The Knights

Introducing... Brynlee Knight!

2012-01-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

BRYNLEE KNIGHT

We are so excited to announce the birth of our third daughter, Brynlee Knight.

She was born January 22nd, 2012 at 10:52am in Twin Falls, ID.

She weighed 8lbs 0oz and was 21inches long.

She has dark brown hair, smiles and looks a lot like her sister, Madi, when she was born.

We are so excited to have her here and look forward to what the future holds in our growing family.

Thank you for all of the love, support and prayers, we couldn't have done it without you!

(More to come on the actual story :))

A bunch of Pictures

2012-01-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Since I've been so bad about blogging, here are a bunch of pictures to satisfy :) Updates I forgot in the previous post: the girls both had well-child checks a few weeks ago, and my how they've grown! Madi is overall in the 60th percentile, and only 4 inches shorter than Gabi! Gabi is overall in the 40th percentile, HUGE improvement from last year where she was only in the 5th percentile. Madi is super ahead of her age as far as development, and according to the assessment we took she is doing everything that a 24month old should be doing. She talks phenomenally well, in complete sentences and often people think that the girls are twins. She catches on to things immediately, almost too quick for this mama. Can we say, please don't grow up too fast!! Gabi is also ahead of her age developmentally and is doing awesome. She has an amazing memory, and actually might have a photographic memory. She only has to see things one time, and she already has in. In fact she can recite books to us from memory after reading only a few times. Sure makes story time easy! :) We love our girls and can't believe how fast they are growing up!!
Now some pics like promised!

Our first real snow day was this week, we ended up with a total of 6 inches in one day!

The girls when they first came out

Helping pack the snow on our snowman

Madi trying to wade through the snow& the girls in front of our snowmen

A picture of the girls :) Daddy was at work

The girls love love LOVE to color and do it everyday

I drew the "diamond" and Gabi drew the circle, she was so proud :)

We've been practicing our shapes lately ;)

The only picture I got of New Years Eve, sad!

Playing outside after a walk

Lots of Love,
The Knights

A Day in the Life of the Knights

2012-01-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

So lately we have been pretty busy; a baby coming, a new job, busy girls, callings, projects (aka nesting in overdrive), and just trying to keep up with everything else. Since this little babe in my belly is about to make her grand entrance, quite literally any time now, I thought I should FINALLY take a moment to update.

Taken today, 1/20/2012 38weeks, 6 days

Taken 1/15/2012- I think I look bigger here!

We'll start with the babe. We are having another little girl, for those who don't know, and she is due January 29th. That being said, we went to the Dr's today and my membranes were stripped- had not idea what he was doing until he was done- thanks doc! I'm at a 3 and 25% effaced (sorry if that's TMI :)) So he said the conditions were "prime" to induce me "the old fashioned way." Haha! He also scheduled an actual induction for next Tuesday the 24th in case I haven't gone into labor yet. Didn't really have much choice in that...his reasons for wanting to induce; 1)It's my third, and apparently your 3rd can come a lot quicker, 2)I'm already at a 3, which is what I was at in active labor when I went into the hospital with my 1sr (I was at a 2 with my second), 3)The baby is measuring full term, 4) I tend to have bigger babies anyway, and 4) We live 35min from the hospital on a good day and with the weather the way it has been could take 45-60min on a good day. So, there you have it. I will try and keep everyone updated as well as possible on the status of our little one, but until then, wish me luck!!

Isaac just started a new job on Monday! We are so incredibly proud of him and all of his hard work! He is still with Glanbia, and is actually still in Gooding, mostly, although this job requires him to travel a lot between Gooding, Twin, and wherever else they need him to go. I'm not exactly the person who should be describing his job, but he is essentially over environmental and safety working with the trucking department. So if a trucker gets in an accident, he's the man on site checking out what happened and making sure the driver is ok. He also works in preventative to try and keep those things from happening in the first place. He works closely with OSHA and has a lot of certifications and training in the coming months. He is really looking forward to this new direction and what it has to offer. We are really excited for him and for this opportunity for growth.

The girls building their "temple" fashioned after the Twin falls Temple, of course

I must add that the girls LOVE the temple! Every time we go to twin they are both asking to drive by, and of course when we do we must stay and sing "I love to see the Temple." They both sing it :)

Our ward recently combined with another ward and so all except the bishop and ward clerks, we had one huge mass releasing. Isaac was recalled as the Elder's Quorum President and is thoroughly enjoying having more Elders in the Quorum. I was called back into the Young Woman's, but as a Mia Maid Advisor instead of Beehive Advisor. We are both enjoying our callings immensely. Madi started nursery in December and...is still adjusting. Stranger anxiety seems to be at an all time high with her, but we hope she gets over that soon! We have wonderful nursery leaders who really take care of the kids. Gabi started SUNBEAMS this year!! I almost felt like it was the first day of school and I had to drop her off, I almost whipped out a camera and shed a tear. Okay, I almost shed a tear and wished I could whip out my camera, but it's church, so I couldn't do that. :) She's...adjusting as well. She has a really large class with 9+ kids. 7 of which come on a regular basis. That teacher sure has her job cut our for her! Overall, we really really love our ward to pieces, and having the combined wards has only made it better.

Gabi post-dentist showing of her goodies

Her new super-cool toothbrush

Showing off her pearly-whites!

Gabi went to the dentist for the first time ever and did AWESOME! I totally expected her to flip out and cry and sent me into premature labor, but alas she was PERFECT! Not only did she let them take pictures of all of her teeth, she also let them CLEAN her teeth!! (Apparently they consider it a success alone if the kid sits in the chair without crying) I know some adults who get squirmy with that, but my adorable little 3 year old did SUPERB! We were so proud of her, and I think the hygienist who cleaned her teeth was super glad she didn't have to deal with a sad kiddo. Yeah Gabi!
Nesting. Something all prego woman do in some form or the other, especially those finally weeks. I seriously have had it bad this time. I've reorganized again and again and again, painted a room, made Isaac paint the bathroom (I'll be honest, I've made Isaac do A LOT!) We switched Gabi into her own room (the newly painted one) and a ton of other little projects all associated with organizing. It has kept me busy, but it has also kept me from counting the days.
We hope you are all enjoying this new year as much as we have so far. Best Wishes to you all in 2012!!

PS all you moms who ever feel a little overwhelmed, check this out. Just remember, all you have to do is stop once in awhile and "enjoy the view"

Inner Peace

2011-12-18T16:40:00.000-08:00

Recently we watched Kung-Fu Panda 2- I have to admit I am not a huge Jack Black fan, okay, I'm not a fan at all, so even watching an animated movie where plays the voice of the main character was less than appealing to me. That being said as we watched the movie I found some very profound truths in there. In the beginning Master Shifou is telling Po that the final lesson of Kung Fu is finding inner peace. Each person finds it in a different way, but once it is mastered your potential is increased. Throughout the movie Po is dealing with flashbacks from his childhood and discovers along the way a lot about his past, who he really is, and who he is meant to become. A couple of things that I pondered on were 1) When the world sends the waves of life rocking our boat, how do we react to that, how can we learn to deal with the rocking boat and continue on our journey, and 2) We all have that discovery process of self in this life and we have a lot of people who help us on the way. We all are children of God who have a divine purpose here on earth and we have things that we all need to accomplish on this earth, each very unique and differen,t as we strive to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ in hopes to one day return to him.
When I was on my mission my sweet little sister sent me a letter and a note card that contained this quote by Bishop H. Burke Peterson, "One of the greatest challenges is to overcome the feeling that we are unimportant, that we are not special and unique. Do you think for a moment that Heavenly Father would have sent one of His children to this earth by accident, without the possibility of a significant work to perform?...
My dear friends, you are a royal generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you. If you do not prepare to do them, they will not be done. Your mission is unique and distinctive for you. Please don’t make another have to take your place. He or she can’t do it as well as you can. If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here." (New Era, May 1979, pp. 4-5) I kept that note card and nearly 6 years later I still reflect on it often. I know each of us has a divine purpose here on earth, we truly are a royal generation, I know this is true.
As I've contemplated on "Inner Peace" or being at peace lately I've really tried to understand what it means to acquire peace and to let it flourish in my life. It hasn't been easy and I'm only just beginning. I often imagine myself standing on a boat staring off into the distance enjoying the sunshine, turning around for just a moment only to see a storm looming overhead, wondering what I'm going to do- metaphorically speaking, of course. Life can be hard, the waters rocky and toss us to and fro. Amidst adversity how can we still remain at peace? Marvin J Ashton said,
"Certainly peace is the opposite of fear. Peace is a blessing that comes to those who trust in God. It is established through individual righteousness. True personal peace comes about through eternal vigilance and constant righteous efforts. No man can be at peace who is untrue to his better self. No man can have lasting peace who is living a lie. Peace can never come to the transgressor of the law. Commitment to God’s laws is the basis for peace. Peace is something we earn. It is not a gift. Rather, it is a possession earned by those who love God and work to achieve the blessings of peace. It is not a written document. It is something that must come from within." (Oct 1985 Conference address)
I know I have a long way to go, but I enjoy those peaceful moments when everything in the world seems just right. The worries and stress aren't gone forever, but they seem to melt away, and I am left feeling sunshine on my face and the feeling that through God all things are possible.

Such a cutie!

2011-12-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier I missed a lot of key events due lack of blogging this summer. One important event that I want to make sure I write about is my cute new niece Lilly! Ryan and Jennie had their second girl in August, and boy is she a cutie!! We were super lucky and happened to be in Utah when she was born, so we got to see her when she was barely over a day old. Such a sweetie, I LOVE her cheeks!

Emma is an adorable older sister, always making sure that her little sis is okay.

Emma just turned 2, Happy Birthday Emma!!

(all pics stolen from Ryan and Jennie's blog :))

We are so grateful for wonderful family, Gabi and Madi just love their cousins!

Santa Clause is coming to Town!

2011-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last night was our ward Christmas party. We recently combined wards- I'll update on that later- so there were a lot of new faces there. I wish I had taken more pictures, it was set up beautifully. The program was wonderful too. They retold the Christmas story and had live Nativity along with singing. The youth played the parts and did a fantastic job! The baby Jesus was an actual baby, our friends little guy who is SO CUTE and was so good. The spirit was so strong. I love moments like those where we are able to take some time and think about the real meaning of the season.
Of course afterwards Santa came, and I'll be honest folks, I think he's the real deal. Check out the pictures and decide for yourself. I have to say that I was a little apprehensive about Gabi meeting Santa for the first time, we've never done the Santa thing before for whatever reason. So I tried to prepare her all day yesterday by telling her that she was going to get to see Santa that night. All she was interested in meeting, however, were Santa's reindeer. So as we were waiting in line to meet him I was getting really stressed out. I turned to talk to Isaac and then someone told me that Gabi was sitting on Santa's lap. Apparently she totally cut in front of like 5 kids (she didn't know :)) walked right up to Santa and sat on his lap!! What happened to my shy little girl?! She sat and chatted with him for a bit and loved every minute of it. As you can see from the pictures, Madi wasn't quite as taken with the jolly old man. He was super nice and all of the kids loved him!!

Sometimes it's Okay to Cry Over Spilt Milk

2011-12-07T22:41:00.001-08:00

You know those days when you've gotten a great nights sleep, you wake up to sunshine and happy kids and you think to yourself, "Life is great." Life is great, but today was not one of those days. The sun was shining and I was optimistic about the day until my one-year old woke up early, my three year old thought potty training is sitting on the potty after you pee your pants, and right after getting dressed spilling a glass full of milk all over myself and then realizing that I have no other clean clothes because today I was going to do laundry. I have to admit, I did cry over spilt milk today. My sweet little 3 year old was very concerned for her seriously hysterical mama. I decided today that sometimes it's okay to cry over spilt milk. Because you have a good cry, clean up the milk and life goes on. After that spat life got a lot better, and yes the sun was still shining.

"I have little doubt that many of us are troubled with fears concerning ourselves. We are in a period of stress across the world. There are occasionally hard days for each of us. Do not despair. Do not give up. Look for the sunlight through the clouds. Opportunities will eventually open to you. Do not let the prophets of gloom endanger your possibilities (President Gordon B. Hinckley from Ensign, Apr. 1986, 4–5)."

The Perfect Day- at least it was supposed to be

2011-12-03T22:13:00.001-08:00

We have been looking forward to today all week long! This morning we had a Glanbia Christmas Celebration for the family- they rent out the theatre and we get to go as family and enjoy a family appropriate movie (This year was Puss in Boots) complete with popcorn and a drink compliments of Glanbia. After the movie Santa comes and the kids can sit on his lap if they want and take pictures and then each child gets a gift. Later we planned to go out to lunch and enjoy family time, come home and finish putting up decorations and then go with our friends to see some awesome lights.
We were soooo excited!! Unfortunately, as it usually seems to happen, none of that happened. We made it to the movie theatre and were about 15 minutes into the movie (mind you this is about 9:15am) and Madi starts losing her breakfast all over me, Isaac, and the seat in front of us. Interestingly enough my purse caught most of it...inside. I guess I know what I want for Christmas- ew! So we rushed out, and got Madi all cleaned up, poor thing! :( She wasn't looking so great, so much to our chagrin we left the theatre in search of a new outfit for little Madi since where we were was 30min from home and we felt like that would be undue punishment to ride home stinky. So we zipped over to Fredmeyer's and grabbed a new outfit for Madi and a new shirt for Daddy. We had a few errands we needed to run, so after Madi had a few crackers and a sip of water, she was out and we tagged teamed getting our errands done. Not quite the afternoon we had planned.
When we got home not a one of us were in the decorating mood, so we all took a nap. We were hoping that Madi would be feeling better so that we could at least go see the lights. But alas, after a 2 1/2hr nap, she woke up really pale and had a fever. So, sadly, we had to forgo the lights and seeing our friends, our last hope of reviving our wonderfully planned Saturday.
Instead we went for a short car ride to see some of the lights around the neighborhood and came home and let the girls open one of their Christmas presents early- Rio (sorry Brit!)
So I guess no matter how well we plan, sometimes it just doesn't work out and you just have to roll with the punches. Even thought not a single thing went as planned, we were able to spend the entire day together as a family, and that was wonderful.

Watching Rio, highlight of their day!

Gabi saying "cheese" and super excited to watch Rio

4th Anniversary

2011-12-01T04:31:00.001-08:00

November 17th we celebrated our fourth anniversary being married. In some ways time has gone by super fast- it seems like we were just newly weds finishing up college, scraping to get by, and living on dreams of the future. Some of that may still hold true, but it's amazing to compare where we are now to where we were four years ago. I heard a million times when we first were married, and madly in love, that we would continually look back on when we were first married and be amazed at how much our love had grown. I felt like I was bursting at the seams with love and didn't think it quite possible for the love to grow, and yet it has. We have two beautiful little girls and another on the way and a marriage I really only dreamed would be this wonderful. Life isn't perfect, not for a single one of us, but I like to think that for Isaac and I, "it's our imperfections which make us so perfect for one another." So here is to another wonderful year, and to eternity. I love you Isaac!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T12:48:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was a blast. Lots of family, food and fun. We headed over the river and through the sagebrush to Boise on Wedneday night (why didn't I think that everyone else would have the same idea???). It took us twice as long to get there as usual, but lucky for me the girls were pretty well behaved...until the last 20 minutes...thank goodness for bribes. Isaac didn't leave later since he got of work late so we actually drove seperately. How much more I appreciate my wonderful hubby when I realize how much he does....aka the 3hr car drive without him. We were greeted in Boise by a ton of family and more that arrived later on.
It was a really wonderful Thanksgiving mostly because all of my siblings and all of their kiddos were there. :) It was so fun to see all the cousins (there's five now...and counting) running around play together. It's crazy how fast those little tykes grow! I still can't believe Gabi is three!
On Thanksgiving day we all were cooking like crazy in a little kitchen at my parents. We had family pictures that morning and then we changed and got back to cooking. We had Thanksgiving dinner a little early this year since Kyle and Ashley had to hit the road early to make it back for work on Friday. (I think it's a 8hr drive for them...yuck!) We were super glad that they could come.
Thursday night a few of us geared up for....drum roll please...black friday...but on thursday!!! Walmart opened at 10pm Thursday for some of their doorbusters. All I have to say is, I think I'm done with Black Friday. At least in a college town. Again, I don't know what I was thinking... I guess I wasn't. Haha! Needless to say I got rammed with carts- intentionally- at least 5 or 6 times, people were stealing stuff out of other people's carts, pushing, shoving, yelling, and it took at least 15 min to get from the back of the store to the front, which usually takes about 2 min. Then the lines....I think we were in line to check out for about 1hr. Too long for this prego chica. Anywho, Isaac and I decided to brave it at midnight at shopko. There were about 200+ people in line. Craziness. Luckily we only wanted one thing, so we grabbed in and jumped in line. We were in and out in about 30min. I opted not to get up at 5am to check out Freddy's. In fact, ironically, the sale ended at 11am and we got there at 10am and got every single thing that we wanted. And I only waited in line for 5min. So maybe I'm not completely done with black friday, but overall the experience this year really stunk.
Friday we all mostly just hung out, which was nice to have a low-key day. A bunch of us went swimming at the hotel pool. The kids had a blast. They had a regular pool and a warm pool- the kids didn't mind the regular pool (both indoor) but the adults all eventually ended up in the warm pool.
Saturday was another hang-out kind of day and a travelling day. Most everyone headed home that day except Brit, Dom, and Gianni- who had an early flight the next morning.
On our way home we got to stop off at our friend's house, the Thomas'. They moved out of our ward last June, I believe. We've seen them a few times since, but we miss them tons. They have three boys, Tyler and Bryce are both really good friends with Gabi. They always have so much fun together and play so well. It's always nice to see friends and spend time with them.
Well, that's about it! It was a long and busy, but fun weekend. I think we are all still trying to catch up on sleep in this house.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Things I am especially grateful for:

My Family
The Gospel
Madi's health is doing well
We have another baby on the way :)
We have a temple close to us

And so much more!!!

Madi ready for a nap!

Isaac and Madi swimming in the pool- she loves the water!

Gabi waiting to get in the water- it was super cold in there!

Our Family Pic- I don't think Madi smiled for one picture :)

The Grandkiddos- don't know how Lilly got cut off

All the family

Grandparents and Grandkids

Parents and Siblings

Parents, Siblings & Spouses

Sleeping at the hotel- thank goodness for a king size bed!

(They were so cute, they had to make sure that the other was still there so the kept reaching out for the other one in their sleep. They get along so well :) )

Inspired

2011-11-22T21:45:00.001-08:00

I have a wonderful sister-in-law, actually I have several sister-in-laws, whom are all unique and special and amazing. Lately, okay for quite awhile now, I have had trouble with the time, motivation, desire...whatever you want to call it...to blog- I know this goes without saying, but one of my sister-in-laws has been blogging a lot lately, catch-up blogging, and I think I just may have caught the blogging bug again...finally. So, I am challenging myself to a post a day until the end of the year. Sorry in advance for the "old" pictures, but I assure you I will mix in some new as well. :) Thanks to all the family and friends who are faithful bloggers, I LOVE looking at your pictures and reading your stories. I hope all are doing well.

Our little family in SLC in Aug

Love, The Knights

Remembering Riley

2011-09-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

This last week our sweet little dog Riley passed away. It has been a hard week for all of our family- goodbyes are never easy. Any of you who know me know that I am not an animal person, but Riley was more that just the "family pet," he was a dear friend. He was there for each of us when we needed him most. He was a friend, a hunter, a comforter, a listener, a member of our family.
I remember when I came home from my mission. He hadn't seen me in a long time, but he still remembered me. In those days and weeks that followed my return home, when everyone else was gone at work or at school, Riley and I bonded. We went on walks and runs, watched movies, and just hung out- helped ease the adjustment to being "back." He became my bud. As I eventually moved away and went back to school, later got married, and started having kids I wasn't able to see him as much due to distance, but I still thought about him and missed him. He had so much personality. He could tell if you were having a bad day and just needed someone to listen to, he always seemed to understand with his knowing eyes.
He was a hunting buddy to my dad. They always enjoyed those outings. I loved how when my dad came back, little Riley all tuckered out, he couldn't stop bragging about what a great hunting dog he was and how he out-ran all of the other dogs there. Riley was always very curious and playful. One particular hunting trip Riley had a run-in with a porcupine, poor guy! Not only was he tired but he had little red dots all over his face where the quills had been pulled out. I think he learned not to mess with those porcupines, but that never stemmed his enthusiasm for new things.
Riley loved to run. I think his favorite place was the dog park at Marymoore park. He could run so fast! He always looked like he was smiling when he was running, we always would say that's because he loved to run so much. At that park he had the best of everything; other dogs, lots of room, and water that he always managed to jump into and get a swim.
In fact Riley sometimes would run off, we never really knew where he went, but he always came back dirty, stinky, tired, but happy. I think he just needed to get out every once in awhile.
When Riley would come back from getting all shampooed and groomed we would always think it was so funny how he seemed to strut around with his new do, all nice and clean.
There are so many memories we each have with Riley, and his passing did not come easy. I think all of us could agree that he is in a much better place, free of pain. I imagine him running as fast as he can through hills of grass chasing a squirrel or a bird or even a butterfly. Riley truly was one-of-a-kind and he will be greatly missed by all.
We love you Riley!

Just a bad day

2011-08-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in forever and I feel guilty almost on a daily basis about it. To be honest the biggest reason I haven't blogged is, I cannot for the life of me, figure out how to upload my pics without "losing" them. Whenever I try to access the pictures after I blog with them, I cannot, it says "JPEG not found." So without pictures, it seems lame. Anyway I will try and figure something out.
Back to the bad day. Well for starters Isaac has been working nights the last two weeks and it has been super hard on everyone. The poor guys is tired all the time, the girls rarely see him, and I rarely see him and NEVER get a break. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a stay at home mom, but feeling like a single stay at home mom with two kiddos who miss their dad like crazy has been hard to say the least. Well today was just icing on that yucky cake. Madi woke up early, which she usually does, but Gabi had a hard night- she's been super scared of the dark and her room lately, not sure why but I think it has something to do with her boogey monster chaser being gone at night aka dad- so Gabi slept in. I thought I could sneak away to Twin for a few hours with before Gabi woke up since Isaac had just gone to sleep. There were some wood blinds that measured PERFECTLY for two of our bedrooms that I had seen the night before and went home to make sure they would work out. I didn't want anyone else to get them so I had to hurry- plus they were super cheap and I LOVE good deals. So I got Madi all ready jumped in the car, briefly woke Isaac up to let him know the plan and off we went. Just as we were about to leave town I realized that I had forgotten the tape measure- I wanted to make sure the measurements written on the blinds were correct since you can't return most things there. No biggie, I ran back home to a crying child- Gabi- and a hubby that was dead to the world asleep. So I got Gabi dressed, fed and into the car. Mind you I hadn't even showered yet....aka scary hair and makeup less Keitra. All went well until we arrived in Twin 20min later, entered DI and Gabi spotted the toy aisle. I don't know what got into her but she had to have every toy, at least it seemed like that. Not to mention there was a grumpy lady working there who kept giving me the stink eye. I made it over to the blinds, measured them and we were good to go. Until we passed by the toy aisle. To make a very long story short after two hours, a very grumpy mommy, a clingy Madi, a fit-throwing Gabi, and a cart full of toys we finally left. Honestly if I only had Madi with me or if I was by myself I could have been done in 10min. Urg. I decided Gabi is no longer allowed into DI and she isn't getting any of those toys until 1)her birthday, 2) Christmas, or 3)she finally is potty trained/reward. K, I know I may sound mean but I seriously hate fit-throwing especially in public. I know it happens, I just wish it wasn't my child. :) Oh well. Since we were in Twin I decided to get gas, all went well there- and then pop into Fred Meyers. Bad Idea. Horrible idea. I still was the makeup-less crazy haired Keitra trying to tame two now tired and hungry children while picking up a few essentials. To be honest I can't even remember what I bought. All I know is I spent way too much- k out of budget- and I was grumpy. So in the car we went and home bound we were. We get home and my sweet husband is still sleeping, which is fine, but I am seriously at my wits end. A large portion of my productive time of day is over and I still haven't even showered. Luckily Madi is sleeping and Gabi calms down enough to go do her own thing and play. After some general grumpiness from Gabi fast forward a few hours and Isaac and Madi are awake. I'm seriously having a meltdown- not just from today, but a build-up of the last week and a half of sleepless nights and stress. I finally get a shower at 4:30 before Isaac leaves for work. Poor guy got a little taste of what I've been dealing with...and then he's off to his 12hr shift- yuck. So I get dinner ready for the girls and head off to Shylee and Alli's Ballet recital- super cute. Would have been a lot more enjoyable if my 2yr old knew how to LISTEN! It was held at a park, and I should have know better than to go after a day like today, but against my better judgement, I did. Not only did she run off, several times, she ran in the sprinklers, which I wouldn't be surprised if it was irrigation water, rolled in the water with her cousin and threw a fit. In front of everyone. Right as the recital started. I was humiliated. The fit lasted awhile, too. Blah... the selective hearing from my dear sweet Gabi continued for the rest of the time we were at the park. So we went home. Ah, that is after Gabi getting upset about not getting a cupcake...When we got home the girls ate dinner...which is all over my floor...and somehow cheese got crumbled into several small pieces and is all over my floor as well. Have you ever tried to sweep up cheese? It is very hard. Anyway, while the girls were eating I had to run off to the bathroom. Gabi was sitting at the table and Madi was in her highchair. I shouldn't expect a minute of peace...no sooner had I shut the door when Gabi opened it. Gotta love when they learn how to open doors...a second later we hear Madi crying so Gabi runs off to see what's going on. I naturally assume that Madi was sad everyone had left her. I heard her cry again and hurried into the kitchen to find my little daughter"s legs hanging off the tray of the highchair! Somehow the tray must not have locked, she must have pushed it forward and climbed out! That's a first. I'm just glad she didn't get hurt! So now both my girls are crying because Madi was scared and Gabi was scared because Madi was. I decided it was time for a bath, hoping over hope they would go to bed super early. So I have them a bath. It went pretty well until I went to go get Gabi out. Right as I was walking into the bathroom she said, "Ew. Momma, I poop!" Second time this week. And guess who gets to clean it? Yep, dear mommy. That was it. I had it. I didn't want to pick up poopy out of the tub, I didn't want to clean the tub, or give Gabi another bath...I just wanted the day to be over. So after completing all of the tasks I so didn't want to do I put the girls in their jammies and started seeing the yawns. You better believe they went to bed early :) Ahhh........sigh of relief. So this day may not sound too bad to a lot of you, but with everything that has been going on lately with church and work and family, it was a rough day in the Knight house.
K, so I don't like to be negative, so here are the positive things of the day:
1)I got the blinds, wahoo! They totally match the ones in our front room, they fit perfectly in the windows and they were only $5 each!
2)I actually managed to squeeze in two loads of laundry and a load of dishes...not that the clothes are folded yet or the dishwasher is unloaded :)
3)I got a shower!
4) At the ballet recital I saw the nurse who probably quite literally saved Madi's life a year ago when she was life flighted :) Come to find out her daughter has come to Activity Days several times and also to primary in our ward (I'm Activity Days leader as well as a Primary teacher, and she was in my class)
5) Icing on the yummy cake- if the guy Isaac is training (The whole reason he has been on night shift) does really well tonight and tomorrow night he will be back to days staring MONDAY!!!! Seriously happy news!!

Hope you all are doing well!!
Some posts to look forward to:
My new niece!
My sister-in-law gets married!
First Horne reunion
Knight Reunion
Updates on Madi/ Anniversary
Surprise!!

LOVE sunny days!

2011-04-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I headed off to Boise to go and see grandma and grandpa horne. Before we left we went and visited Isaac at work (no, that is not what he wears on a regular basis:) ) We then headed off to Boise. The girls did pretty good, and we all sang to the Tangled soundtrack...the entire way... We had a ton of fun in Boise, Gabi knew immediately where we were when we pulled up to my parents, she's such a smart little wipper-snapper.:) We had a ton of fun at a nearby park, poor Madi was asleep the whole time, hopefully we will get to go back tomorrow.:)

Daddy n' lil Madi

Daddy n' Gabi Gabi's first experience at a park on a very scary looking Dumbo

Playing tic tac toe...

Mom and Gabi going down the slide, wahoo!

Grandpa had some fun too, and yes, he really

did go down the slide!

She didn't love the swings quite as much...

Going down the fast slide!

The end of the slide, luckily gma was

there to catch her:)

Madi sporting my sunglasses

She likes 'em!

Watching Tangled with Gpa, yes, we love that movie!

Gabi ready for bed after a long day

Madi...not quite ready for bed yet

What can I say, she's a Knight :)

Hope you enjoyed these pictures! Have a wonderful day!

Love, The Knights

P.S. Daddy, we love you and miss you tons! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Green Beans are Gross!!

2011-03-29T17:15:00.001-07:00

Well, at least they are to Madi, in fact she doesn't like peas either. We tried really hard the other day to get her to eat some. She loves carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, but when it comes to the green veggies, she'd rather pass. She's so stinkin cute, even when she hates her veggies :)

Before we started with the GB's

First Bite... remorse over first bite...

second bite wasn't any better...

and the refusal...

She's so cute, she makes me laugh so hard. She was practically gagging, thus the reason we stopped. I tried telling her that it was good for her...she didn't believe me, apparently. :) I was even nice and tried to mix some yummy bananas in there...I guess it just made it worse!

Love,

The Knights

And we're back!

2011-03-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

So, it's been awhile. It kind of goes without saying, but I'm very sorry to all of our wonderful family and friends that live far away and are wondering what in the world we are up to.

Well...we are doing pretty good. Definitely looking forward to spring and sunshine, but all is well. Madi is doing really well and hasn't had any problems related to the Chylothorax so far, so we are very optimistic that the problem has been resolved. She is the best baby EVER! She rarely cries unless she's really hungry or really tired, which doesn't happen often because she is on a pretty set schedule. She sleeps 10-12hrs a night and smiles and smiles and smiles and smiles! We love her so much!

Gabi is 2 going on 20 with an attitude to boot! She talks a mile a minute, some makes sense, and some doesn't, but usually it makes sense. The other night it was bedtime and I told her, "Gabi, it's time to go night night!." She briefly looks up at me and then continues playing with her barbie (she refers to all barbies as "friend," it's cute) and said, "No, I busy." I couldn't stop laughing. I still laugh when I think about it! She sure keeps us on our toes! Talking about toes, for those who are aware with her obsession with lint free toes, she's still at it in full force and checks her toes at least 3 times a day. I don't know why I put socks on her! She also loves to check Madi's toes out whenever she gets the chance, much to Madi's chagrin.

Isaac is doing well, and is really busy, but that's okay. We make sure we get plenty of family time with Family Home Evening and Saturdays.

All in all we're doing great. I promise I am going to try really really hard to be better about blogging.

Love ya guys!

Here's a few photos, most were taken today :)

Love,

The Knights

6 months and 2 years

2011-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Even though Gabi just turned 2, Madi is still 6 months, we just barely got them into their respective Well-Child Checks. November and December were busy!! So, both girls are doing really good.
Madi- She is in the 50th percentile for height and 75th for weight... the weight is actually off because she weighed in at 13.6lbs, but the nurse charted her at 16.6lbs. So, she's probably in the 25th percentile for weight as well, and yes, we are switching doctors. Madi is a real chatter, and LOVES to laugh and play with Gabi. She is sitting up really well on her own, has down amazingly well with her new "regular" formula (wahoo!!), and she still has the sweet happy disposition we have all fallen in love with.
Gabi FINALLY made it above the 5th percentile and is now in the 10th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height, what can I say, we just have small girls. (but big babies?? how does that work?) Gabi is also a chatter box, but we already knew that! She speaks in complete, understandable sentences and is a big help to her mama doing dishes, laundry, sweeping, you name it, she's my little shadow.
We love our girls and we love to see them play together. They have so much fun, and rarely get mad at each other. They laugh SO MUCH!!
We hope all of you are doing well, and that this new year brings you much happiness and joy!
Love,
The Knights

Technical Difficulties

2011-01-12T11:35:00.001-08:00

So, for whatever reason my computer isn't letting me upload any pictures, it's saying I need to "reformat" my SD card. I've never had a problem with it before, so I don't know what's going on. If any one has any ideas, please feel free to leave a comment. Also, whenever I was able to upload pictures before, if I took it directly from my camera, which is the easiest, when I went to download the pictures it would say "image unavailable." Any ideas there?? Hopefully I will be able to get this resolved soon. Thanks!

2010, We Bid You Adieu!

2011-01-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

Dear 2010,
You have been a year full of many things; joyous events, heart wrenching events, memories we don't want to remember, memories we don't want to forget, valuable lessons learned, tears that have been spilt, and a family that has drawn closer together.
We are very grateful for the lessons we have learned, the testimonies that have been strengthened, and the miracles that we have witnessed.
We will not miss many things, however, and we are glad for this year to come to an end. We look forward to 2011 and what it has to brings.
We have high hopes that 2011 will bring much happiness.
So, 2010, thank you for the thing we have learned, but we bid you adieu!
Sincerely,
The Knight Family

Check it out!

2010-12-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I desperately need to update the blog with pictures, true stories, and such, but alas I am typing one handed due to....that would fall under true stories...anyway, before I forget, I made an amazing discovery. I was checking my email and I had received an email from Redbox, not uncommon since that has become our only way of renting movies, and I noticed that they had a deal through Groupon where you could get 3 one night rentals for $1! Hard to beat that. I then discovered the amazingness of Groupon, and the sweet deals you can get. They have new deals every day. I thought I would spread the wealth and tell you all about it. Well, okay, I don't know much, but what I do know is that so far, I like it! Enjoy!!

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

2010-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

So this is Christmas!

2010-12-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

As Christmas approaches there is a unique excitement in the air that can only be found at this time of the year. Beautiful lights are put up all around town, malls are bustling with people, and smiles are more frequently shared. This year as we've prepared for Christmas, we have been trying to put more emphasis on the true meaning of the season, the celebration of Christ's birth. Due to what we've experienced this year, we feel it even more important to show our gratitude for our many blessings by focusing on Christ. So although our house is bursting with lights and decorations that make our home feel cozy, we are not focusing on Santa this year, but in the birth of Christ. We have a fun little nativity set my mom gave Gabi last year that she can play with, and we take advantage of her love for this to teach her who each of the people are. I know she's only two, but you would be amazed at how much a two year old can understand. She knows who "baby Jesus" is, Mary, Joseph, the kings, and the angel. I hope we can continue to instill in our children the importance of Christmas.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2010-11-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary Isaac!

I am so glad to be married to such a wonderful man. One who makes me laugh and cry (only because I'm laughing so hard), teaches me I am capable of far greater things, and loves me no matter what. I love you Isaac, I am so grateful to be married to you, and I look forward to many more happy years to come!

Love, Keitra

And that's how our garden grew...

2010-11-11T15:21:00.001-08:00

Alright, here are a few pics from our garden/harvest of our garden. For whatever reason, I'm having a hard time uploading pictures, so this will have to do.
This year we grew:

Sweet Corn
Zucchini
Pumpkins
Watermelon
Roma Tomatoes
Big Boy Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Jalapenos
Serranos

We tried to grow:

Bell Peppers of all colors
Crooked neck squash
Acorn squash

But alas, they never came...but that's okay- check these out:

Gabi chowing down on a Roma, she LOVES those!

What a cutie!

Showing off her hard work helping pick the tomatoes,

and eating another Roma...

Yes, that is HER watering can,

did you know those were made for making mud,

not watering plants?

Our beautiful tomatillos- makes great Salsa Verde!

Some beautiful Romas, pre-Salsa

Cherry tomatoes

We learned:

We really had no idea when it came to gardening, we just got lucky
Pick them, and more will grow
Home grown veggies really are the BEST
Zucchini needs LOTS of room to grow, so does watermelon, pumpkins...
Home-grown corn, BBQ'd is delicious!
Gardens attract bugs and a variety of animals...eh...
There's always next year...

We seriously LOVED having a garden, and we are so grateful for all the help we received with weeding and harvesting of our veggies while we were in Boise.

We can't wait until next year!!

Gabi turns 2!

2010-11-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Gabi is two! The last few years have been filled with a lot of fun, and a lot of firsts for us as parents. We love you, Gabi, SO MUCH and we are so glad to have you in our family!
In our family we think birthdays are so fun, instead of celebrating them for one day, we celebrate them all week! I have a ton of pictures, but here are a few...more to come...

Madi in her party dress!

just kidding! I made that little skirt for Gabi

Gabi eating her favorite food...Top Ramen... :)

Reverting back to her younger years???

Loving her candy necklace

I don't know how she knew it was edible, but as soon as

I put it on her, she started eating it!

Enjoying her cupcake in a cone

Hopefully more pics to come, I need to find them!!

We love you Gabi!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Elder Quentin L. Cook - Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

2010-11-07T22:43:00.000-08:00

Love this...it's so applicable to everyone, no matter what you are going through. We watched it today in Relief Society...

Full of Faith

2010-11-06T01:09:00.001-07:00

I am married to the greatest man, I am truly convinced of that. He is perfect for me, and is so full of faith. I am a numbers person, and since I'm mainly the one who pays the bills, I know the ins and outs of our money. Tonight I asked Isaac what we were going to do financially, since the medical bills are STILL coming... He said, "It's going to work out." I said, "Yeah, but how?" I admit, I was kind of exasperated at this answer thinking to myself, "I don't think you fully understand our financial situation, honey." To my question he replied, "Because we're promised. In the scriptures we are promised that if we do what we are supposed to be doing, like keep paying tithing, Heavenly Father will bless us. He has promised us that. We need to have FAITH." Man, didn't I feel a little faithless? Isaac is always teaching me life lessons, I am so grateful for him! So I was looking up scriptures, and I happened to remember this one in 3 Nephi, and I wanted to share it because it's one of my favorites, and it reminds me of what Isaac was talking about.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and probe me herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." 3 Nephi 24:10

And there it is. I mostly love this scripture because of what I think of when I read it. When I was a kid I would imagine a window that was bursting with sunlight, and upon opening the window presents fell into the room so numerous they couldn't be counted. (Keep in mind I was young and presents were the best kind of blessing I could imagine!) One thing I LOVE about reading the scriptures is that inevitably whenever there is a commandment (i.e. paying tithing) there ALWAYS follows a blessing. One time when I was reading the Book of Mormon on my mission, I was having a really rough time, and decided to focus on how blessed I was. I marked everything that we are commanded to do, and then in a different color, what we are blessed with. I encourage you to pay attention to that as you read the scriptures, it really opened my eyes to how blessed we are/ can be if we follow the commandments. Sometimes it may seem hard to follow certain commandments, everyone struggles, but when we are able to realize that what we can be blessed with far outweighs what we have to 'give up' or do, it becomes a little easier.
Thank you for all of your love and support, we are so grateful to you all!

Some think our life is easy

2010-11-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

This post is not meant to offend anyone, it is just meant to vent. I think I need it. A friend of ours said recently, "All the luck falls with the Knights." We have been blessed in many ways, but I assure you, our life is not smooth sailing, as it isn't for most. Isaac just got a new job, it pays less, but he doesn't have to work on Sundays. We receive medical bills in the mail daily, and are currently thousands of dollars in debt, but Madi is doing incredibly well. We spend more on bills each month than we make, but we are somehow making it. I don't know how. Isaac's car is on it's last leg with over 340,000 miles on it, but we have one other reliable car that we now share. So, if you think our life is easy, think again. Every day I thank Heavenly Father that Madi is alive and healthy, every day I try and think of new ways to save money, or what I can sell that we own to bring in extra income. Is life easy? No. It's not meant to be. Through trials we learn and we grow, which is ultimately why we are here. Do I wish we had enough money to pay our bills, yeah! Do I wish we didn't have car problems, yeah! Do I wish I wasn't so incredibly stressed every single day about money, definitely! Am I grateful for good health, supportive friends and family, and the gospel, with out question, YES!

"When doubts arise, when tragedies strike, the quiet voice of faith is heard in the stillness of the night as certain and reassuring as the polar star in the heavens above." Gordon B. Hinckley

I hope you are all doing well. I want to thank you again for your love and support. We couldn't do it without you!

It was a great movie, but....

2010-10-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Oh, the magic word "but." Isaac and I went to see a movie last night which we NEVER do. Typically due to lack of time, money, movie selection and trustworthy babysitters, it just doesn't happen. Well, my parents happened to be in town, so we took advantage of the opportunity to skate out for a few hours and catch a movie. We had watched several movie trailers online to see which movie was the most appealing, and we finally chose one a few weeks ago. We arrived at the movie a few minutes late, which didn't seem to be a problem. There was probably a total of ten people in the entire theatre. Isaac, me, a handful of ten year olds, and a mom chaperoning the 10 year olds. All in all it was nice to get out, but not the greatest movie. It reminded me how bad the world is getting. Seriously, the movie degraded marriage in several different ways, tried to make illegal drugs look appealing, had constant alcohol consumption, and had way too much bare skin. Call me sheltered, or call me wise, I prefer not to see those kinds of things. We spent half the movie looking away or plugging our ears. The movie had a good storyline, and was moving in the plot, however the bad definitely outweighed the good, in my opinion. It makes me grateful for the gospel and the values that the gospel encourages; like modesty, the Word of Wisdom, and respecting and appreciating men and women's divine roles. It made me grateful for a wonderful and faithful husband. So the movie was good....but...I think Isaac said it best, it had potential.

The other thing that made me sad was the fact that there were all of these 10 year olds there watching the movie, and their mom was WITH THEM allowing them to see these things. True, they could be out doing worse things, but they could be out doing better things as well. Children, teens, people at a young age in general are so impressionable! Even my sweet almost two year old can see or hear something one time- good or bad-, and she remembers it. Imagine how much more kids remember things when they get older. The movie made gay relationships seem perfectly normal, cheating on your spouse expected, drinking a natural habit, and doing illegal drugs fun at any age. Sad. I hope that as my children grow older that I can instill values in them that they will be able to carry with them always and keep them away from the bad things that are so prevalent in the world.

On a lighter note, when Isaac and I were first married, we found out about the coolest DVD player EVER! It's called Clearplay. You can filter out things like profanity, nudity, vulgarity, obscenity, dishonoring the flag, and even mushiness, along with several other things. We purchased one when we were first married and LOVED it! Even some kids movies takes the Lords' name in vain or even swears, in a PG movie! Clearplay takes that out. Love it! I would highly recommend this player to anyone and everyone! We watch all of our movies with a clearplay filter. You can purchase them online at clearplay.com, or at Deseret Book in some stores or online. It makes a great gift for you, or for someone else.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2010-10-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Good.
We had Madi's doctor's appointment today, and it went pretty well. She's 12lbs 6oz and 24 1/2 inches long. She's following her growth curve, which is exactly what we want to see. We also had an x-ray taken today. The results showed that there is less fluid in her left lung, and the heart and trachea are back within "normal range." All in all, our prayers continue to be answered. We didn't have to make a trip to Boise today, thank goodness! Per our discretion we are able to reintroduce breast milk again, and wean her off the yucky formula.

The Bad.
Not really too much to report here, I just thought the title was catchy. :) We are sad that there is still some fluid in her lungs, but as long as it continues to improve, we are good to go. There is some worry with reintroducing breast milk; and that is if her body doesn't tolerate it, her lungs will start to fill up again, which is the reason we are so hesitant to take this next step. The doctor said that Boise recommended to wait 2-3 months. When he called Boise to ask for a more definite time period, 2 or 3 months, they said "yes. " Basically there isn't a whole lot of research done on this to really know an exact time period of how long these things take to heal, so it's really up to our discretion. No pressure, right?

The Ugly.
On a lighter note, I seem to be suffering from post-partum balding. Haha! Seriously, though, I'm losing hair like crazy! I think I might start wearing a hat when I go out, thank goodness the weather is cooler, or how else would I explain that! I was complaining tonight to Isaac about it and he said, "I don't know why you're acting so surprised, this is exactly what happened last time." True, but can't a girl complain! Seriously, a woman's body goes through a lot when she is prego and has a babe. I still don't think I'm fully recovered from my first babe. It's sure worth it though!
For all you ladies who have had two plus kids, you have to read this post! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (I say two plus kids because let's face it, the first kid was way easier to bounce back from!)

Thanks again for all of your love and support!

By Small and Simple Things

2010-10-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was going through old mission pictures and letters. It was a lot of fun looking back on my mission, and being able to recall some pretty amazing and wonderful experiences. As I was looking through some letters I happened to find a page that had been ripped out of a coloring book. I unfolded the page to see a carefully colored picture of an ant that was putting up a piece of wood, a support beam. The caption on the page read, "Little pieces of wood helped hold up the walls." I didn't give this picture any thought beyond how sweet it was that a young child in one of my areas had taken the time to color and give me this picture. They may not know or understand the magnitude of what was written on those pages, but I think I now do. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6.) Like the ant in the picture, the beam he was putting up was quite a bit smaller than the other ones in the picture, but by putting up that piece of wood, it helped hold up the walls. "Little pieces of wood helped hold up the walls." Those little pieces of wood are the small and simple things of life.

I want to thank all of you for your love and support in regards to Madi these last few months. We have felt your love and your prayers. Simple things like a smile, calling to see how we are doing, prayers, and several other things have all contributed to where we are now. All of these small things truly have made, "great things come to pass."

We have another doctor's appointment this Thursday for Madi. At this appointment they will take a chest x-ray to see if there is fluid in her lungs. If there is, there is a possibility that we will need to return to Boise for her to once again have a chest tube put in (they say the pain that she will feel is similar to dislocating a rib). If this is the case, we don't know how long we will be there for. I am very nervous about this, considering all we went through before. We are hoping and praying for the best. I would be so grateful if you could keep Madi in your thoughts and prayers this week, and especially on Thursday. Thank you again for all you have done.

Four Months and an Update

2010-10-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Madi is four months old today! It's hard to believe how fast time has gone. I feel like it was just last week that I was waddling around with a big 'ol belly- so grateful to be done with that! Madi is doing really well. She is gaining weight like a normal babe, and is full of smiles for anyone. We love both our girls so much! Gabi is 23 months, and will turn two in just three weeks! Time sure does fly!

The Girls watching a movie together (Probably Nemo)

This only lasted a few minutes :) Note Gabi holding Madi's hand so she won't touch the "butt"ons

Gabi trying out her winter coat for the first time

Our smiley girls!

Gabi playing with a big puzzle

Getting ready for church

Gabi sure loves her little "Mami"

Little Madi

Self-taken family pic, this was the best one...haha

Madi with her new toy (thanks Heidi!)

Gabi sharing, or stealing- sometimes it's a fine line for her :)

Some videos for your enjoyment.

As for an update, we go into the doctor's next week for another chest x-ray of the Madster to see how she's doing. If her lungs look clear, she can start having breastmilk once a day. Depending on how she tolerates it, she may be able to make the transition completly off of the special formula within a month. Here's for hoping!

Thanks again for all of your contintued love and support, we appreciate it so much!

Preslee

2010-10-13T01:12:00.000-07:00

I want to share a blog that I found shortly after returning from the hospital. You can find the blog here. This blog is about a sweet family who lost their 18 month old daughter this last summer. It hit home for me considering what we had just been through. Even though I cry every time I read this blog, I also feel very comforted. This couple is amazing to me. They are so strong, and so full of faith, it has been very inspiring to me.
I feel so blessed that Madi's life was spared. I cannot imagine, and I sincerely hope I never have to, what it would be like to lose a child. I am so grateful for the gospel, especially for the knowledge that families can be together forever.

Refiner's Fire

2010-10-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, for no apparent reason, I was lying in bed thinking about some dishes Isaac and I had when we were first married. They were beautiful stoneware that were a deep blue in color on the edges, and faded to a cream color in the middle. We purchased these dishes shortly after we were married using a gift card. They were expensive. We loved these dishes, and we loved having company over to use them because everyone always commented on them. We didn't own very many nice things when we were first married, so we took pride in taking care of these dishes.

Unfortunately, much to our disappointment we soon discovered that these dishes broke very easily. At first we were mad at ourselves. We needed to be more careful. After all, these dishes were one of the nicest things that we owned. We made every effort possible to take better care of the dishes. It worked well, until more broke. We went back to the store, sad, upset, and frustrated, prepared to buy a new set. The people at the store were extremely nice and offered to exchange them for us at no extra charge. We gladly took them up on the offer, resorting to the fact that we must of had "bad luck" with the other ones.

Home we went with smiles on our faces, and new dishes in our hands. Everything was going well, until the dishes started to break again. Once again frustrated, we returned to the store, which had no problem with exchanging our dishes again, stating that it actually happened quite frequently with these dishes. When we asked why, she said that these specific dishes are actually fired at a lower temperature for a shorter amount of time, making them more brittle. Astounded, and relieved that we weren't complete klutzes, we opted to exchange them for different dishes. The dishes we have now are plain in style and color. There is nothing fancy about them. They were fired at much higher temperatures and for much longer, fortifying and strengthening the material. In the two years that we've had them, we have dropped them several times, and yet all that has been broken is one plate.

As I thought about these dishes this morning, I thought about life, and how life is our refiners fire. The trials that we go through test what we're "made of" and strengthen and fortify our very being.

"In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiners fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong." James E. Faust (The Refiners Fire)

General Confernece 2010

2010-10-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

I love conference time. I look forward to it with anticipation for about 6 months. :) Considering it happens every six months... :) I always feel that they are talking directly to me. I'm sure most people feel the same, that's the beauty of the spirit. For all those who missed the Saturday sessions, you can view them by clicking here. Enjoy tomorrow's sessions!

Sometimes you have to just laugh

2010-09-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

So, recently we have let Gabi watch movies on a little personal DVD player. Isaac has had it for forever, and it's super old, so it makes it perfect for Gabi. Gabi is very possesive of it, and doesn't like it when other people touch it, even if we're just trying to get the movie started. She's so funny! Well, the other day Gabi was sitting on the couch watching a "moobie" and Madi was lying next her. Madi is a grabber. She sees something she wants, and she goes for it, as much as her 3 1/2 month old body will let her. Gabi was getting a little frustrated and kept telling her, "no, no Mami." I couldn't help but laugh, but it gets better...Madi kept on touching the DVD player, and Gabi was getting really annoyed, so she finally gently took Madi's hand put it on Madi's tummy looked at her and said, "Thank you." Fully expecting her to get the hint. Haha! Madi, being the persistent cutie that she is was right back at it in seconds. Gabi started to ignore her, that is until I said, "Watch out Gabi, she's going to start pushing the buttons." Immediately Gabi looked at Madi and said, "Don't touch the butt, no, no, Mami, don't touch the butt." Haha! She said it every time Madi touched the player until I finally stopped laughing and picked Madi up. We have since tried to reinforce that they are actually called "buttons" but she always replies with, "mm hmm, butt." So much for her not learning that word. I sometimes wonder, is Nemo to blame???

Relief Society General Conference 2010

2010-09-25T18:31:00.001-07:00

I just finished watching the Relief Society General Conference broadcast, and it was nothing short of AMAZING! I love conference time of year, and I especially love the Relief Society broadcast. I always am able to glean something from it that is oh so pertinent to my life. Spiritually, it's a necessity for me.
I was really touched with the opening song, in fact it brought me to tears. I was so choked up, but I wanted to keep singing so I did. Gabi laughed at me as she was trying to lead the music. I was watching it from home since Isaac was working, and we still need to be very careful with where we take Madi.

Here are the words of the song, they really hit home;

Count your Many Blessings

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings;
Name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings;
Every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings;
Money cannot buy
Your reward in Heaven nor your home on high.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

So amid the conflict,
whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged;
God is over all.
Count your many blessings;
angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

The words of this song are so applicable, no matter what you are going through in life. As we were singing this song I felt a wave of relief. The past few months have been hard, I cannot deny or hide that. We have struggled with several different things. We are so grateful for the medical care that Madi received, and which literally saved her life. We are so grateful for the love and prayers said in Madi's behalf. We have felt those. Thank you to all of us who have helped us out in a variety of different ways. You have been an answer to our prayers, whether you know it or not. As the medical bills have been pouring in daily the last week, the financial weight has been added to our load, I have struggled to know what to do. As I listed to that song, it was comforting to know that Heavenly Father is there for us always, and he desires for us to be happy. We truly are blessed, I cannot deny that.

A few of my blessings;

If you missed the broadcast, you can find it here. ENJOY!

All things shall work together for your good

2010-09-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

I just woke up from my little "night-shift," which I fell asleep on. :) While Isaac was getting his lunch ready for work and Gabi ready for bed, I went and laid down next to Madi. Well, Madi was in a bassinet right next to our bed. We have to keep a close eye on her, so if she falls asleep before we are ready for bed, I prefer that one of us is in there with her. The problem with what we are dealing with, with Chylothorax is that there are really only two ways for us to know if her lungs start filling up again, 1) having an x-ray taken, and 2) a decrease capability of breathing. Since we are trying to limit the amount of x-rays that she has due to radiation exposure, the next best thing is to monitor her. She was a little more fussy today than usual, being fussy at all is unusual for Madi, to be honest. She's such a well natured baby. Since there's usually a reason why babies are fussy, we have to watch her extra close tonight and tomorrow. She's doing well right now.

As I was lying there, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and gratitude. Despite all that has transpired over the last three and a half weeks, we have been blessed beyond compare. I see the Lord's hand so clearly, and sometimes almost literally, in our lives, I feel no need to complain. I see it in a kind word from a friend, a family member reaching out, and in our ward members as they strive to help us in any way possible. We have been so blessed.

All things considered, Madi is doing very well. At this point it's a waiting and hoping game. Waiting to make sure she is healing so that she can go back to normal food. Hoping, because there is still a chance that the formula won't work, her lungs will start to fill up again, and we will once again be in the hospital trying to figure out another solution. Even though little Madi has been through a lot, she still has plenty of smiles to offer. We love her.

Through all of this, I feel like I have gained, and continue to gain a stronger testimony. Prayer has become such a more meaningful part of our lives. I think I have learned what the meaning of "fervent" prayer is. I have seen my prayers answered in ways that I never thought possible. I am grateful.

An experience that I have wanted to share happened when we were in the hospital in the first few early days of everything. There was a lot of uncertainty that hung in the air. Day to day there was something new, something unexpected that we had to deal with. It was hard. The Sunday before all of this happened I was at church with the girls, Isaac had to work that Sunday. It's always a struggle when he's not there, especially with a wandering almost two year old. I had to nurse Madi. So here I was holding Madi, and trying to keep up with Gabi and usher her into the mother's lounge at church. As I was sitting in there trying to keep Gabi entertained while I fed Madi, I heard bits and pieces of what the speakers where saying. I have no idea who it was that was speaking, I think someone from the high council, and I only heard a small portion of what was being said. He talked about prophets in the later day, and trials that they endured. He talked about the importance of not saying, "Why me?" but taking the experience and utilizing it for your benefit. "Search diligently, walk uprightly, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good..." (Doctrine and Covenants 90:24) The entire stay at the hospital the words, 'and all things shall work together for your good' kept echoing in my head. At first I was mad, how could my poor, helpless, beautiful child's suffering work for my good, for our good as a family. Why did I keep hearing that in my head? No good seem to come of what was happening as we encountered test after test after test, each taking it's toll on our sweet Madi. It wasn't until I understood the rest of this promise, did my faith begin to increase.

When we first entered the hospital, my heart was full of fear. Fear of the unknown. As time went on, I was able to learn to trust in the Lord, with all my heart- not an easy thing. There are still several uncertain things that we are dealing with, but we now have a calm reassurance that everything will be fine, everything will "work for [our] good."

Chylothorax

2010-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Chylothorax is a type of pleural effusion. It results from lymphatic fluid (chyle) accumulating in the pleural cavity. It's cause is usually from the thoracic duct or one of the main lymphatic vessels that drain into it. (wikipedia) In short, chylothorax is a result of a leak in the thoracic duct into the pleural cavity (sack the lungs are in) filling the lungs up with chyle, and depleting lung capacity.
On August 18th, 2010, our sweet little two month old baby girl, Madilyn, was life-flighted to Boise due to this condition.
I have been reluctant to write about this until now, due to all of the emotion that has been involved, but I feel that it's important to write it down.
On Sunday, August 15th Madi started choking, coughing, and then threw up, which was very unusual for her. We were concerned, but it didn't happen again that night. We decided that since we had her two month appointment the next day, we would talk to the doctor about our concerns.
Monday August 16th we went to Madi's 2 month appointment, which included her 2 month shots. She did relatively well, considering. We told the doctor what had happened the night before and, and he didn't seem too concerned, stating that it was normal for children to start spitting up more around that age.
Throughout the rest of the day we noticed that Madi was fussy, wouldn't eat, and seemed to labor in her breathing. We were concerned, and weren't sure if it was due to the immunizations, or what had happened the previous night. Monday night we were over at the Tree's and Madi was acting really hungry. I tried to feed her three different times and she refused to eat, even though she hadn't eaten in awhile, and was hungry. I went to burp her thinking that she had swallowed a lot of air when she was crying, and she started choking again, and wasn't breathing. She gagged, but didn't spit up, and continued not to breathe. She went stark white, and then started to turn blue. I was scared. I patted her on her back and she started to breathe, and then started to cry. We were both concerned. We took her home and I tired to feed her again. She ate really well, but when I went to burp her it was followed by more coughing and spitting and gagging, all while her trying to catch her breathe.
We decided to call the hospital, since we live 30min. away from the Twin Falls hospital. They were of no help whatsoever. She didn't have a fever, so they said not to worry, but to get into our doctor the next day. Neither of us slept at all that night, so concerned about our sweet little girl. The next morning we called to make an appointment with our doctor, but he didn't have any available appointments. We made an appointment with another doctor, but we later cancelled it because we had seen that doctor before, and didn't have a very good experience. We called the doctors office and talked to a nurse who told us not to worry, it didn't sound like a big deal. At this point Madi was very pale, had labored breathing, and was very lethargic. She was eating, however, so we decided to take the nurses advice. We went about our day as normal, and went to Twin as a family to run some errands.
Madi continued to be very lethargic, and we tried to wake her to eat. She finally ate a good amount. I thought maybe she was more used to me feeding her at home, so we headed home. When we got home I tried to feed her again, but she wouldn't eat, when I went to burp her, she started coughing and throwing up. We asked Scott to come over to help Isaac give her a blessing, which he promptly did. We then decided that we needed to take Madi into the ER. We went to the hopital in Gooding, which was the closest.
We were erring on the side of caution, figuring that we would be back home within an hour. Renae came over to watch Gabi. We packed a quick diaper bag, and were on our way.
When we arrived we were suprised and grateful that they weren't very busy. We went in, they took her vitals, and we waited for the doctor. All the while Madi was smiling and talking, like usual. They had a hard time assesing her O2 (oxygen) levels, they kept reading about 85. The doctor came in and lectured the nurses saying that no way could a baby look as good as she does and have a 85 O2 reading. Somehow a nurse finally got 95, and they called it good. We waited for several hours. They had pediatric trauma patient come in, and because Madi looked so good, they put that child in front of her, even though he came in after. In the meantime they put Madi on oxygen alternating with albuteral to open up her lungs. It had no affect on her respiratory rate. It was at this time the ER doctor started to become concerned and took initiative to get things rolling.
He told us there might be some serious things going on. Little did we know the implications this statement would have in the weeks to follow. They took her in for chest x-rays and then sent us to a trauma room. I knew that once we were sent into that room, something was going on. Madi was not doing so well at this point. She was hungry, had been poked many times, now had an IV in her foot, and she was really tired.
The doctor called us into his office, just a few doors down. This was just the beginning. I was not prepared in any way, shape or form for what he was about to say. He showed us the x-ray where, with our inexperienced eyes viewing x-rays, we were clearly able to see that her entire left lung was filled with fluid, pushing her heart completely over to the right side as well as pushing over her trachea. Her right lung also had fluid in it. She was working off of half of one lung. Our sweet little girl was in a lot of pain. He then told us he didn't know where she was going but she needed to leave as soon as possible via life-flight either to Boise's children's hospital or to Salt Lake. I completely lost it. I heard our baby girl crying, and so I left and went to her, feeling so numb, in such shock at what I had just heard. Isaac stayed to work out the details. I went into Madi's room and held her, not really knowing at that point if she was going to make it. I held her in my arms looking at her perfect little body, thinking that if I could take this all away from her, I would. I wish I could have.
Isaac came in and told me they were getting a special team together in Boise that would come pick her up, and a special team that would be ready when we got there. I told them I was going on the helicopter. Isaac would have to go home and get Gabi, and drive there. About a two hour drive from Gooding.
As we waited for them to arrive, and I held Madi in my arms, all I could think of was how I couldn't lose her, I just couldn't. As Isaac was about to walk into the room, he was talking to the doctor who said, "If it had been one more day, she probably wouldn't have made it."
For the next few hour, there was a lot of uncertainty about what the final outcome would be. We still didn't know what was going on with Madi; why her lungs had filled up or what the fluid was. They suspected pneumonia, but weren't sure.
The team arrived and immediately went to work getting Madi into an incubator, which she would be life-flighted in, and getting her hooked up to all the monitors. It was hard not to be able to hold her and console her and hard to see her in so much pain. I felt very confident in the team, of two very knowledgeable women as they talked me through what they were going to do, and what would happen when we arrived there.
Due to space limitations, I sat in the front with the pilot. I have never been in a helicopter before, and the unsteadiness of it due to wind only added to my anxiety, however I was very grateful that they let me go.
That 40minute flight was excruciatingly long. The whole time I was praying that she would make it, not knowing what was going on in the back, since we are separated from the back. My heart ached, and my mind raced.
We had to land at the airport, since the helicopter had to land early due to a warning light going off, which is standard protocol, apparently.
We then waited for an ambulance to come and pick us up. Suprisingly Madi had done very well, until we landed. She's a motion baby, I guess she slept the whole ride. I talked to her through the plastic of the incubator, and she calmed down a bit. The ambulance arrived and we loaded up and headed off to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital and went straight up to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the St. Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise. They rushed her in to a room and immediately began transfering her into the bed and hooking her up to all sorts of monitors. My parents, who moved to Boise about 4 months ago were already at the hopital waiting. Unfortunately I didn't have time to talk to them, decisions had to be made. Dr. Christenson took me over to look at the x-ray while they put a new IV in Madi. He showed me the x-ray I had seen in Gooding, supposing it was pneumonia. He said that the only real option that we had was to put a chest tube in and drain out the fluid. We would then be able to know what the fluid was, and go from there. I felt very confident in him, and we went ahead with the plan. When we went back in, they already had the IV in place, and began to prep for the chest tube. The chest tube would be placed through her ribs in the the pleural space, where the fluid was. I had my mom go call Isaac to keep him updated on what was happening, since he was still on his way. They sedated Madi and went to work.
Dr. Christenson first inserted a needle that threaded the tube in, much like what is done with an IV. As soon as he took the needle out liquid came squirting out everywhere. He took a sample, and then hooked the tube up to an apparatus that gently sucked the fluid out. The amount that initially drained out was approximately 8oz in just the left lung! They didn't know how she was able to breathe. Soon after Madi came too. She was given some pain medicine, since chest tube are very painful. The doctor was suprised to see the substanc that came out was a yellowish color, the color of Chyle. They then had to determine an entirely different approach, since they thought that she would have pneumonia, and not chylothorax. In some ways it was good, on others it would lead us on a long journey, that we are still on.
The next few weeks were filled with uncertainty and a lot of trial and error. Madi was in the intensive care unit for 5 days, and then remained in the hospital for another 7 days.
She is now home and is on a special formula that is low in fats, since the fats that she was eating before is what was being dumped into her lungs. She came home this last Monday, and so far has been doing really well. We are still concerned, and will be for a long time to come. She will continue to have regular x-rays for the next several months to make sure that her lungs don't start to fill up again.
Gabi is doing well, and is really cute with her sister. She comes up and talks to her, telling her all about whatever it is she's talking about. She gives her kisses, and hold her pacifier for her. They love eachtother. Madi loves watching Gabi, and I can just see her trying to be like her as she gets older. We love our girls!
There is hope for full recovery, and no lasting effects from the chylothorax.
Even though this has been really hard, we have learned a lot, and drawn closer together as a family. We have witnessed miracles, and felt the loving arms of our Heavenly Father wrap around us as we struggle to be strong for our children. I know I personally have gained a greater understanding and appreciation for the Atonement. I am so grateful that we have the knowledge of the gospel, I feel like I would be truly at a loss without it.
There are many other things that I could go into detail about, but I feel a little emotionally taxed right now. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to leave a comment, and I will respond as best I can.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. It has made a bigger difference than you will ever know.

Madi's Blessing

2010-08-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Madi was blessed on Sunday, July 25, 2010. She looked absolutely beautiful, the blessing was wonderful, and the day couldn't have been a more perfect day. We are so grateful for the love and support from family and friends. The spirit was so strong as Madi was blessed, I don't think I will forget the feeling that I had anytime soon. It is such a huge blessing to be able to have the knowledge of the gospel in our lives, and what that knowledge means to each of us individually. My hope is that as we continue to raise our two beautiful girls, and our other children as they come, that we will be able to instill in them the knowledge and understanding that they truly are children of our Heavenly Father, with unlimited potential. Being a parent is not easy, but we have a perfect example to look to.
Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment-

WE LOVE YOU MADI!

By the way...

2010-07-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

So, I must explain the bow in Madi's hair. I think it's adorable, and huge. The nurse that we had the day Madi was born was known for her bows, and the largeness of them. Being that Madi was born on Flag Day, she was given a patriotic bow, which was also the colors of the highschool that our nurse went to. The nurse was super peppy and a lot of fun. So, that is how Madi ended up with her ginormous bow. Also, to keep the bow on, in that hospital they used GLUESTICK! Yucko. They told us it would come off with "a little soapy water." Ha! Not true. To even get the bow to budge we had to run warm water over her hair for about ten minutes. Unbelievable! Moral of the story, don't trust nurses who have a bow fettish with a gluestick, a bow, and your daughter.

Just a few pics...

2010-07-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our cute little family. So sorry it has taken so long to add some more phot's, thanks for your patience.

Gabi giving Madi or "Mami" a kiss- her FAVORITE thing to do!

Mommy and Madi
Gabi after she DEVOURED a jumbo marshmallow :)
Daddy and Madi
Little Madi girl- we LOVE her!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2010-07-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today, meaning July 7th, is Isaac's birthday. I just wanted to take a moment and wish the most wonderful man in the entire world a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful person, and our girls are so lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy. Thank you Isaac so much for all you do for our family, and for your wonderful example. I hope this day is the best, and that you have many wonderful days to follow. We love you tons!

Welcome to the Family Madi!

2010-06-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

She's here! Madilyn Marie Knight was born Monday, June 14th 2010 at 9:50am. She weighed in at 8lbs 12oz and 21 inches long. She has a lot of light brown/ blonde hair, and we love her soooo much! Here are some pictures of our little Flag Day baby-

Outside

2010-06-09T20:12:00.001-07:00

It is not uncommon to hear Gabi say, "Shoes on," shortly followed by, "Outside." She is definitely our outdoor girl, thriving on smelling flowers that are so, "pretty," and picking, "strawberries," and getting dirt on her, "toes." She has become quite the talker, and amazes us everyday with her new words. She has been her grandma's buddy this last week, helping her out anyway she can. As soon as the door opens, she is right there ready to go. She must have gotten this from Isaac, I'll have to ask his mom- because, like I said in my previous post, I am not like that. :) I love my little outdoor girl!

Playing with the hose while I water the dry parts of our grass- she loves water!

Gabi all wet after playing with the hose

Isaac rototilling our garden

Gabi playing in the garden area with dirt on her "toes" (she put it there)

Thanks Mom!

2010-06-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

My mom has been here for the last week and a half keeping me company, doing everything, and baby waiting with me. The doctors keep telling us "any day now, but it might not be until your due date." What's that supposed to mean besides me waking up everyday thinking, I sure hope it's today! My mom has helped keep me sane and keep my mind off of not having a baby yet. She has also been transforming our yard. She's amazing. I am NOT a dig in the dirt kind of a girl, so yard work and gardening definitely take a backseat. She has been out there almost everyday pulling weeds, beautifying our yard, and getting our little garden area ready for planting. I know to her it doesn't seem like a big deal because she likes that kind of thing, but I am SO appreciative, words cannot express. So, thank you mom for all you do!

Baby Update

2010-06-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with contractions every 5-7 minutes, painful ones. Today was the day, I knew it. The contractions started hitting hard at about 3am, and I finally got up at 7am and hopped in the shower, hoping it would take some of the pain away from the contractions. It worked a little. I packed my bag and we headed off to the doctors, I had an appointment today anyway, so it worked out well. I was still having hard contractions, but probably every ten minutes at that point. We then waited and HOUR for the doctor, he just happened to be on call today. Then...we found out I was dilated to a 3. That's it. Most of the doctors in this office don't believe in inducing unless absolutely necessary. So I'm still bearing a big belly, having wonderful contractions, and wishing I was done being prego. Oh well, everything happens for a reason, I've waited this long, I can wait a few more days. Just thought I would keep you all updated.

19 Months and Growing Strong

2010-06-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Gabi turned 19 months old today. I cannot believe how fast she is growing! She is learning new things every day, and continually suprising me with her genious mind. She can say so many words, I can't even remember them all. A few of her latest are "strawberry" which she said today, and "mowing" which she learned last Thursday when Isaac mowed the lawn. We love her so much, and we know she' going to be a great big sister...soon!

Gabi winking!

Looking for some red strawberries, although she likes the green ones too!

Hanging out with her Daddy

Playing in the Dirt

More playing in the dirt

All of these pictures were taken today. We love you Gabi!!

Seattle- Part 3 THE FINALE

2010-05-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, finally, the pictures you have all been waiting for! Sorry it has taken so long, but good things come to those who wait. The sealing was amazing, and I'm so glad that we were able to be there for it, and so grateful to Sharon for watching Gabi so both Isaac and I could be there. It was also wonderful to see so many friends and family there to support Kyle and Ashley as they were sealed, and also those who came to celebrate at the reception. We love you Kyle & Ashley!

The Happy Couple walking out of the Seattle Temple

Little Emma, she was excited too

Some smoochin'

Gabster with her Daddy and Uncle Ryan

The Happy Couple- they are so cute together!

Gabi with her Uncle Kyle, she loves him

Gabi and Daddy during pictures- long day for little ones

The Knight Family

A sibling picture, me looking VERY prego- 8 1/2 months, wahoo!

(Don't worry, the photographer had a better angle, thank goodness!)

Kyle, Ashley, and Kyles side of the siblings

Gabi running away from me AGAIN at the reception

Isaac and Al

The only place I could put Gabi and not have her run away from me while I was doing HW- yuck!

Gabi and Uncle Dom- always spoiling her!

Bubbles!

Everything was absolutely beautiful, I wish I had more pictures- thankfully that's what the Photographer is for!

Seattle Part 2

2010-05-28T19:05:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the Locks. Ryan, Jennie, Emma, My mom and dad, and Isaac Gabi and me as well as my Aunt Barbara and Aunt Berneice were the ones who ventured to the Locks. We had a lot of fun, I really wish I would have taken more pictures, but, alas, I didn't. Before scoping out the Locks we watched a really neat video about it. I don't remember a whole lot because I was trying to keep Gabi quiet. It was fun, anyway. We also got to walk through a beautiful garden near the locks, and check out the salmon run. Here are what few pics I do have...

Ry and Emma watching the boats in the Locks

Boats in the Locks- they were waiting for it to fill up with water

Gabi sitting on a cool spiral thingy near the Locks

The cousins Gabi and Emma

The Knight Fam

Seattle- Part 1

2010-05-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have a lot of patience, you will have to bear with me. I am going to post pictures of our trip to Seattle in parts. This is day one in Seattle at the Locks. The Locks are really amazing and it's crazy how they work. I always forget how green it is there, and it always makes me a little homesick.

Here's Gabi with my mom and dad watching the boats come into the locks

Gabi was really fascinated by the big boats, something you don't see all the time in Idaho :), and yes, she knows how to wink ;)

Gabi and my dad

Gabi and her Daddy

What's in a name?

2010-05-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

Unlike when I was prego with Gabi, we are having THE HARDEST time trying to pick out a name for our soon to be new addition. As soon as we knew Gabi was a girl, we knew her name would be Gabi, and we started calling her that right away. Well, first off, I really really thought this was going to be a boy, in fact when we had the ultrasound at 22 weeks, the ultrasound tech showed us three times that it was going to be a girl because she could tell I didn't really believe her. Well, at the last ultrasound that we had, it was blatantly a girl, no doubt about it. Needless to say, we had a boy name all picked out, but we're still struggling with a girl name. We have a few ideas, but nothing solid yet. I think we're just going to have to wait and see what she looks like.

Growing Big and Small

2010-05-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

So, as you could probably guess, I'm the one growing big. I went to the doctor's on Monday and I'm still measuring a week ahead. Happy news for me, the doctors could care less, they still won't change my due date. HOWEVER... I am dialated to a 2 and 50% effaced with contractions coming more and more frequently. That was very happy news to me. Even though the doc won't change my date, he says that I'm good to go- I could go into labor in anywhere from 3 days to two weeks, but he really doesn't think I'll make it two weeks. Well, that kind of news sure kicks the nesting instinct into full throttle, not that it wasn't already. Poor Isaac has been so patient with me as I clean up a storm. We can't wait for our little girl to be here! I'll try and keep you updated.

So, as far as the growing small part goes, Gabi get's the gold. We took her in for her 18 month appointment last week, and these are the stats:
Weight: 19.5 lbs
Height: 31 inches
I'm pretty sure that was the height, I'll have to double check with Isaac.
The doc said she was about the 5th percentile. They are a little concerned because she's so little, so they said to feed her as many calories as possible. This is one of the only times I think you'll ever hear a doctor say, "And if she likes ice-cream, let her eat as much as she wants." There's also a possiblilty that Gabi is just petite. We aren't too concerned at this point, she has already met and surpassed EVERY milestone for her age. Her language ability is very advanced, true to her name, she's a gabber. We love her tons and can't wait to see her as a big sister, we know she'll be GREAT!

Rough night at the Knights

2010-05-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

Poor Gabi had a really rough day yesterday. She already wasn't feeling well with teething, and then she bumped her mouth on something yesterday, and really wasn't happy after that. Usually some Tylenol and a good nights sleep helps remedy a bad day, however her bad day turned into a bad night. She cried all night long, and there was little to be done to comfort her. We finally put her in bed with us after trying to settle her down several times. I should say, Isaac tried to settle her down, I didn't really get out of bed, I really do have the best husband ever. She still had a rough time after we put her in bed with us, well, we all did. She moves around A LOT when she's trying to sleep. Usually after she falls asleep with us, we can take her back to her bed, and she'll sleep through the night. Not the case last night, every time we tried she would inevitably wake up, and once she realized where she was, well, that was the end of that. So, she stayed with us last night. At around 6am she sat up, all smiles and was as happy as could be. Cute, but we were all so tired. So she played for a little while in between us on the bed while Isaac and I tried to sleep. Finally, about an hour later she lay ed down and went to sleep. I woke up about half an hour later on the last six inches of the bed, Gabi right next to me as close as she could get. Cute, but uncomfortable, considering my belly that was hanging over the bed. :) So I got up to figure out a new arrangement and I lost my spot in bed. There was no moving Gabi, not now that she was finally asleep, and Isaac might possibly be in a coma. He's out. So, with nothing left to do, here I am blogging. It's not really that early, I understand this, however it feels early when you didn't get any sleep and you're pregnant. Here's a picture of Gabi that I just happened to snap on my way out of the room a few minutes ago.

Bun in the oven

2010-05-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

I have failed to post a belly pic so far, so here is one that was taken about a week and a half ago when I was in Seattle. I will try and post some more pics of our visit to Seattle soon.

Sharon, this one's for you...

2010-05-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

I promised my really good friend Sharon that I would post some pictures within a week of coming back from Seattle. Well, it's been a week today, so here I am posting. :) I'll start off with some ultrasound pics, so sorry it's taken so long. This pics are from our babe's most recent photo shoot, ultrasound #3, at 30 weeks and 3 days, and yes, every day does count.

Here are a few of our 4D ultrasound pictures of the babe that's currently in my belly:

This picture is a side profile of the little tyke! It's crazy that you can see so much detail. We already think she's super cute and we can't wait to meet her!

This is one of our little one grabbing her toes, already some personality!

And finally her cute little legs! She sure likes to kick!

Thanks Sharon for keeping me on the ball, someone needs to! :)

Baby Update

2010-04-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

For those who know, and those who don't know what's going on with the little wiggling tyke in my belly, here's an update. We recently had another ultrasound- pictures to follow soon- to determine how big this baby is going to be. My protruding abdomen and the fact that I was measuring a few weeks ahead seemed to concern the doctors enough to take another peek at the baby. She's doing great. She's no giant, but she's no Napolean either. They think we're on track to have an 8 or 9+ lb baby. They seemed satisfied with that, but wow- that's a big baby! To me there is a big difference in 1 lb of baby when it gets time to deliver! The baby is also measuring about 9 days ahead of schedule, however, they have no intent on moving up the due date. So, if the baby comes a week and a half earlier than my "due date" I won't be the least bit surprised. Gabi was 8lbs 10oz and came 10 days earlier than my first due date, and 3 days earlier than my second due date. Needless to say my belly continues to grow larger everyday! The joys of pregnancy!

White Pants

2010-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

There's something about kids and white pants, white anything really. They seem irrevocably drawn to anything white. Not only are they drawn to it, but is seems as though they feel a certain need, a certain responsibility to make sure that whatever article of white that they come across must needs be marked- with something, anything to break up the seemingly monotonous white.
As I was doing laundry this morning, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I put into the wash a pair of white capris that I had only been able to wear for a few hours due to the "white pants with kids problem." The capris were sporting two chocolate kiss marks on the knee, where my beautiful daughter, Gabi, had so lovingly placed on them while I was sitting down folding laundry earlier this week.
Maybe the child is not the one to blame. I am the parent, I am responsible for the actions of my innocent child. I choose to wear the white despite the inevitable outcome, yet I still wear them. For the love of my kid, the love of laughter, and the love of my white capris, I will probably continue to wear them.
Oh well, they're just white pants, anyway, right? :)

Can't sleep, so I'm blogging

2010-03-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you can't sleep, the babe in your belly is doing somersaults, and stress is an all consuming factor in your life, why you blog of course! I lay ed in be for about an hour before I decided I wasn't going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon. So here I am blogging and eating a PB sandwich, trying to de-stress. :)
Life has been pretty good lately around the Knight house. The sunshine has decided to show it's beautiful face more constantly, allowing us the pleasure of spending more time outdoors. We have been doing more yard work preparing our garden for planting. When I say we, Isaac does most of the work while I watch and Gabi roams the yard. Gabi, by the way is VERY much so an outdoorsy little girl. She will do just about ANYTHING to go outside. Sometimes, when it's too cold, or raining, or for whatever reason that we absolutely can't go outside she will sit by the sliding glass door and just look outside, pointing out any "meow meows" or "woof woofs" she may see. I must also say that right now for Gabi, animals don't make a sound other than "meow" or "woof." Needless to say, she loves the outdoors. Last Saturday while Isaac was outside doing yard work, Gabi sat faithfully by the sliding glass door for at least an hour watching him, begging him to let her go outside. She's such a cutie, and we love her so much!
Isaac has been working a different shift lately, due to training. In some ways it has been really nice, in others, a definite adjustment. The blessing of it is that he doesn't have to work every Sunday, and he only works about 8 hours a day Mon- Fri. The hard part is that the hours are 12pm -9pm, so when he gets home, we all just want to go to bed. I can't complain too much, however, because I LOVE the fact that, at least for the next few weeks, he is home every Sunday. It makes a world of difference.
As far as being pregnant...I am 28 weeks along this week. Nothing much to report besides the growing belly. It's interesting how different this pregnancy has been compared to the last one. I was super sick almost the entire 9 months with Gabi, and this time I was even more sick the first three months, but since then I haven't been too bad. I'll have an occasional rough day, but that's to be expected. My only complaint is that my back hurts ALL THE TIME! Not a fan, but that's okay. It could be worse.
Back to Gabi, she's 16 months old, and into EVERYTHING! There is no dramatization there, she really is. I can't even be away from her for 5 minutes and she's into something that I told her not to get into 5 min before. She is smart beyond belief! She already knows I'm gullible and will constantly point in a direction and say "What's that?" only for me to turn and look while she does something, either escaping me when I'm trying to change her diaper, or grab something she's not supposed to have (her favorite is my cell phone.) The sad part about it is that I fall for it ALL the time! You'd think I'd learn! She talks constantly, some of it is totally understandable, and the then there's the baby talk that only she understands. It's fun to play along with her when she's talking to us, she can get so serious about what she's talking about, I can't help but laugh. She is excited about the babe that's on her way. I don't know how much she understands, but she is always coming up to me and patting my belly, kissing it, and saying, "baby, awww." It's the cutest thing ever, and we really need to get it on video. We love Gabi so much, she has brought us so much joy, it's hard to explain.
Anyway, those are the thoughts on my brain right now. I wish that I could say that I am ready to go back to sleep and blogging has cured my sleeplessness, but, nope. Hope you all have a great and wonderful day!

Little Gianni

2010-02-25T22:52:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Gabi and Gianni. More to come soon, since we will be seeing the little babe again in about a week. This is from when Gabi and I went up to Boise to visit and try and help :) Gianni is about a week old in these pictures.
Gabi is showing off her new carseat, which is LOVES that it faces forward.
Gianni is such a cutie! We miss him and can't wait to see him and give him hugs and kisses.

Gabi girl is growing up!

2010-02-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

As I recently promised and repromised some of you, here are some current pictures of our little Gabi girl. We love her so much, and I can't believe how big she has gotten! I've been looking back on her newborn pictures and still can't believe how big she has gotten. Our little baby really is turning into a little girl more and more every day. Here are a few updates on our little tyke:
1. She now has 6 teeth and shows them off proudly
2. She loves saying "Hi" to her sister and lovingly will pat my belly and kiss it while saying "baby"
3. She LOVES being outdoors
4. She loves EVERY animal, and isn't the least bit scared of them, no matter how big they are
5. She waves every time she hears a car drive by saying "bye bye!"
6. She has an AMAZING vocabulary including; mama, dada, baby, please, thank you, more, granpa, bye bye, kitty, meow, woof, moo, my favorite' "don't touch that!" gabi, yes, no, mmhmm, stop, movie, Emma (her cousin) and many others I can't even think of all of them
7. She loves to play with her cousins and thinks they are the coolest
8. Here baby cousins she loves to give lots of kisses to
9. She knows where her belly button is, and thinks it's so cool
10. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes is one of her most FAVORITE songs.
She is growing so fast and learning more and more everyday. It's amazing to see her little personality shine through in all she does.

Sunshine!!

2010-02-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah for sunshine! Today was such a BEAUTIFUL day! I woke up to sunshine, birds chirping, and a smile on my face. I love the sunshine. I opened up the blinds in EVERY single room and basked in the sunshine. That's all I wanted to say. Thank goodness spring is on the way, and hopefully it will warm up quickly.

Gianni Boy!!

2010-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

I know this is coming late, but I wanted to make sure that we announced the birth of our cute little nephew, Gianni. (Pronounced like Johnny)

Meet Gianni Marc Sanelli. Born Wednesday January 13th, 2010 at 10:51 p.m.
7 lbs, 1 oz and 20 inches long.

Barbies and Girls

2010-02-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

My sister recently gave us a LOT of barbies that she had growing and didn't want anymore. Gabi has since discovered them, and she is seldom seen around without at least one in her hand, if not one in each hand. They fascinate her and she just seems to think they are the neatest thing.
I have to admit I was NOT like that growing up. I didn't play with barbies, I collected them. I didn't play "let's pretend," I groomed my barbies and displayed them. Or better yet, I never even took them out of the box. My sister on the other hand had an imagination like you couldn't believe. Her room wasn't just a room, it was a tropical jungle, a mall, or somewhere on the other side of the world. She has always been the one with creativity and imagination.
Well, as the mother of one girl who apparently LOVES barbies, which I never loved, and ANOTHER GIRL ON THE WAY. I am now faced, or should we say forced to accept barbies and play with my daughter(s).
So, yes, we are expecting baby number two! She is due to arrive June 14th, and we are very excited. Right now Gabi doesn't really know what to think about it, and/or understand what's going on, but in time I'm sure she will love to have a little friend to play with.

Welcome Emma Rae!

2009-12-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

We are so excited for Ryan and Jennie and their new addition, little Emma Rae Horne, our brand new niece and cousin to Gabi. We haven't seen her yet, but we have seen pictures and she is ADORABLE! How couldn't she be, look at her parents! We just wanted to let Ryan and Jennie know how happy we are for them, and how much we look forward to seeing them! Here are a few pics I snagged from their blog. She was born Tuesday December 8th, 2009 at 5:06am weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches long.

Two girls and too much fun!

2009-09-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

Little Gabi didn't know that having another little girl around all the time could be so much fun! Gabi is having the time of her life hanging out with her cousin, Saydee. She just ADORES her! This morning when Gabi woke up she heard Saydee and immediately was looking for her. She kept saying "Oh, oh, oh," which is what she does when she's looking for someone. As soon as she saw her she was all smiles. Those girls are so cute together!! Little Saydee, or should I say "little mommy" takes such good care of Gabi! She's always getting Gabi to smile or laugh, even when Gabi is tired/ grumpy. I can't tell you how many times Saydee says, "I make Gabi happy!" It's so cute! Today we were taking some pictures and Saydee says, "I have picture too, with Gabi!" So, naturally, the photo shoot began. ;) Here are a few pictures we took today. Enjoy!

*For the record, Saydee REALLY wanted a close up, you'll know which one when you see it :) Gabi, however, didn't love her close up ...but she got one anyway ;)*

10 Months and the Twin Falls County Fair

2009-09-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

It's true. Our little baby Gabi is growing into a beautiful little girl. She has the cute girly laugh, and the little girly giggles. She loves her dresses, and we're working on keeping the bows in the hair and out of the mouth. :) Tonight she wore her first nightgown instead of footie jammies. She's such a cutie and growing up SO FAST!! (We still love the footie jammies, but the nightgown was so cute, we couldn't resist)
Well, on Monday, Gabi turned 10 months old. Time has flown by so fast! I can't believe in just a few months we will be celebrating her first birthday!
I better stop thinking about how fast she's growing up or I might get all teary eyed. :) Back to Monday- we went to the Twin Falls County Fair. I haven't been to a fair for years and I don't think Isaac has either. Gabi LOVED it!! She's a huge fan of cows, she starts laughing every time they moo- she thinks it's even funnier when I try and moo like the cows. This girl has humor! We saw pigs, cows, horses, lambs, bunnies, ducks, and even an ostrich. I think her favorite were the lambs- she just couldn't get enough of them. She thought they were so interesting, she actually got a little upset when we moved on and she couldn't see them anymore. Thank goodness she likes the animals, there sure are plenty in the vicinity. :)
We, of course checked out the food and got some freshly made kettle korn... mm mm... my favorite! There were plenty of fun things to see and do and lots of people there enjoying the holiday. We had a ton of fun- I can't wait to go next year!! Here are a few pictures of our day. :)

Saydee!!

2009-09-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

We are so excited because Saydee has come to stay with us for a little while. She is so cute and so much fun. We were driving in the car yesterday and we gave Gabi a graham cracker and asked Saydee if she wanted one too. She said, "Yes please." A few minutes later I turned around to see how the girls were doing and Saydee smiled and said, "I share with Gabi!" Little Gabi had a graham cracker in each hand and a big 'ol smile on her face. Saydee wanted another Graham cracker, so we gave her another one. A few minutes later I looked back and her cracker was gone. I thought, wow, she must be hungry! So I gave her another one. A few graham crackers later I realized that Saydee was only eating a little bit of the graham cracker, and sharing the rest with Gabi! Little Gabi had a graham cracker in each hand, one in her mouth, and one on each side of her seat! Saydee sure takes good care of her! Saydee said, "Gabi is really hungry, she wants all of them." :) What a cutie!!
We love Saydee so much, and we're so glad that she can come to visit! Gabi thinks the world of her!

Knight Life

2009-08-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a lot of fun, and a lot of busy. We bought a house- pictures to come soon-, we had a family reunion in Price, UT for the Knights- which was SO MUCH FUN!!- we were in Logan last weekend for our nephew, Tyson, baptism, and we have had the wonderful opportunity to see a lot of family this summer. Gabi is growing like a weed- well, I feel like she's growing like crazy, but surprisingly at our last doctor's appointment she hadn't gained any weight since the previous appointment two months earlier. She is longer, though. The doctor said that was totally fine, and that she was doing great. She is such a cutie, SO full of personality. We just love her to pieces!! She is so funny about books- she absolutely LOVES THEM! However, if you're reading to her you HAVE to let her turn the pages, or else!! She even reads to herself in her own little baby language. She'll pick up a book, hold it, turn the pages, and talk!! She is just so much fun. She loves people and is just a happy baby. We couldn't ask for a baby any better! Here are some recent pictures.

Summer fun

2009-06-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since the last blog, I know. This is what happened- It was finals, and I swore off blogging, facebook, and all other forms of electronic communication for the week. Well, then I had a week off, and my new class started. In addition to that the sun came out and we got a stroller. So, to update everyone on a few things going on in our lives for now, and then more later.
1) Gabi can sit up on her own and loves it! She's actually been doing in since April, sorry!
2) Gabi can also drink out of a cup, also something she's been doing for awhile. She started when she was three months, and she's now REALLY good at it! She doesn't like bottles or binkies!
3) There is WAY too much rain this summer- I feel like I'm back in Washington!
4) I have two callings in our ward- I help out with Activity Days, and I'm a teacher in primary- both of which I LOVE!
5) Isaac was called into the Elder's quorum presidency in our ward, and he's really enjoying it as well
6) Gabi loves her walks, and so do I!
7) Gabi is a HUGE fan of baths and LOVES to splash!
8)My mom is a saint and is here visiting and helping us out
9)Isaac's parents were here this weekend to visit and help out
10) And last but not least we are about to close ON OUR FIRST HOUSE!! YAY! Also one of the reason's why our families are so wonderful and came to help us paint, clean, and a bunch of other things!!!

We are super excited about all the aforementioned occurences, and we are really excited to buy our first house!! There's a lot that goes into it, but it's also really exciting!!
I will try and be better about posting, especially pictures, until then...

Papa John comes to town!

2009-04-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm embarassed to say that it's been about a month ago when my dad came to visit, and I'm just now posting the pics, but at least I'm posting...right?! :)
My dad had some business in Boise and came down to Wendell to visit us...well mostly to see Gabi- we know the truth, it's okay. Needless to say it was A LOT of fun. I love when family comes to visit, and it was an extra special treat because my dad lives in New York, and we don't get to see him often. When he does come, we enjoy every moment of it!
We hung out, talked until it was really late, and Gabi had a TON of fun playing with Papa John! That's what she calls her Grandpa John. :) We were so glad he was able to come and visit!
As you can see Gabi loves cell phones, this was her first encounter with being able to actually touch a cell phone- we usually don't let her get her little fingers on ours.

We're going private...again!

2009-04-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we went private with our blog almost a month ago, but it has recently come to our attention that there are several people who want to view our blog, and who we want to view our blog, but we don't have their email addresses to invite them. So, we are un-privating our blog for two weeks starting today. Post a comment on this post with your email address and who you are, and we would love to add you to our list! If you don't want to leave your email address, you can email me at hor03007@byui.edu or you can facebook me or Isaac and let us know you want to be added! Also, if you know of anyone who wants to view our blog, let them know that they can send their email address. Sorry again for those of you who have been trying to view our blog and haven't been able to. Thanks!

Just a walk in the park...

2009-03-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

Yep, Gabi officially had her first visit to a park last Friday. The weather was B-E-A-UTIFUL! I couldn't have asked for a better day, well maybe a little less wind...but other than that, perfect. Isaac had the day off, and the weather was great, so we decided it was time to take Gabi to the park. We jumped in the car and headed to Twin Falls and ended up at the park on the CSI campus.
She's such a cutie, and seemed to really enjoy it. She hates the wind, but can you blame her? Most of the time I had a blanket over one of my shoulders, and she would turn and face it so she didn't have to deal with the wind or the sun. I couldn't get enough of the sun myself- which is evident from my shockingly white skin. It's sad when your baby has a better tan than you do! Okay, so hers isn't a tan, she's just lucky and has her daddy's skin. :)
Poor Isaac is only halfway in the picture. Unfortunately I'm not that great at taking family pictures when I'm the one taking them! This is probably the fourth or fifth attempt to get everyone in the picture and everyone happy. :) Such is life!

4 month shots

2009-03-20T00:13:00.000-07:00

Gabi had her 4 month shots last week. We were so scared due to how bad they went last time. This time we were a little more prepared, so they went somewhat better. We fed her right before she had them- last time she was hungry when we went to the appointment, and was so mad for so long afterward that she wouldn't eat. This time I held her when she was given the shots- REALLY difficult for me, but was better for her. We also gave her infants tylenol this time. Last time the doctor didn't tell us we could give that to her for pain. Poor girl! Overall, it went a lot better, but needless to say, shot day is our least favorite day in the Knight house.

Pictures...finally!

2009-03-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

It's about time I post some pictures! Most of them are of Gabi, but there's a family phot in here as well. I'm still figuring out this whole blogging thing, so the pics are out of order. The first pic is the most recent, and the last one is the oldest. Sorry!
Here's Gabi enjoying some tummy time...at last! She still doesn't love it, but instead of lasting a few seconds, she's actually in the minutes now! She does really well holding her head up, and loves to look around while she's on her belly- mostly so she can see what she can grab onto and stick in her mouth.

Gabi recently received a little surprise in the mail from her "Papa John" her Grandpa Horne, my dad. :) She hasn't quite grown into the hat yet, but she loves the beanie you'll see a few pics down.

Gabi is practicing sitting. :) She's not quite there yet, she just keeps leaning forward until she reaches her toes, but she's getting there. She absolutely loves to sit on our laps facing us and tell us all about everything. She's really vocal, and once she gets talking, not much will get her to stop. :) She loves her little puppy, too- Thanks Grandma Horne!!

Here's the beanie!! It's one of the very few hats she'll actually leave on- suprisingly. I love that the little ball on top is a baseball. She's such a cutie, we love her so much!

Little Gabi Girl and her Daddio! She loves him so much and can't wait until he gets home everyday. She always greets him with the biggest smile, enough to melt anyone's heart. :)

Gabi sporting one of her new bows from her Aunt Nitnee (Britnae.) We love them Brit!!

Our little family.

She's such a cutie! She's just hanging out in her little bouncy chair after her nap.

I don't know how much Gabi really loved this, but I thought it was fun! Notice my supermom cape...

Diaper head, or George Washingtons relative...?

I hope you enjoyed the pics. More to come for sure!

They grow up so fast!

2009-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Gabi is just a few days shy of being 4 MONTHS OLD! I can't believe it! She is growing so fast and learning so quickly. A few weeks ago, she started holding her head up on her own! That seems like such a huge milestone to me, just wait until she crawls, right?! She laughs all the time now and loves to smile. She still hates being on her tummy, and rebels whenever we try to give her "tummy time," but she loves just about everything else. She is such a cutie and has SO MUCH PERSONALITY!
She loves her daddy so much, it's the cutest thing. The other day I was feeding her in the couch in our front room, and Isaac called me on his way home from work. I put the phone up to her ear so Isaac could talk to her. She got the biggest smile on her face and she immediately looked at the door. I got off the phone with Isaac, and she was still staring at the door. She'd heard his voice, and knew that was were he came in when he got home. She stayed staring at the door until he walked through it 5min later, greeting him with a huge smile. She sure is a daddy's girl!
I promise I will post pictures soon of our growing little girl!

Gabi's Baby Blessing

2009-01-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

This last weekend our sweet little Gabi had her baby blessing. She's such a cutie, and we had so much fun with all of our family in town. My mom and dad as well as Isaac's mom and dad came into town last friday, and the fun began! This was my dad's first time seeing his little grandaughter. Gabi is the first grandbabe on my side of the family, so it's been fun experiencing a lot of firsts for everyone.

Kyle wasn't going to be able to make it, but my dad, claiming he had to go back to Boise to pick up lost luggage from his flight, ended up bringing Kyle back with him! What a great surprise!! He took Isaac with him to go pick Kyle up, and they had a great time having guy time and eating at Denny's while they waited for Kyle's flight to get in, which was delayed twice!

Brit, Dom, Breanne, and Kyle'g girlfriend, Ashley, came up from Rexburg on Saturday. We had eight adults and one babe in our little two bedroom duplex all weekend! A houseful of fun!

Renae and Scott were wonderful, and let us ALL come over so that our two families could all spend time together. We had SO much fun and loved hanging out with everyone! Family is the best!

Gabi was blessed at church on Sunday. That was one of the neatest experiences I've ever had. She was so good the whole time, didn't cry or anything. Isaac said that she was just laying there all bright eyed watching everything, and gave him the cutest smile before he started giving her the blessing. So sweet! It was a long time coming for her to get blessed, due to unforseen circumstances, but it's nice to know that she has been blessed. It was a great occasion, and I'm so glad that we were able to share it with both of our families.

The dress is compliments of Britnae, she picked it out, and I love it!! The cute little puffy sleeves, it's so adorable. Gabi's such a cute little thing! She hated putting her dress on, but loved it once it was on! She has the cutest little hands, and the longest fingers, and ever since she was born, she just loves to touch and grab anything she can get those fingers on. She's a huge into texture, and the dress had a sheer fabric on the outside that she just loved!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend!

Here's our little sweet pea smiling. Brit's so good at capturing her smiles!

The day Gabi was blessed with Isaac's parent's, Ed and Teren, and his sister Breanne

Breanne holding Gabi Girl

My family- left to right in the back; My mom, Kathy, Ashley (Kyle's girlfriend), Kyle, my dad, Domenic, and Brit as well as Isaac, me and Gabi

Our little family

Yikes!! I think she was startled by the flash :)

Grandpa John, and Grandma with the little Gabi girl

Another sweet smile from our little girl! We love her so much!!

The First Blog Post

2009-01-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, everyone, here we go. I know I keep promising everyone that I'm actually going to post something on our blog that we created months ago!! Wish me luck!