The Missing Link

Sometimes I swear I live with an angel...

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:46:00 +0000

Yep, on this 12th anniversary, I really feel like singing a country song :). (sorry, Joy, and anyone else who hates country) There is a song by the Wilkinsons that has always made me think of Kevin, and I sing it to myself almost daily as I watch him anticipate everything I need and do it before I even ask--sometimes even before I think to ask. It's actually a little scary, but mostly completely wonderful.

Sometimes I swear I live with an angel
Sent from above to watch over me
He wears his love just like a halo
If he's not an angel, what else could he be?

He wouldn't say he's anything special
That's how, I'm sure, all those angels are
But when he comes around, miracles happen
I felt the first one when he touched my heart.

Though I've never seen him fly,
On the wings of love he carries me.
Heaven-bound I'm mystified
How with just one look he made me believe
In angels...
Though I've never seen him fly.

I love you, angel.

The definition of SWEET!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:29:00 +0000

I can remember as if it were yesterday every little detail about welcoming our angel, miracle girl into the world!

4 years ago Kathryn Noel Linkous came to our family ending 8 long, very painful years of waiting. The tears still flow freely as I think back to that moment when I first cast my eyes on her sweet face. The nurse carried her over to the scale and then to the warmer and the whole time my body just ached to hold her and kiss her and you know what? Things haven't changed one bit after 4 yrs.

Every time she opens her mouth to say something or flashes her adorable innocent sweet smile complete with Daddy's dimples it makes me just want to gobble her up and freeze that moment in time. Her hugs and kisses are to die for and really when you "try" to sum up what makes Ryn Ryn, the best way is -pure sweetness!!!! Not only is she the perfect daughter, always doing her best to obey and listen but she is also the best big sister. As much as we love and adore Elle and Eden we know without a doubt why Ryn was the first to come! I sometimes will sneak into her room after she is asleep and just kneel down at her bedside and allow myself to soak in every feature of her sweet face and burn that image into my heart and mind. RYN I LOVE YOU!

As wonderful as it is to celebrate and remember the birth of a child, for me it is bittersweet. It is also a reminder of the cold, sometimes cruel fact that they are growing up--which equals less of a need for Mom and Dad and the drawing nearer of them entering the far too often mean, unfair world of life.

Ryn Happy Birthday angel! Thank you for coming to our family and into my heart. You were the first baby to arrive and make me feel whole as a man and allowed me to experience the indescribable joys of being not just a father but your father! You completed our love and to this day you continue to do so, every minute of every day! The true miracle is not just that you came but that God loved and trusted me enough to be your Daddy, the Daddy of an angel!

Mom here :). I have to take my Grandma and Grandpa Ellis' words and, "I say Ditto, all the way!" to what Dad wrote. Christmas is forever changed for me since you came to be my angel. That whole Christmas season when I was pregnant with you was the most powerful I have ever experienced . I hope someday you might be lucky enough to be expecting a baby around Christmas. Everything was magical. Everything held more personal meaning for me. I thought every day about Mary, Jesus' mother. I thought about how she must have felt during the last few weeks before His birth. How humbled she must have been, how anxious, how excited, how happy--completely full of joy. I know she must have felt that way because that's how I felt. I also sang every Christmas hymn with even more joy and rejoicing than ever before. Even though I had only waited for 8 years for you to come--the world had waited since the fall of Adam for its Savior--I knew the praises I wanted to sing (actually I was singing almost every minute) and shout every minute of every day for you were as fervent and sincere as those of the heavens and earth when Christ was born at last. And my praises and thanks to Heavenly Father for this gift of His most precious Son were greater than ever before because I knew that gift would make possible keeping you, my precious angel, forever. I pray and strive every day to be worthy of such priceless gifts. Thank you for coming to me--to us. So very many people prayed and waited and watched with us. Thank you for making my life, and every other life you touch, magical and happy and beautiful.

We had a fun family party this year--bowling :). We had gone this summer in Houston with my parents and Ryn was jumping for joy the whole time, so we knew she'd have fun. The automatic bumpers and a slide for the girls' balls made it tough for Kevin and Ryan to beat their scores.
Ryn wanted to decorate her own cake, complete with an inch-thick layer of sprinkles :)
I didn't even know they made bowling shoes that could fit Elle, but she loved them even more than the actual game.
Eden loved hanging on where the action was.
Happy day :)

Holiday Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:59:00 +0000

As much as we love Europe and especially the Christmas season there. Something magical happens when you step foot on Temple Square and see the millions of lights reflecting in your children's eyes! As their heads swiveled around and then back again with their eyes and mouths wide open, I couldn't help but feel transported back to when I first stepped foot into the same twinkling world.
I love being a Dad and it has been way too long since I last recorded how happy it makes me to see, hear and watch my 3 little angels grow and learn. They truly are too sweet, too adorable and too funny!
Ryn continues to amaze me with her sweetness and angelic big sisterliness :) She also LOVES to learn and really is like a sponge with her ability to hear or see something once and then store it!
Elle has an incredible grasp of the English language for a 2and 1/2 year old and has such a concrete idea of what she wants. For example she is NOT cute, that is just unacceptable, she is beautiful. And Eden, she is such a cutie-pie. I have to admit that she adores me:)And I love that whenever I come into the room she starts bouncing for joy and saying Dada Dada and reaching out to me.
When I leave for work Ryn and Elle both run and wrap themselves around my legs saying, "we won't let you go, we don't want you to go to work." Life is good, life is wonderful and life is whole!

Create

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:03:00 +0000

So life with three little girls is crazy, but hey, why not make it a little crazier? :)

Here is my new work-in-progress website
http://www.wix.com/snapsbykit/Snaps
where you can see the fun creations I've made over the past few months. I started before Halloween--I wanted some cute, simple shirts for the girls and couldn't find any I liked at a price I liked :). After the ghosts were made, my mind couldn't stop working until I had sketched over 100 different ideas (only about 50 of which are on the website so far).

I know our blog is only read by family and close friends, so I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you'd care to share--about the product or the website. I already plan on getting better pictures with Kevin and Michelle's help (be ready for my phone call, Michelle :) ), but I did these on my own with my photography-challenged skill set so I could get something up and running before Christmas.

I was talking to Natalie about these shirts, as well as some adorable modge podge wall hangings she has made, and we both agreed that the joy of creation President Uchtdorf talked about is real and necessary. Here is a portion of that great talk that will hopefully inspire you to find happiness as you Create--smiles, harmonious homes, family memories....

More funnies from October and November

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:22:00 +0000

Oct 21--Ryn usually is all too happy to send Elle home with me while she has her playgroup. But, for the record, I have to report her exact words on this day: "Is Elle going home? I want Elle to play with me at Anna's house!"

When Elle pulled up her own pants that day, I told her she was a big girl and she replied, "No, I'm a HERO!"

And when Ryn wanted to look again at where we live now in relation to where she was born, she asked me to pull out the "blub". You know, the globe :).

Oct 22--While taking our vitamins at breakfast, Ryn asked why I swallowed mine instead of chewing them up, so I explained that mine didn't taste good like their gummy vitamins. She felt bad for me and insisted, "we have to get you some good ones."

Oct 23--Elle finished her lunch and raised her hands up above her head with a look that said, "I'm waiting for you to acknowledge this achievement, Mom..." So I said, "Ta da!!!" She corrected me with, "No. Say 'raise the roof!' " ?!@?!

Oct 26--I was putting on my make up and Elle came along swinging a sword at me, saying, "Die, witch!" In my defense, Ryn pointed out matter-of-factly, "She can't die. She's putting on her make up." Luckily for me, Elle had found another target by the time I emerged from my bathroom.

Oct 30--I had told Elle 'no' about something and she talked back in some way, so I asked, "Elle, what do we say when Mom says 'no'?", hoping to hear her reply, "we say 'OK, Mom'" like I've been teaching her to say. (We'll look forward to the fruits of these labors sometime during the millennium :) ). Ryn jumped in as my Teacher's Assistant, though, and prompted, "When Moms say no, you say, "AWWWW!"

Nov 7--Elle leaned over to Eden during lunch and said so sweetly, "She's my bwest fwiend." I smiled and Ryn knew right where I was going. "Write that on the calendar, Mom." :) Pretty scary how well they watch us....

Later that day, Elle wanted a snack and started scanning the pantry shelves. "I see the crappers up there!" (crackers :) )

Nov 9--Elle was in the middle of her normal marathon lunch and I had had it. "Elle, I'm not sitting at this table all day long," I warned. "But it's a nice table," she pointed out, hoping to ease my wrath :).

Nov 10--Elle's positive thinking continues...I wouldn't let them have popcorn while they watched a movie because they'd been on Halloween candy overload. So Elle kept proposing every single thing in the pantry until I finally agreed to some plain Cheerios. She got comfortable on the couch with her little bowl and looked up happily, "This is kinda like popcorn!"

Nov 11--one of my favorite vocabulary twists right now is scoop instead of scoot. "Scoop away!" is the one we hear all the time instead of 'scoot back' . "Can you scoop my chair?" is another one that makes me smile.

Nov 13--The Sunday before we had eaten dinner with our good friends, the Lehnardts--Michelle, Erik, Mary, Lucy the Cat and the 5 knights in shining armor who love our girls so much that they hate coming home. Every time we have to leave, Ryn asks, "Can we stay here forever?" Since that is not an option, and since even seeing them more than once a month is difficult with every one's busy schedules, the girls have started playing "Michelle, Erik, and Mary". Depending on how many of us are home, the boys and Lucy are thrown in, too. At lunch on this day, I was supposed to be playing the role of Erik, and I said something to the girls in French. Ryn reminded me that I wasn't staying in character. "No, Dad, you don't know how to speak en francais."

Who knew Halloween could be so fun?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:20:00 +0000

At the beginning of October we were having a video call with some of our friends in France on Skype and they saw some Halloween decorations the girls had made on the door. In case you're wondering, the big 'X' things are spiders :). They were surprised that we were already starting the celebrating, and even I (whose first full sentence as a child was the Halloween mantra, "I want candy!") had no idea just how much fun we were in for. Fundamentally, Americans look for reasons to celebrate and Halloween provides so many opportunities. Weeks before the actual miraculous outpouring of trick-or-treat candy, there are costumes to plan, (Ryn is a clown in the very costume Kevin wore when he was 3, Elle is our little witch-- grace a la famille Gandon, and Eden is our little lamb that Ryn was for her first Halloween)
bat, ghost, and pumpkin cookies to make and share , pumpkins to carve (we had a fantastic Family Home Evening last Monday with Ryan and Grandpa and Grandma Linkous),

parties to attend--one at the Pepperwood Ward and one at Ryn's dance class (where she's wearing the witch costume Elle wore for everything else and is glued to the teacher's side comme d'hab :)),

and songs to sing (I showed Ryn some minor chords on the piano and how we could make spooky owl and ghost songs out of them).

That afternoon we had a blast at the Discovery children's museum with our friends, Ben, Tatum, Bethany, Mary Jane, and Miles Norris. With kids exactly the same ages as ours, they've been a blessing since the day we moved into this ward.

Ryn's favorite part of the actual Halloween night was just being able to knock on every door she saw. On a walk yesterday, she couldn't understand why we couldn't keep such a good thing going and asked at nearly every home, "can we go to that house?" Elle loved telling people at every door what a witch says--"Come here, my pretties..." I'm sure they were all terrified :).

Good-bye to fall already?!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:14:00 +0000

It's snowing.

So before we fill this blog with wintry things, we need to get some fall pics and memories recorded :). Like catching raindrops (before we catch snowflakes) on our tongues...

And walking to the park in short sleeves, with purses and suckers (before we're in coats, with mittens and sleds)...

The good thing is--fall or winter, at least the smiles should stay the same :)

Batten down the hatches! Eden's on the move!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Yes, the much-anticipated crawling
milestone has arrived.

Things on the floor in any room are no longer safe from endless slobber. Even though it means more messes to clean up and more stress to make sure everything off-limits is out of reach, I absolutely LOVE seeing the joy on Eden's face now that she can go wherever she wants, whenever she wants. FREEDOM! In the 2 days since she seriously found her quatre-pattes, she has whined and cried only when she's ready to eat or sleep, instead of the recent, almost constant, I-need-a-change-of-scenery scream.

This is one of my absolute favorite parts of motherhood. As my mom calls it--"Watching the light come on." Even though Eden learned to crawl on her own (all babies will eventually crawl, walk, talk, etc), I can't help but feel like my encouragements and teaching played a teeny tiny part. And even if they didn't, just being a witness to this miracle of life, as it grows and develops, is its own reward.

The funnies

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Even though I haven't been consistent enough here, I have been writing down some funny things the girls are saying on the calendar. So here are a few dating as far back as JULY ?!$@#

Ryn:
"Mom, will you clean up this mess I made?" (July 1)

We had been talking about going to Aspen Grove the next week and I was listening to a Josh Groban song. Ryn asked who was singing. When I told her she must not have heard me well and asked, "Aspen Grovan?" (July 2)

We were trying to get hair brushed (always the most exciting challenge of the morning) before leaving to be in a Youth Days of '47 parade in Salt Lake and Elle was not cooperating. Ryn put on her best mom voice and tried to reason with her: "Elle, you have to have a ponytail or you're going to scare the other kids." (July 18)

An impromptu song she sang at lunch: "I'm beautiful like a flower...come and smell me and think that I'm a flower!" (July 17)

I was encouraging every one's involvement in picking up the crayons the girls had spilled on the floor with, "We need to pick them all up!" Ryn replied, "Actually, you have to." (and a smile... funny girl :) ) (Aug 22)

Elle wanted Ryn or me to sit on her lap. Ryn, seeing the obvious challenge of fitting anything bigger than a baby doll on that tiny excuse for a lap, told me: "When she's a mommy she can have a lap." (Sept 1)

Their latest way of defining roles when they play house cracks us up every time, "OK, I'm the mommy and you're the honey." (first heard on Sept 19)

Ryn is always trying to help Elle choose the right and understand why. I left the kitchen for a minute one day during a lunch Elle was having a hard time finishing. I heard Ryn explain to her: "You have to grow big and be my friend. So eat your food, OK?" (Sept 22)

Anyone who knows Ryn has seen her joyful enthusiasm as she literally bounces her way through each day. The other day I asked her for a hug and she backed away from me, saying as she bounced before take-off, "I just love to give everyone running and jumping hugs!!!" (Oct 6)

And today I was asking what Ryn thought we should have for dinner--fish, salad, chicken....and she answered with this question: "Oh yeah! Mom can we go to Old MacDonald's and eat chicken and go down the slide that's not outside?"

Our favorite vocabulary word of hers right now--lasterday (yesterday)

Elle:
Wearing an Ariel dress-up dress, Elle wanted Kevin to admire her beauty. Kev exclaimed, "Wow! You look like a mermaid!" Elle--"No, I look like a Elle--you know, E-l-l-e." (July 20)

I was wearing my France soccer shirt with its rooster mascot embroidered on it when Elle was pretending that a witch was going to get us. "The witch! She's going to grab your chicken shirt!" (July 22)

Only Dora fans will get a kick out of this one: Elle, standing under an empty diaper box, warned us in her mean voice, "I'm Swiper the Box!" (Aug 10)

I keep all treats on a high shelf in the pantry and usually only bring them out to reward special achievements. The chocolate treats are reserved for the best of the best and, more often, are kept on the shelf until the girls are in bed and I reward myself for surviving the day :). One day at lunch, though, I needed a quick fix and got out a bag of Rollo's. Elle sat up straighter in her seat, immediately more interested in the lunchtime happenings and said, "Where'd that come from, Mom?"(Aug 21)

Then this invitation to me from tiny little Elle sitting on her tiny little potty chair in the kitchen--"Do you wanna sit on my wap?"

This was one of the earlier potty training days and I had been repeating over and over that "we don't poop (or go potty) in our pants"...just on the potty chair. All day she kept picking out random things to add to the list of interesting unacceptable bathroom break spots...."We don't poop on our dinner....Nooo!" "We don't poop on our chairs.....Noooo!" "We don't poop on Mommies....Noooo!" (Aug 29)

Kev was helping Elle eat one night (always a prime spot for funny moments in the midst of ultimate exasperation) and he asked her, "Don't you want to be like Nephi and obey?" Elle simply said, "No, I want to be a bad guy." So Kev sighed and got up to get something from the fridge. Elle asked, "Dad, are you happy?" Kev--"Not when you make me sad." Elle sighed on her end and decided out loud, "Okay, I'll obey like Nephi." (Sept 24)

I've mentioned before how I sing "Mess-maker, mess-maker, make me a mess..." when I'm cleaning up all the messes Elle makes for me--it keeps me smiling instead of wringing her little neck :). One day I was really pushed to my limit after she had about 4 potty training accidents, poured the milk out of the carton, and did a few other things that I can't remember now (one of the miracles of motherhood). As I waked away to get a towel for the last one, I started to sing the song through gritted teeth and Elle laughed, "Mom, I'm right here! I made one for you!" (Sept 26)

After I put Elle's shoes on--"Thank you, Mom! You're a big helper!" (Oct 8)

I was reading a little kids' biography of Abraham Lincoln to the girls which obviously included him being shot by Booth and dying the next morning. Hearing that, Elle looked up at me and said, "I'm going to die in two minutes." ?! She kept saying it all that day with her most serious voice, looking up at me with those huge brown eyes. It killed me every time :) (Oct 13)

Today at the park there was no bathroom, no one else was there, and she really needed to go. I pulled down her pants and tried to help her squat, but she would have no part of it. Squirming and protesting, she cried, "I don't want to go potty on the grass! That would be YUCK-Y!" And she held it until we got to the library's restroom at least an hour later. Like mother like daughter, I guess, since my mom always talks about me holding it all day rather than having to go in a stinky port-a-potty when I was 2.

Tonight we went to see the Halloween fun at Gardner Historic Village and as we walked back to our car, Elle commented that she liked going to the witches' party. I told her that life with her and Ryn and Eden was all the party I needed. "You're my party, Elle." She set me straight with "I'm not a birthday cake, Mom."

Change is good, possible and essential

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:39:00 +0000

So I'm here to return and report on the difference in my life since re-acquiring the necessary habits of consistent daily prayer and scripture study. Bottom line: I just can't believe I ever let myself justify getting casual about those 2 essential things. The benefits and blessings have been immediate and obvious-- at least to me. (You'll have to ask Kev about his recent lottery win/loss record). Life is still crazy and hard, I still lose my cool and my patience, Elle's still not 100% potty trained, etc, etc, etc. Nothing about my challenges has changed. But I have. And that is the miracle.

As Ezra Taft Benson explained, "The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

Every morning, when I used to get the first wave of being overwhelmed by all I had to get done, now I can more easily prioritize and accomplish things bit by bit. I feel good about what I do get done instead of beating myself up for not getting everything done because I do the things that have the most worth first. I can just hear Dad, "if you put first things first, you get both first and second things. If you put second things first, you lose both first and second things." :) My perspective is more consistently focused on the eternal consequences of my choices, so patience and love dictate more of my reactions. I have greater faith and hope in my ability to make all the continued changes I need because I know I am not working alone.

There were so many talks in conference that reinforced the things I've been feeling and learning for myself these past few weeks. Just one example....Elder Bednar spoke of our need to do more of what we know is right--to be more diligent and concerned in our homes. I felt the Lord telling me personally to "be not weary in well-doing" and rejoiced in the promise that "we will never be left alone in these important concerns."

Life is good. The Lord wants to help each of us in every way. We just have to be willing to ask, listen, and obey.

Kit's magic hands do it again!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:45:00 +0000

I remember back in France when Michelle came to see us. She was pregnant with Miss Mary, wearing a walking boot for her broken foot and she came with cute little Gabriel who was almost 2. Michelle has 5 boys and she was knitting for her little girl who was on the way. As Kit watched her knit and then started flipping through the Dale of Norway knitting book, she was hooked:)

Michelle taught her some basic moves and from that little moment all the way across the world in a small little french town has come some of the cutest things ever! Kit's latest masterpiece...

She is an amazing woman and I am so thankful that she is mine and I am hers and that our little angels get to call her Mommy!
Oh and by the way.....there are two more dresses just like that on the way, so look for the completed project!!

Simplify, simplify, simplify

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:56:00 +0000

So... Kevin's loving determination to see me happy was the final push I needed tonight to do what I've been wanting to do for months now. Simplify, simplify, simplify. In other words: snip, snip, snip :)

About 10 inches later.....

I think I lost about 10 lbs in a half hour! Life is good.

Elle's comments: "I want to cut all my hair off!" (before she saw the actual result)

Then, when she saw me: "I don't want Mommy to cut all her hair off!" Too late, little Monkey :)

Walk in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Miss sass-a-frass

Elle's happy-face pose

Somehow we've missed the boat on teaching our girls to smile for pictures. No matter how goofy we are, they are pretty much stone cold during any and all photo shoots. Normally, Eden is the exception and lives every day in a constant blissful smiley state, but she must have needed a day off. Oh well... for us, they're still the most beautiful creatures on earth.

"It's OK, Eden, Mom and Dad stop torturing us all soon." Seriously, I'm in awe watching Ryn magnify her role as biggest sister. Leading Elle to the potty chair with her arm around Elle's back, cheering her every success and encouraging her after near misses ("Good job, Elle! You did it!" or "It's OK Elle, next time you'll do it."), and filling Eden's every minute of every day with smiles and giggles.

We really just wanted them to stand by this lamp post, but it was just too tempting of a climb. :)

Kev-the-photographer was getting frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the older 2 girls, so I told him to take a snuggle break with the "bundle of joy" poster child and snapped a few.

So, yeah, it's all worth it.

Yesterday was one of those days where I seriously wondered. Not if it was worth it, but if I was capable. After 2 hours straight of ear-piercing jungle puma screaming, cleaning up more potty and poop near misses than I could stomach, doing the 2 extra loads of laundry that went with them, and trying to keep Eden happy and fed and Ryn entertained and occupied, I honestly just did not know how women for hundreds of years, all over the world, have survived and excelled at this job of patiently loving and mothering.

But here I am, the very next day, back to loving every single minute. I've been laughing at all the adorable things they say, cleaning up the messes with no self-pity, carrying Eden as much as I can so I can kiss her delicious rolls as much as humanly possible, and seeing how truly blessed I am and how I will do whatever it takes to help them be happy and learn as much as they can.

What a roller coaster it is for me. I wonder if it's like this for all moms? These complete extremes from one day (or one minute) to the next....It's like the lottery for Kevin coming home every night--which wife will greet him at the door? :) Poor guy.

So my goal is to be more consistently happy and grateful. One thing I'm doing that will hopefully help me reach that goal is following Elder Kikuchi's counsel in last month's Ensign. He encouraged daily morning personal devotional time that includes sincere prayer, scripture study and meditation, if only for a few minutes. I have always known these habits were important, especially after having them so blissfully uninterrupted on my mission :). Since becoming a mother, and then a mother of 3 in 3 years, it has become increasingly more difficult to find the time. I'm exhausted in the mornings after getting up all night with 1 or more of the girls, then I'm running all day just keeping them alive, and I'm even more exhausted at night when my mind is a worthless mush. Still, I've been able to squeeze in a few minutes most days when Elle is taking a nap, but there are too many times when someone calls or Ryn needs help or Eden won't sleep and my study is cut short or distracted and I have to go over the same sentence 10 times before I even register what I've read. So after Kev and I read this article for our FHE a few weeks ago, I decided I just need to get up a few minutes earlier, no matter how tired I am, and have faith that I will receive the promised blessings for my efforts (just one of which I have on my kitchen wall to remind me: "those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength").

I know that the Lord is just waiting, standing at the door and knocking, to give me the help, the strength and the blessings I need. How ridiculous when I do not open that door. An example of today's immediate result is this quote from President Uchdorf's message this month that filled me with hope:

"May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones. The virtue of your own life will be a light to those who sit in darkness, because you are a living witness of the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 45:28). Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you can be the one to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5).
My dear sisters, as you live your daily life with all its blessings and challenges, let me assure you that the Lord loves you. He knows you. He listens to your prayers, and He answers those prayers, wherever on this world you may be. He wants you to succeed in this life and in eternity."

So it takes 30 days to form (or re-form) a habit, isn't that right all you SW alumni? :) That means in 30 days, Kev, Ryn, Elle and Eden will be winning the lottery every day and being a mom every day will just be a walk in the park. ;)

Becky

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Today this world lost one amazing woman. Becky (in the red apron) was married to my Dad's younger brother, Kelly (another amazing person who deserves his own entry), and was always right up there with my mom in terms of being a woman I admired. Her home was open to anyone and everyone who needed a place to feel welcome, to laugh, to talk, to eat, and to love life. She worried more about helping people feel good about themselves than worrying about what people thought of her. Every holiday was celebrated for weeks through the decorations, treats, and traditions that were so Becky. As she cared for my dad's parents unceasingly until, and even after their deaths (cleaning out their home, etc.), I was in awe of her example of a faithful daughter-in-law. She did what was right, no matter the consequences--even sending her youngest out on his mission knowing that she might not see him again in this life.

Some people are so optimistic that they drive you crazy, and some people are so realistic that they are critical and seemingly without hope. Becky was perfectly balanced between the two--an optimistic realist...or maybe a realistic optimist :) She readily admitted and recognized challenges, but worked as hard as she could and hoped for the best. This is definitely one reason she was able to fight so long the cancer that took her life. Becky loved and lived life to the fullest, squeezing as much as possible out of every day. Even those 8 years with the pain and fatigue of cancer and its taxing treatments, she and her family were outside doing something every time you turned around--hiking, camping, boating, river rafting (almost to their deaths :) ), traveling to pick up their missionary kids, snowmobiling, gardening, serving in the church, etc, etc, etc.

Some great Becky one-liners (from her kids and Uncle Kelly):

--"I am going to go on strike!"

--"Do you want a knuckle sandwich?"

--"How many air miles do you have?"

--"AGAIN?"

--"The best gift you can give someone is a good example."

I'm so thankful for the influence of this righteous woman in my life.

I loved what Mark wrote here: http://markandaup.blogspot.com/?zx=7f1057973d454de3

Her obituary:

Rebecca Firmage Ellis Aug. 6, 1953 ~Aug. 29, 2009

Beloved Rebecca (Becky) Firmage Ellis, 56, died Saturday, August 29, 2009 at home, following a courageous battle with breast cancer. She was born August 6, 1953 in Kingsport, Tenn. to Margaret Felt and D. Allan Firmage and moved with her family to Provo, Utah when she was two years old.

Becky married her true love and best friend Kelly Taylor Ellis, on December 27, 1975 in the Provo, LDS Temple and they were blessed with five devoted children.She was a graduate of Provo High School and earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from Brigham Young University in dance and later a EdD from BYU in Educational Leadership.

In Becky's life her family always came first. She loved being a wife and a mother and was definitely the biggest cheerleader for each of her five children and four grandchildren as she supported and encouraged them to develop their individual strengths and talents.Throughout her life she was able to balance family responsibilities and fun, with her love of dance and creative movement as she taught Children's Dance at BYU, and Academics Through Movement for Elementary Education students at UVU. She especially loved teaching the BOYS Dance classes which she did for 18 years at BYU. In June of this year she took eight of her BOYS to New York City and with them presented at the National Dance Educator's Organization. Becky demonstrated how to teach boys to use their creativity, rhythm and strength in dance and still allow themselves to be boys.She was a faithful member of the LDS Church and had served as a Young Women's President, counselor in the Stake Young Women's Organization, Relief Society President, Activities Committee Chair, Webelos leader, and most importantly, a loving Visiting Teacher. She had a strong testimony of the gospel and eternal families.

Becky is survived by her husband, Kelly, children Jake (Cindy), Chet (Laura), Andee (Spencer) Bott, Clay, and Elder Michael (Mick) Ellis (currently serving in the Mexico, Monterey West Mission of the LDS Church), 4 grand-daughters, Aubrey, Taylor, Avery, and Ireland, one soon-to-be grandson Mason (due Sept. 18), her father, D. Allan Firmage, sisters, Kathy Campbell (Kailua, HI), Jeri Walton (Alpine, UT), Nita Price (Reno, NV), and brothers, Richard (Kaysville, UT), and Ron (Orem, UT). She was preceded in death by her mother, Margaret Felt Firmage.

The family expresses their sincere appreciation to Dr. William Reese and Dr. Nathan Rich and their staffs for their loving care during her eight year battle.

Eden Taylor at 6 months

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:54:00 +0000

This is her newest smile--the "Where are my dentures?" look :)

We just can't get enough of this chunky, blue-eyed angel.

Pantalettes and the Potty Chair

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:49:00 +0000

I had tried to start potty training Elle a little over a month ago. Even though she was successful right away, she lost interest after the first day. All of that changed when we checked out a life-saving book from the library.

Princess pants, big girl pants, underwear...none of these titles inspired the necessary desire in our little Miss Independent to keep anything clean by using the potty chair. In this book, a princess with a similar disposition finally uses the potty because she just got some beautiful "pantalettes" and was determined not to have to give them up for her royal diaper. Well, our Wee Word Woman latched on to that one, and now, hallelujah, wants to wear "pretty pantalettes" every day and keep them nice and clean. With movies and treats to get the princess to stay put and shoot for success, it's fun for the whole family!

Saint George weekend--April 24-27 (Does moving count as a good excuse for the 2 month wait?)

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:29:00 +0000

At the end of April, Kevin had the great idea of taking our first weekend trip with just our own little family. It had been almost 2+ months since Eden's arrival and 4+ months since we got back from France and started the adjustment to real life. The perfect time to take a break and re-focus.

Some friends of the Linkous' have a beautiful vacation home in Saint George and had offered us a weekend there last summer which we could never work out. We left late Friday morning, arriving in St George just before dinner. We grabbed some cookie dough, drinks, a few $5 pizzas, a redbox dvd, and some other groceries for the weekend and settled in for the fun :).

Sleeping in is no longer an option for us, but Saturday morning was as close to it as we've come in a long time. Just down the street from the house we were staying in was a great in-door pool (a blessing since this was the one day out of the year that it had to rain) with tons of fun water features and slides, where we spent Saturday afternoon. We were surprised that our usual dare-devil Elle was too scared to attempt even the tiny kiddy slide, but Ryn loved it. "Again! Again!" After each time down, she would finish with a mermaid pose and a huge smile. We had splash fights and stayed until the girls' hands and feet were painfully past the raisin stage.

For dinner that night we decided to risk it and tried Pirate Island Pizza. It was a blast and we don't even have boys! I kept thinking how much my nephews would love it....think Pirates of the Caribbean ride meets Chuck E. Cheese. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous. We attended the ward directly across from the temple so we could visit it after the meetings. I'd never been to this temple before and in the spring sunlight it's white walls were literally blindingly beautiful. One corner of the grounds hosts a perfect rose garden where we sat and enjoyed all the different colors. The girls desperately wanted to go in, but were satisfied with a visitor's center tour :).

Monday we decided to extend our little trip so we could see Zion's Canyon for the first time. Amazing. This really is a perfect canyon for a family trip--a shuttle that takes you to every trail head, complete with guides explaining all you are seeing along the way (like the beavers that live there who can chew through a tree 6" in diameter in 3 minutes!), and several hikes easy enough (and still breathtakingly beautiful) even for our group of little people. Weeping Rock was our first stop, then the Temple of Sinawava and finally the Emerald Pools. Ryn and Elle were excited to start every hike, found lots of lizards, birds, and scary bugs along the way, and then were usually ready to be carried at least part of the way down. Eden had the sweet spot in the baby bijorn, her juicy chunk rolls spilling out so we could kiss them every few minutes. Yes, Kev and I were pretty worn out by the end of the day :), but we loved every second and will definitely return soon.

Ryn + Elle + Eden=JOY

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Today was so much fun. Can I just say that I LOVE being a mom?

I've been showing Ryn how to pump her legs on the swings so she doesn't need someone to push her. "Out and in...out and in..." She's doing great! Elle heard the words, but somehow didn't quite catch on to the movements....

The next video is of Elle following Ryn's every move--something that happens almost 24/7, but it's so obvious and heartbreakingly adorable in this clip. I remember so vividly feeling like Elle, wanting to do and be everything Joy was. Actually, it's not that far of a stretch to remember since I still feel that way :). It all goes back to that adoration little sisters are born with that I referred to in the last post, and I love seeing it in my girls. What a huge responsibility a big sister has forced on her as soon as a little sister is born. Every tiny little thing she says or does will be watched, and most likely imitated. Fortunately for me, my big sister was, and still is, worthy of emulation in every way--she got straight A's, excelled in piano, dance and everything else she tried, she served a fabulous mission, and is now a world class mother of 4 incredible boys. As I watch Ryn love and teach and encourage Elle and Eden, I know she will beautifully rise to the challenge, just like Joy.

And now, for a final 2 minutes of pure happiness, here is the video of Eden's first real laugh that went on for about 10 minutes tonight.

2-going-on-20-year-old Elle

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Yes, she's 2. Our little expressive pixie is 2 years old today. I've been wanting to write a post about how much fun she is for quite some time, and today I'm finally sitting down to do it. Elle has been talking/singing every one's ear off for months now and we love it. She makes me laugh at least 10 times every day. A couple of examples from this week:

Elle grabbed her purse and purposefully started for the door, informing me, "I'm going to work." After going a few steps, she turned around and reached out her hand, "Hold my pacifawer."

We were driving in the car and Elle piped up from out of nowhere, "I need a pink guitar for me." (I laughed so hard we had to get her one for this bday just so we could remember it.)

She's following in Ryn's footsteps, loving all things musical and princess-themed. She loves taking requests for princess songs, and French or English nursery and Primary songs. Depending on her mood, she'll stop mid-way with either an invitation "Sing with me!" or a firm "No! ME sing!", and she often asks me where her microphone is. (I just show her how to hold her fist up and she's back to belting out the song of the moment, complete with arm extended, long, held-out, vibrato ending) I'm pretty sure she's going to be a soprano, since the jungle puma screams are shriller (is that a word?) than ever.

Elle has reached the must-wear-a-skirt-at-all-times age. Once the skirt is on, then she may or may not move on to other accessories like crowns, wings, necklaces, princess shoes, bunny ears, etc. :) We call this look the Fairy Princess Easter Bunny.... One of my nicknames for Elle is Mess Maker, since 8 of the 10 times she makes me laugh every day are when I'm cleaning up a new mess she has made :). As I clean, I sing, "Mess Maker, Mess Maker, make me a mess...." The first picture is a pretty frequent one--Elle can turn absolutely anything into 'makeup'.

I also call her my little monkey because of the way she wraps her tiny body and clings to you when she's scared, or giving a big hug, or trying to avoid her bed :). I absolutely LOVE that monkey grip around my neck.

I've tried over and over again to get a good video of Elle showing all her different facial expressions, and although none have ever yet captured her 100%, this is the latest and it gives a good idea of how expressive she really is.

As quickly as she changed facial expressions in that clip, she can change moods. I've never seen such huge smiles and raised eyebrows when the word 'chocolate' is mentioned or tears appear so quickly as soon as a request is denied. It makes me laugh, though, thinking of how Joy would always complain about me turning on the tears like that when I wanted to get her in trouble :). Ryn's got a tough road ahead....but at least I'll be able to reassure her of Elle's complete and utter adoration (something all little sisters are hard-wired with from birth for their big sisters). Every day when Elle wakes up, the first thing she asks is, "Where's my Ryn?"

Elle loves saying, or hearing someone else say, the words 'you're welcome.' Every time she says or hears that phrase, she'll smile and say, "I [she, he] said 'you're yelcome." And ever since our trip to Pirate Island Pizza, both she and Ryn are fans of the ever-popular, "Arrrr, matey!"

She loves taking care of her baby doll and mimics every little thing I do with Eden--the way I hold her when she's burping, nursing, singing her the same songs to put her to sleep, reading her stories and the scriptures. Ryn likes playing with her doll in the same way, but not nearly as consistently as Elle does. She wants to take her everywhere, which becomes difficult since she's trying to hold her pacifier and blanket 24/7, too.
Her second birthday was celebrated with a BBQ, cake, ice cream and a present hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Linkous' and those pics will follow soon :). How thankful we are to have this little piece of happiness in our family. Happy Birthday, Elle!

We've moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Yes, there is a good reason this time for the delay in posting--we've moved! We found a great place in Draper and we've been swimming in boxes for the past 2 weeks. Lots of space and a great location--we are in heaven. One of the adventures was opening all our boxes that have been waiting for us in the Linkous' garage for the past 8 years! Yes, Kevin was wearing very thick gloves :). It's seriously like Christmas seeing all the 'treasures' we forgot we even had. Now, if we can just get them all unpacked and organized.....

Forks with legs?!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Here are some of this week's funny quotes from the girls:

We had a tea party lunch on the girls' little table downstairs a few days ago. The table is a little IKEA one that's no more than 2-3 feet long. The girls were on the "ends" and I was strategically between them to keep the peace, thinking that such close quarters for eating would start out fun but maybe result in some contention :). Instead, it started out fun and then Elle kept getting out of her chair and walking over (the whole 2 feet away) to stand next to Ryn saying, "I want to go see Ryn." I hope they'll always love being together that much!

On the way back up the stairs, I had the dishes in one hand and was holding on to Elle with the other. One of the forks dropped on the stairs, so I asked, "Ryn, will you get that fork for me?"

"No," she replied, very matter-of-factly, "I'm waiting for it to get some legs."
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Ryn also reminded me of some vital facts about dogs as we were walking to the park the other day. We passed a dog going the other direction and Elle remarked, "That doggy was at the slide." (since he was coming from that direction).

Ryn answered with a wise big sister laugh, "No, Elle, doggies don't go down slides. They push out big pee-yoo stinkies from their bum-bums and eat bones!"
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New vocab:
Diamond room=dining room (Ryn)
Butterfly dragon=dragon fly (Elle)
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One of Ryn's favorite Book of Mormon stories is when Christ visited the Nephites and blessed the children. I think she must have been reflecting on that when we were eating lunch and she started this conversation:

Ryn: "I want Jesus to come down. Jesus loves us."
Kit: "Yes, He loves all people, doesn't He?"
Ryn: "No, His love is not for people. It's just for kids."

What a day to be a mother!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:06:00 +0000

It is a gorgeous day and there was never a happier Kit. I get to be a mom. Of these three angels. And wife of this angel. (That's our yummy dinner he's grilling)

And daughter and granddaughter of these angels...

Church was wonderful--The primary sang 2 songs in sacrament meeting and this was the first time I had a child up there singing to ME. I cannot believe how my heart was singing as I watched her walk all the way up to the stand (we were way back in the overflow), sing both songs looking at me with a big smile, and walk all the way back to my arms. Joy. Pure joy.

Then in Sunday school we were talking about spiritual gifts and all the ones that we absolutely need, should ask for, be worthy of, and are entitled to as mothers. The teacher had someone read aloud the Proclamation on the Family and we discussed the responsibilities mothers have and then the spiritual gifts available to us as we try to fulfill them. A few examples include discernment, faith, testimony, charity, pure knowledge (like the mother at Haun's Mill after the massacre when she prayed and received a specific answer of how to heal her son's hip), and patience. What a blessing to know that we can ask for and receive these powerful gifts in the essential responsibilities given to mothers.

I was also impressed with the warning given at the end of the Proclamation that talks about the negative consequences that follow when eternal truths are ignored or blatantly disobeyed. It's easy to see the consequences that our society is facing at this moment as the family is attacked on all sides, but today I thought of how I, personally, will reap the same penalties or the promised blessings every minute of every day based on how I apply these principles as a wife and mother. (duh, that's the whole point, I know--I'm just a little slow :) )

Thursday was a perfect example of this. In one day I saw both the penalties of ignoring and the blessings of seeking and applying a spiritual gift. Namely, patience. That morning Kevin was really late getting home from the gym when I needed to get Ryn to dance. I was getting more and more frustrated as the minutes passed, but then I stopped and prayed and asked for the patience I needed to forget about it and not dwell on it. Instead of fuming and fuming, I just got to work doing all I could do and reminding myself of what a great man Kevin is :). The blessings that followed: when he got home, I and the girls were ready to go, genuinely happy to see him, we arrived in plenty of time, and everyone had a wonderful, happy morning.

I'm ashamed to say that the opposite happened later that evening when he was late getting home from work. (I know, I'm completely lame--my sister-in-law hasn't seen my brother for 6 months straight and never complains.) This time I didn't ask for and certainly didn't apply that gift. The penalties: I was miserable and made everyone else miserable, too. Luckily, Kevin and the Lord are both patient with me and we haven't reached the "calamities" yet, but how sad to miss out on even half a day of happiness and blessings that I could have had and could have given to my family.

Moral of the story: Being a mother is the most wonderful, difficult thing in the world and I need all the help I can get. Thankfully, a loving Father in heaven knew this would be the case and prepared the way for me and all His children to compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections through spiritual gifts and the atonement of His Son.

I'm so thankful for a mother who seeks for and blesses my life with so many spiritual gifts. I'm so thankful for other righteous women--a mother-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, mission companions, roommates, teachers and friends that have done the same. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:57:00 +0000

Holidays are a whole new world for me with these little girls loving every tiny bit. The best part was Ryn learning, loving and teaching over and over again the lesson she had given in FHE the Monday before about Christ's resurrection. And then there are all the other fun traditions...

Dying eggs a few days before Easter....Meeting the Easter Bunny at the neighborhood egg hunt on a very chilly Saturday morning.... The pre-hunt excitement building....

What kind of parents make their kids dress up like bunnies for the hunt?!

Pretty cute bunnies, though :)

They had a great time "finding" the eggs. In fact, they loved it so much that they came home and hid and re-found them over and over again all day long :).

Easter Sunday was beautiful--the weather was perfect, the musical program in sacrament meeting was heavenly, and the girls looked lovely. Kevin sang a solo in the program so we had to be there early for him to practice one last time. Getting everyone ready and there on time is a big enough feat for me, so getting there early was more than enough of a stretch to make any picture taking time impossible. Then, by the time we got home, the dresses were wrinkled and Elle was zonked out. Thus my sad story of why I don't have any beautiful photos of the girls in their Easter dresses to share today. But I do promise (mainly a promise for myself) that I will get the picture taken asap on another Sunday when they wear those dresses.

Stopping to smell the roses and feed the soul :)

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Conference weekend ranks right up there with Christmas for me. There is no better combination than fun family time and inspired counsel. Mom and Dad arrived the Sunday before Conference and we tried to squeeze in as much time as possible with them in between their visits with adoring fans and meetings :).

Sunday was their first chance to meet Eden and Mom held her almost the entire day. It was precious.

I think Dad's favorite part of that first day with Eden was when she spit up on his suit during Sunday School :). I'm pretty sure I heard him whisper under his breath, "If she were in my will I'd disinherit her." (One of Grandma Hazel's famous one-liners) We had a great gourmet dinner by Kevin and lots of fun playing Pictionary and just being together.

Monday night they came over for Family Home Evening and Ryn was almost jumping out of her skin the whole day she was so excited. She had written every one's names on sheets of paper to mark where they would sit and those papers were in place (covering the living room floor and unable to be moved even an inch on pain of death) from about 10 am until 6:30 pm when we actually started. We loved having them and Grandma and Grandpa Linkous with us for our lesson on reverence, but especially for the rousing game of duck, duck, goose. Elle runs every time, no matter what.

Thursday and Friday were spent shopping and making the food for Eden and Teairsa's blessing gathering. Lots of taco soup and chocolate chip cookies. It was so fun on Friday when we actually got to meet Teairsa for the first time. She looks like a beautiful, tiny doll. Perfect features that are teeny except for her huge, gorgeous eyes. The difference in size between her and Eden is pretty funny to see, especially since they're only 2 weeks apart in age. At their 2 month check ups, Teairsa weighed in at 8lbs 8oz and Eden was up to 12lbs 14oz. Check out those thighs!

We gave them a bath together where you'll probably be able to get a clearer comparison, but I'm waiting for Mark to email me that pic/video :) (hint, hint) No matter what their difference in size, though, we know they will have a blast together as cousins.

The weekend was spent in typical conference fashion with fabulous sessions, playing games and talking as late as possible (sorry, Dad) at the hotel,

and enjoying the beauty of Temple Square as we meet between sessions to eat and talk about what we each felt about the messages. For the last few years, we've moved away from the restaurant meals and we now get box lunches from the church office building. It saves a lot of time and also gave us the liberty to have Sunday's lunch outside since the weather finally started to feel like spring :).

It was so fun to see Jess, Bridgette, Ashley, Haze, Darrell, Joy, Mark, Aup and Emily all weekend!

Sunday evening was spent sharing Eden and Teairsa's blessings with our extended families and good friends at the Rose Shop. Special thanks to Kelly, Becky, Jake, Cindy, Jess, Bridge, Haze and Ash, the Lehnardts, Hunts, Trevor and Heather, and Jody's family for making the effort to come! It was beautiful and wonderful to have so many people we love there to welcome these 2 angels to the world and to know they will have such great examples to look to in all things. Here are a few pictures my friend Michelle took and I'll do another post later with more. Those cute boys holding Eden in the last one are 2 of Michelle's stripling warriors :)

So it was a very full weekend! Luckily we had Monday to hang out with Jody, Dan, Anna, Josh and Zack...

...and Carma even had the day off from work so she could teach everyone to sew, and even grab a granddaughter dance!

We were thrilled to have a few more days with Mom and Dad before they had to leave, as well. so we had them over for FHE again Monday (Ryn gave a great lesson on the meaning of Easter) and then Tuesday we inaugurated the bee tea party set we gave Mom. It was hilarious!

Once we'd cleaned up the mess...I mean, tea party :)...we went for a walk on Temple Square with Mom. It was simply beautiful and wonderful to spend such a day with my sweet mom and angel girls. "I often go walking...

Dear Mother, all flowers remind me of you...for if I love meadows and flowers and walking, I learned how to love them, Dear Mother, from you."

I can't say how blessed I feel. Every day and every person in my life is a gift.

G.I. Ryn part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Ok, I forgot to tell you the cute ending to the story. About 2 minutes later, Ryn came up to me and asked, "Can you help me save him?"

I asked why she would want to save a bad guy and here was her reason:

"He decided he wants to be nice now."