The Astle Family

Jaden & Landon's First 2 Days of Kindergarten

2010-09-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

The boys weren't feeling good for their first day of school, so I wanted to post pics of their first 2 days of school. They were so excited to start kindergarten and super excited to be able to ride a bus to school. They have grown up so fast!

Nursery Time

2010-09-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this little baby is already 18 months. It makes me sad to think how fast she is growing up. She has the cutest personality! On Sunday was her first day of Nursery and she was not as excited as her parents were. She loves to play with toys and loves babies- but not without her mommy and daddy. She wasn't a fan....so we'll just keep trying.

THEY ARE DRIVING NOW- WATCH OUT

2010-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

All month at school they were making their cars. The driving day finally came. They got to wash their car, gas up their car, drive it to the store and they even got to take their car to the drive-in. They loved it! I just thought it was so creative. After driving day at school they got to bring their cute little cars home. So now my halls have become roads, and the room have become these different stations they had at school. Just wanted to show off their new cars:

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

2010-05-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors are so cute!!! They invited us to make pine cone bird feeders- isn't that a cute idea. Not only did the kids love making them, but they loved sampling the food (I guess they just wanted to make sure the birds would enjoy it). Just wanted to post for memory sake. Here are some pics of the kids busy making their awesome bird feeders.

Quick Nauvoo Trip

2010-03-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Our good friends went through the Nauvoo Temple back in March. What a great place to visit! We just loved all the church history there. We headed Friday night and spent Saturday visiting Nauvoo and Carthage. What a neat experience. We spent the morning out in Carthage. It was a humbling experience to be where the Prophet Joseph Smith spent his last days. To see what the jail looked like and to see the room and window was humbling. Then after Carthage we headed back to Nauvoo and I dropped Dylan off at the Temple. Since we had the kids I just stayed out with them. They have Nauvoo set up as if you are visiting back when the pioneers lived there. The kids had a blast. They got to make rope, watch the blacksmith make a horseshoe, learn how they made brick back then, and we even went on a wagon ride. It was so fun- we will be heading back for sure! I was so grateful for the experience to go and support some friends of ours and at the same time learn more about the earlier pioneers and leaders of our church. Makes me appreciate them and all they went through, so that we can have what we do today.

Fun in the Snow

2010-03-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Wanted to post some of our fun in the snow. The boys loved going sledding and building snow men. I have to admit these fun things are the only reason I love the snow. It was so much fun.

Here is Brooklyn already to go have some fun

Until we got outside. She was not a big fan of the snowman.

The Boys are so proud of the snow man that they built. My parents gave them a snow man kit for Christmas and the boys had a ball making a "Real Snowman".

Here is Dylan and the boys sledding. They loved it!!!

Tiffany and Ethan's Visit

2010-02-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I love when Tiff and Ethan come to visit! They came out to visit about a month ago...so I'm a little behind on my updates. We had such a good time with them. They were here for 5 days, so we tried to fit in as much as we could. The pics below are of some of the things we did. I forgot my camera one night- it was the night Tiff and I had the whole night to hang out, without the kiddo's. Dylan was so sweet and thoughtful- he set this up before Tiff came out. He set up pedicures for us and said to have the whole night to ourselves. The night was full of pedicures, movies, great food, and great talks. Thank you Dylan for the night with my sis! And thank you Tiff for the night full of great memories!!!

Here we are hanging out in Chicago. We hit up Lego Land- kids went crazy, they loved it. Then we did a little site seeing and of course had to eat at Giordano- can't get enough of that place! Then we ended the day at the Children's Museum which is always fun. Here are the pics of Chicago:

The kids call this the "Chocolate Factory". It was a kids dream come true- all the candy you could think of is here- can't get better then that!!!

Another day we hit up the jumping places. What a great way for kids to get their energy out.

Brooklyn's 1st Birthday

2010-02-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

Wow where did the year go? Our little baby is 1!!! She is such a sweetheart! I just love everything about her. She brightens up the day the second she wakes up! We are so blessed to have her in our family!!!

Winter Olympics Noah's Ark Style

2010-02-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Noah's Ark (Jaden and Landon's preschool) created a mini Olympics for the kids. It was too cute! The kids had a ball. It was so fun to cheer them on! The teachers were very creative with their ideas to get the games the kids were playing to resemble some of the games at the Olympics. It was such a fun way for the kids to be part of the "Olympics". I was so proud of them!!!

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Just had to post some cute memories of Valentine's Day.

The boys were super excited to put their valentine's card together. They loved writing their name on all the cards- it was so cute!

Here is Landon- taking it very serious.

He is Jaden. He has turned into quite the little artist- so this was a super fun project for him.

The kids got spoiled by their Papa & Nana- here they are enjoying the cute valentine treats. Thank you so much for all the fun things- they loved everything.

This cute outfit Brooklyn got from Grandpa and Grandma Dalton. She got it for her Birthday, but we opened it early for Valentine's Day. Thank you! Isn't she a doll?!?!

I just can't get enough of her!

For Valentine's Day we had an activity at church. The Elders Quorum put together a black tie event. The decoration, food, and entertainment was amazing. We started off with a great dinner and then had dessert while we listen to our Bishop talk on Marriage. It was a great evening! Well since the place looked amazing, I told Dylan that I wanted a picture of the 3 guys incharge of the night in front of the decorations. Well this is what I got...the 3 guys at the end of a long day. I don't blame him- taking a pic was the last thing on his mind that night. But take it from me it was a amazing! Thank you sweetie for an amazing night! You are everything and more! I love you!!!

Ice Skating

2010-01-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Well I have to admit we have been married for 6 years and this was our first time ice skating together. We had a date night with some of our friends and attempted ice skating. I was really impressed with the guys ;)! They held their own out on the ice. I on the other hand, was just okay out there. It still was a lot of fun even if I couldn't do all the cool tricks. Thanks guys for the great night!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Happy New Year! We celebrated New Years at my Uncle Steve and Aunt Rosemary's house. We had a fun night of games, food, and fireworks. Thanks Uncle Steve and Aunt Rosemary for everything! What a great time bringing in the New Year.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas! We had a true white Christmas this year. After living in El Paso (where it snows maybe 1 day a year), we are getting adjusted to snow again. I have to admit, Christmas is the only day I want snow...so I was happy. In our house Christmas is our favorite time of year. There are so many traditions that we do to make it special. Christmas Eve day, we always go to the movies. This year we met up with some friends and went and saw Alvin and the Chipmunks- the Squeakquel. Super cute- I loved it!

The Norad Santa Tracker is one of the most amzazing inventions ever!! The kids love seeing where he is and track him each Christmas Eve all over the world.

Gotta' love those sugar cookies! The boys love to help in the kitchen, especially when it comes to goodies.

We had the Elder's over for cookies and Sparkling Cider. We also have a tradition to read the birth of the Savior and then we write a letter to Jesus. Just our way of keeping the true meaning of Christmas alive.

Time for PJs.

We made a plate of cookies for Santa. We asked the boys what drink we should put with it, and they said that Santa would want a Pepsi....Wow, do they know Santa or what?!?!

And here is all the fun things Santa brought:

Brooklyn's stash

The boys' stash....
Christmas morning- They loved everything!

Reese (my sister in-law) made these hats for the kids. The kids love them.

As you can tell we had a great Christmas. The best part is the time we get together. I hope everyone had a great one too!

My Parents Visit

2009-12-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

My parents and my Grandma Son came to visit us out here in Indiana. The boys love when grandma and grandpa from "rutah" come to visit. We tried to fit a lot in while they were out here. It is always great to have them visit, but sad when they have to go home. Thanks for the visit!!!
My Dad and Brooklyn My Mom and the Boys
Grandma Son and the Boys

We headed up to Chicago to the "Magnificent Mile Lights Festival". It was so fun. We started the night off with Giordano's pizza (I can't get enough of the deep dish pizza- the BEST). Then we watched the parade. It was pretty cool, as the floats pass by the Christmas lights turn on. We all had a good time.

Standing in front of the Preschool. The boys were so excited to show Grandpa and Grandma their school.

"Thanksgiving 2009"
We celebrated Thanksgiving over at my Uncle Steve's and Aunt Rosemary's house. It was great to be surrounded by family. Thank you Steve and Rosemary for the wonderful time and amazing food!!!

We went to visit Fair Oaks Farm. The whole time my dad had a grin from ear to ear- he was in heaven (he grew up on a farm, so it brought back a lot of great memories). It was a pretty amazing farm. They have these fake cows inside for you to practice putting the pumps on the utters- kids loved it. We watched a 3-D movie about cows. There were parts during the movie that blew air and water on you to have the movie come more alive. I was holding Brooklyn and when those parts came she just giggled every time the air or water got her- it was too cute. While we were there we were able to see a calf be born. It was crazy to see and my boys had so many questions (ha ha- I think I may have scared them about deliveries). We finished the day off with some amazing ice cream! It was a great experience.

"Girls Day Out" Us girls went to "New Moon" and loved it!!!

*Lights* It was fun to jump in the car and drive around in the Valpo Light Show at Sunset Hill Farms. They had a lot of cute light displays.

*Gingerbread House* For family night we put a gingerbread house together. It was our first time doing it. We got a little impatient with putting it together- we didn't let the frosting dry before putting on the candy, our roof kept falling off (at least we know for next time). But it all worked out and it turned out cute!

*Chicago* We went up to visit Chicago one last time before they headed home. We spent the day at Navy Pier. We of course had to hit up the Children's Museum. The kids can't get enough of that place!!! It was fun!

Astle Family Trip to Kauai

2009-12-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's been about 2 months since we took this trip, but I still wanted to blog about it. We headed out to Hawaii the end of October. We spent two days for travel on multiple flights totaling 10 hours each way and the although the little ones were champs the whole way, we don't ever plan on taking them to Hawaii with us again.The whole Astle family made it out. It was so beautiful and absolutely amazing! We went to the Island of Kauai and just fell in love with it. Here are some of the pics:

We stayed at the Point of Poipu and it was gorgeous. Our room overlooked the beach and just before the beach we had an amazing, kid-friendly pool area, which with all seven cousins, you can imagine we spent a majority of our time there.

We visited Waimea caynon, had a lot of beach time fun, and fed the Koi every morning.

Luau time!!! Here is the whole gang at the Luau. Great entertainment, great food, and great people to share it with. Thanks Kelly and Camille for the great night out!

The best excursion ever!!! 4-wheelers are the way to go! We had a ball. The only thing that would have made it better, would have been a day of rain. I would highly recommend this excursion. Our tour guide, Pat, made it that much better.

The Zip lines were probably our least favorite excursion. We enjoyed every one's company and definitely had a great time, but if we could have done it all again, we would have done the 4-wheelers twice. The scenery was also beautiful!

"The Girls Day Out" This is the only excursion my 7-month pregnant sister-in-law could go on. So we made it the "Girls Excursion" It was a great time!! We took Grandma with us and she lasted a total of 5 minutes in the water and then asked to get out. The important part is that Kristin had a good time, which made the whole day's activity very worth it.

Mom and Dad gave us a gift on our final night! A night out on the town without kids! How great was that? They treated us to the "Beach House" and the food was absolutely amazing. A few virgin margaritas, great food, a gorgeous sunset, what a way to top off the vacation!

Halloween Time

2009-11-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!! Yes, we are back from Paradise! Hawaii was amazing and many pics to come! We made it back from Hawaii in the afternoon of Halloween. So as soon as we got home we got ready and sent the boys out to trick or treat. They were so excited to wear their transformer costumes. We did a little trick or treating and then watched scary movies. We a had a great Halloween!!! Earlier in the month we carved pumpkins and took a few fall pics. I love this time of year when the leafs change color and the weather cools down.

Ready, Set, GO!!!

2009-09-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

Last night was the 2nd annual pinewood derby race in our ward. We had such a great time. We were so impressed with the competition. It seemed like everyone knew what to do (except Dylan and I, but we got a lot of pointers for next year). It was a great turn out. We had about 25 cars and they all looked amazing! Here are a couple pics of us and our cars. Dylan went with a Tank design and I went with a hot pink striped car!

7 Month Update

2009-09-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

My little girl turned 7 months last week. It is so fun to see all the new things she is doing each month. Over the past month she has learned to crawl a couple feet before she goes back to army crawling. She sits up all by herself. She pulled herself up to standing position in her crib. She says "Da Da Da". Dylan is sure it is for him- and I will let him keep thinking that :)! She is such a sweet little girl and we love her so much!

Popcorn Popcorn Popcorn

2009-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

The weekend after labor day was a time to celebrate Orville Redenbacher. Orville Redenbacher was from this area and why not celebrate it? Popcorn festival is a big thing out here. They shut down all of downtown Valpo and have a weekend full of popcorn, hot dogs, fried twinkies, fried oreos and so much more! It just can't get better then that! So of course we couldn't miss this party! Here are some pics of the fun event:

The biggest hit of the day was the school bus. We parked at an elementary school 5 miles from downtown and they shuttled us in on a bus. The boys loved it!

Here is the gang waiting for the parade to start.

Some of the parade.

1st Day of School

2009-09-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Jaden and Landon's first day of preschool was yesterday. It was so cute to see how excited they were to go to school (they have been asking to go to school for about a month now). They loved their new school, new teachers and new friends. Here they are all dressed and ready for their first day of school:

Labor Day Weekend Fun

2009-09-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had such a great 3 day weekend. We started the weekend off by spending some time up in Chicago. We had to hit up the Children's Museum. The kids just love this place. There is so much for them to do here. Then after the museum we grabbed some Chicago pizza and hit up the park. This park is such a cute park. It has a little water fountain for the kids to go crazy in. Here are some pics of Chicago:

We had a Ward barbeque on Labor Day. What a great activity. They built this Dunk Machine (well actually it was a water balloon drop). Anyway it was so cool. The boys made their daddy go up so they could get him all wet. They loved it. They also had the longest slip n slide I have ever seen. Then my sexy hubby headed off to play a little volleyball (wow did he put everyone else to shame- who would of guessed the shortest guy out there had the best skills? I was so impressed!). Way to go sweetie :)!

6 Months Old

2009-08-26T12:42:00.001-07:00

So our princess just turned 6 months old last week. Wow how time flies! She is such a sweetheart and definetly the princess in our house. She loves her brothers so much. She loves to watch them and tries to play with them. She will scream just to get their attention. The boys love her as well. They try so hard to get her to laugh. They will dance for her, sing to her, and tell her stories. They are sweet brothers that love their little sister so much.

She loves to play with everything but her own baby toys. She doesn't have the crawling thing down yet...but is real close. She will get up on her knees and rock. Although she can't crawl yet she has figured out how to get what she wants and when she wants. She will pull her body across the floor to get whatever catches her eyes. I have to admit it is cute, but we are not ready for her to crawl yet. We have started feeding her solids. She loves it and gets very impatient if we don't get it to her fast enough. We love this baby girl and are excited for all the fun things to come!

Just Because

2009-08-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't even tell you enough how much I love my sweet husband. After what I feel has been a very long week without him (for those that don't know, his new position takes him out of town sometimes and this week is one of those times) he surprised me with a dozen long stem gorgeous roses, just because... What a great surprise, especially receiving them right after Landon took scissors to his hair. Yes, he cut his own hair- pics to come! So the roses couldn't have come at a better time!!! It has definitely brightened up my week. I love you sweetie- thank you for being an amazing hubby even when you are not here! You are the BEST!!!

We Made It

2009-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I have been avoiding my blog because I have soooo much to catch up on. The longer I wait the more I have to blog about, so I figure I will just cover the big things that have happened and cover the other ones in a later blog.

To start off, we left Texas and drove up to Utah to make it to my sisters (Tiffany's) wedding. It was so beautiful and it was so great to meet Cameron, Tiffany's new husband. It was great to see them so happy and so excited about life. I am so excited for their new adventure together- congrats!!!

Here is a cute picture of their new family.

It turned out so beautiful- what a perfect day!

Then after the wedding we headed off to Chicago- well actually Valparaiso, IN (45 mins outside of Chicago). The kids traveled so good. They had a blast watching movies, eating fast food, and staying up late in the hotel rooms along the way. It was so nice when we made it. Luckily, while we were in Utah, Dylan flew out to Valpo to meet the movers. He is such an amazing man, he meet the movers, helped them unpack the truck, got all the boxes unpack and the house all ready for us to come all in 2 days. I have to say that he made this move so easy and stress free- thank you so much! Here are a few pics of the move and our new location.

Here are the boys helping pack.
Dylan enjoying Chicago's famous pizza!
Enjoying Chicago's Famous Pizza- it was soooo good!!!
The boys are loving the swimming pool.

Anyone up for a visit to CHICAGO?

2009-06-16T17:51:00.001-07:00

We just wanted to updated you on a new adventure we are about to take. After a lot of prayers and fasting we have accepted a position working with Corporate. DirectBuy Corporate offices are located in Merrillville, IN so that is going to be home for us here soon (in three weeks). We plan on packing up and leaving good old El Paso by the end of the month and we will be heading up to Utah the first part of July making a very important wedding (for those that haven't heard- my sister, Tiffany is getting married- so excited)! Then we will move out to Merrillville, IN after that. The company will be moving us out there, so we don't even have to worry about packing or the actual move- what a relief. We are excited for this opportunity and had to share. Plan your next trip out to Chicago- that's where we'll be!

The Astle Family Visit

2009-06-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Dylan's brother and his family came out to visit us! Did I mention they drove with 3 kids over 1100 miles each way to visit us- they did survive :)! I am so glad they did the drive because we had such a great time with them out here! What great memories we have of their visit. We tried to keep all 6 of our kids busy. We went to 2 movies, did a little slip n slide, went sledding on the great white sands, and of course had to fit in a little shopping at the outlet mall. We had a great time- thank you guys for the visit! Here are some pics of the visit:

A cute shot of all the cousins together!

Me and my baby!
Landon pushing daddy down the hill.
A cute shot of Landon.
A cute shot of Jaden.
One of the Family.
Slip n Slide time.
Aren't they adorable?
Isn't she so sweet?

Enjoying a little T.V. time.

My B-Day

2009-06-14T17:41:00.001-07:00

Dylan surprised me on my birthday by taking the day off! It was such a surprise! I also got to celebrate it with my in-laws (Dylan's brother and his family came to visit). It was so great to have them out (I will be posting pics of their visit soon)! He also surprised me with a awesome new camera (we are currently waiting for a new one to come in- the one he gave me had some kind of malfunction- but I will show you as soon as I get the new one). He took us out to lunch to my favorite place- Pei Wei's! Then after that we headed off to White Sands. We had such a blast! We ended the night with some cake and ice cream- yum yum!!! I had such a wonderful birthday- Thank you sweetie!!!

Happy B-Day

2009-05-26T21:49:00.001-07:00

Dylan turned 29 today. We celebrated his birthday at a Restaurant called Koze. The boys just loved the restaurant. It is where the chef cooks the food right in front of you. Their favorite thing was the train the chef makes out of the onions. We had a great time. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband, he is definitely my everything! Happy Birthday Sweetie- I LOVE YOU!!!

Here is a pic of us at dinner- good times!!!

I just love this picture! He is such a wonderful daddy!!!

Isn't he such a STUD- what a hottie!!!

Circus Time

2009-05-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Circus came to town for the weekend, so on Friday, we just had to go. It is so entertaining even for a bunch of old fogies. I just love every part of the circus from the elephants that can stand on 2 legs, the clown that can ride a little tiny bike, to the 3 motorcycles in a caged ball.

We had a great time!

3 Months Old

2009-05-23T09:07:00.001-07:00

Wow does the time fly by. Brooklyn turned 3 months on the 18th. It is so fun to see her little personality come out. There are a few things that have happened over the last month. She can roll from her stomach to her back. She has learned to giggle- it is to cute. She now sleeps through the night (from 10pm-7am) it is awesome. She wakes up like her daddy- full of smiles! She loves to watch her brothers as they try to entertain her. She is such a great baby and such a sweet spirit. We love you Brooklyn!

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-13T07:38:00.001-07:00

*My Greatest Joys Call Me MOM*

I just love that saying. It is so true for me. I just love my kids so much. I couldn't imagine life without them.

My boys preschool had a Mother's Day program. It was so cute to see my boys sing to me. It brought tears to my eyes. Here are some pics from the program:

Then on Saturday, Dylan told me the babysitter will be there at 3:00 and that I had an appointment at 4:00. When Kaci (our babysitter) came she handed me the information for my manicure and pedicure appointment. So me and Brooklyn took off to get my nails done. What an awesome surprise! Then after that we met up with Dylan after work and went out to eat. I had such a wonderful and relaxing day- Thanks Sweetie for spoiling me!!!

She finally looks like a girl!

2009-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Last week we pierced Brooklyn's ears. After attempting two other times we finally succeeded! The first time she needed to be 2 months old. We waited out the week and tried a second time when she turned 2 months. Then they informed us she needed to have her d-tap shot. So after her two month check up with the doctor she got the shot she needed and on Monday we finally got it done. She was not happy, but at least she looks like a girl.

She is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Check Ups

2009-04-28T11:31:00.001-07:00

Friday was Brooklyn's day to shine at the doctors. It was her 2 month check up. She was so cute just smiling away. Little did she know what she was in for. I am happy to report that she is one healthy little girl. What a blessing it is to have such a healthy baby.

Here she is waiting to see the doctor.

Weighing in at 10 lbs 6 oz (it is crazy to think the boys weighed half that when they were 2 months).

Had to do the after shot. She only cried like this for a few minutes. I'm so proud of her, she was a tough little girl.

The Boys had their 4 year old check up on Monday. Sorry no pics, I forgot my camera. They were so cute during the hearing test. Every time it would beep they were suppose to raise their hand, but instead you would see a huge smile across their faces. It was funny. It is so crazy how fast they have grown up. Jaden starting out at 2 lbs 2 oz is now weighing in at 32 lbs. Landon starting out at 2 lbs 12 oz is now weighing in at 35 lbs. The whole time we were trying to get them ready for the shots. We told them that the shots make you stronger. So the whole time they kept saying "I'm going to get muscles?" Jaden was the first one to get shots. He wanted to cry so bad, but each time he got a shot he just said ouch. Then it was Landon's turn. He started crying the second he sat on the table.

Summer Time Fun

2009-04-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jenn invited me and the kids out to White Sands. It was awesome! This is the first time my boys have gone sledding. Not your normal snow sledding, it was sand sledding. The weather was perfect and the sand was cool on the feet. It was amazing how these white hills appeared out of nowhere. The boys were funny telling daddy all about their day. They told him that they went snow sledding and the boys argue even to this day that they were playing with the snow. Here are some pics of our day:

Birthday Party

2009-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded the birthday party pictures. We celebrated the boys 4th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. They had a fun time with all of their friends.

Birthday Boys

2009-04-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

The boys turned 4 years old yesterday. It's crazy how fast the time has flown by. We are so blessed to have them part of our family. They are two special boys and we love them so much. Here are a few pics of them through the years.

This is Jaden a few days after he was born. Weighing 2 lbs 2 oz.

Here is Landon a few days after he was born. Weighing 2 lbs 12 oz.

Loving their daddy at his graduation.

Mohawk time!!!

Their first sight of snow.

Terrible Twos

First day of preschool.

Jaden Astle 2009

Landon Astle 2009

Our little princess is two months old today

2009-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Her first month of life was pretty boring by Dylan's standards, but she has finally won her daddy's heart with her smiles. I have enjoyed all the snuggles I can get from her. Which is why she only prefers being held or wrapped up in her little rocker (she is definitely a little spoiled!). We love how she snuggles us at night. And our favorite part is how she sleeps through the night! Her brothers can't get enough of her. They always want to hug and kiss her. We are so happy she is part of our family!!! We love you Brooklyn!

Brooklyn's Announcement

2009-04-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday

2009-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful Easter Sunday. We started with an Easter egg hunt for the boys and afterward enjoyed a great church service then finished it off with a night full of friends, fun and BBQ. Here are some pics of the day:

Easter Bunny

2009-04-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny came to town today, so we had to stop and see him. They just loved it. They each got to sit on his lap and the boys of course had to let the bunny know what they wanted for Easter. Landon was too funny afterwards.
This was our conversation:
Landon: "Mom, where's my golf set?"
Mom: "He will bring it to you tomorrow."
Landon: "But you said I just needed to ask the bunny for it and I would get it."
Mom: "How is he suppose to get your gift to you so fast, does he have a magic bag he pulls it out of?"
Landon: "Um... I don't see one. But he can just go to Wal-Mart and get one."
Mom: "That's right, so give him sometime to go and get it."
Little does he know "The Easter Bunny" already purchased his golf set from Wal-Mart:)

The Jensen Family

2009-04-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of my cousins house. Heart 2 Home (Utah's version of Extreme Home Makeover) chose the Jensen family's home to remodel. They were chosen because they are such an amazing family and because of the battles they face. Nate and Natalie Jensen are the parents of 4 children. Nate has been diagnosed with a blood disorder, and their two oldest sons have both been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Because of their challenges their home could not fit their needs. That is when Zion’s Builders decided to step in and add on to the home as well as update, remodel and make the home wheel chair accessible. It is so amazing to have heard about all the service that was put into this home. They couldn't have picked a better family that was so deserving! I am just so happy for them!

7 Hours Already!!!

2009-04-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

Only 7 weeks old and already sleeping 7 hours! What a great night it was last night, my princess slept 7 hours. She started the night off great with some cuddle time with her big brothers. Jaden and Landon can't get enough of her, they just love to hug and kiss her all the time. When I put the boys to bed, I let them each cuddle their sister. They loved it! Here they are at bedtime.

A day out for the girls

2009-04-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

I had a fun girls day out yesterday with a couple of my really good friends. We went and glittered our toes. That's right glitter- how cool is that! Instead of getting just regular nail polish, they actually pour glitter in between. I just love how my toes sparkle! Check out the pics and the next time you get your toes done, you have to try glitter toes!!! After we got our toes done we went and ate at Jaxon's. We all ordered their BBQ chicken salad and it was delicious. Thanks girls for the fun time!

Daddy's Girl

2009-03-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

I just love this little girl so much! She is such a great baby. I can count on one hand all the times she has cried- what a patient little girl!!! The boys love to give her tons of kisses & hugs and she just loves getting them. My favorite time of the day is when she is alert. I just love to look at her cute little eyes. She is definitely one special little girl!

Dylan surprised us yesterday by coming home a day earlier. It is so great to have him back home. He came home about 10:30 last night so Brooklyn and I were the only ones up. It was so fun to see him play with his little princess. How his eyes just lit up when he was holding her- what a sweet moment! So this one is for you two:

Our Trip to Utah

2009-03-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

It is always a blast to get together with family! I was able to spend a week up there in Utah while Dylan left for some training for work. While we were there we were able to spend time with family. It was fun to be up there and be a part of the things that are going on. One of the days we went to Sean and Seth's (my little nephews) soccer games. It was so cute watching these little kids play soccer. My nephews did such a good job, I can't wait to see them when they are older. Here are some pics of the game and the fans!

Tiffany and Ethan drove back to Texas with us. She was such a great help, I don't know how I would have done it with out her. You would think 14 hours in the car the kids would have been screaming to get out, but they all did so good- I was proud of them! Here are some pics of a few things we did. It was so good to have them out here- WE MISS YOU TWO!!!

Brooklyn's Blessing

2009-03-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Since we have a lot of family in Utah we decided since we were up here for the wedding to bless Brooklyn up here. It was so neat! We were so blessed to have so many family members there- it was great! Dylan did such a wonderful job! The whole thing was just beautiful!

P.S. I just updated my blog on what has been going on the last few weeks- so don't miss the ones below!!!

The Big Day!

2009-03-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Dicky (my brother) and Charisse got married on Saturday. What an amazing day! The whole day was perfect! They are so cute together. I am just so happy for them- Congrats!!! Here are some of the pics I took:

First Bath

2009-03-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of Brooklyn's first bath- isn't she just a doll!

Visitors

2009-03-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dylan and I are so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Both mine and Dylan's parents came to visit us. It was so fun to have family out. My parents came out when Brooklyn was born. The boys loved having their grandma and grandpa out. My dad had to show off his paper airplane skills (I have to admit he can make a pretty good airplane). Jaden and Landon couldn't get enough of it. It was so good to have them out, it helped out so much!

We also had Nana and Papa (Dylan's parents) out to visit. They are so cute with the kids. The boys kept Papa busy by playing with their Scooters and showing off their swing set outside. And as Brooklyn she just loved all the cuddle time!

It was so great to have them all out! Thanks for the visit!

Here are just a few pics from both visits:

Our Brooklyn is Finally Here!!!

2009-02-20T19:02:00.001-08:00

Born on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. Weighing in at 5 lbs 13 oz and 18 3/4 inches long. What an amazing day! This is our third child and Dylan's first experience in the delivery room, what a blessing it was to have him there!

Here we snapped one last picture before leaving for the hospital.

The doctors allowed us to take a quick picture after Brooklyn was just 3 seconds old.

She is definitely "Daddy's Little Girl"!

The boys still aren't sure what to think.

I just can't get enough of her! All she does is sleep and I am just loving every minute of it!

Coming home outfit. I am so excited to dress a little girl, it is so fun to add the cute accessories!

We are so glad to have our little munchkin home! What a blessing it is to have her!

Valentines Weekend

2009-02-17T20:03:00.001-08:00

This year we spent Valentines weekend together as a family. Landon got croup on Friday so we spent Valentine's at home. Dylan made the night special for all of us. He surprised me with some sexy boots and brought home PeiWei's (my favorite food!). We had a great time spending it together as a family. Because of Landon being sick we tried to keep the boys entertained indoors as much as we could. Luckily Dylan is creative and so we had a paper airplane competition. It kept the boys busy all night. Here are some pictures of them and their airplanes.

We Finally Decided....

2009-02-08T19:47:00.001-08:00

We have been torn between the names Riley and Brooklyn. We finally decided to name our little girl Brooklyn. Thanks to makemebabies.com we are able to confirm that our future baby looks like a Brooklyn, don't you think?

What do you think about my little new baby Brooklyn?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Baby Shower

2009-02-06T14:32:00.001-08:00

Last week my friend Danielle threw me a baby shower. It was so fun to get together with all the ladies. We definitely got enough stuff to spoil Brooklyn. Thanks everyone!!!

THE BIG 5-0!!!

2009-01-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish my mom a Happy 50th Birthday! She is so incredible! I am so grateful to have her as my mother. She is such an amazing example and I hope to be like her some day! Thank you for being such an amazing mom! We Love You! Happy 50th!!!

Christmas & New Years

2009-01-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's about time- I know! Christmas was a blast this year. Our boys are finally old enough to get excited about Santa. So we made cookies for Santa and talked about the Saviors birth on Christmas Eve. Then when morning came, the boys came and got us, and we all ran to see what Santa brought. Santa brought the boys Diego Scooters, doctor gear, marble tracks and a bunch of other little nick knacks. Santa gave Dylan a Wii. It has been so much fun to play! And Santa brought me a digital photo frame and a gift card for some really nice makeup (I have hinted to Santa for a little while of how I want to get nice makeup - so Thank you Santa!!!). Here are some pictures of Christmas:

The top pictures are from Christmas Eve. We got new Pj's and had some sparkling cider. And the bottom pictures are of the boys playing with their toys from Santa.

This is what Papa and Nana gave the boys. It is this big train table. The boys just love it, it definitely keeps them busy. Thank you Nana & Papa!!!

This is from Grandma and Grandpa. They got their very own computer. It is really cool, it teaches them the alphabets, adding, subtracting and so much more. They have loved playing with it. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!!!

For New Years week my family came out to visit us. It was so great to have them out!!! We hit up the outlet mall, went and watch "Bolt", went to Pei Wei's and just relaxed. Of course we had to have some Wii action. What a great invention!!! We had such a great week! I forgot to download my sisters and my moms pictures of that week so all I have is New Years Day. So as soon as I get pictures of the fun filled week I will post them! But for now here are pictures of the boys playing with their poppers. They had a good time bringing in the New Year.

Santa Clause

2008-12-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

We went and saw Santa a couple of days ago and the boys loved it. They have been asking for days to go see Santa. They both have been wanting to make sure Santa knew that they wanted a Diego Scooter. Afterwards, Dylan asked Landon what he thought of Santa, Landon looked up at him and said, "Daddy, where is my "Liego Scooter" at?" The boys had never sat on Santa's lap before, so it may take a couple years for them to understand the routine of how he operates. It was too cute!

Here we are tracking Santa. If you haven't done it, it is too cute to pass up- you still have time! The website is www.noradsanta.com It is a fun way for the kids to see where Santa has been.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-18T17:22:00.001-08:00

Our Ward Christmas theme was "Christmas in Nauvoo". It turned out so cute. People came dressed up either as pioneers or dressed in Christmas colors. They had booths for the kids to learn how to make stockings, decorate ginger bread cookies, and even learned how to make their own ornament. It was a fun night. Here are some pics of the boys enjoying the fun activities!

Christmas Time

2008-12-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is our favorite time of the year! We put all our decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was so fun to watch the boys help out. They were so cute!

This is in front of our house. The boys just love the reindeer. When we pulled them out they had to give them big hugs. Then they asked them if they help pull Santa's Sleigh. It was too cute!

This is our lovely fireplace. We got the mantel about a month ago, just in time for our Christmas Stockings.

The boys were great helpers with putting the Christmas ornaments on the tree. They didn't quite understand to spread them out. They kept putting the ornaments on the same branch, one after another. So we would move it after they put it on the tree when they weren't looking. It was pretty funny.

Then we had to celebrate with a little "Christmas Juice" a.k.a. eggnog.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-12-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Since we were out in San Francisco for conference, we were able to spend a couple of days with Dylan's family. It was so great to be able to spend Thanksgiving with them (our first Thanksgiving all together). Dinner was amazing - Thanks Camille a.k.a. Nana! It was so cute to see all the kids play together. Our boys just love their cousins. We had such a great time!

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DB Conference 2008

2008-12-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Our DB Conference was in San Francisco, CA this year. It was so awesome!!! Dylan's parents live close to San Francisco, so we took the kids out there. The boys stayed with their Papa and Nana while we attended the conference. Thank you again- they had such a great time!!!

Conference time is a time for everyone at work to relax and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. They started it off with the 49'rs cheerleaders- it got everyone pumped up (more the guys I think, but that's okay). Then they brought in motivational speakers that definitely made you feel good. Then it was on to the award ceremonies. It was exciting to celebrate the accomplishments from our center. Dylan was nominated and chosen to be Service Star of the Year. I am so proud of him, he is such a hard worker- Congrats!!!

In between meetings we had time to go site seeing. We hit up Pier 39, ate at Bubba Gumps, laughed at the people that bushman scared, did some shopping, and even made time to watch TWILIGHT (all I have to say is AWESOME- loved it)! We had such a fun time hanging out with everyone and enjoyed every bit of San Francisco. Here are some pictures of our trip:

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Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-12-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Dad! WE LOVE YOU!!!

TAGGED!

2008-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

I know it's about time. I was tagged twice so here is the 1st one:

i am: A mother of two crazy boys
i think: Too much!
i know: It all!
i have: Everything I need
i dislike: spiders & scorpions
i fear: The economy right now
i hear: More than I should
i usually: Eat more than I should
i talk: Way to much
i wonder: What it's like on the other side
i regret: The mornings I wake up cranky
i love: My family and friends
i always: Brush my teeth
i am not: As tough as I think I am
i remember: All the good old times at A.F.H.S.
i believe: Families are Forever
i dance: For only my hubby's eyes :)
i sing: Way off tune and all the wrong words
i don't always: Shave my legs - I know gross huh!
i tag: Everyone!!!
i don't like: Hot Spicy Foods
i enjoy: A great vacation
i win: Every time
i have never: Sky Dived
i listen: Only when I want to
i don't understand: Why my kids don't sleep in
i can usually be found: At home
i am scared: Of the dark
i need: A cold mountain dew :)
i forget: Too often
i am happy: When I am with the ones I love

2nd Tag - Go to the 4th folder in your pictures and then to the 4th picture.

This picture was taken the night Dylan proposed to me. What a romantic spot, isn't the view amazing!!!

Thanks Shari & Lara both of these tags were so fun to do! And brought back some great memories!!!

Utah Trip

2008-11-08T10:45:00.001-08:00

We took a trip out to Utah about 2 weeks ago to visit family and friends. We had such a great time. We were able to catch up with some of Dylan's college/mission friends. It was so fun to see what everyone is up to and to see everyone's kids. Thanks everyone- we had a good time!!! I got to hang out with my best friends from high school- Tiff (my sister of course) and Shari. It was so good to hang out and talk- You two are the best!!! And for the most part as you can see with all the pictures below, we spent it with our family. We had a great trip- thanks for all the good times!!! We love and miss you!

This is of our plane ride. The boys love the airplane so it was fun and relaxing to fly out there. I got them these doctor kits to entertain them on the plane and it was a hit.

Dylan surprised me with a night out. We celebrated our 5th year anniversary a little earlier so we could spend it at the same place we had our honeymoon. It was such a sweet surprise! He is so romantic- Thanks sweetheart!!!

Our boys had so much fun fishing with Grandpa! My dad is so good at fishing, it took him less than a minute to catch a fish. The boys loved it and were so proud of each one that grandpa caught!

We had lunch with Grandpa and Grandma Dalton (Dylan's Mom and Step Dad). It was so good to see them. We also got to visit my Grandma Merkley. She is the sweetest lady.

It was Kirt's birthday while we were there (Tiffany's husband). He would have turned 28 this year. To honor his day we went to his grave and decorated it with pumpkins. We also had 28 white ballons and had each of us wrote a note and released it. It was such a great and sad night. We love and miss you Kirt!

Ethan (Tiff's little boy) turned 2. We started that night off at Kangaroo Zoo. All the kids loved it. Then we went and had pizza and cake. My boys loved being around all of their cousins. Happy Birthday Ethan- We love you!!!

One of the nights we went to the Clark Planetarium. We watch this cute 3-D movie about 3 flies that went to the moon. Then the kids got to walk on the moon and play with all of the cool exhibits they have there. It was such a fun night.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2008-11-01T12:19:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a great Halloween!!! Here are some pictures of how we spent it.

We started the week off by carving pumpkins. The kids had so much fun. The boys outlined the faces and then daddy got to carve. He did a good job and the boys loved it.

Here they are ready to trick or treat. They were Spiderman - both of them. We have had their costumes over a month and since we got them they have asked to wear their costumes everyday. So when Halloween finally came they were ecstatic.

Once we were home they couldn't wait to eat their treats. We had a great time!

The Zoo

2008-10-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

The boys went to the zoo with their preschool class last Wednesday. They had so much fun. Even though they loved all the animals it was the bus ride they loved the most.

Our Annual Corn Maze Trip

2008-10-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

We went to the corn maze over a week ago, but still wanted to share with you the pictures of our trip. We went with our best friends the Lichlyter's and the Hall's. We had a blast with the kids leading us through the corn maze. They did a good job! We also had to have the famous corn on the cob. It was delicious!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

2008-10-09T14:54:00.001-07:00

Was this baby ever shy! It took three ultra sounds to see this little girl. We are so excited!!!

Conference Weekend

2008-10-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

I love conference weekend! What a great way to spend the weekend being able to listen to the words of the Prophet and spending time with family & friends! We had all our friends over to listen to conference. It turned out great! While the adults were inside watching conference the kids were outside having a blast. They were busy being creative, it was so cute! When conference was over we saw their masterpiece. Can you tell what it is?

They created a beautiful flower garden. They were so proud of it!

Grandma & Grandpa's Visit

2008-10-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

I am little late in getting this up here, but I wanted to share some pictures of my mom and dad's visit. They came a couple weeks ago and still to this day my boys keep asking "Where's Grandma and Grandpa". We had so much fun, we went to Chuck E. Cheese, went shopping and tried out this new place called Bahama Buck's (it has the best smoothies and snow cones). It was good to have them here!!!

First Day of School

2008-09-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last week the boys started preschool. Dylan was the only one that wasn't very excited (he was actually quite nervous) for the kids to start school. I was so thrilled!!! Ever since we bought their backpacks (or "pac-pac's" as they would call them) they would wake up in the morning and ask, " Are we going to school?" The day finally came! I continue to be happy as ever for a little break, Dylan is slowly adjusting, but the boys are so excited about going everyday.

It has been hilarious to pick them up and hear about their day. The first day of school we picked them up and asked, "How was school?" Landon looked at us and said, "Jaden cries!" We both looked at Jaden and asked, "you cry?" and he without any hesitation repeated, "Yeah, I cry!" To this day we're still not quite sure what took place on the first day of school to make Jaden cry. Their latest news is their friends. They always come out of class and say, "I like my friends, my friends are cute" It is so adorable to see them interact and socialize with the other kids. Overall there is a huge sense of relief to have them enjoy going to school everyday.

Update of the Last Year

2008-08-30T14:32:00.001-07:00

Just to update everyone of what has gone on for us since we moved out here to El Paso in the last year!

To start off back in June of 2007 we moved out here to good old El Paso, TX.

In Nov. of 2007 we went out to Florida for conference for work. We had a blast!

In April 2008 we took a trip out to California to visit family.

On April 21, 2008 my brother-in-law Kirt Mendenhall (Tiffany's husband) died in a motorcycle accident. He was the life of the party, the peacemaker of our family, an amazing husband, father, uncle, son, brother and friend. He will be missed by so many here on this side, but it helps a little to know where he is and what he is doing. We love and miss you Kirt!!!

In June 2008 work treated us on a trip out to Puerto Rico! It was Beautiful!!!