The Dyreng Family

Can you walk the walk?

2012-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

California, Christmas, Halloween, Birthday...Whoa...

2012-01-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Playing catch-up. Again. These are a few things that couldn't go without being posted.

Leaves. Leaves. And more leaves. Our yard was filled with them this year. We still aren't completely rid of them! But, this is a huge plus to having big trees:

HALLOWEEN!! Casey's mom always does a party for the kids! They love it! And, I love kids in costume...

What would be a party at grandma's without sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags??
Bob the builder (Maybe next year he'll want to wear his costume more than 2 minutes??)
Our little ladybug

CALIFORNIA!!!

Sea World. Disneyland. Beach. What a trip... I want to go back!! Everything was perfect!

Grandpa had the magic touch. It's not easy getting an over tired baby to sleep at Sea World.
My cute little nephew Emmett!

We all LOVED the beach! Even in the November weather! The water was ice cold. But that didn't stop any of us from playing in it. The kids loved running from the waves. The adults loved boogie boarding no more than 100 yards from the dolphins! I think could live in San Diego....

After Casey and myself turned Dillon down when he asked us to carry him 100 times... He turned to Grandma, Jed, and Jens. He knew they couldn't say no.
Disneyland is the. best. Everyday people pull out their best animated self:)

Dillon's proudest moment...

BIRTHDAY

Hazel's ONE!! love her. love her. love her... That's all I have to say about this little one!

CHRISTMAS...

Our failure of a gingerbread house. Yes... I know... they're supposed to stand up...

Christmas was wonderful! Filled with family time, gifts, and way too much food!

Here's hoping next fall (and year) is just as fun filled! Happy New Year Everyone!!

Family Pictures!!!

2011-10-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

Dillon the Menace

2011-10-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

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'

2011-08-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

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???

2011-04-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-03-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

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!

TWO KIDS!!

2011-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

Love this little girl!!! She has already been a huge blessing in our lives. Sure life is a little crazy with two. How many times today did I put my hand in the toilet to pull something out that Dillon had tossed in? Don't ask! Sometimes things are nuts, but we love it!! And of course I always look forward to blessing day. Loved the family, the meeting, the food, and even the super bowl.

Our little angel. Beautiful right? So here's the story behind the dress: My grandma (below) made it before I was born, 25+ years ago. I wore it when I was blessed (as well as all of my sisters), and all of my nieces on my side have been blessed in it. Kinda cool right? It is still in excellent condition! I loved dressing my little princess in it!Hazel and great grandparents (my mom's parents)

Hazel and great grandpa (my dad's dad)

Hazel with Grandma and Grandpa Dyreng

Hazel with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen

And, of course, Hazel with her dad. Such a cool thing to have your husband bless your children.

And...don't feel bad for Dillon. The day wasn't all about Hazel. That day we also celebrated Dillon's 2nd birthday with the family. TWO YEARS OLD!! His entire birthday was centered around his biggest obsession...things that move: airplanes, trains, cars, trucks, and especially TRACTORS!! He's seriously OBSESSED!

My favorite part of my birthday growing up: licking the cake bowl. Of course I intend to carry on this tradition with my kids!

Now, playing catch up. Random pictures of what we've been up to lately.

Dillon LOVES his bed, it's like his safe haven. He takes anything and everything there with him: boots (funny fact: he calls them boobs), books, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and anything else he thinks will keep him company.

We got Dillon snow clothes, and I think he's worn them once. Why??? He just doesn't really care. Casey took him sledding not long ago and worked like a horse pulling him around on the sled. I think Dillon gets more excited about reading books! So sledding? Not worth all the effort! But, doesn't he kinda look like Andy on Christmas Story? :)

Goodbye...

2010-12-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Goodbye heart burn.

Goodbye 3am potty trips.

Goodbye compression stockings.

Goodbye man hands and poor circulation.

Goodbye breathlessness.

Goodbye pregnancy!!

Hello Baby Hazel!!

Hazel made her grand entrance into the world on December 21st. and did she ever come in with a BANG! Our origional due date was the 17th. We had no idea she'd take all the time in the world to come. Luckily, our doctor tentatively scheduled an induction for the 21st so we wouldn't have to spend Christmas in the hospital. The morning of the 21st (yes, the first day of winter), we woke up to piles and piles of snow. We were late getting to the hospital because it took some serious time digging out the truck. Of course it was a process getting going at the hospital. For hours and hours there was no sign of progress. And still... it kept storming and we kept waiting for something interesting to happen. And happen it did. no baby. but the power went off...in the hospital. Casey and I exchanged worried glances, and the generators soon kicked in. Luckily it was only off for 15-20 min.

So we kept waiting. The nurses kept predicting a midnight baby. We were going nowhere, and we were getting bored. I finally sent Casey home to get a movie to entertain us at about one in the afternoon. And, of course, that's when the magic started to happen. At about three o'clock, we were only minutes into A Christmas Story when I told Casey to shut it off. The contractions were coming fast. Too fast. The nurses had to turn the pitosin down so the baby could rest in between. But they didn't slow down, they only got stronger. Soon the nurse decided she better check me, and I was fully dialated. At that point it was just a rush to get the doc there in time. It was a few moments of chaos and scrambling, and shortly after (4:16), Baby Hazel was born. Healthy and beautiful, and we love her!!

Our families had to wait a day to come up and see her because the roads we TERRIBLE. In fact, Provo Canyon closed at one point. It was so great to have both of our parents at the hospital the next day.

Just before leaving for the hospital...

Right after she got cleaned up. We couldn't believe all of her hair after they had washed it. We almost made the nurses check her feet tags to be sure she was ours.

Dillon's first encounter with Hazel. He likes her, but sometimes won't acknowledge her at all. She's just not a big deal to him.

The proud papa. I love him!!

Love this picture... a tender moment Christmas eve morning, just after Dillon had opened his Christmas jammies. He wasn't at all disappointed in his new tractor apparel, by the way.

We really just adore her! Christmas was a little different this year, of course. But it was great to have a few days with just our little family. Casey had several days off from work, and it was so nice to just sit at home and enjoy our new addition. That extra help from Casey was also much appreciated. I couldn't have done it without him...

"Jolly" Old Saint Nicholas?

2010-12-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

He is jolly, right? Why is my child so scared of him? From a distance Dillon is all about Father Christmas. He's sure everything with a red and white Santa hat says, "ho-o, ho." Needless to say...our little meet and greet with Santa did not go over so well. We went to meet him in Gunnison, and I've gotta say...I love small towns. They just know how to make these kind of events: Santa's arrival in a fire truck, cookies to wait in line, a GIANT mail box for all letters to Santa, and a goody bag to go. Really, does it get any better?

We're really getting in to the Christmas spirit! I love it! Everything about it is so exciting, and it's great to have a child that loves all the lights and goodies too. This one's for all my siblings. Remember this old thing? It still works! And it's in great hands! For some reason Dillon doesn't like when it lights up, plays music, and moves. He just likes to sit and admire it. If only he played this gentle with everything...

Has it already been two months???

2010-11-02T15:35:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love Halloween??? For as long as I can remember I've loved decorating sugar cookies, carving pumpkins, getting dressed up (although Casey and I are lame and don't do that anymore), and trick-or-treating. I never knew it would get even better when I had a child who was excited about all of it too. I really wanted to make Dillon's costume this year, but... I dropped the ball and ended up buying one instead. This is sort of how our decision was made in the costume store:

Me: Dillon look at dog! See the monster!

Dillon: (nothing)

Me: Look at the monkey. Do you want to be a monkey?

Dillon (nodding his head up and down): ee-ee-ee-ee (giving me his best monkey impression).

And so the decision was made. He looked really cute too. Every time we got dressed up to go somewhere in costume he was thrilled. I think he would wear the costume all day, every day if he could.

In other news, we're still just waiting for baby #2. Only six more weeks! I'm realizing all of the sudden that six weeks isn't very long with all the preparations that need to be made for a baby and Christmas. I'm getting really anxious. With all the babies being born lately, I just can't wait to have mine here. Although, she still doesn't have a name...YIKES! We're so bad at that part... So, we're open for suggestions...

My husband hunts...

2010-08-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

.....so, while he hunts, Dillon and I visit home. Along with playing with cousins, feeding the horse, four-wheeling, and sitting on the front porch we get to...

...can apples from my grandpa's amazing apple tree. Nobody knows what kind of apple tree it is, but they are the best apples around!...perfect for apple pie and applesauce. By the way, this little gadget is a miracle worker; nobody in his right mind would can apples without one (believe me, I've tried).

...play in my parents corn field, complete with a four-wheel ride from Grandpa. We also got to freeze some of this fabulous corn. I LOVE IT!

...and finally, visit the Kanosh park, but not before loading up on treats a the famous Kanosh Merc. Grandma always loads the kids up with penny candies and goodies, then we stroll onto the park.

There truly is no place like home, and Dillon loves it. Of course we wish Casey the best of luck with his hunt, which he has been anticipating since last August. With any luck, soon I will create a post showing off the big trophy buck, shot with his bow.

On a side note, did I mention that we saw Lion King at capitol theater...not really typical of Casey and me (especially Casey). I LOVED it! and what's even greater...Casey enjoyed it too!! I wish everyone could see it. The talent was fantastic, the costuming...unbelievable, and the entire show... phenomenal. We had such a fun evening out on the town as a couple. Have tickets? You won't be disappointed.

"Who's your favorite???"

2010-08-05T21:18:00.001-07:00

Connor (Casey's little brother) just left for the MTC this week. He's off to Fresno, California. We're so excited for him, but we're all going to miss him. He always tests all of the nieces and nephews with this question, "Who's your favorite?" They always know the right answer: "Connor!" The kids LOVE him! He's always the most fun to play with, and he always keeps all of us laughing..

For one last fling, we all went to Seven Peaks to spend the day. It was a blast! We all loved it! This is Connor with Dillon.

Dillon and Talan, the little water buddies.

Annette, Payton, and Porter.

Dillon and Rilee. Rilee is soooo good to Dillon. At five years old, she is already one of the best baby sitters I know!!
Oh...and Dillon LOVED the kiddie slides. I truly believe he would spend the whole day on them if we let him. Casey spent a lot of the day right here, at the bottom of the slide.

Seven Peaks is great! It was a great way to send Connor off into the mission field! Good luck, Connor! We'll miss you!!!

I love county fairs...

2010-08-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Seriously...Is there anything better than lots of fried food, cotton candy, and rides that spin 'til you vomit? There's just something so summery about county fairs. I really love the carnivals! So this year we decided to give Dillon the ultimate carnival experience.

The excitement before the ride; rushing to get the best car...

During the ride; with three other random children...

And...after the ride. Can they ever get enough???

The Merry-Go-Round (an absolute must!)

And finally...Leaving the fair. None of us were disappointed. Turns out, Dillon loved the flashing lights, spinning rides, and excitement too...

There's still time...

2010-07-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already been feasting on the incredible talent of these six dancers...it isn't too late. I don't follow many shows in the summer, but So You Think You Can Dance is one I won't miss. Watch it. You won't be disappointed. This is one of my favorite dances of the season. Unfortunately, Alex injured his achilles and is no longer on the show. So now all I can say is "Go Kent and Adechike!!"

Any one for mosquitoes and sunburns???

2010-07-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

I LOVE camping. The only person who might love it more is Casey. He would rather be camping than in Disneyland!!! Not me! But I really do love it. Why do we love it? I'm not always really sure. We never get much sleep. The mosquitoes always feast on us. And we usually come home red as lobsters. Believe it or not... there are many things that outweigh the bad. We took a trip with my family this last weekend. It was awesome.

We all had a great time on the four wheelers; camping just wouldn't be the same without a good four-wheel ride. Dillon also LOVED the four-wheelers. He loves anything on wheels (I guess it's a boy thing). He seriously spent more than half of the trip sitting on a four-wheeler, standing behind the wheel of our truck, or driving the little red car.

By the way, see the little bug bit on Dillon's forehead? The next morning he woke up with an entirely misshapen head. He must have had some allergic reaction to the mosquitoes. He had one huge swollen bump on the front of his head, one on the back, and one on his fore arm. Poor kid! He looked like Popeye, after he just had is head slammed in a door...

Another reason we love camping...We all love to fish! Especially when the fishing is as good as it was! Casey is an avid fisherman, but everyone (including the kids) had luck fishing. Below are my cute nieces and nephew with Dillon: Ellie, Brooklynn, and Kempton.

The food, the games, and the company also added to the trip. We're hoping to fit in another trip before the summer is over, but where is the time going? Believe it or not...I'm going to miss the triple digit weather. I swear we can never fit everything in...

You'll never believe it...

2010-07-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

We got the internet!! For my birthday, several months ago, Casey surprised me with a new laptop. My very own. I've never had one before, and let me tell you, I was SHOCKED!! I was altogether elated to see my new toy, but had to get one crucial question out of the way first: "Does this mean we're getting internet?" We have been living in the dark ages for two years. Did you get that? TWO YEARS with out internet! Luckily we live very close to our county library, but using there internet was just getting harder and harder. Every time I went there Dillon would find the closest book shelf and unload all of the books. Let me tell you, it was always a lot of fun... I can't even begin to say how wonderful life has been with the internet! At first I

seriously wondered, "What do people do all day online?" The only thing I knew to do was check my emails, which I get very few of (I guess I can't expect emails if I don't send emails...) Wow, but I quickly learned what to do with my time online. I found this website melskitchencafe.com. Got to say, I LOVE it! I have tried several of her recipes and loved all of them so far.

Anyway, so hopefully this means I back to the blogging world (although I'm making no guarantees). So, most recently, here's what's going on in our lives...

I GRADUATED!!

Yes, it actually happened. My laptop and the internet were also part of my graduation gift. Both would have been very useful during school, nevertheless...I made it. A lot because of Casey, really. I got discouraged many, many times, but he always really supported me, besides paying thousands of dollars in tuition for me to finish! Graduation was great though. My parents and Casey's both made the trek to the land of the Aggies. And to top things off, we ended the day with a fabulous meal at Maddox. I love that place.

WE HAD A ROMANTIC GET-AWAY TO CAPTAIN GUNNISON

We spent a fabulous weekend at lake powell with all the Dyrengs. About thirty-five of us stayed aboard captain gunnison for about 5 days. Dillon stayed at gramma and grandpa Christensen's (thankyou, thankyou, thankyou), and Casey and I soaked in the sun! Well...I soaked, Casey water skied(below). The highlight of the trip was watching the boys build the 50 yd slip-n-slide. They seriously spent at least a days work building the thing. But, it dominated every slip-n-slide I've seen to date. Lake Powell may be the best place on earth:)

IS THAT LIKE MAD COW DISEASE???

Dillon contracted hand, foot, mouth disease. Sounds awful, right? Apparently most children get it when they are young. But it was pretty bad. At times his temperature was at 104. YIKES!! This is how he spent most of his days: with the binki (and absolute soother), his blanket, the bike (a new favorite since visiting gramma and grandpa's), and some cartoons (Super Why to be specific). I never knew having sick children could be so miserable. There is one good part: Dillon (who avoids cuddling at all costs) always loves to be held at this time. I hope my next child is a snuggler...

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: FIREWORKS!!

Gunnison has a great celebration for the Fourth of July. This year the festivities included a concert by a Neil Diamond impersonator. He was AWESOME!! He even wore a silky shirt, rhinestones included! The fireworks began during his last song: "We're Coming to America." You can't beat that!! It really was a lot of fun! Dillon didn't quite understand the objective of the parade: scramble for as much candy as you can get your hands on. After he got a sucker, he couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about! Maybe next year;)

I don't deserve to be called a blogger anymore...

2010-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been six months since I've posted. I probably still wouldn't be posting, but I wanted all my family (especially the ones who live far away) to see these pics. Dillon is just over a year now! Can't believe how fast time flies.

Everything else is great! I only have three more weeks of student teaching until I get my degree! HOORAY!! I thought the day would never come! I don't think I'll do anything for weeks after I'm finished except sit on my couch, watch movies, and eat bon bons (oh, and probably lay out at the pool)...

Anyway, until next time... happy spring from the soon to be college grad!!!

I love this one above! He looks so sneaky...

These were the only smile pics we got. The last thing Dillon wanted to do was sit still so someone could take his picture.

Above is Dillon's "I'm in trouble" face;)

Finally! An Update!!

2009-09-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

There's so much to catch up on, but here's just a quick post of Dillon's latest pictures. He makes us laugh everyday. Some of his favorite new things are Casey's pens (which he instantly finds in Casey's shirt pocket the moment he is picked up), mason jar lids, the straw to my drink, and, of course, our cell phones and remotes. Why do kids prefer this stuff over their stuffed animals and rattles?

The Latest...

2009-06-25T15:23:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was our ward camp out. I debated whether or not we should stay the night because of Dillon, but for Casey it was no question...We ended up staying. It got a little cold and rained on us a little, but Dillon did really well and slept awesome. He started sleeping through the night just a couple weeks ago, and I worried this might mess that up. Thank goodness it didn't. Good thing too, because I know it won't be his last camping trip.

Time to bring in July!! I can't believe June is almost over: the summer is already flying by. This is the latest in my cake making kick...
This is my nephew Canyon with Dillon. He is so cute to take care of Dillon all the time. He said someday he is going to teach Dillon how to ride a four wheeler.

This is Dillon with Grandpa Dyreng. We were in Gunnison celebrating Father's Day. Happy Father's day to my Dad, Richard, and Casey. I love you all!!

And...Dillon had his first hair cut. His hair was starting to get pretty gnarly on the sides. Casey didn't cut much-it was pretty difficult to get Dillon to hold still. I think next time we'll do it while he's sleeping.

Lately Dillon has been blowing raspberries and giggling more everyday, although he hasn't laughed for Casey yet. For some reason he always laughs just before Casey walks in the door. I think it's killing Casey. I'm sure he'll hear him sooner or later.

Piece of Cake!!!

2009-06-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really. It took me a while to figure it all out, but I did it. After JaNae taught me how to make fondant cakes, I couldn't wait to try it out myself. Now, I seriously can't wait to make another one. It was a lot of fun!!! Thanks JaNae!!

He's growing up!!

2009-06-09T13:51:00.001-07:00

Time flies so fast! Next week Dillon will be four months old. He's starting to talk, roll over, and laugh (the last two happened by accident I think). Here are some fun pics!

This was the first smile caught on camera. Kind of fuzzy, but definitely a milestone!

Matching ties and a double chin!

I laughed so hard. Dillon was in the tub just minutes, because he doesn't really like it. I pulled him out, and he had the most wrinkly toes. I've noticed since that it only takes seconds, and those little toes just shrivel right up!!

This reminds me so much of Casey!

Grandpa Christensen with Dillon. This is where some of those good looks come from...

Dillon and Aunt Manda at Jens's track meet.

Last but not least...can you think of anything that would make Casey more proud? This basketball actual kept Dillon entertained for quite a while!!

A Month of Play

2009-06-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

May was an AWESOME month! It started with my 23rd birthday and our anniversary celebration. Casey planned a weekend get-away to St. George. We shopped, went to a movie, layed by the pool, toured Zion National Park, and just relaxed. It was so great to go some where. We really hadn't done anything since Dillon was born. Dillon was pretty good to tolerate the whole thing. We drug him everywhere with us, poor guy, but we really had a great time.This was Dillon's first real exposure to any sort of sunshine. So, we figured he needed the proper equipment. I loved this little ball cap, and he really didn't mind wearing it. However, the sunglasses we got to go with it are another story. We couldn't even get a picture of those because he hated them so much!

JACKSON HOLE!!

Then, for Memorial Day, Brady, JaNae, and Cambrie flew in from Chicago, and the whole family, minus Cleve and Amanda :( , went to Jackson Hole. Again, we played, relaxed, and toured the sites.

We made a special thought in Thayne WY for this picture. This is my dad's self titled town. Sure wish there was a town named Sam...

This is our self-sponsored birthday party. JaNae's birthday also falls in the month of May. Growing up we always had combined birthday parties, which might not have been much fun then, but we thought we'd do the same thing while we were together. So, we threw our own party ;) I don't know what everyone else thought, but I loved it!

Of course we had to tour Yellowstone while we were there, which was really a lot of fun! We decided to hike down to the top of this water fall, which was about a half a mile of switch backs. It was sunny when we started the trek down, but started pouring about when we got the brink. We basically ran back up the mountain. The adrenaline rush probably helped us a lot. It was a LONG, TOUGH hike! We were drenched when we got back to the cars.

The last night we went the Bar J Wrangler dinner/show. They are seriously incredible! I think Casey and I will definitely got to their show again when they come to Heber City.

River Rafting!! What a rush! Thanks to Dillon's awesome Grandma and Grandpa, who watched all the grandchildren, all of the siblings went river rafting. We loved it! The Snake River was nearing its peak in high water season, so we had some awesome rapids. The water was FREEZING! I was scared to death. The rafting company had us all suited up in wet suits, fleece jackets, and splash gear. We were prepared for the worst, but luckily all made it down the river in the raft. It was definitely one of the high lights of the trip!

After the weekend, Brady flew back to Chicago, but JaNae and Cambrie stayed for a little while longer. Look what we did!!! JaNae has been doing cakes for a while now. While she was home, she taught me how. I'll admit, I was pretty proud!

Where do I even begin????

2009-05-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last couple of months, and, as usual, I have been terrible about documenting it and blogging. I was talking to my friend Amy the other day who caved to the blogging world and finally started a blog. She has three boys and said the biggest reason she decided to blog is to keep track of all the cute things her boys do. She wished that she had been better about documenting things when they were really little. Then it kind of hit me: someday I am going to forget all of the cute things Dillon does and the fun things we do. So now I am blogging, if for no other reason, to document Dillon's life. I am not a scrapbooker or a good journaler, so this is how it's going to be. Thanks Amy for the new determination to record what's going on. First I'll start with the blessing:

Dillon was blessed on the 29th of March. A lot of our family came up for the occasion, despite the bad weather and terrible roads. Of course it was great to have Casey bless Dillon, and he did a great job. Afterwards, we all headed to our little condo and had a little brunch. We packed 20+ adults in our little place with about 8 children. Can you believe that? I thought it would be a disaster, but it really worked out just fine.

Bobble Head

2009-03-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

We finally got Dillon in for some professional pictures. He is just under four weeks here. Thank goodness we got him in when we did: soon after, he broke out with some serious baby acne (just like you said JaNae). Poor guy, he is still recovering from it! I was so glad he was alert for them. The photographer kind of had a hard time positioning him becuase he already has such a strong neck. He kept moving his head where he wanted instead of where the photographer wanted it. I have been kind of proud of his strong neck, but it was definitely working against us. The photographer finally just had me hold him because their holding blocks weren't working very well. But I think we got some good shots. He was pooped as soon as we were done and completely zonked out! He must have known how much I wanted these, because he did really well when we need him!

Finally, Pictures of Our Little Guy!

2009-03-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some pictures of Dillon. Parenting just gets better and better everyday. He is doing so well. At his two week checkup, he was back up to his birth weight, and the doctor said he was doing well (this was music to my ears, after two weeks of stressing about how well he was eating). I tried to get pictures of everything that happened along the way. Here are some of them.

For all of you who requested, here it is: the dreaded belly shot. This is just moments before loading up and heading to the hospital.

This was taken just after Dillon was born; hence, my exhausted, fat face. However, it was really a cool experience, so it is worth having.

Look at that blonde hair! Dillon was basically born in need of a hair cut. His blonde hair hangs over his ears and well past the nape of his neck. It just seems wrong to cut a newborn's hair, but sometimes I think he could really use it! Casey and I were both born with dark hair, so the blondie was kind of a shock to us.

I don't know if you can see it in these pictures, but Dillon is a pretty close replica of Casey. When he was first born, we all really thought that he looked like Casey's uncle Kent. But I swear, everyday he looks more and more like his dad.

He's Here!

2009-02-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted forever, but for all of you who are still checking my blog, I figured this was definitely worth a post. Dillon was born on the 16th of this month. He was 7 lbs 4 oz and 19.5 inches long. We have already enjoyed having him so much! I can't believe it has already been a week, and it has been very eventful! Thank goodness for my mom! She spent Wednesday through Sunday with us last week, which was a huge help! I don't think I could have done it without her!

Casey and I just adore Dillon! All of the sudden the TV seems boring, and all we want to do is hold and love our little boy! I had really good intentions of posting lots of pictures, but for some reason the library computers won't read my camera. Pictures will come soon!

A Tribute to the Fisherman

2008-11-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

Casey has several hobbies, but one of his favorites is fishing. If we get what we want in heaven, Casey will have endless streams full of fish that he can go throw a line in. This summer, he spent most of his spare time wading in the streams. When day light savings ended, I thought it was going to be the end of Casey's world because he knew his fishing days for the year were almost over. But, due to the unseasonable warm weather this month, he's been able to fit some extra trips in. He goes every weekend, thinking it will be his last. Who knows, with the way things are going, he might be fishing up until Christmas!Last weekend we went out (I tagged along as the photographer). This isn't his best prize fish, but I really liked the picture.

This was his prize fish this year. I wasn't with him when he caught it, but I got a text message soon after with this picture. Nice fish, huh!

Oh, and he actually got me hooked on it. This year for my birthday he gave me waders, a float tube, and fishing equipment. This is probably the biggest fish I caught (it really is bigger than it looks ;)). If you notice the grimace on my face, it's because I couldn't figure out how to hold the fish without it flopping everywhere.

Seven Quirks...

2008-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Sarah tagged me. She's right: I really needed a new post (the most exciting thing that has happened to us recently is new furniture), so this gives me a good excuse to post.

My Seven Quirks:

1. First and foremost, I can't keep my hands off chocolate. If we don't have anything else in the house, I will often grab a bag of chocolate chips and eat from it (usually until I make myself sick).

2. I quite often bake for no reason at all. Even if we already have goodies and sweets in the house, I make cookies, brownies, or whatever just for fun. I equate food and goodies with fun.

3. I can't stand to fall asleep on the couch at night. I figure if we're going to sleep, we might as well be in our bed. (Casey hates this one).

4. I like wearing Casey's jackets and warm-ups better than my own clothes. I don't know why; his are just better.

5. One of my bored habits is popping my knuckles. It really drives me nuts too, but it's something I do without thinking.

6. Having fresh sheets is basically like Christmas to me. I LOVE IT! I always shower minutes before climbing into my clean sheets. I think it is the most wonderful feeling it the world!

7. I hate nights when I have to wash my hair. I usually wash it every other day, and it always seems like such a chore. Even though it takes, at most, 10 minutes longer than usual and I love having clean hair, I dread the every other night when I have to blow dry it!

Now I tag Nona, Jennie, Sarah Ball, Natalie, Suzette, and AuBrie.

Welcome to Our Home!!!

2008-10-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Goodbye to rentals!! After living in the Aggie Village Triads for 3 years, along with other rentals, Casey and I bought a condo to settle down in, and we have absolutely loved it!! It was kind of a long process; it seemed like it took forever, but it finally happened. We moved from a small, old hundred year old rental house to our brand new home. It was really quite an upgrade for us. We are so happy to be there and actually enjoy being "home" now.

And...we're having a BOY!!! We found out a few weeks ago and are both so excited. My sister-in-law Cami let us borrow this crib and crib set. Thanks Cami! We can't wait to have our little baby in our new home.

We're BLOGGING!!

2008-09-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

So I finally did it!! I was just helping my mom update her blog and decided it was so much fun that I needed to start blogging. I have loved reading everyone else's blog, so I guess it's about time we joined the blogging conversation.

The Big Announcement

2008-09-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have been more excited to share the good news with everyone that we are expecting. Our baby is due February 14th (how perfect)! We are so excited to be parents. And, we find out thursday what we are having! It will be so fun to be able to start looking for clothes and accessories for our little one!!

Cruise to Mexico

2008-09-13T17:40:00.001-07:00

This last spring Casey and I went on a cruise to Mexico with our good friends Chris and Jennie. We had a blast! We went snorkeling, boogy-boarding, and toured all of the sites.

Here we are in Cabo San Lucas in our "glass-bottom" boat. It was really just a little window, but it definitely made us laugh. Lover's Beach was beautiful!

Boogie-boarding at Stone Island in Mazatlan was one of our favorite things!! We rented these for like $2.00 a piece and spent the whole day on them.

This is all of us enjoying the cruise entertainment. They really had some fun acts and comedians.

Our last stop was Puetro Vallarta. The whole place was absolutely beautiful, green, and lush.