Oh Mr.Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun!!

We missed you!! This has been such a nice weekend- Dillon said "We don't even need to wear a jacket! It's like SUMMER!" Kasidee even ran around in flip-flops. It's so funny that 50 degree weather is summer (in Utah). Hope you all are basking in the sunlight also- till Monday when the clouds roll back in.

Everybody was Kung Foo Fighting

Dillon had been asking me for a while if he could take Karate. And I finally found a place that could match my budget. Dillon is in heaven! He practices hard during the week so he can show off his mad skills:) We should be getting his uniform soon- which he insists he must have before we can call this legit. The teacher does such a good job at making Karate interesting for 4 yr olds. Kung Foo Panada is referenced quite a bit.

My Son, the Photographer

Derek keeps telling me to go and get Dill his own little camera- so if anyone has any cheap suggestions let me know. (except for the Fisher Price one- Kasi has it and we aren't fans.)
I had no idea he had taken these pictures and had a good laugh when I saw them:)
I love how he captured his models true feelings:)

Change with added good looks!

Kids are so funny, when I would volunteer in Kasidee's school the kids would ask me who I was voting for! And also let me know who I should vote for and who I shouldn't and why. These kids are 8!!! It was a well aired election, and my kids seemed to have an opinion also, just not for the right reasons. Kasidee had done a packet on Obama on Inaguration Day. When the question was asked what she found most interesting about President Obama she wrote, "He is VERY handsome."
The girls has good taste. I guess she'll only vote for the cute ones:)
Also at FHE the other night we were talking about tools that we have here to help us return home to Heavenly Father and I said, "he's a very special man, and we are so lucky because he lives here in Utah" And Kasidee yelled "OBAMA!". Uh, no.
The prophet.
That man is on her mind!

Walking with the Dinosaurs

My Dill is a Dino fanatic. He received many books about Dinosaurs this year- which we read daily. And collects every Dinosaur toy made! I'm very impressed with the amount of information a 4 year old can hold! So of course when we heard this show was coming we couldn't pass it up. I drug my feet a little (not wanting to spend the money) but we decided it would be just a mom and me date and left Kasi and Derek home (don't worry they saw Paul Blart, The Mall Cop instead:)) The show was great- very educational. And if you asked Dillon he would say "the Dinosaurs fighting each other was awesome"! We begged (it didn't take much) our fun friends Camille, Jack, and Dill's BF Luke to come along! Other people were laughing at how enthusiastic our boys were to see the show, and I would say they were definently the loudest cheering group!

My Baby is 4!!

I'm a bit behind in the blogger world! I had a total brain meltdown with the holidays, 2 birthdays and a baptism! The baby of our family turned four Dec.30th! My silly Dilly is such a sweet boy. We had a Dinosaur party and it was a blast, We dug for fossils, made masks, and did the dinosaur stomp. I attempted to make the dinosaur cake- in Dill's favorite color of course- red! I think I am in denial- I wish he could stay little forever. But as he reminds me quite often- "I'm a big boy now, I'm 4!"

The kids get to pick where we go for dinner on their birthdays, Dill has a more pricey taste. We went to Tempanyaki! $100 bucks later, and all for a onion volcano!



4 of my favorite things about Dill-

*His lisp
*He LOVES to snuggle with his mommy!
*He makes me laugh
*His need for sleep. He'll say, "Mom,I'm ready to take a rest!"




Kasi and Dill made the cupcakes for his party-

Baptism

We had some road bumps and trials in trying to prepare for Kasidee's baptism. Luckily I have a wonderful friend in the Primary presidency who helped me figure everything out. It was definently a learning experience for me and Derek. But when all was said and done Kasidee had a great experience and that's all that matters. Kasidee had her baptism interview with the Bishop and he said, "this girl knows her stuff." As a family we really prepared ourselves to really understand why we should be baptized. He asked her why she wanted to be baptized. And Kasidee replied, "Because I want to be a member of our church and have the Holy Ghost help me." I was worried she was going to say, "Because my friends/cousins are." She really is growing up.
Kasidee was baptized with her best friend, her cousin Bailee. She was very happy to share that day with her. Kasidee smiled from ear to ear on her baptism day. I just love her so much!

Kasi and Bailee


Kasidee's cute friends congratulating her


Ella going to town on the all you can eat buffet

A brand new year, a brand new start.

I was reading an article in the Ensign about goal setting. I can't remember which of the Seventy wrote it, but- He said we should always be goal setting and always trying to progress ourselves. Not to wait for the New Year, and that is why he is where he is (in the Seventy) and I am where I am. I do appreciate his advice and will try harder to make goals throughout the year. He also said to make goals you can actually accomplish! Ideal right?! So don't put on your list *become filthy rich, put *I'm going to save $ amount per week, per month, whatever.
So for FHE the other night we all set goals, individual ones and also as a family.

Kasidee-
*Have a better attitude
*Move to level M in reading

Dillon-
*Try to not throw fits ("try" is the keyword)
*Be better at putting my toys away

Brittany-
*Keep my cool with the kids
*Serve better as a leader in YW (read scripture's 5 min. a day, say prayers, smile.)
*SAVE my money
*Excersize. (not the "kill myself" excersize. the "I feel good" excersize)

Derek-
*Still working on his list

Family-
*Read the Book of Mormon
*Be nice!!

Elves at the Village

We went on an elf scavenger hunt- Kasi and Dill had fun seeing all the cute scenes. I printed off a list and we had to find certain elves, and then got a treat at Sweet Aftons. I love spending time with my kids:)

Gingerbread Houses

We had a blast putting together our gingerbread house. Derek was being a bit of a perfectionist-he had to come to terms with a 3 yr old and a 7 yr old putting it together. Later we watched a Paula Deen christmas show - her gingerbread house was awesome. Derek is making some plans to renovate next years house.

Temple Lights

We had such a fun night with my family last night. It was SO COLD- but we still wanted to take the kids to see temple square lights. We are never disappointed in the light display and nativity scene, and it has become our family tradition to make time to go up there. But seriously, it was cold.



Grandma and Kas



The whole gang



My cute kids

Toys For Tots

Our good friends had such a great idea- we usually bring a gift to our party and play a game- but good ole' soft hearted Mitch said we should use that money and buy toys for children less fortunate. So we did. We decided to go out to eat, see Santa, and have our children learn about giving instead of receiving. Things didn't go as planned. Santa had left by the time we got there. My kids were actually relieved but poor Morgan was not okay with it. It was still a fun night, we rode the carousel instead:)

Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

Kasidee started the holiday season off on Dec. 6th with a dance recital. Me and Dill had such a fun time cheering her on. I think Kasidee was made for the stage (especially with all this drama she has:) ).

Christmas Photo Shoot

Angie had taken the kids pictures for christmas/birthday's and here are a few of my favorites.







Thanks Ang, you are SO talented!

The Lion House

I remember going to a birthday party (I think Taryn's or Annie's) at the Lion House when I was younger. But it wasn't a tradition in my family. But, along with many other things I've aquired with Derek's side, going to the Lion House when you turn eight is one of them. They actually invite all the grandma's and aunt's though. So I had to tweek the tradition a bit because the whole party would have been a family reunion with all the aunt's and grandma's we have. It was nice, a bit overpriced for what you actually get, but Kasidee enjoyed herself and that's all that matters (right?). All 11 of the girls were very well behaved, Kasidee is such a cute friend, she had such a hard time picking who she wanted to invite- but when a couple of 5th and 6th graders appeared on her list, well-lets just say I did the final draft.

I feel like we have celebrated Kasidee's birthday 10 times this week! Dillon was SO funny, he LOVED everything Kasidee recieved. When my mom gave Kasidee her gift he kept yelling "A CUPCAKE MAKER?!! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!! A CUPCAKE MAKER!!" That boy cracks me up.

Kasidee found the gumball in her peice of cake- which means 1 year of good luck.

As most of you know Brooke is creative. She made this pillow for Marley to sleep on- it has her initials- Marley Cupcake Kuehne- it was a hit:) for Kas and the pup.

Thankful

We had a great Thanksgiving day! At Derek's moms the kids all said one thing that they were thankful for- Kasidee said the TV. It was a little embarassing, but at least she's honest. So I just wanted to post a few things that I am thankful for. It's been an emotional week for me-Cade's birthday was on Friday and of course it brings back such wonderful and very sad memories. I said to Dillon "Did you know that Cade would be 3 today?!!" And he said "Mom, I'm 3!!!" And we laughed at the fact that I have two 3 year olds, and also cried at the fact that only one is here. My sister in law had her baby on Monday and I really struggled with that. I am of course so happy for her, I just was having a pity party for me! Poor Derek has gotten an earful from me this week! He is so patient and loving. He might not run out and buy me flowers but doing a sinkful of dishes is exactly the remedy I need!
I am thankful for-
*Derek
*Kasi and Dill
*My friends (also comfort food :) )
*My Savior
*A puppy that's sleeps all night
*And, like Kasidee, I am thankful for TV :)
*My family
*My best friend, My Mom (who had also gotten an earful from me this week and every other day:) )

Eight is REALLY Great!

Kasidee's birthday is today! And we finally gave in -Kasidee is a pet owner.
Marley Cupcake Kuehne

This puppy is a cutie. So far NO accidents. (It might help that I take her out every 1/2 hour)

Me and Derek were very excited to give Kasidee this gift. She is such a good girl. We feel very blessed that she is part of our family. We love to see her happy and this puppy makes her very happy. I won't show the entire video, we started out with her finding her gifts around the house-she recieved a book "Bad Dog Marley", a puppy toy, and a feeding bowl. (Dill gave her a Sharpay barbie) So she pretty much had figured it out by the time Derek brought Marley in.

I still am in shock that we did it.

It's not fair!

Dillon is having the younger child syndrome. Kasidee is a little free bird and wants to play as soon as she gets home from school. So of course Dillon wants to play too. But if I'm working or if Ella is sleeping (his usual bad timing) I say no. And I get the "it's not fair" crap. My kids are having a hard time understanding that we don't call people and say "Can you play?"-"At YOUR house?" Believe me, this kid is not missing out. He usually gets to play 5 out of the 7 days. Just not 24/7. Here are some fun pictures when we had his best buddy, Luke, over. Dillon said he wanted to do something REALLY fun- so this is what we came up with- Fruit kabobs for a snack, making a car for a craft, and a cardboard sword to run around and play with. Ella joined in on the fun until they went outside but she kept a close eye on them still. It's so fun to watch my kids grow and develop their mostly cute personalities, and then watch them interact with other kids. These boys make me laugh. Whenever we say it's time to go home they both break out into tears. I'm glad they are buddies.

233rd Place

This past weekend my 2 friends and I ran in the Snow Canyon, St.George 1/2 marathon. The weather was so nice that while I ran my face got fried! I was SO nervous to run- but after taking 10 potty breaks before the race, I did it! My goal was 2 hours and 15 min. and I ran it in 2 hrs and 14 min. Taking 233rd place. I'm not sure I would have met my goal if my dad and Brooke hadn't met me at mile 11. Thanks so much mom, dad, Kev, Brooke and Ella for coming to cheer me on, it really meant a lot! My main goal was to keep in front of this 75 year old guy. And luckily I barely passed him at the finish:) My friend Teena ran like a mad woman and finished in 17th place. We didn't take our kids so I told my friend, Suzie, that our possibilities were endless- so we stayed in bed all day after the race until late Sunday morning. WE LOVED IT! Thanks for being such an inspiration to me Suzie and helping me accomplish something I wouldn't have done on my own! Now on to the full marathon.

Halloween-finally over!

Did Halloween last a week for anyone else? I am SO done with this particular holiday. Thursday was Kasidee's Halloween parade, usually we get quite a group out to cheer her on, I don't blame anyone because it started at 9:00 am. But one of Kasidee's biggest fans came- MY MOM. She's a gem. I love to people watch, and there were some goodies on Halloween- the freaks and the hookers make their debut.(Thanks to Kasidee's grandma Kuehne for making her costume nice and modest). There was a lady dressed up as a polygamist- Can we do that?
Anyways, on Friday night the gang came over for some cheap entertainment. My kids are pretty awesome when it comes to trick-or-treating. We walked down the street and Dillon said he had enough candy and Kasidee wanted to go home and pass the candy out.

Here was our cheap entertainment-
Everyone trying on Kasidee's wig.







And Dillon jumping out of a box a thousand times.