Happy ninth birthday Kendal!!

Our sweet little lady turned nine today! Kendal is still our Sweet Pea; kind, loving, smart, sensitive, and happy. She's got a full schedule right now with piano, choir, Achievement days, and basketball. She's improving and growing in piano! She loves choir and loves it even more because her best buds are in it with her. She's always loved basketball and is enjoying herself so far this season and made a basket at her game Saturday!
Kendal loves school so much! (she gets upset when there are days off.) She likes everything about school and can't pick her favorite.
We're so lucky this awesome little lady is in our lives!

  

Kendal's interview of favorites this year!
Favorite color: Pink and Blue
Favorite Toy: American Girl doll
Favorite food: Cheeseburger
Favorite animal: All of them!
Favorite song: I'll be what I believe
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite books: Thea Stilton, Harry Potter, Sisters Grim
When I grow up: Teacher, and Coach
Favorite part of school: Everything
Nicknames: Sweet Pea and Little Lady
Favorite part of birthday: Spending time with family. I

Other favorites I'm adding: art, unicorns, church, butterflies, time with friends, and Wii time.

Kendal's main gift for her birthday this year was her bike that we bought awhile ago. We wanted her to enjoy it in the warm weather, not just whenever winter let her. This morning she opened a pair of earrings and a new book from us. She happily requested rice krispies (her favorite cereal) for breakfast so I added sprinkles for some fun.  She had a great day at school. Alice and I took rice krispie treats to her class too! After school Kendal got to open a sweet package from Aunt Peggy with a new book, a card from cousins, and then she got to open up her presents from Grandma and Grandpa Loosle while skyping them! They gave her jammies, a cute rhyming book, a butterfly ornament, and her much anticipated big fluffy pillow of a butterfly! She's in love with it and took it off to bed to cuddle. (so I'll add a picture of her with it tomorrow). Grandma Darrington drove all the way up yesterday to give Kendal her get card and some money that she wants to save up for roller blades.
For her birthday experience this year she chose to take Brooke and Meadow out for ice cream tomorrow and I'm going to take her to the high school princess play Saturday!

"I get knocked down, but I get up again" . . .

We had our primary program on the 28th. Peter sang, wiggled a lot, and whispered his part (aka his most successful program to date!). Kendal really got into the songs, shared her part, and loved being apart of the program. Casey's parents came up to see the kids in the program.
Casey started basketball the last week of October. He had tryouts for a few days and is now into his season with three games done and . . . to go.
Because Casey had basketball Halloween night I decided to opt out of typical trick or treating with three kids. So I talked the kids into going to a Harry Potter maze and activity. The kids got to go through a maze with Harry Potter and Luna answering riddles, battling Voldermort, and getting Dragon eggs. They also got to decorate a cookie, practice spells, play games, make art, and just have loads of fun. Alice was a trooper in the stroller most of the time till the end so we found a slide to enjoy. It was a fun and memorable night!

 

 

 

Early the following morning Peter threw up so I kept him home from school. Poor kid didn't have a good day. Unfortunately the sick spread, Kendal was next and ended up missing her first game Saturday and church Sunday. I stayed home from church with the girls and  switched with Casey to give my lesson.  Alice and I were hit with the bug as well and Monday was spent cuddling on the couch. (Even while sick, little miss still wants to get naked and have her dolls join in to. This little one sure keeps things interesting ; )

Tuesday the sixth was my mom's surgery. She went in to have an RNS device put onto her skull and brain. (It's a device tho stimulate my mom's brain as she seizures to help shorten or stop them.) It was an emotional couple of days, but my mom is a champ and her surgery went well! So grateful it's done, and hopeful for the help it'll give her. Kate Birk was sweet and came and helped me with the kids that night and was a listening ear for this frazzled lady.
Tuesday was also parent teachers conference. Kendal and Peter are doing well academically. We just need to work on confidence and focus with Peter. Both kids are enjoying their teachers and class this year!
Wednesday; with Casey at basketball I took all three kids to young women's with me. The Beehives were in charge, so I had a lot to do. We cleaned all the nursery toys. The kids "helped" with that. We tied three quilts also that night and Kendal got to help a bit. She was elated to learn a new skill and wants to make a quilt now. Alice was either playing, bonking her head on quilt boards, wanting to be in my arms, or trying to get "yummies" from the girls.

Alice and I went down Thursday to help with my mom's recovery. Alice was a little busy body the whole stay, but a good distraction and amusement sometimes, other times she was a teething, typical toddler. I'm so grateful I could go down and help out. My mom is so strong and is getting better everyday. My poor Dad has had a rough week as well with migraines and getting sick but hopefully he's on the mend as well.

 

There was no school Friday. The kids got to spend the morning playing with Dad and neighbor Echo. Cheryl came and stayed with the kids Friday night while Casey was off at a game. They joined Vanessa and her crew for a Harry Potter movie night. The next morning Casey and Kendal had games at the same time do Cheryl took the kids for the morning. First Kendal's game (she did great and made a basket!!), then the high school JV game, lunch, then Becca's game. That afternoon Casey took the kids to Pocatello to play at Nicole's while he went to the Kimberly football game. They stayed overnight in Raft River. Unfortunately Casey's car had some major troubles on the way home cutting my trip to Logan a bit short, but thus is life.
So I'm back home and into our busy routine of things. Looking forward to Kendal's birthday in a couple of days and Thanksgiving next week!