Kenzie's love affair with her bike helmet

The girls have been riding their bikes around a lot, and so I pulled out their bike helments, mainly for Aby who is very fast on her scooter, and has fallen down more than a few times while learning how to ride it. We actually got the helmets last year, but the girls wouldn't really have anything to do with them. This year as you can tell Kenzie has fallen in love with hers. She will go and get it just to put it on. She even wanted to wear it to bed one night. I had to talk her into putting it next to her pillow and holding it like a doll. Needless to say she loves her helmet, and is really cute in it.
Here she is with a makeshift backpack on and her helmet ready to go and do whatever she can.

This picture is one of my favorites she put her helmet on backwards, and is showing me how good she is at putting it on.

Kenze wanted to show Brooklyn her helmet. I think that Brooklyn was very impressed with the helemt.

Aby is learning to use the camera

Recently Aby has taken an intense likeing to using the camera. (So much so that I have had to put it up where she cannot get to it.) She loves to take pictures of anything, she will set up her dolls and toys, and take multiple pictures of them (thank goodness for digital cameras, so that I can delete them and not have to pay for the film to be developed.) She will also take pictures of Brooklyn and Kenzie. While most of the pictures she takes are blurry or just leave you wondering what she was trying to take a photo of, she did have some really great shots of Kenzie and Brooklyn. I hope that you can enjoy them.

Super Sluthes

The summer theme this summer at the Library is Super Sluth Detective Readers. They had these really cute hats and disguises for the kids to wear to help them be "book detectives." Aby and Kenze loved the glasses and hats, and mustaches that they could put on. I am pretty sure that they will not get very far with the big kid books, but they love to read picture books with Mom and Dad.

I think Kenzie figured out that they are looking just a little bit stange, she started to laugh at Aby. I am so glad that my kids love to read!

lessons from a 4 year old

This past while I have been amazed at my sweet Abygail. I am going to tell you some of the funny things that she does as well as some of the spiritual things that she does.

A few weeks ago I had put Aby to bed, and then went back downstairs to talk to Ryan and work on some other things, a while later I here Aby calling and asking me to come and sing her some songs. I had already sung to her, but agreed to sing three songs. She thought about the first song and choose, Teach me to walk in the light. When I finihsed that song she said.."for the second song I want the manger song (away in a manger). When I finished with that song Aby said... "mom for the last song I want the Joseph Smith song and you don't know it so you can go away now." Then she started to sing, and I had been dismissed.

This past few weeks Aby in primary has been learning the song "I'm trying to be like Jesus," and has taken it on as her personal motto, each night she prays that she can be like Jesus, mom, and dad. (I am not sure that we have a right to be in the same company.)

I got really sick this past week, and Aby has been my big helper. I was sick enough, that I called my mom and spent a few days up at her house because I didn't have the strenght to take care of my kids. On one of these mornings, Aby bless her heart, knew that I didn't have the strenght to get her and Mckenzie breakfast, so she got out the cereal poured it in bowl, got the milk out and poured it on the cereal took them to the table, got Mckezie up and eating, and then she put some bread in the toaster, and when it was done she brought the toast to me in bed. She told me that She had gotten breakfast ready for her and Kenzie, and that I could sleep. I was so proud of her and at the same time felt like the worst mother on earth becasue I couldn't take care of my own kids. I am so grateful that Aby is striving so hard to be the best possible person that she can be.

Best friends/and Brooklyn

These are the latest shots of Brooklyn, she is getting to be so big. We love her so much, and are glad that she is in our family. She is smiling at her sisters and her mom and dad all the time, and thinks that she should be sitting up and walking around. She is starting to grab for some of the toys and pull Aby's hair, what baby doesn't want a fistfull of her hair.

I had to take a picuture of the three of them, it was the only way that Aby and Kenzie would let me get any pictures of only Brooklyn. They love her so much.

Brooklyn's Blessing

Our sweet Brooklyn Anne was blessed by her father on June 3, 2007. In attendance were the family that could make it. We are so grateful for the support and love of those who were able to attend, and those who sent their prayers because they were unable to attend. The blessing was very beautiful, and left me knowing that I will have a lot to learn from Brooklyn as she grows up. She was blessed to have "eyes to see those who are in need and hands to help those who need help." Among other things. After church we came home and had everyone come over for a lunch of BBQ beef, and salads. Thank you to everyone who helped prepare and bring food.
Here are the proud parents and the beautiful little girl. (she is wearing the same dress that Aby was blessed in, and I am pretty sure that Brynn and Kambrie were blessed in it also.)

Bryn and keznie enjoy some time outside playing on the swings.

Ryan and his mom talk and enjoy the day.

Aby's Play group

This past fall and winter 0ur ward got together and decided to do a play group with all of the kids that were Aby's age (that would go to school with Aby) In total there are 13 kids in our ward alone that will all attend the same kindergarten. (yes, you did read the number right!) Some of the moms opted out, and we ended up with a group number of 9 kids participating. This turned out to be great! The kids would rotate houses that they played at each Monday, and I don't think that there was ever a major problem. I know that I never had one, the kids would play together perfectly. Sometimes it was really weird because you would expect some fights, but they never came.

These are pictures of the last day that we will have it until school starts again in the fall. It fell that it would be at my house, so what else could we do but swim, and jump on the trampoline. The kids had a great time, and we loved having them play. Aby still asks about her playgoup friends, and so I am going to have some of the kids come over and play. I do want to tell one funny story. I am know as the popcorn treat lady, to all of the kids. (not for the reason that you think though.) One of the other times that we had play group over here I decided to pop some popcorn and read a couple of stories to the kids. I didn't have any microwave popcorn, so I pulled out my hot air popper and kernals. I was amazed all of the sudden there were nine little kids all trying to see what I was doing. When I told them they didn't believe me. One boy said, "you can only make popcorn in the mircowave." Needless to say we proved that wrong, and the kids were fascinated by the process. I didn't think much of it until at this last playgroup one of the boys came inside and said "can you make some popcorn for us to eat?" I said sure and grabbed out a bag of microwave popcorn, but before I could open it he looked at me and said "no I want the blower popcorn again." I laughed but got out the blower, and before I had it set up all of the wet kids were pushing chairs, and climbing on the counter to watch the popcorn appear! (never underestimate the old way of doing things.)
Here all the kids are in the swimming pool while it filled up.

At the end we got one last group shot. I had made each of the kids a picture frame with a group shot from another time, but it was missing the twins, and they were devistated to not be in the picture so we retook the photo so that I could give them a new picture.

top row: Sean, Keshea, Aby, Brooke, Kira, Dalin

Bottom row: Colby, Parry, Daniel