We had a great friends weekend. On Friday night we "tripled" with the Ellis's, Jeremiah and his date Natalie. We went to dinner on Main Street in Park City then went to the Deer Valley condo to play games. We didn't sleep over because we had to up early the next morning to go to the Republican Convention to hear Micah's dad give his campaign speech for State Senator. It was fun to go support him and see him in that role. We stayed for a couple of hours to walk around the various booths while we were campaigned to as though we were state delegates. Eric and Nakita were there too for the Governor's office.

We snapped a photo of Kaylyn trying on her first cowboy hat. She smiled and did her little "huh uh" laugh when we showed her this picture. Micah loved it!

Micah and I were super tired from such an early morning so we tried to take a nap, but I made the mistake of keeping the munchkin in bed with us in hopes of her sleeping too. Needless to say we didn't sleep much. On Saturday night we went to Comedy Sportz with Willie "the Sheriff" Talbot and Grauling. 

Sunday afternoon we went to Jacob & Rachel's baby blessing of their sweet new baby Lucy. There is something so special and so pure about a baby being blessed by their father. I suppose it's knowing that the earthly father is acting on behalf of Heavenly Father- both of whom love this little child so much and want to bless them with everything they need to one day return to live with God. One thing that stood out to me as Jacob blessed Lucy was that she would understand who she was as a daughter of God. That is one of the most important things that I want to instill in my children. I feel like so many of the issues and challenges that people deal with are because they don't understand who they are as a child of God and how important they are to Him. One of the songs in Kaylyn's bedtime lullaby medley is "Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God." I hope those words sink deep into her soul!

Dad and daughter playing. These two love each other so much!

We hung out at the Jeppsen's home for several hours after the blessing. It's so great to be with friends and have hours to just talk and be together. Friends make life so enjoyable. 

On Monday night we went to "drive a house" (auction lingo) in Payson for family night. The only people we know in Payson are the Fitzgerald's who used to live in our ward so we stopped by their house after we ate at a chinease restaurant. Turns out they are moving this week so we were lucky to catch them home! They're a great couple. I love surprise visits:) 

The Jazz just beat the Suns and are going to the playoffs! Sweet dreams:)

Yesterday morning Kaylyn and I hung out together reading stories and listening to a little song CDon the laptop. The screen played images to the music and Kaylyn was mesmerized. I love hanging out with her!

Look at her little hand on mine. So sweet!

I also was able to go swimming at the gym while Kaylyn took a nap and Micah stayed home. I'm so grateful to be able to do that every once in a while. It's so energizing! Last night Micah and Kaylyn had some major bonding time as we all were in the living room watching American Idol (a very rare occurrence) and Micah played non-stop with Kaylyn for over an hour. She was in heaven! So was I in that there are few things better than watching your husband play so lovingly with your daughter. He is definitely the parent she goes to for fun and entertainment. They sure love each other. I'm so lucky to have them.

Classic Kaylyn posture

Tonight Kimmy watched Kaylyn while Micah and I went to the temple. It was nice to see some of the ladies I used to work with on Tuesday nights. I think that the greatest two things I get and feel at the temple are PEACE and PERSPECTIVE. I'm reminded of how much Heavenly Father loves all of His children as evidenced by the great blessings He offers to us. I'm so grateful for my little family and that I'm sealed to them for eternity. 

Today is tax day so McDonald's had a deal for buy one BigMac, get one for 1 penny. Clay let us know about the deal so after we picked up Kaylyn we headed straight for Mcee Dee's. Nothing like a burger at 10pm. 

Utah Jazz and Grandma Gwen

I'd like to hand it to these fellas tonight...

Big Al, Harris, and Hayward. What a game! After triple overtime they pulled out the win! They fought especially hard because they needed this game to be able to make it to the playoffs. Defending champions Dallas Mavericks definitely made them work for it, their shots were unbelievable up until the very last 3-pointer. but the Jazz ended up 2 points richer at the final, final, final buzzer. Micah and I love watching great basketball together, especially when our team wins:) Our 91 year old Grandma Gwen (Kaylyn Gwenneth's namesake) loves the Jazz and we knew she'd be up watching the game so we called her to celebrate together at almost 11pm. She's the coolest Grandma in the world. We love her so much. Someday I'll try to put into words why she's my hero, but for now I'll leave it to Kaylyn to describe how much I think of Grandma:

This morning I went on a jog with my little sis, completely cleaned and wiped out the fridge, went to Costco with Micah, and then watched the Jazz pull out a great win. Good day.

One Sunday Evening

After church today we went up to Salt Lake for dinner at Eric & Nakita's. On the drive up I read part of "A Parent's Guide"  (published by the LDS Church back in 1985) to Micah and we talked a little about disciplining our children and what a challenge that will be. It's hard to imagine our perfect sweet Kaylyn ever doing anything wrong, but obviously we'll need to help her learn, grow, and make good choices as she discovers and explores the world around her. One line in the booklet read, "The mother and child are constant companions" and I immediately smiled big and said, "Oh I love it!"  I am so enjoying being a mommy and spending my time at home with our baby of 7 months! Kaylyn is at such a fun stage right now and I can't imagine it getting better, yet I know it will. Life is so wonderful that way.

We love the Ellis's so much. Reesie and Ivan are so sweet with Kaylyn and we have so much fun playing with them. After we ate dinner we put all the kids in strollers and walked to Great Aunt Bonnie's house (Grandpa Moyle's sister) in hopes of finding her home. The weather was just right for light jackets and it was a beautiful evening for a walk. Unfortunately, Bonnie wasn't home, but our 45 minute walk was wonderful anyway. Kaylyn and Reese both fell asleep near the end. We visited for a while more before we headed back home. It's so easy and comfortable hanging out with the Ellis's. I think it's because we all like each other so much.

 The Ellis Family

It's great that kids can fall asleep anywhere

All three of us (the Christensen's) were pretty tired for the drive home so as Kaylyn started making her tired noises (sounds like uhhhhh) Micah and I played a silly game to the tune of "Oompa Loompa" from Willy Wonka. I would pose the puzzle or question and Micah would respond. For example:

Together: Oompa Loompa doompadee doo, I've got another puzzle for you
Me: What would you say if you met Jimmer on the street? (as we passed a billboard with Jimmer on it)
Micah: How do you do, gee this is really neat!
Me: What would do if you were married to a chimp?
Micah: I love you anyways Rach (we both cracked up really hard at that one even though it didn't rhyme:)

It kept us both awake and Kaylyn and me entertained. Micah's the best dad and husband. We're so lucky to have him! What an enjoyable Sunday evening.

Precious Moment

My text to Micah this afternoon:
I've been rocking in my chair for the last hour holding Kaylyn while she sleeps and taking turns reading my new book and staring at our sweet and pure daughter thinking how happy and blessed my life is and what I hope for her future. It's so quiet and peaceful. Her sweaty head is stuck to my sweaty arm. A perfect moment. She's just waking so I'll start dinner soon:)

I finished the book in just a few days...it will inspire you. Stephanie Nielson is the author of www.nieniedialogues.com. This is the story of her life.

Here is a quick book preview narrated by Stephanie herself: