Good Night

For months I have been entertaining the thought of moving Kayla over to a bed. However, I feared that it would require me to lay in bed with her for a half hour or so until she fell asleep. I just couldn't gather up enough motivation to do it. Kayla's sleeping patterns have been more of a challenge for us than Austin's were. She never starting sleeping through the night until about 9 months old and she still cries (screams) when we lay her in the crib even though we take time to rock and sing to her first.

To help my motivation we moved Kayla's bed into her room, I purchased a quilt that I loved, and we put up the safety rail. And there is sat for a couple weeks while we continued to put Kayla in her crib screaming herself to sleep.

One night Craig decided after putting her down that he would leave the door open (something we never did). And that girl didn't make a fuss at all....no crying. Coincidence? Nope, for the next week we put her in the crib with the door open and she fell asleep without crying. And I am now thinking "there is light at the end of the tunnel!!"

So last Friday night (Aug 6), I was working and called Craig before he went to bed to say good-night. And to my suprise he informed me that Kayla was sleeping in her bed!! And she has been sleeping in her bed ever since!! She will get up a few (or many) times and needs to be told to "go back to bed" or "lay down" which she will do and usually within a half hour she is asleep.

Who would of guessed---all she wanted was the door open!!

Good job Craig!! You get ALL the credit for this one!!

Weekend In OKC

The last weekend in July we drove down to OKC for the weekend with two reasons in mind: first, we have family there that we haven't seen for a while and second, me and Craig are overdue for a trip to the temple. We arrived Friday evening at Mike and Sara's house and their kids were super excited. Austin and Mikayla were instantly entertained and taken care of.

Saturday morning me and Craig went to temple which was wonderful. The temple is always so peaceful and really reminds you to keep an eternal perspective on life. Craig got lucky that morning as there was nobody standing outside to take our picture, so a picture of the OKC temple will have to do. It really is a beautiful temple where we got married just over 7 years ago (wow, time flies).Austin was super excited about this huge army tank at one of the neighborhood parks. It was super hot that day so we didn't stay long but headed back to the house to cool off.....




Mikayla went down once (kicking and screaming) and that was it for her. Austin loved the slide and went down solo, with his cousins, frontwards, backwards, on the tummy. He had a great time!


After nap time, we all went to the Children's Science Museum and had a great time. There was lots to see and do.

Some of the kids favorites were the segway ride, the maze of mirrors, the treehouse with the super huge spiral slide, laying on a bed of nails, and the gymnastic room.

It was a great weekend and we had lots of fun!!

TIME TO DANCE!!!

A favorite thing for our kids to do is dancing with their care bears. Austin will ask at least once (or twice) a day to DANCE!!! This entails taking a care bear and running around the red rug in our living room. It's a great way for them to get rid of all that energy before bed.

For some reason, on this night they thought it was fun falling on the ground.

The video is kind of long but I was too lazy to try to edit it. And yes that is Mambo No.5 by Lou Bega. Not exactly kid music but they love it!!!

Happy Pioneer Day!!!

July 4th Fireworks

Saturday it was raining off and on almost all day and so we weren't sure if the fireworks were going to happen that night. But luckily the rain held off enough that we could enjoy a great show surrounded by family and friends.

Notice the dark clouds. And of course Mikayla's blue eyes which I love. This is her pre-show. She was all smiles and having a great time.

Once the fireworks started Mikayla was like this the rest of the show. Poor girl.

Here's Austin telling the fireworks to be quiet and not scare Kayla. He enjoyed watching the show and shouted out the colors of the fireworks--especially when they were red and green ones (his favorite colors).

Toy Story 3

On July 3rd, me and Craig took Austin to his first movie in the theater. I underestimated how popular the movie would be and the theater was packed by the time we got there so we ended up about the 4th row from the front. But Austin had a great time and kept focused on the movie the whole time (except when he went with Craig to get popcorn/drinks). Austin's favorite part was at the end of the movie when the toys are headed towards the big "fire". At least I am assuming that was his favorite part because when someone asked him about the movie that is the part he mentioned. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again!!

Happy Anniversary!!

We celebrated our 7th anniversary this year and did so with a weekend together in Branson. It's amazing how fast a 4 hour drive can be when you are alone without the kiddos!

We went to the New Shangai Theater and saw the Chinese acrobats perform and it was an amazing show!!

We stayed at the Suites at Fall Creek which was wonderful and there was lots of things for us to do there at the resort: swimming, hot tub, mini-golf, tennis, horseshoes, shuffleboard. It was great being able to do these things together and just enjoying hanging out with each other without all the other demands, distractions, and responsibilities that we have at home.

And since Craig let me plan our trip, I convinced him that we should go Ziplining, something neither one of us had ever done. After gearing up, we headed up the hills in this Pinzgauer Swiss Army Troop Carrier.

Our tour was called Prospector in the Dark which entailed 7 suspension bridges and 4 ziplines. It didn't begin until dusk. So for the first 2 ziplines there was still some light but by the 3rd zipline it was completely dark. It was a thrilling experience and so much fun!!!



Can't you just see the enthusiasm on my face?? Even Craig commented on how excited I looked as we were ziplining through the Ozark Mountains.

Thank you Craig for sharing in this experience with me and for 7 wonderful years of marriage. Can't wait to see what other adventures life will bring to us in the future! I LOVE YOU!!

Friends

Austin's relationship with Mikayla has made major changes since the day I brought her home from the hospital. It has been great seeing it change from one of jealousy, to tolerance, to actual friendship which is where we are now--hurray!!

They are becoming great playmates and entertain each other very well. It has definately been a struggle getting them to this point but now that we are here I am loving it!!! Of course they don't always get along perfectly, but it is nice to see them sharing, and laughing together, and running around together and talking to each other. The other night I picked up Kayla to put her to bed and Austin gave me a sad face and said "but I won't have a friend to play with." Aww, moments like these make all the struggles so worth it!!

Sweet baby girl!!

My baby is no longer a baby!! Kayla is getting so big. She is such a sweet, silly, little girl and we are so lucky to have her in our family! Her biggest discovery is that her voice can do more than jabber and scream---she is discovering new words daily. I love this milestone because you never know what word they will learn next, plus it means we are on the way to communicating easier. Kayla will say 2-3 word sentences. Some of my favorites are hearing her say "wuv u" and "I want one" and "amen" after the prayer is said. She is a great singer....she sings ABC's, twinkle twinkle, and happy family all very well. She is still a great eater. She has become a little bit more picky lately, but overall eats a large variety of food unlike the boys in our family :)

I truly enjoy watching her play and her feminine side is starting to shine through. Recently she has started covering her dolls or carebears with blankets and saying "nye nye" to them. She also loves to accessories and enjoys putting on necklaces, sunglasses, shoes (whether her own or someone elses), and even attempts to put on clothes even though she is already wearing some. And for some reason she wears her princess crown like sunglassess even though I will put it on the top of her head. She loves her hairclips and will gather them from the bathroom drawer and run around with them in her hand (if only she would leave them in her hair).

She is no longer afraid of the carwash but has discovered a new fear: a whoopy cushion. Austin discovered one at my mom's house one day and Kayla is terrified of it for some reason.

She is a great listener. When ever we say "time to brush your teeth, or get your shoes, or brush your hair" she will take off running for the mentioned object. And often she will run around on her tiptoes.

She gives sweet kisses and hugs and is such a joy to have in our home!!!

Mormon Messages

Have you seen the newest Mormon Message??? It is great one for mothers...and I love the kid trying to play in the toilet....haven't we all been there??

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God