Happy Birthday Alycia!!

Aly turned 12 and what was the first thing she did…well after she texted me on the minute she hit 12, she went to the temple. Aly has been looking forward to this day for quite a while. Her 2 older sisters have been having all the YW fun, going to camp, going to mutual, going to the temple. Well, Alycia can finally join her sisters in all their fun. I just hope this doesn’t become a trend when KJ starts dating. Nothing makes a parent happier than to see their daughter more excited for the temple than for her presents.

Aly is such a sweet little girl still. She’s a YW now, but she is still just as sweet as she has always been. One of the best benefits of our move to UT has been the number and caliber of friends our kids have found. In Tucson, and even in Draper, Aly had maybe one or two good friends and it wasn’t always easy to have them over of send Aly to their house. Now, she has more nice friends within walking distance than she can handle. And her best friend from the Draper days has moved from NY back to UT. So, I think Aly is in friend heaven. I’m grateful that she has such good girls as her friends and sisters during this part of her life where she’ll be making such important decisions.

Anyone who knows Alycia knows what a soft and sweet spirit she is. After family scripture study and prayer when I’m out-of-town, Aly is the one who sends me a good night txt. She is usually the first one to run up and hug me when I get home. I know the other kids love me too, but Aly is always excited to show it.
Alycia, I hope you never lose that deep sense of charity towards your fellow man. It sometimes hurts to love so much when others don’t always love back. But that is always the right thing to do.

Happy Birthday sweetcakes, I hope all your wishes come true….except any wishes for more Jonas Brothers music in the house.

We love you.

Rest in Peace Eddie. The coolest cat who ever lived.

Happy Birthday Superstud

Well, a lot has happened since our last post not least of all, Tanner just turned 10. Tanner had a party with his friends and received many fantastic gifts. He really wanted a Ford GT; which he did not get……maybe next year TJ. It’s pretty hard to believe that our little T-man is in his teens. In just 9 years he’ll be in Bolivia spreading the Gospel.
Tanner is still an absolute delight to have in our family, although his sisters may occasionally disagree. Tanner was our easiest baby and is still a great eater and sleeper. TJ is a killer athlete with the attitude to match. It’s great to be moved back since Tanner has so many friends in the neighborhood that he can play ball with. But mainly, it’s great to have Tanner close to Collin so they can build their family athletic powerhouse.
Tanner is a great kid who participates well in family scripture study and family discussions. He loves playing any kind of ball and playing Halo with his big Bro. Happy Birthday Tanner Stud.
So, we’re basically moved in and don’t really have many pictures yet…we’ll post more later. We love being in the trees. Our nearest neighbors are a nice herd of mule deer. Our new ward is fantastic and the young men and women are great to our kids. The girls just finished girl’s camp and KJ is at cheer camp this week. Kyle has football camp next week.
Our move could not have been any easier and we are grateful for that blessing. We’re sorry to everyone for not inviting you down yet. We will start the invitations soon; we’re just still getting settled.

Happy 13th Cicely!!!!!!!!

So once again we're celebrating a birthday at the Collins household and I'm not one bit happy about it! Time is slipping away from us so quickly and I feel like I need to slow it down so I can enjoy every minute to the fullest. Cicely was born at 12:12 p.m. ready to take on the world and stomp anyone who tries to get in her way! She was an absolutely beautiful baby with curly blonde hair, brilliant ocean blue eyes, and olive toned skin. Cissy has been blessed with not only beauty, but the self-assurance that she is a daughter of God. She has an amazing ability to withstand any outside influences and make the decisions that she knows will be right for her, and only her. When I asked Elliot what I should write about her, he came up with this poem that I think Cissy would approve of:

Roses are red, violets are blue,

Cissy is pretty

so she's better than you

Touching, isn't it. The thing I find the most endearing about Cissy is her sense of humor. Just ask her to do her impression of Kip on Napoleon Dynamite. She is very quick witted, like her father, and isn't afraid to make people laugh at her own expense. Cissy is our middle child and has a fantastic relationship with both her sisters and I'm grateful everyday that they have eachother to lean on and rely on. It's a wonderful blessing to have your sisters as your best friends and I know that as they grow older their bond will only get stronger. We're so proud of the beautiful, strong, virtuous, young woman you are Cissy and we wouldn't ever sell you to the gypsies(family joke). Oh, one more thing.... heaven help the man who marries Cissy because he better have biceps the size of Elliot's and a wallet comparable to Donald Trump's.

We love our Cicely!!!!!

SHHS Tryouts

Kjirsten

Kicks

Jumps

Pike

Standing Back Tuck

Tumble

Cheer

Dance

For Kjirsten!

We finally celebrated Kyle’s 16 birthday. We gave him his present as he left school yesterday. Many of his friends were there to enjoy cupcakes and cookies. We’ve been building this car since April 2008. Yes, it’s a bit much for a 16 year-old. But, Kyle’s a good kid. I’ve always taught him that you get rewarded in this life based on your work. He works very hard and I couldn’t be happier with his efforts. As a Sophomore, he has AP Biology, AP European history and 4 more honors courses. He carries a 4.something GPA. (I know, us oldies are skeptical of GPAs better than the perfect 4.0; but they now add points for AP and honors classes). He’s finishing his Eagle now, and can’t drive until he does. He just killed the PSAT and prep ACT and is now getting emails from some great Universities; like 5 per day. So, it’s a cool gift, and he deserves it. Happy late Birthday Kyle. We love you.

Happy Birthday Elliot!

To celebrate Elliot’s 34th birthday I thought I’d list 25 reasons why I love my sweet husband, so here they are:
1- He completes me. I know that sounds cliché but I truly believe that I could not reach my full potential in life without him.
2- He writes me beautiful poetry. I would share them with you but they are too personal.
3- He has an awesome sense of humor!
4- He is more handsome today than ever before (don’t be jealous ladies).
5- He is an excellent chef. Considering that cooking is a chore to me this helps out tremendously.
6- He’s my best friend.
7- He has a photographic memory.
8- He’s very optimistic.
9- He’s extremely opinionated and he doesn’t sit on the fence of any issue. He’s also not afraid to voice his opinions, see #18.
10- He’s confident, not conceited. Yes, there is a difference.
11- He is an amazing father. Elliot is the only man I know whose hobby is his family. He would rather be hanging around with us than doing anything else in the world.
12- He’s totally selfless. Elliot got up at 4:30 in the morning just to get his workout in before he drove the kids to seminary and school so that when he got home from work he could spend that time with the family.
13- He’s a hard worker and he’s teaching our kids to be industrious also. Elliot finished BYU in less than 3 years while having three kids and providing for us. I don’t think people realize he took 21 credit hours for three straight semesters and 24 credit hours his last semester and he graduated with a 3.9 GPA.
14- He’s a very determined and driven man and heaven help the person who tries to get in his way!
15- He’s a natural born leader.
16- He’s never been beat in an arm wrestle. I won’t even tell you how much he bench presses (350+) but I am proud to say that Kyle is well on his way to being the first one to beat him.
17- He loves to practice cheer moves with the girls in the pool. It takes a real man to participate in cheerleading. Okay, I confess he just holds them up to practice their flying skills, he doesn’t actually do cheers or dance moves.
18- He couldn’t give a hoot what people think or say about him! See #’s 9&10.
19- He is extremely loyal and he always thinks the best of others.
20- He won’t skip church ever and he always goes above and beyond in his callings.
21- He loves to talk which is totally the opposite of me. I’m always dragging him out of places because I’m bored and he’s the center of attention.
22- He’s very forgiving which considering he’s married to me is a really good thing!
23- He’s very receptive to promptings of the Spirit and he follows those promptings, even when it means going tracting to someone’s door when they have a huge Rottweiler guarding their front gate.
24- He loves to serve others and always does so with a glad heart and kind spirit.
25- He loves me absolutely unconditionally.

I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of everything I love about Elliot. So now I’d like to ask you all a small favor and leave a brief comment about what you like or admire about Elliot. Not that he needs it of course (see #10) but I just thought it would be nice!

Happy 34th Sweetie and I look forward to the next 50+ years with you!

I know I’m late updating our blog for Amy’s birthday. For the record, I didn’t forget, I just placed the blog lower on the priority list than all the other things I’ve done since the 15th.

So, Amy is now in her late 30s. She argued that 35 is mid-30s, but I always round up; cause I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. I wanted to go through all the ways Amy has changed since I met her in September 1990…here goes…

When I met Amy she was this foxy little spark plug who came into Biology late with a little attitude and fling of her long, perfect hair. Today, she is still a foxy little spark plug with a little attitude and perfect hair. In 1990 she looked a bit too good in a swimsuit. Today she looks even better in her beachwear. Amy was a Bills fan when I met her. Now, she wears Broncos PJs around the house and knows the names of every Broncos O lineman. In 1990, Amy didn’t really know how she felt about the desert; now she knows she hates it. In 1990, Amy would rather hang with loved ones and chat than travel to Europe. More than ever, she just wants to hang with the fam wherever they are. In 1990, the boys were all after Amy. Now, they just stare as we walk through the mall. Oh, she still hates shopping and the mall. Maybe it has to do with the staring dudes. Amy always wanted to be a mom and a doctor. She is the best mom in the world; so that’s one down and one to go. In 1990, Amy was in seminary and studying her scriptures on a regular basis. She had a firm testimony of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, Amy is a mature scriptorian, she’s a dedicated missionary, a kind friend, a tender mother, a loving teacher, and a pillar of strength for her kids against the winds of the world. In 1991 Amy became my best friend. Today, she is my best friend and the kind of wife every man wants but rarely gets. I am the luckiest man alive to have Amy at my side through this life and forever. I only hope my sons are blessed with such sweet daughters of God at their sides.

So, you can see, Amy has changed very little over the last 18 years. She has only improved over time. In fact, you can hardly say she's aged. I’m sure in 18 more years I’ll be saying the same thing.

Happy Birthday Sweetie, I love you, your kids love you, and you serve the Lord with all your might. Nothing else matters.

I’m sure everyone can tell that KJ is growing up fast now. I know it seems that she is now 14 going on …college; but a look at where she spends her time and effort helps to understand what she is really about. As she turns 14, the things that are most important to her are now her young women’s program, seminary, school, cheer, and her family. She spends 99% of her waking time on church, school, cheer, and family activities; and that is not an exaggeration. When she was 10, the things that were most important to her where school, family, church, cheer, violin, and playing with friends and fam. So, you can see that she has really not changed too much. She just stopped playing with friends and her violin. She really misses the violin and begs us to take lessons. But, we ask “when would you like to take lessons?” This brings up another change in KJ’s life. She is the busiest kid I know. Her big brother is very busy, but she has him beat. Her daily schedule is something like this:
4:50 – get ready for school
5:45 – go to seminary
6:45 – go to school
3:20 – school is out, go to cheer practice
6:30 – cheer practice ends, go to mutual or cheer for a game
9:00 – do homework, read scriptures
11:00 – go to bed

KJ is our sleeper. I’m not sure if it has to do with her lack of sleep during the week, but she can really sleep in. I have a little cold, so I took some medicine the other night and slept until 9 AM. I got up and joked that I had pulled a KJ. But, she was still asleep for another hour. So, in that small way, she is a true teenager.

KJ is not really infatuated with boys yet. I’m happy to report that yesterday I asked her to name her 5 favorite boys; she responded with Dad, Kyle, Tanner…she then paused. This is where I was waiting for the name of some boy at church or school. I was mistaken. She continued with the names of her male cousins; who are all 10 and under.

Kj is, however, very excited for the stake dances. She has her first dance this Wednesday. She’s lucky to be going with her big brother.

KJ has developed a special relationship with Kyle that will likely carry through to adulthood. While her attitudes and activities advance in maturity, she’s becoming a wonderful little lady. I’ve noticed that Amy and I are starting to treat her more like an adult as each day passes. I honestly don’t remember that last time we corrected KJ. She is a smart, focused, driven, sweet, tender, principled young woman who is guided more by her testimony of the Savior and the Restored Gospel than by any other thing.

The most telling thing I can say about KJ is that she has many pieces of knowledge to learn in this life, but she is wiser than nearly every adult I have ever known.

Happy Birthday Kjirsten.

Sixteen years ago today a little teen-age girl gave birth to a skinny little baby. I had only been back from active Army duty for three days. I too was skinny and young. Amy and I had just worked through the hardest 9 months or our lives. Finally, he was born and everything has been easy-street from there. It finally seems like a long time ago that Kyle was born. He has been here for Amy’s and my entire adult life. He has grown from my favorite little buddy to an exemplary young man. You always have grandiose wishes for your children and I wonder if reality always outperforms your dreams. Kyle is as fine a man as any I have ever met.
Today, Amy and I experience measureless joy as I ordained Kyle to the office of Priest and we were blessed to witness his patriarchal blessing. So many spiritual thoughts, memories, feelings, and promptings; all are too personal to share. But, I must say, this is one of the finest days for a father. I can’t imagine more happiness. I held Amy’s little hand as Kyle saw his existence laid out before him. A true fulfillment of the efforts and dreams since the day I held Amy’s little hand as she labored to bring him into the world sixteen years ago.

Happy Birthday Kyle!! Thank you for sharing it all with us. You are a fine example of what a young man should be.

I am grateful beyond words for the calling I have to serve as a father to my kids and a husband to my Amy. This morning was especially spiritually rich for me. On a day which could represent such dismay for the country I love, I was surrounded by tender mercies.

Our Priesthood leaders asked us to support Prop 102 and my family responded. They did all they were asked to do and more. My wife and kids displayed the faith required to accomplish anything. I can truly say these kids, Kyle, Kjirsten, Cicely, Alycia, and Tanner, as well as thier mother, are the types of disciples who would have pushed the hand-carts wherever their Prophet asked. The Lord does my work for me. All is well when you have a family like this.

I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Guns & Mormons

Just using my first amendment right to express my other first amendment right and my second amendment right.

Ah, guns and Mormons, we mix like chocolate and milk.

Disclaimer

Since we are always begging friends and family to come visit the wild west of Tucson, we need to post a disclaimer. We will now be requiring signed liability waivers for any and all visitors. We cannot be held liable for injury or death related to, or arising from encounters with any of the following wild beasts—which are all common to the area:
Rattle snakes of any kind, Javelina, Scorpions, Foot-long Sonoran Centipedes, Coyotes, ROUSs, Tarantulas, Wolf spiders, Brown Recluses, Coral Snakes, Aliens ( not the green kind ), Janet Napolitano, or Liberals

Sweeeeeet

Alright, so first we’ll start out with the boring girly-girl stuff. Alycia, Cissy and I all went and got haircuts and highlights. That took like three and half hours and then we were starving so we went to the girls favorite restaurant and got some good ol’ Mexican cuisine. Then we went to get pedicures and we all had these little Vietnamese dudes doing them. They were totally talking about us in Vietnamese and it was really bothering me. They kept on asking Aly and Cissy questions but they would both just respond, “What?”, because the girls couldn’t understand a thing that they said. So I had to keep on translating and I finally just told them to nod and say okay and shake their heads and then look away because I didn’t feel like translating anymore. It sort-of worked except when the guy told Cissy to stay put for a minute while the polish dried and she dutifully nodded and shook her head and got out of the chair to put her shoes on. He about had an aneurysm and so I had to tell her to sit back down and wait a minute. We then went to blockbuster and rented some chick flicks (Penelope and Nim’s Island) and grabbed some goodies and headed home. Lots of fun and pampering was had by all. Until……….. they got word of the amazing experiences the other group had.




Just as Amy was taking Cicely and Alycia to the hair salon, Tanner and I checked KJ and Kyle out of school and drove to Phoenix for the game. We drove straight to the Marriott adjacent to the stadium and checked in. The room was great and overlooked the stadium. We then had some light dinner and went to the game. I told the kids we had seats in the nose-bleed section, so they were surprised as we entered the lower level and kept descending the stairs until we reached the first row, 45 yard-line just behind the Bronco bench. The kids were extremely excited about our seats and the whole experience. The stadium roof was closed and AC was blaring. As the Broncos jogged to the sideline, we started to call out their names and get some waves and thumbs-up. We had a great time cheering and talking to our favorite players. Most waved at us or gave us some kind of sign. As we cheered the players, the Cardinals fans next to us would sometimes give our guys crap and it was fun to see them react or not. Brandon Marshall kept making fun of the bald guy next to me and did some funny loser signs to them. I asked how many sacks Jarvis Moss would get this year and he shrugged; he then went on the field and sacked Leinart. He came right back, took off his helmet and said he’d get about one sack this year. I was very impressed with the Broncos players. They didn’t listen much to the Cardinal fans yelling but responded all the time to us, their fans. We had little conversations with many of the Broncos and really enjoyed some of Marshall’s and Stokley’s antics. Champ Bailey gave us the nod quite a few times, which made Tanner’s year. Many of you know, Tanner is a huge Bailey fan. He has Champ’s poster on his wall and wears his jersey as often as we’ll let him. KJ is a huge Domonique Foxworth fan and Foxy gave us one thumbs-up right before the game, but got very serious; since he was actually playing all game. We were having the time of our lives and wanted a 6 quarter game. By the time the game ended, I had lost my voice, the Broncos spanked the Cards, we had interacted with our favorite team and we were on cloud nine. The game ended and players jogged to mid-field and we figured that was it. Until, Champ Bailey cooly strolled towards us and we were all a little shocked. He walked right up to Tanner, took off his hat and handed it to Tanner. I was too shocked to remember the camera in my hand. I had just snapped one of Bailey walking towards us and just remembered to take another as he walked away giving Tanner the thumbs-up. As the crowd pressed closer and we made sure Tanner wouldn’t have his prized souvenir stolen, Domonique Foxworth jumped the bench and walked straight to KJ, took off his gloves and handed them to KJ. Dozens of fans were reaching and tearing at KJ to get her souvenir, but her big stud brother was holding off one side and I was holding off the other. By the time we turned around, Kyle barely got a shot of Foxy walking away. We yelled our support of the two DBs and Tanner and KJ were shaking with glee. I was then able to see that Champ had signed the hat he gave to Tanner. It'll be tough to ever top this experience for the kids or for me. When we returned to the hotel room, Tanner said “I got Champs hat, Kjirsten got gloves, and Kyle got to give money to a hobo.”

Quick update

Not much time; Amy is taking Cicy and Aly to get their hair done in about 10 minutes. I'm taking Kyle, KJ, and Tanner to the Broncos game in Phoenix. The kids don't realize that I got 1st row 50 yard-line tix right behind the Bronco's bench. I'm just hoping to get a wave from Champ or whomever. I'm wearing my custom-made Spencer Larsen jersey, Kyle's wearing Brandon Marshall, Tanner's wearing Champ Bailey, and KJ's wearing her favorite Domonique Foxworth. I had to get KJ a custom jersey as well since they don't make Foxworth jerseys in ladies sizes. I'll post pics of the new hair and the game when we return. We're staying in Phoenix overnight since the game will be so late. So, mom and the girls are going to have a sleep-over in my room and watch chick stuff; like the recorded Palin speech from earlier today. Palin for Pres!!! Check out the sweet new pics of Cicy and KJ.

I think I can.......

It's time for a start-of-school update. Let's go youngest to oldest.

Tanner is being home schooled by Amy and is enjoying all the time
spent with his foxy teacher. He's taking all the normal classes for a
4th grader. He's also taking French; as are all the kids. He works
in the library on his own PC and desk.

Aly is also being taught by Amy. She's using the K12 system, which
you can read up on at k12.com. She is learning a lot and starting to
become more self-motivated. This is a necessity since Amy spends most
of the school day with Tanner. Aly uses the home PC, with a 26"
screen (spoiled), and her own desk area also. I'm happy to report
that my girls still get all dolled up like they were going to school each
day.

Cissy has really taken an academic and maturity leap this year. She
works through her curriculum with very little help or teacher
motivation. She works with the other kids in the library on a table
with Amy's laptop. We have another PC, but Cissy likes the pink
laptop.

KJ is attending Cienega HS. She's on the JV cheer team and working on
her student counsel run; more news on this when I get some. She is
taking all Honors classes except English, which the school filled
before KJ re-enrolled. We'll get her in the Honors class, but we need
to fight a little more and a little harder. We just got KJ's cheer
pics and they're way too cute,crap. KJ has lots of homework, but she gets
it done in near perfect state each day (night). She is still a great beehive president and really enjoys Cissy being in her class with her.

Kyle is now a sophomore at Cienega. He plays WR and C for the JV
team. He also has a crazy schedule with football, school, mission
work, teacher quorum president duties, eagle scout work, etc. He has all
Honors classes as well as AP Biology, and AP European History. Of
course, he's doing well with school and juggling his duties. He
drives to Seminary each morning and is becoming a decent driver. I'm
really not scared to have him drive on his own later this year.

Also, my kids' foxy teacher will probably be a grandma in 6ish
years……….think about it.

You can't improve perfection?

When I was Kjirsten's age, my parents gave me a Valentines card that read "You can't improve perfection". Well, we're trying now that the 4 oldest are all in braces.

We decided to use our trailer and go camping at Hawley Lake in the White Mountain Apache Reservation. Our trailer is stored just outside the reservation, so we had a nice drive with nothing to pull. We had no problem grabbing the trailer and heading to the camp site. Unfortunately, we were running a little late which meant it was dark and the camp office was closed when we got there. The Indians who run the place were still there, but our reservation was taken. So, they put us in the last spot. I loved the spot because it looked down on the lake and had plenty of room for a fire pit, and it was transverse to the other trailers. The spot was sloped a little more than slightly. Still, we backed in, unhitched and started to plug in. The electric plugged in fine and that was a blessing. The water was spilling out the bottom, on the downhill side. Kyle and I searched for the leak and found that our water heater had burst over the winter. Turns out the winterizing drain doesn’t drain the heater; you have to drain that separately. So, no hot water all weekend. I enjoyed the freezing mountain showers, but only Amy and I showered. BTW, Kyle didn’t smell. I disconnected the water and started leveling the trailer with the leveling jacks while Amy put together the inside. As KJ, Kyle and I jacked the downhill side and Amy was getting stuff out of the car; the jack slipped, the tongue fell and the trailer tipped toward the extended pop-out. My first reaction was to throw my shoulder into the falling trailer. Amy jumped toward us to hold it up too. The trailer is about 9,000 lbs. But, we weren’t thinking, just reacting. Tanner and the dogs were inside the trailer and had a good lurch. Chihuahuas are so skittish. Something to remember when training for weapons use. Of course, the trailer settled on its axels and didn’t fall. But I peed a little in my pants (threw them away later). We got the trailer as set as we were going to get that night and left the rest for the morning. We all slept at a fun angle that night. Next morning, we removed the heater and fixed 2 other leaks. We stabilized the tongue with an alter of rocks and reset it. We pulled the trailer through after moving a boat and pulled it onto some rocks to level. After the repairs, and positioning, we were in great shape and pulled out the awning. Our front door looked right down at the lake.

We then started to have less adventurous fun including fishing, crawdading, cow tipping, mallow roasting, hotdog roasting, puzzle making, movie watching, rowing, etc. We also went into town and had a great red-meat meal at one of our favorite steak places.

The trip was a great adventure and we learned that when things don’t go perfectly, the kids are more than willing to pitch in and have some fun while we’re at it.

No, I'm not insane

As some of you may already know, Elliot and I have decided to home school our children this year through an online program. We came to this decision after much prayer and thought and discussion with school administrators and, of course, the kids. We started thinking about this option after a few incidents regarding the schools and came to the conclusion that this will be the best path for our children at this time. At the end of the year, we will reassess the situation and decide where to go from there. I'm excited to work with my kids this year and I hope this turns out to be a good bonding experience for us all. I'm not stupid and I realize this will be A LOT of work but I'm positive that together we can accomplish anything. Kyle will still continue to play on the JV football team for the high school and KJ will continue to cheer for JV also. Arizona has a state law the mandates the local schools must let all home schooled kids participate in all the extra-curricular activities, as long as they make the cut(which Kyle and KJ already have done). So as long as I keep them active in outside activities and sporting programs, I'm not particularly worried about them missing out on any socializing. Besides, we all know that Elliot is a social butterfly and all the kids seem to be taking after him. Also, I hope that everyone realized that the picture of Alycia is her faced super-imposed on Queen Amidala, Tucson hasn't changed our values that much.

Happy 11th Birthday Lee-She!!!

Sometimes your kids put new posts on your blog and you know nothing about it until you get a call from someone asking about that post. I think I need to make it a rule that no new posts are published until Mom has proof read it. Some really embarrasing things could get out to the world faster than you can bat an eyelash and there would be no way to take it back! Anyway, enough of that. Tomorrow our sweet little Alycia ( or lee-she) will turn 11 years old. Holy CRAP, where does the time go? She is turning into quite the little lady though. She is taller than both her sisters and she is one fast little sucker! That chick can move and will one day be an awesome track star. Alycia is very athletic, but she also has a sweet, sensitive side to her that I think is sorely lacking in our society today. All these femi-nazis think women need to be demanding and crass and over-bearing, but our sweet Alycia is out to break the mold and we couldn't be more proud. When she was at a school function, this lady asked Alycia what she wanted to be when she grows up. Alycia replied that she would like to be a Mom. The lady told her to pick something else because a Mom wasn't appropriate. Alycia was upset and picked a different occupation. She came home that day and expressed her deep desire to be a mother. Alycia is the type of girl who is concerned about who she remembers to invite to her birthday party, not to ensure her populatiry at school, but to make sure she invites those girls who aren't usually invited to parties. Everybody loves Alycia. She has friends spanning many age groups....even a few boys. You'll find her playing guitar hero with stinky highschool boys in Kyle's room and then turn around to see her playing dolls with 2-year-old girls from the ward. It's a joy to have Alycia in our family and a joy to be her parent. I wish I could make her stay a little girl forever, but, I'm too late now so I look forward to watching her develop into the Daughter of a King that she obviously is.

Happy Birthday Alycia. We hope you enjoy your riding lessons.