The Higbee Family

Front and Center

2009-07-13T22:20:00.004-06:00

Afton's cute little face was front and center on SigningTime.com for a couple months again. I didn't even know it until I went to purchase a gift for someone and recognized her adorable face. It's gone now, but she is still featured on BabySigningTime.com.

Beauty

2009-07-13T21:46:00.007-06:00

While we were hanging out at the geography bee waiting for the results of the preliminary round there was this big window so I thought I would play with my camera. I wanted Abby to be my model and thought she would jump at the chance. She was not thrilled, but I did get this great shot. I can't believe how grown-up she is and how beautiful my little baby has become.

That was it, though... one shot and she was done.

After that I got:

The pouty lip (Cassidy does this in almost every picture, in fact, most people that age do. Cassidy tells us this is to eliminate the double chin. I think I'd rather have a double chin than look like that in every picture!)

She also practiced her future facebook profile picture pose.

And here we have the: "Seriously, Mom. Don't take another picture!"

Oh well, at least I got the one.

State Geography Bee

2009-07-13T21:33:00.004-06:00

You may remember a while back when Max won the school geography bee. Well, he studied hard and we all went to support him at the State Geography Bee. He did great. There were 100 scholars from all over the state, who were then divided into groups of 20 where they would each answer 10 questions. The top 10 scores overall would proceed to the final round. Max did not make t to the finals, but he did great. These questions were really hard and I'd be sure he wouldn't know it and then he did!! The kids there were amazing. In Max's room there was a boy who won state 2 years ago and went to Nationals and the little brother of the boy who won state last year. Some of these kids/families are really into this stuff. We were really proud of Max and he represented his school very well. He is already looking forward to do it again next year.

The pre-bee orientation and pep talk.

A LOT of people... a little overwhelming.

Getting ready to begin in his room.

Quick pic during a break. We weren't allowed to take pictures while they were actually doing the bee. They are also very strict about any extra noise, eye contact, etc.

A big hug from his little sister... she was so proud of him!

Afterwards we went and enjoyed a celebratory lunch at the Deli (our fave) with some good friends who also had a son competing. It was a really good day.

The Littlest Ballerina

2009-07-13T20:44:00.010-06:00

In February I jumped on Afton's sudden interest in dance and signed her up for a class at a local studio. She did great! From the very first day she has loved it and has done very well. Her teeny tiny size (and lack of hair) is misleading and the first day her teacher came and told me how impressed she was with her verbal skills and ability to follow directions and stay with the class. She is actually the same age as most of them... she just looks so much younger. In late March the teacher, Miss Anne (who Afton adores) let us all sit in one day so we could take pictures. I took so many it was hard to narrow it down, but here are a few that stood out to me.

They start class with warming up. She has these activities memorized and will often play "dance class" with me at home... following the exact outline of her classes and using the same phrases her teacher does.

Then they move to the ballet barre, which Afton obvioulsy loves. She pays a lot of attention to detail and is very careful about making sure her feet are in just the right position. I love watching her find first position!

Next, they do across the floor exercises: ballet walks, battement (kicks), chasse, galloping, etc.

The next part is probably Afton's favorite. They play "freeze dance"... this is where the teacher turns on some music and will let them free dance and when the music turns off they all freeze. Afton strikes this pose every time she freezes... eyes to the side, hands up, so cute!

During the game they each get a chance to dance with the princess wand. She loves this and is especially creative when she gets to be the princess.

Then they work on a little routine. During February and March they learned a dance to the song "Baby Face" (video at the end of this post). She LOVED this!! She would sing it at home and dance her little heart out. Even after they moved on to another routine she would ask to do this one... she even refused to do the other one for a couple weeks (much to my frustration!)

Here is a spliced video of Baby Face. It takes her a minute to get with the program. My favorite things about this movie: her giggle when they are skipping around the room, her finding first position after the boogie, and the look of joy on her face at the end of the dance. Just try not to smile!

Spring has Sprung?

2009-07-13T20:35:00.003-06:00

This photo was taken March 26, 2009.

Afton played forever in the snow and loved every minute of it.

She danced and ran and ate it and threw it.

I'm glad someone enjoyed it.

Others of us weren't as happy about the lingering winter.

Some of us were ready for some sunshine.

More fun with Nana

2009-07-13T20:16:00.005-06:00

While my mom was still in town we went over to the Thanksgiving Point Farm with my brothers kids to visit the animals and see if there were any spring newborns. The kids had a lot of fun running around and feeding the animals, playing in the houses, and spending time with cousins and Nana. Here are some highlights:

My mom with 6 out of 10 grandchildren.

(L to R: Ana, Abby, JJ, Max, Afton and Cole)

Max posing in the window of one of the little houses.

Of course Abby has to as well...

And whatever Abby does, Afton does!

Then we rode the ponies. Abby loves all animals

and is a regular little horsewoman...

Afton, clearly, was not as excited to ride the ponies. This was back on March 21st and I still haven't been able to get her on a pony!

She felt much better after her sweet big brother took her to feed the little newborn goats.

Just look at that smile.

Ana LOVED the pony ride. She was giggling out loud and even rode it twice.

Ditto for JJ.

(Max was too cool to ride this time around).

Afton was not afraid to pet a big gross cow.

And they all loved feeding the animals and being tickled by their big fat tongues.

How sweet are these 2? Cousins are the best!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

2009-07-07T22:19:00.006-06:00

My mom's visit just happened to coincide with her birthday, which was awesome because we don't usually get to spend it with her. I called all the local relatives and we planned a big, fancy dinner at The Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point. Seriously one of the best nights ever. We had a blast. The food and service were great and we laughed and laughed. It was exhausting. Reminded me why I love my family so much!! Everyone brought lovely gifts for my mom, we sang to her, she got to blow out a candle and we even went around the table and told our favorite things about her. It was so fun to honor someone who does so much for all of us and spoil her for the night. I think she enjoyed it too!

Later in the evening we got a little silly with the camera.

This is my Uncle Joel... he used to be a mime so he can make his face do the craziest things:

Self Portrait:

Cassidy, my brother Joel and I practicing our best facebook/myspace profile poses:

My very attractive husband:

Okay, funny story: While getting ready for the evening, Cassidy came into my room to ask if her outfit looked okay and we were wearing the exact same thing... literally! So, I changed. When we arrived at the restaurant my cute cousin, Katlin, and I were wearing the same thing! Of course, she looked much trendier than I did!

The whole group outside after dinner (minus Eric, who had to hurry back to work).

What a great family!!

PS. If any of you want any of these pictures just right click on it and you can save it to your computer.

Night at the Museum

2009-07-07T21:56:00.005-06:00

In late March my mom came to visit and so we decided to head over to the dinosaur museum and enjoy the after noon.

Abby took detailed notes of all the exhibits

and wrote it all down in her journal,

as any good future scientist would do.

My mom did an excellent job listening to my kids go on and on about different things.

It was nice to hear "Nana! Nana!" instead of "Mom! Mom!" all afternoon.

She also did a great job following Afton wherever she lead her.

And I enjoyed the break from that job.

Traditional picture in front of the dinosaur leg... this time with Nana.

Afton loved all the interactive/hands on exhibits and would have played for hours if we would have let her.

Total concentration on her little project in the sand.

Cute Abby had this group of boys working with her and doing whatever she told them too.

When we first got to the museum Afton was a little afraid of all the bigger exhibits, but about half way through our visit she started acting like a dinosaur and roaring... totally unprovoked!

Another picture tradition... we take one of these everytime we are there.

Eventually Afton started trying to crawl in to all the exhibits. She may have even been successful a couple times and I may have had to jump in and grab her. Shhh... don't tell anyone.

Abby really does love all things science and she takes her digging for bones very seriously.

Afton, on the other hand, played in the sand as though she were relaxing on the beach!!

Night Sledding

2009-07-07T21:09:00.006-06:00

Some of our friends invited us to their cabin up at Sundance to enjoy some night sledding and a really delicious dinner. We had a lot of fun visiting, the kids had a blast and the food was to die for... seriously.

Who can resist this? I just love Afton's pink snow suit with the white snow. She pretty much just wanted to eat the snow... we had to watch her close because most of it wasn't very clean.

Max found this little hill and taught her how to slide down it on her bottom. She loved it and did it over and over and over.

I love this picture... I think the little ball on Abby's scarf sticking out below her coat is so funny... I kept calling her cotton tail all night.

On one of her earlier runs of the night she had a little accident. She was riding with one of the other kids and they wiped out at the bottom and the other kids landed on top of Abby's head, and she landed face down in the very icey snow. Like any dutiful scrapbooker, I took pictures instead of running to her aid.

This is where she got mad that I was taking pictures instead of helping her.

This is where she got sad and felt truly abandoned in her pain... also where I started feeling like a bad mom.

After we got her all patched up and feeling better, we bundled her back up and got her back out there. I was really proud of her because if that had happened to me when I was a little girl I would have gone sledding again... and not just that night... EVER! But, she wouldn't get back on the sled. Instead she adopted Afton's method of sledding down on her butt. It worked well and was the perfect speed for her.

Max had the most fun of all (except for the 20 minutes he had to sit out as punishment for pushing Abby's sled down the hill and causing the aforementioned accident).

He was really flying down those hills and seriously making me nervous.

It got so I couldn't watch him after a little while.

It was a great night and fun to be with each other and friends. We look forward to hanging out again next winter (hint hint).

Draper Temple Open House

2009-07-07T20:49:00.003-06:00

Last January we went with my side of the family to visit the Draper Temple Open House. It was fun to be together and to share something so sacred with all of our children. My kids had been to the Newport Beach Open House but they were only 4 and 7 so I don't think they remember much. It is a beautiful temple and one of the most amazing Celestial Rooms I have ever seen. This is also the first temple that Max has been able to attend the dedication for. I took him while Chris stayed home with the younger kids. It was great to experience it with my oldest child. Just last week we had the opportunity to attend the Open House for the newest Temple in Utah, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (no pictures). It was mostly the same crown and another special experience. I love the exterior of this Temple... so beautiful. The inside was very simple and elegant. I am excited that Abby will have the opportunity to attend the dedication this time. Afterwards we all went to Red Robin together and had a blast. I am grateful to live in a time when we are blessed to have Temples all over and to live in a place where I have such easy access. I hope I can take advantage of this blessing and take every opportunity I can to attend the temple.

Draper Temple

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Note to all of my non-LDS (Mormon) friends: If you live in an area where they are building a temple, be sure to visit the open house. It can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, it's free, and it's a great opportunity to learn more about the church. A lot of people think our temples are mysterious or secret... really they are just sacred to us. That is why you can only enter if you have a temple recommend issued by your church leader. Anyway, it's a chance to learn more about our temples and our beliefs... and I promise they will not baptize you on your way out (unless you would like them too ;D )

Evan and Sarah get Hitched!

2009-07-07T20:09:00.007-06:00

Back in March my cute nephew, Evan, married his sweetheart, Sarah. I remember when Chris and I were first dating we took Evan and his brother, Joseph, to the Lehi Roundup Rodeo. That was the first time I met him. Evan and Joe were both decked out in their rodeo clothes and so cute. Now Evan is all grown up and quite a young man. I am so proud to be his aunt and thrilled for him and Sarah! And the wedding was a blast. I was not the official photographer, but I was asked to take candid shots all day. Needless to say, I took a ton of pictures. So, for the purposes of this blog, I am going to try to limit it. (For the members if the Higbee family: I will post a lot more over on that blog... someday... maybe...).

This is one of my favorites from the ceremony.

They were so sweet and the location was beautiful.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Evan Fitzgerald!!!

The bouquet toss... Abby was so excited

(she's wearing the choral dress in the left of the photo).

Abby after she didn't catch the bouquet...

she was mad for about an hour!!

Until she talked one of the bridesmaids in to

giving her a flower out of her bouquet.

How cute are they?!?

Max danced with both of his little sisters...

as every good older brother should.

They were both thrilled!

Chris and I at the very end of the night...

it was a very long, fun, exhausting day.

(I'm thinking I should replace our picture to the left with this one... naah!)

Thanks for including us!! It was great to be a part of your day.

We wish you nothing but the best as you start your lives together!

Big Fat Lip

2009-06-29T21:59:00.004-06:00

One Sunday evening in early March we were all enjoying a nice game of 'Ticket to Ride' when Afton suddenly slipped of a chair and fell to the ground causing her teeth to cut her lip. It was pretty bloody and there were quite a few tears... there was even a little talk about if it was big enough to go for stitches. We decide to just let it heal on its own. These pictures were taken a day or two later... pretty gross!

Annie Oakley

2009-06-29T21:54:00.004-06:00

Abby did a biography book report on Annie Oakley. As part of the report she had to bring in a little side project about her person and give an oral presentation. She decided to do a giant cookie and decorate it. I thought it turned out pretty cute and it was a big hit with her class. Abby does such a great job remembering what she learns about people from history and relating and applying it to her life. I hope she always has this love of history and the people who have shaped the world we live in today.

More Coleman

2009-06-29T21:30:00.004-06:00

Coleman learned how to roll over exactly on his 4 month birthday! We were shocked... and very scared for what this kid may have in store for us. I have no good pictures of him actually rolling, but this was taken immediately post roll:

He started crawling very soon after. He had the funniest crawl. Most babies I have seen seem to start with a "GI Joe" type of crawl... you know, where they stay on their bellies and use their arms to get around. Well, Cole's was more like an inchworm.

Here's how it went: up onto hands and knees...

straighten legs to push upper body forward...

Drop!! So funny... and quite effective!

Cole also discovered the piano. He loves to listen to Max practice and loves it even more when he lets him sit up on his lap to play along.

Favorite discovery at 5 months? Definitely the dog. He has always loved to look at her, but now he can try to chase her, pet her, climb on her... you name it. These 2 are becoming fast friends!

Max wrote a story for school about a little dog and the baby who loved her. He used Roxy and Cole for his phootgraphs. It turned out so cute and now we have it to treasure forever. Even now (4 months later) we look through the book with Cole and he loves it. Any way, while taking the pictures we got a few really cute ones with Cole and Roxy together... here are 2 of my favorites: Cole loves to let Roxy lick his hands.

And this little gem is definitely a keeper!

It was actually my screen saver for a while!!

Doesn't that just make you want to go brush your teeth?!?

More Singing...

2009-06-17T17:00:00.005-06:00

Look out 'American Idol'... this girl can't stop!! I couldn't pick just one... so I posted all three. Mostly for the grandparents to enjoy. There were just little things I loved about each one.

What I love about this one:

That she is trying to sign some of the words as she plays the piano. I didn't tell her to do this and we have never signed this song with her. I love that they are just there in the back of her mind and that even though she doesn't sign as much as she used to she can still pull them out some times.

What I love about this one:

It's the same song as the above video, but because she doesn't try to sign you can understand her cute lyrics a little better... like "I am a child of God and Jesus sent me here" (for those of you unfamiliar with the song it goes "I am a child of God and He has sent me here". I love the way toddlers make up lyrics based on what they think they hear.

What I love about this one:

I didn't film this, Max did. I love his comments to her, her runny nose, and the lyrics speak for themselves.

Good Morning, Sunshine

2009-06-17T11:58:00.004-06:00

How Lucky Am I?

This is what greets me every morning.

It's hard not to feel grateful and happy
when this starts your day.

(Cole, 5 1/2 months)

He likes it!!

2009-06-15T23:49:00.005-06:00

When Cole was 5 months old we decided to venture into the world of solid foods. We started with plain old basic rice cereal. He was very excited for this new step! He loved sitting in his big chair and all the attention everyone was putting on this new activity. We literally had the whole family sitting around with eyes on Cole to see how he would respond.

First bite... not so sure about the texture...

...or what to do with the strange substance in his mouth.

But he new this was a good thing and smiled for more. He really did like it and would smile as we were feeding him, but the minute it hit his mouth...

... he would gag. He just wasn't sure what to do with it!

While he liked the food, he did NOT like the gagging. Hard to feel sorry for someone with eyelashes like that!!

In the end it was a very successful first attempt at feeding and he hasn't slowed down. He is now (4 months later) eating fruits and vegetables, finger foods and pretty much anything we're eating that we feel save sharing with him. This kids does love to eat!!

This video was taken of his first couple bites... I love that the minute it goes in it comes right back out. Took him a while to get the whole swallowing thing mastered.

Patriotic Program

2009-06-10T20:40:00.005-06:00

The kids participated in the schools annual patriotic program again this year. It is my favorite program each year and this year definitely didn't disappoint. Abby was in the 1st-3rd grade choir and Max was in the 4th-6th grade choir. They both sang beautifully. These aren't the greatest pictures... but I wanted to include them anyway for the grandparents.

Look Mom!!

2009-06-10T20:28:00.005-06:00

Remember this?

Well, she finally mastered the 2-wheeler

with no training wheels!!

Almost...

There's no stopping her now!

Poser

2009-06-10T20:22:00.005-06:00

Lately Afton has been all about posing for pictures. Rarely can I get her to just let me take a normal picture. She is also very fond of jumping in when I am taking someone else's pictures and asking me to take picture of certain things... yeah maybe I take too many pictures... I've created a monster. The last one is my favorite... look out America's Next Top Model!!

Play Hard, Sleep Hard

2009-06-10T20:04:00.004-06:00

Coleman LOVES to play. He is always on the go... doing something... into something. He definitely keeps us on our toes. He usually plays until he crashes and has been known to fall asleep pretty much anywhere. He's like the Energizer Bunny... he goes and goes, full force, until he just suddenly stops and falls fast asleep. He even follows this routine at night when I nurse him... he'll flip this way and that, he's up he's down... and then suddenly he's out! Poor kids just doesn't want to miss out on any of the fun, I guess.
Cole loves to sit in his mega saucer and bounce... and bounce... and bounce. Good thing, too... it's the only way I can keep him contained in one spot (he doesn't like his swing anymore) so I can get anything done.
This picture is here only to show you those crazy eyelashes again... can you believe them?!?
Just how I like them... sound asleep =)

Syd Riggs Scholarship Showcase

2009-06-10T19:22:00.007-06:00

Back in February Chris and I had the opportunity to participate in the Syd Riggs Scholarship Showcase in honor of a dear friend of ours who passed away a few years ago. She was a true lover of the arts and a mentor to many many performers... including Chris and I. We both new her before we new each other and she was always a huge part of our lives. It was great to be a part of this event. Basically, we had a few rehearsals the week leading up to the performance and then an all day Saturday marathon rehearsal followed by 2 sold out show that raised over $7,000 for a scholarship in her name. I took over 200 pictures that day and don't want to leave any out because we were able to see so many old friends, students, cast members, voice teachers, etc... that was the best part of the day... it was one giant reunion. It was a thrill for me to see and hear Chris singing the part of Jean Valjean in the 'Les Miserables' section of the show as well as well as a few other big solos. He was great and I've missed seeing him perform. Some other highlights:

This beautiful lady was the host and headline performer. We love her! She is a great friend and it was awesome to spend the day catching up with her. She also has the most amazing voice and is super funny... she rocked the show!
Performing with these two punks!! They are our nephews and also former students of ours... they are also both CRAZY talented. Even though we have all worked on a ton of projects together we have never actually all been on stage together. It was an honor and so much fun to be on stage with them. (Edit: I just remembered that we were both in 'The Gift of Christmas' in SLC with Zack back in 1995 and I was in 'Tommy' with Zack in 1996... no wonder I forgot. But it was the first time with Jaremy)

All of these wonderful people that we love! It was wonderful to spend the day together and be onstage with you again. We can't wait to do it again next year!
By the end of the day we were exhausted... it took us a full week to recover (we are definitely not as young as we used to be). Thanks to all of you who came to support us and this great cause and to those of you who helped out with our kidlets for the day... we had a blast!

Remember this little guy?

2009-06-08T23:33:00.007-06:00

I don't think I have posted about Cole since those pictures I took of him when he was about 2 1/2 weeks old... other than things where he was part of a family post. So, here are some random pictures along with some random facts to help you get to know him a little better. The facts may or may not go along with the picture. Adding Cole to our family has felt a little like having twins. I have never had 2 babies this close together and it's a whole new ball game!! 2 in diapers, 2 binkies, 2 different nap schedules, 2 babies waking up at night (yes, Afton still wakes up at least once each night). It is a lot of fun and has made this a fun adventure... even though it is exhausting at times. Don't they look so cute swinging next to each other? Afton loves to be right there with me all the time and doing what Cole is doing... she even tries to cry like him. (about 2 mos. old in picture)
Cole has the longest, most beautiful eyelashes ever!! We are constantly getting comments on them. They really are unusually long and thick. This picture doesn't quite do it justice. (3 mos.)
This is his first smile ever caught on camera! Seriously. It was taken Dec. 5th when he was almost 3 months old. So cute!
Cole LOVES his Dad!! He could sit with him for hours. (4 months old)
Cole is an absolute flirt. Just look at the way he is looking at me. He does that with everyone... How could you not fall in love with this little guy! (4 1/2 mos.)Just a cute pic I like... no particular reason.
I love this picture. This is what Cole looks like most of the time. He is really a happy and pleasant little guy... so much fun to be around. (4 1/2 mos.)
Look at those big blue eyes. He has the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen. Sometimes I would sit and nurse him and just stare into his big deep blue eyes in amazement at how clear they are. They haven't changed much at all so I think they might be here to stay *fingers crossed*. (almost 5 months)
Cole is very pretty. People are always telling us how pretty he is and he is often mistaken for a girl. One morning I was in a hurry to get everyone ready and put Afton's headband on Cole, locked him in his swing until I had everyone else ready, and didn't notice my error for about 10 minutes. I must admit, I finally saw what everyone was saying... he really is a very pretty little guy!

Here are a couple of videos of Cole: this first one is of him laughing at the kids. They made up this funny song that made him laugh every time they sang it. Unfortunately the kids are so loud it's hard to hear him... but it's still cute:

This is another laughing video. Pay attention to what happens mid-laugh. He does that a lot... and I mean A LOT!

He finally grew out of the constant spitting up stage a couple months ago... I was soooo happy.

So that's it. He is an absolute joy... the perfect addition to our family. We have loved having him here and getting to know him. I updated the thing about him in the right hand column a couple months ago so be sure to read it to learn even more about him. (The picture is new...I just took it last week.)

Christmas Flashback

2009-06-08T23:20:00.005-06:00

Our Christmas Card Photoshoot was pretty much a bust!! You've seen the one we chose for our Christmas card here and another favorite is currently in our blog header. Why was it so painful, you ask? Well... the sun was right in every ones eyes, Max and Abby were totally uncooperative for the first 20 minutes and by the time we threatened them enough into cooperating Afton was worn out and done (so we have a bunch of pictures of Afton looking adorable and Max and Abby being grumpy and or posing weird and then a bunch with Max and Abby looking great and Afton crying... of course, Cass looks great in all of them and we were lucky if we could just get Cole to sit up straight and look in the general direction of the camera... if I weren't so behind I'd post my favorite out takes). It was also much chillier than we anticipated it would be. I did try to catch a couple shots of each kid alone and here are a few of my favorites (Afton was REALLY done by this time).

Did I ever show you this one?

2009-06-07T23:38:00.005-06:00

No, I don't think you've had the pleasure of seeing this gem:

This is what happens when the family is busy preparing Thanksgiving dinner and the 2 year old is left unsupervised while they think she is taking a nap. The slimy stuff? Kids toothpaste. (Click on the picture to enlarge it and get the full slime effect). I am so glad it isn't what I thought it was when I first found her!! (PS the lovely evening gown is actually Abby's shirt layered over a multi-fuctional onesie)