Back to Jacksonville

My little brother James has less than 2 weeks left before he heads into the MTC and then off to Toronto, Cananda. Since Julie and Russ weren't able to come out to Utah for Christmas, he was nice enough to come out to Florida to see all of us before he leaves. James is such a great brother and uncle and we all really enjoyed the short weekend that we had together. It was also Parker's birthday so we had a little party which added even more excitement.


On Parker's birthday, Doug took the boys out to get donuts for breakfast.



Dallin got Parker a Motorcycle for his birthday.
Parker liked it so much he tried to ride it!


This is the Turtle cake that Julie made Parker for his birthday. Dallin talked about this cake for days before we even arrived at their house. Everyday the topic of conversation between the boys somehow involved this cake. Julie did a great job and it was really all Parker wanted for his birthday. Dallin now is telling everyone down in Ft. Lauderdale about it and has informed me that for his birthday he wants a Lion cake!!



__________________________________________________________________

On Saturday we took the kids to the
Museum of Science and History in
Jacksonville.












































On our way home from Jacksonville we stopped off in St. Augustine to see some old American History sites. It was a lot of fun and we were able to walk to through the colonial Spanish neighborhoods, seeing sights from America's oldest city. We didn't have a lot of time, but we did manage to see the Castillo de San Marcos. It was pretty impressive and the kids had a lot of fun playing on the cannons and seeing all the old buildings.

Birthday Girl!!

I can't believe how big Brooke is and how fast this past year has flown by. She turned one of January 8th and we had some friends over for hot dogs and cup cakes. I think Dallin was just as excited as Brooke. She was so excited to get some new books, dolls, a stroller, and some princesses. It was a great day for the whole family. Brooke also started taking her first steps this past week. Shes up to about 5 steps, but still prefers to crawl.

The Joys of Traveling

Christmas was extra busy this year. We were lucky enough to go to Utah and spend the holidays with both my family and Doug's family. This was a great treat and a well needed break from Dental School. I will say that every time we arrive home from a trip home I tell myself that I will never fly with kids again. But, even with Brooke throwing up on me three times during the flight home, I would gladly go home next week if I had a ticket. We really enjoyed spending time with our families and are so thankful to have had such a perfect holiday.

Christmas with Nana, Papa, and James

Dallin eating Nana's famous Cinnamon bread and Brooke opening her first
Christmas gift on Christmas morning.

Bowling
I don't think that any of us had bowled in over a year, but we sure had fun. Dallin rolled two balls down the lane for a total of 3 pins!

We had a great time with Nana, Papa, and Uncle James. Lots of relaxing, playing games, watching movies, and visiting. Brooke mostly roamed around the house and hung out on the stairs all day. Dallin loved helping Nana make bread, and was so excited to see Papa when he got home from work every day. Doug and I were just thrilled to be with family!!

Kids are scared of lots of things...snowmen should not be one of them!

It started snowing at Nana's house during our Christmas break in Utah and Doug went out to help shovel one morning. He was outside for nearly 2 hours and we were starting to wonder how many neighbors walks he was also shoveling. When he finally came in, he was soaking wet and so excited for Dallin to come out and see what he had made. Dallin seemed quite excited as they walked out the door and towards the front yard. However, that instantly changed as they turned the corner and saw the giant snow man waiting for him. Dallin was terrified and kept screaming , "Snowman get me Daddy...Snowman get me!" The entire day he has been scared to go close to the outside door. He also kept looking over his back while playing to make sure that the snowman hadn't come inside to "get him". What kid is afraid of a snowman?!

Dallin sledding with Papa, Uncle James, and Daddy

Christmas Day in the Emergency Room

Christmas Day was the day that we were going to move from my parents house to Doug's families. However, at about 1:00 that afternoon Dallin started crying and saying that his arm hurt. Doug had been playing "airplane" with him but didn't think that he did have anything different that usual. We decided to put Dallin down for his nap and see how he was acting when he got up. About an hour later he woke up screaming and we knew that something was defiantly wrong. We took him to the emergency room and after about an hour learned that he had "nursemaids elbow". A few twists and pulls from the doctor and a lot of crying from Dallin and we were home. Unfortunately for me, even a trip to the emergency room on Christmas day has not stopped the boys from all the rough housing. I'm sure we'll have another trip soon!

Christmas with the Chisholms

Our first stop with Doug's family was at Jason and Michele's for Christmas Eve. Dallin had a great time with his cousins. I think there was a period of almost 4 hours that I didn't see or hear from him. It was great for everyone!!










Our second stop was Kurtis and Jessica's house in Heber. We attempted gingerbread houses, but unfortunately all of our efforts went into getting the roof to stay on. When we were finished we finally realized that we had neglected an entire wall that had completely caved in. Gingerbread houses proved to be a lot harder than we had imagined.










Our final stop was Tyson and Ani's house in Lehi. We spent most of our time relaxing and enjoyed the rest before heading home.

A Perfect Day For Doug

"I Swimming Mommy"

Why? Why? Why? In the middle of packing to go to Utah for Christmas I found Dallin in the tub. And of course when I asked what he was doing he informed me that he was swimming. Occationaly I have people ask me what I do all day, and after today I realized that this isn't too uncommon. I'm either cleaning up water, mud, marker, or play doe. I just can't seem to keep up with him long enough to prevent the mess!

Keys...yes they are important!!

So yesterday was a pretty crazy day. I had been trying to get tons of laundry and cleaning done all morning so that during the kids naps I could actually finish our Christmas cards. I got a lot accomplished, but in the process the kids went nuts. Dallin and Brooke desperately needed to get out of the house so I took them outside to look for lizards. (Madeline, Dallin's friend came along too). Our neighborhood has a couple of little ponds and during the heat of the early afternoon you can see lots of them sunbathing. We had a great trip, but all the kids were ready to eat lunch and go down for a nap so we headed home.

Doug had taken the car to school, and in his rush out the door he took my keys as well. So as I walked out the door with the kids I took a set of spare keys. Needless to say, I could not find those keys anywhere when we got to our front door! I searched all through the stroller, my pockets, and then backtracked back to the pond. Without any luck we headed back in hopes that Staci, Madeline's mom, would have a spare key. Brooke was bonkers by this point and I felt like I was going to lose it as well. That's when Dallin calmly asked "Doing Mom?" I explained that I could not find the key. He then said "Mommy, Me Throw in Water"! It took a minute to process, but then I realized that he had just told me that he threw our spare key in the pond. I normally would have questioned the truth of his statement, but Madeline quickly confirmed that she had watched him throw it in the water.

Needless to say, I spent that evening explaining to Dallin the importance of keys and why we don't throw them...especially in nasty, murky, ponds! What a day!

Thanksgiving

My sister Julie and her family moved back to Florida this past summer, but unfortunately our husbands have been so busy in school that we haven't had a chance to see them. So Doug and I took the kids on the 5 hour drive north for Thanksgiving. It has been a long time since Doug and I went on a road trip and I think that we both anticipated it to be a lot easier than it was. It is 14 hours to Nebraska, so we thought a little over 5 to Jacksonville would be a cinch. Unfortunately we didn't factor in the kids!!!

After stopping three times for diaper changes, gas, and leg stretches we finally arrived in Jacksonville 6 long hours after leaving the house. At our first rest stop Doug was looking at a map posted next to the restrooms. When I came out of the bathroom Doug told me that Jacksonville wasn't even on the map but he thought we must be getting close. I then pointed to Jacksonville...about 200 miles north of where he was looking. He gasped and we dragged our bodies and the kids back to the car. Doug admitted when we got to the car that he thought Jacksonville was either close to or before even Orlando, not 2 1/2 to 3 hours beyond it! I'm glad he didn't look at a map before we left the house or I'm afraid he would have wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving at home.

Our first outing in Jacksonville was to the zoo...but this was not just any trip to the zoo. Julie and Russ live right on the water and were able to purchase a small boat right after moving to Jacksonville. While purchasing the boat they were told that the zoo offers free boat parking and admission. So not only did we get into the zoo for free, but we also got to take a little ride across the water on their boat. It was a lot of fun and now Doug seems to think that we need a boat. He must be dreaming!!

For me, the highlight of the trip was going into downtown Jacksonville. The city has waterways running all through it and the lights that reflect off the water at night are incredible. We walked through the city and then ended up at the center of town for the lighting of a huge Christmas tree and for fireworks on the water. The kids had a great time and loved the lights! It has been hard to get into the holiday season with 80 degree weather, but this was a great start to making us feel more at home.

It was so much fun to see Julie, Russ and the kids. Julie and I were able to spend time working on crafts and gabbing, the big boys got to watch two entire days of football, and the kids had a blast playing with each other. It was a great trip for everyone!

Dallin was so excited to see the cousins and ever since we have been home he has insisted on calling "Colon", "Parkin", and "Meeson" (Colton, Parker, and Mason) everyday to make sure they are "Happy". They also enjoy asking each other what they are eating for lunch, and singing the ABC's over the phone. We miss them and can't wait to get back to North Florida!