LiZZiE is SevEn

7 great years ago Lizzie was born.  She has brought such a happiness to our family.  Lizzie was born with hearing problems and couldn't hear.  She went through some surgeries and was blessed to be able to hear.  She has always been a happy girl.  Lizzie is so bright. She likes school and is very social.  Everyone wants to be around Lizzie.  Including me :)  Her favorite color is pink which I love.  It's just fitting to her.  Lizzie is very sensitive to others and doesn't want to hurt other people's feelings.  She is mindful of them and she can cheer anyone up. 
Lizzie Lou--we love you!  Happy Birthday

It's GREAT to be EIGHT on Oct 23rd, 2010

Just warning you now, this post isn’t a short one- and pictures will be in the next post.

Today was payday for me as Halle’s mom. Halle turned 8 on Sept 17th and patiently waited to be baptized up in Utah so her family could all come.

Leading up to the baptism, there were some hard feelings from Halle’s dad about Steve being the one to confirm Halle. He wasn’t able to participate in any of the ordinances and I can understand that he would feel bad that someone else would have to. We left it up to Halle to chose who she wanted to do what for her special day. She chose Aunt Lisa to give a talk on Baptism, Uncle Jesse to give a talk on the Holy Ghost, Grandpa Wright to baptize her, and Steve to confirm her. At first her real dad would have nothing to do with Steve having any part in Halle’s special day. After talking with Halle, her dad was ok with letting her have Steve involved.

When we got to Utah, the anxiety level was high. I kept thinking of how her day would pan out with both sides of the family in the same room together. I was so worried that it was going to be awkward and that would affect the whole mood of the day. I have to say that our prayers were answered and I honestly didn’t feel any anxiety or animosity the day of her baptism. None of that happened. There were no hard feelings present and I think everything went smoothly. The spirit was so strong and Halle was able to be baptized and confirmed.

Friday night before her baptism Halle was so adamant about getting to bed early because she needed to get a good night’s sleep. That didn’t happen. Saturday morning Halle woke up around 5:30 or so. She just couldn’t sleep and she wanted to make sure she was all ready for her baptism. We got her all ready for her special day including a fresh coat of nail polish on fingers and toes. On Friday I found her a cute headband at a boutique that matched her dress perfectly.

I made her a special baptism towel and gave it to her that morning. She read the poem and got teary eyed. It was so sweet. After that, Halle and I spent some time “cuddling” on the couch talking for a bit. She was SO ready to be baptized.

We got to the church around 10:05. The baptism started at 10:30. There were already quite a bit of people there.  76 to be exact when all was said and done. Her dad’s family was all there except Aunt Leslie and her family. My whole family was all there except two of my brothers. We met in the RS room and once everyone showed up, it was nice and cozy in there. Aunt LeeAnna played the piano for us and brought the spirit into the meeting. Once her actually baptism program started, I felt the spirit so strong. It was great!! Like I said earlier, I wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out. We listened to the talks and then Halle read a cute poem about her white dresses. She did such a great job.

We went into the font room and I got Halle’s towel ready. I watched her timidly walk into the font and grab tight onto Grandpa Wright. The baptism ordinance was performed and as Halle came up out of the water her smile was SO big and she was SO happy!

I went in to help her change and she was just glowing. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before with Halle. She was so grown up and now she had been baptized. She got her beautiful white dress on and did her hair. She couldn’t stop smiling. Weeks prior to the baptism I got together pictures of Halle of her whole life. I made them into a DVD with primary music in the background. It was a surprise for Halle. She liked it!

After the DVD Halle sat in the middle of all the wonderful men in her life who hold the priesthood. It was so special!! I cried once again! Steve gave Halle a beautiful blessing! She was so happy!

After the baptism at the church we all headed back to my parents house for a brunch. Once again, I was worried about how it was going to be with everyone. I was a little insecure. However, once again-our prayers were answered and things went smoothly. We had some delicious food and enjoyed talking to everyone. It’s been a while since I have talked with some of the Whitney’s. I have to admit-I miss talking to them. I miss the good part of the relationships that we had. I miss Duane and Sandra. I have a special place in my heart for them. I am so grateful for the strong spirit that was there on Halle’s special day. It was such a wonderful day.

I just have to thank everyone who helped with Halle’s baptism. Thank you to everyone who helped. Thank you for the gifts you gave Halle. Thank you for allowing the spirit to be present on her day. Thank you for the love you have for Halle and the support you showed her and us!

It's GREAT to be EIGHT on Oct 23rd, 2010~PICTURES

Halle in her dress after the baptism.

Halle and her Special CTR Towel the morning of her baptism.
Aunt LeeAnna and Halle.

Halle and Mom!

Halle and her newest cousin Julia Wright
Grandma and Grandpa Whitney with Halle

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Matt with kids Kooyman, Peyton and Halle

Grandma and Grandpa Wright with Halle

Our family
Halle and Steve.

Bon Fire

We had so much fun roasting hotdogs and marshmellows with the family on Friday night. The weather was perfect for it! Don't need to say much more. Just enjoy the pics.

New Addition to the family

My youngest brother Steven married his sweetheart in the new Draper Temple on Thursday Oct 21st. It was a perfect day. The weather was great and a nice break from the Arizona heat.

We flew in late Wednesday night after our flight being delayed due to bad weather. We got very little sleep that night which made Thursday a long day.

We got to the temple and were able to witness such a beautiful ceremony. Of course I got tears in my eyes as I watched my brother look at his sweetheart over the altar. So precious. Brought back memories of when Steve and I were married for Eternity and knelt across from each other back almost 3 years ago.

The luncheon was at a church and was decorated all nice. My mom prepared so much for the food and decorations. The food was DELICIOUS!! Family favorite. We got the church all cleaned up afterwards in just enough time to go home, take a breath, and then head to the reception center for pictures.

It was a great place for a reception. Great place for dancing, and my favorite was out back. There was a gazebo, a little stream and lots of fall foliage. Beautiful! The food at the reception center was yummy too. The kids especially liked the never ending Italian iced sodas.

The time came to get our boogie on. Our family likes to dance! So does the brides family-(Her brother is on dancing with the stars). So...we all go on the dance floor...even my HUSBAND-who really doesn't like to dance, but I'm sure he loved dancing with his lovely wife :) OK-it was only for one slow song, but hey-I got him out there. I waltzed with my brother David, Danced the Boot Scootin Boogie with Halle, Danced with all the little girls to Justin Beber's Baby Baby song, Did the Conga line with Lizzie for a bit, and danced many many more songs with everyone. My brother in law even pulled out his dancing skills to Michael Jackson. Brother Chris and his wife were fun to watch dance-they had been in nationals competition several times together. Kinda funny to watch Chris "shake" his whole body. It was quite entertaining for all.

By the end of the night, all of us were ready to throw in our heels and head strait to bed. We all slept so well that night-even the kids who normally get up way early at grandma and grandpa's.

We are so happy for Steven and Hailey. Congrats! We love you guys

HaPpY BiRtHDaY HaLLe

Happy Birthday to Halle! 8 years old! Ready to be baptized soon and she is ready. We started out the day opening some presents before school. She was excited and couldn't wait. Grandma & Grandpa Whitney gave her a build a bear giftcard and some money-which she is SO excited to spend. Grandma & Grandpa Turner gave her some clothes and headbands. Her favorite being a teal shirt-that's her favorite color. Her dad gave her some money and a music card she likes to play over and over.

I had the day off so I dropped the kids off at school and came home and decorated Halle's cake. Then I showed up at her school with cupcakes for her class. Steve suprised her at school also with balloons, flowers, and a bear. She was so excited to see him. She ran right up and gave him a hug.

After school Audrey came over to play. After Steve got off work, Halle got to open more presents. She got some jewelry from Lizzie and we got her a baking kit with some clothes. She is all about making cakes and cooking. It's great!

We went to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth to Red Robin. Halle was excited because she got to get a shake AND a dessert. After dinner we walked across to Krispie Cream. They gave her a dozen doughnuts for free.

Saturday Halle got to go to her first achievement day activity with the Stake. It was 4 hours long. She had such a great time and brought home some cute pictures.

Audrey came over and gave Halle a really cute "Dress" jewelry box. Perfect for her jewelry that Lizzie gave her. After, Steve and I took the girls and Audrey to the Phoenix zoo. 110 degrees outside. Blazing HOT. The kids still loved it though. Aunt Julie bought Halle a zoo membership for all of us for her b-day. It's awesome! The safari train ride was fun.

We came home and Halle got to play with her cake kit. She loved it. She's getting so old. She went in Sunday for her Baptism interview with Bishop Watson. She did great. Her baptism will be on Oct 23rd up in Utah.

Life as we know it

It's been a long time since i have posted. Summertime is always busy. You would think I would have more time with the kids being up in Utah, but Steve & I took advantage of the free time and went out and did alot of different things while we had no kids.

Here are a few highlights of our summer:

We spent 5 days in TX with 4 of my brothers and their families. We had so much fun!

We picked up the kids in Cedar City over the 24th of July. We hung out with my sister & her family and my parents. We celebrated Pioneer Day with a neighborhood breakfast, parade and fireworks.

We got family pictures done when the girls came back from Utah.

Steve's grandma Mommy May & my Grandma Nana both turned 80 on the same day. Since they met at our wedding they said they were friends in heaven. On the way to Mommy May's birthday party at Tia Rosas, Steve surprised me with an envelope that had a special not to me and a plane ticket home to go to my grandma's party over the weekend. He took care of the kids with the help of his family while he was at work, and I got to fly all alone to spend time with my family and surprise Nana.

Halle and Lizzie started school. Halle went into 2nd grade & Lizzie went into 1st grade. Lizzie has the same teacher Halle had last year. Halle has her teacher from half of last year because she went up to 2nd grade for 1/2 a day last year.

It's time to host more parties. We splurged-after much research and time and finally bought a big TV. Steve has his XBOX all hooked up to it and we love playing rock band and guitar hero. Steve likes to invite his cousins to come over and hang out more now. It's been fun. The girls like it too.

Amazing Men

I am SO grateful to have such a wonderful husband who took on 2 little girls when he married me. He has been such a good daddy to the girls. I am so blessed he has been a good example to them and we love him so much!

Also-Dad-thank you for everything! I love you so much. You are such a good Dad and Grandpa for me and the girls. We are grateful in so many ways to have you!

Preparing Now

I was at the kitchen sink this morning peeling a cucumber for my lunch today and Halle was washing some grapes for her snack. She saw me peeling the cucumber and said, “Mom, that’s like repenting. All your sins are being washed away”. When I was finished she said, “See, repentance makes you all clean again.”

I can’t wait for her to get baptized. She is getting ready and is starting to understand the concept even more. I can tell it’s on her mind a lot lately.

Lizzie's Graduation

My youngest graduated from Kindergarten! How time flies!! Here are some pictures from her graduation day.

The principle and her teacher for part of the year.

No-i didn't let her wear flipflops during the day.

Best buddies!! Audrey, Lizzie & Halle

Lizzie and her best friend in Kindergarten-Brenna

Lizzie & her teacher-Mrs Soot-the second half the year

Lizzie & Mrs. Hubbard-1st half the year-she had a baby. Same teacher Halle had. We love her!!

Lizzie's whole class

Sisters/Best Friends

Lizzie got the "Overall Excellence Award" for her grade. Also the "Music Award" for her grade.

Halle got student of the year. 2 years in a row.

Rachel-Our best friends here in AZ. She watches the kids everyday while I'm working. She got an award for helping out so much. She's amazing.