The SPLASH Park

My girls and I (yes, I am in a swim suit...no, you will

probably not see it on here again!)

Yesterday a few of us brought our kids to the new splash park by our house. We had never been there and weren't quite sure what to expect, but it was GREAT. The kids absolutely loved it.

I thought this next sequence of pictures was too funny not to post.

She was a little unsure at first...

So she tried a hand...

and then a leg...

Then the booty

What the!?!?!?

Yowza!She finally got the hang of things and loved it!With her cousins Lily and Tori

HOLY CRAP!

The Culprit

Sunday was a long day for us. We got up early to make sure we were all ready for church on time. Surprisingly enough all 4 of us were dressed and ready to go 30 minutes before church started. We get there and things are going well, I smell something and then Marlee says she has to "go poop" so, I send Collin out with her and the wipes just in case she had gone in her pull-up. After they walk out I decide to get Kenna out of her seat. I reach down and grab her and feel something wet...yuck. I look down and not only is she covered in poop, but so is the car seat, the burp rag, her stuffed bunny and her Binky. Nasty. I have NEVER seen that much poop come out of an infant. There was so much that it was literally pooled in the bottom of the car seat. Of course, having sent Collin with the wipes I am stuck in the pew covered in poo and no wipes. Nice. Not to mention this is the ONE Sunday I did not bring a back up outfit. The lady in front of us turned around and saw what was happening and was like "oh my gosh, do you need some help?" She handed me some wipes and I was able to wipe her down enough to carry her and the seat out. We get to the family bathroom and lock the door, strip Kenna down and start soaking everything in the sink and scrubbing the car seat with soap and water. Then Marlee says it smells so bad she's gonna throw up and runs to the toilet and starts gagging. Luckily nothing came out. After about 20 minutes in the bathroom we put a mostly naked Kenna in her partially wet car seat and head home to change. It was something we just had to laugh at. We had some time before classes switched and they all looked so good I had to snap a picture before we headed back.

Sisterly Love

(I thought this picture was funny b/c it looks like Kenna is almost the same size as Marlee! She really is my chunky little monkey and I love the summer clothes so we can finally show off those rolls! )I just thought I would write a quick post about my girls. I use this as kind of a journal , that I print out at the end of the year and I thought I should post this sweet picture and my thoughts before I forgot, or felt differently. lol!

Marlee is such a sweet big sister. I know I have said that in previous posts, but it is so true. She has such a maternal instinct. She is always gentle and loving with Kenna. Every time she cries, Marlee runs right over and says "don't be said baby sister". She hates it when Kenna is sad or hurting. She has never once tried to hurt her, or yell at her, and she is like her own personal little body guard when other kids come around her. I am just so thankful that she has adapted so well to all the change that has come her way the last several months. She can be a real sass sometimes (OK, most of the time), but she really is a tender, loving little girl. And I truly admire that about her.

When it comes to Kenna, I feel the same way. She may not be sleeping through the night yet, but when she is awake during the day she couldn't be any sweeter. She is SO patient with me when it comes to meal time, or dirty diapers. It is almost like she understands how high maintenance her sister can be sometimes. She is really a joy to have around and I love that she has such a sweet presence that everyone around her recognizes. I feel so fortunate to have not only one, but TWO beautiful and amazing daughters!

Papa's Planters

Every year around Mothers Day, Papa and the grand kids plant the garden.
This year, each of the grand kids picked a tomato plant and got to help Papa plant it.

They all look forward to watching them grow, and then going out every Sunday night after dinner and reaping the benefits of their hard work.
They thought it was so cool to help, and they even found 3 worms!

Grand babies #10 and 11 are still a little young, but they'll get in on the action next summer!

Can't wait for some yummy "maters".

Carnivals!

My Kitty Cat

This weekend was exciting for us (ok, for Marlee). Two of my nephews had their school carnivals. Some of the cousins were there and Marlee had a blast. Her favorite things were the train, cotton candy, and of course....the face paint. Saturday they painted her face like a cat and she walked around all day (even to strangers) saying " I'm a kitty cat, meow". It was pretty funny. Except for when it came time to wash her face to go to the store and to dinner. She had a TOTAL MELT-DOWN. She was so tired by then she just cried and cried. I ended up taking her upstairs and re-drawing the bottom half of her kitty cat with my eye liner. Whatever to keep her calm by that point, and she did make one cute kitty! It was a busy and fun weekend. We are enjoying being back around family although we are missing our SD friends quite a bit. The summer should be FUN!

All the girls on the train. You can see Lily& Sophie in the purple car, Lizzie in the yellow one and Tori & Marlee in pink.

Sticky mess of cotton candy, it was good though!

Tori and Lily

Mom and Dad

Marlee and Hunter going down the big slide

Big Girl

Friday was Kenna's first time eating "real food", if you consider rice cereal real food. I am really hoping that with the help of something a little more solid in her tummy, maybe she will start to sleep through the night better. It is killin' me, she still wakes up at LEAST 2 times a night, usually 3 or 4. I don't know what her deal is. Maybe the change of atmosphere. She is SUCH a good baby, very patient, and mild tempered, she just WON'T sleep through the night! Oh well...we'll get there. And hopefully it will be in less than the 16 months it took with Marlee!

Cruisin'

Kenna had her first swimming experience at the hotel!

We made it to Colorado! We got here Sunday in time to have Mothers Day Dinner with the whole gang. The trip was pretty good and the girls were GREAT! Neither one threw a single fit, and Marlee even made it the whole 10 hour drive PLUS through the night with NO ACCIDENTS! I dare say she is actually potty trained!

Collin Started work yesterday and had a long day. He worked from about 11 a.m. to midnight. We're hoping he'll make some good money though.
We have decided that we are going to try to take a cruise for graduation next year. We have looked into it and are thinking probably in October and to the Caribbean somewhere.
We thought we would throw it up here and see if there were any takers. The more the merrier. My sister Jenn and her husband Tom will probably be joining us (no kids, of course). Anyway, the ones we are looking at are running between $550 and $700 per person for a 7 night cruise. So....start saving!!! Let me know if you are interested, it will totally be a once in a lifetime...and Ryan and Nena...if you want to come, we got dibs on mom and dad to watch our kids! lol

4 Month Well Check

So Sad after her shots...

Yesterday Kenna had her 4 month well baby visit to the Doc. She looks great and is at the 75% for both weight and height. Weighing in at 14 lbs 14 oz and 25 inches long. She looks perfectly healthy and did great with her shots, poor thing.

We are heading back to COLORADO for the summer, we leave Saturday. It has really snuck up on me, and I am SO dreading saying goodbye to my friends.... 2 more days....who's up for a game night?!?!?! = )

Thanks for the Memories....

These little ones were all born into our branch within 4 months. All of us moms are friends and it has been So fun going through this all together! They are in age order, oldest to youngest.
Raif, Makenna, Paisley, Dax,Ginger and Rebekah

Today we had a little "farewell" BBQ. We got all the neighbors and friends from church together and had TONS of food, games and fun. It was SO fun to get everyone together for one final hoo-ra. We have met some of the most amazing people and some of the best friends since we moved here. I was so scared to come to Vermillion because I was so sure I wasn't going to have any friends... well, two years later I am more than sad that a lot of the friends I have made are leaving. It seems weird that the time has come already. This is everyone's last week together, and it just seems like it doesn't make sense. We should all be here together!!! It won't be the same without you all (especially 3 a.m. game nights and Settlers of Catan!) Anyway, I love you all and thank you for each of your individual gifts that have made my experience here so much more than I ever could have expected, and to those of you who are leaving for good, I wish you the BEST of luck, and hope our paths cross again soon. You will be missed.

All the neighbors from the complex.
Nicole,Tori,Jordan,Me,Paris,Debbie,Nicole H

Rachel and Brenda

Paris, Todd & Dax.. ...Marlee and Sarah

Brenda & Annie.. .. Reese and Rachel

Debbie and Rebekah.. Emmerson, Jordan, Me, Mar & Tori

The girls from the branch.... Paris and Makenna

Joel and Kira.. .. Collin Chatting with friends

All I have to say is, Jessica you freakin' crack me up. Marlee loved it!

Four Months!

Mid Roll

Yesterday Makenna turned 4 months old. I am shocked every day at how fast the time is going. She is still a VERY sweet baby, although she is definitely finding her voice. She has started to suck her thumb (and other parts of her hand), she giggles, smiles constantly and this week started rolling over. She has been going from back to front, although she gets stuck on her second arm and kind of flops around a bit. The day she started doing it I took some pictures, it tired her out so bad she ended up rolling half way and falling asleep, I was cracking up.

(I had to put this picture up for 2 reasons 1: Her bald spot, and the fringe underneath ...LOVE IT, Marlee had the exact same thing! 2: Her CHUBBY legs.)

She is such a joy in our home and I couldn't imagine life without her. Life with 2 girls is actually quite enjoyable. Marlee is a WONDERFUL big sister and we have yet to have any kind of problem with her hurting the baby. She is always kissing her and saying "baby sister, don't be sad" if she cries. her other favorite things to say are "She's so tiny", and "She's so cute", or "I think she likes you" if anyone makes her smile. It will be interesting to see how they interact as Kenna gets older. As for now...life couldn't be better.

We leave for Denver one week from tomorrow (CRAZY!) and will be returning to Vermillion sometime at the beginning of August.

Marlee is almost potty-trained, Yay! She has been wearing panties for about a week and a half whenever we are home and has had like 3 or 4 accidents, not too shabby. She is well on her way thanks to a sticker poster and a big tub of gum-balls! Can't wait to be buying only one size of diapers! A few days ago at nap time she didn't want to wear a diaper to bed , so I let her wear her panties and told her I would put her potty in her room in case she needed to go. When I came up to check on her I found her sitting on the pot reading a book and talking to herself. She was so proud. The best part is she really went, #1 and #2! So impressive! I know the picture is not great, but I was trying to sneak it through the door without her seeing me, and she's got some SERIOUS bed-head from laying down. Oh well!