March 2013 Happenings Part 1

March was way to fun and went way to fast. Because the weather is almost better in the winter/spring then the summer, we've spent plenty of time outside. Eliza and Luke LOVE riding their bikes up and down the street and to the dog park near our home.

Eliza's silly faces... great lighting.

And Luke's many faces... he is so adorable and just melts my heart.

The week before Easter my mom, sister and niece came for a quick visit. We had too much fun and wished they could have stayed longer. Eliza and Savannah are BEST friends. Eliza calls her "Nah" and  Savannah called Eliza "Zaza", it is adorable how much they love each other.

On Saturday we took Grandma Debbie, Aunt Kelsey and Nah to the Silverton Casino to watch the mermaid in the fish tank. The girls were in awe that there was actually a mermaid right in front of them. The mermaid came close to the girls and blew them kisses. They also loved seeing all of the taxidermy animals at the Bass Pro shop.

Sunday was St. Patrick's day and Luke & Liza wore their new Easter outfits from Grandma. The Lephercaun left green pancakes and green milk. Eliza pretty much is now obsessed with green milk and asks for it ALL the time. If the green sippy cup is clean then I put the milk in there because it makes the milk look green... tricky tricky!

Luke was not up for a picture with his Easter outfit so this is the best I could get! Ha. After church the Easter Bunny (nothing better then celebrating 2 holidays on the same day. lol) The kids had so much fun finding eggs. Aunt Kelsey has definitely passed down the aggressive/competitive gene down to her daughter. Savannah was so quick and got the same amount of eggs and Liza and Luke combined... Oh well, we all know the candy is for the parents anyway, so it saved me a few pounds :)

A few hours later it was time for Debbie, Kelsey and Nah to head home. We were so sad to see them go (I think Luke was more sad about taking his 100th picture) but we sure had a fun time. Having them visit made us look forward to our flight to Reno at the beginning of May even more.

February 2013 Happenings

February has been a happening month! We started out driving to Tuscan to watch our oldest niece Megan speak in church before leaving on an 18 month mission (more about that here). Matt's parents and brother drove from St. George to Vegas to pick us up and head on our way. We drove in their van and there wasn't a vacant seat in that thing! It was a quick trip but a LONG drive. Luke had 4 teeth coming in so that meant a fever, lots of sucking on his pacifier, and crankiness. Eliza did great sitting in the back with Grandma and Mom, Uncle Kirt or Daddy (depending on whose turn it was to drive).

We got to Tuscon in time for Megan's farewell party and we got to meet some of their amazing friends and ward family. The next day we got up so that all 16 of us staying at their house could get up and ready for 9 o'clock church... I was the last one out the door of course.

Megan did an amazing job on her talk. We could definitely feel the Spirit and we knew that she was ready to serve a mission. It was crazy to hear her and see her as an "adult" and not a young girl anymore. Megan was barely a teenager when Matt and I got married and she has blossomed (can I use that word anymore) into a beautiful woman. Megan and Uncle Kirt sang too and it was beautiful... man I wish I had that talent.

Here are a few pics:

Megan | Luke, Mom, Megan, Dad, Eliza

Jess, Austin, Paula, Sierra, Aaron, Jocelyn, Megan

Uncle Kirt, Grandma, Megan, Grandpa, Uncle Matt

Next was Valentine's Day. After we left Tuscan Eliza, Luke and I all got sick. Fever, stuffy nose, cough... it was bad. As you can tell in the picture below Eliza is pretty sleepy looking at her preschool party. I made her go because she was SO excited about handing out and getting her Valentine's Cards. We even put the cards together almost a WEEK before the party and then she carried them around everywhere in the bag we made her. 

On Tuesday, Feb 12th we had a play group V-day party at the park with our friends. I was in charge and I added text to an adorable invite I found online, made yummy treats with the help of our friends Preslee, Kenzie & their mom, and made our valentines.  All of which I got no pictures of people...

 Valentine we made that you attach to an applesauce squeeze pouch | Valentine party invite

Our delicious treats.

At Eliza's preschool I got to watch her sing the cutest little songs and play for a little bit. They got to have mac & cheese and turkey sandwich for snack (which looked gross). And they colored a beautiful heart. Eliza was pretty much ready to go after snack but we stayed until the end. I'll have to take a picture of all of her Valentine cards she received. She loved ever one!

 Because we were sick I never took a picture of the kids with their heart shaped boxes of candy or the cute Valentines they got from their Grandma & Grandpa K. Next year...

After a week of being sick the kids were finally up for some fun so we headed to the new park by our house. We loved it! It was so nice outside and felt wonderful to have some real sunshine on my face.

Eliza also finished her dance classes this month. She had to miss the Valentines' party at dance because she was sick but she had a blast her last week. She has learned so much and isn't as shy... she still never talked at dance as much as she does at home, but maybe that is a good thing! lol

I love her face in the mirror on this big image. She got to hula hoop, Luke and daddy watch from behind the glass. At the end of every class the girls get to do bubbles (pretty much some kids fav part). Lastly daddy is helping E was her shoes she earned. 

At dance I noticed how Eliza's hair was starting to "V" in the back and decided it was time for her FIRST HAIRCUT EVER! Yep, you got that right.. she is 3 1/2 and has NEVER had her hair cut. So I did a little trim at home. 

She also keeps getting this "birds nest" in the back from sleeping on her hair. Every morning she says, "Mom, there is another birds nest in my hair... ughhh." It is so funny.

The trim wasn't that noticeable but it's all about one length. The only way we could get her to sit still was to put a sticker on the bathroom wall and had her stare at it... it worked a little bit. I think I might need to put some layers in because of her curls but we will see.

 At the end of the month some of our favorite people came to visit. Aunt Trina & Uncle AJ (my aunt and uncle). They were stopping in Vegas as they drove to Arizona. It was SO great to see them, show them our house and visit for a while. We LOVE you guys!

And a few randoms from the month:

Luke and I went on a date to Petco... we bought a Beta fish and named it Bob. We are trying to wean L from his pacifier so we cut the end off. Eliza was more disturbed by it then L was, until he tried it of course. Now he only gets his paci when he is sleeping. It's so cute because we make him hand it to us before he can get out of bed... he has no problem with that. Next, Matt is such a GOOD dad. He plays with the kids and they just LOVE him. A typical night at the Keeler house. Lastly, we went to Walmart to look at the trikes for L and Eliza found this gem of a helmet... I couldn't help but take a picture.

Well, that's it in a nut shell... (what am I talking about "nut shell" that was the LONGEST post ever!)

President who?

Today Eliza and I went to Hobby Lobby (best store EVER!!!) to do some decor shopping. Eliza saw this beautiful statue (the one at the store was small and bright blue)

Pointing at it she says, "Look mommy, it's President Monson!" I said, "Close Eliza. That definitely is a President but of the country not our church."

Umm... they almost look alike.

She was SO serious and so proud of herself and I couldn't stop laughing. I guess FHE is paying off but maybe we're not being specific enough. lol

A few seconds after that I spotted a picture of Christ at the last supper. I told Eliza to come look. With wide eyes she said, "Mom, Jesus is in this picture!"

Too cute. Then she was back to "racing" me up and down the isles.  I sure love my shopping buddy.

The Bachelor

.... I LOVE The Bachelor. I'm not sure when exactly I first watched it and for quite a few years I was on and off, but since I've gotten married and had babies I am ADDICTED! I think it's because I don't have much drama in my life so I NEED to watch it.

A few girls from my ward and I get together every week and sometimes I watch it with my bestie and her roommates, but no matter who it's with it is so much fun and you can talk about it for hours! And then talking about it leads to talking about other things and it is such a good time.

Tonight my fav AshLee got kicked off. I was SO nervous because I kind of thought it was coming but didn't want it to. And when her name wasn't called and she didn't get a rose she did exactly what I have thought I would do ever since I started watching... she walked away. No words. Nothing. And she turned her head away from the camera.  I feel heartbroken for her.

January 2013 Happenings

There are so many fun things to do here in Vegas.... I absolutely LOVE all of the rec centers and libraries. At the beginning of January, while Matt was at school, the kids and I tried out a new library (Paseo Verde Library). The kids love the kids center, puzzles and books.  

In this picture Luke is 20 months old and Eliza is 40 months old. I can't believe how fast the time has gone and I LOVE there adorable personalities they are developing. Luke is such a happy-go-lucky kid. Don't get me wrong he definitely cries but he is usually happy and loves to do everything his sister does. Eliza is getting to be quite the drama queen. She wants to do everything herself and wants to be called "Daddy's Pretty Girl" instead of Eliza.

We were able to sign up Eliza for a preschool at one of the nearby high schools. She gets to go twice a week for an hour and twenty minutes. Since I am working and don't have "nap time" to practice with Eliza, I was getting so nervous that she was going to be behind everyone her age. Some kids can spell their names and other people's names and they are only 3! Well I guess those kids are quite a bit closer to 4 than Eliza is... but still. So I jumped at this awesome chance (plus it is only $90 for 4 months instead for $125 for one month.) Eliza was SO nervous the first day (pic above). She held onto my leg and hid behind me. Luke and I walked her in and the teachers along with the students were singing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" and Eliza jumped right in. Later that day she told me she got to play in the sandbox and write letters. She has loved it ever since. 

Here in Vegas we get to go to the park in JANUARY! What the heck?!? I know you're jealous.

For Christmas Grandma Hawley got Eliza dance classes... 6 weeks of Princess Dance classes to be exact. She also got this adorable Cinderella (her fav) ballet outfit. Eliza was SO excited for her classes to start and she couldn't stop talking about it. On the first day Matt was able to come with us so we could watch Eliza's dancing debut. Of course she sat on the floor in the class and did NOTHING... Not one single thing. After a few minutes the teacher came out and asked if I wanted to join the class. So in I went to make a complete fool of myself. Ha. Even with me holding her hand Eliza was hesitant to do anything. Both Matt and I were frustrated and just hoped that she would only be nervous that first day. When we got into the car we asked her why she was so scared but she didn't have an answer. It was her very first time doing anything without me or someone she knew being there. She told us that she didn't have ballerina slippers like the rest of the girls so we pulled a bribe out of the air and told her if she participated next time then we would get her some slippers.

All week we talked about dance and for FHE we practice the dance moves she was learning. I took her to dance by herself the next time and at the last minute I broke down and said... We can go for ice cream right after if you participate and have fun! Well, it worked. Eliza was like a different girl that time and is enjoying everything she learns.

January is also the first time that Luke went to Nursery without Eliza because Eliza is now a SUNBEAM! Eliza has wanted to be a Sunbeam for what seems to be an eternity. Every single night we sing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" while we rock her before bed. Of course she didn't want her daddy to leave her to sit by her class by herself but after a few minutes she was okay. 

Luke had zero problems going to Nursery without Eliza. When they do circle time he sits there with his legs stretched out and he is just so adorable.

A few weeks into the month I asked a girl in my ward to cut my hair and Luke's hair... I had put it off for so long because I didn't want him to be a little boy instead of a baby. And everyone knows that a kids haircut makes them seem older.  Now that it is over I wish I had done it sooner but I sure realize that he is now a toddler instead of a baby :(

In December I was given a Visiting Teaching route and a partner. The first time Kimberly and I chatted on the phone we talked for a good 20 mins and it was SO easy to just talk... I was so excited because her daughter is about the same age as Eliza and they are in the same Sunbeam class. On our first visit we talked about wanting to take our girls to see Disney on Ice by the end of the visit we decided to go home and get some tickets to go the next week. To say our daughters loved it would be an understatement.

 Kimberly, Kiera, Me and Eliza

 Eliza and Mommy

 Eliza and Kiera

The show started with the Princess and the Frog story (which Eliza and I haven't seen) and we were a bit confused and Eliza was a bit scared. Next was the story of Cinderella. Right before Christmas we rented Cinderella from the library and Eliza loved the story except for the scary stepsisters. Every time Eliza watches the show she wants to mute it so she can't hear the stepsisters or she just skips that part. During Disney on Ice she kept calling Cinderella "her princess". It was so cute and I totally got choked up when I saw here eyes light up.

There is nothing in the entire world as special as seeing your kids when they have that "magic" and "sparkle" in their eyes. It gets me every time.

   Last but not least was our quick trip to St. George to watch our cousin, Jaxson, in his Junior High play. The play was called Fame Jr. and Jax had an awesome part where he got to sing a solo to open the play. We were SO proud and impressed by him and his talents. It is fun living closer to Matt's family so we can share in events like this. Above are a few cute pictures of the cousins. The first is of Luke and Emme kissing baby Ella (youngest of the cousins). Next is a picture of the girls, Andi, Eliza and Emme with Uncle Kirt. Lastly a picture of how big Ella is getting, she will be 1 in May. 

Silly willy billy goats

On the way home from church last Sunday, the kiddies decided they needed to wear their sunglass... and they were being too cute to not take a picture of them.

Yes, Luke does look GOOD in pink! 

Lately Matt calls Eliza a silly willy billy goat and she get SO mad about it and says that she is NOT a silly willy billy goat. Tonight we were going upstairs to get ready for bed and Eliza was trying to fight us, Matt said, "Who ever is the last one upstairs is a silly willy billy goat!"So of course Eliza started whining because she was the last one on her way up. So Matt pretended to fall down and Eliza raced past him on the stairs. When she got to the top she yelled out.. "Now YOU are the silly will billy goat!" That girl has so much spunk that I'm not sure what I am going to do with her. 

By the way if I call her Eliza, she tells me that I'm wrong and that she is "Daddy's pretty girl" instead.

UPDATE: When I was 9 1/2 weeks prego with baby #3 I miscarried. Although I was and am sad I am also relieved because we (Matt & I) were not ready for a little one at that time. I get so tearful when I think of what might have been but am SO grateful that God has a plan and that He knows me and what we, as a family and a couple, can handle. I definitely look forward to having my third child in the future and am so happy to have the amazing children that I have right now.