Easter

This was the first year that the Easter Bunny came to our house. Brooke and Dallin were both so excited. They got kites, treats, and some new coloring books and crayons. The night before I cut out bunny feet and put them on the floor. The next morning as the kids came downstairs I told them that the Easter bunny must have come and stepped in some paint on the way (I couldn't find enough paper around the house in one color...I know, they are awful looking rabbit feet). They started to follow the foot prints into the front room to find their baskets when Dallin said, "Mom, I think that these aren't his real foot prints. I think that he just put these papers down because he didn't want his feet to get dirty on our so dirty floor." Way to blow my Easter. It was a huge insult considering I had just mopped my floor the day before. At least Brooke thought it was fun.

Last Play Group

We have had so much fun with Dallin's friends. A lot of them are leaving Florida this next year and we will miss them so much. Play group has been the highlight of every week for Dallin.


(Brooke sneaks into Dallin's playgroup more often then she should. It has been quite a challenge to get her to not scream every time I drop him off.)

Miami-Dade Fair

Our good friends Joe and Lucy go to the fair every year and we have been wanting to go with them since we got to Florida. We finally made it this year and we all had a blast! There really is nothing like fair food, great entertainers, and farm animals!

(The kids got to make their own butter. It was a major highlight for Brooke. She devoured hers in just minutes!)


My Nebraska Corn Husk'n Boys!

So Many Stickers

I thought at some point stickers would get old. Not the case with my little ones. Grandma Maggie sent them stickers in the mail and they had a great afternoon!!

Cousins!!

Dallin and Brooke love when their cousins come to visit. A few months ago Julie and Russ came down with their kids so that they could do some repairs on the condo. It was so much fun to see them!! They will be moving to New Mexico this summer and we are so excited for them, but will miss these little trips.













Brooke absolutly loves babies. She wants to hold them constantly and she always makes this high squeeking voice whenever she sees one. It doesn't matter who the baby belongs to, Brooke wants him or her!! Sadie was born in October and she quickly became Brooke's target! (My mom told me that when we were at her house Dallin told her that he needed all of her baby toys because when we move I'm going to have another baby. I've now heard that he has told multiple people this! Too bad he'll have to wait quite a bit longer).

Little Red

Brooke has grown so much over the past few months. She is trying hard to talk more and loves to copy everything that Dallin says. She definitely has her own little personality and is very difficult to reason with. Doug and I were talking about her last night and we really can't get enough of her cute little face. She loves to make us laugh and she has become quite the singer and dancer. She loves The Little mermaid and loves to sing like Ariel. The only problem is that she can't carry a tune. It is pretty funny to watch how hard she tries and how well she thinks she sounds. I heard Dallin say last week as they were playing, "Brooke, please just stop singing, Please!" She said, "No, me Ariel". It drives him crazy, but it is so fun to see her figuring out what she loves. She loves Dora and loves to be outside. She asks almost daily if we can go to the beach. That girl is going to need a lot of sunscreen this year!!!

Update on Little D

There is never a dull moment with Dallin. In fact lately I haven't had a single moment without Dallin. He is going through several stages right now. One of them is that he is absolutely scared of everything in our house. He thinks that there are monsters everywhere and he has to be right next to me at all times. Doug was home yesterday afternoon and couldn't believe that he wouldn't leave my side for even a minute. After a few weeks of this I have started to go crazy! I don't have a moment to myself and no matter what I say to reassure him, nothing seems to work. After my shower this morning I found him curled up next to the tub screaming and crying because he heard a "stomp". I hope this stage ends soon!!Dallin loves to pretend and use his imagination. We've gone through many phases with him and currently he is a baby. Although this is super annoying, it is a lot better than his last stage of insisting that he needed to be a girl with long hair. Every morning he would wake up and want me to tie a blanket on his head for long hair and he would stay that way almost all day. I remember several months ago he insisted that he was a puppy and needed all his meals on the floor in a bowl. He also went through a brief stage of being a pig. The baby thing has been rough, but at least I'm not worried about him really believing that he is a girl! I now know that it will end soon enough.




I never thought that I would have "that kid" in primary. You know, the one that gives away all the family secrets and always has to comment on every point to every lesson. Yes...that is Dallin. He is in Sunbeams now and after being told several comments that he has made, I am really nervous to take him anymore. When he says, "Well, my mom said..." I start to panic. I guess a few weeks ago they were talking about Laman and Lemuel and the bad choices that they make. Dallin kept raising his hand and pestering until they finally called on him again. I guess he had just one more thing to say, "Sometimes, Satin makes my mom and dad make really bad choices!" I was shocked so on the way home I asked him why he said that and what choices we make that are so bad. He say, "Well, all of them - all your choices are bad." He is a scary little one and sometimes I wonder if he is a child or a teenager!!!

A little Self-Reliance

Last Saturday we planted some veggies. I don't know that it was smart on my part, because I have killed nearly everything I have ever tried to grow, but I'm excited to try again. My good friend Effie said that she was headed to the local Nursery and wanted to try some tomatoes. I tagged along and we bought some tomato, bean, and pea seeds, and a pepper plant. I don't know that any of them will grow, but it was sure fun to plant them with Effie and Dallin. Dallin loved it so much that he tried to start his own garden with flowers that he picked off my bushes. He picked the flowers and then planted each pedal individually in the front yard. There were about 30 in total and it kept him busy for quite a while.

Dallin's Little Garden (you can barely see the little blooms by his feet)

Papa

The day that we drove home from Orlando, Papa Richie flew in to have fun with us and Aunt Birdy. We went to the beach, watched movies, and went to the SeaAquarium. Unfortunatly Doug was busy in class and wasn't able to do much with us, but the kids and I were sure excited to have some fun with Papa and Aunt Birdy. It was fun to have such great visitors all week!

Fun in Orlando

We had so much fun this Valentines Day! We were lucky that Doug's family decided to go on a Disney Cruise and stop for a day in Orlando. Aunt Birdy flew out and we all drove up to meet the family for the weekend. The kids had so much fun with their cousins and it was fun to catch up with family. We have the best family ever and it was great to see them. Aunt Birdy was a trooper and sat between 2 car seats all the way to Orlando and back! The kids loved it, but I'm sure it was a little rough on her. She also got the kids hooked on chololate milk...more reasons they love Birdy!!

Birthday Girl!!

Brooke is 2!!! I can't believe how quickly time has passed. She has been so much fun for our family. Up until a few months ago she loved cars, bugs, and legos. Over the last month or so she has turned into a complete girl. She was so excited about her little dolls and their little clothes and furniture. We love her so much!

Airports, Airports, and more Airports!

We made it home for Christmas!!! It took 19 hours and 4 airports, but we finally made it. Flying standby is a little tricking during the Holidays, but the kids handled it better than planned and we managed to get to Utah and back for a great Christmas. Dallin kept asking, "Is this the plane that is taking us to Grandma's or is there still 1 more?" We were so happy to get to Salt Lake!!

Tons of Snow!

The snow and cold was a big change for us! Luckily we have great family and we were able to borrow enough snow gear to go sledding with the family. It was so much fun. I was really surprised how shocked the kids were by the cold, but also by how much they loved it!

Chisholm Cousins

Dallin and Brooke had so much fun with the Chisholm cousins. I am so thankful that we were able to spend so much time with them this winter. Dallin & Brooke have been talking about their aunts, uncles, and cousins ever since we have been back in Florida. They were pretty much stuck to Taylor and McKenzie the entire trip. They had a blast, and it really helped me get a good break!! Thank goodness for family!!

Dester Family

We were able to go to Provo to see my Grandma and Gramdpa Dester. It was so fun to see my cousins, aunts and uncles, and all the new little ones. I am so thankful for the time that we were able to spend with my grandparents.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, my Grandma and Grandpa Prue were so nice and drove up to Bountiful for a late lunch. It was so great to see them and we are so thankful that they were willing to come and see us. Julie and I were able to put out kids down for their naps and the adults were able to enjoy a nice quiet meal!!

More Christmas Eve...

It was so good to have my Dad home the night of Christmas Eve. He had been really busy at work and unable to take any time off. On Christmas Eve, he summarized Luke 2 and spent lots of time with us and the kids. It was tons of fun and a great memory for us all.