McKinney Family

Crazy December!

2011-12-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a while and I'm sorry to all of you who have been needing the latest updates from our family.Soooo.... without further ado... THE UPDATE!

Craig has gone back to school and he's got 24 credits left! He'll be finishing by April 2013 for sure! "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" We're really excited for that day! While Craig's been busy at work and school, he still finds time for his church calling and family. He's really amazing! He's the ward mission leader and he's been working on a "forty day fast" for our ward. We're going to pass along a scroll to each participating family, after they fast for a day they pass the scroll onto the next family for forty days. Hopefully we'll have a nice list of referrals to give to the missionaries when that is over.

The kids are growing so fast! Hannah is already 8 months old. She's going to be taller than little Elizabeth in no time at all, of course her mother and father are pretty tall themselves. It's in the genes I guess! Hannah is crawling and eating anything she can get in her mouth. She likes to blow raspberries and sing a lot. She's a happy baby! It's so fun to dress her up and I can even give her a small pony tail (she doesn't like that too much).

Hyrum is turning out to be just as crazy as his mom and dad (once again, it's in the genes)! He loves to run (especially without his clothes-we try to keep that from happening), jump from scary heights (we try to keep that from happening too), and dance. And occasionally he'll sing along with his mother if he isn't yelling "QUIET" at me. He's become a master at cleaning up and he started praying out loud this week! His prayers consist of "Heavny Fader... bess dad... food...Heavny Fader.... dad.... Heavny Fader..... Amen! It's pretty cute.

I've been doing a few things here and there.... actually I've kind of overloaded myself with everything this month. I just finished performing at the SCERA in their "Home for the Holidays" show. I choreographed a dance to "You're a mean one Mr. Grinch" and I of course made myself the Grinch. Then I choreographed and performed a dance to "Breath of Heaven". It was a good show, some of my voice students performed in it too. My voice lessons are going really well too. I'm about to get 9 students (and I think I'll stop there). I made a blog for them so I can elaborate on vocal techniques and update them on any audition opportunities. It's pretty cool. I called it emilysentertainers.blogspot.com. They have their first recital tomorrow and I'm really excited. We'll all pack in my house and have hot coca while the students perform. Then I've got a dance recital that I'll be in too. I joined a ladies dance class in Spanish Fork and it's just like being on a dance team in high school. We bought costumes and we're even going to a competition. I love it. I'm really getting to know a lot of people in Spanish. This is a great place to live. Well, I think that's everything.... oh yeah, I started taking piano lessons again too!

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to having a break and going home for Christmas! We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

One Year Update

2011-06-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

I won't be making any promises that I'll be updating this blog anytime soon because I think I am beginning to let people down. Since I don't have all the time in the world I'll simplify things down to a list.

We moved from North Orem to Canyon Terrace in Summer of 2010
Craig started his job at US Synthetic
We moved to Orem to a horrible 4-plex where Craig's bike was stolen and we had mold in the walls (we call it Felon Cir).
I started teaching jazz classes for Academy of Ballet in Springville
We bought a house in Spanish Fork and moved in December
We bought a Hyundai Santa Fe
Hannah Maree was born April 7th 2011
Craig is getting surgery on his knee this Tuesday
Emily will be performing in Hairspray with the Spanish Fork Community Theater

So that's us up to date. Here's some pictures to make it a little more interesting.

2010-08-05T14:53:00.001-07:00

It's been a crazy couple of months, so here's my annual apology for not updating the blog sooner. We just had a fabulous time in Idaho with the family for Susan's wedding, which was also very crazy with lots and lots of little kids running around. Hyrum thoroughly enjoyed the running around part. We were constantly looking for him, but he made it out of Idaho without any damage so we're doing good so far right? He's getting so big and is starting to make sense every now and then. He says words like Dad, Mom, Ball, Banana... it's cute.

So now we're almost to the middle of August, where we will be kicked out of our apartment. This wouldn't be such a big deal if we had a place to move to. We have a few options now, but we're kind of waiting to find out about the possibility of buying a townhouse. We'll see. That would be a really big step for us and we don't want to rush into it not having a clue what we are doing. Life is good for us overall, a little stressful here and there, but we're so blessed to be where we are and doing what we're doing. I'm so grateful I get to be a mom and take care of Hyrum. He's a good boy and I really would pick this job over anything else. Sometimes it's tough, but overall the wife and mother role wins out the others!

Here are a few pictures of the 4th and our trip to Idaho.

So I'm a Ballerina Now

2010-07-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

I guess I got into it because our Sunday School teacher told me about her adult ballet class. I never really liked ballet when I was younger, but now that I'm older I can appreciate it. I just didn't have the discipline back then. Anyway, I started sewing to pay for the lessons, and I bought myself a pair of pointe shoes. That's pretty much the story. It's really really hard, but I like to see my progression over time. I even got to dance in their June ballet. It was really fun to get a tutu and everything. Even though I was stuck with a bunch of little girls. Oh well, I was in lights again! I also got to be in their Jazz showcase as a soloist in one of the dances. I played the part of the mother. It wasn't too hard since I have a little experience in that field. Enjoy the pics!

2010-04-21T20:25:00.001-07:00

One small step...

2010-03-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Can you believe he's starting to walk already!? I can't; he was just born yesterday it seems. It's crazy how time flies; Hyrum is turning one in a MONTH!

Child lock my foot!

2010-03-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think we should get our money back, these locks kept our child out for a total of about a month! Oh well, it's pretty funny to watch him get in. In fact, he does it all the time! If you want to see him do it again, come on over! He'll do it as many times as you want! Or you can just play the video again.

So anyway, life with the McKinney's has had its ups and downs, twists and turns. In the end we're still happy and loving life. Especially when it involves sunny weather! We bought a kite the other day and had a picnic at the park. It's fun to watch Hyrum play on the playground and crawl around in the big field. He's getting so mobile!

I've decided to start looking for a job. I'm thinking an early morning aerobics class would work out great since I could leave Dad with Hyrum before he leaves for school, and then one in the evening when Dad gets home again; that way we don't need to worry about who can watch the boy. It would help us a little and we just want Craig to finish ASAP. So if anyone can network me into any job I would appreciate it (It doesn't have to be an aerobics job). Also a seamstress job would be desirable as well, then I can work from home.

I guess some other big news is that I'm going to be returning to the stage since 2006! I'll be performing in June with the Academy of Ballet. I'm really excited to showcase what I've learned in pointe. It's going to be great and I hope as many people can come. Of course I'm not a big star, and I'll probably be put in the back, but hey! I just started this whole pointe thing in February! I'm just thrilled that my toes haven't fallen off!

So there's are life up to date, Hyrum's 1st birthday is coming up! May 1st!

Sign of Things Yet to Come...

2010-02-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, He actually caught himself, which saved me from having to deal with tears... this time.

I thought this was pretty funny. You come up with some interesting games with your kids sometimes. And sometimes they end in tears. :(

Pointe, Voice, Beds, and Skirts!

2010-01-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a very eventful and exciting start of the new year for the McKinneys. Hyrum has his first bottom two teeth in now, and is even more into things than ever. He makes it fun for Mommy. It's actually really considerate of him to have me in mind when he does random things to keep my life from the boring monotonous routines of baby care. Why just last month he decided to spice up my life by falling down the stairs. Now isn't that sweet of him?

Craig is really happy to be starting this semester. He says it's better than last semester since he has all cabinetry classes now. The big project this year is a four post bed! We decided to keep it since it's his senior project. It's going to be made from Cherry wood and will have a nice dark reddish finish. It's going to be really nice. After this semester is over, he'll be through with the cabinetry program and can hopefully get a job in that field for the summer, along with working at Maceys. He keeps himself really busy with school and work. We still find time together and we have a lot of fun on dates to liquidation stores, and other random places that don't cost money to visit!

I've been having a great time with my ballet classes, I've been working really hard to develop my ankle strength and increasing my arch. I feel like I'm getting better, so it's really encouraging. It makes me so happy to have something to work towards. I just love dancing! I got started sewing costumes for the Ballet Academy so I can pay for all the classes, so that makes it even better! I've been sewing like a mad woman and I've been learning a TON! I'm quite the pro at Romantic Style tutu skirts! The Owner of the studio is letting me teach a modern dance master class in February. She said if the girls like me then I can teach some more classes! I hope they like me! I'm teaching voice lessons too! It's going pretty well. I only have one student now, but I think I'll take on a few more the better I get at it. It's fun to see someone figure something out and sound so much better! I live for that "Ah ha" moment in a student! Anyway, I've been keeping myself really busy and I'm loving it. I'm so grateful that the Lord has provided a way for me to continue to use and develop my talents as a mom. I know that I will have more opportunities to serve as I develop my talents. It's a wonderful thing.

Love you all! Enjoy the slide show. There's just some pictures of the past couple months. I hope some of these pictures don't come back to haunt my son. Do you think it will? I just couldn't resist the bathtub pictures. He was just so cute! He loves bath time!

Certificates, Curtains, and Glasses!

2009-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've decided that starting another blog post by apologizing isn't the most creative way to start a post, so I'll just say that there are some great developments happening at the McKinney home.

Hyrum is learning so much, it seems like he was just born yesterday! It's so exciting to watch him grow and learn, but with each exciting milestone, there's a touch of sadness for the months that have slipped through my fingers. Hyrum is one squirmy kid. He loves to roll around and move. He's getting good at straightening out so I can't put him in his car seat. It's funny, I eventually win that game and we go places together. He's started this little high pitched whine that's pretty adorable, but I still attribute the whine to Craig's side. Craig is way whiny. The latest development is that Hyrum is drinking from a bottle! This is a good thing, so at least there's a back up, if I'm unable to feed him myself or if he get's hungry while he's baby sat. It definitely will put me a little at ease if I would need to leave him for a few hours. Anyway, Hyrum is getting bigger, cuter, and more popular. Everyone in the institute is getting to know Hyrum, since I'm over there for a class every day.

I've been up to a lot of things. It's nice to be busy. I've mastered how to make lasagna and Craig LOVES it! That makes me feel good. It's not too hard to please Craig with food, the trick is if I actually like it too. I've also been working on some curtains for our family room. They're almost finished and I'll have to post a picture of them when I'm done. I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm no pro, but I'm not embarrassed by them either. I'm also going to try and get a certification for Water Aerobics teaching by the end of October. I think it's kind of lame that a BS in exercise science isn't good enough for people, but you have to play by there rules if you want a job. What bothers me the most is that they would hire someone without a bachelor's degree that has a certification over one with a BS and experience. What did I go to college for anyway? Oh well, I am glad that I got an education for sure, but little things like that bug me. So alas, I'm forking out the money to get certified. At least my resume will have really cool things on it!

Craig is getting adjusted to the school life now. He's so busy. I love Fridays because We go to the devotional together, then we have a institute class together, and then we go home for lunch before he heads out to work. He's getting sales again which is great. He's just been busy training new recruits and everything. He sure wishes people would be a little nicer to sales guys, but oh well. He got glasses today, and he looks awesome! He has blue frames, and I like them a lot, he's HOT!

That's what's new! we're doing good and we love life, especially when it involves our son's cute laughs on the changing table!

Life is good.

2009-09-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I've posted anything, but we've been really busy moving and getting set up with school and such. It's been a pretty eventful month to say the least. We're moved into a condo now, and it's nice to have things in order finally. I have a nice area for my sewing machine that I'm really excited about. I just need some more fabric. I wish I had a collection of fabric like my mom. That would be nice. Fabric gets pretty spendy sometimes. I made a pretty skirt for Julie's (Criag's sister) wedding, that turned out ok. It's a little tight around my waist but good enough to wear in public. Criag's set with school now. He's staking all of his cabinetry classes, an art history class, and an english class. He's got a lot of papers to write this semester and I think it's pretty demanding for him. Luckily he has a wife who will help with his research and things. He's also looking for a project for his cabinetry class. We're not doing Becky and Robert's entertainment center this semester anymore, so he's open to anyone else who needs some work done as far as that goes. Craig is a busy man. He's been setting up Big Dog Satellite in Utah. He's been promoted to manager and he's been recruiting, interviewing, training, and selling his Dish Network and such. We're putting out a lot of signs around Utah County so keep your eyes open, you might see one!

As for me, I'm taking a couple of institute classes to have a reason to get up with Craig in the mornig. I really like them, and I'm also practicing the piano and playing hymns for my class. It's going pretty well. Thank goodness for simplified version hymn books! I've also been looking around for a little job to keep me busy. I'm hoping to get a job at the dance studio next door to our place. They said that they want to start up a singing and dancing program for the fall, so they'll get back to me. I'll have to check up on that so they don't forget about me. I also am wanting to get certified with AFFA and AEA to teach land and water aerobic classes. I also tried out for Savior of the World. So as soon as all the auditions are over, I'll hopefully get called back to read the part of either the virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene. We'll see. I felt like I had a good audition.

That's the big news and update I guess. Other than that, Craig and I are still in love and happy together. Hyrum is such a good baby, and we're so happy he's a part of our little family. I'm glad I'm a mother and I am ok looking after him all day. He makes me so happy! Life is happy amongst the stresses and worries that happen in the world. We're just glad we found one another and we can go through life together. Life is good.

Utah Bound

2009-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Our adventure in Colorado Springs is almost over now, and we almost made it through the summer unnoticed, but somehow... we got asked to speak in church right before we leave on the last Sunday! That's alright though, we'll be ok. It's only 8 minutes to each of us. I can make it through that I think. It's funny that I would rather be asked to sing instead of give a talk. Most people would want it the other way around.

It's been a great Summer, and it's been great for our family to be out on our own for a while. Hyrum as been so fun to watch grow up! Lately he's been really getting into the growling thing more and more. He also has figured out how to pop his lower lip out like a little puppy dog. It's cute, and he smiles more and more! I love it!

We found a new place to stay in Utah when we get back too. We're really excited about it too. It's a 3 bedroom condo! It'll be nice to be out of South Provo and in a different area.

Anyway, that's our life for now. Enjoy our slide show complete with Water World Pictures from yesterday!

Tragedy in the apartment

2009-07-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

This is a tale sad to tell. It's a tragic fate of the roll-of-the-dice tale. With the green, yellow, and red monopoly gotlet, one would think that I had nothing to lose, but I was wrong, sorrowfully wrong. Criag, the proud owner of the whimpy purple monopoly and light blue monopoly, and the boardwalk monopoly. Now, with all the houses and hotels being utilized, one would think that if I were going to go out, it would be from landing on boardwalk, but no, it was a tragic tale of the Baltic property and ventor property! Not only would I land on those two every single time, but Craig would land on free parking every time, and somehow skip joyfully through all three of my monopolies! Eventually we no longer had any money in the bank to collect after passing Go. In the end I was praying to land on the "Go to Jail" spot, but to no avail, I became a victum to the $450 on Baltic every time I passed. NOT FAIR! Craig rigged the dice! I know it!

What a Week!

2009-07-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

This last week was a busy one, but fun. So fun that we all crashed Sunday afternoon! Debbie came to see us for the week while she scouted at some games in Aurora. It was great to have her here and we did a lot of fun things. We went to the zoo here, where I was flipped off my their gorilla, and then to Mr. Biggs where we went bowling. It was great! I encourage all of you to come and see us! We'll play and make memories! This weekend Craig and I went with our friends Tyler and Kara to Denver to celebrate the fourth of July. Hyrum pretty much missed the whole trip, but I'm sure he had fun sleeping through six flags, bowling, and the fireworks!

And for your viewing pleasure...

Grunts, Smiles, and Aprons

2009-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

This Is Hyrum in his bouncer. He loves it now that we have batteries for the vibrator.

Ok, so Hyrum's been doing this grunting thing lately. It's so cute. He reminds me of his dad when he starts waking up. He'll stretch and make a big manly grunting sound. It's really funny. This video's an attempt to capture that, but we really didn't catch it. Instead he just gives me this look like he's saying "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Another cute thing that he's starting to do is smile! Just this morning, Craig and I were playing with him and he wouldn't stop grinning. I love being a mother and watching him grow and learn new things. Last night he huffed and puffed like he was laughing. We'll just say he really was. He had a wide grin on last night and laughed. It was probably the cutest thing I've seen him do yet. I'm sure there's much of that to come. He's getting so big! So strong too. He'll stand up with a little help, but not too much. He's a pretty tough kid. Ain't nobody messin' with this big boy!

I've been a busy woman lately, and here is what I have to show for it! It's got a few mistakes, but hey! I'm learning how to sew. For those of you who don't know, I just got the most amazing sewing machine for graduation. A Bernina Activa 220! Oh yeah!

That's it for now, I'll have to post more pictures soon. I just have to find the camera charger! Eh!

23!

2009-06-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

I turned 23 on Sunday! We didn't take any pictures, but it was a great day. Actually, we celebrated on Saturday. Craig took me shopping if you can believe how amazing that would be. I got some clothes, then we had dinner at Olive Garden, and finished off the night at movie theater. We saw Star Trek and it was Awesome! I wasn't disappointed at all, being the Trekie that I am. I guess I'm not a real Trekie, but I like it because I think of my dad and his millions of Star Trek Next Generation videos. I loved watching those with movies with Dad. Good times.

Life for us is going really well. Craig's in a competition with the other sales reps to get a free dinner, so we'll let you know how that turns out. I think Craig's car is going to win becuase my husband ROCKS! Not that I'm biased or anything. I just love him. Hyrum is doing great. I love to hear him snore, watch him as he's completely intoxicated after nursing, and give him baths. He's getting too big too fast. I don't know how much I like that, but I can't do much about it. Here's some cute pictures. He sleeps with his bum up, and it's adorable! And another movie, pretty much the same as all the other videos, but I can't help it, he's my little boy, I love him!

Dave and Busters

2009-06-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

We just keep having too much fun in Denver. Yesterday we went to Dave and Busters for a company meeting for Craig. We had dinner and then spent the rest of the evening playing games! It was a cool place; kind of like a Chucky Cheese for adults. We got a lot of tickets playing the Monopoly game.

Then we got a monkey and ring pops for our tickets. They were Grrrrreat!

Check this out. Hyrum and I played the jump rope game! He slept the whole time, it was funny.

And this video is just for fun. Think of it as a bonus video or something!

Day in Denver

2009-06-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

This Saturday we got to go to Hard Rock Cafe and to the Colorado Rockies game! It was definitely a fun outing, and we had a great time. Hyrum even let me eat... for a while... then he decided he wanted to eat too. That's ok though, we love him to pieces and he can eat anytime he wants... really... even at 3am in the morning. And trust me, he takes advantage of the "anytime" food offer.

Here are some pictures of the wonderful event, and some extra pictures. We just can't help it. We want to document every minute of this boy's life. He's only going to be this little for a short amount of time. I'll sure miss how little he is when he's three and learning how to use the toilet. Oh boy! For now, we'll just enjoy the here and now.

Anyway, it was so much fun! Hyrum loved all of the sounds during the game, he just wanted to poke out his head and see what all the camotion was about. He's so much fun, and we love being parents. It's crazy to think that's what we really are. In just a few short years, he'll be going to school, then dating, then getting married, then we'll be grandparents?! Maybe, I don't know about that... could that really happen to us? Time really does fly by fast!

Update on Craig: He loves Summer Sales, and he's doing really well. He gets into a lot of homes and makes a lot of sales. His manager says that he's doing extraordinarilly well for his first two weeks. He comes home happy and loves to take on the father role. He's such a good dad and husband, I couldn't be happier.

Tune in next time for videos with Hyrum! You betta believe it!

Video Time!

2009-05-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

It's so fun to watch him stretch and move around. It's probably a nice change from being cooped up in Mommy's belly. He must take after his mom with the whole sleeping with the arms above his head thing.

Hyrum is getting so strong! It won't be too long before he's getting into things he shouldn't be getting into.

We're here!

2009-05-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's been quite the adventure for our family this past couple of weeks. Hyrum had his first plane ride already!

We got to Colorado Springs last Monday and moved in. It turned out to be a 13 hour drive once we got on the road. Hyrum was an angel and slept most of the way, letting us know when it was time to take a break and eat. He's such a good baby. He's very patient with us. I have know where he gets that from! Let's hope it lasts. We LOVE our new apartment. It has two rooms so we have pleanty of room for Hyrum.

We came back to Utah for Gramp's funeral. He past away last week the day before Hyrum's blessing. It was a beautiful service and I'm glad we were able to make it. We were sure grateful that we didn't have to drive though. And of course, Hyrum was a perfect angel for the flight both ways.

Now, were starting our first full week of sales. It's going pretty good, Craig's learning a lot and he get better every day. I'm just glad that he's not hating it. It would help if it would stop raining for sure. Craig got soaked yesterday! He didn't seem to mind too much. I just hope he doesn't get sick!

Here are some cute pictues of our baby that my sister in law took about a week after he was born. She does such a great job! I love it!

The First of Many

2009-05-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the first of many blog posts to come. I decided that if I'm gonna be a full blown homemaker and mother, I need to have a blog to post updates. Plus, I want to document all of the developments of our little family.

Here's the latest:

April 24th, I graduated BYU in Exercise Science. So great to be finished before the baby came!

May 1st at 12:13 AM I gave birth to Hyrum Grant McKinney. He's the sweetest, cutest little boy! Craig and I couldn't be happier. He's such a good little boy. He lets us sleep at night (we'll see how long that lasts)!

Here's what's to come:

May 17th Craig will be blessing Hyrum.

May 18th we'll be moving to Colorado for the summer to continue our adventure. Craig will be selling Dish Network, Direct TV, Quest Phone, Internet, and Security. We're excited and Craig seems to be pretty good at it. Hopefully it's not a miserable summer for him! We feel pretty good about it and are excited to be out on our own for a while.

So those are the big updates. Hopefully I won't be a boring blogger and will come up with interesting things to blog about. We'll see.