5 MONTHS

Kendall went to the doctor for her 5 month checkup (yes, I missed the 4 month checkup). She weighs 19 lbs. and is 26" long. In the 99th %tile in everything. We sure love this chunky monkey. I can't get enough of her slobber kisses, burrowing into my shoulder, her whole body moving every time she smiles and her cute cooing noises. Here are some recent pictures of our little doll.

Sportin' her first pigtail.

Oh the BUMBO chair. What a wonderful invention. Don't you just want to pinch her?

Joining us for dinner.

Kendall slept 12 hours a night by the time she was 6 weeks old. Then suddenly when she hit 4 1/2 months she started waking up TWICE a night to eat. What the! Then I tried giving her rice cereal and applesauce (which she immediately loved) before I gave her her milk at night and she started sleeping through the night again! I didn't think she needed anything extra. She looks like she's getting enough, right? But this babe is growing, growing way too fast.

Sometimes as a Parent...

...you just have to put your foot down.

The other day during dinner, Hally was being difficult and didn't want to eat her food, as usual. You can try any kind of bribery with this kid and if she doesn't want to do it, she won't. Plain and simple. She wasn't about to have a bite of her miniature sized sloppy joe. She told me that she hates it when I make yucky dinner. We told her she would have to go to bed if she didn't eat. She knows we're serious too. That didn't make her eat her dinner. The hungry people in Haiti that she prays for everyday didn't make her eat her dinner either. Then I said I would throw away her Easter Basket, CANDY included. She said, "Okay." So Tim put her Easter Basket in the the garbage and headed out to the dumpster. (So really he just set the trash outside of the door.) Her reaction to throwing her EASTER BASKET IN THE DUMPSTER? NOTHING!!!! She could have cared less as long as she didn't have to eat her dinner. The problem is, she really NEEDS to eat her dinner! SERIOUSLY! She's tiny and she might just blow away in one of these wind storms we've been having!!! I finally talked her into having ONE BITE! (After scraping most of the meat off.) This is her reaction. WOW. I really must be a bad cook.

After a long, calm, talk, she finally had 3 bites of meatless sloppy joe.

And most of her pasta salad.

Stubborn but so dang cute!

P.S. She did get her Easter Basket back the next day. We're not THAT mean. Plus, all that candy cost a lot of $$$, so I'm not just going to throw it away.

Easter

We spent Saturday listening to General Conference and dying easter eggs. I printed off some pictures of the General Authorities and whenever one would speak, the kids would have to find the picture and then color it according to what they were wearing. Then they had to tell me one thing the speaker was talking about. Of course their favorite part of the day was dying the easter eggs. Then that evening we went to How to Train Your Dragon, which was a way cute movie. Addi especially loved it. She keeps telling me how she dreams of Toothless (one of the dragons) every night and she was hoping the Easter Bunny would bring her a Toothless Dragon. Too bad the Easter Bunny couldn't find one.

So EGGcited for Easter!

Mmmmm!! Mom's going to make some yummy deviled eggs out of these pretties.

On Sunday afternoon we had a little family gathering at my mom and dad's house.

It was so fun to see Charm & Kerry, Darlene & Dave, Chris & Becky and my Grandma Rex. So much fun!

Kendall with my dad. See Tiffy, you were with us in the background! Look at your picture!

It's like pulling teeth trying to get Tim to cooperate when taking pictures!:)

Aunt Charmaine. I love Kendall's expression in this picture!

Kendall with Grandma Rex.

A visit with Grandma Rex

This is my Grandma, Pearl Rex. She's 92 and has lived quite the incredible life. She's raised 11 kids and has around 56 grandkids? I am too lazy to count right at this moment. She goes dancing twice a week. She's lived on her own since her second husband died a few years ago. She's also good friends with Orrin Hatch and other local leaders and has been kissed on the cheek by President George Bush Jr. She is a Republican through and through and has campaigned for all sorts of local politicians and had a hand in getting them elected. Her service to this state/nation have been outstanding. She volunteers her time to help children and many other organizations, tirelessly raising money for them. She's truly lived life to the fullest. I hope I can be more like her. I realize that she's getting older and a little more feeble as time passes. I have been thinking a lot about her lately and want her to know that I love her so much! Thanks for all you do Grandma Rex! :)

4 MONTHS...

...and wishing time had a pause button.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Addi & Hally

Addi:

This bEaUtiFuL little 5 1/2 year old is such a good girl. She has a great sense of right and wrong and usually always does what's right. She is good at reminding her family to do the same. She very much likes a routine. I remember when she was little, everything had to be perfect and the routine had to be exactly the same everyday or she would get really upset. She loves to help out. If I need her to do something, she does it. She's a little bit shy around new people and timid to try new things. She is tenderhearted and kindhearted. She's a peacemaker and a daddy's girl. Addi is SO excited to start kindergarten in August and I know she will be an excellent student. She is learning to read right now and is doing phenomenal! If you want your child to learn to read before kindergarten so they have a lot of confidence going in, then check out the DISTAR READING PROGRAM! It's AMAZING! Addi also LOVES to color and do her homework. She goes to Miss Katie's Preschool right now and her teacher says she is so nice to everyone. That's just right too, everyone wants to be Addi's friend. She has an appeal about her. Addi has a huge imagination and can play all day with that imagination. Something I know a lot of kids have a hard time doing. She loves to be silly, which is so important. Addi is a good sister; Hally and her are best friends. She is also a good sister to Kendall. Kendall smiles more for her than everyone else! Addi, I love your smile, your positive attitude and how creative you are! You are my sweetie pie! I love you!!

Just to show you how good she really is. She colored her back pack all by herself, when she was four. Picasso watch out! :)

Hally:

Hally will be 4 years old in June and has the most aMaZiNg bLuE EyEs! Everyone loves Hally, they can't get enough of her. There's just something about her that people LOVE. Is it her eyes? her smile? her stature? She is so cute and quite and petite to everyone else, but to us she is all of that and a little spitfire! If she doesn't want to do it, she won't. She's stubborn. She whines and cries if she doesn't want to do something. She yells at me, tells me I'm mean and I'm a bad mom sometimes (Yes, she does get in trouble for this). She makes us LAUGH all the time. Even if she's being bad, she's still funny. Hally has the cutest laugh I have ever heard!! She loves to be tickled. She hates to eat her dinner/lunch/breakfast. She loves candy, cake, pie, cookies, chocolate, diet coke, etc., but doesn't like very many healthy things. We don't let her have a "treat" unless she eats all of the meal that she's having at that time. Because of her stubbornness, she usually doesn't eat all of her meal. She LOVES her sisters. When Addi is away with dad, mom or a friend, Hally cries for Addi and mopes around the house. When Hally is away with mom or dad somewhere, she always says, "I wonder what Addi's doin', Mom?" and wants to hurry back. Hally is a baby mauler. Kendall gets way too many in your face kisses and hugs and baby talks by Hally. She just can't get enough of her baby. When it was my birthday, everyone went around the table to share what they loved about me and Hally said, "I love you cause you gave me a baby." Hally is very SMART. She also has a huge imagination and a tenderheart. She is silly willy and I love you my Hally Bear!

Hally is learning to draw people (Her people make me smile; a head with legs. Just imagine that walking down the street. So cute!) and write her name, which in this picture is spelled more like Hallayy. Pictured on top row: Hally, Addi, Kendall Bottom row: Dad, Mom