Topham Family

Christmas etc...

2012-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

My two goofballs

Christmas Morning

Lincoln and Sloane both wanted a giant dolphin and a giant Shamu more than anything. Yay!

Sloane showing us her new Belle dress

Weston's first Christmas!!!

This is our white-trash cowgirl.

Love the diaper and the boots.

Stockings.....

2011-12-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

My very talented mother-in-law has made it a tradition to make each grandchild a stocking. She has now made 9 of these and each one is unique and different. Now, when I say make them a stocking I don't mean sew something quickly together. I am talking this......

She spends hundreds and hundreds of hours on these beautiful stockings. I just had to take some pictures of our three stockings because I want everyone to see how incredible they are. I feel bad that they only get displayed one month out of the year. I cannot believe the amount of detail she puts into these. I could look at them for hours. I am so glad we have these heirlooms.

This is Lincoln's stocking

Weston's

Sloane's

Can you believe that? She is truly amazing. And this is only one of her many, many talents. I am so grateful for all of her hard work on these amazing stockings. Thank you so much Trisha!!

6 Months!

2011-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

My baby is 6 months old today! Time has absolutely flown by with this little guy. He is so adorable, happy, cuddly, easy-going and so much fun!!
He still wakes up at about 4 and then for good around 6:30 or 7.
He LOVES his baby food. He doesn't seem to mind what it is, he just gets excited when he sees the bowl coming towards him.
He can roll both directions now.
He can't sit up alone yet...and I am fine with that!
He is the CUTEST and we love him!

Our Birthday Boy!

2011-12-05T15:28:00.001-08:00

This is Lincoln. My 5 year old! I cannot believe we have a 5 year old. Since we just moved here and still don't have a ton of friends, we decided to make Linc's birthday family day. We started out with a crepe breakfast (his request), a stop at Build-a-bear so that he and Sloane could make doggies (his request also), then to lunch at Chipotle where he ate 4 quesadillas. Then we surprised him with the afternoon at SeaWorld, his very favorite place to go. We renewed our season's passes and that was part of his birthday present. We had a blast there and it was the first day of the SeaWorld Christmas celebration. Then we went home to have cake and ice cream.Linc requested a Coldstone cake....a man after my own heart. I love those cakes too. Overall it was a really fun day. The day before I took him and a friend to Chuck-e-cheese to celebrate too.

Lincoln is about the sweetest boy in the whole world. He loves his brother and sister so much and would do anything for anyone in our family. He is also really, really good at making friends. Whenever we go anywhere like McDonald's to play he makes a friend or two for sure. He is very sensitive and sweet and always tries to do what is right.

He LOVES chicken legs. When we ate at Disneyland he had 9 or 10. He also loves Top Ramen, Spaghetti and dry cereal (so he can eat it on the couch and watch cartoons in the morning...silly boy).


He is in pre-k and really enjoys it. He missed the deadline for kindergarton this year and I am so glad. I just love having him home!!

He played soccer for the first time this year. He loved it and scored lots of goals for his team the "Tazmaniacs". He would always look at us after kicking the ball and give us a thumbs up. So cute!

Disneyland......

2011-11-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

October 2011

We had the opportunity to meet up with our best friends from Michigan at the ADA convention in Las Vegas. It was so great to get together and see each other again. It's like no time passed at all. I love friendships like that where you can jump right in again like you never missed a day. These guys are the BEST!

I didn't take any pictures to prove it, but my parents met us in Las Vegas and rented us a beautiful condo to stay in. It was great to spend time with my parents by the pool while Alan was in class. (My dad is a dentist too, but opted to spend most of his time with us instead of in class :). It was such a fun trip and was so great to just relax!

On Wednesday Alan's Mom came to pick us up in Las Vegas so we could head to Disneyland! We got to Anaheim Wed night and were able to do Disneyland Thurs, Fri and Saturday. I absolutely LOVED it this time of year. It was all decked out in Halloween decor and a lot of the villians were out who usually aren't. It was so great. We made it a point to see as many princesses as we could and we even paid the outrageous amounts of money to eat lunch with them! (totally worth it though for Sloane's reaction!)

My best buddy Mel and her family were at Disneyland that week too! Our trips overlapped on Thursday so we met up with them and rode a ride and hung out for a bit. Our kiddos are becoming good friends even though we live 1300 miles apart. I love it!

More Day 1 pictures...

Ariel at "Ariel's Grotto"
This lunch was awesome and we got to meet 5 princesses.

Sloane loved to ride the train.
Not the most exciting ride, but she LOVED it. So we did it 3 or 4 times.

I love that at Disneyland they treat you like the princess you are dressed as.
They called Sloane "Rapunzel" and asked about Pascal and Flynn. So cute!

4 Months!

2011-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe what a slacker I have been on this blog! I guess you can say things are a bit crazy right now.

Things about Weston at 4 months:
He rolled over last week..tummy to back
He eats rice cereal like a champ
He weighs 16 lbs and is 25.5 inches
He is still 100% nursing which is a month longer than my other two kids!
He still wakes up too much in the night :)
He is the smiliest, happiest baby and we LOVE him!

Rice Cereal...YUM!

3 months.....

2011-09-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I am SO far behind. Now Westie is 4 months but I'm trying to catch up a bit.
I am so in love with this little guy. Seriously, he couldn't get any sweeter or any cuter!

This is Linc at 3 months...I can't believe how much my boys looks alike!

Linc

Linc again

Sloane at 3 months

My sweet Weston

Our House

2011-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are lucky enough to have Wolverine and Spider-Rapunzel living at our house!
A few family members have requested pictures of our newest house and I am finally getting around to posting some. My house was not in good enough condition for pictures until just recently :) and I still have some work to do, so don't judge too harshly :)

This is the front room right as you walk in the front door. We had a hard time deciding what to do with it since we have such beautiful formal dining furniture and couches... actually since we have neither we decided it would be best for our desk and books. Kind of weird and definitely not my dream, but it works for now.

To the right of the front door there is a spare bedroom (come and visit!!), a bathroom and the garage.

This is the family room as you come in from the front door and walk past the hall on the right.

The place we spend way too much time :)

Another view of the family room

The kitchen is right off the family room. I love this kitchen except that it looks big, but doesn't have a ton of cupboard space. I do have my first pantry though and it is amazing!!!

These are the stairs!

This is what you see right as you get to the top of the stairs.
I love this room as a toy room because I can hear the kids from all over the house and they are upstairs so the toys are out of the way.

This is to the left of the stairs as you come up. The door on the left is our bedroom, the other door is the kids bathroom and their bedrooms are to the right.

Our bedroom...one side of it.

Our bedroom...the other side :)

Our bathroom

The kid's bathroom

Linc and Sloane's room.
This is the biggest downfall for me. They need to share because there are only 3 bedrooms upstairs and the baby needs his own since he wakes up at night. They kids are actually doing really well, except they like to wake each other up early in the morning and play. It's cute, but not at 6:00 a.m.!

Baby Weston's room.
His was still in the process when I took the picture and yes we still have the lovely blackout material tacked over the window. I need to make something more attractive for sure.

There is the tour of our house! Hopefully you will get to see it in person :)

Weston's Blessing

2011-09-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to bless baby Weston while we were in Utah. We decided to do it before Alan was supposed to go back to San Antonio, so it became sort-of last minute. We decided to keep it simple and small and it was really nice. This was the first child we have blessed outside of Sacrament meeting and we really enjoyed it. First, the kids weren't tired of sitting through a meeting and second, it was so intimate and special. I felt the spirit especially strong during Weston's blessing. I was so grateful to have Alan's siblings there and his nieces and nephews. We were also grateful to friends and family that could make it last minute. Thanks for making this evening a special one for us.

The only really lame and terrible pictures of Weston that I got in his blessing outfit.
I am SO not a photographer :)

Chris and Emily meet Weston....

2011-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is my goofball brother and his wonderful wife meeting Weston.
Chris always has a special face for us to capture! We love you Uncle Frissy and Aunt Enemy :)

Go Blue!!!

2011-09-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!
and for some reason this year my Michigan pride is stronger than ever!
I had to share these cute pictures of my boys! Sloane's Michigan shirt is coming in the mail. She was very sad she didn't have one that fits.

The first few days

2011-09-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Just two days after we arrived in Utah our good friends Nick, Lynnie and Cole drove to Salt Lake to spend some time with us. We are so glad they were willing to make the trip. We stayed at my parent's house while they were at Lake Powell. We had such a great time. We were able to do some fireworks with them and our kids loved it. We can't do any here in Texas so it was fun for them to get to light some. Cole was already asleep that night but he is absolutely adorable. We also went swimming at Alan's parents house, had our bi-annual brunch, went up to Silverlake and took them to one of our favorite restaurants. Thanks so much guys. It was great to see you!

The Drive to Utah....

2011-09-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

I will start recapping our trip to Utah with the extra long drive. From San Antonio it is about 22 hours in the car and 1300 miles. I have to say, I was very nervous about how the kids would do and they did awesome. Weston was so good and slept most of the drive. The other kids played and watched movies and were really good too. Still not my favorite way to get to Utah, but it worked and it was much cheaper than 4 plane tickets would have been.

We drove diagonally across NM and then stopped in Mesa Verde, CO.
It was beautiful!! We "hiked" to the closest ruins we could find. Sloane's little legs made it all the way down and most of the way back up and it was definitely hilly. The road to get into the park is very winding and I am starting to not like that so much. Sloane and I get carsick which made the 20 winding minutes in and out a little long :) I can't believe how much I miss mountains. Being in Colorado and Utah was heavenly.

We drove the rest of the way up through Southern Utah. We were so tempted to stop in Zions and Moab but we were getting tired of driving and so were the kids! We made it to Utah on Wednesday night and were able to stay for almost a month.

Highlights of our trip:

-Being so close to the beautiful mountains!
-Utah was the perfect temperature. Texas is absolute torture in the summertime.
-Being with cousins! Alan's sister Melanie and her 4 kids were there this time and all 9 grandkids had a blast together.
-Swimming in Alan's parent's pool
-Lincoln's fear of the water is gone! He was diving to the bottom by the end of the trip.
-We blessed baby Weston
-So many friends and family got to meet and spend time with baby Weston while he was so little
-Silverlake
-Going to my family cabin with my Dad's side of the family
-Seeing old friends
-My 10 year high school reunion (crazy it has been that long)
-Eating at all of our favorite places (Cinegrill, Barbacoa, Spaghetti Factory, Rumbi, Noodles and Co., Bonsai, Robintinos....yeah, we ate A LOT)
-Spending time at both grandparent's houses
-Trips to Maverik with my mom and brother!
-Hanging out with my two longest and best buddies and their adorable kids
-Having Alan there with us for 3 of the 4 weeks
-Getting to spend quality time with lots of great people
-Seeing almost my entire list of people that I wanted to see...almost
-Going to late night movies with my husband since we had babysitters!!
-Watching Doc Martin with Alan's fam (hilarious BBC show...I love the British!)
-Shopping at Downeast and Carters
-Hanging out with my brothers. I love those guys!
-Watching my parents with my kids...I can't believe how much they love them!
(it goes both ways for sure)
-Visiting "Bacca's post office" as Sloane calls my dad's dental office
-Fresh tomatoes and zucchini (and Jalapenos) from my parent's garden
-BBQ's by the pool with Al's family
-Celebrating my parent's 30th anniversary with them
-Going to lunch with my aunts and my grandma ( one of my favorite traditions when I come to town)

Seriously, it was so much fun. I want a repeat :)

Slacking is over.....

2011-08-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Weston's sweet faces

It has been way too long since I have posted anything. There are a few reasons for this. We had a new baby, we moved to San Antonio, and we went to Utah for a month long vacation. I need to blog about all of these things and I will when I get a free second!

My friend Lynnie helped me discover the collage option for my blog. I think I LOVE it. My blog needed a new look and I think this is awesome! I need a lot more practice, but for now what a great way to display a lot of pictures. In between unpacking and organizing and feeding my baby and taking care of the other two crazy kids I hope to blog about the summer. For now, here are some pictures of our littlest guy. He is the sweetest boy ever. I am so in love! He is so mellow and happy. He is 11 weeks now as of yesterday and I can't believe how fast the time is going. Stay little buddy! Please!!

What we've been up to......

2011-07-06T19:45:00.001-07:00

Lots of cuddling our newest family member....

swinging.....

gazing into these beauties....

Extra helpful, patient and loving visitors.....

and another fun visitor and great help.....

Not a lot of this....

more cuddle time....

loving this little guy....

Family time...
Alan's done with work for the month of July!

and way too much of this....

Yep, we are moving in 5 days down to San Antonio.
So sad to say goodbye to friends yet again, but excited for another new adventure.

....then it's off to Utah for a long vacation!

Weston Daniel Topham

2011-06-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

He's here!
We are so happy to announce the arrival of

Weston Daniel Topham

8 lbs 10 oz. 20 1/2 inches

June 14, 2011

I hope to post more pictures soon, but right now I can barely keep my eyes open from lack of sleep :)

The past couple of weeks.....

2011-06-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

This little girl LOVES To play with "paydough". She has so much fun but she makes a HUGE mess. These are days I'm thankful for white tile floors.

Linc is definitely our goofball. He has been very into making faces lately. Some of them are funny and cute but some are getting a little old. Is this just a phase? I hope so! Whenever we correct him or tell him no he does something kind of like the picture below. What a character!

We have been visiting these fun fountains a lot the past month. The kids have fun and I can just sit there lazily and watch them play. It was more enjoyable before it hit 100 degrees this past week. Now my very pregnant self is not enjoying the heat so much.

Lincoln had his last day of preschool last week. He was so sad to leave his school friends and his wonderful teachers. I'm so grateful to have gotten this recommendation from Debi to go to this school because Lincoln LOVED it. If we were staying here he would be going back for sure!

35 Weeks

And this one is just for the record....I have taken almost no pictures this time around so I decided we better do it. Don't laugh. I have Sloane's flower in my hair so I wouldn't lose it and forgot and wore it most of the day like that. Linc is so excited to meet his little brother. We're counting down the days and it shouldn't be too much longer! I probably won't scar you with a picture of 37 weeks but we'll see :)

Unloading.....

2011-06-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

First of all, I know I said I was going to make this blog private, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. Too many of my family members will not be able to conveniently access this thing and I do it for them mostly. Maybe I'll get around to it eventually and if I do I'll definitely invite all of you wonderful people who left your e-mail addresses!

Onto my "unloading" portion of this post. My poor family has heard this stuff plenty, but I just have to write it down because it is actually quite humorous! I think I'll list the unknowns of our future first just to give you an idea of why I feel like my head is going to explode!

- We are moving in just 6 weeks and we still don't know where
- Alan's job ends in 27 days and we still don't have a new one for him
- The baby is coming sometime before the 30th but my Dr. will be out-of-town from the 19th-27th which screws up my induction plan. Dang.
- We are going on vacation to Utah sometime in July (so excited) but the timing depends on when and where we are moving.
-We haven't decided on a name for this little boy.
-Our lovely second car has been in the shop 6 times in the last 2 months and has cost as much as it is worth to fix it. It is currently back in the shop today after it broke down again on Alan at work and had to be towed. Awesome.

I think that might be it for now. I am such a plan ahead type of person that this is just driving me crazy!!

Alan is going to San Antonio for one more interview before we decide to just give up and move in with our parents :) ha ha...just kidding!

Visit from friends....

2011-05-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

While living in Texas we had the opportunity to live only 2 1/2 hours from some great friends from our time in Michigan! Unfortunately they have already moved to bigger and better things, but we had the chance to hang out with them one more time before they moved. They came down and spent 2 nights at our house and let me say, our kids were in heaven! We will miss you guys but are so glad we got to spend some time together!

Jozalyn and Sloane
our two little princesses (or Minnie Mouse, it depends on the day)

Sloane and Avelynn

Linc and Braxton. When they weren't running around like crazy, or laughing hysterically they were doing a lot of this!

Lincoln had his end-of-the-year preschool program too. We absolutely LOVED this preschool and his whole experience there. He was pretty much the star of the show because he was doing all the actions with intensity! We are sad we have to leave this school.

This is Lincoln's preschool crush Corin. He was excited every school day to go and see her.
Once he said that she looked so pretty that he almost died. Hilarious!

Easter......

2011-05-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Super studly Easter clothes!

showing off her pretty dress

Best Buddies

Our stylish eggs

Birthday, Visitors and Other Stuff.....

2011-05-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Lincoln picked out this golf shirt for daddy for his birthday.
It had to be blue because it is Linc's favorite color!

Alan reading his birthday letters from friends and family.
Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Sloane was so excited to open daddy's presents for him!

a little of my amateur birthday decor :)

My Mom, Dad and awesome brother Kall came to visit the weekend before Alan's birthday. We had such a great time. I think we ate out once or twice everyday except Sunday! We played and talked and went to the zoo (on the only 90 degree day we've seen in a long time). We had such a great time! I love my family! Maybe someday Chris and Emily can join us down here in Texas too!

"Rapunzel" coloring. She gets so into it!

While my parents were here we introduced Lincoln to artichokes, a family favorite. I thought he would not even try it, let alone like it and he LOVED them. He had the leftover one the next day. This kid is so picky so I was shocked he loved it so much.

Grandma, Kall and Sloane playing with our new ipad

A few months ago Sloane declared that Alan was going to have dinosaur cake for his birthday. She never forgot and every time we went to Costco she mentioned it. I am so glad we got this for her for her daddy's birthday.

Minnie Mouse frequently visits our house too.

Uncle Kall and Sloaney!

We found this area up in Highland Park that has the most amazing homes and this beautiful park. We often drive up there in the heart of Dallas and drool over the neighborhood. We had to show my family and I think they liked it to. Too bad they are million dollar plus homes.

Grandpa and Sloane and her new Rapunzel doll reading Rapunzel book. Are we a little obsessed? Of course! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for supplying her with more Rapunzel gear!

Happy 30th!

2011-04-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday this handsome guy holding Lincoln turned 30! His parents flew into town to celebrate and I haven't had a chance to tribute him on the blog until now. He is such a wonderful husband and an even better dad! I am so impressed with him everyday and I am so grateful for him in my life. A special thank you to those of you who contributed to his book of letters. They definitely made his day extra great and I got the perfect reaction out of him....some tears and lots of laughter!

Happy Birthday Alan! I hope this year is the best yet!

Going Private......

2011-04-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have been avoiding this for a couple of years but I just got a really creepy comment on my blog and it is not the first one so I think it's time I take the hint.

Please oh please leave me your e-mail address so I can add you. Even if you think I wouldn't remember you (I will!!) or you are embarrassed (I know I look at other people's blogs and hope they never go private because I'd be too shy to ask them to be added) just let me add you. I do not want to go private but I'm getting a bit nervous. You can e-mail me at wtopham@msn.com or leave it in a comment!

Thanks for your understanding. I hope to do it in the near future!

Whit

Future Blackmail Material.....

2011-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

These two are great friends. I love watching them play and interact. Unfortunately for Lincoln's manhood his only regular playmate is his little sister. Something similar to the following happens most days.......I think these photos will come in handy one day :)

Easter Bunnies

Spiderman and "Papunzel"

Fairy wings!

Oh Lincoln....

....you are such a good sport.

Sloane is OBSESSED with "papunzel" right now. Seriously. We have the movie and the CD and her wonderful Aunt Melanie sent her this costume for her birthday. She loves it so much. She is often Rapunzel for most of the day and we must call her that too. Good thing "Tangled" is the greatest movie Disney has made in a long time.

Wearing Linc's tie after church

Sloane also loves to have her nails painted.
She frequently requests that I "tim her nails and paint them"

More of the kids....

2011-03-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is my handsome 4 year old. He is such a sweetheart. He wants to be 6 though because I mentioned that maybe when he is 6 we can get a dog. I said that with a HUGE maybe. I'm thinking more like 10 years old. Anyway, he is adorable and he got all dressed up with gel in his hair and everything for his preschool class pictures. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of this kid. He posed all by himself and everything.

We have been SO lazy this week. Mostly just staying at home. I just can't seem to get any energy or desire to do much on days when Lincoln doesn't have school the past few weeks. So today we played inside (cause it only 50 degrees and so cold outside:) and ate popsicles and just hung out. Not much accomplished but hey, that's ok sometimes I hope.

2011-03-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Lincoln and I were resting on the couch together. I was flipping through channels and I stopped for a second and Lincoln said "Hey, that man looks like my friend Eric from school". The man was black so I thought, "well, now is the time we talk about skin color". I thought it might be coming sometime soon anyway since we are practically the only white people in our neighborhood. Lincoln sweetly said "He has the same haircut." I admittedly teared up a bit when he made that innocent observation. Why can't we all see people the same way that little kids do? I think we would live in a much happier world if we could see things through their eyes.

Sunday Best...

2011-03-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

We took these pictures right after church yesterday.
They were being so cute and were still in a semi-happy mood.

Sloane loves to dress up for church. Yesterday however she wanted this outfit with her black and white socks over her tights and her hot pink crocs. She wasn't too happy when I shot that idea down. It is always so insanely tiring for me to get the kids ready and get to church by myself. I shouldn't complain because I know so many wonderful women out there who do it with a lot more kids and for a lot longer than I have had to. My kids are always so grumpy and difficult on Sunday mornings!! Lincoln HATES wearing Sunday clothes and so for the last 6 months every Saturday he starts complaining about getting dressed for church the next day. I always give him a couple of options and let him choose but he is usually very mad about the whole thing. I always wake up Sunday morning bracing myself for the battle. I hope this phase will pass soon!

I have to say, I am loving Texas winters. The last few weeks have averaged about 65 degrees. I am enjoying every second and nervously awaiting the intense heat that is undoubtedly coming my way. I was SO hot last year and being 7, 8 and 9 months pregnant in it is not going to be very fun at all. I told Alan to get ready for some pretty expensive electricity bills because I know I'll have the AC cranked all the time :)

The other day Sloane was getting in the car and wanted to do it all by herself. We were in a hurry so Alan picked her up and strapped her in her chair. She was really upset and a couple minutes later while crying, she said "Daddy....you don't love me" with a very dramatic tone. I can't believe she is only 25 months with some of the stuff she says. She will definitely keep us busy in the years to come!

Lincoln is the best kid around. Seriously, I realized the other day that I really don't have to watch him all that carefully. He has never been a trouble maker really, and is usually content with watching Scooby-doo or playing with his animals or trains. I am so lucky and I know he will be the reason I can get through the next 6 months.

We are currently looking for associate positions anywhere and everywhere in Texas, but mostly focusing on San Antonio. We are hoping that moving there will excite people and get us more visitors :). It is a really cool city and there is a temple there and lots of fun things to do. So hopefully we will find something soon. Alan's last day of work is June 30th which is also my due date and when we should be moving....hmm. How will this all turn out, I wonder!

2011-02-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

We are so excited!!

Superheroes!

2011-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

One of Lincoln's cute friends has two darling superhero capes. We were playing at their house and Lincoln became obsessed with them. He hasn't stopped talking about capes since. I have shopped around hoping to find something I wouldn't have to make but eventually decided to just do it! I found this awesome online tutorial which was super helpful. I changed a few things, but overall I think they turned out pretty good. Especially for the extremely amateur seamtress that I am :)

Oh, and Lincoln requested that doggy and kitty had capes too.

January

2011-02-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

Our First Winter in Texas

I knew it could snow here, but I didn't expect this!
This is what we have experienced this past week here in Dallas only before that was 3 days of ice.
Alan couldn't get to work 2 1/2 days last week which was great for us, but sad for his vacation days. Being from Utah, this storm didn't seem too bad but the city literally shut down for a few days. The roads were really pretty bad because they don't use salt or plow them. Definitely a new experience for us even having lived in Michigan the past 4 years.

Sloane's 2nd Birthday
Poor little Sloane was sick on her birthday. We had to cancel her party because her temp was 102 all day. She was still a great sport even though she felt so terrible.

Blowing out the candles on her not-so-yummy store bought cake........these are her new princess shoes from Grandma and Grandpa! They light up when she walks and she loves them!

Princess apparel and books were the majority of her presents this year.

Sweet little Sloane

I finally finished her 1st year baby book and I think it was a hit!

On her actual birthday she decided to color the wall and window sill with her bath crayons instead of the bath. Oh no, here come the "two's"

The Saturday before Sloane's birthday we went to the Dallas Arboretum thanks to the lovely daily Groupon (Otherwise it was like $13 a person to get in). It was a beautiful day in the 60's and the kids loved getting to run around outside. I think it would be gorgeous in the summertime, but definitely not worth the heat.

I thought it was cool that there were palm trees and bamboo. Not something I've seen anywhere else I've lived.

They had these cute little houses for kids to explore

Our handsome stud after church. I managed to catch a quick picture before he put his comfy clothes on. His clothes start coming off the second he gets inside the house.

The last picture is of the kids pushing their animals around in their grocery cart. Cow and pony are always with them and it is adorable.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

2011-01-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

First Birthday

Our Princess Sloane..........

Loves to read books
Copies everything her big brother does
Can count to 10 and say her ABC's
Loves babies
Loves to "guggle" with mom and dad (snuggle)
Still attached to "bee-bo", her blanket
Loves stuffed animals and sleeps with a few each night
Loves "teets" (treats)...especially gumballs and m & m's
Can say anything she wants
Could eat Mac and Cheese for every meal
Kisses everything that she likes
Is strong-willed and feisty but yet happy and sweet

We love you little Sloane!!!

7 Years

2011-01-20T17:46:00.001-08:00

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on the 27th of December. I honestly cannot believe that it has already been that long. We have had a lot of fun, stress, happiness, chaos and accomplishment together. We have moved 4 times and are about to do it again, lived in 3 states, traveled a lot, both graduated from college and Alan from graduate school, have doubled our family, and expanded our friend pool immensely :) I generally gag at the cheesy stuff but I am so grateful that I married Alan. He is such a great dad, husband, provider and friend. I love you Alan, here's a look back at the past 7 years from recent to our first year of marriage.

May 2010
Celebrating graduation with Dr. Topham

April 2009
We have almost no pictures of us as a couple since we have had kids.
I vow to do better! Alan was about to start his final summer in dental school with a grueling year of boards, resident hunting and moving ahead. Stressful year for sure.

December 2008
Our traditional Christmas sweaters. Ha ha...no, we were going to an ugly sweater party.
I especially love my HUGE belly. Sloane was born a month later.

Halloween 2008
The Northwood Halloween parade

April 2008
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

November 2007
One of the coolest things about living in Michigan was going to the Big House for football games.
They were always so fun and full of crazy fans.

April 2007

Our first Easter with Lincoln.
Alan was almost done with his first year of dental school.

October 2006
Niagra Falls
Our last trip as a couple without kids

Halloween 2006
I'm about to pop!
We went to a murder mystery dinner party that was so much fun with all the LDS dental students.

May 2006
We went on a fabulous trip to Hawaii with our friends the Miners and the Waltons. None of us had kids yet(I was 12 weeks pregnant) and we were moving to Michigan later that summer so we planned this awesome 10 day trip to Kauai. It was heaven!

December 2005
Evans family cruise to the Bahamas before my brother left for Finland on his mission.

July 2005
We traveled for almost a month around South Korea where Alan served his mission and China.
It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of our marriage and I am so glad we did it!

Je-ju
Basically an island much like Hawaii where Koreans often vacation.

China
terra-cotta warriors exhibit

December 2004
The Fiesta Bowl Utah vs. Pitt
I surprised Alan with tickets for Christmas and even purchased an ugly Utah sweatshirt for myself to wear to that game:)
What sacrifice!

December 2004
Our first Christmas as a married couple and almost our 1 year anniversary.
I would like to put a picture of our wedding day on here. We got married in the ancient times before our photographer went digital. I am so sad about it because I'd love to do fun things with those pictures. I do have a nice wedding album though :)

UTAH!

2011-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

The first few pictures are of "turtle Lincoln" and "turtle Sloane" just taken last night. They have decided that the laundry baskets might just be the coolest toys ever and have played with them for hours.

yep, Sloane is underneath the bottom one and Linc is on the top

Their turtle shells

Now onto Utah...Sloane LOVES her uncles. Uncle Kallen still lives at home so we got to spend lots of time with him. He was an awesome babysitter and entertainer and we really appreciate him!

Lincoln got to go skiing while we were in SLC! He absolutely loved it. He went to Alta with Alan and Alan said it was one of the toughest workouts ever hanging onto him and holding up all of Linc's weight on the rope-tow. He was so into it that he kept putting his ski's on again and again inside. So cute!

Showing me how to slow down using the pizza technique!

Seriously, Sloane loves this guy!

One of the best parts about Utah is that there are cousins there!
Lincoln would attach himself to Asa's side every chance he got!

Abby and Sloane.....Abby is an awesome babysitter!

These cute kids are my cousins. I'm the oldest cousin on my mom's side so some my cousins are even younger than my kids. Crazy! These 4 are very close in age.
I think they are all 5 and Linc is 4.

My parents (thanks to Emily's great deal finding $80)
got this for Lincoln. He LOVES it. If it hadn't been so cold and snowy he would have played with it non-stop. Next time for sure!

We had such a great trip to Utah and can't wait to go again
Thanks to all of our friends and family that we got to hang out with. If we didn't catch you this trip we'll put you at the top of the list for next time!

Christmas Morning!

2011-01-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was so much fun this year. Both kids were so into it and so excited. This was our first Christmas day that we have spent at our own house. It was great because later that afternoon we hopped on a plane and headed to Utah for more celebrations. It was the best of both worlds.(the myths that the planes are empty are NOT true. We had a packed flight) The number one thing on both of our kids' wishlist was a Pillow pet. Sloane wanted a "wadybug" and Linc wanted a puppy. So cute! Their reaction was perfect and the Pillow pets of course joined us on the plane to Utah. Not that we didn't have enough to keep track of :) We also started "Elf on a Shelf" this year and it was a hit. If you haven't heard of it check it out. It worked really well for our kids and kept the excitement up all month long!

The Loot from Santa

Santa brought them these adorable recliners.
They match our couch perfectly and the kids LOVE them.

Testing out their Pillow pets

Santa brought Linc another light saber
(now we have 3 so that daddy, Linc and Sloane can play)

Treats make this girl very happy!

Getting Santa's plate of cookies ready!

Right before Christmas our good friends the Bergman's came to visit.
Lincoln and Caitlin are good buddies and it was so fun to see them.

Sloane's "pitty dess"

2011-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Sloane was very excited to wear her "pitty dess" the Sunday before Christmas. I was trying to return it because my mom sent us an even cuter one, but when I took it in the store she was snuggling it and holding onto it like it was her best friend. I just couldn't do it! She walked into nursery with a huge grin and showed her dress to her teacher. I love this little girl!!

Random catch up!

2011-01-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

I'm backtracking so that I can maintain some sort of family journal!! I'm pretty behind since these are from Lincoln's birthday in November. Whoops!

He wanted a Spiderman cake and decorations. I was going to attempt to make the cake, but chickened out and ordered it from the grocery store. It was pretty cool and actually tasted really good surprisingly! He was happy and that's all that matters to me. I don't know where this spiderman love came from but it seems to be here to stay.

Publish Post

Probably his favorite gift ever....a cape for cow.
Perfect idea and awesome gift Meyers fam! Thanks.

While we were in the other room chatting with some guests
Sloane decided to try a bit of cake!

My cute kids on Lincoln's 4th b-day!

Dad and Linc

The excitement on his face is priceless!
More Lightning McQueen gear!

This was actually on my birthday!
The only picture of that day.

The day after Lincoln's birthday Dadam and Bacca came to visit!
It was so much fun having them here for Thanksgiving this year.
This is what my kids LOVE doing with grandma's and grandpa's.
Reading books!

For Lincoln's birthday Dadam brought him these new boots.
He insisted on wearing them with his jammies for a few nights.

Daddy and Sloane reading

I think Lincoln was 2 when this picture was taken

Here he is 4. Some things never change :)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Lincoln and Sloane

2010-12-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

Santa

2010-12-11T13:07:00.001-08:00

"Can I trust this guy?"

Telling Santa all about Pillow Pets

Wow, Santa at Costco? Costco really does provide it all which is why we love it so much! No craziness and no line! My kids have been waiting patiently all week long to tell Santa what they want for Christmas and I was shocked when even little Sloane jumped up on his lap. Lincoln wants: a life size bumblebee Transformer that transforms by itself (hmm, I don't think even Santa can pull that one off), and pillow pet. Sloane wants whatever Lincoln wants. These pictures are so cute! I wish I had taken my nice camera with me and not my crappy one because they are sort of blurry.

Talking and talking....

2010-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Sloane has been talking so much lately. Because she is tall and she can talk so well people are always asking me if she is 2 1/2 or 3. Lately my favorite things she has been saying are:

Um.....I don't know.
Nevermind.
1...2...3....GIVE IT ME! (she is counting like I do and it is pretty naughty but hilarious!)
Sloane do it! I want to do it!
No mom, I not go to bed, I not tired.
I take a nap in mommy, daddy bed.
Here you go Linc.
Get one for Lincoln too (whenever she gets a vitamin, or a treat or anything really)
I crying, I sad.
I love you __(mommy, Linc, doggy, book, daddy, baby, fruit snack etc)
She sings "itsy bitsy spider" and "twinkle, twinkle little star"
I hungy

She is so much fun. I can't believe she'll be 2 next month!

Grandpa's Visit

2010-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

I am so behind but one of my favorite things that happened in the recent months is that my Dad came to visit! It was so fun having him here and my kids loved it!! Of course I didn't take nearly enough pictures as usual, but here are a few:

"Grandpa asked if he could take me home in his suitcase!!"

They both wanted to go!

When grandparents come to visit, they always bring "presies" as my kids call them.
Sloane was so excited to get some Minnie Mouse jammies for one of hers.

My dad took us to multiple fabulous restaurants, to the Aquarium and let us go to a movie and the Rangers game while he babysat!!
Thanks for another great visit Dad! You are the BEST!!!

Happy Birthday Lincoln!!!

2010-11-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is the sweetest little 4 year old you will ever meet. He is an absolute dream child and always has been. I'm so lucky that I get to be his mom. Today is his birthday so I want to share some of Lincoln's wonderful qualities.

He is so helpful and is always willing to help his sister and mom
He is a very sensitive boy...he hates getting in trouble and is very sweet to everyone around him
He loves his cow almost more than anything in the world :)
He is very smart and really likes preschool
He loves the Book of Mormon and carries it around with him all day Sunday and it sits by his bed the rest of the week
He loves to play soccer outside with the family
He loves Ramen noodles, Mac and cheese and hotdogs and will eat them anytime :)
He loves younger kids and will help and protect them no matter what
He could watch Scooby doo all day every day if we let him!
He will still snuggle if you ask him to.

We love you Lincoln and hope you have the best day!!

Dallas State Fair

2010-11-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to go to Dallas State Fair while we live here! It was a blast. Definitely the biggest fairgrounds I have ever seen and some awesome people watching!!! Their petting zoo was amazing and the kids loved that probably the most.

I was amazed at all of the different fried foods.
I didn't see it but I heard they had fried Coke. I wonder how that works.

The infamous Texan

The fair is on the same grounds as the Cotton Bowl, which we thought was pretty cool.

Rides were so expensive. Like $4 per person per ride. Lincoln chose this slide and he loved it.

Right as we entered the fair we ran into the Chevy expo. Lincoln got to drive Lightning McQueen and Alan got to drive his dream car, the Camero! I don't know who was happier. I wish I had gotten a picture of Alan, but I was with the kids.

Finally Finished!!!

2010-11-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

I started this quilt project about 2 1/2 years ago with some friends in Michigan. We each took a square and made 9 of them. Each square represents something we loved about Michigan. It was a great experience for me since I have never done anything like it! I will admit I had a lot of help and I am probably the last one to finish. It took me forever but I did it! I think it will be a great memory of Michigan and our time there!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

We had a trunk-or-treat tonight at our church and it was awesome! I was a bit worried about where we would trick-or-treat this year since we don't know anyone in our neighborhood or near us. This was perfect for my kids. Lincoln went about halfway around the parking lot and was content with his candy stash. Sloane did not want to stop. I circled the parking lot twice with her and at every stop she would say "tick-o-teet" and the people passing out candy would smile and laugh and give her a handful. She doubled the amount of candy that Lincoln had. She would have kept going too but everyone was out of candy! Her candy bucket was so heavy that she kept picking it up with both hands since it was so hard for her to carry by the handle. I kept offering to hold it for her and she would say "no! Sloane do it" What a fun night.

Happy Halloween from Spiderman and Ladybug!

"Look at all that candy"

So buff!!

Who's that weird dude holding Sloane?

So happy with his candy!

She wouldn't let it out of her sight.
It is currently on her dresser while she sleeps!

Can you guess who this is next to our "titty-tat" pumpkin as Sloane calls it?
You're right!! It's Cow dressed as a Ghost. Even he came trick-or-treating with us. Have I told you that Cow is no longer a she?

Pumpkin carving. What fun with a 1 year old :)

2010-10-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm just having a bad day!

Thanks Sarah for taking these pictures...more to come :)

Linc and Sloane Fall 2010

2010-10-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Caroline took these pictures for us while we were in Utah last month. She is very talented and I think she did a great job!

It only took 7 years but.....

2010-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Look at all that change!
This is our change collection. We have been working on it since we were engaged.
How much money would you guess fills this container?

$550.50

All we did to acquire this much dough is just save our change most of the times that we made cash purchases. Pretty easy to do and the outcome is awesome! I'm thinking that can buy quite a bit of great stuff at Gap, Target, Costco etc. :)

Firsts....

2010-09-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

On September 7th this sweet little guy started preschool. I am relieved to say that he LOVES it. No tears, no sadness, just extreme excitement to go back again! Thanks to my sweet friend Debi for the recommendation to this awesome preschool. Bonus: since we live down here in Texas we get called "sweetheart, and darlin'" by his teachers all the time (yes, even me) in a cute southern accent. I love it.

Ready to leave!
Sloane wishes she could go to school too.
She gets stuck shopping with Mom.

We recently learned that cow is a girl and that her birthday is August 27th.
We got to have a party for her that night.
(good to know she's a girl since she's been wearing the tutu for days now)

Cow's 1st birthday.

Thoughts: Update!

2010-09-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to update everyone on how things are going here in Texas. I have gotten many sweet calls, e-mails etc. from concerned friends and family since I wrote that depressing post a couple of months ago. I am really not the depressed type person so I know that was a little weird. Things have definitely looked up. I think the biggest contributing factor to my change of attitude is making friends. I am so grateful to the ladies in my ward who have really reached out to me and my family. I will definitely take their examples of love and friendship with me to wherever we end up in the future! Another huge factor is that we are busy with new callings. Alan is the ward mission leader and I am in the primary presidency. We are both really enjoying our callings even though we are super busy. Alan usually is gone at least one night a week, a bit on Sundays and is often on the phone calling people to check up on things.

We have been lucky enough to see 4 families that were in Michigan with us since we moved here which has definitely brightened our weekends :) The Gardner's have come a couple times as well as the Hulet's and the Campbell's. We had the Jonutz's who still live in Michigan stay with us and that was so fun. I am anxiously awaiting cooler weather. It is SO hot here and I'm still not used to that. I am ready for fall but have heard it isn't anytime soon. It averages 92 degrees still. Lincoln has started preschool and LOVES it which is another huge blessing. He goes twice a week and is very excited about gym class, music, and spanish class that they attend while there. Sloane and I get to run errands while he is at school and it has been fun to spend some time with just her. We do lots of shopping :)

Anyway, I was feeling bad about not letting you know that we are doing ok! Texas is a nice place and we are liking it more and more!!

Should I be concerned?

2010-09-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

The other day Lincoln found Sloane's tutu and decided he wanted to wear it. Luckily we dug up 2 more so that we had one for him, one for Sloane and one for cow. After I got them all dressed up they danced in Sloane's room for almost an hour. I guess this is what happens when Lincoln hangs out with his Mom and sister all-the-time!!!

These kids can be so much fun.
Imagine how happy Alan was when he got home and saw his son in a "pretty dress" (as Sloane says).

ksl.com - Family prepares to face rare disease a second time

2010-08-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

These are some of my dear friends from high school. I love their sweet little family and thought I would pass this on in any way that I can. Check it out.

ksl.com - Family prepares to face rare disease a second time

Today

2010-08-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I turn my back for 10 seconds.
I started to fill the bath and she was nowhere near the bathroom.

Little stinker.
Yes, she is in her jammies and a "pretty dress"

Nemo and Fishy

2010-08-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Lincoln has been begging us for a pet goldfish for months.
We finally caved and got him one (especially since he was missing his friends in Michigan so much). I think the whole thing cost $9 so it is a worthwhile investment to make him happy. We started out with 2. Fishy and Nemo. Unfortunately 48 hours later Nemo was floating at the top of the bowl when we got home from the grocery store. Lincoln was convinced it was because we left the fish alone and didn't take them with us to the store. I explained that the fish would not like the steaming hot car while we were shopping but he still wanted to take them. He was very upset when he realized Nemo wasn't going to swim anymore. When Alan got home he said he would flush him down the toilet and then he would take Lincoln to get another fish. While they were on their way back from the pet store home Fishy started to float on his side. I happened to see what was happening and quickly changed the water and was able to bring him to life again. Unfortunately the next day Fishy was totally gone when we got home from church. He was bleeding a little so I think there was a fight in the fishbowl and he lost.
We now just have Nemo 2 and he is going strong!

So excited to be helping!

Fishy and Nemo

I quickly realized this was not a safe place for the fishbowl!

Grandma and Kall's Visit to Texas!

2010-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

It was so much fun having my Mom and brother come visit us. They were great sports because they came the first week of August and we now know from experience that Texas is about the LAST place you want to be in August. It is so HOT!
I was so lame and hardly took any pictures.
We had a great time though, thanks for coming to hang out with us guys!

We did a lot of hanging out, eating out (thanks Mom!), and showing them around Dallas.
My brother loved seeing the Cowboy's and Ranger's stadiums!

We miss you and can't wait for you to come again...maybe this winter when it is nice here and cold in Utah?

The Many Adventures of "Cow"

2010-08-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Cow.

He came into our family last October when Alan came to Dallas to interview for residency. Daddy brought him home for Lincoln and it was love at first sight! Lincoln sleeps with cow every night and cow has a place at the table for meals, has been buckled in a seat belt for road trips, has traveled cross-country, has been carried in his own diaper bag, has worn diapers, he learned to crawl today, cries often and needs to be held and rocked. And I guess you could say this cow has nine lives and is very lucky to still be a part of the family. A couple of weeks after Lincoln got his best friend we went on a family trip to Costco. Lincoln took Cow inside and even after multiple tries at getting Linc to leave Cow in the car he ventured inside with us and was lost. Alan drove back up to Costco immediately to search the store when we realized what had happened but Cow was nowhere to be found. We called Costco every day for a week and were sad to learn he had not been found. Lincoln prayed for Cow every night. Then another week later we went back to Costco to shop and decided to ask one more time. This time was successful. Cow had been found!!! Lincoln was so excited to see him and was so grateful that his prayers had been answered (great teaching opportunity :).

We made the trek from Michigan to Texas and Cow didn't leave his side. We moved in, got settled a bit and then hopped on a plane to California to go to Disneyland. Amidst the commotion of getting to the hotel we misplaced Cow. We didn't realize it until late that night and we weren't sure when we had last see him. Alan called the airport and then the shuttle and checked around our hotel, but no luck. They said they'd keep an eye out for him. The day we were leaving we got a call from the shuttle service saying they had found Cow! Unbelievable. We had him FedExed to Utah because that was our next stop. A couple days later Cow came to grandma's house in a box. The reunion was sweet. I decided that Cow needed a name tag so we went to the pet store and engraved one that says "Cow" and our phone number. Hopefully this will be the last time cow and Lincoln are separated. We love Cow!!

Lincoln, Sloane and Cow in capes!

18 months already!

2010-07-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my adorable little girl Sloane. I can't believe she is so big. I realize it isn't her birthday or anything but 18 months is my favorite age so far and it is full of milestones. She is going into nursery this Sunday which for those of you who know Sloane will be quite an experience (wish us luck!!), she doesn't take a bottle anymore, she can run and climb on anything, she talks up a storm and is full of energy.

Here are some of my favorite recent Sloane moments:

She is currently obsessed with books. She brings a book to you (often one of our books without pictures) and says "read it", climbs up on the couch, realizes she forgot her "bee-bo" (blanket) so she climbs back down, struggles to climb onto your lap and then sits for about 10 seconds before she's down again and off to get another book. This takes up much of our free time in the day. It's something that Lincoln never did and I love that she is so into books.

She is also in love with Mickey Mouse or "Mee-mow" and anytime one of us is sitting at the computer she climbs on our laps to look at the picture of her meeting Mickey. So cute!

funny girl with her finger in her nose

Tonight I found her like this.
I left the fridge open for 2 seconds while I was putting groceries away. I had just taken her pigtails out so her hair looks awesome!

On a boring boat ride in San Antonio
(it was along the Riverwalk but was too hot and too long for even me).
She at least sat still for 1 minute and I happened to get it on camera.

The other day after an enormous tantrum I found her like this.
(My kids are weird about boxes and climbing in them, huh!)

She is also crazy about wipes or "wipeys" as she calls them. Any type too, disinfectant, baby wipes, cottonelles, etc. We've wasted a lot these days.

such a sweet little girl

This was her first day with pigtails.
It was a couple months ago but I love this picture.

We love you Sloane!
You are such a sweetie and you fill our days with entertainment and joy!

Creatures of our backyard (and house).....

2010-07-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

There have been many creatures here in Texas that are new to us. When I got home from Utah I was greeted by one of these cute little Gecko's. At first I was not a fan, but now I actually think they are pretty cute. They eat bugs and hide all the time so I don't mind them being inside. I never thought I'd be saying something like that.

Sloane loves them and the other day she saw one and started yelling "bug". When Lincoln tried to catch it by putting a cup over it, he chopped the tail off and the gecko ran behind the bookcase. The tail continued to squirm and wiggle for quite a long time and he was fascinated by it. The rest of the day he talked about how sad he was that he cut that little guy's tail off. It was kind of traumatic.

Photo found on gecko website

Alan found one of these on our fence outside. I wouldn't be quite so happy if he were in our house. He's a little big for my taste.
photo taken from lizard website

Oh how I hate these! I had to get a picture of what we often find in the mornings in random places in our house. I took this picture the night Sloane and I got home from Utah (more on that lovely night later). I put my car key next to it so you could see how large these nasty cockroaches are. They are red and seriously about 2 inches long. So gross!!!!

This is the reason I can't go outside in our front or backyards right now. Pesky mosquito's. I always get terrible reactions like this one and they are super uncomfortable and itchy for weeks. They require me to take Benadryl which isn't so good when I'm the one at home taking care of the kids :) Poor Lincoln inherited the terrible reactions from me too.

My kids are always in this position looking for bugs. Sloane bends down and tries to give them kisses. Don't they know bugs are nasty?

A random picture of me and Linc.
He refuses to do normal smiles so this is the best we could get!

More from our Utah trip....

2010-07-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I think this will finally be our last post about our wonderful month long trip to Utah. While we were in Utah we got the chance to go down to my family's condo in St. George. I absolutely love St. George and staying in the condo brings back so many memories of such fun times in my life. I have documented them by leaving little notes in a jar down at the condo. This last trip (I sadly hadn't been in about 2 years) I decided to read them all. The majority of the trips to SG were with my best friends Ash and Mel and my family. We had so much fun together down there. I counted 33 notes....so I have been to that condo at least that many times. That is not including the 10 yrs we vacationed there before just renting condo's each time. It was fun to revisit those memories of sleeping in, eating out, laying by the pool. It's a bit different going down with two little kids but still so much fun. I love St. George!

The picture above is of Sloane trying to tickle doggie Stu's "piggies"

New to St. George since I have been there are these cool fountains and rivers for kids to play in.

I love these picture of Linc helping his baby sis up the "river"

This girl is obsessed with water and she loved this place!

We swam, relaxed (as much as you can with a 16 mo old), ate great food, hung out with our friends the Gandola's, Lincoln and my dad went on a Geo cache/treasure hunt, we took drink runs to the Maverick, Alan and my dad and bro golfed...Alan golfed 2 out of the 3 days. tough life, I shopped with my Mom....I just love that vacation. Thanks family!

My aunts and mom were sweet enough to get together for lunch one day so I could see everyone. I just love my aunts. Seriously, they are so much fun. It just makes me sad that I can't be there to hang out with them more often. These are two of my cute little cousins. Avi is Lincoln's age and Oakley is a year older. Adorable!

Sloane's first "pig tails". Aren't those adorable?

Dadam (Alan's mom) makes great breakfasts while we are there. This time she had waffles with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Sloane just ate the cream. Smart girl!

Lincoln and his adorable cousin Asa.
I am in love with this kid. He is so sweet to my kids and will play with them even though he is 5 years older than Linc. This picture shows their new matching shoes....Lincoln had to copy Asa.

Another first and fun thing for my kids was a cousin sleepover! Asa and Abby spent the night. We had so much fun eating popcorn, watching a movie and playing. They all slept on blankets in the t.v. room. Lincoln and Abby outlasted Asa by at least an hour that night. They had so much fun!

We also went to the zoo (which just can't compare to the Dallas zoo I'm afraid)
The reason I posted these pictures was because Lincoln just had to take this train to the zoo and pull it around. It has also been to Costco and to a few restaurants. It is one of those Fisher Price trains that are like 30 years old. He loves it every time we visit Salt Lake.

Overall it was a fabulous trip and I can't wait to go back again!!! Side note: we were able to see so many friends and I don't have any good pictures. Just know that we loved seeing you so much and if we didn't get to this trip we will try so hard next time!!

Utah continued....

2010-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Uncle Kallen's Graduation

It was so fun to be in town for my youngest brother's graduation. I'm not sure how I feel about him being out of high school already though. I was 9 when he was born and I feel sort of like a mom to him. That makes me OLD! I am so proud of him and very excited that he is going to join the ranks of a BYU cougar!! That is 5 out of 5 for our family..... I just had to put that for Alan's sake and all of my other anti-Y associates.

Mom, Dad and Kall

After enjoying a delicious meal at one of my family's favorite restaurants, Bonsai, we went back to open some graduation presents!

Sloane's new fav thing to do....wash her "piggies"

Another obsession of Sloane's..... cute doggie Stu!

Day Out with Thomas

Just a few days after arriving in Utah we got the chance to spend a day with Thomas! My mom and dad were kind enough to fork out the dough to make my kids extremely happy. Was it worth the money? I'm not sure....it was like $22 per person for a 25 minute ride. A little disappointing but it made for great pictures and a happy Lincoln.

Sir Topham Hatt!

Pretty cool to share a name with such an important guy!

Standing right by Thomas....amazing.

What I did love was that my 18 year old brother Kall came with us.
What a stud! I don't know many teenage boys who would do that, even for their niece and nephew. (ok, he secretly LOVES Thomas...especially the theme song :)

Lincoln seriously loves this guy!

The fam on the train

had to post these.....

There was even cotton candy...."nandy" as Sloane calls it.

What a fun day for these kiddos!

1st few days in our new house.....

2010-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is our old house...just one more I promise!
Sloane looking out Lincoln's bedroom window in Michigan.

One of my favorite rooms in our new house....the toy room!
My kids actually play with their toys now. amazing!

Sloane loves it too.

Another fantastic find in Texas....Dr. Pepper made with real cane sugar.
It is so incredible...really.

Bacca Topham telling Lincoln a story before bed

Sweet little Sloane
(15 1/2 mo)

The kids playing in our backyard
(we can't right now because there are too many mosquitos )

More pictures of our house to come....

Thoughts....

2010-07-09T18:11:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about change. I gave a talk in our student ward just before we left on change and thought I understood how hard it could be. I didn't! I think back to when we first moved from Salt Lake to Ann Arbor 4 years ago. I thought that was going to be impossible for us. Alan and I cried (I continued long after) as we drove up Parley's for the last time on our way to Michigan. Although I sobbed as we dropped my dad and brother (who helped us move) off at the airport, by the time we got back to our house I was feeling ok about things. I realize now that the move to Michigan was a breeze compared to our move to Texas. When we arrived in Ann Arbor with our moving truck filled to the brim on a very hot day in July, we were greeted by our new ward's "moving crew". They had our truck unloaded in less than an hour and during that time I had already met 3 friendly women (Barb Woodward, Kathleen Rich and Heather Gardener). I had instant friends and was in absolute social bliss the whole time we lived there. I was 6 months pregnant so I began life there with not much to do but hang out with the people in our neighborhood and ward. There were 13 pregnant women in the ward at the time so when I had Lincoln I was in good company. My good friend Samantha had her first baby a week after me. Anyway, my point is that it was so easy to feel at home and feel like we belonged. We fit right in and were at the same stage of life as everyone in our ward. It was a blast and I look back longingly (even though it has only been 2 months since we moved) at our time in Ann Arbor.

The move to Desoto has been really hard for me. A lot harder than I anticipated. I left a place where even if it was rainy we could go next door and play at a friend's house. Here it rains a lot, we live in an older neighborhood where I haven't seen one child or anyone else for that matter, we live 20 minutes from our church and other ward members, and it is so hot and dense with mosquitos when it isn't rainy that we can't play outside. Lincoln gets sad every day and tells me that he misses his friends. That absolutely breaks my heart and there's nothing I can really do to help him right now.

I am trying to be optimistic. Life is good and I shouldn't complain. I get to spend time with my kids (lots and lots of time :) This experience is good for us and I am trying to figure out what I am supposed to learn from it. Here's to making the best of a year in a foreign place...and I keep praying that half the dentists in Utah will decide to relocate so we can move back there!!

Disneyland

2010-07-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

As part of Alan's graduation present, his parent's took our family to Disneyland.
It was such a fun trip and our kids absolutely loved it. We had perfect weather and it was relatively uncrowded. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn pretty much right next door to the park and it was a great hotel. We had park hopper passes for 2 days and felt like it was the perfect amount of time.

Waiting in line to see "mee-mow" as Sloane calls him.
Lincoln was very excited to see Mickey too.

Bacca, Dadam, Lincoln and Alan waiting in line
Unfortunately Alan's mom has a bad back...which is kind of fortunate at Disneyland where you can go to the front of line when someone in your party is in a wheelchair.

Mark Twain Riverboat ride....goofy Lincoln

We absolutely wore Bacca out.

So excited she can hardly stand it....about to see Mickey in Toontown

There he is!

She didn't cry at all until we couldn't find Mickey anymore that day.

The whole reason Sloane went to Disneyland

Happy Linc! This kid road the Matterhorn! He loved it too. I was surprised because this is the boy that hates getting splashed with even a drop of water.
Once we got him on that ride he wanted to do them all.

The kids sporting their Disney attire.
Sloane pats her tummy and says "mow" proudly. We did manage to not purchase one of the $12 light-up balloons. Yes,$12! Unbelievable. We did end up buying an $8 Balloon that the kids shared and it popped within 12 hours of purchase. We love Disneyland but it is definitely expensive!!

Our Last Days in Michigan...

2010-07-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

The stop sign leaving Northwood V.
I can't begin to count how many times we stopped here!

This picture is monumental because the day was packed up our truck was the day that Sloane finally started to let other people hold her (without absolutely freaking out). She is even smiling in this picture! Usually when someone other than me or Alan would touch her she would scream and cry until one of us had her again. Uncle Chris was one of the lucky ones.

This picture makes me tear up every time I look at it. This is right as we were leaving "Brookie's" house. I honestly didn't think that he would understand much about what was going on but he absolutely did. He cried for about 20 minutes after we drove away. He asks about his friends in Michigan every day and still gets sad sometimes. It breaks my heart!

Me and my good friend Janel. I miss my friends so much! I look so lovely in this picture but it shows just how tired both emotionally and physically we were by the time we were ready to drive away.

One last family picture in front of our place (Sloane was sleeping)
We will miss Ann Arbor so much and will always remember our fun four years.
Thanks to all of our friends and neighbors for making it so wonderful for us!

Me being very sad to leave that incredibly tiny and very hot kitchen!

Our house....right before we left.

My family just before they left Michigan for the last time.

A few more graduation pictures.....
Dr. Gandola and Dr. Topham

Dr. Hulet and Dr. Topham

Alan's parents at his graduation.
I failed to put one of these on my previous post and I can't believe it!
They were definitely a key part in his attending dental school.

I love this picture of Alan and his Mom. She and his dad have been so supportive of him and have helped us so much. They drove our moving truck for us (it could barely reach 65 mph) so we could ride together in our car. Thanks so much you guys!!

Mom and Sloane at Daddy's graduation dinner

While packing up Lincoln's room I rediscovered his B's.
He really used to sleep with all of these at one time...yes, even the pink one.

Sloane is very interested in this find...my kids and their binkies :)

We look happy here, but I was so sad to say goodbye to the Gandola's.
They are some of our best friends from dental school.

We're Back!

2010-06-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in new posts. I have so many pictures and I haven't even had a chance to put them on the computer. We just got back to Dallas after a month long vacation to Disneyland, Salt Lake and St. George. It was so much fun and now I am trying to find the motivation to do anything around here. I'm afraid there will be way too many posts in the near future!!!

Hello's and Goodbye's

2010-05-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello to walking

Goodbye to dear friends

Hello Dr. Topham and goodbye dental school

Hello Diploma :)

Goodbye Northwood V 3 bedroom square apartment
with no AC and squeaky floors

Hello bigger house with our own backyard!

Goodbye Trailblazer...hello Traverse

This has been a big couple of weeks for us. I'm afraid we're packing up our computer tomorrow so I won't be able to add anymore posts for awhile. My family just left today after celebrating graduation and helping us pack (thanks so much guys). We head out tomorrow with Alan's parents for Texas and should arrive on Wednesday night.

Random April Happenings....

2010-04-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many more posts I will be able to do before we pack this computer up next week. I cannot believe we are moving already. Time has absolutely flown by. I am so sad that we are leaving but excited for our next adventure (which is seriously stressing me since we still don't have a place to live in when we get to Dallas). We will miss Ann Arbor so much but especially we will miss our friends. This is going to be a very emotional week for us. I know because I almost cried after leaving our pediatrician's office yesterday. If that makes me cry, wow, I'm going to be a wreck when we say goodbye to friends. Here are some random pictures of April so far:

I just love this cute expression

Lunch date

Our Easter dinner! It was fabulous and we had great company.
Thanks so much Whitehead's and Osborne's

The second week of April my Mom came out to keep us company while Alan was on his final rotation in Grand Rapids. We had such a great time going shopping, eating good food and hanging out together. Thanks Mom.

Lincoln loves playing catch. It was nice to have someone else for him to play with :)

This little stinker would only let my mom feed her treats or give her toys. She will not ever let anyone but mom or dad hold her.

Preschool crafts...it involved glitter so we went outside!
Even Sloane loves preschool.

One of the biggest pains EVER is this darn mud puddle right outside our house. If it rains or if the kids play in the sprinkler this stays muddy for days! I had kept Sloane out of it all day but looked away for maybe 2 seconds and this is what we found!

Thanks to Oxyclean (I love that stuff) this outfit came out unscathed!

This little girl loves her "bo".
Lincoln calls it a bee-bo and she shortened it to just "bo".
So cute!

Cute little Allie and Lincoln. I get teary-eyed just thinking about next week when these two have to say goodbye. They are the best of friends and the worst enemies at times. They have grown up together and we don't know what we will do without Allie!!

"bo"

"bee-bo"

It's Official!

2010-04-19T06:10:00.001-07:00

Alan is officially done with dental school!! He got all of his papers signed off on Friday and can no longer see patients! He's done!! It still seems so surreal. The best part is that for the next 3 weeks he will be home to help pack and get ready for our big move. I am so proud of him and am so grateful to him for all of his hard work the past 4 years. Way to go Al!!

Sloane's 1 year pictures

2010-04-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

I can't begin to express how much I am going to miss my good friend and very talented photographer Rachel! She took these pictures of little Sloane and designed the collage! I will miss her so much and will miss having my kids photographed by her. She is amazing! I love these pictures!!

Spring!!

2010-04-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Easter Egg hunt this morning.
Sloane thinks the eggs are balls and she had so much fun finding them.

Showing us their stash....the sun was a bit bright for their eyes.

My Mom sent them these adorable Easter baskets this year!!

While I'm on the computer doing random things I am usually greeted with this grin and then she tries to grab the keyboard.

Loves for her baby....she viciously bites and nuzzles that doll.

This is cute baby Kate our neighbor's new baby.
Lincoln is in LOVE with her.

One of Sloane's favorite places to chill....plus I had to get a picture of this for the memories of our house here.

Drawing time

Pre-Easter Sunday

My parents (Mom) sent Sloane this beautiful Easter dress. This was taken after a long day of church so she wasn't terribly cooperative, but I just LOVE this dress!!

Again, kids not really cooperating, but at least they are both in a picture in their Easter Sunday Best!!

And...how embarrassing. Self-portraits are never flattering. I chopped my hair today (well, I didn't but you know what I mean). It's gone!!. I haven't had it this short maybe ever, or at least not since 7th grade (a period in my life that I try to block from my memory)
What do you honestly think?? It's a-line stacked kind of in the back. I did it on a whim which is something I never do. I totally intended on getting a trim today but the girls there talked me into it. Still not sure how it looks on me, but I love the girl who cut it and I will miss having her do my hair! Thanks Sarah!

Balloons!

2010-03-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

The day that Alan found out he passed the boards, my parents sent Alan a bunch of balloons. They happen to know that we have two children who are obsessed with balloons ("ba-yoons" as Linc calls them and "bah" as Sloane calls them). Alan had just gotten home and walked down the sidewalk to our house where we were all enjoying the springy weather when the delivery man pulled up. It was so fun to watch all the kids gather around the colorful bunch!
Special deliveries are lots of fun!

Lincoln and our cute little neighbor "Brookie"

Sloane and Dad

The balloons were all sorts of entertainment for everyone!

We are LOVING this warm weather and are grateful we get to see our friends and play outside for a couple months before we say goodbye!

Sloane the Dancing Girl!

2010-03-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

This girl loves to dance! I am trying to get an even better video than this but this will do for now. So funny!

Boards!!

2010-03-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

I can't begin to describe how the past few weeks have been for poor Alan. He has been SO stressed about his clinical boards! I have never seen him so nervous and worried before....ever! They were the one last really hard thing left for him to do before he can graduate and has been looming in his future since the day he got accepted into dental school. If he didn't pass he would have to pay another $1000.00, find more patients and pay them to come again...and take the test 4 days before we move! He took them on Saturday and found out this morning that he passed. We are so excited and he can finally, FINALLY, relax after 4 tough and trying years of school. I am SO proud of him and am so grateful to him for working so hard to provide a good future for our family. I can't believe we are so close to actually having an income. Thanks so much Alan for everything you have worked for! You deserve to celebrate! We love you and we are excited to have this guy back!!

Dallas Trip!

2010-03-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

This past week we went to check out Dallas, TX our soon-to-be home! Ironically, we scheduled it during February so that we could escape the snow, and it snowed there. Awesome. Alan's parents met us down there and helped out a lot with the kids while we ran inside houses etc. it was so great to have the company and the kids sure loved it while we were in the car most of the days driving around to different areas. We haven't settled on a rental house yet, but we know what areas are possible to live in.

One of the highlights was going to the Mavericks vs Lakers game! It was AWESOME. We sat in platinum seating thanks to a friend of my dad's and it was so fun.

This is a blurry (I only took our little camera on this trip and regretted it!!)
picture of the court and Beyonce and Jay-Z. I was star-struck even though I was so far away. I'm such a dork! They are on the front row. Pretty cool!

The kids and Barry and Trisha!

The most amazing part of the Mav's game is that our kids slept through the whole thing!
I guess we really wore them out that day because they were out and it was SO loud in there!

Barry, Sloane and me. Sloane did wake up to drink a bottle and then fell back to sleep!

Trisha, Alan and Linc

...And she's out!

*The last night of our trip we went with a real-estate agent to check out the insides of some of our favorites. Lincoln went into one and ran upstairs to this loft/playroom area and said with enthusiasm "Daddy.....look!....I have room to run around" Poor kid has been pent up in our tiny house for too long. At least a bigger house is in our near future!

Children's Museum

2010-02-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

For the past year we have had a pass to the Ann Arbor Hand's On Museum. I am sad that our pass is expiring next week! Lincoln and Sloane have really enjoyed it this winter but since we're moving in 2 months it's not worth renewing it. Lincoln was a little less eager to pose for pictures...so he's not in many! Here are some highlights of our most recent trip:

They have had this cute "Bob the Builder" exhibit there for the past few months.
Sloane checking him out.

Thanks for the fun Bob!

When Sloane gets excited she does this cute thing with her tongue.

The fun water tables

Sloane's favorite part....the balls!

Scrubbing the rocks

Loving the tunnel

Thanks for all the fun Hands On Museum...we will miss you!!

Comparison: First Birthday's

2010-02-11T17:33:00.001-08:00

I did this mostly for me. I think they are both pretty dang cute. They are looking more different than each other the older they get. First birthdays are priceless!

The Party

2010-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

Opening Presents

She had lots of help from her big brother!

Sloane got so many fun presents from her cousins and my parents that we only got her this one toy! It's great to have other people spoil your kids :)

Her favorite things.....books!
Thanks everyone who gave her one for her big day!

Helping us decorate

Excited for presents!

I'm afraid we have another OCD balloon lover on our hands.

The birthday girl's cake.
I made it because the store bought ones were even more hideous than this!
She certainly didn't care.

"Give me that cake....."

Just checking things out

"I think I'll pick off every individual flower first"

Tastes good

She starts getting into it after about 5 minutes

Dropping chunks of it onto the floor!

"mmm....that was good"

The Family

We love you little Sloane!

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Blimp

2010-01-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have already heard about what Lincoln wanted for Christmas. If you haven't then you'll enjoy this. He wanted a "bimp" or a blimp as we say it. Anytime anyone asked him what Santa was bringing him for Christmas he said very matter-of-factly....."a bimp". I thought that this would pass just like many of the other things he asks for. Unfortunately, it didn't. It wasn't until 3 days before Christmas that we realized this was a huge problem. He was really getting into Santa Claus and we could not disappoint him the first year that he really gets it. We searched everywhere in Salt Lake. I searched the internet and found the one pictured above, but it couldn't arrive for another 2 weeks. We searched every specialty toy store we could think of. We could not let Santa disappoint Lincoln on Christmas morning. My sweet Mom found a model shop out in Riverton that had one left and she drove clear out there in a huge snow storm to get the very last one. She is a lifesaver. Then my dad had to drive around town the next day looking for the right glue. Thanks you guys!! I wish we had a picture of Lincoln with his blimp. (we do have video though)

Alan spent until after midnight Christmas Eve carefully gluing this "bimp" together.
Such love!

We knew that this wasn't exactly what he had in mind so we ordered the remote control blimp. When it arrived a few days ago, I pulled out the order slip and read it as a letter from Santa to Lincoln. The letter said that Santa knew Lincoln wouldn't be able to fit this blimp in his suitcase so he just delivered it to his house instead! Lincoln was so happy. When we pulled it out of the box and started to inflate it he just stared and said "wow"! He really likes his "bimp", the only downfall is that you have to fill it with helium and it is HUGE! And, it can't go outside so he can only fly it around our tiny house. At least Santa fulfilled this little boy's wish this year!

Along with the blimp came a helium tank so we could blow it up! This is what we did with some of the leftover helium! He couldn't be happier!

Life of Lincoln

2010-01-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but my little guy is a Sunbeam! We were so nervous for this transition and I'm happy to report that so far he LOVES it! After the first day he ran up to us and said "I had so much fun in Primary." I breathed a huge sigh of relief!! He then said "but we only had a snack, not a drink and I'm sooooo thirsty" Alan has been teaching the 5 and 6 year old's and was there to witness Lincoln say his first prayer in primary that day! . That was another shocker for me. He definitely doesn't have his mother's shyness! He said it was so quiet that even the chorister, Stacey who was helping him couldn't hear a word he said.

The other day Alan had some of the guys over to watch football. While I was putting Lincoln to bed he was telling me whose daddy's were downstairs. He said "I like Brookie's daddy and I like Allie's daddy, and I like Lynea's daddy.....and I LOVE Lincoln's daddy." He has such a fun little personality!

While we were in Utah for Christmas Lincoln slept in a room that had a digital clock. He was waking up and coming into our room insanely early (like 5:15). We decided to teach him what a 7 looked like on the clock and we told him that when it was 7:00 he could come and get us. Amazingly enough, the next day he came in our room at 7:01! We were so happy that it had worked. When we got home we decided to get him his own clock and try it out. There have been many times when he has come into our room at 7:00 or 7:01 but at least he's waiting. I wonder how long he really sits there and waits for that first number to turn to a 7. Now whenever he see's a 7 on a clock (even on the minute side) he says "that means it's time to wake up". My favorite thing that he does is that he curves his index finger to look like a 7 and says "my clock said this (holding up his curved finger) so I could wake up".

The other night at dinner Lincoln turned to Alan and asked "What is your favorite snack Dad? It was really the first time that he had come up with a question on his own and worded it so perfectly.

I am sad to report the loss of Lincoln's nap. It is hard on me to not have him take a nap and if it were up to me he still would be. The problem is that if he takes a nap, no matter how long or short or what time of day it is, he doesn't fall asleep until 10:00 p.m. or so and then he wakes up early the next day. Dang it. I love naps!

My Boys!

2010-01-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

The men of the house playing Wii intensely.

What is it with guys and video games?

Cute faces though.

More Christmas pictures!

2010-01-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is the night before we left at the Evans family Christmas party.

Linc and Uncle "Fissy"

Aunt "Enemy" as Linc calls her, Sloane and Alan

Lincoln said "Aunt Enemy is beautiful".
It's definitely true!
I think there's a slight crush going on there.

She found another present!

One night Lincoln said he wanted to take a family picture.
So we did!

The "Loin-join"

No further comments

One of Lincoln's favorite people to visit in Utah is my cousin Peyton.
They are great friends and she is adorable.

Christmas morning. The first one for this cute couple!

Linc and Sloane got a zhu zhu pet.
My mom is great at finding the hottest toy of the year!

No breakfast....just chocolate.

That's all he ate the whole day. No joke.

"I haven't been eating chocolate"

He actually says "cockette" and I can't think of a better way to spell it that really shows how it sounds. Sorry! It's funny to hear him say it for sure.

This pretty much sums up how we all felt most of the trip.
It was so much fun but with the fun comes exhaustion!

Checking out their Santa stashes at Grandma and Grandpa Evans house

"Look guys! Santa came!"

Lincoln was so much fun this year. He really understood what Santa Claus coming meant. It was a great bribe when he wasn't doing what we wanted :) He did learn that the Star on the tree meant that Jesus was born...another of his favorite things to tell this year.

The tale of the blimp will come soon. All he wanted from Santa was a "bimp".

Christmas Eve

2010-01-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Every year we have a really fun Christmas Eve family party at my Grandma Whisenant's house. It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions for sure. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of Lincoln watching her train go around the Christmas tree. He didn't move for about an hour he loved it so much.

Sloane so happy that she got an ornament off of the tree
before we could stop her

This looks like she is just mesmorized by my uncle's foot

Goofy smile, but so happy he got a sucker

The Pinegar Family singing their song in the program

The Bori's singing their part

Grandpa Vern with the little kids....Peyton, Oakley and Lincoln
although there is now an even younger one!! Gavin is so adorable and he was there at only 1 week old.

My sweet grandma trying to keep everyone interested in the program

Uncle Kall and Lincoln
(sporting his new Christmas jammies from Grandma and Bacca Evans)

My handsome brother Chris and his beautiful wife Emily!
Actually, they really are a great looking couple.
(don't worry guys, I have a better picture for later...you are so cute in this one I had to share:))

Me and Sloane watching the Christmas program
(Lincoln even sang a solo of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town")

Some of my cute cousins....Monique, Kaden, Wyatt and Beckham

Holland and McKay

Beautiful Peyton

Sloane opening her first present ever with daddy

Cute little Lincoln

Lincoln LOVES his uncles.
Uncle Kallen is top of the list for sure!

Silly kids

A couple days after getting to Utah

Toledo Zoo Lights
It was really cold!

Bundled up and still not that happy