Geary County Children's Choir school tours

Blayne is in The Geary County Children's Choir this year. They were able to travel around to several schools in our area this week and sing. He had a great time on the bus in-between visits and loved being "school excused" for the day. We are looking forward to a trip to Branson Missouri with the choir at the end of May!

Military Ball at JCHS

Bryce and Wyatt attended the JROTC Military Ball for Junction City High School at The Riley Conference Center on Fort Riley, Kansas. Bryce's date was Cadet Zachariah Shope and Wyatt (Cadet J. Wyatt McKinney)'s date was Alyssa Strahl. They had a great time!

Prom 2012

Bryce was able to attend her Junior Prom on April 14th. She had her make-up done and then had dinner and a great evening with her date (Zach Shope) and the group of kids that they attended the dance with. I cannot believe that our little girl is growing up so fast!

Meet Izlei Mae!

My niece Cassidei had a beautiful baby girl in May. They named her Izlei and I have not been able to meet her until this past weekend. The kids and I met Dan (my step-dad), Cassidei and the baby in Colorado. They met us half way between where we are in Kansas and Cedar City,so that my kids could spend some time in Utah....needless to say Izlei was THE STAR OF THE SHOW! I still cannot believe that I am a great-aunt (it sounds SO OLD!!) I look forward to getting to spoil her!!!.

OK I have been trying to post on our blog for about 6 months and everytime I do it DOES NOT WORK! Help!!!!

A Day in the Life.....Summer @ the McKinneys

Believe it or not these pics were taken while we were at the dentist office...there is neVEr a dull moment with our family. Bryce and Aydan had friends along while Blayne and Aydan had work done at the dentist (Blayne 2 cavities and Aydan 3).
Bryce and her friend Zach enjoyed time in the massage chairs, although, it sounded more like they were being tortured than relaxing. All in all the time passed quickly and we even scored Smash Burger meals for the boys!

Wyatt's 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Wyatt completed the 8th grade this year and will begin high school! I

it does not seem like long ago he was entering kindergarten. He is

still quiet and smart. I love that he is growing up to be such a great

person. I know the sky is the limit with this kid and I am proud to be his mom!

I am going to pledge that I will post more on my Blog...I have a dear friend that does a great job on her blog and I love to follow her family. I have not been very successful with my journaling lately and hope that this will help. Bryce composed this awesome video for one of her classes at school and received a perfect grade. I love my talented and crazy kids!

Aydan Goes Under the Knife

Aydan had to have surgery the Tuesday before Thanksgiving...his Doctor was a urologist -enough said- Aydan was so brave and everything came out just fine. Jeff and I were by his side the entire time....the nurses and staff were so impressed by how calm and good he was. We love our Aydan and are sure glad that this is over and done with!

Stem Cells & Washington DC

The Lincoln Memorial


Arlington National Cemetary

The Subway

Jeff all hooked up and watching TV

The final product!

Jeff found out that he was a match for someone in need of stem cells and plasma (he is in the national donor program). It just happens that he is on Department of Defense list too. We found out that the person needing the donation would need it quickly so we had about 10 days notice to get organized so that we could travel to Washington D.C. My sweet sister Neshia came and stayed with our kids so that I could accompany Jeff...she is an angel & made it so we had no worries concerning how things were going at home. Jeff had to have shots for five days that stimulated the stem cells in his body to extract or multiply (I am not sure which is correct). Then on the last day they hooked him up to a machine that took blood out of one arm, then it went through a machine that extracted the stem cells and plasma from his blood, and finally the blood that was left went through a tube and back into his other arm. Jeff was a trooper the entire time and was grateful to be able to help someone out. The first two days he was feeling pretty good so we were able to take in a few sites. We went to Arlington National Cemetery, walked the mall and also visited the Holocaust Museum. I loved every minute of our time in our Nations Capital. I am thankful for Jeff too and his selflessness.

Halloween 2010

We had a week of celebrating Halloween here in Kansas. The kids had opportunities to dress up every day from the 28th up until the 31st. To add to the festivities Jeff celebrated his 39th Birthday on the 29th. Happy Birthday Sweetie! Happy Halloween to everyone!

First Day of School 2010-11

Bryce - Sophomore at Junction City High School

Blayne 3rd grade at Custer Hill Elementary

Aydan 1st grade at Custer Hill Elementary

Wyatt 8th grade at Fort Riley Middle School

YiKEs..............SSSnAkE!!!

I went out back to move the sprinkler and guess what was just outside our fence! Yes a Snake! Jeff and Aydan were the only ones brave enough in our family to leave the back step. Here are a few choice pics (from the back door)....there is NEVER a dull moment at the McKinneys.

March Madness!!

The Grizz turned 6 on March 8th...I am still in disbelief that my baby is as old as he is!! He loved taking Rice Krispy Treats to his kindergarten class! His teacher lets the birthday child pass out the treat and then after everyone is served, the birthday child gets to take the first bite! Aydan thouroughly enjoyed being able to take the first bite and took his "own sweet time." I have been able to volunteer in his class twice a week here in Kansas and really have enjoyed it! When we first arrived and I found out that he would be in school all day (because that is how they do it here), I almost had a heart attack! Aydan has thrived and made many friends and loves his teacher too. I know that I am partial - but he is the most special and smartest boy! He can read and uses big words that never stop surprising Jeff and I like..actually and exhausted which he uses in as many sentences as possible. He also had a part in his music program this year, he did a great job as "Johnny works with one hammer" LOL. I know that Aydan would enjoy life more here if his "best friend" grandma Kathy lived closer, but he will have to talk to her often on the phone and make frequent visits to Southern Utah. He is a joy and blessing to our family....Happy Birthday Aydan Douglas!!!

Trying to get CAugHt uP!

It has been since January that I have posted. I am going to try to highlight the past months. February 2 Wyatt turned 13 years old! Our second born arrived on Ground Hogs Day (it was a Sunday). He was born in the same state that his dad was ...North Carolina when Jeff was stationed at Fort Bragg.Yes it is true we officially have two teenagers in the McKinney house. We had a family party and he also went on a sledding trip with his good friend Luis. Wyatt has always been pretty quiet and easy going...don't get me wrong, he is not a push over, but he gets his point across well "without drawing too much attention." He is an awesome reader and he seems to think out everything he does. I love how good he is to me and I love his thoughtfulness toward his Dad and Bryce.....and most of the time he is great with Blayne and Aydan (he would defend them to the end but they seem to make him CRaZy most of the time. I joke that Wyatt should have been an only child because the chaos that seems to follow us everywhere is not comfortable for Wyatt. He would rather be in his room or hanging out with the pets in quiet. I do not know where our family would be with out "Dub" he is such a good kid and we love his sense of humor and his "voice of reason." HAPpy 13th Birthday Jeffery Wyatt McKinney.

Cheers to the Murie Sisters

Today my sister Jodi would have celebrated her 39th birthday. It has been almost 22 years since we lost her and I still miss her and think about her daily. Our family cherishes the memories and laughs we have of our beautiful sister, daughter, cousin and friend. Neshia and I have nine children between the two of us and three of the five girls share part of her name. All of our kids know about Aunt Jodi and enjoy the memories of her we share with them. She touched many lives during her short seventeen years with us. Growing up the oldest of three girls was great for me....I fought with my sisters, they let me fix their hair, sometimes we got in trouble, but I always remember sticking up for each other! My parents divorced when I was 6, Jodi was 4, and Neshia was just under 2 years old. Our house was full of four strong willed females...I think back on some of the poor guys that took my mom on dates, (we did not make it easy for them)...I guess we just didn't want to share her. Our house only had one bathroom (& the bathroom only had one electric plug outlet-that only worked if the light was turned on)...but that is an entire other story. In the end we all learned to share and love each other dearly! Happy Birthday Jodi....Cheers to the Murie sisters!

Happy 15th Birthday Brycie

It was fifteen years ago tomorrow, that I gave birth for the first time....Jodi Bryce McKinney made her grand entrance into this life several weeks early, at 1:19 in the afternoon. She had beautiful locks of dark hair and pretty olive skin and although she had to remain in the ICU for a while, we were thrilled and blessed to have our princess here. We named her after my sister Jodi and she has always had a sweet and determined personality. I do not know what we would do without our only daughter and oldest child. We count our blessings daily that we have been given such wonderful kids, and even when we fall short and make mistakes parenting, we adore each of our children. Happy Birthday Bryce! We love you and are very proud to be your parents.

On the 9th of October Blayne celebrated his eighth birthday! It just happened that there was no school that day so he was able to have a birthday party. We had his party at Burger King, here on Fort Riley....since we are new to the area (and do not know many families) we allowed Blayne to invite his school classmates to celebrate with him, and they turned out in force. Blayne kept saying that he wanted his friends and cousins from Utah to surprise him for his big day (which made my heart hurt) but, we convinced him that they would be wishing him well from afar. The kids were able to play on a great inside playground, they ate lunch, opened presents and enjoyed yummy cake. Blayne wanted an Army theme which was pretty easy. All in all he had a great day. I was very proud of him for being a good host. Now that he is older we really tried to impress upon him how important it would be to welcome everyone that arrived (especially because he would know the kids & we would not) he took everyone's coats and gifts and introduced them to Jeff and I, just like a little gentleman. Happy Birthday Blayne! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!

Kansas,Here We Are!!

The McKinney's have a new address! Yes, it is true we reside in Kansas now....a lucky stroke of fate has brought us together as a family (if only for a few months). Jeff will not deploy until Fall of 2010, so the boys and I were able to join Jeff at Fort Riley on Labor Day weekend. We are fortunate enough to be able to live in military housing here on the army base. The boys are enrolled in school; Wyatt at Fort Riley Middle School and Blayne and Aydan at Custer Hill Elementary (yes, the school was named after General Custer himself )! Kindergarten is all day here so I have been trying to unpack our household goods during the time school is in session. Jeff is pretty busy, as his Brigade is preparing to deploy....but the time we are able to spend with him is wonderful and irreplaceable. Bryce did stay in Cedar City with my folks and we miss her desperately, but understand the need she has to fulfill commitments she has there as she is now in high school. I do not know what we would do without such wonderful family and friends at home. Saydi the dog is with us and is now settling in here as well. If any one is passing through or would like to come and visit, please know that you are always welcome and we would love you to stay with us...we will show you around the area. I will write more about our escapades very soon. I also hope to find our camera so I can post photos as well!

Summer in a Nutshell

As summer "winds down" I find myself wondering why time passes so quickly! We have packed a lot into just a couple of months....I started the break off by traveling to St. Louis to spend time with Jeff. We had a wonderful time together, he surprised me by taking me to dinner on a river boat that traveled a couple of hours on the Mississippi River...we saw the "Arch" and drove around the beautiful area. Upon returning home everything was running full tilt at the McKinney Household with T-Ball, Baseball & Soccer; not to mention Boy Scouts and other church activities. Bryce's club soccer team took a silver medal at The Utah Summer Games and then she started with cheer practice soon after. Jeff arrived at the beginning of June and was able to be with us for three weeks. We managed to visit his folks in Northern Utah and even do some sight-seeing. We took the kids to Lagoon Amusement Park during our visit. We had our photo taken in an old "Wild West" setting. Jeff left and is now stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. He has his own private room in the barracks where we correspond through the internet and telephone, just thankful for daily contact! The kids and I have been able to attend two family reunions this summer. My moms side of the family (The Cosslett's) held their family reunion here in Cedar City at a park close to the mouth of Cedar Canyon. There was good food and time for the older folks and kids to get re-acquainted with each other. My mom always puts this reunion together and does as great job! My dads side of the family held their reunion (The Robb Reunion) at a park in Parowan, Utah. I loved being able to see cousins that I have not seen in a while as well as the older members of our extended family. The kids ate and went directly to the Parowan City pool to swim...which was reserved just for the reunion. It was the firs time I had been to a reunion since the passing of my dad, and even though it has been five years since his death, it took me quite a few minutes to get a hold of myself (turn off the water-works) and enjoy the time spent with relatives ( I just kept thinking back to times when my dad would take us places...he would give my sisters and I "a talking to," about behavior and the finer details of politeness before we could join in on the fun). In the sort weeks of Summer I (by myself) was able to fit a visit in to Jeff in Kansas. We talked and enjoyed each others company the "SHORT" three days I was able to spend with my soldier. We found the church he will be attending, went to the movie (Harry Potter), purchased a car for Jeff to get around post in (an older model Volkswagen Jetta) and drove around admiring the countryside near Fort Riley, Kansas. In another nutshell Summer went by too darn quickly!!! Other things to mention about the summer; 4th of July in Cedar City with my folks and Neshia's family, Bryce attending Cheer camp, Bryce attending a Pioneer Trek reactment in Wyoming with many other young adults (ages 14-18) from our church. Swimming, hiking, mowing yards, trips to the library and just trying to enjoy the things we are blessed with.