A girl and her blanket- its a wonderful thing!!

So as most people know, Whitley is really attached to this pink blanket. It goes EVERYWHERE with us. It doesn't matter the occasion the blanket is there. (I think it is hereditary. see 2 posts down.) Washing it has always been a challenge. I usally sneak into her room when she is asleep and swipe it, wash and dry it and give it back to her before she wakes up. Well the other night I noticed the Blanket was filthy. It could almost walk it self to the laundry room. She was watching a movie so when she wasn't looking I took it and threw it in the washer. When the washer went was finished , I snuck in to the laundry room and shut the door behind me to throw it in to the dryer. Little did I know that Whitley came to find Mom. She saw her blanket and or course wanted it. I couldn't give her a wet blanket to cuddle so I threw it in the dryer. Whitley then started to cry, And I did what a good mom would do, I gave her a hug and them grabbed the camera. :) She was not happy, she tried to get the dryer open, she screamed at the dryer=
And last but not least she threw herself limply to the floor and cried hysterically.
It was a good time. So whitley and I sat on the laundry room floor and waited for the dryer to finish the cycle. When the buzzer went off it was like the angels were singing. She grabbed her blanket and like she always does smelled it.
Then ran off a happy little girl. From now on I will make sure she is asleep and them swipe it.
All is well in the world!!
>:)

Tears when we got there- Tears when we left!

On friday night we went tubing up at soldier hollow. We went with Ryans brother Jon his wife Shar and my nephew Alex who is the same age as Karden. It turned out to be a great night. When we first got there we added layers upon layers of clothing. We finally get ready and trudge over and get out tubes. Now let me tell you this is the way to go tubing. You hook your tube to a ski lift thingy- and it pulls your fat bum up the hill. no effort required! It was awesome. :) well we get up to the top and Karden is in the midst of telling me how much fun the ride to the top was and in mid sentance he starts to bawl. He has just realized the ride up the hill was not the fun part and we have to go down. He is seriously crying. Jon Shar and Alex go down the hill, Karden is still crying, 200 more people go down the hill, we cannot budge Karden from his death stance. He is 100% sure he is not going down. Jon, Shar and Alex come up to the top again. They have now lapped us. We decided we will tie all the tubes together and make a train down the hill, at this point this is the only way we can think to make Karden go down the hill. we promise him that as soon as we get to the bottom we won't go again. In the midst of tying the tubes Karden is getting more and more hysterical. It was so sad. Finally Jon realizes the panic and just grabs Karden and throws him in a tube and goes down with him. You can hear Karden Screaming all the way down. When He gets to the bottom he can't wait to go again. KIDS!!!
After that fiasco we have so much fun. We realize that we can go fast and make it clear to the unloading zone if we all go together. It was a fun place to visit and I would go again although this morning Ry and I have decided were not as young as we once were and are remembering that we have muscles that have didn't know we have. One last piece of advice.- Make sure that you have a potty break before you get dressed in 13 layers and get the tubes with the slick green bottoms. Thanks Jon and Shar for the invite we had tons of fun!!

With much Sadness...

BLACKIE
1985-2009
( Yeah, you read that write that is 24 years)

With much sadness and a heavy heart, we are sad to say we have lost a beloved member of the family- "Blackie". Blackie has been with us from the start. We have been accompanied by blackie on Numerous camping trips, cruises, and trips to different countries all while Extra changes of clothes. swimsuits, and much needed toiletries have been left at home in order to make the room in the suitcase. Blackies demise came when left in a hotel room in Saint George. (No I did not leave it on purpose!!) Blackie has been replaced, but will forever hold a special spot in a unnamed mans heart and the way "it supports his head" will never be the same.
Rest in peace Blackie!! Private family services were held. In lieu of flowers, a mountain dew fund has been set up. Rest in peace Blackie!!
Hallelujah!!!



This is the new and improved Blackie II. Although this pillow has a whole lot of fluff, The process has started to permanantly make this pillow measure 1/2 inch tall.

I love you Ry-

If She wasn't cute-

Let me start this post by saying. I love Whitley to Pieces. I love her with all my heart, but she has her days or in this case her months that I honestly wonder if I will survive. She has become so extremely clingy, everyone else is chopped liver if mom is around. NO one, Ryan included, can get her a drink, take her to the potty, read a book, wash her hair, etc. I try to remind myself that in a few years I will be the last person she will want help from. But when I am up to my elbows in meatload and she needs to potty it really isn't fun to try and clean off fast enough to run upstairs and put her on the potty!! One example that happened last week. Whitley turned two in november, almost 3 months ago and have not got her pictures taken yet. This is not because I am lazy- well maybe a little bit- but because about 2 days before our appointment she jumps off my bed into the dresser, throws a fit when getting her hair cut so she has super short bangs, manages to scratch, bump, or otherwise have some injury to her face. So that I have to cancel the picture appointment. So finally last Saturday the stars all aligned. Her bangs grew out, the scars were healed and we head to kiddie kandids to get pictures done. We planned a fun day at the mall, I had got gift certificates from my work and we planned to get pictures done, eat, shop a little -the works. Whitley had other ideas. Whitley looked so darn cute!! She sat still while I put her hair in piggies and then curled them in tiny little ringlets. We get to kiddie Kandids and of course we have to wait for 45 minutes!! When it is our turn whitley refuses to let go of me. We try everything, she is determined to not sit where they want her to, she doesn't want to hold the flower, or sit on the bench, She will do nothing. I am so embarrased first because my kids DO NOT act like that, second because I HATE everyone to stare at me. Third because other customers are trying to bribe Whitley to get her pictures taken by giving her marshmallows. So embarrasing. Finally We give up and leave with two hours wasted and no pictures. no shopping or eating! I'm starving which makes everything worse:) On the walk to the car, Whitley falls in the muddy rain water and ruins the super cute tights I had just bought. It was a terrible day!! If she wasn't cute and couldn't be so darn charming when she comes up to you and yours arms aren't in meatloaf, with her blankie and wants to "hold". We would be in trouble. I promise if we ever get over this phase and get year old pictures I'll post them. But for now I need to go put a sweet little thing on the Potty!

WINTER FUN!

Karden and Whitley have been having a fun time with the snow. They love it when it is "nowing". Karden has been having fun with daddy plowing walks. The kids have also loved sledding with their cousins, Bradley and Brooklyn. Grandpa Norman got a sled big enough for all 4 grandkids. They had a so much fun!!.
It was so fun to hear the squeals up and down the road in Goshen. I don't know who was having more fun, the kids or grandpa!!
Sorry Gavin next year you can go play too, we promise to take you out of the box!!

Thank You Santa!!!!!

Wow!! Did Santa ever visit our house? This is our first clue that Santa was here, a Thank you note for the cookies and a smashed Pepsi Can (yes our Santa prefers Pepsi over milk!!)

It was a fun Christmas Morning, both Karden and Whitley actually understood what you were supposed to do and loved every minute of it.They both got more toys than they needed, In the words of my 94 year old little grandma " Santa must of had his eyes closed most of the year Karden if he thought you were this good!" This is the aftermath of toys when we had finished. I should of gotten a picture before hurricanes Karden and whitley blew through the front room!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we are ready to see what 2009 brings!!

Too Much KSL!!

Today Karden and Whitley were fighting over a pink plastic high heel dress up shoe. Whitley had it first and Karden really wanted it. Don't ask me why, We have hundreds of dollars of toys in this house and the toy of choice is one plastic shoe from the dollar store. It wasn't even a pair. ONE SHOE!!
Karden is trying everything to get Whitley to give him the shoe. Bribery, finding other toys for her, even telling her mom will give her candy. Finally Karden has had it. He gathers up most of her dolls, her doll stroller and the closest paper he can find and scribbles something on it and puts it in the corner. When I see what he has done I ask him what the paper says " For sale: All of Whitleys toys because she won't give me the princess shoe!"
This is when you can tell that I buy and sell too much stuff on KSL!

PS- When telling Ryan this story and telling him I was putting in on the blog, he asked me to substitite the shoe for something more manly!! Sorry Honey the story just isn't the same without the shoe!!