California 2010

This post is way out of order, but for some reason, I could never find these pictures!  Way back in April we went to Disneyland and Legoland and the beach. I have to put it on the blog, cause my girls LOVE to look at themselves in our blog books!

Christmas

So I've kind of had the blogging blahs, so now I have tons to catch up on.  I think I'll just summarize with pictures of our December events.

SNOW DAY!  There was so much snow that day that school was cancelled!

Kind of hard to walk in deep snow when your legs are about the size of barbie dolls

Here's our purple marshmallow all bundled up!

Daddy to the rescue. Maili couldn't get up!

Christmas morning!  Can we say spoiled?

Does your house look like this on Christmas day?

Grandma joined us bright and early for the festivities!

I loved these Christmas dresses!

My girls love to pose! Ashli's even learning how!

Our annual Gingerbread house party! This year I made real gingerbread and WOW the houses were amazing and actually kept standing!  We love this annual event and we love our neighbors!

Here's our house! These are the only pictures I took cause I was so busy in the kitchen making more icing! Real gingerbread takes a lot more icing!

After a long absence with a broken arm, Maili is finally able to dance again!  Here she is in her Christmas party/recital

My girls have no fears of SANTA!

The girls love decorating the Christmas cookies!

All three love the big guy!

so cute! My girls look so big to me here!

It was a great Christmas season filled with lots of fun and parties and looking at lights and shopping and LOVE!

Christmas letter 2010

Sing along through our fun year with us!                                       

I haven’t got time for the pain- Kevin’s double hernia surgery, Kristi’s dorky shoulder, Kristi’s sprained ankle and Maili’s broken arm among the many owies and at least 10 boxes of band-aids were used…most for the tiniest little scratch.

She ain’t heavy, she’s our sister- Maili and Haeli love to pick up Ashli and move her around…much to Ashli’s dismay. They love their baby sister…except when she knocks over their stuff.

Take me out to the ballgame- Maili’s first year of soccer. It was a riot. Except when she did somersaults at that one game and broke both bones in her forearm. So Not fun!

Run to you- Ashli is up and walking faster and faster everyday. She loves chasing her sisters around the island in the kitchen and all over the house...and can we just say with three girls we have lots of high pitched squeals and Ashli is almost the loudest of them all!

If I could turn back time- Kristi hits the big 4-0. Enough said

Please release me…let me go. Is not the song Kristi sang this year. Sadly, I was released from working with the young women at church and put in as a Nursery coordinator. I miss those young women but love these little ones too! Kevin still loves his position in the bishopric (leadership) and most especially enjoys all the weekly meetings at 6:00am! :s

Born to be Wild- Our girls have so much energy! Kevin and I wish we could just have a ¼ of it!

It’s a small world- We hit Disneyland for the 2^nd time this year! We literally rode this ride 5 times! Spring is the perfect (short line) time to go and we saw ALL of the princesses!

Under the Sea- is where the girls wanted to be when we hit the beach on our California trip. They loved the sand so much that we got an extra big sandbox for our backyard this year!

Oops I did it again- Haeli has been potty trained this year which we’re happy about, however, I often hear the words “Uh-oh….I just forgot” sigh

You spin me right round baby -We got a bounce and spin teeter-totter…can we say dizzy! The girls love it!

One more night…give me just one more night.  Kevin and I spent our first night away from our kids at marriage getaway up in the mountains…It was fabulous except for my killer head cold and Kevin’s killer um stomach ache? We plan on going again in springtime when we’re both healthy!

We’re gonna go back…back…back to school again.--- Maili’s second year in preschool and Haeli’s first! Both are at a local (2 streets over) school and loving it. Maili is so ready for Kindergarten but missed the deadline by a month!

I hope you dance- Maili had her first dance recital and absolutely loved the stage.  If we didn’t have a performer already, we do now. She loves the spotlight…(in every way) 

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth- Ashli has been a late bloomer in the teething dept, and now they’re all bulging at once. Her two front ones are among them

Silent Night- um……..we’re still waiting for one of those around here!

O Holy Night- May we all remember the true meaning of Christmas on this most Holy Night!

We Wish you a Merry Christmas- We hope this year has been a good one for you all. We think of you often and hope the upcoming year is a fabulous one!

                                                                               

Love, The Wilkins  Family              Kevin -29, Kristi -29, Maili -5, Haeli -3 and Ashli -1

common funny

It happens a lot so I just need to document this.

I love when my kids are knocking on the door to the bathroom when I'm in it or the back sliding door when they're outside and I'm inside or even just getting our attention and they say
"It's me Haeli Wilkins!" or "It's me Maili"  It cracks me up!

Thanksgiving

As a teenager, I had a quote on my mirror that I received from one of my young women leaders. I liked the quote then, but I really love it now.
"Happiness is a grateful heart"
I think as I get older and gain more wisdom that it will even ring more true than it does now.
Why? cause as I get older, I realize more and more just how much "things" don't matter. "experiences" don't matter. "Circumstances" don't matter. I always remember the book "The Hiding Place" and the author Corrie Tenboom (I think) talks about how even in the concentration camps, the one thing the soldiers couldn't take away from her is her will, her attitude, her thoughts.  No matter what life brings us, we can always find something to be thankful for.
I am very lucky to have the "things" I have. The "experiences" I do and be in the "Circumstances" I am in.
I love my life.
I totally forgot to take pictures of Thanksgiving day.....too busy eating I guess :)
We went up to Alpine and had a wonderful dinner with the gigantic Wilkins clan. I wish I could have taken a picture of the hallway completely covered with children and toys/games. It was wonderful.  Then we zoomed back home just in time for my family to arrive and have another dinner complete with humorous rounds of Wii fit. After dishes were loaded and hugs were given and kids put to bed, Kevin and I fell into bed with sweet exhaustion.
The only picture I did take was our Thankful Turkey. Throughout the month, we thought of something everyday that we were thankful for and we added a feather to good ole Tom.  I'll post it later