Kelsey & Rylee

Crazy

2012-01-19T17:45:00.001-08:00

It was crazy hair day at school today AND Rylee has her first loose tooth!!! Such an exciting day around out place:)

Tattoo removal #3

2012-01-18T21:58:00.001-08:00

Today I had removal session number 3 done. I swear every session the pain intensity increases... Luckily I had my sidekick with me for moral support:)

AG and Cousins

2011-12-28T15:40:00.001-08:00

There's not much better than an afternoon with your cousin...

Ok maybe an afternoon with your cousin and playing American Girl Dolls:)

(Sadly we're missing Afton and Halle...

I'm sure that would have made today even BETTER!!)

Pretty with paint

2011-12-28T15:38:00.001-08:00

Rylee painted her nails solo for the first time last night. She received some bright cheerful polish from her Nana for Christmas and begged to use it. After permission she went straight to work, taking her time, making sure she covered every bit of nail. I thought she did a pretty good job!

Christmas art

2011-12-15T14:21:00.001-08:00

Rylee's been working hard this month creating beautiful Christmas art!

Here are some of her masterpieces... Enjoy:)

Silly Jack

2011-12-15T09:42:00.001-08:00

Jack's gone fishin! Rylee loves to wake up in the morning and look for Jack! He's been crackin her up:)

Jolley

2011-12-12T22:32:00.001-08:00

Rylee had her big end if year tumbling performance tonight. She did a fantastic job entertaining an enormous audience. She's made such a big improvement in her skills since her last show in May. Rylee practices very hard for hours each week. She was one of a few in her class who did 4 backhand springs in a row! Such a superstar!

Jack is back

2011-12-12T22:28:00.001-08:00

Our family elf Jack found his way back to our house a couple weeks ago. Jack is pretty sneaky and a little naughty this year. His hiding spots each morning when he comes back from the north pole are pretty silly. This morning he decided a bubble bath sounded fantastic. He sure is a crazy little elf!

Christmas spirit

2011-12-06T19:43:00.001-08:00

We're still trying to get the through our heads christmas is on it's way... Quickly!

Okay, maybe it's just me.

Rylee is ready and excited!

After much begging we finally got around to decorating our tree tonight:)

Hip hip hooray!

2011-12-05T18:29:00.001-08:00

Rylee has 2 big performances coming next week!

She finally got to take home her cheer uniform tonight...

And the best part are the fancy pom-poms.

Surprise surprise!

Removal #2

2011-11-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

Here is the before and after of session 2. Pain was much worse this time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:40:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Saint George with Grandpa Walker and Granny Kate. We went to Entrada for a yummy lunch, played outside, went for a long drive, and talked about all the things we're thankful for. We all agreed that our family is pretty amazing and decided to put them on the top of our "thankful" list:)

Truth be told...

2011-11-17T20:22:00.001-08:00

I saw this and it made me laugh bc it's SO true:)

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-16T11:48:00.001-08:00

Today rylee had a thanksgiving day feast! Rylee woke up extra early this morning in anticipation of her exciting day. She was told yesterday at the end of class that she shouldn't eat lunch before school because they would be eating in the cafeteria. Rylee took this direction very serious and thought it would be best not to eat breakfast either. I convinced her that breakfast was something she should eat and promised she'd still be hungry to have lunch.

When you are 5 years old and in Kindergarten eating in the cafeteria is possibly the coolest things EVER. Rylee said that she thinks this is as cool as getting to ride a school bus!!

BIG DEAL!

This is Rylees adorable class all ready to party!

Routines

2011-11-09T20:44:00.001-08:00

Routines...
We thrive on them around here.
This year has been a crazy and wild ride.
Our schedule is hectic Mon-Fri.
The one thing that pulls me through
all the craziness is knowing that my night
will always come to an end the same way as the
nights before....
Laying in my 5 year olds bed,
side by side,
discussing the exciting parts of our day...
along with the not so exciting parts.
...Followed by stories, a kiss, then snooze time

The time of night this event occurs
decides how many books we will get to read.
This past week Rylee has been bringing home a new book
each night she is supposed to read to me,
then send back the following day.
We start off with her reading to me then
when she's all finished and feels like shes
got it down pretty good its my turn to read.

Rylee has tons and tons of books.
We love going to B&N together to stroll
through the children's section.
Over the past 5 years we've acquired a pretty
impressive collection.

Last week upon browsing we came
across the Junie B. Jones series.
Rylee has been asking for a chapter book so we
decided to give Junie a try.
Junie B. is absolutely hilarious.
We've had a great time laughing our heads off at this girl!

Tonight while trying to decide which story to read
Rylee kept asking me to find her "tractor" book.
I COULD NOT
figure out what she was talking about.
Stories around this house consist of
girl::girl::girl::
Tractor books just aren't part of our collection.
I started asking more questions about this so called tractor book.
I asked if it was about Curious George?
No mom.
I asked if it was Are you my mother. The one about a bird.
I think it has a tractor in it.
No mom.
Well, can you give me a little more to go on than a tractor??
Yes, It has that girl Junie in it.
Tractor??
Rylee... do you mean your chapter book?
Yes mom that's what I was telling you!!!!!!

Cousin lovin

2011-11-08T10:33:00.001-08:00

I snapped this pic of these 2 darling ladies last week. Rylee sure does love having 2 adorable baby cousins near to hold and kiss on a regular basis :)

Airborne

2011-11-01T16:34:00.001-07:00

My great friend Shalyce and her son Maddix came to spend a few days with us from WA. We've been having a great time showing them around SLC! Today we decided to bring them down to the local trampoline warehouse! Such a fun way to kill a few hours and let the kids blow off some energy:) Maddix is just about to turn 2 and loved bouncing around! He also loved his first taste of Sunny D! What a tasty treat!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Scary witches at your door, ghosts and goblins spooks galore. Jack-o-lanterns smiling bright, wishing you a haunting night:)

Trunk"or"treat

2011-10-28T15:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight the Fullmer family invited us to their ward trunk or treat. Rylee and Josh man had a great time showing off their darling costumes while filling their pails with candy:) Josh was dressed as a monkey, Rylee was a peacock, and sweet Ava was a ladybug. Thanks for the fun evening!

Cousins

2011-10-26T21:54:00.001-07:00

I am in love with this picture Nana took over the summer of Rylee and her cute cousin Halle. These silly girls are just 6 months different in age and are adorable together. I love when summer time rolls around and our days involve fun family that we don't get to play with as often as we'd like. I would sure love it if we could hurry past these cold winter months and get back to the pool, slurpees, and loved ones!

Meow

2011-10-23T22:50:00.001-07:00

Happy early Halloween:)

Auntie::Niece

2011-10-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

Over the past few months I've been fortunate enough to have 2 new adorable nieces added to the collection. I absolutely LOVE all my Nieces and Nephews so it's a lot of fun to have 2 baby girls around to hold and kiss as often as I'd like:) Lucky for me, the parents of these adorable Nieces let me play with these beauties so often!

Yesterday sweet Ava came over for a little play date. She's at the cutest age right now. She smiles at everything, giggles, focuses on my every move, and has started to hold and chew on toys. When she gets sleepy she lays her little head on my shoulder and snuggles me(her mom says she doesn't do this with just anyone;) I sure love spending time with her!

Ella is the newest addition thus far to the Walker family. We think she will be the first brown eyed grandchild yet... She must be lucky #12! My heart melts when I see her. Shes so sweet and reminded me so much of her daddy. I haven't gotten my Ella fix in a couple weeks now so if her parents read this... Send her my way please!

tattoooooooooo

2011-10-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

SO...
I got this super cool tattoo when I was 17.
For some reason I thought it would be
awesome if I engaged in the trend of
what is known as the "tramp stamp".
I was sorely mistaken.
Much to my dismay tattoos are only as cool
as the current second they are being placed... if that.
I've absolutely hated my stamp of disapproval since the day
I decided to brand myself.
It's been a burden and an embarrassment since the
moment of placement.
UNTIL NOW...

I went in for my first tattoo removal session today!
After much anxiety and pain
I have officially completed step 1 of 12!
(hopefully)
It was the weirdest...
sound,
feeling,
and
sight
that I have yet conquered thus far into my 26 years of bliss.
I am not excited about the 2 years of removal ahead of me,
but I am confident that the end result will be well worth it;)

Mail

2011-10-18T08:19:00.001-07:00

As I went out to the mailbox last week, I found this sitting inside. Rylee is obsessed with getting mail lately. She is also consumed by "sending" notes. This note was all folded up... With a 44 cent stamp stuck to the front. Along side if the stamp was the name NANA, written in the best N's and A's this shorty is capable of. Wouldn't it be nice if life were that simple? This kid continues to crack me up daily. I'm the luckiest mom in the whole world. I sure love my Roo:)

Gardner Village

2011-10-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

We went to Gardner Village with JaNee today
The whole place is decorated for Halloween!
Witches and pumpkins were everywhere!
We had a great time!

Rylee felt like getting her picture taken...
...Surprise Surprise;)

A pony ride was a must today!
Rylee is absolutely, positively, obsessed with ponies.
She asks daily for one of her own.
Even though the ride was a little lame,
and didn't last long,
she was still super excited.

::Happy Fall::

Back-handspring

2011-09-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

this is a video i captured of the diva!
Enjoy;)

Rockstar

2011-09-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

This rockstar accomplished something brag worthy today...

She's been working for months on
her round-off back-handspring
and finally did it
ALL BY HERSELF!
Such a proud moment;)
(for both of us)
Way to go short stuff!

Twenty something...

2011-09-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

I am officially on the downhill slide to 30.
Depressing.
All I can say is the older I get the better the years.

Today I had a fabulous birthday.
I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life.
I was greeted with phone calls all day long
which showed my how loved I am.
My close girl friends took me out to lunch and shopping to celebrate
then Dad, Sarah, Andrew, Josh, Ava, and Rylee
all spend the evening joining me in dinner outside
at the country club, followed by bowling and amazing cake.
When we got home Rylee surprised me with
a birthday card, beautiful picture of her and I
with a gumball machine, and $5.00 :)
Prefect ending to a prefect day!

Happy 26 to me:)

Little Sunflower

2011-09-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Rylee and I drove past some pretty
sunflowers
and decided to jump out and take a advantage
of a cute photo opp;)

I thought they turned out pretty cute.
Helps that Miss Thang is SO photogenic!

Rylee Kate the cartwheel queen

2011-09-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Rylee is obsessed with
-cartwheels-
...round offs...
-handstands-
...handsprings...
-walkovers-
...flips...
and
-trampolines!-
She tumbles
ALL DAY
EVERYDAY!!!

We've been up to Park City a couple times this Summer,
and these trampolines are a huge hit.
She would jump and flip all day long if she could;)

First day of Kindergarten!!

2011-08-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

She started school this morning,
And she seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside her
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as she took her place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw her as
She first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When she began to talk.

This little girl so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though she must have grown
To girlhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred by hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar her first big day.

Oh how I longed to stay with her
And keep her by the hand
To lead her through the places
That she couldn’t understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew she would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But she must have her chance to live,
To work her problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little girl
With friends and work and play;
She’s not a baby anymore –
She’s in Kindergarten today.

Kindergarten testing

2011-08-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

Its still so hard for me to believe
that my baby is starting
KINDERGARTEN
on Monday.
We went today to meet Rylee's
Kindergarten teacher,
Mrs. Homer,
and see her classroom.
Rylee got to pick out her seat,
check out where to hand her coat and bag,
and put her name on a cubby.
It was so fun to watch her interact with her teacher.
Shes been looking forward to this day for a couple
years now. It always seemed SO far away to me until today!

l.o.v.e

2011-08-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am in
l.o.v.e.

She's growing up way too fast!

She sure is beautiful!

Rylee's stepmom took the kids
to get some pic taken.
I thought they turned out
DARLING!
Above is Rylee with her
sister Gretchen
and her
brother Korbin

Peanut

2011-08-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Can't get enough of this face

Pony Camp

2011-08-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Three cute cousins got to experience something
most kids dream about at night.
Rylee, Grace, and Jordan were lucky enough
to spend 4 fabulous days at pony camp together last week.
I came up with the idea of putting Rylee in
pony camp on our forever long drive to WA.
I decided to search online and found out that
there was a 4 day camp going on that matched the
dates we were visiting.
I decided to sign Rylee up and spread the word!

(My Grandma Walker used to bring me here when I was little)

Finally the day arrived to start camp.
Rylee was SO excited.
She could hardly contain herself all morning!

This is what a very excited girl looks like!

It was so fun to pick Rylee up each day
after camp and hear ALL about her experiences.
The girls played games on their ponies,
made a craft each day,
learned how to saddle their pony,
brushed their pony,
put their ponies to bed each afternoon,
had snack time,
and even got to finger paint a real pony!!
They absolutely loved every single second.
I have a feeling this is going to become a Summer
"must"

Rylee and Gilligan

Jordan and Rex

Grace and Pepper

To top off all the fun of spending time on a pony
they got to spend time in on this awesome farm!
I know the kids don't realize the beauty
but I sure did!

Beach Fun

2011-08-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than spending a
day at the beach with family:)

American Girl Store Seattle

2011-08-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

American Girl Store
opened in Seattle the middle of July.
Lucky for us we planned to visit Nana
the end of July!

What an exciting day!

Rylee had so much fun wandering around
the store! American Girl does such a great job
displaying their items. We could have spent all day looking around;)

Rylee picked out 3 darling outfits for her AG doll.
Her favorite was the wedding dress.
Shes been eying it in the catalog for awhile now.

Until next time:)

Grandma Great is great!

2011-07-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Rylee and her Grandma Great have
always shared a special bond.
Recently Grandpa had knee replacement
surgery. Rylee decided she would like to make
something special for Grandma to help her recover faster.
We went to hallmark and bought
a recordable story book.
I helped Rylee read and record the story
for Grandma all about how much she loves her.
This book made Grandmas day!
She showed it off to every visitor and worker
for her entire hospital stay.

While they listened to the book together
in Grandmas bed I snapped a couple
darling pictures of these purple loving gals:)

Watermelon toes

2011-07-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ry has a new addiction...
getting a pedi with her Granny Kate and Mommy
Can you blame her when toes look this cute?

Cowabunga Bay

2011-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

We went to the waterslides this week...

...Cute cousins enjoyed a cold tasty treat:)

Boating

2011-07-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

We went boating up at Pineview last night
with Nana, Courtney, Uncle S and Aunt B,
Cousin Lauren, and the Browns!

~Stylin~

Mama and Ry-Roo

Heart her

Everyone had a great time in the water!
We went tubing, surfing, and wake boarding

After all the fun on the water we could handle
we went back to our campground for
hobo dinners and s'mores!
This was Rylee's first time trying one
I think she liked it;)

Icee

2011-06-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Not much better on a hot Summer day then:
Blue Icee
Swimsuit
Friends
Shades
and...
waterslides;)

Jolleys Gymnastic tumbling

2011-06-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ry is quite the tumbling queen these days.
I can often find her in the basement
practicing her skills.
She does cartwheels everywhere we go.
She would rather do them then walk.

Recently Rylee was in a gymnastics performance.
She did a FABULOUS job!
Her class had been practicing very hard
getting ready for the big day.
Rylee goes to gymnastics class twice
a week for an hour each day.

pre show grin

Rylee is the 5th chic in from the right

This is a picture of Ry doing a
one handed cartwheel.
Rylee also showed her skills including:
Front walkover
Back walkover
Cartwheel
Round-off
Handstand
back-bend
Rylee also started working on her
back handspring
and round-off back handspring

Stretching out

End of show pic

Andrew, Sarah, and Josh came to watch!
Josh was excited to give Rylee
her flower at the end of the show:)

Do your ears hang low

2011-06-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am in
LOVE
with this girl.

Today we were driving to go grocery shopping;
Rylee started singing one of her
songs she learned at preschool.

Some of the songs she sings are new to me
(and often made up)
however, today I was well aware

"Do your ears hang low
do the wobble to and fro
can you tie them in a know
can you tie them in a bow
can you throw them o'er your shoulder
like a cotton noodle soldier
do your ears hang low"

Preschool Grad

2011-06-06T15:45:00.001-07:00

Rylee's end of the year school program was today.
She did a fabulous job singing along with friends
from her class.
They sang a lot of songs but my favorites were
On top of spaghetti and yakety yak.
The kids were all so cute and put on a great show!

At the end of the program they had a small
graduation ceremony.
Rylee has successfully graduated
from two years of preschool:)

Rylee had a really fun and energetic teacher this year.
Rylee and Miss. Carli became pals.

Mommy, Grandpa, Granny Kate, and Daddy
all watched the cute performance and posed
with Rylee and her certificate.

Way to go Rylee Roo!

Gymnast

2011-05-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Rylee has been practicing VERY hard over
the past few months and accomplished
her front walkover!
Perfect timing because
she has a big performance next Monday!
Way to go Ryry!
I'm so proud of you!!!

3.94

2011-05-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

I successfully finished and passed

my first year of college.

It's been a

stressful

rewarding

time consuming

enjoyable

exciting

crazy

hectic

three semesters

but

my grades and hard work were a fantastic payoff.

Sadly Spring semester I wasn't quite

able to maintain my 4.0 GPA like I was hoping for

but I will take my 3.94 with a smile:)

Egg hunt

2011-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Easter was celebrated a day late around
our place this year.
Dad and Kathryn make the egg hunt
so exciting that no one wants to miss out...
So Monday seemed to work better for everyone.

Brittany, Kathryn, Sarah, Me

In order to spice up the holiday a little...
the parentals fill plastic eggs with money...
instead of candy.
Money is a lot more appealing these adults;)

L.O.V.E.

Aunt Brit and Uncle Spenc

Josh decided this year that watching from afar
was more enjoyable than running around
with the crazy adults for a egg filled with money.
I think if he had known some of the eggs hid skittles
his priorities would have shifted;)

sisters

Grandpa Walker and Granny Kate

The hunt was a success once again!
Thanks Gramps and Gran for a fun evening!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

5 years and FABULOUS

2011-04-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my Beautiful baby girl turned
FIVE today! Its crazy how fast time goes by!
Rylee is the absolute love of my life!
She is my best friend.

Rylee had an awesome and busy 5th birthday
She started off the morning opening
some presents!
She got a few books, puzzles,
clothes, and best of all rollerblades!!

After presents we met Sarah and Josh
for a little McDonalds lunch!
Josh decided it was very necessary to celebrate
with milkshakes;)

After lunch Rylee got to hang out with Grandpa
while I went to class for a test.
They visited Granny Kate's office to say
a quick hello!

After my test I picked Rylee up and we went to
the mall for a little shopping and build a bear!
Rylee picked out a really cute dog.
She named her cupcake.
Rylee and Cupcake have the same
birthday... which she thinks is very cool.

While at the mall we went into gap Kids to so Rylee could
pick out a few new outfits.
A new favorite thing to do is try clothes on in the dressing room.
Rylee has been counting down the days to be 5.
I finally realized one of the many reasons
being 5 is so cool.
As Rylee looked into the mirror in a flashy new outfit
she smiled wide and wiggled a tooth.
I asked her what she was doing.
She responded:
Mom... I start losing teeth now that I'm FIVE!

While we were at the mall we also visited
Mr. Easter Bunny!!

Rylee got a CD player with a microphone from
Grandpa and Granny.
I have to admit something...
Rylee has Bieber fever.
Its hilarious to watch her sing into her mic.
She carries a nice little tune...
and gives her "fans" high fives as she walks around the room;)

We finished off the evening at
Chili's with Grandpa and Granny.
Rylee ordered her favorite... pizza.
After dinner we met Sarah, Andrew, Josh
and our friends Lynsey and Addison at the movie theater.
We saw the movie Rio!

I hope you had a fantastic fifth birthday Rylee!
I sure do love you babe!!!!

Manners Please

2011-04-14T15:40:00.001-07:00

It's been a struggle to get Ry dressed in her pj's lately after her nightly shower. She rolls around on the ground because shes SOOOO freezing(whining voice). Instead of asking her over and over to please get dressed I recently have given up. She can lay and roll all over... and I will just continue cleaning up or reading a magazine. Rylee knows that if she would like my help its no funny business. She gets dried off quickly and I will assist with lotion and pj's.

Last night Rylee was on the ball. She got out of the shower all by herself, dried off, and said: Mommy, Can you please help me get dressed? Rylee has been working VERY hard on using her nicest manners lately. Of course I jumped all over her nice manners and efficientness(aware that's not a word, but it just fit). While getting her dressed I said said: You know Rylee, adults love it when kids are polite and use their best manners! I'm very proud of you! Rylee replied: I know mom! Thats why I use them all the time! Mom, Thank you for taking me to library story time tomorrow, I really appreciate it! Mom, I also want to tell you I think you're a babe;)

I think that's the hardest I have ever had to try to not crack a smile and burst into laughing. She is the funniest little girl! What mom doesn't want to be called a babe?? I sure do!

Thanks Rylee,

you made my night girl!

"Elem"

2011-04-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Rylee has been very into practicing writing her letters and numbers lately(Especially number 5). She helps me write our grocery lists, spells ALL our family members names, writes in note cards and birthday cards. Recently we were making our way to Costco to pick up a few items. She was in the backseat writing the alphabet. Usually Rylee practices making words so this was probably the first time she had gone in order from A-Z.

I could hear her start with A.
Then moved onto B...
Asking only so often for me to draw
the letter she was stuck on in the air with
my pointer finger.
I heard
EFG
then
HIJK.

...Silence...

"Mom, How do I write elem?"
"Elem?" I ask.
"Yes, you know
A.B
C.D
E.F.G
H.I
J.K
elem
N.O
P
I'm sure Rylee isn't the first kid to be confused
by this part of the "song"
I tried my hardest to explain
L.M
but in her mind I was seriously WRONG.
I'm trying to convince her of something that's
the complete opposite of all shes ever known!
Such a funny little experience that I definitely didn't see comin:)

JaNee and Mike's Big Day!

2011-04-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

One of my best girlfriends got married last week!
Rylee and I got to be apart of this special day:)
This pic is all my close girlfriends after the ceremony

~JaNee was such a beautiful bride~

Rylee was an awesome flower girl!
She took her job very serious.
::She did perfect::

Thief

2011-03-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

I totally stole this fabulous photo
off my sisters blog.
I'm in
L.O.V.E.
with it for so many reasons...

1. 4 beautiful sets of blue eyes
2. It includes three of Rylee's most favorite people in the world
3. It's not very often you get an awesome picture of two adorable kids
4. Shows off that I have such an adorable Grandma
5. My nephew is just the cutest little man EVER
6. Its just a GREAT pic...
Don't ya think??

Soon to be 5...

2011-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

I allowed my soon to be 5 year old diva to get a hair extension today. You wouldn't believe how thrilled she is!!

Together again...

2011-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

The 5 of us Walker "kids"were all
together over the weekend!
It was so fun to have dinner
and laugh together:)

We have such a hip 80 year old grandma!

::Love::

Spring Break

2011-03-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

I realized last minute that my spring break was
last week! Since plane tickets were WAY too
expensive we decided to be brave and drive to see Nana.
We left last Saturday drove 8 hours and spent
the night in a hotel. Bright and early Sunday
morning we got back into the car and drove
the last 5 hours to NANA's house!!!

Sunday night Ryan, Ruth Ann, Jake, Grace, Jeff, & Emily
all came over to Nana's house for dinner!
It was so fun to see and play with cousins!!
Nana brought out the game twister after dinner.
The kids had a blast!

On St. Patty's day we went out to Samish Island.
Playing on the beach was SO much fun!!!

We played the "chocolate bar" a few times
this trip. This game was all new to Rylee.
Its a pretty funny game to play.
First you wrap a giant chocolate bar
in paper about 10 layers thick.
Then...
You get two oven mitts or gloves,
a hat, a scarf, and fork/knife.
Each player rolls two dice until someone rolls doubles.
Once you roll doubles you hurry and put on all the
accessories and start to try to "cut" open the paper.
It gets pretty intense!
Rylee LOVED the game so much she asked
to play it almost every night;)

We also had a tea party with Rylee and Claire.
First the girls came to our little beauty salon where
they got their hair, makeup, and nails done.
Next we decorated cute tea hats with
ribbon, flowers,and jewels.
Then we had the tea (hot cocoa) and snacks.
We finished off the party
with a treasure hunt!

We happened to have fabulous weather
so we packed up a picnic and went to Deception Pass!
We used to go out to this beach when I was little
and I haven't had the chance to visit in a long time!
We walked across this awesome bridge
then went down to the beach to play and eat!
The kids found a bunch of smaller sized drift wood and built
a pretty cool fort. Aunt Karen joined us on this outing
and brought my darling cousins Kailey, Seth, and Jordan!
Such a fun day!

On Tuesday we woke up early and drove all
the way back in one day.
We left around 6:30AM
and got home about 9:30Pm
Rylee was an ANGEL during the drive.
I don't think I heard her complain once...
expect about having to leave her Nana:(

One::Two::Three

2011-03-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish
how many pieces do you wish?

::Twenty::

One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
::ELEVENTEEN::
Nineteen
Twenty

For some reason Rylee
is completely convinced that the number
::eleventeen::
replaces number eighteen.
I keep trying to correct her but
she continues to tell me im wrong.

Will she ever come to the realization that
eleventeen really isn't a number, or should
I make some phone calls to whoever
invented these things we
refer to as numbers and tell
them they have it all wrong??!

Happy Vanentines Day!

2011-02-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

From our house...

...To yours!

Lately...

2011-02-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Fun!!!

2011-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous trip to Disneyland a few weeks ago!
We met Grandpa and Granny Kate in California
and spent 2 days with them.
We were having so much fun that
Miss Thang and I decided to extend out trip a few
days and spent 5 days at Disneyland!
Rylee's favorite ride was splash mountain.
We went on it 9 times!

Rylee L.O.V.E.D. meeting all the characters!

she especially L.O.V.E.D. meeting all the princesses
We went to a princess lunch where
Rylee was Sleeping Beauty for the day
She looked darling;)

During the day we played hard...

... and a couple of nights couldn't even make
it through dinner.

Thanks Grandpa and Granny Kate for
SUCH an awesome trip!!!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-25T18:33:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was so fun this year!
I have decided
~4 is the PERFECT age child to have on Christmas morning~

Rylee tried waking up at 5:00AM
and was told to go back to bed.
We started our morning around 7:20AM
We had to wake up Grandpa and Granny.

Ry was spoiled as usual.
Grandpa and Granny got her the favorite gift this year.
*A GYMNASTICS MAT*
She practiced all afternoon.
We decided to make a surprise
visit to Grandma Great's house in Ogden Christmas evening.
Grandma was SO happy to have extra family around
to celebrate the holiday.
Rylee and Grandma Great played horse.
Grandma was the horse.
She may be 80 but doesn't act or look it!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a quiet one this year.
Paul and Missy spent Christmas at home in Chicago,
Ryan and Ryth Ann did the same in Washington,
and Spencer and Brittany got to celebrate
Christmas and the New Year in Australia!
This being said,
Dad, Kathryn, Me, Ry, Sarah, Andrew, and Josh
Went to dinner then down to see
the lights a t Temple Square.

Even though we were a small group we
enjoyed ourselves in the FREEZING cold!

Rylee and her Mama

Andrew, Sarah, and Josh Man

Dad and Kathryn

Pals

On our walk back to the car Grandpa
gave Josh and Rylee each a lucky penny
to throw into the fountain.
Ry made a wish.
It went a little something like this...
"I wish Santa will wake me up tonight
and let me meet Rudolph."
That wish didn't exactly come true...
But Santa did being her some pretty
awesome surprises.
To be continued...

Christmas book

2010-12-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you Grandpa and Granny Kate
for this awesome Christmas book.
I love that you recorded the entire book
so I can listen to you read it to me every night!

MmmmMmmmm Amazing

2010-12-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

1 pkg. devils food cake, German chocolate cake, or chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1 c. sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
2 (8 ounce) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3-4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix first six ingredients together with a beater. Add chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bunt cake pan (cooking spray works best). Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 mins. Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 mins. Remove from pan. (I think it tastes best if you put it on a serving plate, wrap it well in Saran Wrap, and let it sit overnight in the fridge before frosting and serving..) In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar (start with 2 cups then keep adding more until it is nice and thick). That's it! Easy right?
I made them into cupcakes
cooked for 20 minutes;)

Our Elf Jack

2010-12-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

This is our elf
Jack.
He is new to our family.
He showed up this morning
with a book all about what his job is
here at our house.

Jack was sent to our house straight from
Santa at the North Pole.
The book that he brought with him
explains that he is here all day
and at night he goes back to Santa
to report on how Rylee has behaved during the day.
He comes back every morning but he's
sneaky and is in a different spot each time.
He can't talk to us but he hears all we tell
him and he is sure to tell Santa everything.
Rylee has been talking to Jack all day.
She has been asking him if he misses Santa
and Rudolph. She has told Jack
special messages for him to deliver to Santa tonight.
There is one rule about Jack...
You can't touch him or he will lose all his magic.

We registered Jack tonight online.
We had to think of a name and
tell Mrs. Clause we chose Jack so she could
record it in her special registry elf book.
Above is Jack's adoption form.
It says~
On the 16th day of December 2010
The Walker family adopted their elf
Jack.
Signed & approved by Santa Clause himself

We also received a special note from Santa.
It says~

HO! HO! HO!
Thank you for taking the time to register your elf with
me here at the North Pole. Jack loves his new family.

In fact, Mrs. Clause had a huge smile on her face as she entered Jack's name in the big Elf Registry book she keeps. I'm looking forward to hearing all about you and the rest of the Walker family every evening during the holiday season. Be careful to be on your best behavior. that way, I'll be sure to get lots of good reports.

Don't forget: Every morning your North Pole scout elf will be hiding in a new place. Have fun looking for your special elf friend, and remember Jack is doing a very important job for me.

I am so glad you and your family have decided to join us in the holiday tradition by adopting one of my best helpers. I look forward to visiting you in Sandy, UT on Christmas Eve.
See you soon, Santa Clause

Preschool Christmas Program

2010-12-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Rylee and her cute teacher
Miss. Carli

The program this year was absolutely darling
The kids did an awesome job!
They played lots of different instruments
and sang about 13 songs.
Good job Rylee!

Gingerbread house

2010-12-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

We made a gingerbread house today.
Ry did a fabulous job!

...Working very hard...

...Putting snow all over the house...

Taa~Daa

ZOO Lights!

2010-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

We went to Zoo lights this
week for the first time!
It was so much fun!

Comet AND Vixen were at the Zoo.
Rylee, Aspen, and Irelynn thought it was pretty
cool to see some of Santa's reindeer in real life!

Aspen and Rylee got to
hold an antler just like one
that the reindeer have

There were tons of lights made up
to look like animals.
~So pretty~

Riding the carousel was a a blast as usual!
Thanks Frame family for a fun evening!

Nana's Birthday!

2010-12-12T21:06:00.001-08:00

Rylee had been talking about this day for weeks!
She was overly excited because
SHE
was the girl who was in charge of
decorating Nana's birthday cake!!!!
Her ideas of this invention were kept a secret from Nana.
She wanted to tell Nana SO bad but she knew
deep down that if she could just hold out
Nana would be thrilled in the end with her creativity.
Rylee wanted mainly balloons on the cake...

...and I think her balloons look
fabulous

~NANA LOVED THE CAKE~

Rylee insisted that Nana
get real balloons on her special day as well.

Nana was just as excited about receiving the balloons
as Rylee was about giving them;)

Hope you had a fabulous day Nana!

h.e.a.r.t.

2010-12-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Love every part of you...
Even your
CHOCOLATE
covered face

"Rockets"

2010-12-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

We went to the
Rockettes show Monday night!
I had been talking to Rylee
for a whole week before about what
it was going to be like.
SHE WAS CONFUSED
She kept asking when we were going to see the
"rockets"

Once we got their and seated
Rylee was completely glued.
She loved every second.
It was such a fun night!

Don't mind my smile here in this picture.
My last post mentioned that I was going
to get my wisdom teeth out.

I had them taken out
It's been miserable

I received the gift of an infection 2 days
after removal and have since had
2 additional surgeries, one which was two hours
before the Rockettes show:)

Merry Dec. 1st!

Useless Teeth

2010-11-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Definition by dictionary...
WISDOM TEETH:
One of four rearmost molars on each side of the upper and lower jaw in humans. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt, typically in early adulthood.

Definition by Kelsey...
WISDOM TEETH:
Pain in the butt, worthless, and or incompetent teeth given to us
for absolutely no reason. Get removed ASAP

Appointment:
11/23/10
(Yes, fully aware that is 2 days before Turkey Day)
1:00PM
::Wish me luck::

HUGE accomplishment

2010-11-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

I am SO proud of Rylee!
She mastered her kick over today
and she is VERY EXCITED!!!!
This is a really hard thing to do!
She has been in gymnastics for about
a year now and just started at a
new place last month.
It's intense and she hated it for the first 2 weeks.
Today on the drive home she told me she got
to do a kick over in front of her class all by herself.
I am ashamed to admit I nodded and praised her
while thinking "yeah right."
When we got home she insisted on showing me
her skills. Rylee arched up and...
...BAM...
KICKED OVER!
Just like that. No big deal.
WOW!!!!!
She has improved SO much,
working her little butt off 3 days a week .
What a big accomplishment Rylee!!!

Mark Your Calender;)

2010-11-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Because we're coming
to celebrate this
pretty little lady's
BIRTHDAY!

We couldn't be more excited!!
Rylee is already thinking
about ideas of how she's going
to decorate Nana's cake!!

Bye bye training wheels

2010-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Rylee likes to accomplish
huge milestones on Halloween
Two years ago she decided it was
time to ditch the diapers on Halloween
and this year training wheels
had to go.

She's been practicing this skill at
her dad's house for a few weeks
and has asked me to
take off her training wheels
ever since.
I must admit I haven't been ready for this
"skill"
so I've been putting it off.
Today was the day
&
she's been practicing
A.L.L.
afternoon!

I can't believe how good she is doing.
She feels like such a big girl!
This is something she will remember forever!
Good Job
S*U*P*E*R*S*T*A*R

Halloween

2010-10-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

This year Rylee was a
*STRAWBERRY FAIRY*
for Halloween

As you can see...
My DIVA
worked the camera for me

She got to do lots of fun things!
Halloween party at school,
another party with friends,
pumpkin carving party with family,
Trick-or-treating at the mall,
Pumpkin Patch,
build a bear...

Ry's costume was
l.o.v.e.d.
by all who saw her ;)

Slurpee Time

2010-10-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this was Joshies
1st slurpee
...

...
I'm positive he loved it;)

Taking care of Joshie

2010-10-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

We get to take care of Josh this week
while Andrew & Sarah go on
a nice relaxing cruise.
Andrew and Sarah have never left Joshie before.
Joshie is in great hands here!
Rylee is helping take care of Josh.
She loves him so much.

Rylee wanted to read Josh a bedtime story last night.
She picked out
-Lily's Purple Plastic Purse-
Surprisingly Josh actually listened to her girlie story.
She told the story very well.

Pumpkin time!

2010-10-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch
today with Sarah and Josh!

***

Rylee and Josh had so much fun walking
through the "corn maze"
Rylee was tall enough to see exactly where to go
so she pulled Josh right along beside her.
He thought that was so much fun;)

***

Sleep tight

2010-10-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Each night I tuck you into bed
I brush my hand across your head
and in each tiny little fist
I place a magic mommy kiss.

Full of love and hope so bright
To keep you safely through the night,
Mommy kisses in your hand
To guide you off to slumberland.

If you should dream of monsters mean
Or witches with faces masked in green,
Of snakes that squeeze you oh-so-tight
Or darkness with no sign of light..

When nightmares hold you stiff with fear
A part of mommy still is near.
Just open up your hand and blow
One mommy kiss and nightmares go.

Rylee's been missing her Nana
a lot lately. She has a photo album
that Nana made for her 3rd birthday.
Inside there are pictures of everything
inside Nana's house that Rylee likes.
She fell asleep with the album tonight.
I think we need to make a visit soon!

Cupcakes!

2010-10-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Rylee's Pretty blue eyes
noticed some fancy sprinkles
today grocery shopping...

... And if a little girl
sees sprinkles...

She's going to ask to make cupcakes!!!

Haunted House

2010-10-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

There's a house upon the hilltop
We will not go inside,

(Brooklyn & Rylee)
For that is where the witches live,

Where ghosts and goblins hide.
Tonight they have their party,

(Sofie & Quin)
All the lights are burning bright,
But oh we will not go inside
The haunted house tonight.

The demons there are whirling
And the spirits swirl about.
They sing their songs to Halloween.
"Come join the fun," they shout.

But we do not want to go there,
So we run with all our might
And oh we will not go inside
The haunted house tonight.
We went to our neighbors house tonight
to make these darling little houses.

Thanksgiving point farm

2010-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were headed
to Thanksgiving point
for some cornbelly halloween fun.
We arrived to an empty parking lot
realizing that it doesn't start until Friday.
Since the kids were excited to do
something festive and outside
we decided to walk over
to the farm instead.

Josh and Rylee got to go
on 2 horse rides.
VERY EXCITING!

...We love Halloween...

The kids finished off the night
chasing each other across the farm
only stopping to take a peek & pet
the fun farm animals!
As always, the horses were a
huge hit for Rylee.
Thanks for the fab night Fullmer fam!

Lake Mary

2010-10-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ry and I needed to get out of
the house today.
It was BEAUTIFUL outside.
We packed a lunch,
tied our shoes,
filled up the camel packs,
and headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon

The leaves are just
starting to change so
the scenery was amazing.
Rylee could have cared less about
how pretty it was...
She was busy climbing
on EVERY single rock she could find.

I love how you couldn't possible
squeeze ANY more girl into her
little body but she also
loves to scale the side of
boulders and climb trees.
PREFECT MIX

Fairy dust

2010-09-24T15:31:00.001-07:00

Ry put fairy dust on
her pink unicorn this afternoon
and it turned into a bunny!
**M.A.G.I.C.**

She also had school pictures today
and insisted on helping
pick out her outfit...

...and so it begins.
I've been dreading this day for
4 years, 5 months, & 4 days.

On the bright side
we both compromised and the
outfit was a success;)

We're Busy...

2010-09-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Aquarium

2010-09-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the Shedd Aquarium today
in Chicago.
It was SO SO much bigger than our
"aquarium"
back home.
Actually it was about 30 times bigger.
Rylee was convinced she was
going to see a horse and an elephant
she was a little confused;)

CUTE
COUSINS

We saw...
~Beluga whales~
..Sharks..
*Dolphins*
:Penguins:
`Turtles`
-Fishies-
=sting rays=
"otters"
...Coral Reef...

American Girl Store

2010-09-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the City
to the
AMERICAN GIRL STORE!
Rylee has been looking forward to this for a month now.
She was so excited
(so was I)

The store was
~AMAZING~

Rylee got her first American Girl doll.
She picked out one that lookes just like her.

Missy scheduled lunch for us for after
we went shopping.
The lunch was tasty and the
room was darling!
They even had chairs for the dolls to sit
in and tea for them to sip on;)

Such a fun experience for little girls!
Thanks Missy for another fun day!

Happy 25 to me!

2010-09-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

This birthday Ry and I decided to head
to Chicago for a week and celebrate with
with Missy and the kids!
Missy made it a perfect day!
After the kids went to school Missy, Nora, Rylee, and I
went to a really yummy breakfast then shopping!

Later that evening we all went to
Red Robin for dinner!

Then back home for
Maggie Moo's oreo ice cream cake!

Missy tried out sparkler candles...

Matt built a lego fire truck just in case
they got a little out of hand;)

Thanks Missy for making it such a fun day!

Soccer Team

2010-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Such a cute group of girls...
now if they could just score some goals;)

Dressed to go running- Just Like Nana;)

2010-08-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Rylee has been
CRACKIN'
me up lately.
The past couple days I have
listened closely and observed her
imaginary world a little more than usual.
She is such a good little mother to her dolls,
she is a very good pet owner to her animals,
She is VERY good at gymnastics and pretend yoga.
This morning Rylee came to me wearing this...

yes...
running clothes if it isn't completely obvious.
The best part about this ensemble is that
she says she looks just like Nana here;)
tight running pants
(footless tights that show off her
striped unties perfectly)
a running shirt
(TIGHT under shirt)
socks,
and "hiking shoes"
-I'm still not completely sure how this looks
like Nana but whatever-

"Mommy, I'm ALL ready for a run around the block.
Wanna come"?

"Wow Rylee... you look just like a runner
I'm still in my pj's and I don't have shoes on.
Can I sit on the grass, watch, and cheer for you"?

Since Rylee is a normal girl and loves to be
praised, cheering on the grass sounded perfect!

Soccer!

2010-08-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

I am
OFFICIALLY
a
*SOCCER MOM*
...
Rylee had her 1st soccer
game last night and did
a GREAT job!

There team name changed
from the
purple cats
to the
purple princesses
to the
purple dogs
and finally settled on the
purple dolphins

As you can see from these pictures
Rylee scored a goal...
and was extremely proud of herself.
Look at that big grin in the last pic;)
The coach said
"If one of you score in OUR goal this time
then I will do a cartwheel"
That simple statement is ALL that needed to be said.
Rylee was determined!

Way to go Rylee!

Out with the "small"

2010-08-16T20:55:00.001-07:00

Rylee had started to outgrow
her toddler bed.
Lately she's been requesting to
"sell"
this cute little bed
so she can buy a big bed!

So...
wish granted

I PUT THIS BED TOGETHER
ALL BY MYSELF
over the weekend
and we went shopping for cute bedding today.
I couldn't resist the owl bedding
when I found this adorable owl pillow!
I have a couple more pictures to hang
but I think its starting to look pretty cute!

First day of school

2010-08-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how big Rylee is getting!
She is such a fun little girl to have around.
Today was her first day of
her 2nd year of preschool.

Rylee had a great day!
After school was over
she was telling me about her class
and all about the new friends she made.
She was sure to explain they were ALL girls
because the boys are gross and she
doesn't want to be friends with them.
I didn't correct her on this assumption.
She can think boys are gross for as
long as her little heart desires!!

Sadly summer must come to an end

2010-08-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Rylee already
starts school next week!
We went to her preschool
orientation this morning.
She met her new teacher and a new
group of friends.
Although Rylee was VERY disappointed about
the fact she wouldn't get the same teacher
from last year she was
pleasantly surprised with her new one.

(Don't mind the blue Gatorade stained lips)
This year Rylee wanted to get a NEWCASTLE school bag.
She was very excited about this.
~I guess it's the little things~

Before we were even home Rylee had her name
written on her bag. I was a little upset at first
when I realized she had
ALREADY written on the new bag and she
wrote in the wrong place!
I guess I need to calm down because she was
so impressed with the fact that she was able to do it
ALL BY HERSELF
At least she spelled it right;)

Today...

2010-08-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today I have been
...

A Plumber
A Nurse
A Student
A Mother
A daughter
A Friend
A sister
A cook
A chauffeur
...

It's been a long day to say the least.
My toilet broke before my final this morning.
Dad normally would help with this crisis but he
just had prostate surgery
and I'm his nurse.
I made it my personal responsibility to
diagnose the problem and attempt to be a plumber today.
Yes, I put my hand down the back of the toilet
and applied a new flapper.
I also finished my first semester
of college today.
Its been a very rewarding and a very tiring day.
I'm so glad it's over;)

::Fishie::Fishie::

2010-07-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Rylee has turned into such a fish this summer!
She likes to refer to herself as being a
~mermaid~

This is Rylee's 26th month
straight of swimming lessons and all the work and time
has really paid off. She is currently working
really hard on mastering the butterfly
stroke (mermaid or dolphin)
She has the motion and breathing just needs
to add in the arms.
Rylee is doing a fantastic job at the
freestyle stroke
and
backstroke.
She can also do the breaststroke while floating
on her back.

Its so fun and rewarding to see her improvement.
she is such a show off;)
Next year she is hoping to be apart of the
swim team and compete with other 5 year olds

Grandma Walkers 80th b-day celebration!

2010-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Last week we packed up and
went to St. George to celebrate
with the whole Walker family
Grandma's 80th Birthday!!!
It was such a fun weekend filled
with family, food, and a day in
Pioche, NV on the family ranch.

These pictures are all about our day in Pioche.
Grandma had so much fun taking us
all over town. We went to the museum,
the million dollar courthouse,
the house my dad grew up in...
Small towns are so interesting to me.
We definitely doubled the population of little
Pioche.

This is main street...
this is just about all you see here;)

After exploring the town we went down to the
"ranch" and had a big lunch, went to the one room schoolhouse,
played, fed the horses, and BEST of all went to see
Grandpa Walker's grave. I have only been able to go back once
so this was really special for me.
Can't wait until grandma's 90th Birthday
so we can all get together and celebrate like this again!

B.E.A.C.H

2010-06-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend!

A big group of friends went to the lake for
the afternoon Sunday.
We packed lunch, toys, and rafts!
The kids had a blast and so did the moms!!

Then to top it off I got a food processor...
Who would have thought that me of all
people would be so excited about this
but after borrowing my neighbors
while Sarah and I made our jam I decided
it is a household must.
Thanks dad;)