KATELYNN'S 15!

Katelynn at 9 months. I love this picture. Chubby cheeks!! She loves the beach! She loves anything outdoors!

This was taken last month by her friend Aly. So pretty!

That infectious laugh!

Doing what she loves:)

Our Sweet Girl is growing up.

Well I've been the terrible blogger as of late.....but we had a birthday!!!

Our Sweet Kate is now 15-years-old. Wow! Time flies when you're having fun! We had a rough start with Katelynn. Her health was fine, but she was a beastly child until the age of five. I think Kindergarten cured a lot of her monster issues. I used to be terrified when she woke up in the morning....afraid to talk to her....afraid to look....she was not a morning person. But she had such a sweet smile, and her voice was so cute.....just watch out! The beast would rear it's ugly head at any given moment. I love to tease her about those monstrous days. She's soooo sweet now that nobody believes me:)

Some things I admire about Katelynn:

She's the hardest working teenager I know. Always studying, helping in the kitchen, running, dancing, but........never cleaning her room:)

Kate started running last summer and completed her first 1/2 marathon in January. We were so proud of her. She battled sore knees, hot weather, cold weather, early mornings (she doesn't like those), and bad shoes (dumb mom didn't believe she had bad feet that needed extra supportive shoes to the tune of $110).

When Katelynn makes up her mind to do something, it's done! She doesn't let fear, fatigue or anything keep her from her goal. It doesn't matter what time it is when she goes to bed, she will study her scriptures because she made up her mind to never go to bed until it's done.

Such a funny girl. That infectious laugh keeps us all laughing. She sees the humor in everything and sometimes can't stop laughing! She's always smiling. Love her smile:)

It's so nice to have Katelynn around the house. Most Thursdays, when I'm teaching dance, she will cook dinner. She will poke her head in my class and ask what's for dinner, and by the time I'm finished, she has it on the table. She does Caroline's hair better than I ever could. She can tell when I'm tired and will offer to warm up my dance class so I can grab a quick snack or sit down a minute. She's such a blessing!

She has one addiction......gum! Never leave your chewing gum unattended with Kate around.

Katelynn has such a funny routine. She will start out doing her homework, then she's at the piano, back to homework, then the computer, back to homework, grabbing a snack, back to homework, stealing my gum, and the whole process continues throughout the night. When I try to tell her to focus, she will say, "I'm sorry. I have ADD!"

So Happy Birthday to my Sweet Katelynn. She will be able to get her drivers permit in six months and she can't wait. But No. I will not be purchasing a new car. You better hope Braeden's car lives. I love you!

Caroline's Baptism

Caroline's Baptism went very well. We weren't sure it was going to happen when she woke up Thanksgiving morning with a fever, body aches, tummy ache, headache, cough and stuffy nose. Her fever broke Saturday morning and she was running around the house all day, so we decided to go ahead with the baptism. She was the only child in the stake getting baptized so our whole family was able to participate in the program. Collin said the opening prayer, Tom spoke on the Holy Ghost, I spoke on Baptism, Katelynn played the piano and Braeden baptized her.

It was a beautiful meeting and we're so proud of our baby!!

Sweet Caroline.

Caroline and big brother Braeden!!

In their white clothes.

Katelynn practicing before the meeting. I startled her with the camera :)

Caroline and her friends.

Our family

Family with Grandma and Grandpa Bolton

It's Great to be Eight!

My baby girl turned eight-years-old yesterday.

I swear it was yesterday when she looked like this.

I love her toes and her cute little tongue sticking out in the picture:)

Caroline is always full of energy and has crazy ideas.

She's always leading our family into doing some strange

game or activity that she makes up as she goes.

She's always moving and dancing.
She and Braeden have a lot of fun together.

She's always ready with smile:)

She's our fun little party girl who keeps us laughing!

She's smart and sassy,

full of hugs and snuggles,

loves to be a mama's girl,

has dad wrapped around her finger,

and brings us so much joy.

Happy Birthday Caroline!

We love you!!!

Caroline's Ear Piercing Experience

I told both my girls they could get their ears pierced when they turned eight-years-old. I figured by then they were old enough to take care of their ears and might not be as careless with their earrings. I realized the other day that Caroline's 8th birthday was coming up and she had not mentioned earrings at all. So I asked her if she was interested in piercing her ears and she exclaimed, "YES!!" I asked her if she was sure, because she hadn't mentioned it at all. She replied, "Well, you told me I had to wait til I'm eight, so I didn't ask again." That didn't stop Katelynn from asking a thousand times before her eighth birthday!!

We didn't have school yesterday and her birthday is Friday, so we took Caroline to the mall for the ear piercing experience. :)

Caroline's last picture without earrings.

She's sooo excited!

Waiting and watching the lady prepare the piercing gun.

Getting a little nervous.

First ear...... Now she knows it hurts a little for the 2nd ear....

Looking in the mirror at the finished product

and feeling a bit relieved.

HOMECOMING '09

Braeden and KimThe ladies: Elizabeth, Sarah, Danika, Taylor and Kim
The guys: George, Tyler, Braeden, Trevor, Jared and Dylan

Braeden, Trevor and Dylan

Braeden and Kim

Homecoming Braeden's senior year. Wow! I'm feeling old. The kids had a great time. They ate dinner at Jared's house. I was there grilling the steaks. They saw the Ultimate Variety Show at Planet Hollywood, then they went to the dance and then topped the evening off with Cosmic Bowling at Sunset Station. Can you imagine these kids bowling in prom dresses and tux's?!

Happy Birthday/Anniversary!!!

Wedding AnnouncementHaving fun for camera in front of Salt Lake Temple
The wedding party!

Tom loves playing with the kids

A snowman every Christmas...if there's snow

After the trek. Spring Break '09

He was such a cute baby!!!

Opening gifts

Tom turned the big 43 yesterday. We went to dinner on Friday and then to Kohle's to buy much needed shoes and a shirt. Last night we had a family dinner and opened a few gifts. The kids gave him gifts that reflect all the things they steal from their dad, which drives him crazy. Katelynn gave him a pack of gum, which doesn't even come close to repaying all the stolen gum in the past. The boys gave him dress socks because they are always taking his socks and throwing them in their own dirty clothes and then never bothering to wash, fold or return them. And they gave him his own special bottle of water. Tom takes great pride in his water. He freezes it and when it has just the right amount of ice in it somebody (his name starts with a B and rhymes with Aiden) drinks it!! We all got a good laugh. I don't think they will stop with the burglary though.

I also didn't blog about our 20th anniversary last month! September 14th was the big day. I can't believe how quickly time goes by. It seems like we were on our first date just yesterday!

Happy Birthday and Anniversary Honey! You make me laugh, especially on those long days when you unbutton your white shirt and do your best Michael Jackson yell while pulling your shirt off! You give the best family home evening lessons, even though you think your kids are not listening and your wife has dozed off (not so much since the marathon:). You jump in and help out with dinner and cleaning when I'm busy. You know how to deal with the kids, especially pre-teens, when I'm really to lose it. Your Tuesday morning adult religion class gives me the boost I need every week. And you always know what I need (usually a back rub:).

I have a wonderful family and a wonderful life thanks to my amazing husband!

I Love You!!!!

Karsen Mery

www.karsenmery.blogspot.com This blog was created for my cousin's nephew. It's so sad and sweet. Keep them in your prayers. Thanks!

MARATHON!

At the finish line!! Almost there. Please don't puke!!!

At mile 25. I love my family!

In the hotel before the race. I hardly slept that night.

My amazing running buddies hung this before I left

for Utah. I love you Jenna, Tracy and Julie!!

After the race with Katelynn, Collin, dad and Caroline.

Mom and Tom were behind the cameras and Braeden

had to stay in Vegas for club tryouts.

I did it! After months of early morning, dark, cold then extremely HOT, and windy training, it's finally over! It was sooo hard, but amazing. It's a physical, emotional and spiritual experience that words cannot describe. It was so cool and beautiful in Logan. The best part of the race for me was to see my family at mile 25. As soon as I saw them my pace quickened and I started to cry. It's so emotional to see them cheering you on. And then to see them again at the finish line was incredible. I didn't cry at the finish line because I was doing my best not to puke! I became extremely nauseous during the last 100 yards. It took everything I had to keep running to the finish line without throwing up in front of all the cheering spectators. I felt better after finding a tree to collapse under. After lunch and a nap in the car, I was feeling pretty good. My right foot and left achilles have been giving me trouble the past month and they screamed at me during the last half of the marathon. They continue to punish me today, but it was all worth it!

Thanks to all my family and friends who trained with me, gave me advise on injuries (Dr. Jenna), asked me about my Saturday long runs, sent me texts, voice messages, and emails up to the minute I left for the marathon and sent congratulations when it was over. I love you all!!!:) And the biggest thanks to Tom who helped and supported me through it all. I love you honey!!

Soccer and Scouts

I let Caroline take some pictures and she, somehow turned off the flash.

I was just telling Braeden that the last time he pinned me in scouts,

he was shorter than me.Collin looks so thrilled!!!

The Giant!

So Cute

Caroline played in her first soccer game yesterday. Caroline said, "We crushed em!" Final score 8-1. We haven't been to a soccer game in years and it was much fun! Braeden has been giving me a hard time for not signing Caroline up for sports. He thinks it's a shame for a girl of her size to be singing and dancing. You will see by the pictures that she is quite imposing on the field!:)

We also had a Court of Honor a few weeks ago. It's the first one in about three years, so Braeden had many awards. We just need an Eagle project to be approved and completed. It's such a pain to get that kid to just finish the darn thing!!! Collin is moving along quite nicely as well. Maybe he'll get his Eagle before Braeden!

My marathon is in six days. Only four more days of training, which will be a combined 17 miles of running. I can't wait!!!

Tomorrow is the big 20th Anniversary for Tom and I. Wow! We're old! I'll blog more about that tomorrow.

Back to school

We had a fabulous first week of school. Caroline

found out, just days before the first day, that she

was accepted to a magnet school. This school is

for the Arts, which is perfect for my little drama

queen. She has to ride a bus, but it's totally

worth it. The first thing they did on the playground

was teach the kids a dance!
Collin and Caroline

He's in the 7th grade and she's in 2nd.

Braeden and Katelynn are out the door before

6:00 and they're still smiling!!!! This picture

cracked us up cuz he's so tall the she's so short!

This was Braeden's last first day of school! Where

did the time go? I swear I just took him to Kindergarten!

Kate's excited to be a freshman at the Academy, where

she's majoring in dance. They are sad not to be attending

the same school, but she couldn't pass up this oppurtinity.

She's also playing volleyball for her zoned school. This

means I get to make the 20 minute drive, everyday, to

pick her up from school and race her to volleyball practice.

We'll see if I'm still standing by the end of the season!!!