Kyles Notes

i stay up late by myself often. last night was one of those nights and when i went to bed i found a note on my pillow from kyle. he had drawn a picture of us cuddling in bed with instructions for me to give him a big kiss when i got in bed. he is so thoughtful and i just love him! since we have been together, i have saved all notes and poems that he has written to me and i love to spend time and read them.

our first valentine's day when we were engaged, i woke up to find a bouquet of flowers and hearts with notes taped all over my car. i kept all of them and am so glad i did. no matter what has happened on any given day, if i find a note and read it, it makes my day better. kyle is a great person with a big heart who is always looking out for me, making sure i have everything i need and telling me how much he loves and appreciates me. he is the best.

Lately for Each of Us

Kyle:

* has started his own window washing business - sun state windows. so far he has only had residential jobs, but his plan is to work his way to commercial buildings. he has a website he created for sun state windows, he posts ads on craigslist several times a day, and he is making business cards. i am so excited for him to finally own his own business, something he has talked about since we were dating. no longer is he "working for the man" as he puts it. kyle's goal to own a business before he turns 26? check!

* kyle was accepted in to asu's business school and just finished 15 credit hours of summer school with them, studying both semesters. a couple weeks ago he finished the second semester which we were both greatful for. the last week was very stressful with so many long papers and presentations to prepare. but even with all the stress he got straight A's. he especially needed the vacation to california. now he has started school for this fall and i just hope his teachers aren't too hard on him if this baby is born right in the middle of finals.

* it's so cute to see how much daddy loves his girl. addy is becoming more attached to him all the time and follows him wherever he goes. this first week of kyle's new job has really magnified to us how much she loves him. if he doesn't give her his full attention for 1/2 hour she's heart-broken with tears everywhere, and sometimes thirty minutes is not even enough. kyle is so good to her, singing songs, chasing her, and making up new games with her. seeing how great a father kyle is, it makes me sad to think of some people who don't have that kind of relationship with their dad. kyle is amazing.

* (this is a pic i took of kyle last night. he fell asleep while helping me fold clothes. isn't he's so funny?!) and speaking of amazing, that's what kind of husband he continues to be. being the oldest in my family i am very stubborn and outspoken, and kyle is so paitient with me. i can't always make him underdstand that my way is gospel, but no matter what he is great at hearing me out and letting my try to convince him. he is awesome at budgeting and keeps me in line. he studies hard and is very logical. he's the best provider for our family. puts addy and i first and is always concerned about our feelings. plus he is so funny, and if you're married you know how important that is for a marriage. love him to death!

Brittney:

* i am currently 24 weeks along with baby girl mckay #2. kyle and i are currently discussing names and will let you know our pick when she is born, so for the rest of the pregnancy i will lovingly call her "mac" short for "mckay". i am still feeling great - actually no pregnancy symptoms. for the first 16 weeks paranoia took over and i thought i had had miscarriages because there were no symptoms at all. sound great to be symptom free? not really. everytime i went to the doctor i was terrified they wouldn't find a heartbeat. i was scared until i started feeling faint movements at the end of week 19 and continuing to pick up since. so i predict mac will be a mellow girl (hopefully) as i look back on the way this pregnancy has been.

* school is probably a no-go for me since i am due finals week and classes are so full anyway. i really would like to take my next math course so i don't forget everything i learned in the spring, but none are available. kyle found an english class that starts late and ends early (perfect), but online registary says i need to retake the placement test or take eng 090. no thank you. i have actually already taken eng 101, but i was engaged that semester and had marriage on my mind, thus i got a C. kyle teases me everytime we talk about my grades that semester - all C's. so i'm behind and am playing catch up.

* i am starting to schedule photography sessions for the fall now. i took off the summer (you can do that when you are your own boss) since i was pregnant and didn't feel like melting in front of my clients - not very proffessional. i'm starting mid september and will book thru until thanksgiving. then i will have another break for the birth. i can't wait to start! to see my work and pricing visit my photography blog.

* currently (maybe it's nesting) i have had a strong craving for sewing. mostly repurposing old clothes into new clothes. that and holiday decorations. i have an all metal sewing machine that needs repair/tuning i'm not sure which. staying up into the early morning hours reading tutorials and saving pictures is becoming more frequent. i have been begging to get my sewing machine ready for use as an early birthday present (october 7th to mac's arrival might not be long enough for projects). anytime would be great i keep telling kyle. we have moved the furniture in our office around to make room for sewing/crafts. i'm going crazy waiting.

Addison:

* addison is so cute and i can't believe how much she is changing, especially in the last month. she now calls me "momma" instead of "mommy" which i am very sad about and currently trying to reverse. she loves her baby doll more each day (all on her own) and shares many hugs and kisses with her. she has learned how to take off her diaper. often when i get her up in the morning she is completely naked in her crib and playing. cute so far until i find a surprise (hopefully never).

* i am thinking about potty training her, but i know she is probblaby too young now. she is 18 months and i would love to have only one child at a time in diapers with the expectant arrival of our new baby girl in december. maybe that's too soon. possibly for her birthday in feb? the question i have running through my mind: what age works and how should i modivate her??

* she pointed to my tummy the other day and said "baby". i don't think she fully comprehends what that means, but it's so cute for her to say that. kyle and i have half-heartedly been trying to teach her this since early july and then when i don't probe, she does it on her own? so cute!

* addy is a very stubborn thing when it come to solid food. she hates it. kyle and i blame it on the thrush she got twice in a short time around her birthday. she ate solids great before that time and i would give anything for her to go back to that habit. she has a bottle all day now, and starves herself if i try to force anything else on her. solids she will eat: tortilla chips, plain chicken, cereal (of course, clone of daddy), and sometimes a banana. not much. i have tried the suggested fruit smoothies which she seems to like the taste but won't drink. does that even make sense? no. so i drink the whole thing myself. i dream of her someday eating dinner with kyle and i, not just watching us eat.

above: addison snuggles up to me on the computer so i can tickle her back with my free hand. she never stays in one position for more than two minutes, but rolls over so i can then tickle somewhere else.

* even though tickling has been a favorite in this family forever, addison is wanting it more and more. lately she lays on my lap and if i continue to just sit there she will grab my hand and put it on her back so i know she wants to be tickled. being tickled is the only thing she will hold still for and it's so funny. this past week, she sat on "mama"s mccleve's lap (that's how she says grandma - slightly different than my name "mamma"). my mom was tickling her skin and stopped for a second, so addison reached behind herself, took my mom's hand, and placed it back on her shoulder. just like her mommy and daddy and something i never want to forget!

The Good, The Bad, and the Guilty

Brittney and I for a fun group date did a murder mystery dinner on Noverber 13 since it landed on a Friday. We had a fun time decorating my parents kitchen in a old western theme. For dinner we had grilled chicken, baked potatoes, salad, baked beans, IBC rootbeer. There were little tin buckets filled with peanut, and dried apple slices and we drank out of quart sized mason jars. It was a good time as we debated, accused, and framed each other for the mysterious murder of a Judge. Turned out that Brittney was the murdurous villan.

I was Sherrif Wyatt Hertz the most famous lawman in the west. He never lost a gunfight, and some believed that he could take out a whole gunslingin' gang with a single round from his six shooter.

Brittney was Elvira-Lynn Fekshin, the consummate that makes no bones about it, so to speak. She's known throughout the territory as the "purrty" saloon girl, there's even a famous saloon song about here- My Heart Burns for you, and Other Places.

Jesse was Ellias Truist Heath is the up and comming heart throb gunfighter. He can dazzel spectators with his quick draw and a spin from his guns.

Michelle was Butch Chastity , known as the first lady of outlaws. and head of a all woman gang of the west. She holds the record for the fastest stage coach robbing. Kirt was Cheif Braking Wind, a distinguished leader to the Cowpai tribe.

Laura was Helena Handcart, Mother of all thirteen handcart boys. She manages the family cattle business, and makes it know to everyone she meets that she owns half of the territory.

Thoughts for Today

today i am sick. i think i have strep throat - not fun. every time i answer the phone the person on the other line thinks i just woke up because i sound so awful. i have gargled and am drinking my second glass of water of the day. i know i should drink more but it hurts so much to swallow. i have no appetite for food at all - which is not like me. is it common for your ears to hurt with strep? mine do, especially when i blow my nose. i have a photoshoot tomorrow morning so i hope i feel better soon. my day has been filled by sitting on the couch, changing diapers, and watching my wedding video. right now i am listening to classic christmas songs by mahalia jackson, the andrew sisters, bing crosby and more. christmas music makes me happy.addison started giving kisses this week. she isn't consistent with it yet, but it is so cute to see her lean forward and open her mouth! it is a sweet, slobbery kiss and kyle and i can't get enough of them! it has been really hard for me to not kiss her chubby little fingers and cheeks today so i don't get her sick. just today while i was sitting on the floor addison crawled to me and pulled herself up. then for some reason she chose to let go of me. there she was standing all by herself. i quickly grabbed her and sat her down, but she did it again two more times. i couldn't believe it! is it common for babies to do this just before eight months?

today i am feeling so greatful for kyle. kyle works so hard for our family, making sure we have everything we need and keeping me in line. i know he loves me very much and he certainly spoils me in many different ways. (since he doesn't have work until the late morning, he will get up with addison and make me breakfast while i sleep.) i love talking to him and cuddling on the couch. this morning i couldn't sleep and i found kyle on the couch, online. i told him how growing up when i didn't feel well, my dad would sit on the couch and hold me for a while. sometimes he would talk to me, sometimes we would watch tv together. i asked kyle if he would hold me while he was typing. kyle kind of laughed as if to say, "you're 21 and you still need to be held when your sick?!" but he was so sweet and held me for a while. that's the kind of memory i never want to forget. i love you so much kyle!

McKay Happenings

i wanted this blog to be a journal of my family and our life. i realize that i have not been writing about the things i will want to read about later, or at least the things that will continue to be important to me. i write too much about crafting (the lack of it) and food (more like wanting it) rather than all those things in my life that are so little, yet important to me. i need to write more about addison and the milestones she is reaching and passing, as well as the fun things kyle and i do with her. i don't want to stop writing about orange rolls and how i love fall decor, i just don't want those to be the main subjects of my blog.

i'll start with kyle. his new job at balboa insurance takes more time than he would like. balboa only offers full time employment and kyle wants to work part time so he can take more classes and get better grades. he is always thinking about our future and can be found reading any financial or investing book. these books are so boring to me. but he gets so excited reading these with all the ideas spinning in his head that he can hardly contain himself. rarely will you see a night that he is reading one of his books where he will not have to set it down several times to do his "excited fingers".

kyle let my buy some things the other day at the thrift store and wasn't even upset that it was home decor. it's hard being students and wanting to buy that kind of stuff in your price range. i love you kyle!

funny story. last wednesday i was talking to kyle about going to his dad's office the next morning. thursday afternoon he calls me on break. here is our conversation.

ME: kyle, you forgot to tell me something yesterday. i can't believe you would forget.


KYLE: (silence).....um....(thinking)..... happy birthday?

ME: (laughing so hard i can hardly talk) no. you forgot to tell me your dad's office isn't open today.....

okay, so writing it here isn't that funny, but i tell it better in person. point is, kyle knew my birthday was really close but wasn't sure if he forgot it or not. the way he said "happy birthday" like he was thinking uh oh, i'm in for it now just made me just laugh so hard, i couldn't talk for a while. i was just caught off guard. it was very cute.

we just got back on friday from house/teen sitting for the olson's again for several days. being with teens is kyle's element. he knows how to get along with them so well and at the same time be their older brother. he's also an excellent tease. it'll be fun doing it again starting tomorrow.

as for me, i have been going to school every monday and wednesday for intermediate photography at chandler community college. addison is watched by my mom during this time. my mom actually suggested that addison spend the night for my first day of school. it was so much easier to have her spend the night, that now she does it every sunday and tuesday night. that is such a huge help for me. if it wasn't for my mom, i don't think to could make it to school. i think that once kyle graduates, i will go back to school to became a nurse in the labor and delivery area. i have always been fascinated by watching babies come into the world. i remember when i was in young women's, i told another girl what i wanted to do and she made a crude comment about how i was so gross that i wanted to see a baby come out of "there" plus some other stuff i won't repeat. i was so mad at her. i was dumbfounded at how she could take something so beautiful and special and make it sound so sick. i hope to be able to change the way people view childbirth!

addison has come so far since i last wrote about her. she is seven and a half months old. five weeks ago (at five months) she started doing what kyle and i called a snail crawl. on her stomach with her head low, she would pull her legs forward until her butt couldn't go any higher into the air. then with her elbows, she would pull her upper body forward until her butt came back down to the ground. she got faster and faster. two weeks later, she stared a regular crawl that she taught herself. it is very cute to see her crawl while carrying things in her mouth like a dog. i can just see her wheels turning!
when she was doing the snail crawl, she learned the word "dada". kyle was very proud, although i don't think she knew what she was saying. about a week later, i was doing laundry at carson and jen's when addison, crying, snail crawled to me saying "mum muma". jen said that addison was definitely calling for me and knew what she was saying, i couldn't believe it! (addison calls for me all the time, but she says "dada" a lot less which makes me think she still doesn't understand that word yet.)

three weeks ago, i found addison crying in the living room. she had pulled herself up into a
standing position against the couch. she was scared, holding herself up at an angle, about to fall and was crying for me to save her. i had been on the phone and ignored her crying for a few minutes. i felt awful when i realized why she had been crying. now she pulls herself up all the time and knows how to get herself down too. she has even taken a few steps while holding on to something.

this will be addison's Halloween costume: addison loves food. i can't remember how old she was (maybe four months) when she started recognizing her bob. ( i began calling her bottle "bob" or "the bob" when she was born, kyle caught on pretty fast and now my sisters and even kyle's mom calls it that) now if she hears us shaking it, she will start crying in anticipation. it's so funny to watch. she eats solids too. when she is hungry, she will cry in between bites if i don't feed her fast enough. she definitely likes adult food a lot more though. chili, pizza, bread - she loves everything.

if she wakes up in the morning and i am too tired to get up yet, i will bring her in bed with me. sometimes she won't go back to sleep though so i will hold on to her ankle while she crawls to one side of the bed, gets bored, crawls all over me, and then crawls to the other side of the bed. needless to say, i can't really keep sleeping if i am trying to keep a hold of her ankle. i do try though.
even though i want this blog to be more centered around my family, i will continue to throw in all that other stuff. i think it adds personality. blogs are so fun!

McCleve Family Camp and Hunt

This year Brittney's uncles were drawn to go bow hunting for elk and we all decided to make it a extended family camp out. Brittney and her family left Thursday night, and I went up with her sister Michelle and husband Jesse Friday night to the nice cool mountains just a little past Flagstaff.

It was tons of fun with most of the aunts, uncles and cousins up there. Cameron built a zip line, teeter totter, and swing for the kids. Uncle Lauren had a quad and Jesse and Cameron had dirt bikes that we zipped around on. We went on several little hikes with the cousins and found petroglyphs and some small caves.

We had quality bonding time playing phase 10, Scrabble, and other games. Dad brought the projector and we watched movies at night. We loved sitting around the camp fire, and telling stories and laughing at uncle Kevin and aunt Jenelle's dating stories. Brittney and I had a water fight (She started it and I finished it with her soaked to the bone). I think it all started with her giving me a hard time about losing the phase 10 game. I starting to tickle her, and after she poured water on me from a water bottle, and after chasing each other around for a minute, it ended with me dousing her with a few gallons of water form a jug.

I was able to get Brittney to ride the dirt bike, much to her dislike. She tried every excuse in the book and even tried hiding from me to get out of learning to ride (when I found her, I lifted her up over my shoulder in a fireman's carry so she couldn't escape). Finally I was able to get her on, taught her how to shift, and ran along side her as she rode. After her first attempt (not very successful) she tried running away, but I graped onto her shirt and pulled her back on the bike. Her second attempt was really good, and after a few more tries, she was shifting through all the gears and riding like a pro in the X-games. Addison was born to camp. She probably gets it from both sides of the family. She loved the outdoors. Poor girl had to be held most of the time because we didn't want here crawling around in the dirt. But she enjoyed hanging out with the family, swinging and quad riding with her dad, chilling on the hammock, and being fought over on who got to hold her by family members.

The food was amazing thanks to Mom and Dad. Some of the items on the menu were, dutch oven pizza, pazooki, Navajo tacos, hobo dinner, french toast, peach cobbler, smores, bacon, sausage. (Mom also brought some cold cereal for me) There was so much food, we had tons of leftovers.

The hunt didn't go so well. Uncle Lauren and the cousins would leave around 4:30 am and wouldn't get home till dinner with nothing to show. The saw a lot of good elk, but they were too far away for the bow.
Sunday afternoon we had a nice informal church meeting with talks from Jesse, Cameron, and Chantell.

I can't wait till next year! This was a fun family outing and another adventure to add to our list.

The fam!

Addison and Dad enjoying the wind in their face and the thrill of the ride

Addison on the swing

Science Center Date Night

The first Friday of every month the Phoenix Science Center has free admission. so Brittney and I went with Kirt and Brittney's cousin Chantell to check out some of the exhibits. It was really awesome! They had a guest speaker come in and talk about illusions and the mind, and went though different examples of how our mind can trick us. Afterwards, Brittney and I went upstairs and they had a really cool exhibit on physics where you could lay on a bed of nails, play with electricity, and spin around like an ice skater.
Downstairs they has some really neat exhibits on the bodies organs, such as the heart, kidney and liver. We found out the your skins is the largest organ on your body.
On the top floor they had a Lego exhibit, but we ran out of time, so were going to go next month to check it out. Come along!
Brittney and I checking out our heart rates after racing on stationarywheel chairs. ( I tromped her of course!)

Here I am learning about the nose and sneezing while throwing balls into it. Watch out, this one made us jump.

Kirt riding a bike on a steel cable. There was a three hundred lb weight at the bottom, and even though he tried, Kirt couldn't flip it. Pretty impressive skills!

Wicked Weekend

Back in April on Mother's Day I surprised Brittney with tickets for the Broadway musical "Wicked". We have both seen it before and were very excited to see it again. We went on Friday, July 3rd and we decided to dress up formally just for fun. Brittney wore one of her favorite prom dresses which she still fits in quite nicely. (We were the only people dressed up formally and got quite a few stares but it was great. Sometimes it's fun to be different). We went to Carrabas Italian Grill and Bar for dinner (yummy ravioli and salad. plus you gotta love the bread and oil!) and off we went to Wicked at Gardy Gammage. The show was great! Fantabulous! Brittney got a lot of comments on her dress and how beautiful she looked and I agreed full heartedly. She looked great!!

Yesterday for to celebrate Independence Day we went to Basha High School's pool. This pool was awesome!! It had 2 big slides, a lazy river, a whirlpool, and a play fort for the kids. The water was perfect too. Addison loved swimming with mommy and daddy, going in the whirlpool and the lazy river. She smiled and kicked the whole time. Afterward we went to the Grandma McCleve's for BBQ and plenty of good food . Brittney's great salad was a total hit! Out side we shot Dad McCleve's and Grandpa McCleve's potato guns. Some of the potatoes and cobbs hit or landed in neighboring yards, houses, or sheds. The cousins went into a neighboring field and we shot the potatoes straight up and they would run to try and catch them. It was really entertaining. After eating all the good food and drinking HOMEMADE ROOT BEER, we sat down and watched a movie or took a nap. (aka: i was the only one who took a nap besides Addison. Sleeping allows my food to digest better.) Around nine, some of the fireworks were going off and we went in the back yard to see some. The kids all had poppers and were having fun putting on their own show. i left when it was time to clean up.

I'm grateful for the bravery of those 56 delegates that signed the Declaration of Independence. I'm grateful for the opportunity we have to live in this country and the freedoms that we enjoy. I pray for those that are in the armed forces as well as the leaders of our nation that they will continue to uphold what the founding Fathers started nearly 233 years ago.

While reading the Declaration of Independence one line stood out among all the rest which comes at the very end.

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

May we live to that same standard to protect those sacred freedoms for future generations.

Hi ho Hi ho To EFY We Go!

Alright! Alright! Alright! Alright! Alright! Alright! Hey!
Monday morning we took a little road trip up to Flagstaff to drop off Brittney's sisters at NAU to attend EFY. It was a really fun road trip and baby Addison's first! She did and excellent job. The whole way up she was entertained and spoiled by her two aunts Jalee and Hiedi. It brought back a lot of fun memories of EFY to Brittney as a 5 year participant and to me as a counselor.
I never attended as a youth because I thought it was for nerdy Mormon kids, but I repented of that thought and decided to become a counselor the second summer after my mission. It turned out to be an one of the best decisions of my life. I was going thru a recent breakup and had found out my mom had ovarian cancer, to say the least life was pretty difficult. I was pretty down and praying one day asking Heavenly Father what I should do with my life then it came to me, EFY. EFY was like serving my mission all over again. I loved teaching the youth about the gospel and hearing their testimonies. With youth like this being the future leaders of the church we are in good hands.
Each session I became closer to my fellow counselors. At nights we would all stay up late and sit in the halls telling stories about our missions, girlfriends, high school, and other stuff. I loved the talks from the session director, the dances, game night, pizza night, hangin with my boys, teaching lessons, cereal every morning, the cheezy cheers, and every minute of it. It was during EFY that I found the comfort and guidance that I was looking for. It was reemphasized that trials can be overcomed and bring spiritual strength.
The greatest blessing was that I was able to make a connection to that would lead me to my wife. In the picture below on the right is Michelle ( my future sister-in-law) and Tia on the far left (my cousin by marriage). Michelle was in my group (one of the best groups I had). After EFY Brittney I met once at a country dance. Later she was on Facebook and Michelle who happened to be next to her at the time saw my pic. Michelle told Brittney to say hi for me, so she did. Well, when I checked my facebook I saw this really cute girl that had said hi to me from Michelle. Here's our conversation.
Brittney: hey i am brittney mccleve. remember me? we met at the ysa dance a couple weeks ago. michelle mccleve (my sister) and tia brown (my cousin) were in your group at efy - flagstaff 1. michelle saw your picture on steve b.'s account and asked me to say hi for her. she says you're a really great dancer and she had so much fun!!!
Kyle: Hey birttany! Of course I remember you! Can I just say that Michelle and Tia were my favorites. That company I had in Flagstaff were probably my best so far. Right now I'm doing my last session here in cedar and then I'm back home. YEAH! but then again its kinda sad. EFY had been amazing! Well, when I get home we'll definitely have to go dancing, but i don't know why michelle says I'm a great dancer, because I'm really not. Tell her I said HI!
Brittney: michelle says to say "whatever" and that you are amazing! ( i don't know why she won't tell you all this herself, but she doesn't want a facebook) anyways, i hope you had a great time with your last efy session. which was your favorite campus? i just came back over the weekend from volunteering in my home ward to be staff for a trek. i had a blast. now i just have to recover from being sunburnt....
Kyle: Hi Brittany, well, right now I'm in southern Utah going camping and rock climbing! Woot Woot! EFY in Cedar City was a blast! I loved SUU's campus and I had great companies. All in all it was a wonderful experience. That it really cool that you went on a pioneer trek. That sounded really fun not to mention your pretty hard core for pulling a handcart in a dress. I bet that was a awesome experience. So...anyway.... I was..uhh..wondering if I could get your phone number to ask you on a date or something. I know you probably think its pretty lame to ask for a phone number over facebook, but don't think I'm a lame guy(Michelle could probably back me and tell you what a stud and classy guy I am, or she'll tell you I'm just crazy)
Brittney:i love camping!! i am so jealous! as for rock climbing, i do that too, but i am terrified of heights, so not so much. sounds like you had a blast being a counselor! i'm going to apply for this next coming summer - i can't wait! the pioneer trek was such an awesome experience! i was the phototgrapher and now i am putting together a slideshow for a fireside. so i asked michelle if you're a real stud, or if there's anything crazy about you like excessive drooling or anything and she thinks that if i just take a bib i'll be fine. :-p my cell is 480-290-####.


So I know asking for her phone number over facebook was pretty lame, but I was so super excited. Our first date was a blast! The second, even better! Next thing we know its this




I LOVE EFY!!!!!!!!!!!

Daddy's Little Girl

Judge: "Order in the court! Let the session proceed".

Bailiff: " Your Honor, I submit case number 285 McKay vrs. McKay. Both parents vouch that their little girl named Addison Grace McKay loves him or her more than the other. Mrs. McKay has accused Mr. McKay of lying because he says that Addison loves him more. They have come here to settle the matter once and for all."

Judge: "Thank you Bailiff. Let the plaintiff speak."

Plaintiff: (Brittney, birth mother of Addison): "Your Honor, it has come to my attention that the defendant (Kyle) thinks that Addison (Plaintiff points to baby girl) loves him more than me! Her own mother! I gave birth to the child for crying out loud!"

Judge: "Thank you Mrs. McKay. Giving birth is a great sacrifice on your behalf. Does the Defendant have anything to say?"

Defendant: (Kyle loving father, protector, and provider of Addison): "Yes your honor. May I say you look dashing in that robe... In my defense I submit the following proof before the court and jury(Defendant shows photographs). As you can see Addison loves me more than Brittney. Just look at her face. Obviously she is a "Daddy's girl" and will be one forever."(plus Brittney had an epidural while giving birth so she didn't feel a thing not to mention its an unfair advantage she has over me!)

Judge: "Thank you Mr. McKay. We will now let the jury decide the matter and reconvene here when they have their verdict. Court dismissed!"

(1 minute and 12.5 seconds later)

Judge: "Order! Order in the court! Jury, have you come to a decision yet?"

Jury spokesperson: "Yes your Honor. In the case McKay vrs. McKay we find the defendant........ not guilty!"

(Cheers and applauds erupting in the court room!)

Judge: " Order! Order! The matter is settled then. You are dismissed. Next case!"

Fossil Springs

(above: Me, Brittney, Jesse, and Michelle {who we nicknamed catsup and mustard})
it all started Monday night while were were eating dinner at Michelle and Jesse's house. i said to Jesse, "We should plan a trip to Fossil Springs." He replied, "We were thinking about going tomorow." so the next day we were off.

the hike down to fossil was beautiful. we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. it was overcast most of the day, with the sun coming out just a few times. it even sprinkled a little bit. it's about a four mile hike down to fossil and the four of us used the time to tell funny stories, tease eachother, and catch up on what we've all been doing.

when we finally reached the bottom, we were a little disappointed about the height of the water. earlier this year because of some accidents and fear of lawsuits, the dam was removed. this lowered the water level significantly above, but also created a beautiful waterfall and new pools to swim in below.

we found some good jumping cliffs and a beautiful pool enclosed in a cave. the water was a little cold, but after being in it for a few seconds the water became nice. we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming.

the hike out was a little harder since we were already tired and it was mostly uphill, but we made it.

we went over to pick up addison and brittney was one happy mom to see her. looks like next time we'll just have to take baby.

p.s. on the drive home when the b-line turned to power rd i didn't see where the speed limit changed. there was a motorcycle cop right there waiting and pulled me over. he asked me to step out of the car and did some type of test with his pen light. i had to follow the light with just my eyes while keeping my head still. he asked me several times if i had been drinking. i couldn't help but smile each time he asked. of course i told him that none of us had been drinking or ever taken a drink in our lives to which he politely replied, "bull s%@#." for some reason or another i didn't pass the light test so he made me take a breathalyzer test. of course i passed with flying colors. needless to say i didn't get a ticket. probably because he was such an idiot. just another funny experience to add to the list.

Me drinking out of the spring. The water tasted great!

Jesse and I doing some extreem cliff jumping.

Brittney's New Fathers Day Date

So what's with the title your probably thinking? Well in the McKay house Father's Day came early this year and it wasn't on purpose either. Brittney thought that this last Sunday was Father's Day (I guess she never checked a calender). So on Saturday she had a big special surprise for me( she planned it on Saturday because it couldn't be done on Sunday). For some reason or another I always figure out what Brittney's surprises are and it's always by accident. So Friday morning her cell phone rang and she told me to answer it. We were both in bed sleeping, so I got up to answer it, but it was too late and whoever called just left a message. I gave Brittney the phone and rolled over to go back to sleep. She check the message and all I heard was,

" Hi, this is Tiffany from Massage Envy calling to confirm Kyle's appointment for Saturday morning"

Later that morning I confessed to Brittney that I had overheard the message (though not on purpose). She was disappointed, but I was super excited!

Saturday came and I left for my massage. One word can only describe the sheer ecstasy of soft cool hand's rubbing my labor harden muscles..."DIVINE!" When I was done Brittney called and asked me to go to the store to pick some things up. I could tell she was stalling, so I played along. When I got home she surprised me with a clean house and hearts all over with *messages of her love* (see end note). I was thrilled!

Later that night we went over to her parents. Her sister Michelle informed Brittney that Father's Day wasn't until next week. Unfortunately I received no special treatment on Sunday.

Oh well. I'll call this a practice run. I can't wait till the real Father's Day!

* The hearts that Brittney put all over our house were actually hearts I made for her two years ago. I plastered them all over her car while we were dating for Valentine's Day. Some of the sweet nothings included "I love you like a fat kid loves cake" and " Roses are red, Violets are purple, when I think of you, I go all gurple" ect. I thought it was a clever way to recycle them.