Kinley's new adventure

So, Miss Kinley decided she wanted to take a dance class. The girl likes to boogie and perform (just ask anyone who will watch and listen), so dance class seems to be a perfect fit. She started last Monday and wakes up every morning asking if it's Monday yet. We have all been scolded already if we aren't watching her newly learned moves with enough intensity.

Kaiya did dance several years ago and while I loved what it taught her, I have never been a huge fan of the recitals. They are expensive, long and the whole make-up thing makes me think of the Jon Benet Ramsey videos. Ugh. But, this really does seem to be Kinley's niche, so I will bite my tongue come recital time in June.

Here are a couple videos and of her in performance mode. They were taken during various family gatherings when she had a larger audience than just us. She now thinks Bennett should quit baseball and become her cheerleading spotter. :) Sorry it is a sideways video--I have no clue how to rotate a video so just turn your head to the left!

11th emotional birthday

You would think after 11 years, I would quit getting emotional on Cooper's birthday. No such luck. Poor Cooper has to listen to me every year recount the hours and days after his birth and watch me turn into a crying fool. Perhaps working in the field now and watching four families lose their precious kiddos this last year has made me that much more appreciative of his life. He might want to remind me of that when he is terrorizing his sisters and I'm about to lose my mind. :) When he was born, we knew instantly that something was wrong. He was blue as a popsicle and didn't cry. After being rushed to Children's, the phone call came that something was very wrong with his heart. He had a cath lab procedure by noon all while I was stuck in Greeley. It was the one and only time in 15 years of marriage that I saw (and it was only by phone) Doug openly cry. We were new parents and young and scared out of our minds. By the grace of God and good doctors, we brought Cooper home 8 days after open-heart surgery to switch his two main arteries that were coming off the wrong ventricles. The photo above was taken a few hours post-op.

He will kill me later when he reads this for being all gushy, but I am so proud of this young man. He is becoming a very responsible, mature person. I really think God has special plans for this kid and I'm really glad to be his mom.

This is an "off" year for a party, so we are just going to enjoy it as a family and then again with extended family this weekend. We love you, Coop!

A-little-of-everything-week

This week has been one of those with a little of everything--drama, pain, excitement, relaxation and fun. Such is the life with three busy kids, I guess.

Last Friday, Kinley and I got to go see the Colorado Ballet perform the Nutcracker with her bestest buddy, Maddie and her mom, Kris. It has been years since I've seen a professional ballet and it was impressive to say the least. So was the fact that these two little girls sat almost without moving through the entire show!

Sunday, we hosted my extended family at our house, which meant 20+ people. We ate too much, chatted all afternoon, watched the Broncos throw away their season and had a great visit.

By Sunday night, however, Cooper had a horrible toothache that kept him up all night. He cracked his permanent front tooth in two a couple of years ago and we've always known the root was iffy. Well, it got infected down to the bone, so he bought himself a root canal on Tuesday. This kid has had heart surgery and staples in his head and yet watching him in pain in the dentist's chair was almost too much. The dentist was never able to get him completely numb, so the tears just streamed down his face (and mine) during the procedure. He was so tough and kept apologizing to the dentist (who does that?) Anyway, it's over and we are thankful for good pain meds! New Year's Eve was spent at our neighbor's house and we had a blast. The kids made it til midnight, which was a first, so they were feeling pretty proud. I think they were asleep by 12:05, but they still made it. We love having great neighbors! Today, we capped off the break by venturing out to the local ice skating rink. Kaiya has been begging me for a long time to go and she was a natural. Kinley surprised us by being very brave and non-whiny in the face of something new. She used the little walker and did great! Cooper and I limped along, but had fun anyway. We stayed for over two hours, so the rest of the weekend will likely be spent on the couch! I think I might need a vacation from our vacation, but it has been a great couple of weeks!

Christmas Bliss!

I think it has taken me until now to catch my breath enough in order to do a Christmas post. It was a nutty week, but I feel like we also took the time to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. I am proud that my kids got really into the gifts they were giving this year instead of just the ones they were receiving.

We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's watching a movie and healing to the wounded--my mom had a skin graft on her ear for a wound that wasn't healing and Bennett decided to one-up her and slice his shin down to the bone playing basketball. So, I got to clean and inspect their stitches before we headed to my dad's house. We had a great dinner and watched my dad (OK, Brandon and I can't handle it either) blubber through a reading of a story he reads every year about a family who stops at a diner on Christmas Day only to have their 1-year-old befriend a bum. Long story, but the essence of the story is that the best presents are often the little acts of kindness. It is impossible to hear or read it without bawling. Makes me realize each and every time just how incredibly lucky I am for all that I have.

I was shocked that the kids made it unti 7:20 to wake up, but it was a nice surprise. Cooper is always our most excited, which is kind of cute since he's the oldest. He about comes unglued with excitement. This year's Oscar performance for best actress went to Kinley who gasped and shouted for joy with each new gift. Even the pack of gum in her stocking was a home run. Seeing that much joy in her eyes makes it all worth it.

I ended up getting called off Christmas night at work, so that was a nice little present for me. I was a little melancholy as I went to bed, though, realizing that it won't be too much longer before these totally magical Christmas mornings racing down the stairs are gone. I guess I'll have to be creative to find ways to keep the magic going. :)

Center stage

Last week was a busy one for my girls. Kinley had her preschool Christmas program and Kaiya had a gymnastics "recital". I got a couple of cute videos of both and promised the grandparents I would post them. :)

The Reindeer Pokey song they sang was a hit, especially when they "put your fluffy tail in, you put your fluffy tail out . . . " You get the picture.

Here are two of Kaiya's routines. I think next time I better bring more barrettes. Notice the constant hair tucking behind her ears. Ha!

Staples - 'That was easy'

Cooper decided to be an ad slogan for Staples this last Saturday just before his first basketball game. Doug had to work and I was literally in the process of loading everyone in the van to head to the game when I heard a huge thud.

The thud was Cooper crumbling to the floor after smacking his head into the corner of the cabinet trying to jump up and grab a couple Advil for a sore shoulder. I see blood running down through his hair and now I've got a decision to make. Go to the ER or to the game? Since Cooper had to miss his first game last week while we were in Utah, he was having none of my idea to skip this game as well.

So, I slapped some Dermabond and a steri strip on his scalp (which doesn't stick so well to a thick head of hair) and off we go. Of course, it's picture day and here is Coop with red streaked hair. My bigger concern was the refs not letting him play because it was still oozing a bit under the steri strip and as he started sweating, he had pink sweat running down his face. He got pulled out once when the ref noticed, so we cleaned it up again and back in he went. It wasn't his best game, but he played good D. He admitted later that the adrenaline buzz from hitting his head wore him out.

After the game, my dad took the girls home for me while we headed to Children's for some preferential treatment. 5 staples later, we were done. What a day!!

Kaiya's baptism

Baptism Day

Anna & Kaiya

Kaiya & Dad
Proud of sis

Dads and daughters

We just returned from a weekend getaway to Utah for Kaiya's baptism and to visit Doug's family. Other than forgetting the baptism paperwork and dealing with unpredictable weather along I-80, it was a very successful weekend! The kids can't get enough of their cousins and it is so fun to watch them immediately pick up where they left off. They are instant best friends each time they see them.

Kaiya's cousin, Anna, turned 8 within 2 weeks of Kaiya, so we decided to crash their party and have the two girls baptized on the same day. They were both a bit nervous and quiet beforehand, but they both did great. Lunch at Tom and Anneke's house after the baptism was wonderful (the ice cream machine is always a huge hit as well) and then we all headed to see the lights at Temple Square--something I've never seen. It was breathtaking.

We also got to spend an evening with my best friend, Lori, and her girls and exchange gifts with them. We are in the early planning stages of our trip to Hawaii with them for Thanksgiving of 2009!

The trips are always too short and Kinley is already plotting her return trip to Grandma's house. She doesn't even mind the long drive because she uses it to grace us with her wisdom.

On the way to Utah, Cooper got frustrated with Kinley for throwing a fit over something and tried to tell her that she can't always get her way. Um, excuse me? Yes, you can. Kinley proceeded to tell both Cooper and Kaiya the ultimate secret in life--The No-Nonsense Approach to Getting Your Way Every Time. I think she might write a book about it sometime. "Guys, guys . . . listen to me! First you ask the person nicely for what you want and you make sure to say 'please'. Then, if that doesn't work, you take something away from them that they really love and give it back only when they agree to give in. That's why I tell mommy that I will never snuggle with her again if I don't get what I want. And that's how you always get what you want. OK, guys?"

Temple Square

Kaiya & Kaitlyn

So beautiful!