Marianne, Casey, and Kendal

Lately

2012-01-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't written too much about Kendal lately, and i should be kicking myself because she's so much fun and i don't want miss recording some of the things she does. Kendal is a hopping 26 month old; literally - Kendal doesn't seem to walk much, she would prefer to run, hop, jump, and waddle her way anywhere. Kendal is always on the go whether it is getting out all of her toys and only really playing with a couple of them; or wanting to do something so bad (like play dough or color) she won't let it go until she is doing so. Casey and i wish there was a bit more snow. We've only really had a few storms and Kendal loves to go out, eat, and trollop through the snow. We still read a lot to Kendal. She loves to get a pile of books and sit on my lap to read them, then she jumps off and gets another batch of books.
Kendal still loves to talk, and now she's adding humor and imagination to her thoughts. It can make for some funny things. Kendal has a lot to say. Lately she talks a lot in third person. "Kendal is crying" "Kendal loves daddy" etc. She talks a lot in the car, mostly nonsense, occasionally she sees something out the window like a cow and goes off on a tangent about it. In the car the other day she's singing twinkle twinkle little star to herself then she stops and says "Hear dat?" "I hear a monkey" . . . " ooo ooo ooo" then she started to giggle. Kendal can sing her alphabet and point out most of the letters to us. Kendal is always saying "ohh love . . . " pretty much everything goes into that . . . it can be her ducky, mommy, daddy, a goldfish cracker, a puzzle piece, etc. You name it she loves it. Sometimes i feel so special when she says "mommy luv you" then i see her loving something like a cracker two minutes later and i come back to reality. Kendal thinks any baby that cries anywhere is because it has bonked it's head. In the store, at church, etc. She hears a crying baby and says how sad it is and how it bonked its head. (We think this stemmed from one incident over Christmas break where her cousin Bryker hit his head and cried a bit) We've been working with Kendal on her colors, but she still gets mixed up. She can't name the color of most objects; however if you ask her to find a blue or red crayon out of a pile she can do it most of the time.
We are in love with our silly crazy girl. She teaches us so much and is a treasure.

Lately -
I've been back to work since Christmas break ended. This school year has been a good one; (still not so much teacher support, and always some challenging kids) but i've learned to work around / with the teachers, and i try to do my best in working with any kid happy or mad that comes my way. My job definitely helps me appreciate my own daughter way more, and makes me want to do better by her as a parent.
Casey is subbing around Cache Valley and helping my dad every now and then on jobs. He is continuing to throw himself out there and working hard to find a job. We are hopeful something will come along, and know whenever, and wherever that might be it is in Heavenly Father's hands.
I am looking forward to many wonderful things this year and am grateful for all that last year brought to us.

a long Christmas overview

2011-12-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is Casey's favorite time of year. The holiday spirit, the songs, and the season together make a wonderful time to celebrate. I asked Casey what one of his favorite Christmas past times was and he said it's the Webb family Christmas party. It's a party that he loved as a child and looks forward to every year. This year was no exception we had our usual cereal and gift exchange along with a wonderful meal, minute to win it games, family pictures, and wonderful people to see and be with. We celebrated Casey's dad turning 60 that same weekend. We also did the sibling / cousin gift exchange since this was the only time this month we'd all be together. Our gift challenge this year was to give a gift that started with the same letter as the recipients first name. Casey got a Calendar, carrot, and two clementines, I got mittens and a matching hat, Kendal got a hello Kitty coloring book. Casey and i received the Harry Potter movies, a griddle, and a nice first aid kit from Casey's parents.

Christmas found us at home in Logan. Since we have a bigger place this year Casey and i went out and got our first tree. Kendal loved talking to the figurines on the tree; especially Minnie Mouse, Santa, and baby Jesus. A couple of days before Christmas my family did our gift exchange. I got much needed kitchen towels and measuring cups, and Casey got the Mummy movie series. Christmas eve continued my little tradition of giving PJ's to Kendal. She looks so cute in them; unfortunately she also likes to zip herself out of them and then run around naked. Casey and i were not up to opening our Christmas before our 9 am church so we told Kendal she had to wait all morning until Grandma and Grandpa Loosle arrived for some brunch after church. Church was good, and a nice way to start off our Christmas the right way. As soon as my parents arrived Kendal didn't wait; she tore into her presents. Kendal would have opened all of our presents if we would've let her. She got a homemade Kitchen with play food, and dishes. She also got a Mickey Mouse bowling set, and some little Winnie the pooh figurines. Later that day we went over to my parents house for some presents and a Christmas dinner. My parents got Casey and i many things my favorite would have to be the matching aprons my mom made Kendal and I; and the dishes we got. (Casey and i never got dishes when we were married, so finally after more than five years of marriage we got our dishes. And they are Awesome!) Kendal got many things too including some kitchen stuff, and a snoopy and snoopy blanket.
We feel really spoiled this Christmas and are thankful for the family we have.

The day after Christmas we headed up to Idaho to spend some time with Casey's family, and to see our friends. We got to spend some time with Rhett, Aria, and their two girls, Jenae, and Brooke. We miss having them around and enjoyed spending time with them. Casey went Ice skating for the first time on the pond outside Aria's parents house. Kendal walked around a bit on the ice, and got pulled in the sled some. Unfortunately my camera was acting up so i only got a couple of sled pictures and nothing else from our adventure to Idaho. We enjoyed the rest of our time with Casey's parents, Cody, and a bit with Sarah, Terry, and Bryker.

I may not love the cold and snow that accompanies this time of year, however i do enjoy the Christmas season and had a wonderful month. I have my Loosle family party to look forward to tonight and New Years eve tomorrow.
So many wonderful traditions and memories to look back on!

and . . . . some pictures

2011-12-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

Family Time

2011-11-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

This past week we headed up to Idaho for our thanksgiving break. We were able to spend the majority of our holiday with Casey's parents his brother Cody, and his other brother Brett, our SIL Vanessa, and their two sweet kids David, and Rebecca. David and Kendal are reaching the age where they can finally talk to each other and scheme. We found Kendal letting David into the pantry quite a few times to sneak a snack. They had so much fun running around together and playing.
We had thanksgiving dinner with the extended Webb family. It was a great time with wonderful people and wonderful food. Kendal had a blast finding chalk, the water cooler, and a fish pond to play with. Black Friday came with no one a.m. wake up :) Mom D, Vanessa, Rebecca, Nicole, and i set out and did some casual shopping. I got a $2 movie, and a shirt for Kendal. Whoopee!
Saturday was quite a day. Mom D, Casey, Cody, and i took the task of watching five of the six grandchildren while the rest of the group went hunting for Christmas trees. It was a little crazy at moments with three babies that needed attention not to mention a crawling boy who was putting things in his mouth and an active Kendal. We had fun (i think we're doing a good job training Cody for being a Dad someday :)
We all spent the afternoon together and everyone was there for dinner. I think we all took a moment to look around and realize how big the Darrington family has grown. It was loads of fun, and i love spending time with the Darrington clan.

I also have to put in my gratitude for all that I'm blessed with this year. I have a great best friend/husband Casey, a superbalous daughter Kendal, and so so many family members that I'm so lucky to have in my life. I'm blessed to have the gospel in my life; it is my constant guide in life. I have had so many other little blessings this year it's hard to write them all down, but i feel so happy and blessed!

Fish pond at the Webb Thanksgiving

Cousins!

Snow much fun!!

2011-11-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while we were being dumped on with snow Casey took the opportunity to take Kendal out and play. She spent a good deal of her time eating the snow, and the rest tromping through it and having a blast with her Daddy!

Kendal turns two!

2011-11-15T12:23:00.001-08:00

Kendal turned two today! Kendal and i went down memory lane this morning. After some breakfast we watched home videos of Kendal when she was a newborn up to a few weeks ago playing in the leaves. We both had fun going down memory lane. Kendal would talk to the "baby Kendal" on the screen, and i would just reminisce about how long ago some of the videos seem.
We had some family over on Sunday to celebrate Kendal's birthday. Nothing big, just a dinner and Minnie Mouse cupcakes. Kendal had a blast opening presents (Christmas ought to be a lot of fun!). She got some fun gifts from family. She caries her Minnie around everywhere and wants to wear her purple coat any time we go out. Casey and i got her a Mickey Mouse music player, slippers, and art stuff (play dough / supplies, paints, coloring book, etc.).
Kendal is a fun / energetic two year old. She is always learning new things and surprising us with how much she knows. Kendal has a bright cheery personality. She is always showing us how much she loves us with Kisses and hugs. Kendal is sweet with her animals. She talks to them and gives them big hugs all day. Her new passion is for babies. Since adding three baby cousins recently Kendal is all about wrapping up her animals in blankets and giving them naps and hugs.
Kendal's current favorites:
- Music, both listening to it, and trying to sing her own tunes. Kendal was on the potty this morning singing Jingle Bells. She also went up to the piano at my parents recently and was singing the Elmo theme song.
- Color, This is harder because Kendal calls everything blue or pink. I'll say pink is her current favorite color because that is what she picks out to wear most often.
- Food, Kendal loves anything with Sauce (sauce means ketchup and can occasionally mean other things) The food she eats the best is pasta.
- Toy, Right now Kendal is loving her birthday toys. Usually she is pulling out puzzles, her ducky, or her angel (bear).
- TV show, Kendal would love it if we still had Cable and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but since we moved Kendal's favorite show is either Super Why or Elmo.
- Book, Kendal's current favorite book is Dooby Dooby Moo. She has a plethora of books that we read over and over again, but currently it's the Cow / Duck books she's into.
- Snack, Kendal's favorite snacks are gold fish, cookies, and fruit snacks.

Casey and I are lucky parents to have such an awesome daughter. We are proud of how smart and wonderful she is.

Happy Second Birthday Kendal - (in Kendal's words) "luv ooo"

Fall Fun!

2011-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

We decided to Carve pumpkins. A first in our marriage and with Kendal. Apartments and pumpkins never went together well for us. It was too cold outside, so we decided to put some plastic on the floor and carve our pumpkins inside. Kendal thought it was neat and wanted to help. Once Casey and i got to carving Kendal was being silly by trying to put the pumpkin goo back inside the pumpkins. She loved to squish the goo and playing with it. (I made masks for all of the pumpkins to have before we carved them. I decided to put mine back on post carving.)

Since we're in a house now we have leaves to rake. I asked Casey to rake up some leaves the other day while i was at work. So after Kendal woke up from her nap Casey and Kendal played outside. Kendal had a blast raking, jumping, and running around.

Kendal has a love for anything Mickey Mouse related. So it was an easy choice having her be Minnie Mouse for Halloween. I found a pink dress, cute polka dot shoes, and i made her ears and bag. We practiced saying Trick or Treat before every stop, but Kendal would never say it when we got to the door. She was in a hiper mood with all of the sugar coming her way. Campbell was a very cute Peter Pan for Halloween. I love how well Kendal and Campbell or "Cangol" as Kendal calls him, get along. Kendal had a great night visiting family and being Minnie Mouse!

Happy Fall to you all!

An Eternal Blessing

2011-10-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Casey and i were able to fly under the radar in our new ward for a little over a month. However they found us and had us talk today. We were told to speak on Patriarchal Blessings. They never told us how long we needed to speak. I prepared around a ten minute talk (nerves got the best of me, i spoke faster and it was about an eight minute talk). Luckily Casey was well prepared and generously filled the rest of the twenty five minutes with his wonderful talk. Casey and i both took different perspectives about the patriarchal blessing; mine was more content, blessings, guidance, and direction you can receive from it. Casey talked about lineage and the position and calling of a Stake Patriarch. He did very well. I learned more from him, then i did researching about the blessing. As i was preparing my talk i came across the idea that not only is a patriarchal blessing meant for life here on earth, but it's blessings, and promises reach into the next life. What may not be fulfilled here can be accomplished in our life to come. That was so neat to discover. I have an eternal blessing, it's a wonderful thing! I cherish my patriarchal blessing; i know Casey and i will both be reading our blessings more often, and seeking their direction, guidance, and light.

p.s. potty training going well. Kendal is loving her new found Independence.

Milestones!

2011-10-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Kendal turns 23 months old tomorrow. She is just a month away from turning two years old. For me this is a big milestone, she will no longer be my baby girl, but my big girl.
Kendal has been showing a lot of interest in being potty trained lately. So Casey and i decided to bring on another milestone by potty training Kendal. We are on day four of potty training. Kendal has picked up on things really well. However we still have a couple accidents a day. Kendal enjoys being a big girl, and saying "bye bye diaper". We've still got some road ahead of us on this potty training ride; but i'm hopeful things will continue to do well, and my little one will be all set come her second birthday.
Some things Kendal has been up to lately -
Kendal loves to paint and play with play dough. If she spies her play dough or paints she begs Casey and i until we pull it out. (I would pull it out more willingly if my entire house wasn't carpet; i don't love cleaning smashed play dough out of the carpet)
Kendal is still obsessed with books. She has her handful of favorites that she pulls out almost daily for Casey or i to read to her. Her top picks right now are How i became a Pirate, Pirates don't change Diapers, Mickey Mouse nursery rhymes, and the potty books we currently have on loan from the library.
Kendal is improving and expanding her language every day. She has started to pick up on songs. When we sing to her she'll talk randomly through parts and then say words that are emphasized or at the end of a sentence.
With all of the new babies in the Darrington family. Kendal has become quite baby happy. She loves her baby dolls, finding babies in books, and on TV, and anywhere we go. She likes to give her dolls and her stuffed animal friends hugs all the time and talk to them. Sometimes if she's not super tired when i put her down for a nap or if we don't get her right away in the morning we can hear her in her room chatting away to her animals and dolls.
Kendal is our little Sweet Pea. She brightens our day and makes life so enjoyable. I can't wait for her birthday and the upcoming holidays! Kendal has blossomed into an energetic, loving, sweet, and funny cutie. It'll be sad to be done with her baby years, but i'm definitely looking forward to more milestones in her future.

Painting,Play dough nails, and rainbow rice fun:

More recent pictures:

No Diaper mom!

Need to

2011-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to conference weekend. It's a great time to hear the Prophets / Apposals teachings, be inspired, and learn more about the gospel. Heading into this weekend i have this strong feeling i NEED TO listen to conference. I NEED TO hear those prophetic messages. I am always uplifted and edified by conference and i'm anticipating a good weekend.

I NEED TO say how grateful i am for Casey; and i need to say how much i love him. I take for granted how hard working, loving, and just plain AWESOME he is. I am truly blessed to have him as my eternal companion.

Not that i need to, but i am going to update about life lately. I am settled into another year at After School Club. My position isn't always the funnest or the easiest, but it is a good job, and the kids make my job worthwhile. Casey has started Subbing. He has been to a handful of schools already around Cache Valley. We would love it if Casey could get a job during this school year and turn this subbing into a full time teaching job; but for now he'll keep pursuing his dreams through subbing. Casey does an amazing job and i'm very proud of him. Kendal is as always my little sweet pea. She is growing and getting into all sorts of mischief as usual. Kendal's vocab is constantly expanding; their is no doubt she is a talker, and still loves her books. Her favorite phrase right now is "______ where are you". The blank line is for many things people, stuffed animals, etc. She loves to copy cat people and learn from others too. For example the other day when we were taking family pictures her Uncle David put some of Kendal's animals on top of Anica's head while she took pictures. So now Kendal loves to put animals on our head; such as the middle of sacrament she puts a monkey on my head and says (a bit too loudly) "Mommy monkey, Ek Ek Ek". I just have to laugh at her funny ways.

I need to post family pictures as soon as Anica gets them looking good.

Happy Birthday Campbell!

2011-09-15T08:46:00.001-07:00

Campbell is the oldest out of two grandkids on my side of the family. He is at that awesome age of funny sayings, active adventures, and silly play. He is a great cousin to Kendal and a wonderful nephew. We love you so much Campbell!

- My favorite picture is of Kendal and Campbell holding hands (I love that they're still at the age that they'll do stuff like that)

Happy Third birthday Campbell, may your day be AWESOME, and your year wonderful!

Where do i start

2011-09-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

It's only been a few weeks since i posted last, but they've been a very full two weeks. I thought about doing a bunch of posts covering everything, but decided to go with one super long post.
* (events from the past few weeks)

* Casey unfortunately didn't get a teaching job. He is still working for my dad doing construction for now, and he will be subbing in schools once he completes some training. It's quite a bummer to go through all of college to not get a job when you finish, but we're hopeful something will come along this year if not we'll try a lot harder next year.
* Moving on:
Since we are no longer students!!! - we knew we had to move; thankfully Vanessa's grandpa's home was available and her family is letting us rent it for a bit. The downside to being here is we had (and still have) a lot of things to do to it before i will call myself settled here. So far we've replaced every outlet (major hazards), and light switches upstairs, painted a few rooms (it's amazing how much paint can make a place seem more livable), fixed doors and their parts, cleaned a lot, and there is still more on our to to list, but it's coming along. I've had to remind myself to count my blessings with this home. The basement may give me the creeps, but we're not under contract (meaning if Casey gets a job we can up and move with little hassle) and the rent is low.
p.s. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all who helped us pack, move, repair, and fix things for us during this move out of Aggie Village and into the house.
*Family reunion:
Casey's extended Webb family had a reunion the weekend of the twenty seventh. We moved into our place on Thursday of that week and went up to the family reunion on friday for the weekend. It was a low key reunion. The Webb family lives close together and spend time together often, but now that the kids are getting older and spreading farther out it was time to bring the extended family together. Casey had fun playing volleyball, golf, and catching up with his cousins. Kendal loved playing in the water and roaming around getting the other kids wet with the hose.
*Back to work for Marianne:
As we were getting closer to school starting and no job had come along for Casey i decided to try and get my job back working for the after school club. Fortunately the very week i contacted my boss was the week she was hiring for the school year. I was able to get my job back at Hillcrest as the site Manager for the program. I've always appreciated this job and love working with these kids. I work with a diverse, sometimes difficult group of kids which can be hard (and lets face it i do have my complaints), but i truly love my job and the kids (most days)! I had training for my job for a week. Now this was hard because this was my fifth year doing training and i've heard it all, but i got paid for it so i can't be to sore about it. I started back on September 6th. It was a crazy first week, but things will calm down and get into routine soon.
* Surprise it's Twins!
We got a call the a week and a half ago that Nicole's (Casey's sister) water had broke and they were doing all that they could to stop things from progressing. Unfortunately the twin boys she was carrying didn't want to wait (they came over two months early) and a few crazy days later we welcomed Hunter and Jaxson into the family. Things were a bit scary at times, but these two boys have been a miracle. They are doing so well right now; off oxygen and iv's. They just have to keep on growing and getting strong so they can go home in a month or so!
* Happy Birthday Dad!
I missed a post for my dad's birthday. (No Internet) We celebrated his birthday on labor day by going up the canyon for a hot dog roast. Kendal got really dirty and loved every minute of it. I just can't say enough of how grateful i am for my dad. He is loving, generous, and just plain wonderful. He is in love with Kendal (and she loves him loads too) and spoils her like no other! Happy Birthday Dad, may this year be fantastic for you!
* Surprise number two (or is that three)
We get a text early this past Wednesday morning with a picture of Vanessa, Brett, David, little Rebecca. I guess she decided her twin cousins couldn't have all the fun so she came four weeks early. Vanessa's labor progressed so quickly that no one really had notice of Rebecca's arrival. She is doing well, and is now at home with her family. David is a sweet brother giving her kisses and love.
* Nicole's baby shower
When we found out Nicole had had her twins i didn't know if we were going to still do her baby shower scheduled for this past weekend. Nicole felt well enough and Casey's mom said why not so we trekked up this weekend and got to see all of the babies and help throw a baby shower for Nicole. I am in love with all of these little ones. They are all tiny and so adorable! (Hunter and Jaxson just under 3 pounds each, and Rebecca is near 5 1/2 pounds) I wanted to hold and love them forever. I cannot forget Bryker he's been learning to crawl and i got to see some of his new skills this weekend. I am one very proud Aunt right now!
* Gone a lot
We have been up to Idaho four out of the five past weekends for family events. Kendal has done very well in the Raft River ward's nursery : ) We attempted to go to our new ward last weekend, but had the times wrong. So, i guess well try again next week.
* Kendal is our little sweet pea / diva as she is rolling into her 22 month of life. She has a love of all things right now. She is still quite the talker and seems to pick up words everyday. She is in love with animals especially frogs, ducks, and giraffes right now. She even made friends with a worm the other day. Sometimes Casey and i here her talking to her animals in her crib near nap time and bed time. She is getting more active and mischievous. She discovers new things daily and is always keeping me on my toes. Some may think she is energetic, and loud. She can be but that's mostly around a group of people that she knows she can command their attention. I'm not saying she's a mild doll at home, but she definitely has a different level of active when she's around her extended family and friends.

I guess i'll have to put in a slide show on this post too. There's just too much to add and this post is already very long. I wish i could've had the patience to put on more pictures, however it took an hour just to get these so enjoy!

Cody's home!

2011-08-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

Friday we went down to SLC. Casey and i took Kendal to build a bear and the gateway splash pad for a bit of fun. We met up with some of the family and went swimming at the hotel pool. It was fun having Bryker and Kendal bump around the pool in their floaties! Later that night we all went to the airport and welcomed Cody home from the Czech Republic. He had a wonderful mission experience; looks skinnier, and has that mission glow about him! The next morning we went with the clan to Hoggle zoo. It's a cool zoo; David and Kendal had a blast seeing the animals. David wanted to have one on one time with them all and Kendal was very happy to watch them from a distance. The only problem she had was when we tried putting her on a fake statue of a Rhino for a picture. She screamed and clung to Casey like no other. So so funny! After the zoo we all trekked back to Idaho and spent some more time with the family. Cody gave an excellent talk on Sunday. (Kendal even went to nursery on her own {HALLELUJAH})

Such a good weekend, i wanted to share a lot of pictures so i put them in a slide show, enjoy!

Darrington Reunion

2011-08-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were able to go up to Idaho and spend some time with Casey's extended Darrington family at a reunion. The reunion was held at the (Raft River) water slide. It has quickly become the traditional place to hold the reunion, and we can't complain it's loads of fun and we get to sneak over to my in-laws every night to sleep instead of camping with a toddler.
We went up Friday and enjoyed some dinner and a good chat with the family. Saturday we we had fun with the family going down the water slide, and doing an Amazing Race scavenger hunt (with GPS), bonfire, good food, games, etc. Mom and Dad Darrington even went down the water slide a few times. Kendal didn't love the water slide at first, but after a few rides she kept asking for more, more, more. (She had it easy though; we would carry her up the tall hill, and slide with her down. She just got to enjoy herself). Everyone had fun getting updated on every ones lives, and reminiscing about past Darrington fun.
It was a very good weekend! We loved seeing family, and look forward to next years fun!
Can't forget the pics.
Trampoline fun with Grandpa and David ("bouncy bouncy" as Kendal would say)

Water slide fun ("More side, more side" - Kendal would say)

Darrington cousins (There were around 98 people there, not all of his cousins were able to make it, but a fair amount came with their families)

Kendal loves baby Bryker

More fun to come in the next few weeks. Job for Casey (cross your fingers), Cody's coming home, we move, Webb reunion,
(I'm thinking i'll have to do a post at the end of the month with a major upload of our summer fun)

Homemade fun

2011-08-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Kendal is finally getting to the age where i can introduce more art projects. She loves to get her crayons out to color; however she usually just picks at or eats the crayons in the end. I introduced play doh recently and Kendal loves it. She pushes it around with her fingers and constantly says "scish" (squish).
I know play doh is pretty inexpensive, but i like to go the homemade route anyway. I've messed around with many recipe's over the years and found one i love. It doesn't dry out, get moldy, or leave much residue on your hands.
I thought I'd share this awesome recipe.

Play doh
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp cream of tar tar (this is what makes it so it doesn't mold)
- 1/4 cup salt (i use a little less so my hands aren't salt coated after play)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp. oil (i just use veggie oil)
- food coloring

Mix all of the ingredients, add the food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. (It will start forming clumps in the pan, just keep stirring) Remove from pan and knead until it is blended and smooth. (i like to knead it around in a bit of extra flour) Store in a bag or container when cool (DON'T FORGET TO PLAY PLAY PLAY!)

Music

2011-07-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Music always has a way of bringing peace, and happiness to anything happening in my life. I tend to turn to Hymns a lot for words of comfort. So i thought I'd share a hymn that has been on my mind recently.

I will not doubt, I will not fear;
God’s love and strength are always near.
His promised gift helps me to find
An inner strength and peace of mind.
I give the Father willingly
My trust, my prayers, humility.
His Spirit guides; his love assures
That fear departs when faith endures.

-Hymn 128

O i cannot forget another source of happiness in my life.
Casey & Kendal!

BFF's

2011-07-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

We got to spend some time this weekend with some wonderful friends. Aria, Rhett, and Jenae were able to make a visit this summer from Washington, and we were able to steal away some time from their busy vacation. Casey and Rhett have been lifelong friends, Aria and i came together though our husbands, and then we were able to have two wonderful little girls close together. We REALLY REALLY miss having them around. They have been and will always be such wonderful people and our BFF's forever!

Picture overload, but hey we don't get to see them often

- Kendal and Jenae (Our blond, blue eyed beauties)

- Kendal warmed up to Jenae and Aria quickly

- HUGS

- Daddy's and their Daughter's

- Chillin before dinner

- The boy's

- Just playing around

- BFF's

How sweet it is!

2011-07-18T19:56:00.001-07:00

Today has been a wonderful anniversary. Casey and i got to spend some quality time together and enjoy our anniversary. For part of our day we went to see the latest Harry Potter (Yes it was Awesome!).
I surprised Casey with a memento from our wedding day.

Why would i get a duplicate of our wedding cake?
Well on our wedding day Casey and i had a grand dutch oven luncheon after we were married. We had a personal cake (similar to the one above) and some cupcakes. Casey and i were so full from all of the wonderful lunch that we opted not to eat any cake at the lunch. We went away to our honeymoon shortly after; not having eaten any cake. Casey and i returned three days later with anticipation of cake on our minds. We arrived at my parents only to find out that the cake had been polished off while we were away on our honeymoon. So to fill the void of our lost cake i thought i would get one for today. Delicious and a good surprise.

- I couldn't forget to get a picture either!

Here's to five wonderful years; i can't help but think about my marriage and say how sweet it is!

5 Years!

2011-07-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today marks my fifth wedding anniversary to the best man in the world CASEY DARRINGTON! We've been together for six marvelous years, and have gotten to spend five of those six married. I love him more and more every day. Casey and i have been blessed with a great marriage; and i count my blessings every day to have such a patient, sweet, hard working, and sexy man for my husband. I thought i would take myself (and you all) on a journey through these past years.

2005 Dating

2006 - Marriage

2007

2008

2009 - We welcomed Kendal Ann Darrington into our lives!

2010

2011 (Sad but true Casey and i don't have a picture together yet this year) one or the other of us usually has the camera, and my pictures all include the little lady. I guess that is something i'll have to work on.

Happy Anniversary Casey, i am the luckiest girl in the world to have you!

20 Month old

2011-07-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today our little lady is twenty months old. I just can't say this often enough, but time does really fly by. I look back on her baby pictures and it seems like a very distant memory of those days. It's hard to remember my snugly, calm natured baby when i look at Kendal now. Kendal is growing up. She is a very active toddler. Kendal has moved to only one nap a day. However when she wakes up early some mornings she'll start whining for a morning nap around ten, but we hold off so that she'll take a good afternoon nap. Kendal spends her mornings with me at home, we either play inside or venture to one of the playgrounds nearby for some fun in the sun. Kendal loves being outside "bubbles", and "sing" (swing) are two of her favorite outside activities. Kendal either spends the afternoon with me or at my parents house. I've worked a fair amount this summer, so Kendal has had a lot of fun spending time at my parents house.
Kendal's language is expanding everyday. She's starting to combine words and make simple sentences; her favorite phrase is "Wher U at?" Kendal still enjoys reading books. One of her new loves is puzzles. Kendal has a few puzzles that get pulled out and played with on a daily basis. Our floor is constantly littered with puzzle pieces.
Kendal has decided lately to become a very picky eater. If she didn't have weight issues i wouldn't stress about this so much. However, when your doctor says up the calories, get her to eat eat eat; then she won't touch anything during a meal Casey and i are not happy. She does have her favorites though; right now she adores cheese (she will take cheese over sweets), she likes hot dogs, peanut butter, and still loves noodles.
Nursery is still a weekly battle with Kendal. She enjoys her time there, and gets along very well with the other children. However when Casey and i leave she cries and cries until she eventually throws up; so Casey or i have to come in, give BIG apologies for Kendal throwing up, and inevitably spend the rest of nursery with her. (let's just say we miss the old nursery leaders that were able to get Kendal preoccupied and happy so Casey and i could leave, sigh)
Kendal has been enjoying the summer; she's been able to spend time outside, go swimming a couple of times, has had a few picnic cook-outs, and even hammered some with Grandpa (both toy and real). So far a good summer. Kendal has more to look forward to this summer; some family reunions, Uncle Cody coming home (she almost has every family member's name down!), and moving (where to you ask, NO CLUE, we are still applying and waiting for an awesome teaching job to come along). The next few weeks ought to be great, and i know Kendal is going to have a lot of fun.

-Kendal enjoying her favorite snack CHEESE

-Kendal getting caught causing mischief

-Happy 20 months Kendal!

Red, White, and boo hoo weekend

2011-07-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night started our fourth of July weekend. We watched our final set of fireworks living at Aggie Village. I must say growing up I usually had a good view living in North Logan; but living in Aggie Village has given us an awesome view these past few years. It was a good night with some of the family. Kendal was all over the place for a while, but during fireworks she sat with us watching and saying "BOOM" with auntie Katherine.

Saturday took us down to Farmington to crash a family reunion. My Ernstrom cousins were all together for the holiday's and family fun; and they extended an invitation to join in the fun. So we went down and picnicked with them and then enjoyed a little train ride with some of the kids. Good to see some family that i rarely see!

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Sunday took us to church. I spent most of my time in Nursery with Kendal. She does awesome when distracted and when she's into the activity. But if she sees Casey and i try to sneak out; all bets are off, Screaming - Throw up - etc. (Let's just say we are working on it, and we are DEEPLY sorry to all of the nursery workers) Sacrament was wonderful. Kendal went down by herself for a nap and i enjoyed listening to many testimonies about families, and being proud to be American / LDS. It's always nice to be reminded of how special and important family is. It was heartwarming to feel the spirit and familial love.
Today on the fourth we had a good start to the day. We had a picnic with family to look forward to. While slicing potatoes for the dutch oven i ended up taking a chunk of my finger tip off. So I've spent my day with a wrapped up / tender / unhappy finger. (Boo hoo) After my amputation we went over to my parents for a small picnic. My cousin Billie and her daughter Emma were there. Emma is Campbell's age; and so so adorable. Billie brought some fun surprises and the girls had fun playing for the afternoon. So to end our lovely fourth, we're staying in. Casey kindly bathed Kendal and we'll probability watch some fireworks on TV.

Happy Fourth of July - I hope your weekend was good, and didn't result with a red finger, a white face, and a boo hoo attitude.

New

2011-06-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Casey and i received a lamp for our wedding. I never really liked the look of the lamp so i decided to change it. Casey is usually my go to to fix up anything. This time he said it was my project. (Yikes!) I knew it wouldn't be too bad it was mostly making decisions which is very hard for Casey and i (we are very undecidable). Through much contemplation and a little guidance i completed my new lamp.

Before

After (added some paint, a new lampshade with a deep purple trim and tada!)

Is it perfect . . No . . Do i think it is 100% better than before . . Yes!

Since our beloved book store has gone from Logan Casey has been toying with the idea of an ereader. He was torn between the awesome Nook color, and the Kindle. Nook color had so many apps and awesome features that it was hard not to want it, but Casey thought about his needs and what he'd really be using it for and decided on the Kindle. So with some money from his graduation and my birthday we bought ourselves a new Kindle. Casey is happy with the purchase and i know he'll be reading a lot from it. I've already downloaded Alice in Wonderland to read to Kendal.

When we first opened it Kendal wanted to see it, so Casey showed it to her and she immediately put it up to her ear like a cell phone. Funny girl!

I recently received a bonus grant from my job so Casey and i decided to spend it on some much needed new couches (we've had a horrid 70's hand me down couch for the past few years) and a new washer and dryer. I'll be so happy not to have to haul my laundry to my parents every week. (Sorry mom, i enjoy the visits, but not having to do laundry at your house)

Splish Splash

2011-06-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Since we finally had a whole week of sunny summer weather. Casey and i decided it was time to break out the swimsuits and take Kendal to the pool. Last summer we took Kendal swimming a few times and she loved it every time. This time was no different. Kendal was squealing with delight and loving the pool. She was quite unsteady on her feet at first, but got the hang of walking around in the water. We put her on her belly a few times and she stretched her arms out, and kicked a bit for us. Casey tried to teach her to blow bubbles, but she just spit towards the water. I'm glad Kendal enjoyed herself so much!
I'm very happy that the weather is finally coming around. Summer is my favorite season and i was getting anxious that it would never come.

- Update on our current happenings

Casey is still looking for a teaching job. He keeps applying for jobs every few days, unfortunately no opportunities have come our way yet. We are praying and hoping for a job to come our way. In the meantime Casey has been working on getting his Idaho teaching licence and taking his other Praxis test. He is also spending the summer working for my Dad doing construction.

I had a couple of weeks of from work, and now I'm back. I am a sub for the Summer Playground program again this year. I have been with this job for four years now and it's weird to think I'll be done at the end of the summer when we move. Other than subbing i get to spend my time with our wonderful little sweet pea.

Kendal is a full on toddler at 19 months old now. It's so much fun to watch her grow and learn. She picks up things really quick and loves to mimic what others are doing lately. Kendal is currently working on her 13,14,15, and 16th teeth (all her canine teeth) right now. She chews on her fingers a lot, and tends to get picky and some meals. I can't wait till her teeth are all in, she eats and acts so much better when she's not teething. We've been going out a lot more lately with the good weather. She loves to swing, blow bubbles, run around, and just play outside. Kendal loves music. She will dance to some music and she's started to actions and words to some music. Sometimes she'll break out singing Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, if you're happy and you know it, the wheels on the bus, popcorn popping, itsy bitsy spider, etc. Kendal's language is growing in leaps and bounds.
Kendal usually warms up to people pretty quick, and sometimes she's really friendly and interactive with them. This unfortunately isn't the case with nursery. Kendal loves all of the kids in nursery (they've been her playmates in the back of Sunday school for so long) and once she's distracted and into the activity Casey and i don't matter. Unfortunately she really hates Casey and i leaving her with strange adults, so I'll just say the past couple of Sunday's we've had to take a change of clothes to church with us because Kendal tends to get REALLY upset. However, Casey and i are persevering; we want to make sure Kendal keeps going to nursery and enjoys her experience there.

All in all it should be a fun summer. We are looking forward to lots of sunshine, swimming some more, family reunions / celebrations, tons of fun with Kendal, moving, (cross your fingers) a new job for Casey, Cody coming home, and more.

Weekend recap

2011-06-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

Casey, Kendal and i got to spend Father's day weekend in Idaho with family. We got to see all of Casey's siblings (minus Cody - two months to go) and we got to spend some quality time with family. We always have fun getting together, and it's a joy having the kiddos around to watch and see how they are growing up. (I am kicking myself for not taking my camera this weekend because i wish i could share how wicked adorable my two Darrington nephews are) The boys got to go fishing on Saturday, then they fixed Mom and Dad D's roof that afternoon. As always we had some good food, and a lot of fun together.
Family is so important to me. Casey and i have been blessed with such wonderful family members. We are always feeling their love and support, and are so grateful for them.
Today being father's day i just have to say how blessed and happy i am to have all of the Dad's i do in my life. I was raised by a wonderful Dad who taught me the value of hard work and so much more. I married a wonderful man and knew he would be a fantastic Dad and he truly is. Kendal and i are so lucky to have Casey in our lives, he is our everything. Marrying Casey gave me another Dad. I am grateful for Casey's Dad; not only did he raise an exceptional son, but he is a great man also.

In the words of Kendal "appy faders day!"

My Dad just wanted some pictures of his sweet grandkid's for father's day so here are a few pictures i took the other day. (Again I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera this weekend or i would have more pictures)

1/4 century old!

2011-06-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm one happy girl right now. I turned 25 years old today (a quarter of a century!). I had many birthday wishes, and some sweet cards and gifts from my wonderful family / friends. Casey was so wonderful and got me a locket. I'm not a big jewelry person, but I've always wanted one so he gave me one for my birthday!
All in all a very good birthday!

- A few random facts from 1986
- a gallon of gas was 89 cents (if only right)
- space shuttle Challenger explosion
- the disposable camera was invented
- couple of movies that came out (that I've herd of); Top Gun / Crocodile Dundee / The Money Pit
- couple of pop. TV shows; Cheers / Cosby show

And we can't forget a picture of our Sweet Pea (Kendal decided the other day she had to have her Sunday shoes on and a mixing bowl on her head. She then grabbed my keys and said "Bye bye" as she walked towards the door) This girl makes me smile!

Trip to Logan Zoo

2011-05-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

We didn't have any plans yesterday so we decided to take Kendal to the Logan zoo. (Not that you can call it a great zoo, it's highlights are a plethora of birds, an albino porcupine, and Capuchin monkeys) Kendal is by no means an animal lover. She's great when she has a book or puzzle and likes to imitate the sounds; however when you get her close to real animals she gets squeamish. Kendal did well because the animals were all in cages and encasement's (except for the stupid roaming peacocks). She liked to watch the animals and even made a few sounds at them, however she kept close to daddy the whole time. (I do have to confess i really don't love the zoo; birds are not my thing and birds just happens to be 70% of the zoo. Casey was nice enough to put up with my squeamish way's yesterday while visiting the zoo) Casey's favorite part was when a raven was in the trees making noise, then below it two cranes started screeching at it. Kendal's favorite part of the zoo had to be the monkey's; she loved watching them and was trying to climb the fence to get a better look at them. I had to pry her away finally when we were ready to go. Hopefully sometime this summer we will take Kendal to a bigger zoo like the Hogle zoo. It was a nice day, a little bit rainy; but that didn't stop us from having our adventure to the Logan zoo.
Here are some picture of the Little Lady at the zoo

Nursery Age!

2011-05-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

I have been looking forward to Kendal reaching 18 months for a while now. Why, because a squirmy, talkative explorer is not so fun in church. Casey and I decided a couple of weeks ago to put Kendal in nursery to test it out. Kendal did great, she loved being in there (that is until she was the last kid not picked up - then they had to find Casey and me). I think I was more nervous that week every time the door opened I would expect it to be my upset daughter. Let's just say I kept my eye on the clock a lot, but I didn't need to; Kendal did great. Last week there was no one there to teach nursery so I took my loud, squirmy kid to meetings. I'm anticipating later today when I get to drop Kendal off and enjoy the meetings (and be able to focus on the lessons).

Kendal is a fun / energetic little 18 month old. She just loves to do her thing; whether it is climbing / exploring everything, or pulling books off her shelf one by one for Casey or me to read to her. She's started to love puzzles. Most of the time she takes them apart and makes us put them together. She has a number puzzle that she knows where all the pieces go she just can't get them to fit on her own yet. Her vocabulary is expanding everyday. She'll even repeat the ABC's (with a lot of prompting). Kendal has become a fair eater. She's just been so touchy in the past months about eating I was getting frustrated with putting multiple meal options in front of her and very little would be consumed. However, since the bulk of her teeth are fully in she is eating very well, surprising us with the things she will eat. She'll eat cinnamon Altoids mints without any thought, she loves anything with noodles, starting to eat meat better, and loves most anything that has strong flavors (can i say daddy's girl all the way).

Kendal's favorite books we have to read multiple times a day.

I try my best to do Kendal's hair and to keep bows, flowers, and pony's in but Kendal just doesn't love them in. Kendal calls her hair things, necklaces, and bracelets "pretties". She'll have them on and she'll point to them and say "pretty". Kendal loves to dance, lately when she hears music at home she'll break out a dance move, or at the store when she hears overhead music she'll twist her head around to try to find the music source than she'll say "dance, dance". Casey and I caught her singing last night; we were on the way home from the store and we hear babbling - eieio - then her quacking noises (Kendal doesn't say the word quack she does the sounds. It's odd but funny); she'll also try to sing the theme song to cat and the hat by babbling then saying go go go. Kendal has caught onto tickling. She loves to get tickled and can even pronounce the whole word tickle (sounds like tee-cull). Kendal has been restricted to Binky use only during naps for a long time now. Casey and I decided that she should be done 100% this week and Kendal has done pretty well without it.

Kendal with some "pretty" on

Casey and I are in love with our little sweet pea and love watching her grow and flourish! I just have to say yay for reaching nursery age!

Kendal with her best buddy - "duck"

A lot to be proud of

2011-05-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

After . . . years in school Casey graduated today. He graduated from Utah State with two majors family finance, and Social Studies Secondary Education Teaching. Casey has done so well, and i'm beyond proud of him for all that he's accomplished. Casey has worked so hard to get to where he is, and i know he'll be a marvelous teacher!
Congratulations Casey you did it!

I am very proud to say i have such a wonderful mom and mom-in-law to celebrate this Mother's day. These two women inspire, uplift, love, care, and do so much. I am truly honored to have them in my life and i look up to them so much.
Happy Mother's day Mumm, and Mom D!

To all of the mother's i know (family & friends); i am proud to know you all and am truly grateful for the wonderful examples you are to me. Thank you.

I am so proud to be a Mom myself. Even though i am not always as gracious and patient as i would like to be, i know i have a sweet daughter whom i love so very very much. She teaches me so much and i am so grateful and honored to have Kendal in my life.

Easter

2011-04-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday Kendal got to participate in two Easter egg hunts. (I can't really call them hunts since both times the eggs were covering the grass in plain view) The first was put on by our housing community and the second Kim and i put together a small hunt at my parents house. Kendal liked going around gathering things, she loved it even more when she discovered there were treats inside the eggs. We had our Easter celebration with my family on Saturday when all the Sib's could be there. Sunday was a quiet dinner with my parents and grandparents. Kendal received many fun things for Easter including a cute outfit (thank you Mom and Dad D), a sweet purse (thank you Mom and Dad L), and a bubble gun. It was a good weekend full of firsts for Kendal, and it was a wonderful Easter.

- Getting ready to go on the egg hunt

- Egg hunt in our housing area

- Kendal's Easter purse!

- Egg hunt at my parents house

- Kendal's Easter dress

O the joys

2011-04-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Kendal is now 17 months. I would've updated on the fifteenth, however Kendal has been sick this week (and it's been a long week). Thankfully she's doing better we just need to get her rash gone, and her eating a bit better.
This month Kendal has gained many new things
- the skill to climb onto chairs then our dinning table : (
- Four molars, she now has 12 teeth : (
- More fun words such as ink (pink), wher's tha (hide and seek), tu (two, the only number she knows), see u (see ya), gama (grandma, finally), and more that i cannot remember just now : )
- she's learning pretend play, she'll get two animal crackers and prance them across her tray then make them climb her belly or kiss each other. : )
- points to her bum and either says poop or diaper, (early potty trainer??) : )
- Explores and gets into anything she possibly can : /
- Gets bowls / buckets and a whisk / spatula, puts some toys into the bowl, stirs it, then she takes the utensil out and pretends to eat off of it. : )
- "Go" anytime Kendal wants to go outside or somewhere else she points to the door and says go go. : )

This little girl is always making us smile. We love her so much!

- countdown, nine more days left in Casey's student teaching
twenty more days till Casey graduates
twenty one more days till Kendal is in nursery
thirty two more days till I'm done with After School club
O the joy of it all!

Put a smile on your face

2011-04-10T20:03:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Idaho to spend some of our Spring Break with family, and to attend Baby Bryker's blessing. It was a good family weekend.

Here is one of the best highlights from the weekend.
I hope it puts a smile on your face!!

Happy Birthday MUM!

2011-04-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my Mummy's birthday. (I don't love the word Mother, so i call her Mom, or Mum) I am truly truly blessed to have the mom that i do. There are not enough words to thank her for all that she's done; i am so grateful for her support, and everything she does for me. My mom is generous enough to watch Kendal most afternoons so that i can work, and Casey can student teach / lesson plan. She loves Kendal so much, and i know Kendal loves going over to play. My mom is a great example to me. I want to be as awesome a mom as she has been to me. She taught me so much growing up and i have her to thank for my sewing skills, cooking skills, love for the gospel, good nature, love for others, collecting (her - peanut's cartoons, me - blankets), and much much more. She is a strong beautiful Lady and i'm lucky to have her as my MUM!

Happy Birthday Mum, may all your wishes come true!

Looking forward to

2011-03-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

- I am really looking forward to conference this weekend. Conference is always something i look forward to. I really enjoy the inspired messages that are given, and many which usually have a lot of meaning to me. I love hearing the stories, parables, messages, and spiritual inspiration. I can't wait to chill out at home this weekend and listen to conference (hopefully Kendal will let me listen).
- I am looking forward to Casey graduating. It's getting closer, just a little over over a month and Casey gets to sport his cap and gown and take that proud, long anticipated walk. We are both looking forward to Casey's career as a teacher. No job's yet, but Casey is putting himself out there and hopefully before long we'll know where we'll be this fall.
- I am looking forward to warmer weather. Winter is so cold, long, and dreary. I am anxious for some warm days that i can take Kendal out for walks, and play. I cannot wait for warm sunny days!

Now for the important part. Pics of Kendal.

Sweet 16!

2011-03-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Kendal is so grown up; today she is sixteen (months old)! Kendal is an entertaining, energetic little one. This past month brought the major milestone of walking. It took a while to start, but now she has the hang of things Kendal is just walking everywhere. She has such a fun personality, she loves to mimic sounds (animals mostly), and her vocabulary is expanding daily. Kendal has had a few teeth pop out this month. She's now up to nine teeth, and she's working on her second and third molars right now. : ( Kendal is so curious about everything; she has to touch it, take it apart, eat it, and talk to it. It's funny some of the things she gets into. She'll take our keys and roam the house trying to put them into every door / hole she can find. Church has become a bit difficult lately. Kendal just wants to socialize with everyone, get into their stuff, take the other kids things, and talk constantly. Luckily we have nursery to look forward to in a couple of months. I can't wait for the warm weather coming up so we can go for walks, swing, and other fun things. Kendal sure is turning into a fun little girl full of pizazz, and she sure is sweet for 16 (months)!

My Disappointed Book Lover

2011-03-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Casey is an avid reader. Give him a good book and he would rather read it than do anything else (which includes reading important textbooks for school). I always know that if i'm stumped for a gift for Casey i can always get him a book off of his wish list and he'll be happy. He is such a smart guy, and i know his love for reading has been a big part of his successes in school. Casey and i have been very diligent in our reading with Kendal. She has gone through well over twenty chapter books with me, and countless picture books since she was born. She prefers books to TV. She'll unload our bookshelf in pursuit of her favorite books (Hippos go Berserk, Piggies, The little white owl, etc.), she'll drag them over to Casey or i and say up, eas and make us read them to her. I enjoy seeing her interest in books, and believe she's already a book worm.
So why is my Husband a Disappointed book lover? Well, we recently found out that the only major book store in Logan, Border's is closing this spring. Border's is a favorite shopping spot for us. Back when we were dating if i got off work and wanted to know where Casey was i would just have to go to Border's. Casey loved to go sit and read whenever he wanted, it was a great way to read his favorite books without having to buy them. So, i can say is sad to see such a great store leave. I think i better tell him to go there today and pick up some discount books for my disappointed book lover.

Aye Aye Aye

2011-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

As this last semester has hit it's peak Casey is realizing his student days are coming to an end. Saturday we went to our last Basketball game (as student's, Casey still hopes to go a game or two every year if we can). Basketball is one of the few sports Casey and i share an interest in. We have never liked sitting with the students during a game. We've always chosen to sit off to the side where we don't have to stand for the majority of the game. It's been a fun Aggie tradition that we've shared for the past five years and it will be sad next year when Casey can't go to any game he wants. Also i'll miss singing "Aye Aye Aye" with the song during each game (It's a little thing Casey and i do).
Casey has reached the middle of his semester Student Teaching. He has had positive reviews from both teachers and his evaluator. He still feels a bit nervous sometimes, but i know he's doing awesome, and will be a wonderful teacher. Casey is enjoying the subjects he gets to teach (Geography, and Ancient Civ. history). The kids are challenging, they keep him on his toes, and he's learning a lot from them. We'll see if in the next month or so Casey can get himself out there, interview, and hopefully land a job so we know where life is taking us.
Can't forget Kendal. Kendal is walking now. It's not constantly, but lately she's walking more than crawling. She's also picking up words every day. This little girl is a born talker. It's funny to hear her say some things, but they are so cute coming out of her mouth. Ap Ap (Apple), iper (diaper), os (nose), oose (shoes)Tank u (thank you), up, gwampa (grandpa), ama (grandma {doesn't say this often}), hi, ease (please), and a few more. She also will talk on the cell phone, however it's only to herself, whenever someone else talks to her she just stares at it and smiles). Can't wait to see the many more fun things Kendal will do next!
My mom and i went to a baby shower this past weekend for a dear friend of mine. My mom's advice to the mother to be was to keep up with journaling, and record memories of the child's life. My mom had Calendars for each child as we grew up. Each year is chuck full of memories, milestones, and just general happenings of what we did as kids. I am so grateful for the effort and thought my mom put into all of those, because it is a precious momento of my younger years. I don't do as well with Kendal's memories, but i do consider this blog a way of journaling and putting down to memory the milestones, and happenings going on with Kendal and in my life.
So, in remembrance of all the fun memories at USU, and games Casey and i have been to over these past few years, i just have to say "Aye Aye Aye".

Love you . . .

2011-02-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Casey, Kendal and i treked up to Idaho this past weekend to see some of our wonderful family. We celebrated my nephew Davids first birthday on Saturday. He's grown so much (as all little ones tend to do). David is walking all over and doing so much. He enjoyed his first cake, however he didn't enjoy the haircut that followed.

Love you David

Today we got to meet the newest member of the Darrington clan. Little Bryker. He is adorable, sweet, cute, and perfect. (almost makes me want another baby, ALMOST not yet people) We enjoyed our time with him, unfortunately Kendal had a minor fever, and some major jealousy issues going on. Kendal was not happy when i had Bryker in my arms. It made me laugh because i've never seen her so possessive of me. Anyway it was good to meet Bryker and welcome him to the family.

Love you Bryker

Kendal my little sweet pea. will be fifteen months old this week. She's made a lot of progress with walking this past month, however she knows that she can get places faster crawling so her desire to walk hasn't matched mine yet. Kendal's personality is blossoming, she has such a fun a quirky way about her. She makes me laugh everyday by the little things she does. Kendal is picking up on words. Sometimes she repeats a random word i've said, and some she just says all the time like ba boo (peek-a-boo) or eas (please). I keep saying it but time does fly when you have little ones. I'm so happy Kendal is in my life and i love watching her grow and flourish.

Love you Kendal

Casey the love of my life, my eternal companion, my soul mate. Happy Valentines Day! I count my blessings every day so thankful that i have Casey in my life. He is my rock and my true love. I'm so proud of him and all that he does. Casey is doing his student teaching. He's really enjoying his subjects (Ancient History, and Geography).

Love you Casey

Can't forget my amazing family. I'm so happy to have the family i do in my life. I love everyone and am so thankful for their love and support they give me and my family.

Love you Family

One step at a time

2011-01-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

For the past week Kendal has been taking steps and standing on her own quite a bit. I've eagerly awaited when Kendal started to walk. (Most people tell me to treasure the time when they can't get into things, but Kendal already does get into everything) Casey and i tried to take a video, however you'd wonder what it's about; so when she's walking a bit more for us i'll make sure a video gets posted.
Kendal is picking up a lot of words lately. She says tank u (thank you), eas (please), wa da (what's that). It's so funny and cute all at the same time. I love hearing her take on things. I've been trying to teach Kendal to blow kisses goodbye but she seems to have mixed it up with the sign language version of Thank you. So when i tell her to say good by she puts her hand to her mouth, puts it out then says tank u when we're saying our goodbyes.
Loving this little girl, and excited to see her taking her walking, even if it's one step at a time.

So close

2011-01-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

The end is so close i can see it. Today marks the first day of Casey's last semester ever! He is attending seminars this week; then next week he will begin his student teaching at Logan High school. Casey gets to teach Ancient Civ. history with the sophomores, and Geography with freshman. He is anxious / excited to be teaching; but i know he'll do great.

Kendal will be fourteen months old this week. She is quite the busy body. Every day she is exploring and learning so much. Kendal is not quite walking yet, she is so close ; she just needs to stand on her own and she'll be there. Kendal has five teeth now; three on top and two on bottom. She loves to give out cheezy smiles, and i love capturing them on camera. Kendal has so much hair i love it. I would love to put headbands, bows, flowers, and pony tails, in her hair; however the minute i put anything in her hair she yanks it out. I even try tricking her by putting things in her hair when she goes down for a nap; she always discovers them. So even though she's a girly girl with how much she likes to wear necklaces and bracelet's, i can't figure out her aversion to things in her hair. Kendal is into music these days. She tends to gravitate towards any toy that makes music, so she can bounce up and down to it. Her sign language is going well, but can be a little confusing sometimes when she wants something. It's a joy to watch her learn and grow.
I love being a mother, Kendal is good at trying my patience, but i love her so much and am so grateful for the lessons that she teaches me every day. The holidays were a nice break from work. Now that I'm back to work, things are a little bit crazy with staff turnovers, new students, and willy kids. I enjoy my job, and am grateful I'm able to work and help provide for my family.

Kendal and Campbell, These two were really hamming it up with hugs and loves, and Campbell was even helping Kendal brush her teeth. So cute!

This past weekend we went up to Idaho to attend Sarah's baby shower, and borrow Cody's car for the semester. Kendal loves her grandma's drawers and kept crawling into this one.

pictures to come

2010-12-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately i forgot my camera on our weekend Christmas visit to Idaho (i know very bad on my part). I captured some holiday moments on my mom-in-laws camera, however those pictures aren't in my position for this post. We had a wonderful time in Idaho this past weekend. Kendal had a lot of fun with her Grandparents, her Aunt's and Uncles, and her cousin David. Casey's Mom even watched Kendal so Casey and i could go on a mini date to the latest Narnia movie! (Good movie, didn't think the 3D was amazing) On Christmas eve we did our second annual Christmas eve pajamas for Kendal. So very cute (pictures to come). Christmas day we ate breakfast with the Webb's (always a joy to spend time with Casey's Webb family). We got to talk with Cody (Casey's brother on a mission in Cech Republic) just after lunch. He is doing well, and enjoying his mission experience. I can't wait for Kendal and her other cousins to meet him this next summer. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner with Casey's parents, Brett, Vanessa, and David. It was definitely a wonderful week.
Sunday we trudged home through some snow so that we could be with my family for our little holiday get together. We ate well, opened some presents, and spent quality time as a family.
Casey, Kendal, and i were definitely spoiled this year. We just wanted to give a big THANKS!!!! to our Super Fabulous family for all of the love, and gifts we received this Christmas. Wonderful week, exceptional company, and out of this world family!

And don't worry pictures to come.

Signing and Cheesing

2010-12-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

We have been working with Kendal to start signing some things so we can understand what she is wanting. We do not understand what screams mean yet, so we needed extra help. She has kinda adapted some signs for her own preferences, but it is so much easier to uderstand her during feeding time. She can sign "more" for more food, "drink" for water, "please," "thank you," and blows kisses for goodbye. She still needs prompts most of the time, but she responds really well and is starting to initiate sometimes. It is great to watch her learn and grow.

That sour face that Kendal is giving through the video is her "cheesy" grin. We are not feeding her anything sour, she just pulls these faces when the camera comes out. She is a funny little girl and we love her!

Recognition of Excellence

2010-12-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

I have to brag here for a minute. My husband is a GENIUS! Today he received an award for getting a very high percentage on the Praxis exam (very hard test to become a teacher). He hasn't even received his scores or results, but he figures he passed since he's got an Recognition of Excellence award. I've always known i am married to a smart guy. Casey does so well in school, and has such a vast knowledge. I'm very proud of Casey and all the work he's put into his schooling this semester. He's worked so hard, and next semester it finally comes to an end and he gets to graduate after his student teaching.
Since i won't be by a computer this weekend. I want to wish my Papa-in-law, and my Husband a very Happy Birthday. Casey's dad's birthday is tomorrow and Casey's is on Saturday. These two men are such wonderful guys, i feel very blessed and lucky to have them in my life.
Casey turns 27 this Saturday and doesn't have to take a final on his birthday for the first time in five years! I love my husband so very much and can't believe i got to marry the man of my dreams. I feel very lucky and truly thankfull to have Casey and Kendal in my life.

Happy Birthday PAPA D, and CASEY!

Traditions

2010-11-27T07:58:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and i feel that we are truly in the midst of the holiday season. We had a good Thanksgiving. We celebrated with some of the Loosle side of my family this year. Kendal had a good day, eating random food from everyone the whole day (Didn't take a proper nap though). I am very thankful for the wonderful family that surrounds me. Casey and i feel so blessed with the family we have.
This weekend marks the first tradition of the holidays for me. It is when the Christmas decorations make their way out of storage and the tree goes up. When i say tree i'm being kind. My tree is actually smaller than the stockings that hang on my wall. When Casey and i were first married space was too precious to put a tree in our already crammed apartment so we got a small tree that has done the job well for us until we get the room to accommodate a real tree. Ornaments are always a given for tree decorating, and my Mom has a sweet tradition where she gives us each an ornament every year. However my small tree won't accommodate very much, and some ornaments though awesome are too heavy. So until that bigger tree comes along Casey and i have found other ways to decorate the tree. Every year we've done something different; for example we've done holiday candy, decorated gingerbread men, paper snowflakes, and tiny ornaments. This year we are doing pictures. It's been fun coming up with different ways to decorate our rather small tree.

Well, i cannot wait for the rest of the holiday traditions to come around. Family Christmas parties, Christmas eve, etc. This is Casey's favorite time of year; he's pulled out the music always has the holiday spirit about him. It definitely is a good time of year, i'm excited to continue our wonderful traditions and maybe start some new ones with Kendal.

Thought i better add a picture of our Sweet Pea; Enjoy!

ONE - derful

2010-11-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's hard to look at my little Kendal and believe it's been a whole year, but it's true. Today Kendal officially turns one, and i am so happy she is in my life! It's been quite the year, and in my opinion has gone by way to fast. Lately i've been looking back and reflecting on this past years events and happenings. I love to look at pictures and remember the wonderful times we've had with Kendal this year.
I just love this little girl from head to toe.
- I love her wonderful crop of blond hair. It took some time to come, but Kendal has a lot of hair now and it's so much fun putting piggy tails in it.
- Kendal has some sweet eyes; She has her Grandma Loosle's eyes, and i love how you can see her sweet spirit through them.
- Kendal has a pretty cute nose. When she gets a big smile going her nose will crinkle up and it's an adorable site to see.
- Kendal has a great cheesy smile. (Pretty sure it comes from Casey). She has two teeth on the bottom and a third making an appearance on top.
- Kendal has a little belly, that Casey and i just love to tickle.
- Kendal is always using her hands, whether to eat, crawl, grab, play, clap, wave, etc.
- Kendal has always been a kicker, and her legs haven't stopped moving since she was born.
- Kendal has some petite feet, with cute little toes (i think she got those from me). They're so ticklish, and we can never seem to keep socks or shoes on them, especially when we're in the car.
Yep, we love this little girl from head to toe!

This past weekend we celebrated her birthday with family. We had all of my family there, and were happy that all of the Darringtons were able to come too (except Cody of course). Kendal is surrounded by a wonderful and loving family. We feel blessed and thankful for the love and care that our families give to us and especially to Kendal.
It's been such a great year, and i'm so happy to have such a ONE - derful little girl. I love you Kendal, and i can't wait to see what this next year brings.

A Boo

2010-10-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today we took Kendal out for her first ever Trick or Treat. We had Kendal dressed up as Pebbles from the flinstones, and her cousin Campbell was Bam Bam. Kendal enjoyed visiting family, however the car rides in between were another story, she wasn't to happy to be put back into the car every twenty or so minutes.
Kendal can say "A Boo"; i'd like to take credit and say that i taught her that for Halloween, but really she learned it from many games of Peek a Boo. She can't say the whole phrase, so she just says "A Boo".

Well enjoy the pictures of the little one, and enjoy your Halloween!

That's right, Eleven months BABY!

2010-10-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since i forced my husband to do homework all day yesterday, Kendal's eleven month update has been pushed back a day.

I'm finding it hard to believe that in only a month i'll have a one year old. Time has gone by way too fast in my opinion. I miss the days where my sweet little girl would just sit there cooing at me, kicking her feet a lot. Now she is everywhere, into everything, and babbling a lot. Kendal has turned everything into her phone these days. She puts her play phone, the remote, or even a block up to her ear and starts talking to it. It's funny because when she has a real phone to her ear, and someone is actually talking to her she just stares at it and wonders where that voice is coming from. Kendal still loves her books, and loves to open them and babble as if she's reading them to me.

This past months big milestone would have to be the fact that she Finlay went from her army crawl to a full on crawl. I still believe walking is a ways off, but i'm glad to see her up off of her belly (it was a lot of laundry). Kendal is a good eater most of the time, she doesn't hate any food, however she can be picky about how it's prepared (a bad habit i think i passed on). Unfortunately she still throws up somewhat often. I think that her horrible acid reflux that she had as an infant has affected her, and these days she tends to throw up easily. We're constantly switching formulas and trying to keep her calm and not fidgeting while she eats. Yes i switched to formula, i had a very hard time from the start of nursing, and figured once teeth came around i could finally have an excuse and switch, so when her teeth popped out, i jumped at the chance. (She also eats 100% better from a bottle, because of her reflux she'd either cry at most feedings, or throw up). Kendal loves playing right now she likes to discover things whether inside a box, cubbard, or toy she loves it. I can't keep a pair of socks on this girl for too long. A summer without socks has made her dislike them (honestly i think she's just taking after Casey, if he could he'd where sandal's as long as possible throughout the year). Kendal has a good crop of hair on her now, so i've been having fun with pony / piggy tails. She won't keep a headband on anymore either. I'm still so grateful everyday for the blessing that Kendal is in mine and Casey's lives. We are privileged to have such a wonderful little girl!

Update on Casey and i. Casey is in the middle of his busiest semesters of his entire academic Carrier. He's constantly at school, studying, at his practicum, or at his clinical. It's a little hard some days when i see him for two minutes in the morning, and a short time in the evening, but i know we're both doing what we need to right now. He's got so much to do and only so many weeks left, but i know he is working so hard, doing his best, and he can accomplish anything he wants. I get to spend most of my day with Kendal. We play and have fun, then she spends the afternoon with my wonderful family members while i work. I was able to go back full time to my After School job, i'm now a manager which is making me more money than before :). I enjoy the short break from home and Kendal, it's a wonderful job, but can have it's up and down days.

Well that's our life right now, a bit chaotic, but we're all doing well! I'll post a few pictures on here, and the rest on facebook.

Weekend Review

2010-10-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Friday night kicked off our weekend with the USU / BYU game. Casey's parents came down to watch the game with us, and enjoy some time with Kendal. Kendal spent the whole game going back and forth between all of us, and begging food off of anyone around us. Surprisingly USU won 31 to 16. I honestly expected a closer game, or BYU to win, but i won't complain that my awesome Aggies beat down those BYU bugs. I know Casey's dad was a bit disappointed in his team, but i feel that BYU needs some humble pie since they think they're all that to go independent.
Saturday Casey, Kendal and i went up to Idaho to spend some quality time with the Clan. Everyone except Jordan and Cody were there. We had fun together, and trying to watch conference (not so easy with two very active little ones stealing your time and attention away from conference). I have to say my favorite talk though was Elder Hollands talk, i felt inspired and uplifted from the whole conference. It was good to see the family. I love them and really enjoy our time together, it is sad that our visits tend to be spread apart so much though. David who is three months younger than Kendal is outshining her with how active and mobile he is. David has been crawling for a bit now, and Kendal had Finlay gotten up this past weekend. They're both so cute together, and it was funny to watch them.
All in all it was a wonderful weekend. I'm so grateful for our family and think the world of all of them!

anticipation

2010-09-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

To date Kendal and i have read 16 chapter books and countless picture books. We just finished the seventh Harry Potter. I chose to read it because i know the movie (part one) comes out in Nov. I am very much anticipating this movie. I like to read books and see their movie counterpart. I just can't do them too close together because i'm usually disappointed in the movie. I'm also anticipating the next Narnia movie, because that is another series that we've read this year. I'm very excited and i'm looking forward to this holiday seasons movies!

Short update, Casey is pushing along through his crazy semester. He's got so much on his plate right now and is working very hard this semester. I'm very proud of him and wish him great success with everything he does. I get to spend my days taking care of our little lady bug Kendal, and i work afternoons in the After School program. Kendal is doing very well. Casey and i feel so lucky and blessed to be parents to her. She entertains constantly, and we love her so much!

Happy Birthday Campbell!

2010-09-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our Nephew Campbell who is turning two years old. Campbell is the first grand kid in the Loosle family. He has been a joy to have around and to watch as he grows. We are a very lucky to have Campbell in our family. He has so much personality and spunk. As my dad always says it's amazing to see babies grow up; how much they learn and what they do is so awe inspiring. I always look forward to seeing Campbell he knows my, Casey's and even baby Kendal's names; and he always gives wonderful hugs and kisses. He's definitely a Loosle in how much he's obsessed with Tractors, four wheelers, trucks, dirt, etc. We love this little buddy so very much and feel so blessed to have such an AMAZING kid in our lives.

WE LOVE YOU CAMPBELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On another note Kendal is now ten months old. She and Campbell were both born on the fifteenth of the month (just fourteen months apart). Our little lady has turned into quite the active little one lately. Kendal's new play time consists mostly of climbing over, and onto anything in her path. She thinks Casey and i are jungle-gyms and loves to crawl all over us. Crawl is something we say Kendal is doing, but in all reality she is still scooting. Kendal has mastered the Army crawl and should be recruited any day now. She'll do everything, pull up, sit on her own, etc. but she just wont get up on her hands and knees to crawl. Kendal has obtained two new teeth this past month. She has quite the bite on her and looks so cute when her little teeth show in her smile. She's eating a lot more table foods, and a lot less pureed. Kendal enjoys most foods, but still isn't doing well with cheese, and dairy. Kendal has a good crop of hair now, however it is so fine i still can't keep a clip, or ponytail holder in, so for now headbands have to suffice. Kendal gets more talkative everyday. Sometimes she can go on and on babbling to an object or person. Casey and i are more in love with Kendal everyday, and love watching her grow and blossom. Love you Kendal, our little Lady Bug (sometimes she's a lady, much of the time she's a bug)! (i'll post some pics from this past month on facebook)

True Blue Aggie

2010-09-12T09:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Kendal went to her first of many USU sporting events. Casey was excited for the beginning of football season and our first USU home game yesterday. We made sure Kendal was sporting her Aggie Blue to go out and cheer on our Aggies to a victory over ISU (We won 38 - 17). (Sorry to our relatives that attend ISU, but we kicked your butts) Kendal had a good time at the game, she just watched the people, the game, clapped with the Fan's, snacked a bit, and eventually fell asleep in the fourth quarter. Casey and i are pretty sure that Kendal said Aggie yesterday; even though it was a baby talk we're counting it.

Yes we are True Blue Aggie fans, even though football isn't my favorite sport to watch (i more look forward to a basketball game, indoors and sitting in seats) i still enjoy the Aggie spirit and spending time with my husband who loves football. I think Kendal is well on her way to becoming an Aggie (Which is more than fine with me)!

Happy Happy Birthday to You (DAD)

2010-09-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday, i wont divulge how old he is, but i'm guessing he's feeling older than his current age. I love my Dad so very much and appreciate all that he does for me. I have been truly blessed to have such a wonderful Dad. Since i'm not sharing his age i'll just make a list of my Dad's wonderful traits; and if you take the time to count them all you'll know how old he really is.
- hardworking - caring - supportive - gospel oriented - strong - talented - kind - silly - superbalous - thoughtful - considerate - clever - trustworthy - gifted - talented ears - funny - sometimes pessimistic - sweet tooth - lovable - handsome - adores his grand kids - teacher - grand - spiritual - provider - selfless - wonderful - practical - capable - accomplished - competent - noble - decent - gracious - witty - realistic - story teller - helpful - terrific - concerned - careful - loyal - friendly - obedient - loving - decent - righteous - handy - sweet - amiable - good natured - religious - giving - honest - reliable - exemplar - awesome

Dad, you are all these things and more. We love you so much. Have a wonderful birthday, and may all your wishes come true!

Let the Countdown Begin

2010-08-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today begins 30 weeks (two semesters) left in Casey's college career at USU. Casey's in for a long semester with a full load of school work, a clinical, and a practicum (internship at two different places). After this crazy semester Casey only has to complete his student teaching in the spring and he will Graduate with TWO degree's in Social Studies Secondary Education, and Family Finance.
I am so proud of all that Casey has accomplished. Casey is full of so much knowledge and he is so smart. He works very hard in school and in other as well in many other aspects in life. I'm so happy that he's found a career path that he's excited about and eager to pursue.
Good Luck to my AGGIE Casey, i know you'll do AWESOME!!!

Nine and doing fine

2010-08-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our little Sweet Pea Kendal has turned nine months old. She came in a little over 16 pounds, and 28 inches long at her appointment this week. As you know from the previous post Kendal is now scooting. She enjoys getting around on her own, and finding random things around the house to get into. Kendal has become quite the talker. She loves to talk when she's holding books (probably mimicking what i do when we read together), she also enjoys talking at objects. Her favorite word is dada. Kendal's hair is coming in so nicely. We're still working on small pony tail up top, however we haven't got an elastic to stay yet. Kendal loves to pick up and examine things. She gets her little pointer finger out and points to and feels things. Kendal is definitely observant. She can usually just sit there and watch what others are doing, fascinated. Kendal loves food, and is eating more and more everyday. Kendal has developed a bit of eczema this summer. Nothing to serious we just need to watch what soaps, lotions, and laundry detergents we use with her. We are very grateful to have a happy and healthy little gal, Kendal is a constant Joy in our lives.

This past weekend we were able to head up to Idaho for the Darrington Family reunion. Friday night turned into a blustery evening so i was very grateful to have stayed at Casey's parents home for the weekend. Unfortunately most of the extended family had to suffer through the night of high winds in tents. Saturday morning started out windy also so we all went to the church house to play minute to win it games. The games were fun, and pretty hilarious to watch. There are some pretty amazing hidden talents in the family if you just look. By Saturday afternoon the winds had died down for some decent water sliding. Kendal and i didn't participate, however we sat and watch others silly attempts at the slide. Sunday morning after breakfast the family went around to the Oregon Trail sites that are in Raft River. Kendal was sleeping, then hungry so my journey didn't go past the car, but i still heard the stories. All in all it was an excellent weekend. Casey's Mom put together the whole thing, and did a wonderful job.

Video fix

2010-08-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Are you missing someone, and longing to see them? This is a post dedicated to family who we don't get to see as often. We realize you and others care about our happenings (especially those that pertain to Kendal, because let's face it, it's all about her). Here are a couple photos and some videos of Kendal this past week. Casey and i have been meaning to get some video's of Kendal at the Pool and we finally remembered our Camera. Kendal's always been a water girl, and loves to kick and splash. We were a little disappointed last night because the weather was a bit iffy for our swim, however the rain and wind didn't bother Kendal till we had to take her out. We think she'll love swimming in a few years.

Kendal has been quite mobile lately. She's not officially crawling, however I'll say she scoots around. She can get herself pretty much anywhere she wants. In the right mood she'll even attempt to scoot the conventional way. Enjoy the video of our little Roley poly girl.

Just Sit Back and Relax

2010-07-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

A while back Casey and i were looking through old photo albums at his parents house. We came to a photo with some neat little chairs made out of pvc pipe. So we thought to ourselves, sure we could make this, no problem. I made a simple sketch and Casey bought some pipe. After many different length variations and size changes we came up with a sweet looking chair. We made a pink chair for Kendal and a green chair for my nephew Campbell. Here are some pictures of the final results.

Also Kendal got to go see her first parade on the 24th this past weekend. She was so fascinated with the parade she wouldn't take her morning nap. Unfortunately since i work for the city i was tied up all day working. Casey took Sweet Pea to the Parade with Kim, Andy, Campbell, and my Mom. Then Casey spent the rest of the day four wheeling with my Dad and brothers, while Kendal spent some quality time with her Aunt Kim. Thanks again Kim!

Eight months Old

2010-07-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe but Kendal is Eight months old today. I feel as though time has sped up since she entered our lives. I am still so thankful for the little miracle that she is in our lives, and i feel lucky to have her as my daughter.
It seems Kendal is growing everyday. I don't know her weight, and probably won't until her nine month appointment in a few weeks. However i know she's doing well.
-Kendal likes to eat, and has become quite the beggar at the table. Whenever she sees us eating she'll give little whines until she gets a bit of what we're having. Kendal loves most foods, and I've finally found the trick to getting her to eat my homemade veggies is to add rice cereal to them. Gross in my opinion but it dulls the strong flavor a bit for her still sensitive palate. Kendal does amazingly with a bottle when i have to work. She's never been a good nurser, and the one time I've seen her take a bottle it made me sad because she takes it 100% better than she will eat with me. Kendal also enjoys her sippy cup. I don't do juice, and Kendal seems to love water. Whether it's picking up a little puff to eat or grabbing my hair with full force, Kendal has seemed to develop quiet the grasp on things. She's also started to pull herself up when she's on my lap, she wants to stand all the time.
-Kendal will roll all over the place now and she'll even pivot on her stomach to move around in a circle. However, unless someone is helping her mover her legs, she won't crawl or scoot anywhere yet, even though we can tell she wants to move and get places. Kendal is still quite the kicker and loves finding different things under her feet to kick such as a box, book, pillow, etc.
- Still no teeth, but i can tell that she's been working on them for a few months now, so i figure they'll pop out any time now.
- Kendal has had some firsts in the last month. She went on her first camping trip. We went camping with Casey's family and she enjoyed the experience. Didn't really sleep well, but had fun with family. During the camping trip Kendal got to go to the pool for the first time. She loved it, she would either splash a lot, or just sit in her floaty lounging. She only got grumpy when she was splashed, or tired. Kendal also saw her first fireworks. I was prepared to have to leave early with an unhappy girl from all of the loud noises, but the two nights we watched fireworks she just sat in our laps and absorbed the experience.
- Kendal is so observant. She is definitely a people watcher. She gets very curious about what we are doing and wants to see everything. Kendal can be quiet, but in the right mood she will babble on and on. She'll now go off on dadada rants, and will give an occasional mama.
It is so fun to watch her growing up. To see the new things she is learning everyday, and to watch the little girl she's becoming. Time does fly when you're having fun, and we are definitely having fun with out little Sweet Pea Kendal!

As for Casey and i we've kept busy this summer. Casey has been working with my Dad doing Construction, has been taking an online summer class, and will do a week long class in August. He is still looking for a finance Internship to complete one of his majors. (So if anyone knows any openings anywhere that have to do with finance; please let us know). I get to enjoy my days with Kendal. However, I have been working part time doing summer playground. Which is a program for school age kids in the valley to come to a sort of day camp in the afternoons. We have enjoyed time with our familes, and are looking forward to more family fun before school starts again next month. Hope you all are having a wondeful summer and soaking up lots of sunshine!

Welcome home!

2010-07-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i, along with my family had the great pleasure of going down to the airport and retrieving my little brother David; who just got off of his mission that he served in Louisiana. He had a wonderful experience, and has done such a great job serving the Lord. We are all definitely so happy to have him home and our family whole again. David had two little munchkins awaiting his arrival. Kendal and Campbell. Campbell is almost two and just missed David's departure by a couple of months, and Kendal has waited for seven months to meet him. It is so fun to see him again, and to have him back.
I truly look up to my little brother. He is a wonderful example and I'm grateful for all of the hard work he has put into these past two years. I know he will be blessed for his great dedication and service.

On another note, Kendal just celebrated her first fourth of July. We watched stadium fireworks on Friday night. Kendal just sat in my moms lap with some licorice and ate the experience up. We got to go up to Raft River for the rest of the weekend. It was to cold to water slide this time, so maybe well try Kendal on it next month at the family reunion, however we had a wonderful dinner, family time, and fireworks. Kendal turns eight months old next week, so I'll post more about her recent happenings later. Till then i wish you all a good week!

Camping with the Family

2010-06-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got to go up to a family cabin near Soda Springs and spend some time with the Darrington clan. All of the siblings (minus our important missionary Cody) and Mom and Dad were able to be there. It was good to have a little getaway and have some wonderful family time. I love our family so much. We all get a long so well, and always have fun together. We reached the cabin on Friday night. Saturday we went to Lava Hot Springs. Everyone went tubing, while Vanessa and i had to stand in a long line for the pool with the babies. Mom and Dad took the babies a bit later so that we could have some fun with the others in the pool too. It was Kendal's first time swimming, we had her in a flotie for most of her experience. She seemed to enjoy the pool, and loved relaxing and kicking in the water. I just feel bad that we all got a bit burnt from the trip. We had fun walking around in Nature, shooting, cooking, eating, playing, and having fun together. It was a wonderful weekend, and I'm grateful for my mother-in-law who put it all together!

Some pretty AWESOME Dads

2010-06-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've got to say there are some pretty AWESOME Dads in my life!

This will be Casey's first year celebrating fathers day. I am so lucky to have Casey as my husband and as Kendal's Dad. He is so wonderful and does so much for us. I always knew Casey would be a great Dad and he definitely is. Casey is such a cute Dad, he is always willing to help out and do things for Kendal. From the moment Kendal was born Casey has been a hands on Dad. He is so wonderful with her; i love to watch him talk with and play with her.
I am very grateful to have my Dad (aka Papa Pill) in my life also. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a righteous home with a Father who honors his priesthood and loves us so much. My dad has taught me so many things such as hard work, serving others, a love for the gospel, and so much more. He is a big influence in my life and does so much for me and my little family. I couldn't ask for a better Dad.

I'm also so very glad to have Casey's Dad as my father-in-law; and i know Casey looks up to him and loves him so much. He is such a kind and loving person. He has done such a great job raising his family, and i can see that in the way Casey is with Kendal and me.

It has been a joy to watch my father and father-in-law become Grandparents these last couple of years. I believe it is their calling in life to have Grandchildren. I love to see them with their Grandchildren because it is such a wonderful thing to witness these two hard working, serious guys turn into sweet cuddly Grandpa's as they see and play with their little Grandchildren.
I can't forget the wonderful Brothers / Uncle's (some Dad's, other's future Dad's) on this father's day. They are all truly amazing men, and i am so happy to have them in my family.
I couldn't imagine my life without all of these magnificent men. I am truly spoiled and blessed to be a daughter, wife, and sister to so many great guys. I love you all, and hope your Father's Day is a good one!

Thank You

2010-06-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

Right now i'm listening to my new awesome CD i got for my birthday and i just wanted to give a BIG THANK YOU to my family. Thanks to my family i had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I'm so glad Casey's folks were able to come and visit (even though i know it was all for Kendal) i still loved the visit, and love them. It was great spending time with my family. We were all there minus one important missionary that returns in a month. I have an awesome family and they do so much for me; i can't thank them enough! I am missing the family that wasn't able to come and visit, love you all!

On another note Kendal finally decided to roll over this week. From her back to her belly. After many weeks of coaxing her to do it, she finally did it. Next step crawling (we'll see how long that takes). Kendal is growing every day. She's getting more hair, I've been trying to give it a little curl, but it won't stay. She babbles a lot and i'm working on DA DA for fathers day. Still loves kicking, and lounging. We love her so much!

Update

2010-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Went to the Doctor's today for Kendal's six month appointment. She is 15 lb, .5 oz. ; and 26 in. long. Kendal is doing very well!

Here are a few pictures from my Aunt's photo session, i will post more on facebook later.

Six Months!

2010-05-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Our sweet pea Kendal is six month old today! It's gone by way too fast, but we've enjoyed it. Kendal is growing fast too, but right now we do not know how big she is. We get to find that out on Monday at the doctor's. We have been giving her a bigger variety of food to try and she is finally showing us that there are some things she is not too fond of-homemade carrots, and peaches are not her favorites. She still loves kicking and bath time a lot, but really hates being on her stomach. She can roll from her stomach to her back, but has no desire to go the other way. We have a feeling she may be a slow crawler. She can sit up by herself sometimes, but not for a long time. Her hair is growing in, but still has a way to go for bows and the likes. She has found her feet and enjoys sucking on her toes. She loves any household object she can find, such as the remote, hairbrushes, watches, and a little sanitizer bottle. She is fun to play with and giggle with and we love her a lot. Happy half-birthday Kendal!

Pictures to come soon, Marianne's aunt took some today and we will post them later.

Good Times

2010-05-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

We were able to spend mothers day weekend in Idaho with Casey's family. We got to spend some time with the family and talk to Cody on his mission. I enjoy our visits up to Idaho, and i want to make sure Kendal gets to know the Darrington side of the family well as she grows up. I love to watch our siblings with Kendal. They're all a little bit different in how they are with kids; all are wonderful and so sweet with Kendal. Casey's parents can always get a smile out of Kendal, and I'm so grateful for the love and care they give to all of us. I'm truly thankful for the family i married into!

MOM

2010-05-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Words cannot express how happy i am to be celebrating mother's day this weekend. Not only do i have two wonderful Mom's in my life to celebrate, but i also am a mommy this year! I am truly grateful for my Mom, she is a great example, caregiver, friend, and all around super lady! I appreciate all that she does for me and i want her to know i love her, and look up to her so much! I also cannot forget another important Mom, my mom-in-law. I thank her so much for the wonderful family she has raised. I am truly blessed to have her son as my husband, and i know she deserves a lot of credit. I thank her for her love and care. I love you MUMMY, and MAMA D!

To all the Mommy's out there i hope you have a wonderful weekend, let your husbands spoil you, and your kids appreciate and love you!

Swing

2010-05-05T10:10:00.001-07:00

O the silly / cute things Grandparents do:

So a little over a week ago we had a family picnic up at the mouth of the canyon. Kendal took her first swing ride and loved it. (Sorry forgot my camera for that event). That same week my parents Grandparent mode kicked into gear and they tore down an old tree and put up a new swing set for their grandchildren Campbell and Kendal (and i'm sure future ones as well). They even got his and hers infant seats. I love my parents they are so wonderful and cute with their Grandchildren. My dad is a great Grandpa, he can always get a big smile out of Kendal, and he's just a big teddy bear with Campbell and Kendal. My mom is so wonderful always willing to watch Kendal, and gives her lots of love.
Kendal has been blessed with two Awesome sets of Grandparents and they all adore and love her so much. I just love seeing them all interact and play with their Grandchildren it makes me so happy!

BFF'S

2010-04-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Kendal and her Best Bud Jenae Spear!
It has been a joy watching Kendal and Jenae grow and become the little sweethearts they are. We've loved having another little one around that is near Kendal's age. They find each other fascinating, and always want to eat each other. It's so fun to see them interact together.
Aria and Rhett are truly wonderful friends, and we're so thankful for their friendship. We have had so much fun over the past few years on our many adventures together. Rhett and Casey have been lifelong friends, and Aria and i have become great friends. Casey and i look up to them and are so grateful for their friendship. We wish them luck in their new endeavors and know that we will see them as often as we can.
Now here are some pictures of our girls and their groovy new shades!

Bright Eyes

2010-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, tomorrow it will be five months that Kendal has joined our lives. I still count my blessings every day that this little one has come into the world and brightened my life. Kendal is growing and thriving. She is finding out that toys can be so much fun, and that random objects such as the remote or a watch are even funner. She's getting more vocal, still not a constant babbler, but she has her moments. Drooling is a constant, kicking a favorite hobby, and laughing is an occasional delight. Eating can sometimes still be a challenge, however she is still enjoying her solids. Squash and Carrots have been her favorite so far. I am so happy to have her in my life!

This past weekend we were able to go up to Idaho for Baby David's blessing. I enjoy our time with Casey's family; and appreciate their love, and care they have for us, and especially for Kendal.

Casey is finishing up his semester in a few weeks. He's enjoyed it, however i know he's looking forward to its end. Unfortunately he has to take a couple of summer classes. They shouldn't be too bad one is online, and the other one is only a week long. He'll continue working for my dad, and hopefully add on an internship that he really needs to get done before he graduates (well see if that happens). I am going to sub at work so I'll still get to enjoy kendal, and more of the summer holiday's.
Well that's life for now. I'll post more pictures on facebook.

2010-04-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Easter time is always fun, this year my mom's birthday and general conference coincided with the holiday. It was fun getting together with my family. Kendal got a sun hat, and a dress from Casey and I, a cute dress from Grandma and Grandpa Darrington, a mobile and cute shirt from my parents, an outfit from Uncle Andy and Aunt Kim, and her new friend the duck from Aunt Katherine. We spent the day at my parents house and had my grandparent's and great aunt and uncle over with us for dinner. Campbell and Kendal shared some giggles, and slobbery kisses (so cute, and funny). All in all a good holiday and some wonderful memories. I'm so grateful for family!

Darrington Look-alike Meter

2010-04-05T09:49:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. It is a special day because Easter and General Conference happen to land on the same day as her birthday. There are only a few times this will happen during her life; and it makes her day so much more special. I'm so grateful to my mom and the wonderful person she is. She has taught me so much in life and i look up to her as a mother, friend, Grammy, and latter day saint. She has been a great influence to me and i only hope to live up to her greatness. My mom truly loves her family and it shows in all that she does for us. I appreciate all of the love and support she gives Casey, Kendal, and me. She is an amazing Grammy to Kendal.
I love you so much mom, and wish you a wonderful day, and an excellent year!!

This made my week!

2010-03-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Kendal turns four months old in a few days. This past month has been fun. She is babbling more, giving us more giggles, still loves to kick, we've tested out food, and she's finally rolled over. Kendal really dislikes tummy time; and up till now she has just put her arms out and screamed at the floor. However this week she finally tucked in an arm and rolled over. Eating is going well. She doesn't love or hate being fed cereal. She just sits there with a quizzical look on her face. Another development in the last couple of weeks. Kendal is doing much better with eating. She no longer screams at most of her feedings. She has the occasional relapse and decides to cry, but she's doing so much better, which makes me so happy.
We're looking forward to the upcoming months and what they have to bring.

Here is some pictures, because i know that's what's important.

Kendal's new cousin

2010-02-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we headed up to Idaho to attend a family funeral. We are sadend by the passing of little Beckm Casey's cousins son. To our surprize Vanessa went into labor on satruday and Kendal's new cousin David John Darrington was born.

David (aka Buckaroo) was born on the thirteenth of february at 5:05 p.m. weighing in at 7 lb 8 oz, and streaching out to 19 inches long. He has such a sweet disposition about him, and takes after his dad with his long fingers and toes.

It was interesting to see Kendal and David next to each other, just three months ago Kendal was born at 7 lb 1 oz, and lost some weight going down to 6 pounds 8 ounces. So she was smaller than him for a bit. I love the fact that Kendal has a cousin so close in age.
Congratulations Brett and Vanessa, you two sure make one cute baby! We can't wait to come up again and see you all!

Sew Fun

2010-02-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

So i'm weird in the fact that i think buying shoes for a baby is ridiculous. However i do love booties / slippers on babies. Thus I've made pink, red, and yellow booties for Kendal. Plus i have some wicked cute bear ones i bought, and a couple of shoes I've received. I decided lately that Kendal needs a neutral pair of booties that she could wear to church or other functions that minky booties don't work as well. So i pulled out my randomness of fabric and made her some church booties. As i was already in the sewing mode i made her some fabric rings and a cube toy. Note i am nowhere near as good as my mom at sewing, and the rings look odd as does the lumpy cube, but hey it was worth a shot.

Kendal is nearing her three month mark. Our little Sweet Pea is growing more each day, and we're loving her more and more each day. Last week we were able to witness her first giggles. It was precious, and i tried in vain to capture them on a video, but alas my daughter doesn't preform for the camera; she just stares at it with wide eyes. Kendal is slowly working on tummy time. She's always hated it, and usually screams bloody murder when i put her down, but we're working on it. She can hold her head up very well, and when in the right mood loves to babble and coo at us. Although feeding and her reflux still are a constant challenge i do my best to harbor patience when she howls through feedings, and love it when she stops crying and just sits there giving me smiles. Kendal still loves to kick and wiggle her legs. I think she takes after the Darringtons and will be a runner / track star. Whenever she's on her changing table she goes nuts kicking, and loves to look over at the wall where her loving family is smiling at her. We often go through everyone in those photos to show her who they are and that they love her.

We are looking forward to the upcoming arrival of the newest cousin / nephew in the family. Hope everyone is doing well, we love you all, and hope you have a wonderful Valentines day! Share your love with all around you!

Two months!

2010-01-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Today our little Sweet Pea turns two months old. It's crazy the way the time has flown by. We celebrated by taking her to the doctors and giving her shots. Kendal is now 10 pounds 12 ounces, and she's a little over 21 inches long. So she's progressing well. She did well with the shots, i was actually expecting a scream fest, but she fussed for a couple of minutes and was done.

Happenings from the past month.
- Kendal has become a lot more social. She gives lots of smiles (when she's in the mood) and she gives us the occasional cooes, however most of her communication is still in grunts.
- She's developed reflux, something that ailed us for a couple of weeks until we figured out what it could be, for the most part she's doing better with medicine, but she still has her moments.
- She's outsmarted us with her medicine and vitamins. She hates the taste of both so she just hold it in her mouth until she can wiggle free from our grasp and spit them out. It definitely is a chore to get things down her.
- She has learned how much fun kicking is. Whether it's in the bathtub, on her changing table, or on the floor she goes nuts kicking. It's funny when she really gets into it because she doesn't laugh yet, so her eyes just get really wide and excited while she does it.
- We were able to bless her. As you've read from my previous post we had her blessed on Jan. 3rd surrounded by family and love. It was a great day!
- Thankfully she is sleeping longer at night. We can get five to Seven hour stretches. Which has been great.

We are so grateful for our little Sweet Pea and excited for this year and all that it will bring!

Update on Casey and I. Casey is back to the grindstone with school. He has three semesters left until he graduates with his double major of Family Finance, and a teaching degree in Social Studies. So far he likes his classes, and hopefully will enjoy this semester. I am loving my time with Kendal, i enjoy being a mom!

Blessed

2010-01-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

Kendal Ann Darrington had the opportunity to be blessed today. It was a very special and wonderful event. I was so grateful that mine and Casey's family could come and participate / celebrate with us. (minus two very important missionaries) Casey did a wonderful job blessing Kendal; it was simple, sweet, and thoughtful. I can't thank our family enough for the support and love they share with us. Kendal truly comes from a wonderful family and i can tell they love and care for her.
I feel blessed to come from a family that honors and upholds the gospel standards in their lives. Both my and Casey's family are all endowed. We are truly an eternal family, and i can ask for no greater thing than to be able to be with them all through the eternities.
Looking back on this past year i have felt so blessed. Little did i know that Casey and i would be blessed with the opportunity to become pregnant and have our little baby Kendal. She was truly a blessing that we had hoped and waited for. It took some time to get her, and i am truly grateful that she is here. We have been blessed with a loving family that continually supports and loves us. They do so much for us, i am truly grateful for all that they do for us. I have been blessed this past year with good health. Casey is usually healthy, and i managed to have a good pregnancy with little time being sick. We are also thankful that Kendal came into this world healthy and thriving. I feel blessed that i have the gospel in my life. It has truly blessed my life, and i know i would not be where i am today without it. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful husband. He truly is my best friend and my eternal companion. I love him with all of my heart! He has been blessed to be able to continue with his schooling. There are a plethora of things that have blessed me this year and i know that i'm forgetting to write some, but i truly feel blessed, and am happy to start this new year. I can't wait to see what it brings!!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had as merry a Christmas as we did this year. As it was Kendal's first Christmas, we hoped to make it somewhat memorable, at least for us. We decided to open all our presents Christmas eve as we were going to spend all of Christmas with Marianne's family. We were all happy with our gifts of books, lotions, and clothes. Kendal decided to throwup all over her cute 1st Christmas outfit that night, so we had to improvise for Christmas day. After a early Christmas morning we opened more presents at the Loosle home. Most of the pictures come from that wonderful occasion. Kendal's grandparents really enjoyed shopping for her presents and it showed in her quantity of loot. Marianne and Kim collaborated on outfits for the two grandkids in the family. Kendal and Campbell had on matching slippers and pajama bottoms made be Marianne and Kim. They were pretty cute. After dinner we got to talk to Marianne's brother David who is on his mission in Louisianna. That was a good time and we cant wait to have him home in just over 6 months. A period of resting and talking followed as we watched Campbell and Kendal. Over all it was a pretty good day. We only wish we could have had another Christmas just like it with Casey's family. His brother Cody called there and he is doing well in the Czech
Republic. We hope everyone else's Christmas was as nice as our. Merry Christmas to all and have a wonderful New Year too.

2009-12-26T12:00:00.001-08:00

One Month!

2009-12-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yes it is true one month has flown by in Kendals life. Casey and i are still amazed at the sweet miracle we've created. Kendal is growing and thriving. She's around eight pounds and her cheeks, hands, legs, and arms are filling out. She's no longer my newborn, but a sweet little baby.

Kendal is getting stronger every day. She's gained a lot of muscle control in her neck, learning to focus more on people, and overall has a very good demeanor.

I cannot say i was entirely prepared for motherhood. But i feel i could do my best, and feel that I've tried to so far. I did expect to be tired, and to not know everything. I do have a wonderful and supporting family, and husband who've mentored me and helped me out a lot.

Kendal was finally able to go and visit her grandparents in Idaho this past weekend. She got lots of love and care from them and from her aunts and uncles. I'm grateful for the love and support they give her. Kendal went to her first Webb family party. She was passed around and loved by all, however she slept through most of it. Maybe next year she'll see more. The party was fun. Singing, cereal, and seeing everyone was great. I know Casey looks forward to the party and the cereal every year.

Well one month already gone; yet it was filled with loads of fun and memories of Kendals firsts. I cannot wait for Christmas and what the new year will have in store for my little sweet pea!

Two week appointment

2009-12-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well it's been about two and a half weeks since our little sweet pea joined the family. I had no idea how much a c-section can affect a person, but I'm doing tons better. Kendal is still on her own schedule, but feedings and sleeping are going well, so I'm OK with having things her way (for now). Today was her two week appointment; she currently weighs 7 lb. 9 oz. so she's average for growth. Her head is measuring big, but I'm attributing it to all of her wonderful brains inside it.

Kendal is learning to focus more, and she's gaining more muscle control / neck control. She mostly smiles when she's asleep, but we do see a rare awake smile / smirk. She's very mellow, and doesn't get upset unless she has a gas bubble, or really wants to eat. I am so very grateful to be the mother of such a wonderful little girl!

Kendal has been able to meet most of her immediate family, except for her two uncles serving missions. She had her first thanksgiving at my Grandparents home. She did well, but by the end of the day i was done and needed a nap. I'm looking forward to celebrating her first Christmas and enjoying the holidays with family. Happy December Everyone!!

Surprize, Shock, Awwww

2009-11-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

Surprise -

Sunday morning just before two in the morning my water broke. I did not expect to go into Labor before my due date, i actually thought i might have to be induced. Well little did i know Kendal had plans of her own to come earlier than expected. ( I honestly think it's because Casey had prayed that Kendal would come earlier rather than later).

Shock -

Labor was progressing wel (painfully well). When i first arrived at the hospital the nurses noticed that there was some merconium in my discharge, so i knew there could be potential issues, but hoped for the best. As things continued, the merconium color got worse, and worry set in. It wasn't until about five hours into my labor that my nurse decided we needed to check and make sure Kendal wasn't breech. Low and behold my daughter was bottom down. Nothing could be done, so they quickly ordered a c-section. It was a bit of a shock to go through six hours of labor and then end up having to have a c-section.

Awwww -

After the news of a c-section things moved quickly and i was in the operating room before i knew it. Casey watched the whole thing (Crazy i didn't think he'd want to) Kendal graced us with her wonderful presence at 8:41 in the morning on Sunday the 15Th. She came out, and all was well weighing in at 7 lb 1 ounce. and stretching to 19 in. long. I was elated to have her arrive safely and in awwww of the sweet miracle i beheld.

Because of the c-section i was in the hospital for a few days. I still have six weeks of healing a head of me, but thankfully i have drugs and a cute daughter to distract me from the pain. Kendal is doing very well. She's healthy, happy, eating and sleeping well. Casey and i are beyond happy to have her in our lives. She is a true blessing from heaven.

THANK YOU so much Family and friends for your love and support and all that you've done for us!!!! We appreciate and love you all so much!!

Thank you Sisters!!!

2009-11-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i was blessed with a wonderful ward baby shower given to my by Janalee Hubbard, and Aria Spear. First of all i just want to give a big THANK YOU to the both of them for the time, effort, and love they put into the shower. It was wonderful! Thank you also to the sisters in the ward who came to share their support, and love with Heather and me. I feel so privleged to be in a ward with such carring and loving sisters. I truly love and appreciate all of the sisters in this ward; you are all such wonderful examples to me. I look up to you all. I love to see the moms in the ward with their kids, you all are shinning examples i hope to live up to. I am so happy to be able to bring this little girl into the world! Thank you again.

Here are a some of the things i recieved from the shower. I feel bad, i wanted to put everything in its place for the baby that i neglected to take a picture of it all, and of the diaper cake that was so cute.

Getting close

2009-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

We have five more weeks until our little sweet pea is due. Casey and i are both very excieted for the time to come. We have been getting things bought, and set up. We have most of the essentials ready. We finally put the crib together that we've had for months on end now, and i love it. I also finnished my baby quilt with the help of my mom, and Kim.

I even had extra material to make these sweet baby booties.

We're patiently waitning for this little girl to come into our lives. I am so excited, and feel so blessed to become a mom.

Baby Shower

2009-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today i was blessed with a baby shower given by my Mom, sister Katherine, and sister in law Kim. Firstly i want to say Thank You to them for the time, effort, love, and energy they put into the wonderful baby shower. It was awesome and the food was great.

We had some of my dad's side of the family come and celebrate today. Thank you Nana, Bonnie, Sue, Linda, Amber, Pam, Patty, Berta, Kim, Katherine, and my mom were there to congratulate and to share in the festivities. We had a yummy potato bar, with sweet truffles, and awesome pie tarts! I'm proud to say that even though i don't really have a sense of smell i did pretty well at guessing baby food's just by looking at them.

I got some wonderful gifts from my family for the baby.

My mom, grandma, Kim, and Katherine all went in to get me this sweet stroller / car seat. The more i see it the more i love it, and can't wait to use it. Notice the cute poka dots ( I'm a little obsessed with poka dots)

.We've got about a month and a half to go before our little sweet pea arrives. We have the crib, the car seat and the basic essentials now its just a matter of waiting. Thank you family for a great baby shower, and many wonderful gifts and memories!

Ode to Papa Pill

2009-09-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

I need new pictures of my dad. This ones almost a year old, but i like his smile.

Today is my dad's birthday. He is truly a wonderful man, and an inspiration in my life. I'm very thankful for a dad that has had such a great influence in my life. He has shown my siblings and me the true value of working hard. He has shown a great love for the gospel through his callings and his teachings. His love of the gospel shows through his dedication to his callings, and how much he loves the gospel history (especially Joseph Smith). My dad even gave Casey and i temple and marriage mini classes to prepare for our eternal marriage. My dad has a good heart. He has a lot of love to give, and i can see it in how much he sacrifices for his family. I see his love in his interactions with my nephew Campbell, and in how much he's looking forward to my baby girl that's on her way. He is very generous in how much time, love, and care that he gives to those around him, especially family.

This hasn't been the best year in my dad's life. He has had to undergo neck surgery to fix a collapsed disk, and continues to have daily pain from his neck, and lower back. I feel bad that the years of hard work, and stress have put so much physical pain into him. I pray that he will find ways to get help, and mend his ailments.

I'm thankful for my dad, and make this birthday wish that his year will end better than it has been. I hope and pray for good health, happiness, and love to continually pour down on him.

I love you Papa Pill, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(Just a note, Papa Pill is a joke in my family. We always say that because of his many aches, pains, migraines that plague him, and other health issues he takes a lot of pills, so as a joke i started calling him papa pill instead of dad, and it's kind of stuck)

Some of my August

2009-08-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

I looked and realized i haven't written for a few weeks. It seems as though this month has flown by, as well as the summer. I finished summer playground at the beginning of August. Lets just say i love the kids, however i was more than ready to finish by the time we were done. Casey's brother Cody said his farewells and entered the MTC for a few weeks before he heads over the the Chec Republic. I promised him we would make sure our little girl see's his picture and knows who he is when he gets home. Before Cody left we had Darrington family pictures around the farm.

The two weeks i had off between summer playground and the regular school year i did a little bit of crafting. I made a nursing cover, and hooded towels for my little girl. I also decided to make bows / hair clips. (Thanks to my almost daily heartburn my little girl will most likely be born with a good bit of hair on her head) I can't say I'm all ready for this little sweet pea to come, however i have three months left and i know I'll be ready.

This week i go back for training yet again at work. I've been through it over four times now, i know my job and i wish i didn't have to do it, but alas i get paid for it so whatever. This year for the After school program i will only be a sub. I wish it didn't have to be that way because I'm taking a pay, and hour cut. I have to understand coming from my bosses point of view that she doesn't want to have to replace me half way through November.

Casey has been working on my brothers home this summer. This week he goes back to school, and will continue to work on his non school time. Hopefully we can work out his schedule so he can still graduate in a decent time frame.

Well there goes my summer. Into another year of Aggie football disappointment, a baby on the way, and many more happy memories to create.

Wedding weekend

2009-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Casey and i went up to Idaho to celebrate the wedding of Sarah Haney to Casey's brother Terry. We were very happy to be a part of the wedding. It was a wonderful event.

The wedding was friday morning in the Twin Falls Temple. (So far we've all been married in a diffrent temple; ie. SLC, Logan, Idaho falls, and now Twin falls). The ceremony was sweet, and the couple was radient. We enjoyed a great family luncheon afterwards where we had pork sandwiches. That evening the siblings held up the wall at the reception the Haney's put on in Filler. The next evening we had an open house in Raft River.

This whole weekend has opened my eyes to what a wonderful family i have. I am very blessed to have my family and Caseys family. It felt special to have all of Casey's sibblings and parents together in the temple on the wedding day. I also feel blessed because my family has also had the opportunity to be in the temple together. I feel that not only am i blessed with an awesome family on this earth, but i'm so lucky that we are all able to move into the eternities together.

I also feel very blessed to have been married in the Temple to a wonderful husband. Casey is the best thing that has happened to me, and i feel so happy that he is my eternal companion. We truly have a great marriage!

Great weekend,
Great Wedding,

Great Family!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Time files when you're having fun!! Casey and i are celebrating our third Anniversary today!

Our Beginnings: Casey and i met four years ago in June, his brother Brett (whom i worked with at the time) set us up on a blind date. Nothing much happened from that, but i figured when he came down for school in the fall we'd have to go out again and see what happened. Well he came down to school and we went on our second date, since then we've been together. Casey proposed in March of 06, and we were married of course on July 18th 2006.

Currently: Casey is working for my father doing construction, and he is continuing his education studying to become a high school social studies teacher. I graduated in FCHD and am working for Logan City in their after school and summer children's programs. Casey and i are anticipating the arrival of a little girl this coming November. It took us some time to be able to get pregnant, and we were so grateful when the opportunity finally caught up with our wishes.

We look forward to what the future brings, and are thankful for the Temple covenants that we share that will take us through our marriage not only on this earth, but in the eternities to come.

Things i love about my marriage: the eternal bond we share, the love we have for each other, the fact that we still hold hands, the laughter that fills our lives, the loving family that supports and cares for us, and the fact that i am married to my best friend!

Happy Anniversary Casey I love you so much!!!

Baby Darrington is a . . .

2009-07-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

Casey and i went in for our ultrasound this morning and found out that we get to welcome a baby girl into the family. Neither of us had a solid prediction we were both on the fence about what it was going to be. Casey's family was guessing a boy (sorry, not this time), and most of my family was guessing a girl (probably because they already have one grandson). Most of all Casey and i just wanted a healthy baby, which is what we have.

We feel so blessed to even have the opportunity to become parents. It took some time for us to get pregnant. We were happy when the opportunity finally caught up with our hopes and dreams of becoming parents.

We have many name options for this little girl, however right now the front runner is Kendall (and that's what my family calls her). However, Casey and i will most likely wait until she is born to put a definite name to our little sweet pea. So i'm at the halfway mark, twenty weeks, twenty more to go. I'm due on November 17th, however i have the sneaking suspicion that this little lady will be late landing me in the hospital near or on thanksgiving. Who knows well see. Till then it's time to shop for this little girl!

She was being camera shy with us today so my pictures are a little fuzzy, and not at the best angles. This is the best one we got. I can't wait to meet this little girl!!

Had a good Birthday!

2009-06-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 23rd birthday this past saturday. My parents took Casey and i out to eat for Breakfast at Village Inn. I got the opportunity to go to the Temple with my husband. (Always a favorite activity of mine). Later that night we had a dinner of homemade pizza at my parents house. It was a good birthday. Thank you Mom and Dad Darrington, David, Grandpa & Lila, Nana & Papa for the cards and money.

some gifts i recieved:

- I got some shirts and flip-flops from my mom

- I got Allen wrenches from my dad (every year he gets me a tool for my tool box)

- My sister Katherine gave me tickets to the movies

- My brother Andy and his wife Kim gave me a cute picture frame for my baby's keepsake photos and prints.

- My wonderful husband gave me new scriptures ( i really needed new ones), some shirts, a very cute pair of shoes, and he made me cupcakes with gummy bears on them.

I just want to say thank you to all of my family for making my day so wonderul and for celebrating with me. I love you all!

Finnished for now

2009-05-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

I did it! I survived another year at After School Club. It was a fun yet challenging year this year. I was able to be put in as the site Coordinator at Wilson Elementary. It means i was pretty much the boss of the entire program at Wilson. I am grateful to be done, but i will miss some kids there. I was lucky to be at such a good school with only minimal discipline problems to deal with. I had a great staff and we did some fun things this past year. I only wish i could return to Wilson as a site Coordinator next year, but alas i won't be. We'll see what happens. I actually finished out the month of May with minimal staff and all of my hair intact, so that's a plus. I get two weeks off to enjoy my self, and relax.
After the two weeks i go back to training for another year of Summer playground (After School Clubs equivalent durring the summer) we spend half a day at a park managing (glorified babysitting) children, playing games, making crafts, reading, etc. I also get to be in charge of a site this year. It will either be Willow Park or Adams Park. We'll see in a couple of weeks where i get to spend my hot summer. I wouldn't do this job if i didn't love kids. I appreciate the opportunities i have had and am grateful for such a fun job.

A couple more things i have to look forward to this summer. My Brother-in-law Terry is getting married at the end of July to a great girl named Sarah Haney. I am very happy she's becoming a member of the family and excited to welcome her into the family. Cody my youngest Brother-in-law also prepares and leaves for his mission this summer. He will be leaving on August 12th to go to the MTC then to the Czech Prague mission. The family is super excited, there hasn't been a missionary go foreign in Casey's family. To end the summer Rhett and Aria Spear some close friends of ours are going to have their baby girl Janae.

It's going to be a busy yet awesome summer to look forward to!!!

Happy Mom's Day!

2009-05-09T22:07:00.001-07:00

I just want to wish my mom a Happy Mom's day! I also wanted to say Happy Mom's day to a wonderful mother-in-law! I hope i can live up to the great example you both have shown as mom's. I am gratefull to have two such wonderful supporting and loving mom's in my life.
I LOVE YOU BOTH!!

Mayhem!

2009-05-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am a supervisor at an after school program. As of last week i lost over half of my staff due to the fact that USU got out, and they were done. So i get to go through may with four full time leaders, and two that help with homework, so few to deal with over fifty kids. AHHHHH!
What's sad about this ordeal is today i am down two staff so i get to man fifty + kids with three leaders (that includes me), plus two for homework only. You may be reading this thinking o that's not so horrible. We'll think of it this way i used to have seven more people helping on my staff, and we still had some hard times finishing homework in a timely manner, and keeping control of the kids. I just hope my kids behave so i don't have to spend too much time disciplining and controlling while i should be helping the masses.
Don't get me wrong. I love my job. Working with children is something I've always wanted, and love doing, and this job has been awesome. I just feel like this month is going to be Mayhem due to my staff shortage. So I write this in the hops that i will get through this month, with a little patience intact, most of my hair, and not wanting to quite my job.

Happy Birthday MOM!!

2009-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'd like to give a shout out to my mom on her birthday! My mom turns 52 this year. She is an amazing mom, friend, and caregiver. I love and appreciate all that she does for me. I owe so much to my mom, and i am so very grateful for the love and support she gives me.

My mom has been a great example to me in my life. She is very spiritual; loves the gospel, and spreads her love with all in her life. She has been a great mom, she's very supportive, and carring of her children (An example i hope to live up to). She is a wonderful wife, and a great example to me as a wife myslef.

Thank you mom for the many years of love and zaniness you've shared with me.

Some of my mom's Favorites:

-Her family

-The Gospel
- Peanuts (the cartoon not the food)

- Scrapbooking

- Hawaii (never been, but she'd love to go)

- Kit Kat Candy

- Hallmark (everything in it, especially christmas ornaments)

HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY MUM! I LOVE YOU!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Fact: Did you know the four leaves on a four leaf clover stand for hope, faith, love, and luck.

I have many different ancestral roots from different places. I recently found out i do in fact have Irish roots. Which is cool, because i can actually say on St. Patricks day that i have a bit of Irish in me. To be fair i have many different cultures in my ancestral line. I am Swiss, Scottish, Norwegian, English, and probably a couple more i haven't looked into yet. You can just call me a mutt of different cultures.

So to all those out there who are Irish or otherwise, i hope your day is an awesome one, and is pinch free.

Thankful for Temples

2009-03-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting in my ward there were a lot of testimonies and thoughts about the temple. A couple in my ward were recently able to get their endowments out, and sealed in the temple. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and it made me think about my own experience and thoughts on the temple.

Growing up i always knew that i wanted to be married in the Temple. I was blessed to be able to go when the time came. I was able to get my endowments out on my twentieth birthday which happened to be 6-6-06. It was a fun day filled with family and memories. The Temple was closed for a couple weeks prior to my wedding so my mom and i went a lot in June. I'm glad i went early it gave me such a wonderful sense of what the Temple is all about and i felt ready to go through and be sealed to Casey. Our wedding day was on 7-18-06. Both sides of our families were there (all back from missions). Casey and i were sealed by a family friend Bro. Allred. He knows both sides of my family and a little bit of Casey's. The day we were sealed was awesome. People kept asking if i was nervous but i never was, i was ready, and the time was right. After we were sealed and before we were let out of the room our sealer stopped us and quizzed us on what he had just instructed us to do throughout our marriage. Thankfully we passed and were able to go. Yesterday in church i was pondering on the advice and instructions we received that day. I remember that Bro. Allred counseled us to pray as a couple, read the scriptures together, hold family home evening, and there was one more that i wish i could remember but it has escaped me. So far in our marriage we have tried to hold true to those words, we have been doing much better on all of those in more recent days, and i hope to continue them.

I got to thinking yesterday how thankful i am for a Temple so close to me. I really take it for granted that it's right there waiting for me to return. I know i need to do better in how often i attend. Right now it's once a month, but i know i can do more. I recently toured the new Draper Temple with my husband, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. It amazes me still how magnificent and unique each Temple is, and that there are well over a hundred all over the world.

The covenants and blessings that come from the Temple are a treasure to me, that i could not imagine living without. I thank the Lord daily for the opportunity i have to be Temple worthy, and for help to stay worthy to go to the Temple. I feel such a sense of pride knowing that i am a child of God and it is through the covenants from the Temple that i can truly return to him someday.

"I love to see the Temple, i've been inside before, and felt the Holy Spirit, i've listened, and i've prayed."

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've decided to share some of my loves in this blog.

First i'd like to say I love you to my husband, friend, and eternal companion Casey. We have been together well over three years, and have shared two and a half of those as husband and wife. I am very thankful for him, and love him so much!

My next love would have to be my family. I have been very blessed to have such a wonderful family, and to have married into such a wonderful family. I can always count on their love, support, and prayers, and i thank them for that. I would not be where i am today without my family. They have raised me, loved me, and had a lot of patience with me. Casey's family has accepted me with open loving arms. I appreciate what a fine son they have raised, and the great example they are to me in my life. Each of my siblings and in-laws are also special to me. I look up to all of them and hope that i can do all that i can to be a better sister to them. Thank you family; I love you!

I love the Gospel. I have been raised in the LDS church, and am grateful for the gospel in my life. I love my Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. I only hope i can do the best i can, follow the gospel and return to them someday. The church has been a major constant in my life, it has uplifted me, inspired me, and helped me through my journey here on earth. I cannot imagine where my life would be today if i didn't have the gospel. I thank the Lord for his patience with me, i am far from perfect, and i can get frustrated with how things go sometimes. However, i know that if i put my life in his hands, and have a faith and a hope, everything will be all right.

I love children. I grew up loving kids, and working with them and i majored in Family Life in College. It has always been my dream to have children of my own, and to work with children. I don't have children yet, but someday i hope to be blessed with children. For now i am blessed with a loving nephew Campbell to gush over, and a job that lets me work with kids.

I love simple things. For example i love holding my husbands hand. Early on in our relationship Casey and i started holding hands, and to this day we still enjoy holding each others hand and giving each a squeeze. I love summer, first and formost because it is warm, and rarely has snow associated with it. Summer holds my favorite holiday the fourth of July. I cannot think of a better time of yer. I love blankets. I enjoy getting comfy under a blanket, and just enjoying its warmth. It is a comfortor, a sense of security, and just so soft and happy. I have always loved blankets, probabily due to that fact i own over twenty five blankets.

I have many more loves, but i won't share them today. Thank you all for the love you share with me. I love you all!

Little Buddy, o how we love you!

2009-01-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

This is Campbell Loosle, he is my first, and for right now my only nephew. His parents are my brother Andy, and my sister-in-law Kim. They are wonderful parents and are a great example that i hope to live up to some day.

Campbell turned four months old this past week. It seems as though he was just born, but he's already growing so fast. Casey and i love to visit with Campbell, he is so cute, sweet, and his smile will melt your heart. Although he's still a baby and has limited abilities, his entertaining us is never ending; we could watch him all day!

I am so grateful for this Little Buddy. He is a source of joy and happiness in my life. I love him dearly. Thanks Andy and Kim for allowing me to spend time with, and enjoy your Little Buddy!

Casey and I had to get this Aggie Big Blue for Campbell. Kim graduated from USU, as did I; and someday Casey. Is it too soon to have him cheer for his future school? Just kidding.

Now that's one cute smile. We love you Little Buddy!

O what a wonderful holiday season it has been!

2008-12-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

Casey and i have had a wonderful holiday. We were able to spend time with family, and each other. When school let out for Casey i still had one more week of work, so he helped my dad, then we went to Idaho from the twentieth to the twenty-sixth to be with his family for the holidays. I love spending time with Casey's family, we only get up there on holiday's or the occasional school break, so to be with the whole family was fun.

We had the Darrington family party on the Sunday before Christmas; if i recall there was about 54 people there, the entire family; everyone made it and no one was out on a mission this year. We had lots of fun being with family.

We spent a lot of our holiday in Idaho playing games. We learned Wackie 6, played pit, but most of all we played with Brett and Vanessa's Wii. It's always a fun experience playing with Casey's family, they are all so funny and great to be around. We also made some pretty awesome gingerbread houses if i do say so myself. But i'll let you be the judge of that.

Casey's

Vanessa's

Brett's

We recieved a plethora of wonderful food storage items from Casey's parents. I just have to say that they are such wonderful people, and i enjoy being a part of their family. I love them all so much.

Another wonderful surprize that i recieved for Christmas was a phone call from my brother David who is currently searving his mission in Louisiana. We spent and hour and a half talking to each other. It felt just like old times when we'd stay up late talking. I miss him, but i am grateful for the wonderful example he is showing me by serving the Lord. I look up to him and am grateful for him in my life.

After a snowy and windy week in Idaho Casey and i came home the day after Christmas. I was able to spend time with my cute little nephew Campbell. He's growing and changing in so many ways and it justs astounds me every time i see him. Casey and i got some movies, books, knives, a pepper grinder, some gift cards, and games from my family. We are so thankful to them for their love and prayers that they send our way.

The monday after Christmas was when my dad's side of the family held their Christmas party. We got together at my grandparents house. My cousin Billie and her husband Eric had their baby girl Emma's blessing there. It was such a sweet experience and they have such a cute family. We played a few games, including the cereal game that i've adopted from Casey's family. (It turned out well by the way). We had fun talking with family, and catching up on things.

We'll now it is New Years Eve. The year is drawing to it's and and with it many memories. I look forward to a new year. New adventures, and many more memories to create. 2008 has been a year of many smiles, laughs, happiness, and a few tears, but overall a good year to look back on. See you all in 2009!

Happy Birthday Casey!

2008-12-11T11:47:00.001-08:00

I have known Casey for about three and a half years, two and a half have been durring our wonderful marriage. Casey is wonderful, Strong, caring, hardworking, smart, loving, supportive, playfull, etc. Casey is turning twenty five today, which he considers to be old, but we all know it's not.
A few Casey Facts:
Favorite Color - Green
Favorite music - Christmas / Country
Favorite Holiday - Christmas of Course
Favorite Food - Pretty much anything, casadias, pizza,
Favorite Leisure activity - Watching movies, or Playing the Wii with our friend Rhett, and reading
Favorite Person - We'll it better be me, just kidding
Favorite Saying - "Be Good"
Favorite birthday gift so far - His new MP3 player, that's full of what else Christmas, and other songs
It's been a wonderful few years learning about Casey and becoming his friend and wife. I hope you've learned a few things about Casey too.

First Blog

2008-11-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

I've decided to write about my family for my first blog. Casey and i come from two wonderful families. Casey grew up in Raft River Idaho. His parents are Kenny and Cheryl. He is the second of Five siblings, there is Brett (Vanessa his wife) Casey, Terry, Nicole (Jordan her husband), and Cody. They are a wonderful family and i am proud to be a part of it. I grew up in North Logan Utah. My parents are Craig and LeAnne Loosle. I am the third of four kids. Andy (Kim his wife, and Campbell their son), Katherine, Marianne, and David. I am very blessed to have so much family around, and to have their love and support in all Casey and i do.