Gymnastics

Just look at that face....

Well, today was the last day of gymnastics for the season. It has been a lot of fun...and a lot of chasing! Marlee always gets SO excited for "eunastics". She gets there and just acts like she's on speed...so much to do, so little time. Anyway, it is her second season being in a class with Reese and Hallie, two of her best buddies that will both be leaving Vermillion this summer. They always have so much fun together and they are all so dang cute! Here are some pics of her in class today.

Marlee and Hallie Stretching

Hallie, Reese and Marlee

The Un-even bars

Does that look like it should hurt to anyone else?

Flying into the foam pit

With one of her teachers

Amen!!!

I got this in an email, and then have seen it again since, I just wanted to post it again for anyone who might have questions. I am so SICK of the LDS ("Mormon") church being associated with this sicko....
So.....For those of you who have been watching the news and may have wondered....
Some Mormon women sing...

Some Mormon women dance...

Some Mormon women write scary stories...

Some Mormon women have lots of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon women.
They do all kinds of different things and live all different kinds of lives.

This woman served as a leader in the Mormon church. She recently spoke to teenage girls worldwide. She encouraged them to stand up to peer pressure, strengthen their families and serve others. (Click here for more.)
None of the Mormon women I know look like this...

None of them are marrying off their teenage daughters and-- although some may joke about wanting a sister-wife (preferably one who is really fat & ugly, does bathrooms and changes diapers)--none of them really want to share their husband with anyone.
Furthermore...
Some Mormon guys can throw a ball...

Some Mormon guys yell at the ball...

Some Mormon guys make crazy movies...

Some Mormon guys have a lot of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon guys. They do all kinds of different things and live all kinds of different lives.

This is one of the leaders of the Mormon church. Last Sunday he spoke about honoring women, especially mothers, and gave advice to husbands and children about how to treat the women in their lives. (For the whole story, click here.)
None of the Mormon men I know look like this...

The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don't cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME....the last thing any of them want is another wife.

FINALLY, Some Nice Weather!

This week we have had a couple of REALLY nice days...well, for here in South Dakota anyways! A couple of days have been like 70 degrees and with barely any wind!!!! That in itself is a miracle. The one thing I hate about SD is the WIND. Anyway, we all met up at the park today and let the kids run wild! It was just what we needed! It was kinda crazy to take Marlee back to that same park and see how she has changed. She is so much bigger now and was playing on the big kids playground. Here are a few picks from our big day out!
Me and Kenna soakin' up the sun!

She climbed half way up the rock wall and freaked!

Mar, Ava and Lily on the tire swing

I Got Sunshine, On A Cloudy Day

You know those days where you just feel like a bad mom?? Well, yesterday was was one of them! Marlee was sick and I had to take her into the doctor. She has bronchitis. After her appointment we went over to the hospital to get Makenna's blood drawn for the milk allergy test. It sounded a whole lot easier than it turned out to be. We went down to the lab and they told me they wouldn't be able to do a finger prick, they needed more blood, so they were actually gonna have to draw blood from her arm. Of course, Collin is at school, so I am there alone with both girls. Anyway, they can't find a good vein there cause she's too chubby, so they had to take her back into a room and lay her down to feel around. They first lady stuck her (with what seemed like a HUGE needle for her tiny arm) she missed it and had to go fishing around and re-adjusting to try to find the vein. After trying, she took it out and had another lady come try. She did the same thing and didn't get it either!!! That's 2! So, they called the nurse anesthetist in, he tried in her hand (makes 3!), fished around but again couldn't find it! After that they finally tried down in her ankle (4th time's a charm!)and had to insert a little catheter and let the blood drip out into the syringe. It took like 10 minutes!! They had 3 of them in there holding her down while they did it. Needless to say, I was holding Marlee who was in tears screaming "they're hurting baby sister...I wanna hold her!" and I was tearing up myself. They got done and within 2 minutes she was her calm self and smiling the rest of the day. She really is my SUNSHINE! What a little trooper! I decided to take pictures of her "battle wounds", her foot is actually bruising up today.... Poor baby!

I Smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Reese was Marlee's first real friend out here in Vermillion. They have had 2 years to play together and are best buddies. They are SO much alike. They both are princess obsessed, they love to paint nails, dance and sing, they both have attitude like nobodies business, and they are both cute as a button. It has been so fun to watch them grow and learn together.

They were models for a project that Jordan (our amazing photographer) was working on this week, and she was sweet enough to give us a few pics of the two of them together(above)! I am so glad we got some current ones before they go!

Below is a look back at the last 2 years with out little "Princesses".

We'll miss you Reesie!Hopefully you two peas in a pod will be able to stay connected even so far away!

Three and a Half Months

My (littlest)Angel
I have realized since I got back from Spring Break that I haven't been taking as many pictures of the baby as I was before. Things get so chaotic coming back from a trip, and getting everything unpacked and back to "normal". Today was kind of a hectic day fighting with people on the phone and what not....it really made me realize what a sweet ANGEL of a baby I have. My little Kenna is such a blessing in our home. She is always so mild mannered and has the sweetest little personality ever. She hardly ever cries and when she is making noise it is usually just her talking herself to sleep. It is the CUTEST thing ever (my friends out here can vouch for me, they have heard my little chatty Kathy). I can not believe she is already 3 1/2 months old. I am SO thankful for her tender spirit in our house, and I can not imagine life without her. Love you Kenna!

Below are pictures of the two girls again wearing the same outfit (which was mine from when I was a baby!). Obviously the camera, and photographer have gotten better the last 2 1/2 years! Oh, and Kenna is obviously a little older in her picture...does that even look like Marlee?? Maybe I got someone else's kid in my outfit...

Bubble Girl

Thank you Nana! Marlee LOVES her new bath time bubble blower. I think she has probably taken like 6 baths in the last 3 days. She is sooooo funny. Every time we turn it on it is like she is seeing it for the first time all over again, she just BUSTS UP laughing that deep belly laugh of hers (that I adore!). It is so dang cute, and tonight she discovered she can "catch" the bubbles and hold onto them for a bit. It was too funny watching her play tonight... you'll have to come visit to see the real thing Nana, thanks again!
This is just a shot I got of Marlee and Kenna this week. Mar still loves to "hold" the baby even though she is like half her size now at 13.5 lbs! She is such a sweet big sister. She loves to help, she's always on the lookout for spit and runs and grabs a burpy. She LOVES to kiss her and squeeze her, sometimes a little too hard but it is only because she loves her so much. I like to think I am totally adjusted now to life with 2 little ones although Makenna has decided to back track on the sleeping at night thing. She has been waking up 2-3 times a night this past week for some reason...I am praying it is just her way of adjusting from vacation and hopefully she will go back soon.
Collin is studying away and getting ready to finish up year #2 at the law school, and with a change of plans we are pretty sure we will be heading back to Denver for the summer. 3 weeks to go!!!

I am still waiting to get all my Denver pics, but I will get them up soon!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Well, this school year is soon coming to a close and we have some good friends that will be leaving us next month. Two of Marlee's best buddies (and their families) will be taking off, and leaving Vermillion behind. She loves Hallie and Reese so much. I decided to invite the girls over today for a little girl time! I painted there nails, they danced and sang to the Disney Princess Sing Along DVD, ate Princess fruit snacks and candy necklaces, and of course dressed up as PRINCESSES! They get along great...most of the time! I think they all had a really good time. They all have such fun/strong personalities, there is never a dull moment. We will miss you dearly Howards and Holmes.....good luck!

Shocker...they all wanted PINK!

Hanging out on the princess couchI believe the question was..."who's a princess?"