Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Mom's new place

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 This post is mainly for family. This last weekend I moved my mom up to Utah and spent a few days getting her settled in. It was a whirlwind 5 days and we got lots done. We drove up on the first day, the next day and a half we spent unloading the truck and the last couple days we got all the furniture in place and as many boxes unpacked as we could. In the end we got her bedroom, bathroom, laundry room/closet, kitchen, dining room, living area, and storage bathroom finished. Her sewing room and sewing closet still need to be unpacked, but she plans on doing that slowly over the next while. Overall it was a great move and everything went fairly smoothly. Everyone we met in the ward and in her building were super friendly and willing to help out when and where they could. She has a lady who will give her a ride to and from church, and she has a few offers to take her shopping when she needs to go. She was very positive and happy when I left and today when I talked to her. Here are a ton of pictures for those interested. Enjoy! Sorry they aren't in order.
Bathroom
Bathroom
Bedroom
Bedroom
Front Door
Dining Area
Dining Area/Kitchen
Kitchen 
Kitchen 
Laundry/Closet
Living Room
Living Room
Living Room
Sewing/Storage Closet
Sewing/Storage Closet
Computer Nook in Sewing Room
Sewing Room
Storage Bathroom

Friday, May 17, 2013

Anderson Family Visit and Easter

I have a friend, and she is amazing. She's the kind of friend that has known you for almost 20 years and is still your friend, WOW! Elizabeth knows me so well and we always have a blast whenever we manage to get together, so when we moved just 2 hours from them we were super excited! The wonderful Anderson family came down to visit over Easter weekend and the time flew by way too fast!

These two were born a mere week and a half apart, can you guess which one's older?
I just love my Auntie Elizabeth!
It's not that we're playing matchmaker or anything, but the in-laws would get along great!

 These three were hilarious during the ward Easter egg hunt, they all got some yummy candy and were pretty quick to make it disappear. Just fine by me, eat it and then be done with it! My kids are crazy on sugar :)
 Look at this sweet boy! I just couldn't get enough of him! He is so precious!
 Our neighborhood rents out these tricycles and the kids had a blast riding them around.
 Chesni is a bit of a driving hog, and Ethan was a good sport about it for a while, then he wanted a turn :)
Goodbye my friend! We'll have to plan another trip soon! It is always so much fun to see you and your family! I promise Chuck was there too, I somehow didn't manage to get a picture of him though. We love you Anderson Family!!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Dale Family Visit

In March Braeden's family was able to come down for a visit! It was so much fun to see them and we had a fun filled visit for sure! We went to the zoo and the Sonora Desert Museum.

 Sadly I didn't get too many pictures of their visit. Here is the only one I got of everyone all together. We had so much fun discovering the zoo together. We will definitely be back!
This silly bear must have been trying to cool off on this rock. It was a hot day, especially for March!
We also got to go to the Sonora Desert Museum and we got to see the Falcon Free Flight show. It was really cool and the kids loved how close the birds came to them. One even hit Braeden in the head with it's wing!
 Ches and Jax got an up close and personal view of a rattlesnake. Don't worry, there was glass between them and the snake!

 This guy was a favorite, he looked like he was enjoying the view of all of us crazy people staring at him. I love that you can see the bottom of his paw, it was pretty cool looking! We also saw a bunch of wildcats, cougar, wolf, iguana/lizards, the new aquarium exhibit, and I can't remember what else. We didn't get to see everything so we will definitely be back!
Reading with Elijah, these kids love their Aunt Savannah and Uncle Elijah!!
We went to the pool a couple times (okay, I only went once) and Aspen took her first dip in the pool! She thought it was fun until the wind picked up and then she was done. Once it warms up a bit more we will be heading to the pool again.

Thanks for coming to visit Dale Family! We had a blast and look forward to getting to see you again soon!

February California Trip

 In late February Mom, the kids and I took a quick trip to California for my cousins funeral. It was a wonderful service and I was glad to be close enough to go and support my Aunt and Uncle and the rest of my family. It had been a long time since I had seen many of them. It was the first time any of them including my grandparents had a chance to meet Aspen. Sadly Aspen was a bit cranky and didn't give Grandma any good snuggle time :(

Love you Grandma and Grandpa!! The kids wouldn't slow down long enough for a picture :)

Bryon was a beast and pushed that stroller up the whole way!
Chesni and Ethne "fishing"
 We stayed with my brother Bryon and his family and had so much fun catching up with them! We hiked Etiwanda Falls and the kids were champs! Especially Chesni, that girl hiked most of the way! Jaxon had a tougher time of it, but he tried to keep up with his cousin Jaron for the first while.
 This was a rather scary part of the falls that the kids really wanted to hike down. Bryon was awesome and helped the kids and Mom hike down a ways.
 Hannah was a champ and climbed up a super steep rock wall with her dad's help. I was super impressed! She is fearless!
 Jaxon pulling one of his silly faces, he thought this big rock was super cool! He could see forever!
 Jax and Ches tell me often that our backyard isn't nearly as cool as their cousins, I think these electric cars had something to do with it :) The girls were so cute driving them! Hopefully Chesni is a little less reckless when she drives a real car.
 Bryon and I loaded up the kids and took them to an asian market to pick up supplies for the Chinese Feast Bryon made for dinner. It was amazing!! I am feeling withdrawals, I need to make yummy Chinese food!
 The kids loved the asian market, and these cones were super fun!
They did this all on their own! They are lined up according to age, poor Hannah was holding on for all she was worth while we grabbed the cameras!

Thanks for letting us come and stay Bryon and Rebecca!! We had a great trip!

Friday, January 11, 2013

O The Confidence of Youth

I woke up yesterday to Jaxon singing at the top of his lungs, "Jaxon is the greatest boy, Jaxon is the greatest boy in the whole world!" I wish I had his self-confidence :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Updates

 Jaxon - still a goofball.  He LOVES slime and plays with it at least once a day.  A couple weeks ago he figured out that it sticks to more than just his hands. Luckily it comes out of hair very easily in the bathtub :)  Jaxon's personality is developing more and more each day and it is hilarious!
 Aspen being her cute self
 I realize Aspen dominates most posts right now, but she is just so darn cute! I love her fascination with faces. Aspen hit 3 months yesterday. She can follow you across the room with her eyes and she laughs and coos and gurgles. If you sit down near her she tries really hard to get your attention. She is my great sleeper and already weighs over 14 lbs.  It is crazy that she is already so close to double her birthweight!  They grow so fast. She just gives me the pinches though! As soon as she realizes you are looking at her she gives you a big smile and gurgle. Babies are just so much fun!
 I often hear, "Can I hold her mom?" from both Jax and Ches. They just love their baby sister. Chesni has decided it is her personal responsibility to make sure Aspen is happy at all times. If she starts to whine or cry she will go over and talk to her.  If that doesn't work she runs over and tells me she is hungry. Chesni is also very determined to dress herself.  Only problem is, she really likes bright colors, and wants to wear them even if they don't match at all.  To save on arguments I let her dress herself when we are staying home and on those days we have to go out I tell her it is Mommy's choice day. That works, most of the time.
 Jaxon has been experimenting with tickling her, and he's a champ! He can get her giggling almost every time he tries. He will tickle her and then call to me to come and watch him make her laugh.
 We had our Ward Christmas Party this past weekend and Jax and Ches made their first gingerbread house, and ate it during dinner :)
 I think it turned out pretty good.  Although most of the decorations ended up eaten before they made it to the house.
 Ches giving Aspen a big hug!  Aspen wasn't too sure about it...
Fun sibling bath time! They will be embarrassed about this someday but I totally loved playing in the bath with my siblings. We tried all 3 in the bath for the first time last night. The older kids had fun with it for the first few minutes and then they wanted the space to play :) Aspen loved it and spent the whole time kicking, splashing, and watching her siblings.

In other news we have started going stargazing as a family. Here in Sahuarita there are restrictions on street lights because a conservatory is up on one of the mountains surrounding us so you can see the stars really well. After dinner we head out to the park across the street and lay out a blanket. Bray found an app that helps you identify constellations. Braeden and I can now identify 8 or 9 constellations , and Jaxon can pick out Jupiter and Vega. Chesni just looks around and points to random stars.  It has been fun to talk about how all these stars are other planets and suns that are really far away, and how Christ created them all. I started telling Jax a little about the mythology that goes along with some of the stars and constellations to keep them entertained a little longer. I need to get a book on it from the library so I can brush up on it a little more.