McDermaid

What we have been up to the past 2 months...

2012-01-02T15:14:00.002-07:00

Wow. I am so behind on blogging. It has been almost 2 months. Here is a little bit of what we have been up to.

A zoo playdate (Nov. 17th) with our best buddies. Who says you can't go to the zoo in the winter?

Kinlees 1st dance recital. Nov. 30th.

Putting up the tree.

Santa's yearly visit to Grandpa and Grandma McDermaids.

Great Omas House Christmas Eve

Food for the reindeer and cookies for Santa.

Before:

After:

Our new dog, Mayzie. We bought her the day after Christmas. She is a Morkie. A mix between a maltese and a yorkie. She is 2 years old and housetrained. She is a good dog, but still getting used to our family. She is terrified of Brightyn. I hope that changes with time.

Murder Mystery

2011-11-11T17:38:00.003-07:00

A group of our friends put together a murder mystery dinner last weekend. Each of us was assigned a character to dress up as. I was cha cha (a ballroom dance instructor), and Derk was Bill, a football coach. I did not really quite get the game, BUT the food was good and we had fun hanging with our good friends. Will we do it again, sure :)

trick or treat, smell my feet

2011-11-11T17:38:00.001-07:00

Started the night out with some trick or treating at Grandma Karins (my mom)

and ended with a witches brew and trick or treating with cousins!

Playgroup Halloween Party

2011-11-11T17:37:00.003-07:00

Our old neighborhood has a playgroup every Monday. Most of the time we are to slow or lazy in the mornings to make it. I am thanksful that I have stayed in touch with all these girls and consider them my best of friends. This year, the Halloween party was at my house. As you can see, there were a ton of kids. Way to ring in the holiday!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-11T17:37:00.001-07:00

Every year we go to my sister in laws grandmas house and carve away, and enjoy wonderful company, food and fun.

Murray Park - Last Days of Fall

2011-10-26T14:52:00.002-06:00

Evern Sunday, Derk loves to have some time to himself to watch a little football. You all know how much I love sports! NOT :) So I took the girls to Murray Park to play. I am taking advantage of these last days of fall.

Haunted House

2011-10-26T14:50:00.002-06:00

There is a Haunted House in West Jordan that is ran by the homeowners. It is at their house, in their yard and garage. It is amazing. It is free to get in, BUT they do ask you donate either money or non parishable foods to get in. Last year they raised 600 dollars and over 6000 pounds of food. They were so nuice. While we were there, channel 2 news was there and interviewd our friends we went with. Good times.

This is some freaky stuff!!!

Afterwards

Cornbellys

2011-10-26T14:48:00.000-06:00

The annual trip to Cornbellys with Grandma Kathy (Derks mom). It seems like they had more for the little ones to do this year which made me feel like we got our moneys worth.

Provo River Halloween Cruise

2011-10-26T14:46:00.000-06:00

We had plans to meet friends and all go on the same boat. Well, on the way there Brightyn threw up all over the car. We had to stop and clean up the mess and then continued on. We got there a few minutes late and missed the boat. We ended up staying later and catching another boatride with some old neghbors of ours! Kinlee took her friend Britton along for the journey. They were so good and had a blast.

Painting Pumpkins!

2011-10-26T14:43:00.002-06:00

It's what fun is....

2011-10-12T13:51:00.004-06:00

We went to Lagoon this year for Frightmares. Kind of a tradition. Last year we did not go because we opted for Disneyland. Although it seems like Lagoon is just as much. lol

Here are a few pics from the day. brightyn lucked out she was exactly 36 inches tall to go on most of the rides. They had a blast and were SO brave. Love my daredevils. Just like their mom.

Kendra said "I Do".

2011-09-29T14:32:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, a childhood friend of mine got married. It was probably the most beautiful ceremony I have ever seen. It took place at Kimi's Bistro at the Solitude Ski Resort. The backdrop of the mountains, the beautiful bride, and the way the sun was hitting everything just right. Here are a few pics from the wedding. Congrats Kendra and Tom. It was amazing.

Little B getting pretty

2011-09-29T14:23:00.001-06:00

Brightyn is such a girl. Has to have lipstick and deodorant on everyday. (more things if I let her). Here she is attempting to do her own lippystick.

State Fair

2011-09-13T14:37:00.000-06:00

A family tradition (although it breaks the bank) is the Utah State Fair. We went this year with my mom, brother, his gf and kids. Kinlee and Brightyn had a blast!

A few (of many) MULLETS

Sliding with mommy

Sliding with uncle Sheldon

Rides galore

Kinlee's first day of dance.

2011-09-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

The long awaited dance classes have begun. Ladt fall we had Kinlee in gymnastics, BUT it was a tad pricey. I found a dance studio for Kinlee to try out. I want her to be able to try a few things before she decides what she loves the most. This class will allow her to express her creativity and have 2 recitals a year (which is perfect). She was so excited to go. Brightyn was jealous. She had to wear a leotard as well and her tutu. Lil sis can't wait to do all the things her big sis does.

First Day of 4 year old preschool

2011-08-30T13:33:00.001-06:00

This is the first day of Kinlee's last year of preschool. Her teachers name is Mrs. Kim. Kinlee had gone to some summercamp activities there over the summer and so she was not the least bit nervous to run in the door today. See ya later babe!

Catching "Roly Poly's"

2011-08-29T21:21:00.000-06:00

Kinlee is obsessed with catching roly poly bugs. She gets So many in her bucket and then her and Brightyn love to dump them down the storm drain. Here is Kinlee in action.

The faces of Lil B

2011-08-29T21:16:00.003-06:00

The big birthday bash

2011-08-29T21:13:00.000-06:00

It is always a lot of work putting together a party. Invitations, food, etc. BUT always so worth every second. We love getting together with the whole family every chance we can and are happy for all of our good friends and family to be a part of the special celebration.

Good friends and family

Waterfight!

Fun stuff

Cake time!

Making cake for Lil B's birthday!

2011-08-29T20:57:00.001-06:00

The batter is always better than the cake :)
(double click collage to enlarge)

Copper Mine

2011-08-29T20:54:00.001-06:00

If you live in Utah and have never been to the Copper Mine, it really is something you should at least go and see once! I have lived here all my life and have been there many times growing up. Now that the girls are a little older I figured I would take them. They thought the visitors center was way fun, and loved the interractive things and some of the cook displays. The BIG tire is always a must for pics. It is amazing how BIG the mine is.
(double click on collage to enlarge)

Brightyn is TWO!

2011-08-17T17:49:00.001-06:00

My not so little baby turned two today. It is funny how she was born with a head of dark hair, and it all fell out and now she is s spunky blondie.

I love your gap in your front teeth

Kissy Lips

Things you love:

Your sissy
Your "family" (all of your stuffed animals)
Your baby Sammi Jo Jo
Deer
Laying on mamas boobies (cuddling with mom)
Milky
Bananas
Cream Soda
You love to have eyeshadow put on everyday
You must have your own deodorant too!
Getting your nails painted is one of your favs.
Your favorite songs are: Train-Hey Soul Sister, The Band Perry-If I Die Young, and Taylor Swift-Mean, to name a few

Developmental:

You talk better than most 3 year olds. You speak in full sentences, and although some words are hard to understand, you make yourself pretty clear most of the time.
You sleep in a big girl bed (full size bed) and have been doing so good
You still have a hard time opening doors (thank goodness)
You go the potty alot but I am not sure I am ready to commit to potty training

Things you DON'T like

Car rides (getting buckled in your seat)
You are terrified of leaves. Especially when they are blowing around on the ground
Naps (we are lucky if you nap for an hour and 15 minutes)

You have been my little cuddler from day one. Even though you and your sissy fight the majority of the time, I hope that one day you will be each others best friend. Love you Lil B.

Brightyns big girl bed

2011-08-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we transitioned Brightyn from a toddler bed to a full size bed. She did wonderful. She is getting so big so fast. She did not seem to mind the change at all, in fact, she was thrilled to have a big girl bed "like sissy". So glad the change went smoothly. Now next comes potty training. Wow. I am just glad she still lets me hold and cuddle her. I soak every second of it right up.

All in one

2011-07-10T16:52:00.000-06:00

I have been such a slacker lately and have so many pics to share. Figured they could all be combined into one long post!

T-Ville Dayzz Parade

Fireworks

Copperview Park July 4th with old neighbors

Lava Hot Springs - Smiths Trout Haven Campground. We went with our friends Mike and Erin who live in Idaho. We somehow took a wrong turn on the way there resulting in an 80 mile detour.

Friday night our friends poor kids were sick with a stomach virus. It was freezing cold that night and made a long night with sick kids. They decided to leave early Saturday morning. Derk and I took the girls to the pool in Lava and then came home later Saturday afternoon. That night our girls got sick as well : (

We get a ton of deer by our house. This time I actually had my camera on me when we spotted one. They are not afraid of people at all and we see them almost everyday.

What we have been up to...

2011-06-19T16:53:00.001-06:00

South Jordan Fireworks 06/18. Just our little family :)

With all this rain we have had the girls thought they needed to take their umbrellas outside.

These birds live in the tree in our front yard. The girls named them, hotdog, peanut and little robin redbreast. This picture was taken 06/13.

This pictrure was taken today 06/19. I cannot believe how much they have changed in 6 days. It is amazing. we sure enjoy the wildlife at our house. We see deer all the time, Brightyn calls them "kookaleekoos" :)

Getting so big : )

2011-06-07T15:31:00.000-06:00

My "Lil B" aka Brightyn will be 2 in a few months. She is getting to be such a big girl. We recently converted her crib into a toddler bed in hopes that on her 2nd birthday I can put her in her big girl/full size bed. She has adjusted so well. She is unable to open her bedroom door so when she wakes up in the morning, she yells "mom, where are you?" and knocks on her door. I was amazed at how well she made the transition. Also, today marks day 5 with NO binky. About 5 months ago we tried taking it away. It was gone for 6 days and we finally gave in. She cried for it everyday and asked about it. This time, she actually bit the nipple and it broke. I told myself, this is it, now is the time. That first day was rough. She cried so hard for an hour on that first nap and I was able to clam her down by rubbing her back. It just got better after that. She asked about her binky for a few days, and when she did, i gave it to her adn told her it was broke. She has yet to ask for it today at all. I am so glad we finally stuck to it and did not give in. It will be one less thing to worry about. She has been talking nonstop lately as well and I did not want it to inhibit her speech at all. Here are a few fun pics :)

" I wanna put my jammies on."
Sissy love.
Kinlee had her last day of preschool a few weeks ago. She is really missing her friends. The preschool she is going to next year offers weekly summer camps so I signed her up for some of them so she can meet some other kids her age and go have some fun. Her first class little chefs. I am so excited for her to go. I really hope we meet some people in the neighborhood. It is kinda sad to go outside and have nobody else around to talk to and play with.

Zoo with friends :)

2011-05-13T22:11:00.005-06:00

Last year I purchased a zoo pass for the girls and I. We used it a ton. Probably at least once every other week. With as much as we have gone there, my girls never seem to get bored. This year i decided to renew our pass again. It is quite the drive from our new house BUT will be something to keep us entertained all year long. We even go in the winter and get all bundled up! Our friends invited us to go with them the other night and we were happy to join them.

Kinlee's Mothers Day Performance at Preschool

2011-05-11T14:14:00.005-06:00

Kinlee's Preschool planned a small outing the Thursday before Mothers Day at a park in west Jordan. All of her classmates and teacher walked to the park to wait for all the moms to come watch. When we all got there, the kids had made little presents for us, and sang us 2 songs. So cute! Then, after the performance, we all had treats and juice that the kids brought to share. Kinlee sure loves all her school friends!

Brightyn loves her "cool dudes- a.k.a. glasses"

Easter in a nutshell

2011-04-26T16:13:00.007-06:00

Easter was spent with family this year :) It's always a good excuse to get everyone together.

Kicked off the weekend with an Easter Egg hunt in Herrimans Butterfield Park.

Sissy Love

Girlies and their Easter goodies.

Grandma Karins and then off to Grandma Kathys :)

Old vs. New

2011-04-02T17:58:00.005-06:00

It has been 3 weeks since we moved into our new house. We are still getting settled in and have many projects that we need/want to do. One of the projects that was just finished was staining and putting polyurethane on the front door. The house has a gorgeous alder front door but it was very faded and weathered. A new coat of stain and a few topcoats and it looks amazing again. I have been REALLY missing the old neighborhood. Not so much the old house, but just the neighborhood, the friends we had, and the old times. The new neighborhood seems to be older families or people who have children that are older and moved out. Once this weather warms up I really hope I can find and make some new friends around here. I am kinda lonely. We are getting used to the drive. With gas prices so crazy and adding another 20 miles round trip to yourdaily commute, you notice the gastank going empty much sooner. It is to early to really say, but hopefully the choice we made was right for us and a good one. Right now, not so sure. Still hasn't really sunk in, and at this point we can't turn back time.

Took the girls over to the pond that is by our house. they loved it of course. Lots of little perks :)

Had to throw in a few pics of Kinlees cute artwork. I love it!

Bye Bye House

2011-03-08T20:33:00.006-07:00

This post is being written now because who knows when I will have time in the next few weeks to actually get around to it.

Someone asked me today if I was going to miss our house. Well, to be honest with you, at the moment, that answer is no. More than anything I will miss the neighbors and the neighborhood. This was our first home together. We built it, saved for it, and it was an 8 month process. I remember when Derk and I put the yard in, we were digging trenches with pick axes and it was so hot. Everytime we would swing the ax we would hit a rock. I was getting so mad I wanted to hit Derk over the head with it :) Oh the fun times. I think I painted the bathroom 4 different times, never found the right color, and after all that work, put it back to its original color. Derk and I are very social people and met many of our friends and neighbors by going for walks around the block. Funny how it turned into SO many meaningful friendships. We always said we lucked out by the lot we chose to build on. We have been surrounded by wonderful people and have enjoyed more than anything watching all the kids around grow up.

Summertime is the best time. When you go outside, there are people out everywhere. In this neighborhood, nobody gets to much use out of the backyard, all the action happens out front. You go out in the front lawn and before you know it 3 sets of neighbors are over talking. It has been amazing. Everyone is there for each other, looks out for everyone, and is friends. I will be sad to leave all of these wonderful people, AND who knows, come moving day, I may actually shed a few tears for our first house and all the memories, good and bad that we have had here. It would have been 7 years in May.

Brightyn at 18 months

2011-02-26T09:23:00.005-07:00

Things have been so crazy lately with packing and house stuff that I completely forgot to post about Brightyn at 18 months.

Stats:

Weight: 22 pounds (more than a pound bigger than Kinlee was at this age)
Height: 33 1/2 inches (over an inch taller than Kinlee was at this age)

When I had her in for her wellcheck appt., the Dr. asked me if she was saying at least 10-15 words. I kind of laughed to myself, she says WAY more than that.

Here is a list of some things she can say, I am sure I have left out lots of things.
I see you, I need that, I love you, thank you, I want out, Almost the entire song of twinkle twinkle little star, monkey, fork, hat, hair, brush, sissy, kinlee, mom, dad, eat, noodle, otter pop, cat, doggie, banana (nana), poop, light, goodnight, poptart, belly, bye bye, binky, chip, little, cheese, hot dog, earring (earna), me, jump, please, candy, beep beep, baby, bath... the list goes on. It's like once they start they never stop :)

She LOVES Barney and Elmo. Loves Dora. Such a girly girl. She gets so excited to have her toenails painted and holds perfectly still while I paint them. Her new thing is "me". If you ask who farted she proudly admits "me"! She is not much a of a napper, and is an early riser. Makes for a long day sometimes...

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T20:53:00.004-07:00

Not feeling to red hot right now as I am blogging. Making it short and sweet. Hope everyone had a fun Christmas!

Brightyn LOVES to play in the dishwasher

McDermaid Family Party
Trying to get a picture with all the Great Grandkids = impossible
Pictures for Santa
Oma's House Christmas Eve
Reindeer Food :)
Before:
During:
After:
Grandma Karins and Papa Franks
The End.

Winter Fun

2010-12-12T22:15:00.009-07:00

Here is a little of what we have been up to lately. I thought we had a crazy busy summer, but winter seems to have kept us busy as well.

Here is our annual visit downtown to see the lights. Not sure what was up that night with all the fog.

"Ugly Sweater" get together. Thanks Linds and Ry for having us all over. We love you guys!

Night out with Viv and Randy. Went to Olive Garden for dinner, and to see the lights (again:) We had a blast!

Christmas Party at Grandma and Grandpa McDermaids. The kids as Santa arrived.

Parker

Dawson

Kinlee

Jagger

Brightyn

The end

What do you do when it snows 12+ inches?

2010-11-25T23:16:00.005-07:00

1) Thank the good lord you have a snowblower.
2) Go play in it of course!

Brightyn - 15 Months

2010-11-17T20:33:00.005-07:00

Stats:

Weight: 20 lb. 9 oz. (20%)
Height: 31 inches (75%)

** Kinlee at 15 months was 20 lb. 8 oz. and 30 3/4 inches. So it looks like they are going to both be skinny tall girls. Nothing wrong with that right ? :)

THIS IS KINLEE WHEN SHE WAS 17 MONTHS. (people tell me they look alike, but I do not think they really do at all. Other than blue eyes and blonde hair...

Things Brightyn can say:

Mom
Dad
Sissy
Hat
Poop (sometimes "I Poopoo")
Uh Oh
All Done
Night Night (nigh nigh)
Love (Lub)
Ball
Moon
Cheese
Shoes
Cookie
Up
Mine
No
More
and probably a few I am forgetting.

She loves to dance, loves to eat popsicles and lollipops (she says lolly lolly lolly), loves to read books, knows where her eyes, her belly, her nose, her hair, her teeth (which she has her molars now). Loves "doggies", a mommas girl, a blankee girl, a binky girl (bee).

Loves her big sissy (when she is nice)

Hallo{weener}

2010-10-31T20:15:00.006-06:00

SO, here it is. The Halloween festivities.

Went with some friends down to Provo to the Haunted Halloween Cruise.

Kinlee's preschool fieldtrip to Gardner Village. It was the morning and the afternoon class combined, so there were 20 kids in all.

Shopping with sissy.

Halloween Party at Jamie and Martys on Friday night. Thanks for putting So much time and effort into this. It turned out amazing. next year we can do it here :)

Witches "brains and eyeballs" (a.k.a. noodles, peeled tomatoes and grapes) Probably a little too scary for the kids.

Aunt Misty's annual {witches brew} = yummy rootbeer

Trick or Treat

Derks aunts Halloween Party,. She collects witches and has some amazing displays in her house from all around the world. It is amazing!

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween. We did get 1 trick or treater tonight :)

What we do when it snows!

2010-10-25T17:21:00.004-06:00

What we do when it is snowy outside :)

The look! No way!

The snow.

Our mini snowman, a snow slushy.

Run around in each others underwear. lol!

Eat popsicles in the bath with crazy hair.

NOW, snow, be gone with you!

and, here is what we did before the snow!

Kinlee and her friend Reagan at Cornbellys

Brightyn and Kade

The cow train

Just because...

2010-10-13T23:14:00.008-06:00

Took the girls to Liberty Park today to play. I am all over taking advantage of this nice weather and know that soon we will be cooped up inside going stir crazy. As usual I had my camera in tow! Kinlee is my little poser (most of the time). She just does her pose, I snap away. Brightyn, wants nothing to do with the camera. If I try to set her down, as soon as I can get back far enough to take the picture, she is already up and away.

Trying to get a picture of the two of them together... IMPOSSIBLE.
Check out these outtakes!

Her new favorite thing to do! Oh brother :)

Hmm... What else is going on... Just staying busy. Started back to work at Carters last week. So glad I decided to go back. They are my little work family and I love the clothes, the customers, and the people I work with.

Traded this:

For this:

In June we sold our 2006 Mazda 3 for the CX7. Which we bought used. It was a 2007. Not long after buying it we were having a little buyers remorse. It was a gas hog (thanks to the turbo engine) and started having several problems. Battery kept dying (eroded cables), there was some electrical problems (the emergency brake light kept flashing on even though the brake was not on), and come to find out some other problem with a ticking/knocking sound while the car idled. SO... we decided we were done. We went back to the 3, which we loved, and got a more upgraded version of our previous. LOVE it! Bought a 2010 with 115 miles on it. No regrets this time around. We can do without the gas guzzler and since we know we are DONE having kids, we really don't need anything bigger.

Cali

2010-10-02T15:42:00.005-06:00

Here are some pics from our trip to California. Apparently we decided to be there for the hottest day ever recorded in the history of LA. I think it was like 114?

Here it is in a nutshell... My camera ran out of batteries the second to last day and I left my charger and spare at home (this the lack of pictures).

Getting ready to go bye bye. We flew Jetbue.

Meeting the characters. Kinlee was the most excited about the princesses. Brightyn LOVED them all.

The experience...

Huntington Beach. The beach was probably my favorite day from the trip. The girls loved it. Brighytn was trying to catch the "birdies".

Kinlee could have stayed there ALL day long.

The Pier.
I have to say this trip was not the most enjoyable for me. Brightyn was more than a handful. Refusing to sleep hardly at all while we were on the go (getting her to do so was a battle every time) and it only lasted for about 30 minute periods. She fussed a good majority of the time and wanted to be held exclusively by me. When not being held, she screamed in the stroller (unless being entertained with food or rides), wanted to walk everywhere and would throw a fit if we picked her up from walking... On the way from the hotel to the airport on the way home, Brightyn screamed bloody murder the entire drive (45 min.) I literally almost had a nervous breakdown.

Kinlee, on the other hand, was great. Other than a few random bouts of 3yearoldness... She loved all the rides and was so brave. She would have went on all of them if it were not for height limits. Her favorites were Buzz Lightyear and Pirates of the Caribbean. Needless to say, we will NOT be taking a trip like this again anytime in the near future. Had Brightyn been more cooperative, this would have been a whole different experience.

Walking, tantrums and big sisters...

2010-09-23T09:19:00.005-06:00

I have been so busy lately blogging about everyone else, and their pictures, that I often neglect my own stuff. Here is a little of what is going on!

Brightyn finally started walking about a week ago. 13 months old. She gets better with each day that passes. She no longer crawls, she just prefers to walk all over now. She is getting more stable on her feet and can walk for longer distances.

Here she is throwing a fit because I told her no more "candies" (a.k.a. cupcake sprinkles). Must be a girl thing?

Kinlee has a new hobby. Carrying Brightyn all over. I never let her until recently. Brightyn doesn't seem to mind (most of the time) and I think it is kind of funny because Kinlee only weighs like 9 pounds more than Brightyn. Gotta love big sissies!

Summer is almost over??? NO!!!

2010-09-05T18:07:00.013-06:00

Where has this summer gone? It went by way to fast. I do love fall, it is my favorite time of year, but then again I know winter comes after and I hate snow! Here is a little of what we did this weekend to celebrate the coming to an end of a great summer.

*Friday - a whole lot of nothing!

*Saturday - Bees Game. thanks Melinda and Chad for the 8th row/behind 1st base tickets. It was a great (LONG) game and we had a blast.

*Sunday - Headed up to Park City Main Street for "Park Silly Sunday Market". It was so much fun. They had kids activities, bounce houses, face painting, farmers market and TONS of booths with the cutest (but too expensive) things. We did buy some yummy jalepeno jam that will be so good with cream cheese and crackers!
Some great people watching too!

That night we TRIED to set up the tent in the backyard. It was so windy! We then decided to move our camping trip inside :) Some cookies, popcorn, a few books and a flashlight!

*Monday - Went to my moms house for dinner and good times! Kinlee and Brightyn had a blast with uncle Sheldon and Aunt Mel and Papa Frank.

My momma

So thankful.

2010-09-02T16:14:00.002-06:00

LONG POST:)

So any of you who know me well, know that sometimes I make quick decisions and then often regret certain things. Well, I did it again this time. It was no wonder that when I originally decided to leave Carter's it was a hard decision for me. I actually cried about it. (I know, I am a baby). Don't get me wrong, photography is my love, and my passion, but Carter's is where my little second family is.

I have really missed my time away from the people I worked with as well as the company as a whole. When I left there, they told me I would always have a home there and I had hoped that if I thought I had made the wrong decison that the door would always be open.

We found out last week that Derk got his old job back as a buyer. NO MORE MALL!!! So we were thrilled. Along with it came no more nights and weekends. Which was one factor I had taken into consideration before quitting because when you have 2 people working retail hours, you NEVER see each other.

So with all that being said...

I went to Carters today, and kiddingly said, "you guys hiring?", they said, "why, you looking for a job?" and I said "yes I am :)" They held out their hand to shake mine and said "you're hired!" Just what I had hoped to hear.

So after stressing out about leaving in the first place, now I know this is the right decision.

I still plan on doing photography, although it will have to be limited so I do not overdue myself. I decided that why should I give up 2 things I love. Carters and Photography when I can have both.

Someone asked me the other day what I was going to do when my girls were older and both in school, and I said well go back to work of course. They said, oh you aren't going to do the photography thing? I had never planned on making a career out of it, it was always just a hobby and something I loved doing. I would however, see myself in 5-6 years when the timing is right, as a part time manager with carter's.

I am so thankful that I was able to change my decision:) You just never know!

Things I love...

2010-08-29T21:13:00.008-06:00

When Kinlee actually plays with Brightyn without torturing her!

Sniffer face

Big Heads! Brightyns head measured in the 97% at her 1 year appt. Her weight was 19 lbs 12 oz. (30%) and her height was 75% (can't remember how many inches). I gues the bigger the head the smarter you are? :)

This song

Brightyn turns 1!

2010-08-16T22:49:00.003-06:00

Well I am doing this post a little early. She will officially be 1 in 1 hour and 11 minutes. Her birthday is 08/17 :)

We celebrated her birthday Sunday afternoon with family and friends. Summer birthdays are the best.

A few things Brightyn is doing at this age:

* Can point to her Hair, Nose, Belly and Feet upon request.
* Can say: Poop, Shoe, Mom, DAAAAAAAAAAAD, Cheese, Moon, Duck (Dut), Hat and maybe a few others.
* Lover of all dogs. Knows what the dog and the bear say (she will growl if you ask her what the bear says. )

She is so smart. It amazes me how fast she learns things and can do them. She still does not walk on her own, though she will zip around behind a stroller, shopping cart, or walker. She will stand on her own but as soon as she realizes she is doing it she sits down.

Brightyn has been such a joy to have around. She is the best baby, only really fussy when she is tired, or when her big sissy is bugging her. She will give hugs and kisses now and I can't wait until the day when she tells us she loves us. (even though we know she laready does :)

I have her 1 year appt. on Friday so I will post a follow up on her stats.

First day of preschool...

2010-08-12T15:52:00.005-06:00

Kinlee had her first day of preschool today. I can't say that I was sad to send her off for a few hours. I was more excited for her to have some time with other kids her age and for her to be able to learn new and fun things. Her assignment for the first day was to make an "All About Me" bag. Her bag consisted of a picture of her, a pink bow (her favorite color), some goldfish (her favorite treat), Scooby Doo and Shaggy (fav. cartoon), and her birthday. Inside the bag there was a family picture of us at Seaworld and the Shamu she got while we were there. Here are a few fun pics I got of her before we headed out the door.

Teeth brushed-CHECK, Deodorant-CHECK, Perfume-CHECK

Her backpack from Grandma Kathy is almost bigger than she is!

MMM! Dr. Pepper! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Our little friend. It looked like it was dancing so Derk was making music and it was bopping around. Too funny! Kinlee was terrified of it. Good thing my camera lens let me stand way far away to get this picture because there was no way I was getting close to it either.

Fun times...

2010-08-05T17:02:00.004-06:00

Here are a few fun things we have been up to these past few weeks...

Went up to Butterfield Canyon with some neighbor friends. We had so much fun! Ryan cooked up some amazing dutch oven food (chicken and potatoes, and peach cobbler). Thanks guys! We had fun.

Bees game on the 24th of July. Not sure why Kinlee looks terrified in the one picture? Thanks Grandma and Grandpa McDermaid!

Happy... Oh crap... Whoops!

Liberty Park today with Grandma McDermaid and cousin Dawson.

Oh, and I got a new computer. After 10 years, our other one finally bit the dust. It had pretty much no memory left on it and I couldn't even add new programs that I really needed in order to do my photography stuff. I am loving it! So now I have CS4 and I am so excited to start using it!

Nothing inparticular...

2010-07-11T22:05:00.011-06:00

I just realized it has been almost a month since my last post. We have been SO busy lately it seems like EVERY day of the week we have either work or something else planned. Here is a little of what we have been up to.

Met some friends at Murray Park for a picnic and duck feeding adventure.
Derk and Jared have been friends for YEARS. It is always nice to get together with old friends.

Sonrisa, Ivy and Kinlee.

Feeding the ducks.

Here are the girls at the T-Ville Days parade. I love summertime. My favorite Holiday has always been the 4th of July. Kinlee had a blast filling her backpack up with candy and hanging out with her cousins.

Making good use of our zoo pass.
Walking around Silver Lake. I like to get away from the heat and head to the canyon. It is so beautiful and the squirrels eat right out of your hand!

Can you see the Mickey Mouse on the mountain? :)

One of our neighbors had a gasleak at their house and they sent out 3 firetrucks to the area because there was risk of possible explosion... Luckily Questar got it under control. We were told if there would have been a spark within 50 yards, the house could have blown up! Scary. In the meantime, the nice firefighters entertained about half the kids in the neighborhood. Here are a few.

Derk was jealous he was not there to try on the uniform :)

I love how every parent thinks that "their" kid is the cutest of all. That is the great thing about being a parent. You are just so proud and so thankful and you just see pure beauty in everything about your children. So, now I must admit... Yes, I do think my girls are the cutest. I love their blue eyes, and their little widows peaks. Kinlee is starting to get freckles. I remember when I was in Jr. High, I hated my freckles. Now I love them. I make sure to tell Kinlee everyday how beautiful they are because I do not want her to ever feel NOT pretty. I just love my girlies.

My 10 year Highschool reunion was last night at The Gathering Place in Gardner Village. I went even though a few of my closest friends decided not to go. I think it would have been fun to spend time with them even if they did not really care to see anyone else... Anyways, it was good to see some old faces. Thank goodness for nametags. I always remember faces, but not so good at remembering names. Thanks Derk for always being my one true friend. I had a good time catching up with people and spending time with you! I must say, the last 10 years have been good to me.

Brightyn turns 10 months...

2010-06-18T23:31:00.005-06:00

My not so little Brightyn turned 10 months yesterday. Alot has changed over the past month.

If you are wondering, yes, I love to edit all my pics. Here is a before/after shot with come color correction and sharpening...

SOOC (straight out of camera)

Edited Version

You used to want me to rock you to sleep... Now you prefer to dink around in your crib until you fall asleep on your own. I am still lucky some nights where you will fall asleep in my arms.

-You are a love of any and all animals. Your favorite animal is a dog.

-You can say Duck "DUT" and Moon "MUN" and if we ask you what a doggie says you make your own version of a bark. It amazes me how smart you are and how fast you learn new things.

-You are so close to crawling... Doing the army scoot right now.

-You are starting to give up baby food and prefer big girl food now. You also only drink 1 bottle a day and the rest of your milk is from a sippy cup :)

-When you get mad at Kinlee and scream at her it sounds like you are saying "aggie" so we nicknamed Kinlee "sister Aggie".

-You are such a lover and a good baby. We love you :)

* More pics to come soon...

Trip to Cali (LONG POST:)-

2010-06-05T16:18:00.020-06:00

Day 1:
Flew in to Long Beach Airport. Made the drive (about 2 hours) south to San Diego (traffic was bad at times :). Spent the early afternoon by the pool. Headed to Old Town for ice cream and some walking around checking out all the cool places.

Day 2:
Seaworld. The girls loved it. Brightyn was way into the Shamu show and the characters from Sesame Street. Kinlee loved all the rides.

Day 3:

Mission Beach. It was a little chilly so we let Kinlee gather up some seashells and then left and hit the Zoo. After that, we went back to the beach for some rides and icecream!

If you look closely in the waves, there are 3 dolphin fins in the water. They were all over that morning!

View of downtown San Diego from the skyride a the zoo.

Day 4:
Newport Beach. Made a 1 1/2 hour trip back to Orange County to go to my favorite beach. Newport Beach. It is so beautiful there and the Pier is gorgeous. The water was freezing, but we got our feet wet and played in the sand. For dinner we headed to Old Town Mexican Cafe our favorite!

Day 5:
San Diego Wild Animal Park. Located in Escondido. The ride there was aboslutely gorgeous. There were beautiful wine vineyards, green everywhere you looked. I felt like this was a lot more interactive than the zoo. The girls played at a splash park and we got to see some of the animals super close. That night we drove to downtown/Gaslamp quarter. Had some yummy pizza for dinner, went to see Petco Park (where the Padres play) and walk around. I love the nightlife there. It is busy ALL the time. So different than in Salt Lake. Lots of interesting people, and sadly, a lot of homeless people.

View of Downtown San Diego from I-5

Navy Ships

Petco Park Stadium

Sniffer Face

2010-05-29T16:53:00.005-06:00

When Kinlee was little we taught her how to do "SNIFFER Face". We always thought it was funny. The other day we thought we would teach Brightyn. She learned how to do it in just 1 day (although not quite as sniffery as Kinlee used to do it). It is the funniest thing ever. Can you tell who is who?

Went to Wheeler Farm last Saturday for May Days. My camera bit the dust right about this same time...

Playing with sissy on the stairs.

"Holding you, holds me together..." - Gretchen Wilson

2010-05-17T22:56:00.004-06:00

My sweet little Brightyn turned 9 months old today! We are officially 3/4 of the way through the first year. Here are some stats.

Brightyn at 9 months
Weight: 18.6 (50%)
Height: 28 1/2 (90%)

Kinlee at 9 months
Weight: 17.3
Height: 28 1/2

** The weird thing is, at Kinlee's 1 year appt. she was only 18.2 pounds. So Brightyn is bigger now than Kinlee was at a year old. It will be interesting to see if they follow in a a similar pattern. Brightyn may just as well only gain a pound here in the next 3 months.

Some things I want to remember about Brightyn at this age... She is just getting her first tooth. The Dr. looked in there today and said to expect to see it as soon as tomorrow morning :) It is right under the gums (and oh boy the last few weeks she has been one onery mama). Brightyn LOVES her mommy (that would be me:) and loves me to hold her and rock her to sleep. We sit in her rocking chair in her bedroom with her blankee and she gets all excited. Her favorite song, twinkle twinkle little star. She loves to play with my hair, but usually ends up pulling it. We just stare at each other as she drifts off into lala land (where I wish I could go sometimes). I keep telling myself that I am starting bad habit by doing this, BUT I can't resist. Sometimes it is more for my benefit. I just love to hold her close to me and because she lets me do it, I just soak it up.

Things you like:
- Any kind of food we give you. Little Ceasars breadsticks would be your fav.
- waving to everyone and anyone
- your deedee (sissy)
- tickles
- dogs (especially our neighbors dog "gunny")
- going in your car for walks

- jumping

Things you don't like

- Sissy in your face (ALL the time)
- going in the carseat
- being on your stomach
- drinking your bottle!
- bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes
You are such a sweet and happy little lady. We love you!

There's no one way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one.

2010-05-09T21:55:00.009-06:00

This week has been a little rough. Brightyn had a fever last weekend and has been refusing her bottle. I took her in to the Dr. on Wednesday thinking she may have an ear infection, but they said everything looked good. They told me her bottom gums looked swollen and teeth may be coming soon. (she still has no teeth). So needless to say, we have been dealing with a pretty fussy baby who wants to be held by MOM constantly, who is still not drinking her bottle (but luckily chowing down on everything else in sight). She hates her carseat. Lately car rides have been no fun at all. She screamed ALL the way home from Gardner Village on Saturday and cried so hard she hyperventilated herself. Hopefully some teeth come in soon so at least we can have a reason as to why she is so out of sorts lately. It seems like when Brightyn is not fussy, then Kinlee is crying, or being naughty or the other way around. There are just some days when Derk gets home and I am almost in tears because it has been on of those kinds of days... That is one reason why I love my job is because it is like a guaranteed break for me every week AWAY from kids...

Derk and I take turns getting up every other morning with Brightyn (she likes to get up at the crack of dawn 6:45) and today was supposed to be my day to get up, BUT since it was mothers day, Derk did it for me:) Thanks hun! I got a sweet Ipod Nano for mothers day. It is an 8GB so it should hold quite a few of my favorite songs:) Now I am busy loading all my favorite cd's on to it so I can jam in the car! The day started out with breakfast at our house. I invited my grandma and mom over, and my brother and his girlfriend. My sister had to work... We had a breakfast casserole, strawberries and orange juice. Pretty simple. Kinlee had fun bossing my brother around and jumping with him on the tramp.

After Brightyn's late morning nap, we drove over to the 7-11 on 6200 S. and Bangerter Hwy. We got slurpees and walked up on the bridge (Kinlee loves to do this!).

Then we met Derks family at Johnny Carinos for dinner and headed to his parents house after for some baseball, a walk and some delicioso brownies!

What a great day and perfect weather. Hope all you mommies had a wonderful day!

Horsing around with uncle Shel.
My "OMA" just turned 84 on May 2nd!
I am surprised my brother can still do this after his motorcycle accident a few years ago...
On the Bangerter Overpass

Pulling sissies hair!

We made this for Derks mom a few years back. For mothers day we updated handprints of all grandkids and added new pics! The two bottom pics are Derk and Chaz when they were little, we still need to edit those and have them printed in Sepia.
Papa Paul (Brightyn crying for me to hold her...)
Playing ping pong, Forrest Gump style!

Five on Friday

2010-05-06T21:05:00.003-06:00

Attempted to get a group shot this week of all the grandkids... Did NOT happen. There was not 1 picture where all of them were cooperating. Jagger and Brightyn were fussy and it was getting cold. I thought this shot was pretty cute though. I love how Dawson is ready for the pic but everyone else is doing their thing. Owell, maybe next time we will get lucky. I was a little bummed out and dissapointed in myself that I was not able to get any group shots.
Took the girls to Daybreak (wish I could move there). We managed to feed the ducks. They acted like they had not eaten in weeks. A few of them kept hopping up and pecking at my side so I flung them (a little elbow action) back into the water ;) It was SO SO SO windy that day we planned on having a picnic right on the boat dock but ended up having it at home.

Making good use of our Zoo pass.
Went to the South Jordan Aqautic Center today. I have to admit, the water was not very warm and it was just ok. I prefer WVC Rec Center. Also, the cute suits the girls are wearing, I bought last summer from Childrens Place website (clearance). Brightyn's suit is WAY to small, bought a 12 month thinking it would fit, but she is so long that I had to stretch the straps over here shoulders.

Zoo ZEE Zoo

2010-04-30T21:20:00.002-06:00

I am such a slacker. Haven't had much motivation to blog (or clean for that matter) lately. These were taken last week, when it was spring. Apparently it is winter again this week? We got a pass to the zoo so that I could take the girls as much as I want this next year. I love the zoo. I could go there a million times and never get bored. I told Kinlee about the zebras and the baby giraffe that passed away, and every time we go she always mentions it. Brightyn could care less about the animals. She is such a good baby. Derk and I always say everyday how good she is. Kinlee and her are quite the opposite. Brightyn will fall asleep in our arms, a carseat, a stroller. Kinlee NEVER did any of those. She just screamed until she was at home in her crib. Brightyn is sick with a cold. She has had a fever all day and I am hoping that it does not turn into another ear infection.

Brightyn is getting SO long. I am assuming still off the charts. Her feet were hanging out of her carseat by a mile, so I decided to sell her travel system on KSL. She is now in Kinlees old rear-to-front carseat. It is nice to NOT have to carry her arond in the infant carseat anymore, although it does stink if she falls asleep in it, I have to wake her when I get her in and out.

Hmm... What elese... We went and ate at a mexican restaurant in Daybreak called Tio's tonight. It was pretty good. Not my fav. but good enough to go there again.

This is a pic of Kinlee around 9 months old. She was pulling herself up on everything, and standing while holding onto things. Brightyn seems perfectly content to NOT do anything but SIT. She just wants to sit and look at everything. She hates laying down on her belly or her back because I think she feels like she is going to miss something?

Five on Friday (on Thursday :)

2010-04-15T21:23:00.004-06:00

I am posting this tonight because tomorrow I am taking advantage of the nice weather and will NOT be sitting in front of my computer...

Kinlee "Picasso" Getting a little inspiration from the morning sun. She loves this thing! (IKEA- 14.99)

Took the girls to the West Valley Rec Center Pool (5600 W. and about 3100 S.) on Wednesday since the week before we tried and Brightyn fell on her head... It is such a nice facility, clean, nice warm water, and great for kids of all ages... I went by myself and was a little nervous about having both of them in the water with just me. Kinlee does really well with her arm floaties. I just make sure she is within my reach and she pretty much does her thing. Brightyn just hung out in my arms and we bounced around. The hard part was after we were done and getting out and I was trying to get them both in their towels, getting them warm, and getting them dressed.

Sold this (Combi Twin Sport EX)

For this. Graco Quattro Duo Tour (Color:Flint)

I sold my Combi Twin Stroller, which I loved, but Kinlee not so much, and got this new tandem stroller. It is made so the older child can get in and out as they please (which is what we needed) and the back seat where the infant rides folds all they way back so they can sleep or whatever. The front seat has a canopy too but I took it off because Kinlee kept dinking around with it. Now I just need to teach Brightyn that she cannot pull out chunks of Kinlees hair. I love it, but it is kind of long. I am still getting used to driving this boat. (Jessica, if you are reading this, you would love this for your girlies!) It is a little heavy and takes up pretty much all of my trunk, but I love it.

Pretty little piggies; and no, it was NOT easy getting these to look this good.

The "BOON". I bought this before Brightyn was born because I thought it looked cool. It is called a Boon. A bowl/spoon combo. The spoon (top part) twists off, you pour a jar of baby food in it, and then when you squeeze the bottom part it dispenses food through a little hole onto the spoon. I love this for my diaper bag. I fill it before we go and then stick it in my bag. No mess of spoons, empty jars, and holding things in both hands. It also has a little cap for the spon to keep germs off. Just one thing does it all. I sound like a salesmen, but if you do not have one of these, you need to get one! They sell them at Target, but I got mine at Burlington Coat Factory in the Baby Depot.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.

2010-04-12T21:47:00.004-06:00

I have been slacking on the "Five on Friday" so here some pics of what we have been up to the past few days!

We met up with a few girls from the neighborhood at Copperton Park last week. We love that park, and it was Brightyns first time in a swing. She loved it.

Brightyn had her first ponytail today. I have been dying to put one in her hair, and it is just long enough that I can finally get it to stay. Kinlee had her first ponytail at about 7 months. Girls are SO much fun!

Feeding the geese at Murray Park.

Going for a walk in the bike trailer last night. Can't wait to get the bikes out once it warms up.

BRIGHTYN

Brightyn will be 8 months on Saturday. She knows how to wave now but will not do it everytime we ask her. It is the cutest thing. I am trying to teach her to clap now but I think it takes a little more coordination. She is perfecting the skill of picking things up with her thumb and index finger (food) but sometimes she just grabs it up with her entire hand and then forgets that she has food in it. She is sitting up VERY well now, although every now and then she tips over (like at the pool) so we have to still make sure to watch where we set her to try and avoid hard surfaces and edges... She is such a good baby, very go with the flow. She likes to be on the move like her mom. I was looking back at pics of Kinlee at this age, and Kinlee was already pulling herself up and standing while holding on to things. Brightyn still does not roll from her belly to her back (rolling from back to belly is harder) but she is very content on her stomach so I guess she is just in no hurry to get back on her back? For the record, Brightyn hates ALL fruits. I actually stopeed buying htem altogether. She loves her veggies. Gobbles them right up, so that is what she eats 2 times a day along with a huge bowl of rice cereal each morning. My pediatrician also told me she can have yogurt. It took a few tries before she decided she liked it. I think maybe it was the cold temp... But she loves vanilla yogurt, and McDonlads french fries. the other day she ate almost an entire breadstick from Little Ceasars.

KINLEE

Kinlee has been a little stinker (to say the least) lately. I feel like more often than not, she is getting into trouble for not listening, or for being NOT so nice to her sister. There are days where I feel like all I do is yell at her. Not sure what to do? I try to make sure I am giving her as much attention as I do Brightyn, but lets face it, babies just require more of it. I take her to do fun things almost EVERY day, and I will admit that she is probably spoiled. Derk tells me it is just her age, but then it seems like I look around at other kids her age, and she is so much more agressive and snooty. Hopefully it is something she will grow out of. I hope I am not doing something wrong. If I am, can anyone tell me? Kinlee is taking gymnastics once a week at Academy West, but I think I may take her out once summer comes to an end. She will start preschool in August and that will keep her entertained. We may try dance in fall and see what she prefers. It can get expensive as your kids get older and want to start doing extra things, (and I want them to) so I guess we will take it as it comes.

Easter and more...

2010-04-08T16:10:00.008-06:00

Hope everybody had a fun Easter! We started out the holiday with a bbq and egg hunt at our friends house. Thanks Marty and Jamie. That night we came home and dyed eggies. Easter morning started with opening the kids Easter baskets. While I gave the girls a bath, the Easter Bunny (a.k.a. Derk) hid some eggs for Kinlee to find. After that we headed over to my moms house for lunch. Then, took the kids home for naps. That night we had Honeybaked Ham (YUMMY!) at Derks parents house and of course more goodies for the kids. Here are some pics of the fun times!

Brightyns egg. My attempt at a ladybug.

Kinlee got some goggles, arm floaties, flip flops, and some candy. We also brought up an art easel that we had gotten her for Christmas but forgot about...

Brightyn got some "num nums" (snacks) and some hair headbands and a bunny.

Brightyn and Derks mom, Grandma Kathy

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

2010-03-30T21:34:00.007-06:00

Took a trip with a a few friends to Vegas. Yes, we DID leave something in Vegas... my BUMPER :) We left on Thursday night and I drove our Mazda. BAD idea... We stayed in a friend of a friends condo in Mesquite.

Always thought this sign was funny!

Friday we layed out by the pool and drove around for an hour looking for a Starbucks with no luck.

That night we decided to drive into Vegas and go to the outlets. After leaving the outlets we were trying to find our way back to the freeway. Long story short, I caused an accident. Our back bumper clipped the front bumper of another car and literally got snagged. It tore our bumper almost all the way off. Thanks to some confusion, and darkness I think I am NOT driving ever again in Vegas. The damage to my car was $ 1,300, not sure what the damage was to the other car yet but it was a 1989 GMC Jimmy. there was only a small dent in theirs, go figure.

After the accident happened, it kind of ruined the rest of the trip for me. I am not gonna lie... I handle stress in a hard way and literally was making myself sick to my stomach or crying everytime I thought about it.

Saturday I decided to rent a car and let my friend Heather drive as the authorized driver. I did not want to take the Mazda back to Vegas. We walked around the strip, a few of my friends went on the New York, New York roller coaster. Then we went to the M & M Factory. After that we went to a restaurant called Aureole at Mandalay Bay where I paid 9.00 for a water! Yikes. I am way to cheap to roll Vegas style, and all I could think about was here I am spending 9.00 on a water (little did I know) and I am gonna have to pay a 500 deductible to fix my car when I get home. Here we are at the restaurant. Longest dresses in Vegas :)

After dinner we went to the John Mayer concert. I like some of his songs, but I was blown away at his show. He is amazing. Plays a mean guitar, and sounds exactly the same live as he does in person... It was great.

Sunday I was MORE than ready to head home. I missed my little Brightyn and Kinlee. That's the jist of the trip... Needless to say, I won't be going back anytime soon (unless Derk is with me). I feel so different from the friends I went with, it wasn't until this trip where I really saw and felt how different we are. Not sure how I feel about it...
Almost Home...

ALSO!!!

I entered Brightyn in a baby photo contest... (Because I think she is adorable AND to show off my photography skills). Go on and vote for her! She is baby # 166.

http://www.971zht.com/pages/babyidol10/#

FOUR on Friday

2010-03-12T15:35:00.003-07:00

I was a slacker this week and failed to find 5 things... So this week I am doing FOUR on Friday!

Spring is in the air! I took this pic today of my neighbors tulips that are in blossom. So excited to start heading to the parks instead of to Walmart everyday just to get out of the house!

Poop Face.

Lovin' on DeeDee :)

Chubba Bums!

FIVE on Friday

2010-03-05T09:53:00.003-07:00

Lately I have been needing some inspiration for my blog. Then I saw someone had a "FIVE on Friday" where every Friday they posted about 5 random things... So today, I am posting about 5 things I love! I am going to try and do this every Friday, so we will see how it goes.

Bathtime with Big DeeDee and Little DeeDee

Fun times in Brightyns "CRIB"

Finger puppets every night before bed.

I love Kinlee's teeth. It is pretty much a given she will need braces one day like Derk and I both had. ONe day she will go through that akward phase and all I can do is help her get through it by letting her know how beautiful she is and how much she is loved.

I love the green spot in Kinlee's left eye, under her pupil. And, yes, that is eyeshadow :) Her new favorite thing in the morning.

Growing like a weed...

2010-02-17T17:23:00.003-07:00

Brightyn had her 6 month well check today. For the record she weighs in at a whopping 16 lbs. 8 oz. and is 27 1/2 inches long. Her weight is in the 70% and she is so long that she is off the charts for her height. I never knew until recently that there is a separate growth chart for girls and boys... Interesting. Compared to Kinlee at 6 months... Kinlee was 15 lbs. 7.5 oz. and 26 3/4 inches. Looks like the nickname of Chubba Bubba suits her well :)

Chubba turns 6 months on the 17th!

2010-02-13T22:54:00.004-07:00

It seems like just yesterday (well sometimes) that Brightyn was born. The first 6 months is always hard for me with a new baby and adjusting to a whole new routine/schedule. BUT, we made it this far! I remember when Kinlee turned 1, it was like this big celebration for me, like, "yeah, I survived the first year." Now with Brightyn, I feel the same way. Yeah, we made it through the first 6 months :) Brightyn is such a great baby. She loves to cuddle and loves to sleep in my arms. Yes, I admit it, I will hold her for over an hour sometimes when she sleeps in my arms and just stare at her. Even when I could be doing a million other things, but I know that one day she will either be to big for me to hold, or she won't want me to hold her anymore. Brightyn FINALLY rolled over for the first time a few weeks ago. She had not done it since, but then tonight she kept doing it over and over again. She actually loves being on her belly and being a little snoopy snooper so she can see what's going on everywhere. She loves her excersaucer and has recently started jumping in it, literally! Lately she has been snubbing her bottle and prefers her big girl food. We have her 6 month appt. Wed. so we will see where she is at on the charts. She is by no means struggling in the weight department. I have also started a FEW of the baby signs with her (eat and more) are the two that we used a ton with Kinlee.
It's funny, Kinlee will sometimes still do the sign for more when she wants more of something, it just became a habit for her... Brightyn loves her big "deedee" "sissy". We play hide and seek with Kinlee and Brightyn squeels in delight. This is the age that I aboslutely love. They start doing SO much more, and become so independent. I am not wishing away time, just looking forward to what the future brings. Love you little deedee!

She barely fit in this!
Loves to zoom around with "deedee" in the hamper.

Enjoying some Little Ceasars breadsticks

Getting ready for num nums.

Just for fun...

2010-02-02T14:45:00.005-07:00

When Kinlee was about 5 1/2 months old (about the same as what Brightyn is now) I took some pics of her in her little bikini. I thought it would be fun to take pics of Brightyn at the same age in the same little bikini. Here they are. I never thought Kinlee and Brightyn looked alike, but after taking these pics they look almost identical to me... Hmm... Too funny.
Taken long before I had my nice camera and knew a thing or two about photography :)

Glasses.... NO more...

2010-01-28T14:44:00.007-07:00

Derk had his lasik surgery yesterday. He was a little sore when I picked him up, he said his eyes felt like they were burning. He came home and laid down for a few hours, and then said he felt much better. This was THE best investment we could have made for him. You cannot put a price on your vision, and as far as we are concerned, it was worth every penny. Today at his post checkup, they said his vision was 20/25 and within a few months will be 20/20. Amazing, considering his vision was like -750 before the surgery... Here are a few fun pics.

A few broken blood vessels later...

One last pic before we trashed these!

Poor glasses. We WON'T miss you : (

Kinlee turns 3!

2010-01-24T18:24:00.006-07:00

WOW! My little baby is 3 years old now. We had 2 birthday parties for her this year. Friday night (her actual birthday) we had a little get together with some neighborhood friends. The kids had fun hitting the pinata (although I don't think they got the point until all the candy came pouring out). Saturday night was the big family party at Jumping Jacks. It was a little hard getting pics of all the kids because they were running around all over having a blast... Having Kinlee around has made for some fun times. She is my best buddy in the whole wide world. No joke. We go everywhere together and have since day 1. She is like my other half. She is my personal model/practice girly when I take pics... She can strike any pose at any given moment. She has been driving me nuts lately, and acts like a maniac sometimes (mostly when Brightyn is around), but I TRY and remind myself it is her age. I have a feeling the threes will be a challenging year. Among other things, Kinlee has started gymnastics, and we will see how that goes. I would like to put her in dance maybe come summer but we really can't afford both, so it will have to be one or the other, depending on which one she likes better. I got her on a list to start preschool this fall. It is so weird to think she will be doing that soon. She really is so smart, and says things everyday that just amaze me. She loves to watch Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo, her fav. movies right now are Bolt and any of the Ice Age movies. Kinlee was officially potty trained at 2 years and 7 months (right about the time Brightyn came) and has not had ONE accident since. I am so proud of her and how big she is. We have her 3 year checkup tomorrow and her first dentist appt. Tuesday. Here's to the next year :)
> The Gang

Gymnastics, San Diego and Lasic Surgery!

2010-01-09T22:35:00.004-07:00

Kinlee started gymnastics this week at Academy West Gymnastics. My little sister coaches gymnastics and we used to go to her meets, and Kinlee absolutely loved it. We took Kinlee to the trial class at Hunts (where my sister coaches) BUT I did not like the teacher and I felt the place was a little outdated. Then I took her to the trial class at Academy West and loved it. They have a great facility and way more one on one interaction. She is going to start going once a week and we will see how she likes it. There are some cute girls her same age. I was worried that Kinlee would be naughty or not follow directions, but she listened so well , and did everything they told her to do. She is going to make some cute little girly friends. I thought about putting her in dance, but at this point, she already has the rythm (yes that is how you spell it!) and you can't teach that to someone... so I figured we would try the tumbling thing first and then dance later:)

We booked a family trip to San Diego for the end of May. We had a ton of Skymiles that we redeemed, and all 3 tickets (mine, Derks and Kinlee's) were all free. Brightyn was also free because 2 and under fly free... We got a 3 in 1 pass to go to Seaworld, the Zoo and Wild Animal Kingdom. Not to metion hitting up Mission Beach. We are staying in Old Town, our favorite. We love San Diego! Hopefully traveling with 2 kids will not be to hectic.

Last but not least, Derk gets to have lasic surgery on Jan. 27th. We were able to do flexible spending to pay for a good chunk of it, and the rest will come from savings... It is so worth every penny and Derk will be able to see now! His vision is like negative 800 something (that means he is legally blind without contacts!) so for him to be able to have htis and get his vision back is something that we are so excited about.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

2010-01-01T22:45:00.004-07:00

This year for News Years Eve, we got a little CRAZY!!! We started out the night by going to eat at Carino's with Derks parents. Later that night we headed home and put Brightyn to sleep and played a game with Kinlee. To top it all off, we had some rootbeer floats! Yummy. Needless to say, we were all in bed before midnight (but we did hear the neighbors celebrating:) 2009 sure went by fast. A few memorable things from the past year: Brightyns birth, Derks new position at work (blah), first black president, and the death of Michael Jackson are a few that stand out the most. Now that it is 2010 I am hoping to work on a few things (lets not call them resolutions). Patience, Patience and more Patience. Hope everyone has a good fresh start on the New Year!

Christmas and beyond...

2009-12-27T22:21:00.008-07:00

Every year we usually go to Temple Square to see the lights, but it's always so crowded and impossible to find good parking downtown. This year we decided to head to the Zoo Lights. Most of the animals were sleeping except for the cats out partying. The lights were fun, and the kids liked it. I think we will start going there every year instead.

Kinlee's friend Reagan came over to have pizza and play one night. Can't wait for Reagans mommy to quit her job and stay home so we can play more :)

Kinlee and sissy. I love the BUMBO that my sister in law got for me.
Here is little of our Christmas fun. Kinlee was VERY onery on Christmas morning and throughout the day. I think it was a little overwhelming for her. Kinlee and Brightyn got some fun things and we can't wait to try them all out. Hope everyone had a good holiday.
The tree with all the goodies.

Kinlee's BIG present was a two seater jeep.

Letter from good old Santa.

Little miss boo boo on Christmas morning.
Brightyn is almost bigger than Kinlee. (about 12 more pounds :)
Kinlee also got a dollhouse, playdough, paints, coloring stuff, bath foam, a puzzle, some movies and a little train trac set from Ikea.
Here is what sissy got.
My two little jeepsters. Just like their mommy. "It's a jeep thing, you wouldn't understand"

Derks parents got Kinlee a wiggle car (see link below to see what I am talking about) and Brightyn got a little train thing to ride on. It does the alphabet and sings and stuff. They also got many other things from grandma and grandpa. Thanks! My family got Kinlee a radio boombox/cd player, and Brightyn got this blow up penguin thing with balls in it that you punch around.

http://www.plasmacar.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=132&cat=28&page=1
Brightyn had her first solids on Dec. 19th. She ate an ENTIRE jar of carrots and loved them. It took a few minutes for her to get used to eating off the spoon. I forgot how messy babies were! Since this, Brightyn has not been drinking her bottles to great (maybe she wants more carrots ? :) so I decided to wait another month or so and focus on formula only.

Kinlee doing her Waynes World "Garth" smile.

Chubba turns 4 months

2009-12-16T18:24:00.010-07:00

Today marks the date. 4 months to be exact, that my little chubba bubba was born. She weighs 14 lbs (60%) and is 25 1/2 in. (95%) tall. Brightyn is the best sleeper at night. She usually hits the sack between 8 and 9 and will sleep until 4 or 5, get up have a bottle and then sleep until 8 or so. SO nice. During the day she is more notorious for catnapping. I am trying to get her on somewhat of a schedule and it seems to be slowly coming into place. I think kids need somewhat of a routine and plus it makes it easier for me to schedule my day if I know about when she needs to be getting her naps in :) Makes for a happier day for all. Brightyn absolutely adores Kinlee. She follows her every move and laughs at her. We even moved Kinlee's carseat next to Brightyn's so they could be closer. Brightyn will just sit and stare at Kinlee and eat her fingers. We are so lucky to have such cute and fun girls.
Here is one of her 4 month pics. To see the rest, check out my photo blog.
www.everylittlethingphotography.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas

2009-12-15T14:40:00.005-07:00

Here is a little of what we have been up to... (other than Derk working EVERY day until Christmas) Hope everyone has a safe and fun Holiday.

the anticipation...

Derk turns the BIG 30...

2009-12-06T15:30:00.004-07:00

You know you're turning 30 if...
-you ever had a mullet, "tail", or a side ponytail
-you have used a commodore 64
-you owned a trapper keeper
-you can name all the members of New Kids on the Block
-you remember wheb fast food burgers came in styrofoam containers
-you had a crush on Kelly Kapowski or Zack Morris from Saved By the Bell.

Derk turned the big 30 yesterday. Of course we had to celebrate. The entire McDermaid Fam came over and we had lots of fun listening to Beatles music (a family fav.) and watching our wedding video with the slide show of pics of Derk growing up. Everyone says the 30's are the best years. Lets hope so :) Happy Birthday Derk. We love you.

Derks uncle Rick and Derks dad Paul...

Uncle Sheldon and Jackie
Kendra and Emily (my two good friends since 3rd grade)
This wasn't even all of the kids :)
Derks aunt Cheryl and Brightyn
Derks cousin Bree, Aunt Dolores and Aunt Cathy
Emily, Brightyn and Dylan
DQ Icecream Cake. YUMMY!

Jamie, Ryker and Marty (good friends of ours)

Hold You?

2009-11-30T21:40:00.004-07:00

When Kinlee was little I used to say to her, "you want momma to hold you?" and so when she was old enough to talk, she used to say to me "hold you" when she wanted me to pick her up... Now, it seems we have come full circle. Brightyn has been on this kick lately where she wants to be held ALL the time... It makes for an interesting day when you are trying to do a million other things while holding a baby. Some people used to tell me that by doing this, you are spoiling your child. I disagree. I call it LOVING them. How could I not want to "hold you". One day when you are older, you will not want to be held, so of course I am going to enjoy every chance I get to be as close to you as I can, and if that means having you at my hip all day, then so be it :) Brightyn is getting so big. Literally! She is probably pushing 14 pounds (more than half of what Kinlee weighs). She talks to us all day, and blows lots of bubbles. She watches Kinlees every move and smiles so big at her all the time. She is at such a fun age. Kinlee had been such a good helper most of the time. When she is not going stir crazy in the house. She just got better after having a 5 day long flu virus which totally wiped her out ;( I cannot believe she is almost 3 years old. She told me she wanted to have a GO UTES birthday party. So I geuss red it is... I may atttempt to make a U pinata for the kids. We'll see... As for Derk and I we have been really busy lately. Sometimes it puts a strain on things. when you work retail, it's part of the territory that you work LONG days with little time off (which makes for a LONG day for mom with the kids). I may be quitting Carters after Christmas. That is still undecided. I really enjoy doing photography and would like to focus more time and energy on that. I am taking some classes in January and I am super excited to learn some new things from a professional. Well, there you have it... Thats what has been going on with us. How about you?

Family Pics

2009-11-19T22:20:00.004-07:00

I have been wanting to get family pics done since Brightyn was born, and we finally got them done! Thanks Misty for doing these for me! Kinlee and Brightyn both were being difficult so there were only a few keepers :) I just wanted one pic by "the truck" and I got it! You are always so much more critical when looking at pics of yourself. I think these turned out great...

Where to start...

2009-11-12T18:27:00.007-07:00

We have been a little busy lately and I have not taken the time to blog for awhile, so here is whats been up...

Derks mom got tickets to Disney Princesses on Ice. So last night the three of us went (Brightyn stayed home with daddy). I have never seen so many little princesses running around in my life! Kinlee absolutely loved the show, even though there are several princesses we have never watched (due to the dvd's being in the Disney vault).

Kinlee was Cinderella. This is her new favorite show.

She wanted a 20.00 light up Tinkerbell thing that they were selling. I said NO :( This picture looks JUST like a pic of Derk crying when he was about this age.

Kinlee and Grandma Kathy

Noodle and Chubba Bubba

Brightyn has recently been so interested in looking at everything. She loves the birds on her swing, and this little playmat.

My two pretty ladies.

Halloween at Derks aunts. This is the first year since we have been together (9 years) that we have not dresesed up. To hectic with the kids, and we did not want to spend the money on costumes.

Trick or Treat, Smell My feet!

Kinlee and cousin Dawson.

Party at Jamie and Marty's. Pin the hat on the witch.

Musical Chairs. Notice Kinlee is the ONLY girl?

Lil miss smiley. Such a happy chubba! She talks to us and smiles all the time.

Freezing cold at the pumpkin patch 2 days before Halloween.

All you need is love...

2009-10-24T20:55:00.003-06:00

Kinlee's Idol - Cousin Dawson (she absolutely adores him)

Freezing our ace's off at the game!

Busy times! Went to take pics of "the grandkids" for grandma to have an updated pic with all of them. Let me say it is NOT easy figuring out how to pose a 2 month old and a 3 month old in pics! They were so well behaved, and the babies did awesome! We were a little rushed on time, and it was cold out, so we did the best we could, here are my 3 favs!

Saturday (today) was the Utes game. We go every year as a tradition, Derks parents buy tickets for all of us to go. It started to rain not long after getting to the game, and I was chilled to the bone, and could not warm back up! The kids had such a fun time, I think they were to busy having fun to realize they were cold. Brightyn slept most of the time and baby Jagger was just chillin. The game went in to overtime and we won 23 to 16. Thanks for the fun time grandpa and grandma!

"I like em' HUGE, I like em CHUNKY"

2009-10-19T14:26:00.003-06:00

"I like em' HUGE, I like em CHUNKY" (anyone ever seen Madagascar 2 :)-

Today was Brightyns 2 month well check. Here are a few fun facts.

Brightyn at 2 months
11 pounds 7 oz. (75%)
23 inches (85%)

Kinlee at 2 months
10 lb. 10.8 oz.
23 1/4 inches

Also, Brightyn has had a lump on the top back portion of her head about the size of a marble that I had noticed recently (not sure how long it had been there), I noticed it was mushy but did not seem to bother her when I pushed on it... We asked the pediatrician about it and he said it was called a "Hemangioma" Hemangiomas, although referred to as tumors, are not malignant and do not become cancerous. Hemangiomas are four to six times more common in women than in men. He took an xray to make sure that it was not attached to her brain. He basically said it is like a gathering or collection of blood vessels below the surface of the skin. He wants to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not grow, and says it should go away on its own (there is no time frame as to how long that could take). So at least now I know what it is, and don't have to worry anymore...

I also attached a pic of Kinlee at 2 months. Everyone asks me if I think they look alike, and I do not think they do at all. Then again, everyone says they both look like Derk, but I think Brightyn has my chin and my lips... So it's always interesting to hear what everyone thinks!

By the way, Kinlee's 2 month pics were done at Kiddie Kandids (yes I paid a fortune for them) and Brightyns were free. I think I did the better job :)

Two Months Already!!!

2009-10-16T15:19:00.007-06:00

Tomorrow will mark the day that Brightyn will be two months old! She is smiling ALL the time (and when she is not smiling, she is either eating, sleeping or being grumpy! She has started to sleep for longer stretches at night. She will go about 6 hours the first stretch but then every 3 after. So we can't complain. She is getting huge. She is easily 12 pounds (we will see at her 2 month well check visit on Monday). She is almost half of what Kinlee weighs (a whopping 26 -27 pounds). Her head is still full of hair, Kinlee had lost most of hers by this age. It will be interesting to see how Brightyn changes. She may be the chubby baby with brunette hair while Kinlee is the skinny noodle with blonde hair:) We got Brightyns ears pierced last week, who could resist? It's part of the fun of being a girly girl. Fun times are ahead with this girly and her big sis! I can't wait. And in regards to a previous post about "does it get easier?" let me tell you it does. Though some days are harder and more challenging than others, it DOES get easier.

October is here, along with good times!

2009-10-04T16:27:00.008-06:00

October is one of the funnest months of the year! The weather is starting to cool down (almost too much lately), and all of the halloween festivities have started. We stay pretty busy. This weekend, we went to Gardner Village on Friday for breakfast with a witch. After that, the kids did a Halloween costume parade and a hay ride to a witches house. It was so much fun. Saturday we went to Frightmares at Lagoon. We go every year as a tradition. It is perfect weather, and not to crowded, plus the prices are a little cheaper to go in the fall. The kids had a blast. Kinlee would have went on every ride there if they would have let her. Luckily she is tall for her age (36 inches) which is what the min. requirement was for most rides, and she was able to go on them with an adult. She is my little fearless woman. I can hardly wait for next year wen Brightyn can join her on the rides. Kinlees first time to Lagoon was when she was only 9 months old! Can't wait for the rest of the month. Pumpkin patches, Cornbellies, and lots of candy and partying!

Update to last post...

2009-09-30T22:42:00.004-06:00

So.. I did it!!! I made the car seat canopy. I actualyl made two of them. ONe for me and one for my sister in law. They were not to time consuming. I think now that I have made a few, it would be easier if I ever made one again. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out, although I am sure if you looked close enough, you would see some mistakes in my sewing abilities. All that matters is that is looks cute and is not falling apart right???

*I also threw in a pic of my two princesses! Kinlee loves when I lay Brightyn in her bed next to her. It is a morning ritual. Maybe one day they will have little slumber parties in each others rooms and giggle all night long :)

P.S. Brightyn has still not lost any hair (as far as I can see). When I look back at pics of Kinlee at around 2 months old, she had lost most of what she had then it came in blonde. Hmm... Maybe Brightyn will stay brown?

For all my prego friends and new mommies!

2009-09-28T21:09:00.004-06:00

I have been wanting to make one of these things forever, and found the easiest pattern online. It is called a car seat canopy. I am sure you have all seen them... I am always draping a blanket over the carseat for when Brightyn falls asleep, and ot always falls off, and gets in the way of the handle... yada yada yada... so here it is, if you want to make one. I am going tomorrow to buy fabirc. Hobby Lobby as the cutest prints (and Ikea but they are more expensive) This would ba a cute gift too!

Here is the link!

http://www.while-they-sleep.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-good-friend-beth.html

Someday...

2009-09-17T22:18:00.007-06:00

>

This is Kinlee holding baby Marney wearing Brightyns old pj's!!!

WARNING! This is going to be a long post. This is dedicated to Brightyn's 1 month birthday today

"Someday" (this is my favorite childrens book by Alison Meghee and Peter H. Reynolds)

One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one

One day the first snowflakes fell, and I held you up and watched them melt on your baby skin

One day we crossed the street and you held my hand tight

Then, you were my baby, and now you are my child

Sometimes, when you sleep, I watch you dream, and I dream too...

That someday you will dive into the cool, clear water of a lake

Someday you will walk into a deep wood

Someday your eyes will be filled with a joy so deep that they shine

Someday you will run so fast and so far your heart will feel like fire

Someday you will swing high-so high, higher than you ever dared to swing

Someday you will hear something so sad that you will fold up with sorrow

Someday you will call a song to the wind, and the wind will carry your song away

Someday I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me until I no longet see you

Someday you will look at this house and wonder how something that feels so big can look so small

Someday you will feel a small weight against your strong back

Someday I will watch you brusing your child's hair

Someday, a long time from now, your own hair will glow silver in the sun

And, when that day comes, love, you will remember me

O.K., now that my eyes are practically swollen from crying as I type this... Brightyn turned 1 month old today and even though it has been one of the most challenging months I have had in a LONG time, I made it through. You just have to tell yourself that things always have a way of working themselves out. It has been so fun watching Kinlee love her little sister so much, it's hard to imagine what it was like before Brightyn came along. She is getting so big now a lot of her newborn things are to small. We actually passed a pair of her pajamas on to Kinlees favorite babydoll (Marney). I can hardly wait for this next month when she starts smiling at us! P.S. the pics of Brightyn were taken by me (of course) in the fields by my house on 7800 S.

Annual trip to Kamas

2009-09-13T19:08:00.004-06:00

Every year we try to go up to Derks uncle Ricks property in Kamas. This year we went up a little later than normal and it got pretty chilly outside. Lucky for us, Derks uncle has an extra trailer that he let us stay in with the baby. He has a 4 wheeler that the kids absolutely love, and of course what kid (besides Kinlee) can resist s'mores over the campfire. Derks parents, and brother and his family came up as well so Kinlee had fun running around with her cousins. We had a rough night sleeping in such close quarters with the baby, every little grunt (which was pretty much ALL night) was heard, and surprisingly enough it didn't seem to keep Kinlee awake.

Does it get easier?

2009-08-31T20:29:00.003-06:00

I have been a bit of a blog slacker lately, but it seems like most days I am lucky to even eat by 3 or NOT wear a hat for the day and actually get ready. Going from 1 to 2 kids has been a HUGE change for us. Everyone always told me that going from 1 to 2 was the hardest, but until we actually got to this point, I had no idea. I am such a scheduled, and routine person and this has totally thrown me for a loop. Not to mention, I forgot about how little sleep you get with a newborn. So right now we (mostly me) are trying to adjust to life with 2 girlies. There are several times each day where I feel like at least one of them is getting pushed to the back burner while I take care of the other ones needs. Today 7:00 rolled around and I was trying to feed the baby and get dinner going and Kinlee was starving... If anyone reading this has two kids, when does it get easier? I would love to know. People always ask us, "are you sure you are done with two kids?" YES YES and YES we are so done. On a more positive note, Kinlee absolutely adores her sister, and there are times when Brightyn is awake, and she just stares at Kinlee. They love each other so much, I can already tell. I have Brightyns 2 weeks appt. tomorrow so I will get to see how much bigger she has grown in 2 weeks! Kinlee had put on 11 oz, from birth to 2 weeks, so it will be interesting to see how little sis compares. I am going to bed now!

** UPDATE ! so today when they weighed Brightyn, she has gained exactly 11 oz. since birth. She went from 7 lb. 6 oz. to 8 lb. 1 oz. crazy! Her and Kinlee gained the exact same amount (execpt Kinlee was up to 8 lb. 9 oz. since she was bigger at birth). The Dr. said if she continues at this rate she will be pushing 12 pounds by her 2 month well check...

One of the best moments of my life...

2009-08-22T15:34:00.004-06:00

So as most of you know, we had our beautiful litle girl Brightyn on 08/17 @ 9:25 in the morning. It all started the night before when I decided I was DONE being pregnant. I took 4 tsp. of castor oil (which has been known to put you into labor/ I also did this with Kinlee and it does work!) I took this at 8:30 Sunday night and by 2:15 Monday morning we were in the hospital with contractions at 3 minutes apart. Brightyn was born 12 days early at 7 pounds 6 oz. and 19 inches long. My doctor was out of town :( so her partner Dr. Kenneth Larson delivered the baby. He was great. After I had the baby, all I could think about was Kinlee and how excited I was to see her, and for her to see her sister for the first time. It honestly was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it. When Kinlee got there, she immediately wanted to see her sister and give her loves. She absolutely adores her. Derk stayed both nights I was in the hospital with Kinlee at our house, and each night Kinlee cried because she wanted to bring her baby home. Derk said the first thing she wanted to do each morning was to go see her baby. It has been amazing so far. I think once I get into a routine, and figure out how to manage 2 girls instead of just one, things will be so much fun. I can harldy wait to see what the future holds. Here are a few pics (there are to many to post all of them)

Sink Bath!

The Cousins! Jagger, Dawson, Brightyn, Kinlee, and Parker

Cousin Jagger and Brigtyn are exactly 4 weeks apart! This will be fun!

Benson Grist Mill...

2009-08-10T16:38:00.005-06:00

I have been wanting to take a little road trip to this place since last fall. It is called Benson Grist Mill and is located in Tooele County. It's just a little old mill and some old bldgs. (I was thinking it would be like Gardner Village but it's not). I brought along my little poser/model and we walked around for a while to check things out. It was fun, but not sure if it was worth the drive. Either way, I got some great pics (I think I like these better than the 2 1/2 year pics I took of Kinlee last month so I may need to switch these out...) If you ever get bored, and want to take a drive to this place, you just take I-80 westbound. Get off at the Stansbury Park exit, then follow that road until you get to SR-138 and turn right. The Mill is about a mile down the road.

Big Sis turns 2 1/2!

2009-07-24T16:30:00.003-06:00

Got these on clearance at childrensplace.com for 4.75 each for next summer. So cute. I know I am a nerd, but I love matching outfits on kids!

Getting ready for my little sister!

Taking good care of her baby dolls. Quintuplets!

Yum! Nestle Tollhouse cookies!

I have been slacking lately at the blog thing... Too many other things going on right now. However, Kinlee turned 2 1/2 on Wednesday! She is such a little lady now. Kinlee is SO excited to be a big sister. She is always mentioning about how "when Brightyn grows out..." She thinks that when Brightyn "grows out" that she comes out of my belly button. I figured it's probably best at this point to let her believe that's where babies come from :) I am proud to say that after easily 9 months (yes 9 months if not more) of introducing Kinlee to potty training, she is almost finished. She wears big girl undies all day every day (except for naps and bedtime. she always wakes up dry from her naps). I cannot even remember the last time she had an accident. Kinlee has quite the personality and sometimes is a little aggressive. She does not like to share, but then again I don't know of most kids this age or even older that do. Sometimes I feel like I have to constantly keep an eye on her to make sure she is not shoving any other kids around. I have noticed that some parents think their kids are so well behaved, and never do anything wrong, and I just laugh to myself. Every kid has their own personality and I am not going to punish mine for being just a little more spunky than most... I have also noticed that she plays better with older kids. Much older. Like 5 and 6 year old kids. She usually wants nothing to do with most kids her own age and I think that alot of it has to do with how advanced she is at many things (including her speech). Kinlee's favorite movie right now is Madagascar. She absolutely loves getting her "pretties" (toenails) painted, and loves to pick out what shoes and underwear she gets to wear for the day. She loves backpacks, and is quite the little collector. She is always finding weird random things that she wants in her backpack. Kinlee is a night owl. We are lucky to have her in bed and sleeping by 11 at night. The good thing is she sleeps until 9:30 in the morning. This schedule seems to work for us, so we donlt really care to much about the late nights. 35 more days until the baby comes. Yeah! Hopefully sooner. I am so excited for Kinlee to be a sister.

Which Ones???

2009-07-05T16:23:00.005-06:00

Just need a little help picking out 2 pics to go on my wall... These will be Kinlee's 2 1/2 year pics... What are your 2 favs?

We LOVE summertime...

2009-06-28T22:28:00.004-06:00

I have been majorly slacking lately at doing any blog posts, so I wanted to tell everyone just how much we LOVE summer. We are ALWAYS on the go, always outside, at a park, at a pool, in the front yard... Derk was off on Friday so we headed up to Silver Lake to walk around. It was so beautiful, and the little squirrel things (pot guts?) were in full force so we gave them peanuts galore.

Saturday was TVille Dayzz, we go every year to the parade and then to the fireworks show at night. This year they had the carnival rides, so we went on a few with Kinlee. I had the bright idea to take her in this funhouse thing and it was a huge mistake. Here I am 7 months pregnant climbing rope walls, and squeezing through tunnels and flying down a slide.

Midnight... KooKoo hair Kinlee.

Less than 9 weeks to go before baby Brightyn arrives. I am extremely nervous about making it a smooth transition for Kinlee. It has always been just the two of us and ALL my attention goes to her, and once the baby comes around, obviously my time will be divided in two... I want her to feel as much a part of everything as I can. Kinlee will be the best big sister ever. This morning when Kinlee woke up I went and laid in her bed with her to cuddle and she leaned up against me and said, "mom, you are my best friend ever". and we are that. She is my best friend (even though she drives me crazy sometimes :). Hope everyone is having a fun summer.

The Name Game...

2009-06-05T15:13:00.002-06:00

So from the time we found out we were having a girl, the name "Berklee" came to mind and that is what we have been calling our soon to be little one... Well, the other day I thought of the name Brighton (which I always thought would be cool for a boy), and then I saw a little girl named Brighton. They spelled it Brightyn, and I freakin love it! So I wanted to see what everyone thought. Which do you like better, and why? A little history behind Brighton... I grew up learning to ski and snowboard there. It is the ONLY place I will go still to this day. Not only does it represent Utah, but it holds memories for me. (Emily, you know what I mean). So let me know what you think. "Brightyn"!

The Stinky Beach?

2009-05-06T22:09:00.003-06:00

I talked Derk into taking a little trip to the Great Salt Lake/Saltair (my favorite place to take pics now). We first headed over to the old abandoned traincar and were literally being attacked my gnats. I was itching all over and we were like, ok let's get out of here. We then headed over by the boat ramps and the park ranger told us of a cool spot to go by the water and get some good pics. We took off our shoes and headed down the trail to the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL. The park ranger was like, "yeah, everyone thinks it's just a stinky old beach, but it is actually very beautiful." He was so true. We had a blast and Kinlee thought she was at the ocean. It took her a minute to warm up to the idea of putting her feet in the water. My legs were burning because I had shaved this morning and the salt water was burning them. If you have never taken a trip there, it is a must. Catch a sunset, walk barefoot, get a little dirty relax.
P.S. there were no bugs by the water and it actually did not stink at all...

And I said... Hey yah yah yah.. what's going on...

2009-04-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to do a post about whats been up. So for all of you garage salers out there, my friend that lives in Daybreak said that they have a once a year garage sale (everyone in Daybreak does this) and it is being held this year on May 16th. Be there or be square. If you want to rummage through other peoples things and maybe find some neat stuff, here's your chance. Kinlee and I are trying to find fun things to do now that the weather is nice. We went to Liberty Park today and they had the water turned on so I let Kinlee run around in it. (Note to self: bring swimsuit next time!) We may be heading to the Coppermine soon and of course Copperton Park, the Zoo, you name it, we go there. I cannot wait for summer. Berklee has been kicking away in my stomach. I am almost 22 weeks (Friday). Derk has felt her kick several times. She is a night owl, oh no! She may be a party gal. Up all night and sleeping all day. I have been busy with work and picture taking. Fun times. Derk now manages Southtown instead of Gateway due to some tings that have happened. His drive is literally cut in half now. So much better for us. Hope everyone is doing good.

Fun times, family, and goodies!

2009-04-13T15:14:00.002-06:00

We had quite a fun Easter! Derk and I had ordered a trampoline for Kinlee that was supposed to be her birthday present (back in January) but we decided to wait until Easter to put it up. The weather was perfect for a little jumping around. Derks parents came over in the morning and we let Kinlee hunt for "eggies". We also bought her a little Dora scooter since she is always eyeing up the one her neighbor friend Eric has. After Kinlee took her nap, we went over to my parents house to hang out. My step dads son Jordan and his wife and baby made a surprise visit. My moms best friend Sandy and her husband Rod also flew in from Arkansas to spend the weekend with everyone, so it was a lot of fun seeing everyone. My brother Sheldon, his wife Megan and my sister Mel were also there of course! After we left my parents, we went over to Derks parents house to see our little nephews Parker and Dawson... We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day, and nicer weather to kickstart springtime.

What we do when daddy is gone...

2009-04-01T22:27:00.003-06:00

So when it's just us girls, we get a little crazy:) Polka dot toenails and cleaning in the nude (well not me but Kinlee) Kinlee absolutely loves her toenails painted. This time around she specifically asked for polka dots. She also insisted on swiffering commando style. Yes we know, she is a skinny minnie! I love having such a girly girl, and can't wait to add more girly into our family. So whats been going on with us lately? I am still working at Carters about 3 nights a week ( I would prefer only 2), trying to stay sane with this crappy weather and keep Kinlee entertained. Derk is out of town this week for work, so that makes it even more fun... Trying to potty train Kinlee still. I really slacked off these past 3 months because I have been feeling nauseated all day with the pregnancy and potty training was my last priority. So we are starting back up but not hardcore, because I am not so sure Kinlee is 100% ready. You cannot force it, they will do it when they are ready. She will go if I take her, but she still does not tell me she has to go until she already has gone... So soon enough she will make the decision to go when she is good and ready. Other than that, same old - same old. We are doing great!

My beautiful little blondie...

2009-03-21T15:48:00.003-06:00

Here is a sneak peek at Kinlees Easter Dress. I wanted to take a few pics of her in it because she looks so dang cute. I am so excited for Kinlee to be a big sister. I have already bought her and Berklee some matching outfits from my work and I can't wait to see them together. Enjoy!

Everyone... Meet "Berklee"

2009-03-16T14:05:00.004-06:00

> This is the babies bum showing in between the legs. Notice there is NO penis :)-

We finally got to find out today what the sex of our baby was. We tried Friday but the baby would not move into the right position. After throwing down half a redbull (I figured that would have the baby moving plenty!) we found out today we are having another girl! We are very excited, but at the same time we know this is the last child we will have (we only want 2) so we know we will never know what it is like to have a boy. I told Derk he better start saving now for the weddings! The name we have picked out is going to be Berklee (unless something else that we absolutely love) comes along. We also thought about naming her Kamrin, but decided Berklee was fun.

Derk or Kim Jr???

2009-03-10T15:38:00.001-06:00

Derk and I get to find out Friday what we are having. Take the poll off to the right side of our blog to predict what you think. You can leave a comment to with your guess so I can write it in my baby book:)

For all my girlies...

2009-03-07T15:41:00.002-07:00

I found a few new cute websites that have the cutest free blog backgrounds and headers. I was getting sick of the same old stuff on the cutest blog on the block. Here are the links for the two sites I found...

http://delightfuldots.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.that-blog-place.blogspot.com/

Have fun.

Kinlee's First Haircit - Cookie Cutters

2009-03-05T14:29:00.002-07:00

Kinlee had her first official haircut today. This girl was born with a head full of dark hair, then it all fell out and grew in blonde. (Derk and I were both blondies when we were her age as well). She hardly had any hair until around 8 months when I was able to put her first ponytail in. Other than at home trims to get rid of a few mullets, she has never had a real haircut. I was so exicted to take her and wanted it to be a fun experience for her. I decided to go to Cookie Cutters. They charge 13.95 but it was SO worth it. They have all kinds of fun cars/planes they can sit in, and they get to pick out a movie to watch. When they are done they get a sucker and a balloon. The girl did a great job and I think the price was worth it. If our next one is a boy he will be getting at home haircuts by mommy, but when it comes to girls hair it's much more complicated :) and well worth a splurge at the "beauty parlor".