Rock-a-bye Hailey

Many of you know that we have struggled with Hailey's sleeping terrors for about two and a half years now. We have tried everything known to man to help her with this. We tried regular doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. We did foot-zoning, hypnotherapy, aroma therapy, herbs, etc. We even tried parenting classes and hypnotherapy and counseling for us. You name it, we tried it. Every specialist (mainstream or not) said two things 1) this is a "special case" and 2) she is by all accounts a regular child (with major sleeping issues). Many docs said she would grow out of it.

While we were in the middle of all this, Ben told Hailey that if she slept through the night for 30 days he would take her to Disneyland. Well, for a year and a half a Disneyland sleeping chart hung on Hailey's wall providing no incentive for her. She slept in our room for over two years (the docs said to make it as uncomfortable as possible, so she slept on our floor with one blanket all this time).

Then, one day she said she wanted to go to Disneyland. She knew the terms. Low and behold, she started sleeping in her own room. Needless to say after 30 days it was time for us to pay up. We made a quick (10 hour) drive to Disneyland and had a great time. She was so proud of herself and told everyone at Disneyland why we were there and that she had earned it!

Powell Princesses

I love this picture of Aubrey! This her first time to drive a car. She was determined to do it right! I think her look of sheer concentration. It makes me laugh so hard because this is EXACTLY the face my mom makes when she is uptight and trying to concentrate! I can't wait until Aubrey is 16 and I blow this picture up and hang it on the wall when she gets her license.

Should I be worried that both my girls LOVE to drive cars?

The gals and Pluto! I love that they are still at the age to get super excited to see the characters.

I took this picture our first day. She looks so grown-up next to her daddy. I am so happy that she finally has some peace of mind when she sleeps.

Aubrey's 5th Birthday

For a year Aubrey begged me to have a Hawaiian birthday party. Finally in March, for her 5th birthday, she got her wish. We decked out the house in Hawaiian/Luau theme and had a great time. Each little girl came in her swimsuit and received a lei and grass skirt. Then they received a flower for their hair and a shell whistle after completing the games. We learned a real hula, surfed on a real board and did the limbo! All the girls were darling and Aubrey still talks about his great party!Surfer girl!

Aubrey's Surf Shack

Aubrey and The Hulas.

Dance, Dance, Dance!

The girls joined a new dance studio this year, Jean Taylor Studio 1, in Farmington. I really like the studio, so do the girls. This year Aubrey took ballet and tap. She was darling and loved it. Hailey tried something new. She auditioned for a competition dance team. She did hip hop and jazz. She trained very hard for her competition and did a wonderful job!

I love watching the girls dance. I did ballet for about 14 years, although I was never a fantastic dancer, dance is so much a part of me and a lot of my life was spent in a dance studio. I firmly believe in the benefit of girls in dance. One of my greatest joys is having my girls dance.

Christmas 2009

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! I love it, and then when it is done, I'm so happy that it is over. It's perfect! Here are a few of my favorite picts from the Christmas season this year!The girls are getting so big now, it is a blast to take them places. No strollers, they can walk pretty fast, it's great! Here we are at the lights at Temple Square. It was a fun night.

Best Christmas Angel ever!

Mary with baby Jesus. (Okay, baby Jesus is HUGE!)

Halloween 09

Here are some picts from our Halloween!

I tried my hardest to stop my husband from terrorizing the neighborhood this year. In light of our troubles with Hailey and her night terrors, I thought we were hardly the people to inflict terror on others. But despite my efforts, when I was out trick-or-treating with the girls he pulled out the forbidden chainsaw, I told him the air compressor-marshmallow-shooter was okay, but not the chainsaw. He didn't listen, however he didn't wear the scary mask (that was his compromise.) It's crazy, my well-behaved, educated, honest, wonderful 32 year old husband turns into this craze-eyed 12 year old boy when the sunsets on Halloween!

Awesome New Website!

Hey, I am so excited about this, I had to share it on my blog. I am just breaking into the digital scrap booking world. I love being able to adjust my pictures, colors, etc. My friend, Marcel Walker is this excellent photographer and does incredible pictures she also is a Photoshop whiz. I get so frustrated with Photoshop, it is so hard to navigate. I even took a Continuing Education class trying to figure it out. Well, Marcel started this new company/website http://www.myphotographica.com/blog/ that walks you through how to do cool tricks! It is the coolest site ever and has all the tips and tool for how to use Photoshop. It is so awesome!! Check it out and put her button on your blog . . . she is doing a really cool picture frame drawing for everyone who puts her button on her blog! (take my word for it, the frames are really cool!)

Rise and Shout

Aubrey, Grandma Powell, me

Hailey and Aubrey and the BYU Cheerleaders (and band)

Rise and shout blah, blah, blah, blah . . . fame and glory. . . something, something, raw, raw, raw-raw-raw, raw, raw, raw-raw-raw gooooo cougars! (oh, I think I just threw-up in my mouth). Yes, wouldn't you know it, I went to a BYU football game and not only did I cheer for the cougars, I actually had a good time. My mother-in-law even bought me a Y shirt . . . and I wore it! Ben's folks have season tickets to the Y and took us along for a game. My girls had a good time. We get to eat in a tent before the game and the cheerleaders came in to cheer (the highlight for my girls). We sat on the grass for a lot of the game, but we still had a good time. My blood still runs red and my heart is with the U, but the game made for a good family day.