity, preformed our talents (Kirk and the girls did somersaults while I played a Christmas song on the piano), and my mom had a fun game involving opening presents...gotta love that. :) We went back to the Howcroft's for yummy Christmas Eve dinner and fun conversation before putting the girls to bed so Santa could come. As we headed to bed that night we peeked in at the girls and they were sound asleep in the same bed with Kirsten's arm around Audrey, it was soooo sweet!

Sunday December 25...Christmas Day
Kirk and I had a hard time sleeping Christmas Eve so when the girls finally woke up at 6:00 we shot out of bed. It was so fun taking them down into the living room to see what Santa had brought. Audrey immediately went to her Dora stuff and was instantly in love. Kirsten checked everything out before settling on the train, where she stayed most of the day. She loved dressing up in her Rapunzel outfit (dress, shoes, crown, necklace, hair, and purse). Kirk loved his remote control helicopter and Brian Reagan tickets while I enjoyed perfume and earrings.
I loved going to church on Christmas Day, it was early 9 am but it was perfect to set the spirit for the whole day. It was wonderful to be there with Kirk's parents and relatives. The day was spent enjoying time with family. We had delicious Christmas dinners with both families. We are so blessed to have so many people to love. We are grateful for the Christmas season and for the knowledge of the Savior in our lives.

We stayed in Vernal until Thursday. We enjoyed lots of time with family. The girls loved playing with their cousins. We played lots of games, put together puzzles late into the night, went to the movie with my mom and sisters, had a spa night at Liz's, enjoyed a tea party at my mom's, went to dinner with Kirk's family, went through pictures, and enjoyed lots of visiting. Kirk also went buffalo hunting but that deserves it's own post. We had a fabulous Christmas!

He is Home!

2012-02-03T21:11:00.001-08:00

Wednesday morning at 2:30 AM Kirk called from the hospital pay phone in Paris (11:30 am in France) to say his blood work cleared and he was coming home!!!! We were only able to talk for two minutes and then he had to go. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
5 hours later the girls and I were awake eating breakfast and I was anxiously watching the clock wondering where in the world Kirk was. He didn't have a scheduled flight to catch because he wasn't sure when he would be able to leave the hospital. So he planned to go to the airport straight from the hospital and and hopefully catch a flight home that day. There was a flight that left just after 4pm with a layover in Atlanta and finally landing in Vegas at 11:30 that we hoped he would be able to catch. 7:30am in Vegas was 4:30pm in Paris and I hadn't heard anything from him. I was so worried about him! I knew he had left the hospital but then what? Did he catch a flight? Did he make it through customs? For the first time in 4 days no one was watching out for him and he was completely on his own. Was he ok? I stressed and worried about him all morning, on the brink of crying at any second. But at about noon in Vegas (9pm in Paris) I figured he would have called or made contact if he didn't make it on to a plane. So I relaxed and sure enough at 5pm on the dot I got a text from Kirk "I'm alive! And finally in the US!"
He had apparently barely made it on the plane, with maybe only 5 minutes to spare. He had looked for a phone but couldnt find one and the airport wifi was a steep $60. The airline took good care of him bumping him up to business elite and giving him the only seat in an entire row, leaving him with plenty of room to lie down. The plane ride was long and the lay over tiring but he survived.
I picked him up from the airport late that night. The relief we both felt was very welcomed. We shared the longest most "I cannot live another second without you" kiss. All night we acted like teenagers kissing, smiling, giggling...just so happy to be reunited. It was four and a half very long physically and emotionally exhausting days. To have them over was better than Christmas morning.
Yesterday was a very relaxed day. Kirk sat on the recliner all day recovering and the girls and I pranced around him smiling and doting on his every need. Today we were able to find a US doctor (because no one here will fill a prescription written in French) and get him so antibiotics. We are all catching up on sleep taking a couple hours to nap each day. We are all happy and healthy and that's all that matter these days. Thanks again for prayers and your kindness.

France, not Rome

2012-02-03T17:17:00.001-08:00

Today

Today I learned love has no bound,
it has no end and lacks some sounds.
From strangers with a foreign tongue,
To the determined heart of my only one.

When trials face us great or small
We find great ones who won't let us fall
My thanks is all I can send in return
To those hearts in whom Christ's love doth burn.

.....................................................
Today I live, because how far we have came as human kind. Modern medicine is why I am still alive. Many have asked about my experience so I want to capture it while I'm still in that moment.

Lucky for me it started with the most wonderful day I believe I've had with my little family. Complete with tickle wars and dancing princesses, but most of all, smiles bigger than the moon. The next fateful day seemed like all the rest, where I had a job to do and a long trip to get there. I calculated it out, Dynelle could drive up to Vernal, turn around and make it back to St. George before I would land in Rome. Three legs in the trip. First to LA, then to France, then my still awaiting arrival in Rome. France was as far as I made it.

On the airplane I worked for 2.5 hrs straight getting ready for an upcoming conference like I always do. Anxiously trying to occupy my time well enough that the trip goes much faster. Just before I had finished working they had brought around the dinner for the flight. I don't think it would have mattered what I ate. But apparently I chose my "Last Supper" to be shepards pie. It was extremely good. My favorite part was the small beans they had for a side with small slices of salmon on top, scrumptious!!!

Within the hour though, without more work to do, without the strength to keep my eyes open I tried to dose off. Though it never happened. My stomach just hurt. I've had stomachs ulcers in the past and instantly blamed my pain upon that. Because for lunch I had a taco/tortilla soul with a lot of tomatoes as well as some soda. (both of which have caused me problems before). And likewise I had been stressed about some upcoming deadlines. Therefore it fit perfectly as the culprit. I stood up to walk it off, calm myself down, and hopefully get some sleep afterwards. Trying to recall now I believe I made three trips back and forth in my cabin area before I realized my food was not going to stay down. Scooting past two mothers trying to keep their children asleep (sacrificing their own precious dreams for those other souls on the plane deep into theirs). I reached the bathroom just soon enough to open the door and miss half of the sink. It followed with three more that landed correctly. Problem was the sink was now plugged.

Trying to gain my composure I began to clean up the mess I made. Trying to make sense of it all. Why had I thrown up? It wasn't food poisoning. I've had that! It wasn't the stomach flu. I've been there! My only solution was my ulcer hurt that bad the muscles spasmed everything out.

Once my mess was cleaned and my new hope was found in the fact my empty stomach shouldn't hurt anymore. So hoping for my now well deserved sleep I went back to my seat only to find my pain worse than ever. Not a moment my eyes were closed that I lost my consciousness.

I set out with a resolve to find someone who might help. I found an entire crew, speaking little English trying to help where they could. I was offered water, a coke, aspirin (of sorts) alkaselcer (of sorts), offered tea and every type of pill they could find. Struggling with the language even to identify what was wrong with me.

I proceeded to continue my cycle of wandering front to back, making more stops to the bathroom. Emptying out my stomach, wishing my ulcer would stop hurting, blaming myself, because as I continue to stress about the fact that I hurt so badly my ulcer inflames.

I finally found my safe haven. Though it was not without pain I found if I changed positions every 5-10 minutes or so I could try to catch a glimpse of the sleep I so desperately needed. I believe the longest sleep I actually got was when the airline crew allowed me to curl up in a ball next to the rear exit door. I slept about 2 minutes I think.

The rest of the flight was a blur. 6 hours out of the 10.5 hour flight were completely miserable. But as fate has it, all things pass and we landed. The flight crew had already called ahead to the airport, pushed my flight out 2 hrs to Rome so I had more than 1.5 hrs layover and could make it to the airport medical center in between.

I was greeted off the plane by a wheelchair pushed by a fellow who was much smaller than he should have been to push me. Many times through what I would have measured as 1.5 mile wheelchair ride did I find my French helper struggling to continue onward. Bless his soul because every bump seemed to hurt me more and more so he went far out of his level of comfort to ensure my trip was pain free.

Finally we arrived, I couldn't take you back through the hallways of that airport if you drew me a map. I met an English speaking doctor which I was ever so grateful for that I was able to explain my situation to. He had me lay down and began to examine me. He began just as I indicated with my stomach. I knew instantly as he pushed on my stomach and there was no pain, it was definitely my appendix. His words only barely preceded mine saying it wasn't an ulcer. He moved down my stomach. The pain increased... He move just to my right of the belly button and pushed. I swear my stomach almost collapsed. I asked "appendix?". His reply with what I could see of some pain in his eye he confirmed my new found suspicion.

The confirmation I found was a common practice because I grew to hate it. It was to push on the left side of my intestines where there wasn't any pain then release very quickly and watch me wince in pain. This was every doctors last check that always confirmed their suspicion.

My options were as follows, catch my airplane, hope my appendix hadn't ruptured already. Get to a hospital there, suffer through another 2 hr flight. Or he would give me a note to stay in France. I took the latter. He then gave me the option of an American hospital where they may or may not speak English that was 45 minutes away or a French hospital 8 miles away. Again I took the latter.

Back at the front desk, now left to my own two feet I received a French piece of paper that apparently had an address on it. I then proceeded to walk two doorway entrances down to catch a cab. I went through 4 cabs as my only method of payment was an Amercan credit card. And when I finally found one I am pretty sure he ha no clue where this hospital was. Again my suspicion was confirmed when the first words he spoke to me in English was "you see hospitol?". Three phone calls later we corrected our direction and I came to an Urgencies entrance where he dropped me off, me dragging my bags through the entrance.

Inside I said "English" and handed them the paper from the doctor at the airport. I then sat down and let them sort it out. It was sitting there then, finally with a moment where I just had to wait, when I realized I had no clue where I was. I had no clue how I was going to tell Dynelle I wasn't in Rome. And I had no clue how long I would be stuck in this predicament.

It wasn't a long wait before they brought me in. They got my passport information to supposedly track me (which apparently wasn't any help) and the next task I was given was to go "pss pss for test" :) this was the only way the nurse could explain a Urine analysis. Still dragging my own bags I followed procedure and waited another 15 minutes until they finally layed me down on a bed. With a slight incline to my back the pressure on my appendix was lessened and I finally found those dreams that had long escaped me. This was good because it would be 2 hrs before the results were back. I don't think I slept the whole time because it was broken up by two rounds of blood tests and a CT scan.

The CT scan was a little entertaining because no one spoke any English. Although what I found later was they needed my height and weight. Instead what they asked me for things like "Hate?" or "Wade?". It finally sank in when one girl stood upright and asked "Fat" with a pose like Santa clause that I told them 230 pounds. Unfortunately for them, they needed kilograms. And asked me if I knew... I'm pretty sure they guessed when they put me in... Same applied for my height needing to be in meters instead of feet.

Upon returning to the first room and recapturing my long lost sleep I finally was awoken and told I did in fact have Apendicitus and would be operated on that night or in the morning. I proceeded to find out what time it was. It was an hour after I should have arrived in Rome and I knew Dynelle would be rightfully worried about me. Between the nurses downstairs and getting moved upstairs to my hospital room I found it very hard to convince them to give me a phone call. I kept thinking isn't everyone entitled to a phone call, even on their way to jail?

They finally found a nurse who understood me well enough and had enough authority to allow for one phone call to the United States. Unfortunately that phone call resulted in an answering machine. This is where I tried in my semi-conscious/delirious state to convince my loving/worrying wife that I was fine and in a hospital somewhere in France, about to have surgery on my appendix. I found out later I didn't succeed in being convincing....

Left alone, and actually not even sure they called the right phone number because they handed me the phone right when the beep sounded, I awaited the verdict from the doctor hoping they were not going to wait until morning. It came, just as I had been praying for. Down through hallways with pictures from Monet, Picasso, and many other renaissance painters I arrived under a 6' diameter light and a huge crowd of happy English attempting nurses and Doctors. One nurse spoke well enough to indicate while they operated on me they all would speak poor English together (I hoped this didn't mean when asking for the tools they needed).

As they prepped me, moved me to the operating table and continued to put me under my thoughts from the whole situation left me with uncertainty. In a foreign land, with a historically deadly illness, I found my last fleeting moments of conscience praying my family would be watched out for if I were not to wake up...

It was 11 when I awoke again. Only enough to see a smile from one of the nurses, glance at the clock and drift away. 11:30 was the same, only they began to move me back to my bed.

Trying to recollect now, the timing of the night has lost me, but I do know that my one true love, my significant other, my everything had gone through the ends of the earth to find where I lay. And after hours of effort reached me by telephone to give me hope again that I wasn't alone. Anymore!

My beautiful wife! My angel! That girl always has and always will be there for me. Of all the acts of kindness in the world, no one person has more love in their heart than Dynelle, not counting celestial beings :) of coarse, but when she is one of those, there will still be no comparison.

Approximately 5,000 miles apart, her love stretched beyond every barrier there is in the world, and found me, through language, ocean, airlines, and even country borders . Her first instinct was to get ahold of missionaries to give me a blessing. Notify my boss I wouldn't be training the 25 students in Rome and notify our family to reach out with their prayers.

Im amazed at how everyone reacted! Thanks!!! Thank you for wanting to go the ends of the earth to physically find me. Thank you for the support you were to Dynelle, physically and emotionally. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. While some might find fault and think there should be a way to prevent this kind of situation. I found comfort with the reaction of Dynelle. Not just because she is my wife but because she is my soulmate. She stayed where she was to take care of my precious girls and loved me from where she was at, knowing it would be ok in the end. How hard that must have been to stand idly by. Sacrificing....

I think I found a new hope in life. With all the trash in the world that our media portrays there is more good in the hearts of those around. Then I had ever seen. I used to teach a principle called "Social Loafing" to get my class to participate. Social loafing is when in any situation the more people around the less likely any one of them is to do anything. I found social loving to be a greater term that describes Gods children. With compassion and the light of Christ in everyone most all of Gods children can be watched out for.

Thank you Lord, for saving my life today!

Tuesday

2012-01-31T19:32:00.001-08:00

This morning I woke up to two little faces, inches from my own, staring at me in the dark. Not ready to wake up (only having slept 7 of the past 48 hours) I asked them if they wanted to join me in bed and watch Diego on my phone. They both agreed but Kirsten wanted to go downstairs and find Rapunzel first. She turned to Audrey and asked so politely "Audrey come with Kirsten please so Kirsten no scared?" And then I kid you not they walk hand in hand downstairs to find Rapunzel. These two girls are so sweet and I am so blessed to be their mother.
Kirk is still in the hospital at Paris. The missionaries did find him Monday and were able to give him a blessing. He was so glad to see someone who spoke English (they were both from US). They were helpful and went and bought him a electrical adapter so he could use his laptop. The missionaries were impressed that he was able to track them down, to which he replied that it was all his wife. But credit really goes to a kind bishop and a helpful mission president. It really is great to be a member of the church!
Kirk woke up this morning and showered and got dressed in normal clothes so that when the doctor came in he could see Kirk was ready to go home. But the doctor said that he had to stay until tomorrow. Apparently his appendix did actually rupture so they needed to keep him at least 3 days so they can test his blood and make sure all the toxins and poisons are out of his body. Again we are so blessed he is ok and was able to make it to the hospital before he took a turn for the worst.
So he spent another day in the French hospital. He really feels great, he is walking around and is even off his pain medication. His only complaint (besides boredom) is the food, because he is not given anything but a biscuit for breakfast and then porridge for lunch and dinner. He said the food is really awful and he is starving! Although a few people in the hospital speak English, it is still hard for Kirk to communicate with his nurses and doctors because the English is very broken. So he sits alone all day and night without anyone to talk to and nothing to do since he finished the work he had and doesn't have access to wifi. There is no phone in his room, only one phone for the surgery ward. So it is incredibly hard to get ahold of him because often it is in use by other patients or staff. I have only been able to talk to him 3 of the 8 times I have called. We are blessed to be able to communicate at all, but it is so hard for me to know he is sitting there all alone doing nothing and I can't call, text, or email him.
We are incredibly grateful for all of the prayers offered in our behalf. We appreciate all the kind words and phone calls from our family and friends. We are so very blessed. If he passes the blood test in the morning the hospital should release him and hopefully he will be able to catch a flight home. And then, finally finally finally he will be home and I can see to it that he is well taken care of, fed anything but porridge, and is never lonely or bored. This will make a fantastic story to tell someday but I am anxious for it to all be over and him home. It is difficult to have to him so far away. Hopefully we have good news tomorrow, until then...

Building castles out of couch cushions

2012-01-30T19:38:00.001-08:00

Is there anything more fun than playing with couch cushions? The girls have made it a nightly thing lately and it reminds me so much of my childhood. Playing with cushions with my siblings was one of my favorite pasttimes.

Crazy Week

2012-01-29T21:27:00.001-08:00

To say this has been a crazy week would be the understatement of the year. For about two months we have known that Kirk would be flying to Rome for two weeks for work. Exciting! Rome! I wish I could go on all his exciting trips with him, but money, kids, and lack of passport always leaves me home.
Last Monday Kirk texted me asking how upset I would be if he ended up going to Milwaukee for three days, leaving Tuesday. A trip on such short notice right before a two week long trip was not exciting news, but sometimes you do what you have to do. The person who was planning to go on the trip had had a death in their family. Even though Kirk tried to find someone else to go he was the one who stepped up to the plate and went so the other guy could be with his family. Although it wasn't fun to have him gone three extra days it is nice to know he is such a good man.
He arrived home late Thursday night and we spent all day Friday enjoying family time before he had to leave again. He didn't open his laptop or answer a phone call all day, it was so wonderful to have him all ours. He flew out Saturday afternoon. From Vegas to LA, from LA to Paris, from Paris to Rome...finally 16 hours later. We talked to him in LA and he was happy and excited to get a lot of work done on his 10 1/2 hour flight to Paris.
I knew I would be hearing from him around about 10 am, enough time for him to get to his hotel room and call from Skype on his laptop, since his phone doesn't work in Europe. At 10:10 my phone rang during Stake Conference. I silenced it and figured it was Kirk and I would call him after church. He left a voicemail that I listened to a few minutes later. He never made it to Rome. He was at a hospital in Paris. He would be going into surgery shortly for an appendectomy. He fought to make one phone call and wasn't sure when I hear from him again.
I grabbed the girls and rushed out of Stake Conference, tears streaming down my face. Luckily a good friend (Aileen) was in the hallway and was able to comfort me. Another friend (Layne) happened to walk out into the hallway and be there for me. My awesome friends went and got their husbands to give me a blessing of comfort and peace. Layne came home with the girls and I and just stayed with us while I unsuccessfully tried to call my mom, Kirks mom, and Kirks boss. Eventually I was able to get ahold of everyone and then the hunt to find Kirk was on.
He didnt say what hospital he was at so I had no way of getting a hold of him. I called delta and the US Embassy in France with no luck. It was already midnight in Paris and no one would be able to help me until the morning. A few more calls and digging around had me talking to Air France who didn't have any special notes about Kirk on the plane and couldn't tell me anything. Since this was the only person who I had spoken with that had a French accent I asked them if they knew the closest hospital to the airport. After waiting on hold for 40 minutes while those amazing Air France employees called multiple hospitals in Paris I finally had a hospital name and number.
After three transfers at the hospital I finally found someone who spoke English and even then it still took 20 minutes to communicate to her Kirks name and birth date. FINALLY after 6 hours I was connected to Kirk. Ahhhhhhh his voice never sounded so good.
He said about 3 hours into the 10 hour flight, after dinner, he started having really bad stomach pain. He thought it was his ulcer because he has been so stressed. The pain was so bad he laid on the airplane floor for 7 hours withering in pain. When he finally arrived in France he went to the airport medical center because he was worried about getting on the next flight in so much pain. The door told him he had appendicitis and needed to go to the hospital. He printed out a paper saying "take me to the hospital" and had Kirk get in a cab, giving the driver the paper.
I suppose surgery went well. He was able to talk and felt so much better once he was at the hospital with pain medication. We won't know until he talks with the doctor when he will be able to fly home but hopefully it will be soon. I feel so badly for him being in a foreign country, not knowing the language or anyone there. But I am so grateful he is alive and doing ok. I can't imagine how awful it would have been to have his appendicts burst over the atlantic ocean.
Our bishop called to check on us this evening. He is going to call the mission office and have someone go give Kirk a blessing. It puts a smile on my face to know he will have a blessing and have someone with him for a moment so he won't have to be so alone. It really is so wonderful to be long to the church.
So tonight I am grateful for answered prayers, modern medicine, french hospitals, kind Air France employees, friends, a great boss, international calling, worried parents, loving family, and for the tender mercies of the Lord that remind me how aware he is of each of us.
Lesson learned: even if you don't know where in Paris you are your wife will hunt you down and find you. That is the definition of true love!

Personality

2012-01-27T16:53:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken last night as the girls and I were leaving the house to go pick up Kirk from the airport. The girls had been playing dress up when I asked them to get their pajamas on so we could leave. As they gathered their blankets and turned to leave the house I cracked up laughing. On their own accord and fitting to their true personalities, Kirsten is a butterfly and Audrey a monkey!

Reminiscing

2012-01-25T21:37:00.001-08:00

Last week my aunt emailed me a couple pictures of our family taken at Garrett's wedding that she had recently found. Garrett got married three weeks after Audrey was born. Two and a half years ago. We look young, is it possible to age this much in two years? Audrey is so tiny! It reminds me how wonderful it is to be the mother to a brand new baby. The little stretches and yawns, the snuggling up and sleeping against my chest. I miss my little babies, but I sure love the little people they have become!
And although I took terrible in the picture of me with Camille and my mom I love it anyway. I don't have many pictures with my mom and sisters and it just makes me happy. I love that we were visiting and having fun together before this picture was taken.

Little Friends

2012-01-25T19:37:00.001-08:00

My friend Layne was selected for jury duty so we've been watching her kids a couple days a week. Audrey has LOVED having Adam here to conspire with and make heaps of messes. Audrey also takes it upon herself to care for Ellie, holding her every chance she can. I have really loved snuggling with Ellie, there's nothing more fun than snugly babies. Anyway, we caught Audrey and Adam kissing again (and then made them do it again so I could take a picture).

A night with Audrey

2012-01-13T21:31:00.001-08:00

We had family in town this morning and had a slow start on our day, I didn't shower until 1:30. So the girls took it upon themselves to get themselves ready for the day. After 15 minutes of dressing and finding the perfect accessories the girls were adamant about leaving the house. There is no where better to go dressed up as a princess than Walmart, so grocery shopping we went.
We arrived home about 3:30 and the girls were down for naps by 4, later than usual but no biggie, or so we thought. At 6:30 I attempted to wake Kirsten (who is sleeping on the couch) by talking loudly about blueberries (her favorite treat). Guess who perks up? Audrey, that girl sure doesn't miss a thing. From upstairs she starts yelling that she wants a blueberry. Kirsten never woke up, so we didn't leave the house as planned. Instead Audrey and I snuggled up and watched Little Mermaid (she was super frightened at the shark part and loved Ariel and Eric dancing when he showed her around the kingdom). Then Audrey danced around the room showing Kirk and I how to jump and land hard on our bums. At this point it had been 4 1/2 hours since she had gone to the bathroom and as her parents we were slightly concerned for our carpet. We were relieved when she declared it potty time and ran off to the bathroom. But imagine our surprise when 2 seconds later she returned with panties in hand saying "no potty yet". Then she calmly sat on the floor and put her panties back on. Uhhhhh, ok?! Dancing, twirling, jumping and plopping on the ground continues while Kirk and I wonder in amazement at her refusal to let an fluid out of her body. Finally ten minutes later she officially surrenders and gave in to her bladder bulging belly. The three of us then take 45 minutes worth of pictures. Audrey must have noticed my I unappealing ponytail hair because she ran and got her Dora comb and then proceeded to comb my hair, stopping every few minutes to fluff it and say "eauiful." We finally con her into going back to bed and after the routine when Kirk starts to leave the room Audrey whimpers out a "Kirsten!" Kirk promptly scooped up the (still) sleeping Kirsten and now everyone is happy.
Sometimes good nights just plop down from heaven and leave smiles on our faces.

My Little Helpers

2012-01-12T21:44:00.001-08:00

The girls have been super helpful in the kitchen lately. Every time I head into the kitchen my little shadows aren't far behind. They pour, stir, turn on the mixer, roll out dough, and watch me cook on the stove. It's fun to have them in the kitchen participating so much. Hopefully our little chefs will start cooking for us soon :)

Potty Trained

2012-01-08T20:14:00.001-08:00

It's true, our house is full of people who wear underwear. No more "did she poop" or "where are the wipes" or "go get a diaper please" or "did you put diapers in the bag?" And most importantly we just got $40 richer a month! Six months ago I did a crazy thing and decided to potty train both girls, by myself while Kirk was out of town. They both caught on really well and Kirsten was fully trained when we made her wear panties 24/7. Sure she had a couple accidents but she caught on quick and has had only two accidents since. I was not brave enough to pull them same thing on Audrey, so she kept wearing diapers at night. In the following 5 months we made five trips to Utah so I would potty train then put her back in diapers because I didn't want to deal with it while traveling. This confused the poor girls so even though she was ready she wasn't quite fully trained yet.
Well Thursday Kirk and I decided it was time. We got rid of the few diapers in the house and made her wear underwear. She didn't go down without a fight having 4 accidents in one hour (how is that even possible right? Leave it to Audrey she finds a way). The frustration was boiling over our rooftop, but we persevered. She caught on that underwear doesn't do much when you pee your pants and mom isn't very happy when you pee in the cart at Walmart (YES we apparently are those people!). And I am happy to report that in the past 60ish hours we have only had one accident including bedtime and naps! We were ecstatic when she woke up dry yesterday and took her out for ice cream. Hurray for the Howcrofts (we can finally all pee in the toilet!)

Sunbeam!

2012-01-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

Today was Kirsten's first day in sunbeams! Four weeks ago when I picked her up from nursery the leader mentioned it was her last week in nursery. My draw literally dropped, I was totally taken back. Wait, what?! My baby girl is all grown up and going to primary?! Because of Christmas being on a Sunday and no nursery held she was headed straight for primary. I refused to acknowledge the facts and pushed the thoughts of her going to primary back like a bad dream. Ever since being released as a sunbeam teacher I have been incredibly bummed that I don't get to be Kirsten's teacher, I was really looking forward to it. Letting her go to primary without me in there was just, illogically, really hard for me to do. So it worked out well that the girls were sick last week when Kirsten was suppose to start primary. It gave mom a little breather time so no one (and I mean me) cried today when she became a full blown kid. She was ecstatic to go and really enjoyed it. When asked she totally preferred primary to nursery. Which just means she is in good hands even if they aren't mine. :)

Pictures for Santa

2011-12-20T22:35:00.001-08:00

The first picture is what Audrey drew of Dora and Boots (purple line Dora, black line boots).
The second picture Kirsten drew of Rapunzel.
Isn't it cute? Love my darling girls!

December Twentieth

2011-12-20T22:20:00.001-08:00

Today was a nice stay at home get laundry done kind of day. My younger brother Brett and his wife are flying out of Vegas to Hawaii today, so we were lucky to enjoy most of the day hanging out with them. The girls loved having them around and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a moment when the girls weren't tickling Brett.
Brett brought Christmas gifts from my parents down (from when we weren't going to Utah) and my mom said we could open them early so we let the girls open theirs to tonight, since they could literally not leave the gifts alone. My mom gave Kirsten a princes dress up trunk and Audrey a Dora princess dress up trunk. The girls were seriously in heaven and changed outfits a dozen times. Thanks mom!
We planned to have a family game night tonight but I was called in to get a new calling. Kirk stayed home with the girls playing don't break the ice as fast as he could put the ice together.
Our Christmas countdown is almost over, tomorrow being the last day until we leave for Utah. I'm so anxious for Christmas but wish it would slow down a little so we can enjoy every single moment. Why do the best times seem to pass so quickly?

December Nineteenth

2011-12-20T22:03:00.001-08:00

Another crazy fun filled busy day. We had friends over to make cookies, watched another friends kids, and then took the girls over to a friends house so Kirk and I could go to the Forgotten Carols. All in all it was a day filled with play dates like crazy for the girls and a hot date that left Mr Howcroft himself weak in the knees.

December Eighteenth

2011-12-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

Sunday we woke up to rain. We may not have a white Christmas here in Vegas but we don't miss the chance to enjoy wet weather. As soon as Kirsten saw the rain she bundled up in her winter clothes then helped Audrey bundle up and went outside for about two minutes...it you exaggerate, ha ha.

Sunday we made 24 loafs of poppy seed bread to take to friends and neighbors. The girls were very helpful and love to help cook. The bread turned out delicious if I do say so myself. We spent about an hour delivering the bread that night, the girls loved handing out the bread and took turns giving it at the door. But towards the end of the night they got really tired and grumpy. When we finally got home Audrey kept saying "my home! My home!" then when we walked in "my floor my floor!" as she hugged the floor, "my blanket my blanket!" Lesson learned stick the kids in the car make them get out 15 times and they will be so grateful to be home, ha ha.

December Seventeenth

2011-12-18T05:22:00.001-08:00

We had the most fun day on Saturday! Before we went to bed Friday night we asked the girls if they wanted to ride a train and go see Santa the next morning, they of course were ecstatic and went to sleep with smiles on their faces. All morning Saturday we talked about riding a big train and seeing Santa and what we were going to tell him. We drove out to Boulder where they have a nice big train decorated for Christmas. It was so much fun! There were big trains everywhere, the girls walked around with wonder and amazement in their eyes. We had tickets and train conductors and it was just so much fun. The girls thought it was soooo cool to be an on actual train! We rode up the train tracks a way then came back. On the way back Santa showed up! He and Mrs Claus came around visiting with the good children. It was really important for Kirsten to talk to him because she had changed her mind from Rapunzel to a mermaid barbie. And Audrey of course is very determined and unwavering about "Dora Boots". It was such a fun activity to do together as a family!

That afternoon my cousins Holli and Tyler along with my Dad's sisters Shar and Colleen came over. It was Holli's birthday so we had lunch and made a birthday cake. We had so much fun with them. My aunts are seriously so fun to be around, they have the most entertaining stories and are so very kind. They had some great stories to share about my Grandma and Dad. It was a perfect afternoon and such a fun way to celebrate Holli's birthday!

Later Saturday night Kirk and I took the girls to the live nativity. We told them we were going to go see "baby Jesus" so the entire way there, the 45 minutes we waited, and the first half of the show Audrey asked for "baby Jesus" nonstop. But as soon as He was born she said "look mama baby Jesus" them was silent and in awe the rest of the show. When Jesus was born Kirsten said "ah they are so happy", yes Kirsten they absolutely were. She was also super impressed by the angels and loves the singing. The spirit was so strong, I cried during most of the show. It was the perfect way to end such a fun day.

December Sixteenth

2011-12-16T21:26:00.001-08:00

Today the girls and I made Popsicle stick snowflake ornaments for our tree. We seriously had so much fun making them that we couldn't resist making more after nap time. I started out with acrylic paint but quickly switched to the less messy water colors. It kept us entertained for hours we made about 20 total.

Kirk flew in from Chicago tonight, hurray!!! He was able to catch an earlier flight and was home three hours earlier than expected! The girls anxiously waited for him to walk in the door to help them make a fort, and that was the first thing he did (after kiss me of course)! The girls are in the fort picture, just in the fort with their flash lights. It was the perfect way to start what is promised to be a very fun weekend!

I love the trip home!

2011-12-16T16:18:00.001-08:00

Only cause I'm headed to my wife and girls arms!!!

Park art is always so entertaining. And Greek lamb & baklava is amazing!!!

No Christmas spirit today

2011-12-15T18:46:00.001-08:00

Today has just been one of those days.
The kind where your kids wake up at 5 and your spouse isn't their to nudge since you were up late watching biggest loser.
The kind where your two year old has a full on, up her back newborn type blow out.
The kind where the back pain you have, that was getting better, is suddenly much worse again.
The kind where you finally get the second child asleep and five minutes later the first child wakes up leaving no down time for momma who woke up 5 too.
The kind where you realize that you've gone through an entire bag of frosted flakes in four days and its time to feed the kiddos some different food.

So I told the girls to go put on their favorite princess dresses and we went to McDonalds for dinner. The girls were so excited, Kirsten was even careful to hold Audrey's hand walking into the restaurant without being asked. The girls danced happily in the lobby as we waited for their food. They ate their chicken nuggets and parfait without complaint. They played happily together. When I went to get Audrey she was surrounded by 6 year old girls who were adoring her. Kirsten loudly shared (and made me repeat) every detail about what was going on in her bathroom stall while the lady in the stall next to her chatted away on her cell phone in korean, ha ha. We were having a wonderful time!
But have you ever had one of those days when your two year old pees her pants at McDonalds and then your three year old puts up a big fight about having to leave early?

Ya me too

So much to love about a preschooler

2011-12-14T20:25:00.001-08:00

The other day Kirsten came home from school clutching a Christmas present for Kirk and me. As I started to unwrap the folded construction paper Kirsten, who was standing there anxiously, snatched it from my hands and finished unwrapping it for us.
Inside was this cute snowman ornament. Kirsten was beaming with pride. My favorite part is the back where her school picture is. We didn't order her school pictures so I hadn't seen it before. Her face is classic kirst. "I'm miserable and hate every second of this" ha ha. Love that girl sooo much!
PS she takes really good care of the ornament and makes sure its up high and far from Audrey's reach.

December Thirteenth

2011-12-14T17:56:00.001-08:00

Today I took the girls Christmas shopping for their cousins. They had fun picking out the perfect gifts. We came home and started wrapping. The girls were so helpful picking out the wrapping paper, bow, sticker, and helping put on the tape. Kirsten even wrote a few R's on the gift tags! We are really in the christmas spirit now!

Chicago training day 1

2011-12-13T19:37:00.001-08:00

It's so awkward being invited to dinner with all 18 trainees from all over the world to enjoy a Chicago-deep-dish pizza (literally 1" of cheese deep) and all eyes turn and all quotes down the instant you order a smoothie. But dang it is so great to know the reason why I don't drink. And every time in out in this situation Im glad I'm Mormon!

After leavin dinner we decided to walk home and one block away everyone but myself decided the bar looked too appealing to pass up, especially cause the company had the tab. So I took the scenic route home. Marylin was not the scenic part!!!

Chicago Fairmont

2011-12-12T20:16:00.001-08:00

There are very few upsides to traveling away from my family. At least in contrast to the fact I'm not with them but I guess I should at least track the imagery of the places I've been. This is a very upscale type hotel with a beautiful view from the 22nd floor. If only I could take my family with me on all these trips, I could inevitably enjoy them all be more! Miss you girls!!!

December twelveth

2011-12-12T19:35:00.001-08:00

Christmas sure is getting close now! Less than two weeks, hurray! With the rain outside it even seems a little Christmasy here in Vegas, at least it's a good reason to crank the Christmas music up a little higher.
The past couple days my back has been pretty sore and I've been pretty much bed ridden. Which means we haven't done the christmas activities like we had planned, the live nativity, baking cookies and taking them to friends, a Christmas concert, or shopping for cousins. Bah humbug!
But with Kirk in Chicago the girls and I made a girlie night out of it with tangled and nail polish (apparently Kirsten associates nail polish with chelsey because even though I have painted her nails dozens of times she looked at the nail polish tonight and said "oh thank you chelsey!"). Kirst has pink nails and Audrey blue, but you can't really expect anything else out of those two!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

We had such a fabulous thanksgivings this year, one of my favorite to date. It was so nice just to stay at home and cook our own turkey. Kirk got off of work at about noon the Monday beforehand and didn't go back until the following Monday at noon, I was beyond spoiled. We stuck around the house and did a couple projects (potty training Audrey, moving the playroom downstairs, moving the guest room into Audrey's old room, and moving the office into the loft!). We really love having the playroom downstairs, I wish I would have done it long ago.
Wednesday afternoon on a spur of the moment decision my sister Camille and her kids decided to come down for the holiday! We were ecstatic and had Dynelle cookies (no bakes) waiting for them when they arrived. They were such a delight to have in our home, her kids are all so sweet and kind and Camille is one of my very favorite people so they made our weekend magical. I was a little worried about Kirk being in a house with 7 women and only one boy but it turns out he has a knack with women. Guess that means he won't need a son after all, ha ha.
Thursday we started cooking (got our turkey started waaaay too late) and pretty much didn't stop. The kids played hard and then we sent Kirk to the park with them while Camille and I stayed and cooked. It was so fun to work with my sister in the kitchen. Cooking turned out to be a blast and thanks to her we had super delicious stuffing. Our menu was turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, rolls, celery with cheese, cranberry sauce (which it turns out camille actually likes), corn, and asparagus, with Razzleberry pie for dessert. Mmmm delicious, makes me hungry thinking about it! Everyone said what they were thankful for Kirsten said "applesauce," Allie said "Audrey," and Audrey said "Allie" it was so darling.

That night I made Camille go black Friday shopping with me. We only hit up Walmart and Target but I thought it was super fun. I used to go with my mom when I was a teenager and have loved it ever since...except the Walmart in Vernal, seriously never again!. We didn't get anything too big just towels, games, and movies. We got home at 2:00 in the morning and had hot chocolate with Kirk who had stayed up reading The Hunger Games.
So when the kids woke up at 5:30 it was WAY to early. We just relaxed Friday, filled our tummys with left over turkey and stuffing. Kirk and I took Jacob, Abby, Allie, and Kirsten out shopping. A couple weeks ago we saw a Christmas tree train that we fell in love with at Home Depot, but it was $45 so we decided to risk it and wait until black Friday. We totally scored the train for $25! I was sooo excited. It was so fun to be out shopping with Camille's kids. Abby and Allie held my hands walking in and out of the parking lot while Kirk carried Kirsten and Jacob walked with them. It was so fun having such well behaved darling children. We came home set up the tree and the train and watched Elf. We also spent a lot of time at the park and had as many tea parties as there were females in our house. Seriously good times. We were sad to see them leave on Saturday 2 days didn't seem enough, but we sure loved having them in our home. We LOVE the Cooper family.

We relaxed the rest of the weekend, dreading when Kirk would fly to New Jersey on Monday. But luckily we all survived. Anyway it was a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday. We are so blessed in so many ways.

December Tenth

2011-12-10T22:34:00.001-08:00

Today was sorta crazy. Kirk found a really great deal on a little commuter car! I am so relieved to have him in a car instead of on a motorcycle. I know he will miss his motorcycle but he is excited to have a car for the really hot or really cold days that are no fun on a motorcycle. He got a Chevy aveo in bright yellow...just like his 55 ford truck from high school (which he still has at his parents house btw). The whole family is excited except now Kirsten keeps calling our sonata yucky?
Tonight we went to our ward party. Terrific food and awesome music, as well as the service project for the women's shelter. We have a fabulous ward and love getting together with our friends there. Obviously Audrey ate the greenest cupcake she could find, we called her the grinch which she proudly accepted, ha ha.

December Eighth

2011-12-09T07:00:00.001-08:00

Our stake is collecting various items for the Las Vegas women's shelter. They provided a list of items needed and encouraged ward members to donate. So we took the girls to Walmart last night and picked up a few things on the list and then had each girl pick out a toy to donate. Audrey picked out mater and Kirsten a mermaid Barbie. They pulled out the toys and looked at them all night saying "for friend with no toy". I really hope my girls grow up knowing the joy that comes from serving and giving to others.

December seventh

2011-12-07T19:08:00.001-08:00

Today Audrey and I started the day with babysitting our friends sweet baby boy. Audrey immediately fell in love with him and catered to him the entire time. She managed the binky, bottle, blankets, entertainment, and diapers. No the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, my mom loves babies, I LOVE babies and now Audrey will carry on the love. Also she will be a great help someday when you know we decide to have another baby girl.
We also received a gorgeous flower arrangement with a piece to a Christmas village from Kirks parents. Karen started the tradition to send one each year. It's so beautiful and the girls love it, especially since the lights in the houses turn on and it plays music!
This afternoon we talked Kirk into working from home which means we talked Kirk into playing hooky for about an hour and taking us to beligio gardens. We thought it would be smart to go earlier in the day since it has been so cold. I didn't think it would be very crowded on a Wednesday in the early afternoon but I forgot about the NFR (national finals rodeo) and man alive was that place ever hoping with belt buckles. The gardens were of course amazing. Penguins, a Thomas Kinkade picture made out of flowers, the 42' real Christmas tree that smelled like heaven, but I was bummed that their wasn't even a small nativity. Ever since becoming a mom I have become really sensitive about the true meaning of Christmas and hate to see it left out. We enjoyed the fountains as well or as the girls call it "dancing water." Call me crazy but I was expecting Christmas music but instead it was the star Spangled Banner which was wonderful and very patriotic...but just not Christmas music. It was a fun afternoon and gave us our full of the strip for at least six months.
Now we are cuddled up to watch Smurfs because Kirk talks about it every day and we are going to end up watching it someday anyway, ha ha.

December Sixth

2011-12-06T19:30:00.001-08:00

Today was a sick day at our house. Kirsten had an upset stomach and Audrey has a nasty cold. We stayed in our pajamas all day and read books, played with blocks, took nice warm baths and slept right through dance class. It was the perfect cold day to stay inside and snuggle with my girls.
Tonight after we cleaned up dinner we sent the girls on a scavenger hunt for the cartoon Grinch who Stole Christmas. The girls hadn't ever done a scavenger hunt before but they caught on very quickly and raced from room to room gathering clues. They ran up and down the stairs from beds to toilets to the Christmas tree etc. Kirsten was a perfectionist about getting all the tape from the clue off while Audrey would just grab whatever came off when she ripped it, ha ha. At the end of the treasure hunt they found the movie. They were super excited. Kirk blew up the air mattress, I made muddy buddies, and we all put our (clean) pjs on for our slumber party. The movie of course was fun and the girls kept saying the grinch was grumpy, fun times. I think we need to do more scavenger hunts :)
This evening Kirk and I watched It's a Wonderful Life snuggled up on the air mattress. It's my favorite Christmas movie and always makes me so grateful for the life I am so blessed with.

December Fourth

2011-12-04T20:01:00.001-08:00

Today we took the girls to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Kirk had never actually been to one and I can't remember going to one since high school. Because it was our third trip to the church building in one day (church and later tithing settlement) we thought about watching it online but decided it would be worth it to be there in person. We were both really glad we went. The girls weren't exactly perfect but for how exhausted and restless they were they did great. Every time someone stood up to speak Audrey would yell "prophet", she got it right at least once. :) The messages were great and the music awesome. During President Eyrings talk they showed a short video about birth of Christ, if you didn't see it I would recommend going to lds.org to see it. Half through President Monsons talk Audrey had had it so we spent the rest of the meeting in the foyer watching Audrey dance. The girls were in bed by 7, apparently 3 trips to church in a day will do you in!

December Third

2011-12-03T21:34:00.001-08:00

Today we let the girls pick out their very own (small) Christmas tree for their bedroom. We took them to Walmart in the early afternoon (during Christmas on a Saturday because we are apparently unintelligent). The whole morning we had been debating on what color of tree to get. Their are two concrete facts in our family: Kristen=pink and Audrey=blue. So after a lot of debate mom decided on a white tree and each girl got to choose something to decorate it with (pink ornaments and blue garland). The girls were ecstatic to have their very own tree in their room. Consequently Audrey didn't take a nap today, whose bright idea was it to put a Christmas tree in a toddlers room before nap time?

December second

2011-12-02T21:49:00.001-08:00

Today we took the girls to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa. Our girls don't really remember Christmas at all. In fact when we told them how exciting it was that we got to see Santa today Kirst asked of there would be "a happy to you cake?" umm no. So we really prepped them on asking Santa for what they wanted (Kirst a Rapunzel and Audrey a Dora doll with Boots) and then he would bring it on Christmas. They were excited and well rehearsed on what to say to Santa. But naturally they froze as soon as we were face to face with him. Kirsten refused to smile let alone say anything. Audrey immediately started rubbing her belly button when we put her on his lap , but she did nod and say Dora when he asked if she wanted a Dora doll.
We walked around and looked at the fishes and other animals for about 20 minutes without the girls saying anything about Santa. Then finally when we were in the parking lot Kirsten said "Kirsten rapunzel doll" ha ha.
Tonight Kirk and I are eating a cheese ball and watching a Christmas Story, seriously what is not to love about Christmas time!

December first

2011-12-02T21:35:00.001-08:00

When Kirsten got off the bus from school she found the Elf on the Shelf book set had been delivered to our door. Apparently our elf finally arrived! The girls brought the book inside and I read it to them while they checked out their new elf. They were pretty disappointed about not being able to touch him but fascinated at having an elf in our house (although I'm pretty sure they had never heard of an elf before). I tried to explain the whole be good because an elf is watching, but I'm pretty sure it went over their heads. But I'm confident they will catch on quickly. I tried to help them name our elf but the name they came up with was Dora...not a name for an elf to stick with for life. So we will try the name game again next year :)
Last night we also painted ornaments, which they loved and also bought me 20 minutes of silence, it was a Christmas miracle ha ha.

2011-12-02T21:24:00.001-08:00

Guess what? I just figured out I can blog from my phone, super exciting! Since we've been having computer/camera problems this is fantastic news for my blogging fetish! The previous post is the poem Kirk wrote for thanksgiving. He read it at the table before we ate and it had both of us tearing up. Exciting thanksgiving post coming soon but in the meantime I have put together an advent calendar for the month of December with different activities for each day. I thought I would post about our activities each day for memories sake! We are sooo ready for Christmas around here. Shopping, wrapping, decorating, even the Christmas cards have been sent out. We are ready to relax and enjoy the rest of our Christmas season! Here's a sneak peak of our Christmas tree.

Cause I love my girls!!!

2011-12-02T17:48:00.001-08:00

I'm grateful for my beautiful wife,
As well I'm thankful for our life.

The home we have, the love we share
For all the family for whom we care

For Audrey and my Kirsten Sue
And all the cute things that they do.

For little hugs that come with kisses
For dancing girls and good night wishes

For knowledge of the gospel true
To understand good things to do

A job, a house, a car, a phone,
So grateful that my wife can stay home

I know I'm luckier than the most
But I know better than to boast.

Thank you, thank you, is what I say
For the blessings God gives each day

There is nothing better than Grandparents

2011-11-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Kirk's parents 34th wedding anniversary and they figured Vegas would be a pretty great place to celebrate. We had so much fun with them. They were only here for 24 hours but we managed to fit in a lot of fun. They brought these cute little jewelry boxes for the girls to paint. The girls immediately sat down and painted them, and kept painting them until the jewelry boxes were completely painted, Kirsten even stayed up until 9:00 just painting away. I snapped a couple pictures of Kirk and Tom painting with the girls, it was too cute! The girls adored having their grandparents here they tickled, teased, read books, and even got Tom to dance with them. Last night we went to dinner at Cheesecake factory. It was as yummy as ever and we didn't have to wait in life, which is a miracle in and of itself. We went for a drive around red rock, it was so beautiful we really need to go up there more often. We had a fantastic time with them and hope they come visit again soon!

The girls couldn't leave Karen's side and ended up taking a nap on her!

Our crafty painters

2011-11-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

My girls love doing crafts. They love drawing, coloring, cutting, gluing, play dough, etc. But they LOVE painting. They would paint all day every day if they could. The other day we found snakes at Michaels for a dollar each, the perfect evening craft. They LOVED it! Kirsten painted her entire snake 4 different times before she was satisfied. Love my creative, snake loving girls!

The Girl Who Loves Rocks (and not just diamonds)

2011-11-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Uncles Riley and Garrett
I love rocks, just like you. Apparently geology is inherited. Everywhere I go I like to collect rocks. My mom loves finding my hidden rocks all over the house. Yesterday I found a particularly interesting rock that I wanted to bring home. I asked my parents and they told me to take it back. So I went and found another one and came back with two. They gave in and let me bring home one, they figured better one than three! Please teach me everything you know. And Uncle Riley I expect you to be a geology professor at BYU by the time I get there.
Love,
Audrey

Band Aids, a mother's best friend

2011-11-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

Remember Audrey's obession with band aids? Sometimes it works my favor!

Dancing Queens

2011-11-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you miss my girls this is the video for you! They had been upstairs for a little bit while I cleaned up the kitchen then came downstairs wearing these beautiful dresses. Kirsten proudly pointed to Audrey and said "I help you", dancing was the natural for them to start doing. They are being silly and dancing like crazy. Kirsten was making her own music and was proud of her singing. Love those girls.

**Notice Audrey's backpack. She refuses to let us touch it so we weren't really sure what was in there but figured it was toys. Until at the doctors office yesterday when she put her sticker inside and we caught a glimpse of her treasures which includes measuring spoons from the kitchen and a cup. Later at Dairy Queen we couldn't figure out where her free sample of ice cream went. You guessed it, in the back pack. There was also toys, a book, grapes, an apple, spoons, and every toy she and Kirsten generally fight over. Audrey just might end up being on hoarders someday....

The cast is off, let life resume to normal (please!)

2011-11-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

On our way to get the cast off, so happy!

The doctor took it off. Audrey is officially healed! They took more x-rays and it was amazing to see how much the bone has already grown back. When we get the pictures I will share. The body is so amazing!
After they cut her cast off she jumped off the table ran over to Kirsten and said "look Kirsten, all better!" It was the cutest little moment. Kirsten of course was very impressed. Audrey then walked to x-ray like she had a monkeys tail for an arm. She had no idea what to do with it and held it straight out very awkwardly, it was pretty funny. She kept asking the doctor for a pink cast after they took her blue one off. I'm not sure she really remembers life before her cast. Also I wouldn't exactly by heartbroken if she wanted to get all her bone breaking out of her system since we have now met our deductible for the year. Break one arm get one free kind of thing. But then again she might hold off until January 3.

In this picture she is thinking "what am I supposed to do with my arm?"

We celebrated by taking the girls to get ice cream afterwards. As soon as we were home I happily threw them both in the bath with celebration bubbles and bathtub crayons. They played for an hour while I got laundry done, win win win! Everyone is happy! Although I find it ironic that the day she got her cast off was the day we officially started receiving medical bills in the mail, now the real fun begins! (I feel like I need to say we love Audrey a lot and don't mind the medical bills, cause you know we are pretty dang fond of her. And for the record I would happily meet another deductible December 30 of 2012 for her if I had to :) )

Our week in review

2011-11-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

This past week has been really fun at our house. Kirk worked from home a couple days and we were lucky to enjoy a lot of family time since Kirsten only had school 3 days this week. Here are 7 of the highlites:

1. Kirsten came up to me dressed like this saying "I look like Chelsey" I guess Chelsey is styling in mismatched heels theses days!

Thanks to my mom Audrey is the cutest pioneer.

2.The girls and I got our hair cut by a girl in our ward. It was Audrey's first hair cut. Her hair on top is coming in straight as a board but her hair on bottom is curly curly curly. Her bottom curly hair was really long, past her shoulder blades when it was straightened. So to minimize the mullet look she had her first hair cut. She was so good and held perfectly still the entire time. It turned out really cute. The top is still straight and the bottom curly so I've blowed dried it straight a few times and think she looks darling. Kirsten had her first hair cut by someone other than myself. She just had a trim to even out her hair from the times I cut it. And I got mine shaped and some layers put in from the haircut Kirk gave me. We left there with basiclaly the same haircut for all 3 of us.

3. Kirsten started her dance classes again this week. She LOVES it. I got a cute video but I'm no able to upload it, bummer. She's the cutest little ballerina I've ever seen!

4. This was Audrey's last week of her cast. YAY! I've been counting down the days like I did when Kirk came home from his mission for her cast to come off. It cannot come soon enough! Audrey has been having some bath envy seeing Kirsten in the bath. So she did the next best thing and stocked Kirsten's bath with toys and more toys and more toys. Our playroom was in our master bathroom. It was pretty funny.

5. On 11/11/11 at 11:11 we released balloons with wishes on them. It was so much fun to do! The girls loved it. When we asked Kirsten what her wish was she simply replied "happy!" (so cute!). Audrey didn't really understand the wish concept so we wished for her "no more broken bones". I wished to get out of debt and Kirk wished for a son, go figure :) Audrey let her balloon go early and was pretty devestated by it. Kirsten refused to let her balloon go so it came home with us, much to Audrey's jealousy.

6. Saturday we went to the Las Vegas air show put on by Nellis Airforce base. It was so much fun! Our girls are big time suckers for airplanes so we knew this would be perfect. Plus it was 100% free, who can say no to that! The airplanes were huge, loud, and very impressive. The girls weren't a fan of how loud some of the jets were. I loved it, it was a like an adreline rush standing on the sidelines. We toured a couple of different planes, one of which Kirsten got to try on a oxygen mask. She was silent during it all then as we walked away said quitely "that was fun" to which Audrey responded "Audrey no want it". They are so fun! It was the perfect family activity.

7. Audrey snuck my makeup bag out of my room. There was a brand new tube of masscera in there much to her delight. I don't know if you can tell but her eye lashes are seriously caked!

2011-11-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of my three favorite people. I am insanely blessed!

Plus here is a cute video of Audrey's favorite thing to do in Kirk and my closet, make cookies of course!

Looking like Daddy

2011-11-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

And just now while I was blogging Kirsten runs in proudly wearing Kirk's shirt. I say to her "you look like Daddy" to which she exclaims "No I Kirsten!" Don't be fooled people it's not actually Kirk :) Then I asked her to "look like Daddy" so I could take a picture and this is what she gave me:

Spitting image isn't it? ha ha

Audrey's Tea Party

2011-11-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

The hardest part about Audrey having a broken arm is not being able to take baths. This girl could live in the water but hasn't been able to because of her cast. So while Kirsten took a bath today Audrey and some of her pals had a nice little "coco" party. This girl loves to play kitchen and kept going over to the play faucet to get more "coco." She was darling. Until Kirsten streaked in from the bath (hence the "paint" in the picture) and took matters into her hands. Five minutes later there was real water and a big mess from my master tub to the play room. At least they helped clean up :)

What's in a name?

2011-11-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Me to Kirsten: "Your name is Kirsten Howcroft"
Kirsten to me: "No, Kirsten Princess"

Not kidding this conversation happens at least once a day. I am enjoying every day that she thinks her name is Kirsten Princess, she has the rest of her life to be Kirsten Howcroft.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween the girls dressed up like witches. They were adorable and had the cutest little witch laugh to go with it. I put their costumes together from skirts I got for $.75 last year on clearance then I added the boa material to black shirts and dollar hats from Target. I thought they were adorable!
Saturday night we went to our wards trunk or treat. The girls loved the whole concept of trick or treating (it is kinda hard to dislike trick or treating though, ha ha). They were so cute saying "rtik r tree" then "dank you."
Last night we carved pumpkins. Kirsten was so excited about having a spider pumpkin. Kirk made good use of the pumpkin with a huge stem Audrey picked, I love the witch he made.
Tonight we went trick or treating around the neighborhood. Kirsten was anxious all day to go. Luckily the girls both took good afternoon naps. For dinner we had the traditional Brinkerhoff bacon, cheddar, potato chowder, with homemade bread bowls yummy! We thought we would only trick or treat at a few houses, but the girls were loving it and so we just kept going. Before we knew it we were on the other side of the neighborhood with Audrey insisting we go to each house. She walked the entire way refusing to let us help carry her. She kept saying, "one more house" There are about 200 houses in our neighborhood and we trick or treated at about 50 of those. Their candy bags were heavy! It was so much fun trick or treating together as a family. I can't wait for next year. Happy Halloween!

Six Years!

2011-10-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

September 22nd Kirk and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Flirting with Kirk Howcroft in seminary was the beginning of making my life beautiful. The sixth year of marriage has been nothing but joy. We have been blessed not to have hard times this year and have filled the year with love. We understand and communicate better than ever. I know if he is short tempered to either send him to bed or out for a run. He knows that if I'm upset and don't answer his phone call to keep calling and by the 4th or 5th call I will answer and my heart will be melted by his persistence. There is nothing I love more than being married to this man and keeping him for eternity! For our anniversary I made a list of the six best things about being married to Kirk:

He has more patience than the whole Brinkerhoff family combined. His patience keeps our marriage strong. In a house full of females his patience with each of us keeps things calm. He hardly ever gets upset or frustrated with me, which keeps conflict away from our marriage and teaches me to not get upset over every little thing.
Kirk is seriously one of the most brilliant people I know. His mind is always going, thinking up new ideas, figuring things out. He loves learning more about our minds and trying to figure out thought processes. He likes to analyze things and know exactly how and why they work. That is why he is so good at his job. He has passion for helping people figure out how to do things. I'm so proud of him.
Kirk is very playful. This makes him a great Dad. My girls cannot get enough of their Dad. They are always climbing all over him, tickling him, chasing him, hiding and seeking him, trying to dress him up, etc. He has become the neighbor kids favorite person to play with at the park. He doesn't take anything too seriously and always has a smile on his face.
Every time Kirk goes out of town he goes to the closest temple and does a session. He has gone to temples all over the globe. Instead of sleeping, playing games, sight seeing, or watching movies he attends the temple and our family has been blessed because of it. He patiently helps the girls read scriptures at night, faithfully pays his tithing, is worthy of holding the priesthood, attends church without complaint, and enjoys serving in his calling. I'm grateful for his testimony and how it strengthens mine.
Kirk loves without restriction. I swear that boy tells me he loves me 50 times a day. In his sleep, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, no matter what he is doing he somehow still manages a way to tell me how loved I am. And now my little Kirsten goes around the house telling everyone she loves them multiple times during the day. He snuggles me in bed when he should be leaving for work because he knows it makes me feel loved. He cant stand the thoughts of one of our girls going to bed upset and will go in multiple times to snuggle them until they fall asleep with a smile on their faces. We are very lucky to be loved by him so much.
Kirk is super hot. He runs 3-6 miles a day three times a week. He does push ups and all sorts of work out things with the girls. He does triathlons in the hotel gyms when he travels. He rides his bike to work (at least as much as he can before his tire pops). He is very athletic and has awesome muscles. Seeing him workout is one of my very favorite things.

If you remember the website he created for me last year he has updated it and you can check it out:

http://kirkanddynelle.blogspot.com/2009/09/fourth-anniversary.html

We celebrated our anniversary in Vernal when we were there for Audrey's birthday. We left the girls with my mom and stayed in town. Kirk got a free Marriott room and we planned to do all the fun things around Vernal that we used to do when we were dating. Thursday we went hiking on some of the same trails and went swimming in Red Fleet. It was so romantic to be the only two swimming not having to worry about anything but each other. We have so much fun together! We laughed and just had the best time. After we got cleaned up we went to dinner at a local restaurant. That was the end of our fun. Kirk got really sick for the next 36 hours. So Friday we spent coped up in our room with a sick husband. It wasn't romantic in the slightest but it was still fun to be together. I think we watched like 4 or 5 movies that day? We did go on a slight hike over looking remember the main, which is what we did the night before his mission. It wasn't quite as romantic as that night since we are way out of shape and Kirk was needing a bathroom but it was so beautiful and fun to reminisce. Here are a few pictures of our fun couple days together :)

And remember how it is kinda our thing to go to Pizza Hut every other year for our anniversary? (here) We couldn't help but do it again. Kirk was sick and so I ate a piece of pizza and we took a couple pictures of our best Audrey smiles, good times.

Audrey's Second Birthday

2011-10-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

The night before Audrey's second birthday our little family drove up to Provo, UT. We arrived late that night and checked into our hotel room (driving up to Utah at night is the best way to travel with the girls).

We woke up in our hotel room on her birthday where we gave her a new doll that coos and cries, takes a pacifier and a bottle. She loved it sooo much and gave us one of her signature grins.

We drove out to Vernal for her birthday bash that night. My oldest nephew was born on August 31, so he and Audrey share the same birthday exactly 10 years apart.

My sister Kristy and I put on a fun combined birthday party. We did a water balloon theme, I attempted to do a water balloon pinata, it didn't turn out as I had hoped and only lasted about 30 minutes but it was fun.

We played a bunch of water balloon games with the kids, it was a lot of fun with kids sitting on balloons all over the place. Of course it was impossible to get 15 kids to play games by myself before they all ganged up and it ended up being a huge water balloon fight that lasted long after the party was over.

Pulled pork, fruit, veggies, all sorts of yummy salads, and chips for dinner. YuMmY!

The party was not boring, a swarm of bees decided to join us and stay the entire time. Poor Brixton was stung. And then in the middle of the party there was a huge downpour. Audrey was out playing on the play ground when the rain dumped, I ran out to save her but we both ended up very wet. The picture doesn't show it but the rain is coming down hard!

Then it was time for cake! We had pink cupcakes for Audrey. She had waited ALL DAY LONG for these cupcakes and didn't waste on second. While Brayden was busy lighting candles Audrey had already started digging in. She had eaten an entire cupcake before she blew out any candles.

Playing with Grandpa Brinkerhoff

Everyone was super generous and Audrey was spoiled with toys, outfits, shoes, coloring books, and all things Dora!

Thanking Aunt Camille

Thanking Nana!

Nothing slows this girl down. I held baby Eliza for a few minutes and look what Audrey runs off to do!

The sunset was stunning that night. Absolutely stunning!

Kirk loves this picture and sings it to the tune of Dora "Audrey Audrey Audrey the explorer!"

Brinkerhoff Halloween!

2011-10-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last December we decided to do a girls weekend with all the females in my family over UEA 2011. For about a year I have been planning this fantastic weekend that was going to be phenomenal, spiritual, and inspire our daughters to become fantastic women. Ha ha, there is a funny thing called life that likes to get in the way. Over the past month so many things changed in our weekend plans that it almost didn't happen at all to becoming a fall weekend with the entire Brinkerhoff family. Not to shabby if I do say so myself, I have a incredibly terrific family. Because of unexpected medical bills that racked up amazingly fast the days prior to our weekend Kirk and I decided it would not be financially a good idea for us to make a trip to Utah. We were devastated but knew it was for the best. My sweet sisters and parents did not accept the fact that we could not afford to come and literally paid for us to make the trip. There is nothing as wonderful as family. Or having a sister who loves you so much that she is willing to sacrifice her own future family trip so we could come be with everyone.
So on a total whim the girls and I packed up and drove to Utah just like that. It is wonderful to be in Utah in the fall. The fall air, pumpkins exploding everywhere, and the delicious fall leaves. It was heaven.
We arrived at my sister Camille's home Wednesday night at 8. Her and I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning chatting and folding laundry/sewing halloween costumes. Thursday we drove up to Orem and had lunch with my sister Amanda. We do not get to spend enough time with her and I miss her so much. That afternoon while my girls napped I was able to go hold my friend Brenna's new beautiful baby girl. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people for friends. Thursday my mom, Kristy, Madison, Spencer, Chelsey, and Cody arrived. The party had officially started. It was so fun being together.
Friday morning we drove up to Salt Lake and hung out at the South Town mall. It is seriously the most kid friendly mall ever! We rode a carrousel, train, the escalators, and played on the kid play area. The only store we went into was a candy store and Bath and Body Works where my cute mom bought all the girls a little hand sanitizer. We had lunch then hit up Tai Pan, Gardner Village, and Target before driving to the airport to pick up Kirk. That night the girls had a toe nail painting, spiritually inspiring party. My sweet mom gave us each a willow tree and spoiled the grandkids with all sorts of goodies. Seriously nothing is better than family. Kirk and Garrett went off hiking and found a hot springs, they hiked until 1:30 am! crazy men!
Saturday we played at the park. We played old school games like red rover, and kick ball. Every time my family gets together it is just fun. We enjoy being together so much. Saturday evening had our annual family Halloween party, complete with cheesy bacon soup and a pumpkin pinata. There were awesome costumes, games, and decorations. The girls loved dressing up as witches and showing off their awesome costumes.
We woke up early Sunday morning and barely made it home in time to catch some of church. It was seriously a fabulous weekend and we love our family so much!

Audrey was super excited to get signature on her cast

cute grandkids at the mall

Kirsten and Audrey riding the train

I made Audrey kiss the frog

Brinkerhoff Women Extravaganza!

Chelsey, Camille, me, Kristy

Add caption

Blue Cast

2011-10-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we took Audrey in to get her cast on. She hates being at doctors' offices because they seem way to boring for her, so it is always a treat to take her (ha ha). She was delighted to get her splint off but not so happy about them putting a cast on. All day we discussed what color her cast she be. She had it narrowed down to blue, purple, yellow, or green. The doctor assumed she wanted pink but when they tried to put it on Audrey refused and insisted that she get a blue cast instead. I like it because it matches her eyes. Kirsten was super jealous of Audrey's cast and kept asking for her pink one, I assured her we could make her a much less expensive cast at home. The white lining around her cast was only white until we got out of the building, it was black by the time we got to the car. We can do anything for 4 weeks right? I took the girls to the park that night and it was not a good idea. Audrey insisted on doing everything she did before but just simply couldn't, well at least not safely. Bathing is also not fun, we haven't succeeded in keeping it dry yet. But on the up side she is getting really good at eating with her left hand :)

Since she broke her arm she also fell off the recliner and got a black eye. Fell into play equipment at the park and bruised up her cheek. Scraped her foot which now has a big scab on it. Fell off her bed and ended up with a bloody lip. Also she trips multiple times a day and always lands on her cast. Kirk and I are feeling like we are terrible parents. Keep Audrey in your prayers throughout the month of October, her health depends on it!

What is not to like about a broken arm?

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Audrey is mighty proud of her broken arm. Everyone I talked to on the phone today Audrey insisted on telling them her "arm broke." And she proudly showed her arm off to everyone she saw. The above picture was at Kirsten's gymnastics today, Audrey walked up to each of the kids in the class and showed off her broken arm. She tells the kids that she fell and her arm broke. Obviously Kirsten liked showing it off too :)
Kirsten is having some broken arm envy. At school today she scraped her arm on the slide (um, not on purpose...she's not that envious) and so when I put some medicine on it this evening her arm suddenly became broken. She holds it against her body and refuses to move or use it. Suddenly she is much more limited by her injury than Audrey. Tonight Kirk took this picture asking the girls to show him their owies, notice who is acting like they have the broken arm, ha ha.

Our First Broken Bone

2011-10-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last night after dinner we decided we needed to get out of the house before bedtime. We were walking out of the house into the garage when Audrey tripped landing hard on the tile, her right arm on the door jam to the garage. She immediately started screaming loudly, which isn't exactly unusual for her so we weren't aware there was a problem until I noticed how she was favoring her right arm. She held it against her body and it just didn't look right. When we asked her to point to her nose she couldn't quite get her finger to her nose and her arm was shaking. Kirk and I were clueless on what a broken arm is like and didn't know the first thing
about urgent cares or ER's. We looked into where our insurance was covered and asked a friend where the best place in Vegas to go is. But when we had finally decided where to go Audrey started acting better so we second guessed ourselves about whether to take her in our not. But we finally decided it would be better to be safe than sorry, so I took Audrey to the ER (since urgent cares were closed and I didn't dare brave the only 24 hour one in Vegas at night alone with my baby) while Kirk stayed home with Kirsten since she was already asleep.
We checked in, had x-rays taken, waited a very very long time, then finally were told it was broken. She was so good all night, only crying a handful of times. We were there for 3 1/2 hours not leaving until 11:30 pm. She was so tired and only wanted to go home but she was so brave and let the doctors take good care of her. Her bone was bent (for lack of a better way to explain it) so they put on a hard splint and then reset her bone. She did surprisingly well through it all crying more through the shot than the bone reset. I didn't do so well during the bone reset, almost passing out and having to sit down and drink juice (add that to the reason why it's good I didn't become a nurse). We then had more x rays done and her arm, while not perfect yet, looks much better.
We will have to go to another doctor in a couple days to get a hard cast put on but for now she is rocking her first broken bone and sling. She doesn't act like she has a broken bone in the slightest. She runs a hundred miles an hour still collecting rocks everywhere she goes. She only acts like she is in pain when she is tired. She uses her broken arm to do everything she normally would use her arm for, but has found the advantage to hitting with a cast, oh joy.
Kirk and I are just a little dumbfounded that she broke her arm doing something as simple as tripping while walking out the door. She falls down dozens of times during the day, she is two! It makes me so grateful for the good health we have in our family. I sure love my baby girl and secretly enjoyed cuddling with her for three hours straight last night.

Our fun weekend

2011-10-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend full of family time and fall fun.
Friday morning the girls and I went on a walk with friends. It was a freezing 50 degrees outside so we had to break out our winter stuff. Aren't they cute?

Later Kirsten dressed up in her new favorite outfit and proclaimed herself a teacher. I'm not so sure what her teacher is wearing at school...

Friday night Kirk took all of his ladies out for ice cream after dinner. We aren't sure who taught Audrey how to eat an ice cream cone...(watch the video). The girls then played on the burger king playground. The only reason I mention it was because Audrey had a hard time going up the huge steps and Kirsten was so cute to help her, she would stand below her and grab Audrey by the behind and hoist her up. Kirk and I were proud parents!

After a Saturday morning full of bountiful baskets, grocery shopping, baking muffins, bread, and a pie we were ready for some fun. We took the girls to one of the little fall carnivals set up randomly throughout Vegas. The girls LOVED it! If you are looking for a way to blow $20 in 45 minutes this is perfect for you! They loved the slide, bouncy house, swings, twirly swings (which Kirk and I were brave enough to go on too), and picking out their own pumpkin.

Saturday night our stake put on the most awesome fall carnival. (Yes we did two carnivals in one day, we are awesome like that). It was seriously fantastic and impressive in every way possible. Everything was completely free and fun fun fun! The girls loved the big blow up slide, cotton candy, duck pond (where they won snakes!), and face painting! Kirsten requested a mermaid and that is what she got. It was so cute! She came home and immediately went to the mirror and checked out her mermaid, grinning. Then like 5 minutes later she wiped it off with a dish towel saying "I don't want it" then she took the dish towel over to Audrey and wiped hers off too.

This afternoon we took the girls to the mountain edge hill to climb up for a little Sunday fresh air outing. The girls hiked up the hill entirely by themselves. Kirk and I were proud parents (even though we got a few dirty looks from people who clearly did not have kids). There are some seriously steep parts and loose gravel. Audrey fell three times but got up each time and kept hiking. Kirsten pulled Kirk up the hill. Kirk and I have awesome kids. period.

Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

I love this picture.

It captures my sweet Kirsten perfectly.

I am enjoying ever moment of her being three.

She is growing up way to quickly for my liking.

Her naps are becoming few and far between, only about two a week.
I used to feel sorry for parents who's kids didn't take naps during the day, wondering how they ever survived without a little down time.
But I quite like having her awake during the day.
She is 99% of the time delightful and happy.
Her favorite thing to say is "Kirsten Happy!" and she says it multiple times during the day.
She loves role playing (especially getting Kirk and I involved in her pretend play).

She is changing dvd's in the car all by herself.

She opens starburst wrappers all by herself (her new favorite treat).

She uses the bathroom 100% by herself.

She changes her clothes 100% by herself.

She is so sweet and funny.
She loves to help Audrey with things like putting on her shoes.

When I try to teach her how to spell her name she says "No, Kirsten R"

Love my Kirsten Sue so very very much.

"Kirsten baby"

2011-10-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

My girls love to role play that they are babies as much as I love to cuddle them and call them my babies. They love to lay on the floor and cry like babies waiting for Kirk and I to figure out what they are crying for. They think it's hilarious to lay there fake crying and kicking their legs, giggling, while Kirk and I try to guess what they want. What silly girls we have. Whenever they are crawling on the floor making sounds we have to ask them if they are puppies or babies. I sure love the cute quirky things they do. I love love love the toddler stage and wouldn't mind if it lasted forever.

Cute things from yesterday

2011-09-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

I have about one billion cute funny things to blog about, but every time I sit down to blog it doesn't happen. But these pictures from yesterday deserve the ten minutes it takes to post them. Enjoy and hopefully I will catch up soon :)

Getting ready for school yesterday was full of three year old determination. She was determined to wear this out dated dress and determined to do her hair herself. I was not allowed to think about touching her hair. This is her finished product, which she is super proud of and kept saying "oh Kirsten cute! Pretty hair!" Even I waited until second grade to do my hair for school. Yes I let her get on the bus looking like this, embracing my preschoolers cute personality!

While we were doing Kirsten's hair Audrey was playing quietly downstairs. We came down to find her playing with her doll house dolls, giving them kisses before putting them to bed. I was thinking how cute she was until Kirsten screamed from the bathroom. Apparently Audrey was busy taking care of her poopie diaper while Kirsten was doing her hair. That towel has most of the poop swaddled in it. Audrey has really gotten into a bad habit of taking care of her dirty diapers herself, it has got to stop. It's time to enforce potty training a little more.

But doesn't she look like an angel when she sleeps? Love this baby girl so much!

Kirsten has started her gymnastics class and really loves it. Here she is doing her back bend (she did it on her own a little later).

And her very first hand stand!

Our girls have discovered the glory of band-aids. They want one every time they think they get hurt. The other night we were playing games when Kirsten was "injured" and needed a band-aid. Audrey piped right up "band-aid, band-aid, band-aid" I asked her where her owie was and she pointed to her shirt "shirt owie, band-aid please!" She just kept pleading in the cutest little voice, it's hard to turn someone that sweet down. In this picture she bonked her head, but it's "all better" thanks to a band-aid!

My favorite pictures of Audrey over the past year

2011-08-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Audrey and Adam Sept 2010

A sisters kiss Sept 2010

The poop incident October 2010

Love the mismatched shoes October 2010

She loves the ipad, hates car rides November 2010

Always sleeping with her monkeys December 2010

Her beloved red sippy cup, saw us through a lot of hard times December 2010

Pigtails! Also she peed on Brett December 2010

Happy to see the love in my rear view mirror December 2010

The first time she played in the snow. Also her favorite coat that she wore constantly Jan 2011

Kissing Daddy January 2011

Loves wearing only the essentials, also loves standing on tables January 2011

When asked to grab a diaper she always grabbed a handful. Notice her purple blanket. February 2011

Sweet Audrey 18 months March 2011

Loves baths, especially bubble baths made even more exceptional with her favorite baby doll. March 2011

Our little helper April 2011

Rubbing her belly button, fell asleep holding her "coco", with her favorite blanket April 2011

She loves swimming with her Daddy May 2011

She seriously insists on vacuuming everyday. May 2011

Some of her favorite people eating her favorite fruit, watermelon! May 2011

Cute smile May 2011

Loves her Daddy May 2011

Potty training, learning to put on her own underwear, she always must do it herself! June 2011

Swinging at G&G Brinkerhoff's July 2011

Swinging at G&N Howcroft's July 2011

Always eating rocks August 2011

Happy, messy girl. August 2011

Determined to do what she sets her mind to. August 2011

Insists on dressing herself (even if both legs go in the same hole) August 2011

Taking care of 3 babies, bring on the triplets! August 2011

Our sweet Audrey. Curly hair, cheesy smile, her favorite baby, and her purple blanket. What's not to love?

The facts about our Audrey

2011-08-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Audrey Camilla Howcroft
Age 2

sings "happy to you" for birthdays
constantly walks backwards
is potty trained when she wants to be
loves a sippy cup of milk to fall asleep with
is a pro at defending herself against aggressors (her sister)
insists on climbing into the car seat, onto the stool, onto the toilet, up slides (aka doesn't ever need help, with anything (just ask her))).
if she is asked where something is and it is not immediately in her line of sight she replies "gone"
loves singing itsy bitsy spider, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, and doesn't a miss a chance to clap at If you're happy and you know it
insists on trying any food she see's and will eat most everything (but really loves candy and pop)
loves to dance and takes every chance to play ring around the rosies that she can get
is super good to help clean up toys. If she is asked to pick up it will be done. If she see's toys being cleaned up she joins in without being asked
LOVES clorox wipes with a passion, can easily empty a canister is minutes...using each one
loves to help cook, sweep, mop, vacuum, and any type of cleaning
LOVES her purple blanket, insists on sleeping with it always and hates giving it a "bath" every week
clothing of choice is nothing but a diaper and dozens of necklaces and bracelets
sleeps from 8 pm to 6 am taking a two hour nap during the day
loves swimming and is pretty good about floating on her own
loves making sure things are done the right way (her way of course)
loves to be outdoors
loves baby dolls, takes good care of them with blankets and bottles, carries them everywhere
when asked to show her happy face she points to her cheek with a straight face
loves the play kitchen and serves her family members wooden pizza in a cup with a spoon at least once daily
the busier she stays the happier she is
loves to color and draw (mostly on herself)
loves to help other people
loves babies, when she sees a baby in the store she says "cute baby, mommy"
screams bloody murder every chance she gets
doesn't mind being threatened with discipline, doesn't enjoy the actual discipline though
knows all of her colors but grey and yellow
knows circles, stars, and hearts; calls all other shapes circles
is loved insane amounts by her parents and sister

To my darling little Audrey

2011-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Audrey
My sweet baby girl, I can't believe you will be two in only a couple days! Back in January when I was writing on the calendar that you would be turning two in late August my heart sunk. Two seemed so far away and you already acted like you were two, the next 8 months were sure to be long and full of battles about who was actually in charge of our home. I wasn't exactly wrong, we had plenty of battles, but you have brought so much joy, so many smiles, and so much love that I would repeat those 8 months over and over if I had the chance.
32 months ago I was visiting with my sister Kristy on the phone when your Dad brought a pregnancy test home from the store. I had been feeling weird and well, pregnant so he ran to the store so we could "know for sure." I had to use the bathroom so badly that I just went ahead and took the test while on the phone with my sister. I was shocked to see a positive result. She was in the middle of a interesting story but I was so surprised that I made her stop mid sentence, but then I realized I should tell your Dad before I told my sisters so then I told her to continue on with her story, but of course my focus was completely shot. I was pregnant! Pregnant! With another sweet baby! We didn't have a job, oh no! Are we sure we are ready to have another baby? My thoughts were everywhere and poor Kristy got off the phone with me and thought I was rude, oops! Good thing sisters are understanding. I ran and told your dad it was positive. He was sitting at the computer doing homework and the smile he got on his face when I told him we were pregnant with you is one I will never forget. He was so unbelievably excited. He helped my worries and fears melt away. How could we be anything but excited when you were on your way to our family? We celebrated at our favorite restaurant and Kirk told the waitress our good news and we got free dessert. I had some spotting early in the pregnancy and my hcg levels kept dropping so I was so afraid we were going to lose you. I was so afraid you wouldn't be joining our family. Your father and I prayed and prayed that you would be born healthy and strong. Healthy and strong you definitely were! You were born screaming and haven't really stopped. Your lungs are perhaps a little too developed :).
During my pregnancy I felt the strength of your spirit multiple times. I remember specifically one night while I was praying I felt the strength of your spirit so strong. I know you have a very strong spirit. I know you have faith that will be able to move mountains, it is simply who you are. I feel so honored to be your mother. Another time I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stopped dead in my tracks because I felt so strongly that you are one of my closest friends. You and I were really close in the premortal life. I am so excited for you to become an adult, seriously I can't wait.
The day you were born I was a basket case of emotions. I was to the point that I wanted my body back and however that needed to happen make it happen. I was afraid of being the mother of two very young babies. I was so anxious to meet you, to hold you in my arms and see what you looked like. The hardest part about having a c-section is that it takes at least 30 minutes between the time that baby is born until the mother gets to hold her sweet baby. I watched while a dozen other people held and loved you longing for my turn. But my turn finally came in the recovery room. When I held you in my arms for the first time it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. It was seriously a piece of heaven in my room holding you. Feeling your huge spirit joining me on earth. I knew right then that there would be more children joining our family. I loved you so much. So very very much. It was one of the very happiest moments of my life.
I have always loved you so much. I think you are seriously one of the cutest people ever to come to earth. You make me so happy every day. You are so kind and thoughtful of other people. You are always going out of your way to help someone else, it is who you are. You do it without thinking. You are as smart as a whit and I am constantly astounded at the things you are saying, thinking, or remembering. You are such a tease and know just how to make us smile. With your bouncy curly hair and bossy attitude you are easily the cutest little girls to ever to turn two. And I am so excited that I get to be your mother celebrating your life with you.
Love,
Mom


Holding you for the first time

First Day of Preschool Fall of 2011

2011-08-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today was Kirsten's first day at her new preschool. It's at a new elementary school but still with the school district. She goes Mondays-Thursdays for 2 1/2 hours a day. She has been anxiously waiting for school since the day it ended in June. During the summer she would ask every few days "Kirsten school today?". The day we registered her for school I told her "Kirsten school today." She immediately ran upstairs, put on pants, and sat at her vanity and did her hair to get ready for school. Since then she has asked multiple times a day "Kirsten school today?" This morning when we woke up Kirk and I laid in bed talking about how we weren't ready for her to be in school yet, when she ran in to greet us. I excitedly told her "Kirsten goes to school TODAY!" To which she replied "Kirsten no school today," go figure. She finally agreed to go to school but only on the condition that she didn't have to wear anything but her underwear. What a girl!
We were busy beavers this morning getting her ready. I trimmed her hair and cut her bangs while Kirk made her favorite poppy seed muffins for breakfast (isn't he the best Dad?!). Then the girls and I loaded up and took her to school. She did great, got right in line with her class and was able to do her first day of preschool without tears from either of us.

First day of preschool August 29, 2011

Kirsten and her teacher Ms Hamilton

In line with her new class mates with Audrey looking on (and wanting to be in the picture)

Audrey happy to be the center of attention again now that Kirsten is in school :)

Looking pretty

2011-08-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we found this pink vanity at a yard sale for super cheap. We brought it home, cleaned it up, and put it in the playroom to be loved. At first the girls played with it some but mostly just enjoyed fighting over the stool. But lately Kirsten has started keeping a brush in her vanity set and will immediately head to the vanity to do her hair right after her bath. Oh she is so stinking cute, I love having daughters! One day Kirk and I caught her trying to do Audrey's hair for her too. Imagine the fun they will have when they discover there is such a thing as play makeup. There is so much to love about having two little girls in our home.

Missing Kirk tonight

2011-08-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

honeymoon back in 05

"Although I might not see him as often as I like,

he's still my first and last thought everyday and night."

I am not such a fan of Kirk traveling so much. Before each trip I think something like "oh it won't be so bad, the girls and I have a great routine down. It's only a couple days". But man alive I miss my man, ALOT! Being without a husband is two thumbs waaaay down. Plus being the only parent from 5:45 am to 8:30 pm is not so desirable.

On his mission Kirk met a couple who had not spent a night apart in the 15+ years they had been married. He really admired them and made a decision to be like that couple. I readily agreed because why would I want to be away from him? Easy decision. Our first night apart was 21 months after we were married. I went to girls camp, it was a huge decision for us to let me go. We were both miserable at the thoughts of not spending each night of our marriage together like we had hoped. Kirk stayed up playing Zelda all night because he refused to go to bed without me (we were so dramatic!)

These days one night apart doesn't seem so bad. Now we are happy when it's only a 3 night trip. Too bad the girls are to young to play Zelda, ha ha.

Anyway, I miss him terribly tonight. He comes home soon though, yay! We are so grateful he has a job he enjoys so much. He enjoys the different experiences (including the rental cars and being a "food critic"). I love that he makes the most of every trip, he works long into the night when he is away so he can spend more time with us when he is in town, and if circumstances permit he always goes to the temple.

I suppose when we were young we thought that never being apart would prove how much we loved each other. I thought making plans to stay in love would guarantee a perfect marriage for us. I couldn't have planned to love Kirk this much six years after our wedding day. How could I have when I didn't know love this strong existed? I love Kirk Tomson Howcroft with everything that I am. He is everything to me. I am so grateful I am the lucky girl who gets to be his wife.

Eternity might just not be long enough with my Howcroft man,

but I suppose it will have to do :)

Pj's and Dora (living life like a Cooper)

2011-08-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

We are becoming Coopers (the Coopers are my sisters family that we stayed with for two weeks in Vernal). We aren't changing our last names or anything drastic like that, my daughters are just acting like the Cooper girls. What makes their actions specifically like a Cooper girl you ask? They wear their pj's every chance they get, just like Abby and Allie do. If you know Cooper kids you know they only wear pjs at home, got to love kids who are smart enough to know how great pjs are! Kirst and Audrey got out of the bath this afternoon and immediately grabbed clean pjs and put them on, at 4:00 in the afternoon! From the pictures you can tell Audrey put on her own pjs because both legs are in one pant leg. Kirsten was ecstatic that her Dora nightgown was clean. She ran to me and said "Dora clean? Momma wash Dora, ya? Good job Mommy!" Too cute!
Also Dora? I'm not such a fan. It's the toddler show I was going to be proud to say my kids never watched. But staying at the Coopers Camille didn't miss the chance to introduce my girls to Dora. You should hear Audrey say Dora, it's soooo adorable! My girls were quickly addicted and Dora now haunts my dreams. It has to be the most repetitive show on earth. Everything is repeated at least three times. The plus side is I am involuntarily learning spanish. yay. Do your kids watch Dora? Do they respond to the questions Dora or Boots ask? That awkward silence after each question where I wonder if my kids are the only ones not responding to the tv. But mostly what I am trying to say is don't buy Audrey anything Dora for her birthday, as a personal favor to me. We already have too much Dora in this house as it is (the above nightgown is from Camille), thankyouverymuch!

Audrey's Photography skills

2011-08-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

New Hampshire

2011-08-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Alright, let me tell you about New Hampshire. What a beautiful place! Especially when i have a Dodge Charger to drive around. I figured i'd include a video to give you a feel of both!!!

But the only thing with that video is you don't get to appreciate the beauty of the car. so i'll include some pictures!!!

AND yes, you can be jealous!!!!Very Jealous!!!

In other news though, i felt the earthquake in Virginia clear up here. Interesting enough that is the first earthquake I've felt in my life. I FEEL DEPRIVED!!!

Oh, and i Swam 1 mile, sprinting half of it (meaning freestyle) biked 10 miles, and ran 5 miles. again sprinting at 10 mph for the last half mile!!!! I so wish i could have done the Half Iron Man this weekend! Not sure I was completely ready, especially cause it would have been at a higher altitude than I've been training at! Maybe Next Time!!!

Wonderful weekend at home

2011-08-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

We had a nice relaxing weekend at home. We ordered pizza and planned to go "camping" in the backyard, but it never really cooled down below 90 before the girls were in bed so we postponed it for a couple of months. Instead we put the girls to bed early and turned to netflix for a movie. Since I recently endured sitting through the whole Lord of the Rings Trilogy it was Kirk's turn to endure a chick flick. He liked "You Again" even less than I thought he would. We tried again with "The Little Black Book", but apparently any movie I choose simply has too much drama. What good is a chick flick without drama? :)
I had to wake up early Saturday to register Kirsten for a dance class and a gymnastics class at the community center for this fall. Waking up at 7 am on a Saturday was totally worth it because we are in! I'm SO excited!
We spent Saturday grocery shopping, napping, going to the gym, and (thanks to pinterest) painting our laundry room. I love the yellow horizontal stripes, I think our laundry room is now the cutest room in the house. We still need to do touch ups and put of some shelves, so I will post more pictures soon.

We decided to be more consistent with Audrey's potty training and she's doing great. She loves having her own potty chair. I think when we get back from Utah we will finally stick her in underwear for good then we can finally be diaper free, WAHOO!
Sunday we had Kirk's boss's family over for dinner. It was slightly more awkward than we thought it would be. Having a boss over isn't the same as having friends. Being appropriate is at another level. Either way we had good food and isn't that what really matters?
Now we are back to laundry and working, but only four more days until the next weekend :)

Bonnie Springs

2011-08-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I went to Bonnie Springs with a group from our ward. It is an old west/petting zoo by red rock. We had so much fun! It was such a fun way to start out the weekend.

The girls loved sitting on the train (that only runs on Saturdays, darn it) with their friends (polly pocket included!). And seeing all the animals at the petting zoo. They enjoyed looking at all the animals but were too "chicken" to touch the sheep, chickens, ponies, or pig. Bummer I imagine those could have been classic pictures!

They did however love touching the deer. It was so fun seeing a deer walking around just waiting to be touched and mauled by toddlers. Audrey touched the deer repeatedly but she was as quick as a flash every time and I just couldn't catch it on camera.

They both really loved the ducks and turtles

Audrey thought the buffalo fence looked like fun to climb

And insisted on climbing it no matter how many times I tried to talk her out of it

But she was really proud of herself being at the top of the fence while Kirsten sat in the stroller!

Yes we still live in Vegas, why do you ask?


Afterwards Layne and I treated the kiddo's to shakes at In N Out

Home Sweet Home

2011-08-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

We made it back to Vegas a week and a half ago. We spent Friday night at Riley and Crystal's house. It was a blast staying in their home, the girls loved playing with their cousins and were only slightly terrified of their cats. Chelsey and Cody met us in Salt Lake on Saturday and we shopped at Ikea, Tai Pan, Target, and DownEast. I LOVE shopping with Chelsey, she is so much fun (it also helps that Cody entertains Audrey ha ha). Audrey did great the last two weeks of the trip. She was great traveling and better behaved than she is at home. The last week we were gone Kirsten started missing home and her daddy badly, she became very whiney and needy.
But as of Saturday night that all changed. We picked Kirk up from the airport at 7. The girls and I were waiting at the bottom of the escalator when Kirk came down. The girls ran to him and he engulfed them in a huge hug. It was so wonderful to have him with us again. There is nothing better than hugging your spouse after a two week absence.

Even though Kirk had only been in Utah for less than an hour we decided to drive home to Vegas that night. After an hour on the road the girls both fell fast asleep and Kirk and I had a 5 hour drive to talk and catch on on life, it was pretty great to have so much one on one time together. We got home at wee hours of the morning. I had Kirk go in the house as soon as we pulled up to turn on the AC and see if our fish was alive after 3 weeks. All of the water had evaporated except a teeny tiny puddle that was just big enough for the fishes head and there he laid. Great thing about a beta fish? They are impossible to kill. That's right, he was alive! We slept until late in the morning. I guess a smoke dector ran out of batteries in the middle of the night and woke up Kirk and both girls, but I slept through it! The girls are delighted to be home. There is nothing as wonderful as being home together as a family. Kirk worked from home all but about 11 hours of last week. We had lots of daddy/husband time, which was exactly what the doctor had ordered. Especially since he will be traveling next week and all but one week next month (but hey, we are racking up hotel and airline points so I'm thinking Hawaii next year!).
We are so happy to be home again.

A few bonus pictures of us at the lake with the Coopers before we left Vernal

Farewell London, HELLO Beautiful Dynelle!!!

2011-08-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Although it has been a fun trip to London, full of adventures and dinners. I am glad that i have already checked into my flight and am headed home. When i checked in, i realized i'm one of THOSE travelers that the airline upgrades their seat because they fly enough that the airline cares.... Not sure i'm happy about that!

Now on the other side, it has been a really hard training class. Not the students mind you, but the students are expected to go out into the various parts of the world that they represented and be able to pitch the software that i just taught. The problem is I only had 2 weeks to teach them a product that takes at least 1 year to master. I just keep hoping it's enough (for their sakes)

Also, I am pretty sure i'm going to take a try at another blog, for myself. I discovered i have a nack... It does in fact have to do with dinners. And i thouroughly enjoy doing it.

If you have already heard the story i'm sorry. It all started when i was on a trip in Canada. I went out for dinner like normal. Dressed in my work clothes (business casual). I of course asked to be seated away from the bar, and was very quick to order the chef's special. Within minutes the entire atmosphere of the resaurant shifted gears. I got a new waitress, instead of a waitor that took my drink???? Within 10 minutes (really good timing for how busy the place wasy) i had the chef himself bring my plate. I could consider myself to have had 3 waitresses because they would all check on my meal every time they passed by. And about 15 minutes into my meal, the head waitress (i could tell because she had the head-phone w/ speaker jack on, and she was in a huge hurry) but she stopped and made sure everything was up to par.

In that moment I realized I was meant to be a Food Critique!!!! Because it's fun!!!!

Since then i have convinced the Cheesecake Factory in Chicago, and as of tonight the Urban Zing (Indian Restaurant)!

Both meals were very good. Although the Salmon Tikka was ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS!!! they Kabbab Shrimp, chicken, and various parts of a lamb. They also had a garlic flan, where it was real minced garlic. My mouth is still burning from that!!! The Shrimp was cooked really well but the lamb was a little overdone. And the chicken, thogh dry had an amazing flavor. So i would have to come back to the Salmon as well as the Crystal Glass Cup of coke and the salmon that made the dinner worth the time! Attached are some pictures!

The presentation was done really well, not the difference of the look of the food between this one and the indian restaurant the other night. Colors just worked here, and the food looked good, which is always a plus!

I do have to note that before and after dinner there were some fun sculptures to see around the shopping area that i wandered through.

Especially the waterway. Doesn't that look like a freakin awesome hotel to stay at????

And a Beautiful sunset, to remind me tomorrow i see my BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!

Goodbye London, 'til next time

Dear Dynelle

2011-08-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I missed you so much as well, Sorry i didn't blog yesterday. I just didn't feel like I had an interesting enough day. Well truth be told I was reading the Hobbit in the tub and fell asleep enough times i figured i should just get in bed. There i said it... now everyone can mock!!! :)

Today was pretty good. It was a long day. After I moped through breakfast cause i didn't get to talk to you cause my computer and phone didn't ring... I headed to work.... and arrived by 7:00..... And so i started doing triPods.... wishing i had something better to do with my life............... Through the day everything went very well. Today i decided there is no gain to this group of students to the test i normally give. They are trying to learn the material to give demonstrations off, they are taking it pretty seriously. Giving them an hour test only takes time out from their opportunity to learn. That and i'm pretty sure most of them are done learning, and were since Monday :).

So for entertainment today i tried something new....

Yes, you guessed it... Dark Chocolate Kit Kat!!!

It was as good as you would expect...

And so my day continued at the same rate it began, slowly moving toward when i could be home and talk to you again. The cabbie that picked me up from work was the same cabbie who bailed on me last thursday and had a million excuses!!!! He in the end offered to continue to pick me up morning and night as needed until I leave (two days). Tonight i continued my rampage to complete all the triPods i have recorded in a week and am just finishing as of 9:00.

So not too bad...14 hrs of work to keep my mind occupied until i can see you again. Saturday, here i come!!!

Can't wait!!!!

2011-08-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Kirk

I missed you terribly today. I am very ready to have you in the same country with me. Perhaps even the same state, city, or house? Please? 4 days and you will be all mine!

So, you didn't blog today? I didn't get to talk with you near enough today and was really looking forward to reading your blog. Sigh!

We had a fun day though. The girls were up early, of course. And to spare the Coopers I took the girls on a drive this morning. We drove around Maeser looking at cows, horses, and sheep. We ended up at the city park and I let the girls play to their hearts content. It was so nice to let them play I think I just might do it again tomorrow.

After breakfast, clean up, and naps we headed up to Paradise. I didn't prepare for a car ride with Audrey so it was...well a car ride with Audrey. The girl just really hates to be confined. Kirsten fell asleep on the way up there and got a much needed nap. We arrived at Paradise just in time for lunch. Camille made a delicious lunch that the girls didn't take a bite of, well Audrey took one bite and spit it back out. It was awesome to be up in the mountains. It was so so so beautiful. It was so green. The lake was very full and gorgeous! I really want to take you back there with me. Remember the time we went while we were engaged and walked around the entire lake with Garrett? And he was goofing off and lost his shoes? There is a lot more water this year! Audrey was totally in her element. She was delighted every second we were there. We went on walks through trees and over rocks. They picked flowers and blew dandelions. It was the perfect day. Kirsten loved swimming in the lake. The weather was so nice I couldn't help but strip them down and let them swim. It was a perfect day. And I missed you so much.

Kirsten, Audrey, and I fell asleep on the way home. It was awesome. We came home and ate dinner then I bathed the girls and put them to bed by 6:30. It was wishful thinking. I just barely got them to bed at 9:15. But I made chocolate chip cookies and my mom came over and everyone had smiles on their faces all evening.

I love you.

I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Playing at the park at 7 am

Cleaning her feet with wipes in order to stay happy in the car

Pretending to eat lunch

Your girls

Eating rocks, don't act like you are surprised

Paradise was so beautiful and very peaceful

Throwing rocks

Our sweet daughters

Love the sneaker look?

4ish days and counting!

2011-08-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Kirk
For the record I like the way your deodorant smells.
We had a good day today. It started very early with Audrey wetting the bed. We did laundry, watched the ipad, organized our room, had breakfast, and jumped on the trampoline all before the Coopers woke up.
Camille and I went walking, it is alway entertaining when we have four girls accompany us. It rained a lot last night so it was nice and cool. I'm really going to miss this weather when we get back to Vegas.
Our jewelry kits arrived Saturday so Kristy came over and we spent most of the afternoon making our necklace dangles. They are really cute, you are going to have to take me out at least four times so I can have somewhere fun to wear my new jewelry.
This evening we went up to Remember the Main. I can't help but think of you repelling down the face of it every time I go there. I think one of my favorite memories was one of the times you repelled down and I ran down to Remember the Main from my house and waited for you. Those were such fun times. You would have had fun with us tonight too. The girls had a blast playing on the park. Although both girls have had the runs today, Kirsten at the park. I had to put a pull up on her because she didn't quite make it to the toilet in time one time and she was very excited. She said "oh thank you mommy, princess!" I was worried it might set her potty training success back, but it didn't. She was excited to change back into underwear before bed AND had stayed dry. Score!
After Remember the Main we stopped by my parents house. The girls played on the swings, with the train, ran away from the dog, and ate licorice. It was a wonderful evening. The girls were exhausted by the time I put them to bed and were almost asleep before I could leave the room.
We all miss you. We are ready to have you home.
I love you, so very much.
I hope you have a wonderful day.

Love,

Dynelle

jumping on the tramp

breakfast with Abigail!

Camille showing off the jewelry she made

Letting Aurora swim in the water spout at Remember the Main

Longday...

2011-08-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

This morning my day was well defined by the guy who booked my cabbie. He explained to me as soon I showed up, "It's going to be a LONG day huh?!" He then clarified that instead of the usual name for the first day after Sunday (it being Monday for those who weren't sure) should be "Longday." We should just rename it so we know what to expect :). I laughed about that all day!

Today I realized every teachers worse nightmare. The day when you go to class and one of your students gives you Deodorant is never a good sign. The funny thing is, i swear i have worn deodorant every day. And after a day of analyzing this i determined that he must have smelled my breath (although he says he gave it to me because he knew i would like the brand that can only be bought here...) because i'm so much more likely to forget to brush my teeth than forget deodorant??? I really swear i haven't missed deodorant in years!!!!!

Another student decided that i needed a new marker so brought one from his personal stash, so i would just give up on the existing markers and throw them away. It worked

And finally I came home to my laundry done by the hotel (which i had asked them to do) but with my socks packaged like i just bought brand new socks. I even put one pair on to see if they FELT like new socks.

And now i am wrapping up my day producing triPods of the recordings i have been making for my students for when i'm back home in Dynelle's arms, they will not call me back!!!

Good Night!!!

Weekend in Vernal

2011-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Kirk

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It's been a busy fun filled weekend. I loved your pictures of the London temple. I'm so jealous you got to go, and think it's neat you made the journey. I am proud to be married to you. I love you so very much.

Yesterday I woke up as a mother of six. The kids were good but after breakfast everyone started to go stir crazy. We made some "Dynelle" cookies and went up to my moms. (Six kids is super fun, but if we have that many I definitely need to have a better game plan). Riley, Garrett, and all of Riley's boys were in Vernal for the day to "get wood" which means they spent half the day looking for fossils. My mom made a scrumptious lunch then Riley and Garrett took off and my mom and I had 9 kids 9 and under. It was very busy and chaotic but so much fun. The kids had a blast playing together. They swam, watched cars, did crafts, played on the swings, and ate lots of goodies from Grandma. Camille and Justin showed up in the late afternoon. We really enjoyed plenty of visiting time and stayed until 10:30! Way to late for the girls.

Church was awful today. I already told you all about all the drama on the phone. Lets just agree that Kirsten needs her sleep, badly. After 30 minutes of screaming we left sacrament meeting, came home, and put her to bed. The best part is that Audrey sat on Camille's lap and thought she was the coolest person ever. She has taken a serious liking to Camille. She is way too well behaved for her aunt Camille. We all took naps this afternoon, thanks goodness! We spent the evening at your parents house with most of your siblings, your mom, and Paulette, Frank Sr, and Frank Jr. It was good to see everyone and the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

I am super exhausted, sorry this is not very entertaining.

You don't have kids keeping you busy you have no excuse to not blog daily, fyi.

I love you.

See you in 5ish days.

Love,

Dynelle

Sweet baby Eliza

Swimming with cousins at Grandmas

Swimming cousins, Isaac, Kirsten, Jack, Abigail

William and Kirsten drinking the water from the slip n slide

Watching Cars with her cousins

Cheese for Daddy

Ice cream at Grandma's, yummy!

She loved putting her hands in the mold and thought it was pretty cool to have her hands where her dad's where. She's the same age as you were when you did the hand print

Kassandra, Brixton, Hawk, Kirsten, Audrey, Ben

This crazy girl loved the tree house and booked it up there every chance she got

Happy to be at Nana's

Cheese!

Loving Nana's backyard, especially the tractor tire swing.

London Temple Adventure!!!

2011-07-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

This was my quest today. Make it to the temple. My hopes was to see London at the same time....

View Larger Map

My first disapointment was the second half of this map. The trip down to the temple was to take 2 hrs and 14 minutes. With 45 minutes of that as a walk from the Gatwick airport. I decided i could probably catch a cab to save me time but was definately no looking forward to the long trip down there on a city bus.

Trying to get the Courage to ford the busses, i decided there were so many stories of the saints who spend days on end to get to the Temple. I figured i could try to fit their story. I set out about 9:30 this morning to the bus stop. Of course within minutes of getting on the freeway, TRAFFIC. And the trip to the temple took almost 2 hrs instead of the 1 hr to the Gatwick airport.

I then caught a cab and cruized over to the temple as quickly as I could. The Cabbie and i talked about religion. He was very courious what made the Mormon Church different from the rest of the Christian Church. I told him it was similar to his story of Mohammad came to reform the Muslim church, Joseph Smith was a Prophet sent to restore the church again. He gave me some good insights as well into the Muslim beliefs, definetly facsinating!!! I hurried into the temple, stubling the whole way it seemed. I went the complete wrong direct more than one time in the temple and was told to go back exactly how I came and Pick the opposite door than i happened to pick :(. I'm not good and 50-50 options i guess.

Oh, but when i got outside to look at the temple and enjoy the grounds.....WOW, it was beautifl. I don't think these pictures do it justice either. Not only was the building amazing, but the grounds were HUGE!!! I don't think i saw the other end to the property, i just looked at the winding path disapear off into the wooded horizon.

Instead i focused my eyes on the beautiful scenery that was around. If you open the bottom left picture you can see swans sleeping under the red flowers... There were building on the north side of the temple that seemed to house the saints in the old days. I couldn't find anyone to give me the history so i'm completely guessing :)

And then as the time came near to go catch my scheduled Cab ride back to the airport i sat in the lounge for a few minutes before i decided i had been sitting way too long today and went outside to look at more flowers. These flowers (i have no idea what they are called) had an amazing feel to them. The pink ones felt almost like silk, the red ones felt more like a velvet. and there were orange ones that felt like both... Don't worry Dynelle, i put some in some paper to bring home to you. Like you would see in those old movies. Hopefully it does the texture justice...

This was just some beautiful schenes as i continues to wait for my late cab driver...

I eventually wandered and found this beautiful painting, i hadn't seen this picture before so i decided to capture it. I really liked it! I then found their vending machine and was tramatized by the fact that i did not have 85p to buy the Dandelion & Burdock soda they had listed. That just had to be good. I remember eating dandelions as a Kid!!!

Notice as i was trying to be excited i could ride the buss again, i somehow managed to muster up the energy to climb on the bus, get out of the bus stop and sleep until i made it back to the Central Bus Station to transfer and come back to the Marriott, Where i still miss my wife and children.

But all in all. This was a good trip. Even though it took me about 10 hrs total to get there and back, it was worth it because i found my ticket to $1 Million. I decided i was going to create a one handed keyboard :).

But then i found this http://half-qwerty.com/demo/..... Luckily i know why his fails and mine will succeed!!!

Dynelle, I LOVE YOU!!!!

Day 6 in Vernal

2011-07-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Kirk
Hi honey. I miss you, a lot. This week has flown by, we have had so much fun in Vernal. But the girls and I miss you terribly.
Camille kept me up until 1:30 last night so when Audrey woke up at 5:30 it was much to early. The girls were still tired and Kirsten fell back asleep. Audrey wasn't satisfied until she was lying on my chest like she did in the studio apartment. She is much bigger now so I wasn't able to get anymore sleep, but it was awesome to snuggle her little body so closely to mine.
The girls and I took quick showers and headed to the store to get supplies for the tea party at my mom's house today. Abigail helped me with all of the food preparation. We made chicken salad sandwiches with fruit and vegetable cups. It was so cute and fun to be with everyone. Kirsten had a fever during the first half of the party, which was no fun but the medication finally kicked in and she was able to eat and swim, yay! My mom took a bunch of great pictures and I will have to post them later.
We spent the day at my parents house. Their backyard is one of my very favorite places ever. I always seem to be having a good time back there (now that I don't have to hang batches and batches of laundry out) :). We visited and the kids played their little hearts out. Audrey is so very happy here. Whether you like it or not she is a Vernal girl. She is much happier here than Vegas. The girl needs more grass and less artificial turf in her life.
Justin came and picked Camille up for a overnight trip in Grand Junction. I offered to watch their 4 kids so they could escape. Being a mother of 6 would be super challenging but Camille's kids are the sweetest most helpful kids ever. Plus my mom let me take a nap while Kirst, Audrey, and Eliza slept. Can you see why I love being home so much?
As soon as Audrey woke up she was searching for Grandpa, when she found him she gave him a big hug and a kiss and went on her way. So cute. He spent a good 20 minutes pushing our girls in the airplane swing. He is such an excellent Grandpa! Our girls will have no problem hanging out with my parents for a couple of days while we escape for our anniversary.
The girls were as charming and as cute as ever to put to bed tonight. Audrey loves to talk about you being on an airplane and at work. They miss you so much. I think especially about bed time. They request the princess song every night, and love the "day" part where we talk about their day.
We miss you terribly. I hope you have a wonderful day in London seeing a few sights and I'm praying you can make it to the temple like you want.
I love you
and will forever
Dynelle

Allie and Abby swimming

silly smiles

Grandpa pushing Audrey

Backyard fun

Love this place.

How can you stand to be away from this sweet face?!

Playing with Chelsey's old polly pockets

Eliza Jayne

Audrey loving that Grandma let her play with the hose