Our Proudest Moments of Avery

Avery had her Preschool Christmas Program on December 18th. She had been singing all of her songs at home for weeks. She was really excited to be on stage again after her Christmas dance recital.

Our star, Avery, all dressed up before the show.

Avery with her best friend before the show started.

Avery singing her little heart out. This was very surprising; she is usually pretty shy when she is in front of a lot of people.

And then stage fright sets in only after song #3.

And it continued until the very last song was over. For those of you who don't know Avery very well, she is a little bit stubborn (taking mostly after Jeff). When Avery doesn't want to do something, she doesn't do it. And obviously, she wasn't in the mood to sing anymore. Anyway, she did a great job on those first three songs!! We are so proud of her! And, doesn't she look beautiful in her Christmas dress?

Our Memories of Papa Loren

My Grandpa Wilson was diagnosed last October with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He passed away 2 1/2 months later on December 13th, 2007. It was probably one of the worst days of my life. I miss him,terribly. He was such a great example to me and my girls. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and wish he was still here to watch my little girls grow up. I have so many fond memories of him. My girls got to spend quite a bit of time with him and loved every minute with Papa Loren. I asked the girls the other day to tell me some of the memories they have with Papa Loren.

Alexa said: "I remember when I was outside and he let me play with the hose. I was pretending it was a horse and I tricked Papa and sprayed him with the hose. He thought that it was funny and we had a little water fight. I think that I won, Mom. I love and miss Papa so much."

Avery said: "Papa Loren and Grandma Georgia made the best breakfast. Huh, Mom? They let me dip my oranges in sugar."

We have been so blessed to have Papa Loren in our lives. I hope that my girls always remember the good memories that they made with Papa Loren. I know that he still watches over us. Here is a few pictures we have with Papa Loren.


This was at Kim and Ryan's. Avery was only two weeks old.


This was on our trip to Yellowstone in 2006. Avery is sharing Papa Loren's hat.

So, to Papa Loren, we love and miss you. We think of you often.

Love, Jeff, Kristin, Alexa, and Avery

Christmas Recital

Alexa danced to Away in a Manger. She did a beautiful job! She is going to be an amazing dancer. I know she didn't get this from me. We have Jeff to thank for that!

Alexa and Avery had their Christmas Recital on Tuesday. This was Avery's very first time dancing on stage in front of a ton of people. I have to admit, I was really nervous. But, to my surprise, she did an awesome job! Jeff and I are so proud of our little dancers. They are amazing!

Our little dancers before the show.

Avery was a dancing bunny. And a great one at that! I was so proud of her. This is the same dance that I did when I was three. So, it is kind of special to me. Great Job, Avery!

Horsley Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Horsley's the first weekend in December. It is a tradition to help decorate the Christmas tree before we eat dinner.


Here is the tree all decorated with all who helped.



This is my niece Alex and her new little brother Eli Jr.


Jeff and Avery decorating the tree.


Alexa posing with one of the ornaments.



All the crazy grandkids.


Always posing for pictures.

Girl's Night

Last week the girls and I had a girls night. I painted our toenails and added a hint of Christmas. The little snowflakes were a hit. Jeff wasn't interested in having his toenails done and personally I don't think nail polish can help his not-so-pretty feet.



Alexa's toenails.



My toenails.



Avery's little toenails. She lost her snowflakes by the end of the night.


The finished product.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Santa came to Soda Springs on December 1st in a fire truck. We waited in line for him for about 30 minutes. We had to convince Avery a million times during that 30 minutes that Santa is an okay guy. She still isn't buying it.

Avery getting her treats from Santa. No way was she going to sit on his lap.

Alexa telling Santa what she wants.

Chesterfield Fishing Trip

Jeff and Ryan took our girls fishing the day after Thanksgiving so Kim and I could go shopping. What could be more fun, shopping at Walmart on Black Friday or fishing with Jeff and Ryan?

Christmas Pictures

We had some pictures taken of the girls for Christmas. They turned out pretty cute. Here is a little preview.



Our little Avery.



Alexa, all grown up.



Such a sweet picture. Too bad these moments don't happen often enough.

A Prom Dress Thanksgiving

After a fabulous Thanksgiving feast at Mom and Dad's house, my kids and nieces busted out our High School Prom dresses from the 90's. Oh, my goodness!!! How times have changed.


Avery sporting my Senior Prom dress.



Alexa modeling Kim's Sophomore Prom Dress. Nice One!



Grandpa Burke kissing his beauties.



Sydnie's dressed in Kim's Junior Prom dress with her handsome date.

Avery in Courtney's Prom dress and Sydnie in her mom's dress. Such happy little girls.

Alexa and Rylie in our Junior Prom dresses.

Aren't they gorgeous?

The things we learn.....

We have been blessed with the opportunity to take care of our 5 1/2 month old nephew for nine days!! Jeff's sister, Carrie, took her two older kids to Disneyland and she left her baby with us. This is a little crazy for me. Our second child, Avery, has been a little different than our first, Alexa. We love them the same. But, Avery knows how to push mom's buttons. So, I had decided that a third little bundle of joy was out of the question for the Horsley's. I didn't think that I could handle it. But, much to my surprise it has been a dream at our house for the last 4 days. My nephew is a really amazing little guy. He is so pleasant to have in our home. Avery loves her little cousin and she loves to help me feed him. She also loves to read books to him. Alexa loves to be the first one by the crib when he wakes up. She loves to hold him and is always finding some new music for him to listen to. I am so grateful for my little girls!! They are such good helpers and good examples. So, what have I learned from this? Alexa is going to be a great mom some day!! I could probably learn a lot from her. Avery is very aware of other people's needs and wants to help out when she can or when she can't. And, hey maybe three kids isn't so bad after all.