The Hinckley Family

January 2010...we've just become renters.

2010-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yes you heard that right! We are now renting. I've rented before just not since being married or having kids. It's kind of nice to think we don't have to fix/replace things if they stop working but this house is much smaller than the one we just sold so we're going to feel a bit squeezed for a few months. Luckily we had Grandma Laura, Grandpa Dave and Uncle Dallin battle crazy winter storms to come visit and help us move. This will be the last time we'll have someone stay with us until we move into our new home. Also I'm REALLY missing my dishwasher. Hurry and get that house built...PLEASE!!!

Dawson has just discovered Derek's iTunes and he LOVES it! His favorites are chipmunks and The Cars soundtrack.

Here is Carter playing at Jackson's yesterday after our big storm.
Who says it doesn't snow in TN?

Night Night Daddy!

2009-09-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Summer of 2009...Part 1

2009-06-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Destin, FL

We started off our summer with a fun Hinckley family vacation in Destin, FL.
We headed down right after Dawson's Pre-k program and spent the week playing at the beach and having a blast hanging out with family!

Dawson even got to go fishing with Daddy!

We were able to spend a week at home before heading off to our next destination...Utah. But first we made a quick stop to the ER . Yes little Cart Cart split his chin open at the bowling alley:( Luckily it wasn't too bad...just a long wait.

Of course we had a royal welcome at Aunt Hopes where we were able to feast and visit with everyone!

A few days later we were able to go to the Hinckley Family reunion for some fun and music.

Then we spent some time having fun in downtown SLC. We went to Temple Square, the Discovery Center and rode TRAX. ..to name a few.

We ended the week with a big Birthday celebration for Great Grandma Perrine, her 90th!

Then it was time for Derek to head back to TN. The boy's and I are just getting started.

Next stop...Vernal!

Dawson's Pre-K Graduation

2009-05-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Dawson's last day of school. And this morning was his graduation. We were debating whether or not to go since we are driving to Destin, FL today for a Hinckley Family Vacation. Well we decided we couldn't miss his graduation. This is how it went.

At least he got to see his friends.

HaPpY 5Th BiRThdaY!!!

2009-05-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

We had Dawson's 5th Birthday party today! I usually just make cupcakes, since Dawson doesn't like cake, but this time I was searching online and saw some cute pirate cake ideas and decided last night I was going to make him one. Well after getting all the decorations and cake stuff it was a little late so I thought I'd make it today before the party. Yeah that didn't happen. I was still icing and decorating it when the party began. Luckily Derek had set up the mobile ship, so the kids had 2 pirate ships to play on and they had a blast with all the games he had planned. Jackson, Chickie, Bentley, Connor and Lewis came to celebrate with us.

Field Day

2009-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Dawson's 5th B-day. We brought cupcakes and birthday invitations to his class. He LOVED it. Today we all headed over to watch him participate in his first ever field day. It was a fun and tiring day.

My Great Find!

2009-05-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when I found this. I was even more excited when I talked the clerk down to $10! Yes...that's right, $10!!! This normally sells for $50, but it was missing the remote. That's not a problem cause I just ordered a new one online with a few other GeoTrax things we needed. Yay for good deals! Now I'm set for Dawson's birthday party!

Mother's Day and Family Birthday Party

2009-05-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

We were back in Knoxville this weekend for the Hinckley May Birthday Party and Mother's Day. We all had a great time and were even able to talk to Spee in Argentina!

It's a Boy!!!

2009-05-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

Yep #3. We just found out this morning. The technician was VERY ODD but the baby looks perfect!!!

NeW gAMe

2009-05-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Derek and the boys made up a new game in the backyard today!

It's set sail!

2009-04-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend Derek had his first "mobile ship" gig
@ the Franklin Main Street Festival.

Sunday we were able to hangout with our friends the Larsen's.
This is their cool swing they have in their backyard.

Carter loved it!

Limelight

2009-04-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Derek played a show @ Limelight last night.

His parents, grandparents and our friends, the Larsen's and Barrow's, came and enjoyed the show.

The boys were also able to go which was a fun surprise
since they don't normally get to see him perform.

And last but not least here is a video I took of Carter earlier during the day.
He loves to sing. His new favorite song is off the movie BOLT.

A Yummy Package from Grandma Hope!

2009-04-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Derek's Grandma sent us some her yummy homemade hand dipped white chocolate covered pretzels! Yum!

A New Branch of Pirate Play Ships...

2009-04-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

While we were in Knoxville this weekend Derek found a killer deal on a trailer and decided it was time to expand his business with a "mobile ship".

Easter in Knoxville

2009-04-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

We decided to head to Knoxville this weekend for the Annual Hinckley Easter Egg Hunt. The day we left there were tornado warnings.
Here was the storm we drove through.

Luckily we missed the brunt of it. Murfreesboro, the town just south of ours, got hit hard.

Dawson loved coloring eggs with Grandma Paula.

And climbing trees with his cousin Kayli.

Both the boys had a blast hunting for eggs.

Derek and I also got into the fun. This year we competed in an egg toss with nets. The best part was most of the eggs were stuffed with $$. Derek and I won almost $30. Yay for us!!!

Artwork

2009-04-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Carter loves to draw...especially with chalk.
Today he wanted to see how it looked on our wall.
Nice.
I'm just glad it was chalk.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

We went to our local park today for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. I was really impressed. They had a ton of eggs and 3 different areas roped off for the younger children. I went with Carter to the 3yrs and younger section. It was pretty mellow and the kids were able to go at their own pace...which was pretty slow. Derek took Dawson to the 4-6yr old section. Dawson had fun but didn't want to compete for eggs, so he mainly watched.

Luckily Carter had plenty to share.

We were able to play on the ship Derek had donated last year.

And play in the free bounce area they had set up!

A Day FULL of Fun!

2009-04-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

The boys got a Easter package from Grandma Laura today.

They were so excited.

Then later this evening we went to Opry Mills Mall with our friends the Larsen's. We had a blast hanging out and walking around. We even found the boys little plush Wonder Pets to finish their
collection.

Napping with friends

2009-03-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is how I found Carter…napping. Ahhhhh.
Speaking of napping...I've been really tired lately and this time there is a good reason for it.
We are having another baby!
I’m now 9.5 weeks pregnant. We found out the week we potty trained Carter. I wasn't feeling very good and just assumed I had the flu but actually I had a cold and when I took pseudaphrine it made me nauseous...hence my flu diagnosis. I've just found a Doctor and will have my first visit in 1.5 wks.

Pinnocchio

2009-03-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

The boys have a new addition to their Disney collection.

And they LOVE it!

Who doesn't love presents from Grandma?

2009-03-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our fun trip to Knoxville

2009-03-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

We went to Knoxville this weekend for the monthly family b-day party. Chris and Jenny were in town and they rented out the skating rink.

How could we miss it?

Carter tried to skate but liked Derek pushing him around in the car better.

Dawson just debated skating...but never actually did it.

(I think he likes ice skating better)

Saturday I was able to visit and run around with Amy while the kids played and the guys tore down a barn. Yes a barn. Greg has been debating on how to finish his basement ceiling. After passing a nearly fallen down barn day after day for the last few years, he came up with the idea to use old barn wood. So he did some research and contacted the owner. The guys were happy to help. How often do you get to tear down a barn?
If you'd like to see it...click HERE.

Friends

2009-03-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

We love having friends over for dinner. It doesn’t seem like we do it often enough. But hopefully we can change that. We had our friends the Felix’s over last night. Josh and Carter are the only two in nursery at church and are the cutest little buddies. They sat by eachother during dinner and played all night. Dawson was the big kid of the group…I think he really enjoyed it. And it was fun having a little girl running around. It was fun having them over and getting to know them more. Derek even put together a bowling picture quiz game. Hopefully next time Miguel is feeling better so he can make it too.

Josh and Carter being pirates.

Dawson Bowling.

Katie bowling.

Carter bowling.

Sunday Activities

2009-03-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Derek was getting some Daddy time in before he had to leave for his meetings. Hmmmm…electric guitar lesson’s on Sunday? Interesting. At least the boys loved it.

Let's go fly a kite!

2009-02-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

I bought the boy's kites a few weeks ago. It's been too cold to fly them until yesterday. The weather was perfect...69 degrees and windy. We headed to the park after picking Dawson up from school. At first Carter wasn't sure if he liked Elmo flying but he soon realized that was the point and enjoyed himself. I really should've put him down for his nap before we went.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-02-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

Derek was down in Biloxi, MS building a Pirate Ship this last week. He and Chris are knocked this one out quick...just 3 days! The family they built it for were so nice they sent them home with some "treasure" for us. The boys could hardly wait.

Here's some video of them when he came home yesterday morning....

Potty Trained!!!

2009-02-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

It all started last week when I was too sick to get more diapers. Carter has been using the potty for a year, but hasn't done well with underwear. But this time he took right to it.

He was wearing pullups at night but when we went to Knoxville I didn't bring enough. Hmmm...I'm being a pretty forgetful Mommy lately.

Anyway I was worried about the 2.5hr drive back home Monday...but he did awesome. We didn't have to stop once. Ever since then he has refused to wear anything but underwear. I have only purchased one pack of pullups ever. Dawson only used one from the pack, but Carter over the last year and week has used 23...leaving me with 5 for the next one. Hahaha...hopefully that's all I'll need. I love my boys.

FYI: Carter is 2yrs 5mos.

My little knights

2009-02-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today after speech we went to the park then headed to the store so the boys could use their gift cards Grandma Laura sent them for Valentines Day. They still have plenty left for another trip. Yay!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

We were able to go to Knoxville to celebrate Valentines Day and Kayli's Birthday. Everyone was pretty excited since we haven't been back since Thanksgiving. It was so much fun to see everyone. Grandma Paula made some cute Valentine bags for the boys. They were filled with Incredibles things. They were pretty excited. Carter obviously loved his stickers.

Derek and I were able to go out with our good friends the Roses. We went to Aubrey's to eat and had such a good time visiting with them. We miss everyone so much!
The boys were able to get in lots of cousin time. The kids took on Derek and Nathan's old passion of playing pacman. Dawson confiscated Layton's bumbo...he love them! And Carter was sporting the underwear look. I was sick last week and only had one diaper, so we decided it was time to potty train. He did awesome. No major accidents. He is still wearing a pullup at night but it seems to be working. Yay!

We headed home Monday evening and saw that Grandma Laura's Valentines had made it. We had the boys open them this morning...

Here's a shout out to both their grandma's...

Oh and he really wants to come for a visit...

Package of Goodies

2009-02-08T22:42:00.000-08:00

Grandma Laura had told us she sent the boys a package a few weeks ago. We were so excited when it finally came! We waited until the evening to open it. The boys were soooo excited...they could hardly wait. She had wrapped everything in gift wrap so they sang Happy Birthday while they were opening the gifts. Very cute...I wish I would've taken a video. She sent them cool Jedi swords and some awesome dinosaur shirts...

and Cart’s favorite…some yummy candy.
I told him he would have to wait until the next day before he could eat any.

Here were his expressions….

Mommy: Sorry you can’t have any candy tonight.

Carter: Pleeeeease???

Mommy: Ok one piece.

Thanks Mom they LOVED it.

A few of their favorite things...

2009-02-08T21:51:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the things the boys have been up to during the last few weeks....

We went to Opry Mills Mall. This is one of their favorite places to go. They love walking through the Rain Forest Café and looking at all the animals then heading to the Bass Pro Shop to watch the fish next they play on the merry-go-round then go play in the Disney Store…the list goes on and on. Luckily I make a few stops myself and check out the sales. Derek just endures it and lets us play.

The other day I told Carter to go into his room and get himself a shirt and pants and this is what he brought me…yes his Captain Feather Sword costume. I was so happy he picked something out, I let him wear it…at least ‘til his nap. Which was right after this picture was taken.

Here are the boy’s “getting stronger” with Daddy. It’s one of their all time favorite activities to do with him. Here’s another one of their favorites…

And finally…blanket surfing.

The Hinckley's

2009-02-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Hinckley's are now featured on the front page of LDS Music World.com go check it out!

Twilight Spoof

2009-01-31T22:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've never read any of the books or seen the movie. I know myself. If I start some thing I won't be able to stop until I'm done. So I've avoided it. Hmmm...that may explain alot of things from my past. Anyway I came upon this spoof from Alice's blog and thought it was hilarious. Click HERE to see it.

Date Night

2009-01-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

Okay so we love the boys...we take them pretty much every where with us. But we also need to go out solo occasionally so last night Derek and I were able to go to a show by ourselves. It was great not having to pack snacks and sippy cups and run around the whole time...even though it's a good source of exercise. Anyway we went to the Due West concert. One of his songwriter friends is in it, Matt Lopez, he's on the right.

It was very lively and crowded. And a long needed break. The boy's seemed to have had a blast as well. We had gotten a young woman from our ward who convinently is our neighbor, very rare out here, to watch the boy's. We had gone through their bedtime routine and put Carter down before we left. But it wasn't long before he got out of bed and joined Dawson for a movie night. This is how we found them when we came home. Little buggers.

Experiment

2009-01-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

For years I have been cutting the crust off my kid's sandwiches. Carter never had it any other way unless he stole mine or D's. Well yesterday I got a wild hair and decided to see what he would do if I left the crust on his PB&J. This is what I came back to find...

Nice. I really do think they eat more when I cut it off. Look how much bread he left.

Pump It Up!

2009-01-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

Dawson started back to school on Monday and had a wonderful day. We even went to the library afterwards. But that night he came down with a fever so I kept him home Tuesday. (When I called the school the secretary informed me there was a little virus going around and the only symptom was a fever.) Luckily by Tuesday night he was back to his old self and the fever was gone. I debated sending him on Wednesday but decided to keep him since he was already scheduled to start his first speech therapy session later that afternoon. (He was accepted into Vanderbuilt's Speech Clinic for therapy once a week to help speed up and expand his speech.)

Well we had been cooped up in the house all day Tuesday and all Wednesday morning so I decided we needed a trip to Pump It Up. The boys had a blast and it was so nice to see them playing and bouncing around. It really makes me appreciate having them so close together. They are best friends and miss each other when they are apart even if its only for a nap.

After the the boys were all bounced out we headed home for a quick lunch before heading to Dawson's appt. He connected instantly with his therapist and did an awesome job. He will be going weekly and I'm excited to see his progress. He is always learning and growing I just wish he could fully express himself. My prayer is that this will help finally close the gap between his comprehensive and expressive skills. He went back to school today and had another fabulous day. He won't be going back until Tuesday. They cancelled the school tomorrow because of the cold weather...cold weather??? I never had days off for cold weather or chance of snow or any of these other random days off but we'll enjoy it. Yay! I get to sleep in. We're going to have a long weekend since Martin Luther King day is Monday. I love holidays.

We're Home

2009-01-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

After a long day of flights we are finally home. This time Carter slept 3hrs on the first flight...yay! And besides a few kicks to the seat in front...Dawson was a perfect saint. I am thankful for naps, crackers, portable dvd players, a clean husband that picks up after himself and a place to call home. Ahhhh...we're finally back.

Snow

2009-01-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

We headed out to the Wasatch Front today. I had a dental appt for a bite adjustment and was going to drop the boys off with Grandma Hope (aka Grandma Pritchett) but it had snowed all night and was apparently still snowing so I ended up taking them with me. They were great.

We went to visit Grandma after the appt. The roads were fine on the freeway, but as soon as I turned onto Grandma's street it was really slick with new snow. When I stepped out of the car I was expecting 3-4 inches but ended up stepping into 10-12. We were able to have a good visit and some yummy food. The boys even crashed her bed. They turned on her little TV and made themselves at home. Dawson no crackers in bed!

Josh is officially 4 wks old and too cute.

Sledding

2009-01-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to take the boy's sledding. We headed up to the golf course with my family. It was during Carter's nap time so he was just looking for someone to hold him.

He found Dallin. He's been really attached to him. I'm sure Dallin in going to miss hearing his little "hold me".

Dawson had a blast.

He was a trooper he didn't ask to be held once.

Not even after we headed down the hill backwards.

The boys were a cinch to put to bed last night.

Oh yes and I gave Carter a haircut today. I'd been asking for a few days and he finally said yes this morning so I seized it.

I haven't taken any afterwards pic's but I'll post some soon.

Happy Birthday Derek!

2009-01-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Derek is now officially 31yrs old but doesn't look a day over 27. Crazy. We weren't able to spend his special day with him but he was able to spend the day on the slopes in Gatlinburg with his BFF Chris and got a meal out with his parents and Nate's family. Hopefully we'll be able to make it up to him when we get home.

Tamales

2008-12-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Today we made tamales at my Aunt Hope's. They planned to do it last weekend but the weather was bad so today was the day. We had a whole assembly line. Brizida, My Aunt Blondina, Mom, Dallin, Aunt Hope, Uncle David, Aunt Mary, and cousins Lisa, Becca and Tayloe all pitched in to make about 480 tamales. It really didn't take that long and we were able to eat some of the fruits of our labor. I'm going to have to start making these at home!

Time passes so quickly...

2008-12-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

Well it's hard to believe but Derek is gone again. He stayed for a little over a week. It's hard being a single parent...even if it's just for a few weeks. We were able to head out a day early and visit again with Grandma Pritchett. She made us some of her yummy sweet n' sour chicken and we watched the new Pres. Hinckley movie. Today we were able to take her to church but as I was trying to help her out of the Expedition I told her to just slide down...well she slid all the way down to the ground. Luckily she wasn't hurt and we had a good laugh. Then to keep her from falling again Derek pulled up on the sidewalk when church was over to pick her up. Grandma just laughed and said "Derek your not in Tennessee you can't drive on the sidewalks". I've been really impressed with the boy's this visit and haven't been to shy with any of their Great Grandma's. Dawson had been playing with a sled Christmas decoration while we were here. It had, yes I did say had, a wrapped present in the back and right before we left we found him behind the recliner with a styrofoam box and some paper and realized he had opened the present. Grandma said she always wondered what was in there. I guess she just needed a curious Dawson to find out.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas in Vernal. We started the morning with a few presents then took a break for a large hot breakfast. Dawson even joined us for eggs. Then we headed back to conquer the pile of gifts waiting for us under the tree. We got thoughtful gifts from everyone. The boy's got lots of fun and unique gifts. Nelson and Brizida just got home from a 5mos trip in Europe and brought back some great finds. I got a few pic's of Carter in his Fez (?). And Dawson loves his hidden snake toy. Derek got some much needed socks. And Mom and Dad got us a new laptop! Yay!!! The boys were also able to visit with Grandma Paula and Grandpa Greg thanks to Ichat. We are so grateful to be surrounded by family.

Hanging out with Grandma...

2008-12-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

We got back to Vernal yesterday and the boy's were excited to relax and hangout with Grandma Laura. Dawson even made his own little club house.

Daddy's Here!

2008-12-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to meet up with Derek. We were all very happy to be reunited. We stayed in SLC at Great Grandma Perrine's the first few nights. They boys loved spending time with her. We went to church with her Sunday and Dawson got his first scarf (it was the gift they were handing out to the primary kids). I've never been able to get him to wear one...but when he saw all the kids putting theirs on he had to join in. And he loves it. He has worn it every time he has gone outside. On Sunday we headed down to Aunt Pam's for a fun family party. Its was great being able to see everyone. They even tried to put together a kid pic with all the little kids...19 of them. It was a little crazy but fun. Then Derek played his new Christmas song he wrote. Todd, Camille and Zach also sang but I didn't get them on video. On Monday I was able to learn how to make Great Grandma's yummy Christmas candy, we spent the whole morning in the kitchen. That night Paula, Lindsay and Todd had a big yummy dinner at their house. We were able to bring Great Grandma and visit with Jenny, Chris and the boy's. Great Grandma got each of the little kids a remote control car which they loved playing with. And we had a great time visiting. We were hoping to stay at Grandma Pritchett's afterwards but she was feeling a bit under the weather so Zach and Kamille invited us to their house. They've just moved into a beautiful new home in Lehi. We enjoyed visiting with them and the boy's loved playing with Violet. She is soooo cute. She has the blue steel look down. They were wonderful hosts and Zach even made us homemade pancakes...from scratch. They were awesome. We are so glad to have such wonderful family to visit with and take care of us.
If you'ld like to hear all of his song, or listen to Todd's click here.

Having Fun in Vernal

2008-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

The day we arrived here in Vernal the boys were met by Pat's new dog Clive who is a 6 mos old "pugle" (a pug/beagle mix) and very lively. He scared them a bit and it took almost a full 24 hrs before they would let me put them down with him in the room. Once they found he would run when they'd blow in his face...they felt empowered and ended up chasing him around. We have also managed to make it to the Uintah Community Center out here. It is so awesome. They boy's loved it. They have a huge pool with multiple sections. There's a large play structure in the middle with multiple slides and activities, a dinosaur slide, 2 large "tornado" slides, a walking circle w/jacuzzi jets in the middle, a lap pool, and diving section w/2 levels of diving boards. That's just the pools. The place is 70,000 sq ft. It also has 2 full size gymnasiums, a 36 ft rock climbing wall, indoor track, multiple workout rooms, and the boys favorite...a tall tube slide going from the 2nd floor to the 1st. I can't believe I forgot my camera. I'll have to take more pic's later. It's a great place to wear out the kids. Here they are about 30mins after we got home. Derek is flying in sometime tonight-yay! He and Chris finish the ship they were working on in Arkansas on time. It's been almost a week out here w/out him. We were hoping to head out to get him but it's storming and we'll need to go through 2 canyons to get there so I've decided to wait until tomorrow to leave. So Todd is going to pick him up and he'll be able to visit with them tonight.

We're Here

2008-12-16T23:53:00.000-08:00

After a long Monday we have finally made it. I was hoping to take Dawson to school yesterday morning but he was too excited for our trip so I let him stay home and play with Carter. Luckily they let me finish packing and cleaning. But about 15mins before we were suppose to leave I was on the phone with the mortgage company and Dawson came in and told me Carter made a big mess, so I told him to help him clean it up. Being a little worried I followed him. There was Carter was standing on a stool holding down the water dispenser button on the refrigerator door and below him there was a large puddle starting to form on the floor. Needless to say he was put straight into timeout as I cleaned up the mess. Our friend Lindsey took us to the airport and check in was a breeze (thanks sky cap). The boys were sooo excited. The whole first flight they were quoting lines from the Little Einsteins. By the second flight they were bouncing off the walls until about 40mins before we landed then they passed out. They were so worn out. It was about 11pm MST when we landed, so about 4hrs past there bedtime. I couldn't wake either of them up to walk off the plane. There was a woman who saw my predicament and offered to help. She helped me carry them to baggage where we met Todd. She was so nice. She has twin 2yr olds and was just getting home from a business trip. Needless to say the boys were out for the night, but I was able to stay up and see baby Josh and visit with Lindsay, Todd and Paula. Joshy is so little and sooo cute. He is a very happy baby and a great snuggler. The boys were happy to wake up at Aunt Lindsay's and had fun in her toy room. I was even able to go get my teeth cleaned by Chris's sister Janae and examined by his brother Kevin. I am horrible. I haven't been to a dentist since moving to Tennessee 5yrs ago and thought they were probably rotting out of my head. But Kevin said they looked fine, I just have a few cavities. And Janae did an awesome job...they feel so clean. After visiting for a few more hours at Lindsay's my brother Dallin came and picked us up and brought us out to Vernal. We met my parents at their ward Christmas party. The boys loved running around with the other kids. I can't wait to take them swimming, my mom got us a gym pass to use since we'll be out here almost a month. For those who are wondering, Derek is in Arkansas building a pirate ship and will be joining us on Saturday...hopefully. (He's flying standby so it depends on how flights look.)

Doctor Who?

2008-12-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

I had Carter's 2 yr check up yesterday morning. I had been telling him we were going to go see his doctor and as I was dressing him he said "I don't want to go see Dr. Seuss", which I assured him that wasn't who we were going to see. Carter is 36 inches (70% for height) and 29.5 lbs (60% for weight). He is about the same size Dawson was at 3yrs. He is growing up so quick. He only had one shot, his 2nd Hep A. He was hilarious. I told him the nurse was going to give him a quick shot and it would only hurt for a second. He let out a little "ouch", then looked down to see which bandaid she had picked out for him. What a big boy. It had snowed the night before so there was no traffic...it was great!
Here are a few pictures. I think it ended up being around 1.5 inches. And of course school was cancelled Friday. Its crazy how everything shuts down.

iPhone

2008-12-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

Derek has now upgraded to the iPhone. He really wanted one but knew I wouldn't be too keen on spending lots of cash on a phone since he just upgraded his phone a month ago. So he decided to go through his office closet and see if he had any hidden treasures to sell on ebay or craigslist. Well he found 4 things to sell, 3 of which hadn't been touched in over a year. One week later, a deposit from Paypal and voila!...a new phone.

Baby Joshua

2008-12-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to announce the birth of Lindsay and Todd's little baby Joshua. He was born this morning and weighing 6lbs 2oz and was 19.5 ins long. We are so happy for them and can't wait to see him!

When Lindsay called this morning I thought she was just going to tell me she was in labor, but instead she said she had given birth about an hour earlier. It sounds like everything went smooth. She had him in only about 8hrs from her water breaking so Paula couldn't get out in time, but she was able to hear his birth over the phone while she was in a layover in Ohio. I called her after she had gotten in and she was in heaven.

The boys are getting use to the idea that Joshy isn't in Lindsay's belly any more. It will be fun to see them with their new friend and cousin. Congratulation guy's!

Gingerbread House

2008-12-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

Ok so I don't ever remember doing gingerbread houses or cookies as a child but they've always looked fun. So the other day I ran into Walmart to do a quick return and saw this cute gingerbread house kit and I thought it would be a fun family activity. Dawson was loving decorating it and Carter couldn't eat the candy fast enough.

GeoTrax...All Aboard!

2008-12-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

Ok so I was almost more excited then the boys about this...

We were on our way to Pump It Up after school cause Dawson was really good and we have been to the library almost every day. (They love to go there and play on the computers and pick out books and dvd's.) So, as I was pulling into the parking lot Dawson saw Essex, which is a local outlet store, and begged to go to 'the toy store', as he calls it. So I asked the boys which they'd prefer and Essex won. So we headed inside. They have some good things and alot of junk. So we headed to the toy section to see what we could find. They have alot of dented boxed things, overstock and out of box toys. A few months ago I got Dawson an large remote Wall-E that had a mangled box. It normally retails for over $60 and we got it for under $30...and it works perfectly. Well today I didn't see anything until the boys had been playing for at least 30mins then there it was GeoTrax Grand Central Station. On Black Friday when Amy and I had gone out I was hoping to find GeoTrax on sale. Well I did find the GeoAir High-Flyin' Airport for 50% off at Khols but they had it so ridiculously over priced I was only saving $10 or so...not enough of a deal in my book. So here it was, the box looked like it had been opened and the train wasn't showing where it should have been, but it was marked down to $19.99 and it normally retails for $54 so we got it. (They do have a 7 day return policy) Also on our way out Carter found a new pack of Wiggles undies, he was in heaven...and so was I they were only $1.99, maybe now he will finish his potty training. Well here it is the boys Christmas present. We didn't wrap it cause I'm heading to Utah with the boys on the 15th for 3 1/2 weeks, so we took it out and set it up. The only piece missing is the remote for the main train and Dawson couldn't care less. It also came with a bonus train so they each get one. Yeah!!! I love bargains!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

We went to Knoxville for Thanksgiving and the the first thing Grandma did was take the boys to the Bounce House. We met Nate and Amy there and the kids had a blast. Carter even got in on the action this time. He went thru the large obstacle course and down the large slide. Then we headed home for some yummy soup. That night Paula had Thanksgiving Eve for the kids and they all got to open their presents. She got Dawson the Leapster 2 and a Curious George book and Carter got a Vtech laptop and a Curious George Doll. They love their gifts. There were around 40 people at Paula's for Thanksgiving dinner. Kind of crazy but it was fun being able to visit with everyone.

Here's Carter opening his present...he went first.

Well Amy and I decided to going shopping on Black Friday we didn't really need anything, but thought we would go look plus my friend Lindsey was stuck at home with 3 sick kids and was looking to get on a few of the sales. It was crazy we headed out around 4AM every where was packed. We drove past Walmart in Halls 40mins before it opened and the lot was half way full and there was a huge line, so we headed to Khols since it was opened at 4AM but there were no parking spots, CrAzY! So we headed to a super Walmart by East Towne Mall and it was packed, but there was parking so we went in. They hadn't unwrapped the pallets and it was cart to cart. I grabbed Lindsey a few of the things from her list but wasn't able to get them all. We ended up hitting Khols and getting a Kitchaid Mixer for her and Amy and a few more Curious George books and dolls for the kids. When we got home the guys gave us a break.

Here's a video of Derek singing with Kayli.

Its was a great visit and it was fun to see everyone. I don't think I will do Black Friday again until I need something.

Ear Infections

2008-11-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

Well I just got home from the doctors office and found out that both boys have double ear infections. Dawson missed most of last week and his only symptoms were a clear runny nose and a fever. Carter started getting a runny nose by the end of the week and had a slight fever Sunday so Derek stayed home with them from church. On Monday they both seemed fine but Dax's Mom called and said she had taken him in to his doctor and he has croup. So I thought it was best to take them in before we head to Knoxville. I feel so bad I didn't take them in sooner. No croup, but painful ears...no wonder they were cranky.

Here's a video of Dawson reading his favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham

Kids, Kids & More Kids

2008-11-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is Baby Dax. I visit teach his mom. She called me a few weeks ago and asked if I could watch him 2 days a week. He's 6mos old and a happy baby, but its crazy how adding one more to the pack makes such a difference. I ended up watching him 3 days in a row this last week. The day's are long. The average day has been 11.5 hrs. That's 2hrs longer than I was watching Jake. Plus he's a baby so it's much more demanding. I'm not sure if I can handle watching him for that long. It puts him in the middle of getting Dawson to school and our dinner routine. Hopefully his dad can start helping out. He is a student and works part-time but is usually home alot more than his mom. We'll see. Anyway he is really cute and we love him. The boy's love having him around. Carter is an amazing helper. And Dawson loves to keep him entertained. The first day Stephanie dropped him off she left a baggy of formula and I realized I had never made a bottle before. Luckily there was an extra tub in the emergency basket so I was able to figure out how many scoops to use. I thought it was a little odd I'm 30, a mother of 2, and this was my first attempt at making a bottle. Carter loves feeding him. It's like a live baby doll. The other day after I had changed Dax's diaper I left him on the carpet to chill while I ran into the other room to grab the laundry when I had returned Carter had gotten Dax's freshly made bottle off the counter and had started feeding him. It was so cute. He was switching from bottle to binky. I think they both loved it.

This past week was extra busy cause Andrea needed someone to watch her kids for a few days while she headed to Utah for a Lindsay Jane Photography bootcamp and of course I couldn't refuse. They are so cute and the boys love them. So Chris brought them after school Thursday and Friday. I had 5 kids for a few hrs on Thursday so dinner was crazy but after Dax went home we made a club house with Dawson's loft bed and the kids had a blast. Then it was bath time I put all 3 boy's in together and they splashed away. Chickie had her own private spa. The kids really had a great time and I know they love being around friends...so do I. Friday was a breeze with just the big kids but Carter and Bently have started this love/hate relationship...they're only 3wks apart in age. Anyway I was able to take Bently to pick up Andrea from the airport and we were able to visit until Chris picked them up after work. I;m thankful for weekends.

Lindsay

2008-11-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Knoxville to hang out with family. Lindsay was shooting a wedding in SC and planned in an extra week to come and hangout. Nate and Amy even came out for the party. It was great being able to visit with them and this is the first time we have seen Linds pregnant. She only has 2 more months to go and she looks great! On Monday I was able to go with her to her 3D/4D ultrasound...its definitely a boy. I love the name they have chosen. Joshua. That's the name I wanted for Dawson, but Derek wanted something different so after months of name searching we settled. But I'll always love the name. Good choice Linds.

That night Paula threw a baby shower for her we were able to visit with more family and friends. The next day was freezing but it was the last day to try to get a family pic. Linds is so awesome. She was able to take these amazing pic's in under 10 mins. It's awesome to see each step she has taken to get to where she is today. I remember when I first met her and she was working in Provo at Kiddie Kandid's. Its been great to see how she has grown as she went from place to place and now she owns her own studio and her pictures are amazing. She definitely has a natural talent and we are blessed to have her in the family. I definitely need to get some lessons from her so when were on our next big family vacation I can snap some awesome pic's for her. Thanks Linds, your the bomb!

Here are a few of my favorites...

Halloween

2008-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

It seems like Halloween has been going on forever. We have been to quite a few events and parties this year. The boy's have loved it.
These are from the branch trunk-or-treat the night we got back from Knoxville.

This year we went trick-or-treating with our friend Jackson. The boy's decided on Superman. Carter loved the candy but hated the "scaries".

The Bahama's

2008-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Derek has been working on building his business and just spent a long hard week with Spee and Chris building a pirate ship he donated to our local park. He was almost done when he surprised me with the news that he was whisking me away on vacation. Well needless to say I was surprised. He'd been planning it for months and had everyone in on it. He was wise and gave me a few days advance notice so I could get my (practical) freaking out over with and enjoy myself. Last Saturday, the 11th, he was finally done with the ship and there was a huge Halloween event at the park. The ship was a big hit. That evening my parents flew in and we spent a few hours visiting and instructing. Then Sunday morning we got the kids ready and sent them to church with Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave. They were so excited they hardly said goodbye. Then we headed to Knoxville to go to Spee's farewell. He is going to Argentina on a mission for our church for 2 yrs. It was definitely different to sit through church without the boys. After visiting and saying our goodbyes we headed to South Carlina to stay the night with Nate and Amy's family. Monday morning we made the long trek down to Cape Canaveral and finally boarded the ship. That night the weather was really bad and I ended up getting really seasick. I tried to eat dinner, but stopped after one bite knowing it would come back up. After taking Dramamine I crashed before 9pm. Derek enjoyed his 5 course meal then got in some Pac-Man before heading back to our room to watch Titanic. He said it was awesome watching it at sea especially since the waves were so bad. The next day we were scheduled to stop at Coco Cay, which I was looking forward to getting off the ship, but it was cancelled since the weather was so bad. So I took some more Dramamine and explored the ship with Derek. They had lots to do. This was the oldest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, but it was the largest at the time it was built. We went to a few shows and ate some yummy food. By the next day the weather was great and we ported in Nassau. We went out for the whole day. We browsed the shops and visited the Pirate Museum then after lunch we took a cab to a beach on the other side of the island by the Atlantis Resort. It was so beautiful and very relaxing. That night they had a funny newly weds game where they used the live audience. It was much better than the produced shows they did. The food was great. I loved getting double appetizers especially the cocktail shrimp. The last day of our cruise we ported at Coco Cay. It was awesome. We went snorkeling and I got a little seasick, but the weather was perfect. I laid out and relaxed while Derek got in some volleyball, he even won a medal. We were able to spend the whole day on the beach. They brought us free food and had a live local band playing. Very relaxing. By Friday morning we was ready to head home to see the boys. This is the first time I have left Carter for more than 6hrs and the only night I had ever spent away from Dawson was the night after I gave birth to Carter. And since we were in international waters we hadn't talked to them since we left port on Monday. We couldn't drive fast enough. We ended up getting back around 6pm. We were able to visit with my parents for a few more hrs and hear all the fun they had. Surprisingly our little independent Carter seemed to be the one who had the hardest time adjusting but he was fine after the first night. My parents headed home early yesterday morning and we spent the day playing with the boys.

We will definitely do it again.

Comfort In Quality

2008-09-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

I think there is definitely comfort in quality and it looks like this squirrel agrees. I was posting on my blog when I looked out our office window to find this squirrel lounging on our back deck Derek built. Nice job Babe, even the squirrel's like it!

Captain Feathersword

2008-09-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

For those who truly know me you know that I am extremely...what's the word??? Frugal, cheap, thrifty...I'm not quite sure, but I like to find deals but not junk, quality definitely matters. Well I finally splurged and on all things a Captain Feathersword costume. However there is logic behind it. I have been on Craigslist and Ebay alot lately. I was mainly looking for gifts for Carter's birthday. And I was feeling bad that I barely spend a dime on my kids Halloween costumes and they end up being what ever mommy gets a deal on, its always something cool...remember quality, but it's still not something they've asked for. Well they have been soooo into the Wiggles the past few months I got Carter a Murray shirt for his birthday and saw this awesome Deluxe Captain Feathersword costume and thought oh how cute would that be. It took alot of inner struggling and finally one night while I was on Ebay I asked Derek if I should bid on one that was almost over and he said "go for it", so I did and won. This is where the logic comes in...the plan is to sell it next year and make at least 90% of it back so I end up spending what I would've in the first place. Well it came today and I was sooo excited. It's perfect...except for one thing.

Dawson hates it.

Ok well he doesn't hate it. He loves it in the bag and on Carter, but he can't stand to have it on.

I think I'll have him be Murray.

With a little tweeking this should work for Carter.

I think next year I will stick with my old strategy.

Cheese!

2008-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Not so cheesy...

Very cheesy...

Carter has recently started to 'cheese' for pictures it's hilarious. He looks so strained.

Not so cheesy...

Very cheesy...

Cheesy video...

And yes, they are still rock'n...

School Pictures

2008-09-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are Dawson's first official school pictures. The aide in his class told me he wouldn't look at the photographer. I had no idea it would turn out like this! I think he was going for a profile, abstract kind of look, don't you?

Rock Band

2008-09-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Didn't you ever want to start a rock band as a kid. My boy's are going through that right now. Our nieghbor Jackson came over after school today and they broke out the instruments and microphone. It's so fun to watch them play! Thanks Grandpa Dave for getting them such a fun toy!

Happy Birthday Carter!!

2008-09-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

(Now that he's 2 that means he get's 2 cupcakes, right?)

Carter now is officially 2. We went back and forth on where to do it and who to invite and decided to keep it local and low key. Grandma Paula and our friend Jackson came to help us celebrate. The boy's have become really excited about parties and presents and decided they wanted a costume party. So Carter was Superman and Dawson was Batman. I recently bought these costumes to get them ready for Halloween. I think I'm going to have them both go as Superman, like Derek and Nate did...but I'm not sure. Anyway, they had a blast. Carter likes Elmo and the Wiggles right now so we had a mix of rainbow colors and Elmo plates. The game Derek came up with was throwing the balloons up into the fan and letting them fly around the room. Not a typical game, but the boys loved it. Then was presents. Grandma Paula was so sweet and gave presents to both of them which I think Dawson was almost more excited than Carter! Carter got Elmo and Ming-Ming dolls, matching glow-in-the-dark pirate pj's and thanks to my friend E-bay an arsenal of Wiggles paraphernalia. We ended the night with cupcakes. And they all had turns at blowing out the candles.

Stickers

2008-09-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Carter has recently discovered stickers and he loves them. Today we were working on potty training and the reward was 1 sticker each time he went. He was running to the toilet every few seconds hoping something would come out. Finally I gave him all the stickers on the sheet. He was in Heaven.
Here's a video of Carter trying to break into Derek's office earlier.

Is it worth it???

2008-09-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

I'm worn out. We decided tonight is the night we would get Dawson to try to expand his diet. He is the pickiest eater and we would like to change that. I bought a fun Charlie and Lola game hoping that we could bribe him into taking at least a bite. Here's the history of Dawson's eating for those who haven't heard it (or can't remember)...Dawson ate nothing but breast milk until he was 19mos old, then finally one night while I was making Chili (of all things) he reached for it...different first food I know. Well from there it took a few months to take him through the stages of swallowing so he was on a soup diet (I made at least 4 homemade pots of various kinds each week). When he was 22mos old I took him to Utah for a 10 day vacation which while I was there I started giving him canned soup, since cooking wasn't as convenient, which he didn't like too much so from there his diet exploded into all sorts of foods. He loved salads, vegetables, fruits, meats, soups, pizza, chips, crackers...pretty much anything but cereal, ice cream, cakes or chocolate. After 5-6 mos of eating great he started pouching foods he didn't like very well. Pouching is when they hold it in their mouths and don't swallow. Well during this period I was pregnant with Carter and not full of energy and I started realizing which foods he pouched and which he didn't. So of course being a mother and wanting my child to get enough food, I started giving him the things I knew he would eat. Well he slowly whittled down his diet to just a few select foods and has dropped some things, but rarely adds anything to it. We have tried giving him foods he use to love, having him help me cook, pick out groceries, setting the same plate of food in front of him all day, etc...nothing has seemed to work. So now tonight I was trying bribery. Nope it didn't work. So finally I yelled at him which got him to take a bite of a taco (that was one of his old favorites) which he bawled as he chewed and acted like it was poison. We'll see. Ahhhh, I'm tired just thinking of it. I told Derek I wanted the Super Nanny to come, but he says that's stupid and we should do it on our own. I still like the idea of someone else making us do it.

Miggy

2008-09-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors across the street own this cute chihuahua named Miggy who loves to come over and visit. The boy's love to play with him.

Nature Walk

2008-09-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the boys out for a little hike on a trail near our home. The weather was beautiful and they loved it.

There was a huge ship in the park near the trail. It was great, we played for hours.

It definitely made Derek excited cause he just posted an ad for his new business, Pirate Play Ships, in the Nashville Parent. We'll have to see where it goes from here.

Baby Layton

2008-09-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Nate and Amy had a new baby boy, Layton Greg Hinckley on Thursday. I was hoping they would name him Joseph Smith Hinckley since Hyrum is his older brother and Amy's maiden name is Smith, but they finally decided on Layton before they left the hospital on Saturday. He is a cutie and Layton fits him perfectly. I was so excited he decided to come early and right before a holiday weekend. We were able to head out after school and visit Amy and the baby at the hospital. Then they came and hung out at Paula's on their way home from the hospital on Saturday. Dawson loves babys and was even playing peek-a-boo with him.

Congratulations Nate and Amy!!!

Bored

2008-08-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Dawson started school yesterday and Carter is missing him more than he did last spring. Today while I was getting dressed I held up two shirts and asked Carter which one I should wear and he pointed out one then asked for the other. He said, "It's mine". So I put it on him and as he was walking around in my shirt Derek made the mistake of complimenting him on his dress...something like "Nice dress dude". So for the rest of the morning Carter kept talking about his dress. I think I need to stop asking him to help me pick out my clothes.
...oh yes and Dawson started school yesterday. He is in Pre-k. We were able to get him into the elementary school next to our house. He won't eat their food, so I'm sending him a sack lunch every day. But he likes his teacher and seems to be enjoying it. I love my big boy! And my goofy one too!

Wilson County Fair

2008-08-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

This was our first year to go to the fair out here.

There was plenty to do.

We went to the demolition derby, petting zoo, watched the mechanical bull (Carter was fascinated), and rode a few rides.

The boy's loved the race cars and trains the best.

Where have you fallen asleep?

2008-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't say I've never fallen asleep in the bath. I know I have fallen asleep in class several times, but Dawson is definately good at relaxing and falling asleep where ever he is. He has fallen asleep eating, watching movies, reading books, playing with trains, riding in the shopping cart...it seems like he could fall asleep most places. He is such an active kid and eats like a mouse so I'm sure that affects his energy. And we know if we put him in the car after 4pm...he will fall asleep. This would be ok if he woke up happy. But he is a bit of a grouch when he first gets up, esspecially if it's a short nap. So I prefer he fall asleep as close to bed time as possible and I guess this is as close as it gets. Yeah...good job Daws. Can you believe we were able to dry him off, dress him and brush his teeth while he was asleep? Man to be a kid. Maybe Derek will do that for me for my next birthday. We just need a bigger tub.

PIES!!!

2008-08-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our Branch Pioneer Day/Water Activity. Our buddy from next door, Jackson, came with us. The kids had a blast. To celebrate Pie-o-neer Day they had the primary children throw pies in the branch presidency's face.

Grandparents...

2008-08-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit with Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave. The boys love their grandparents so much. (We like having them around too!) Here are some pic's we took Sunday after church. We went Centinial Park.

It was the first time we'd been back since Dawson's accident in March.

These are the steps he hit his head on. I wasn't sure how he was going to react since it was pretty tramatic...but he didn't seem to mind. This is his favorite park and it seems like he loves it just the same. Yeah! We'll have to go back more often.

We didn't want the boys to go through Grandparent withdrawls so we headed to Knoxville a few hrs after dropping my parents off at the airport. Acctually Derek had a framing job out there but the boys loved visiting Grandma Paula and Grandpa Greg.

Opryland Hotel

2008-07-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

We took my parents out to walk around the Opryland hotel last night. It’s a pretty amazing place. It has multiple sections, restaurants, stores, live music and they even have a lazy river. The boys love running around.

I just had to include this video.
Some ask how do you know if your child needs to go to the bathroom…the signs are there, you just need to know what to look for. My boys are pretty obvious (whether they’d like to admit it or not).

A New Bed

2008-07-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Carter has had a raspy cough for just over a week and we were trying to figure out what was causing it. He doesn’t have any other symptoms and it seems worse in the morning and after his nap. So we narrowed it down to his bed. While I was out shopping with my parents today Derek decided to build Dawson a new loft bed. He calls it his castle. Carter will now use Dawson’s old toddler bed. I hope this does the trick.

Wiggles

2008-07-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave have come for a visit! When they were planning their trip I noticed that The Wiggles concert would be here the same week. The Wiggles are the only show Carter will watch so needless to say he’s a huge fan. Dawson use to watch The Wiggles all the time and knew all their songs and dances but as he discovered different shows he’d forgotten about them until Carter discovered them this summer. Now they like to start their day with a Wiggles show. I asked mom if she would like to take Carter for his birthday which is coming up in Sept and she said she would like all of us to go. I started searching for tickets online. (Its crazy they charge full price for anyone over 1yr old…you’d think it’d be 2.) We wanted to get them good seats, but the best had already been sold out. So I started searching for scalped tickets and came across some on Craigslist. They were priced high, but one particular one said “OBO”, so I offered low. It took a couple of days and emails back and forth but we ended up getting awesome 5th row Section 1 floor tickets for less than if we had bought them through TicketMaster.

Yesterday morning we prepped them by playing games on The Wiggles site.

The boys were so excited. Dad dropped us off. It was downtown Nashville and we weren’t sure which side of the building we were suppose to be on so we just started checking doors. See their tour buses behind us…I’m sure they had a good laugh watching us.

It took us a couple of tries before we found the right one.

Once we were inside the boys couldn’t believe their eyes. They loved it! We passed the expensive merchandise tables and opted to get them cotton candy and pretzels instead. We told them we were at The Wiggle’s house, since there was a big castle set up in the background.

It was fun to watch them. I think Carter was in shock for the first half of the concert, he just stared.

Dawson loved it.

By the end they were both up dancing and loving every minute of it.

The boys haven’t stopped talking about it. It was very entertaining. I definitely recommend it to any wiggles fan.

Yard Sale

2008-07-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Derek is over the young men in our church and invited the scouts to use our yard yesterday to help raise $ for a caving trip they plan to go on next week. Everyone delivered their things late Friday evening and I stayed up until 2am trying to price things. Then I was up again right before 7am because there were crazy yard salers starting to raid and Derek had gone to get change. It ended up being a success but I’m sure beat. This was my first and LAST yard sale. I think I’ll stick to Craigslist and Goodwill.

Bye, bye crib...

2008-07-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Derek and I have been talking about moving Carter into a toddler bed. I’ve been searching Craigslist for deals not wanting to spend more than $25. Well yesterday while Derek was out running errands he saw this cute fire truck bed in front of someone’s house and best of all the sign attached said FREE! So he hurried home, jumped in his truck and picked it up. I checked online and it retails for over $200 new…that’s with all the extras. This was just the bed and that’s what we needed. It’s also in pretty good shape. A few scratches, no fading, but there was some water that had gotten trapped inside the plastic. So Derek drilled some holes in the bottom to drain it and I sprayed it down twice with a heavy concentration of bleach. Carter loves it! We put it their room last night and Carter didn’t get up once. YAY! He is now in a big boy bed!!!

Pirate Play Ship

2008-07-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Derek is finished. Yay!!! There were just little things left, but its all done and the boy's love it. Thanks Babe!

Jake

2008-07-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well you know those kids I was watching for my friend last week? In the mix were 2 boys, a 4 1/2 and a 5 yr old, who were constantly bickering with each other...which was quite wearing. I was definitely ready for a break when my friend came to pick her son up on Thursday. I made a comment about how easy I thought Jake, the 5 yr old, would be if the boys were separate. Well that's all she needed to hear because she immediately offered him to me. She said she had been feeling overwhelmed with the 3 plus her 1. I love kids and had thought about watching 1-2 for some extra cash, but have been busy with my boys. I told her I would feel it out with his mom, Heidi, and would let her know.
Well Heidi was thrilled, she said Jake had been talking about how much fun he had at our home all week and was going to miss it. So now I am watching Jake. It's M-F, 7am-4pm. It will just be for 3 wks since he’ll be moving out of town at the end of the month. The boy's really like having him around. And our neighbor Jackson loves to come over any time he hears them outside. Also Derek’s finally finished with the Pirate Ship which will be great for lots of outdoor play time. And for those hot, humid days the Providence Regal Cinema has free matinee movies three days a week all summer long.

4th of July

2008-07-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Our good friends the Larsen's came out to visit us for a fun filled 4th of July weekend.
We had fun on the blowup slides at the Providence Marketplace

Then enjoyed setting off fireworks in the street.

Saturday Chickie and Bentley stayed to play while Chris and Andrea went to the temple to clean.
We are so lucky to have such good friends!

Crazy Week

2008-06-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow I'm helping a friend by watching the 3 kids she cares for while she goes to Girl's Camp (It’s M-Th). I'll also have her little boy on Thursday (yes, that's six kids). Wish me luck. Hopefully I’ll survive cause Derek just invited our friends out for the weekend. They'll be coming Friday afternoon. That will be a good ending to a very busy week.

Cousins!!!

2008-06-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

We went to Knoxville this week to visit with our cousins!! Derek's Grandma Pritchett (Paula's mom), Aunt Pam, Cousin Brooke and her family, husband Jorge and cute kids Jeffery and Emma, came out from Utah to visit. On the first day we headed up to the holler to hang out with Nate's family. We had fun playing on the 4x4's, swimming, visiting and eating yummy food.

Jeffery and Emma

Dawson and Carter

Paula and Carter

Dawson-he loved Hyrum's floaty

Pam and Emma

Brooke and Jeffery

Carter sliding to Derek

Grandma Pritchett, Amy and Jorge visiting in the shade

The next day Pam treated everyone to a fun day at Dollywood. It was really hot, but we managed to wear out the kids on a few rides before we headed to the indoor (air conditioned) shows while the guy's conquered the rollercoasters.

That night Spee sang everyone a new song he wrote then jammed with Derek.

Jeffery even helped them out on the bongo drums.

The next night we took the kids out to Paula and Greg's 'Night out on the Town' gig where they sell shaved ice and funnel cakes while live bands play. Jorge bought the kids large lollipops...very messy, but they loved them.

It was great being able to see everyone!

Where has the month gone?

2008-06-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe the month is almost over. We have been keeping it low-key this week, the boy's have had some sort of cold virus. But we have been able to do some things this month. We watched the 1st episode of Nashville Star...lame, lame, lame. Sorry, I thought the production was absolutely horrible and their choices...Are you kidding me??? I'm not bitter, really. I just thought they did a horrible job. I was actually getting excited about watching an American Idolish show, but the 1st episode was blah. Oh well, I guess its a good thing they didn't make it or I'd be forced to watch it.

On a lighter note, I think Carter is planning to take his act on the road.

We had a great Father's Day for Derek. I cooked him one of his favorite dishes, pot roast. And I even remembered to make rolls. The boys gave him some framed pictures of our family and a wallet. This is Derek's 1st official wallet since his was stolen back when we lived in Utah, 5yrs ago. I can't believe we've been gone that long.
Derek has started an addition for a new client. He is pretty excited, he has quite a bit of work and it's located right on the lake. We might even get a small boat out of the deal. Needless to say, Derek is very excited. He practically grew up on the lake. We went to a house party the 1st week he started. The couple is very nice and we had a great time. The boy's loved playing with their granddaughter, Victoria. They love girls. Dawson likes to cuddle up to them and Carter likes to hit them. Ahhh, boys. They have the best time together. I hope they always stay close.
Here's a video of Carter pushing Dawson over on the bed...

I really don't mind them jumping on the bed, but the rule is...If the bed looks pretty (made) then no jumping. They are doing good, but have had some bad days.
I had to include this other bed jumping video. I took it a few months ago, but it is Dawson's favorite, he laughs hysterically every time he sees it.

We got a package from Grandma Laura this past weekend. She had included a gift for each of us. The Derek and the boys got cool books and I got a cute Willow Tree figurine.
This is a video of Dawson with his new book. It is so cool. It looks like the figures are moving.

At the end, you can hear him ask for his fish book, which is a library book "A Fish out of Water". He has to read it EVERY night, we've had it check out for over a month. Yes I am renewing it.

Carter is growing up so fast, he loves to dance around and says EVERYTHING. We have had him say family prayer several times and he does a really good job. Here he is singing and dancing with the ABC song.

He has now learned how to escape from his crib. On Monday morning when I got up I found him playing in the living room which I thought was weird because I knew Derek had left for work an hour earlier and he normally wakes me if the boys are up. Then later that afternoon Carter got himself up from his nap. He just opened the door and said "Hi Momma". On Wednesday morning I was woken up by a grunting Carter climbing into our bed at 4:30 am. He did go right back to sleep when I carried him back into his room but I wasn't ready for this. We are going to have to move him into a toddler bed and he's not even 2.

Derek's Grandma, aunt and cousins are visiting Knoxville from Utah this week, so we will be heading out there on Tuesday. Hopefully we'll be able to go out and celebrate our 6yr anniversary!

Done with Construction!

2008-06-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! I have finished all my drafts and now you can see what the family has been up to for the past few months. Easter is what killed me. We had family out all week and I just couldn't keep up. Then I took so many pictures of the kids, I just wanted to post them all! So I started just writing drafts as events happened and waited to post them until I picked pictures and videos. As you can tell I love putting a lot of pictures and videos...I love viewing everyone's. Kids grow up sooo fast. Needless to say, I got a bit behind. But now I'm hoping to stay on top of it.

Memorial Day

2008-06-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Knoxville for Memorial Day (and the rest of the week). On Monday, we went to Bud and Sue’s for a GREAT day at the lake. It was beautiful and the boys were excited about getting into the water.

Derek took them out on the tube...

Separately of course... He even took Dawson skiing...

But the Veterans seemed to be having trouble getting started...

4yr check up...and last day of school

2008-05-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

We started the day by going to Dawson's 4 yr check up. His doctor said he looks good despite his picky eating. He is 31lbs and 38", he falls into the 10% for both. After taking his weight and height, they asked if he could pee in a cup. I wasn't sure whether he would or not, but he did awesome. After we were done he went to his last day of school. Later in the afternoon, I was talking to Derek about the day (this usually happens while he's in the shower) and Dawson came in and handed me his cup (from his sandbox) and said "Here Mommy.", I thanked him then looked to see what was in it. At first I thought it was water but then I felt the warmth in my hand. Yes, he had peed in his cup. After Derek and I had a good laugh, we talked to Dawson about the differences between the Dr's office and home and that there are some things we do there we don't do here.

Pirate Party

2008-05-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

Dawson had a wonderful pirate party. Grandma and Grandpa Hinckley, Grandma Paula and Grandpa Greg and Uncle Spencer came all the way from Knoxville to help us celebrate. It was sooo much fun and Derek did an amazing job on the ship, deck and landscaping around our house.
We started by playing on the ship. We gave each of the kids foam swords, eye patches and other pirate garb.
Then we had them walk the plank

Next they threw water ballons through a life ring for some pirate treasure.

We ended with cupcakes and icecream.

Derek had all the kids sing 'Pirate' Birthday To You!

Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave gave Dawson a toy pirate ship.

Dawson loved having all his friends and family here to celebrate with him!

After everyone left we relaxed then ended the evening with a rib dinner, yum!

Happy Birthday Dawson!

2008-05-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

No he's not eating the cupcake...just picking off the sprinkles.

We leave the eating up to Carter.

We went over to our friends the Mohoney’s for dinner last night. It was Dawson’s B-day. He loves hanging out with his friends Cade and Jaycie. They're twins and just a few months younger than him.
This is one girl crazy boy!
We had so much fun. I can’t believe he’s already 4.

We Love Puppies!

2008-05-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors the Cross’s just got a new miniature schnauzer puppy. Her name is Bella, she is so cute and the boy’s LOVE her. They really would like a puppy, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.
Progress on the ship… Our new back deck is almost done…

Birthday party at Grandma’s

2008-05-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Grandma Paula held a Birthday Party for Dawson this past weekend. Derek’s cousin Jenny told us about an annual sidewalk party Bruster’s (an ice cream shop) was having, so we had the kids go there first. There were blow up things, free hotdogs, drinks and free kiddie cones.

The adults even got in on the fun...

Then we headed back to Grandma’s for fun and games! Grandma got this water and sand table for Dawson. It is awesome...I think I know what my boys will be doing this summer.And of course…shaved ice!

Dawson loves parties and it was so great to see everyone. We had fun visiting Knoxville and our family and friends. I also got to meet baby Parker…he is sooo cute. Congratulations Lindsey and Doug! We had another get together on Mother’s Day. This was a fun weekend!

Cheese!!

2008-05-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was so cute. We had a rain storm today and the boys were watching it out the back door.

Escapee

2008-05-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today we were playing in the backyard while Derek worked on the pirate ship. After a while I took Dawson inside for a snack and tidying up. Carter was having so much fun riding around on his 4x4; Derek said he was fine out there with him. I picked up the rooms and started on the dishes, as I was washing; I looked out the window and couldn’t see Carter, so I went out to check on him. I asked Derek where he was and he pointed towards the neighbor’s driveway, but I didn’t see him, so I headed the over to the other side of the house and there he was…he had made it out on to the street. It was scary, but funny because when we told him he wasn’t allowed on the street he just pointed to his 4x4, like it was ok since he was on a vehicle. I think we are going to have to build a fence before we do a back deck. I am soooo thankful we live on a quite street!