FUN IN THE SUN!!!!

It is very fitting that I publish this post today. The sun is broken up here in Utah! We had snow on the ground on Tuesday and it was MAY 17!!!!!!! Seriously! I have never had a winter and now spring so gray and rainy! In fact, Utah is worried about flooding. So.....looking back to sunnier, warmer, and happier days.......THE CRUISE!!!!

We had so much fun on this Kelly family reunion! It was wonderful! Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo again! Beach, dolphins, and shopping! In that order! Food-food and more food! And you can not forget the Hot Molten Lava Chocolate Cake EVERY NIGHT!!!!! Can we go back? There really was not a down point on the cruise. I even got to have a scalp treatment, back massage and facial. (Ladies wait to do this the last day at sea, the prices are totally discounted! all 3 services for $79)

THANK YOU PAT AND CHLOE ANN!!!!! It was A BLAST!!! (And thank you Mom for watching Parker in AZ)

Swimming with Dolphins

A dream come true, AGAIN!!!We had so much fun!!!!!!! While on the cruise, Matt and his family and our family decided to go to a waterpark in Puerto Vallarta. It was awesome! When we got there a worker told us they are having this deal where adults can go swimming with dolphins for only $79 and then kids get to swim with dolphins FREE!!!! if you don't know any Kelly's.....their favorite word is FREE!!!! So we were able to have this fabulous waterpark basically to ourselves and then we were able to go swimming with dolphins! It was the highlight of the cruise! I wonder if the kids realize how lucky they really are! I love this picture with London and the kids. Can you see their excitement?!?!?!?

A piece of advice: If you ever go on a cruise- do not go through the excursions on the cruise. They were charging kids $99 and adults $129 for the exact same thing. We loved doing it on our own because we rented a jeep, (Yes one jeep for 4 adults and 4 kids but that is a story in and of itself) and then we were able to arrive/leave whenever we wanted to. Definitely the way to go! MAN! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

OK! So I am only a month over due but oh well. Happy Birthday Buddy!!!! You are such a great kid and we are so lucky to have you in our family.

Here are somethings that we love about you:

*phone calls to dad when he is at work reminding him to bring home treats!

*Cosmo phone calls

*Desire to follow rules

*Quickly say "I'm Sorry" and feel so bad that you start crying when you think you have hurt someone

*Playing bad guys/good guys with Daddy

*Your energy at preschool

*and the daily reports of what is happening with everyone

*You love of football and BYU for that matter

*The fact that you think Uncle Matt makes a billion dollars

*The fact that you think Uncle Chris is the strongest man in the whole entire university! Even stronger than Superman!

*Your random questions like, "Mom, who is strongest? Superman, Santa or Jesus?"

*When you say 'in the whole entire university' but mean 'universe'

*How you walk Anna to Primary, holding hands, every week.

*How you love the Bishop!

*How you will clean your room because you know I will throw away your toys if you don't!

*How you are so obedient and well behaved!

*Your interest in who is older, who is bigger, and who is taller.....you vs ________!

*YOUR SMILE!!!!

We love you!!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!

Is it really 2011?!

I love, love, love these pictures!!!! I thought it was time to take another set of family pictures and I am so happy we did!!!! Our friend, Lindsay Goeckeritz has a studio and she did a FANTASTIC JOB!!! We gave our grandparents a little magnetic booklet of pix and MY DAD called and thanked me for the booklet! That really meant alot to me for my dad to call and tell me he loved the booklet!

So what has happened the last couple of months, well, I am sure everybody was just as busy during the holidays as we were. We had our annual Neighborhood Christmas party at our house and had 92 people there! No kids, of course, so it was a ton of fun! My favorite was when Spencer asked Santa for $1 billion and a REAL jet pack!!! Santa is smart and gave him play money! Christmas was wonderful and stressful and enjoyable and crazy! I realized I was done with crowds, Costco, malls, people, shopping, and spending money when I flipped someone off in Provo! Stupid college people that think they own the streets of Provo! I do have to admit that it is pretty sad when the cashier at Bath and Body Works tells me that I should go home! He could even tell I had had it!

As far as resolutions go, the only one I ever kept was in 1997 when I made a resolution to not get engaged! That is a story in a story but I just broke off an engagement and I was done with dating! So I never put any thought in resolutions but here are some things that I am looking forward to in 2011:

Birthdays: not mine of course, but I love birthdays! Spencer turns 5 tomorrow!

Traveling: Cruise in April, Aspen Grove in June, Hawaii in June and who knows what else!

Triathlon: My sis in law talked me into doing the Women of Steel Tri in May! I am excited!!!

IPod: I got an Ipod touch from Mike for Christmas and I love it! I am now cool! I know how to download songs from itunes!

I just love the excitement of a new year!

October Happenings

Addie has really surprised me by wanted to run races. I think her Aunt Molly is starting to rub off on Adds. So Addie and I have run, but realistically, walked 2 races now. They both were a ton of fun! I hope we continue this excitement in the spring when the weather turns warm again.

The first weekend in October, my sister (and her family) and my mom and brothers came to visit. It was a General Conference trip so they came and went but not before we could have a ton of fun with my nephew Max! The kids were great at Gardner Village!!!! They had a blast on the witches scavenger hunt! I love that little kid, Max! He is even more adorable in life than in this pic!!

And this is Happy Baby Parker! He is the happiest baby I have ever seen. He is just smiling and loves to be around people. In fact, the only time that he cries is when he realizes that nobody is around paying attention to him! Can we say Spoiled?! But he is so happy, it is easy to spoil him!

HAPPY very Belated Birthday Jayne!!!!

My dearest Jayne,

I have known that you were going to be mine since I was 10 years old! I will never forget it and I am sure that you won't either since I talk about it often. But that was the day that my testimony of eternal families was born and I KNEW you were supposed to be in my family. It was after my Grandma Flake's funeral and I was having a quiet moment saying goodbye to her at the cemetary. Then, just as real as a bird chirping, I saw a picture of you in my mind. Blond hair, blue eyes, huge dimples, and I heard a voice tell me "Jane. You will have a daughter named Jane." And then 17 years later, that moment became reality when I held you in my arms. I love the decision that Mike and I made to add the "y' into your name. It is unique and original, just like you!

Six years after your birth, I never could have imagined having so many emotional moments with just one child. I now know why you were brought into my life. I appreciate your honesty, love and sincerity,and at times, trials. You have melted my heart with such wonderful, heart felt compliments and made me so frustrated that the only thing that kept you alive was the fact that you were named after my Grandma Flake. From your febrile seizures when you were 2 yrs old, to your potty training for 1 1/2 years, to your newly diagnosed disorder, I wouldn't change a thing about you.

I remember when we lived in AZ, one Fast Sunday, you ran up through the choir chairs, and of course, I had to get you. I remember asking Bishop McMullin, 'What do I do with her?" I had had one of those moments of complete frustration and instantly he changed it with two sentences, "You love her. Just love her." The funny thing is that I saw the Savior telling me that, not the Bishop. And once again, I knew that you were supposed to be mine.

I will never forget researching Oppositional Defiant Disorder and not knowing whether to cry or laugh because it described you perfectly. And then reading the test results from the doctors was another confirmation of your personality and the struggles that you have gone through. I loved going to the 'learning doctor' and having our mommy/daughter dates with you. I love your energy for life. We will work through any trials that you will have, together. And yes, at times I give you more leniency but I know that you are trying so hard to be good. I can see it in your beautiful blue eyes.

My only prayer for you is to take that good energy and stay close to the Gospel. Be good. Do good. Act good. Show goodness in all that you do!

Happy 6th Birthday! I love you!

Love,

Your Mom

Smiles!

I love it when babies start to coo and smile. And that is the stage that Parker is at! And the whole family is enjoying making him smile! We had his 2 mo. old check up and he is growing! 12 lbs. even, 23 1/2 inches. But I do think "Buppie" will be out of sorts the next couple of days from his shots.

We had Parker's blessing on Sunday at our house. Due to the fact of it being Stake Conference. My mom and sister were in town for Women's Conference and so my dad was the only one who had to fly in for it. It was very nice but to be honest, I don't know if I really liked doing the blessing at home. Right after the amen was said it was like, 'OK fire up the grill, and lets eat!" I kind of like having it at church so that the sweet feeling lasts longer. But it was worth it since I had my family in town.

We also celebrated May birthdays! Grandma Kelly's, Jayne's and Uncle Matt's. I don't know what is going on but I am a rockstar this year with birthday gifts. Not to toot my own horn but they have been creative and enjoyable but yet needed and practical. Or atleast that is how I feel when I give them away! You know what I mean....not like the generic candle for your ma-in-law, but nothing homemade where you know they are going to go home and throw it away. Hopefully they liked their gifts as much as I liked giving them.