Family Pictures!!!

Dillon the Menace

Me: Dillon... did you color on the couch?!?

Dillon: ya mom... look... more color.

Then he proudly led me around to the other side of the couch where there was, yes, more color on the back of the couch.

A few minutes later (after a little Resolve and some intense scrubbing on the couch)... I found him here.

And this is what the carton of strawberries looked like.... one, just one, bite taken out of every strawberry.
He's independent... He just wants to do things his way, on his own terms. The scribbles on the couch were his masterpiece, and he didn't see a reason to bother Mom for a snack if he could just help himself to those juicy strawberries. His intentions were good.... although I'll be the first to admit that's not always the case :). He'll figure it all out someday....
Will he soon have a partner in crime?? I sure hope not :) But aren't they both sweet?

Summer Lovin'

We can't get enough of summer. I'm so sad it's just about over. We'll miss the hot days at the pool, camping, parades, fairs, fishing, jogging outdoors, and swinging on our front porch as the sun fades in the west. Goodbye summer... We'll miss you!

Confession...

I am a horrible, horrible swimmer. I LOVE the water, and I can stay afloat, but it's nothing to boast about. Casey has even tried to teach me how to swim, with no success. I'm hoping my children will be more like Casey in this way (and many others :) ). My friend Jennie told me about a "mommy and me" swim class. Nothing completes the summer like swim lessons right? It was perfect. I loved it. Dillon loved it. And even Hazel didn't mind too much.

His teacher was super cute. We mostly sang songs and played in the water for a half hour every day for two weeks. Sure... it was kind of like being in a wrestling match in the water for a half hour (Dillon's a maniac), but it definitely made him more comfortable with water. He plunges into the water without thinking twice now (even if I'm not there to catch him. yikes!)

The pool was just a private pool in the back of someone's yard. It was beautiful!

Dillon LOVED jumping off the diving board, and I really loved Bonnie, his teacher.

These are the kiddos in the class: Dillon, Kate, and Milly.

And these are the cute babies that just sat at the edge of the pool, watching us sing songs. They were really good sports about it all.

Tire rolling, anyone???

Happy Easter everyone! It's one of my favorite holidays. We celebrate a pretty traditional Easter... We all enjoy the spoils of the hunts:

pretty dresses

Lots of eggs and goodies

New swimsuits

A few toys and time with cousins

Traditional egg rolling? We did that... We prepared our eggs with dye and even applied plastic wraps to them to make them more durable.

And if they made it down the hill in one piece... we threw them at each other...

We played. a lot.

We even froze our little tails off... this has also become a tradition over the last few years.

And last year... this became a tradition...

This isn't the best video... the freezing tradition led to a pansy, shaky camera girl. The grand finale tire clocked in at a whopping 118 mph rolling down the hill. The dually pair jumped the rocks at the bottom and split in two mid air. We huddled in our trucks at the bottom of the hill honking in approval of destruction on wheels.

Needless to say... at the end of the day we. were. exhausted.

Can't wait 'til next year.

Only a mother would love...

Sure he may have ruined my eyeliner, but at least he knew where to put it :)

He almost flattened Hazel shimmying into this position, but who wouldn't want a little company?

His church shoes (as well as 2 other pairs) now resemble giant mud clots, but what little boy doesn't want to splash in a mud puddle?

One minute, a wave a fury runs over me. The next, immediate laughter. I'm beginning to learn... little Dillon footprints on my freshly washed floor aren't the end of the world. Oddly, I'm grateful to have that little blemish (as well as many others) in my house. I love it!

I think we're gonna love it here...

So...we moved. Because of a few changes in Casey's job, we are now living in Salem. Has anyone else moved recently??? it. blows. What more can I say? But, we're done with moving for a little while, I think. And, we now have a home.

Bad things about the move?

1. we have TONS of yard work

2. I can no longer vacuum our entire place using just one outlet

Good things about the move?

1. WE HAVE A YARD!!

2. our house is bigger than our vacuum cord!!

And Salem... we love it! Love the pond. Love the small town feel. Love the convenience to the nearby shopping. Love being closer to Casey's work. LOVE IT! We also live quite close to some of our good friends and family now and an hour closer to Gunnison and Kanosh. It's great.

It's been kinda nutso lately, so here our some pics that I've wanted to post of the kids but haven't...

This is Hazel with my niece Jordyn. They're going to be best friends:)

Casey with the kids.
Dillon is the king of lounge... he's always trying to get comfy in a different chair...
Hard life, right? (yes... that's Hazel's bouncer)
Gotta love the Dyreng Farms hat. Dillon does.
All dressed up for church... one of the funnest things about having a daughter.
And we leave you with Miss Hazel's contagious smile:)

Welcome to homeownership...

Yuck right? But, let's be honest, for the most part we are loving our new place. More to come later about our move...

Ahhh...The Caribbean...

THE SHIP

COSUMEL

COSTA MAYA

BELIZE

Our van broke down... Thankfully before we got to far out of the city. Not really the safest place to be stranded...

Gorgeous!! seriously loved the entire trip! Our ship was HUGE and beautiful. We soaked in the blistering sun rays. Our kids were in Utah (Thank you Casey's mom, Sarah, and my mom!!!). The food...no words. And the beaches...AHHHH!