New 'Do

Karli got a new hairdo and it's so darling! She probably looked at herself in the mirror a hundred times yesterday to admire her cute little bangs. She kept saying, "Loot mommy, I pitty lite a pincess!" She's a cutie!

Allison Goes to the Empty Sea

Today we took my sister, Allison, to the MTC. She was the cutest missionary there! All the guys were checking her out (yikes; focus, please!); she's gorgeous and exuberant and will make a fabulous missionary. It's been great to be able to spend the last few days with her and to feel her missionary spirit brimming. Amber and Karli were really excited to go to the "Empty Sea" and see where Adam spent time learning how to be a missionary. I'm excited for Allison and for the Danish; she'll help many people find happiness.

Amber said, "My daddy has a tag just like that one!" Sister Liljenquist is adorable, huh?


The shadow in this picture is horrid (sorry), but it's the only one I have of my kids and Sister Liljenquist. Good luck, Albums! We love you lots!

Relative Excitement

The kids have been enjoying their cousins' company more than ever now that they are a bit older and better at sharing things. My sister's family came up for Allison's farewell and Amber, Merrick, McKay, and Karli had fun playing with my cousins, Hunter and Bella (is it strange that I have cousins who are younger than my own kids? I must be a Mormon!). Every night, the kids are wiped out and ready for a good rest. I'm thrilled because Amber and Karli have slept in their own beds every night but one!

Amber, McKay, Hunter, and Merrick reading a story on the stairs.

McKay and Karli being sweet. They are only two days apart.

Karli loves to cruise around the basketball court on the Barbie four-wheeler. I thought she'd be too scared to ride on it, but she loves to drive it all by herself.

Rex loved to sit in Cooper's excer-saucer and got a big kick out of spinning around.

Karli, Amber, Kinzi, and Gracie had a sleepover on Sunday night. It was adorable to see them all snuggled up together.

A Yard Free From Disgusting Debris

To me, playing in the "yard" in Lansing seemed akin to playing in a prison yard; the sparse lawn was dry and brown, the spaces between the sorry little blades of grass were actually filled with an assortment of razor blades, plenty of cigarette butts and bottle caps, and shards of broken liquor bottles, and we had spectators galore (the really creepy kind). We love playing in our yard in Alpine, where the grass is lush and green, the swings are free from any questionable substances that may or may not be infested with diseases, the air is cool and crisp, and we have a spectacular view! Karli would sit in this swing 24/7. She loves it!

Amber and Gracie are great pals and have had a riot playing together.

Rex loves his cousins, Mckinzie and Whitney. The two babies are pudgy little pals and love to stare at each other all the time.

I love the dry air here! My hair is slightly less-humongous and everything smells fresh here (except, of course, Utah Lake, but that goes without saying!).

Here's the view from the deck behind our house. The photo just doesn't do it justice. I love to look out the windows and see mountains in every direction. Next on our list is to go up the canyon for a campfire.

A Nice, Long Trip

We are finally in Utah. YAY! We actually arrived Saturday night around 11:30 p.m., and I'm so glad to be here. All in all, it was a good trip, but very long. Here are a few shots of our fantastic voyage:
Amber loved the plane! As soon as we started taxiing to the runway, she yelled out, "Here we GO!" Then, as we accelerated to take off, she screamed, "MOM! THIS IS SO FUN!" She loved to look out the window and see the "map" beneath us (that would be the outline of fields, rivers, trees, etc.). She couldn't get enough.

After a 30-minute tantrum in the car while leaving Lansing, Karli finally settled down and was pretty mellow the whole trip. She had fun sucking on her finger, snuggling with her soft blankie, and eating treats for every meal.

In case you've never been to the Long Beach Airport, this is it. Yep, this is the WHOLE airport. It's a touch bigger than a church gym, and we got to spend ten hours here. We ran out of things to see after about 45 minutes, but thank heavens for portable DVD players. By the time we left, I think every airport employee knew us by name.

After we made three hundred laps around the pint-sized airport, I had to break out the blue Ring Pops to entertain the girls. They loved having blue tongues and teeth.

Rex was an angel as usual and chilled in the stroller for most of the time. He slept through each leg of our flight and was a great little traveler.

I knew it was going to be an interesting day when I boarded the plane in Chicago and the pilot immediately offered me a complimentary cocktail. Luckily I didn't need it; the kids were very well-behaved and didn't even have any potty accidents. After 40 hours without sleep (packing...fun), and a very turbulent ride to Salt Lake complete with five vomiters on the plane (all sitting within three seats of me; I nearly lost it, too), I was so thrilled to land in Salt Lake and to see the marvelous mountains. I don't think I'll ever fly standby with three kids again!