Reese Marie Gets Baptized!!!

My beautiful, funny, full-of-life 8 year old got baptized. We are so proud of Reese and her decision to follow Christ and become one of His disciples. The moment she popped out of bed until the moment she fell asleep at night she had the biggest smile on her face. She was genuinely so excited about her big day and was so happy all day long. After the baptism we got in the car to come back home and Reese said, "Mom! My mouth hurts so much from all this smiling!" 

We had all of my side there- Grandma & Grandpa Bleak and all the aunts/uncles/cousins. Reese also had a few friends there- Abby Swan & her family, Brooke Bellows & her mom and Kenzie (best friend from school & her mom and sister. It was a beautiful day and wonderful to see her so happy. When I tucked her in bed at night she said, "Mom, I don't want this day to end." She was glowing and so happy. 

Reese is such a light and joy to our family. She LOVES making people laugh and will often acting like a crazy animal or make the funniest noises and faces to get a reaction out of you. She feels completely safe and herself at home and it's so fun to see her confidence shine through. We love her so much!

Kellie’s Coldness Philosophy

Cade wanted me to include my Temperature Philosophy:

In the 40's is cold
In the 30's is freezing
In the 20's is just unacceptable

I absolutely HATE being cold. I don't like boating cause I am always cold. I've never been a fan of winter (and yes- people tell me all the time I should be "used to" the cold now since I've been in Utah over 25 years). I don't even like indoor swimming pools because I always am cold in them. I could spend hours in a hot bath or hot tub every single day if my schedule allowed. I almost always wear socks and I love warm, comfy PJs in the winter. I've never been good at doing outdoor activities in the winter because I'd rather just stay warm inside (I am trying to change that this winter).

BUT Cade got me a new winter coat this Christmas and guess what??? The 30's really don't bother me too much. I LOVE this new warm coat :).

Thanksgiving in AZ!

We had a wonderful time in Arizona this year. And it was a miracle...all the kids were healthy the whole time!! And then Jane promptly got sick as soon as we got home to Utah. But we were grateful we could enjoy our time together there.

We went and saw the new Frozen 2 movie (which we all LOVED), played outside in the trees, had a blast in the snow, played games and talked and also got to be there for Taft's baptism. The cousins all have so much fun together!

Cade's cousin, Tamara, and her 3 kiddos came the day before Thanksgiving to spend time with us. We talked and talked, and ate food. Then we danced in the garage. She stayed for Reese's birthday celebration with pizza and gifts. It was so fun to catch up with her! It's been way too long since I had seen her. 

We woke up to a gorgeous winter wonderland! Tara and Johnny's property is surrounded by pine trees and made for such a beautiful, breathtaking view! The kids played and played and played in the snow all day long. They went sledding, played in their forts, made snow men and played pretend. It was magical!

Reese’s Birthday Party

When our girls turn 8 the big celebration is their baptism day. But we do let them take some friends to a fun place to celebrate. Make it easy on me and they get to do something fun with firends! :)

Reese invited 4 friends- Kenzi (from school), Brooke and Abby (from the neighborhood) and Emily (a friend from preschool a few years ago). She decided to take her friends to Funtopia- a children's climbing place. And for ice cream at FroYo after. They had a blast!