Danyn's Talents

In May, Danyn had a few exciting events where she had an opportunity to shine. The first was during the Running Forward 5k. She and Thatcher both participated in Running Forward this year, and got to run the race together.

Danyn is probably our most athletic child, but we were still impressed when she finished in the top ten, completing the race in under 30 minutes!

She definitely pushed herself, but it was a good experience, with some free running shoes to boot!

Next up was the talent show, where Danyn choreographed her own dance routine to the song "Shake it Off", by Taylor Swift. Her routine was a hit, even getting the staff involved!

She did an excellent job, and we were very proud of her for putting herself out there, for both events. Well done Dany!

Random Stuff

Just a few little things that have been poking around with no particular place to assign them. First off, Finn has been thriving this year in school, and has had so much fun with his teachers. A few weeks ago, he got to bring home Corduroy for the weekend, and let him be a part of our family for a few days.

Finn took him almost everywhere, and loved him to death. He was a good visitor. Finn also got to participate in his classes talent show, by reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear.

The talent show was a little chaotic, to say the least, and Finn was one of the few kids who actually had a prepared talent, and wasn't too shy to perform it. He did a great job.

We've had a lot of rain lately, which makes for a lot of cloudy days. I snapped this pic during one of them, as it made our street look particularly majestic.

My friend Beth had her baby, and I got to go and visit with her, and see him. Little Wyatt is pretty adorable.

And lastly, I took the girls for haircuts, and even though their styles aren't drastically different, the end result looks a lot more polished.

 

I forgot to get Danyn's before shot because she went first, so the sink is all I have. Not to be outdone, Finn rocked a sweet mohawk to school the other day.

The only reason his hair can even do that is because of a rather disastrous haircut he got from a place called Cookie Cutters. They're supposed to specialize in kid haircuts, but they tried to give my four year old a hipster do. No, just no. So we had Sonia fix it as best she could, but mostly it just needs a lot of time to grow out.

And there you go, all caught up on the Baylys crazy.

Danyn is Double Digits

Danyn had her 10th birthday this year! She's getting old. I think we need to get her a job.

This was her hair after Grandma did it up with a curling iron while Teag and I were out of town. It's crazy how a new hairstyle can make her look so much older. She had a good birthday this year, getting lots of things she wanted.

That included jewelry, a couple of books, a watch, and some markers and coloring books. She also decided to buck tradition and have special birthday ice cream instead of a cake, so we went to Coldstone to get her whatever flavor combination she so desired. We even brought a candle for her to blow out, and sang Happy Birthday.

And check out this amazing Valentine's Day box she created! She did have a little help from us, but she did quite a bit of the work, and it looks awesome.

Danyn is still a pretty adventurous kid. She is very kind to those around her, and a rather sensitive soul. She enjoys singing, and has joined both the Ward Choir, as well as a choir at her school. We're proud of the girl she's becoming, and look forward to seeing her continue to grow and mature. Love you Dany!

First Day of School!

This past Monday was the first day of school for our little family. A momentous occasion for a couple of reasons. The first being that Maisie is now starting Junior High, and is attending a different school than her siblings!

She's attending 7th Grade at Clayton, a school that is out of our boundaries, thus necessitating she ride the bus. It's been a bit of an adjustment, but I think it's suiting her well, and she seems very happy to be there.

Danyn is now one of the oldest kids in our carpool, starting 4th grade this year at Newman.

She has a new teacher, Mr. Sagers, who we all like, and she has the love of her life in her class. So all is well.

Rory is in 2nd Grade at Newman and has Mrs. Pierce, who has a delightful Southern accent. Rory loves her already, and is enjoying school so far.

The other big change involves Finn, who will start Pre-K at Newman in about a week. That means that for four days a week, all the kids will be in school, and I'll have three hours at home by myself. I never thought this day would come, but I'm turning cartwheels just thinking about it. Yay for school!

Achieving Much at Achievement Days

Danyn has a great Achievement Days leader, and she's loved having a place to go and talk, craft, or bake. Back in June, they had a little evening for parents and other family, where they got to show up some of what they've been working on, both in their activities, and at home or school.

Danyn also asked me to sing A Child's Prayer with her, and we got to perform the song for those assembled.

We've heard quite a few funny stories from the leaders about how Danyn loves to talk, and how she loves to have "girl time" with the adults. Danyn is a good kid, and we're proud of all she's accomplished in working toward her Faith in God certificate.

And Then There's Danyn...

And she turned nine! Danyn had been asking us to go see the new Star Wars movie, so Teag and I took her to see it for her birthday activity.

Then we went to Tucanos, a Brazilian restaurant where servers walk around with skewers of different meats to try. There's also a salad bar. Danyn loved their Brazilian Lemonade.

Dany is our little meat-eater, so this was the perfect place for her to go for dinner. She was brave and tried a lot of new things, but said no to the chicken hearts. Teag was the only one brave enough to give those a go.

After dinner, we went home and did cake and presents with Grandma and Grandpa Rogers. Danyn was excited for all her presents, including some art supplies, jewelry, and a set of her favorite books.

Danyn is a very active kid, she's always on the move. She's constantly making up dances or trying to perfect new gymnastics moves. She's very tender, and seems to be more aware of people and how they're feeling. She's also one of the silliest kids, telling weird jokes and making strange faces for a laugh. She's lost two of her very best friends in the last few weeks; her best friends Tressa, and her cousin Avery both moved, and it's been hard on her. But I've been impressed with her ability to stay positive and be happy. Danyn gets over most hurts quickly, and is eager to smile. We love this girl, and all her craziness.

Amelia Earhart

Now that Dany is in 3rd Grade, it's her turn to participate in the biography project. She picked Amelia Earhart as her subject, and she seemed very excited to be able to share everything she learned about her, especially with Teag. I was able to go and watch her give her presentation.

 She was definitely nervous to stand up in front of her whole class, but she tried really hard to smile and she gave good information about her subject. Plus she looks so darn cute.

It was fun to see her so excited, and I was proud of how well she did on her presentation. Way to go Dany!

Danyn, the Award Winning Writer

I realized that in my flurry of blogging yesterday, I forgot to include Danyn's special moment. Her teacher, Ms. Pfeiffer, has been an incredible mentor and role model for Danyn, and we've been very grateful for her this year.

One of the things she did was have her kids work on their writing. Writing was a very big part of their classroom experience, which I personally put a lot of value on as a truly important life skill. In the course of their writing, the whole second grade at Newman entered the Cesar Chavez contest, and Danyn won 1st place in the entire Salt Lake City School District for Literary Arts, Grades 1-3!

A few of the other kids in her class placed as well, which goes to show how much Ms. Pfeiffer has worked with them. Danyn received a certificate, as well as a gift card for a free meal at Tucanos.

We're very proud of her, and how far she's come this past year. Way to go Dany!

Getting Dunked: Danyn Style

The day after Teag's birthday was the day of Danyn's baptism! She has been very excited and nervous both for this very special day. A day that was made even more special by the fact that Danyn was the only kid being baptized that day. She got to decide the whole program, and knew that everyone there was there specifically for her. It was a very great day for her. I'm cursing myself that I didn't get any pictures of her in her dress; a dress that was subsequently destroyed after the event. One day of wear, and it already had tears in it. Oh well.

I did, of course, get pictures of her in her jumpsuit.

She looks so radiant here, and that smile is endearingly sweet. She had asked her dad to both baptize and confirm her.

It was sweet to see them practice a few days before, and the actual event was very touching. It made my heart swell with joy to see her taking this next step to be closer to her Heavenly Father, and to have her own father be the one to help usher her there.

We're very proud of you Danyn, and the choice that you made to be baptized. Keep being the awesome kid you are!