The Missing Link

the dance

2012-01-22T02:55:00.000+01:00

Since his birth, Darren has been hovered over by all of his adoring sisters, but Elle is his constant companion. If he wakes up and is crying in his crib, she will climb right in next to him with toys, stories and songs to keep him happy until I come to get him out. Every other minute we're reminding her that she can not carry him. The reminders might be falling on deaf ears....

Now that he's on the brink of walking, she loves to dance with him until his legs give out.

but he looks pretty happy to me. So we'll just keep praying for no major injuries :)

Everything good

2012-01-13T04:21:00.002+01:00

A friend of mine asked for the recipe of our favorite cookies today. We call them our "Everything Good Cookies" because we put everything we love in them. It's just a basic oatmeal cookie recipe with a few tweaks.

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c. flour
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. coconut

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, pulling them out before they look done (edges just barely turning golden brown) and letting them cool completely on the cookie sheet.

I was thinking how much my life as a mother is like these cookies. Cheesy, I know, but this is what I was thinking today with all my little kids running around me (no one had school today :) ). The recipe for these cookies was pretty good to begin with, but we needed to change some things for it to become our family's favorite. We didn't like cinnamon or raisins in our oatmeal cookies. We wanted them to be more buttery (ours is double the butter of the original recipe) for richer flavor. Nothing is complete here without chocolate. And walnuts and coconut put Kevin in seventh heaven.

Lately I've been reading and hearing lots of ideas from other people about what it takes to be a good and successful mother. And I appreciate all those ideas so very much. But ultimately, I have to decide what will work for my own family and what will make us the happiest. So I take the great ideas I hear and I use what I can and add a few specifics that make it work for us. I'm trying to make room especially for the things that we really love--family, music, French, friends, service, scriptures, Family Home Evening, just playing and laughing with each other, reading books. And the result is so great! Right now, my life is Everything Good.

We went to Disneyland!!!!

2012-01-10T17:55:00.005+01:00

There has never been a more magical day at Disneyland as far as I'm concerned. Our girls are at the perfect Disneyland ages--they're excited about everything, they don't complain about lines, they don't care about going on the big rides that have big lines, their day is a success if they just catch a glimpse of their favorite princesses/characters, they loved just being together as a family and being with Matt, Nat, Sam, Ethan, Mia and Kate so everything else was a bonus.

We spent the night in Vegas on the way down, so we had the added blessing of seeing Jody, Dan, Josh, Zach and Anna. And we stopped off at the Disney outlet there to get our souvenir shopping done where it wouldn't be quite as expensive. Each girl picked out a princess doll and an ornament for our Christmas tree. Those dolls faithfully accompanied them on every ride and at every moment of our Disney day. In fact, Elle's day wasn't complete until we had gone on the Ariel ride so she could 'show' Ariel her doll.

First rides checked off the list: the rockets and Buzz Lightyear laser quest.

Natalie stood in line so we could meet Rapunzel. Mia was star-struck sitting on the lap of her favorite princess and asked in awe, "How did you find me?" And Elle couldn't believe she was holding all of that magical hair on her lap!

The girls had been watching Mary Poppins in the car all the way to California and so we were thrilled when we got to see her and Burt walking down Main Street. The girls even got a dance with them!

Our little family of females was introduced to the magical world of Star Wars when Sam and Ethan participated in some serious Jedi training. They loved it so much that they've since seen all the original movies, and all got Star Wars figures from Santa!

The boys were not quite as enthousiastic about visiting the Princess coronation, but fair is fair, right?

One of my favorite things about Disneyland is all of the great rides for little people. Not the scared-silly fast ones, the no-line pure fun ones.

It was fun to see the park all decorated for Christmas

And through it all, Darren was an angel.

Eden was convinced she would see the Beast while we were there. I was a little worried about that since I'd never seen him there myself, but sure enough, there he was near the end of the parade! Asleep in the stroller by this time, I had to wake her up to see him.

Elle and Ethan watched with big eyes from their front row seats on the curb.

We laughed all day long and loved every minute.

Kevin did such a great job taking pictures! Yeah, Kev!!!! And somehow I'm not finding videos that I took on my phone, so if I find them I'll add them later. :(

One Terrific Turtle

2011-12-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

There's a hole in my heart. That's what losing someone I love feels like to me--like someone actually has taken a part of me away. My amazing Grandmother Turtle died today. Lucky Ryn got to talk to her this morning when she called to sing Happy Birthday with Bob. I last talked to her on Sunday and she was on oxygen, breathing heavily between every few words. "I was always just going so fast, doing so many things....I never thought I'd actually get old....but I'm glad I did (tiny chuckle, then more labored breaths). Enjoy every moment, Kit. In every challenge think "'I'm so glad I get to experience this!'" My Kitten.....you're my Kitten.....I love you so much. And Ryn and Elle and Eden and that beautiful baby Darren. And hearing you and Kevin sing. Your voices just blend so beautifully!"

How thankful I am that Mom made the push to get all of Grandma's posterity there for her 95th birthday a month ago. All 4 of her children, her 12 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren

The party was a grand affair, planned perfectly by Mom. She had a chart drawn up with spots for everyone in this picture so we could take it as quickly as possible, seating charts and name cards on the table, menu complete with mac and cheese for the kids, those two adorable turtle cakes, a little song/skit from each of our families, and then lots of music and dancing.

After church the next day, I had to stop by one more time to see her before we left to drive home. My little family went in and sang to her while she lay on the couch. The girls sang "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" and Kev and I sang "Au Jardin" and "Stop and Smell the Roses". We said goodbye to sweet Bill and Marion, too, and as we were leaving I wondered if that was the last time I'd get to hug my grandma and hold her lovely tiny hand. How I love that woman! I loved it when she would get excited about something and use her hands to show how beautiful something was. I love how she tried to keep learning and living life to the fullest right up to the end. 95 years of "getting to experience" every single thing possible.

I know I'll see her again. I know she lived a long and full life and is surely happy to be reunited with the people she has been missing (she outlived everyone she ever knew, basically), especially Grandpa Lynn. But I've been crying enough that Eden just had to tell me, "It's OK, Mom. We don't cry on birthdays. Everything is going to be OK." And it's true. I'm just going to miss that great woman until I see her again.

sock skating

2011-12-19T18:50:00.002+01:00

this just made me happy. My three girls, holding hands, squeals of pure joy, smiles from ear to ear.

sock skating from kit linkous on Vimeo.

Gratitude

2011-11-25T16:44:00.001+01:00

Mama KK came through for another huge crowd. This year's crowd numbered 29, I think. All eating and laughing and being thankful together in that little house in Centerville. How thankful I am for a mother whose arms are always open to everyone. My little brood of 6, John's family of 7, some neighbors of his, Rae and Conlon and his sister and niece, Spence and his 2 roomates and Emily. Mom shared a few great quotes at our huge dinner and here are my 3 favorites:

"The unthankful heart...discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" --Henry Ward Beecher

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." --Thornton Wilder

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity...It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
--Melodie Beattie

How many heavenly blessings I have to be thankful for. How many treasures I have to be conscious of. Like Kevin doing the dishes last night because I fell asleep singing to the girls. Like sweet girls who love each other so much that I have time to write this while they play.
Like the delicious baby sleeping on my lap. I wish I could bottle how their heads smell.

We, of course, watched Albert Finney's Scrooge and Dad was so excited to have it on BlueRay. We all sang and danced and cried to the end. I love seeing my dad cry and squeeze Mom's hand on all his favorite parts (basically every scene :) ). Scrooge's change of heart gets to mine every time --"I'm alive! I've got a chance to change and I will not be the man I was. I'll begin again. I will build my life. I will live to know that I've fulfilled my life. I'll begin today, throw away the past. And the future I build will be something that will last. I will take the time I have left to live, and I will give it all that I have left to give. I will live my days for my fellow men and I'll live in praise of that moment when I was able to begin again. I will start anew. I will make amends and I'll make quite certain that this story ends /on a note of hope/ on a strong amen/ and I'll thank the world/and remember when/I was able to begin again!"

And as long as I'm recording quotes I love, I'm just going to add a few more from Scrooge and Co.:

from Marley after Scrooge said he had been a good man of business, "Mankind should be our business. But we seldom attend to it."

about his employer as a young man, "What a marvelous man! He has the power to make us happy or unhappy, to make our work a pleasure or a burden. It has nothing to do with money!"
Even though I'm not my children's employer, I have that same power and responsibility every day.

the whole happiness song that makes me think of Kevin every time:
"They say happiness is a thing you can't see, a thing you can't touch, I disagree.
Happiness is standing beside me. I can see him, he can see me.
Happiness is whatever you want it to be.
Happiness is a high hill. Will I find it? Yes, I will.
Happiness is a tall tree. Can I climb it? Watch and see.
They say happiness is the folly of fools. Pity poor me, one of the fools.
Happiness is smiling upon me, walking my way, sharing my day.
Happiness is whatever you want it to be.
Happiness is a bright star. Are we happy? Yes we are!
Happiness is a clear sky. Give me wings and let me fly! Let me fly...
For happiness is whatever you want it to be.

from the ghost of Christmas Present, "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try and do as much as you can in the time that you have."

and "Life is good, life is fine, 'specially mine, which is just as it should be."

We've been watching it in the car because I wanted the girls to start knowing the music and there is nothing better than hearing their little voices, "thank you very much, thank you very much, that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me" or "I like life, life likes me" ( "I yike yife" for Eden). We just have to steer clear of the "I hate people" line when we're in public.

Yes, life is good. "God bless us, every one."

our little author-in-the-making

2011-11-22T18:44:00.004+01:00

We drove into our driveway at about 2:30 am Monday morning, exhausted from our amazing quick trip to California for my Grandma (their great-grandma) Turtle's 95th birthday and a bonus day at Disneyland. More about those things later. Even though it felt like pure cruelty to wake them up for school, I couldn't keep Ryn from the surprise that was waiting for her in her class--a 1st place trophy in the literature category of the Reflections contest! They had called to see if we would be at the awards ceremony last week. We were already on the road so they told me not to tell Ryn and they could present it to her in her class. Now her short story will go on to the regional level of competition. Students can enter with any art form they choose--music, dance, drawing, painting, photography, video, etc. The theme for all categories is "Diversity means..." and here is her prize-winning entry:

title page "Different is Better, by Kathryn Linkous"

page 1

page 2 --Love the heart exclamation points. I remember doing that exact thing when I was her age. And no one teaches that. Girls are just girls :)

page 3 (I especially love the colored heart around the word "home". When I asked her why she was coloring that word she said, "because it's a feeling." Yep, I started crying right there at our kitchen counter at 10:00 at night :) )

I feel just a few buttons popping when I look at this smiling face...

Motherhood

2011-11-12T00:04:00.002+01:00

We had a great regional/conference a few weeks ago that was broadcast from the Conference Center. The speakers were Brother Beck, YM general president; Sister Dalton, YW general president; one of the seventies whose name just slipped my mind(and my sick little boy is sleeping on my lap so I'm not going to get my notes right now); and Elder Bednar, whose remarks were amazing. He spoke without any written/prepared talk about 3 things that he had been recently pondering and felt impressed to share with us.

1. The difference between testimony and conversion. testimony is knowledge we gain from the spirit that something is true and comes from God. Conversion is consistently conforming our lives--actions, choices, words--to what we know to be true. Obviously conversion is the goal for each of us, because as we become converted, we become like Christ. Our character, our very nature, starts to ressemble His.

2. The character of Christ. Elder Maxwell said something once when they were on an assignment together: "If not for the character of Christ, there would have been no atonement made." Elder Bednar had pondered that statement for years, trying to learn all he could about the character of Christ and why it was so crucial to our salvation. Basically, it came down to one thing--when faced with our deepest, most difficult trials, the natural man turns inward, but Christ, when faced with trials more difficult than we can even comprehend, turned outward. Elder Bednar said this is the ultimate goal of our our conversion.

3. The only way this change in our character is even possible is through the atonement. We cannot do it alone. But with Him, it is possible.

As I sat there listening, I thought, "wow. That is so wonderful that he was able to learn all of that from the Spirit as he studied and pondered. I really need to make more time for that in my life so I can be taught all that I need to learn."

As soon as we got home, the real life challenges of motherhood hit me again. Everyone needing something from me at the same time, food, diaper changes, dishes, whining, sister fighting, a two-year-old insisting on wearing the same tiny skirt and sparkly shoes she's been living in for the past week, etc. As I tried to hurry as fast as I could from one urgent need to the next (never fast enough for the next person in line which incited more whining :)), I couldn't help thinking with the slightest hint of bitterness, "Of course Elder Bednar was able to have all of that inspiration--he has TIME to ponder!" I immediately remembered one of my favorite quotes from conference. "Motherhood is what God gave you time for." And I remembered how much I am learning through every minute of chaos from these tiny, heavenly people. (So much that I've had the desire to write a book about it.) My job is to use every second with them to become who I need to be. Every time I respond with love, with patience, with humor, with gratitude, with selflessness, I am doing exactly what Elder Bednar talked about. I get the chance a million times every day to be a doer of the word. To experiment upon it and not just ponder it. I had many years to do only that and now... it's game time :). Can I consistantly DO the things I KNOW to be true? Can I turn outward in love when my tiny challenges seem overwhelming? Can I apply the atonement in my life so I can receive His help right now, in the midst of my becoming? I pray that I can be true in every way. For them.

August, September AND October funnies....not funny that I'm so behind

2011-11-02T05:28:00.005+01:00

A few favorite vocabulary words--
taste bugs (Elle)
wep wipes (all 3 girls)
pat-er-ryn (pattern--Ryn)

Aug 4--We only let the kids have juice at breakfast or they would be drinking it all day long. Elle tried to teach Eden that water is good for us. Eden didn't really care about the health benefits: Juice makes me HAPPY! And only water makes me sad.

Aug 14--Elle was locked out of some room by Ryn and Eden and shouted, "Let me in, you cowards!"

Aug 16--Elle spilled something at one of our meals and started shaking her head, "It just didn't work out so good."

Aug 18--Ryn was upset with something Elle had done with her stuff and wasn't being very nice about it. I reminded her again that people are more important than things and Elle chimed in, "and I'm a people!"

Aug 25--Sometimes the pure sweetness of these kids just makes me cry. Every meal time is a race to see who can finish first--really just an attempt at getting Elle to finish eating in anything less than an hour. Ryn, who eats like an Ellis, is always done at least 30 minutes before Elle and often before she even gets started. Even though Elle knows what she needs to do to beat Ryn--just keep eating--and has succeeded before, she still gets sad when Ryn repeatedly wins the "race". On this morning, as Ryn was about to take her last bites, she whispered to me, "I'm going to have more cereal so Elle can beat me."

Aug 27--Getting ready for bed, Ryn and Elle had to teach me some specifics of being naked. SUPER naked is when you don't have anything on. Naked is when you're just down to your skivvy's.

Aug 31--Darren is continuously surrounded by loving big sisters. As Elle admired how cute he is, she must have said she wanted to marry him because Eden exclaimed, "You can't marry him! That's not a prince--that's Darren!" And Ryn came up with a term that describes Darren's predicament more often than not--"girl trapped"--when you have girls on all sides.

This was Ryn's first week of school and every day we keenly felt her absence. Eden would hug her tightly and tell her, "Ryn, I misted you!"

Sept 1--We often have talks about words that we don't say in our family. Idiot is one of them. Unfortunately, Kevin sometimes lets this one slip when someone offends him on the road. Elle called him on it and Ryn turned and explained, "We can only say idiot in the car with Daddy."

Sept 2--We are quickly learning that the bus is a dangerous place for innocent little girls. Ryn came home and said, "A boy on the bus asked me to marry him!" Kit: "What is his name?" Ryn: "I don't know." Kit: "You can't marry someone without knowing his name." Ryn: "OK, I'll find out his name next time."

Sept 4--It was a rare lazy Saturday morning and our whole little family was snuggling under a blanket together. Heaven. Then Ryn smiled at me and told me my breath was stinky. In the kitchen, hours later, Elle--our resident blood hound, announced, "I smell something stinky." Ryn called out from her coloring, "It's just Mom's breath."

Sept 29--Elle's prayers have been wonderful lately. "Please help Daddy get the money. Please help no one to be sick--the people we know and the people we don't know. Please help Mommy and Daddy to stay in their beds and not to sneak out to the gym. Please help Mommy not to forget things."

Oct 14--Mom was in Texas helping Rob and Christa with their new twins and so we invited Dad over for dinner. When we told the girls he was coming, Ryn asked, "Is Papa Stan going to play with us?" Kevin and I just looked at each other and smiled. We love you, Dad!

Oct 17--Eden is just so adorable right now. I had to write down a few of my favorite words she's saying, and all three of these I just happen to hear every time I help her in the bathroom.

Tow-yet (toilet)

Gank you, Mommy!

a big SKINKY

Oct 20--I was eating a treat while I was making dinner (the girls always have to wait until after they finish eating) and Ryn called me on it. "Why can you do whatever you want?" What was so funny to me was that she said it with no anger or resentment or sarcasm. It was just a simple question. Something she'd been wondering about. She didn't even ask if she could have a treat, too.

Oct 28--I was driving and Kevin leaned over and put his head on my shoulder while we were all in the car together. Ryn's comment from the back seat of the van reminded us why we're not liking the bus very much and prompted a very serious discussion when we got home. "That's what Ryan does to me on the bus." !?@#$@#%@$%!

Halloween 2011--3 princesses and the frog

2011-10-31T23:52:00.000+01:00

Halloween for us is stretched out over several days. I can't imagine anything more fun for little kids whose mantra is "get candy. get candy." like mine was when I was little. In fact, my first full sentence was "I want candy."

The Monday before, we carved little pumpkins for FHE. I love all the different facial expressions so even though this looks like multiples, it's just a mommy that doesn't want to forget one smile. Ryn's pumpkin was a cyclops, Elle's was the classic triangle face, and Eden's is saying "Ye-hes!" like Daddy makes her say over and over because he loves watching her expressive munchkin face so much.

As for the parties:
First up--on the Saturday before Halloween, the trunk-or-treat at Mama KK's ward with Johnny and Co.

The actual day was crazy from start to finish. I helped with Ryn's class party and was going 90 miles/minute the whole time so I didn't get one picture :(. Elle had her preschool party at the same time so I didn't get to help out other than getting her all dolled up before dropping her off. Next it was running to the store to get more almond bark to melt for the apple balls we were going to dip in Ryn's class. Mom was sweet enough to come watch Eden and Darren while we partied the morning away. Then we sprinted to Kevin's party at Rhodes and up to Mom and Dad's to record more of their life history. On the way back for dinner and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, we stopped by to see the Lehnardt's who gave the girls their gorgeous princess dresses this past May. Thank you, Michelle and Mary and the boys, for saving me from making costumes this year!!!

They may love the candy, but for me, there is nothing sweeter than those smiles!

Kindergarten--can this really be happening?

2011-08-29T16:41:00.004+02:00

I woke Ryn up early this morning, after I watched her sleeping face for a few minutes wondering how this big, sweet, beautiful baby turned into this even bigger, sweeter, more beautiful girl. "It's time to wake up for your first day of school." Immediately, she smiled with her eyes still closed. We made her bed together and said a prayer and she chose her favorite outfit (thanks, Mary!) to wear.

Elle and Eden wanted to get dressed, too, so we could all go to the bus stop together. The whole time we were getting dressed and brushing hair, they all kept telling each other how much they were going to miss each other as they start this new chapter in our life. My little bubble is bursting today.

We prayed and ate breakfast and read scriptures and I will be praying all day and every day. There is a quote Kev and I found to put on t-shirts for our moms one Mother's Day that I'm really identifying with today.

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

Now, instead of having my heart just walking around my house, by my side, in my back yard and maybe at a friend's house for little while, my heart is walking around Draper Elementary School!

Out the front door...

One of the big kids now...

One last sister hug before she goes....

Eden got a little smushed which is why she made this great face...

Talking with our friend, Henry, about wanting to walk home together...

Wide eyes watching the bus pull up to our stop...

It really is hard to see our first baby climb up those stairs on the big yellow bus. To let her go. And this is just the first of the many letting go's to come. But I look at that smile, so full of anticipation and joy, and I can't wait to see all the amazing things she will do in her life.

summer smiles and swimming lessons

2011-08-17T00:37:00.003+02:00

Ryn and Elle loved taking their first swim lessons from a great lady in our neighborhood. No nonsense and so kind, Linda is the greatest teacher I could have ever imagined for these mermaids that have always feared the water.

what do you do with lemons?

2011-08-16T22:14:00.002+02:00

In the middle of our fun home repair days, the girls decided they wanted to set up a lemonade stand. It actually turned out to be an amazingly fun distraction stretched over 2 days. Day 1: we made the signs,

...got the table and chairs ready, and then opened the door to see huge rain clouds on their way. So the girls just sat on the front step and caught rain drops on their tongues.

Ryn tried to teach Elle the exact method for correct raindrop catching.

Day 2: offered the perfect weather (HOT), so we tried again. It was so hot, though, that they started drinking all the lemonade themselves.

Cute Grandpa Tom showed up with an umbrella to shade the little saleswomen and be their first paying customer.

They actually ended up doing pretty well, thanks to all of our nice neighbors, and stayed out long enough for Eden to help a bit after her nap.

Don't know if any of them will end up in sales, but it made for one adorable sight out of my front window.

Homeownership

2011-08-04T06:24:00.005+02:00

has its ups and downs. We are thrilled and feel so blessed to have found this great home.

Each month has brought fun surprises--every color of tulip imaginable, fabulous family gatherings, an amazing new ward family, front row seats for Draper Days fireworks (set off from the parking lot of Ryn's soon-to-be elementary school that's in our ward boundaries), delicious blackberries growing along the wall of Kev's gym, being able to walk to church just 2 doors down and the library and park just 2 blocks away, etc, etc, etc.

As for the downs, it just sometimes feels like we've stepped into Tom Hanks' and Shelly Long's roles in "The Money Pit". In the last 2 months we've had an AC unit break down multiple times (finally fixed, yea!), a water leak on our main culinary line, a broken gas line (currently being replaced) that feeds our stove and dryer, and a visit from the health department informing us that we have an illegal septic tank in our back yard that was installed for the detached garage when it was built 16 years ago. We knew there was a septic tank, just didn't know it was illegal. Get excited. So when our tub falls through the floor tomorrow, just picture me laughing like Tom Hanks :).

Honestly, I am really tired and it has been pretty frustrating. But also, I've been amazed by the blessings we've received during and in the midst of all these little bumps in the road. When we moved in, we found out that our stake's emergency preparedness goal for this quarter was for every family to obtain or rotate their 2 week and 72 hour water supplies. We have a big 55 gallon drum up at Kev's parents' house that we need to get down here, empty, and refill. But until we could do that, I just started filling up the 96 oz apple juice bottles we use (about 2/week) and the girls had a blast carrying them down to our storage closet in the basement. (We had a Family Home Evening lesson on home storage and they love filling those shelves little by little.) When we found the leak in the water line, we had it turned off for 3 days until we could cap it. The first night, when it was time to brush our teeth, we skipped to the storage closet to get out a bottle of water and we had more than enough to see us through those three days. It was so fun to have that tangible and immediate lesson of how we are blessed when we follow the counsel of our prophet and leaders.

On one of the days when it seemed like every half hour I was receiving some little bit of bad news about one of the problems, I got a phone call from a lady that teaches the preschool where I had been praying to be able to send Elle. All the classes had been filled, so I had her on the waiting list and a spot opened up in the very one I wanted--MWF in the morning, so her schedule would coincide with Ryn's AM Kindergarten. Then, last Friday, in the 20 minutes between some repair men leaving and right before the man from the health department showed up, my neighbor called to tell me that their piano teacher had an opening for Ryn. Another answer to prayer.

To anyone else, these might seem like little blessings compared to the bigger problems. But not to me. Each one of these miracles showed me that God knows me personally and He loves me enough to care about the "little" things that are important to me as a mother. He hears my prayers and He answers them. He cares enough about me and my family to inspire our stake leaders to have that specific goal for water at the exact moment we were moving in to this house and would need it during our water leak repair. And He loves my children enough to offer me that teaching moment so they will have the faith to trust Him and follow Him always. He loves me so much that He lets me grow and learn through these trials, but gives me perfectly timed tender mercies to stregthen my hope and faith so I can survive them. Truly, I stand amazed at the love and grace that He offers me.

A few days ago, my friend Michelle pointed me towards this BYU devotional about grace, given by Brad Wilcox. Amazing. Here is one of my favorite parts that I have seen up close and personally these past few weeks:

"Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done “all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). He is with us every step of the way. Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The Savior’s gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to ‘after’ all we can do. We may receive his grace before, during and after the time when we expend our own efforts”. So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch (see Hebrews 12:2)."

http://byutv.org/watch/49475abb-10d4-4f45-a757-7000b9945468#comments

Road trip :)

2011-06-16T07:22:00.017+02:00

We decided to take a road trip for this

My mom's mother, our famous, wonderful, talented, beautiful, intelligent, loving, sweet, incredible Grandmother Turtle is 94 years old and between my brother Mark's family and ours, we had 4 of her great grandchildren that she had never met. Even though we only had a few days, it was well worth the trip. I've always loved being with Grandma Turtle. She has a gift for telling stories that keep you on the edge of your seat. Every detail she describes is so vivid, you feel like you are right there, a part every one. When I was little, she wrote childrens stories about Joy and me--Grandmother Was a Turtle and Gus the Gopher--and now I'm reading them to my girls. And even better than those are the stories she tells of her own childhood or of her days as a mother or young newlywed. On this trip, I got to hear about when Grandma was about Ryn's age and she would go on shopping trips to Salt Lake City with her mother and the grand lunches they would enjoy at the Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building). I wish I had a few months where I could just go and stay with her and record story after story from her exciting life.

Some of my favorite memories with Grandma Turtle include the many wonderful tea parties she would host at every visit. We would set a little table with a cloth, plates, cups, and napkins and then we would prepare koolaid and tiny finger foods (cinnamon sugar toast cut into tiny squares was the best :) ) and sit down to the most well-mannered table time ever seen in our home :). Even my brothers loved being a part of these tea parties. Another fun tradition was that she and Grandpa always brought us surprises, usually from their latest trip to some exotic place. So the first night of every visit, we would all sit around the family room with our eyes closed and our hands held out and she would come around and place our newest treasure in our arms. It was always something wonderful. We loved our stamp collections she started with us. And, of course, no visit was complete until she had a too-close-up-for-comfort photo of each one of us :), usually grabbed just before or after church. As an adult, I have loved talking with Grandma about so many things. She always gives good advice (definitely should have listened about the natural childbirth warnings ;) ), generous praise and encouragement, a positive outlook, and so, so much love. How thankful I am for this wonderful woman and for the practically perfect daughter she raised to be my mother.

We were lucky enough to stop in Vegas and spend a day with Kevin's sister, Jody, and her family. I have never seen cuter cousins than Josh, Zack, and Anna. They melt my heart every time we are with them. We stayed 2 nights there and before bed, Anna made sure she had a great story to read to the girls. Josh and Zack were glued to the 2 feet in front of Darren, making him smile and giggle almost as much as Jody did. And we found out that Dan and Kevin will have to have a grill-off the next time we're together to see who makes the best burger ;)

We loved their great pool, but mainly we just loved being with them.

Besides all this great fun, we also found a sweet hotel with Mark and Aup and Teairsa and Tennyson

and spent a great day at the beach with them. We got to learn Karate Kid moves
build sand castles and bury mermaids

and the water wasn't even that cold :). We loved every minute.

my baby sister's all grown up and married!

2011-06-10T23:42:00.000+02:00

Yep. Rachel is now Mrs. Conlon Bonner, happily selling security systems in Alaska. Her wedding was beautiful--May 31, 2011, at the Bountiful temple. Conlon's family is wonderful and so is he. I know they will spend eternity making beautiful music together :). Here are some pictures from the gorgeous day. Joy and la petite Marguerite:

Waiting for the happy couple...We're also waiting for those cute twins in Christa's belly :):

Their first appearance as a married couple--complete with Dad's thumbs up :)

Kevin spent 2 days talking basketball with Conlon's cute dad:

We couldn't get enough of his adorable nieces and nephews:

And we finally have a picture of our own little family of 6!

We are so happy for Rachel. I know she and Conlon are going to be a great force for good in this world. How thankful I am that Heavenly Father answered my prayers for a little sister all those years ago!

February and March funnies

2011-04-04T22:46:00.003+02:00

Feb 4--My sweet sisters-in-law, Laura and Aup, and my friend, Jody, were planning a baby shower for me and I said something about that to Ryn. With a confused look on her face, she asked, "But how do they get the water in your tummy?"

Feb 23--Eden was looking at a page in our illustrated scriptures that had pictures of all the latter-day prophets from Joseph Smith through Gordon B. Hinckley. I was totally surprised when she asked, "Where's President Monson?" She knew he wasn't there! Then she started playing a game with me, "Is that President Monson?" she would ask smiling and pointing to one of the past prophets. "Noooooo!" she'd answer herself, laughing.

Feb 24--Ryn needed some help wrapping things up in the bathroom and called for Kevin. He was busy, so I went instead. She protested, "I wanted Dad to do it because it's his birthday!" Happy birthday, hon :)

Feb 27--The girls couldn't get enough of our new baby and were watching his every move. Darren had the hiccups and Ryn exclaimed, "He's a chirper! Cause when he hiccups he chirps like a bird!" Later, he had his eyes open and head turned in Elle's direction and she cried, "Mom! He's checking me out!"

March 1--Elle had tied a rope to a kitchen chair and was holding it out straight a few inches above the ground. "Mom, can you come over here? You're going to trip over this and fall," she instructed. Somehow she thought I would be as thrilled as she was about that idea....:)

March 3--Elle picked up her sandwich and said, "It looks like bread and smells like bread....I think it is bread!"

March 5--After Ryn's soccer games they put their hands together in the middle of the circle to cheer for the other team. Ryn was trying to explain this to Elle..."we put our hands in the middle..." Elle broke in, "Oh! Like the Hokey Posey!" Ryn corrected her, "No, Elle, it's the Hokey Polly."

March 7--Eden sometimes dubs herself the resident bully. "I take this socky (sock) and I kill you!"

March 8--I suggested something fun for that day and Ryn was so excited. "Can we do that ?!!!" When I reassured her that we could, she said, "Don't forget to remember that." I guess I need to work on following through with things :).

March 13--We enjoyed going to our friend's missionary farewell and then over to their house after church, along with about 100 other well-wishers. We're always spoiled by the Lehnardts and love having them all to ourselves when we go to visit so Elle was pretty disappointed to have to share them with anyone else. She actually cried. "I don't like it when other people are here!"

March 21--Ryn and Elle were talking about the Tooth Fairy, discussing the kinds of things she probably likes to eat, etc. Then they stopped themselves, "What about the Tooth MOUSE? She's the Tooth Fairy's pet...." and they were off again. It is so beyond fun to listen to their imaginations in full swing.

March 22--I talked to my 94 year old Grandma Turtle on the phone and when we were talking about Darren she said, "Kiss his big feet for me." I just thought he might like to know what his great grandmother said about him one day :).

March 28--After Elle had done a string of mean things to Ryn, I warned her that she needed to shape up or no one would want to play with her. A few minutes later, we were talking about seeing our cousins that weekend and Ryn optimistically pointed out to Elle, "Your cousins will still play with you because they don't know all the bad things you did yet." Thank goodness for a fresh start!

That night at bedtime, Eden bit through the end of her pacifier. "It's bo-ken! (sad face)..... Don't worry, I fix it! (happy face)" I told her that we couldn't fix it--we'd just have to get a new one, but then she thought and said, "Jesus fix it!"

March 29--I was filling up the bathtub for Darren and when it was ready, I called out to him, "Come on, angel boy, let's get you clean." Eden was watching and looked at Darren, sitting in his bouncy seat, immobile. "He's not coming!" she tattled. "I know, he can't come by himself because he's just a baby." "No, he's a big girl."

the Key to Happiness

2011-04-04T21:55:00.003+02:00

I've never experienced postpartum depression, but the combination of hormones that surely have been a little out of whack, no sleep, and all the stress/fatigue/never-ending to-do lists that come with moving have sometimes left me overwhelmed and unhappy over these past few weeks. Then having those feelings makes me feel guilty and ungrateful. How can I be unhappy when I am so extremely blessed?! How grateful I am to have the Book of Mormon and the Bible to remind me of the things I know to be true. Today I read in Alma 34 and found my answer in verse 38. (I even had already written "Key to HAPPINESS" in the margin next to it. :)) "That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." So, somewhere during these busy days I stopped living in thanksgiving and focused more on all that wasn't perfect or wasn't done yet. I gave into pride-- trying to do everything on my own and ending up discouraged, instead of humbly seeking the Lord's help. And I stopped listening to the help the Holy Ghost was trying to give me when he encouraged me to repent. Pretty sad state to be in. Thankfully, the scriptures, prayer, and a wonderful General Conference have helped me wake up again. :)

so, so happy....Darren Thomas Linkous is here at last :)

2011-03-05T21:49:00.006+01:00

Born February 21, 2011 at 3:38pm, weighing 9lbs 6oz and measuring 20.25 inches long. The labor and delivery were.... an experience. We'll just say that I will not be encouraging anyone to go for the natural childbirth experience, but we both survived and all is well :). Darren is another angel baby. Sleeping and eating well, content just to be here. The only time we hear him cry is when we have to change his diaper or clothes. The girls adore him and constantly want to hold him, kiss his head, sing to him, tell him how cute he is, etc. Elle is especially enamored and spends hours brushing his hair, holding him, musing about what he must be thinking, and admiring him. "Oh, he's so CUTE!!!" "I think he wants to say, 'you're beautiful--you must be my mommy.'"I know there is no excuse for not posting pictures here sooner....except that Kevin did post some on Facebook, I am still recovering, we knew our dear Michelle would take pictures that would make us cry (I'm crying right now), we closed on our first house yesterday, we've been packing up our stuff, I have 3 angel girls who need my attention now more than ever, and I want to breathe in every second of this delicious and way-too-short newborn phase of Darren's life. So each night, when the girls are finally asleep and I'm done packing for the day, instead of posting something here, I've been snuggling with this tiny piece of heaven and thanking Heavenly Father over and over again that I get to be a mother. (Is that an OK excuse? :) )

And here is the link to Michelle's post, full of more pictures and love, that made me cry:

http://scenesfromthewild.blogspot.com/2011/03/darren.html

MONDAY my prince will come :)

2011-02-18T06:28:00.002+01:00

Yep, the induction is set for Monday, Feb 21, unless he decides to come before then.
YIPPEEEEE!

Today is my Grandpa Ellis' birthday and I thought how neat that would have been for Darren to share that with such a great man. Stephen Briggs Ellis. The only boy in a family of 10 children. His father died when he was nine, leaving his mother alone to raise their family. They moved from a farm in Idaho down to Logan where she could take in college students as boarders. To make more room for extra income, Grandpa slept in the tiny "attic" above their detached garage. No insulation made for many extremely cold winter nights. He said he would pile on so many blankets that he literally could not even turn over. His mother was amazing. She did raise all of those children, stayed faithful, and served in the Logan temple for 40 years.

Grandpa went to college, met my grandmother while working for the border patrol in Texas, joined the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during WWII, was shot down once, came home after the war and started ranching in Idaho with his brother-in-law, raised 6 sons and a daughter on a strict diet of hard work and home cooking, loved his wife so completely that it made me cry, served and lifted all who knew him, never took himself too seriously, showed his love through his actions, lived the gospel in such a practical way that missionary work was second nature to him, silently and consistently gave generously to those in need, and inspired me to try and be better in every way. How I love that man. I'm so thankful for the time I had to spend with him and Grandma while I was at BYU. I'm thankful for the great heritage of faith, humility, love, obedience and hard work that they have left me.

Someday my prince will come....

2011-02-15T08:47:00.002+01:00

I was hoping he'd come today and be my little Valentine, but no go. I guess he wants to be closer to his dad in every way (Kev's bday is the 24th), but I REALLY hope he doesn't wait that long.

Patience and faith

Patience and faith

Patience and faith :)

I just can't wait to have one more little person to love!!!!

Goodly parents

2011-02-09T05:56:00.004+01:00

Thinking about my parents today and how much they do, and have always done, for me... I remembered Elder Holland's wonderful talk in conference about the great sacrifices his parents had made during and after his mission so he could serve without worrying and then get started on his dreams when he got home.

"To you, Mom and Dad, and to all the moms and dads and families and faithful people everywhere, I thank you for sacrificing for your children (and for other people's children!), for wanting so much to give them advantages you never had, for wanting so much to give them the happiest life you could provide...."

Saying 'thank you' seems so insignificant, so insufficient. But I'll say it anyway. Thank you. I'm so thankful I get to be a parent so I can hopefully do and give my all to these children in the same way. I hope my entire life will show my gratitude to you and to Heavenly Father for giving me the chance to be your daughter.

Mom and Dad, "...seeing your example, I pledge anew my determination to be better, to be more faithful--more kind and devoted, more charitable and true as our Heavenly Father is and as...you already are."

I love you.

Two?!

2011-02-07T04:56:00.004+01:00

Can she really be 2? As we walked out of our house this morning on our way to church, I thought of how much today was just like the day Eden was born. Chilly, but beautiful. Blue skies to match her eyes--our first blue-eyed baby. Snow dusted mountains....perfect--just like she was. She was another "alien baby", as Joy refers to our kids when they're newborns--happy, content to sit and watch everything around them, good sleepers, etc. Now she is as fiesty as they come :). Still happy, still enjoying the world around her--especially every move her sisters make, not as great of a sleeper, but such a JOY. She literally lights up the world.

This is her "I'm a princess" look...

"I'm 2!" (still trying to figure out how to hold up just the 2 fingers)...

Telling Ryn and Elle they need to be looking at Dad and smiling, "Guys! Guys!..."

All 3 doing "the Smolder" from Tangled...Elle's is pretty close!

Doing Pascal's punch, also from Tangled....

Giving kisses to baby Darren....

And kisses to cousin Teairsa--just 2 weeks apart so we had a fun joint bday dinner at Mark and Aup's to celebrate...

...complete with 2 bday cakes' candles to blow out...

And she was so lucky that she had 3, yes THREE sets of candles to blow out. These with Teairsa, then some more on her actual day.

Sweet, spunky, spirited Eden...how did life have any spark before you came to us? We love you more every day.

January funnies

2011-02-04T00:25:00.002+01:00

Jan 7--Ryn was teaching Elle and Eden how to fly in outer space. "You've got to 'hand fly' so you won't get lost. This is hand flying--when you hold somebody's hand." Sweet Ryn, keeping everyone safe and together, even in outer space.

Jan 14--Eden (let's remember she's not even 2 yet) asked me, "Mommy, I Daddy's pack-pack?" She wanted to play a game on Kev's Ipad!!

Jan 16--We have a family cheer where we all put our hands in the middle of the circle and raise them together with a loud "ENSEMBLE!", which means 'together' in French. (Think Saturday's Warrior "pulling together we can work it out...." :) ) Lately Ryn has started to really stress it with Elle and Eden. Whenever they're all around the table, she'll lean in, put her hand out and ask, "Who's with me?" Elle and Eden will put their little hands on top of hers, responding enthusiastically, "I am!" "I am!" and then they all chime in, "ENSEMBLE!" It's great to see them so united. If they can only stay that way, all will be well. Even if Kev and I aren't around, they will have each other, and that is a huge blessing. After taking so long to finally get Ryn, we prayed so hard that we could at least have one more child so that she wouldn't be alone. Hearing their little voices 'ensemble' is our dream come true.

Jan 23--Elle was crying some angry tears at mealtime. (quelle surprise :) ) I asked her why she was crying and she said it was because she felt the Holy Ghost (whenever they see me crying that's usually the happy reason for my tears). As she said the words I could see in her twinkly eyes that she knew that what she was saying wasn't true. Just to make sure, I told her that feeling the Holy Ghost never makes us angry. She thought for a minute and then said, "Shh! I hear something talking in my heart! It's the Holy Ghost!" Then she leaned over to whisper in my ear, "He's telling me to repent." She sat back up, tapped her little chin for a second while deliberating, and then resolved with a smile, "OK, I'll repent." It's moments like that when I know Elle is going to be OK. She is definitely our free spirit, but she's getting it. Is there anything better than being a parent?!

Jan 27--Elle was having some digestion problems and a painful day in the bathroom. I asked her if she thought she could be brave. She said, "Remember we read about Joseph Smith's leg last night?" "Yes, are you going to be brave like he was?" (I'm thinking--how great! scripture study's paying off!) "No! I'm not a prophet! I'm just a little princess!" :) Well, at least she's remembering the stories even if she's not ready to apply them to herself yet.

Jan 31--I had to take Ryn to the ENT so she could be checked out to get tubes. The exam chair was huge. She climbed up, rested her arms on the arm rests and flashed an excited smile at me, "I'm like the queen!"

I just can't believe

2011-01-29T05:54:00.002+01:00

how blessed we are. I went visiting teaching today to my cute friend who has 3 boys and one girl. I left with 2 huge bags full of baby boy clothes. When I sat down to look through them tonight, I was floored with the shear number of outfits, what great shape they're all in after being used by 3 boys, and how generous and kind my friends are. Seriously, we won't need a single thing until this baby is well past the 6 months size. We've been blessed in the same way by my friends with girls for the past 5 years. I'm so grateful.

ps I know I need to resize those collages from the last post but I'm way too tired tonight :)

an Ellis Christmas at Springhaven part 1

2011-01-28T06:26:00.003+01:00

For the first time in 12 years, all of my family was together for Christmas at a beautiful, huge lodge up Hobble Creek Canyon--Springhaven. 18 grandchildren (baby Tennyson was so excited for this opportunity that he came into the world just 2 days before we left), the 9 children and 6 spouses plus my wonderful parents made 35 altogether. Just enough snow to play in and make it absolutely gorgeous, just enough stomach flu to make it exciting, just enough room to give everyone their own space and a place to be quarantined, just enough food to feed a small country, and just enough games, crafts and fun to give us memories that will last a lifetime.

With so many fun moments to capture, I had to use several collages to get the first half of the pictures in here :). Miss Mia made everyone smile... The Disney princess castle was barely finished in time :). Classic Kit and Kevin craziness. We really do have too much fun being parents.
The Christmas pyjama tradition continues, as does our attempt to get real smiles from all 3 girls at once.
Acting out the nativity--another family tradition. And this year we had a true multitude of heavenly angels. Here are just a few....
Elle's favorite part of the snow was falling down in the deep spots where she couldn't get up. All she could do was stay put and giggle until someone helped her out :)

Elle, Ryn and Eden just loved every second of sledding and playing, especially all the time with Daddy.

A few glimpses of Christmas morning. We had no idea where Ryn's insistance on Santa bringing a drum came from, but he didn't disappoint. Elle didn't know why an orange had to be included with all the candy and toys, and Eden just started right in with the candy.
Mom had tons of great activities for everyone to get excited about

Eden and Teairsa are only 2 weeks apart and it is so fun to see their little blond heads together.
Nolan tried to take Darrell on in a point blank snowball fight while they helped the sledders.
Get a load of these great looking guys!
Christmas Eve traditions with the Park boys and their princess Maurie

what makes a girl happy?

2011-01-27T04:22:00.003+01:00

for Elle, it's wearing a skirt every single day. Kev wanted her to wear these little knickers today and she would not have anything to do with it. She begged and pleaded until she won her way to a cute jean dress.

for Ryn, it's doing anything BUT going and looking at houses all day, which is how we've spent the past several Wednesdays. Poor girl. All she wanted to do was work on her fairy tale that she's writing.

for Eden, today it was playing hide and seek in the dark before bedtime with Ryn, Elle and I. Holding the flashlight to find the hiders, counting to 20 (you know--one, two, tree, fow, five, sirteen, sirteen, twenty!) with her eyes half-closed.

for me, it's seeing Kevin excited about his dreams and hearing him talk about them down to the tiniest details. Keep dreaming, love. Sing with me......

There's that star, the one they said we'd never reach
And just close your eyes
There's the missing moon, there's the Milky Way
Heaven's straight ahead, we'll be there today
Rainbows right and left, sunshine everywhere
If it couldn't be baby, how did we get here

Some say we'll never get if off the ground
Some say we'll never make it out of town
That someday we'll end up a world apart
And some say we're a couple of crazy kids
And some say that's exactly what they did
And I say you got to go with your heart
And baby, look where we are

There's that home, the one they said we'd never share
And just close your eyes
There's the picket fence, there's our mailbox
Puppy on the porch and roses up the walk
Shinny minivan, kids in every seat :)
Someday we'll look back and see it wasn't just a dream

And baby, look where we are....

I wanna be like Nat :)

2011-01-26T06:09:00.004+01:00

My wonderful sister-in-law (otherwise known as another copy of myself, but a million times better), Natalie, has made the resolution to make an entry every day and I've decided to play copy-cat. There are so many wonderful things that happen each day. Luckily, I have been writing some of the cute things down each month and we have the monthly funnies as a result. But that's not even the smallest part of all that goes on, all that these angels teach me, all that I'm learning from my many mistakes and my small successes, all that I feel about this wonderful life I've been given. So it might be small, but I resolve to do my part to let no day go by unrecorded. Life is too wonderful, too short, too full of blessings I simply don't deserve.

So today I feel really huge. Which is not a big surprise since baby Darren will be coming sometime in the next month. Hopefully he will be at least a little early so he won't be quite as big as Ryn. But really, I just want him to come whenever is best for him. Big babies might be harder to deliver, but they have all been so happy and content in their adorable, chunky rolls that my life-after-delivery was always relatively easy.

We're a little worried about Ryn's hearing right now. She has been overly prone to ear infections since she turned 2, but they never put tubes in, thinking that she would grow out of it. She had an ear infection a couple of weeks ago and now she really is not hearing well at all. So we've got an appointment for Friday at the pediatrician and hopefully we'll get in to an ENT soon. Other than not hearing us when we ask her to do something, Ryn is her usual sweet and obedient self. It never ceases to amaze me how she understands the WHY of things immediately and then does her best to follow what she should do. Tonight during family prayer Eden wasn't staying still and, instead of just showing a good example, Ryn tried to explain (in the middle of the prayer) to Eden what she needed to be doing. I told her that she could just keep doing what was right and Eden would watch and, eventually, follow. She thought about that for a minute and then jumped in her bed and pulled up the covers. "Eden, look at me! I'm getting in bed!" Sure enough, Eden climbed into her bed, right next to Ryn's and snuggled up. What a blessing to have her leading our little pack in everything good. I see Elle using the same tone of voice, the same games, the same little tricks to make Eden smile and laugh that Ryn does every day.

Elle is really coming into her own. She has always been extra verbal, super smart and totally unique. I've been loving the sweetness that has been coming out lately. Not that she wasn't sweet before, but now it's in everything she does. On Saturday Kevin was letting me sleep a little later than usual and Elle heard me coughing from the bedroom. She ran into the kitchen, grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and told Kevin, "Mom needs a drink!" Her efforts to love and buddy up with Eden are finally being favorably responded to, which makes my heart sing every time. Before, Eden would usually push her away every time she offered a kiss or a hug or a snuggle. Now, whenever a movie is on, they can be found holding hands, Eden laying with her head on Elle's lap, or Eden sitting on Elle's lap (a little difficult since they're pretty close in size). She is so proud of all that she is learning and of every time she does something to help me, but she still reminds us that she's our little princess (Ryn is the big princess and Eden is the baby princess :) ). That's fine with me. Anything that keeps them from growing up too quickly is great.

Eden is a little spark of pure happiness. Today she was in my bathroom with me as I was getting ready and she was playing the harmonica :). She would play a few notes, stop and smile and ask with her head tilted, "You yike dat song?", then repeat at least 30 times.

She has to be included in everything Ryn and Elle are doing--setting the table, art projects, dancing, dressing up, etc.--and they are so adorable about helping her find a way to participate. (Although Ryn does wait til Eden's nap time to get out her favorite art projects, always asking sweetly, "Mom, is it time for Eden to take a nap?") Seeing her hop/gallop/Snoopy dance around the house with her golden curls bouncing on her shoulders is one of my daily joys. She loves to tell us all what to do, give us unlimited kisses and hugs, sing along at full voice (especially to "I See the Light" from Disney's Tangled and any Primary song), sit on her little green chair and eat "go-bees" (blueberries), and ask us with her firmest voice, "Where's my fa-fa?!" (where's my pacifier)

And Kevin is working hard, taking care of us all, and making us all happy every single day. I love, love, love hearing the girls laugh uncontrollably at all his funny voices, faces, improvised games, surprises, treats and stories. He has done the dishes at least once every day for the past I don't know how long. When I don't have dinner ready by the time he gets home, he just opens the fridge, finds something and starts cooking. When I pick a birthday cake for Ryn that is ridiculously out of my league, he stays up til 2am with me to finish it. Oh, how I love that man.

So, that's it for today. Hopefully I'll be ready to report on Christmas, Ryn's bday, etc, etc, etc. very soon.

December funnies

2010-12-31T06:14:00.002+01:00

Dec. 5--After family prayer, and a pretty difficult day :), Elle wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and exclaimed, "I'm so glad I have a family!" Somehow, that one sentence erased everything that might have been off that day.

Dec. 6--Elle was very quickly potty trained during the daytime hours, but the nighttime has been another story. I think the bottom line is that any bladder small enough for that tiny body just can't make it through the night. Whatever the reason, she is still in diapers at night, but we make every effort to give generous praise for dry results in the morning. She always announces the unveiling with great anticipation, "Mom! Let's check out if my diaper is dry!" On this morning, she knew it wasn't, but still wanted to keep up the excitement, "I think I kept my wet diaper dry!"

Dec. 10--Ryn saw something she wanted to remember and held up her hand to her eye and made a clicking sound. "I used myself as a camera," she explained. I know just how she feels, since I'm almost always too slow getting the camera out to capture every picture my heart locks away for me.

Elle has been loving Eden more and more every day. She just couldn't contain it anymore and declared, "Eden is so cute that I can't believe her!"

Dec. 14--The girls loved every single decoration we had out for Christmas, including a singing/talking Santa my parents gave us several years ago. They were sitting around him, talking about how cute he was and Ryn explained, "We can't see Santa's mouth because it's snuggled all the way inside his beard."

Dec. 29--I had always heard of "I spy, with my little eye...", but Ryn changed it up a little and said, "I smell, with my big nose....a baby!"

Dec. 31--Eden is pretty possessive, even of things that are not hers. Does that just come with the territory of being the 3rd child who has to keep up with the bigger kids? I laughed out loud, though, when she saw a child eating a cookie on TV and exclaimed to that child, "MY cookie!"

Elle was being her little comedian self and asked me with those twinkly eyes I love so much, "Is the baby in your tummy? Did you eat him?"

November funnies

2010-11-30T22:24:00.003+01:00

Nov. 1--Elle is really working on honing her powers of persuasion--especially with me. After I told her she couldn't have something she wanted, she said, "I'm going to count to 3 and you're going to change your mind."

Nov. 3--Kev made the funnies this time, for calling out to one of the girls with a classic Kevin mix-up, "Rapunzel! Where art thou?" :)

Nov. 6--Elle had a scratch that was getting better. As she passed her finger over it, she remarked, "Up hurts, down doesn't! It's a MAGIC scratch!"

Later, we drove past a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant with the picture of the well-known Colonel on the sign. Elle got all excited, "I just saw a sign with a picture of Joseph Smith on it!"

Nov. 9--I always try to get the older kids on my team, helping me teach correct principles and behavior to the younger ones. Now that Eden is old enough to really copy what Elle is doing, I've started stressing Elle's responsibility more, telling her how much I need her help teaching Eden how to choose the right, how to be kind, how to share, etc. Elle wasn't up for any extra jobs on this day--"I don't want to teach anyone." I know how she feels--sometimes you don't want to accept the fact that your actions influence the people around you for good or bad. Especially the mother. It's a heavy load some days, but like the sign in Mama KK's kitchen reminded, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

Nov. 11--Eating is a race in our house, in an attempt to get them to finish a meal under 2 hours :). Elle is usually the slowest-- most easily distracted--and is always disappointed when Ryn calls out triumphantly, "I beat you, Elle!" On this morning, Elle woke up earlier than Ryn and Eden, and was eating an early breakfast alone when she realized the position she was in. "I'm going to beat Ryn and Eden because they are sleeping! YES!"

Nov. 14--Eden's voice and personality are coming through loud and clear now. Whenever she has installed herself on the couch with a book or at the table with playdough, she pats the place next to her and looks up with those huge blue eyes and commands, "Sit!"

Nov. 16--As explained above, Ryn had been trying to remind Elle of something she needed to be doing and followed up her counsel with this, "I'm your big sister so I'm teaching all of you how to be like Jesus."

Nov. 20--All of our girls love the snow--watching it fall, playing in it, eating it. We walked out of Walmart to find new snow covering the parking lot and Elle exclaimed, "I LOVE this!" I'll never forget the twinkle in those excited brown eyes.

Nov. 23--I'm not a big shopper. Kevin has that department covered enough for our entire family :). Especially when I'm pregnant, grocery shopping is usually all I'm up for. That should have explained Ryn's question at bedtime, "Mom, are there other stores in Utah besides Walmart and Sams?", but I still laughed out loud.

Nov. 24--We had hung 5 stockings up with our Christmas decorations and Ryn was counting off the members of our family. Standing by the stockings, she was pointing to each person--"1, 2, 3, 4....(for her, Elle, Eden and I)....5 is at work and 6 is in your tummy!"

Nov. 25--Ryn and Elle were giggling their little heads off in the back seat of the car when Elle sighed and said, "Ryn, I am going to have a lot of fun with you." :) I think that's how we all felt when we found out we'd get to be in families with our best friends.

They were so excited to be wearing their snow boots, but we were driving home in the dark after a fun Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's. Elle was disappointed that she couldn't see her boots so Ryn suggested she just wait til we passed under each street light for a chance to see them :). Classic Ryn--always finding a way to help make everyone happy.

How very much I have to be thankful for! Every day with these girls and my angel husband is a gift.

October funnies

2010-11-04T20:00:00.002+01:00

Oct 2--Ryn and Elle kept talking when it was time to go to sleep. After several trips back to their room to ask them to stop, I said in frustration, "If I hear any more talking, you're going to get spanks." Ryn knew that the person who would start the talking as soon as I left would be Elle and she didn't want to be punished for her sister's transgressions :) so she asked tentatively, "If only one person is talking, can only one person get a spank?"

Oct 4--Kevin was singing along to the radio in the car and asked the girls if his song was beautiful. "No!" they cried in unison. "It was....handsome."

Oct 5--We grabbed some hot dogs and lemonade at the mall for the girls and I grabbed Elle's drink and took a sip without asking her. She let out a classic jungle puma scream that shook the food court. When Kevin sped her to the bathroom to stop the madness :), he reminded her that it's not OK to hurt people's ears and asked her why she screamed like that. She explained, "But sometimes moms just take things and I didn't even say 'sure'." It's true. I should have asked first.

Oct 7--Elle is usually great about getting to the bathroom in time, but got too busy playing and had an accident on this afternoon. I didn't look very happy about cleaning up, so Ryn asked me, "Are you going to call the police?"

Ryn had discovered the skill of gurgling her drinks and I had asked her to refrain from practicing every time she took a drink. At lunch she started up again, without thinking. I stopped eating and gave her a look and she realized what she was doing. With a guilty look on her face, she asked, "Am I giggling?"

Oct 9--We've started giving the girls a quarter on Saturdays if they do some small cleaning jobs around the house. They are so excited every time. This time, Ryn exclaimed, "I've been waiting all my life to get a quarter in my piggy bank!"

We went to McDonald's for dinner and a little boy threw up next to the play place. They came to clean up the mess, but the boy's dad just let him keep playing on the slides, even though he was sick. I'm not usually the germ freak in our family--that's Kev's department--but the idea of the girls climbing around up there and getting the stomach flu in the next day or two didn't seem very appealing to me. So we left. I was touched and humbled by Elle's sweet prayer that night before bed. "Please bless that little boy who was sick at the Old MacDonald's to get better." In my heart, my main thinking was how irresponsible that parent had been--not concern for the little boy who could use our prayers. Just one more example of how much I need to become more like these amazing children we've been blessed with.

Oct 12--Ryn and Elle aren't big fans of orange juice because of the pulp, but I was trying to sell it at breakfast since we were out of apple juice. "You'll like this kind," I assured them. Doubtfully, they both asked, "Does it have plum in it?"

Walking Ryn and Elle to Joy School at a house around the corner from ours, Eden tripped and fell down. Ryn helped her up and said in her loving big sister voice, "Eden, be careful when you trip."

Oct 13--Elle took a turn on the Whine Control Committee and asked Ryn with raised eyebrows, "Ryn, did I hear a whine?"

Oct 14--We were lucky to spend a few days taking pictures and going to Thanksgiving Point with Michelle and her gang and Eden was hooked. All day after they would leave, she would walk around asking, "Chelle? Chelle?"

Oct 15--We have 2 dust pans in our pantry. One that stays on the floor for the girls to use when they want to help me and the one I use that's hanging up high on a rack that they can't reach. I asked Ryn to bring me the one from the floor so I could clean up a mess in the bathroom, but she returned with the one from the high rack. "How did you get this dust pan, Ryn?" She didn't say anything at all for a few minutes while I cleaned up, so I asked again and finally she said, "Well...I don't really want to tell you how I got it."

Oct 18--Ryn and Elle have a night light in their room and as was getting up to leave after singing to them, it was casting my pregnant shadow on the wall by Ryn's bed. "Mom, I see your big, HUGE shadow!" Nothing like regular comments like that to remind you of how much weight you're gaining :).

Oct 20--Over the past week, our friend Michelle, the fabulous photographer, had come several times to take pictures of Eden and the other girls for a project she's working on. I told the girls they needed to hurry and eat breakfast so we could get ready because Michelle was coming that day. Eden excitedly ran to the door saying, "Pictures....me!"

Oct 22--Eden picked up a dirty napkin that had fallen and took it to the trash can without being asked. I praised her for doing it on her own and Elle shrugged her shoulders and said, "yep, she's a trash girl."

Oct 24--During sacrament meeting, I asked Elle to fold her arms and pay attention to the opening prayer, given by one of the men in the ward. When it was done, she looked at him and the other leaders in suits on the stand and said, "Are those President Monson's friends?"

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T05:52:00.005+01:00

Maybe it's because I need to learn a little more about budgeting my time and energy as a mother :), maybe it's just because I'm pregnant and extra tired, maybe it's because my turn to teach Joy School for Ryn and Elle fell on this week, maybe it's because I decided to make costumes instead of buying them, maybe it's because my kids are all so little---whatever the reason, this week just wore me out. It wore all of us out, actually, if the piles of wadded up Kleenex, runny noses and sore throats are any indication. But don't get me wrong. I loved it all. I loved seeing our 'rose garden' in full bloom... I loved having a grown-up costume game night with my family.......and seeing Mom's pure joy, being able to have some of her grand kids at her ward Trunk-or-treat and then at her house for an incredible Halloween lunch (complete with mummy hot dogs and spider web pizza).I loved the neighborhood dinner idea we got from Michelle's friend and how many people turned up in the rain to enjoy soup and veggies before braving the cold with their costumed kiddies. But I think what I loved most of all was watching our newest tradition bring smiles to every home on our hurried trick-or-treat route--Halloween caroling. The girls had learned these 2 fun songs in Joy School and shared them with every ounce of excitement that had been building all week. Adults and older kids in any room of every home hurried to the door to hear the adorable surprise. Cousins Brian and Caitie quickly picked up the catchy tunes and joined in with full voice after the first 2 houses.
In the rainy, windy cold I asked Caitie, Ryn, Elle and Brian if they wanted to go home and they replied with enthusiastic chanting, "More candy! More candy! More candy!" After another 20 minutes, Tom, Carma and Eden rushed home to get warm and I asked Caitie (who was slowing down a bit) if she was up for one more house. She said, "I'm up for anything! Lead the way, Ryn!" That last house was giving out full cans of soda and a full sized candy bar to each child which prompted Brian to sum up the night with this contented summary-- "This was the best Halloween ever!" So, yes, even with the lingering stuffy noses, it was a very happy Halloween.

September funnies

2010-10-05T23:25:00.005+02:00

Sept 1--I was trying everything (in vain) to get Eden to eat and my last attempt was an airplane that Eden completely swatted out of the sky and onto the floor. To make me feel better, Elle remarked, "That was a cool plane, Mom." She never misses a beat--not in what I was trying or in how I was needing a little encouragement when it failed.

Sept 2--When I went into the bathroom to help Elle, my princess declared, "Welcome to my kingdom!"

Sept 10--Eden is talking more every day and on this day she added "cottage cheese" to her vocab (not just "cheese"). Plus, at breakfast, when she finished her cereal before Ryn and Elle, she threw up her arms and exclaimed, "I beat you!"

Sept 13--Ryn asked when we were going to do something she was excited for and I had told her we'd do it in about 10 minutes. Ever the optimist, she answered happily, "10 minutes is my favorite number." Oh, how I love that girl.

Sept 15--When Kevin got home from work, I needed him to run to the store for something before dinner. Speed was an issue since we needed to get the kids to bed, so he only took Ryn and Eden with him because they already had shoes on and were dressed. Elle, who is always between outfits (changing them every 3 minutes from different dress-ups to other dresses and skirts), wasn't dressed and so had to stay home with me :(. When we were all sitting down to eat dinner, together again, she asked, "Tomorrow, can we all go to the store together, like a family?"

Sept 19--Kevin always has the dream of a Sunday nap. On this Sunday, he was determined to make it happen--translation: all 3 girls needed to be sleeping at the same time. He put Eden down in her crib and grabbed Ryn and Elle to sleep in our bed where we could be sure they fell asleep. "I don't want to snuggle!" Elle protested. But when they were all waking up, she said, "Dad, I really liked that snuggle." And Ryn chimed in, "Me too, Dad, it was grrrrreat!"

Sept 21--Ryn got to have her first sleep-over with Brian and Caitie and it was obvious how much Elle missed her. As we were walking back into our house, I hugged her and said, "I'm so glad I'm your mommy and I'm so glad you're my Elle." She smiled and answered, "And I'm so glad Ryn is our Ryn."

Sept 23--Elle was climbing again, on and under her chair, at breakfast and I asked her to please sit up the right way.

But she assured me that there was a good reason for her position--"Mom, I'm like this so I won't get my pyjama's dirty."

Sept 25--Elle pointed out, "Look! There's a yellow star!" and Ryn congratulated her, "Good job, Elle! You used your sense of sight!"

Sept 27--For family home evening, we had a lesson on our need for repentance so we can be clean and worthy to return to Heavenly Father's presence. We talked about how sins make us dirty on the inside like mud or dirt make us dirty on the outside. Only repentance, made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, can make us clean on the inside again. After reading in the scriptures to teach the principle, we were going to start on the object lesson, but Elle wasn't very excited about it and started to whine. Ryn started to worry about her, "Elle, you are getting dirty on the inside!"

We set up bowls and plates with mud along the "path" to our side gate where Kevin, acting as Heavenly Father, waited to welcome us to his "kingdom". When they stepped in the mud, or put their hands in it, (which Ryn really wasn't very excited about) I was there with a bottle of water to wash it off so they could keep moving forward (repentance), and eventually reach Kevin, clean and ready to go through the gate. Elle was the first one through since she thought the mud was pretty fun. While she waited for Ryn to make it through the gate, she pointed out to Kevin, "Daddy, there's a fly in your kingdom."

July and August funnies

2010-09-10T05:05:00.002+02:00

Of the many excuses I could use to explain the huge lapse in blog posts this summer, the biggest (and most wonderful) is that we found out we are expecting our fourth miracle baby--due March 3. Close on the heels of the test result was the worst "morning" sickness I've ever had. Only now is it starting to reach a more manageable level of intensity. And so, here I am--I even showered today--ready to resume my role as family historian :). I'll just apologize now for the smaller number of funnies. The sad truth is that when you're spending most of the day running to the bathroom, you miss a lot of funny moments.

July 2-- Elle, expressing the kind of feelings we're hoping for in our kids, "I love everyone and I love myself."

July 5--Elle is never above telling us what kind of praise she's looking for. After some wonderful thing she did, she directed me, "Say, 'that's my girl!'"

Also that day, Elle wanted to tell me the story she wanted to tell Heavenly Father and Jesus "when they come down and get hugs". It was all about princesses who don't have princes. "They save themselves and then go back to their mommies and daddies and then a big tall man comes to their door--as tall as the sky, like our Daddy...."
Ryn chimed in to correct Elle's exaggeration, "He's as tall as Dee and Marcene's floor." (the ceiling of our basement apartment)

July 6--Ryn was thrilled when she saw my tummy sticking out. "Our baby is growing!!! Mom, your tummy is HUGE!" I tried to warn her that huge will take on a whole new meaning in a few months.

July 8--Our wonderful friend, Calli, who lives behind us was going to have a swimming birthday party and the girls were so excited to leave that they didn't want to brush their hair (not like they're thrilled to brush it every other day :) ). Ryn tried this reasoning with me, "We just want the swimming pool to brush our hair."

July 19--Somehow Ryn had a warped understanding of the nature of brothers that I had to fix. Elle had said 'no' to something Ryn wanted her to do and Ryn explained to her, "Elle, sisters say, 'Sure!' or 'OK!'. Brothers say 'no'." I said that wasn't true at all--that I have 5 brothers who are very nice and who I love very much. She wasn't quite sure if she believed that or not, so she asked for clarification--"Your brothers were all the way nice?" I was happy to respond with an enthusiastic, laughter-filled YES!

July 23--Reading the Book of Mormon, Elle tried to ask me something about "Laman and Lame-uel" :)

Later, when she wanted us to pay attention to her, she shouted, "Every creature, SIT DOWN!"

July 24--Ryn and Elle tried Lucky Charms cereal for the first time and this was Ryn's report: "It was a treasure hunt for yummy marshmallows and now they are all in my treasure chest tummy."

July 28--Ryn was wondering if we could make some "cupcakes with sprinklers".....

Elle wanted me to have a queen costume so I could be presentable as her mother when she's decked out in her princess gowns. I told her I wasn't sure where to go to find a queen costume. Her idea: "Go to Sam's. They probably have a queen costume in the middle of all the food."

August 3--Elle cried when I told her we weren't having the twins she was hoping for. "I wanted twins!!!" My first appointment's ultrasound showed only one little bean.

August 5--Tom's birthday--we had just left him a happy birthday song message. Sitting at the table, Ryn asked, "What are they doing up there?" "Dee and Marcene?" I asked, thinking she had heard some noise from their house above. "No, Heavenly Father and Jesus. Did they have 'zero' birthday parties for us there before we were babies?"

August 6--I had to record this one for future reference. We were driving home and I was asking the girls where they wanted to go or do for the rest of the day. Ryn had given her opinion and I asked Elle for hers, expecting to hear the opposite. Instead, this was her answer. "I want to go where Ryn goes. I have fun when I'm with Ryn."

August 8--On our way home from the Linkous', Elle asked hopefully, "Is it going to snow?" We had to explain that the snow wouldn't start for a few more months. Undaunted, she informed us, "It will. I wished on that star we just passed."

August 9--Elle is always someone else. Pocahontas, Angelina Ballerina, Tinkerbell....and this morning, she was John the Baptist. While eating breakfast, she told us, "After I eat, I need to go teach the people to get baptised."

August 11--We were reading the part in the Book of Mormon where a wicked king had many wives and concubines. Elle was shocked. "They had porcupines?!"

Later, dressed up like a princess, she came and gave me a hug and asked, "Are you the queen of my castle?"

That night we thought we'd have a treat and eat at Chick-Fil-A, where they have a play place (which the girls are usually really excited for). We get about half way through our meal and Ryn started crying!? "I wanted to eat at home! I wanted carrots and tomatoes and cucumbers and ranch...." How often do you hear that when they've got french fries and soda pop in front of them?!

August 18--I mentioned above that this round of morning sickness has been a bit difficult. Well, on this day, I didn't even bother getting out of my pyjamas. That was a little too much for my fashion expert 3-yr-old to handle. At about 5 pm, she pleaded, "Hey Mom, can you go in your closet and put on some other clothes?"

August 21--While Kevin was getting ready, Eden found a chap stick in the bathroom and decided to get ready, too. She took off the lid and started applying it to her underarms like deodorant :).

August 29--Elle was supposed to count for Hide and Seek so Ryn reminded her, "Elle, plug your eyes."

THREE!

2010-06-13T09:08:00.004+02:00

A few days before the BIG day, we had a fairy fete for our little pixie. The best part was having so many people we love there to celebrate with us. Mark, Aup and Teairsa drove into town just in time. Elle's Nora comes from Grandma "Nora" Johnson and she had been visiting Tom and Carma for six weeks for some medical treatments. We LOVED having her here. In fact, Elle still asks every time we're going to see Grandma and Grandpa if Grandma Nora will be there, too, and cries when the answer is no :(. Tom, Carma and Ryan were there, too, as well as our good friends the Norris' and the Lehnardts. Below are pictures of everyone singing Happy Birthday and enjoying cupcakes....

... and making fairy herb gardens with tiny basil trees, rosemary and thyme, miniature fairy furniture, rocks, sticks and leaves. Look how sad Ben is that he didn't get to make one, too :(

On the actual day--May 29--we had all the family over at the Linkous' for dinner, birthday cheesecake and presents. Top right in the picture collage below, she's singing "Whistle While You Work" with her new little broom ("just my size!"), which she desperately needed because she always wants to help me. Below that picture she's giving Grandma Nora a special thankyou hug for such a perfect gift. It doesn't matter whether I'm sweeping, cooking, or cleaning toilets, Elle's right there with me, "but I want to help you!". Love it. Grandma and Grandpa Linkous gave her a play doctor set so she can practice being brave here at home before the next appointment :) (another story for Jungle Puma history). She also got a bike and a helmet so she and Ryn can get caught up in that department. It's so fun to see her tiny little body sitting up as tall and straight as she can, miniature legs pumping away, and her calling, "I'm doing it, Mom!" Joy and the Austin gang gave her the book The Little Engine that Could, with an inscription that said, "for our little can-do cousin". I thought (as usual, with my perfect gift-giving sister) it was perfect for this tiny package of determination that is Elle. I absolutely love to watch her little mind figure things out. Mark, Aup and Teairsa gave her some bubbles, a puzzle and a snuggly bunny that she takes with her everywhere. Michelle and Mary gave her a beautiful, metal, unbreakable, tea set which we really needed with Eden wanting to always be included in the tea parties now :). The Norris' came over a whole week early to give her some My Little Ponies because they thought they would have to miss the party. And Mom and Dad sent her some birthday money that she's trying to decide just what to do with....decisions, decisions :).

And, of course, Kevin had to get some close-ups of her in Carma's secret garden. Man, I love those brown eyes and pouty lips!

He even caught some semi-smiles. I really don't know why they're so elusive when we try to take pictures since she's laughing all the time in real life. Elle is our resident comedian. After every new funny face, silly dance or crazy voice, we hear, "was that funny, Mom?" And how I love to hear her giggle! She laughs herself to tears at least 10 times per day.

Life is beautiful with Elle, as the little "Elle" pants we got in France say. When we were reading in the Book of Mormon a few days ago, we read how men in the last days will not believe that miracles can happen anymore. I stopped reading and said as strongly as I could, "MIRACLES HAPPEN." I told Elle and Ryn and Eden how THEY are my miracles. How thankful I am that miracles have not ceased. Happy Birthday, angel girl.

This is DIVINE! And healthy....in moderation:)

2010-06-08T19:20:00.007+02:00

These are WAY better than a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and it better be better considering the quality of the ingredients. Think of it as a super high end version of a Reese’s cup, that also just happens to be darn healthy. What a sweet combination! The expense of getting quality ingredients is certainly a bit more, but so well worth it. Use Green & Blacks Organic Baking Chocolate for almost everything. If you can find it, get it. It comes in 5.3oz bars and is one of the best commercial chocolates. Also use the Green & Blacks Cocoa Powder when needed. The type of peanut butter to get for this would be the natural kind. Ugh, you know, the ones with peanuts in it, but just organic peanuts and salt. It’s amazing how much extra unneeded junk is in most commercial peanut butters, from hydrogenated oils to funky stabilizers and preservatives. You really don’t want that stuff in your body. Do you?
Also, the crust of these tarts are super rich and healthy as well. No refined carb loading here. You make these out of just almonds and cocoa powder, and they are far easier and faster to make then the white kind.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts
Makes about 4-5 5-inch tarts

For the Crust:
1 Cup Almonds
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (Cacao Powder)
1/4 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Raw Sucanat Sugar
2 TB Maple Syrup
2 TB Cacao Nibs
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/8 Tsp. Sea Salt
Step 1 Place the almonds in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. It’s ok if there are bits of almonds not broken down, this will add extra crunch and texture to the crust.
Step 2 Add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt and process to combine lightly, then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse several times until incorporated and slightly damp.
Step 3 Line your tart pans with saran wrap and then on top of it, gently press the crust mixture into the bottom and sides.
Step 4 Place them in the freezer while you prepare the fillings.

For the Chocolate Filling Layer:
1 Cup Young Coconut Meat
1/4 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
2/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
8 oz Dark Bittersweet Chocolate (Green and Blacks)
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
2 TB Vanilla Extract
Step 1 Melt the chocolate by chopping it and melting it over a double broiler or make your own double broiler using a heat safe bowl over a pot of hot water. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
Step 2 Scoop out and clean the meat from a young baby coconut (the ones with pointy tops and shaved white).
Step 2 Add the coconut meat along with the rest of the ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high until everything is completely smooth and creamy with no lumps. Set aside to cool.
Note: One of the best coconut oils is Virgin De Coco Creme. If you can’t find it, get a virgin centrifugal coconut oil with a very light scent to almost no scent.

For the Peanut Butter Layer:
1 Cup Natural Smooth Peanut Butter
1 TB Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
Step 1 In a small mixing bowl, mix in the coconut oil, agave and sea salt with a large spoon.
Putting it all together:
Step 1 Take out the tart pans out of the freezer. On the bottom of crust spread a layer of Peanut Butter Mixture.
Step 2 Pour the chocolate mixture on top.
Step 3 Place these back in the freezer to set overnight. You can garnish them however you like. shavings and chocolate sauce.

ENJOY!

May funnies

2010-06-05T05:51:00.003+02:00

May 1--Ryn: I'm He-man!
Elle: and I'm the guy who sings He-man! duh-duh-de-duh, de duh-de-de-duh, de duh-de-de-duh-duh, duh-duh (theme song)

May 3--Elle was once again gracing us with the He-man opening song, complete with narration this time--"....defend against the evil horses (original lyrics--forces) of Skeletor!"

May 7--Someone was at the door and Elle came to get me in my room, "Mom! Someone is ringing the Dora bell!"

May 8--Ryn asked me at breakfast, "Mom, is it OK if I do exercises?" I didn't know what in the world she was talking about until I looked at her arms, covered with goose bumps. "Sure, Ryn."
She jumped out of her chair, ran into the family room, did 20 jumping jacks and returned to her cereal a little warmer.

May 9--For Mother's Day in her class at church, Elle made me a card that had a little bag of Hershey kisses attached to it. When she brought it to me, she said, "Mom! I've got a treat for you! ...and for me, and for Daddy, and for Ryn and for Eden!"

Yep, she is one treat-driven gal. So we have tried to get them to stay in their own beds every night by offering a treat the next day if they do. Elle had a sure-fire plan to get two treats on this day. Kev had given her one and she came back, asking, "Can I have a treat for staying in my bed?" "I already gave you one." "No, that was for Elle. I'm Jaydna."

May 13--I was pushing Elle on the swing in the backyard and she was closing her eyes for quite a while. "Are you sleeping?" "No, I'm just making funny faces so everyone will laugh and come out of their houses and it will be a big party! I like parties."

May 16--Elle: Dad, I'm going to do something nice for Jesus. It will make Him happy and He will give me his Spirit.

We were over at the Linkous' walking around in Carma's amazing garden. Elle tried to put into words how she felt about such a beautiful place. "Mom, this is a good land."

May 18--Kit: How about oatmeal for breakfast?
Elle: No! I want suckers!.... Suckers and eggs!

May 19--Ryn: Are you a princess?
Elle: No
R: A queen?
E: No. I'm a....people.

Elle had a blister on her foot and Ryn asked what caused blisters. I told her that they come from your shoes rubbing your feet the wrong way. She put it all together--my explanation, plus the fact that she didn't have any blisters on her feet. So when Elle asked Ryn one more time, "What's a blister?", Ryn gave her this: "You put your shoes on and it started scrubbing you the wrong way. My shoes are scrubbing my feet the right way."

May 23--Eden's favortie word is 'Daaaaaa-ddy'. I had her with me in Relief Society and she did great for the entire hour....until I started putting everything back in our bag during our announcements (our RS does them after the closing prayer). She assumed it was over and headed for the door, calling loudly in a 'I'm coming to find you' voice, "Daaaaa-dy......Daaaaaa-dy!"

May 24--We played a memory game for FHE and Elle picked 2 different cards on her turn. "Let's pretend it's a match," she suggested.

May 25--After drinking her OJ, Elle thanked me for the good juice. "I liked the orange feathers in it."

I love the teaching moments that happen any time and anywhere. Ryn asked me, "What am I doing here on earth?" as we were driving home from the store. Can anything in the world be more wonderful than teaching the gospel to angel children?! I LOVE THIS!!!!

May 26--We were making cupcakes for Elle's bday party (yes, I promise to post pictures soon :)) and I only have one pan. Thankfully, sweet Marcene had 4 more she could lend us. As she was leaving I thanked her for saving us from the "ten years it would have taken to make all those cupcakes with my one pan." A few minutes later, Ryn was filling Elle in on our situation "....it's not going to take ten months because of the things Dee and Marcene gave us..." I hadn't even realized I had said the 'ten years' part until I heard Ryn say that :)

Later on, Ryn and Elle were trying some new tricks on the couch that Ryn knew I wouldn't be too keen on. So she asked me not to look--"Mom, don't see me do such a thing!"

May 27--You know you're going to be in for some tricky teenage years when, at 2.98 years old, your daughter calls to you with this, "Mom! Come in here and watch how I kiss Hercules!" There was Elle, falling over trying to kiss her imaginary hero with one tiny foot lifted up behind her.

May 30--The girl who never sleeps gets lonely for her big sister during the night, so we were bound to hear this at some point, "Ryn! Obey me now! Wake up!"

au parc et au jardin

2010-05-23T07:02:00.001+02:00

Every day we have nice weather, I try my hardest to get all the girls to the park--at least for a little while. And Monday, like every day, was so much fun! I took the camera because I knew I would want to remember their carefree happy faces and how much they love playing together. So their favorite game on Monday was trying to move too fast for the camera. Every time they saw me point the lens their way, they would sprint up the stairs or speed down the slide, laughing uncontrollably all the way.

Here are 2 of our favorite Eden looks--the scrunched nose...

...and the serious discussion mode....

By the time we walked home, we all needed a break from so much fun :)

Then we headed to the Linkous' to "help" with Grandma's garden for Family Home Evening.

I loved how close Ryn and Elle were sitting. In the middle of a huge room with 2 big couches, they wanted to be this close to each other, with their feet crossed exactly the same way. :) The perfect end to my perfect day.

lovely days of may

2010-05-22T06:49:00.002+02:00

Perhaps I'm a little partial to this glorious month, but how can anyone not love May?! We have thoroughly been enjoying ourselves. Sunday we ate at the Linkous' and tried to coax some smiles from the girls outside. Seriously, we need some help with this...

...but we think they're pretty cute anyway.

And you're smiling in your heart when you stop to smell such beautiful blossoms (or take the picture :) )

stay tuned tomorrow for a lovely May Monday at the park ...

To my girls,

2010-05-13T06:43:00.003+02:00

I want you to know about the happy things we did today. I want you to know how you fill me with joy every single day.

Ryn, today I loved watching you laugh and become instant friends with the kids at the park--a 6 year old boy and 2 younger girls. Heavenly Father has given you a gift for loving people. They are immediately drawn in by your uncontainable happiness (you have so much, you're constantly jumping up and down for the sheer joy of life). I loved watching your satisfaction as you learned more about reading, and I loved hearing you sing "Sur le pont d'Avignon" with me as we taught Bryn.

Elle, today I loved your excitement when you figured out how to pedal. "I'm doing it, Mom!!!" I also loved seeing how obedient you are becoming--going down for your nap, eating your food, and patiently waiting for the things you want so badly like movies and suckers :). I love what a sweet big sister you are to Eden, always giving her hugs and talking in your high, sweet voice. I loved hearing you encourage and support Ryn, too--"Great job, Ryn!" And I loved feeling your tiny, strong arms squeezing my neck as I held you--after your nap, especially.

Eden, today I loved watching you dance, swinging your hips from side to side, as you played our little keyboard. I loved your scrunched-nose smile, and how proud and big you feel when you sit up at the table with us (instead of in your high chair). I loved that you wanted to go in and help me get Elle when she woke up from her nap and how you hugged and kissed her awake. I loved holding you and having a serious conversation with you as we watched Ryn and Elle play outside.

All of you, I loved hearing your uncontrollable giggles at dinner over who-knows-what and seeing your reverence as we read scriptures and prayed tonight.

April smiles

2010-05-12T07:11:00.004+02:00

April 1--Insight into Ryn's thought process, "I need Jesus to come down so He can teach me to be obedient cause sometimes I do mean things to Elle."

April 3--Mom and Dad had given the girls some books for Easter and as they were leaving, I reminded Ryn and Elle to "give them hugs and say 'thank you'." Elle said the words and hugged the books.

April 5--Elle: I'm a bad guy.
Ryn: No, you're one of Jesus' children.

April 7--After being taught by Elder Bednar's great talk in conference, I felt like I needed to read a chapter every day to the girls at lunch from the actual Book of Mormon in addition to the illustrated scripture readers that we read at night. It has been absolutely wonderful! On this day we were reading in 1 Nephi 7 when Laman and Lemuel had tied Nephi up with ropes, Nephi prayed for strength to break his bonds, and the Lord loosened the ropes so they fell to the ground. I asked the girls, "Isn't that amazing that the Lord did that for Nephi?!" Ryn asked, "Was that a miracle?" "Yes!" I answered. And then with a little knowing chuckle, she added, "I love that."

April 9--I warned Elle that she should stop climbing on the futon so she wouldn't fall..."I won't fall, Mom. I'm holding on to this iron rod." (the arm rest)

Ryn: "Zip your mouth!" (I can't remember who she said this to, but I was shocked to hear such forceful words from this gentle girl.) So I asked, "Who told you that?" Her reply shocked me even more. "Mama KK. All the time. She always tells me that." So Mom, I've got a few things we need to discuss..... ;)

April 11--On Sundays, we only watch church movies and one of the girls absolute favorites is The Testaments. They love it. When it showed Christ being baptized, they were jumping up and down, exclaiming, "Look! Jesus is getting baptized. He's 8!" Then, during another scene when a girl is crying as she listens to the gospel being taught and feels the Spirit, Ryn said, "Daddy, I know why she's crying--because she feels the Holy Ghost." Elle chimed in, "Yeah, that's just like Mommy at church when she's crying."

April 12--Matt, Nat, Sam, Ethan and Mia were staying with us for a wonderful week and Ethan and Elle were just chilling at the table when I heard Elle explain, "I'm a girl, Ethan." Ethan looked a little confused and asked, "You're a girl-Ethan?"

April 13--the day He-man was re-born for the next generation...When the opening song states that He-man "became the most powerful man in the universe!", Elle piped up excitedly, "Just like our Daddy!"

Ethan was concerned about the loin cloth modesty issue: "Does He-man have clothes on?"

April 17--I was painting the girls finger- and toenails per their request and Elle said, "My toe nails are saying, 'Why are you painting us?'" I asked if they liked it. "Yes, they're very happy."

April 20--Elle is always very quick to praise and thank me for every kind word and deed and it melts me every time. "Mommy? You're a good mom." I asked why this time. "Because you're happy."

Another killer when Ryn asked, leaning in really close, "Elle, do you know what I love more than chocolate?..... YOU!"

April 22--Since being exposed to He-man, it's one of the favorite games we play. I am always Skeletor, of course, so the girls can have a formidable foe :) and I love how serious they get when they threaten me. "We're going to take your power and kill your warriors!" Then I chase them and grab them and tickle them and show them that they'll never really beat me, but then they start me shaking in my boots with, "But wait! I have my capturing thing!"

April 24--Kevin took Elle with him to Sams, where they saw some cow tongues. Kev held one up to her and told her what it was and she flatly refused to believe him. "No, they're not cow tongues! Cows' tongues stay in their mouths! Except for when they go like this (and she did a big lick of her lips)."

April 25--Another Sunday viewing of The Testaments and they both were thrilled again when the Savior appeared to the Nephites. "That's our big brother!" Elle added, "And that's our Savior, too, because of the marks in his hands."

April 26--Ryn asked, "Elle, did you know that people in China like to eat with chapsticks?"

Elle asked, "Mom, who gave us this beautiful, wonderful house?"

April 28--During another He-man round (in an all-girl house), Elle asked me why Skeletor wanted to take He-man's sword. "I think he wanted to have He-man's power." "No, he wanted to be the fairest one of all."

April 29--Elle LOVES to help me clean. Lately I've been giving her clorox wipes and letting her clean any stray marks off the walls and doors. And she keeps me laughing constantly. "Look at this mark! It's so cute! It's a yittle tiny baby one!"

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T22:48:00.001+02:00

We are so thankful for the incredible mothers and grandmothers we have been blessed with. The longer I work at being the best mother I can be, the more I admire, love and thank Heavenly Father for these amazing women. Here is the painting we had a ball creating (Eden was giggling the whole time as I brushed paint onto her tiny hands)....

and the song Ryn and Elle sang for Mama KK, (great-) Grandma Turtle, Grandma (Carma), (great-) Grandma Nora/Johnson, and (great-) Grandma Linkous--we did lots of takes, trying for as much audible participation as possible. Here are the best 2, even though Elle's trying to "wash" her hands through most of the second :):

I love being the mother of these girls!!!!! (Even when they're not thrilled about taking a picture after 3 hours of church :)) They teach me so much every minute of every day. What an honor to be the one to guide them and help them become who the Lord needs them to be. And I love the sweet man who shares this amazing ride with me as their father. For this one day alone, he filled every window of our kitchen/living room with hanging flower baskets, fed, changed and took care of the girls so I could beat my entire family in online Settlers and talk to my mom after church, made nutella and cream cheese french toast this morning and his signature grilled salmon for dinner. Yes, I'm one happy Mama!

I'm thankful for

2010-05-01T04:45:00.003+02:00

modern revelation. Several bits of April's different conference talks keep coming to my mind at the very moment when I most need them. Sister Beck's talk was another testament to me that the Lord knows me, Kit Linkous, and knows exactly what I need to keep hoping when hope seems to be gone, to keeping giving when I feel like I have nothing left to give, and to keep smiling when all I want to do is cry.

Here are a few of my favorite parts:
"A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently. The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

Quoting Eliza R. Snow, "Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities."

"Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us. Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly."

Heaven on earth....

2010-04-28T06:07:00.008+02:00

is being with your family. I have loved, loved, loved being in Utah for the past 3 General Conferences and having Mom and Dad come up for an entire week each time. Even though they have lots of meetings--especially Dad--we are able to have so many great evenings, 2 family home evenings, fun and fully-packed days with Mom, and pure joy seeing the relationships being formed between them and the girls.

Serious swinging and Hungry, Hungry Hippo...

This spring snowstorm gave us the chance to make an Easter Snow Bunny! Eden was hilarious trying to walk around in those boots. Ryn and Elle worked very hard, lugging 'huge' loads of snow to contribute (huge=the size of their tiny fists), and Mama KK was determined that the snow bunny be taller than Ryn at the very least.

Once the bunny was complete, we headed over to "Michelle and Mary's" house to meet their four adorable chicks. Ryn was the only one who eventually worked up the courage to touch them--check out Eden's wary glance and Elle, who was only happy on Michelle's lap with a cupcake. Lucy, the cat, would have been more than happy to step in and say hello, but we kept a tight circle around the tiny birds while we visited and Mom clicked away with the camera :).

Blowing bubbles against the bluest of blue skies....

walking and playing in the park....

reading books....

decorating Easter cookies...

meeting and having dinner with 2 of Mom's cousins...(cousin Carol and her husband, Rob, on Tuesday and cousin Nancy and her beautiful daughter on Friday)

enjoying conference and Temple Square...

These are days to remember.

Masters of the Universe!

2010-04-24T18:53:00.006+02:00

Normally I would post Easter and Mom and Dad's visit before Matt and Nat's, but there is a long-awaited movie that needs to be released....so lets talk about just how much fun last week was! After each day of watching the 6 kids loving just being together (Elle and Eden meeting Mia for the first time....) and playing with each other, Matt, Nat, Rae (for 2 nights--way too short, but we take consolation knowing she'll be here for school in a few months), Kev and I would stay up all night talking and laughing and watching Old Spice commercials :).

We loved seeing beautiful Abby and her knight in shining armor and celebrating with the extended Hogan clan. What a great family Matt married into! I was happy all the 'Easter' dresses were finally done (Eden's didn't make it til the week after Easter) and this was a fun occasion to wear them :).

We lounged around Thursday morning so it was the perfect opportunity for Rachel to get caught up on the last High School Musical movie she had missed on her mission. Ryn and Elle were happy to help break her in :).
One of the highlights of the week was when Matt introduced the old He-Man cartoons to the kids. Immediately, they were hooked--even the girls. Of course, once they were hooked, it led to hours of hilarious action. Matt instructed them on proper sword technique...

...and Kevin even found some of his old action figures down in his parents' basement! (Elle's holding Beastman and Ethan's got He-man)And finally, on our last night together, we made our own pilot He-Man--Cousins Season episode. Be sure to stay tuned after the show (the shortest pilot ever) for several worthwhile Masters of the Universe lessons.....

After looking through the pictures, it looks like we spent every minute just sitting around on the couch! Here's a video of one trip to the park to prove otherwise :). Even though it's mostly of Eden, there are quick shots of everyone else, as well as a good view of the temperamental weather that plagued us most of the week.

Thankfully, the one perfectly clear and beautiful day was Wednesday--Abby's wedding. What a lovely backdrop for Mia's baby blues...

Thanks for a great week guys!!! We're missing you terribly already. Since we've got more than half the family on their way here next year, now our focus is looking for leads for Matt, Darrell and Rob here in Utah ;)

Tickle, tickle, tickle

2010-04-22T05:54:00.002+02:00

We're so far behind it's not even funny--Easter, Mom and Dad's visit during Conference, Matt and Nat and Rae's visits and more--, but I do have big plans for catching up here in the next couple of days since the dresses are done and our house feels so empty with Rae, Matt, Nat, Sam, Ethan and Mia leaving us :(. Until we get to all those fun pics and posts, how about a few March funnies and a little tickle from Eden?

Just for the record, we don't have as many funnies for March because we were sick almost the entire month which didn't put me in a really good funny-catching mood. Fortunately, Ryn is feeling completely healthy and hasn't had any more arthritis swelling or pain since the initial testing phase (part of our afore-mentioned March Madness). We will have a follow-up appointment soon to see where we go from here...

March 2--Ryn and Elle had been playing with their dolls in my room and we needed to migrate somewhere else in the house. K: "Get your guys and lets go." Elle, holding up her baby: "Mom, this is a girl. Don't call her a guy!"

March 5--I explained to Elle that a toy wasn't working because the battery was dead. She asked, "Who killed the battery?"

This one isn't really funny--it actually made me cry. Elle said, again, that she wanted to be a bad guy and Ryn really tried to make things clear for her. "Heavenly Father doesn't want us to be bad guys. If we choose the right then we can be His friends! like disciples!" The excitement in her voice at the thought of being Heavenly Father's friend through obedience was one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard.

March 6--Another Ryn moment, "I'm so excited to have a kid!"

March 7--This was an all-time classic from Elle. Tom had asked the girls to sing "I Know that My Savior Loves Me" in the High Priests class he was teaching at church. For Ryn and Elle, when they think of 'going to class' at church, it means a class full of young children. The song was beautiful, and I was telling Elle that on our way out to the car. She stopped me with a worried look and exclaimed, "But Mom, something happened to those kids to make them old!"

Ryn had filled several sheets of paper with pictures for each of us and I asked her if she was finished (for the night). Emphatically, she answered, "I'm NEVER going to stop drawing pictures for the people I love."

March 14--Eden said "sister"!!!

On the kitchen dance floor, Ryn explained to Elle, "Princes say, 'May I have this dance?' and girls say, 'Why of course you may!'"

March 20--Elle wanted to watch 'just one more' movie and Ryn backed me up when I turned down the request. "Elle, you'll break your chocolate eyes."

Elle had made a design with magnets on the fridge that she wanted some praise for. "Look, Mom!" I nodded and smiled, but that wasn't good enough. "Don't be happy like this (nodding and smiling). You have to be happy like this and jump up and down and say, 'Great job, Elle!'"

March 24--Elle: Mom, I'm speechless. Me: Do you know what that means? Elle: Uh-huh. Beautiful.

March 30--Ryn explaining family order to Elle. "I'm the biggest and you're the middlest."

Sitting by Elle on the couch reading a book, she looked up at me with those chocolate eyes and said, "Mom, you're beautiful."

Lucky

2010-03-17T06:53:00.004+01:00

This is where we spent half of our St. Patrick's Day--the pediatric rheumatologist's office at University Hospital. Ryn has been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. We still have two more appointments with an opthamologist (since eye damage/infection is one of the immediate dangers related to this disorder) and our pediatrician next week for a few more tests, and then a follow up with the rheumatologists in a month where they hopefully will be able to tell us which type of JRA she has. I had taken Ryn in last week when her knee was hurting so badly that she couldn't sit down or bend it in any way. Worried about a bone or joint infection like Nolan had a little over a year ago, they ran some blood tests and her ANA test came back positive. That, in addition to her pain extending to her elbows, ankle and knuckle, led our doctor to push through an appointment with the rheumatology department sooner than later.

But even with news like this, I can't help but feel like we're pretty lucky (which is Irish for blessed). For now, Ryn's symptoms have almost all subsided, we live in a time when so much medical knowledge is available, and the daily tender mercies we receive are simply overwhelming.

February funnies

2010-03-10T05:38:00.002+01:00

Feb. 1--I overheard Elle, with her princess cell phone, having this conversation: "Hello, Joy! Where are you off to?........Oh, heaven."

Ryn is very excited about being a "CTR kid" now that she has moved up to that class in Primary. She knows that means she has to try even harder than ever to Choose The Right. She must have been thinking pretty hard about this when she said, "If I choose the wrong, then I'm a CUR kid."

Feb. 2--I thought this dress-up timeline was so classic...
12:44 Ryn: "I'm going to be Spiderman and kill the bad guys and then I'll turn back into a girl."
12:46 Elle: "I don't want to be Batman now. I'm going to be a witch!"
12:53 Elle: (now in a ballet outfit) "Mommy, I want ballerina music."

Here's a little lesson for all those parents who think one violent scene here and there won't affect their kids. We talked about the letter 'C' and crocodiles for our little "school" that we have in the mornings. I had found a pretty cool National Geographic video on line that showed a crocodile mother bringing her eggs to the river to hatch which lasted about 10 minutes and another 1.5 minute one showing crocodiles patiently wait to snatch their prey (wildebeests, in this case). Just at the very last second of the shorter one, it showed one frame of a crocodile jumping out of the water and snagging a man's leg before I quickly turned it off. But too late. When Kevin got home, the first thing Ryn told him excitedly was this: "We watched crocodiles eat people! And cute wildebeests were drinking water and the crocs came out and ate them!" Even though we had spent much more time with the sweet nurturing mother video, and talked all day afterwards about only that one, the part she remembered was the eating of people and cute wildebeests.

Feb. 4--I guess our all-girl toy box is not very well-equipped for the really important things.....
Elle: "Maybe you can go to the sword store and get some for us."
Me: "What for?"
Elle: "So then if there are monsters we can fight them like in Sleeping Beauty."

Feb. 13--Playing house, Ryn was the 'mom', but I hadn't heard that yet and so I responded when Elle called, "Mom?"
She answered in pure Obi Wan fashion, "You're not the mom we're looking for."

We had made some Valentine's cookies to deliver and I had told the girls they couldn't have any more so we would have enough to give out. A few hours later, Ryn came and led me by the hand, saying, "Go in the pantry. We found a way to stop you from looking at us while we eat the cookies." At least she's honest :)

Feb. 17--Elle was trying to wake me up one morning after I'd had a long night with Eden--pretty tough job for anyone, much less a tiny little thing who can barely see over the bed. After several unsuccessful attempts with things like "Mom, wake up!", she tried this (in a very frustrated, emphatic voice): "Hock-a-doodle-do, Mom!"

Feb. 20--Every night after family prayer, Ryn, Elle and I squish onto Ryn's twin bed and I sing them a few Primary songs before they go to sleep. On the rare occasion that Ryn isn't already zonked by the time I finish, she, without fail, will grab me as I'm getting up to leave and plead sleepily, "I want you to stay..."
This night was one of those occasions, so I went from hearing that from Ryn, to hearing this from Elle as I tried to give her one more hug before leaving.
"I want you to go."
"Don't you love me?" I asked, teasing her with a sad voice.
She tried to help me feel better with her little mommy voice. "How about you will go and I'll love you. Is that a great idea?"

Feb. 24--Ryn made Kevin's birthday when she said, "Daddy? When we were in heaven, we saw a daddy with hair like this (rubbing her hand over his curls) and said, 'We want that daddy.'"

Ryn was sitting in her chair the wrong way--something we're constantly trying to correct since she often ends up falling and getting hurt--and I said in my warning voice, "Ryn..." She instructed me, "Don't. See. Me."

Feb. 25--I was down with strep throat, so Kevin took the girls to the store to give me time for a nap when he got home from work. They had picked out some Raisinettes for a treat and while they were checking out, Elle very seriously explained the situation to the cashier. "Our mommy is dying so we need to bring her chocolate covered raisins."

Feb. 26--After scribbling all over something and watching me scrub at it, Elle complained, "Our house is a mess!"
"I'm trying to clean it up," I pointed out to my number one Mess Maker.
"Oh! (chuckling like 'oops!') Thanks, Mom!"

Feb. 27--Elle wanted one last song--a Snow White song-- before I kissed her good night. I asked which one, since there are several. With a definite 'DUH!' in her voice, she answered, "'Someday my Prince will come.' That's what all growing girls do. They sing 'Someday my prince will come...'"

Feb. 28--Our girls, like most people, don't like getting shots. Ryn, at her 4 year old check-up a few months ago, had endured a truckload of them. When she questioned over and over through her tears in not so many words, "Why?! Why are you letting them do this to me?!", I answered that shots keep us from getting sick. We had just been to the doctor and pharmacy to get the girls on the antibiotic train for our family strep throat party and Ryn asked a very valid question. "Why do we get shots if the bad guys keep getting in our tummies?"

At lunch, when the mean crocodiles were under the table trying to eat their food, Ryn informed us of an important development. "They're nice now! Their hearts changed!"

thank heaven for antibiotics

2010-03-01T17:07:00.003+01:00

Strep throat hit every member of our family last week. Fun times :) I'm just thankful to live in a day when we have Tylenol and Amoxicillin, that we're otherwise in good health, and that we are over the worst.

Eden in the garden! She is 1

2010-02-27T06:25:00.006+01:00

We are so thankful every day for our little miracle,happy,bouncy baby girl Eden. If there is one thing she loves, it's music, she could dance before she could walk! (video below) Another thing that we love so much about her is how much she loves everyone. All you have to do is say awwe and she will start snuggling with who ever is holding her. She came to us on February 6th, a true angel. Kit told me she was pregnant with Eden on Fathers day and when she arrived I thought my heart would burst with joy and love for her. Eden is our unique one. Big deep blue eyes, she was born in the states and she has such a distinctive personality that really sets her apart. It's amazing because we both want a lot of kids and when they come as sweet and special as these first 3 we know we can't stop so hopefully Heavenly Father will keep sending them to us!

Clay and Kim

2010-02-12T20:12:00.003+01:00

Every wedding is beautiful and a reason to celebrate. An eternal family is beginning. A new team for righteousness and goodness. But my heart sang more than usual last Thursday afternoon for my cousin, Clay, and his beautiful Kim. It was a long road of extremely difficult challenges for Clay leading up to this great blessing, but he made it. Even though they had a professional photographer, I couldn't keep my amateur self from snapping a few fun moments from this day (Kev was unable to be the sharpshooter since he was still hobbling around on crutches). Clay is the son of my dad's brother Kelly, and his wife Becky, who ended her long battle with cancer just a few months ago. Clay is the brother of one sister, Andee....who is married to Spencer (with the cool glasses)....and they have the most adorable little boy, Mason, that Kevin and I couldn't get enough of.Clay is also the brother of Chet, who is married to Laura.......and they have 2 beautiful girls--Avery (modeling her dad's coat) and Ireland (who stayed home with Laura's parents).Clay is also the brother of Jake (far right closing his eyes against the cold :)........who is married to Cindy and they also have 2 beautiful girls--Taylor, who tried all day to stay warm in her mom's coat....

...and Aubrey, who is growing up way too fast!!!I loved watching all the fun these 3 cousins had together, even in the cold. And I also loved watching Taylor watch Kim... adorable.

Congratulations, Clay and Kim!

kicking back

2010-02-11T04:15:00.002+01:00

Kevin had ankle surgery last Wednesday. Everything went well and the anticipated 75 minute surgery only took 45. Post-op, it has been a long week of hopping "like a bunny" (said Elle when she saw him trying to move around), painful crawling on all fours, and bruising the heels of his hands on his crutches. But it has also been a week of heavenly cuddle naps with his girls and appreciated extra help for me :). I've been able to run almost every day, I've had the car to make easy quick runs to the store alone or take the girls out, and the bottom line: everything and everyone is better when Kevin is around. Period. There's a reason some anonymous mom wrote the well-loved children's primary song.... "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home". He has his appointment tomorrow for a walking boot and then it's back to work and back to waiting for Daddy's homecoming each evening, glad as we can be.

A song for Ethan and Nolan

2010-02-09T17:18:00.004+01:00

We were watching some old home videos and Ryn saw Thanksgiving of 2008 when we came home from France and were in Austin at the Park compound.
When she saw her little buddy (yeah right, little:), Ethan. She said, "Look there is Ethan, awe, I miss him." So cute so she wanted to send him a song. I tried to find Matt & Nat on facebook but, uh where are you guys? Even the Turtle is working facebook:) j/k
So without further ado, here is a song for Ethan! We love you guys!

Elle was watching this post and decided Nolan needed a song from her, so Nolan, this one's for you :)

January's smiles

2010-02-02T18:24:00.009+01:00

"Mom, I got stuck!"

Jan. 1--Eden's crying woke Elle up early from her nap. Still half asleep, she stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes against the light, saying, "hey, Mom, does Eden need me?"

Jan. 3--Ryn and I were sword fighting, while Elle watched from her seat at the table. "Be careful so you don't get hurt," she warned. "Don't kill anyone!"

Jan. 5--Elle and Ryn were still eating their lunch and Elle asked Ryn, "Did you know that my mom and dad love me? They love me so much." Then she paused for confirmation from me, "Mom, does Daddy love me?" I assured her that he does and then she added this about him, "He's a handsome Daddy!"

Jan. 6--A little more stroking of Kev's ego :)....We were back to the sword fighting and Elle must have threatened that she would fight Dad when he got home, but Ryn flew to his rescue and defense. "Nobody can kill Daddy. He's strong. If you fight Dad, I'm going to fight you! I'm going to make a sword out of play dough and fight!"

Jan. 9--We were reviewing the story of the 3 Little Pigs and when we said that the Big Bad Wolf "gobbled that piggy (the ones who built their houses of straw and sticks) all up", Elle applied that story to her own experience. "You mean he gobbled it up like a big girl?"

Ryn and Elle had been coloring with some colored pencils that needed sharpening when they got down 'into the wood'. Elle was not satisfied with the sharpness of the one she was using and said, "Mom, this crayon is getting in the hood!"

Jan. 10--Elle: "I want to go up to heaven to give Heavenly Father and Jesus a hug. But I need help. I need an airplane."

Jan. 11--Still concerned with long distances, Elle was telling us that her family (Kev's sister and family) lives in "Her Megas" (Las Vegas)

This was a Monday and for Family Home Evening's game, we went to the library to watch some international folk dancers. Eden, our next little dancer, was really getting into it :)

Jan. 14--Ryn was cooking up some 'delicious lemonade cookies' in their play kitchen so I asked her for the recipe (I'm always up for a newer, better cookie :) ). For all of you cookie lovers, here it is: Watch out, Mrs. Fields!

"a tomato--just cook that first for 28 hours....

then lemonade, chocolate and also....syrup, ha!....

and Honey (their name for whoever is playing the child in their game of house--Elle, this time) is going to help me stirred it up with a spoon." Yummy!

That day I had been telling Ryn and Elle the things they did when they were Eden's age. Elle would do a very dramatic bow and Ryn walked around with skewered Legos on her index finger. Hours later Eden was unhappily screaming about something and Ryn asked, "Mommy, When I was Eden's age, did I scream like Eden?"

Jan. 15--We eat oatmeal with blueberries almost every morning for breakfast + one of Elle's 2 favorite colors is purple + she is always looking for some bit of style to admire= this compliment: "I like your purple lips, Ryn!"

Kev was telling Elle to get back in her chair at the table and her independent refusal, "No!", was quickly reprimanded by Ryn, who had risen to her knees on her chair. "Elle! You say, 'Yes, Sir!' when the King says something."

When Elle told us how scared she had been the night before of the "big green finger in [her] closet" we just thought it was a crazy nightmare...until we saw the fuzzy handle of her green purse peeking out from under the closet door :).

Jan. 17--Elle was assigning roles for everyone and I was supposed to be Grandma, but Ryn didn't know we were pretending. "She's not a grandma yet. Call her 'Mom'. Call her 'Old Mom Person.'"

Jan. 19--The ultimate tactic for staying up past bedtime: Elle came out of her room with her huge brown eyes and tiny little voice. "I want to do something really important. I want to learn how to speak en francais like you, Mom...and you, Dad."

Jan. 23--Driving in the car, Ryn's seat is back in the 3rd row so she can smile and sing and keep Eden happy in her car seat one row up. She stopped singing to tell me how cute Eden was, "Mom, I LOVE that smile!"

Then she stopped herself in the middle of telling Elle that what she was doing was wrong and said, "Wait...am I not in charge?"

Eden was taking steps behind her walker and Elle got all excited. "Great job, Mom, teaching her to walk!"

Jan. 24--Another compliment from style critic Elle: "Ryn, I LOVE your dance move. It's well done!"

Jan. 25--Here's one more killer soup recipe for Christa from Ryn. "Does anyone want some hot dog and water soup?"

It was bathroom cleaning day and Ryn kept coming in, wanting to help. "I don't want to play. I want to help you clean the toilet!" Two seconds later, Elle came in and repeated this plea word for word. Guess what, girls? I'll be reminding you of this post when you get a little older :)

We sat down to read a story with Ryn on one leg and Elle on my other and I just couldn't believe, once again, how lucky I am to be the mother of these girls. I squeezed them both and told them I loved them. They are sisters, so I guess finishing each other's sentences is normal, but this was too much for my already full heart. (Ryn) "We love..." (Elle) "...you, too, Mom."

Jan. 27--A little frustration with the lack of speed at the table (do we sense a recurring theme here?) started to come through in my voice. Elle's teary, "We don't want you to be mean. If you're mean, it makes us scared," snapped me back to where I and my tone of voice needed to be. I hope I never hear those words again. Not to excuse myself in any way from what Elle said, let me include a picture of me trying to make dinner on this day to provide a little context. Eden would cry the second I put her down or in her high chair, and Ryn and Elle wouldn't let go of my legs for about 30 minutes...oh, and I'm smiling because this was a re-creation of the scene after Kevin was home to help (and take the picture)

Jan. 30--On walks, Ryn often wants to push the stroller for me. It's big and heavy, she can't see over it, and I don't want to have to keep pulling it out of the grass and mud next to the sidewalks, so I try to help steer with one hand. She hates that. "Mom, I know how to stroller."

And one last exchange between my 2 princesses: R--I love Snow White. [sigh] E--She's a really good princess, huh?

The color and warmth of winter

2010-01-16T23:58:00.011+01:00

Wouldn't it be great if the cold ended when the holidays did? If spring started popping up as soon as the Christmas tree and lights were put away? I guess we wouldn't appreciate the color and warmth of spring without the cold, grayscale of winter :). But today, my girls proved to me just how much color and warmth there are to be had every day of the year.

First, Elle lit up the kitchen with her "Whistle While You Work" rendition (several octaves above the original already-higher-than-necessary version).

Then, when the 'work' was done, we decided to take a long winter's nap....(I wish :) )....I mean, walk! :) Eden snoozed the whole time in the stroller while Ryn, Elle and I enjoyed a veritable treasure hunt. We found lots of happy birds who sang to us....

the siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp and we sang to them ('we are si-am-ee-eese if you please')... a beautiful blue spruce (maybe? someone who knows plants can comment and correct me here)--whatever it was, it was beautiful :)....
...the bridge over the creek where the ducks must have flown south.......and a 'real' wishing well! Elle started singing immediately, "I'm wishing, I'm wishing, for the one I love...." Ryn couldn't believe it......so she started to wind up the handle to see if a prince really would come.... And then the winter wind helped us power little whirling bursts of color all the way home.

Choosing faith

2010-01-14T00:36:00.002+01:00

One of my callings at church is to write, each month, a small section on spiritual strength for our Relief Society provident living newsletter. I've decided to keep a record of them here since many are written about what I've been going through or trying to accomplish in my own life. There is always a challenge at the end to give the me and the other women a small, attainable way to progress in that area each month. Maybe it could be of help to someone reading this blog one day, too.

January 2010
To be honest with all of you, even with all of its blessings, 2009 was one of the hardest years of my life. There were several moments every single day when I didn't know how I would overcome one challenge or another. And to make matters more difficult, most of them were challenges that no one on earth could help me with. They were mine to bear, mine to overcome, mine to learn from. One thing my dad taught me from the scriptures seemed to be the key to my survival:

"You always have a choice between discouragement and faith."

He taught me this principle through the story of Nephi and his brothers' attempts to get the plates from Laban. Each time Laman and Lemuel refused to help or obey the Lord, Nephi reminded them that they had the power and the responsibility to choose faith instead of discouragement (1 Nephi 3:7, 15-20; 4:1-3). Even though no one else on earth could help them get the plates, "the Lord [was] able."

And He is able. He is able and wants, more than anything (Moses 1:39, Alma 7:12), to help us through every challenge we face. I have felt that so deeply this year--each time that I humbled myself and chose faith. Of course, it is much easier to give in to discouragement--in all its forms: anger, doubt, self-pity, frustration, desperation, sadness, loneliness, fear--than to choose faith and the hard work that must accompany it. But, as described in Helaman 3:35, it truly is worth it.

Challenge: Try to specifically choose faith in each trial (big or small) that you face this month.

My life is a musical

2010-01-10T04:44:00.005+01:00

I have to say that I honestly didn't think it would happen. Tyler Ginn and Brandon Black--two crazy guys from my senior English and Seminary classes at Klein High School--predicted way back then that my life would be a musical. Knowing how much I loved to sing, they joked around about how my husband and I would one day sing even the most trivial of things to each other non-stop.

Turned around in their desks, this is what I would hear daily from them during first period:
[insert football player opera voices]
"Honey, please pass the butter."
"Sure thing, dahhhh--ling."

Tonight, while I left Ryn and Elle eating their dinner so I could change a sleepy Eden into her clean diaper and pj's, I realized that Tyler and Brandon's prediction had come to pass. Ryn started making up yet another song about something and then didn't stop singing as she moved right into a musical conversation with Elle:
[insert sqeaky little girl opera voices]
R: Here is a pacifier.
E: It's miiiiiine!
R: Eat your food. You've got- to -eat -your -food (Staccato). Plee-ease!
E: OK!

So, OK, I admit it. I guess I really do sing all day every day, and make up songs to fit whatever we're doing...."mess-maker, mess-maker, make me a mess"...."I love my Ryn, I love my Elle, I love my Eden oh so well, I am so glad to be their mom cause I am happy all day long!"....but doesn't every mom do that? I know my mom did--maybe this whole thing is genetic :). Whatever it is, I'm grateful for it and I'll keep right on singing my way through this life and the next.

p.s. To clear Kevin from being implicated by this post...he has never asked me to pass the butter in song and I've never heard him make up a song about pacifiers or eating or any other daily task. But I do love singing with him any chance I get.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-05T07:33:00.002+01:00

New Year's Eve this year was spent dancing the night away with the Linkous' and eating some of Kev's insanely amazing grilled salmon. Fabulous.

Then we had a fun little party with the girls on New Year's Day. They get so excited with the mere mention of that word. "A party?!" :) [squeals, screams, jumping and clapping] Oh, how I love little girls.

Making our own party hats from cereal boxes and scraps of ribbon, a fort over kitchen chairs and the TV where we could have a picnic viewing of G-Force, an exciting round of Chutes and Ladders, and pancakes (smothered in "sticky syrup") and eggs for dinner. When I was clearing the dishes and announcing bedtime, Elle turned around in that little pink seat and said, "Thank you for this fun party, Mom." I came over to give her a hug with a "you're welcome" and Ryn ran around the table to sandwich me between my happy party princesses. I marveled again at how simple happiness is for children. Uninterrupted, stress-free time with mom and dad (and a few M&M's thrown in for good measure).... and that hug of gratitude lasted for at least a full 5 minutes.

December's sweet and funny moments

2009-12-31T08:10:00.000+01:00

Dec. 4--One of the Christmas songs I love and wanted to teach the girls is "Do you hear what I hear?" We were singing it at lunch and when I sang, "Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy..." Elle chimed in with a loud, but totally serious, "BAA!"

Dec. 5--Changing Eden's size 3 diaper, and Elle (who also wears size 3 diapers to bed at night) crouches down, scrunches up her nose and says, "Oh, yook at that cute diaper!"

Dec. 7--I had sung "The Friendly Beasts" with the girls before bedtime and Elle's favorite verse talks about the cow sharing her manger for Christ's bed and her hay for his pillow. As I laid her on her own pillow she said, "Jesus only had hay for a pillow. Maybe I could share a big soft pillow with him."

Later that day, Elle was giving out roles for playtime and she directed me, "You're going to be ridiculous, Mom." Ryn protested loudly, "No! I want her to be beautiful!" Thanks, Ryn :)

Dec. 8--I had promised a Christmas movie and told Ryn it was time to turn off the TV after she had finished. "But Mom, we just watched one. The third one will be the last one."

Elle had to go to the bathroom so I said, "Hurry, Elle!" And she said, "I'm not Elle. I'm a wise man." I said, "OK, Hurry, wise man." She said, "OK, Mom Wise man." And as an afterthought as she raced her tiny chickabooms to the potty, "I'm a yittle wise man."

Dec. 12--Back to "The Friendly Beasts" chime-ins. I was singing it to Eden to help her stop crying. That wasn't working by the time I got to the dove verse: "I coo-ed him to sleep, that he would not cry...." So Ryn must have thought, If it worked for that dove, maybe it would work for me...and she leaned over crying Eden and softly, "Coo, coo, coo....". So cute I almost cried.

We were talking about every one's 'long' names and 'short' names--how Ryn's long name is Kathryn Noel Linkous and Elle's is Elle Nora Linkous. Elle turned to me and said, "Your long name is Mommy Linkous."

Dec. 13--Something broke and Ryn came to show it to me and offered this, "It broke. We need sticky syrup."

Dec. 14--When there's a run on the girls' bathroom (both needing it at the same time), we just put Ryn on the toilet and Elle on the little potty chair. This time the girls ran in together while I was doing the dishes and soon I heard this make-you-laugh-out-loud dialog:
Elle--This is so fun, Ryn!
Ryn--It's a potty party!

Later that day, Ryn saw me leaning over to give Elle a hug at lunch and she put up her little hands like she was holding a camera and said, "I gotta get a picture of that!"

Dec. 16--Ryn has picked up the phrase, "Hey! Check this out!" and it gets us every time.

She tried to explain the rules of who does and doesn't need a pacifier:
"Pacifiers are for babies....(but then she remembered Elle still likes her pacifier when she goes to bed)
...and for sisters...(but then she remembered that she is a sister)
...if they look like that, they do (pointing to Elle)
...and if they look like this, they don't (pointing to herself)." WHEW! That was more complicated than she thought it would be!

Dec. 21--Ryn was being a little grumpy so we were using her birthday party as incentive to be happy. You know, a little "birthday parties are for happy girls, not sad ones, so you'd better be happy." Her response was classic. "When I'm done being sad, I'll be happy."

Earlier that morning, she and Elle (who are sharing a room now) tiptoed in to wake us up and Kev heard Ryn whisper, "Let me show you how to wake up your Daddy. You tap him three times like this...." Then he felt Ryn's 3 taps and Elle's echoed 3. "....and you say, 'Daddy, wake up.'"

Elle needed Kev's help in the bathroom and after calling him once with no result, she added this, "Daddy, get off the stool." (she knew Kev must be perched on our bar stool checking something on the laptop on the counter)

Dec. 24--For our family Nativity, Ryn was going to be Joseph and Elle, Mary. I told Ryn what she needed to say to the Innkeeper and was waiting for her to say it back to me when Elle chimed in, completely in character--sweetly and patiently, "Joseph, we need a place to rest."

Dec. all month--Any time we were reading about bad guys in a story or in the scriptures, Elle would get a very serious look on her face and stop us and point out the worst part of that whole thing, "They're not going to get a present from Santa."

Dec. 28--Ryn was looking at the miniature Salt Lake temple I gave Kevin for his wedding present and said wistfully, "I wish we lived by the temple." I reassured her that it wasn't very far away at all, reminding her that we had just been there to see the lights. But she was firm. "No! We live far away. We live by the dogs." (The family that lives behind us has dogs that are always right by the fence barking :) )

Dec. 29--Elle came into my bathroom while I was getting ready and opened her eyes wide with shock, "Mom! There's make-up all over your face!" I guess I need to put on make-up more often :)

Dec. 31--The Snow White DVD was one of the favorite Christmas presents and has already been watched more times than I can count. So Elle was sweeping with our broom singing "Whistle While You Work" and told me that I was supposed to be the animals. When she finished her song, I praised her with a hearty "Bravo!" "No!" she exclaimed. "Don't say 'bravo'! Animals don't say bravo." Quite right. Quite right.

Sometimes I swear I live with an angel...

2009-12-30T05:46:00.003+01:00

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!

2009-12-21T15:29:00.009+01:00

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!

2009-12-12T05:59:00.006+01:00

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

2009-12-09T02:03:00.007+01:00

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

2009-11-23T08:22:00.003+01:00

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?

2009-10-31T06:20:00.013+01:00

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?!

2009-10-27T19:14:00.003+01:00

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!

2009-10-24T01:11:00.003+02:00

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

2009-10-16T18:48:00.005+02:00

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

2009-10-10T05:39:00.003+02:00

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!

2009-09-29T06:45:00.004+02:00

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

2009-09-12T05:56:00.003+02:00

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

2009-09-01T17:39:00.009+02:00

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

2009-08-29T19:10:00.005+02:00

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

2009-08-10T04:54:00.003+02:00

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

2009-08-08T00:49:00.000+02:00

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?)

2009-06-27T04:29:00.010+02:00

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

2009-06-04T06:02:00.008+02:00

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

2009-05-29T06:38:00.000+02:00

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!