The Fun of Today

Before my soccer game, we went to the park to kill some time and to work on Emma Jane's climbing skills. Man, she's good.

CJ, the less adventurous climber...who eases my fears. It is nice to have ONE cautious climber in the family.

Emma Jane LOVES these things. She likes that they are kind of "tricky". I think she feels like she defeated it or conquered it.

These kids were so cute while mom was playing. They had a blast with dad. (sorry it is kind of blurry.) They were really getting into playing soccer. It was so cute.

CJ showing off his MAD soccer skills. "See, I can even dribble with my hand behind my back." :)

We love you Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

We love You!

We miss you & hope you have a great day full of lobster and relaxation!

Here are some of our many attempts to sing you "Happy Birthday." This is like 3 of 20 videos. We wish we could sing it in person, but this will have to do!

XOXO

Fun With Cousins

Yesterday we (me & Anna, Carl's sister, & the kiddies) went to this awesome park by our house.
CJ and Beck swinging away!

A little tired from all the running around, but don't worry, he was up and running in a jiffy.

Can you believe how high she is? And, she got down all by herself. I was quite impressed. She wanted to go higher, but I didn't have my insurance card on me. :)

Best Buds-- Emma Jane loves her Bricky!

A Visit from Avery

Our dear friends--Courtney, Judd, and Avery--were in town today, and we had so much fun hanging out with them! Avery is Emma Jane and CJ's best friend. They really were so excited to see her!

At the BYU Creamery, the kids were "All Cheers" for ICECREAM!

There's always room for 3 on a seesaw, right?

And, Emma Jane the Climber. Man does she love to climb things.

Did I mention we have 2 horses a block and a half away from our house?

And, we have now learned the art of feeding the horses. They love apples and carrots. The horses belong to someone in our church, so we usually make a visit every other day.


And we just had to take Avery there! After all, who doesn't love horses! I know I do!

A Week of Fun in Pictures

Have I mentioned this kitty that lives next door to us? Or have I mentioned that Emma Jane was OBSESSED with cats for the past year, so finding out that a kitty lives next door is heaven? Or, that Emma Jane asks every 5 minutes if she can hold this kitty? Or, have I told you how we have meltdowns when we have to leave the kitty or can't hold the kitty...which usually results to long talks and time outs away from the kitty?

And, this little man follows whatever that one is...and yes, the kitty is in the house. And, no the dogs did not like it. :)

Then, I got this really cool pass called the "ALL PASS" that lets you into tons of fun things--Trafalga, Orem Owls Minor League Baseball, The Utah Flash Minor League Basketball, and 7 Peaks-an amazing water park. It was a steal, and I am so excited about it. This was our visit this week to Trafalga that had tons of rides. We were the only ones there for like 30 minutes, so one of the attendants just followed us around. It was awesome!

Yeah, that would describe Emma Jane. My thrill seeker holding her hands up.

CJ who is OBSESSED with airplanes and talks everyday about how is going to ride on a airplane LOVED this ride. I think he rode it like 4 times.

We love our Carousels.

CJ still gets a little nervous of them. Go figure.

Oh, yes, it had a ROLLER COASTER. It was way fast!

And, good old bumper boats that have water guns. We can't wait to take Carl there when he has a break from school.

On Saturday, we started tiling our bathrooms b/c CJ is going to be potty training soon, and we had carpet all around the toilets and everywhere. Poor Carl looks so sad in that picture. I promise he does enjoy doing this. :)

So, while Daddy tiled, I went to the grocery store, and to kick off BYU's first game, they were having a huge bash with a band and tons of freebies. The kids were very excited to have a balloon.

But, THE TRAIN, was the best part. Of course they had a train at the grocery store. And, yes, this became my kids new favorite grocery store. We still love you PUBLIX! :)

Carl (and I), deserving a well-needed break from school & tiling, went to the BYU game vs Washington.

We had a blast with Carl's sister Anna and Jeff and baby Bowen. We were so glad BYU won! **Funny Story, while we were there, they posted on the screen the score for the Alabama game, and posted it as Alabama losing to San Jose 3-28. I was freaking out--knowing I should have worn my BAMA shirt to the game. I was so sad. After much texting, my mom calmed my fears, and let me know it was a mistake. GO BAMA!

Carl and I on our way home from the game on Anna & Jeff's scooter!

Picking up the kids at Aunt Eva's. Thanks for babysitting all the kids. And, thanks Sandra for the creative movie watching boxes.

An Inspiring Story

I am not one that recommends movies often, but this was a must. Tonight, after the kids went to bed, we rented the movie, Invictus. I had not heard any raving reviews, but man was it amazing. I don't think I have watched something that inspiring in a long time. Nelson Mandela was a true visionary man. One who believed in forgiveness and hope. The movie was centered around a poem that Mandela read often in jail to encourage him. The video below is the poem. The movie talks a lot about how Mandela was in a small cell for 30 years and how he rose above it, forgave his oppressors, and changed a nation! What an inspiring tale of forgiveness, love and hope. I hope you will take the time to watch it. It really was a soul touching movie.

Invictus - Poem That Inspired A Nation

Why Are Animals Like Heaven?

Seriously, my kids would be so content if heaven was just a big farm! They seriously love animals. Maybe it is because animals and kids are a lot alike. Both are really messy. Both are a little stinky. :) Both need to be fenced. Both need to be tamed but love to roam freely. The list could go on & on.

Carl is really in the long school schedule, so me and the kids go exploring. Today we went back to Thanksgiving Point to visit the FARM.

This was my favorite part. It was a little kiddie jail. If only I could have one of those in my house for "Time Out". A girl can dream. :)

Nothing like riding a fake sheep right? They are my favorite kind of sheep to ride.

They had food that you could feed the animals. These little goats would just lick your hands clean. Yummy. Thank you hand sanitizer!

Oh, how we do love cows. I really think Chick-Fil-A did us in with that one. With all their cow advertisement...It really works on these young kids. They can spot a restaurant or billboard a mile away.

Now this black cow loved CJ a little too much. He tried to eat his pants!

And, oh how we love those wagon rides. I think my kids asked the driver a thousand questions.

But, I would have to say, this was the icing on the cake. To ride a horse, that really is a little piece of heaven.

If that is not happiness, I don't know what is.

And, what else do you wear to a farm? Your National Champions Alabama gear, of course! Aww Yeah! I would say CJ was a little tuckered out, so needless to say, the trip was a success!

More Random Pics

Cleaning at Grandma's--seriously, we need to get a handheld vacuum. CJ loved it! I just need him to clean my house now!

Our first hike: Climbing up to the BIG "Y" on the mountain above BYU...with kids it was a lot longer and more tiring. New Goal: to become better hikers as a family.

Go BYU! This is Uncle Wesley's. He is 12 and just started football, and he let EmmaJane try it on. It was pretty funny. They love playing with Wesley. He is the coolest!

Yesterday, we went to Thanksgiving Point. It had a Dinosaur Museum that was awesome! We met my cousin Alison and Jevonne and their kids. It was really fun! This shark was at the end, and CJ was very concerned that it was bleeding. Tender guy.

Utah...Our New Home

I know it has been a long time since I last posted, and I dearly apologize. We moved end of July, and at the first of August, we had a family reunion out here. And between getting settled, visiting family, and Carl starting school, we have been a bit busy. Although we dearly miss Alabama, we have settled in nicely here in Utah. We love our new home that we are renting, and we continue to pray that our home in Birmingham sells soon!

There is a lot to catch up on, and lots of pics to post. I will post more this week, but as part of our Haynie Family Reunion, we got to take some new family pics! I hope you enjoy!

What started as two...

and grew to four!

The Haynie Family ( 7 kids and their 14 kids)

The Proud Grandparents of 14 grandchildren

Four Generations of Carl's (CJ is a nickname)

Carl Stephen Haynie IV

Pretty Miss Emma Jane