Bryn, Tyler, Kale & Ellory

June 2018

2018-08-31T09:56:00.001-07:00

What a month June was!

Wanna see?

I took an online class thing

so that our bank would

take off 750 bucks from

our loan.

I crushed it:

Kale and Ellory wasted no time

getting into the Library's Summer Reading Program:

They got all their prizes and minutes by the end of June.

Ellory loves it when we get on

the free way and the wind is blowing like crazy:

Oh, and she now loves wearing

this to bed:

So cute!

Pool days began!!!!!!!!!!!

I kind of love the pool.

Hey, I'm Ellory.

I believe this is when

Tyler was at Nationals.

I let the kids eat

their ice cream sandwich and popsicle,

IN THE LIVING ROOM

while watching

The Adventures of Tin Tin:

They couldn't get over it.

It's the little things that make them excited.

Kale reading to Ellory:

We went for a visit

to Nana and Pop-Pop's house,

and played some baseball:

Ellory's birthday approached,

and packages started coming

in the mail for her:

And we found out

we were going to be having

another girl!

Since Kale ran more than

25 miles at his Mileage club at school,

he got a free entry into the

Mary Greely Hope Run.

Tyler started running

in March, I think, and had really

started enjoying it and

excelling at it,

so he entered the 5K race.

Here is Kale with all the other

Mileage Club kids:

It went really well!

Kale's race was 1 mile and he did awesome.

It was so fun to cheer him on.

My other pictures I took aren't uploading for some reason,

but they are on instagram!

Tyler's friend from work,

Lindsey,

ended up running the race, too.

She won!

And Tyler got SECOND!

He crushed it,

and did an amazing job.

The next day was Father's Day.

We got Tyler a Bronco's cornhole game set,

and the movies Little Giants

and Rookie of the Year:

He is such a great dad,

and he puts up with

kids who aren't so nice to him all the time,

*cough, ellory, cough**

We love him!

One day, Kale wanted to do

a science experiment.

So I got on Pinterest

and found instructions

on how to make

a device for a floating ball:

Cheap and easy.

My favorite.

One afternoon Tyler had left for a run.

I looked outside and saw this looming:

It was headed straight for us

and looked way scarier in real life.

I was worried that Tyler was going to get caught

in an awful storm.

Luckily, a few minutes later,

he came running home,

and nothing ever even happened.

It blew right over us.

And then,

Ellory turned 4!!!!!

Uncle Jake sent her some

pretty amazing Wonder Woman gear:

Kale wanted her sword

so badly.

Grandma Pam sent her this

adorable pancake making

set to go with her kitchen!

And plates and cups!

Aunt Heather sent cute clothes

and a bubble glove,

which we had never heard of

but of course we loved it.

And then we showed Ellory

that we had gotten her a new bed,

but that it needed to stay

in the box until we moved

into our new house:

Wonder Woman!

Wonder....Kale?

Ellory asked for chocolate chip

pancakes with pink sprinkles for breakfast.

As you wish:

Later, she got a little

something from the Raffs in the mail!

To celebrate with Nana and Pop-Pop,

Ellory really wanted to go

play at Perfect Games.

But NOT bowling or laser tag.

She wanted to ride

this little car thing:

Kale crushing MarioKart:

And then she got MORE presents

from Nana and Pop-Pop:

Bedding for her new bed!

For her cake,

she asked for a chocolate cake

with pink frosting,

pink sprinkles,

and strawberries.

As you wish!

This is my favorite picture of the day:

And then she and Kale

played around with

some glow sticks.

I think she had a pretty good day!

Nail stickers from Raffs:

Starting to teach

Ellory how to write:

One Saturday,

we headed down to Des Moines

to support our friend David Ribich

in his race at the USA track meet that Drake was hosting.

It's not that long of a ride,

but Kale brought some entertainment:

The Bulldog:

Nana and Pop-Pop had come down

to watch the meet for

Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

We just showed up on Saturday.

The kids were so excited to see them!

And for them to get

them treats:

Drake:

Tyler and I were there, too:

The kids were pretty bored.

At one point, I had to entertain

them by giving them a plastic spoon and a pine cone,

both of which I had found in my purse,

and showed them how to use the spoon

as a catapult for the pine cone.

It worked as entertainment for longer

than I might want to admit.

Here is David warming up for his race:

Run, David, Run!

Run faster, David!

He didn't win,

but he was injured and had come off a long season.

We were so glad we were able

to go and cheer him on!

Plus, afterwards,

he came home with us!

The kids took up pretty much all

of his attention:

And then he had to leave.

A short visit,

and we wish Olivia could have come too,

but it was better than nothing!

This is one of the new outfits

Ellory got for her birthday from

Nana:

And this is kids riding bikes

for the last time

at our apartment:

She wrote my name!

And she got tired:

And then it was time to move!!!!

Look at all this stuff in the car:

Once again,

Nana and Pop-Pop came to help us out.

Mom took the kids home with

her so they could have fun

and not worry about being in the way or bored.

Dad came and helped us load

up on Wednesday night,

along with the Young Men from church

and a couple other guys from church.

And also,

Dad stayed the night and helped us

unload the truck the next day

at our new house.

Plus he brought his ladder and

helped Tyler clean out our gutters.

They got it all moved in themselves.

Just the two of them.

I helped a little,

but honestly not very much.

Ellory's new bed:

My first crockpot meal cooking

in the new kitchen:

Mom and Dad brought the kids back together,

and dad also brought his

chainsaw so he and Tyler could

go to town on the overgrown trees in the front:

Ellory's first bath in our new home:

And that was June!

We were thrilled to moved into our new home.

It was a little stressful to be

homeowners,

but also very exciting.

There were a few issues with water coming in

downstairs,

but Tyler handled it all like a boss.

He truly has done EVERYTHING.

May 2018

2018-08-31T09:13:00.002-07:00

May!

Beautiful, sunny, warm May!

I took Ellory to a lot of parks

which resulted in her

doing this while waiting for Kale

to get out of school:

We ended up being at my parents' house

on May 4th,

so we celebrated Star Wars day

by watching Kale's Lego Star Wars movie.

And the next day,

the kids and I ate lunch outside:

One of Kale's soccer practices

involved any siblings or parents

getting out there and

scrimmaging with Kale's team.

Tyler carried Ellory around

so she could join in the fun

At one of his soccer practices,

Kale took a ball to the face.

At first he was FREAKING out,

but then I told him that he

now had his first loose tooth,

and he thought that was awesome and stopped crying.

About a week later,

I noticed that where his loose tooth was,

his adult tooth was already growing in behind it.

Like a little shark:

More beautiful soccer days!

Little Miss Ellory,

enjoying the soccer match:

I had been feeling pretty good,

and then one weekend I suddenly felt awful again.

Tyler was traveling and had texted me

to ask me how I was doing.

This was my response:

The kids and I then went to my parents house

to surprise my mom for Mother's Day!

I didn't tell either of them we were coming.

It was so fun to see the look

on her face when she answered the door.

And since it was Sunday,

my dad made me a delicious omlette

I don't remember what movie we watched...

But the kids were certainly entertained!

Maybe it was The Greatest Showman?

That night there was a huge thunderstorm,

and Ellory came into bed with me:

More beautiful days full of

me trying to tire her out:

Kale lost his first tooth!!

Tyler took the kids outside to

play some kickball...

And then the neighbors

wanted to join in.

Sometimes, I just like to take

pictures of her sleeping:

She built that magnet castle all by herself:

Ellory asked if she could have a

pajama party with her friends.

Duh. Yes:

They watched Chicken Little

and giggled the whole way through

in their cute pajamas.

Oh and Ellory requested a large

breakfast that morning,

which I made for her:

The poptart was the only thing she actually ate, though.

Another thing she built

all by herself:

For a while there,

she was obsessed with this movie:

And one night I really wanted to eat

something yummy but I also

really, really didn't want to cook it

or clean up the mess.

So we went to Hickory Park.

And Kale's ice cream turned his tongue blue:

Ellory put this on and she's cute,

so I don't need any other reason

to take a picture:

Hot day at Nana's calls for

ice cream and Popsicle breaks:

Oh, and all this while we were house hunting.

Saw some good ones.

Saw some awful ones.

We started to get extremely discouraged.

I was truly on the edge of giving up.

And then we saw this one:

And we were like,

"Um, yes, please."

Someone else put an offer on it,

but we won!

It was a huge relief to have

that done,

and so exciting anticipating moving in!

Kale had some fun days

for his last week of school.

One of them was silly string your teacher:

We took the side off Ellory's crib:

She fell off that night.

Eventually, she got used to it.

Kale had a field day at school.

Tyler, Ellory and I helped

in the morning with the Limbo station:

That was HOT day,

and very buggy.

We were really happy with
how Kale's Kindergarten year went.
His teacher was the best we could have asked for,
and he loved going every day.
She sometimes would text
me pictures of what he was doing
during the day,
and was more than willing to give him
extra things to do.
His favorite days were when he was chosen
to be the "Star Helper."
But he found ways to get to be
her helper pretty much every day.
We are really glad he got to participate
in the E.L.P. group, too.
He always came home excited to
tell me about the brainteaser!

And then May was over and summer began!

April 2018

2018-08-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

We've made it to April!

Thinking back on it,

most of what I remember was

that it was colder than I would have liked,

and that I finally made it far enough

into my pregnancy to get my hands

on some blessed Zofran.

My mom teased me and told me

I sound like a drug addict when I talk about it,

but I DON'T CARE.

That stuff transforms me from

and unrecognizable blob in the fetal position

on the couch,

into a functioning human being.

No more puking.

Do I feel 100%?

No.

But I feel well enough to actually

eat some food,

and to drive the kids places,

and to carry out a conversation

with my husband that isn't

just grunts.

So, to whomever invented Zofran,

I bless you and thank you.

Anyway,

on to the picture recap.

The first day of April we spent

watching General Conference

and celebrating Easter with my parents.

They, of course, were required

to entertain the kids:

It was a really nice day.

Best part?

I was able to eat the ribs

AND

keep them down.

#winning.

Also in April,

Kale started soccer!!!

The above picture was after his first day.

It was a little cold...

The beginning of his soccer season was rough.

Lots of cancellations because

it was cold and raining.

He was really nervous about his first day.

I mean, REALLY nervous.

But he made it through.

We had some rough bumps

along the way getting him used

to listening to his coach

and not throwing tantrums when he lost.

No idea where he gets his competitiveness from.......

This was a day when

I was not feeling great,

(no Zofran yet)

so we stayed in our pajamas

and watched TV all day:

Because of the circumstances

under which we found out we were pregnant,

my doctor had to guess how far along I was.

So, at what she guess was my 12 week point,

she had me come in for a check up

and also for an ultrasound so they could

measure the little one and determine

how far along I was:

And doc was right!

I was measuring right at 12 weeks.

A lot of times when we went to Kale's

soccer practice,

Ellory would fall asleep on the way there.

Most of the time I was glad she did this,

because then I had to stay in the

car with her.

It was still really cold, and although

I had my medicine now,

I still wasn't feeling that good.

But I was always able to get a parking

spot where I could see Kale's practice.

Not long after we got the ultrasound,

we texted our siblings

to let them know the happy news.

When we were at Dain's reception,

I had had a conversation

with Heather (Kyle's wife)

about what was going on with me,

and I had said the words to her,

"I've come to terms with the fact

that I probably won't have any more kids."

She was so happy for me

when I told her I was pregnant.

And just a few days later,

I got this from her in the mail:

It was the sweetest thing.

And she was the one dealing with

having her husband shipping off to Afghanistan

for 9 months,

but she took time to think of me

and send me a little something.

She really is the best!

Oh look,

Ellory fell asleep again:

One day, after church,

Kale was just too cool for anything:

Look!

I actually watched soccer

from the sidelines!

Slowly but surely,

the weather was trying to warm up.

One day Kale went to a friend's house

after school to play.

When I picked him up,

his eye looked like this:

No, he didn't get in a fight with his friend.

That is what happens when he

comes in contact with peanuts.

The friend's mom had no idea

how that had happened.

I gave him some Benadryl,

and he couldn't help but fall asleep.

Which was weird because

Benadryl has never had that effect on him before.

Anyway, I thought it would be good to

let him sleep it off,

and it didn't seem like it was getting any worse.

Well, when Tyler got home,

he looked at it and it had gotten worse.

Off to the ER we went!

Long story short,

they decided to prescribe him a steroid,

and that knocked it right out.

Poor guy!

We got some coupons in the mail

for free pizza at a place in Ames called

Smokin Oak Pizza.

So ya, we went and checked that place out!

And brought McDonald's for Ellory:

It was delicious.

Nana and Pop-Pop came over

to celebrate Pop-Pop's birthday.

But first,

Nana gave the kids some presents.

Like this Yo-Yo:

It took Kale 23 seconds to break his yo-yo.

I think it took Ellory about 8 minutes.

Kale made Pop-Pop a birthday card:

Ellory helped unwrap the present:

Which was a puzzle!

The kids picked it out themselves.

The plan was to go to a park and have a picnic:

But, per the theme of this April,

it was COLD and WINDY.

And then we went to Perfect Games

to dink around:

And do some bowling:

Ellory didn't like bowling.

When I told her too bad,

guess who she went crying to?...

Ya, she has him wrapped around

her adorable little finger.

And we all know it.

Other than Ellory not enjoying bowling,

we had a really fun time!

And I was grateful that

Mom and Dad were willing to

come to us since

driving still was really difficult for me.

At about this time,

Tyler and I embarked on a crazy adventure...

house hunting!

Boy that was stressful.

One day, while Tyler was traveling,

there were a couple open houses we were interested in.

So I took the kids to them,

and I promised there would be a visit

to a park if they were good.

Well, they were good enough:

At Kale's school,

they did this thing called "Mileage Club."

One recess a day the kids could

choose to run laps around

the school and rack up miles and earn different rewards.

Kale loved it!

And Ellory and I went to help

with keeping track of the kids'

earned tokens.

Which meant....

picnics!

We didn't start volunteering to help

until the weather got nice.

Ha!

Also in April,

we made our happy news public knowledge!

I don't remember what's happing

in these pictures,

but she's cute:

Ellory had her friend, Thea,

come with us to Mileage club one day:

I can't remember why we took this picture:

I would bet Kale was excited

about something he had accomplished.

And possibly wanted to have the picture

sent to Tyler.

But I'm not sure.

Ellory and her cheetah,

just swingin life away:

Then it was time for Dain and Heidi's Open House!

We went to my parents' house for a few days

so that we could spend time with them,

and so I could try and be

somewhat helpful.

It was so fun!

Jake surprised everyone but me by showing up,

(he told me he was coming),

but then Caree (Jake's fiance)

surprised me by coming with him!

It was an awesome surprise

and we had so much fun together that weekend.

Also, Tyler surprised me by showing up

at the Open House!

He had to work that morning

at the Drake Relays,

and when we were texting it didn't sound

like he was going to come.

I was pretty bummed.

But then he showed up

and I couldn't have been happier!

All in all,

it was a really great weekend.

The weather took a turn for

the gorgeous,

so we could start walking to and from school again.

Which was great because driving

still was making me carsick.

Kale was a sweet boy and

offered to push the stroller for me:

And that was April!

By the end,

Spring had actually sprung,

and we were getting ready to count

down the days until summer!!!!!

March 2018

2018-08-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

March was truly madness for me,

on many levels.

The first?

My baby brother got MARRIED.

First of all,

big shout out to my Aunt Aethea and Uncle Jeff.

They let me and the kids,

PLUS my parents,

PLUS Kyle and Heather and their kids,

stay at their house while we were in town for the wedding.

Jeff went and stayed with his parents

so that he would be able to get

some actual sleep because some people

have jobs and stuff!

I am really grateful to him for being willing

to be kicked out of his home for us,

and to Aethea for feeding us

and putting up with our all around craziness.

I had a BLAST.

It was really fun to see baby

Emma again so soon:

And to get a chance to play with Charlotte:

Aethea busted out her old Barbie set.

Ellory couldn't have been happier.

That is, until the end of the trip when Aethea

told her that she could

TAKE IT HOME WITH HER.

The joy on her face was

the best.

Pop-Pop is the most comfy

of all of us to sleep on:

Dain and Heidi sent me

this Snapchat,

so I snagged a screen shot of it:

This is where Kale's fascination

and love for Emma began:

It was adorable and a little heartbreaking.

I'd recently had a conversation

with him about how my body wasn't working correctly,

and even though we want to,

we probably wouldn't be able

to have any more babies.

He was really sad when I told him,

but when we were at Aethea's house

he told me he was really glad

that we would at least

be able to have baby cousins.

And just like that,

he grew up just a little:

Isn't that bow-tie just the best?

Heidi's mom made them

for all the little nephews.

And for all the little nieces.....

That's right!

Poofy. Pink. Tu-tus.

It was so cute.

Charlotte didn't want to me to take

her picture that morning,

so that's why she isn't in the mix.

But look at all these adroables:

It was REALLY windy

and a little cold,

so Ellory was done after about

17 seconds.

And all she wanted was her Pop-Pop:

After taking pictures outside the Temple,

we went to the church

for the luncheon.

My cousin, Kristen,

let the kids watch a show on her phone:

Aethea and Kristen:

We always have such a great time together.

Here was the dessert table:

These brownies were

delectable:

My dad said a few words

while we all stared at the yummy

Cafe Rio behind him,

mouths watering.

Charlotte really like Aethea,

and I can't blame her

After cleaning up the luncheon,

we headed back to Aethea's house

to await the reception.

Card games ensued,

and Kyle fed his baby like this:

Aunt Vauna and Uncle Jeff

hung around too!

We love them so much.

The reception was beautiful,

and they got a really great turn out.

And they had their special

drinks (dirty Dr. Peppers)

handy:

At one point,

Ellory stole the bride's bouquet:

I swear I made her give it back.

Mom's BFF's from college swung by,

and they were, like, SO happy to see each other!

Dain danced with Mom:

And Ellory got grumpy and tired.

Shocker:

And then it was over.

I'm really grateful I was able to go

and participate and spend time with family.

The only sad part was that

Tyler couldn't come with us.

Heidi is great and I am happy

to add another sister to our family!

And now,

for the long ride home:

Kale and Ellory are truly the best

kid travellers.

I have yet to hear of anyone

who's kids do better.

Thank goodness for portable DVD players.

Haha!

I missed Tyler so much,

I listened to some country music:

Ya. I know.

It was serious.

So remember how when we drove out

to Utah my mom was super sick?

Well when we drove back home to Iowa,

I started feeling awful.

I figured it was because I hadn't slept

very many hours because

we were up late every night,

and also because I had been eating all the

junk food in sight.

By the time we got home,

I felt truly awful.

Tyler put me in a bath

and then sent me to bed.

I woke up feeling

the same.

For days I could not shake it.

It was the worst I had felt in a really long time.

And Tyler had to leave

on a trip with the Track Team!

So I asked mom if she could please

come and stay with me,

because I wasn't getting any better,

and I was finding it difficult

to even get up

to get the kids their meals.

And she came without hesitation.

And this was the day,

that changed everything.

I knew mom was on her way over.

And I was talking to Tyler on the phone

and I said,

"You know, this feels just like my morning sickness, except

that I'm not throwing up. Maybe it's a good thing

I can't have any more kids, maybe I can't handle

being pregnant and taking care of 2 kids."

And then it just kept bugging me and bugging me

that it felt exactly the same as morning sickness.

So, I decided to take a test,

just to put it out of my mind.

But then,

it was positive!

I couldn't believe my eyes.

For months I had been doing various

tests and ALL of them had come

back negative.

This shouldn't be possible.

It was a miracle!

I called Tyler,

and the first thing I said was,

"So, I'm pregnant."

He was a bit speechless.

He was in the middle of crossing

the street, surrounded by people.

Not exactly the best time to chat.

So he asked me if he could call me back.

I called my doctor's office to make an

appointment,

went in,

and their test was positive too.

There was no doubt about it!

So when mom got here, I told her the knews,

that I wasn't going to be getting

better any time soon.

That's actually how I worded it to Tyler as well,

They both told me that that was the worst

way I could have worded it.

I see that now.

Sorry!

My brain wasn't working

at it's best.

Mom was thrilled for me.

And she cancelled plans she had so

she could stay with me a few extra days.

I can't express how grateful I am

for my parents

at this time.

They both came over multiple

times when Tyler was traveling,

which was almost every week,

and just took care of everything.

Took Kale to school,

fed the kids,

played with the kids,

scratched my back,

rubbed my head,

washed the dishes,

did the laundry,

just everything.

You really never stop being

a mom or a dad!

One day the neighbor boys

asked Kale to come out

and play basketball.

I sat by the window and watched:

Ellory getting in her meditation time:

Kale's springbreak was super boring:

But one day,

I got up enough nerve to take them

to the library for a bit:

Taking them places was hard,

because this time around,

I got really really really dizzy and carsick

every time I got in the car.

But then Nana came and rescued them

from their boredom.

She took them to Mcdonald's

and then back to her house for a few days:

One day the weather wasn't

too terrible,

so Ellory and I sat out in it for a bit.

The fresh air was really nice:

And some days,

I just let her watch Word World

in her underwear:

One day Kale told me

he thought there was something

in his ear.

I asked him what he thought it was,

but he said he didn't know.

I looked, but didn't see anything.

A little while later,

he came to me and showed me what

had just fallen out of his ear:

Then I got the full story.

He'd found it at school and

was worried that if he put it in his pocket

it would fall out.

So the next logical option?

Put it in your ear!

Oh Kale.

One day Ellory had her two friends,

Neve and Thea,

over for a playdate:

And later that day I acted

like a real veteran mom

and had a car load of kids to take home from school:

On this wonderful night,

I introduced the kids to the movie,

The Princess Bride.

They loved it, duh.

My mom gave me some old

home videos to watch,

and one of them was when Aunt Aethea came

to visit us in Indiana.

Look at us!

Babies.

Kale was pumped that his tongue turned blue:

Nana came to stay again,

and she brought the kids

new pajamas.

This may be the greatest picture I've

taken of them, to date:

A friend of mine and I decided

we wanted to do a small

Easter Egg hunt with the kids.

It was chilly but not too terrible,

and the park we met at wasn't too far away.

I think it was the perfect amount of eggs,

and the big kids did a great job

of leaving plenty for the little kids.

Ellory was a little tired one day:

The Easter Bunny came!

And that was March!

My whole world changed,

and I am forever grateful.

I tried my best not complain about how awful

I felt,

but I didn't always succeed.

I'd also like to note here that

when Tyler was home,

he took care of everything.

Anything the kids needed,

all the housework,

all the church stuff,

taking Kale to school,

just everything.

And he was under a lot of pressure at work .

I'm sure the last thing he wanted

to do when he got home

was dishes and stuff.

But he did.

Without me ever ever ever having to ask him to.

I know that I am really lucky to have a husband

like that.

I may have felt the worst I've ever felt physically,

but I've never been so grateful

and felt so blessed and loved

by just about everyone around me.

February 2018

2018-08-22T16:15:00.002-07:00

Welcome to February!

It was really really cold

for pretty much

the entire month.

I'm talking windchill in the negative 40s!

So, yes, lots of cuddles:

Kale made this for me:

Kale loved to go sledding!

Ellory really just did not like the cold.

I didn't blame her.

We went to another indoor track meet:

Ya, that's about how much she wanted

to be there.

Every once in a while,

I think to document the kids

playing their little games together.

I love their imaginations:

And sometimes I take pictures of them

while they are sleeping because I

get sentimental and think about how

they grow up every day

and sometimes I just want them to stay little forever.

The whole, thinking I was never

going to be able to have another

baby thing probably didn't help

my emotional state at this time.

But look how cute they are all cuddled up:

Happy Sunday!

Ellory and I got to help out in Kale's

classroom for his Valentine's Day party.

And there was ice cream!

We came home from school to this

beautiful surprise:

When we got married,

my bouquet was made from

fake flowers.

Tyler and I had a conversation about it

and I told him that I didn't really

like the idea of spending money

on flowers because they are just going to die.

And I still think that's true.

So since that conversation,

he has never bought me flowers,

and I believe I've never complained,

but I could be wrong about that.

But a few months ago I was teasing him

that the only flowers he'd

ever given to me were tainted (long story),

and I said that although I thought

flowers were pointless

they were still a nice gesture.

Well, he certainly listened!

My parents sent us this

little surprise in the mail:

So yum!

And this was my attempt to do

something "Valentinesy" for dinner:

My mom offered to come up

and babysit the kids for a night

so Tyler and I could go

on a date,

and then she and dad would stay the night

so we could celebrate her birthday the next day.

Well then Ellory and I HAD to

make her the famous chocolate cake:

And here they are!

Happy Birthday Nana!!!

That cake is just soooooooooooooo YUM.

Did I mention we are obsessed with Qwixx...

Because we are super into it.

Another freezing cold day

calls for another trip to the mall:

One day Ellory asked if we could have

a pajama party.

I asked her what we do at

a pajama party,

and she made this list:

And so we did all of those things.

First, Snapchat:

Next, sandwiches and the Lego Ninjago Movie:

And also, cuddling with stuffed animals:

Then, playing Sequence:

We also had a dance party,

because we're not quitters!

I just didn't take a picture of it.

Then, it was time to head to Utah

for Dain and Heidi's wedding!

We headed out a little early

so we could spend some time with family.

First, we went to Vauna and Jeff's house.

Kale roped Aunt Vauna into

a game of Battleship:

And Ellory convinced Pop-Pop

to play a matching game with him,

even though we all

just wanted to go to sleep:

Poor mom was so sick

on the drive out.

We had some rough weather

through Wyoming (surprise!),

but we made it through.

Then, the kids and I went to Shane and Realyn's

house so we could spend a few days

with the Patterson side of the family,

We played some video games:

Ellory and Allie really hit it off.

Those two were ridiculously adorable together.

On this day we all got together at Janie's house.

When we got there,

Ellory was in one of her super grumpy moods.

Nothing was good enough.

And then,

Allie walked in the door,

and suddenly everything was fine:

We love the cousins!!!

And Gracie was so very sweet to Ellory,

even when Ellory was being cranky:

She's actually really sweet:

Oh look,

she found her best friend again!

Addy had her last basketball game

while we were there,

and I was excited to be able to go.

I took some really crappy pictures

of her,

but it's proof that I went:

And that was February.

On to March and Dain's wedding!

January 2018

2018-08-21T21:04:00.003-07:00

The kids have never been good sleepers.

But they usually at least

sleep in their beds and fall asleep by like 9:30.

Not since we moved into our house.

Kale is petrified.

He thinks that since he is upstairs

and we are downstairs that we can't

hear anything and that something

terrible is going to happen and we

will have no idea.

So he's constantly getting

up out of bed instead of

going to sleep.

Which keeps Ellory awake.

So now it's 10:45 and I am fed up

and have sent Kale to sleep on our bedroom floor

and I am sitting on the couch upstairs

until Ellory falls asleep.

Whatever.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

Back to January of this year...

It was Tyler's 31st birthday!

I'm horrible and I don't even

remember what we got him...

but we love him very much

and can't imagine our lives without him.

Ellory giving a puppet show at the library:

It's always great when Tyler reads to the kids:

Cuddles and movies:

This passed winter was FRIGID.

So when it got up into the

UPPER 30'S,

it really did feel like a heat wave.

During the "heat wave" we enjoyed

as much time out in the snow

as we could.

Ellory and I even went to the car wash:

I cut my finger on a can lid.

Again.

But I didn't need stitches this time!

I taught Ellory to play Trouble,

but she had to be comfy

while she played:

"Mom, let's do a smiley face"

And one day we got the Dominoes

down and Ellory had fun

doing some matching and counting:

When it got cold,

I started giving our neighbors rides to

and from school.

One day, their mom came to the

door with a bowl of African cookies she had made for me:

They were good!

Very light and fluffy,

like wafers.

Kale's school had a Read-A-Thon,

and Ellory and I went to help

count up kids' logged minutes

and hand out prizes.

Kale got to have a friend over

to play video games:

It drove me INSANE.

They just yelled and argued

with each other the entire time.

My friend Cherish Kasner

invited the kids and I to come

to her son's birthday party

at a place here called Perfect Games.

It has bowling and arcade games and laser tag.

Pretty cool place.

We had lots of fun!

The kids earned a few tickets,

so they got to "buy" some prizes:

During the school year,

Kale was allowed to check out one library

book every week.

One day he brought home this book:

He brought it home for me.

He said he saw that it was about time travel

and he thought that I would really like that,

so he grabbed it for me.

So sweet!

One day Ellory looked like a hot mess

at the grocery store,

and she owned it:

Kale's school had an assembly for the

end of the Read-A-Thon,

and we went to cheer him on.

But Kale wanted his sister

to sit with him,

not on the sidelines!

We went back to his classroom

afterwards to hang out until school was done:

Tyler must have been travelling,

so away we went for a weekend at Nana and Pop-Pop's!

Pop-Pop took us on and "adventure"

in the woods:

I remember playing in this

"tree fort":

I love cuddling with this girl:

And that was our January.

December 2017

2018-08-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

December 2017 (plus January 1)

It's time for the Christmas Season!!!!!!

Hooray!!!!!

Looking at pictures from last Christmas

is getting me all excited for this

coming one.

Ok, I'll focus now.

On the first day of December,

the traditions began!

With our advent calendars:

AND it was nice enough outside

for Ellory to ride her bike:

Look at these cute church-going kids:

Ellory's hair was a little wild...

On this particular Sunday,

we had to wait for Tyler to have a meeting after church.

The kids were super patient

and thought it was cool to play in the

"way back" of the car:

Here are a few of the funny things

the kids said:

That last one was especially hilarious.

At school, Kale's library teacher

showed them a website where they

could learn how to Code.

Anyone surprised that Kale loved it?

The really cool thing is that she

emailed the parents how we could

access it at home.

So we got it going and Kale showed us how it worked:

Ellory started showing an interest in

how to play Candyland according to the actual rules:

Sometimes, when we would go to Wal-Mart,

I would get her popcorn chicken at the start

so she would be more cooperative

during our visit:

We went to watch an indoor track meet

that Iowa State was hosting.

It's not the most entertaining thing in the world

for littles, but they

really liked watching the high jump.

We left the track meet early

to go to our Ward's Christmas Party.

They had cookie decorating:

And Santa!

Ellory said she wanted to talk to Santa,

but she didn't want to sit

on his lap.

I don't blame you girlfriend.

That night,

they both really wanted me to take

pictures of them in their pajamas:

One day we went to the mall

and they got to ride on

the cheap little carousel thing:

Kale asked if one day after school he could

have his friend, Rose, over to watch

the movie Elf.

Rose has a little sister Ellory's age named Ruby,

so we invited her too:

And there was popcorn:

Nana came to visit!!

And I taught her how to make Cakeballs.

She took the kids home with her,

and Pop-Pop read them a story:

Tyler and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary!

We went to dinner at a fancy place,

and just had a fun night out together.

No pictures were taken.

Oops.

But my new friend, Andra, stopped by

with sparkling cider and glasses,

and it just made me smile

that she would think of us like that:

Ellory fell asleep in the car.

I carried her inside and would

normally have laid her down on the couch,

but this time, I just wanted

to hold her close.

It was looking more and more

likely that another baby was not in my future,

and so I just wanted to hold on to these

moments with her as long as possible:

Dain came home for Christmas break,

and Mom took us to see Mannheim Steamroller in concert!

I thought it was really really fun

and I'm so glad we did it!

Dain was being a little turd because

he missed his girl,

but we had fun with him anyway.

Nana had the kids help her make

the famous sugar cookies:

And we delivered cookies

and caroled to a few ladies.

Full car!

Poor Dain, always the rejected child:

One of the ladies we visited was

Alma Roberts.

I love her so much,

and I'm so grateful I got to visit

with her this last time:

Tyler and I went to see

The Last Jedi.

It's a bit of a controversial topic.

Let's just say,

not one of our best date nights.

It happens sometimes.

Playin in the playroom!

So for this Christmas what we did was this:

we spent most of the week

before Christmas at my parents house.

Then, we went back to Ames on the Eve of Christmas Eve

because I needed to play the piano

at church on Christmas Eve.

And then, after church, we went back to my parents house!

But here, back at our house,

on the Eve of Christmas Eve,

we watched Babes In Toyland:

We woke up to snow the next morning!

Kale helped Tyler shovel our driveway:

Before going to church,

we decided to open our presents

from Tyler's side of the family:

Grandma Pam gives the grandkids

their own ornament every year.

This year, Ellory got a pink octopus:

And Kale got a Sea Turtle:

My friend Amy Marsh made the kids

ornaments again and mailed them to us:

Isn't this little Nativity so sweet??

And the Raffs sent us this

really great ornament of our family:

They are ready for church:

Look! I did her hair again!

We made it to Nana and Pop-Pop's house,

so it was time to get real festive.

Leaving out cookies for Santa

and carrots for the reindeer

on the same plates I used when I was a kid:

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree...

Kale and Ellory wanted to sleep in the same

bed that night.

And we stayed up to watch

A Christmas Story.

Classic!

Oh, and of course we kept up the tradition

of Christmas Eve Pajamas!

On Christmas morning,

Kale woke up ready to go,

but Ellory wasn't quite ready...

But eventually she got there.

You should have seen her face when she saw

what Santa had brought her!!

And Kale was so excited to see

this GIANT lego set:

Santa brought the whole family

a PS4.

Kale is the one who asked for video games,

but Santa thought it was better

not to give that gift to a 6-year-old,

and instead give it to his whole family.

Win-Win.

Ellory was tired pretty quickly..

And Kale was in heaven

After a yummy breakfast,

we opened the presents under the tree.

Kale was sooo excited to give Tyler

the game cribbage.

It was really cute.

The Flash!!

Nana finally has her own

pepper spray and taser gun.

Watch out bad guys!

And sleds from Uncle Jake!

Back to the video games...

And playing with her fun new kitchen stuff:

Ellory got the game Guess Who,

and she really liked it!

Time to wind down with a fire

and a movie

And that was Christmas!

It was a wonderful time with family,

and I'm glad we got to spend it together.

Then, a few days later,

we loaded up and headed to Colorado Springs

to visit Kyle and Heather and Charlotte and new baby Emma!

Of course the weather was crappy

in Iowa when we left.

Getting passed Des Moines was a little scary.

This is an accident that happened right in front of us:

But we made it to Ogallala

and stopped for the night.

I shared a bed with Ellory.

She is not fun to share a bed with:

And then we got up and made it the

rest of the way there.

Charlotte and Ellory played on the stairs

for a bit:

Look at that sweet face:

Me and Dad and Charlotte and Ellory

decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood:

And then Ellory and Charlotte discovered

this incredible game called,

"pick up the rocks and give them to Pop-Pop"

Ellory said she was getting cold,

so Pop-Pop gave her his sweater...

Grilling by headlamp light,

I love it:

Kyle and Heather gave Ellory

a puzzle for Christmas,

which she wasted no time

in putting together:

And Charlotte really liked her Uncle Tyler:

And warmed up to her Uncle Dain:

And here is baby Emma!!

She was so precious.

And so tiny!

Uncle Kyle let Kale play on his Xbox.

Nice move Kyle.

And we walked with the kids

to a nearby park for a bit

because, wiggles.

Pop-Pop and Emma:

We got a game from Shane and Realyn

for Christmas called Qwixx.

We loved it so much we brought it with us:

That night we went to a place

to get some pizza.

It was a really cool place,

but it was LOUD and CROWDED

and probably not where Ellory or Charlotte or Emma wanted to be.

But the pizza was yummy!

We went to Colorado to see Kyle and his family,

but also because we wanted to be

there for Emma's baby blessing.

Sunday came, and off to church we went.

Heather got Ellory and Charlotte matching

dresses that they wore.

But we were silly and didn't

get a picture of them together!

But I snagged this one:

He's such a sweet daddy:

My turn to hold her!!

And then it was time to go back home.

Kale and Ellory really are the best

little travelers we could ask for.

Phew! We made it through all of 2017.

Happy New Year!

November 2017

2018-08-21T13:18:00.001-07:00

Ah, November.

The month where we earnestly

seek out ways to play indoors.

And so, we discovered the mall.

That's right, the mall.

Here is the Cy statue inside the mall:

And here is the play area in the mall

that Ellory wanted to go to

every single day:

I'm so glad my friend told me about it.

I am a firm believer that kids need to

run and climb and jump and just

go wild.

Ellory wanted me to take a picture

of her brushing her teeth:

On our way to Nana's house!

So on my parents' computer,

their screensaver is just to

go through all their pictures.

And suddenly, this little gem popped up:

Isn't it the best??

It just screams 90's.

Also, who is Jake even talking to?

And look at how cute little Kyle is in his earmuffs!!

And my bangs couldn't make me laugh any harder.

My parents were nice enough

to offer to keep the kids overnight so that

I could go to the temple.

It was quite the couple of days!

I drove the 2 hours to their house,

and then later drove the 2 hours back.

Then, the next day I drove the 2 1/2 hours to

the temple,

spent about 4 hours inside,

and then drove the 2 1/2 hours back.

And it was all worth it.

I really needed the temple that day.

I had recently found out that

my reproductive system was malfunctioning,

and there was a chance it would stay that way.

This trip to the temple brought me a lot

of comfort and peace that I needed.

And now, I'm not super sure,

but I think I possibly drove back

to Nana's house the next day to get the kids?

Anyway, Pop-Pop and Ellory

napped together:

And Nana taught Kale the joys

of Harry Potter Uno:

And Kale fell asleep like this

on the way home:

One day, Ellory asked me to make

her a treasure map

that she could follow to buried treasure.

So I did:

Her treasure was chocolate,

the best kind of treasure.

And she was so tired from her hunt

she had to lay down to eat it:

Those mornings just kept on

getting chillier!

Back to the mall we went:

Always with snacks:

Waiting for Kale to get out of school:

So, Tyler is also an integral part of this family,

and we care about the things he is doing, too!

Well, for his first year at Iowa State,

he got to take part in the hosting of the

Cross Country Regional Championship.

It was a lot of responsibility, and probably not

the easiest thing to do at a brand new

place where you don't know everyone.

But he did it!

And not only that, but both the men and women's

teams won!

I was really excited for Tyler

because he had an injured athlete he had been

working with for a long time

who was able to not only run at the race,

but also place significantly to help the team

attain their big win.

I tell everyone this every chance I get:

Tyler is REALLY good at his job.

He works hard, he is invested, and he cares.

Thank goodness for the internet!

Kale was jealous when he

heard that I had taken Ellory to the mall

and let her do one of the little ride things.

So we went back:

One time, I did Ellory's hair again:

And Kale was handsome as all get out:

Ellory and I went out to run some errands

and she wanted to bring Puppy with us.

But Puppy needed to be safe in the car,

so we strapped him into Kale's car seat:

Get those wiggles out girlie!

It must not have been horribly cold

this day,

so we walked to pick Kale up:

And Ellory fell asleep:

I brought Kale's scooter so he could

ride it home,

but I didn't bring him gloves

so he borrowed my mittens:

While Ellory napped,

we played Battleship and ate

Halloween candy:

She woke up!

Time for a visit to the library:

"Mom! Take a picture of us in our beds!"

"I miss daddy. Let's send him kisses."

"Vroom!"

Yee-Haw!

Water paints time:

Another trip to the library.

The librarian wanted Ellory to like her so badly.

she gave her crayons and a coloring page,

but then Ellory banished her back to her desk.

Mom gave me this candle,

and I love it:

Hi, I'm Ellory and I like bunnies.

On the eve of Thanksgiving,

I made our traditional roasted red pepper dip:

SO good.

And on Thanksgiving day I made a ham:

Grandma's rolls:

Oh I almost forgot!

The day before Thanksgiving

we were playing around

and Kale accidentally headbutted me in the eye.

It hurt so bad.

I now understand what people mean

when they say they "saw stars."

And I also understand that I don't

ever want Kale to play football.

But anyway,

I had a nice shiner for Thanksgiving day:

We went outside to play for a bit,

because wiggles.

And then waited for the food to be

done and for the missionaries to get here.

I made more things than just ham and rolls,

by the way.

I also made roasted veggies and

mashed potatoes and gravy.

After dinner we taught the missionaries

how to play 5 Crowns:

And then it was dessert time!!!!

Every year we make a pumpkin cobbler

that is the bomb.

Thanksgiving is the only day of the year

that we make it.

And this year,

one of the missionaries requested a

banana cream pie,

so we had that too.

Delish.

The next day,

we put up our Christmas decorations:

Tyler and Kale strung up some lights

around the deck:

And the weather was so unusually warm,

we went to a park to play,

in T-shirts!

Kale and Ellory played a matching game together:

And then, Uncle Shane came to visit!!

We were so excited for him to be

here with us.

Kale wanted to show him his school

playground:

And Ellory wanted to show him,

well,

everything:

He showed the kids how to play

chess on his phone:

And we took him to dinner

at Hickory Park.

He was here on Sunday, too,

so he got to come to our ward with us.

Off to church we go!

Ellory really just loved Uncle Shane,

and it was sweet to see:

Then we relaxed and watched a movie.

Wish I could remember which one it was...

And then he had to go.

He had a training down in Kansas City he had to drive to.

We were so happy that he wanted

to extend his trip a little bit

to spend some time with us!

So one day it was super duper cold

and Ellory didn't want to get out of the car

to get Kale from school.

So I gave her my phone and told her she

could take pictures while I was grabbing him:

I told you.

She's already a selfie fiend.

Here are the kids' letters

to Santa:

And that was November!

October 2017

2018-08-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to October of 2017!!

October is always one of my favorite

times of the year.

The color of the leaves,

the weather,

and the fun fall activities.

Oh, and extra cuddle times:

There's something else that happens

in October that I'm forgetting.....

Oh ya!

Kale's birthday!!!

Can you believe he is 6 years old???

Ellory picked out her present to Kale herself.

It was a frustrating process.

Once again she has shown to

inherit one of my traits:

severe indecision.

We wandered the toy isles for what felt like hours.

Until she finally found the perfect present-

A Remote Control Car:

Tyler and I gave him a

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Scooter:

And he was spoiled rotten

by his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins!

Grandma Pam made him this blanket,

and he LOVES it:

A cool TMNT helmet to match

his scooter from Uncle Jake:

Josh (Kale's hero/cousin/fellow Star Wars and Lego aficionado)

made him this sweet card:

Like I said,

he was spoiled.

And all of that was done BEFORE school!

Since we took so long,

we had to drive Kale to school with

his bag of treats to share:

Orange Oreos!

We had told Kale that he would

not be doing a birthday party this year,

but that he could invite one friend

to come over and play after school

on his birthday.

So, he invited his new friend, Carter.

Ellory and I wore party hats to the school

and had a couple for Kale and Carter to wear

on the walk home.

Carter was a very nice boy,

who not only played great with Kale,

but he was very kind to Ellory as well.

They had fun checking out Kale's new stuff!

After Carter went home,

the kids and I stayed outside

to play a bit.

Ellory may or may not have been having

a hard time not being the center of attention...

Kale got a card in the mail from Nana and Pop-Pop

with money and a balloon in it:

And then we went about put together

Kale's new lego sets.

I'll admit,

I enjoy this almost as much as he does:

And that was the celebration

on his actual birthday!

More to come.

One day was so beautiful,

we couldn't help but take a picture:

And I started leaving to pick Kale up

from school earlier

so that our walks could be longer.

Yay exercise!

The library in Ames is fantastic,

with lots of fun things to do.

Ellory loves the interactive books.

Tyler was on a trip,

and Ellory kept talking about how much

she missed him.

She's not always the nicest to him,

so I didn't pass up the opportunity to

make him feel like his daughter does love him.

And now,

a trip to Nana and Pop-Pop's house

to celebrate Kale's birthday!

Ellory adores her Pop-Pop

And Nana eats dessert for breakfast

Happy Birthday Part 2!

Kale made a scavenger hunt

for us to go on in order to find

our invitations to his birthday:

And then we all had to RSVP.

The options are "Ya", "Na", and "Um".

This kid is the best.

He loved all his presents!

Ellory was a little tired from

all the fun:

Kale loves pizza and going to restaurants.

So he asked if we could do that for

his birthday.

And Nana and Pop-Pop never say no!

So we went to the restaurant I

used to work at in high school,

Mcotto's!

Ellory really really really

didn't want to be there:

They messed up mine and mom's pizza.

We specifically said no sauerkraut!!

But they nailed Kale's pepperoni at least.

Later, the kids enjoyed riding

their bike and scooter

up and down the driveway.

There is a TV show on Netflix

the kids really like called Just In Time Go.

It's actually very cute.

Anyway, their favorite episode

is called Babushka's Bear

which is one of those Russian dolls that you

open up and it gets smaller and smaller and smaller.

Well, my dad has one of those,

and once Ellory found out about

Pop-Pop's "Babushka's Bear"

she was obsessed with playing with it:

Nana and Pop-Pop gave Kale more

Legos, and we wasted no time

putting them together

And then it was cake time!

Kale requested I make him

an Oreo ice cream cake

with orange oreos.

As you wish!

Overall, I think he had a pretty

great birthday.

Here is a new outfit

he got:

And here is his haircut:

Seriously. I'm so obsessed with it.

Ellory and I went on a

"neighborhood nature exploration walk"

where we gathered things like rocks

and twigs and acorns.

It was kinda windy.

It started being a little chilly in the morning.

Yup, that's a space heater parked right next to Kale.

On days when we would drive

to pick Kale up instead of walk,

we had to get there like 15 minutes early to get

a good parking spot.

So how did we pass the time?

Snapchat of course:

One time I made scones for dinner,

and I sent this picture to Tyler

so he would come home from

work faster.

It totally worked.

Not sure why I took this next picture.

Maybe because he was wearing his hat?

Or maybe it was his first time

wearing his coat to school?

Or maybe it was because he was wearing his coat

with shorts and an Oregon State hat

which makes him look like

he's definitely from Oregon because people there

just whatever tickles their fancy

rather than dressing for the weather?

I don't know. But they are cute!

I started potty training Ellory.

It didn't go well,

but she looked cute.

So here's a bit of the story on potty training Ellory.

I was nervous to do it,

mostly because I knew that I couldn't

do it the way I had with Kale,

because she isn't motivated the same way Kale is.

Put a chart in from of Kale and say,

"if you fill this chart with stickers

for going potty in the toilet,

you will get a prize"

then he is ALL IN.

He will do whatever it takes.

Honestly, I don't even really have to put a prize

at the end.

He'll do it just for the stickers.

Ellory is NOT like that.

say the same think to her

and she will look at you like you are insane,

tell you that she doesn't want to do that because it's stupid,

and essentially give you the proverbial finger.

BUT, since I really wasn't sure of

any other way to approach it,

that's what I did.

She was actually very cooperative.

She didn't care about the stickers.

At all.

But she would go to the toilet when the timer rang

and she would sit on there and sometimes go but sometimes not.

Unfortunately, I accidentally conditioned her

only to go to the bathroom if she heard a timer go off.

We were at her friends house,

and the timer on her stove went off

and Ellory sprinted to the bathroom.

I could not get her to recognize on her own

when her body was telling her to go potty.

I talked with Tyler about it a lot,

and thought about it a lot,

and I just knew that I knew her,

and I knew that she wasn't going to do

anything that wasn't her idea to do.

So I put her back in diapers,

and told her that when she wanted to be a

big girl that she could tell me,

and we could have her wear big girl underwear again.

A week later,

she told me she wanted to go potty on the toilet,

and she didn't have an accident for 3 weeks.

And the only reason she had that accident was

because she was in timeout and she didn't

know she was allowed to leave timeout to

go potty.

Instead, she just stood there and peed herself

and cried.

I was upstairs thinking to myself that it was weird

that she hadn't calmed down yet.

So I went to check on her,

and there she was,

standing in a puddle,

saying sorry over and over.

Poor thing!

But anyway, she got potty trained and we never

looked back.

And her reward for going so long

without an accident was this toy:

Kale come home from school one day

with a story he wrote:

Ice cream time:

One time, we went for a family walk:

Look at those pretty leaves!

I think Ellory lasted about 4 minutes and then Tyler

took her back inside.

But Kale and I kept going a little longer!

Hi, I'm Ellory, and I'm adorable:

This was our neighbor, Johanna (like Yohanna).

He and his family were refugees

from the Sudan.

The language barrier sometimes

made things difficult,

but every kid understands how to run and play!

Hi, I'm Ellory, and if you give

me chocolate, I will smile:

The first of our Trick-Or-Treat outings

of the Halloween season!

Hy-Vee (a grocery store)

was having an event

where you could come and

"trick-or-treat", and do some crafts, and just have some fun.

For Free.

So, duh, we went.

In case you aren't sure,

Ellory is a witch and Kale is Ash from Pokemon.

They had a table for coloring

little pumpkins:

And a bounce house!!!!

Ellory didn't' like that there

were a lot of people around,

telling her that she was cute.

So she ate her feelings:

And distracted herself with Snapchat

Eventually I asked the guy in charge

if I could get into the bounce house with her.

He was really nice and told me I could

as long as I didn't bounce at all.

So I crawled in there and just

sat on my knees and held Ellory's hands

while she bounced.

She loved it!

Another one of the activity tables

was to decorate your own cookie.

When we got home,

they ate them:

One day we went on a walk

and snagged this great picture

in front of this beautifully colored tree:

And one Sunday,

these kiddos were looking extra cute.

Time to carve us some pumpkins!!!

That's right.

We got real serious.

Power. Tools.

The kids and I did something

we saw on Pinterest that looked cool.

You put some crayons on the

top of a white pumpkin,

and then you use your blowdryer

to melt the crayons so they drip down.

It actually worked!

Here is Kale's pumpkin:

Didn't he do great?!

And here is Tyler's pumpkin:

I know, he crushed it.

And here is mine and Ellory's:

It's supposed to be a witch's hat

with the stars all around it.

Our next outing was to the Ward Trunk-Or-Treat!

Here is my friend Andra.

At the time, we didn't really know her well yet,

but that didn't stop her from being

super nice!

Here are the Taylors!

Hi. I'm Ellory, and I'm too cute for you to handle.

I have no clue who is under

that fox head.

But that little girl in the Wonder Woman costume

is Ellory's friend, Neve.

Ellory wore a mask for a minute.

I think it ended up in the garbage not long after this.

Nana came for a visit and to go

on another trick-or-treating outing with us.

And, of course, she brought presents for the kids:

So this outing was on Main Street in Ames,

and the kids could trick-or-treat

to all of the participating businesses.

It was actually really really fun,

just really really really really really COLD.

Ellory's bag drug on the ground

the entire time.

Oh, and also, she didn't want to wear

her witch costume,

so she wore her footsie pajamas

that look like Bat Girl.

Kale was in heaven.

He couldn't have cared less about the cold.

Ellory did not feel the same way.

Kale and I went into the library,

because they were part of the downtown

trick-or-treating stops,

and got to ride the elevator.

And then it was back home to warm up!

And play with Kale's Pokemon cards

And watch a movie!

And have another living room

campout.

And then it was finally the actual day of

Halloween!

In the morning,

Ellory and I went to the library for some

special events they were doing.

She even wore her costume!

Then, we got to go to Kale's school

and help with his classroom party!

I was so excited to get to do this.

And even more excited that Ellory could come along.

And even more more excited that Kale

was excited to see me at school.

This is Kale's teacher,

Mrs. Fisher:

She was the best Kindergarten teacher

we could have imagined.

And she was always more than happy to

have Ellory in the classroom!

After school, we stuck around for a bit

and played on the playground:

Kale and Ellory wanted to "be silly"

so Kale wore my backpack

while Ellory wore Kale's.

We got some cards in the mail from

Grandma Pam!!

And now, the time was finally here.

The time to go actual Trick-Or-Treating:

We were prepared to face the chilly night.

Ellory's hat kept flying off,

so she just had me carry it for her.

And Kale never wanted it to end.

But end it did.

And we headed home to put

on comfy pajamas,

and cuddle all together.

Happy Halloween!

September 2017

2018-08-20T09:07:00.002-07:00

Welcome to September of 2017!

It was a good month.

Fully of good weather,

and therefore,

fun outdoor activities.

First up,

a trip to a cool bridge.

It's called High Trestle Trail Bridge.

Most people bike their way to it,

but we just parked as close

as we could and walked our way in.

Walking long distances isn't always

the kids' favorite thing,

(can you see Tyler giving Ellory a piggyback ride??)

but they thought the bridge was cool.

And some of the sticks and rocks

they saw along the way.

It was VERY windy up on the bridge.

I texted this picture to my mom

and she said it looked like

Ellory was trying to be a model:

And of course,

the kids needed a snack:

It was a fun little outing!

Here is Ellory making a silly face:

And then, it was time for the best

day of September....

my birthday!!

Ellory and I had a picnic:

And she helped me mash some bananas

for banana muffins:

And then we put on some costumes,

and built things with the magnets.

And, she sang Happy Birthday to me.

Side note, since I do this blog partly

as a journal, let me say something to possible future

family of mine who may read all this.

(Yup, that feels weird to say)

I also have an Instagram account

with pretty much all these same

pictures, but sometimes I also put

little videos on there.

My handle is @bryncessp.

One day, way in the future,

I'll give my kids my username and password

for my Google accounts, too.

Anyway, back to my birthday.

When Kale got home from school,

we played a fierce game of

Battleship:

And it was a great day!

More celebration was to come later.

The next day,

Ellory and I explored a trail in Ames:

We liked it so much,

that we took Nana and Kale

there when Nana and Pop-Pop came

to celebrate my birthday.

Tyler and my dad were at the

Iowa/Iowa State football game!

But this was the fun to be had

along the trail:

It was a bonus to tire the kids out a little.

We headed back to our place

to wait for Dad and Tyler to make their way home.

Look how adorable she is:

Nana and the kids shared a smoothie.

Yum!

And then we went to Hickory Park for dinner!

It was a little busy because of the big game,

so Nana and Pop-Pop kept the kids entertained for a bit:

And then they were able to get a break

and sit down.

Look at this delicious food:

It was a hit!

And then,

for the first time in many many years,

my mom made me my favorite

chocolate cake for my birthday.

And it was just as delicious as I remembered.

It was a great birthday and I felt

very loved!

Say hi to Ellory,

on our way to pick Kale up from school:

School picture day!

Isn't he so handsome???

Since Kale got all dressed up for school,

Ellory and I felt that we just wanted

to have a pajama day:

We started giving Kale an allowance.

And he saved and saved and saved

until he could buy himself this lego set:

I was really proud of him

for being able to wait and save his money

until he had enough.

It took him over a month!

One of my very best friends from high school,

Alison Yanda,

got married!!

And I live in Iowa now, so I could actually go!!!

And the best part?

Tyler was able to come with me!

We had lots of fun and it was nice

catching up with some old friends.

We had a rainy day,

so that means matching rain boots time:

And rainy days area always a great time

to make the best chocolate chip cookies around.

Look. At. Her:

Tyler was traveling,

and it was time for a movie night:

Ellory loves playing this game

that Aunt Laura gave her.

It's called Seek-A-Boo:

She's "not tired" until all of a sudden

she is passed out and nothing can wake her:

So Ellory said she wanted to be

Owlette from the show P.J. Masks

for Halloween this year.

I decided to take her to Target to see

if they had a costume so I could figure out

what size to get her.

She ended up seeing a different costume she liked more.

Unfortunately, it wasn't this one:

Look who's "not tired" again"

Tyler must have been traveling again:

I actually did Ellory's hair!

Look!

I have proof!

It all fell out about an hour later,

but still.

Ellory and I decided we wanted to have

a picnic at a park AND read books on the blanket:

And later, smoothies and Snapchat;

Gospel Bingo time!

We had our first week of chilly fall weather,

and I wasted NO time making soup.

Tyler took me to a football game.

It was fun!

Even though we lost.

I don't remember why were

shopping with my parents,

but dad was bored

(shocker)

and after mom and I finished checking out,

this is where we found him:

When Ellory wants to do some Snapchat pictures,

she says, "Mom, can we do some smiley faces?"

And it's pretty cute.

Kale dipped his strawberry in ketchup.

Back in Oregon,

we started the tradition of

Saturday Conference Donuts.

On the Saturday morning of General Conference weekend,

we go to the store,

in our pajamas,

and get donuts.

Ellory has yet to eat an entire donut.

And that was September!

A Year Ago......

2018-08-20T08:23:00.002-07:00

So now that I'm behind
on keeping this thing updated
by an entire year,
I thought I'd take the time
to finally get caught up.
Plus I'm home alone all day
on a kind of bed rest thing
(more on that later).
So let's take a journey back
over the last year.
Well, I won't do the entire year
in one post.
I'm not that motivated.

So this summer was the
Great Eclipse Event.
It was this huge deal.
People were going nuts for it.
Of course, it was too cloudy
for us to see it here.
So we watched the live stream of it:

One day the kids were playing

and Kale started yelling,

"Mom! Hurry and come take a picture

of what I'm doing to Ellory!"

Although I was happy with how

they were happy to play

with each other,

I'll admit I was a little apprehensive

of what I was going to find.

But I had nothing to worry about,

this time:

Ellory figured out she could
do this with her fingers,
and she thinks it's super cool:

To get Kale ready for school,
we went and got his hairs cut.
Before:

After:

I'm obsessed.

Well, summer has to come to and end
some time.
And with our last day before Kale
started school,
we built a blanket fort,
and watched a movie inside of it:

And then it was time to send Kale
off to his first day of Kindergarten!

I'll admit, that was a hard day for me,
for many reasons.
For one, Kale is my pal.
He and I like to do the same things
together.
And I missed having my pal to play with.
For another thing,
I hate that he is growing up.
I mean, I love getting to share in
new experiences with him,
but at the same time,
I want to keep him little forever.
It's also hard going from knowing
what he sees, hears, encounters every
minute of every day,
to having only a vague idea of
what he is experiencing,
and trying to get him to tell me
everything after school is
practically impossible becasue
he says he doesn't really remember.
Letting go is hard.
I can admit, too, that sometimes
I am fearful that some horrifying tragedy
will happen at his school and I won't
be there to protect him.
It's sad, but true.
But, despite all these things,
I am happy for him.
He LOVES school.
He loves learning and getting to help his teacher
and spending time with friends.
All year long, he would NEVER let
me get him out of school early,
for fear he might miss out on
something.
But that first day,
Ellory and I missed him terribly:

Like, A LOT:

But then it was time to
bring him home and we
couldn't have been happier!!!!

And then later that week,
I got to take him to the
End of Summer Party
at the Ames Public Library.
Just the two of us.
We danced.
We played all the games.
And I let him eat as much
pizza as he could handle.

And now, Ellory and I
had to get better at playing
just the two of us.
This really was an adjustment for me.
I had to be very aware of when
I was trying to treat her
the same as Kale.
Her interests are different,
and sometimes her attitude is WAY different.
Although missing Kale was hard,
having an opportunity
to spend time with Ellory just the two of us
has been a great blessing.

One day she wanted to do some sort
of dress up AND have a surprise
for Kale for when we picked him up from school.
She picked pirates.
No complaints here!
So we made spy glasses and swords,
enough for all 3 of us,
and had a blast hunting for
treasure and beating that sneaky snook,
Captain Hook!

Ellory really really likes taking pictures of herself.

Like a lot.

Like, I'm pretty sure we will NEVER

give her a smart phone because

she would spend all her time

taking selfies.

But every once in a while,

I indulge her:

This was Kale's 3rd day of school.

I took a picture because this

is my favorite shirt he got

when we went school shopping:

Ellory the picky eater

actually asked for a piece of toast

one day,

so I had to document it:

Sometimes, if I catch her in the right mood,

she likes to play Go Fish:

And then, one time,

tried something new!

Fruitloops.

I don't remember the context of this next picture.

But she's cute, isn't she?

I'm sure I've mentioned this before,

but just to remind you all,

Tyler is a genius.

I told him I really wanted to get

the kids a book shelf,

but that I wanted it to be short

so that they could reach everything themselves.

We were at Wal-mart and he showed me

a bookshelf that I loved but I told him

it was way way way too tall.

His response?

"So we will lay it on it's side."

GENIUS.

Plus we got it for a steal.

It was the last one in the store,

and it was already on sale,

but since it was the display one it was

a tiny bit banged up,

so they gave it to us for and extra 50% off.

Win!

And then one Sunday,

Ellory decided to dip her french toast in

KETCHUP.

So. Gross.

So that was last August.
Lots of changes and
new experiences.
And still stunned that we live in Iowa!

The Greatest of All

2017-11-23T04:55:00.000-08:00

As I have been thinking about who I am grateful for and why these last weeks, it has become even more apparent to me to whom I owe more thanks than I can ever sufficiently give, and that is to my loving Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

I have thought a lot about what I want to say in this post, to keep it reverent and also sincere. I have decided to simply share my testimony of Them.

I know that I am a daughter of God. He is my literal Father and He loves me like a Father. He blessed me with an Earthly father who loves me so overwhelmingly, and that has taught me to know how much Heavenly Father knows and loves me. He knows my name. He knows my heart. He watches over me. He helps me. He blesses me. He is always there. He has guided me to every person that has had an impact in my life, and I am grateful to Him for that. I know that all He wants for me is to experience true joy, and that if I will trust Him, joy will be my end result.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he suffered for my sins, and that He did it because he loves me and every one of us. I know that I would not be who I am without Him. I know that who I am today is very different from who I was 10 years ago, and that change is because of Him. I know that He set the perfect example for me to follow. I know that He is kind and full of patience towards me. That He is always willing to forgive me. I owe Him EVERYTHING. I will never be able to repay Him. And He doesn't expect me to. He just asks that I do my best. I am so grateful for my Savior and all He has made possible for me and my family.

I have not always known all these things. But I have prayed. I have searched the scriptures. I have gone to church and discussed things with family and friends. And I have put principles to the test. And then, I have had profound and sacred experiences where the Spirit has told me the answers that I was seeking. I know these things for myself, and not because it's what my parents told me or what my church leaders say. I have received my own personal revelation, and for this I am grateful as well.

I can't imagine a better way to start the Christmas season than by focusing on how grateful I am for Jesus Christ, and the joy He brought into the world the day He was born. I will just end by sharing a scripture that shows one of the reasons why I love the Savior:

John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken into you, that in me he might have peace. In the world he shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Thanks Amy

2017-11-22T05:09:00.002-08:00

Amy,

First of all, can you believe that this is the only picture that we EVER took together? I guess it's our own fault for having kids who are so unbelievably adorable that we are way too busy always taking pictures of them. Because I've got lots of pictures of your girls, or you and the girls, or you with my kids. At least we can safely say that we are not like those youths who can't do anything without taking a picture of themselves and posting about it. We are so cool. And grown up. And just so over it all. Ha!

I don't know if I ever told you, but the very first time I saw you at church, I knew we were going to be friends. Ask Tyler, I told him as much. At first, I was intimidated to talk to you. You were rocking your red lip and I thought, I don't know, this girl looks way too cool for me. I didn't know that we were going to be #soulfriends, though.You were and are such a blessing in my life. Over the years I have come to realize that friends mean a lot to me. Thank you for being mine.

Thank you for inviting me and the kids over for a play date. Thank you for being so kind and friendly and easy to talk to and awesome. Thank you for being from Georgia and for having that amazing southern accent. Don't you ever get rid of it. Thank you for wanting to hang out with me just as much as I wanted to hang out with you. When we first became friends, Tyler teased me one night about how often we were getting together. But I thought, hey, when you find a friend like that, you don't wait around! Thank you for going to the pumpkin patch with us, and honestly all the different outings we went on when Olive was still so little that you had to carry her around. If the roles had been reversed I probably would have said no thanks, that's too much work.

Thank you for offering so many times to watch the kids for me just because. Just to give me a break. Just because you are a good person who is always looking for ways to serve the people you care about. Thank you for not just telling me about the good parts of your life or the good parts about you but also your struggles and frustrations and the hard times you were having. Thank you for being willing to let me see your imperfections. Being able to be vulnerable like that is a strength I don't possess, and I admire it in you.

Thank you for coming up with the Girls Night idea. Thank you for staying over until an hour of the night that there is no need to admit to here. Thank you for watching movies with me. Thank you for sharing yummy treats with me. Thank you for telling me all about your high school and college stories and for listening to mine. Thank you for still coming to Girls Night even after we moved to Independence.

Thank you for introducing me to so many new things! I tried so many new foods that I wouldn't have otherwise, and I loved almost all of them. I mean, where would I be without pistachios now? Or butternut squash?? And that Ham you made at Christmas is now our Thanksgiving tradition, so you will always be a part of our home. Thank you for taking me to try Hot Yoga. If it wasn't so pricey, I'd go all the time. Thank you for doing the exercise and nutrition challenges with me, and for laughing with me when we didn't quite fulfill our goals. Thank you for cheering me on and telling me I could do it. Thank you for meeting me early early early in the morning to go walking. I miss that so much.

Thank you for having us over for Christmas Eve dinner and for cooking that amazing meal. Thank you for your sweet ornaments you gave us both years. Thank you for loving my kids, and making them feel so safe and welcome in your home. Ellory still talks about Miss Amy's house.

Thank you for being excited for us when we got the Iowa State job. Thank you for being as sad as I was at the same time. Thank you for making jokes with me about how we were acting like we were some sort of couple who was deciding to try a long distance relationship. Thank you for talking on the phone with me for an hour of my driving across the country.

Thank you for your contributions to my #wardrobegoals. You really should find out if there is someone out there who would pay you to shop for them because you're amazing at it. Thank you for all the shopping trips. Thank you for going to French Press with me. Thank you for the Pumpkin and Strawberry donuts.

Thank you for your example of a selflessness. You always put the girls' and Nathans needs before your own. They came before your workouts, your meals, your tv shows, your books, anything and everything that you wanted to do came second to them. It's incredible, and I try to remember your example as much as I can. You always tried your best to say Yes instead of No, and I try to follow your example. Thank you for your sense of right and wrong. Thank you for sharing your testimony with me. Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Thank you for talking through solutions with me. Thank you for being an example of what it means to go where Heavenly Father wants us to go. I know how hard it is for you to be so far from your family, and in a place where you hate the weather. But that's where you're supposed to be, and the people there are lucky to have you.

I am forever changed because of you, Amy. I will never find another you. I loved that we were such good friends and so inseparable, that when I showed up to a gathering, the first thing people would ask me was either, "Where's Amy?" or "Is Amy coming?" because of course I always knew what you were doing and where you were. I am a better mom because of you. We joke, but I'm serious, I always think of you when I start to lose my patience. You may of gotten mad at your girls, but you were so good at keeping your voice calm and lowered and your face never looked scary. Ellory has told me many times how scary my face looks when I get mad at her.

I hope you know how much you mean to me. I hope you know that you are family to me. I hope you know that I love you very much and I am so very grateful to know you and to have you in my life. I'm so grateful that we can facetime and that when we do, it really feels like we're catching up and hanging out again. I know we will see each other again. Even if it means booking a cruise together, we will make it happen! Thank you again, for everything.

Thanks Kristen

2017-11-21T08:19:00.002-08:00

Kristen!!!

My beautiful, beautiful friend!!! I miss you so so sosossosososososos much! Did you know you were an answer to my prayers? Before we moved to Washington, my one prayer was that I would make ONE friend. Heavenly Father ended up blessing me with many friends, which made it really hard to move away in the end. And I became close with Rachel first, but you were and are just as important to me and just as much an answer to that prayer. And the ways that you have influenced me are more than I can say. And probably more than I even realize.

First of all, thank you for being my friend! I came in to your world, to your town that you grew up in, where all your family still was and all your friends. You didn't need to add another friend in the mix. You obviously didn't need me. So thank you for being willing to be my friend anyway. Thank you for making room for me. Thank you for having Bauston. He and Kale were just the best little pals, and when I was praying for a friend for me, I never thought to pray for a friend for him. But Heavenly Father knew best. Again!

Thank you for hanging out with me all the time. Thank you coming over in the morning to do workout videos with me. Thank you for going to Yakima with me. Thank you for inviting me to your bridal shower and bachelorette party and sealing. Thank you for telling me all about your life and how you got to where you were. You have strengthened my testimony in ways beyond measure. Thank you for bringing me Palace fries when I was pregnant. AND for bringing them to me at the hospital after Ellory was born. Thank you for throwing me the cutest baby shower I have ever seen. Thank you for being so excited for me when I told you I was pregnant. Thank you for telling me you were pregnant the day that we moved away. Thank you for being just as obsessed with Pretty Little Liars as I was. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for sharing so many of the same interests.

Thank you for all the times you watched Kale for me. Thank you for asking me to watch Bauston for you. Thank you for introducing Jesse to us. He is so great, and I'm so happy for you that you found him. Thank you for stopping to visit us in Salem. I'm so excited to one day meet up with you guys in Kansas City! It WILL happen.

You know, you were the first friend I had that was in the same stage of life as me and the same geographical location. Meaning, we were about the same age, had one kid, and still dirt poor. I had other mom friends who I loved very much but they were mostly far away or had a 2 or 3 kids and they were a little more established. It meant a lot to me to have you, someone who could really relate, someone who knew what it felt like right now, in the moment, and someone who understood that all we could really do for fun was hang out at each other's houses or at the park. And it was the best! Thank you for your understanding and your support. You became a sister to me, and your family is like my family. I love you very very much. Thank you for everything you have done for me and the huge role that you have played in my life. Until we see each other again. I'm sure we could find a job for Jesse in Iowa. Just sayin......

Thanks Rachel

2017-11-21T08:00:00.001-08:00

Rachel,

You had to know this was coming. You had to know that profound influence you've had in my life. I refuse to believe you didn't know. When we were getting ready to move to Washington, I was nervous. We didn't know anyone up there, and I was afraid I was going to be very very lonely. And so, I prayed. I prayed that I would make just ONE friend. And then, I met you. You were an answer to my desperate prayer. Thank you! Thank you for following a prompting to ask me to be a co-leader with you on the 4th years overnight hike at Girls Camp. That is the only time in my life where I have actually enjoyed Girls Camp! Thank you for inviting us over for dinner all the time. Thank you for playing games with us. Thank you for having kids who wanted to play with Kale!

Thank you for caring about what was going on in my life. Thank you for always being aware. Thank you for being an amazing example of motherhood. Thank you for showing me that our kids want us to get down and play with them. Thank you for showing me that we will be happier if we don't let the little things get in our way. Thank you for showing me that just because I'm "grown up" and a mom doesn't mean I can't still have fun and be silly. Thank you for showing me that the most important thing a mom can do is make sure her kids know that she loves them.

Thank you for all the times you strengthened my testimony by bearing yours. Thank you for being an example of someone who is always mindful of the Spirit and how the gospel effects our daily lives. Thank you for making and delivering a chocolate cake to me when I was pregnant and feeling sorry for myself and simply leaving it on my doorstep. Thank you for all the times you watched Kale for me when I was feeling sick or had a doctor's appointment. Thank you for being the someone I was going to rely on should the baby come before my mom came. Thank you for being so excited when Ellory was born. Thank you for taking her baby blessing pictures.

Thank you for coming to visit us in Salem when you were on a long journey back home. Thank you for laughing with us and making that visit special even though it was short. Thank you for letting Tyler crash with you when he had to unexpectedly stay in Ellensburg after a football game. I was sooooooooooooooooooo jealous of him. I seriously considered driving up there. Thank you for your Sunday Family Photos. They are a little sad to look at because I miss you and your family so much, but I love watching them grow and change.

If I had never met you, I would be a different mother. I am not exaggerating. There are many times when the kids do something or want something, and I often think to myself, "Ok, how would Rachel handle this?" Because Bryn has little patience and a short temper. Thank you for helping me to become closer to the mother my kids deserve. Thank you for being a wonderful friend. There are not many times in my life, when saying goodbye to friends, that I have cried. But I cried saying goodbye to you, because I truly didn't want to not have you nearby anymore. I was certain that I would never have another friend like you, because there is no one else like you. I love you, Rachel. Thank you for everything!

Thanks Marlee

2017-11-21T07:37:00.001-08:00

Marleeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Like a G6, like a G6.....IT'S A LOVE STORY BABY JUST SAY YES!!. Oh the good times we had singing songs in the Control Room at the top of our lungs. We were, by far, the coolest security guards to ever work at the BYU Museum of Art. No contest. Can you imagine if we'd never become friends? I can't. There is so much I would have missed out on. So much I wouldn't have learned. Thank you for all the great times! Thank you for coming to walk around my galleries with me when you were on break. Thank you for "prank calling" me from the Control Room.
Thank you for that summer when we were inseparable. Thank you for going to people's receptions with me and laughing at how awkward we were. Thank you for all the sleepovers. Thank you for helping me fine tone my snarkiness.Thank you for all our discussions about church. Thank you for spending your birthday with me that one time. Thank you for always being on my side when I was mad at Tyler and then always being on my side when I thought he was the best thing ever, too. Thank you for always being so articulate. You have an amazing ability to put things into words in the exact way that I want to but am never able to. Like this thank you, I'm sure you could put our friendship into much better words. So, just suffer with me a little longer.
Thank you for getting together with me when you could after we got married and had kids. Thank you for calling me before you moved to Japan to tell me that was happening. Thank you for inviting me to meet your beautiful family. Thank you for not being afraid to admit your mistakes and move on from them. You taught me that I don't have to hide from my past mistakes, that I can admit them and learn from them. Thank you for showing me how to laugh at myself. Thank you for that one time when we tried to be people who went to the the gym. Ha! Our abs looked amazing because we spent the whole time laughing. Thank you for enjoying guilty pleasure's with me like Vampire Diaries.
Marlee, you are amazing. You astound me as a mother and friend. You are kind and thoughtful and slow to anger, but you are firm in your beliefs and are more than willing to stand up for what is right. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for making my job my favorite part of college. Thank you for making that summer a little less miserable. Thank you for helping me to see that my identity did not begin and end with who my future husband would be, but also to not discount how my identity would change once I was married. I am so very grateful to count you as a friend and to know you and to continually learn from you as I look at your pictures and read your blog. Thank you, thank you. I don't think I can say it enough. I don't think you can understand how much you have meant to me and how often I still think about you and remember you. I hope this ill-worded letter has given you an idea of how I feel, though. I love you, Marlee!

Thanks Nate and Brady

2017-11-20T13:06:00.002-08:00

Nate Vaughn,

Where would I be without you?! Thank you for being my friend almost immediately after you moved into the house up the hill. Thank you for not caring that I was a girl. Thank you for playing football and basketball and snowball fights. Thanks for being cool with me hanging out with you and the boys. Thanks for being my friend even though Kyle Kilburg and I hated each other for a while. Thank you for always having my back. I knew I could always count on you. Thanks for all the fun times in show choir and band and normal choir.
Most of all, thank you for being such a GOOD guy. You are so genuine and thoughtful and just all around good. Most guys in high school were jerks and idiots and immature, but you never were. I don't think I ever heard you say anything negative about anyone. Ever. I count myself lucky that a great guy like you considered me to be one of his friends. You probably don't remember, but when they announced I was Homecoming Queen, you ran over to me and you gave me the biggest hug and you said to me, "Of all the people who have ever been Queen, you deserve it the most." I have never forgotten that. Because your opinion meant so much to me. Thank you for your very kind words and actions.
Without you my 4th and 5th grade years would have been much different. I liked my friends at school, but I was in this weird phase and so I didn't allow myself to become close with any one of them. But I looked forward to getting home from school and playing with you. You were my very best friend and the reason for a lot of happiness in my life. I will always fondly remember our sledding days, the "campouts", and all the jokes. You're the best, Nate, and I hope you know that I wish you the best in all you do and I'm so happy for the success you've had so far. Thank you again, for all you did for me.

Brady. Brady. Brady.

I feel like I have so much to say! I may have become friends with Nate first after you moved in, but our high school shenanigans became epic. Thank you for thinking I was cool. Thank you for wanting to hang out with me just the two of us. Thank you for playing video games and eating, what was it? Canadian bacon wrapped in cheese? It was delicious. Thank you for all our late night talks. Thank you for JAMMING to "I Swear" over and over. Thank you for all the times you gave me rides places.
Thank you for making me feel important. You sometimes went out of your way to make sure I was included or invited. Thank you for being the kind of guy friend who actually listened to my complaints and concerns and for telling me about yours. Thank you for always always always looking out for me. If you heard anything at school that might have concerned me and maybe be bad, you were there for me in half a second. And you always defended me.
Thank you for keeping in such close touch with me during my freshman year of college. You called me all the time and we texted all the time and I felt like we weren't drifting apart at all. It meant a lot to me that you made that effort. And you helped me through a hard year of my life. Thank you for being excited for me to come home that summer. Thank you for not hating me for falling out of touch after that. Thank you for coming to my wedding reception! Thank you for inviting us to come over to your house afterwards.
I feel like I'm missing a lot of things, and I'm sorry for that. I just want you to know, you were a huge part of my life. I have told Tyler so many stories about you, you'd probably be surprised at well he knows you. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for making me so happy. Thank you thank thank you for everything. I can't help smiling when I think about the fun we had. You are the best and you deserve the best. And hopefully, I"ll get to see you again soon!!

Thanks Jim and Kris

2017-11-17T11:26:00.001-08:00

Jim and Kris,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for soooooo much. When I wasn't at school or my own home, the vast majority of the time I was in YOUR home. Thank you for welcoming me into your home and allowing me to be best friends with your daughter. Thank you for making me feel a part of your family. Brittney is my best friend, but you are both more like parents to me rather than the simply the parents of my friend. Thank you for talking to me and being interested in my life. Thank you for all the times you fed me dinner or breakfast or lunch or anything. Thank you for letting me sleepover at your house. Kris, thank you for all the times you put those stupid rollers in my hair. Thank you for cheering for me as well as your daughters when we were at sporting events or music competitions. Thank you for telling me you loved me. Honestly, the first time you said that to me, I was kinda like, "whaaaaa?" but when I really thought about it, I felt silly for thinking it was weird. And of course, I love you, too!

Jim, thank you for being so fun-loving and for ALWAYS SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I'm still not certain that the whole Cleopatra freezer story isn't real....Thank you for being a kind man who loves his wife and family above all else. I had a great example of what a good father and husband looked like in my family, but it never hurts for a girl to see more than one example.

Thank you for letting me be a part of you lives and family and for all your support since I've been away. Thank you for the wedding gift. Thank you for coming to my reception. Thank you for being so excited for me when I started having babies. Thank you for continually reaching out to me and showing me you still care. Because of you and your home, I had more than one place to go to feel safe and loved. I'm sure I've never made it clear to you how much you mean to me, and how grateful I am for all you did for me in high school and since. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks Erin

2017-11-17T11:12:00.002-08:00

Erin Moore!

Orange porta-potties, huh? Did you know you helped me pick my major? I was frustrated that BYU was dropping their Bachelor's program for Social Work and I was thinking I would do a Psychology major but it wasn't sitting right with me. And then I met you, and you told me all about your Sociology class and how much you loved it and so I decided to take the Intro class that very next semester. And I felt really good about it. I wouldn't say I'm as passionate about it as you are, but I enjoyed the way it challenged the way I view people and the world. Thank you for introducing me to Sociology and for being so passionate about it. Thank you for helping me all those times with my assignments. One time, I had to write a paper, and I had sort of an idea but I was having trouble developing it into something really good. And so, you stopped doing YOUR homework, you erased our apartment whiteboard, and you helped talk me through it. You didn't just give me an answer and send me on my way. You put in the time and effort to help me figure it out for myself. Thank you for that night and the many other nights.
Thank you for welcoming me into your apartment and group of friends. Thank you for letting me crash on your couch and use your shower. Thank you for sending me care packages over the summer. Thank you for always reading my blog and texting me about it afterwards. Thank you for continuing to call me "Bryan Gerbals". Thank you for teasing me when I was dating Tyler and making me so embarrassed I'd cover my face with anything available. Thank you for driving me a boatload of places. Thank you for being a Y Group Leader with me. Thank you for asking me to do all the other cool volunteer things around campus. Thank you for always being down for some silliness, whether it be a good old fashioned game of Truth or Dare, or pranking our poor sleeping roommates.
I appreciate your friendship and I'm grateful for all you have done for me and helped me with. Thank you for thinking of me when my Grandma died. That meant all the world to me. Thank you for having such a burning desire to love everyone and help everyone and to do your part to make the world a better place.

Thanks Alyssa

2017-11-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

Alyssa Kate Smith,

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for being my friend. I can't help but be happy when I'm with you. I think I distinctly remember a time when I was really mad and I didn't want to not be mad yet, and so I avoided you because I knew as soon as I saw your face I'd stop being so mad. Thank you for always being able to cheer me up and make me laugh. Actually, thank you for always being able to reduce me to giggles. Thank you for having a September birthday. Thank you for all your silly cat references. Thank you for being ok with me crashing on your couch for a year. Thank you for agreeing to let me be a real roommate sophomore year.
Thank you for being such a great example to me of what it means to be kind and loving to everyone. No matter how kind or unkind they are to us. No matter if we agree with them or not. No matter what.
Thank you for being excited to tell me that you were engaged or that you were pregnant even though I have been so terrible at keeping in touch with you consistently. Thank you for working at the MOA with me. Oh my goodness, that was the best job in the world.
I'm sitting here thinking about all my favorite memories of you and they all end with us laughing so hard that it hurts. Thank you for bringing so much laughter and fun into my life. We always had the best kind of fun. I'm so excited for your baby to be born! You are going to be the best, most laid back, most loving, awesomest mom. Your little girl is sooooo lucky! I hope I will get to meet her one day.

I love you Alyssa!

Thanks Alison

2017-11-15T18:02:00.001-08:00

ALISON!!!!

    Yelling your name just always feels right. Just thinking about hanging out with you makes me happy and excited. You have this amazing quality about you where you are so full of joy and happiness and anyone within your vicinity can't help but feel the same. Thank you for filling my life with more joy and happiness! Thank you for being an amazing example of what a friend should be like even in our teen years. We were all so focused on ourselves, but you were always completely aware of everyone else and taking care of everyone else. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for helping me to laugh at myself. Thank you for being genuinely interested in what was going on with me, even when what was going on with you was much harder.
   Thank you for all our silly shenanigans. Thank you for being the voice of reason. Thank you for buying ugly Goodwill dresses with me and then wearing them in public with me. Thank you for always being willing to drive us around in your boat of a car. Thank you for being a great teammate. Thank you for always being able to say what I wanted to say about what I was thinking or how I was feeling way better than I could. Thank you for loving traditions as much as me. Remember our post-football game tradition? I only remembered just the other day when Tyler and I were driving passed the football field. We would go to Walmart and get some Ben and Jerry's pints and some plastic spoons and then wait on the hood of our cars at the high school parking lot for the boys to come out and we would hopefully cheer them up because they lost like all their games. And I guarantee that idea was alllll YOU. And we always did that, even when it was FREEZING. Thank you for letting me be your date to your senior Prom. We had a blast! Thank you for all the phone calls my freshman year of college. Thank you for the packages you sent me. I still have the bracelet you sent me from Mexico.
   Thank you for offering to drive out to Utah when I got married. I know you totally would have done it, too. Thank you for coming to my Iowa reception and offering up the idea that we should all hang out afterwards. I wanted you and Tyler to hit it off so badly and you made it easy. Like usual! Thank you for making time to see me every time I've been able to visit Iowa. Thank you for thinking my kids are adorable. Thank you for all the amazing voicemails you've left me over the years. They are long. They usually involve singing a Queen song. And I love every second of them.
Thank you for inviting me to your Bridal Shower and your wedding! You were beautiful and it was fun! Thank you for thinking of me amidst all the craziness of wedding planning.
Alison, you have touched my life in so many ways. Without you, high school wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant. You helped me to know that I can be myself and not worry about what others may think or say, because it doesn't matter. And you were so supportive of me and my beliefs. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if I had tried to drink some alcohol you would have slapped it out of my hands and sent me home. I adore you and all the memories we made. I feel so blessed to be able to call you a friend. I love you, Alison!

Thanks Brittney

2017-11-13T11:42:00.001-08:00

Brittney May,

   Oh my bestest friend for so many years. I guess I'll start with, thank you for being my best friend since 6th grade. Do you remember how it happened? I don't. I just know that it did and we were inseparable for the next 6 years. Thank you for thinking I was cool. Thank you for having a secret notebook with me. Cinnamon and Ginger were two cool cats. Thank you for doing school sports with me. Thank you for convincing me to do plays with you. Thank you for being in band and choir with me. Thank you for being so humble about how good you were at all things musical. Thank you for knowing who you were, what you liked, and not basing that on what anyone else did or said. Thank you for letting me be who I wanted to be and not base our friendship on whether or not we liked or wanted the same things. Thank you for always being kind to everyone. You are the most inclusive person I've ever met. You will be friends with anyone.
   Thank you for all the sleepovers. Thank you for always wanting to double or group date with me to school dances. Thank you for telling me you thought I could do Drum Majoring with you. Thank you for birthday surprises. Thank you for summers full of fun fun fun. Thank you for showing me most of the music I still love. Thank you for playing the piano with me. Thank you for convincing me to try out for Show Choir.
   Thank you for always being there. Thank you for listening. Thank you for being on my side. Thank you for letting me come spend a weekend with you at Wartburg. Thank you for sending me that WTF shirt. Still got it. Thank you for going out of your way to make sure you came and saw Tyler and me when we came to Iowa for our reception. Thank you for taking me out and pampering me when I came to Iowa for Christmas when Kale was 1. Thank you for getting him a present. Thank you for letting me come to a MOTAB concert with you in Salt Lake City!
I love that no matter how long it has been, *cough cough* years* cough cough*, when we do see each other again it doesn't even matter. Thank you for that. Thank you for understanding that even though I am terrible at keeping up with what's going on in your life, that I still care and I still wish you well.

Because of you, middle school and high school were something that I enjoyed. I don't necessarily wish to go back to high school days, but I loved it. I had a blast. And that was because I had an awesome friend like you. I love you, boo!

Thanks Brittany

2017-11-13T11:21:00.003-08:00

Brittany Crumback!!!!!

   I have so much to thank you for, I hardly know where to begin. How about, thank you for saving me? I know I sometime have a tendency for exaggeration, but I promise you I am not exaggerating here. If not for you, my freshman year at BYU would have gone MUCH differently. If not for you, I'm honestly not sure if I ever would have gone back. So thank you for befriending me immediately. Thank you for not just being nice to me because my big brother had invited me to tag along and so I happened to be in the room, but because you are a genuinely good person. And then thank you for going out of your way to invite me to do things with you all. Thank you for letting me crash on your couch almost every night. Thank you for introducing me to Mariko, who got me my amazing on campus job. Thank you for wanting me to be your real roommate for sophomore year. Thank you for making church and the gospel a priority in our apartment. Watching General Conference, going to FHE and all 3 hours of church, were not optional, they were important. You helped me become someone who lived the gospel rather than just tagging along in it. Thank you for cooking me so many dinners. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BRITT-COOKS!!!! Thank you for the birthday parties. Thank you for all the all-nighters. Thank you for the endless laughter. Thank you for always knowing everything about everything. That might sound snarky, but it's not. I really think that you always know everything about what's going on!
Thank you for being the best room-roommate ever. There was literally nothing about being your roommate that I didn't like. No little quirks. No snoring. Nothing. Thank you for constantly washing the dishes and taking out the garbage. Thank you for almost always being the one to clean the bathroom.
   Thank you for being the most thoughtful person I have ever met. Thank you for being good at inviting people around us to come and join. Thank you for looking out for Jake, too. And for signing up for all his classes for him (eye roll). Thank you for reminding me of ways we can be of service to those around us.
   Thank you for taking me to urgent care when I slice my finger open on that stupid can. Thank you for teasing me about it forever. Thank you for being excited for me when I started dating Tyler. Thank you for not telling me I was being an idiot all the times we broke up and then got back together. Thank you for inviting me to come with your family to Midway. Thank you for being jazzed for me when we got engaged and for telling Tyler my ring size and probably many other things in secret. Thank you for going wedding dress shopping with me. Thank you for throwing me a bridal shower. I loved the video you did! Thank you for coming to BOTH of my receptions. Thank you for hanging out with me after I got married. Thank you for bringing me twice baked potatoes when I had morning sickness and I had told you that was the only thing that I could eat.
Thank you for loving my kids like they are your very own family. Thank you for the many adorable gifts you have given them, both in person and via mail. Thank you for the Nike shoes you gave Kale. He's still upset that he outgrew them. Thank you for having a bag of little presents for them in your car all the time so any time you came over you had something for them. Thank you for that one night when we ate dinner at the food trucks and went to the BYU volleyball game. Thank you for sending me flowers after my Grandma died. Thank you for sending me the first 2 seasons of Gilmore Girls after Ellory was born. Thank you for always being so very aware of everything going on in my life even though I am not the same to you. Thank you for being the most amazing friend to me even though I fail to you. Thank you for continuing to give me a chance to be your friend.
   Without you, I can confidently say, my life would be COMPLETELY different. I would be different. I love you with all my heart and I think you are one of the very greatest people on this Earth. Thank you for all these things and so much more, Brittany.

Thanks Dain

2017-11-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

Dain, Dainy-Boy, Bubba,

   My favorite BABY brother! Thank you for being so dang adorable. I still remember loving being your big sister when you were a baby. I loved feeling responsible for you, and caring for you and doing my part to take care of you. I wonder if that time in our life spurred my desire to be a mom. Obviously mom inspired me a ton, but baby Dainy-Boy certainly helped, so thank you for that!
   Thank you for being so kind-hearted. Thank you for doing everything with a smile. I can't remember a recent time that you have been mad and actually looked mad. I don't know if your facial muscles know how to make and angry face anymore. Thank you for always choosing to be happy. Thank you for letting me crack that egg on your head. Thank you for sucking at Tennis as much as I do. Thank you for playing that game with me and Nate and Kelly Vaughn even though we scared the crap out of you. Thank you for liking me even though I helped convince you there were evil monkeys coming to get you in the night.
Thank you for being so good to mom. After suffering through Jake, and me, and then Kyle, I'm so glad she got to just enjoy and be happy with you. Thank you for making up for all of our idiotic choices by not making any of them.
   Thank you for asking me for advice, and actually taking it sometimes! Thank you for Snapchatting me up a storm. Thank you for telling me about the things that are going on in your life. Thank you for not hating me after that one night when we were at the Oregon Coast and I was grumpy and I was annihilating everyone with my words and you took the brunt of it. Thank you for playing air hockey with Kale over and over. Thank you for playing with him on the beach.
Thank you for always being a friend. Thank you for always thinking the best of me. Thank you for being excited to meet your niece and nephew. Thank you for liking Tyler and thinking he's as cool as I do.
   Thank you for always going along with whatever crazy person I decide to be whenever you call me. Thank you for being excited for us when we got the Iowa State job. Thank you for coming to visit us in Oregon. I'm so happy to have you for a brother. I think without you I would have been more scared to become a mom. So thank you for helping me learn responsibility and to love little ones.

I love you Dain! I can't wait to see you at Christmas. Thank you for everything!

Thanks Kyle

2017-11-11T06:41:00.003-08:00

Kogs,

   Do you remember how you got that nickname? Do you still hate it? In my mind I'm thinking that you got the nickname from Dain when he was a baby and he couldn't say your name so he called you Kogs. I love it. And when I call you Kogs, it is completely out of love. Thank you for not hating me forever for continually bringing up your nickname.

   Thank you for being my little brother! Thank you for being so fun. Thank you for being so CRAZY. Thank you for always being willing to go along with whatever Jake and I wanted to do. Well, for a while at least. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for continuing to try to be funny for years and years and years and YEARS until finally, one day, you were hilarious. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for looking out for me. Remember when I rolled the car on the way to church? Thank you for being most concerned if I was OK (and Dain).
     I don't know if you know this, but you have always made me feel like maybe I'm better than I am. It seemed like any time I was feeling like maybe I wasn't as smart as I thought I was, or as athletic, or a good friend, you would come along and say just what I needed. One time, I was struggling with some homework (Geometry) and it was the first time I'd ever really struggled at school. I just could not get it. And I was so angry and feeling sorry for myself and deciding that I wasn't smart enough, blah blah blah, and then you came and asked me for help on your math homework. And it was pretty easy for me and I helped you and then you said, "Thanks Bryn, you are the smartest girl I know," and went on your way. And that changed me. Because I wanted to be the smartest girl you knew, always.
   Because of you, I was always trying to be a good example. I felt like you were always aware of what I was doing, and there were times that I made better choices because of that. Thank you for that. Thank you for being so driven and competitive. It may have driven me crazy during Family Home Evening, but it definitely brought in a new dynamic to our family, and I can see now how much it is benefiting your own little family because you are so determined and driven to do your best at your job. Thank you for not being embarrassed of me when you were with your friends. Thank you for being cool with me hanging with you guys sometimes. Thank you for not hating me even though I wasn't always the best big sister.
   Thank you for being so excited to introduce Heather to me. Thank you for coming out to my brother-in-law's house so that you could. Thank you for tricking her into marrying you, because I love her so much and I'm grateful to have her for a sister. Thank you for being a good man. Thank you for being a good uncle and loving my kids. They love you dearly.
   Thank you for being as obsessed with Stranger Things as I am. Thank you for Skyping with us. Thank you for hanging out with us that year that we lived in Utah the same time as you. Thank you for trying to help me with Ellory when we were at Bear Lake. Thank you for your Monty Python impersonations.
   Thank you for loving this country and being willing to serve. I was surprised when I found out you were going to do ROTC. I hadn't any idea that you had any desire to be a military man. But I think it's wonderful and amazing.
   Without you, I may not be the person I am today. I may not have the confidence I have. You know, Tyler is just as competitive as you are, and gets just as emotionally invested, and had I not grown up with someone like that, I may not have understood him and not stayed with him. Obviously that was not going to be the make or break reason, but thank you for that little bit of understanding you gave me.

I love you and I really really miss you and I can't wait for your second little girl to be born and to come visit you in your new house.