For Emily's birthday this year (October 16), my parents rented our favorite cabin in Sundance. We have even been there with Brian's family. We went up and stayed the weekend, enjoying the gorgeous weather and great company. We rode the lift at Sundance and hiked around for a few hours and then went to Provo where we got to eat Blue Bell ice cream from a shop at the Riverwoods!! The XBox 360 was a big hit and we had time for some games as well. It was a great weekend, so thanks to Mom and Dad and Emily for having a birthday!
While we hiked Brian and the boys jumped out of the bushes to scare us and Lincoln got covered in hundreds of burrs. All the kids had a good time helping him clean off. I am just glad it was not McKinley's hair that ended up in that bush!
Happy Birthday Emily! (And the rest of us!)
Introducing Libbi Page Halsey
August 19, 2011 we got up at 5:30 and headed to Manti with brand new baby Pierce to attend Libbi's wedding. It was a gorgeous day and a very special sealing in the tower sealing room up a flight of spiral stairs. Rachel and Emily watched Pierce, the Baldwin kids and a couple others while we attended the sealing. Then we took tons of pictures on the hill behind the temple with Mary Kim (my aunt). I felt surprisingly good for having had a baby less than five days before the wedding.
By the time we got home I needed a nap, but there was not much time for that! We picked up the kids from Brian's mom and got them all dressed up (against their will of course) for pictures before the reception. We were very late because Brian was finishing his awesome wedding video for the happy couple.
The reception was lovely and it was great to see so many old friends. McKinley and Reagan basked in Libbi's bridal glory the whole time. Pierce did what all good newborns do and slept practically the whole time. Brian hosted a dance party for the cousins in the basement after the reception. We are so excited for Libbi and the kids are ecstatic to have a new uncle around.
Princess Ballerina McKinley
For a year McKinley has been looking forward to her 4th birthday so she can go to "ballerina class". Well, the day finally arrived two days before her birthday! She goes to gym-dance every Monday for an hour and it costs $22/month (this is for my reference in the future). She comes home and teaches everyone (including Jefferson, Truman and Lincoln) her moves. Reagan is the most attentive student, but the boys are not far behind!
For her birthday she wanted a castle cake so I built her a castle out of treats. The cake was delicious and beautiful. Mmmmm, birthday cake... Anyway, she got ballerina clothes, a queen dress and crown, a princess blanket, lip gloss and a bike for her birthday. She and Reagan are a pair of princesses/ballerinas/mommies all day every day.
McKinley is a very attentive daughter, watching and learning everything I do as a mom. If you don't know where something is at our house, she knows where to find it. She helps me cook dinner every night and can hang up laundry without any help from me. The boys can't do this yet! She also knows how to really clean up. She sees clutter and tidies it up when she is in the cleaning mood. All of that plus her sunny attitude makes her a pretty fun four-year-old to have around.
March Madness 2011
Jefferson turned 5 in March and we celebrated by going to the Rec Center with his best friend Tommy and his family (his birthday is a few days later). We had pizza, cake and went swimming. It was Brian's first trip to the pool at the Rec Center so of course Lincoln split his chin open on a pole and Jefferson had stomach problems that Brian dealt with in the men's locker room. Thankfully Rachel had joined us and was a big help. The kids overall had a blast and we adults survived, so it was all worth it, right?
Spring Flowers
Emily is a blossoming floral arranger. She even did the flowers for Libbi's wedding. In February we used her arrangement to take pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses.
The girls like to be called Flower like Rapunzel is in Tangled. When I brush their hair they ask, "Why can't I go outside Mommy?" and I have to respond with "The world is a dangerous place... do you understand Flower?" and they answer, "Yes, Mommy". (If you are confused, watch the first 5 minutes of Tangled).
Pierce
If you have been wondering why there have been no blog posts from our house for the last year or so, it is because I have been working on this instead. Now that Pierce is here and healthy and I feel sooooooo much better, I will try to be better at posting.
Pierce was born August 14, 2011, a few weeks after Sarah came home from her mission and 5 days before Libbi married Ryan Halsey in the Manti Temple. We had a very eventful summer! Pierce's middle name is Michael after Brian's Dad and brother. He has a dimple and a sweet temperament. He is currently full of smiles and is growing out of his clothes faster than any other baby so far. Maybe we will actually have a boy break 6 feet some day! Reagan is his biggest fan and I often have to clean yogurt, cookies, spaghetti sauce, etc. off his head from her kisses. I hope he survives her love!