Kaitlyn is NINE! (and a half)

1. What is your favorite color? pink, turquoise
2. What is your favorite toy? LPS' (Littlest PetShops) 
3. What is your favorite fruit? Apricots
4. What is your favorite tv show? LPS videos
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac and Cheese
6. What is your favorite snack? Fiber One Fruit Snacks
7. What is your favorite game? Minecraft
8. What is your favorite animal? Dolphin
9. What is your favorite song? All songs 
10. What is your favorite book? Magic Puppy
11. Who is your best friend? Presly,Mallory,Alyssa
12. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Flakes
13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Look for animals
14. What is your favorite drink? Root beer 
15. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas!
16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Nothing
17. Whats your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes and Bacon
18. What do you want for your birthday dinner? Cake and Candy
19. What is your favorite type of cake? Chocolate
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A vet or a Stray Animal Finder
21. What is your favorite movie? 

Sarah is Four

Sarah is Four! She loves chocolate, My Little Pony, riding her red flyer bike, playing dress-ups, putting on make-up, dancing around the house in my heels, has a sensitive personality, is very sweet, tells you that she loves you and gives you compliments randomly throughout the day, would prefer eating ice cream for every meal, enjoys (for the most part) playing with Kaitlyn, is a great big sister to Emily, loves to jump on the trampoline, loves to swim, would prefer to run around the house naked, her favorite friend is Bentley, a good listener, loves her Sunbeam class, likes to help cook, very excited to start preschool, can be shy, wants to be like Kaitlyn and play soccer.

I love my little girls.

Kaitlyn's 8 Year Interview

I had asked Kaitlyn these questions in December when she turned eight, but for some reason I never posted it. 

1. What is your favorite color? Light Blue and Pink
2. What is your favorite toy? LPS' (Littlest PetShops) 
3. What is your favorite fruit? Apples
4. What is your favorite tv show? LPS Youtube videos
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? The pancakes at school
6. What is your favorite snack? Fiber One Bars
7. What is your favorite game? LPS Monopoly 
8. What is your favorite animal? Dolphin
9. What is your favorite song? "Do you want to build a snowman" - Frozen
10. What is your favorite book? Goosebumps
11. Who is your best friend? Big Caitlin, Peyton, Presly, Sophi
12. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios (Lucky Charms on St. Patrick's Day)
13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike
14. What is your favorite drink? Soda - Root Beer 
15. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Nothing
17. Whats your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Bacon and Pancakes
18. What do you want for your birthday dinner? Cake
19. What is your favorite type of cake? Chocolate Cake with Mint Icecream
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Vet and Scientist 
21. What is your favorite movie? Frozen

Emme is ONE!

Emme,

How can you already be ONE? I can remember the day you were born like yesterday. This past year you have been such a joy. In the beginning it was a little rocky. You had a hard time sleeping which made the days long and tiring. Took me a while to adjust having to take care of you and your two sisters. 

You still only have two bottom teeth

You have a dent in your forehead. Kaitlyn was laying down and you were sitting on her tummy. You stood up, lost your balance and smacked your head right in the corner of Kaitlyn's window seat in her room. I thought it was getting better until I saw these pictures I took of you. Hopefully it's not permanent damage. 

You enjoy carrying plastic play forks in your hand. I have no idea why. You have even held one in your hand while you were trying to eat. Your death grip on it wouldn't let me have it. If I take it away, you have major tantrums.  

Speaking of tantrums, you know what you want. 

You love stuffed animals. You love to lay on them and snuggle them.

When you do cuddle on someone's shoulder, you sometimes like to pat them on the shoulder. You do the same thing when you are holding a stuffed animal. 

You want to be wherever your sisters are at. 

You had your real first taste of sugar on your birthday, which was a chocolate cupcake. As it would crumble on your tray, you would try to grab them all to make a ball and shove it all in your mouth. 

So far you have been easy going to take places. You like to observe and soak in your surroundings. 

You still stick everything you find on the carpet in your mouth. Mainly all the little, tiny toys your sisters leave around. 

You definitely are going to be a music/dance lover like your sisters.

You love your naps. So do I. 

We finally had to put locks on the kitchen cupboards because you love to re-arrange everything you find and put everything in your mouth. (Dish soap. Dishwasher detergent).

You're very ticklish! We love tickling you because you have the cutest laugh. 

Today you look 15 steps in a row and tried whole milk in a sippy cup. 

We love you so, so much! We just ask that time will slow down because you're getting big way too fast! 

On the girls birthday, they always get a bouquet of flowers. 

Spring

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring in Boise. One day it's sunny, the next it's raining! 

Emme at Ten and Eleven Months

Emme, 

You'll be ONE in 11 days! 

The past month and half you have gotten 2 full bottom teeth! That's it. You only have two teeth. Currently you have a cough, cold and fever. Not sure if you got your sisters bug or if you're teething. 

You are full of smiles.

You like to play with Sarah's My Little Ponies, but she doesn't. She'll take it away from you and you're not happy. 

You're a busy body! You enjoy getting into the kitchen cupboards and re-arrange everything.

You love to unroll the toilet paper. (and eat it too!) 

You're starting to stand on your own. You started to do this last week. You are so proud of yourself and sometimes enjoy clapping at your accomplishment.

You raise both arms when we say, "so big!"

You like to say, "up" even though I don't think you know what it means. I love it when you say it because your little bottom lip puffs out.

You love to give kisses by having your mouth wide up and slobbering all over our cheeks. 

You like to mimic - For example, clicking your tongue. 

If we blow in your face, you try to blow back. 

You're easy going.

You still like your two naps.

For some reason you have fallen in love with Kaitlyn's pink Care Bear stuffed animal. You love to snuggle it and lay your head on its belly. 

You love music and dancing. 

We love you!!

80's Day at Boot Camp

On February 3rd I started a 90-day challenge at boot camp. One week each day was a different theme. One of the days was 80's day. It was fun to dress up with friends! 

She got Glasses

December 31st, Kaitlyn got glasses. 

Kaitlyn's Eighth Birthday Party

'

In January, Kaitlyn spent her 8th birthday party bowling at Boise State. Some of the friends she invited were: Peyton, Ava, Presly, and Tylee. Some others couldn't make it. It was also Sarah's first time bowling! 

Kaitlyn Got Baptized

On January 25th, Kaitlyn got baptized! It was a special day. It was small and simple.  There was also another little girl getting baptized. My parents flew up from Southern California to be here for the big day. 

My dad said the opening prayer and Ryans mom spoke on the Holy Ghost. The other little girls grandma spoke on Baptism. 

We had wonderful friends who came and supported  Kaitlyn. Lori who is a dear high school friend of Ryan's who isn't a member, The Brauns (Nydia, Presly and Presly's cousin and Kaitlyn's friendAva), The whole Smith family, Shane and Kimmie, The Christensens, Bishop Mathews, Bishop Sotto, of course someone from the Primary Presidency who had kind words to say afterwards. 

Those who stood in the confirmation circle: My dad, Ryans dad, Bishop Sotto, Bishop Mathews, President Christensen.

After Kaitlyn got baptized, I went in and helped her out of the font. As she was getting out she had to stop and go back because she wanted to swim out. Silly. 

When she got out of the water she told me that she got water up her nose and her throat was hurting her. To distract her from that I asked her how she felt and she said, "I feel the same, but I feel good. I can't explain it." I told her when I got baptized, I remember having a good feeling and it was a feeling that I couldn't describe. I still remember that feeling, and I still can't describe it. 

That evening we just had family at our home for dinner. Kaitlyn got a few gifts: a journal, a CTR ring, a set of new scriptures, The Holy Ghost feels like a Blanket book, also a journal full of Kaitlyns aunts and grandparents stories of when they got baptized. 

Kaitlyn, the day of your baptism you were as excited (hyper) as can be!  You were also so excited to get your new pair of scriptures. You wanted to start reading them right away and to start highlighting all of the important scriptures that meant something to you. 

We love you Kaitlyn and we are so proud of you. We hope you always remember this special day and that good feeling you had. 

Emme at Nine Months

You're almost 10 months and it seems like you're learning new things every week. 

You're officially crawling.

Last week (Jan 23rd) you started to lift yourself up by holding on and standing. 

Then on Monday of this week, you crawled up the stairs without me looking! 

Also this week, we noticed that you're cutting your first tooth. 

You're pretty much sleeping through the night.

You still take great naps! 

Love to laugh. If someone else is laughing, you like to copy them.

You rock your body to music. You even put your arms up sometimes. 

You say "da-da" and "ma-ma".

You're a human vacuum, you put everything in your mouth. 

You love it when I vacuum, which makes it difficult to vacuum. You like to crawl after it. For some reason it really intrigues you. 

You have yet to spit out food that you don't like. If you don't like something, you move it around in the front of your mouth then just end up swallowing it. 

You love bath time!

Still have blue eyes.

I just love kissing your cheeks. They are so soft and squish-able. 

You're such a joy!

We love you!!

A California Thanksgiving

Emily celebrated her first Thanksgiving in California. We were in CA for 10 days and it went by way too fast. Kaitlyn and Sarah had a fun time playing with her cousins. Michael and Rachel were in Utah for Thanksgiving so we only saw them the last few days we were there. 

Some of the thing we did:

-Saw Frozen with cousins

-Mormon Battalion and walking around old town San Diego

-Kaitlyn going to jiu jitsu with her cousin Jack

-Legoland and aquarium (and not paying full price)

-My mom and I were able to go (without kids) shopping at the mall and to Lucielle's BBQ  for lunch

-Black Friday shopping at Wal-mart with my sister-in-law, Dawn

-The girls got to spend lots of play with cousins

-Seeing Christmas lights

-Early Christmas exchange the cousins

-Spending time with my Grandpa (he'll be 89 on January 12th)

-All three kids started to get sick a few days before we headed back to Boise. Kaitlyn got mouth sores. Then a week or so later got sick. Sarah got mouth sores with a fever and took a long time to recover.