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August 23rd, 2009- Well, summer is officially over for us and we are back in the swing of things...school, dance, etc. We had a fun, busy summer! A few things we did this summer were...a trip to the zoo, camping with friends, Keith and I went tubing down a raging river (without kids), swimming, and we all went floating down the river with friends up in the mountains! We had such a great time camping in our "new" camper (new to us, that is). We plan to go camping again Labor Day weekend and for our fall break. The girls love camping and we look forward to many fun family memories in our camper! We love our family time!

The girls are growing up so quickly! On August 2nd, we celebrated Kenna's FOURTH "Adoption Day"!! Can you believe it's been four years?!?! We had ice cream and she opened a present from us. She has wanted this remote control dog for a long time, so we bought her that for her "Adoption Day" gift. She loved it and played with it all day...not much since then (isn't that how it seems to always go?!?). I want to update on all the girls since it's been a while. I'll go ahead and start with Kenna... Kenna- I can't believe it, but in 4 short months she'll be FIVE!! Keith and I noticed this summer that she is putting more and more together and she is so curious about everything. She asks us lots of questions like...why does that man on the motorcycle not wear a seatbelt?, if he has an accident will he go to heaven?, how does a plane fly?, Since God healed Katie (our cat)- when will he send her back?, and so forth. She is VERY CURIOUS right now and it's fun to watch her think about things. She is such a good helper and will help us clean (without being asked!). She is still very "motherly" and likes to try and "mother" Kamryn and Kloey. She is all about role playing right now. She is constantly playing school, church, or house. She loves to sing and dance. All three girls put on "shows" quite frequently. Our fireplace is their stage. Kenna just started 4-year old Preschool and is loving it. It's a lot different than last year, but she is liking it just the same. She has to learn memory verses every week and so far, she has done outstanding. She is such a "pleaser" and "rule follower" so she thrives to please the teacher. They tell us she is quiet at school. She has always been quiet away from home, but has come "out of her shell" as she gets older! She also just started ballet/tap again. They all did and they all LOVE it! We love this little girl of ours!!!

Kamryn- Kamryn is almost 3 and a half years old!! She is full of personality! She is very articulate and has the funniest expressions!! She talks or sings non-stop! She is very strong-willed and knows what she wants...which can be good and bad. ;) She is the one that can get an attitude sometimes...it's scary when you think of what 10 years from now could be...oh my!?!? She is also very affectionate and gives the best hugs!! She says THANK YOU for everything...it's so sweet! She also loves to role play (usually playing/pretending with Kenna), reading books, and coloring/drawing. She likes to sing and dance too! Kamryn just started PRESCHOOL!! Kamryn and Kloey are in the same class and do everything together!! They giggle all the time and they've even had to move their clip from green b/c of their giggles!!! I love that they are happy, but we have to work on when to be serious and listen. Kamryn also started aTap/Ballet class and loves it. This is her first year taking tap! We love Kamryn so much! She makes us laugh constantly!!!

Kloey- Kloey is almost 3 and a half, but she is TINY! She is also full of personality!! She is still our silly one and keeps us laughing! She also keeps us on our toes as she has, on more than one occasion, ran away from us in public! She is VERY independent! At home it's great, but out in public she thinks she's as big as we are and can do whatever she wants! She is also very happy and giggles all the time; however, on occasion she'll have these "temper" fits. She is also very strong-willed. When Kamryn and Kloey were infants, Keith and I nicknamed them "Temper and Tude" and those words STILL suit them today!!! When she's mad, she's MAD!!! She also loves role playing with the other two or she's content sitting down "reading" a book by herself. She loves to read, play ball, sing, and dance. She also AMAZES us with puzzles and building things...she's our "engineer"!! She is also still the "quiet" one, but is talking more and more. Kloey also started preschool and hasn't cried one time!! (Kloey is our "crier" when we leave her somewhere so this is a big deal!!) She is loving school and her teacher! They look so grown walking in with their backpacks (as big as they are) and their lunch boxes. When I pick the girls up from school, they are always on the playground (with Kenna's class) and they are all (Kenna, Kamryn, and Kloey) playing together most days. I love it that they are so close! I hope they stay that way!! Kloey also started her Ballet/Tap class. She squeals every week as we approach the dance studio! She LOVES it!! We love our tiny firecracker!!!!!

I am mostly updating for scrapbook purposes, so sorry this is so long. I had not updated in so long I'm sure I forgot a lot of things!! We hope everyone is doing well!!!

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May 30th, 2009-  A couple of weeks ago, Kenna performed with our church's children's choir.  This was her first church performance and she did great.  She was the youngest one so I wasn't sure how she would do; however, she loved it.  She knew every word and almost every motion at home, but became easily distracted during the performance.  During the practices, if she became tired she would just sit down.  So, we talked to her about NOT sitting down during the show.  And, she didn't!  Although, she was watching someone on the back row the entire time.  She was still cute as a button...as you can see in the pictures!! ;)

We also had Kenna's dance recital last weekend.  Kamryn & Kloey took this past year also, but their class was not in the recital.  Kenna was so excited about her recital!  Her recital was at 1:30 and she wanted to get ready at 8:00am!  Her class danced to Thank Heaven for Little Girls.  It was adorable.  Kamryn and Kloey were so good and just sat there and watched the whole recital.  They even cheered for Kenna...too cute!  Kamryn keeps saying, "when I get bigger I want to dance on stage".  We are not signing them up next year though...we're taking a year off b/c of three in preschool!! :)

Yesterday we had our Family Guatemalan Playdate...with the Daddies! :)  We have not had a family one in a couple of years.  We had lots of fun!  On our family playdates, we have a family that lives a few hours away join us.  Their little boy, Brian, was the one we saw while we were in Guatemala visiting Kenna.  So, we all have a sweet connection!  We had so much fun and the kids did too!!  We can't believe our kiddos are four and five (and the youngest is two)!!!  They have grown up too fast!  It makes my heart melt when they play together and giggle!  Our girls love Garrett, Claire, Claire, and Sophia so much!!  They don't know Brian as well, but hopefully they'll get to know him better as they get older.  We hope to keep the family playdates a tradition.  I know I say this every time, but we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our playdate friends!!!  God has blessed us with these friendships!!  And, to think our kiddos were in the same orphanages...God is good!! :)

Well, summer is here and we are enjoying it!  The girls love to play outside.  We do have one (KENNA) who doesn't like getting too hot!   Remember...she is our girly girl!!  We have lots of fun things planned for the summer...dance camp, children's museum, VBS, the Zoo, playdates, swimming, camping...it's going to be a full summer! :) 

We hope everyone is doing well.  We are all better here!  The girls are doing great!  They are all full of personality!!  I'll update soon on them individually and then I'm thinking about closing this website.  It's just getting too hard to update.  We'll see... 

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May 7th, 2009-  We've had and have some sick little ones at our house.  Last Friday Kenna woke up with a high fever and complaints of a sore throat.  So, thinking of strep throat, I took her into the pediatrician's office.  This was also the 3rd time Kenna has had a fever in the past 2 months so we wanted to see what was going on.  They did a strep test, flu test, and urine culture.  The tests came back negative and they assumed she might have a UTI so our PED prescribed us an antibiotic.  Well, Kenna became worse and was in much pain!  She was complaining with her throat and back (kidneys).  She couldn't sleep b/c of pain or eat (which is NOT like our Kenna) and her cough became horrible.  So, Keith and I decided to take her to Urgent Care on Sunday morning b/c we were afraid she might be getting pneumonia.  Thankfully, after another strep test, flu test, urine culture, and chest x-rays, they told us they thought it was UTI also and that she needed a stronger antibiotic.  So, they gave her a dreaded shot!!  Well, they call Monday and NO, it wasN'T a UTI!!!!  So, we've all concluded it was a nasty virus!!  Tuesday was the first day for NO fever and she was finally able to eat a little!!

And, wouldn't you know it...Kamryn woke up Tuesday with a FEVER!!!!  She's been fine until this afternoon.  She and Kloey (who has a fever now too) have been coughing, but not complaining with pain like Kenna.  However, we're assuming it's the same thing.  Kamryn, at 6:00, asked us if she could go night night...poor thing!!  I hope by the weekend they'll all be on the mend!  Keith and I are praying we don't catch anything!!!! :) :)

On another medical note, I had to take Kamryn and Kloey to the ENT this week.  And, the ENT is wanting to put tubes in again.  We'll see...

Kenna has her last week of preschool next week!  Wow, this year has flown by!  We love her teachers and are going to miss them so much!!  All three girls will also wrap up dance for the year in a couple of weeks.  I'm already trying to think of things we can do all summer to keep us busy!  We behave better when we're busy...if you know what I mean!  Ha! :)

I'll write more and post pictures later...  (need to go for now!)!! :)

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HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY KAMRYN and KLOEY!!!!

March 15th, 2009

Can you believe our baby girls are three?!?!?!  Time has flown here at our house!  It was three years ago that we received the phone call that our precious DAUGHTERS (not sons) had been born.  Time and time again Keith and I are blown away at God's goodness and provision!  Kamryn and Kloey bring so much joy to our family!  They are so happy, giddy, and joyful!  We can't even count the times people say to us, "they are the happiest little things".  Just today their Sunday school teacher said they giggle all the time and how it just makes her smile.  We hope and pray they will always be happy, giddy, and joyful!!!

Since I just wrote about them not long ago, I'll keep this short.  Also, I'll post more after we visit their pediatrician for their three year old well visit.  We have decided that we are just going to do small parties (with the grandparents) until the girls get bigger.  Although, it has worked out this year that we are doing a "family" celebration on each side.  We had a small "family" party on Friday night with my side of the family celebrating the girls, myself/Keith, and my Mom.  The girls said they wanted a "Backyardigans" party, so I went and bought plates, balloons, etc.  We asked them what they wanted for their birthday dinner and they told us chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A.  So, we ate chick-fil-a nuggets. :)  I wanted to make them a special Backyardigans cake; however, I have been sick this week.  So, I did make them a cake, but it wasn't as "fancy" as I had hoped! :(  The girls had a great time though and enjoyed all their new toys!  We will celebrate with Keith's side of the family next weekend.  Kenna wanted to buy them a present so Keith took her shopping on Saturday.  She picked out 2 princess cell phones (like we don't already have a million pretend cell phones!!).  She was so excited to give them their phones this morning.  The girls gave her a big hug.  It was super cute!

I will post more on them after we visit our pediatrician.  We hope everyone is doing well!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY girls!!!!!  We love you so much!!!!!

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3/1/2009- Wow, it has been a while since I wrote about the girls.  Sorry.  My laptop died right before Christmas and I have less time to sit down at the desktop these days!  I will be aggravated at myself when it's time to scrapbook these last few months.  This website is a great tool for me when I scrapbook...helps me remember things! :)   If you feel so obliged to read this post, sorry for its length.   I have managed to post pictures, just not stories.

Let's see...where I do I begin?   I can't believe it's already March!   We had our Guatemalan playdate on February 13 ^th.   We had not been all together since September because of families traveling and the holidays.   It was great to get back together with everyone!   The moms got together in January which is always NICE!   We love our friendships from this group!!   In a couple of weeks we will have a family playdate with the Dads too!   We left on Valentine's Day for our annual trip to visit Keith's grandmother in Florida.   The weather was beautiful!   It was in the 70's and sunny.   We enjoyed being in our summer clothes and enjoying the outdoors!   We took the kids to the zoo one day and to a children's museum one day.   The girls loved the zoo this year.   They all loved the monkeys!   The Great Exploration museum was fun too!   It was a little over their heads, but it was fun nonetheless!   They were very cute!   We also went to a couple of local parks for the girls to play as well.   They have always been good travelers.   For the most part, they just color, watch movies, eat snacks, and sleep in the car.   They always amaze us!   It took us FOREVER to get there b/c of rain and traffic, but they were so patient and good!   We enjoy getting away as a family and always have a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa Phil.   It was crazy for us to come back to 30 degree weather!!   We didn't like it...we're ready for SPRING! J   As I type this, it's snowing outside!   I don't allow myself to get too excited b/c it never sticks here!   I wish it would...instead it usually is just a wet mess here!

Sorry if this sounds like rambling!   In a way it is...I'm just trying to write a little bit about everything that has been happening with our family the past couple of months.   Last Thursday, I had to take Kenna and Kloey to the doctor.   Kloey, weighing 20 pounds, had an ear infection.   Kenna, weighing 40 pounds, had/has a nasty virus!   At first, they thought she might have the flu, strep, or pneumonia.   Thankfully, all tests and chest x-rays came back negative.   Instead, just a yucky ole' virus!   She woke up Thursday morning (around 2:30am) with a HIGH fever (104.3)!   She was so hot to touch!   It scared us and we quickly gave her some Motrin.   Her fever did go down and by morning it was totally gone!   However, it came back every afternoon/evening and it would be HIGH!   On Friday, she started having stomach cramps!   They were horrible!   She would just curl up and scream!   With her stomach history, I always worry about a hurting stomach. Today (Sunday), she is doing much better and has had no cramps today (or fever, as of yet).   Kloey and I have a nasty cold.   We (the girls) stayed home from church today to rest.   Hopefully, we'll all be better by mid-week! J

Now I want to update on the girls...

Kenna- She is still enjoying preschool!   She has become so independent.   Her preschool teacher is outstanding and she has taught Kenna many things...academic things, how to snap/button/zip, how to help around the house with cleaning/laundry/dishes, and how to love with the same love God has given us!   She is still our sensitive ones and gets her feelings hurt very easily.   She is growing so fast.   She is now one of the tallest in her class!   I can't believe it!   Her imagination has exploded and she is constantly pretending!   Most of the time, she is pretending to be the "Mommy"...imagine that!??! ;)   She likes to be the boss.   I keep meaning to write down things that she says a lot that are funny.   So, here are some:   she calls the car pool line at school carwell for some reason, she says yesternight for yesterday, she will ask us a question and then give us a thumbs up (don't know where she got this from), she always lets us know if we are raising our voices (which can be very convicting!), she is constantly talking on the phone (pretend) to Brandon (our good friend/Keith's old roommate, but will rarely talk to him in person), she also has a "crush" on a teenage boy at our church, Chase, but also will not talk to him in person (she just talks about him quite frequently at home), ...   can't think of anymore at the moment.   I'll probably think of some more later.   She has started singing in our children's choir at church and is LOVING it!   She can't wait for choir time and wants to practice her songs all the time.   It is truly melting my musical heart!!!   She has begun having an opinion about what she wears everyday and ALWAYS wants to wear a skirt or dress.   If I let her, she would wear this black skirt she has EVERYday!!   Kenna is very sweet (most of the time) and has a big heart!   We love her dearly!

Kamryn- Kamryn talks non-stop!   She is always talking or singing.   She is constantly following Kenna around wanting to play with her.   They do play together most of the time, but they also fight like sisters!!   She is very smart and picks up things quickly.   She has already learned most of her letters and their sounds.   She LOVES to color and draw!   She and Kloey have been hard to potty train because they can be so stubborn. Just yesterday she decided she was ready and she told US that she wanted to wear big girl pants.   So, this is day 2 and she has had NO accidents!   Yea Kamryn!   Hopefully, she will keep it up!   She and Kloey will be going to preschool in August and they have to be potty trained!   I will write more about her in a couple of weeks on her THIRD birthday!   Can you believe she will be three???   We can't!?!?   We love Kamryn so much!!

Kloey- Our tiny, strong, and independent one!   She is fairly quiet, but amazes us with what she knows.   She also has learned most of her letters and their sounds.   She also likes to sing, but doesn't do it as much as the others because she is all around quieter.   I say she is quiet, but she is our loudest "tantrum thrower"- hehe.   She has a very strong will and if things don't go her way, watch out!   We often comment on how she is probably our "easiest" at home and "hardest" away from home b/c of her independence.   At home, she is very independent and is usually content doing her own thing.   Away from home, she wants the same independence (but we can't give her that away from home!)!   She gets really frustrated with us in public! ;)   She goes potty when she wants to, but has not decided that she wants to be fully potty trained yet!   She loves playing with puzzles, books, cars, and balls.   She also likes to build things.   She is still our "tomboy" of the three.   Kloey and Kamryn both still love to go to their little dance/tumbling class!   They also are enjoying their Sunday School class at church!   I will also write more about Kloey in a couple of weeks on her birthday!   We can't believe she'll be three in just 2 weeks.   She is SO TINY...just hit 20 pounds!

Again, sorry for the length of this post.   I know I probably forgot many things so I'll try and do better!!   I typed this pretty quickly, so sorry for any grammatical mistakes...hehe!  We hope everyone is doing well! J   We are blessed...beyond measure!

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I wanted you to know about Abby.

She was adopted from Guatemala. At three years old, she was diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Certain genetic complications have put her chance of surviving the treatment at about 20%.

I am praying for her and her family. Would you pray for them too?

You can find more about Abby here, on her family blog: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.html

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January 5th, 2009- We hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Between Christmas gatherings and birthday celebrations, we have been busy.  We had a wonderful Christmas.  We celebrated with my side of the family Christmas eve night, stayed home on Christmas day, and then celebrated with Keith's side the Saturday after Christmas.  The girls were very cute and sweet opening their gifts this year.  Kenna was really into the presents and was very excited about Christmas morning.  From Thanksgiving until Christmas, we read the Nativity Story to them every night...hoping they absorbed it. :)  Kenna had her preschool Christmas party the Thursday before Christmas and her teachers told me that she knew all the answers about the Christmas story...I was proud! :)  We did the "Jesus Gifts" with the girls again this year and they got a couple of "family gifts" like a play tent, playdough, etc.  We always do an ornament swap to represent the year.  The girls all got ballerinas since this was their first year of taking dance.  I bought Keith a computer ornament (he is always so hard to buy for- I guess I need to become more creative like him and make his) b/c this was his first year teaching computers and being the school's webmaster.  Keith made my ornament again this year.  He made me an ornament (as you can see in the pictures) that says, "2008...the year of Facebook".  He thinks facebook is silly, but it is a great way to keep in touch with friends...both old and new. :)  It was clever. :)  All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas spending time with friends and family and celebrating Jesus' birth!!

The Sunday after Christmas we took Kenna to Urgent Care where she had 2 infections. :(  She had been having random fevers for about 2 weeks, but nothing that kept her from playing until that Sunday.  We knew something was wrong when she wouldn't eat breakfast and fell asleep on the way to church (at 9:15am!)!  Then, during her nap that day she moaned/cried in her sleep!  It was pitiful and she woke up with a pretty high fever.  So, we took her to Urgent Care.  She was given 2 antibiotics and a decongestant.  She was pretty much better the next day.  She never complains so we never know when she is really sick.  On Tuesday, I took her to our pediatrician for a follow up and for her 4 year old well visit.  Her infections were already cleared up...praise the Lord!  She weighed 38 lbs. and was 40 inches tall.  She also had a vision/hearing tests completed.  She was not in a very good mood b/c she had asked me that morning if she was going to get shots.  Well, I couldn't lie to her so she was dreading the visit the whole morning.  She did NOT want to be there so she was not talking (which made the hearing/vision tests difficult!).  She received 4 shots...I hated it!!!  Shots scare me anyway and with her dreading it...I was in tears myself!!!  She, of course, screamed, but only for a little bit and then she calmed down fairly quickly.  I felt so bad that I told her I would take her to get an ice cream. :)  She seemed fine until New Year's Day.  She woke up crying and said her legs hurt.  She couldn't even walk on them!!!  It really scared me.  I was hoping they were just stiff and sore from the shots so I gave her some Motrin.  After about 30 minutes, she was much better.  She still couldn't walk 100%, but was a ton better!!  Thankfully, the soreness went away.

Kamryn and Kloey are growing up so quickly!  I can't believe they will be three soon!  They are talking up a storm these days!  They are very busy and keep us on our toes!  They are still NOT doing good with potty training.  It has been very frustrating!  Kenna potty trained in one day so she spoiled us!  We'll keep trying...

This past weekend, we celebrated Ella's fourth birthday!!  Ella invited three friends and took them all bowling.  Kenna was shy b/c she had never heard of bowling and she is our child who does not like new things/change.  So, she had fun, but was very shy when it came time for her to bowl.  We love you Ella and hope you had a wonderful birthday!!! :)

Sorry this is a long post...I'm trying to remember everything (for scrapbook purposes)! :)  I know I probably forgot many things...I really need to update this more often.  Again, we hope everyone had a great Christmas! :)

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December 17th, 2008- Wow, I feel like I am so behind on updating this site.  We've been so busy the last few weeks and with my computer gone (boohoo), I only have internet access in the evenings (when I am too tired to think)!  I am going to try and catch up here tonight...

Kenna's class went on a field trip the first week of December to a Christmas tree farm.  It was a lot of fun.  We rode on a hayride, made a craft, sat by the fire and ate popcorn, and picked out/cut down a tree for her class.  Kenna had lots of fun with her friends from school.  They put the tree in the corner of their playground at school and they made it into a "bird tree" making edible things for birds to eat.  However, they haven't made too many b/c of all the rain we've been getting.  Kenna loves school and her teachers are so creative! 

Last week all three girls had "Parent Watch Week" in their dance classes.  Kamryn & Kloey's class was a hoot!  My mom went with me while my Dad watched Kenna.  You should see the video...it's hilarious!  A class of 10 or so 2 year olds!!  They have learned many things, but were showing out a little since all the parents were there!  Kamryn & Kloey LOVE the little trampoline!  They spent the first few minutes of class JUMPING (instead of what they were supposed to be doing!!)!!  They were cute showing us their ballet moves!  Kenna's watch day was later in the week.  Her class was a LITTLE more advanced.  Kenna had fun showing us her tap and ballet moves. 

We also celebrated Kenna's FOURTH birthday last week!!  We decided to keep her party simple this year by inviting our parents (the grandparents) over for dinner.  We asked Kenna what she wanted to eat and she said, "eggs and bacon".  So, we had breakfast foods (pancakes, eggs, bacon, and yogurt) for Kenna's birthday dinner.  I tried making a princess birthday cake...it really was fairly easy.  My Dad (a.k.a. Papa) made Kenna some pink ice cream...b/c she had asked him to! :)  Thanks Papa!  I had bought some princess decorations and pink balloons so Kenna would feel extra special with this small intimate birthday party.  This was the first year that Kenna was really into what was going on and into her presents.  She has been asking for a couple of months now for a pink guitar.  So, needless to say, that is what Keith and I got for her.  She was so excited and so giddy!!  She would NOT put it down...for the whole weekend!!!  She kept telling us thank you...it was really sweet!  On Saturday, her actual birthday, we had a family Christmas celebration.  My parents surprised Kenna with another birthday cake...a M&M cake (Kenna's favorite candy of all time).  She loved it!  I think she had a great birthday!!  I will update more on her next week after her 4 year old well visit.

On top of all the activities going on, Kamryn & Kloey have been sick.  I took them to the doctor last week and both of them had ear infections.  Yuck!  Kloey finally weighed 20 lbs. and Kamryn was 24 lbs.!  They have been on antibiotics for a week now, but still seem sick.  So, we might be going back to the doctor.  We will be visiting the ENT again soon.  Kloey has been having a hard time hearing us (not sure if it's selective hearing or real issues!).  They both have been doing okay on potty training...not great, but not bad either.  They are just inconsistent.  They will do good one day and then not good the next.  It can be frustrating, but we've decided to not push it until after the holidays.  We'll see...

Today, Kenna went with me to get a haircut.  I had planned on asking my hair dresser if she would trim Kenna's hair.  Keith and I had been contemplating getting Kenna's hair cut, but had decided to wait.  It's so pretty, but it has begun to drive her (and us) crazy!!  It would tangle so bad...every morning, every afternoon, in the bath, etc.  She would let us brush it, but complained the whole time.  She really needed a good trim.  Well, when we got there today she told us she wanted it cut!  After all the ladies (yes, everyone in the salon) talked about it, we decided we would try it.  After all, it's just hair and it will grow back, right?!?!  So, we did it!  Kenna loves it and was grinning from ear to ear.  She kept flipping it out...I guess she liked the feel of it.  It makes her look so grown up!  Yes, I will miss those beautiful curls on the end, but I think I will enjoy NOT fighting with the tangles!!  It does still fit in a ponytail...thank goodness! :)

We have more parties this week and weekend, so I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post soon.  I think those are the major happenings that have been going on with us.  We hope you all are doing well!

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December 13th, 2008- HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNA!!!!!!!!!!  WE LOVE YOU!!! 

My computer has officially crashed and died! :(  So, until we get it fixed (or a new one), I have to use Keith's when he's home in the evenings.  I have lots of pictures and updates I need to add...field trip to a Christmas tree farm, watch week in the girls' dance classes, Kenna's birthday dinner, etc.  I don't have a lot of time right now, but will probably add pictures and stories (and a little bit about my precious birthday girl) later this evening!

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November 30th, 2008- We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!  We had a lovely week...busy, but good!  We are so thankful for the many blessings God has given us!  Last Wednesday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family and on Thursday, we celebrated with Keith's side of the family.  We love spending time with our parents, grandparents, siblings, and nieces/nephews/cousins!  We decided to take the girls to see Christmas lights Thursday night after our Thanksgiving celebration.  We went to a tour of lights that was over 6 miles long!  It took the girls a few minutes to warm up to the idea of riding in a car looking at lights, but then they started to really enjoy the lights!  When we came up on the manger scene, Kenna wanted to stop and sing "Away in a Manger".  She became upset when we couldn't stop (b/c we were in a line of cars).  However, we did sing "Away in a Manger".  We were impressed/proud that she remembered that song from last Christmas.  Her Little Peoples Nativity set plays that song and she loves it!  :)  We plan on reading about the nativity every night until Christmas.  We hope and pray our girls will absorb what Christmas is truly about...JESUS! :) 

The girls and I enjoyed having Keith home with us all week.  Keith and I were even able to get away one day (without the kids- THANKS Mom, Dad, & Nanny!) to go Christmas shopping!  I went shopping Friday morning at 4:30am...it reminded me why I DON'T do that every year!  Ridiculous is the word I'll use to describe Friday morning...will not be doing that again any time soon! :)  We also put our tree up and decorated for Christmas!  I enjoy our evenings by the Christmas tree and fireplace...the Christmas decor adds so much coziness (is that the word?? You know what I mean) to me, for some reason.  Tomorrow is the official first day of the Christmas season...tis the season to be busy!  I pray our family will not become so busy that we lose the focus of the true meaning of Christmas!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

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November 24th, 2008- Last Thursday, Kenna had her very first program!  The 3 year old classes at her school were putting on a program, Picnic in the Forest.  Each class was a different animal.  She was an owl.  They sang about 10 songs and had motions for each song.  Keith was able to take off a couple of hours and come watch too!  So, we also got a great video of the program!  Kenna can be shy and reserved in public (not at home!), so we didn't know what to expect.  She had sung the songs for us at home so we knew she knew them.  We were pleasantly surprised at how good she was during the program!  She was even very animated and smiled!  Also, for almost half of the program the little girl beside her was crying for her Mommy and Kenna never flinched...she just kept singing and doing her motions!  Keith and I were VERY proud!  I'm such a cry baby, I even cried!!!  After the program, the kids came down from the stage and joined their parents for a picnic.  It was a wonderful program!!

Keith is off this week for Thanksgiving and we have a busy week planned...some cleaning, some shopping, and lots of time with FAMILY! :)  We also started POTTY TRAINING...AGAIN...today! :)  They are both ready as they've been telling us when they need a diaper change.  However, remember we tried a month ago and ugh!  However, Kamryn did VERY WELL today with only a couple of accidents (and only ONE big one)!!  She even would tell us when she had to go...yea!!  So, I think she's going to be fully trained by the end of the week...HOPEFULLY! :)  Kloey, on the other hand, did okay.  She went, but also had a few accidents and they didn't seem to bother her!  She was a little better by the end of the evening so we'll see how the rest of the week goes. :)  They both loved getting their treat, a skittle, for going...of course! :)

We hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!  We have so much to be thankful for...God has truly blessed us!!!!!! :)

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November 13th, 2008- We're still here...just busy.  As you can see, the girls surprised us and were very cooperative for our family pictures a couple of weekends ago!  I was so proud of them!  They are not too still these days, so I wasn't expecting a lot!  Our escape artist, Kloey, did try to get away a few times (since the photos were taken outdoors).  Overall, they did great and we love our photographers!  She's awesome!  That same day, Kenna and I went to the ballet to see Swan Lake.  Grandma bought us tickets.  It was a fun girls day...we went with Heatherly and Ava.  Swan Lake was about 2 and a half hours...still a little long for Kenna.  Kenna is growing up so fast!  We are really seeing her imagination and processing skills rapidly increasing these days!  She is loving school.  I have a "private" blog about Kenna's school year so often times I forget to post things on here (relating to school).  Kenna's class will be putting on a "Picnic in the Forest" program next week.  Keith and I are excited to watch her perform in her first program!

This past weekend, we loaded down the car (which we still feel like we have to pack our entire house when we travel with three toddlers age 3 and under!) and took a LONG road trip to see some friends!  It was a lot of driving for one weekend, but we had a great time seeing Chad, Kristina, and Gabriella!  I'll post pictures later.  We played in the park, ate some delicious food, had some worship time, and went for walks in the beautiful fall weather!  I LOVE going on trips with my family...just the five of us!  Getting away from the daily grind of things is always good...for me!! :)

Keith's grandparents are in town this week so we'll spending lots of time with the family this weekend...I'm sure I'll have pics to post!

Hope all is well!

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October 31st, 2008- We started out the day with Kenna dressed up in her pink princess costume at ballet.  Ella was Cinderella and they were so sweet as we were taking their pictures.  Tonight, we decided at the last minute to stay home and let the girls dress up.  We went to just a few houses on our street and the girls had so much fun.  They were all so sweet saying, "trick-or-treat" and "thank you".  When we got home, they enjoyed picking out 2 pieces of candy and giving out candy to the kids who came knocking.  Of course, we had one little pink princess who would hide if a mask was coming...can you guess?  Yes, Kenna.  She did pretty well all night and would just ask her Daddy to pick her up if she spotted Spiderman, Batman, or a mask.  The girls went to bed a little later than usual, but not too much later b/c we want them to be in a good mood tomorrow.  We have our family portraits tomorrow!  I really hope they cooperate...they have not been very cooperative lately when taking pictures!

Tomorrow, Kenna and I have a special treat...I'll share more later.  We hope everyone had a great week!

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October 30th, 2008- Last weekend we had our fall festival at church.  The girls had lots of fun bouncing on the inflatables, running around, getting their face painted, and playing with their friends.  The girls have had multiple opportunities to wear their costumes this week.  Kamryn and Kloey wore their little ladybug outfits to ballet.  They were so cute, but would not smile for a picture!  They are at a hard age for taking pictures right now!!  We are having our yearly family portrait made this weekend...I hope they cooperate! :)  Yesterday, Keith and I took the girls to a small local Pumpkin Patch.  We almost waited too late...they only had a few pumpkins left!  We had planned on going to the big pumpkin patch we like to visit, but things kept coming up...maybe next year.  The girls still had fun picking out a small pumpkin, looking at the farm animals, playing on the tractor, and just running around.  Again, they would not all smile at the same time for anything!  Kamryn & Kloey still were carrying around their little pumpkins today!

Kenna had her "Harvest Parade" and party today at school.  I was a little anxious for her b/c of her fear of masks/costumes.  We talked about it all morning and she said she would try to be brave.  However, I left her looking very frightened.  It broke my heart...yes, I actually cried and wanted to go back in and get her.  I did call (after about 45 minutes) and they said she was doing great.  Kamryn, Kloey, and I went shopping and then returned for the parade.  (Last year, Kenna was not with her class in the parade...I found her with the preschool director b/c she was scared).  So, we were anxiously awaiting Kenna's class and here comes Kenna's teacher.  She asked if they could bring Kenna to me b/c she was crying!  Poor Kenna!  It makes me so sad that she is so scared of masks/costumes.  She is getting better...like, just covering her eyes instead of SCREAMING.  So, hopefully she'll outgrow this fear! 

We have lots of fun activities for the weekend planned so I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures soon!  Hope everyone is having a great week!

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October 19th, 2008-  The weather this weekend has been beautiful!!!  We took the girls to the Apple Festival Saturday morning.  Keith and I realized that the girls probably won't be into the Apple Festival for about um...five or six more years!  We've gone every year though forgetting how much it's just not really a fun place for them! ;)  Why 2 and 3 year olds do not like crafts and food booths is beyond me?!?!  Hehe!  They did have a kiddie section with inflatables, sand art, pony rides, camel rides, train ride, etc. but our girls are pretty shy.  Not one of them would even attempt to get on an inflatable (which usually they love) or the train!  Kamryn was the only one who would ride a pony!  They all three said they wanted to, but when it came time only Kamryn would get on the pony!  Oh well...  Thankfully, we parked right beside a cute little park by the river.  So, the girls got to play on the playground...which they LOVED!  It was a gorgeous day and we had fun!  Saturday afternoon Kenna and I went to Claire's (one of our little friends also from Guatemala- she and Kenna were in the same orphanage) FOURTH birthday party at a little gym!!!  I can't believe our girls are FOUR (Kenna will be in December).  She had a great time...especially b/c it was a princess party!  Kenna is really wanting a princess party too!  She has no idea who they are, but she says she wants to have a PINK princess birthday party!  I wanted to update a little bit about the girls since I haven't in a while (and this is mainly for scrapbooking purposes and for memory sake so do not feel obligated to read it!). :)

Kenna- She is becoming a little girl...not a toddler!  I can't believe she is about to be four years old!!  She is loving school and dance!  As you may have seen in the pictures, she got her little finger crushed in a door, at school, week before last.  It was horrible.  They had to call me.  She was in so much pain...it was the worst thing!  I wanted to cry with her!  We went to our local pediatrician who sent us to an imaging place so they could take x-rays.  We really couldn't tell what all had happened b/c there was a lot of blood.  Our pediatrician called and said the x-rays showed "fractured" and we needed to go to the Children's Hospital.  By this point, Keith could leave work and we drove down to the hospital.  They wanted to take x-rays again.  They came in and said it was NOT broken, crushed, or fractured.  This is not the first time we have realized we should have just went to the children's hospital to begin with and we could have saved a lot of time!  Don't get me wrong, we were thankful it wasn't broken, but just aggravated that we were sent.  They didn't put stitches, but instead some steri-strips on her finger.  The back side of her finger was cut open...ouch!  It looked very painful and horrible!  She was very brave.  She did cry, scream, and shake b/c she was in so much pain for the first 2 hours after it happened.  However, after that she was very cooperative with the doctors.  She wore a splint a few days to keep it protected and then this past Wednesday we went back to our pediatrician where she took the bandages off.  Thankfully, it looked great and had healed (almost completely) very nicely!!  Kenna is still shy, for the most part, away from home.   Her teachers tell us she is "quiet, cooperative, and sweet" at school.  At home, she is NOT quiet and can be silly!  She loves to wrestle around with her Daddy and can be quite rough at times.  However, most of the time she is our prissy girl...always wanting to wear a dress, always having a purse, wanting her nails painted and her hair fixed, and wanting to come inside if she gets too hot!!  She still loves playing with her baby dolls and enjoys telling them what to do!  She's still a "little Mommy"...not only to her baby dolls, but also to Kamryn & Kloey.  She loves books and we've recently started working on letter sounds at home.  She is excited about learning to read. :)  I'm sure I'll write (type) more about her in a couple of months on her birthday!  Kenna has the sweetest heart! :)

Kamryn- Kamryn is still our "loudest" child.  She talks and sings constantly.  She is so verbal and we (of course we do...we're her parents) feel she is so smart!  She says everything and amazes us with the things she puts together verbally.  We shouldn't be surprised as she repeats EVERYTHING we say to her!  EVERYTHING!  She also copies everything Kenna does so she almost knows everything Kenna knows simply from observing and copying her!  She plays with the same things Kenna plays with...seriously, she adores Kenna and does whatever Kenna tells her to do (most of the time).  Kenna and Kamryn are usually the ones playing together.  They all three play together nicely (with the occassional sibling fighting, of course).  Although, most of the time Kloey is doing her own thing as Kenna and Kamryn always play together.  When Kenna is at school, Kamryn plays nicely with Kloey too.  They (Kam & Klo) love playing with the kitchen and pretend food.  They also like to feed their dolls and pretend they're going to the store.  Kamryn LOVES to color, draw, and "write her letters".  She cannot really write her letters, but she likes to say, "look Mommy, here's an A or here's a K".  She can draw some of her shapes.  We wouldn't be surprised if she learns to read when Kenna does b/c she seriously watches Kenna very closely.   This past week Kenna had to say her Bible memory verse at Sunday School (Ps. 122:1-2 "I lift my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord...maker of heaven and earth").  One night we were saying it at the dinner table and Kamryn repeated it too!!!!  She knew it just from listening to Kenna!  Kloey also knew it!!  She is still not eating as much as Kloey even though she is a little bigger.  I don't know why she is not eating that well, but it is very frustrating!  We're hoping it's a phase!  She is already so small.  She is wearing 18 month pants and 24 month shirts.  She wears a size 5 shoe.  She is also very sweet and VERY appreciative!  She says THANK YOU for everything!!!!  :)  She's also still a very happy child and giggles lots! :)

Kloey- I had to take Kloey to the dr. this past week b/c she was complaining with her ear.  She still has one tube so I wanted to make sure she wasn't getting an infection.   She didn't have an infection...just some redness.  She weighed 19.3 lbs. (at 2 1/2 years old) so she is growing!  She's gained almost 2 pounds since March.  We were getting worried she wasn't b/c she feels like a feather when you pick her up!  She is so tiny!  She needs to be wearing 9 or 12 month pants, but they are too short so we have to buy her 18 month pants.  It's been difficult finding her pants!  She wears a 12-18 month shirt and wears a size 4 (or 5) shoe.  She is our independent one for sure.  A lot of times she is content playing by herself.  She loves building blocks and reading books.  She wants to be read to all the time.  As you've seen in the pictures, she also loves to dress up!!  She still loves to be held.  I think she would let me hold her all day.  She is going through this phase where she cries whenever I leave her (at church mainly).  They say she immediately stops, but she clings to me when I drop her off.  I hate it...it breaks my heart when she's reaching for me as I'm walking out the door.   She is eating good...still doesn't like sweets.  She is also happy and laughs a lot too!  She, along with her sisters, melts my heart everyday and there is not a day goes by that I do not feel so blessed to be their MOMMY!

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Last Updated:
Jan 22, 2010