Leecy T's 1st day of Kindergarten!

Aleece is now an official kindergartner! She attended her first day of kindergarten this past week and she did awesome! Thanks to a friend of mine, I was able to drop off Lainey and Lennon to be babysat, so that I could focus 100% on Leecy T. We walked into school, found her classroom, met her teacher, deposited her zillion supplies that are required, and Aleece got right to work! Her teacher seems very nice and there were no tears, no long goodbye's....it was as though she suddenly grew up over night! She has always been shy, so I have to admit to feeling a little worried about her first day, but she is already a pro! When we picked her up after school, she had a big smile on her face and told us that she had a great day! She got to go on a "bear hunt" all over the school, she got to color and cut out a project, she got to eat her lunch in the cafeteria, she had recess, she made new friends..... I am so incredibly proud of her! She can't wait to go back and learn more and I am excited to see what she learns every day! We love you Leecy T!
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ready to head to her first day of kindergarten!

such a sweet girl!

A KINDERGARTNER!!!!

already hard at work!!!

Mommy anxiety....

So Aleece starts kindergarten tommorow and I have to admit to being a little bit of a nervous wreck...... I know she is going to do amazing, but the thought of her being away from me for 7 hours every day is a little terrifying, to be honest. I am so proud of her and all that she is becoming. She is so smart and continues to amaze me with all of her questions and how in tune she is to what is going on around her. She is so creative and I love to listen in on her and Lainey playing to see what kind of "adventure" they are going to create next. She is a sweetheart and I know she will make lots of friends and be a good example to those around her, just like she is to her younger brother and sister. I'm so very grateful that Val honors his priesthood and was able to give her a Father's blessing in preparation for her going back to school. It was such a sweet blessing and gave me great comfort in knowing that she will grow in so many different ways this year.
I'm not sure why I never got around to posting these pictures of Aleece's preschool graduation (probably because we left on vacation the night of graduation!) but I thought I would post a couple tonight and then take a couple of pictures of her for her first day of kindergarten tomorrow. It always amazes me to look back at pictures of the kids and see how rapidly they change. They literally change every day and I love seeing what incredible things they are doing and becoming!!!


Leecy with her preschool teacher Ms. Tami

Aleece's 2008-2009 Preschool class

Lucky #7!

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life! Today marks the 7th anniversary of our eternal family and I couldn't be happier! I am so lucky to be married to my soulmate; to someone who continually makes me want to be better at everything that I do. Even though Val and I are different in so many ways, we seem to bring out the best in each other. I read this poem, loved what it said, and thought that it was very fitting for this moment in my life.....

The Lake

The beauty of the lake is always changing,
With the light, the weather and the season.
Yet each change holds a splendor all its own,
Each viewing precious for its own reason.
In sunshine, golden stars dance across the water.
Moonlight shines a beacon in the peaceful night.
The wind causes whitecaps to erupt and roll,
While calm brings assorted reflections of light.
The water has a new costume each day,
Perhaps gray or green, aqua or blue.
Though each view is different,
the lake is the lake,
Lovely in its every color, mood and hue.
My thoughts of the lake remind me of you,
My wonderful, loving partner in life.
Through sunny days and stormy times,
We've stayed together as husband and wife.
Your love is my beacon, my star and my light;
All your colors and moods are precious to me.
You make every day an enchanting delight,
And I'll love you for all eternity.
By Karl Fuchs



My love continues to grow each day, even when I think my heart is too full to hold any more. Our life has been full of many adventures, which have helped us to grow and learn and every day with you has been beautiful and amazing Val and I'm so grateful to be your wife. Happy 7th Anniversary my love!

Catch up....

One of the things that we did on our return trip home this summer was to visit the Oklahoma City National Monument. We thought it would be a good learning experience for the kids and we were right. We were able to teach them about love, about the effects of violence and hatred and how we can prevent it, about survival, about comfort, strength, peace and hope! It was incredibly hot and we didn't stay a very long time, but we were there long enough to learn about what really happened and the amazing efforts of the community to build this now beautiful place. My personal favorite thing there was the Survivor Tree. It is an American Elm that bore witness to and survived the attack and they have built the memorial around it. It is a beautiful place and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.



One day when Val and I were traveling home a butterfly struck our car and managed somehow to stay in place until we arrived home. Val gently removed it from the car and showed the girls how beautiful it was and Aleece quickly asked if we could return it to it's family and it's home. We explained we didn't know exactly where that was, but we agreed to let her take it to Shelby Farms, a very large park, near where we believed it first hit the car. So, Granny and I took the girls to the park and Aleece was so gentle and kind to this poor butterfly. We knew it wouldn't survive, but Aleece made sure she found the perfect place to lay her (Madame Butterfly as she was referred to) so that her family could come and rescue her. It's amazing to see the compassion and caring that your children have. Aleece has matured into such a sweet, loving little girl and it makes me smile to see how tender she is with animals. She still has a strong desire to be a veterinarian, and I know she would make an amazing one!



Val and I got to celebrate our anniversary a little early this year by going to see Wicked! Words can not possibly describe how good it was! Amazing. Fantastic. Better than I even expected.... Seriously. If you haven't seen it, find someplace where it is being performed and GO! We are so grateful to my mom for watching the kids so that we could do this! We were able to go to dinner beforehand at PeiWei, which was delicious, and then head over to the Orpheum Theatre. I love the message behind this musical and the story it tells. I think often times we are quick to judge others based on appearance, without giving them a chance, and this story goes a long way in showing the harrowing effects that that can cause! The music was beautiful, the performances perfect and the atmosphere was incredible! What a great way to celebrate an anniversary to the man I love with my whole heart and soul!

Our Baby Boy is ONE!!!

It's hard to believe our baby boy is one already! It seem like just yesterday we were doing everything in our power to bring him into this world, with no luck! He had a schedule of his own though and I would go through it all again a million times, just to have him in our family! Since the moment he entered this life Lennon has blessed us in so many ways! There are so many things to love about him.....those big brown eyes, his sweet smile, his ALWAYS pleasant personality, his love for all things soft, his sucking on his bottom lip, his falling asleep on his own :), his "happy feet", his love of music, the list could go on forever!

We celebrated his birthday throughout the whole weekend. The celebration consisted of homemade meals, presents, homemade cake, more presents, a visit to the zoo and lots of pictures of our adorable son! Granny and Grampy were here for the celebration and it was tons of fun!

I will post videos of his first birthday cake experience soon! :)

We gave Mr. Lennon some new toys and what I thought was hilarious was that his favorite of all that we gave him was the ball that I found at the dollar store! :) He enjoyed the other gifts (trucks, bean bag game, new soft blanket, book, etc) but the ball was by far his favorite! Lennon got some awesome gifts from Granny and Grampy, including a train play mat with a couple of train sets(which has been a huge hit!), some fun new cars, and some super cute new clothes. He was also spoiled by his other relatives and got some cute stuffed animals and a fun new outfit that reminded me of my childhood (We're the Greentree Alligators!) from Aunt Patty and Uncle Eric, two cute new outfits from Aunt Katchie and Uncle Jeff(pictures coming soon of him in his new outfits!), some more new clothes and a fun farm/animals playset from Grandma and Poomp and lots of birthday wishes from everyone else! We are so grateful for our loving family members and for their kindness! Thanks you guys! You are the best!!!

We love you Mr. Lennon! We know the next year will be just as fun and full of adventure as this past one and we can't wait!

4th of July 2009

We were so excited to have Granny and Grampy here for the 4th of July this year! We went and saw one of the local firework shows, which was pretty impressive, and we set some of our own off. Perhaps not quite as spectacular as we had hoped, but the kids were impressed, nonetheless!! We were able to enjoy some yummy food (BBQ of course!) and enjoy one another's company! Lainey would have been right up there with Val setting off fireworks if we had let her, but luckily we were able to keep her occupied! Aleece loved pointing out the colors and shapes at the big firework show and Lennon was mellow as always! I love getting to celebrate the holidays with our cute kids and seeing how much fun they have! It's fun to carry on traditions and even more fun when your children come to expect them! :)

The kids had such a great time catching fireflies with Granny and Grampy! Granny and Grampy even bought them some fun bug catching equipment and we went out at dusk and the kids caught many, many fireflies! It was fun watching them do something I remember doing as a child! The girls kept their fireflies until the next day when they decided to return them to their natural habitat! Anyone who knows Leecy T knows that she is a lover of all creatures big and small (minus maybe spiders! But really, who likes spiders!) and she didn't want anything to happen to them! She has such a tender heart!

the kids with Granny and Grampy!

Aleece's continued birthday celebration....

Aleece had her 5th birthday party at Build-a-Bear Workshop. She invited her sister and two of her good friends, Hyrum and Lexi. They each got to pick out an animal, stuff it, wash it, and get it dressed. The kids were all so well behaved and I know Aleece and Lainey had a fabulous time! There animals turned out so cute! Aleece got a puppy dog, Lainey got a kitty cat, and Hyrum and Lexi both chose bears! With all of our travling this summer, having this kind of party was very easy and stress free! After they had their animals, we enjoyed brownie cupcakes and opened presents. Aleece got a fun color wonder book and candy from Hyrum and lipgloss and bracelets from Lexi. She was thrilled! It's still hard to believe that Leecy T is 5! She seems so grown up and I love seeing where each new day takes us!

We were so happy to have Granny and Grampy come visit and bring Leecy T her presents! She got some great gifts.....some super cute new clothes, Puppy Bingo, Littlest Pet Shop animals, and even a new Pet shop tent! Needless to say, the gifts were a BIG hit! We always love having Granny and Grampy visit and thoroughly enjoyed every moment we got to spend with them! Thanks for the great gifts and wonderful company you guys! We love you!

Leecy turned 5!!!

Our sweet Leecy T turned 5 on June 26th and was a real trooper being willing to travel home on her birthday. We had anticipated being home to celebrate her birthday, but due to having to get the oil pan in our car replaced, we were on vacation a little longer and ended up traveling. She woke up at the hotel to our lovely singing voices :) and cupcakes and a few little gifts. We went to see the Oklahoma City Monument Memorial and though it was scorching outside, we still enjoyed the beauty of it. She was in charge of picking meals for her birthday traveling and luckily we made it home to Memphis in time to open the packages that were waiting for her! She got some really fun gifts from everyone and was definitely spoiled! I was really excited to give her her big present from us, and it did not disappoint! She gave the perfect reaction to her new, incredibly lifelike pony, and it has been loved every second since! Because of the traveling, Aleece got to celebrate her birthday multiple times! The next day we made her a cake and she got to have her special birthday meal (roasted chicken, corn, and potatoes and gravy). She had her birthday party the next week, which I will be blogging about later! We are grateful to all of the family members who called and sang to her and sent her such nice things!

Aleece is such a sweetheart and it's hard to believe my firstborn is 5 now! Some days it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is so smart, compassionate, funny and beautiful! She is such a good big sister and helper to me! I love to have conversations with her, and she continually amazes me at all that she knows. She isn't afraid to ask questions and she catches on very quickly! She has an incredible memory and I love to hear her recall some of the events from her past! She has such an amazing compassion for all living things and I don't doubt that someday she will be a vet, just likes she wants to be! I know that she will succeed in all that she does! We love her so very much and can't wait to see where she goes in life!

a traveling birthday! :)

home at last! Presents!

Aleece's new pony!

Blowing out the birthday candles!

We love you Leecy T!

Father's Day 2009

We celebrated Father's Day in Utah this year. We took the kids to the park and opened Val's presents there, enjoying the beautiful summer weather. Val got lots of good stuff from the kids and we enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner with family later on in the day. I am so grateful to have Val in my life. He is an amazing husband and an incredible father. He loves our children unconditionally. He takes the time to teach them about so many things, from music to the gospel and everything in between. He encourages them to be unique and to do things that they love and he provides for their every need. He reads to them and he tells them stories he makes up off the top of his head, and he is far better than I at getting them to sleep! :) He honors his priesthood so that he can give them blessings when they are in need. He encourages there silliness. He is such a good dad and I am so grateful to be able to raise our family with him!

Lainey and Lennon's 1st haircuts

While we were in Utah we took advantage of having the best hairdresser around give Lainey and Lennon their first real haircuts! :) We desperately need Katchie to move closer to us so that we can maintain our good looks! :) Lainey and Lennon were both so good while they got their haircuts. Lennon literally had a smile on his face the entire time! The end results were fabulous! They new haircuts are absolutely adorable! We knew we didn't need to worry with a pro behind those scissors! Lainey and Lennon both look so grown up now! All of my babies are growing up so fast! Thanks Katchie!

Part 5....Utah!

We spent a good amount of time in Utah and are very grateful to Katchie and Jeff for letting us invade their personal space! We were able to spend lots of good quality time together! We went and saw Great Grams and Pops Henderson and were able to catch up with them. They had never met Mr. Lennon and the girls had grown quite a bit since the last time we saw them!



We were also able to spend some time with one of my best friends from high school, Kara, and her cute boys! I have known Kara for 15 years, but we hadn't seen each other in about 8 years! Technology is a wonderful thing, having allowed us to stay in contact all these years! The funny thing is she moved to Utah not that long after we left! Hopefully she will still be there when we make it back there someday! :) It was nice to catch up and for the kids to interact. Although I have to admit it made me feel a little old, with 5 kids between us! :)

We also went to Temple Square in SLC and down to Provo to see MaryRose and Adam's new home. We also saw Trey's new apartment at BYU(it's crazy that my baby brother is now in college!), celebrated Father's Day (pictures to be posted later!), relaxed and just had a lot of fun! It's interesting, that with as many places as we have lived since we got married almost 7 years ago, that so many of them feel like we are going home again. Just like Marshall, MN, Utah holds a special place in my heart and I miss dearly the family who lives there! Thanks for all the fun you guys!

Part 4....Jackson Hole, WY

We drove down through Jackson Hole after leaving Yellowstone, and while we only spent a few hours there, it was fun to sightsee a bit!

Part 3......Yellowstone

From Cody we headed to Yellowstone! We met up with Granny, Grampy, Trey and Katchie(who had just had jaw surgery and was a real trooper!) and had a fun filled 2 days! We took the loop around Yellowstone and saw all kinds of fascinating wildlife.......lots of bison, both big and small, elk, deer, a wolf, pelicans, and a bald eagle. There were lots of young animals and it was fun to see them with their mothers. We even saw what looked to be a brand new baby elk who couldn't even walk yet. We got some really fun pictures. We saw a couple of moose heading into Wyoming, but we didn't manage to see any bears. We got to see Old Faithful go off and various other geysers too! There were some beautiful waterfalls and I love the picture I captured below of a gorgeous Yellowstone sunset. It truly is a magical place. It had been many, many years since I had been to Yellowstone, and Val as well, and we had never been together. This was a fun first for our little family, and the kids loved looking for all of the different animals and walking around to look at all the geysers and hotsprings! It was definitely a trip we will always remember!

Part 2.....Cody, Wyoming

Part 2 of our summer vacation was in Cody, Wyoming. Val's only living grandparent (Granny Zu) and his brother and sister in law, Chandler and Jessica live there. We made the trip from Marshall to Cody in one long day and it took us approximately 14 hours. Lucky for us, the kids really are seasoned travelers now and we have very few problems! Plus, the DVD player is a huge help! :) South Dakota is a pretty boring state to drive through, but northern Wyoming has some beautiful scenery. We arrived pretty late at night and we were feeling the chill of the air as we went to bed. Little did we know that there would be an inch + of snow when we woke up the next morning! In June no less! Needless to say, we weren't really prepared for winter like conditions, but we managed to stay warm! We had a great time visiting with Granny Zu and Channy and Jessica. We took a couple of drives to see different places in Cody that had special meaning to Val, ie the home his parents brought him home from the hospital to, the one he grew up in, the school he attended. It was fun for the girls to see the places he tells them stories about. The kids enjoyed putting puzzles together and coloring while we were there as well. We also went to see the Buffalo Bill Cody Dam. It is quite a sight. If you are afraid of heights, it's definitely not the place for you to visit! We were in Cody for about 5 days and are grateful the children had the opportunity to meet Granny Zu. She met Aleece when she was about one month old, but hadn't seen us since. She is 95 years old and while she is still spunky as ever, we know she won't be around forever. She definitely left an impression on the kids and I know we all had a great time while we were there!

Part 1 of our vacation....Marshall, MN

Our first stop on our month long vacation was in Marshall, Minnesota for Trey's graduation. We had so much fun spending time with everyone---Granny and Grampy, Patty and Eric, Katchie and Jeff, MaryRose and Adam and Trey! There were even 4 dogs added to the mix! We had Trey's graduation reception that Saturday and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! There was a great turn out and LOT'S of good food! On Sunday was Trey's graduation and while some hi-jinx had occurred previously in the week :) the ceremony was very nice. There was even a touching tribute to Trey's best friend Evan, who passed away at the beginning of the school year. It's strange to think that all seven of us children have graduated and that we are now all "adults"! You get us all in the same house, and you might think otherwise, but we wouldn't be nearly as lovable if we weren't so noisy! :) We had a great time playing games, making delicious meals, jumping on the trampoline, visiting and catching up, did I mention eating :), taking walks, taking pictures....the list could go on forever! We got to stay there for about a week and a half and loved every second of it! Marshall is where Aleece was born and it's strange to go back now with three children and look back on all that we have accomplished since we lived there. Marshall will always have a special place in my heart!

(click on images to enlarge!)

Stay tuned.....

We are home from our amazing vacation and I am trying to go through the zillions of pictures I have to blog about! We had such a great time and because I slacked on blogging and staying up to date, the task now seems incredibly daunting! But stay tuned, because it will happen! And soon!!!

Crazy Hair Day

This week's crazy Thursday was crazy hair day! Aleece has really long, curly hair so we debated for a while on what we could possibly do to it, when I remembered that we used to braid our hair into corn rows before girl's camp every year. Aleece thought this was a great idea and we got to work braiding her hair the night before. Aleece was surprisingly patient and it took less time than I expected (which is good, because my hands were killing me by the time I was finished!) and she totally rocked the hair-do! Of course I'm sure it helps that she is adorable anyways!

the preschool kids! Maggie, Boo, Delanie, Haylee, Hyrum and Aleece with their CRAZY HAIR!