Yates Family

Aidie is 3!!!

2011-09-05T00:28:00.000-06:00

I am a bad mom and did not take very many pictures of Aidie's birthday party. Needless to say we had lots of little friends and lots of fun. Aidie was such a fantastic birthday girl.

Aidie has been such a blessing in our lives. She is my super sneaky child but she is always so quick to tell me she loves me (I pretend it is because she is really sweet and not because she is trying to get out of trouble). She is such a good sister to Mckinley. I will often catch them playing in the toy room together and I love to hear the games they come up with. There are the occasional fights that have to be broken up but they truly are best friends. Turning 3 was a very big deal for Aidie. It meant she got to be a big girl like Mckinley. She was so excited and could not wait for her big day. I think she is trying to catch Mckinley in age and 3 was one year closer (I love the way these two think).

Aidie's first Dance Recital. I was so nervous for her but she did awesome. She had the cutest "Cruella De Ville" dance. She cannot wait for dance to start up again.

The Fourth of July was cold again this year. Fireworks are still fun, even if you need a blanket.

This kid loves her daddy!!

Blowing out her birthday candles with Uncle Tyler (her other best friend)

We love our Little Miss Aidie! Thank you for being such an amazing addition to our family!!!!!

Mckinley is 4!

2011-03-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

Mckinley is 4!! I cannot believe my little angel is already 4 years old. She has been such a joy and delight in our lives. I feel so blessed to be able to be her mother. She is such a blessing in my life. Mckinley teaches me so much on a daily basis. She is always making me laugh with how smart and perceptive she is. I am so grateful Mckinley chose to be part of our family. I love you!!!!

(Thank you for being so patient with your mom)

Mckinley (and her awesome hair) checking out her birthday goods. Her little party ended up not being so little. She had about 18 little friends there. I was exhausted. Thank you to all those who helped me.

Mckinley got the "Tangled" soundtrack for her birthday and has been dancing to it nonstop since then.

Mckinley also got makeup for her birthday and Aidie has had so much fun with it. She cried so hard when Derek washed her face. She kept saying she wasn't beautiful. Ah sweet girl.

A small update

2011-01-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

So Sadly we have not been as good at taking pictures as we wish we were. We forgot to take Thanksgiving pictures, we didn't take Christmas morning pictures and we didn't take New Years Eve pictures. Needless to say, we (I say we so I don't have to take full responsibility) are slackers.
Life never does slow down so I can't use that as an excuse. I just need to slow down and enjoy my girls a little more. They are at such a fun age and I don't want to miss it. Regardless of whether or not I am taking pictures I can still remember the fun we have and how cute, crazy and mischievous they are.

This is sometime near Thanksgiving. The girls wanted to make sugar cookies and then wanted to frost them. (Okay really they wanted to make sugar cookies and eat frosting)

This is it for Christmas morning. We did get video but I have not figured out how to put that on here yet. Yes, Aidie has a huge tub of cottage cheese in front of her. It is her favorite food and would eat it for all three meals, plus snacks, if I let her. Mckinley got a camera for Christmas and was very excited to take a picture of me taking a picture of her. I love the things that excite these two. I love Christmas morning! The girls love to play with things as they are opening them so it takes forever (which I love) to open just a few gifts. They got cute baby buggies with babies in them and just had to take them for a walk around the block, even though it was FREEZING cold outside. Mckinley pretended hers was a jogging stroller, it was awesome.

Grandma and Grandpa Yates got the girls a box full of dress-ups. They have been the best dancing princesses I have ever seen. They wear dress-ups everyday and are always dancing around and twirling. Aidie has added tap shoes to her outfit, which is so much fun to hear at 8:00 in the morning. We have learned one of few ways to discipline Aidie is to put her tap shoes in time-out. She does not care if she has to go to time-out but hates when the tap shoes do. And no she is not taking tap, Mckinley is.

Wow it has been a Long Time!!

2010-12-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

So apparently it has been a while since I have posted anything on here. Life has been CRAZY!! I think life is always crazy but it just keeps speeding up. Where is the time going? Mckinley will be turning 4 in January and it makes me so sad. When did my little baby grow up? Aidie is my little crazy! She is always into something. She is my sneaky little monkey who wants nothing more than to be just like her big sister. It make my heart melt to watch these two play together. They really are best friends.

Here are a few pictures of my little crazies until I update more (which will be sooner than later).

Yes Aidie is copying Mckinley in every one of these pictures. They totally make me laugh!

Happy Birthday Aidie

2010-08-08T22:59:00.000-06:00

Birthday Breakfast. Aidie wanted hotdogs, so she and Mckinley ate hotdogs. Yes that is a pose Mckinley is pulling.

Aidie opening presents. She and Mckinley had so much fun ripping off the paper. She got a Princess dress-up and wore it all day.

When I was little, my mom would get us gifts of each others birthdays. That way nobody felt left out and everyone got to open a gift. I have continued this with my girls so this is Mckinley posing in her gifts. (Don't worry, the birthday girl always gets more)

Thank you Aunt MaryAnne for helping out with the bike. Aidie loves it!

I cannot believe my baby is 2!!! Such a fun and wonderful 2 years with many more to come. We love you little miss Aidie. Thank you for bringing us so much happiness and joy. I am so grateful Derek and I have been given the opportunity to raise such amazing girls!

Lots going On

2010-06-10T22:41:00.000-06:00

We have had quite a bit going on the last month or so. That would be the reason for the lack of updating. We have moved into our new house and I LOVE IT!!! I love the room we now have. We have also been to St. George, out to Vernon and had a little experience with some goats. Hopefully life will be slowing down for a minute, but somehow I don't think so.

Playing in St. George over Mother's Day weekend. We went hiking in Snow Canyon, played in the park, went swimming and Mckinley went bowling for the very first time. She loved it. Mckinley keeps asking me when we can go bowling again.

Mckinley got a bike when the weather pretended to warm up. We went and picked out a bike helmet at the store. Aidie does not like to be left out so she also picked out a helmet and has decided it is her "hat". She loves to put it on and wear it so sometimes I have to hide it. If you can see from these pictures Mckinley does have a black eye.

We went out to Vernon for Derek's uncles 90th birthday. We had fun at a picnic with all the extended family. The girls had fun running around.

We went for a drive up the canyon after going to Vernon. The girls loved getting out and playing in the little streams, taking a nap and just playing in the dirt.

Hanging out at the kitchen table. Meal time is always an adventure. I never know who is going to eat or what they will eat.

Derek found a kitchen table on KSL for a really good deal. We decided to re-upholster the chairs since the last owner had cats all over them. The chair on the right is the original material. I really like how the new chairs came out. (the one on the left is the re-upholstered one)

Just a sneek peek on what is going on.

Oh...and the goats:

We owned these sweet little goats for about two weeks. Due to the fact that we had just moved and did not have a fence up yet, we were not able to keep them (Oh and both Derek and I were stressed beyond belief). The girls were so sad to give them away. One of my good friends wanted them meaning that my girls can see them anytime. The little boy (white goat in the top pic scratching his head) and the little girl (brown goat bottom pic) are very sweet. I have to keep telling Mckinley we will get goats again when we have a fence. Who needs a dog when we can have goats.

Finishing Building

2010-06-10T22:03:00.000-06:00

The finishing process of our exterior. The color was not totally what I expected but the more I look at it the more I like it. I LOVE the rock on the outside. It is my favorite.

The kitchen is surprisingly one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love the island in the kitchen and the granite counter tops.

One Week Later

2010-05-03T21:34:00.002-06:00

So these are pictures of our house from last Sunday to today. This is amazing to me. I love watching the process and seeing our house be built. I went over tonight and saw that they dropped off the rock for the front face of our house. Hopefully they will get it up tomorrow. I am so excited!!!

This is the exterior of our house. Sunday, April 25, we stopped by after church and saw our house had a roof! Everyday we went back and there was a little more done. Right now it is sitting with the undercoating for the stucco and the rock sitting, waiting to be put on the front.

Framing the interior of our house. I think they did all of this in one day.

Starting the sheetrock. I was amazed at how fast this stuff went up.

The sheetrock is finished!!

As of today this is what it looks like. All the mudding is done and ready for texture.

Awww how cute!!

House Update

2010-04-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

So this is mostly an update on our house but also some cute pictures of the girls. I am getting excited about the process of our house. I also get frustrated because there are about 4 houses further than ours. Its not like ours won't be in the same place in about a week but it is exciting to see the progress so I just want ours there too. We really should be in our house in about 4 weeks so I have no reason to be frustrated. It is still fun to see our come along!

The forms on the foundation waiting for it to dry

Right before they poured the diveway and pour the floor of our basement

Yay we have a floor and a driveway. (The driveway is kind of hard to see sorry)

Just some random pictures. The girls love to play in the dirt.

The process from last week to today. Starting from the upper left hand corner:

Foundation after dirt is pushed back around

Floor in the basement

Getting ready to frame the basement

Framing the garage and floor joists

We have a front to our house!

Hooray for trusses! We will soon have a roof!

The majority of framing was done today. I am excited to see what they do on Monday.

Now for the girls:

We got Mckinley a bike and she loves it! Yes she does know that she has to wear her helmet in order to ride it but it works because she loves it. She is a little champ riding this thing. I did get her training wheels and she can even peddle all by herself. The only problem she runs into is steering. Minor detail. Those trees only sneak up every once in a while.

Aidie love to pick flowers. By flowers I mean dandelions. I let her pick away. Both she and Mckinley love to pick them. I do find them all over the house though.

Yay for Spring Weather!!

2010-04-13T23:10:00.002-06:00

I am not sure I like this new format that blogger has changed to. I am a little confused on what I am doing so sorry for anything that is kind of screwy.

Since the weather was nice for a couple of days last week, the girls and I ventured outside and went to Thanksgiving Point. We went to the kids Gardens (aka the "Flower Museum" if you ask Mckinley). They had so much fun running around and playing on and in everything they could. I am so happy that they are to the point where they can, and love to, play together and run around together.

I love to see these two walking together. They are so much fun to watch.

What is cuter than a little girl running around in pigtails and a soccer jersey? Her sister running around in a ponytail and a soccer jersey.
The girls love to wear their soccer jerseys. I love to put them in their soccer jerseys.Dad loves his girls wearing his soccerteams jerseys. It just works at our house.

Derek and went to the RSL home opener Saturday night. What an awesome game! It is fun to head up to the stadium and feel the excitement of the crowd. Derek is one happy guy now that soccer season is here.

**I am not a David Archuleta fan so make sure you read this before looking at the pictures.**

David Archuleta was a "surprise" half time guest at the soccer game. He was there to fulfill a wish for a little boy, Jonah, with the "Make a Wish Foundation". Jonah has two rare blood diseases and a heart condition. His wish was to play with the RSL team. He was able to play with RSL during a practice, walk out with the team and, since the team was receiving rings for being MLS Champs, was given a ring just like the rest of the team. During half time, since Jonah is a huge fan, David Archuleta came out and let Jonah perform a song with him. It was probably the most touching half time I have ever watched. I was so impressed that Jonah was given the opportunity to perform and not just watch. It made me stop and think "what if that was one of my girls?" It made me very happy for that mom to be able to have that moment for her little boy.

And on one final note:

This is what our house is looking like. We have footings! I am very excited about this because it means we should be closing a mere 5 weeks. That is just 35 days from now. That is an approximate date but I will take it. The foundation should be poured tomorrow. It is so much fun to watch the progress. It has been frustrating watching our hole just sit there while other houses are getting started all around us, but it is finally our turn!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T07:04:00.003-06:00

Happy Easter! We had a very quiet Easter this year. It was so nice to be able to stay home with the our family and just enjoy the time. Derek taught the girls the reason we celebrate Easter and Mckinley asked a lot of questions, some had to do with Easter and most did not. She is very inquisitive and has to know everything. Aidie tried to pay attention but did not really care to sit there. I guess all that really matters is that we tried and anything is better than nothing.
It was so much fun to watch the girls look at pictures of our Savior and know who He is. It was so sweet to watch Derek explain why Jesus was resurrected in a way the girls would understand. I started to realize that even though they don't totally understand everything, at least they know who Jesus is and that He loves them.

We had an Easter Party at my parents last Sunday. The girls had so much fun finding their chalk eggs (sidewalk chalk) and drawing all over the sidewalks. We had so much fun hanging out with everyone. Casey, Kristi and Ashlynn were in town so we had fun seeing them and spending time with them. We missed Cathy though and hope she can make it next year.

We colored eggs on Saturday. Aidie tried to eat the dye pellets before we started and turned her mouth blue. Mckinley was so excited to color eggs and had so much fun. I love the colored hands at the end. I am not sure why we do this because neither of the girls like to eat the eggs.

They loved hunting Easter Eggs! Aidie would get so excited every time she found an egg. Mckinley would try to hide them for Derek and Aidie kept walking behind her all excited because she kept finding eggs. Mckinley was not as excited about this as Aidie.

And on a final non-Easter note: They dug our hole for our basement!!! I am so excited! It is almost unbelievable to watch. It is one of those things you never think is going to happen and then one day there is a hole and they should start the foundation next week. It is fun to see things progress even if it is just the beginning.

Its been a while

2010-03-26T10:57:00.006-06:00

So it has been quite a while since I updated which means I have a lot to update. A lot has gone on in the last month but it has been pretty quiet at the same time.
The biggest thing going on for us is starting the process of building a house. We have been looking for about a year and a half for a house we both "love" and feel we could really live in. We kind of figured why settle for something we "like" if it is something we want to stay in long term. Thus the reason it has taken us a year and a half. We really like the location and the fact that we could have a half acre lot sold us. We loved the floor plan and the builder. We finally found a place we both LOVE!!! We started the process about 2 weeks ago and we are waiting for our permits to clear the city. Hopefully in the next week or so they should start digging. We are hoping to be in by Memorial Day. I will try to put updates and pictures on here as things progress. We are so excited to have more space!

Derek walking around our dirt

If you look really close Derek is standing on the back corner of our lot, back by the trees.

Yay for spring! We love going to the animal farm on the warm days. Aidie wimped out on the pony ride but Mckinley loved it. We love when Laura, Kaycee and Wyatt come play with us too.

Because we love bath time!

Aidie is into putting things on her head and calling them "hats". This time it was Mckinleys jacket. Mckinley had to get into the picture because she loves to be the center of attention.

This is Mckinley's new bed I built for her. Aidie has one also but I never think to take a picture until it is too late and she is asleep in it. Needless to say Aidie has decided that she is done with her crib and is ready for a "big girl bed". She loves it and loves that she can climb in and out.

Derek and I went to our very first Rugby game the other night. It was such a different experience from what I am used too. It was really cool. The game totally made me want to learn more about the game of Rugby and watch more of it.
RSL starts their home schedule in about 2 weeks so bring on the soccer!! (Derek is counting down the days)

**Just a quick update on what is going on around here. We stay busy with the girls and work so there is really never a boring moment around here.

Pictures

2010-02-05T20:26:00.003-07:00

I took the girls to get their pictures done today. Mckinley got her 3 year pictures and Aidie her 18 month ones. I took them to Mindy Young and she did such a great job with them. She posted a few pictures of them on her blog mindyyoungphotography.com/blog check them out. There are some really cute ones. Sadly Aidie was not really up to par in her photo skills but Mindy still got some cute ones. Mckinley learned she could model like a diva today!
Thank you Mindy! You are amazing!

The bit tongue

2010-02-04T22:34:00.003-07:00

So today Aidie had a very rough day. She was walking around, minding her own business when she tripped. It was not a hard trip and she did not seem to hit anything, but the momentum was just right that she punctured her tongue. (I know these pictures are blurry but I got what I could.)

Sad tears.
The picture is blurry but the hole in her tongue is really that big.

Aidie loves to say "cheese". That is why she is semi-smiling in this picture
(Sorry about the distorted angle of this picture. Again a cool shot of the painful tongue)

BIRTHDAY WEEK

2010-01-24T20:11:00.005-07:00

We just finished what I like to call BIRTHDAY WEEK at our house!! Mckinley had her birthday Thursday and Derek had his on Friday.

Thursday Mckinley turned 3! I cannot believe she is already 3. Where did the time go? Derek and I were talking about when she was born the other night and it seemed like it was a week ago.

(Just a fond little memory)
Because Mckinley's head measured about 2 weeks small when I was pregnant, Dr. Young decided to induce me at 38 weeks and kind of freaked me out. The whole induction process ended up taking about a day and a half and on January 21 at 9:30 at night we had our sweet little Mckinley, 6 lbs 3oz., 19 inches long. As for the size of her head, it is just small and there is nothing wrong with it.

We had a fun "Princess Dress-up Party" with some very beautiful princesses. There was a Princess dance party followed by decorating crowns and wands. We played "Put Cinderella in her window", opened presents and finished the party off with a Princess cake and ice cream. Mckinley had so much fun and keeps telling me she wants it to be her birthday again.

Princess Party festivities

After the "Princess Party" we had a small family gathering with Derek's family.

Every year we take a picture of Mckinley and Derek for their birthdays. This year Mckinley decided Derek needed to wear a necklace and earrings. So cute.

Mckinley and Aidie continued princess dress-up the next day. It was fun to see them playing together. Mckinley kept telling me that I was the prince and kept saying, "I have the other slipper", as she pulled her "glass" slipper from behind her back.

I threw Derek a Surprise party for his birthday. He was pretty upset before he realized what was going on. I reserved the church because I figured we could use the space. I told him someone in the bishopric wanted to speak with us and he did not want to go. When we got there and found out it was a party for him then he was happy again. He was surprised (YAY). Family and friends came and hung out and had a good time. We had a pinata and all the kids had a good time with it.

This has nothing to birthdays but still fun. We took the girls sledding for the first time on Saturday. They had a blast. Mckinley put on my snowboarding goggles and was ready to hit the hills. Aidie is wearing Derek's snowsuit from when he was a kid.

Crazy fun kids. They always keep us on our toes. What would we do without our awesome kids and what would I do without my awesome husband. What a great life I have!

Snow Canyon

2010-01-16T20:05:00.004-07:00

After our fun New Year's weekend in St. George we stopped off at Snow Canyon National Park. Derek had the great idea to take the girls on a fun side trip before we drove home. It ended up being one of the funnest things we did the whole weekend. I had never been there before and was a little nervous about letting the girls play in the sand before driving home. It was beautiful and the sand was too inviting for all of us to not play in it. Sand ended up everywhere, as I feared it would, but it was so worth it that none of us cared.

Derek and the girls had so much fun playing in the sand. Mckinley decided it would be so much fun to build a sand castle. It was kind of hard to convince her the sand was not wet enough and there was no water to help us out. She had fun anyway.

Aidie also loved the sand. We did not have to convince her not to make a sand castle. We had to try to keep Aidie from eating the sand. More than once I had to clean out her mouth only to hear the sand grinding when she closed her mouth. Pretty gross but that did not stop my little determined monkey. The pictures are a progression of what happened on one of the sand eating experiences.

I just thought this made a pretty cool picture. This is Aidie's shoe print.

We took a little hike up Jenny's Canyon after playing in the sand and ended up at a cute little slot canyon. Mckinley and Aidie had so much fun playing in the little canyon. Mckinley thought is was so cool to climb up on the rocks and looking through the holes.

Mckinley learned on this trip that she loved to take pictures. She helped Derek set up the tripod and thought it was so much fun to push the button and run to get into the picture. She tried to get Derek to stop about every 5 steps to set up the tripod.

Such a fun trip. We will definitely be returning next time we go to St. George.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-05T20:54:00.007-07:00

Again it has been a few weeks or months since I have updated this. I am going to blame it on a busy holiday season. It is probably not true, but hey it works for the time being.
We have had a lot has gone on and I have a ton of pictures.

**Thanksgiving was at my parents house this year. We (I) started off the day with running the Eagle Mountain *FREE* 4 mile run. After we all gathered at my parents and ate and laughed and had such a good time. It was so relaxing. The weather was so nice we were even able to take the girls to the park.

**Derek and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We celebrated by going to Thai Village (love love love it) and the movies. The girls did stay at Derek's parents so yay for getting to sleep in.

**Mckinley had her very first dance recital. I cannot believe she is getting so big. She was so cute and, because I am the Mom, she was the best one on stage. I am going to try to download her dance but I have not gotten around to it yet. (Hopefully soon and hopefully it will work.)

**Christmas on its own is a big event and lasts the entire month of December. So much went on. I had the best time having a night out with the girls at my moms house making the ugliest gingerbread house ever (sorry guys). We missed Cathy and Kristi tons. Mckinley and I made a gingerbread house (the side of the roof fell off before I could get a picture).

**We went to a fun Christmas party at Aunt Doreen's house. Mckinley had fun playing with Kyla and Tyler read a cute story for all the kids. Mckinley showed off her talents by singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" for everyone and Staci handed out giant suckers to all the kids (hurray). Aidie loved hers and almost fell asleep eating it.

**Christmas Eve we went to my parents house and had an amazing time hanging out with everyone and again we missed Cathy tons. The girls had so much fun exchanging gifts and just spending time with everyone. (I did not get any pictures of Christmas Eve, sad)

We also opened pajamas (that I made so don't judge) before going to bed Christmas Eve. The girls were so excited to get to open a present.

**Of course Christmas Day brought tons of excitement. The girls got a Barbie house so guess what we have been doing since Christmas (if you can't guess we have been playing barbies).

**For New Years we went to St. George to party at Alden's house. We spent lots of time in the pool and just hanging out. We checked out the First Night in downtown St. George and had a great time. Unfortunately we did not dress the girls warm enough so we did not stay very long. We know better for next year. Derek and I barely stayed up till midnight and went to bed about 12:05.No matter how late we stayed up we knew the girls would be up bright and early. I would almost call us pathetic but I am going to go with smart instead.

Crazy holiday season but we loved every minute of it.
My goal is to stay up to date better so there are no more marathon posts. Sorry about this one. Also Derek and I broke our camera right before Thanksgiving so that explains the lack of pictures for that very important holiday.

**One last final picture...
Aidie was so ornery right before bed one night so I decided to give her and Mckinley a bath. Aidie was not having it and I could not pass up these pictures. I am probably a mean mom for not getting her out and taking pictures instead but come on, look at that face, how could I not take a picture.

Lots of Pictures

2009-11-20T10:47:00.006-07:00

I know this one is a little lengthy because I added a ton of pictures. I have not updated for a while and a lot has gone on. We are always doing something crazy at our house.

Aidie loves this giant stuffed puppy and is always wanting to play with it.

Loving the puppy

Mckinley is my little rock star. She had to lay on the puppy because Aidie did.

Yes she did pick out her own accessories and put them on herself.

Playing in the leaves

Mckinley helped me rake.

On the trax train going to Disney on Ice. Mckinley was so excited.

Enjoying the show. They both had to sit on Derek's lap. They are such little daddies girls.

They both loved when Mickey and Minnie came on the ice.

Halloween

2009-11-20T10:28:00.002-07:00

We had tons of fun this year on Halloween (and the days leading up to it). Mckinley discovered how much she LOVES to go trick-0r-treating. We hit Lehi Main Street and then went to Eagle Mountain with MaryAnne, Ellie, Tanner, Michelle, Granny V, and Pop pop. We got all the treats these two little girls could handle.

How cute is my little bee?

Mckinley was going to be Little Red Riding Hood untill the last minute. She decided to be this cute little orange witch at the last minute. Thanks Aunt Doreen!

Mckinley, Tanner, and Ellie. Aidie was not in a picture mood.

Tick-or-treating on Lehi Main street.

I am a bad mom. I did not take very many pictures on Halloween. But here are a few I did take. They are not the best but I still think they are cute.

Mexico

2009-10-23T08:47:00.005-06:00

Derek and I had the opportunity to go to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico with my work. We had such an amazing time. We missed the girls so much (they stayed home!) but we had so much fun being by ourselves for 5 days.
We snorkeled, swam, had massages on the beach, ate more food than any human should possibly be able to consume, and just relaxed.

A tree in our hotel. Random yes but I thought it was a pretty picture.

Our whole group after snorkeling. This is everyone I work with. The two in back are our guides. They were awesome.

On the boardwalk outside of our hotel. We spent more time in our swimsuits than I thought possible. It was so much fun to chill on the beach pretty much non-stop.

Derek chilling on a beach lounge. Each of the cabanas had flags on them. When you raise the flag it lets the waiters know we need a drink. They would also bring us cool towels and had a cart with books, magazines and aloe (essential). We were so pampered.

Senor frog in downtown Playa Del Carmen. 5th avenue (down town) was just a block from our hotel so we had fun checking out all the shops and trying the get the best deals possible. It was fun to bargain with the shop owners. Derek was better at it because he could understand them way better than I could.

Cozumel after snorkeling (that is why I look like a drowned rat). There was a huge storm coming in. We got done just in time to get on the ferry and miss the big storm.

Our hotel (taking the picture from the beach). It was very impressive. There were 4 restaurants to choose from plus the buffet. Our rooms were large with a huge jacuzzi in the middle of the room and a hammock on the balcony.

This is the front of our hotel. It was very fancy.

2009-10-05T23:25:00.003-06:00

Derek and I got to attend the World Cup Qualifier at Rio Tinto Stadium. This was the first US game I have gone to and I loved it.

Awe we are so cute together.

U-S-A, U-S-A (it is supposed to be a chant)

What a cute couple!!

Derek's nephew Ryan and brother Travis

The last couple of months

2009-10-05T22:36:00.006-06:00

Just a few pictures from the last couple of months. Mckinley is very busy with everything. Aidie is into everything. Between the two of them we get the boss and the trouble maker. They keep us entertained and very busy. (Yes the pictures are mostly of Aidie.)

Aidie climbed into Mckinleys dresser drawer. She thought she was so cool!

Mckinley had to copy her of course. If one does something the other is sure to follow.

We love the swings!!

This shirt was Dereks when he was little. She picked it out herself this day.

Aidie loves this apron she found (I think it was Jessica's)

She was smiling at me through her pacifier (which she got out of her crib and was so proud of herself, sneaky little girl)

Mckinley teaching Aidie how to pose

Mckinley was determined to get Aidie to do it.

Mckinley showing off her poses

I love this smiling face

Awe my sleeping diva

Aidie is ONE!!!

2009-08-31T21:20:00.006-06:00

Aidie had her birthday and is 1! I know I am a few weeks late on this but being the mom of a two year old, who never quits, and a very busy one year old I am lucky if I am functioning at the end of the night.
Aidie finally decided to take her first steps on her birthday on the trampoline at Grandma and Grandpa Yates' house. She made it about half way across before Mckinley thought it would be funny to bounce her and make her fall down.

Sadly we are lacking on pictures from her birthday but here are a few we managed to get.
(there are some on the other camera but I have not figured out how to download it yet)

The happy face of a one year old

A birthday cake that would just not turn out. Had to look to other sources (we love mickey mouse)

Not sure what to think

Nope not a fan

Love the wagon that is not put together yet

Yay the wagon is finished and if you think they got out willingly (after about an hour) think again

Aidie's birthday cake. Again not what I wanted but it turned out ok for a very novice cake maker (it is supposed to be a 1)

By the way...

2009-08-05T22:12:00.003-06:00

Everyone should check out randomthoughtsfromthezoo.blogspot.com
The cutest apron ever is going to be given away on Friday. Catey Ball makes super cute flirty aprons!

A few pics from Moonlake

2009-08-05T22:04:00.003-06:00

I have not downloaded all of our Moonlake pictures yet but here are some cute ones from the beach and a not so cute one of me but awesome hair on Aidie.

Summer fun

2009-08-02T13:43:00.007-06:00

It has been so long since I updated this I am not sure how far back to go. We have done so much and had lots of fun adventures this summer. We have been to St. George, to soccer games, lots of parades, Bear Lake, camping in Moonlake. The girls are so good and have so much fun any place we go. I think we have two master campers. The beach has probably been the favorite location this summer. Both Mckinley and Aidie loved playing in the sand and the water.
Here are a few random pictures from our adventures so far this summer.

Yummy snow cone

Yummy cotton candy

Skinny bum means swim suit bottoms don't stay up

Swimming in St. George

This is Mckinley in her "car" with her "glasses" on

Me and Aidie in the pool. (not a flattering picture of me but so cute of Aidie)

Waving at me in our backyard

Mckinley and Pop Pop

So much fun

At the park in St. George

Watching the Lehi Roundup parade

Bear Lake

Taking a break from the sand at Bear Lake

Yes this is sand on Aidie's face

Resting after a long day at the beach. Playing hard in the sand really takes it out of a little monkey.

2009-06-08T21:33:00.003-06:00

My favorite Video

Mckinley kept telling me she was rolling like a dog. Aidie hated it when I tried to help her roll so I did not get video of her.

Lots of pictures

2009-06-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

Playing house in a box. Who needs toys?

Sneaking a box of chocolate milk (sneaky sneaky)

Sneaky sneaky again. She loves the milk in a box

Mckinley set up this little story reading station for herself and Aidie. Mckinley read the stories not me

Mckinley put her chair on the table chilling and playing with her computer (behind her water bottle)

Making a birthday cake

Amy and Lucas four-wheeling at the Peria River

Me and Derek on our mother's day four-wheeling trip

Aidie loves her cottage cheese

I wanted Mckinley to smell the flower but this was as good as I could get

I had to bribe Mckinley to sit here for this picture. She looks so happy

My happy little Aidie

Aidie is all smiles :)

2009-06-08T20:40:00.004-06:00

So it has been a while since I have updated this. So much has been going on. Lots of being sick and lots of running around. Oh and our computer broke. We are all healthy now and have time for just craziness!
Aidie is all over the place and wants to walk so desperately but is not quite there yet. She is getting close. She is so full of smiles and giggles, I love it!
Mckinley thinks she is the boss of everything as we enter the dreaded "temper tantrum" phase. Despite being in time-out a lot, she is so much fun and is always coming up with a new way to make me laugh.
Our little monkeys are growing up so fast! It makes me sad but excited all at once. They are becoming the best of friends and love to play together.
As for me and Derek, we are just trying to keep up with our beautiful little girls. Derek has been so busy with fencing and helping me remain sane. I am so lucky and blessed to have such an amazing husband!!!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!

(Here are a few of the pictures from the last couple of months. I will post more)

Mckinley came out of here room wearing this lifejacket. She told me she was pretend swimming.

Aidie was doing really well with the little push, walk thing until she found the toys.

I love that they play together

Favorite Uncle Tyler

They both love to go high in the swings. (I did finally mow the grass. It is ridiculously long in this picture)

2009-04-27T23:37:00.004-06:00

Because I don't or can't get enough of my girls, I figured I would let everyone else enjoy them too.

The first "Big Wave"
It is super short but super cute.

Mckinley was dancing on the porch to her own music. I told her I wanted to take a picture so I could capture the awesomeness that is "Mckinley"

Easter

2009-04-12T22:53:00.005-06:00

We had an amazing Easter this year. Mckinley was so excited when she woke up and saw that the Easter Bunny had come. She came in and woke us up to tell us there were presents.

Casey and Kristi blessed Ashlynn today. It was such an amazing Sunday. I love being in church with my entire family (If Cathy had been there it would have been better).

Mckinley and Ashlynn just laying on the couch together. They were both so tired. One would later take a nap - guess which one.

I just like this picture of Mckinley.
Yes her dress is covered in stains. She tends to spill a little. oops

Easter Egg hunt at the school. It was a very succesul hunt for Mckinley. Aidie didn't really care.

Mom bought cute flower headbands for all the little girls. Aidie is asleep so she did not get to be in the picture and Ashlynn was at home asleep so she missed the picture too. She had a big day.

busy hunting eggs at an egg hunt at Granny V and Pop pops house.

Easter Eggs

2009-04-12T22:40:00.004-06:00

We had fun dying Easter eggs with Mckinley, although I think she got more dye on her than she did the eggs. Oh well she had fun!

It took us two days to get the color off her hands. Luckily I have a smart Mom who could figure out that Satin Hands takes off anything.

2009-04-08T23:16:00.002-06:00

Aidie chillin' on the ground

Mckinley had to have all the clips in her hair

Just a cute picture of Aidie

Mckinley had to make sure she and Aidie both had bows in their hair

Rocking on the chair. Mckinley loves that she can make the chair rock all by herself. What a big girl!

Aidie 7 Months

2009-04-08T23:14:00.001-06:00

These are Aidie's 7 month pictures. I am not very good at doing this often so I am putting a bunch of pictures up at once. These are mostly for you Cathy so I hope you appreciate it.

Always smiling

Looking at Dad

Just a happy girl!

2009-03-22T00:27:00.011-06:00

So I have finally decided to try out blogging. I figured it can't be as hard as I think it is. Surprisingly enough it is not too tough. I also had a hard time figuring out how far back I should start my blog. I decided I will start it as of today.

Derek and I took the girls to the Real scrimmage and to the Zoo today. The scrimmage was kind of a trial run to see if we could take Mckinley or Aidie to any Real games. It turns out we can. Mckinley has a very short attention span but what 2 year old doesn't? There is plenty of space for her to run around and play on the concourse. As long as Aidie has something to chew or suck on she is happy.
The zoo was a little bit of a challenge when we got there, a combination of very tired girls and a lot of people. After trying to find animals (which shouldn't be too difficult at the zoo), and meeting up with some friends things got a little better. The carousel and the train became instant favorites, coming in second to nothing other than the playground. Yes we spent money to go to a playground, Mckinley really didn't care too much for the animals today. It may have been because not many are out yet or because the playground, the carousel, and the train really are that cool! Aidie just kind of hung out and didn't care one way or the other what we saw as long as she didn't have to ride in the stroller by herself. She is so easy going. 7 mo can be such an easy age.
Overall we had a great day with the girls! They are so much fun to be with. It was a fun family outing.