What a weekend!

This last weekend turned out to be quite eventful. For those of you who know my younger brother K.C., he's now officially engaged! He proposed to his fiance, Sherry Davis, on Friday night while they were swimming at the Buttes with some friends. She's a lot of fun and I'm bummed that I don't have any pictures of them to post but she's super cute and makes K.C. really smiley. It's very cute to watch the two of them together because it floods me with memories of my own engagement...back in the day. In other news, Jake's older sister Sara, and her husband Linus, welcomed their first baby on Saturday evening

This is their baby girl, and my new niece,

Madyson Payten Hollobaugh

.I just can't get enough of her! She has these really long toes and she's just so tiny! Mady is perfectly healthy and I couldn't be happier for Sara and Linus.They are going to be the very best parents. What a beautiful little miracle!

Puppy Love...

Who knew? Apparently I am a closet Donny Osmond fan! Through a strange twist of events I was able to go to his concert tonight at the Celebrity Theatre with my mom. I must admit I was a little skeptical thinking for sure I would be the youngest one there. I was also convinced that I wouldn't know any of his songs. I agreed to go because a couple of years back when he was in town, I got to do his makeup when he made a t.v. appearance on ABC 15. While I wasn't in the same age group as the majority of his fans, I wasn't as out of place as I thought I would be. We were even on the 7th row! He put on a really great concert and I even sang along with almost every song! He was very involved with the crowd and had a lot of candid conversations. He's such a fun performer and I have to admit he made my heart pound. I had such a great time with my mom! I was thankful that Jake wasn't there as I unknowingly reverted to my teenage heartthrob years. I stood, I yelled, I whistled, I even threw in a few cat calls. Donny, I'll be buying your new c.d. tomorrow and I vow to never miss another concert. Good luck on the healthy delivery of grandchild #2!

A special day...

8 years ago today, my life changed.

I'm so happy that my sister Emily took me to meet this guy.

He had just had his 22nd birthday so she wanted to make him some cookies.

Funny enough, he was thinking Em was bringing along her BABY sister...

not her LITTLE sister.

He was quite surprised when her opened the door to find that she indeed

was not stuck babysitting for the night. In fact, it was our own sneaky little plan to get me to meet this man.

Emily spent the evening making cookies.

I turned my sass on and won this man's heart.

I knew from the moment he opened the door that he was the one.

He, however needed some convincing.

I filled his freezer with boxes of Popsicles so I could stop by and get one.

I knew he didn't even like Popsicles, but what were the odds I was

actually going to be INVITED back?

If he had something of mine, I could stop by whenever I wanted, right?

I ended up visiting him every day that following week...

sometimes twice...for a Popsicle of course!

And that's how it all started...birthday cookies and a freezer full of Popsicles!

I love you, Jake and memories of meeting you that first night still bring a smile to my face.

Happy 30th Birthday last Saturday! Shabu Fondue was so much fun with you! Love, Kaylani Karen

My official tagging...

this is from julie...not the generic blanket tag from karen! i don't know if you want to know any of this, but you asked for it...7 interesting things about me, kaylani karen layton mavity:

1. i LOVE labor and delivery! i would do it 100 times if i was a much more easy going mom. i have "pushed" a total of 4 times...all 3 kids combined!
2. i hate cockroaches!!! if i see one and it disappears, i can't sleep until it is flushed down the toilet. my body starts to feel little tickles all over and i can't handle it! i once woke up with one staring at me on my pillow 3 inches from my face! we're not dirty, it's the irrigation.
3. i absolutely love attention, but don't put me on a stage (or in front of a beehive class for that matter) i completely clam up!
4. i cry every time i see my little brother, k.c., in the temple. EVERY TIME. i don't know why it happens and it only happens with him, sorry sweetie.
5. i have done dishes less than 10 times in my home since i've been married. yep ladies, going on 8 years! either my house really is that gross or i have an AMAZING husband that does them without being asked EVERY night...i love him!
6. i still wax eyebrows in my home on a regular basis, but i have not had my own waxed since beauty school...8 years ago. i am too chicken to do it myself and too cheap to go find someone.
7. i faked appendicitis the week before 7th grade started and i actually got it out. i'm not sure if my parents ever figured this out, but being in the medical profession, i'm sure they did. and if not, they'll know now. sorry guys. i have tried to figure this whole thing out through the years and a have narrowed it down to this: i love attention and i had to get creative sometimes being the 8th kiddo in the fam!

Love to all...hope it was enlightening and you haven't lost total respect for me...anyone know a good shrink?

Question of the day...

Is there anything special you would like me to know about your child?

This question was placed at the bottom of a long survey that Blake's kindergarten teacher wanted me to fill out. My mind raced with all of the possible answers to this bold question. Of course, there are a million special things I would like you to know... - he's very sensitive and always is the first to cheer up his sisters - he likes to say his hair is green, not red - he won't eat his crust, so don't bother making him - he sometimes thinks he's a ninja - he LOVES to cuddle with his mom at night and sleeps just like her - he still talks to his stuffed animals just to remind me that he's not so grown up - he calls his freckles "Mutti kisses" - he remembers everything - he LOVES to watch "cartoonies" - he's not afraid to pick up a dead cockroach, but is deathly afraid of little black ants

- he's my biggest helper - when he gets his picture taken, his head always faces the camera but his eyes are always looking somewhere else - he still says lasterday instead of yesterday and I won't correct him - he doesn't talk in his sleep, but we find him in random places during the night laughing uncontrollably...in his sleep - he has an infectious laugh - he wants to be everyone's friend

- he loves to be read to

- he is a pure boy and is obsessed with weapons so he can "PRETECT his sisters"

- he still says m's for n's and vice versa and I love it

- when I was tearing up one night last week about him going to all day kindergarten, he tried to cheer me up by asking, "but mom, I'm going to learn so much, and won't you be so proud of me?" So, as all of these answers were flooding my head, I began to be overwhelmed with the fact that my little guy was going to kindergarten and I couldn't sum him up on the tiny little line that was allotted for my response. I slowly scrawled "He's a great kid" and handed Mrs. Smith the paper feeling like those words had done him a major injustice. So this morning he stepped into a new role without any hesitations or kissing his mom. I did manage to get him to blow me a kiss as he stood in line ready to start a new adventure. I love you, Blake! And yes, I really am so proud of you!

trip to indianna: PRICELESS

This last vacation of the summer was a trip of a lifetime! I hope it is one that my children will look back on for years to come and remember the fun memories that we made with cousins that are so dear to us. I can't even begin to describe the insanity that took place as my sister Louisa, her husband Matt (aka Uncle Ed), their 5 girls, along with me and my three, invaded my other sister Emily and her husband, Mark in their home along with their 4 kids! Out of control, I tell you! It was the kind of chaos that is totally bearable because the kids were happy 90% of the time and the other 10% was nap time, bed time, or putting just out small fires of hurt feelings. If you haven't done the math yet, there were 12 kids between the 3 of us sisters and the oldest was only 7 (although she was of more help than any 15 year old could have been!). Out of the 12 kids, 10 of them were girls...mostly sweet with just a little spice. The two boys were always in high demand because one of those 10 princesses ALWAYS needed a prince. We filled our days with lots of playing dress up, coloring, and even laughing. At one point, we even had the children put on a talent show for us. You can imagine with all the girls how many dances we clapped for. One day we went to Shakamack (I'm still not convinced that's the REAL name) state park and went swimming in the pool with a few water slides. It was beautiful! My dad was even able to fly out for most of the fun and I know the grand kids really enjoyed having him there. He was such a great sport and even went down the water slide more than any of the kids! I love to see that playful side of him like when he used to play a tripping game with us on the trampoline when we were young. He took the adults out to dinner one of the nights and we were able to hire a couple of young women from Emily's neighborhood to watch the kids. We had such a great time at Stable's and the food was delicious! Emily, Louisa and I decided to run a 5k one morning so we chalked out a course. Mark set off a bottle rocket to start the race and off we ran to the cheers of our sweet kiddos! Our dad SLOWLY followed along snapping pictures and handing us water...what a 'stage dad' :) On Sunday, Emily and Mark blessed their new baby, Sadie (the reason for our trip). She is so sweet. Louisa and Ed had their newest baby girl, Laura, in May. I could just feel her special spirit. I always wish babies could tell you all that they know because they are so close to our Heavenly Father and so pure and fresh to this world. I could see in their eyes the eagerness those babies had to share all they know. It was a special time for me. All in all, I was able to be there from August 1st to the 9th. I am so grateful to mark for all the sacrifices he made during his last week off classes for his master's program to shuttle me the 4 hours to and from the airport and let us invade his home. You're awesome! I am so glad we took the rare opportunity to get together like this. The memories are priceless and I am amazed at my sisters and their strength and willingness to selflessly serve their families. You are an awesome example to me!

Girls camp...just a few of the good ones

.