WE MADE IT SAFELY HOME

BROOKLYN SLEEPING ON THE WAY HOME FROM CALIFORNIA

Dear Kurt,

We made it home.

It was a long slow drive that we had to finish up this morning. The roads through several spots were covered in snow and ice and it was pretty windy.

I'm glad we made it.

Today Brooklyn woke up with a horrible diaper rash. I guess we haven't been changing her diaper rash as much as we should since she is on antibiotics. So today is a naked day. Brooklyn has been playing with her diapers more then she has been wearing them.

BROOKLYN PLAYING WITH HER DIAPER

Well, I am tired and have lots of laundry to wash and put away.

See you soon.

Sincerely, Lori

THANKSGIVING DAY LIST

WEBCAMING WITH UNCLE RICHARD ON THANKSGIVING.

Dear family and friends,

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year has been a great one and I am thankful for many things.

I am grateful for Kurt and Brooklyn and that they bring me joy everyday.

I am grateful for my parents and for their unwavering love and support throughout my whole life.

I am grateful for my sisters and brothers (including in-laws). I am happy to know that we will always be friends.

I am grateful that Kurt was offered a great job at a time when we didn't think he needed a new job and that he accepted.

I am grateful for the tiny moments that happen everyday that make life worth it and that I am aware enough to treasure those moments.

I am grateful that I have the true gospel in my life and that Heavenly Father loves me and my family and knows exactly what we need to grow and become more like him.

I am grateful for technology that allows me stay in touch with family members that live far away.

I am grateful for hot baths.

I am grateful that Brooklyn go some antibiotics and that she is feeling a million times better and can run around and play with her cousin Porter.

I am also grateful for a million other things but this short list will have to do for now

Sincerely, Lori

GRANDPA PLAYING WITH BROOKLYN AND PORTER. I THINK PORTER IS ABOUT TO THROW THAT BALL AT BROOKLYN

GOLDEN BIRTHDAY BOY

KURT AND I OUT AT DINNER FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY (11-24-10)

Dear Kurt,

Happy Birthday!

Actually, Happy Golden Birthday! That's right. You are turning 25 on the 25th.

You are now a whole quarter of a century old! wow, you are old!

It has been a good year. Brooklyn is growing fast. We had an awesome summer. You got a new job. We have blessed with health and happiness and a million other things.

My golden birthday year was momentous for me: got pregnant, bought a house, got my degree, and had a baby. Who knows what your golden birthday year will bring for you. I can only imagine!

I love you so much! Happy Birthday!

Sincerely, Lori

3 DOWN AND FOREVER TO GO

PICTURES IN THE RAIN (NOV. 23, 2010)

COURTESY OF CHRISTINA TARA PHOTOGRAPHY

Dear Kurt,

It is our 3rd Anniversary together.

I can't help but wonder if other people have a relationship like ours.

We laugh, we play, we work, we fight, we make up, we cuddle, we kiss, we support, we dance, we make fun, we try new things, we dream, we learn, we wrestle, we joke, we love.

Sometimes when chaos of life melts away, and it is just us two, I forget that the world doesn't evolve around us.

You make me a better person by just being you and allowing me to just be me.

I will always be one hundred percent loyal and devoted to you. Where you go, I will go too. And I know that means we will go to great places together.

I love you so much. I will never get tired of the thought of forever with you.

Sincerely, Lori

MY POOR, SICK LITTLE BABY

KURT AND BROOKLYN SLEEPING ON THE COUCH AFTER A LONG NIGHT

Dear Brooklyn,

You have been really sick the whole time we have been in California.

You haven't really slept unless someone was holding you and even then it was a pretty restless sleep. You have eaten barely anything in three days. Your temperature has been in the 100's. Yesterday you threw up all over me... a lot. Today you stopped drinking.

MOM HOLDING BROOKLYN AFTER A LONG NIGHT

You are simply miserable. I want to cry for you.

I suspected an ear infection since Sunday but your ears looked fine. Until today. Today your left ear is draining a ton of stuff. We took you to a doctor and after going to almost every pharmacy in town, got you on some strong antibiotics.

BROOKLYN TAKING A NAP ON HER AUNT CHRISTINA

I'm really hoping you feel better by tomorrow because Aunt Brittney, Uncle Job, and Porter are coming.

Get well quickly, little one. Until then you have lots of people here who love you and will hold you and rock you.

I love you so much.

Sincerely, Mom

BROOKLYN TAKING A NAP ON HER MOMMY.

IN CALIFORNIA AT LAST

BROOKLYN HANGING OUT WITH GRANDMA WHILE WE PLAY GAMES.

Dear Kurt,

We have made it to California!

We left Thursday night and drove all night to beat the storm. I'm so glad we did because Brooklyn slept most of the way.

Now we are here and we can relax and enjoy ourselves and my family! Yay!

Sincerely, Lori

PRETTY LITTLE HUSBAND, YOU SMELL SO GOOD.

Dear Kurt,

Tonight you came to bed smelling pretty.

You ran out of your soap while taking a shower so you used my body wash.

I love that smell but since you are getting mad at me for smelling you over and over again and telling you how pretty you smell, I will just write this embarrassing little note and go to sleep dreaming of you prancing though a field of small flowers and mangos.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

A SLEEPLESS NIGHT AT THE KILLIAN RESIDENCE

BROOKLYN CUDDLING WITH HER MOMMY.

Dear Brooklyn,

Last night you woke up at midnight and have barely slept since unless your dad or I were holding you.

At first we weren't sure why you weren't sleeping. We thought teething may be the culprit, but around 3 am I realized that you were pretty stuffed up and about and hour later you were coughing a lot. I guess you were hit with a nasty cold.

Your dad rocked you to sleep several times and held you for hours. Then I spent the remainder of the night holding you and soothing you back to sleep when you woke up. Then your dad spent most of the morning cuddling and playing with you so I could catch a couple hours of sleep.

Today you are a lot happier then I expected. Your nose is running like crazy and you won't take a decent nap but you are happy and playing and laughing.

Tonight I hope you sleep better then last night but I'm not expecting you to, so your dad and I are ofF to bed early.

I love you.

Get better really, really soon.

Sincerely, Mom

SUGAR EQUALS CRAZY BABY

CRAZY BABY ON SUGAR.

Dear Brooklyn,

Your dad and I don't often give you a lot of sugar.

A little here or there - yes. But a lot - no.

Tonight was a different story. We went to dinner and you wouldn't drink your water so I let you drink some of (or a lot of) my chocolate and your dad's Dr. Pepper.

Then we got some ice cream from Cold Stone and I shared mine with you all the way home. By the time we got home your face was covered in chocolate and you were running around in circles and back and forth through the house.

It was so cute and quite hilarious. You were super duper hyper. You wouldn't even hold still long enough for a decent picture.

Obviously you had way too much sugar.

If I am need of a good laugh then I know what to do: fill you up with sugar and let you loose.

Sincerely, Lori

FROM SNOWY IDAHO, TO SUNNY FLORIDA

BROOKLYN WITH HER SUNGLASSES FROM HER AUNT KIMBERLY

Dear Kimmy,

Brooklyn is a little confused today.

She thinks it is sunny and that we are going outside. That is why she has been putting on the sunglasses you gave her all day.

She is wrong. It is snowing and we are staying inside.

Maybe this her way of telling me she wants to go to sunny Florida to visit her aunt Kimmy. I'm sure you agree with that.

I wish we could come visit you. We miss you so much.

I love you tons! Enjoy some of that nice weather for us.

Sincerely, Lori

IT'S A "TOO MAY TITLES TO CHOOSE" DAY

GRANDMA AND GRANDPA STOPPED BY ON THEIR WAY OUT OF TOWN.

Dear Brooklyn,

Today we woke up to snow.

Not a lot of snow. Just a few snowflakes falling from the sky that melted when they hit the ground.

Several hours later our backyard was a sea of white.

OUR BACKYARD

Needless to say, it was a "stay inside and turn the heater up to 75 degrees" day.

BROOKLYN FEEDING HERSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME

Also, it was a "let Brooklyn try to feed herself for the first time" day.

Which meant it also turned into a "scrub the high chair, floor, and wall" day.

And since we are on a roll I'll make it an "I love my baby so much I can barely stand it" day.

Sincerely, Lori

MOVING DAY AND PLAYING IN THE PARK

Dear Kurt,

Today we helped our friends Jill and Jedd move to Pocatello.

I'm sad they are moving. I love hanging out with them and how having them over for dinner always turns into talking for hours and hours, sometimes with the car running the whole time.

I know Pocatello is only an hour from our house but it lets be honest, an hour might as well be five. We rarely see our friends that don't live in Idaho Falls.

Anyways... I'm done with the "poor me".

Back to today. Today Brooklyn wasn't much help with the moving. The unpacking thing, on the other hand, she was good at. Actually it more of the pulling things out of boxes and throwing them on the floor thing that she was good at. Either way we had to get the kids out of the house for a while.

JAXTON OUT PLAYING IN THE PARK.

So we headed across the street to the park. It was such a nice day and there were tons of leaves to play in and lots of hills to roll down, or in Brooklyn's case, scoot down.

BROOKLYN SCOOTING DOWN THE STEEP HILL.

At one point Brooklyn walked up and put her arm around Jaxton's waist and they just stood there like that for a while. It was adorable. They are such good friends. I hope we still get to see them often enough that Brooklyn will still feel comfortable enough to put her arm around him when they are just standing there.

BROOKLYN WITH HER ARM AROUND JAXTON.

So after a long day of moving and playing in the park I can honestly say I am ready to curl up on the couch with you and watch the history channel or whatever else we find on tv.

Sincerely, Lori

OH WHERE, OH WHERE HAS MY LITTLE CAT GONE?

INKA JUST A FEW MONTHS OLD

Dear Kurt,

Inka hasn't come home in several days.

Late last night we stood outside the garage and called her name over and over again but she didn't come.

She has never gone missing like this. She always comes into the garage at night and if it's cold then sometimes she stays in the garage all day too.

We are really sad she is gone. She has been with us almost our whole marriage and although she doesn't get that much attention anymore, we still liked having her around and she was so good with Brooklyn.

Hopefully she just took a little trip while the weather was still warm and will find her way home soon.

Hopefully...

Sincerely, Lori

FALL PHOTO SHOOT

Dear Brooklyn,

Today we had a fall photo shoot.

That's right. A fall photo shoot. In November. In Idaho.

I think it was 63 degrees today so of course we had to go out and enjoy it because it can't last too much longer here in Idaho.

Sincerely, Lori

BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WOULD GET NOTHING DONE TODAY

Dear moms,

Have you ever had a morning where you have to give your child a roll of toilet paper just so you can get something done?

That is my morning.

Sincerely, Lori