The Winters

Rewind . . .

2011-03-04T14:04:00.001-07:00

Kellen's Baby Blessing in November

Nightly reading before bed with all four boys

When you don't take the time to journal or blog on a regular basis, it is so discouraging to sit down and look through all of the pictures and realize how much you've really missed reporting on! This blog, is a quick rewind of the past 6 months so that I can be current with what's going on! We have been having so much fun lately. Kellen is 5 months and growing like a weed. I've already discovered so many clothes that he's not even going to get to wear because he just had a huge growth spurt! He loves to be in the middle of the action so he can keep an eye on everyone. The older boys make him sooo happy! It will be so much fun when he can race around with the rest of them. They just adore him and are so good to help me out when I need their extra hands to take a diaper to the garbage or grab a blanket or binki.

Grant has also grown so much and has a birthday coming up this month. The clothes that he started out in for kindergarten look tiny now compared to the pants that he's wearing. I don't know what we've been feeding these boys this year, but whatever it is, it might have been genetically modified with growth enhancers! They all seem to be growing so tall. Grant just started USA wrestling in Greybull and it's all he can talk about. He loves practicing on the whole family, so when I'm making dinner I have to watch out for his killer takedowns! I tell Grant that he makes being a mom so easy because he's so obedient and kind. I never have to worry about how he will act for his teachers at school or church or how he will treat other kids. He's doing great in kindergarten and it has been fun to watch him learn to read and write this year. It is amazing how much he has changed over the last 6 months in school.

Grandpa brought HoneyBear out to our house for Grant one day after school this Fall

Kyler started preschool at CRC and loves it. This has made it even more evident that he has a strong mind of his own. He doesn't outright disobey the teachers or even bother any other kids, but when he doesn't care to join in an activity (usually the dancing and singing), he just plain will not participate. They try to motivate him and give lots of encouragement, but if it's not his idea, it's not going to happen. (period) Lately, I've decided it's not all that bad. In our day and age, sometimes it's a good thing to have independent thought and actions apart from the group. Last week was pirate themed and they gave all the kids a sticker tatoo. Kyler didn't want to be a pirate and so therefore, didn't participate in any pirate songs or games. When we got out to the car he told me that they wanted him to get a tatoo and he knew that he shouldn't get one, so he didn't think he should be a pirate! It was a good lesson for me. With Grant we have always had the idea that conforming to everything that is asked of us is the best, but I'm starting to realize that we also want our children to think and act for themselves given the principles we've taught them, even at a young age. Kyler is pretty fun-loving and a big helper during the day when Grant goes to kindergarten. He really enjoys laundry, so that's a good balance for me, since I usually dread doing the laundry. I would say that he is the one who also entertains Kellen the most. He could spend all day trying to make Kellen happy.

Kyler's 1st day of CRC Preschool!

Taft is quite a character. He loves to wear his boots and hat around the house and spends hours with a horse and rider. For Christmas he got several sets of horses with little guys to ride them and he just loves them. He also loves books and will sit and look at books for a long time too. He's very self entertained and content. He is a trickster and mischevious! You can always tell by the look on his face that he has something up his sleeve, but you're never sure what he's got on his mind. Unfortunately, he still loves his binki at 2 years old, but his parents dont have the heart to take it away. He gets absolutely "getty" when he sees it and runs to his bed at night so he can have it. He is talking a lot now and loves to sing and dance. He's still a "daddy's boy" and hates it when Dalin has to go anywhere. He is great at copying anything his older brothers do, so it is a good reminder for them to be doing what they're suppose to! He's kind of a brute and doesn't like to be pushed around, so his older brothers respect him and his space!

Dalin and I are usually kept busy with the four boys, but we did just go on a trip to Dallas, Texas for a meeting with TCT. It was a nice little break for us (and Kellen) while the three boys stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Winters. We ate at a lot of really nice places and visited Dalin's Aunt Karen and Uncle Mike and their family. Little getaways like that always make you appreciate your everyday life so much more though and I was dying to get back to the wonderful and wild home of ours! :)

Family Elk Hunting Excursion in January above Meeteetsee. Everybody brought their cap guns just in case we saw something. Even though we didn't see any elk, there were a lot of loud caps going off!

Kellen - 2 weeks old

2011-01-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

We took these photos at a couple weeks old of Kellen and I'm just getting them posted. He was so alert when we started and as the pictures continued, he just couldn't stay awake! It's so funny to look at some of these because we were trying hard to keep him awake, but he just couldn't do it! We used the first photo in our Christmas cards this year and there were lots and lots more, but this is just a sample of some of my favorites and some of the funny ones too! Kellen is 4 months old now and trying so hard to roll over. He giggles at everything and loves to watch everything that is going on around him. He spends most of his time trying to see how many fingers he can possible fit into his mouth at once and get them in there before Taft comes by on patrol to make sure Kellen is still sucking his binky and loving it! In Taft's opinion, he should be sucking on it all day, every day! The boys are taking great care of Kellen and he doesn't have to work very hard to be entertained.

Winters Family Photos

2011-01-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

In November we had a very exciting couple of weeks in the Winters' Family! All of Dalin's siblings were together and all of their families. We were able to get a family photo with everyone, which hasn't happened in their family since Dalin went on his mission in 2000. There are 19 grandchildren all under the age of 9 and two more baby girls due this month! That is so exciting for our family because only 4 of the 19 grandkids are girls! On the other hand, my boys couldn't be happier with so many little boy cousins to get into mischief with. It is awesome to be surrounded by good family, full of lots of cousins to grow up with!

Dalin's parents, Brent and Judy, and their 6 kids - Maren, Kason, Janna, Dalin, Manda, and Karah

While everyone was here, we blessed Kellen at church and the same day our nephew, Kody, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! We were proud of him and happy to share the day with family. The next week, Dalin's oldest brother Kason and his wife Kim were sealed in the Billings Montana Temple to their newest son, Luca. We exchanged Christmas gifts early and Judy made all of the grandkids new pajamas! I wish I had pictures of everyone that night, but I'll have to get them and post them later. I'm so grateful for this great family that I married into! We have had incredible blessings in 2010.

Wall Photo

2010-11-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

In August I had taken all of the boys pictures and I loved how they turned out. I have all of them posted and the group photo is the one I used as my header on this blog. After taking those pictures, I hung up photos of the three older boys on the wall in our living room and wondered what I would do when Kellen was born because his photo wouldn't match. After talking to a neighbor about it, we decided it would be easy to convert Taft's shirt into a onesie for Kellen and I could go take his picture in the same spot. Here is the best attempt at getting a matching picture to go along with his brothers. We unfortunately couldn't take a brothers' picture with matching shirts because there were really only 3 matching shirts!

I have lots more newborn pictures that I have taken of Kellen and I will post this week, but here are his little toes. This picture was stored with the one above, so it's getting put on now, but it kind of goes with the other photo shoot that we took later on. Anyway, I'm excited to get them all on here and show you how much Kellen is already growing !

Arriving home

2010-11-03T23:08:00.000-06:00

Kellen was welcomed home by lots of friends and family. Although I said in my last post that he has been held less by me, you will see that there have been several other willing arms! We have been so overcome with gratitude for those of you who have helped us soooo much. We had meals brought in for a week and a half and they were all so delicious. It was just nice to have people stop by and visit since we didn't go out for a couple of weeks. I had lots of help with the older boys too. Lots of friends and family took them so I could get some things done at home or get a nap! It was a good reminder for me of how important it is to serve others and look for their needs. I am still amazed at the things that were rendered on our behalf.

Little Kellen is happy as can be with his fingers to suck on. In the ultrasound pictures he was sucking on his fingers and he still does every now and then. I'm not sure whether I want a finger/thumb sucker or not. None of my other boys have even attempted this.

Debbie and my dad came to see Kellen right away and took the boys for me a couple of times. They are always looking out for us and the boys love them so much. Kyler even got to go to town with Grandpa and pick a new red bouncy ball and a pack of new superhero underwear!! Every little boy's dream!

My sister-in-law Julie was headed to Powell to ref a volleyball game and came over to Burlington to see her new nephew. She came bearing lots of gifts for everyone and it was so fun to see her for a little bit.

Grandma and Grandpa Winters stopped by to see their 19th grandchild and 16th grandson. Luckily they know how to handle all those little boys and will have lots for them to do on the farm when they're older.

When others weren't here, Grant made sure to get his turn holding his littlest brother.

My friend Alicia came from Rexburg with her kids to visit a couple weeks after Kellen was born and we got to spend an afternoon together. The kids had a fun time playing and we wish they still lived here.

My brother Zach and my neice Isabel came to see Kellen and while they were here Isabel entertained the whole tribe. They broke out all of the costumes and had a blast playing with her.

Kellen Beke Winters

2010-11-02T22:52:00.000-06:00

Kellen was born on September 22! He weighed 7lbs 4ozs and was 19 1/4 inches long. As you can see in the pictures, he has lots of dark brown hair and looks a lot like his big brother Grant. Delivery went really well and Kellen was completely healthy. Here he is shortly after arriving . . .

Here's Dalin holding him for the first time. He's been getting lots of opportunities since we got home to spend quality time changing diapers, burping, and just holding him. With three big brothers, Kellen, probably doesn't get quite the same amount of holding from me, but maybe more Daddy time.

He is just perfect. The first night in the hospital he slept so soundly and Dalin and I thought we had it made, but as soon as we came home and ever since then, we haven't been able to figure him out. He just wants to be awake all the time so he doesn't miss out on all the fun!

Nana (my mom) came to visit us in the hospital and meet the newest grandchild.

On the day I was ready to come home with Kellen, Dalin went to get the boys so they could all come pick us up in the hospital. Grant had a soccer game that evening in Otto and then they came to meet their new brother. They were all so excited and just sat on the couch holding him as long as they could. Kyler said, "Can we keep this baby forever and not bring him back tomorrow?" He's been saying that every day since then and wants to be certain that Kellen will be his FOREVER. Grant was just pleased that he had brown hair and looked so much like him when he was a baby. For some reason Grant had gotten worried that the baby would have red hair and wouldn't look like the rest of us and that he would have hair all over! It was very concerning for him and in fact, he said that if the baby had red hair he wanted us to keep him in the hospital until it changed. he he he. He's my worry wart and he was truely worried about this. It was such a stress off his shoulders for him to learn that Kellen looked just like the rest of them! He can't stop saying how cute he is and holds him everyday. Taft also adores Kellen and is obsessed with helping him with his binki. Taft still has a binki and loves it so much. I think he knows the value of it to him so he just wants Kellen to be as happy as he is. This is so helpful when Kellen is fussy because Taft will walk over and find his binki and put it in for him so gently, but it's not so helpful when he notices it has slipped out and Kellen is in a deep sleep and he tries and tries to shove it in until he wakes the baby! It has been a pure joy to watch them each day and to see how easily they've transitioned into having another brother. Kellen's middle name, Beke, means "peace" in hungarian and that is what he has brought to this home. Being a mother is definitely like nothing else in the world and I count it as the greatest blessing to be able to have had four healthy boys to raise and love. They teach me more about this life and about myself than I could have ever learned on my own. I won't lie, it is also the greatest challenge and exhausting, to say the least, but I can't think of anything else that I would rather be doing right now in my life.

6 weeks ago - still pregnant

2010-11-02T21:22:00.000-06:00

I have had some requests for the "before" photos and this was only days before our baby was born. I am starting at this point in my blogging and working towards the present time! Life has been a little busy with four boys, but I'm starting to feel on top of it all again and can take a little time to update my blog.

Dalin has tried hard with each pregnancy to gain some sympathy weight, but it has never really worked too well with his amazing metabolism. He's just trying hard in this photo to make it look like it!

New Pictures Before School

2010-08-29T22:06:00.000-06:00

Grant started kindergarten this year and has been so excited for it to begin. The most suprising thing for him thus far has been that kindergarteners get four recesses! He also is enjoying the chocolate milk that you can choose to drink every day in the cafeteria. He does mention the fun math and writing that they do, but we primarily hear about who he played with at recess and what was discussed on the bus ride to and from school. Kyler and Taft enjoy sending him off in the morning and waving at the bus, but Kyler likes it even better when he wakes up from his nap and Grant is home again to play with!

Two days before school started I asked Grant and Kyler if there was anything else they wanted to do before Grant's summer ended. Grant wanted one more water balloon fight and Kyler wanted to go to a movie. We did the water balloon fight with our neighbors, the Broederlows. They all had a really fun time throwing the balloons over the fence at each other. We still haven't gone to a movie because we're waiting for a kids movie to be at the drive-in. I don't think Kyler is too disappointed because he's never been to a movie theater before and doesn't really know what he's asking for! My only request before summer ended was to get some pictures of the boys. They consented and we went out in the country around Burlington and found some fun spots to get some shots of them. I thought so many of them turned out well, but here are just a few of my favorites. We will probably be taking new brother pictures soon after the 4th little boy arrives in September, but I thought I better get a couple while they were still so excited about it.

This last picture really captures the happy, wild little boys we have running about our house! They sure make life a lot of fun and full of suprises everyday! This summer has been incredible and has gone so quickly. We lost our pictures that were stored on an external hard drive and we are still trying to recover them. If we are able to get those back, I will post some pictures of all the fun things we did and the places we visited. We made lots of great memories as a family and with our relatives and friends.

Spelling It Out!

2010-04-26T21:37:00.000-06:00

We told the boys we were getting something brand new –

It’s coming straight from heaven and we’ll wrap him in blue –

They were so excited just to spell it out for you!

Due: September 18, 2010

6 months time!

2010-01-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5 this morning so I could get a post done with months and months worth of pictures. I spent two hours uploading them to my blog and it didn't work, so therefore I am doing another smilebox creation! I guess this may be the only way I'll ever get my pictures out to all of you. We had a wonderful holiday season and we were sad when it was over. We celebrated Christmas with lots of family and friends and each of us got exactly what we asked for. Then we had a great new years celebration and on January 7th we celebrated Taft's first birthday. Kyler's 3rd birthday was only three days later and we had a fun party at Grandma and Granpa's house for both of them and for their cousin Weston who was also turning 3. Now we are back to school and work! Dalin is as busy as ever and Grant absolutely loves preschool. The two younger boys and I are just happy to be home playing and napping! We're off to storytime, so I had better wrap this up - Have a great new year!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday Dalin!

2009-10-25T16:55:00.002-06:00

Dalin turned twenty-eight today and we are celebrating tonight with a yummy dinner and a basketball cake! I had decided to get on our blog to upload some more summer pictures, but as I was scanning through our saved photos I couldn't help but think how fun it would be to put something together for Dalin. He is an incredible person, the best husband, and a dad that every kid dreams of! He's always thinking of our family first and makes every day so special. This slideshow gives a glimpse of what an incredible man he is and how happy he makes the rest of us in our home! So here's to you Dalin - another year older and wiser too! :) We love you.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Summer 2009 Part 1

2009-10-17T16:41:00.002-06:00

The summer has come and gone!! It is time to update all of you with some of the pictures from the last couple of months. We had a wonderful summer and although we didn't have any major trips or vacations, we did have a great time in our new house with a new lawn and garden! We just enjoyed spending time with friends and going to the mountains a couple of times for family reunions. These photos are from the beginning of the summer and more are to come.

One of my best friends Alicia has moved closer and we have been so glad because it was so much fun to get together this summer. As you can see, Kyler has been especially happy about Jocelyn being here! Grant and Jeron have a good time too and Alicia and I just hang out with the babies! We need to do it more often now that school has started.

The boys are all in their shorts for one of the first times during the summer so I got a snapshot.

Kyler has had some of his outfits posted before, but this day was just too funny. He is very specific about what he wears and even after a couple of months, he's loving these particular shorts. His personality is so much fun and you're always left guessing what he'll do next.

The boys and I went to Basin for the Bike and Board Rodeo this year and had a lot of fun. They gave out free helmets and tried to teach the kids about safety on their bikes. Maren came with her boys and they all had a good time. I think most of the moms were frazzled after all the hot sun on the black pavement and kids riding wild all over the street!

We enjoyed many days outside in the water. At the beginning of the summer we planted grass so we could only play in our kiddy pool on the porch, but as soon as the grass was well established we were running through the sprinklers continually. One of Grant's favorite things to do was invite over the neighbors for swimming parties and popsicles.

Taft is growing up so fast. These pictures were taken towards the end of spring and beginning of summer when he was 5 months. The boys are still loving him and now that he's getting around a little, they try to include him as much as possible. He sure loves to watch them run around and hopes to be doing the same very soon.

The boys had just woke up and they ran in to check on Taft. Here they all are right after a summer nights' sleep!

June Photo Shoot

2009-07-19T14:29:00.000-06:00

My mom came out in June and took some pictures of the boys in the park. She was able to get some really cute ones that captured the boys' personalities. It's always fun to try to get three little boys to look good for the picture at the same time, especially when Grant has discovered how fun it is to be extra cheesy and knows how to make funny faces, Kyler likes his personal space (which is a couple feet all around him), and Taft just gets tired of it after a few minutes!! My mom was very patient though and it all worked out in the end. > >

March, April, May. . .

2009-05-19T15:46:00.000-06:00

March was Grant's 4th birthday!

Taking a spin on his new bike from Grandpa

Grant had his fourth birthday at the end of March and I finally am trying to get caught up. Here he is blowing out all 4 of his candles! He had a great day and got to do his favorite thing: ride his horse, Honeybear! (Thanks Dad) Grant even let Kyler have a little ride around the corral with Dalin close by. Grant had his friends over after preschool on Tuesday for a mini celebration with cupcakes.

April brought Easter

Every year we have a Winter's family Easter party at the church and if it's nice enough outside, they have an easter egg hunt for all of the kids. In the picture are all of the cousins that came this year (Jack, Kody, Hunter, Kyler, Weston, and Grant.) They always have a great time together!

And now it's May and we just have a variety of pictures . . .

Dalin's family always went rock hunting when he was a kid, so we're picking up that tradition. We just choose a spot out in the hills and see what we can find. In this picture we had found a lizard. Taft is growing like crazy and also enjoying being outside now that it's nice weather.

Taft is such an easy baby- so happy and content! We sure love him and the boys can't wait for him to be able to do more than eat and sleep.

Last Sunday we had all of the boys ready to go to church and as we were headed out the door we realized that Kyler had accessorized his outfit! Nothing new with that boy! He loves to have glasses, socks or sandals on his hands, a cape, and odd and end shoes. The hat and glasses were a new combination for him and he was insisting it should be left on for church!

Skipping Stones

2009-03-30T16:07:00.000-06:00

We went up to Buffalo Bill Reservoir with Maren and Allen (Dalin's sister and her husband) after Stake Conference last week and had a picnic. They have four boys and combined with our three, we're going to have fun for years to come! After eating, all the boys had lessons from their dads on skipping rocks on the water. Naturally there was a competition and we're not sure who won, but everyone had a good time. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful location!

With It Again!

2009-03-14T11:20:00.000-06:00

I'm officially in the middle of being technologically sound again! During my college years I always felt pretty "With It" when it came to the internet and computers and all the little devices that could attach to them. Since that time (5 years or so) I have believed that I still knew what was going on in the cyber world, but as I've been introduced to blogging, I realize that I have gotten really behind. So, here I am feeling pretty good about making my first post!
I decided it was time to get blogging because of a recent experience with an old college roomate. We just had our third little boy in January, and upon sending out some photos to all of our e-mail contacts (which Dalin knew how to e-mail out, not me), some of our old friends from college didn't even realize that we had any kids, let alone 3! This made us very aware that we haven't been the best at keeping in touch with great friends and family. I love viewing all of my friends' blogs and feel very up-to-date on their lives and families, so it was time to get with it!
I probably won't be one who posts a lot, but I will definitely try to do a better job than I've done in the past of letting others know what is going on with our family.

2009-03-04T08:06:00.000-07:00