Travis, Robyn, Brielle, & Taylee Kyhl

Our Mini Cheerleader

2012-01-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

Brielle spent much of this week at mini cheer camp learning a dance to perform with the RHS cheerleaders at the varsity basketball game last night. She LOVED it!

The entire 1st day she was so shy she literally did nothing other than cling to one of the cheerleaders for dear life. I really debated taking her back the next day but she claimed that it was "wonderful" (even though she had tears in her eye's the whole time). So we gave it another shot and it turned out to be a lot of fun for this girly girl of mine. She just needed some time to adjust, as she does with everything.

This is what the entire first day looked like:

Meanwhile, Taylee had no problems showing off her tricks with their friend Shelby:

The cheerleaders were awesome with these girls. My cute friend Hailey was so patient with Brielle and held her until she felt comfortable enough to try some tricks.

Another one of Brielle's favorites was this beautiful girl named Shelby. There were several Shelby's so Breeze called the cheerleader "Big Shelby" and her friend who she went with everyday "Little Shelby" who is also pictured in the black shirt.

Finally a smile :)

And of course Taylee was having the time of her life running everywhere and doing her own stunts.

Taylee would watch the tricks and stunts very carefully. . . . .

And then run to the mat and try her own:

Brielle and Shelby playing dress ups and practicing their cheers.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget throwing out some very princess-esque poses:

Game Day: Breeze was nervous but had an amazing new friend to calm her nerves:

Brielle was fascinated with watching the cheerleaders, and Taylee was just as fascinated watching basketball. She wanted that ball! It'll be interesting to see how they'll turn out because at this point they are so so different. And yet, I am so smitten with both of their personalities! I love being a Mom!

Brielle has spent every night shaking her "pon-pons" and yelling, "T-S. Go, Go Cats" (She always forgets the C and A). She even adds the most hilarious and adorable little kick at the end that nearly knocks her over, and a booty shake that cracks me up.

Brielle, "Big Shelby", and "Little Shelby":

Yahoo! She didn't freeze up and cry even once! She forgot most of the dance up there in front of everyone but I was just thrilled that she had fun! She kept asking everyone if they saw her do a very good job. She has been so proud of herself ever since, and she's not the only one! I'm really hoping this will give her some confidence that she'll be able to hold on to for a while. I love this girl!!

In Other News:

We have been so busy with the house, our jobs and our callings, that we really don't get to spend much time together as a family anymore. It does make us SUPER excited to get the house done and go back to normal life again (whatever that means)! Yet at the same time we feel so blessed that we are able to build a house at all. At least I feel that way. . . . Trav may be ready to sell the dang thing by now! Poor guy has spent every waking moment he can at the house. I'm grateful for his work ethic and vast amounts of knowledge. I'm also grateful for the many, many babysitters that allow me to help at the house, and do other things like go on a daytrip to the Jorgensen's cabin with the youth. . . . . . and hike in the blizzard. Yep, the blizzard waited all these months just for us to start our hike. It was so fun though. It was probably more fun in the snow. I love these kids.

Today:

I just had to add this. Brielle was trying to get something that Taylee threw in the crib, and she totally got stuck like this. Her shoe straps got caught on the under side of the bar and she couldn't move. She kept yelling for me to come save her. I assumed she was just wanting me to save her from the "dungeon" like we so often play, but it turned out to be quite real this time :) I was so tempted to stand by and say "Let's see how this play's out", but decided it was already mean enough of me to make her wait while I took the picture. This girl can always make me laugh!!

I Can't Wait. . . .

2012-01-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Kids make everything better. OK. . . . . not everything, but most things. Lots of things? Kids make lots of things better. Holidays are one of them. Same with dreams. I used to dream of making forts in my living room with my kids out of all sorts of blankets and chairs. As it turns out, it's even better in real life than in my "dreaming of having kids and what I'd do with them" days. It's funnier. They're funnier. You just can't dream up the things they say and do.

I would also dream of being able to take my kids out of school for a spur of the moment day at Lagoon the way my parents did that one time. I had dreams of surprising them with a trip to Disneyland and filming the excitement as the realization sunk in. I still do. And in fact, I can't wait for those days. I can't wait to take them to wade in the Great Salt Lake and look at their upturned noses when they breathe in the foul smell. I can't wait to watch their faces when they take off on an airplane ride for the first time. I look forward to the dance recitals, the softball games, the gymnastics routines. I can't wait to hear all about their first crushes. I can't wait to take them to a Bee's game when they're old enough to sing the classic "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" songs and eat the delicious baseball hot dogs and frozen lemonade.

I can't wait for all of these things.. . . And yet, I refuse to wish away my days, waiting until they're old enough to remember and participate in my plans.

So for the time being, I'm going to enjoy my babies as they are right now. Too little to make so many big plans, yet exactly perfect for jumping on the bed and being thrown in the air. Because someday when they're all grown up, I'm going to dream of the lazy days we spent jumping on the bed, making a complete mess with the ball pit, and being chased by the tickle monster.

It's funny how these seemingly insignificant days can turn out to be such cherished memories of uncontrollable giggles and pure and simple joy.

Besides, making the bed is a lot more boring than flying into the pile of covers. . . . .. right?

These memories for me: Priceless

The Sunbeam Sweats

2012-01-02T12:12:00.001-07:00

So yesterday was Brielle's first day of Sunbeams at church. It did not go as smoothly as we had envisioned / hoped. Breeze doesn't handle new things all too well.. . . . and by that I mean AT ALL. She is truly the shyest little thing until she feels completely comfortable in which case she turns crazy silly and wild. So we headed into the primary room for opening exercises and Brielle kept her legs wrapped around me so tight I was struggling for air. I stayed with her through opening exercises, and when it was time to head to class, I made her walk on her own two feet like the other little kids. She was not happy. My beautiful little daughter then decided to fake pass out. Seriously. . . . . fake pass out. My barely 3 year old. It was so dramatic too, with arms flailing and a big sigh and everything. Where on earth did she learn that???? I was so embarrassed. So I quickly made her stand up again only to have her do it 3 more times in the hallway. It was awesome. And I'm writing that with all the sarcasm I can muster. Brielle was completely fine when the snacks came out. So I took off to teach Young Women's and at the end of church, a girl ran up to me and said, "Brielle is just lying on the bench in the primary room and hasn't moved for the past 10 minutes". Great. Apparently, heading back into sharing time just did her in. What am I going to do with that child? Her poor teacher!

Looks can be deceiving:

In Other News:

We rang in the new year with. . . . . . . . . . . . wait for it. . . . MORE PARTIES!!

It started with opening our final Christmas gifts with all of the Kyhl family.

This picture makes me laugh because we all look like zombies, but I promise it really was fun. We must have been concentrating on what Tripp or Jackson were up to.

Anyway, it was a success. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

New Years Eve Night:

Party with the Gardners:

We had pizza & wings, princess everything, and great company. Brielle could not have been happier. Her friend Shelby lives in Brielle's toy heaven.

Taylee experienced her very first french kiss with this little man. Griffin was so cute I guess she couldn't resist an open mouth kiss.

I can't say I blame her. He did an excellent job of charming her with a balloon.

Cute little Shelby tapped me politely on my shoulder during dinner and said, "Um. . . . .Taylee's eating all of my food". I looked over and sure enough, Taylee had eaten her food and was standing over Shelby's plate, gobbling down her pizza!

Shelby was such a good sport to share not only her food with Taylee but also all of her toys with Brielle:

Taylee, me, Kirby, and Griffin

When it was bedtime for the kiddo's, we ran back to Grandma and Grandpa's, did a quick New Year's horn blowing contest, and put the kids to bed. My favorite time of day!

Brielle and Jackson:

Grandpa Gary having a grand old time!

As fun as the holidays have been, I'm somewhat relieved to go back to our normal schedule. Breezy is mostly excited to go back to gymnastics. It's her very favorite part of her week.

I love how this picture looks like I'm shoving my child. Who knows? I probably was. That girl does not listen during gymnastics. She's simply having too much fun:

Happy 2012 to everyone! I have a feeling this is going to be a great year!

Holiday Happenings

2011-12-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

It's time to document all of the Christmas party pictures throughout the month. So beware, there's A LOT! Just goes to show we've had a great month full of friends, family, and food. So here goes.

Gardner Family Party:

We all went to the bowling alley for pizza and bowling first. Then the adults met up for games afterward. I love this tradition. The kids get to have fun, but then the adults get to later without worrying about the kids. Awesome.

Taylee tried jumping off the carousel. Good catch Grandpa:

Poor Tay bug has eczema which causes rashes on her face.

My girls and I in our apartment ready for the Christmas season:

Brielle got a kick out of playing with the mask we got her in New Orleans. She's always extremely concerned about matching for some reason. As soon as she saw the blue mask, she had to get her Cinderella costume on along with her blue Cinderella doll. (She generally even has to match her plate and silverware with her outfit of the meal. She still changes clothes 5 or 6 times a day. It cracks us up and drives us nuts!):

The girls had a blast with the Christmas Countdown books. We opened a book a day for 12 days and that was our bedtime story. I love the Christmas season!

Taylee mostly loved unwrapping the presents. Brielle has always loved to read but Taylee only likes it in very small doses. (Yep, we still have Trav's camo tree that we promised we would only put up for two years. 6 years later, I still have more important things to buy than ornaments I guess).

Ward Christmas Program:

It's always nice to watch the Nativity program, but I especially enjoyed it when my daughter went right up to the front and stuck her hand down her pants for all to see.

Santa's The Man! My girls adore his generosity with candy canes at every visit.

Although Taylee loves him, she is SO not afraid to stare.

Kyhl Family Party:

We started off the day making gingerbread houses at Grandma's house which Brielle was delighted to do, mostly because she kept sneaking candy and frosting.

Taylee didn't mind watching as long as Daddy kept passing her the goods. By the way, she is still all girl even though her bib says otherwise!

Tyson and Jackson building their masterpiece:

Grandma Margee and Grandpa Gary:

Brielle loaded that sucker with as much decor as it could hold. . . . and then some:

Gotta love cousins. Tripp and Taylee Jane:

Always gotta throw some tricks in there.

Which almost always ends in a tackling contest:

PARTY TIME:

After moving on to Grandpa Jack and Grandma Della's house, we got ANOTHER visit from a very dear man.

Cute Grandparents put on a fantastic party:

Rhodes Family Party Time:

Christmas Eve!

Getting ready for all of the fun traditions my family does on this very favorite day:

Dad getting ready for the traditional neighbor brunch:

Final product. I just drooled a little:

Whitney and Brian have been two of my very best friends since I was 8, so it's always good to see them along with their beautiful wives. (Top: Tara & Brian, Bottom: Whit and Kassie). After brunch, we went to see Sherlock Holmes with Whit and Kassie. So fun. Thanks guys, can't wait until next time!

We started playing with our new camera while we were waiting for my brother & his fam to get there for the next party.

As always, Brielle just has to do some tricks for the camera:

And finish off with a little dance. I love that girl!:

After a delicious dinner provided by my parents, it was GAME TIME!! Let's get our ping on!

Christmas Bingo. Why am I always the last to win? Every. Time.

Speaking of lucky, check out the white elephant gift I won:

With it being the Christmas Season and all, I was generous and gave it to my brother Ryan.

The girls got to open their Christmas Jammies and a few other gifts. Cayson was a stud and helped:

Goodnight girls! Sweet dreams!

After the girls were all snug in their beds, I KILLED in the money game! Woohoo! Note: In this picture, Trav wanted to try the quickshot or whatever it is on our new camera that allows you to take a bunch of pictures one right after another. So Randy started dropping $ on me to try to make the effect cooler. But instead of kind of trickling the $ through his fingers, he dropped the whole wad on me at one time. Good job Randy! Turned out sweet eh? Ha ha ha.

Trav and I have a tradition every year where we draw a store or a theme from a hat, and we each have to pick a present for the other person from that store or theme. Every year without fail, Travis puts in something like his theme this year which was "Up All Night". This was the first year we've EVER drawn his theme of choice. I don't think he really got what he had in mind!

I couldn't stop at the pepto though. As funny as that was, I had to do something more along the lines of "sexy"!

I'm not going to tell you what our real gifts to each other were ;) The other theme we ended up drawing was "For the Home". I was somewhat hesitant to open up my gift from him. I was just hoping it wasn't another dead animal he wants to hang in the house. I'm kidding, he wouldn't do that to me on Christmas, just any other day!

He actually did really good. Travis always has been an excellent gift giver.

Round II of GAME TIME!

Minute to Win it:

This game SUCKED! At least for me, everyone else did awesome. I was probably the funniest to watch though. I would hit everywhere BUT my target. It was awful!

Trav got some sweet white elephant's too:

My mom won the partial denture that I gave. She was tickled. That's right Randy. . . . . I said it.

Round III of GAME TIME:

As bad as I sucked at the ping pong catch, Randy was worse at the balloon game! This might have been my highlight of the entire trip. I can't wait to watch it back on video at next year's party! He's by far the most athletic of all of us, but could not ever pass this level. It was hysterical!

Travis was brilliant. Much like my dad and myself!

Randy, you did an awesome job at the games. They were a hoot. Seriously, great time. And to top it all off, we ended the night with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Love it.

Christmas Morning

Presents, presents, and more presents:

Travis got some coal. Enough said.

What is up with my little girls ALWAYS putting their hands down their pants?

Christmas Cuties:

My Dad now works for Miche Bag, so I got a really cute new purse from them with a couple different shells. The Miche bag is such a brilliant idea.

Family Picture Time:

Christmas Night:

Playin' around with our Santa toys:

And making up hilarious little girl dances that we will forever have on video!

Day After:

More Playing

Cute shadow pic of Travis and Brielle:

Randy did a performance of Randy the Reckless Reindeer. Only Randy can make this funny enough to be one of my favorite traditions ever! Thanks Bren.

Extended Rhodes Family Party:

Nelly and Granny Bev put together a fabulous party for everyone. There was a delicious lunch, white elephant games and presents, a slide show and a fishing pond for the kids. I love seeing all of the family. As nuts as it gets, there's always some great laughs!

While we were all playing the white elephant gift game, I momentarily lost Brielle. Come to find out, she was off by herself, eating a gigantic piece of chocolate cake. That's my girl!

Good times. Even though my whole family had a little cold at some point through the season and we ended up having to do some last minute schedule re-arranging, it turned out to be awesome! I hope that everyone else had a fabulous month and has a Happy New Year as well!

The Big Easy aka "Get Big Easy"

2011-12-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

I gained 6 lbs in one week. 6 whole pounds. Travis had business in New Orleans, so I decided to tag along. The funny thing is, I don't even like seafood which is what New Orleans is famous for. AND, on top of all that, I even worked out at the hotel gym ...........(once!). What I can say is, the trip was worth every pound. At least it WAS. Now that my memory is fading, I'm not so sure. So here's a bunch of touristy posed pictures to show a few of our recent adventures.

The view outside of the Marriott (Convention Center). The other side was the riverwalk and the Mississippi River:

The good old Mississippi:

We'll throw in a little captain stance for the fam:

Shout Out:

Travis at Jackson Square:

Total Michael Scott right here:

We had fun riding the cute little street cars to check out the beautiful plantation style homes:

The first couple days were cold, but after that we enjoyed nearly 70 degree weather.

Along with shopping and touring, we also went to the Catholic church at St. Peter's Cathedral. It was pretty sweet, and even more memorable in such an old and fascinating building. And then of course we had to nap and relax at the hotel. What's a kid free break without a little nap here and there?

We went on a swamp tour SO excited to spy some gators but unfortunately they were all hiding.

It was still pretty cool though.

It was hard to believe so many people live just like this:

I got so excited when we finally spotted something new and exotic, I quickly told Travis to take a picture. He looked at me like I was nuts and said, "You mean the same bird we have all over the golf course in Richfield?" I made him take a picture anyway dang it.

Our tour guide came prepared with a spare gator:

This is Bourbon street. It was cool to see the jazz bands playing on every corner. The streets were COVERED with people dancing, shopping and drinking. I was amazed when cars would even make an attempt at driving down Bourbon Street.

Lots of good jazz music everywhere.

But even better than that was the best carmel apples I've ever had in my life, right across from our hotel.

One of the days that Travis was in meetings, I went touring with a couple of guys from Trav's weatherization crew. I thought it was hilarious!

The best part was the above ground cemetery tour. Underground burial is discouraged because of the water tables. I found it absolutely fascinating. This was the 2nd oldest cemetery in the city. It was incredible to see. Every tomb has several bodies in it. Several families actually. Pretty crazy that it's still what they use today.

Half of the tombs in this particular cemetery were just completely falling apart.

It was also cool to see all the places I remembered from the news reports from Hurricane Katrina. Places like the Superdome.

Check out all beads from past Mardi Gras on this tree on St. Charles street:

Rams and Dale:

Why not throw in a close up to end the tour?

Trav and I had a contest to see who would jump into the freezing cold water at the hotel first. At first Travis was a huge wuss, but as I was about to take the dive, he cannonballed in and soaked me.

More sweet ships in the fog.

Oh so yummy beignets at the Cafe Du Monde:

I'm dreaming of them even as I type this.

Seth Lundgreen also toured the city with us. The cemeteries are just too cool to pass up.

Inside one of the tombs. That's where they get the term, "I got the shaft". At the back of these slots is the shaft where they push the decomposed bodies in order to make room for more.

City Park touring. This place was awesome. It was beautiful, and had a TON of sculptures.

We also took a tour of the Lower 9th Ward. It was super crazy to see the abandoned destruction that still hasn't been touched 6 years after Katrina. There was just so much of it. I even saw 2 boats stuck on random roofs. I was shocked.

Cute little street car:

The tour took us past houses owned by Sandra Bullock, Brad and Angelina, the Mannings, and numerous movie locations that I recognized, but my pictures all turned out to look something like this. Woops. I know, I know, I definitely need to learn a few photography tips!

That blessed carmel apple store. Also the main enemy of my scale.

For some reason, this picture cracks me up. Poor Rams!

The end! We loved New Orleans, but were so happy to go home and hug our girls. Thank you Mom and Dad for being so completely AWESOME.

Brielle's 3rd Birthday Interview

2011-11-29T12:57:00.001-07:00

From This:

To This:

It all happened so quickly. I still can't believe she's three! I really don't want to forget anything about this time in our lives. And since I have the worse memory in the World, I guess I'll just have to write down as much as I can. Hopefully this will be a start:

Brielle's 3^rd Birthday Interview:

What isyour name? Brielle Kyhl
How oldare you? 3
Where doyou live? I don’t know. . . . .I live in Salk Lake. Me: Oh Come on Brielle, you know where youlive. Bree: I live in. . . . someping.

Favorites:
Food: Um. . . . . Christmas. . . . . . . grapes. (I'm not surprised there, she really doesn't like to eat much of anything ever. She does sneak candy though, and she does ask for ramen more than any other food.)
Drink: Orange drinks.
Toy: Um.. . . . I can’t member it. . . like applesauce maybe? (She’s in a very silly mood)
Game: Ilike membory. It’s my favorite toy. (Memory the matching game)
Song: ILove to See the Temple.
Book: Theducky book.
Dinner: Ilike some grapes I said. Mommy, I justtold you.
Animal: Ilike a horsey because I like it.
Color: Blue(even though it’s actually pink)
Movie:The Lion King
Princess:Beauty and the Beast (20 min ago it was Cinderella, and yesterday it was Tinkerbell).

(Brielle:Hold on mom, I gotta go change into Beauty and the Beast dress up, then I cantalk to you. . . OK?)

Favorite things to do: I like to play membory. I like to color too and read and goto gymnastics. (Really though, I think it’s dress up. She changes clothes like 20 times a day. She’d rather do that than anything.)

Place to go? Somewhere. Ilike to go to the house we’re building.

Favorite sport: I like toplay running.

What doyou love about daddy? I can’t member. Later: That he tickles me.
What doyou love about mommy? You are funny.
What doyou love about Taylee? She plays withme.
What makes you happy? To tickle me.
What makes you sad? Being naughty.
Who’syour best friend? Noah.
What is mom’s favorite thing to do? You like to play Membory with me.
What is dad’s favorite thing to do? He likes to play games with me too.
What does our family like to do together? They like to play all the games.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I’d like to be the Princess.
What isyour least favorite thing to eat? Bananas.
What areyou really good at? I’m good at lookingat the tree (and not touching), and coloring.
What was the best part of your birthday party? Open presents and dress up inCinderella. I like to do that.
What areyou thankful for? I am thankful for ducky.

Brielle is like my breath of fresh air. I feel so honored to be her Mommy. Brielle, I love you more than I will ever be able to describe. I'm the luckiest girl in the world because I get to be with you everyday and forever.

XOXO,

Mommy

Parties, Other Parties, and More Parties

2011-11-28T20:54:00.001-07:00

It all started with this adorable birthday girl. She had been counting down the days to her birthday for a LONG time. All she could ever talk about was November 19th. Going as far as constantly using it as an excuse to get out of anything she didn't want to do.

For example:

Me: Breezy, it's time for bed.

Bree: Oh no, it's OK. My birthday's on November 19th and I'm going to be 3 so I'm just going to stay up and watch a movie cuz it's my birthday soon. . . . . . Sound like a plan mom?

(Sometimes it worked too. . . . . . I'm only human!)

We made a paper chain to help count down the days. And then of course we had to make a necklace and a bracelet too. Brielle is 100% girl!

Brielle loves to "write". Mostly she scribbles, but it makes her feel very important, so she does it every chance she gets. I was so excited when she wrote her name by herself (I had to tell her which letters to write, but she did the rest) several weeks ago. She said she had to practice for her birthday. I don't have a clue why she felt that way, but it works for me!

The big day finally came and Breezy was super pumped. Trav and I woke her up by singing "Happy Birthday" to her and she was elated! Then Trav went to work on the house and Brielle requested that we eat breakfast while watching Tinkerbell. So that's exactly what we did. That's about when my parents arrived along with my brother Randy. Brielle has a little crush on Randy. Having Uncle Randy there was the perfect present for this spoiled little girl!

The party continues at the bowling alley:

Honestly, I think Taylee enjoyed bowling more than Brielle did. Brielle had fun, but Taylee squealed and giggled the entire time! She loves balls, and every time the ball came back up the ramp right next to her, she thought that was the funniest thing in the world! She wanted it to be her turn every time. She truly could not get enough. It was more fun watching her than anything else (at least for me). Of course Trav and I were the top score-ers. (Let's pretend I didn't have to use the bumpers just about every roll!)

Breezy had more fun choreographing dance moves while lying on the floor.

To make the experience more complete, she also had to do the good luck pants roll just like her Daddy:

Unfortunately, our apartment is too tiny to have a true party, but we did invite a few more grandparents to help us eat the cake. And yes, I kind of did treat it as my own party and got two cakes that I picked out, two tubs of my favorite ice cream, and made caramel apples as well because it was what I wanted. Selfish? Sure. Delish? Absolutely! I really don't think Breezy minded. She was just excited about all of the presents!

Uncle Randy gave her a keyboard that we've had fun jamming out to.

Brielle cracked us up more than once changing her clothes right there in the middle of everyone because she just couldn't resist all of her dress up clothes.

The makeup was one of her favs. As funny as it sounds, Brielle and I have made a lot of good memories in the morning putting on our makeup together.

Her fabulous Aunt Misty arranged for Brielle to get a call from one of her very favorite princesses - Cinderella! She's still talking about that to this day!

Brielle with all her loot.

Sweet sisters :)

Needless to say, Brielle's Birthday did not disappoint.

Thanksgiving Day

The most exciting part: We were able to meet Ryan and Misty's beautiful little boy just one day old in this pic. Dylan Parker Rhodes. It was so fun to hold him and made me want a little boy even more!

I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving dinner, I guess we were all too busy chowing down. It was a fabulous day to reflect on everything we're grateful for though. I was grateful that calories don't count on Thanksgiving!

Sneaking:

We had a fabulous time and my parents really outdid themselves!

Party Continuum: This Is the Place State Park

Unfortunately, Travis left later that night to go back to Richfield to work on the house, but the girls and I decided to keep the party going. (I know it sounds terrible, I really felt terrible too but there was nothing I could do to help at the house). So we met up with Trav's family, and went to This Is the Place State Park. It was so much fun!

Taylee and I on the train:

I spy Comet and Cupid!

Of course we had to stop and learn the sweet Pioneer dance moves. It was fun because it brought back a lot of memories of when I used to volunteer there with my friend Melanie Visser to teach those same dances.

Our cheering section:

My 5 year old nephew Jackson was my partner and he did awesome! We had so much fun goofing off and learning some sweet moves. Abbey and Tyson really got into it too.

Elf Village:

My dance partner and I:

The funniest part was when we discovered that Taylee wasn't buckled in, and had slid down until just her head was still actually on the seat. Poor baby! She was a good sport though, we didn't have a clue!

Santa was AWESOME! He was super nice and sweet with the girls. Both of them loved him. Brielle never loves anyone right away, but she did him! She told him she just wanted candy. He gave her a candy cane and she was sold on him!

Taylee was mesmerized.

Discovery Gateway

Why not?

The ball pit was a favorite among my girls. It took several efforts to get them out of there.

I love this picture!

I love that it's directed to such a wide age range. Taylee stayed just as busy as Brielle did.

Abbey, Tripp, me, Jackson

See what I mean by wide age range? Tyson is 32 and was just as delighted as my 3 year old!

Captain Breeze:

We've had a fabulous couple of weeks and we hope that everyone else enjoyed Thanksgiving even half as much as we did!

The Princess and the Poodle

2011-11-02T13:02:00.000-06:00

I heart traditions.

I heart costume parties.

And I really heart candy.

Makes for a great Halloween!

My cow "utters" seemed to be a hit everywhere we went. In fact, when Brielle first saw me dressed up, she came up to me, grabbed an utter and said, "Mom, I really like your cow boobies"!

My children and I with some of my favorites at the ward Halloween carnival that the youth were in charge of:

Brielle is adored by so many of the young women, but she drives me crazy because she is SO stinkin' shy! If she gets nervous, she goes from cute to not so cute very quickly because she either has to be held by me, or freaks out and shuts down. Poor thing, I just don't know how to help her.

Here comes the torture. That's right: Pictures by the pumpkins. You'd think I was truly punishing my children.

Taylee literally took off running when I set her by the pumpkins for pics.

It's the crouch-and-run! She pretends like she's sitting, and then when I get close to pick her up, she takes off running again. I'm depressed to tell you that it's worked on more than one occasion!

She thought she was so funny trying to get away. That's kind of our daily game now. I tell her to come here, she takes off in the other direction just as fast as her chubby little legs will carry her.

In the end, I thought I won. . . . . until I actually saw the picture. Dang!

Poor Poodle:

Check out the slobber! All tuckered out after visiting Daddy at work.

I know I'm biased, but man I think this is one pretty princess.

Excited to go to the trunk or treat:

Brielle kept dancing and singing and twirling. She was in LOVE with her costume!

And even more delighted when she got to put on makeup and a necklace!

Taylee just likes to sneak my chap stick so she can eat it. Dang dog!

Trick or treating with Daddy! Yay!! At every door, Brielle would say, "Trick or Treating".

Taylee of course would grab as many candies as she could when they'd hold the bowl out, and then she had a very hard time putting them in her bucket. She had to have at least one candy in each hand at all times because she was so afraid she wouldn't get them back.

Too much fun, not enough sleep.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house.

After all the extra candy that Grandma Marg gave her, Taylee was rejuvenated and ready for more trick or treating.

Grandma and Grandpa Kyhl.

We came home to some delicious bread bowl soup (just like my parents did for me every year of my life), and the sugar cookies we'd made and decorated. As if we didn't already have enough sugar!

All in all, it was a great Halloween.

Since then, we have been super lazy. And by that I mean I have been super lazy. Brielle stays busy trying on every costume in the house and modeling them for me.

You know, I really love doing crafts with my kids and reading them books. I love taking them to the library and coloring with them. Most days that I'm home, we do stay pretty busy doing every creative thing we can think of, but sometimes it's absolutely wonderful doing absolutely nothing and getting to watch stuff like this unfold!

While Travis and I (but mostly Travis) work on the house, our kids are usually doing something like this:

There are some truly delightful kids in our neighborhood, and for that I'm extremely grateful.

Brielle asks me regularly if she can sleep on the "jumper". I think the tramp is her favorite part about gymnastics too. That girl would gladly skip all three meals if she could just jump all day long.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Our Sweet Little Angel

2011-10-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

(Showing off her new fancy candy ring that Grandma gave her)

Trav and I are so proud of our girl. So very, very proud.

Our Fall Affairs

2011-10-21T20:02:00.000-06:00

(First, let me apologize for the blurriness of so many of these pictures. Apparently, we are having camera issues. . . or operator issues. Probably operator issues. But in most cases, the blurry images are all I have to remember certain things, so I'll post them anyway.)

We have been super busy lately.

I mean really, really busy.

While Travis stayed home working on the house at the beginning of the month, I took the girls up north for a surprise party for my mom's birthday. The entire trip was fabulous. I stayed up late with my brothers and sister in law telling stories and laughing at each other (I seriously laughed so hard I was crying, man it felt good). We enjoyed watching conference, and surprised my mother on her birthday, we ate delicious food CONSTANTLY, and we shopped and shopped. We also got really excited for Halloween when we took the kids to Gardner Village to shop and spy some witches.

Well, OK, the kids didn't exactly love the shopping part (Brielle and Cayson):

But Brielle did think the fabulously done up witches were the best thing since sliced apples. She was constantly on the prowl for the next witch. (Super cute pregnant Misty with Cayson in the back)

Again, sorry so blurry.

Trav ended up having a business trip in SLC, so my mom and I took the girls swimming at the hotel. Notice a pattern here - Travis works while I play. Normally I'd feel bad, but after this last hunting season, I'm game!

In other news, we signed Breezy up for gymnastics. It's a mommy and me class so I get to go with her to spot and hold her hand when she's nervous, but she is LOVING it! She's a wild woman there and I always have to stop her from jumping all over everything when her class is headed elsewhere. She's obsessed with the bars, and the obstacle course, but hates the beam.

Pumpkin Patch:

Travis finally took a night off from the house, so I jumped at the chance to head to the pumpkin patch. I am quite fond of pumpkin patches, especially when I get to take the girls on a hayride. They were in love!

Even Taylee joined in the fun of picking out her own pumpkin.

As long as it made a good chair, she was in!

Grandma and Grandpa were even able to join in the fun.

As for me, I was just happy that I actually got a full night with my husband. We had so much fun teasing and laughing together.

I wasn't the only one happy about his appearance either!

Today, I caught Brielle sitting just like this. For some reason, I found it absolutely hilarious! I just love this girl so much!

Bunko. . . . Halloween style!

Thanks girls. It was a blast as usual!

Our New Home Decor

2011-10-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

In about a year from now, we'll be adding a pretty expensive piece of home decor to our basement. It's definitely NOT something I would ever choose to spend money on, but I'm married to a hunter who just finished his first big archery elk hunt. The mount is kind of a big deal to the man, so I guess I'd better become real good friends with the thing if it's going to live in my basement (the elk, not the husband. . . .although sometimes that's very tempting too ;) )

So here's the story. . . . . You could say it's kind of a Brokeback Mountain Story:

After 6 months of prep, 2 months of scouting, and 17 days of hunting that looked something like this. . . . .

Travis got the end result he wanted.. . . The elk, not the boyfriend. However, Clayton and Travis spent so much time together for those couple of months I can't help but make fun of their little bromance. We call him Osama because he died on 9/11.

For those of you who are horny for hunting (Trav's words, not mine), here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkCeTygT7RY

Our "Kyhl"er Weekend. . . . Get It?

2011-09-08T16:40:00.000-06:00

The girls and I had a fun filled Kyhl Family weekend. We took a trip down to Cedar to visit Abbey, Jackson and Tripp. We ended up unexpectedly staying the night just so we could fit in a mini St. George shopping excursion. It was fun, but I don't think we'll be doing that anytime soon with our kids in tow.

We absolutely LOVED Cedar's new aquatic center. That thing was a blast! It was perfect for my girls (the ones in blue and purple).

And Jackson was so cute to help Brielle everywhere we went.

Of course I had to visit my little brother Randy who is now attending SUU. Let's just say that going out to a restaurant with two toddlers is kind of a great form of birth control for anyone who's supposed to be concentrating on their studies!

So after a couple of days of swimming, shopping, eating out, and a late night chick flick, we all headed back to good old Richfield for yet another family fun day that included everyone minus Travis (who of course is gone hunting).

Since Richfield is just bustin' with fun things to do, our options seemed limitless! We ended up park hopping, and it really was fun!

Grandma, Grandpa, and the girls:

Taylee, Tyson & Abbey: (Don't you love Taylee's pouty little smile! Ha!)

We spent a whole morning going to every park around, and it was really quite fun. My girls sure loved it.

And I loved how they completely zonked after playing their little hearts out!

In Other News:

8 more days. 8 more days until the hunt is over and my house will once again start seeing actual progress. I can't wait! It's been sitting here just like this for far too long. I miss my peaceful, lovely little neighborhood.

The girls and I have been very busy building forts, playing games and having picnics. BUT. . . . it will be very nice to have Daddy home again!

And of course what's a weekend without playing with friends? We'll always love going to the park with the Shelton's. Even if we are completely "park"ed out.

(Leah and Kristen in the background)

Rhodes Family Partay

2011-08-23T22:19:00.001-06:00

Hunting Season is upon us. LAME. It means that I become a single mother again. It means that my husband isn't around to make me laugh until I want to puke or take over when I'm at my wits end with a one year old and a two year old. It means that Travis misses out on EVERYTHING we do, fun or not so fun. This weekend, he missed out on a blast. I took the girls up north for Granny Bev's 85th Birthday party. Best Rhodes party ever. Why? Because of this:

The Slip N Slide was a huge hit thanks to Aunt Nelly. It was so much fun! And my little brother Randy was pretty entertaining to watch. He got some major air!

Taylee loved it too. Brielle is too much of a chicken to participate, but Taylee is still young enough to be pretty near fearless!

Hayley was the best little babysitter and kept offering to take my girls down the slide. My girls love her!

I know it's blurry, but this is where Brielle parked her cute little booty for the night. I don't think Grandma was complaining either.

Aunt Nelly and I took the plunge too, we just didn't do it as gracefully as some of the others!

Here's Jason, Granny Bev, and Tay bug. Jason's SUPER jealous that I live in Richfield and he doesn't, so that's probably what he was talking about right here!

Playin' at the Park:

Taylee wants that Popsicle SO badly!

My cute little family minus Heavy, Ry, Misty, & Cayson:

Anyway, it sure was fun to see everyone and enjoy the night together. Happy Birthday Granny!

ZOO TIME:

We also made a trip to the Zoo. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa! It was super hot and crowded, but it was still a lot of fun & Brielle keeps talking about all the cute animals.

Although I still think her favorite part was the little playground area.

For some reason, Brielle is obsessed with "monkey jars". She always has to attempt them at every playground.

Brielle and her cousin Cayson. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of Ryan and Misty. Cayson sure is a cutie though.

The grandkids:

Today:

Playing in the neighbors pool.

Although I miss Trav a lot when he's gone, I've got to give him some credit for surprising me with a gift the other day. In addition to a sympathy card from the elk who's taking him away from me so much (it was seriously hilarious), he also went to the work of printing my blog so it's now officially my journal / photo album! I was so excited and it was very sweet because he didn't have to do any of that, he just wanted me to know how much he appreciates what I do while he's gone. Love you babe! Good luck!

PS: This is for you Bren:

My Children's Home

2011-08-09T13:47:00.007-06:00

There are so many things I will miss about my children's first home. I loved it. It was the very first home I ever took part in building (except for the houses in Mexico, but that doesn't really count). And perhaps maybe I loved it so much because we did work so hard building it. Or maybe it's because we have so many wonderful memories of bringing both of our babies to this house from the hospital. Maybe it was all the summer pool parties out on the lawn or the get togethers with friends to watch movies. Maybe it was hearing a bunch of neighbor kids playing loudly with the toys downstairs or it could've been the relaxing environment which allowed me to lounge and read a book when the kids were sleeping. Perhaps it was the fabulous deck which allowed us to stay dry as we all cuddled up to watch the beautiful lightning storms. And maybe it was simply the spirit that was felt when my family stayed home together doing absolutely nothing. I will forever be grateful for this home.

We are now living in a cute little apartment while we build our next house. I feel very lucky that Travis is so talented. Let the games begin!

Rhodes Vacay, Children's Museum, & the 24th

2011-07-24T19:53:00.000-06:00

Brielle likes to change her clothes 5 or 6 times a day. She loves getting all decked out, and it tickles her to change her look every hour or so. Every time she comes out of her room with something new on whether it's a dress up or just her jammies, this is what happens. She always has something tucked into her unders. I'm still trying to figure out if she's doing this on purpose or not. I secretly think she likes the look because she'll even go check herself out in my mirror sometimes.

Breeze wanted me to take a picture of her with the artwork she'd created in nursery. But every time I kept trying to take the pic, she kept dropping her picture on the ground and then she'd act like it was my fault for being too slow. Even her eyes have mastered the look of blame!

After the third try, she was completely exasperated. I'm still not sure where she's getting this new little attitude. It cracks me up most of the time, but sometimes it doesn't seem quite so hilarious.

Rhodes Family Vacay

We took a trip up to Eden with my side of the family for a couple of days and it was a blast! Can you tell it started off with a bang?

It really was so much fun though. We swam, played horseshoes, tennis, racquetball, ate yummy food, played some funny games, and had great company.

Naturally, Taylee loved the water and Breeze was a scaredy cat at first.

We had all sorts of contests in the water and of course this guy won them all. He actually won in almost everything (except for when I kicked his trash in Boggle!)

The beautiful Misty and adorable Cayson:

A mean game of tetherball:

Travis and Tay watchin' Mommy kill it in horseshoes.

I was so good at horseshoes!

OK Randy, you can stop laughing. This picture even proves how horrible I really was! I have no idea how the dang shoe landed so far from where I was aiming.

I did get pretty lucky on a few rolls though. And by a few I mean 1. Everyone else had actual talent though, so that was nice.

Kissing Cousins:

We spent some of our down time watching sweet Navy SEAL shows that I am completely fascinated by. So were they apparently.

Grandma was such a trooper telling Brielle story after story after story. Breeze was in Heaven!

And going on walks to see the fishies.

Every day was something fun. Although I must admit my very favorite was racquetball. We played every chance we could get. I seriously love that game! It is super intense. I think we might have to make that a tradition.

On our way home, we stopped with Grandma and Grandpa at the Children's Museum in Ogden. It was seriously dress up Heaven for my children. Brielle couldn't have been more delighted.

The musical instrument room was fun too.

We had fun pretending all sorts of things.

Tay bug's personality is coming through in full force and she is turning out to be quite the crack up. She makes us laugh all the time.

Our little 435 cheeser.

It was "utter"ly fantastic. Just kidding, that was super lame.

But seriously though, it was a fabulous trip and I'm so grateful for my family.

24th of July:

We took a break from moving to enjoy some festivities. (More on moving later.) I love holidays!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Taylee's Birthday and 4th Festivities

2011-07-23T22:48:00.000-06:00

I now have a one year old and a two year old. Yeah, this next year will just be a breeze, right?! Taylee's 1st birthday was pretty laid back but still super fun. Grandma and Grandpa Riz (That's what Bree calls them because of their dog named Rizzo) came down to celebrate with us.

And man was she stylin'!

Tay bug loved the cake. It was pretty cute to watch. She didn't even hesitate diving right in. (PS: Can you see I got the girls ears pierced? They look pretty dang adorable to me!)

It's a good thing she loves taking baths too.

We went to the store to play around for a bit. . .

And then we participated in Taylee's favorite activity: Slip n' Slide!

Yes this unidentifiable figure is my 1 year old baby shooting down the slide! Travis was quite the bowler.

My two year old on the other hand, feared for her life!

Tay bug knows no fear

Eventually they both loved being thrown down though.

Well. . . at least I think so!

Grandpa & Daddy: A little R & R

Taylee would eat ice all day everyday if I'd let her. It's quite the special treat to her.

Time for some Fireworks! Breezy absolutely LOVED the little pop it's.

This is how Brielle held Taylee exactly one year ago, so I had to compare.

Flashback to 1 year ago:

These sisters really do love each other.

We really enjoyed watching the children's parade. . . .

And had a blast with some parachutes and smokee's that Trav got creative with (PS: I totally kicked Trav's butt on the Parachute competition!)

Sparklers!

After G & G Rhodes took off, the Kyhl's came over for round II of fireworks. It's a never ending party with us!

4th of JULY!!!! My very favorite holiday!!

Grandma Ardella ready for the parade.

Grandpa is always so sweet with Bree. Always offering to take her for walks or buy her sno-cones.

Aunt Abbey with Bells:

More of the crew:

Jackson and Breeze:

What should we do during the break? Why not more swimmin'? Go Abbey!

Tyson showing his sweet moves:

G & G

My favorite people waiting for the fireworks:

We had to get a bit creative trying to keep the girls entertained while we waited:

It didn't really matter what we did though because the second we ran out of candy, the girls migrated to those who still had some.

It even rained a little bit, but it was still so much fun.

My family:

And that's the end of our fabulous 4th festivities. Thank goodness we live in America!

Swimming, Fishing, & Park City

2011-07-23T19:48:00.000-06:00

(This is the picture that best describes our summer so far!)

So A LOT has happened since I've updated last. A crazy amount actually. Everything from our computer crashing (which is part of why it's taken me so long), to selling our house and moving out. It's all happened so fast, but I will try to update as I go. What did we do more than anything? SWIM SWIM SWIM! We love summer!

We always have to see who has the best landing coming down from the slide. . .

We sing at the top of our lungs. . . .

We choreograph our own dance moves in the water. . .

We smile and giggle a lot. . . .

And we splash like crazy!

Breezy still has to wear any and all hats, props, dress-ups, and as many mismatched items as she can.

And of course we still love eating brownie batter way more than the actual brownies.

Travis and I took a mini trip to Park City. Well actually, Travis had a business trip and I tagged along for the ride. It was a perfect way to relax, eat yummy Slurpee's every night, and have a little break from following my girls around every second. (Thanks for watching them mom!)

And then my favorite Aunt Nelly came for our much anticipated fishing trip. Nelly is truly a hoot. You gotta love this lady!

We had quite a memorable trip up Boulder. . .

But the real fun was just waiting for us.

Nelly and I had to help each other put on our waders and shoes, and that alone was a memory I'll have with me forever! It was a hilarious site I'm sure!

But it was so worth the efforts. Between the 3 of us, we caught more than 60 fish that day! (Catch and release, don't worry people)

It was so relaxing and fun. Float tubing is by far my favorite way to fish.

We were so glad Nelly was able to join us. She makes everything more fun! Love you Nel!

Lagoon - It's What Fun Is!!

2011-06-13T16:46:00.000-06:00

It was Kyhl family fun time and I must say, it was a hit! We took off for a day at Lagoon. There are probably too many pictures, but dang it the girls loved it so much! Breezy was scared at first, but after she got the hang of it, she wanted to go on ALL of the rides! I'm a big Lagoon fan and I love riding rides, but after having kids, I can easily say I had more fun watching my girls giggle and squeal than I would have just riding rides myself.

Breezy got a little nervous on the boats when she couldn't see us:

I think Tripp was a little annoyed having to listen to Taylee talk and sing all day long!

Here we are on Brielle's favorite ride. Abbey and Tripp are in the background.

Brielle loves her cousin Jackson so any time she got to ride with him, she loved it!

I don't think he was quite as impressed though!

Grandma & Grandpa with my shaded Taylee Jane:

On the train:

We took on the crowds at Lagoon-a-Beach, and it was worth it. The girls thought that was just fabulous!

Travis kind of had to push Breez down the slides or she'd chicken out. But she always said it was fun in the end!

The water was pretty dang cold. Brielle had goose bumps everywhere and was shivering the entire time but still did NOT want to get out.

Taylee loved playing in the water too.

When we were all sufficiently cooled off, we hit the rides again.

I love Brielle's face in this one:

Two brothers pushing their double strollers through a crowded Lagoon. Very cool guys!

I think we all loved the pirate boat. Taylee even giggled. Grandpa was a true champ to go on so many rides with the kids!

Abbey, Brielle and Jackson lovin' the swings!

Sequence of Events:

Pre-ride- Bree is super excited:

Mid-flight- Very daring!

Post ride - After all that excitement, she is just pooped!

Tilt-a-Whirl. One of my favs. Now one of Breezy's too!

And of course we had to end the day with about six-in-a-row rides on the carousel.

Both girls were singing, squealing, and bouncing.

And whenever Taylee gets super excited, she has this habit of throwing herself backward. It's usually when I'm holding her and she'll all of the sudden fly backwards until she's hanging upside down. It's kind of scary for me because I always have to be prepared and be holding on super tight. She thinks it's hilarious, and that's what she kept trying to do while riding the horse. Silly girl!

As you can see, we really had a lot of fun so Thank You SO Much Grandpa and Grandma! We Love You!!

PS: As I'm writing this, Brielle, who is supposed to be taking a nap, is lying in her bed singing "I Love To See the Temple" at the top of her lungs using as many silly voices as she knows how. I love being a mom!

Concerts, Swings, and Butterfly Wings

2011-06-07T22:23:00.000-06:00

We braved the traffic for a trip to Salt Lake this weekend. It was a blast but it definitely makes me appreciate living in Richfield. Seriously, the traffic and non stop construction up north is just downright nuts. That said, it is extremely nice every once in a while to be back in a place where things actually stay open past 7PM. Here are a few pics from our fun filled weekend:

On our way up I looked back and saw the girls just sitting there quietly holding hands. Does it get any sweeter?!

Brielle was delighted to play dress up for Grandma and Grandpa:

Travis and I were able to go to the Mormon Choral Organizations of America concert which was started by our good friend Brandon Stewart. They did an amazing job and it was really fun to see him. We also stopped at 7/11 for Slurpee's at around midnight both nights we were there, just because we could! We really like Slurpee's. And of course what's a date night without a late night movie? We enjoyed all of these activities but I have to say that a highlight of our trip was heading out to Daybreak to watch my dad's band play. The girls absolutely LOVED it!

Even though it was past her bedtime, Taylee was just so animated and full of cute little dance moves!

Brielle of course boogied until she about broke. She would dance and dance, and then fall and giggle.

Meanwhile, Taylee would be sneaking sips of Brielle's drink:

They have the same hair line don't they?!

We weren't the only ones dancing. I love to see people so happy!

It was so fun to watch my dad on the drums and to have them dedicate songs to "Heavy T" while we continuously requested "Wipeout"! I love you Dad and have always really enjoyed your talent with the drums! Not only are you an excellent drummer, but you're also a fantastic Grandpa! My children truly adore you!

Good old Riz:

We definitely had some great times in the good old Dubya Jay but as always, there's really no place like home. Both of my girls grinned from ear to ear at seeing their own beds. Taylee even clapped!

They are so silly!

And of course Brielle got right back into her routine of dressing up Princess style. She always starts out the modeling show being really shy. . . . .

And then BAM! Craziness ensues.

Visitors & Carni's!

2011-05-31T16:48:00.000-06:00

We were lucky enough to have Ryan, Misty and Cayson drive to our beautiful town for a little visit. The weekend was filled with BBQ's, shopping (because there are SO many places to shop where we live!), golfing, children's games, and laughter. We loved it! (Sorry, picture is a little smoky from the BBQ)

The girls kept showing off all of their tricks to Uncle Ryan

Brielle's really cool disappearing act turned monster act was a total hit of course. .. . . . At least she thought it was pretty dang hilarious!

She just HAD to get dressed up and show her Uncle some of her sweet dance moves:

Ryan and Cayson were both so impressed!

We played several rounds of Elefun while the boys went golfing:

And they must have changed the rules in Don't Break the Ice to See Who Can Break the Ice the Fastest!

We had enough races to get everyone good and dirty:

Problem solved:

Thanks for coming you guys! We'll have to do that more often. Brielle seriously won't stop talking about playing with Cayson. Gotta love cousins!

After they left, it went right back to this:

Playing nicely together,

And then somehow within minutes, it looks like this:

Carnival!!

Gary and Margaret were kind enough to treat us to a night out on the town. And since Richfield is so happening all of the time. . . . . . ;)

Breezy was too scared to enjoy her boat ride at first. She wouldn't even look at her friend Shelby.

But after a minute she was having so much fun she wouldn't even look at us!

Again, a little nervous at first for the Ferris wheel:

But by this point she had both hands in the air and wouldn't stop saying "WEEEEEEEE"! At the very top, she'd point out and say, "Mommy, I wanna go on that ride and that ride and that ride". She was in heaven!

The super slide only lasted like 5 seconds, and you can see she was scared even at the end, but at least she said she really liked it!

Her favorite? By far, the BOATS. So now of course Travis is sure she'll be the next great fisherwoman. Who knows?! I can't wait to see what she'll end up loving in life. But I can say that right now I am having an absolute BLAST introducing her to new things. I love being a mom and it is so fun having a child old enough to get excited about everything. I think I had as much fun watching her as I ever did going on any of the rides. I love it!!!

PS: 6 years ago, I never could have imagined my life would look like this. We've been through so much and yet, I wouldn't have it any other way. Travis, I love you so much! Thank you for asking me to marry you all those years ago and thank you for STILL telling me every single day that you think I'm beautiful (even when I feel gross). Happy Anniversary!

Dec 2010 Family Pics

2011-05-17T14:08:00.000-06:00

Better late than never.

I realize these family pictures are now almost 6 months old and the girls look totally different, but I completely forgot to post them. I really love waking up each morning to these pictures hanging in my room. A big thanks (again!) to my sister in-law Abbey for taking these beautiful shots of my girls.

akstudiodesign.com

My Grandpa Could Beat Up Your Grandpa

2011-05-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

OK maybe not. . . . . . But either way Grandpa Jack is still a rockstar!

Seriously, this man is the best!! He's 80 years old and has more energy than I do. He's generous with his time and talents, and he couldn't be any sweeter than he is with my girls. Boy do we love him!!

Grandpa just made this adorable little rocking chair for Brielle and Taylee. So cute!

They love it:

And let's not forget all the hours he put in building beds, dressers, end tables, and lamps for all of his grandkids. (Actually, he made Trav and I two beds because we started out with a queen size but I kept pushing Trav off the edge and kicking him in my sleep. After many restless nights, we bumped up to a king. Best money ever spent. Grandpa kindly made us another King frame. Now I can sleep peacefully in my spread eagle position.)

Thanks Grandpa for all the time spent on the floor playing with my babies, for the handcrafted jewelry boxes and marble toys, along with everything else you do for your family. You really are the best!

In Other News:

Things are still the same around here. . . . .

Captain Stance:

Getting in trouble for picking my tulip:

Two seconds after getting in trouble for picking my tulip:

Dancing merrily along her way 5 seconds after getting in trouble for picking my tulip:

What a little stinker!

Rolling our Easter eggs.

We finally had good enough weather to roll our colorfully dyed eggs. This was a tradition Travis had growing up. I'd never done it before and still don't quite understand why we don't just eat them but it was still pretty dang fun.

Of course it ended up in a hard boiled egg fight and Grandpa Gary was a good sport since he was Brielle's favorite target:

Also, let's not forget a shout out to my Travis who turned 29 on Thursday! Happy Birthday babe! We love you and appreciate all you do for us. Even if you are getting really old!

Travis in his mullet days:

We love you SO much that I vote you have less days hunting and more days playing like this (hint hint)!

Easter Weekend

2011-05-02T11:30:00.001-06:00

Easter weekend was spent with the Kyhl family this year. Unfortunately, Brielle and I both had colds but we still had a great time thanks to the efforts of my wonderful mother and father-in-law.

We played a bunch of games, ate a ton of good food, watched movies, and ate more good food.

Minute to Win it:

From child level to adult level, we all had a minute to win it, and it was pretty funny. The kids LOVED it!

I kind of sucked at this one. I would get so close each time, but it took like three tries to make it. So what does any good competitor do? Cheat of course. I kept whispering everything I could think of to make Travis laugh so he would fail too. He laughed all right, but still made it. Dang!

The kids LOVED pin the tail.

And secretly so did the adults!

Can you tell how nervous Travis was?!

Tyson, Margaret, and Gary were also some pretty fierce competitors!

Then of course we had an egg hunt. It was a little chilly but Brielle kept saying, "Oh my gosh, this is so fun!"

I'm not so sure Taylee felt the same way. Poor thing was so sleepy (and yet those cheeks are still so kissable to me!):

Easter Day:

Of course we enjoyed eating chocolate bunnies and finding Easter baskets, but more importantly we enjoyed being together as a family, talking about the Resurrection and the significance of it in our lives. I'm so grateful that I get to be with these people forever!

Even if Brielle is a little pest!

Seriously though, poor Taylee is always being squished or pulled or stuck in places she doesn't want to be.

The other day when Taylee was in her bouncer, Brielle thought it would be fun to get in with her. I don't know how she wedged herself in there so well but it took me like 5 minutes of pulling and pushing to get my two crying girls unstuck. They were TRULY stuck. I mean I was even sweating just trying to work them out. No pictures of that episode. Thankfully, this picture is much more common. And yet Taylee still kinda gets the raw end of the deal!

She's a good sport to put up with her big sister. Someday I'm sure Breezy will have to be a good sport to put up with Tay Tay.

Hmm. . . . . . Perhaps Brielle has been spending a little too much time around her Daddy?! (Just kidding, he really doesn't do that, I have no idea why she's standing there like that!)

She really is a little rascal lately. This isn't the greatest picture but Brielle got into my makeup and put it ALL over her face. She kept saying it was "so pretty"!

I love that these girls have each other, even if it means I have to pry Taylee away from Brielle every five minutes. At least I know they love each other and will always have a sister!

In Other News:

I was so excited after the breaking news last night I had to dance around in this little number. Call me a nerd but at least I'm a patriotic nerd! Yay America!

"America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining." September 12, 2001 - George W Bush

Grass Stains and Goosebumps!

2011-04-18T17:00:00.001-06:00

Warning: Picture Overload. I guess that's what happens when we make a trip up north. The sad part is, we didn't even get any pictures of the event that took us to Salt Lake in the first place: Cheralyn's wedding! I was so sad I didn't get pics, but take it from us, she definitely looked like a princess! Brielle was in awe that she got to touch the "princesses hat (veil)"! So congratulations to a very good friend of mine, Mrs. Cheralyn Anderson!! (Picture stolen from facebook)

This is what happens every time we visit my family. Poor Randy gets attacked. Brielle ADORES my brother, and if she can't play with him, we always have to call him. One of these days I'm afraid Randy will switch his number and not tell us! He is definitely a favorite in her book!

Good thing he's such a trooper.

I had to laugh at this picture because my mom just couldn't resist sabotaging this picture with the creepy little bear. She knew I thought it looked evil, so why not sneak it next to my head when I least expect it?! Thanks mom, you're a real gem!! Ha ha ha!

It wouldn't be a true family visit unless all the grand kids got to play drums with Grandpa. Isn't Cayson such a cutie?

I love my sweet Taylee Jane and her droopy cheeks.

Breezy lovin on Cayson:

They love story time with Grandma:

Taylee even got to ride on Grandpa's "tractor". I don't think she was overly impressed:

However, they were ALL impressed with Grandpa's bubble machine!! That thing is awesome. Except now when I take Breezy out to blow bubbles from the bottle, she's going to think that's the lamest thing in the world!

They loved trying to catch them and just simply dance in the bubbles.

We took a little trip to the park.

And we went home to hunt out some Easter baskets and eggs.

Cayson was WAY more interested in his eggs than his basket. Can't say I blame him either.

(My beautiful sister in law Misty)

And of course, Grandpa and Taylee were never too far from the grill.

When we finally came home, Travis had surprised me by setting up my birthday present in the yard. . . . A SWING SET!! I couldn't have been more thrilled! I wasn't the only one either!

We have spent countless hours so far playing on this puppy. Sun, or no sun, we've been out there! And so have a bunch of the neighbors.

And cousin Jackson.

Brielle loves everything about her swing set, including being able to push her sister. One time in her prayers, she said she was thankful for "my slide, my swing, my other swing, my monkey jars, my clubhouse, my table and chairs, and my baby swing."

This picture made me laugh because it totally looked like Noah was showing off, and Taylee was shying away. So cute!

Today was a sad day. Since it's been raining, I haven't let the girls out to play on the swing set. It's the first day since we've gotten it, and you'd think she's forgotten how to play inside. I've had to start over with trying to get her interested in games and puzzles, and it's driving me crazy! Brielle finally played her own little made up game with Taylee, but she kinda held a grudge while doing it. She just wants to swing! Poor girl. Just so picked on!

A Lovely Day

2011-04-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

I turned 26 today. I'm big on birthdays. I'm big on celebrating everything I can possibly celebrate I guess. While we didn't do anything exciting or adventurous, it was still great because a day of relaxing was perfect for this mom!

We started the day with simple entertainment. The girls and I played with this box for at least an hour. Travis did some yard work, blew up the pool, and somehow made me a yummy breakfast all while I was having fun with my girls.

I thought about shipping them off to Grandma's, but decided to just push them around the house in their beloved box until I was sweating. They loved it.

We jumped the gun a bit with the pool, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Not quite warm enough yet, but we put warm water in the pool so we didn't feel like we were TOTALLY torturing her.

Then we went in to a nice warm bath, watched conference and just chilled. I did NOT exercise, watching her was enough:

And thankfully, I didn't even hear much whining.

There was, however, a lot of playing. . . . or manhandling. Whatever you want to call it.

Yeah, you're right. It's manhandling.

Taylee always finds a way to annoy her back though.

And they always end up giggling.

Random hilarious cleavage shot:

And I was fortunate enough to end the day with some of this:

I love my family and sure feel like one lucky lady!

I'm a Survivor!!

2011-03-29T16:19:00.002-06:00

We did it! We finally made it through potty training! Brielle has been without diapers since the 17th of March. Is it kind of a lame thing to blog about? Sure. . . . but who cares because I am so thrilled to have only one child in diapers instead of two! It was really rough those first few days. I must say it's TOUGH not to get frustrated after continuous accidents. But she is officially my big girl now (both day and night) and I think we are both pretty tickled! Now if I could just find underwear small enough to actually stay up on her tiny little behind. . .

This tray was ultimately what did it I think. She got to choose one item after each success. She REALLY just wanted those pez. PEZ. . . . . I mean SERIOUSLY? Wouldn't be my first choice, but whatever works. (Thanks for the idea Melanie!)

I got some new puzzles for the big girl and she is in love! She can do them all by herself and wants to practice all the time. She likes to tell stories about all of the subjects in her puzzles. She makes up some pretty entertaining stories too. It's fun to see her imagination run wild. She really isn't a baby anymore, and it's crazy to think of how fast that time flew.

The lighting in this picture is horrible, but I wanted to post it because it cracks my mom and I up. Brielle kept building these towers that were so unsteady they should have fallen within the first couple layers, but without fail Bree somehow always built the tallest towers while my mother's towers, which always had a stronger foundation, fell 1st every time!

The tower judge:

Sometimes it's truly perfect to have a lazy day.

Vintage Taylee Jane:

This next picture happens all to often at our home. Breezy always has her hand on Tay's head, making her play with this or that. Taylee is like Brielle's little puppet and pretty much has to do everything her sister forces upon her. Fortunately, Taylee adores her sister too much to care.

But I do love that Taylee's little personality is coming through in full force! She is a crack up. She's crawling around, and standing up against furniture, and therefore expects to be apart of everything.

An example of my funny girl who is, I'm pretty sure, already sarcastic!

Sequence of Events:

(Oh great, mommy is taking my picture AGAIN. . . )

(I'll show her. . . . . CHEESE!)

(Ha ha ha ha. . . . . I'm Hilarious. . . . . and chubby, so I'm obviously cute!)

I love my girls and even better, I love only changing one of them! Hooray!!

"Let's Get Our Fris On"

2011-03-14T16:54:00.001-06:00

From playing Frisbee in our yard to going on a little hike up to "100 Hands Cave" with the girls, this last weekend proved to be quite relaxing. Brielle LOVED trying to throw the Frisbee and stuck with it for nearly an hour! Nothing holds her attention for that long, including Shark Tale (her very favorite), so it was nothing short of amazing! Thank you nice weather!!

Riding bikes:

Running Race against Daddy:

Hmm. . . What could this mean???

It means a whole lot of fun for this little girl!

Breezy is truly Crazy about her sunglasses. I don't let her wear them a ton in the house because I don't want them to strain her eyes, but it doesn't stop her from asking ALL DAY LONG. So she gets to wear them for a minute occasionally after she's done something good. Ha ha, so easy to please!

She would sleep with them if she could.

And ice cream tastes so much better with them on!

The weather was so nice we decided to go for a hike up Clear Creek Canyon. Of course we had to stop and throw rocks off the bridge into the water. That was always a favorite of mine as well.

Then we met up with the Sheltons for a picnic.

And we had to see who could make the biggest splash into the creek.

The day is of course not complete until a few mud baths are taken.

We told Bree to stay on the edge, but the temptation to get the biggest rock was simply to strong to resist. Every time we turned around she had ventured out further and further, but every time she saw that we'd caught her, she'd run back to the edge again. Little stinker!

Unfortunately, this is not ice cream. . . . . but thankfully it's not poop either!

Very cold river water bath:

Happy Times at Home:

We were sad to see the weekend go, but are SO excited for the warm weather! (Brielle asks if she can get in her swimming suit and get in her pool EVERY DAY without fail!) Bring it on!

Travee and Joshee's Pretty Play Date

2011-03-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend Travis got lucky and was part of an AMAZING photo shoot down Cassidy Canyon. This is the same canyon Travis and I did a few weeks ago. The difference is this time Travis went with our good friend and pro-photographer Josh Shelton. As you can see, the pictures turned out Incredible. (Even the ones Travis took of Josh turned out pretty decent) I can't believe how insanely jealous I am! These shots seriously blew my Mind!

I really think this is my ALL TIME favorite Canyoneering Picture!

I guess these pictures are okay too!!!

Quick "Tripp" to Cedar

2011-03-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

We took off on a quick trip to Cedar to celebrate my nephew Tripp's first Birthday. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got of Tripp. And you can't even see his face. Am I a pathetic Aunt or what?

Brielle totally thought it was her birthday. She carried this present around with her thinking she'd be able to take it home. Man was she disappointed!!

Even Taylee got so caught up in the commotion she struggled to eat...and that NEVER happens!

Apparently we're going to have to buy a trampoline this summer.

...And a swing set.

I swear I was ONLY doing this to show Brielle how to go face first.

Not brave enough yet....Maybe after riding Daddy down once.

SUCCESS!

We hope you had as great of a weekend as we did!

Spring Fever

2011-03-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

We can't wait for SPRING. No really, we can't wait. So we've been bundling up nearly everyday to head outside and let this little ball of energy loose. Man oh man we're excited for nice weather.

Brielle loves to show off her skills. She tells everyone she can jump "really really high".

Taylee Jane shows off her skills of looking pretty cute too!

Breezy is always being silly and trying to make Tay Tay laugh.

Brielle is definitely a two year old! She keeps us very busy all day long. Her favorite movie is "Shark Tale". She knows all of the words to "I Love to See the Temple", the Alphabet song, and "Bad Boyz, Bad Boys, Watcha Gonna Do" (the Cops song)! She is always saying something hilarious, and LOVES to play with her friends.

Twirling is a big part of our everyday life as well.

Same with forcing Taylee to play with exactly what Breeze wants her to play with.

Our big girl can sit, stand, jump, roll, and scoot really well. She's SO close to being able to crawl. She has 6 teeth and getting two more. She's a trooper and we love her so much!