Mother's Day Tea

This year I was invited to a Mother's Day tea at Dallin's preschool. Dallin greeted me with a flower and a hug and wished me a happy mother's day. Then we took a picture together. After that Dallin escorted me to our table, pulled out my chair so we could have some refreshments. He gave me some special presents he had made at school and then all the kids sang us a few songs. Dallin sang so loud and clear and smiled so big I just had to laugh. He's always been such a mommy's boy and I love him so much. It was so fun to spend some special time with him. It's hard to believe how grown up my baby is!




Miss Eddie and Miss Jami with Dallin.

Spring Break in Moab

For months Dave talked endlessly about our upcoming trip to Moab and especially about renting a jeep. He was like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time. I wasn't quite sure about the whole thing, but I was excited to be going on a real family vacation. I must say that Moab did not disappoint! We had the most fantastic week ever! We hiked in Arches National Park, rented a Jeep one day, a Razor the next and enjoyed a great week with friends and family. The boys were awesome and the only thing we could have wished for was a little more sunshine and a little less wind.

Fun on four wheels

So Moab ROCKS! it was so fun to get out and have an adventure. Although leading up to the trip I was concerned about Debbie and Dallin because of their need stay in control, the Jeeping experience was awesome. To my surprise, Debbie and Dallin actually loved the Jeep, in fact Debbie drove for several hours which was fun. Debbie summarized the Jeep experience the best, "it's like a roller coaster in slow motion!" Without a doubt the jeep day was our favorite. Country music, red rock, and friends for the kids to run around with when we stopped. It was an awesome day!

Starting up Hell's Revenge.

Here's something only Warren was brave enough to attempt!

Dawson didn't even need the motor running to be happy.

Lots of fun with the Havener boys!

The Razor.

Dallin and Payton. Dallin was much more interested in the Carlson's 4 wheeler than the Razor we rented.

Indoor fun in Moab

For the last couple of days my dear friend Jessa and her family joined us in Moab. The end of the week were designated "guy riding" days. So Dave and Damien were off with the guys and Jessa and I stayed at the cabin with the kiddos. By the end of the week it was freezing, and since I had failed to pack jackets for the family (oops!) we were desperately seeking some indoor fun. If you've ever been to Moab then you know that it doesn't offer much in terms of indoor activities. We quickly learned that there are no indoor swimming pools or fast food playgrounds anywhere in town, but luckily there is a very nice bowling alley. Dallin and Kira had a great time bowling, watching movies and playing at the park together. Despite the bad weather It was so fun hanging out with Jessa and staying up way too late talking just like the good old days! As always, Dave had a great time riding with the guys. It was an awesome trip and we can't wait till next year!!









Dallin and Kira having a great time



Even Dawson got to do a little bowling

Jessa and smiley Keeley

Dawson all tuckered out on our last day in Moab

No Dawson Allowed!

As we were packing up the car for spring break, Dallin was sitting at the kitchen table making this sign for his bedroom door. He didn't ask for help at all. Can you figure out what it says? No Dawson allowed. Not bad for a preshooler! As you can see, he loves to draw stars.

A new look!

Here they are! They boys were just plain giddy after our little outing to "the hair cut store. "Dallin was thrilled to get his haircut so he could have spikes like his friends at school. Dawson was happy to get his first "official hair cut" with his big brother. I just can't get over how grown up they look!

No Fear!

The boys got out all the blankets and pillows they could find to make a bed on the stair landing. They actually wanted to sleep there, but settled for a little jumping action!

The first part is the funniest, but for some reason when it downloaded I got the whole clip.

Feeling Domestic Again

I suppose spending 2 weeks home with a sick child brought me to this point. I was going crazy without the gym and the adult contact I crave. Out of desperation for some sense of accomplishment, I finally made the window treatments I've been wanting to make for six months (yes, the fabric has been tucked away in my closet since July).

So it took me six months to think about it and two days to make them! Since completing my project I've wanted more! Now my new kick is cooking with dry beans and whole wheat (I'm getting a wheat grinder with my christmas $). This weekend I made refried beans from scratch and black beans (my fav) and today I baked some delicious and easy whole wheat bread. Thanks Ashley and Jamie for the great reicpes!

I just have to add that I've always enjoyed the whole domestic thing, but with a toddler .......well, just look at the last two posts and you'll understand.

Gotcha!

This is what's left of our FHE treats for tonight!

Dallin came home from church yesterday very excited about what he'd learned about in class. He wanted to learn more for Family Home Evening. I had been downstairs on the computer looking up a story for our lesson for just a few minutes........I guess a few minutes is all it takes!

Happy Birthday Dawson!

I can't believe my baby is 2 years old! Where does the time go?

He is such a sweet boy and we love him so much!



Poor little Dawson was sick on his birthday, but we managed eat cake and ice cream and snap a few cute photos before we put him to bed. Antie Katie stopped by to wish Dawson a happy birthday and drop off a gift.

This is how I found Dawson the next morning with his new gift! Thank goodness for washable markers!

How does the quote go...

"The world is my canvas...?"

Christmas all over again

Dave's parents came to share a belated Christmas with us this year. They arrived the sunday following Christmas and when we arrived home from church it looked like Christmas morning all over again! As you can imagine the kids had a blast! It was fun to have them here for the week.

Dallin really enjoyed some one on one time with Grandma playing games and reading books. He even got to go to McDonalds with Grandma and Grandpa.

Dawson was obsessed with Grandpa's big truck and loved going for rides in it.

We went and saw the gingerbread house display at the Broadmoor, visited Will Roger's Shrine, (wish I'd remembered the camera) and played with remote control vehicles.

And we couldn't let them leave without putting Grandpa to work.

Thanks for the fun visit!

The New Hypersonic Spacecraft!

Here it is!

Introducing the New Hypersonic Spacecraft!

Dallin has been very excited for me to post these pictures for everyone to see. He and his dad worked very hard for several hours on Christmas day putting together all 795 pieces. I was afraid it would only last a day, but it actually made it a whole week in it's original form.

Now Dallin is getting creative and going back to building his own spaceship designs. His friend Colin told him about some Lego contests where you can send in a picture of your own creations to win free Legos. Just the thought of winning a contest got Dallin very excited about building his own stuff again. I'm sure you'll be seeing some of his work soon!

Christmas!

What could be more fun than Christmas with 2 little boys! Dallin has been dreaming of Mission to Mars Legos for months and was confident that Santa would come through for him.



Dawson was just happy to get anything with wheels!



Mom was happy to have the gifts wrapped and under the tree on time.

Dave enjoyed spending a day and a half with his family and no pager.

We spent the morning at home opening presents, building legos, racing cars, and cooking. Then we headed to the Gavins for dinner and fun with their family. I think one of the highlights of Christmas was hearing Dallin tell his dad how happy he was to drop off presents for a child at church. Dallin said that he felt "as happy as if I'd seen Jesus!" And of course nothing beats the look on a child's face on Christmas moring!

Dallin's Plan

So those of you who know Dallin well know that he's a real "thinker." He comes up with brilliant, and very logical ideas for things that even some adults don't seem to grasp. He is a very curious kid and loves to learn and ask questions. His favorite book is a Children's Encyclopedia which we read from nightly. I'm sure that one day he will write a book, or become a lawyer because he has a reason, or a logical answer for everything.

Today Dallin has been talking about "getting healthy" and tonight he presented his plan. He wants to be the healthiest boy in the world! He explained that for 10 weeks we are only going to eat only healthy foods. We are not going to eat candy or pizza or anything else unhealthy. We may still eat aebleskievers for breakfast, but only like once a week. When he goes to bed he is going to be listening and if he hears us eating something he is going to come out of his room and ask us what we ate. If he is sleeping he will ask us in the morning if we ate anything we shouldn't have. We may only drink water and eat healthy foods when he is in bed.

We can only watch TV if we are exercising (this is something we started doing last week after Sid the Science Kid had an idea of an invention for a TV that was powered by exercise.) He not making any changes to his video game day (once a week currently), but maybe in 10 weeks he will.

I think it sounds like a good plan. Who needs Weight Watchers when you have Dallin to be accountable to! Anyone care to join us?