Say Cheese

We went and got Kaelen's one year pictures taken on Thursday. I thought that it was going to be a challenge at first. He didn't want to smile and he didn't want to sit. He was acting very shy. After taking about 5 pictures and deleting them he then started to cooperate a little more. I think that they turned out beautifully. The only thing that I wish is that I got pictures of him with a football or something. He LOVES balls and so it would have been nice to have a picture of him with one. Oh well. I have tons from my own camera so it's okay. I had a hard time picking pictures. They always make the pictures look so cute with the nice boarders, shading and color. These pictures were the originals that I got off line. I did get lots for everybody and I also got ones in black and white.

(Kaelen had a scratch on his nose that he got the day before. I was sad about it at first but oh well it makes him seem more like a little boy.)

I got this one in black and white. We have one of Rachel like this and next month when Jacob gets his pictures we'll make sure that he has one like this too.

We also got a large one of this. We cropped it more though. We have a picture of Rachel like this as well. This picture will go in our bedroom as well as Rachel's and next month Jacob's.

He was messing around and wouldn't do what they wanted. He kept putting his head through my legs and was playing peek-a-boo.

I love this picture. It would have been nice to have him smiling more but I love the way he looks.

I love these next set of pictures of him standing with me.

I love his little smile in this picture and how you can see he two little teeth.

I love how happy he is in this picture. Oh I think that he is so cute. Notice how hard he is holding to my leg. He was happy as long as I was right near by.

He is such a cute boy. I love him so much. These pictures make me want to hug him.

He is so cute up on all fours. This was the fifth or more picture of this. He kept crawling a way.

Isn't It Grand..

Last week my Mom and Dad came to visit and they brought me my piano. For the last few months my Dad and his friend Ed have spent many hours redoing a baby grand piano for me. They redid all the strings and tuned it for me. It is so beautiful. I love it. I love being in my living room now. The exterior of my piano is in amazing condition. I am so happy with it. It is such a wonderful gift that my Dad has given me. I did pay for it all but what a nice thing to have my Dad put so much work into it and then drive it over to Idaho from Missouri. I am excited too because my kids have started piano lessons already. Enoch has also become our official piano player in our family for Family Home Evening.

Piano in the back of the U-haul. Mom and Dad brought another piano that they sold while they were here.

Pulling the grand piano out of the truck. It was wrapped really well and on a sled that they carried it out on. We had 8 men from our ward come and help move it. It was hard for them to even move it with all of them. Glad we had that many. What a great ward we live in.

Bringing the piano in the garage door.

Uncovering the piano.

Me watching the piano. I wish that I had a better picture of me seeing it. I was so shocked to see it for the first time. After it was set up I would walk into the room and start screaming and getting so excited over it.

Moving the piano into position.

Watching them put it together.

Putting the pedals into place.

Rachel watching Grandpa put the pedal together.

Kaelen loves the piano and will go up to it and push on the keys.

Kaelen playing the piano.

Grandpa and Kaelen playing the piano together. Did you all know that Dad knows how to play the piano. He learned to read music as a kid and he can actually sit down and play hymns. I was shocked when I heard him playing and then really shocked when I knew that he could play for all the these years and non of us knew. Nice Dad.

Jacob enjoys playing the piano too. Rachel practices too everyday. I am so happy that my kids are going to learn to play the piano. Rachel is really excited to learn.

Our living room with the piano in it.

Another view of the piano in our living room.

The Baby Grand up close.

California Adventure, March 10th 2009

Last week we had the opportunity to go to California with most of the Heileson family to visit Madeline, Brytton and Evie. We had so much fun. We had the chance to go to Disneyland and California adventure, and Huntington beach. It was such a blast. I have separated the trip based on the big days. I took so many pictures and so I wanted to show them all based on the days that they were taken. The weather while we were in California was perfect. It was warm enough but not too hot. The lines were not the long either. We actually had it really good because of Jacob. We were able to get a handicap pass for Jacob that took him on a lot of the rides right up to the front of them. If the ride was not wheel chair accessible the whole time you took the pass up to the front of the line. We never waited more than 10 minutes when we could use it. It was so nice. We were able to get 6 of us on with the pass. We also had Madeline and Brytton who were so awesome about watching the smaller kids so we could ride the rides. They have season passes to the parks and so they have been many times and they wanted us to ride all the rides that we wanted to. It was so nice.

Walking to the parks.

Jacob and Kaelen in the stroller. That stroller saved us because we used it all the time. Not for Kaelen though but for all the other kids and Jacob.

Rachel in line for Toy Story Mania. It was a really fun ride. It was 3D and so it made it really fun.

The kids waiting to watch "It's Tough Being a Bug." I wish that I had pictures of the kids after wards. Hallie and Jacob hated it and screamed and cried during the show. They absolutely hated it. It was kind of funny.

Rachel and Aunt Rachael in line for California Screamin. It was an amazing roller coaster that goes upside down. Rachel LOVED it. I was so proud of her.

Picture of us on California Screamin. I love Rachel's face. She looks pretty scared.

Jacob in line for Grizzly River Run. The kids LOVED it. They loved getting wet.

Jakson, Rachel and Hallie on Grizzly River Run.

Rachael and Jacob on Grizzly river run.

Kids so excited about the ride so far.

I love the kids faces. They were about to go down a waterfall.

I love this picture of Gloria. I had to post it. Angie took it just as they were heading down the waterfall. I love her screaming.

Kaelen and Enoch.

Grandpa Heileson and Kaelen.

Kaelen on Monster Inc. ride. He loves the rides that he could go on. He would sit watching everything and would have the biggest eyes. I loved the Kaelen could go on tons of rides with us.

Elasta Girl. She was tall.

Handy Manny.

We tried to go on Tower of Terror but the three kids totally freaked out at the introduction of the ride and so I took them off the ride and we ran into goofy. The kids were extastic to see him. Jacob told goofy all about being scared to go on it. Goofy told him that he was afraid to ride on it too. That made Jacob feel a little better because even after we got off the ride he was crying that Dad was on the ride right then. The introduction to the ride really scared him.

Rachel and Hallie watching the Pixtar Parade. Enoch and I didn't watch it because we were riding Tower of Terror at the time. The kids really loved it though.

We couldn't leave without getting a picture of Rachel in front of the "R". They have the word CALIFORNIA spelled out. It is really cool.

Rachel, Hallie and Jakson infront of the "R".