Father's Day!

     My dad has always been one of my biggest supporters and my biggest fan. He set a great example to me of how I should expect to be treated and of how a father should be. I am so grateful for his influence in my life. It has really hit me lately how lucky I am that I have a dad who did so much for me. I know many people who did not get the chance to experience those things. My dad is a great storyteller, a good friend, he likes to make people laugh, and he is always trying to help people. When I was little I remember him telling me stories and tucking me in at night, playing hide and go seek with me, and teaching me to ride a bike. He was gone a lot for the Army and I remember crying for him to come home when he was gone. He was constantly trying to embarrass me as a teenager and helping me when I needed help. If I was sick, he would give me a blessing and if I needed advice he was there to give me guidance. I am pretty lucky that he is my dad. He is also a pretty great grandpa and he really enjoys spoiling his grandkids whenever he can.

     Not only was I blessed with an awesome dad, I was also able to find an equally wonderful guy to be the father of my children. Joel is such a great dad. He loves our girls completely. He is such a hard worker. Lately he has gotten up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work and then he heads to our house and works until 10 or 11 at night. He has somehow still managed to mow the grass and help me out whenever he can. I really couldn't have asked for a better person to be my eternal companion. He makes me a better person. I know our kids love him a lot. They really look forward to the days when he is home and to when we can visit him at work. We love you Joel!

     For Father's day this year we made Joel and my dad a sign telling them what great "pops" they were and then we filled a basket with popcorn, soda pop, lollipops, pop tarts, and some popsicles. They seemed to like that. Then we went to church and had dinner together at grandma Verna's house. They didn't do anything for the men at church which was a little weird I thought. Joel and his brother Jake took their dad golfing the next Saturday for his Father's Day present. It has become a tradition that they go golfing together once a year for Father's Day. I have to say that Joel's father is also a great father in law and an awesome grandpa. He was a great example to Joel and he taught him so many great things. My girls are really blessed to have two wonderful grandpas and a great father.  

Goin Home - Brynlee's Birthday

     The last day or our Hirtle family reunion just so happened to end on Sunday June 14th which was the same day as Brynlee's 5th birthday. Joel and Brynlee slept in that morning and Kyla and Anna feasted on Joel's donuts while he slept. (Joel finished them off when he woke up.) Brynlee got a few presents from some of her cousins including a Canadian mug, an umbrella, a pool floaty, some craft things and a squeaky chicken. She loved all of her gifts. We went to church in Joy's small branch in Washington and I think our family made up more than half of the ward. Their primary sang a song and Joy told my kids they could come up so they went up to sing even though they didn't know the song at all.

     As soon as sacrament meeting was over we said goodbye to everyone and we left to go and visit my grandpa. He lives in Washington not too far from where we were staying. We saw him a few years ago but this was his first time meeting Kyla. My dad and my brother Josh were there that weekend spending time with my grandpa. He isn't doing too well because his cancer has returned and he has dementia so we aren't sure how much longer he will be around. I don't think my grandpa really knew who we all were but he got really excited to see us all. He held Kyla and kept giving us all kisses and telling us he loved us. We all took some pictures outside of the house and then we walked down to the edge of his property so we could look at the Okanogan river. I have some fun memories of us playing in that river. My girls really wanted to go swimming in that water but we had to get home so Joel could go to work the next day. We didn't get to stay long but I sure am glad we got to stop by and see him again.

     We got back in the van, turned some movies on for the kids, and we were off. The ride home was pretty uneventful. The girls watched several movies and ate lots of snacks while Joel and I listened to our book on tape. Kyla took a long nap for us. When she woke up it was dinner time so we stopped at McDonalds. It just happened to be the same place that several of our family stopped at as well so it was fun to talk to them. We let the girls play for a little bit and then we had to get going again. After a few hours we stopped at a gas station and the kids went to the bathroom and got their pajamas on. Our kids all fell asleep before we made it home. We got home around 11 pm and stuck them all in bed. We unloaded the car a little bit and then we went to bed too. It sure was a fun weekend and a much needed break for all of us. The girls keep begging to go again, we all had a stupendous time.

          I really wanted to have a birthday party for Brynlee but with the long trip we didn't get to do much to celebrate her birthday. We did get her some ice cream at McDonalds and we sang to her but I decided I wanted to buy a cake that was just hers and I invited my family to come over on Monday night, the day after the reunion, to sing to Brynlee and eat some cake with her. I didn't have time to make a cake that day so I just bought one but Brynlee was happy with that. She was a little disappointed that I didn't make a pinata for her party and I couldn't find the toy that she really wanted. She wanted this Lalaloopsy doll that poops out these magic charms and I didn't really want to buy it for her anyways. Instead I bought her a little swimming pool and a sno cone maker and she has really liked those gifts. She got a whole bag of Littlest Petshops from my mom and some new church dresses so I don't think she even missed that present. If she still wants it for Christmas we will get it for her then. I am so glad that she took everything in stride and was grateful for what she got. I think it was a good lesson for her. I sure do love her and I think she still had a great birthday.

Reunion Day 2 & 3

The second day of our reunion started out early for us. Annalyn woke up at 4:30 in the morning crying about wanting to go out and play. It was really light outside and the light was bright in her window. I guess everyone down at the camp woke up early too. Eventually Anna fell back asleep in our bed. Kyla woke up a few hours earlier and she was in our bed and then Brynlee had a bad dream and came into our bed when it was about 6:30. That is when I got up and Kyla woke up then too. We ate breakfast and Joel and I were in charge of a family devotional. Joel was really tired so he and Anna didn't wake up until breakfast was already over. We were going to play at the lake all day but it was a cold and windy day. It was really too cold to get in the water. We did play in the sand. The kids all played ball games and we sang songs and enjoyed playing with cousins. It was fun for me to just sit and talk to everyone.

After going swimming, everyone decided to go for a hike. My girls wanted to go but they were already telling me they were tired and asking to be carried so we opted to stay back and the girls tried to watch a movie with their cousins. In the end the power kept going out so they never did finish their movie but the girls seemed to find lots to do and played hard the whole time. After dinner we all put on the matching shirts Joy got us and posed for a family picture. It is amazing to me to see the legacy that Joel's parents are passing on. Their family started with just two people, they had eight kids, and now there are 31 grandkids with number 32 on the way. I am glad my kids get to be a part of that. There were two of Joel's cousins that came to the reunion with some of their kids but this is mostly just a picture of the girls with all of their cousins.

     We had wonderful food and even snacks during the whole reunion. Some of the kids ended up getting a rash from playing in the water and Kyla got it a little bit but it didn't seem to bother her. The kids stayed up late and watched another movie that night. Brynlee and Annalyn both ended up falling asleep on the floor once the movie was over which was fine since they wanted to have a sleepover with their cousins anyways. In the end Annalyn woke up and came in our bed and then Brynlee woke up in the middle of the night panicking. She crawled up right on top of her dad and showed him her teeth. "Look, she cried. Look, dad. I forgot to brush my teeth! Do you see any cavities?" she cried. Joel told her not to worry about it and then he ended up moving on the bottom of the bed so he could get some sleep. Leave it Brynlee to wake up in the middle of the night panicking because she forgot to brush her teeth. In the end I think Madison was the only one who stayed out in the living room for the sleepover.

     The next day was Saturday and it was a much nicer day. We ate and played some games in the morning and then after a simple lunch we all headed off to Canada. Annalyn fell asleep in the car on the way there. I got passport cards for me and the kids but we didn't even need them. Everyone else just got in with birth certificates. It was so neat to be in a different country but really it didn't feel that different. The speed limit signs were in km instead of mph and we saw a lot of Canadian flags instead of American flags but that was really the only difference. We drove way up in the mountains so see Joel's old house. It was such a pretty location. It was surrounded by trees and very secluded from the rest of the world. We couldn't get very close to the house because they had a gate to the house closed off but it was fun to see. We saw several cows roaming around on our way back to the city. Brynlee was really thirsty after that so we stopped at 7-eleven and got a slurpee. Then we went to the park by the high school Joel went to. His old high school burned down a few years ago but they rebuilt it. The girls had lots of fun at the park. Annalyn was awake by then but she missed the whole ride up the mountain. We were supposed to meet everyone else at the park but then never showed up so we headed to Joel's sister Jenny's in-laws house. They have a gorgeous house and their back yard is right on a lake.

We were one of the first ones out in the water so Joel and the girls got to try out the paddle boat right away. They had a blast. Kyla loves the water too. Aunt Jenny and Janeen both took turns walking in the water with Kyla. The girls swam, played in the water, swung in the swings, played in the sand, went on a treasure hunt, and played some games and won some Canadian chocolate. After that we ate dinner and then Joel left to buy some Canadian chocolate and he got us some Canadian shirts. Joel's cousin Sam's little boy Ben had a birthday that day and since Brynlee's birthday was the next day we had some cake and sang to both of them. Mike got a cake too since he just graduated from high school. Brynlee was really excited about the cake but she acted kind of shy once everyone sang to her and she barely blew out her candles. She let Ben blow most of them out. There were root beer floats after the cake. Everyone sat around the fire and talked until it was late and time to go home. We had a blast that night. We stopped and got some donuts from Tim Hortons which is Joel's favorite donut place and then we headed home. Brynlee fell asleep in the car right away and Kyla and Anna were asleep by the time we got back to the campout. It was a fun day. I really enjoyed seeing the little town where Joel grew up. The girls have been begging to go back to Canada again.

Our last day of the reunion; Brynlee's birthday, coming up next. 

Roadtrips and Reunion Day 1

     We have been looking forward to the Hirtle family reunion for months now. We were going to spend three days and nights in Washington visiting with Joel's family and we even planned a day to visit Canada and the place where Joel grew up. Joel took an entire week off of work and spent three good days working on our house while I packed and got everything ready for our trip. Joel was up late Wednesday night fixing an oil leak in our van and he fixed the air conditioning so that it would work for our trip. (It already stopped working but at least it lasted the whole trip.) Then he came home and we loaded up our van so we could leave for Washington in the morning. It was about a 9-10 hour trip and we thought we would be smart and leave early in the morning so that our kids would sleep on the way.

     We made the kids go to the bathroom and left our house at 4:30 on Thursday morning. We got on the road and all three of our girls were wide awake. Brynlee and Anna were so excited. It took Annalyn almost an hour to go back to sleep but Kyla got some good sleep in. Brynlee never did go to sleep. She was awake the whole time. About two hours into the trip she starting asking us "Are we almost there yet? This is taking a really long time." We kept trying to tell her to go to sleep but she was too excited. We borrowed my mom's portable DVD player for the cars and the kids couldn't wait to watch a movie in the van. The really wanted to sit out in the van the day before we left to watch a movie.

     Annalyn and Kyla woke up around 7:30 in the morning so we stopped at a rest stop in Oregon where we got some gas, took the kids potty, and we bought a cinnamon roll for breakfast. While we were in getting our food, Brynlee told everyone she saw that we were going camping. Then we were on our way again and I let the kids watch a movie. I sure am glad we had that DVD player. Joel and I had a book on tape that we listened to on my ipad. We need to get some speakers for that thing but it worked pretty well. I had already read the book anyways so it wasn't a big deal that I couldn't hear it that well. Luckily Kyla is a great little traveler so it was a good trip. We had lots of snacks for Kyla to eat on the way and she took two naps on the way up there. We did have to make a bathroom stop at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere and they only had a porta potty. Annalyn has refused to use one of those in the past so I was a little worried because they were both really dancing and poor Brynlee was crying because she had to go so badly. It took us a long time to find a bathroom. Luckily the porta potty was pretty clean so Annalyn used that toilet, Kyla got to get out for a few minutes and I changed her clothes because she spilt water all over her outfit. Kyla was not at all happy to be put back her car seat but she took her second nap after a few minutes of being back in the van.

     We stopped somewhere in Washington at a Burger King for lunch and the kids got to play at the play place and stretch their legs for a bit. We stayed there for quite a bit and they were all happy to be out of the car. It only took us a little bit longer until we pulled into our campsite in Ooroville, Washington. By then it was 2:30 our time but only 1:30 Washington time. We forgot about the time change and check-in wasn't until 3 but luckily they let us check in early and we found Joel's sister Joy and got to help her finish setting things up. We got to stay in the big house up on the hill and it was really nice. It had a nice bathroom, a working kitchen, and a bedroom for us and our kids with another big room for Joel's brother Josh and his family to stay. They just had a new baby and since we have the next youngest kids, we got to stay in the house. Everyone else stayed out in tents. It didn't really feel like we were camping but it was nice.

     As soon as we got everything unloaded the girls put on their swimming suits and we went to check out the water right away. It was a gorgeous day. The water was beautiful, the lake was shallow, and the girls had a blast. Joel and I took turns staying on the shore with the girls and holding Kyla's hand because she wanted to be right in the water.

     Once everyone else arrived we helped them to set up their tents and we talked and enjoyed being with family. We had lasagna for dinner that night and then we went back to the campgrounds where Joy had all kinds of water games, balloons, and games for the kids to play. They had a blast playing with all of their cousins. At one point Brynlee decided she wanted to go up to see her cousins that were at the house but I told her to wait. She ended up walking a long way up there all by herself. It scared me that I couldn't find her but I think it scared her too because as soon as she saw me again she grabbed me and started crying. She asked my permission and waited for an adult to go with her the rest of the weekend. We finished the night with some smores wrapped up in an ice cream cone and a devotional around the campfire. Annalyn was so tired that she fell asleep in her dad's arms and Kyla fell asleep in mine. Brynlee went strong all night but it didn't take her long to fall asleep once she was in bed. It was a long fun day for all of us.

Day 2 of the reunion coming up next...

Brynlee is Five

     On Sunday little Miss Brynlee turned five. She is such a sweet and fun loving girl. She is always up for an adventure and ready to go somewhere. She loves to play with other kids and she is constantly making us laugh. She is so helpful and imaginative. She loves playing with her toys and with her little sisters. She likes to be in charge and tell people what to do; even her parents. She can't wait to start kindergarten and she woke up the day she turned five asking if she would get to go to kindergarten tomorrow. She sure has grown up to be such a pretty young lady and we love her so much.

BRYNLEE FACTS 

Age: 5
Weight: 44 lbs. (72%)
Height: 44.5 in. (80%)

Favorite Color: Orange

Favorite Movie: Jasmine (Aladdin), Tinkerbell

Favorite Show: Doc Mcstuffins

Best Friends: Anavette, Josie, Lachlan, Brayden, Annalyn, Athena, Kyla, and Jesus because he takes care of us when it is nighttime 

Favorite thing to do: Play with mom and dad

Favorite thing to do outside: Play on the swing

Favorite Food: Hot Dogs and egg sandwiches

Favorite Dessert: Root Beer Floats

Favorite Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Favorite game: Candy Land

Favorite animal: Giraffes 

Favorite book: Junie B. Jones

Favorite Toy: Littlest Petshops

Favorite thing to do with family: Play games and play Hide and Seek

When you grow up what do you want to be: A ballerina

What was the funnest thing you did while you were four: Play with mom and dad

What will you do when you are five: Play with mom and Anna

     Brynlee loves popsicles and she loves those orange dream bars and the fudgsicles. She calls them "shovesicles." She says "Kaprise" for surprise and she still struggles with the sp sound. Other than that she talks really well and she talks all the time. She is good at talking my ear off and she has no problem talking to random people that she meets. She likes to talk to other adults that are near us at the grocery store or at church or the library. 

     Brynlee is still super dramatic about when she gets hurt or about not getting her way. She screams, cries, and real tears come down. She also gets mad easily. She loves to watch television and will sometimes tell me she is sick and ask to have a movie day. She also loves it when I read her books and she can listen to books for hours.

      Brynlee loves to hold Kyla, carry her around the house, and to play with her. She likes having Kyla sleep in her room most of the time. She doesn't like it when Kyla is napping in there and she can't go in the room. Brynlee usually sleeps right through Kyla's crying. Although the other night Brynlee brought Kyla into my room in the middle of the night and told me that she was crying. Brynlee plays really well with Annalyn. I love their conversations when they play. They both tell each other what to say and they get along really well although we have had several fights lately. 

     Brynlee has always been good at doing things all on her own. She is getting good at making her own bed, keeping her room clean, putting her plates in the sink, and helping to clean the bathroom. She likes fixing her own hair and washing her own hair in the bathtub. She fixes lots of her own snacks all on her own. 

     Brynlee likes swinging on the swing, jumping on the trampoline, playing games, and playing with her sisters and her friends. She loves going places and visiting her grandparents. She talks a lot, asks endless questions, and is usually positive and kind. She doesn't like it when Kyla messes up her toys, when Anna takes the toy she wants, and when we stay home all day. I sure am glad I get to be this little girl's mom. I love watching her grow up and I can't wait to see what all she will accomplish in her life. I think she is off to a great start. Happy Birthday Miss Brynlee.