April 27, 2013

KITE FESTIVAL



Dear Brooklyn,

Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height. Let's goooo.... fly a kite!

We spent the morning with some awesome friends at the kite festival. 


We actually got there before it started but everyone came together to get things up and going for us.


You guys made kites and then ran around trying your best to get them in the air.

You got your face painted.


We flew kites while the baby's played.


We marveled at the big kites and how they just seemed to float there.


It was fun. And now you are obsessed with your new kite. That we can't get to fly.

Sincerely, Mom



April 18, 2013

HIDING


Dear Brooklyn,

This is where we sit,

hiding under a blanket,

with your pretty sister,

waiting for your dad to get home from work,

so we can jump out and scare him,

and scream with joy and surprise,

like he didn't know we were hiding,

like we are so often when he walks in the door.

Sincerely, Mom

April 17, 2013

TEN MONTHS


Dear Molly,

I love your ten month old self.


I love the tiny curls that are presenting themselves on your head and swirl around your ears.

I love how you stand up and rock back and forth on your unsteady feet.

I love how when you are really, really tired you cry "babababababa." until you get your bottle.


I love how you use your toothless gums to gnaw on gigantic bits of food.

I love when you see me you crawl as fast as you can to get to me and then practically sit on my feet and patiently wait for me to pick you up.


I love how you cuddle up and lay your head on me when you first wake up or if you are getting sleepy.

I love your deep little voice and how you talk to inanimate objects more than you talk to people.




I love your chubby feet with all the dry patches and callous beginnings from crawling so much.

I really love everything about you, except maybe the fact that you wake up in the middle of the night so much, but those are a few of my favorite loves.

I love you. I love you so much.

Sincerely, Mom

April 14, 2013

LUCKY


Dear Kurt,

We are lucky.

Lucky to have two little girls to call our own.

Two little girls that are sweet, beautiful, and loving.

Two little girls that Heavenly Father entrusted to us to care for, love and teach.

It is a daunting, and sometimes exhausting, task but they are worth it.


Sometimes I look at them and wonder if we are doing it right. If we are raising them how Heavenly Father would want us to. If He hears my prayers for them even when I don't find the time to kneel and speak them out loud. 

I pray that they will be happy and healthy. That they will know that I love them more than anything and that they will learn to love and serve unconditionally. That they grow close to their Father in Heaven and turn to him in time of need and in time of abundance. That they will make goals and strive to achieve them. That they will make good friends that will lift them up and care for them. That they will be the little girls, the young women, and the adults that Heavenly Father would have them be.

I also pray that Heavenly Father will give me patience when I am frustrated. That He will help me know what to say when it matters most. That He will help me to understand how I can best communicate with these tiny human beings. That He will help me cherish every moment, no matter how small. That He will help me to be the best person I can be and to remember I always have little eyes watching and learning. That He will help me, and you, to raise these precious little girls that he sent to us.


It really is the greatest, and scariest, job in the world. 

I love you, Kurt. I love you for being my amazing husband and for being the father of our children.

I am lucky.

Sincerely, Lori

April 12, 2013

MY BROTHER


Dear Richard,

Happy Birthday.

I want you to know how amazingly proud I am to call you my brother.

You are one of the smartest, hardest working, loving people I know.

I hope you have had a wonderful birthday. 

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori


April 11, 2013

A STORY OF WONDER


Dear Brooklyn,

Once upon a time, your dad and I decided to take you for a ride in the car to see that Las Vegas lights.

As we drove down the Strip you looked out the window and oohed and ahhed.

You were mesmerized by all the flashing lights and endlessly tall buildings.

"Mom, look at that." "Dad, look over there."


At one particullarly bright and beautiful point you turned to me and said "Mom, I belong here."

I laughed and laughed. Your innocence and wonder are addicting.

Then, as the night wore on, you fell asleep staring out at a world you couldn't wait to conquer.

And I again marveled at you.

The End.

Sincerely, Lori




VACATION: ARIZONA EDITION


Dear Kurt,

The last part of our vacation was spent in good ol' Wickenburg, Arizona; population: 62 (or something like that).


The weather was fabulously hot. Which means I was cool-warm most of the time while you were sweating bullets.

My favorite afternoon was spent out at Box Canyon.


There we four wheeled,


ate lunch,

and played in the water.


Molly didn't like that water too much at first. She wouldn't even put both feet in the water.


But she did warm up to it.


Brooklyn was in heaven splashing around and playing with her aunts.


We spent most of our other time in Arizona swimming,


shooting lizards,


chillaxin',


eating,


egg hunting, and four wheeling.

It was such a nice, relaxing time.

Sincerely, Lori

VACATION: LAS VEGAS EDITION


Dear Kurt,

This past week we took a couple days to stop in Las Vegas and visit our awesome friends: Jill and Jedd.


We played at the park,


we went to the chocolate factory and cactus museum,


we ate pizza, played games,

drove down the strip and watch the volcano show.


went swimming, and visited a children's museum.


On our way home we stopped at there house again for the night.


The next day we watched Jaxton play soccer and then went to a bike rally at the park where the kids played, rode bikes, went down the blow up slide and got their faces painted.


I absolutely fell in love with their city, Henderson. I wish we could move there. How perfect would that be with some of our best friends already living there?

A girl can dream.

Sincerely, Lori

VACATION: CEDAR CITY EDITION




Dear Kurt,

We took a vacation.

A long, mostly just because, do what we want, vacation.

It was fabulous.


Our first stop was Cedar City where most of my immediate and extended family (on my mom's side) were gathering to celebrate a very special lady's birthday: my grandma.


We spent a lot of time fancying up her garden with some bricks and pulling out old railroad ties and replacing them with brick walls.


There's something about a family getting together and working hard. 


The kids even "helped".


We also got in the mood for Easter with egg dying and a massive Easter egg hunt. 


Easter day, Brooklyn decided that she was going to scream, kick, fight and whine and show us what the horrible threes really are all about. 


It was a bit nice to be able to let her go off with my younger cousins once the time outs and forced naps proved to be unhelpful.


I'm just glad to be able to spend time with my mom and dad, all my sisters, and most of my extended family. It's been a while.

Sincerely, Lori