Makenzie

I just HAD to share this adorable picture of my new niece...

Introducing...

Makenzie Dawn Reynolds

My little brother Jake and his wife Emily had their baby girl this morning at 6:08 am!!!

She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 21 inches long - the exact same measurements as Em when she was born.

Em is tiny, so that is a big baby for her!

I am so jealous that Lisa is there and has already been able to see her.

My parents are on a flight to NJ right now, and I am DYING that I don't know when I will get to meet her - hopefully soon ;)

We are so excited for the newest addition to the Reynolds family!

Congrats Jake, Em and Makenzie - WE LOVE YOU!!!

SUU Women's Auction

Last night I went to the SUU Women's Auction - such a fun event! The men's athletics obviously receives more funds for scholarships and such, so the auction was to raise money for the women's athletics. We had a 'football coaches wives' table and had a blast! It started out with a silent auction, dinner, then onto the live auction.

Throughout the live auction I could not keep a straight face...the auctioneer was this old man with a big cowboy hat and he was SERIOUS about his job! He was full of "I hear $1,000 duba-duba-duba-duba-duba is there an $1,100? duba-duba-duba-duba-duba-duba-$1,200 to the gentleman in the back duba-duba-duba-duba-duba" and so on. It was hysterical!!!

I didn't bid on any of the big ticket items in the live auction, however, I did end up winning a couple fun items in the silent auction. A few of us had items we were really wanting, so we kind of just stalked the tables with our stickers ready. One of my winners was a basket of PUREOLOGY products - which I love. Anyone that knows me knows I am a total sucker for beauty/hair products, so I had to be sure win the bid. My other winner was really for Dallas...a Lightning McQueen sunshade for the car. He was in bed when I got home, but I showed it to him this morning and he was ecstatic! I don't know if it will ever make it to my car though, Dallie is pretty sure it is just a toy for him...

I had a fun night out and was more than happy to contribute to the cause ;)

African Princess

A couple of weeks ago I picked up our mail at the post office, got in line for stamps and began opening my mail. I was expecting nothing more than the usual bills, junk, and possibly a little note from a family member. Then I opened a letter that started like this:

Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was a beautiful, little African princess without a home...

I was totally overcome with emotion and tears, and everyone in the post office probably thought I was CRAZY!!! I forgot about the stamps and ran to my car to call my sis Kim. She didn't answer, so I finished the letter, which confirmed my initial thought - the Francis family is adopting a baby!

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It is quite a process...probably a year-give or take. Mounds of paperwork, homestudies, interviews and finally a trip to Ethiopia to learn about the culture and pick up their baby girl from the orphanage there. My parents will join them for the trip, and the rest of us will be anxiously awaiting at home. Kim and I were saying how it will feel like the longest pregnancy ever! "Sister" - as Isaak and Ben refer to her - will be anywhere from 0-12 months when they get her. It will be so fun to have to more little girls in the family (Jake and Em are expecting their little chicky any day...)

We are all SO, SO excited for this incredible journey!!!

CHOP-CHOP!

This little boy may not have been so happy about getting his hair cut...

but, his locks were getting a bit long...

and some were even mistaking him for a girl...

so with the promise of a sucker and ice cream afterwards...

Dallas got a haircut!!!

Mommy may have been close to tears watching ALL THAT HAIR fall to the ground!

but, I think mister is liking his new do :)

7 years...

...ago today, Teag and I said "I do"

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Who knew that the quiet and well-behaved, little blond girl and the tall, skinny, rowdy and rambunctious boy who sat next to each other in Mrs. Remington's 2nd grade class would end up tying the knot?

Who knew that the girl doing the silly mat-cheers and half-times and the wrestler and football player would end up together?

Who knew that boy and girl from BHS who both ended up at BYU and started their own Thursday night bowling league would get married?

Who knew that the little 'nerds' Valentine from 2nd grade that read 'to: ashley, from: teag' would ever mean so much?

Who knew that being the only two students on the top row of the elementary class picture would prove to be fate?

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We have been through plenty of jobs, a few lay-offs, 6 apartments, 2 houses, half a dozen cars, lots of vacations, too many injuries and surgeries, 2 cute puppies/dogs, dozens of holidays, 4 NFL teams, a handful of good road-trips, thousands of movies, many fun concerts, hundreds of restaurants, 1 {short}pregnancy, 47 hours of labor, 1 adorable little Dallas, many weddings of loved ones, a few sad funerals of missed ones, endless hours of laughter and fun, 1 or 2 disagreements, elementary-middle-high school-college-grad school, many great friends, infinite hugs, countless sporting events, a million episodes of Diego, many wonderful meals by Teag and many burned meals by Ashley, thousands of diapers, 2 "goobies", 999 be-be's, dozens of stuffed animals or 'buddies', 1 coaching job (so far!), plenty of ups and downs, fun times and tough times, laughter and tears, tons of amazing memories and milestones!

Things haven't always been easy and our marriage is far from perfect, but we have stuck together and made it to today with love and appreciation for each other :)

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Thank you for it all babe. There is no one I would have rather shared it with!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Stacey and Hailey

A couple weekends back Stacey and Hailey came down to hang out for a few days! Dallas gets so excited for visitors and new playmates, if only for a few days.

We hung out, watched football, went out to eat, wandered Walmart, went bowling, Stacey made us an awesome dinner, Hailey joined Teag and the football team for morning workouts and Hailey and Dallas had the time of their life playing in the gymnastics room (which I am DYING to do myself...).

Thanks for visiting girls! Come back soon!