family pictures 2013...

So,

the other day, we finally did family pictures before our first snow storm hit...

it's always stressful to get everyone together and trying to cloth everyone to kind-of match...

Our colors were grey, blue with a pop of orange,

I had every thing planned out and every single person except Spencer and I changed their clothes right before we were walking out the door, Candice almost didn't even make it....  it was chaos, as a mom, I wanted to lose it..... all my best laid plans gone....
 but,
I just put a smile on my face and just hoped that some how it would work out,
 I was just so thankful that we were actually all together just doing a family picture!

we had a great time, we got some great pictures of us just being us!

our cute photographer did a fabulous job.

 Thank-you!!!

Of course we tried the old pyramid thingy again!
and
still couldn't quite get it!

(2013)

              

                                                                                        (2011)                                       

I'll share more of our pictures later...

but

one thing that was weird to see was this!

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just take a look at

 which one of my girls has change from a little girl to a teenager!

LYNZIE

not only has she started wearing mascara, and doing her hair, worrying about clothes, and boys,

you know, all the important stuff,

she's quite our little diva.... 

not to mention that she is now TALLER than both her older sister!

she's changed right before our eyes this past year!!!!

it's been quiet amazing!

(2012)

(2013)

these 3 sweeties have a fun and close relationships as sisters!

10/10/12......Z has a birthday!!!

Z had a birthday yesterday and it was a big one for her!!!
12.
12!

Turning 12 means...

starting the Young Women's Program
 with all the kids (boys & girls) in church from 12-18 yrs old.

and

the wearing of mascara!!!

think about when you turned 12...
 IT"S KIND-OF HUGE!

We all gathered around her bed at 6 in the morning and sang Happy Birthday,

she woke up happy and ready to celebrate her special day.

we gave her a few gifts,

like new clothes and earrings

cuz every girls has to look cute going to school,

she took cupcakes to share with her class,
After school she had her last soccer game,
and as it turns out, her coach couldn't be there
 so Kurt volunteered to coach,
 it was so fun to watch Lynzie play and Kurt coach,
he did a great job and had all those little girls hyper,
they won the game,
and on the last play Lynzie almost made a goalie,
she was just an inch away...
she was sad, but we were so proud of her!!!
then we came home and ate a delicious salmon dinner
that Kurt took time to prepared for over 24 hours...

Lynzie wants a cookie cake and so I'll make her one tomorrow,
that's one of the beauties of having a birthday,
stringing it out through out the week.

We love Lynzie,
she is sweet
and spiritual,
she's sassy and smart,
she's feisty and funny
and
we love having her as the caboose of our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNZIE
WE LOVE YOU!

6th grade...

(yesterday)

p.s that darn big bright beautiful morning sunlight!!!

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p.s.s. i've decided i don't like year-round school.....
at least,
 Lynzie was beside herself with excitment!!!

#11

Lynzie's 11th birthday...

one of her biggest wishes every year is to be able to spend it with her "twin" cousin,

and this year she did!!!

just 2 more hours to go.....

kurt and lynzie are on there way home!!!

and we couldn't be more happier, they have been gone way too long....

i've been on deaths door and everything in the house is falling apart.....

they'll get in around 2 am, so i'm just trying to hang out until then, it's like hurry up and wait or like christmas.....Oh, it will be so nice to have them back again!

this was the sweetest picture i took of them right before they left to go to Utah, they we studying the scriptures, Lynzie wanted to know more signs of the second coming, so we were studying in 3 Nephi when Christ visits the Nephites and all the signs that happened before He came, and what He did while He was with them, it can give us an idea of what might happen again. sweet little Lynzie wants to be prepared in every way, do you know how guilty you feel when your ten year old daughter is pushing you to get your 72 hour-kits- up-to-date-again......

we've missed them so, but i'm glad they've had nice weather to enjoy, cuz while they've been gone we've been hiding out at home cuz it's too hot to go outside!!!!

it will be nice to celebrate Kurt birthday this weekend together.

and we'll get to plan a get together with everyone when Diane comes, we love having family, i just wished we could have had more family visit while we lived here...

"I'm going to do everything I can to get to the highest kingdom"

she says.

she's been talking about it for so long.....

that we finally did it....

she's so sassy and cute, just like her new-do!!!

I absolutely love when my child comes home after a long day of taks testing and says:

"I had a lot of conversations with Heavenly Father today."

why, i asked,

"Because I finished early and was bored and needed someone to talk too."

ilovethatgirl.

.

.

.

Ohhhhh boy.....

OR

should I say, Ohhhh Justin Bieber!!!

.

"I said"....

"Lynzie", I said, "I have some bad news"....

What.....we're not moving to Utah?

no, I have other bad news...

what.....I can't do homeschool?

no, I have other bad news...

what.....we have to give our dog back?

no, I have other bad news....

what.....I can't do my horse lessons?

(I'm laughing at this point!)

no, you can't go babysitting with me, cuz Harleigh is sick, I said.

Oh.

It was a huge insight of what her priorities are,

and every so sweet I thought!

.

Lynzie Ilene...

Lynzie is such a sweetheart...

Did you know her birth certificate still says, Lindsey?

She was born Lindsey, but after a year we changed it to Lynzie,

and I haven't official changed it, as of yet.

(come on, it's only been 10 years!)

She's named after her great-great grandma Elizabeth Lindsey Thomas,

and her great grandma Ilene.

Over ten years ago,

I knew that there was one more person to add to our family and I knew that it was a little girl,

and I knew I wanted to name this little girl Lynzie.

but,

I wanted to name her Lindsey after my great-grandma, I was conflicted as to which spelling I wanted, I loved the spelling Lynzie, but I wanted to honor my great-grandma also,

I ask Kurt and he said he wanted to spell it L.Y.N.Z.I.E. so he could call her "Z"!

but,

at the last minute, I went with the spelling of Lindsey out of love and respect for my great-grandma, because after all that is who she was named after...

but,

with her first year of life, the spelling of Lindsey never stuck,

every time I said her name I always though of the other spelling,

so finally at her first birthday, I said, that's enough,

I'm going with the other spelling and I haven't regretted it since!

she's our LYNZIE.

(great-grandma Elizabeth Lindsey, grandma Ilene, my mom, & me, on my blessing day)

Lynzie always amazes me,

she is a sweet soul, and has always had a strong sense of where she came from and where she's going.

Three days ago, our church magazines came in the mail, and the first thing we always do is;

look in "The Friend" magazine to see if Lynzie is in there yet,

a while ago, a long, long while ago, Lynzie sent in a little story about an experience she had had and a picture of herself,

we know that it takes along time and that there is always a big chance of not getting into the magazine, but, it's always still fun to look!

As she was looking and reading,

she read an article about how to build your testimony in 4 simple step;

1- scriptures

2- prayer

3- worship

4- service

she cut out the page and taped it upstairs in her room,

she first read it to me with great seriousness and was concerned of how she was doing,

because her heart is so open, it touches her deeply,

she talks about it with me a lot and it strenghtens mine too.

This year she tried to read the Old Testament, but it was too confusing to her because of the language, and because hello, it's the Old Testament!

So, I suggested to her to try the New Testament and she,

being the Lynzie that she is, she's jumped into it with her big heart and has loved it,

and get this....

she's even taught me a thing or two about Herod

and how he tried to trick the 3 wise men!

Lynzie is such a sweetheart!

What month is it?

just one of the things we did today....

(October in Texas)

#10 on 10-10-10...

Lynzie has been counting down her birthday week,

this was a BIG birthday for Lynzie this year....

Lynzie was turning 10 years old on

10-10-10!!!

(did I ever mention she weighed 10 lbs. when she was born,

10.8 to be exact.)

thankyou.thankyouverymuch!

she was sooo excited that she made us wake up at 6:00 am to open her present from grandpa and grandma........

she loved her present so much that this is a picture of her kissing it!

her grandma and grandpa gave her 10 new $10.00 bills...

do the math people......$100.00 buck-a-roos!!!

singing Happy Birthday to Lynzie and her pathetic cupcake!

(I'm lame, I already know!)

p.s. Abby if you read this, please try not to laugh too hard at my lameness.

thanks to grandma and grandpa we were able to go on a shopping spree.

first order of business...

ear piercing!!!.

then to build-a-bear workshop,

to make a cute puppy that she named McKenzie...

I call her TENzie McKenzie, cuz she got her for her 10th birthday!

then some clothes and shoe shopping at her two favorite stores,

which was a success.

that girl can shop!

my favorite memory of the day:

watching the confidence ooze out of Lynzie

and

listening to her talk like she was a big girl or something!

then, of course, it's always fun to end the day with cousin Lauren....

Happy Birthday Lynzie ,

we love you!

Lynzie had a perfect day!

ten

in 10 days....

on 10-10-10

Lynzie will be 10 years old!

9 year old girls are the cutest!

New purple glasses are da bomb!!!

Yep, they are for real!!!!

She has ALWAYS wanted glasses! (weird child of mine!)

Two years ago she pulled this stunt, we went and had her eyes checked and whalaa.....20/20!

So, this time, she promised she was having trouble seeing far away, and swore she learned her lesson last time, so we had 'em check and lo and behold, she had a stigmatism and she's near-sighted!

I guess IF you really want something bad enough.....

even glasses!!!!!!

z

Guess who had their first piano recital, and guess who did GREAT!

Nine is fine...

Being NINE is fine,

when you get what you've always wanted for your birthday!

(even when your mom leads you to believe that your not)

a pink DSI,

and being nine is fine, when you're as high tech as your older brother,

and now you have some leverage to hang with him!

Happy Birthday Lynzie Lou, we love you!!!

Does it count if.....

your puppy loses some teeth,

and your daughter wants to put them under her pillow for some tooth-fairy money!

"Lynzie,,, we have to hurry, your Stake Activity Day program starts at 9:00,

and I just got an e-mail saying that you need to bring...

a pillow to sit on and Mosiah 2:17"!!!

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.

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"Oh... How am I going to bring Him"???

(Disneyland April 2009)

Just singing in the rain....

just playin' in the rain...............

literally!

What a glorious feeling.....

we're hap-py again!