Happy Birthday Kaylee!

Sweet little Kaylee turned five on Tuesday, February 24th. She woke up to streamers, presents, and her breakfast request of Cocoa Pebbles and Pop Tarts. We let her open one present before Chris and Ainsley left for work and school. When we asked her which one she wanted to open she requested the lightsaber. We wondered how she knew what she was getting. Her response was that it was shaped exactly like a lightsaber. Yep, she was right.

Kaylee had specifically asked Chris to give her a lightsaber for her birthday. She was very excited to receive it and now Ainsley and Landon both want one. Although, I'm not so sure I want Landon running around with one of those things, haha.

We met Chris for lunch that afternoon and then we came home so I could start her turkey dinner. Yep, I prepared an entire Thanksgiving meal for Kaylee's birthday. How could I say no to a request for "churkey?" By the time dinner was finally ready at 7pm, I was about ready to collapse. The things we do for our kiddos! But,after all was said and done, the day ended nicely with the opening of the rest of Kaylee's presents and chocolate fudge cake (she designed the frosting pattern) with mint chip ice cream.

Today Kaylee invited some friends over for a Hello Kitty birthday party.  This was her first birthday party with friends. She really wanted a piñata but purchasing a Hello Kitty piñata was pretty expensive. I happened to come across a Valentine's Day piñata that was on clearance so I bought that and put a picture of Hello Kitty on it. I actually think it turned out cuter than the pricey one. I made Hello Kitty bows for the girls to wear and painted kitty faces on them (Landon decided to wear black cat ears instead of a bow). We played games like"Hot Potato Kitty" and "Pin the Bow on Kitty". They had fun trying to break open the piñata (Chris ended up having to break it with a hammer while the kids hid behind the couch) and even more fun rushing the candy once the hammer was out of harms way. We had cupcakes and ice cream and once Kaylee was finished opening her presents we pulled out her Pollys and let the girls go crazy. Our living room was covered in Polly Pockets and the party was a success. Happy birthday Kaylee! We love you!

The Month of February

Art - Two weekends ago Ainsley brought home a flier informing us that a piece of her art work was on display at our school district's performing arts center and we were invited to a reception for the kids who had work on display. It was pretty neat! Each school had a section of its own and all of the schools' art teachers were there. It was fun for Ainsley to see her work at an "art museum."

Another Heat Wave in February - My kids and a few of their friends were out washing our van and eating popsicles in their swimming suits last week. Déjà vu!

Mispronunciations - When Kaylee requested churkey (turkey) for her birthday dinner, I started thinking about some of my kids' past and present mispronunciations. Ainsley created the word willn't (won't) when she was younger and it's been a common word in our family ever since. I often wondered if I should correct her but it sounded so cute that I just couldn't. It hasn't done any permanent damage and probably around first grade I mentioned that "won't" might be a better word to use, because you see, Kaylee had started using "willn't." I figured I'd still get to hear it sometimes even if Ainsley wasn't saying it anymore. Sadly enough, "willn't" has faded from our family's vocabulary but it was fun while it lasted. A few more of Ainsley's favorite words were nulk (milk), chocolick (chocolate) and Arfurd (Arthur - her favorite TV show). When we ask Kaylee how she's doing a general response is, "I'm doing find." And Landon, well he's just one big mispronunciation in and of itself. I love mispronunciations! I think kids sound so cute when they're trying out new words but can't quite get them right.

Dating - And last, but certainly not least . . . drum roll please . . . Chris and I have been on two dates over the last three weeks and we totally still like each other! This is pretty spectacular for us (not that we still like each other but that we went on two dates) considering it's the first time we've been on a real date in at least a year. Yikes!

Grandma and Grandpa Gadd

As always, we were sad to see Grandma and Grandpa head home to California a little over a week ago, but we had fun while they were here. Usually we're out running around with them when they come (our feeble attempt at showing them how great Austin is, so that maybe they'll want to retire here someday), but this time we stayed close to home. Since Kaylee was recovering from her surgery she wasn't really up for any outings. We kept busy though. Grandma and Grandpa played lots of games with us, read lots of stories to the kids, and Kaylee even had Grandpa playing Polly Pockets with her.

Dressed in White

When Ainsley was three months old Chris gave her a name and a blessing. He had just received the Melchizedek Priesthood and we had just been sealed together as a family for time and all eternity in the Oakland Temple.

Today Ainsley was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Chris performed both ordinances and my dad was there to stand in the blessing circle while Ainsley was being confirmed. The dress she wore for her blessing and the dress she wore for her baptism were both sewn by my mom.

I have no doubt that Ainsley understands what her decision to be baptized means. I can feel it in her spirit. I can hear it in her words. I can see it in her actions. She was ready to be baptized today. She understand her choice and she is so excited to be the newest members of our church. We are excited for her too! She has chosen to be a part of something that will bring her much happiness and many blessings throughout her life. Happy Baptism Day Ainsley! We love you!