Sincerely, Lori

HALF BAKED

2012-01-30T20:17:00.003-07:00

Dear Baby,

I'm am now 20 weeks pregnant.

Which means you, my baby, are officially half baked!

I celebrated by eating some Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream. Yum!

Only about 20 more weeks until I get to see your beautiful face. I can't wait!

I love you already.

Sincerely, Lori

I'M BACK!

2012-01-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Kurt,

I'm back on the computer!

I finally feel like I am getting control of being sick. I still feel awful, but I know when it's okay to drive myself to the doctors and when I need someone to take me. I know when I can eat a regular dinner or when I should stick with mashed potatoes. I know when it's okay for me to be up and around for a bit or when I need to lay on the couch as still as possible.

Basically, I still feel awful and I still HATE being pregnant and I wish every second of every day that I could get better, BUT I no longer wish someone would put me out of my misery.

I'm still a crappy mom. And a crappy wife. And a crappy home keeper. But I can finally take all those letters I wrote on my phone for the past few months and get them on this blog.

Well, I'll probably leave out the most whiny ones that I wrote while lying next to the toilet all day and night. Those can get pretty redundant.

I'll backdate all the letters to when I actually wrote them so you may have to go looking for them.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

GOOD NEWS

2011-11-28T12:34:00.002-07:00

Dear Kurt,

I finally got a Zofran

to stay down so I will probably

be alive when you get home.

Sincerely, Lori

Medicine Sucks

2011-11-28T12:18:00.003-07:00

Dear Kurt,

Zofran

Reglan

Phenergan

Prilosec

Unisom

vitamin B6

milk thistle

ginger

papaya enzyme

stool softener

gummi vitamins

peppermint tea

other nasty teas

Medicine sucks. It doesn't work. I don't know why I take all this crap. I only like the sleeping pills cause it makes me sleep. The Zofran only helps a little bit. Medicine sucks to throw up.

Sincerely, Lori

A TINY TAKE OVER

2011-11-02T09:25:00.001-06:00

Dear Baby,

Right now your little pea sized self is cuddled up inside me working on growing healthy and strong.

Who would have thought that something so tiny could make me so sick and miserable.

Every day I curl up on the couch and try not to move.

I can practically feel you zapping all my energy and nutrients and using them to build your own little organs.

But its okay.

Because as much as I absolutely hate being this sick, I would hate even more for you to not be as healthy as you could be.

So, do your thing, little one. And if you could, make it quick and be nice to your mama. I want to actually make it to see those big eyes and tiny toes.

Sincerely, Lori

OUR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

2011-10-31T15:36:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Happy Halloween.

Sincerely, Lori

GUESS WHAT?

2011-10-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

Dear Kurt,

We are gonna have a baby!

I want to scream it to the world, but I can't.

There are bigger plans in the works...

So I will just continue to tell you every chance I get.

So, guess what?

We are gonna have a baby!

Sigh...

Sincerely, Lori

WHEN BROOKLYN IS SICK OF HEARING ME TALK

2011-10-14T09:28:00.002-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

I think you wanted me to be quiet.

Sincerely, Lori

PICKIN' PUMPKINS

2011-10-12T23:08:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Today we pick us up some pumpkins.

It is time to get into the Halloween spirit!

Now let's think costumes. It's probably going to be the last year you let me choose for you.

Sincerely, Lori

POSITIVE

2011-10-12T21:27:00.000-06:00

Dear Kurt,

I got two lines on a pregnancy test!

I didn't think it was going to happen.

Even now that it has, I can't convince myself it's going to last.

I went to my doctor's appointment this morning. The appointment I made so we could figure out how to fix me so we could get pregnant.

As I explained to the doctor what has been going on with my body and then the positive test this morning, I started crying.

Dang hormones.

He asked if I was worried about this pregnancy and I told him I kind of was.

So, he took some blood and his is testing my HCG levels. I hope all is well.

Maybe I have just freaked myself out from all the stuff that has been going on with my body.

But a positive test is still a positive test. We are officially pregnant. Pregnant!!!

Okay. Now I need to let that sink in.

Sincerely, Lori

MY LITTLE COOK IN TRAINING

2011-10-07T10:14:00.000-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Some day you will be the cook of the house.

Probably because you will realize that my cooking is awful and your dad can only make about five different things.

For now I will teach you everything I know about cooking: read a recipe, add ingredients, knead the bread dough, lick the cookie dough off the mixers, and call grandma Brooksby with questions every thirty seconds.

That's it. That's everything I know about cooking.

The job will be yours as soon as you are tall enough to see the top of the counter.

So start practicing.

And good luck. (Don't tell your dad I told you this, but he's a picky eater.)

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

AND SO IT BEGINS

2011-10-06T21:18:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

It snowed all day.

Last week Brooklyn and I were frolicking through the zoo in 85 degree weather (minus the frolicking) and laying in the grass in the backyard getting in a last minute tan.

Oh how fickle Idaho weather can be.

Sincerely, Lori

CAT ALLERGY

2011-10-05T22:05:00.001-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Once upon a time I found out that I probably couldn't get pregnant right away.

So you went out and got me a kitten.

It was an adorable little thing.

But then we began noticing how Brooklyn was sneezing all the time. Then she started getting little hive-like bumps on her stomach, legs and face.

We noticed the sneezing about the same time we noticed that the kitten had quite an annoying meow that it liked to use all. the. time.

So, long story short, we got rid of it.

And we didn't even shed a tear.

The End.

Sincerely, Lori

SUNDAY CONFERENCE

2011-10-02T21:48:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

For Sunday morning Conference we had a little pot luck brunch with a few friends.

And all of our kids. Our very loud kids.

Unless the kids were in Brooklyn's room or in the backyard, there was a lot more Conference watching then listening going on.

But it was still good to have friends over and we DVR'd all the Conference sessions anyways.

As loud as it was during the morning Conference, it was just as quiet for the afternoon Conference.

There we a lot of cat naps going on.

And not by just the cat.

I guess it's a very good thing we have DVR these days. And the Ensign.

Sincerely, Lori

TRYING

2011-10-01T22:11:00.003-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Why is it that now that we are trying to have a baby that my menstrual cycle decides to go completely haywire on me?

I mean, super long periods and then extremely late ovulation cannot be a good thing when trying to conceive, right?

Well, that's what I thought, too. (not that you were really thinking about it. I know you try to avoid anything that has to do with this kind of stuff, if you can help it.)

So, today I decided to jump on google and see what I can find on the subject of late ovulation.

I didn't expect to find what I did.

My heart sunk at all the bad news late ovulation brings: the egg starts to go "bad" by the time it is released, I will likely start my next period before the fertilized egg can successfully implant, and I can have a chemical pregnancy.

I don't even know how to process this information right now.

Brooklyn was so easy to come by that I never even considered the fact that I could have a hard time getting pregnant.

I'm trying to come to grips with the idea that this may take a while.

I'm trying to figure out if we should even try until my cycle returns to normal, because I would hate to have a chemical pregnancy every month until it does.

I'm trying to not stress about it because that can't help.

I'm trying to tell myself that this isn't that big of a deal and there are people that try for years and years and sometimes still can't have a baby.

I'm trying.

I'm still sad. And a little confused. And probably over reacting.

But I'm trying.

I don't think conference weekend could have come at a better time for me. I know it will help.

I love you so much.

Sincerely, Lori

MOMMY'S GIRL

2011-09-30T22:03:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Lately you have been glued to my hip.

You won't hardly even look at your dad.

If I walk out of the room, you drop whatever you are doing and run after me.

If I go somewhere, you scream and scream.

Today your dad said "she hates me." It was a heartbreaking moment.

I know this is just a phase, but can it be a quick phase?

And in the mean time can you not act like your dad is the boogie man sent on a mission to remove all happiness from the world?

I know he loves you. I know you love him.

And I love you both.

Sincerely, Lori

STRANGENESS

2011-09-29T21:54:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

You are a strange little child.

Especially when you sit and wipe your smoothie all over your face for a good 15 minutes.

It looked like throw up, which is why your dad took care of it instead of me.

Sincerely, Lori

TWIRL YOUR HAIR

2011-09-25T15:57:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

When you get really tired you start to curl your hair around your fingers.

It is the cutest thing.

Sincerely, Lori

GRAND OPENING

2011-09-22T23:29:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

A company that is located next to Aunt Christina's work had there Grand Opening today.

Put a bouncy house, blow up slides, face painting, cotton candy, burgers and corn dogs, and live music all together and what do you get? A well spent Thursday evening.

My favorite part: how you would sit and watch the guys play music and sing. Sometimes you would start to dance too. I think you stole these guys hearts.

Sincerely, Lori

REAL CURLS

2011-09-20T11:12:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Today you let me curl your hair for real!

And with minimal amounts of bribing.

It is adorable!!!

I love it and your dad keeps saying "your hair is so cute!"

Sincerely, Lori

FEELING GUILTY

2011-09-18T20:48:00.003-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

You like to put things around the back of your neck like a scarf.

Today you were doing just that with a piece of stretchy lace that I cut off a shirt.

So when you threw a fit, I decided to put you in time-out, but I didn't want to put you in your crib with the lace because it is a choking hazard (ironic).

In the middle of your fit I went to grab the lace and ended up grabbing the wrong side, so instead of pulling the lace off, I ended up tightening it around you neck and giving you an awful "rope burn".

Now every time I look at you I feel super guilty and when people see you I say "I swear I didn't try to kill my child! It was an accident, okay? Stop judging me!!"

The guilty side of me is quite sensitive.

So, just so you know I'm so sorry.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

HARVEST FEST

2011-09-17T16:33:00.005-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

We went to the Idaho Falls Harvest Fest this afternoon.

Your dad was grumpy.

I was grumpy.

And after finding out that there were no Apply Cider doughnuts, Christina was grumpy.

And for the most part you were grumpy, too.

But for about ten minutes in the jumpy house, you were in heaven.

I think it was the best ten minutes of your two year old life!

But then we pulled you out and stuck you in your stroller and rolled you home... and we were all back to being grumpy again.

I think we all need naps.

Sincerely, Lori

FLOUR FIGHT

2011-09-16T21:19:00.001-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Funny how you seem to be in the middle of every flour war and water fight that goes on in this house.

I don't think it is right for you to blame these things on me anymore.

You are officially the culprit.

And now it seems our daughter is catching on....

And here's the strangest part: I kind of love it.

So, here's to the next 50 years of cleaning flour off our floors and walls and out of our ears!

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

CURLS

2011-09-15T16:04:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Today you wanted your hair curled just like mine.

And although you only held still for about five curls,

you looked so pretty.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

OPEN DOORS

2011-09-14T16:58:00.004-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

You have learned to open doors.

Which wouldn't be a big deal except the only doors you can consistently get open is the front door and the pantry door.

The first time you opened the front door it almost scared me to death. I thought "who just walked into my house?!"

Now I always dead bolt the door since the bottom lock only locks from the outside.

As for the pantry... I might have you convinced the handle is hot....

By the way: lying is bad.

Sincerely, Lori

TEN YEARS AGO

2011-09-11T21:52:00.001-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Has it really been ten years since the twin towers tumbled to the earth?

I remember that awful day so vividly.

My grandpa had passed away three day prior so I was almost seven hundred miles from home at my grandma's house.

I was sitting at my grandma's kitchen table eating breakfast with a few of my younger cousins, when my brother came upstairs from getting ready to go to class and said "turn on the tv."

He didn't sound overly anxious or alarmed so I didn't pay it much attention.

I immediately heard gasps from those who were in the living room when the tv was turned on, so I left my cereal and ran to see what could possibly be wrong.

And that is when I saw it: two buildings that I couldn't name if my life depended on it, one with a huge hole near the top with smoke streaming out of it.

I sat down on the floor in front of the tv with most of my family around me and watched on live tv as another plane crashed into the second tower.

My heart dropped.

All day long, I sat there and stared.

I listened to the devastating reports of another plane hitting the pentagon.

And then when I thought nothing else could possibly go wrong over there, I watched as one building crumbled to the earth, and then the other.

I felt like I couldn't breathe deeply enough. Goosebumps peppered my arms. And even though my body knew this day would change the world for good, my fifteen year old brain couldn't quite comprehend the magnitude of it all.

While the rest of my family eventually got up and went about their days, I sat there, watching every scene play over and over and reading every word that scrolled across the screen, waiting for more information, waiting for more attacks.

And now, ten years later, I know those terrorists failed. They succeeded in killing thousands of people, destroying many buildings, and starting a war. But in the long run, America is stronger, we are more unified, and have a greater respect each other.

And in the past ten years I feel that we have come closer to winning the war against terrorism.

For today, and probably the next few days, I will sit and watch all the documentaries and shows about September 11, 2001 and gain a greater understanding and appreciation and respect for the events that took place that day. I will cry. I will flinch. I will get angry.

But in the end, I will just feel grateful for what I have and that I live in this country where "land of the free and home of the brave" have a new meaning.

Sincerely, Lori

GOLF

2011-09-09T23:49:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Golf.

We took Jedd golfing for his birthday.

I honestly thought I would hate golf.

And there were points in the evening that I did hate golf.

Particularly the point where I would swing and swing and swing and swing the golf club and the ball would just sit there and laugh at me.

But then there was the 8th hole and on the first swing I knocked that dang ball right onto the middle of the green!!!! Woo-hoo!

I think the people driving by the golf course knew how excited I was.

Golf.

I love golf.

Sincerely, Lori

DINNER FOR TWO

2011-09-07T21:02:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

I desperately needed to get away from our screaming two year old for an hour or two so we dropped her off at your mom's and made our way to Texas Roadhouse.

It felt so good to not have Brooklyn yelling and kicking and throwing things and pulling my hair as I carry her to time-out for the twentieth time that day just for a little while.

Thank you so much!

Sincerely, Lori

SING AND DANCE

2011-09-02T21:44:00.004-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Tonight we sang and danced into the night.

Sincerely, Lori

BOOBS

2011-08-30T16:44:00.004-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Today you took two balls and stuck them in your shirt and said "Boobs!"

Oh boy, don't let your dad see you do that.

This is what we get for having someone who actually has boobs come live with us.

But it was sort of funny.

Sincerely, Lori

CHRISTINA'S GEOCACHING BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

2011-08-29T15:21:00.003-06:00

Dear Christina,

We spent two days camping in Yellowstone and Geocaching.

We went even though everyone was convinced we were crazy to go camping in Yellowstone in a tent. Kurt's grandma even bought us bear spray to take with us. Such worry warts.

On our way there we past a sign that read "rodeo tonight" so we flipped a u-turn and spent the next couple hours battling the rain and wind and watching cowboys getting throw around.

You even participated in a little dance-off. Which you should have won and would have if half the audience wasn't related to that little boy.

The next day we geocached our butts off, seeing a ton of the park while we were at it.

We stopped for lunch at a amazing spot in the river that was down stream from where a hot spring flowed into it.

Later that night we went to our campgrounds campfire where we learned about the history of fire in the park. It was super interesting.

Then fajitas, smores, and singing happy birthday into the night.

The next day we woke up, ate breakfast burritos and we were off for more geocaching.

On the way to Old Faithful, we saw a crowd on the side of the road and we knew what that meant: more wildlife. It was a grizzly bear and we were hooked. I don't know what it is about wildlife in Yellowstone but I can't get enough of it. We saw two bears, four coyotes, and a bunch of buffalo and elk.

The trip was amazing.

Happy birthday!!!

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

WATERMELON BALL

2011-08-25T01:00:00.003-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Tonight we crashed Christina's Ward Activity so we could find out what all this watermelon ball stuff was about.

And let me tell you, I think I found my new calling in life!

It was one of the most fun things ever!

I'm sure tomorrow I will black and blue (I can already see the bruises forming) but it was worth it!

I wish we would have found out about this earlier this summer since Ammon pool will be closer soon.

For now, I will go to bed and dream about putting men twice my size in choke holds and elbowing and kicking my way into a mob of angry hands just to get a hold of that dang watermelon ball.

Good times. Very, very good times.

Sincerely, Lori

TO MY DADDY

2011-08-22T23:59:00.002-06:00

Dear Dad,

Happy Birthday!

I miss being able to celebrate our birthdays together.

But since we are hundreds of miles apart (and both with sick spouses) I will try to make the best of my day and you do the same, okay?

I love you so much, daddy.

Here's to another amazing year!

Sincerely, Lori

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2011-08-22T23:02:00.005-06:00

Dear Self,

Happy Birthday.

But since Kurt is home sick so we had to un-invite my bestie over and we cancelled making awesome cake balls and I had to run errands while Kurt slept on the couch.... I decided to postpone my birthday.

Which means I get to do birthday lunch and birthday shopping all over again on Thursday! Woo hoo!

I might even re-wrap all my presents just to make the whole thing official.

But since technically you are a quarter of a century old today I will say Happy Birthday!!

Sincerely, Me Myself and I

ANNUAL MACK'S INN PLAYHOUSE TRIP

2011-08-21T11:11:00.005-06:00

Dear Kurt,

WHO: You, me, Brooklyn, Christina, and your family.

WHAT: Feeding the giant fish and seeing the play "Home School Musical"

WHERE: Island Park and Mack's Inn Playhouse

WHEN: Last night.

WHY: Because we like to laugh until our cheeks hurt and we almost pee our pants.

I can't wait till next year!

sincerely, Lori

SHOTS

2011-08-19T14:59:00.002-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Today you got your two year shots.

You were super tough.

The nurses were so amazed at how tough you were!

You only cried for about ten seconds after the second shot.

And then you were so happy about your bandaid.

Your bandaid that ended up in your hair after your nap.

Your bandaid that you refused to let me throw away.

It's a good thing doctors have sparkly bandaids.

Well, good job today. You are so brave and amaze me everyday.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

REXBURG RAPIDS

2011-08-17T23:42:00.003-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

When we went to Rexburg Rapids today I wasn't expecting much because you usually hate getting splashed.

But after the first ten minutes you loved it!

It was so much fun. We went around and around the lazy river. We played in the kids splash area. I taught you how to jump into the pool. I would throw you up and catch you over and over again.

I'm beginning to have hope that you will grow up to love the water like your mom.

Sincerely, Lori

FOUR YEARS AGO TODAY

2011-08-16T15:08:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Four years ago today

you got down on one knee

and asked me to marry you.

And the rest is history.

Sincerely, Lori

A BABY, PLEASE

2011-08-15T21:41:00.005-06:00

BROOKLYN - FIVE DAYS OLD

Dear Kurt,

I want a baby.

Do you think someone would drop

one off on our doorstep?

Sincerely, Lori

MAMA BEAR

2011-08-14T22:15:00.000-06:00

Dear Kurt,

I'm sorry for screaming at you to not touch Brooklyn this evening.

I feel bad and I know I over reacted.

I swear it was like I turned into a mama bear for a second.

I was mad because Brooklyn needed a diaper change and I was trying to get some stuff done before we had to leave and you were refusing to change the diaper and so I was like fine I'll do it! but then she smashed her head on the dresser when she started throwing a fit about getting her diaper changed and then you came in the room to get mad at her for throwing a fit but I could tell she was really hurt and upset so I screamed at you to not take her....

Then I was even more mad because the diaper change turned into that plus washing poop out of her brand new white dress and bloomers and giving her a bath and smothering her bum with diaper rash cream and getting her ready to leave.

All the while you were trying to stay away from Hurricane Lori so you were in the kitchen.

And I wasn't able to get anything done I wanted to before we had to leave.

And then we did the whole "silent fighting" all the way to your parents and through dinner.

Then we talked it out but just so you know I still feel bad and I love you so much!

Sincerely, Lori

p.s. should we count the and's in this letter? I guess my fingers don't believe in coma's or periods today.

CAMPING

2011-08-14T17:09:00.002-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Friday night we went and did a little camping with our friends Ben, Shacie, their kids, Isaac, Ally, and their baby.

Actually, it was more like I went camping with Shacie, Ally, and the kids and you, Ben and Isaac went fishing.

Yes. That is a much more accurate statement.

But we did manage to get in a few activities while you boys were around.

Chopping firewood.

Cooking hot dogs and smores.

Four wheeling.

And some lake time.

Mostly I just wanted to sit and hold this little bundle of joy:

Which is basically what I did while you boys went fishing all night and all morning. (Bitter much? A little. Probably because we had three starving kids and women waiting for you guys to come back to breakfast for two and a half hours... But I'm dropping it now. Again. No, I really am this time....)

It's a good thing I love sitting around the campfire and talking girl talk all night and day.

Anyways. I really did have lots of fun. And I'm glad you did too.

I love you much.

Sincerely, Lori

ROARING YOUTH JAM

2011-08-12T16:30:00.003-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

We strolled around the Greenbelt this afternoon during the Snake River Roaring Youth Jam.

Aunt Christina was volunteering at a booth and you and I walked around and had some fun.

Your dad even joined in on the fun during his lunch break.

I was kind of lame and only let you do the art projects and activities that didn't involve paint.

Maybe next year I will put you in something other than white and let you have at it.

You still had fun and I was loving the weather.

Good times. I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE LAKE

2011-08-06T23:15:00.001-06:00

BOATING AT PALISADES LAKE

Dear Kurt,

Today was just another day at the lake.

A beautiful, fun, and sometimes crazy, day at the lake.

Sincerely, Lori

KURT WAKEBOARDING

LORI TUBING

KURT'S DAD, SCOTT, KNEE BOARDING

CHRISTINA TUBING

KURT ATTACKING BROOKLYN WITH A WORM

KURT FISHING WHILE SHANIA PADDLES AROUND.

BROOKLYN AND SHANIA

KURT AND BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN, SHANIA, AND MIA PADDLING AROUND.

BROOKLYN AND LORI WAITING TO GO ON A BOAT RIDE.

P.S. We are bad parents!!! Brooklyn was only wearing a life jacket in one of these pictures! I'll slap your hand and you slap mine.

A BIRTHDAY PARTY BASH

2011-08-06T11:41:00.001-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Once upon a time you turned two.

So we threw you a beautiful birthday party.

We invited lots of friends.

Grandma, Richard, Amy, Isabelle, Wendell, and Mary even got to come.

We ate lots of food.

And hung out outside.

And talked and played.

And had lots of fun.

And you were a very happy two year old.

The End.

Sincerely, Lori

BIRTHDAY AT THE ZOO

2011-08-05T10:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

We decided to do most of your birthday celebrations on Friday this year.

Lame, I know, but you are two and wouldn't know the difference.

But we still wanted to make the day a little special, so your dad and Christina both took long lunches and we went to the zoo!

You weren't as excited about the whole thing as I thought you would be.

You just kind of stared at some of the animals and then walked away.

You did like the monkeys, though. One monkey sat right against the window for us. It was pretty cool.

You liked to talk to some of the animals. To the penguins you said "Eat fish. Eat fish." To the lion you said "kitty, come." To the pig you said "Pig, water." and to a monkey you said "Monkey eat grass. Eat grass."

It was a nice birthday afternoon treat.

Happy Birthday my little two year old!

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY!

2011-08-04T21:56:00.001-06:00

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA

Dear Brooklyn,

Happy 2nd Birthday!

I can't believe you are two.

Time flies.

You have grown so much in last year and I love the little person you are becoming.

You are sweet and funny and happy and sometimes a little cranky, but I love you so much.

I can't wait to see what this next year will bring for you.

Just know that your dad and I will always be there for you and love you like crazy.

Sincerely, Lori

SHARK WEEK

2011-08-02T14:21:00.001-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Discovery's "Shark Week" started this Sunday.

I love Shark Week. I don't even know why.

On Sunday we were watching and this guy was telling a story about how his friend got attacked by a shark so he swam up and started punching it and the shark let go.

I started talking about how I wondered if I could punch hard enough for a shark to let me go.

You said "no."

Grrrr.

So I told you to bite me and I will start punching you to see if you would let go.

You immediately jumped on me and sunk your teeth into my arm.

I am happy to say that after about four or five of my best punches you let go and then moaned and groaned and rolled around on the floor in pain for a while.

Ha! Take that!

Bring on the sharks, baby.

Sincerely, Lori

SILHOUETTES

2011-07-18T08:42:00.004-06:00

Dear Kurt,

These pictures make me happy.

Sincerely, Lori

SANDY DOWNS

2011-07-16T22:54:00.004-06:00

Dear Kurt,

I am so grateful that we have amazing friends.

Tonight our friends, Erinn and Chris, invited us to Sandy Downs sand dunes for some sledding and campfire.

I was stoked! It sounded awesome.

And it really was so much fun. All the kids had a blast.

We sledded. We talked. We threw sand. We dug holes. We jumped. We played...

I think Drake loved it the most. By the end of the night he had this little sand mustache. Christina started calling him Rico Suave.

And to top off the fun, we had smores.

.... or not.

It was so much fun. And free. I think we should do this all the time!

Sincerely, Lori

WORD FIND LOVE

2011-07-13T17:10:00.003-06:00

GLIMPSES

2011-07-12T23:39:00.002-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Just a few glimpses from our evening:

Sincerely, Lori

SUMMER STORMS

2011-07-12T22:43:00.003-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

Awesome summer storms have come our way the past couple days.

They are amazing.

Yesterday you cuddled up with your dad and I outside in the light rain and marveled at the beautiful rainbow.

Today we sat by the back door and listened to the rain and thunder all day.

And then while you were in bed Christina and I enjoyed the gorgeous lightning that was off in the distance.

This, I must say, is one of my favorite things about Idaho.

Sincerely, Lori

CARS 2

2011-07-09T22:07:00.000-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

You LOVE the movie Cars.

You probably love Cars more than you love me.

If the tv is on, you think it should be playing Cars.

Well, this evening your dad and I decided to take you to see Cars 2.

We woke you up from your nap, stuck you in the truck and off we went with you in the back seat as happy as can be and saying "Cars! Cars! Cars!" the whole way there.

You were so excited!

I think you might have been a little confused and distracted by all the kids in the theater but as soon as Mater came on the screen you were hooked!

At least for a good 45 minutes.

And then you wanted run around in the lobby and drink your dad's soda and pop the seat up and down and rummage through my purse.

I'm not sure it was an extremely successful trip, but your excitement in the beginning was worth the craziness at the end.

Now I think we will wait until you are 3 before we take you to another movie.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

A PERFECT SUMMER MOMENT

2011-07-06T23:15:00.003-06:00

Dear Brooklyn,

I woke up early this morning and the house was already at 74 degrees.

Usually I would shout for joy because I'm a 100 degree weather type of girl, but I was worried that you would over heat while running around outside again, so we made our way up the street to Walgreens and bought ourselves a little 16 dollar pool.

Combine that with some freezing hose water and bring on the heat!

So there we sat, you with your chair in the middle of the pool and me lounging in my chair to the side, splashing each other and squealing with delight.

Once our toes turned to raisens, we gathered our stuff, sat on the swing, and fought over towels.

While I fed us yogurt covered pretzels I explained to you that the moon was not an airplane, and then I tried to figure out why the moon was out in the middle of the day... I still don't know.

While we sat there and told each other "this is fun" about 50 times, I thought about how content I was in that perfect moment with you.

I can't wait to do this every day all summer long.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

2011-07-05T23:04:00.001-06:00

MELALEUCA FIELD: HOME OF THE IDAHO FALLS CHUKARS

Dear Kurt,

Tonight we went out and supported our local baseball team: the Chukars.

It was very appropriate timing since yesterday was Independence Day because what is more all-american than baseball?

LORI AND CHRISTINA AT THE GAME

Owen was selling a ton of tickets for dirt cheap so I'm pretty sure half our ward was there. It was fun.

At one point I said I wanted to get a good action picture, so Josh obliged me with this little baby:

KURT AND JOSH CONRAD ACTING LIKE TWELVE YEAR OLDS.... AS ALWAYS.

The game was awesome. At one point the Chukars were down by seven but then they came back and won!

AS YOU CAN SEE, IT WAS A GREAT COME BACK.

Good times, good times.

Sincerely, Lori

FOURTH OF JULY

2011-07-04T23:15:00.000-06:00

Dear Kurt,

Happy Fourth of July!!

It was a day chalk full of fun.

Brooklyn woke up early so we went to our ward breakfast. I think she woke up too early though because she was super grumpy.

By the time we got the the Idaho Falls parade she was happy again.

She loved to wave her flag and eat lots of candy.

EVERYONE HANGING OUT / ERINN AND CHRIS GETTING DRAKE TO TAKE A PICTURE.

MIKE AND JOSH / LUCAS AND BROOKLYN ENJOYING THEIR POPCICLES.

We had a few friends over for a bbq in the afternoon.

KURT AND MIKE HAVING A WATER FIGHT.

It was really hot and the whole thing turned into a water fight. I think Christina was the only one who stayed dry.

KURT, LORI, AND BROOKLYN WAITING FOR THE FIREWORKS TO START.

Then after some naps we picked up some dinner and headed to the Green Belt to await the firework show.

CHRISTINA, LORI, BROOKLYN, AND KURT DURING THE FIREWORKS.

The fireworks were amazing as always. Brooklyn didn't mind the loud booms too much but half way through she started telling me "Done. Done. Done." I told it wasn't even close to being done, so she just cuddled up with you.

I love the fourth of July so much! I am so proud to live in this country.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori

EARLY CELEBRATIONS

2011-07-03T16:06:00.000-06:00

Dear Kurt,

I love the fourth of July!

It's one of those holidays that you can just lay back and enjoy.

Yesterday we started celebrating early by going up to Swan Valley.

We swam in the pool for a while.

UNCLE CODY MADE A BROOKLYN BURRITO.

We bar-b-qued and ate.

BROOKLYN WATCHING KURT AND CODY WRESTLE AND SAYING "DADDY! NO CODY!"

We hung out and watched you and cody wrestle, that is until Brooklyn got upset and broke you two up.

Some people ran off and got some famous square ice cream.

BROOKLYN HELPING DADDY, GRANDPA, AND CODY LIGHT A FIREWORK.

Then it got dark and we set off fireworks.

BROOKLYN WITH HER VERY FIRST SPARKLER. SHE LOVED IT.

Brooklyn loved the sparklers but hated that loud fireworks.

BROOKLYN CUDDLING WITH CHRISTINA DURING THE LOUD FIREWORKS.

She spent a lot of time cuddling up to Christina or Grandpa.

At the end of the night we drove home as content as can be.

It was a very, very good day.

I love you.

Sincerely, Lori