I'll miss your squeals

Dear Wendy,

As Dan and I try to start planning when to have our next baby, it dawns on me that you won't be there to call and share the news of our next pregnancy. I realized that after all the parents were called, you were always the first of the siblings we called to tell or that found out (sorry everyone else!). You had the sweetest and best squeal of joy whenever we told you. You were always so excited to become an aunt again!

I remember when Brooke was born, Dan was calling everyone to let them know the news. Since we didn't find out the sex of the baby until she came, he left anyone who didn't answer the message of "call us back to find out what we had"! I remember you telling me you were so excited to find out that you even ducked out of sacrament meeting to find out because you couldn't stand not knowing if you had a nephew or a niece for even an hour longer! You always were so excited!

I also remember the night we told everyone we were pregnant with Tanner. It was Christmas Eve and we had planned on putting on Brooke's jammies that read "big sister" (the ones that matched all the other grandkids "yearly pj's" that Mom and Dad Kimball got that year). However, we had written on a present we gave to your parents "From: Dan, Heather, Brooke and ???" You had been curious who the CD of sorts had been from and peeked at the card before we had a chance to get the pj's on. You almost tip toed through the after dinner chaos and came and showed me the card and said "Was I suppose to see this?!" in a hush and again squealing tone. I told you not yet and you just beamed and went and put the card back and anxiously awaited the "unveiling" of our big news! Again, you were so excited. Then when Tanner was born, you were the only sibling we skyped with (at least in the hospital). How cool it was that we could introduce you and your 3 kiddos to him while were separated by 500 miles. Again, I can still see your happy face when you saw Tanner.{Kenna was always a great helper to Brooke. In this case, she was keeping her in place for pictures the night we announced Tanner was on his way!}

A month after Tanner was born, we decided to take a random and spur of the moment road trip to Utah. Dan was unemployed and we thought "hey! what the heck! Let's go show him off!" ;) I took pictures the night we had dinner at your house and the kids all took turns holding and seeing 4 week old Tanner. In the corner of each picture, you can see your same great smile that we all know so well.{Evan getting his turn with Tanner for the first time. Your face is my favorite.}

My heart breaks for the children we have yet to have join our family that won't get to know you. I have to remind myself however that you are probably with them now. They will know you. Just not in the sense we are all use and accustomed to. We will make sure they know who you were while they are here.

I love you Wendy. I miss you. I wish I had a video or sound recording to play whenever that time comes again for us to announce our next little.

Until we meet again,
Heather

Lydia's Baptism

Dear Wendy,

I meant to write this earlier. Last month we baptized Lydia. It was a great day and Lydia was so excited with everything going on. I had the opportunity to baptize her. The feelings at this event were great. Mom (Grandma Kimball) spoke on baptism and Grandma Moore spoke on the Holy Ghost. I missed you there Wendy. I do not know if it was all the emotions of the day, the spirit that was there or what, but after I baptized little Lydia I went into the men's room and just lost it. Looking back I bet it was probably the first time me and you had not been at such an event of the others. It reminded me of a time back in April where you made the effort to come to a Dance performance of Lydias. You were very pregnant and the weather was bad, yet you brought all your kids and were smiling the whole time. I never really expressed to you how much such things meant to me, but want to acknowledge it now all the same.

High School.

Dear Wendy,
This week I started High School! I know it's crazy, I can hardly believe it! On the first day especially, I kept thinking, I wish I could tell Wendy all about this...Well, here I am. I feel really small there. Juniors and Seniors intimidate me, but less and less each day. I like my classes for the most part, however, I can tell that AP US History is going to be an adventure...but hey! It's all part of the experience, right??? Cause I definitely know I might be able to pull all nighters with this class on my schedule...just don't tell mom. :) I wore a pink ruffly shirt, and stripey knock~off Toms on my first day. As I was choosing my outfit I could just hear your voice in my head saying, "No matter what you wear, the girl inside is going to be what people are really looking at. And they're going to be awe~struck." Wendy, I love and miss you so much. Thank you for the wonderful example you are to me, and for always being so caring and making me feel so loved 100% of the time. I never doubted that I was special when you were around. Just know that there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you, and your sweetness.
Love your forever, and for always,
Alesha

oh p.s. Monday night as I was talking to Dallin about 1st grade in his room, I asked him if he was scared. He said not at all (of course...he's such a brave boy :)) In turn he asked me if I was scared for high school. When I told him yes, he tells me, "Annalesha, you don't need to be scared. You are big enough to handle high school." So cute, and comforting. I just love that boy, and his sweet spirit. :) :)

Chest of Treasures

Dear Wendy,
I was so excited to work on a little project to house some treasures from your life.  I know Denny was looking forward to having a safe place to put your special things and to have them all in one place that he could lock and keep them safe.  We found an antique Lane cedar chest that was in perfect condition but just needed a little updating.  It turned out great and I loved every second of working on it.  Just thinking of the special things that would go inside, and thinking of your kids looking through it later on, made me so happy.  

Here it is before:

And here it is after:

 Just want you to know that there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of you, and miss you so much.  I thank you for making me want to be a better person and a better mom.  I love you so much!  -Julie

Not capris!!!

So Dallin came down the other day while getting ready for church with these on... I mean, I know that they are the same color, but do you think at some point he thought to himself "self, these just don't fit like they did last week!" Yeah, they are his two year old brother, Evan's church pants, not man capris which really don't exist because once you say capris, there is no more room for man in that.

On another note, does nail polish remover hurt the vinyl counter tops or just take the purple nail polish off. By the way, in case anyone was wondering the kitchen cupboards are not a good place to keep sisters nail polish... and on an unrelated topic, Evan gets on the counter quite efficiently!

Wendy, guess what?!

Wendy,

While I was in Hawaii, I got an email from one of the author's of a blog I like to read and she said she wanted to feature me! I was so stinking excited! She posted on her blog about my kitchen table and chair make-over! She loved them and ask that I send her more or my projects her way! The blog was Better After.

I was so stoked I got on my phone and went to text the world practically! I went to add your name and realized I couldn't text you that stuff anymore! It pulled me back to reality about what a great friend I had truly lost. I know your reaction though. You would have exclaimed out "how exciting" or "how fun!", something along those lines. You would have complimented me and told me great job. I know that. You were always one to be happy and excited right along with me. You were always one of the first, if not the first, I would call with good news like that. Especially times when I was calling to tell you we were expecting. It breaks my heart that you won't physically be there to call when that happens again. (To those who might be reading this, we are NOT pregnant right now... no rumors!) ;)

Thank you for always being so happy and excited with me about our good news. We miss you! I miss you! I love you!

Love,
Heather

Dear Wendy...

Wendy, I watched my kids ride bikes and play with cousins yesterday which forced me to think back on those times from my own childhood that I shared with you. Playing for hours on end in "the deep," dressing Tootles in doll clothes, cuddling with and getting pooped on by the newest litter of puppies, walking through canals, sleeping on the trampoline, etc. I laugh when I think about the tick that your mom found in your belly button that you so proudly displayed for years in your room and me, wondering what in the world is a tick? I now know. :)

The feeling of independence that I had when we rode bikes to Country Corners for the first time to get treats is something I'll never forget. I loved riding on the handlebars of your girly bike with the pink seat, waving to the neighbors and cars as they drove by us. I, however, was too short to see over your shoulder and ride the bike at the same time (and I'm sure I lacked the coordination that you seemed to have). I think we even tried to have you sit on the handlebars, be my eyes and tell me where to go as I rode the bike. To no avail, I just couldn't swing it. That didn't ever matter to you. True to "Wendy" fashion, you never complained about riding the bike and letting me ride on the handlebars just like you never complained about being the dad when we played house or letting me have the better flavored popsicle from the freezer in the garage. That was SO you.

I love you and miss you,

Erin

Hand caught in the cookie...bag

I came down to check on why Evan was so quiet, and saw that he had fallen asleep, but not before he got into the pantry to help himself to a little snack. His arm is inside the bag of animal crackers. The other picture is after visiting your cemetary on memorial day. We went over to Mare's parents where her brother had brought his new little kittens down. I thought it appropriate to show two of his favorite things: food and baby animals! What a sweet boy we have!

Toothless!

Dallin has lost 4 teeth over the past 6 weeks. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing this toothless grin. One tooth came out after accidentally getting kicked in the face on a bounce house at Monkey island, he came over and it was completely crooked and sideways so he pulled it the rest of the way. The most recent one he decided he was going to write the tooth fairy a note to find out a little more about them. The note was on his magnedoodle, if you can't tell from the picture it says: "are you a girl or a boy and D-S please" he wants a nintendo DS and he thought it was worth a shot to ask this little fairy. You can imagine the tooth fairy was caught off guard by the note and I am sure was trying to keep the chuckling quiet to make sure not to wake them. The note from the fairy was there the next morning with the answer: "I am a boy, ask Santa for the DS, thanks for the tooth!" I gotta say though, I was impressed with his thinking! I hope he keeps up the ingenuity.

"Don't they know we're eating?!"

Dear Wendy,
We had Kenna here last week and she was making us all laugh so hard.  She is such a funny little girl with her own agenda and so full of life!  All throughout the evening, she kept running to answer the door and no one would be there.  One time it happened while we were eating and as she was running to the door, she exclaimed, "Don't they know we're eating?!"  Again, no one was there.  I thought that she was hearing a knocking sound, maybe a chair being moved or something, and confused it with a knock at the door, but Sean figured it out.  It was our clock!  Every time it chimed on the half hour, she thought it was our doorbell and naturally ran to answer it.  So cute!

Then I was getting her ready to go swimming at Nate and Brooke's.  I got out her swimming suit, a t-shirt and some shorts.  I told her to go get dressed in the bathroom.  She said, "Aunt Wu, I don't need clothes if I'm wearing my swimsuit."  I said, "Yes, you'll still need clothes.  Just put them all on."  She came out of the bathroom a few minutes later with a very bulky swimsuit.  She had put her t-shirt and shorts on UNDER the swimsuit.  She was trying to tuck the shorts up into the swimsuit as I was laughing at her.  Back into the bathroom she went to make things right.  I had also put her hair in a bunch of little twists the night before so it would be all wavy the next day.  When we took out the twists, it was quite wild and needed some taming.  I had visions and plans of doing a cute little pull-back of some sort on the front and letting the back be long and wavy.  I said, "Come on Kenna, let's go do your hair" to which she replied, "Oh no!  It's done!"  Love that girl!  I love you so much and miss you so terribly.  I can't wait to see you again.  All my love, Jules