Heather's Page

Just Playin' Around

2009-11-07T15:46:00.003-07:00

Kaylie was playing around with a tutu she got for her birthday & some tule left over from her costume & thought it would be fun to make a new hat out of it.....I had to take her picture!!!

The Christmas Carol Preview....

2009-11-07T15:26:00.003-07:00

Every year during the holidays, Mass Mutual treats their employees & their families to a movie night with a premier of a new movie...this year it was the new "The Christmas Carol." So Grandma Brierley, Kaylie, Emily, Bailey, Luke and I went to the show together. While we were waiting for the show to begin, we had the kids pose with their 3D glasses on....Emily told them to pose like Rock Stars...so this was how they looked.....

Kaylie & Bailey

Luke

The movie great, the family & friends were better and the time we all spent together was the best! We love hanging out with Grandma and with the Taylors!!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T15:01:00.004-07:00

Happy Halloween.....This year was Kaylie's first year in elementary school. They have a parade for all of the kids dressed up in their Trick or Treat attire. Kaylie was a Princess this year...I know, what a surprise, but a cute one at that. Grandma Brierley made her costume & she absolutely LOVES it!! She cascaded across the shiny ballroom ( I mean gym) floor, waving as she walked by and smiling to all her adoring fans......or at least anyone who would wave or smile back! It was spectacular. There were so many wonderful costumes..it was quite the parade!!

Kaylie & Mommy after the parade

Kaylie posing for a pic while waiting to return to kindergarten

Kaylie & Josyah....she LOVES this kid...in fact, when she grows up...she is going to marry him!! He is a darling little boy. He is in my primary class & he keeps things lively!

Heather...aka Slick Foot Stella, Eric...aka Modern Day Al Capone, and Nancy...aka Street Gansta!! We had lots of fun dressing up at work and the Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!!!

Grandma & Grandpa's 60th Wedding Anniversary

2009-11-07T14:39:00.004-07:00

This year was the 60th wedding anniversary for my grandparents, Dale & Lois Howells. We spent it celebrating with our family & some of their friends at Golden Corral...Grandpa's favorite!!! It was fun sharing their happy days & memories together. They are amazing people and do so much to help other people. They continue their active lives despite being 84. We are so lucky to be blessed with them in our lives for so long!!

Grandpa and "the other" Dale

Grandma Howells

Janice and Valene

Meghan, Jamie and Stacie

Thanks to all who attended. We love you Grandma & Grandpa!!!!

Halloween at ORS 2009

2009-11-07T14:22:00.003-07:00

This year at work we decided to draw names and decorate each other's cubicles. It was lots of fun and helped bring the spirit of Halloween into our department!!! Take a look.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Kaylie's 6th Birthday Party

2009-11-07T12:13:00.004-07:00

This year for her 6th birthday, Kaylie wanted to have a Princess Party. The grand event was held on Oct 3rd. Our garage was transformed into a ballroom for the event to take place. Some of these pictures don't do it justice....there are other pics on my sister's camera that I will have to post later!! We decorated crowns, polished fingernails, ate lunch, frosted cookies since Kaylie didn't want cake & of course played games. It was a fun time for all....

Aunt Stacie polishing nails...the girls loved that!! And Julie is helping the kids make crowns.

Here we are playing the Princess and the Pea game. Kaylie loves the story & had me read it to them while they were eating. Then we played the game. We had 3 chairs with cushions on them. We put a golf ball under the cushion & had the kids sit on the chair & see if they could figure out which one had the "pea" in it. It was alot of fun. We also played pin the crown on the frog. This one wasn't too fun...all of the kids were worried about not putting the crown on the frog....too much pressure & a few tears....including the birthday girl!! Oh well......

Here they are frosting their crown cookies......they had so much fun!!!

Here was the last game...."The King's Loot" We hid the gift bags in the back yard and had them all find one. They had all sorts of goodies....gold chocolate coins, glow wands or swords, character facial towels, hair clips for the girls & tatoos for the boys.

Khalil, Marcus, Daisy, Kaylie, Breena & Colby...and Parker came too!!! Thanks to all of our Prince & Princesses who made our party grand.

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!

Happy 6th Birthday

2009-11-07T11:08:00.004-07:00

September 30, 2009

Happy Birthday to my favorite little girl in the world. Kaylie is now officially 6. As always, I count my many blessings every day that we was sent to our family. She is learning academicly, socially as well as mentally and spiritually. She amazes me constantly with the things she is able to understand and do. This year like the 2 previous, have been years of growth and change for us both. She has adjusted so well to the changes and is a wealth of joy. She has started Elementary school and dance this year and I am excited to see how she grows with these new beginnings. This year for her birthday, she wanted for her dad and mom and herself to go have dinner at the Mayan. Soooo...that is what we did. She wanted whatever I was having for dinner so we had cheese enchiladas, rice and beans. For dessert she had chocolate cake that had a HUGE firecracker in it for the candle. That was cool. She got many things for her birthday and had a day full of fun....she was even the spotlighted child in her Kindergarten class and she took cookies....M&M & Chocolate Chip....to her class to celebrate.

Kaylie & Mommy at the Mayan

Daddy & Kaylie

KAYLIE!!!!

This is the perfect picture to end this blog with. This shows Kaylie's true happiness and zest for life. She is a happy child that loves to be surrounded by her friends and family. She is smart, beautiful and full of love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!!!!

Kaylie Lost her 4th Tooth

2009-11-07T10:14:00.006-07:00

On September 25, 2009 Kaylie lost her 4th tooth. She was a school and pulled it out. They gave her a little plastic tooth to keep it in. On the way home from school she dropped it & it fell in the grassy field. We looked & searched all over and then Kaylie found it. She put it safely in her pocket until we got home and she put it under her pillow. She got a dollar bill and a gold dollar too. She was soooo excited. She tried so hard to stay awake and catch the Tooth Fairy, but " my eyes were toooo tired and I fell asleep."

I love you Kaylie!!

Daisy's 6th Birthday

2009-11-07T09:27:00.005-07:00

Kaylie has met some fun, new friends this year. She was invited to a birthday party for her friend Daisy at Jumpin Jacks. They had so much fun running & jumping down the slides. The picture below is of them after they had both gotten burns from falling down the slide. Good thing they were tough...got right back up & did it again!

Posing for the picture....Cute girls!!

Kaylie had such a fun time....glad for good friends & fun!!!! Happy Birthday Daisy!

Little Dancer

2009-11-07T09:10:00.004-07:00

Kaylie has started taking dance this year. She is trying tap and ballet. She is really excited and looks forward to class every week. They are learning their dance for their Christmas performance at the Festival of Trees. I hope she will dance when she figures out that she will be on a stage with LOTS of people watching her. She is so shy!!! At least she is trying something new!!!

Kaylie's 1st day of Kindergarten

2009-09-03T16:00:00.001-06:00

Today was Kaylie's very first day of Kindergarten. She woke up & didn't eat a thing except a little bit of her banana!! She was just too excited. We put her hair in spongey curlers as she requested and picked out her clothes the night before. We walked down the path to school (the same path mommy used to walk down to the same elementary school) and she could hardly wait to get there. She heard the bell from the middle school and said "Mom, we have to run. There is the bell and we are going to be late." She ran ahead of me for a moment until I could explain that was for the other school! She was soo funny. When we got to the door she just marched right in....no kiss, no "I will miss you" or "see you later"....just fearless.

When I picked her up in the afternoon she was so happy and had such a nice day. She had a hard time picking out her favorite part of the day. She liked the gingerbread cookies they ate, sharing her gingerbread girl that we made from paper to her class (her teacher was impressed that she added perfume to it), playing on the playground, singing songs...everything about the day was wonderful to her. She can't wait to go back tomorrow!!!!! Ohhhh...and she has informed me that she would like to walk to & from school every day!!

Kaylie's 1st Trip to the dentist

2009-09-03T11:22:00.001-06:00

July 27, 2009

Kaylie made her first trip to the dentist! She did so well...she let them clean her teeth, floss them, take xrays & Dr. Curtis did an examination....bad news is that she had 5 cavities....soooo since she wouldn't let Dr. Curtis fill them we had to see Dr. Jason so he could sedate her & then fix her teeth! Now they are all better!!

Getting her teeth cleaned & flouride while watching SpongeBob & wearing some stylish glasses to keep the light out of her eyes!

Great Job Kaylie!!!!

Grandma's Birthday

2009-09-03T11:11:00.001-06:00

July 14, 2009

For Grandma's birthday we treated her to Leatherby's! We couldn't pass up the chance to celebrate our Grandma!! Or the ice cream!!! Happy Birthday!!!!

Aunt Stacie, Grandma & Kaylie...Mommy is taking the picture!

July 4th, 2009

2009-09-03T10:52:00.001-06:00

Here we are again....at the West Jordan Parade. This is our tradition!! Kaylie LOVES this parade. She likes the horses & the bands & the cheerleaders, but most of all she likes the royalty. All the pretty girls in their pretty dresses...she wants to be one of them someday!

So Patriotic!! Happy 4th of July!!

Murray City Royalty

Mommy, Kaylie & Grandma
Even the witches for Gardner Village showed up! We love to see them every Halloween!!

Kaylie catching candy and otter pops....her FAV!!!!

Mommy & Kaylie's Best Day of Fun Again!

2009-09-03T10:34:00.000-06:00

July 2, 2009

Kaylie & I enjoyed another fun day at the zoo. She loves the animals and loved to see the baby giraffe. It was a nice day & not too hot...just right for seeing the animals! It did rain at the end of our visit & we barely made it back into the car before it started to down pour! The streets were flooded by the time we got to Foothill Blvd and Kaylie kept asking if we would be safe in the car with all of the lightening overhead! We made it home safe & sound.....and dry of course!!

Kaylie laying with the lions!!

Dolphin ride on the Carousel...we couldn't miss this ride!! We didn't get to ride on the train though cause it started raining before we could get to it!

Mommy & Kaylie...another best day of fun!!!!

Cara's Graduation

2009-06-16T12:32:00.000-06:00

On June 5, 2009 our sister Cara, graduated from Cyprus High School. Her graduation was held at The Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. We ate at Macaroni Grill downtown and then attended the ceremony!! Congrats Cara!!

Stacie, Cara & Heather

Kaylie's Graduation 2009

2009-06-16T10:32:00.000-06:00

May 28, 2009

Kaylie graduated from her Kindergarten class at her daycare. There are so many emotions that you feel as a parent watching your child move on to the next phase of their lives. I cannot begin to express the great joy and excite that came on this day. I am so proud of the accomplishments she has had this year. She has learned so much and has grown into a wonderful little person. I am amazed at her ability to learn and grow and adapt to the things around her. This had been a great acheivement for her. She was so excited to graduate and now be going to "big kid school" as she likes to call it. She has learned numbers, months of the year, days of the week, letter sounds and is now beginning to blend them together to make words. She has really excelled this year and I am so proud of her.

Kaylie & her friend Natalie

During their ceremony, they sang some cute songs and received a diploma. Next up for Kaylie is some testing at the Elementary school to see if she is ready for 1st grade or if she will need to attend all day Kindergarten.

Congrats Kaylie! You did it!!!!!!!

Taylor Swift Concert...5/26/2009

2009-06-16T09:29:00.000-06:00

This was Kaylie's FIRST CONCERT EVER!!! She was so excited to see Taylor Swift! She loves her music & wanted to attend this concert. Her favorite song is ...."Romeo & Juliet" as Kaylie likes to call it, but the real title is "Love Story." We ate tacos and were off to the show!

"Miss Sassy"....she loves to pose! Now its with a bit of attitude!

This was the opening act...Gloriana...we LOVED them...great music & energy!

Kaylie & Heather

Taylor.....she has so much energy & is so fun on stage. What a great role model for all these little girles. She did a wonderful job!!

Grandma, Kaylie & Aunt Stacie

This was such a fun concert....a little toooooo long for Kaylie though. She told me that she doesn't want to go to another concert until she is a little bit older...you know like 5 more years! She got a glow stick that bought us some time, but when it was all said & done we had a fun time together. What a great first concert memory!! These firsts are amazing & I love all of them that I get to share with her. They will never happen again & it is so special to have them together! I love you Kaylie!!!!!

Picnic in the Park....5/7/2009

2009-06-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

We had a fun picnic at the park one night for Family Night. We walked to "The Biggest Park I've Ever Seen" and then had a picnic lunch which consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheetos, carrots & celery and cookies. We had fun eating together and playing on the playground!!

Grandma, Kaylie & Aunt Stacie

Kaylie & Heather

Kaylie walking the tight rope!

Aunt Stacie making her way through the slide

Grandma & Kaylie taking a ride on the "Stage Coach"

We sure did enjoy our time together at the park!

My 33rd Birthday Celebrations!

2009-06-12T14:08:00.000-06:00

For my birthday, my friends took my to Red Rock.....it was fun to try something new & the food was fantastic. After we ate, Julie & I went to the Jazz game...Game 4 of the Playoffs series with the Lakers. Unfortunately, the Jazz lost, but we had lots of fun cheering them on!

Me, Julie, Aprille & Kari

Thanks Girlies!!

Opening gifts up on my birthday! Kaylie picked out some great jewelry for me....she did a wonderful job! We ate PF Chang's & check out the cake Mom & Stacie surprised me with!

Its a purse ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins!! It had my favorite ice cream....Rocky Road with white cake! Yummy!!! It was a perfect way to end the day! Thanks for the memories!!

Kaylie Lost her 3rd Tooth

2009-04-22T11:48:00.001-06:00

On April 1, 20009 Kaylie lost her 3rd tooth. She was at school & trying to wiggle it loose...she succeeded & pulled the tooth out all by herself. Her teacher gave her a white envelope to put it in & then they sealed it shut to keep it safe until she got home. She put it under her pillow & the toothfairy flew in so quietly & left her a one dollar bill & a shiny gold dollar (or quarter as she likes to call it)!! She was so excited to loose another tooth! Her permanent one has not come in it! She is still waiting for that to happen!

Easter 2009

2009-04-22T11:14:00.000-06:00

This year for Easter we found this little thing that helped us to color eggs. It was really cool. You put the egg in the cylinder & locked it tight & then pushed down on the yellow knob & watched the egg whirl around & get color on it. Kaylie had so much fun doing this! And the best thing was... no mess! No color on anything but the egg..amazing invention! We may be coloring eggs all year long!! We had a nice Easter day as well. Kaylie spent the morning with her dad & then met me at Grandma & Grandpa Great's (Howells) house. We visited with them & then came home to see what the Easter Bunny had left her & had an Easter egg hunt! The sun was shining and what a beautiful day it turned out to be!

Kaylie coloring eggs...Looks like a purple one this time!

Mommy & Kaylie making a multi-color egg

Look at all the eggs we colored...Kaylie loved the pink and orange ones the best!

Kaylie and her full Easter basket after her egg hunt in the backyard! She got alot of eggs...wonder what is in them??

Kaylie is holding up the money she got in some of her eggs. She also got candy & friut snacks and some Disney Princess Activities..what a lucky girl!

Although there is a lot of fun to have on Easter with the candy, eggs & Easter Bunny, we also remembered Jesus & His resurrection. This is truly what Easter is for.. Eternal Life. We hope that all of our friends & family also had a wonderful day. We love you all!!

Road Show 2009

2009-04-03T14:03:00.001-06:00

On March 26, 2009 Kaylie participated in the Cottonwood 8th Ward's road show...the whole stake participated. She got to sing songs & dance with all the other kids. She only had 2 days practice before the actual show. She had so much fun and did a fantastic job... Woo Hoo for Kaylie!!!

Bowling

2009-04-03T13:20:00.000-06:00

On March 21, 2009 we went bowling at All Star Lanes in West Jordan. We bowled 2 games and it was sure fun! Kaylie does a good job bowling...the smallest ball we could find her was an 8...it was a little bit heavy for her, but she still got a few strikes!! In fact in the 2nd game she got 3 strikes & 3 spares....then it was off to the arcade for some game time! We had a fun time together with our family!

For the first game Kaylie bowled a 92 and the second game she bowled a 135.. what a great bowler!!! She is learning fast! Wait to go Kaylie!

For the first game Grandma bowled a 81 and the second game she bowled a 126...Good job Grandma..Thanks for letting us win!

For the first game Aunt Stacie bowled a 105 and for the second game she bowled a 74...Stacie was showing us how to get it done! She is quite the bowler!!

For the first game Heather bowled a 87 and for the second game she bowled a 151....I had a slow start with the first game and the first 2 balls I got NOTHING!!

Here they are....the famous bowling shoes....what a fashion statement!

We all love to bowl....Maybe we'll see you next time!

Pay it Forward

2009-03-20T13:17:00.000-06:00

Here's how this game works, the 1st 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift. After you receive your gift you only have to post a picture and story about it, so we can all share in the excitement.

St. Patrick's Day 2009

2009-03-20T12:43:00.000-06:00

This year for St. Patricks Day, we spent it at the Jazz Game with the Taylors. Kaylie was thrilled to be going to her first Jazz game ever with Bailey...her best friend. We had fun eating pizza, dancing around, cheering for the Jazz & watching them beat the Washington Wizards 103-88. The "Mini Dancers" were Kaylie's favorite part...that and watching her favorite player #5 Carlos Boozer play. It was quite a night. Kaylie & I stayed until the game was over & went down to the floor and got some streamers since she didn't get a Jazz ball like Luke did. Thanks for the fun memories Taylors!! We had a great time with you!!

Kaylie & Mommy's self portrait!

Kaylie & Bailey watching the game

Blurry picture of the Jazz bench...look close..can you find Boozer??

Here is a shot of the floor from our seats in the upper bowl!! What a fun night.

Luke, Emily & Kaylie

Theres the Bear...the kids were trying to find him all night. He does some crazy things & they all love him!! He never came up to the upper bowl...They sure wanted him too!

And of course, Boozer...this blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of Kaylie's favorite player. Boozer finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds...Great game Booz!!!

Valentines 2009

2009-03-20T12:25:00.000-06:00

This year for Valentines Day Kaylie had an assignment in her Kindergarten class to make a Valentines box. She was so cute & creative and made a fantastic box. She also requested that we make her hair all curly with the sponge curlers for their Valentines Party. She went to her friend Natalies for a "Play Day" on Valentines Day and then came home to a picnic with all the things she requested....grilled cheese sandwiches, pink milk & cheetos. We also had some healthy stuff...carrot & celery sticks. Aunt Stacie made us cupcakes with strawberry filling & a strawberry on top. It was a fun picnic!!

Kaylie with all of the Valentines she got at school

Kaylie with her Valentines box...she did a great job...Thanks Aunt Stacie for your help!! It looks great! It was lots of fun making it too!!

Kaylie & Mommy at our picnic...Kaylie even got a special Valentines from Grandma Brierley with $5.00 in it! What a great gift!!

Grandma....Can I do your hair...PLEASE???

2009-01-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Grandma is such a good sport. Kaylie has become facsinated with doing her own hair as well as anyone who will agree to it. This time it was grandma. She let Kaylie style her hair however Kaylie wanted it to be.

Doesn't she look stylish???

What a hip new look!!!!

The little hairstylist herself....what a great job. Thanks Grandma!!

Kaylie's 1st Sleep Over

2009-01-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

On January 23, 2009 Kaylie had her first real sleep over with Bailey...her favorite "cousin" as Kaylie likes to call her! We went and saw "Hotel for Dogs" with Bailey & family & then the big night!! The fog was extremely bad that night, but we went to visit Aunt Cara during her 18th birthday party. The girls had a balloon fight with Aunt Cara & her friends, had cupcakes & lots of fun. Later that night they played with Kaylie's Princess Aurora vanity and watched 12 Dancing Princesses. They stayed up until midnight, but had so much fun!! The next morning they had bananas and Honey Nut Cheerios. We went to Build a Bear and then had a cheese dog from Hot Dog on a stick. We had a fun time with Bailey and the girls can't wait for their next sleep over!!

Kaylie & Bailey...Kaylie even shared her favorite Princess Aurora nightgown with Bailey...she must really be her favorite cousin!

They sleep...we had a sleeping bag for Bailey, but she later decided she wanted to sleep with Kaylie in her bed...Kaylie was excited...

Here we are in the car after Build a Bear...Bailey named her bear "Heart Heart" and Kaylie named her monkey "Odette" I think she has 3 animals named that now!

We had so much fun with Bailey and we love spending time with her & her family. We are lucky to have such great friends!! Lets do this again soon.......

Mommy & Kaylie's Best Day of Fun

2009-01-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile this special day comes around...Kaylie & I have one special day that we are able to spend together doing something that she really loves. Today was such a day. She has been asking for quite sometime now to take a ride on the train..Trax...so I thought today would be the perfect day! We rode the train to the Gateway, got a cookie from Ben's Cookies...highly recommend that place, their snickerdoodles are VERY GOOD!! We also got an Orange Julius. She didn't even want to walk around, just get back on the train & eat our treats. She was amazed at how fast the train went, but at every stop she would ask if this was our stop. There were many things to look at on the way, The Grand American, The Temple, Grandma's building that she used to work in..formerly First Security and lots of houses & backs of buildings. She couldn't believe all there was to see. Then when we got back to the train station, it was off to Color Me Mine where she choose to paint a unicorn! Bet you can't guess what colors she chose! Well if you know Kaylie you would know pink & purple..with green speckly eyes with a blue pupil...she insisted on a rainbow on its hip & a heart by its foot...she did a great job. I love these days that we get to spend together. It makes me realize that this time is going by so fast & just to enjoy them while they last! I love you Kaylie!!

Kaylie by the ticket machine with her apple that she only ate half of, but had to have it for a snack on the train!

Kaylie & I waiting for the train!

All Aboard! Here we go! It took off so fast that she about fell off of the seat. She couldn't believe it went so fast.

Self portrait of us riding the train! We are getting good at these...

Color Me Mine and Kaylie's pony she is painting!

Great painting Kaylie..we had to paint it a few times so that when its fired it will be just the color Kaylie wanted it..Purple with pink hair & brown hooves!

We had such a great day together. She was an angel all day & we had so much fun! I wonder what the next Mommy & Kaylie's Best Day of Fun will bring???????

Ears Pierced???

2009-01-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

I was picking Kaylie up from school on Friday and the first thing she asked was...."Can I get my ears pierced?" I was a little taken off guard at the question as this subject has never come up before. So when explaining that I thought she was still to little, she responded "There are girls littler than me that have their ears pierced...so can I?" I told her no once again and that she needed to wait until she was a little older & could take care of them. When she asked if it hurt to get them pierced & I told her it did...she quickly changed her mind & was content to wait until she was older! Thank goodness for pain!!! She is such a great kid & I love being her mom!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our Christmas fun started on Christmas Eve...with the divorce we have had to plan to share Kaylie so it took some rearranging so that she could see everyone in the family to open presents & spend some time with all the people she loves the most!! So we spent Christmas Eve with Grandpa Brierley, Marilyn, Grandma Barney, Aunt Stacie, Aunt Cara & Trevor...who was visiting home for the holidays on a break from the National Guard!! We ate dinner at Chili's and then did some present opening! We had such a good time & also got to see all of Grandpa's lights!!

Heather, Kaylie & Stacie

Trevor, Cara & Marilyn

Kaylie & Grandpa

Chocolate chip cookies for Santa...Kaylie helped me bake them...no other kind of cookie would do for Santa...Kaylie insists that his favorite kind are chocolate chip!

What a lucky little girl...look at all that stuff!!

Kaylie with her new favorite toy...her Princess Aurora vanity & snuggling with her new webkinz...Sparkles, a blue hippo.

Heather with her new accessories from Stacie!!!

Kaylie with her new blocks that Aunt Stacie is going to paint Kaylie's favorite colors...pink, purple & shiny of course!!!!

Stacie & Grandma with Hale Theater tickets to see Hello Dolly & Phantom of the Opera!! Girl's Night Out!!!!!

It snowed so much on Christmas that we were able make a snowman & have a snowball fight after shoveling snow off of the driveway! Nothing better than snow on Christmas!!

We had a wonderful Christmas....we were able to spend time with our family and remember the true meaning of Christmas..Jesus. How lucky we are to get to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We are truly blessed!! Merry Christmas!

Kaylie Lost her 2nd Tooth

2008-12-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Kaylie lost her 2nd tooth on Saturday, December 20th. She was at her Daddy's house & she had been playing with it. She loosened it and then pulled it out herself. She was so excited that she could do it on her own! The Tooth Fairy brought her 2 shiny gold dollars! Now she got exactly what she wanted for Christmas....Her 2 front teeth since her permanent teeth are already coming in!!

Brierley Christmas Party 2008

2008-12-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our annual Christmas party was held on Saturday December 20, 2008 at Dad & Marilyn's...Its our yearly get together with food, family & fun! It was definately all that! We had a nice time visiting & getting caught up on each other & what is happening in our lives. This is a fun time that we all look forward to. We did miss Carl this year & all of our other long lost family members! We wish them all the joy this time of year brings!!

Bob, Pam, Sue & Jim

Grandpa & Kaylie

Kim, Stacie & Marilyn
Family Photo

Kaylie requested a funny photo...here it is! Thanks for being such great sports!

We have such a wonderful family and are so grateful to be blessed with each one of them! Merry Christmas!!!

Kaylie's Christmas Program

2008-12-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

For Christmas this year, on December 10th, Kaylie's Daycare put on a Christmas program for all of their families. Daddy, Mommy, Grandma Brierley, Aunt Stacie, Grandpa Brierley, Marilyn and Aunt Cara all came to watch. They had each class sing a few songs that they had picked out!

Kaylie is in Miss Heather's Kindergarten class and they chose to sing, "Up on the Housetop", "Jingle Bell Rock", "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" and "All I want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth." They sang really loud and did their actions so well. We could tell that they put a lot of practice into those songs!

Kaylie's favorite was Rockin Around the Christmas Tree because she gets to play the air guitar. She loves that!! I had to include the picture eventhough its blurry!! She did a great job!

There was a slide show and then Santa even came to wish us all a Merry Christmas while passing out little candy canes. Kaylie didn't want her picture taken with Santa, but she did give him a big hug and he told her "Merry Christmas." It was a fun time and Kaylie, you did a wonderful job!

It's Kringle Time....

2008-12-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Thats right...Its time to get all the Christmas things out, the Christmas tree up and be all festive for the best holiday of the year. Not only do I love this fun, merry & bright season for all of the fun things we get to do, but I also love it because it represents the birth of Jesus. I love the giving part of the season that comes from His special reverence and in knowing that this is the gift we should be sharing all year round...ourselves. With that said....lets get this thing called Christmas started!!

These are the Mr & Mrs Santa that Grandma Brierley made & some of her snowman collection. With our 2 little trees to make upstairs Merry & Bright!

This is part of Heather's village. I love building this town! Kaylie likes to play with the little people & the horses!! We had a few new things to put up...a Casino with flashing lights & the country store!!

Here is our big tree! It has to go downstairs because its so big! It has a little train that really moves on the track & blows smoke. Its is Kaylie's favorite part of the tree! Ask Aunt Stacie how much she really likes it!!!! Grandma went crazy with the lights, but there is nothing I enjoy better than this bright Christmas tree!

We hope that each of you has a wonderful Christmas and that the true spirit of the season touches your heart. I have been so blessed this year and I want to give special thanks to all of the people who have touched my life and have given me the courage to take the next step in my life. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family who bring the best out of me when I feel there is nothing more to give. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me and showing me what its like to be Christlike!! Merry Christmas!

Kaylie Lost her 1st Tooth!!!

2008-12-04T20:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight at about 6:50pm, Kaylie lost her very first tooth! She was playing with it with her tongue & she pushed it forward & then it began to bleed. I told her we needed to pull it out so that she didn't swallow it in the night. She reluctantly let me tug on it & it came right out..pain free! Her permanent tooth is just poking above the gum behind the hole in her cute little smile! She was so excited & now can't wait till the Tooth Fairy comes. She is going to try to stay awake to catch a glimpse of the beloved fairy! All she wants is a shiny new quarter left under her pillow!

Congrats Kaylie on losing your first tooth!!!

NKOTB 2008

2008-11-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Sooooo....this all came about when my cute little sister Stacie emailed me that The New Kids were back & they were going to be touring. Since we went to their 1st concert on September 1, 1990 at the Marriott Center in Provo, we had to go to this concert too!! Aprille decided that she wanted to go too! She was only 4 the last time they came & her mom wouldn't let her go, but this time she was 24 & could go if she wanted! Cut to Saturday November 15, 2008...The E Center...NKOTB!!!! Again!! This is one of the best concerts I have been too! I mean, I know its a boy band, but they rocked!! It was so much fun!!!

Stacie, Heather & Aprille

LADY GAGA

She was a little raunchy...but she had some decent music

Natasha Bedingfield

She was really good. We all loved her music & she was a really good entertainer. There was this boy in the row in front of us that started crying when she came out...he was our entertainment! And yes....there were many boys there...and not all of them were gay....just keep looking at this blog!!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!!!!!

The first song they sang was "Single"....they sounded sooooo good!

This picture is for Eric...."Grown Man"...you missed out!

They moved the stage on us mid way through the show & sang with the piano at the back of the arena....of course the 2 songs I wanted to hear...."2 in the Morning " and "Dirty Dancing" At least they sang them...right????
Aprille, Stacie & Heather during 2 in the Morning!

Steve, Heather & Jesse
See what I mean about not being gay...Cute Huh??? These were the guys next to us...turns out that Jesse worked with Aprille's dad & also is a friend of Stacie's BFF Rikki!! Small world. These guys kept us laughing all night & really can Move It!!!

"Twisted"
These guys still know how to dance!!

"I'll Be Loving You Forever"
They can still hit all those high notes too!

"Step By Step"
This was the first encore

Bet you can't guess what this song is...."Hangin' Tough" Never thought you would see this many people waving their arms at one time huh...We thought this was a great picture!!!

"Hangin' Tough" was their last song & they had Paul Pierce & Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics on the screen before they came out telling everyone to scream! Then they came out in Boston's finest garb!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!

Then came the end of the show....when they jumped, all the fireworks & confetti exploded. It was a great way to end the show! Glad that they reunited & came back to town...it was a great concert! See you the next time around!!!!

Disney on Ice

2008-11-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

For her 5th Birthday, Aunt Stacie got Kaylie a ticket to see Disney on Ice....of course Grandma & Mommy had to get tickets to go too!! So heres the big night....Friday, November 14, 2008. Kaylie dressed up as Princess Aurora (thanks for the suggestion Grandma) and we curled her hair & the finishing touch was her crown!!

Doesn't she look beautiful!! There were so many little girls & boys all dressed up in their Disney garb! What a sight to see!!

Heather, Stacie & Kaylie waiting for the show to begin! Kaylie got a Princess light stick to light up during the show! Lucky girl!!! Aunt Stacie got us great seats on the 7th row!!! Thanks Stac!

"Say Princess".....Grandma & Kaylie posing for the picture! We had a great time!!

Heather & Kaylie in front of the ice....the stage was a castle! It wasn't even that cold! Kaylie was afraid that it was going to be freezing cold, but she didn't even use her jacket!

Heres the big finale...you can see that there were so many characters to be seen.....All of the Princesses, except for Kaylie's favorite...Aurora, The Incredibles, Buzz & Woody, Simba, Timon & Pumba, Stitch, Donald & Daisy, Goofy, Chip & Dale, Pinnochio & Gepetto, Jimny Cricket & The Blue Fairy....So many of our favorite Disney stories right before our eyes!

Even Mickey Mouses' marching band made an appearance & we got to sing with them & march to their beat!
And what a perfect close to the show....A Farewell from Minnie & Mickey. It was an exciting night. Kaylie's favorite part was when the princesses danced together & she also loved the Incredibles, but her favorite character was Minnie! What a great night spent at Disney on Ice!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

This Halloween we went to the pumpkin patch with Bailey, Luke & Dylan to pick out our pumpkins. It was fun, but a hard thing to do because we had to walk so much...we found our pumpkins though! A picture says a thousand words!!

Kaylie was of course Princess Aurora this year for Halloween...Doesn't she look Fabulous!

But she also wanted to hand out candy to all of the trick or treaters visiting our house. So she dressed up in some of Grandma's witchy things & gave out candy!

This is Kaylie at our Trunk or Treat at our church. She is finding her way through the maze to find some candy, BUT this time she got tricked & there wasn't any candy!!

Happy Halloween! Have a spooky night!! BOO!

Kaylie found her Prince Phillip....her daddy. She told him that she wouldn't go trick or treating unless he dressed up too!!!

This year, Halloween was spooktacular! We had a great time & got lots of candy!!! Lets do it again next year!!

Kaylie's 5th Birthday Party

2008-11-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

For Kaylie's 5th birthday, we had a little party for her at Leatherby's. She had a great time & got the banana split she wanted. She had fun with her family & friends that came. When we left the restaurant it was raining really hard.....that seems to happen every year on her birthday!! Good thing we planned this one inside!

Kaylie picked out her birthday cake & of course it was the Princesses. It was white cake with chocolate frosting. And Princess Aurora even lit up!

This is Kaylie with her cousin, Taylor. She loves playing with Taylor. They are the only girl cousins close to the same age. Girls have to stick together, right??

This is Kaylie's very best friend, Bailey. She loves to do things with Bailey and her brother Luke as much as possible. Now they have matching pink dragons! Thanks Bailey.

Heather & Emily....Best Friends too! We have been through a lot together & that will never change! Love ya girl!

Aunt Stacie & Taylor posing for the camera. Kaylie loves being with Aunt Stacie. They are always playing around!!

Grandpa Great (as Kaylie calls Grandpa Howells), Jenny & Ethan. We were so glad that they came to celebrate this happy day with us!

Grandma Brierley and her mom, Grandma Great (also known as Grandma Howells). They are special women in our lives. Kaylie loves them both very much.

There was a jukebox that we got to request music from. Kaylie, Bailey & Luke loved dancing to the music.

These are some of the gifts Kaylie got on her birthday.....what a lucky girl!

After her birthday party at Leatherby's, we went to visit Grandpa Brierley, Marilyn & Aunt Cara since they couldn't make it to the party. This bag was full of gifts.....I think Kaylie could fit herself in that bag. Can you say spoiled?????

Grandpa & Marilyn receiving "thank you" hugs from Kaylie. She never sits still for long!

Kaylie had a wonderful time for her birthday. Mommy & Daddy took her to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory....her choice...and she had macaroni & cheese.....her favorite!!!

Kaylie is 5

2008-11-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that my sweet, little girl is now a big 5 year old. It seems like only yesterday I was bringing her home for the first time. She is the greatest blessing in my life. I love to watch her learn & try new things. She has started Kindergarten this year and she loves it. She is learning so much. It broke my heart and made me so happy all at the same time to watch her take that next step in life and realize that my little girl is growing up. I am so lucky to be her mom....Thanks Kaylie for all of the memories and for the future that I love so much sharing with you!!!

Here are 5 of my favorite pictures of Kaylie.......

This is one of the very first pictures of Kaylie. Its amazing what technology can do now! I loved being able to see her so often. I worked for a doctor and we had an ultrasound tech in our office. I could see her or hear her heart beat any time I wanted. What a miracle!

Kaylie didn't get her pictures taken at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, NV where she was born, as I was only in the hospital for 24 hours. We took her to Kiddie Kandids when she was only 3 days old. This is my most favorite of the them. She was & still is the most amazing little girl!

Kaylie loved to play in her Elmo tent & she has always posed for pictures with that big, bright smile. I love her face in this picture. She thought it was the best thing in the world to play in the tent & she still loves them today!

Kaylie is 4 years old in this picture. It is her Christmas picture. It is one of my favorite pics!! We had so much fun taking these pictures. She was fun and happy and really showed her zest for life.

This is Kaylie in her new bedroom. This was a surprise that made her day! She loves the Disney Princesses, especially Princess Aurora (if you couldn't tell!!), so she was surprised with a princess style bedroom. She absolutely loves it! She goes to bed every night in the top bedroom of the castle. Its a dream come true!

Now, here are some things about Kaylie. I decided to do them in 5's in honor of her being 5.

5 of Kaylie's Favorite Foods
Macaroni & Cheese, Drumsticks from KFC, Soft Shell Tacos, Cheetos & Chocolate Milk

5 of Kaylie's Favorite Shows
Johnny Test, John & Kate Plus 8, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sleeping Beauty & Strawberry Shortcake's Sweet Dreams

5 of Kaylie's Favorite Places that she has been
Disneyland for her 5th birthday, Park City with the Taylors, Trips to Las Vegas to visit The Casutt's, Annual Memorial Day trips to Paradise, & the Lehi Rodeo with Aunt Stacie

5 of Kaylie's Favorite Things
Sleeping Beauty nightgown, Lily her Whimsical Dragon, Snowglobe Collection, Zoo puzzle & her Princess bedroom

5 Facts about Kaylie
She has so much energy and a zest for life that when it comes time to go to bed she fights it as long as she can, She is very loving and caring, She is a very fast learner & usually picks up on things the first or second time she is shown, She loves animals and always wants to be around them or watch them when they are around, She loves to travel and see new things!

Kaylie's Best Friends
Bailey, Luke, Mandi, Terra, Taylor, Alexa & Katja

5 Things Kaylie wants to be When she Grows Up
Princess, Teacher, Mermaid, Ballerina & a Mom

5 Things Kaylie looks Forward to about getting Older
"staying up late"
"Going on Big Kid rides"
"Married to her Prince"
"2 Honeys....ODette & Lianna" (kids)
"Driving a car by herself"

Tagged for the Very First Time

2008-11-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

I had no idea what tagging was till Emily tagged me.....she had to explain it!! Here it goes!!

8 Favorite TV Shows

Jazz games..hope those count cause I never miss one!
Friends...reruns count, right??
Anything Food Network..eventhough I don't cook that often
Amazing Race
The new 90210
John & Kate plus 8
Brothers & Sisters
Tori & Dean..on Oxygen...this is my gulity pleasure!!

8 Favorite Restuarants

Outback
PF Chang's..the only Chinese Food I will eat!!
Ruth's Diner
Quiznos
Joe Morley's...ribs anyone??
Salsa Leedos
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
The Paris Buffet in Las Vegas...I know a buffet???, but they seriously have some good food!

8 Things that Happened Yesterday

Went to work
Took Kaylie to school
Helped Kaylie do her first ever book report...the book...How to love a Horse!! She did great.
Fell asleep watching Island Princess with Kaylie
Watched the beautiful sun rise
Listened to Christmas music...Thanks Aprille!!
Played with Kaylie & listened to her magical laugh!
Thanked Heavenly Father for my blessed life!

8 Things I look Forward to

Raising a healthy, happy little girl
Finding the love of my life
Going to the temple
Christmas
Spending time with my friends & family
Hot showers!!!
Every tomorrow I am given
Fridays!!

8 Things I Love about Fall

Crisp mornings
Changing colors of the leaves
Fires in our fireplace
Cooler temperatures
The first snowfall
Apple cider & caramel apples
Sweaters
The season of Thankfulness

8 Things on My Wish List

Happiness
For Kaylie to know she is the most important thing in my life...now & always
A new car
World Peace
Travel to London, Ireland, Austrailia, New York....I think you get the picture
Spend more time with Kaylie doing things that we want to instead of what we have to
For my friend & family to know how much I love them & how grateful I am to have them!!!!
Mr. Wonderful...the man of my dreams, does he really exists??

8 People I am Tagging:

I don't know that many people with a blog spot so....Stacie, Kari, Carl, Terri & Chris

Disneyland 2008

2008-10-20T20:27:00.000-06:00

Stacie, Captain Jack Sparrow & JaniceKaylie at the Princess Coronation
It's a Bug's Life.....we saw things the way bugs do....Kaylie did not like this movie at all. I don't blame her considering we were almost exterminated!!
The Jolley Trolley in Toon Town...all aboard
Annalyse, Kaylie & Alease

Kaylie in the airplane on the way to California

Here we are....a bunch of monkies in a cage
The Disneyland bus that picked us up from the airport

Kaylie wasn't sure about the characters, until she saw Minnie...she loves Minnie MouseMickey posed for a picture with us while we were visiting his house in Toon Town

For Kaylie's 5th birthday I surprised her with a trip to Disneyland. She was so excited to go. So on Septmeber 17-21, Grandma Brierley, Aunt Stacie, Kaylie & I headed to California. We took 2 planes and a bus to get there. It was the first time Kaylie could remember riding in a plane, eventhough her first time was when she was 2 months old. She could hardly contain herself on the Disney bus to The Disneyland Hotel. She met some friends along the way, Alease & Annalease. We ate dinner with the Princesses at Ariel's Grotto in California Adventures, breakfast with the Disney Characters at Goofy's Kitchen, got soaking wet at Grizzly River & Splash Mountain and Kaylie was even invited to a coronation where she became a true princess and heard Princess Aurora (her favorite Princess) tell a story. We had the time of our lives and enjoyed the time we were able to spend together. As Kaylie would say....Disneyland is magical & all your dreams come true! And all of our dreams did come true!!

Pretty as a Princess

2008-10-20T19:35:00.001-06:00

Cookies anyone???

2008-10-11T17:36:00.000-06:00

This is Kaylie's first time frosting them...she used many colors & sugars!!! Look at what a great job she did!!!!

Swimming Lessons

2008-10-11T17:23:00.000-06:00

Kaylie has been taking swimming lessons with Aly. She loves to be in the water.

Goggles for the rain...

2008-10-06T14:58:00.001-06:00

Kaylie insisted on wearing her swimming goggles to keep the rain out of her eyes!!

Kaylie's 1st Field Trip

2008-10-06T14:45:00.000-06:00

August 1, 2008

For her 1st Kindergarten field trip, she was able to go to Hogle Zoo. They saw the animals, rode on the train & the carousel, watched a bird show & even ate lunch. They all had a great time. I got to chaperone the event!

Park City

2008-10-06T13:56:00.000-06:00

After Kaylie got her haircut on July 12, 2008....Emily, Bailey, Luke, Aunt Stacie, Heather & Kaylie went for an overnight trip to Park City!! We rode on the Alpine Slide & Coaster, stayed overnight in a HOTEL......which was the highlight for the kids & then spent the next day at the Park City Festival where we got to listen to a story, eat slushies & the kids got some face painting....even though Kaylie got her butterfly on her leg! We had a great time. Kaylie & I love spending time with the Taylors....and Aunt Stacie of course!

Kaylie's 1st Haircut

2008-10-06T13:12:00.000-06:00

July 12, 2008 was Kaylie's 1st hair cut. We went to Cookie Cutters at the District. She was a little nervous, but did a great job. Now just look how cute her hair is!!

Bowling Anyone??

2008-10-06T11:04:00.000-06:00

We went to Las Vegas for Christmas and we went bowling at Sam's Town with the Ramages! Here is Kaylie's first ball........Go Kaylie!~!

Father's Day 2008

2008-10-06T10:47:00.000-06:00

Trevor, Cara, Marilyn, Phil, Heather & Stacie....

We had lunch at Johnny Carino's & then had to get some Cold Stone of course!!

July 4th, 2008

2008-10-05T13:19:00.000-06:00

The West Jordan Parade, the Western Stampede Rodeo & fireworks! What a fun day we had together...Grandma, Aunt Stacie, Heather & Kaylie.

Mommy & Kaylie's Day of Fun

2008-10-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

June 20, 2008

I surprised Kaylie for a day of fun with just the 2 of us...we went to the Hogle Zoo...one of Kaylie's favorite places. We saw all of the animals, played on the playground & even rode the train & the carousel. Then we went home & Kaylie got to swim in her alligator swimming pool in her new Princess Aurora swimming suit...her favorite Princess!!!

What a great day we had!!