chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

My amazingly talented friend, Kali, of KaliLu Photo, was kind enough to squeeze in our family portraits this past October. She was super overbooked and behind as it was, but she's my friend, and she was nice to me! I received our CD of photos yesterday and have been gazing at my adorably cute girls every spare minute since then. Some people think family photos are a disaster and not worth the time, effort and expense. Don't get me wrong, it does take a significant amount of planning and effort...but the end result is worth it! I cherish every detail Kali has captured of my kids. I can decipher Paige's assertiveness, Brynn's bashfulness, and Finley's playfulness through these photos. I see the beauty of our family 10+ years in the making. These photos push the challenges and difficulties of the day-to-day chaos to the back of my mind and all I see are my children as the beloved gifts from God that they are.               ...

We made a trip over to the Tri-Cities and Yakima the weekend prior to Thanksgiving for Chris' grandfather's wedding to Ann Dunstan. We have enjoyed having Ann a part of our life for the past while. She is a sweet lady and we have seen the happiness she has brought to Grandpa's life. We were able to attend their sealing in the Tri-Cities temple. It was a very chilly day but quite pretty as the landscape was resplendent with snow and ice.  My camera was in "freak out" mode the entire day. My best picture comes from my handy dandy cell phone. Don't they look so happy?!  Ann has a few grandchildren of her own, but she has really let Paige cozy up to her the past year. Paige was calling her "Grandma Ann" well before this whole thing was official.   And we all love this man... I love having my children at the temple. I owe a big thanks to our wonderful cousins who watched the girls while Chris and I were inside for the ceremony. I enjoy ta...

Chris and I are not UW graduates, but we have reserved the right to claim Husky-dom since my husband has been a fan his whole life and we now reside in the Seattle area. He's kind of die-hard and I've learned to enjoy the Dawgs as well...especially when former BYU quarterback, Steve Sarkisian, became the head coach. We both " Bark for Sark ." Chris really wanted to attend the last game in what is now called "Old Husky Stadium." The stadium is about to undergo a serious remodel. This was most definitely one of our more expensive date nights, but we had a great time. I love college football, there is nothing like it! And despite the super cold weather and a not-so-great game, we enjoyed it!  See that track??  Well, it is about to be gone forever. Yay!!!!

I had a goal for 2011 to venture into the world of hair-cutting. After all, I have three girls and would like to be able to handle a basic cut/trim with small layers at the bottom. I have seen this done to my own hair about a gazillion times. Thanks to the internet and a few YouTube videos and some tips from my mom I dove in. Finley was the harder of the two, namely because she won't sit still for anything.  Here are her BEFORE pictures.   Her issue was mostly with the back. Can you see her lovely Mullet? I decided not to do anything with the long hair on top/front. It is covering the "new" hair that came in after she rubbed all the baby hair off  (bald-ish spot area you can see below) . The top is super long, but I was worried if I cut it she would look like a boy.   A little trimming at the ear and she was done! It's most notable from the back. (Thanks to my SIL, Dani, who helped document the first "cut" and did her best to ...

Paige's soccer season officially came to a close two weeks ago. We are proud of her progress this year!  I have no filter, so here are a few a lot of pictures from her games throughout the past 2 1/2 months. She LOVES kicking the goal kicks. She backs up about 10 steps to get a really superb running start.  At this age they play 3 on 3 and no goalie. It was interesting to see Paige's evolution of thought as she realized if she hurried back and stood in the goal she might be able to block a kick. Do you see her smile?? Below is documentation of one of many goals from the season. I think she had at least one goal per game. On her birthday she scored three...it was a special birthday present! The motivating factor behind these goals????.... She LOVES when she gets the red plate for dinner when she scores a goal!  And because she's a girl, and a tad on the emotional side, there were a few tears for one reason or another (none that...