Three Months

Miss V is already over three months old. She's so darn adorable.

Her squishy cheeks and chubby thighs have filled out beautifully. She's so smiley, but usually smiles when you talk to her and NOT when you have a camera pointed at her.

Her little elfish ears are so kissable. She had her first cold and was pretty needy, but she's feeling better and just loves to be held and cuddled right now. We set up her crib (finally!) and we should have done it a month ago. She loves it!

Vyla at three months can be described as ALERT. When she's awake she's always bright-eyed, looking around, bee-bopping her little body. She HATES being in her car seat. We took our first road trip with her two weeks ago and she was an unhappy traveler.

(Sorry about the no-shirt photo. Frankly, I'm just happy he had pants on!)
Hinder loves her to pieces. She gets a kick out of him, but has learned to brace herself when he comes around. His love often means she gets mauled. She's a tough little thing.

Three months has flown by, but at the same time it feels like we've had Vy forever.

Welcoming Home Sister Killian

This is us eighteen months ago as we drove to Spokane to witness D'laney become a full-time missionary.

This is us one week ago anxiously waiting for her to get off the plane and COME HOME!

It's so good to have her back in the states, safe, and home. She was such a good missionary, and had a hard time turning in her name tag.


The entire family was able to be together at the end of the week. A rare and special occasion!

Moments to Remember:

*Watching Davi and Dalyn tear it up on the basketball court!*

*Hinder riding half the way with Dustin and Natalie. They.are.saints.*

*Sweet little Peirce asking to watch the "owl wovie"*

*All four of us snuggling every night in the same bed*

*Jamming out to the new S.S album in Davis room a.k.a. make shift beauty parlor*

*Natalie putting me to shame during Jillian Michaels*

*Walking out of the airport with my sister*

*Devon's Relief Society lesson*

*Both kids losing it during the last hour of the eight hour drive. Riley rubbing my back to keep me from joining them*

*Family volleyball tournament. Cousins running amok everywhere*

There's nothing in this world like family.

Six Sisters

My missionary sister is coming home soon. I couldn't be more excited. Missing her for the past 18 months has helped me realize how lucky I am to have sisters.

The youngest is Dakota.

She's sassy and way too smart. Even though she's only eight, she converses and thinks like a 16 year old. When it comes to being an auntie to my kids, she's top drawer. She's Fancy Nancy, Harriet the Spy, and Ramona Quimby rolled into one, adorable package. She's the youngest by a long-shot, but it just wouldn't be the same without her.

Then there's Dalyn.

And the best-hair award goes to....

Seriously, it's gorgeous hair. Red and full and curly. I feel like Dalyn and I are two peas in a Type-A pod. She's organized and goal-oriented and way mature for her age. I used to babysit her when she was a chubby baby. She was sensitive as a toddler and still is. It's a lovely trait.

Davis is next. Davi for short.

Except that at 6 feet tall, she's anything but short. She's the gorgeous blonde of the bunch. She's funny and chill and sometimes moody. Way cooler than I ever was as a teenager. Super athletic volleyball and basketball player. Davi reminds me of an exclamation point. She's full of life and energy.

Devon is right smack in the middle of 9 kids.

She and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum, personality-wise. It makes her a perfect friend, because she's non-judgemental and a terrific listener. Artistic, wise-beyond-her-years, and shy describe her. A gentle giant. She has put me in my place a time or two, and gotten me out of sticky situations. She's the most content and easy-going individual I have ever met. It's awesome.

And my long-lost sister, D'laney.

She's the one coming home in just 8 days! D'laney keeps me sane. We grew up just 18 months apart, and this girl knows me. It's nice to have someone who gets you. She's got the best smile, tries new things without fear, and can roll her eyes better than anyone I know. her talents are many: floral designer, cosmetologist, world traveler, missionary, Bulgarian speaker, organizer-extraordinaire.

I grew up the oldest of six Killian girls.I'm the luckiest.

Dino Day

Hinder is obsessed with dinosaurs. Like many other little boys, he's going through a dino phase and it's lasted well over a year. His every waking minute is spent talking, thinking, and speculating about those giant, terrible lizards.

We dedicated last Saturday to his dino passion.

First, the boys started out attending a local Lowes Build and Grow workshop. The project of the day was a wooden T-Rex toy. Lowes is awesome to do these workshops.

He looked adorable in the mini safety goggles and apron. Even the hammer was miniature.

Hinder pounded each nail while Riley held them in place. Brave Riley. He chose the realistic dinosaurs because he wanted "a fierce dinosaur" rather than a cartoon version.

Proud guy holding up his D.I.Y. creation. My favorite part of this photo is the goggle lines on his pudgy cheeks.

Next we headed over to the museum. Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, was visiting from the Chicago Field Museum. It was AMAZING! Dozens of dino fossils. Neither Riley nor I had seen real dinosaur fossils, so we enjoyed the exhibit just as much as Hinder. Well...almost as much as Hinder.

I love days like these.

Sweet and Simple

One of the sweet and simple joys of childhood is playing outside, climbing trees, and exploring the world. Hinder is at the perfect age to begin doing all those things. I love watching him.

This was his first time tree climbing. He was proud. And a little nervous. He stayed out there for quite a while...longer than I lasted in the frigid air. I watched him from the front window contentedly gripping that branch. Sweet little boy.

Operation Bumbo Drop

Baby girl is slowly waking up the world and spending more hours each day alert and attentive. This means she wants to be held, upright, and moving. I'm relearning how to do everything one handed, but sometimes it's just not okay. Like when I'm trying to slice a piece of bread for lunch, put a hot casserole dish in the oven, or cut out visual aids for my primary class. Images of child service knocking on my door dance through my head...

So we decided to give the trusty Bumbo a try. She's still so tiny, and her thighs don't fill the leg holes, and it's early. But I was desperate.
She liked being snug in that little chair.

I think it made her feel pretty independent and special.

But then gravity started taking it's toll...

At this point, if she had the ability to laugh, I imagine she would be giggling nervous giggles.

"He, he, ha, ha....okay....this was fun, but...get me out now....anytime mom..."

"Get me OUT!"

Why Vy?

It's been over six weeks since we brought our sweet baby home. Six weeks of burping, nursing, cuddling, rocking, soothing, diapering, and kissing on her squishy cheeks. I can't get enough of the cheeks!

It's no secret that we prefer more unusual and unique names, and we often get the question, "where did that name come from?" when people meet Vy.

So why Vy?

Well, here's the story.

In April 2010, Riley and I took a trip to Denmark as a graduation/anniversary/we-need-time-alone gift to ourselves. It was lovely. Riley served a two-year mission for our church five years previous. Going back and seeing old friends and reliving old memories was precious.

On our 6th or 7th day in the country, we were driving from Copenhagen to the small town of Randers. We crossed this massive bridge that connects the islands, and I looked out of my window to see the most enchanting town across the water. The town was called Vejle.

A beautiful name for a beautiful city.

I remembered that name. And when we found out we were pregnant with a girl, I toyed with the spelling until I found something feminine and pronounceable. We considered several other names, but when she was born with loads of blond hair and bluish eyes, she looked like she belonged in Denmark.

And Vyla just fit.

A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.