2009 Year in Review

2009 by Numbers!

5 - Alexis turned 5 in January celebrating with a Princess dress-up party, with one strawberry pinata and 24 pink cupcakes with purple frosting! She planned the whole thing herself!

18 - The day in March that changed our life forever. Paxton Richard Dart joined our family and he is a healthy and very happy boy. I love this picture of Denali holding him when we got home from the hospital. He looks like a little doll.
25+ - The number of times I mowed the lawn this summer as I took care of ours and the neighbors lawn. It looked so much better this year. Slowly I am learning how to care for a yard.

100+ - The number of hours the girls spent enjoying the nice green lawn.

6 - The number of additional children I had attend a summer kids camp. It was one week of fun and we did all sorts of fun activities and my girls just loved it. We will most likely do it again next summer!

2 - The number of camping trips we enjoyed this summer. Was it really only 2? We will have to double that number this next year. Paxton did great sleeping in a tent!

K- So I wasn't sure what number to use, but a huge milestone in our family was Alexis' first day of Kindergarten. She loves school and her teacher. She is learning to read and loves The Boxcar Children. We read it together every night. She is a social butterfly and has made lots of friends.

3 - The number of Christmas concerts Alexis has this month. Her Kindergarten class had a really cute program. She had the only singing solo and did wonderful. She is in a music class, Jubilee and they also had a really great program. Denali has been singing "Rock Rock Rock, do the Reindeer Rock," every day since we attended it. The entire elementary school has a program tomorrow night too.


7 - The number of children in Denali's co-op preschool. We do it once a week and it is at our house every 7 weeks. It is perfect for her right now and she looks forward to it every day (even though it is only every week.)

2 - The number of long distance work trips Greg took this fall. He traveled to Iowa and then Boston. Paxton and I traveled to Boston with him and really enjoyed our time there. I would love to go again, although it isn't a stroller friendly city, so I would like to take the kids when they all are a little older.

3 - The number of children that had the stomach flu over the weekend at our house. =(

3 - The number of teeth Paxton got last week. He also learned how to crawl and how to clap. Followed up by the flu, it was a really big week for him!!

8 - The average number of nights Greg is out of town for work. Some months less, some months more. I continue to try to get used to this.

Greg works hard with his many job titles for Snow College and is busy with Dart Photography as well. He graduated with his Masters in Instructional Technology in May and is considering starting a Doctorate degree. He loves his job and his family. It is so fun to watch him play with the kids. They are so happy when Daddy comes home!

I am adjusting to having 3 children. It is harder than 2, but so much fun. It is great to watch the girls entertain and care for their little brother. I enjoy being at home, most days anyway. Stay at home moms really do have the hardest job in the world. I can say that too, because I was a full time working out of the home mom before. I have started couponing and love finding ways to save money. I started another blog: savingsaints.blogspot.com and it is a good hobby for me. I hope it will become a profitable hobby, we will see.

We are grateful for all the blessings that have come our way this year. We hope you all have a merry Christmas and lots of bessings come your way in the New Year!

Birthday, Boston and Black Friday!

I really should write more often so it wouldn't take me so long to catch up! Denali had a birthday and is now 3 years old! I was pregnant with her when we moved to Ephraim and I still feel like I just moved here. We had a great birthday party with the Willis family at Chuck E Cheese. I made a Strawberry Shortcake cake and my camera battery died as soon as I took it out. And I haven't gotten the pictures from my Father-in-law yet. But we had a great day. I actually got teary eyed seeing her so full of joy on her special day!

A few days after her birthday, Greg had an Integrated Marketing conference in Boston. Paxton and I tagged along and the girls stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a really nice trip. We did a lot of site-seeing, went to a Jazz/Celtics game, went to a movie, tried lots of yummy food, got to see Greg's cousin Nick, etc. I also got to sleep in every morning. I learned that as long as Paxton is allowed to lay next to me in bed, he could sleep until 11:00! Too bad we can't do that everyday. Boston isn't a very stroller friendly town, but other than that, it was wonderful.

One day while Greg was working, I went to the Museum of Science. It was huge, you could spend hours and hours exploring all the exhibits. They had the Harry Potter Exhibition there also. It was a special exhibit that had artifacts and clothing from Harry Potter movies. They had quaffles you could throw into the hoops. They had Hagrid's hut with a manequin with Hagrid's clothing and I couldn't believe just how big he is! It was fun, I just wish I could have brought my nephew Malachi there with me. He is a big fan and it would have been more fun to share it with him.

I learned a lot about the history of our country. More than 60% of Boston is filled in land. The road from the airport is a huge tunnel that goes UNDER the ocean. I found the grave of an ancestor. We went inside Cheers bar from the old TV show. We walked around Harvard campus and went to Fenway Park. We went to a 3D movie in a HUGE move theatre. I slept in the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. Jealous yet?Cheers Bar

FenwayBostonians Pizza Delivery Car

We celebrated a very nice Thanksgiving with Grandma Dart and family. We stayed two nights with Greg's mom and hit some Black Friday sales. Greg and I enjoy going out with all the other crazies and getting some good deals. Although, we always end up buying more than we plan, so not sure if we are really saving much. But we got some fun gifts and enjoyed doing it together. I can't believe it is already the Christmas season. I am looking forward to just enjoying time as a family and focusing on the blessing of life and the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.


I have started a blog about my frugal adventures: www.savingsaints.blogspot.com Please take a minute to check it out!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween. We started the day off at the school carnival, eating lunch, playing fun games, eating cotton candy and winning prizes. We made Jack O Lantern pizzas for dinner and then headed to trunk or treat at the church. The girls enjoyed handing out candy just as much as getting it and we also enjoyed sorting it too!

Honestly, have you ever seen a cuter spider?

They all enjoyed carving pumpkins, even Paxton!

Family Pictures

Now that Paxton is 6 months old, we decided it was time to update our family photo. We worked out a swap with another local photographer, Nick Marsing Photography. We headed up Ephraim Canyon and are very pleased with the results!Denali did a lot of these faces
And some of these.But at least we got one of these! Getting 3 children to look at the camera at the same time with a decent look on their face isn't easy.

Alaska Trip

So I realized once I got home that I didn't take many pictures while in Alaska. But we did make some fun memories. There are 19 grandchildren and the oldest just started college. But we even got to see him too. One afternoon my friend Ashley also visited with her son and we had like 15 kids ages 11 and under playing under the same roof. The leaves were bright yellow and just beautiful. We got to celebrate two birthdays, have preschool with Aunt Missy and go to a soccer game. A couple more days would have made the trip just perfect, but I was just excited I got to go!

Rub a dub dub, 6 cousins in the tub! As some got out, more got in and when the tub was drained, it looked like a sand box. Yuck!

Ashley, me and our baby boys.

The biggest news of the week . . . I survived flying alone with three children! That could be a post of it's own though. So maybe another day.

New Haircut

So I have been putting off blogging thinking I couldn't post until I upload all the photos from summer and write about all the fun we had. But that may never happen. So here is a post of what is going on now. Mollie cut my hair tonight and I love it! I have never had a real hairstyle before, just hair with the occasional layer. So that is fun.
Paxton is 6 months old! I cannot believe how fast time has gone. He is really such a joy. So pleasant all of the time and loves his sisters so much. He had his check-up today and is 19.25lbs. and 27 inches long. That is 77 percentile for weight and 68% for height. No wonder my back has been hurting lately, carrying an extra 20 lbs. around will do that to you! He is rolling, eating baby food and trying to sit up.

He is 4 months old here right after I gave him his first hair cut!

Alexis started Kindergarten and LOVES it! She wishes there was school on Saturdays. Lets hope she keeps up the enthusiasm! We had her first parent teacher conference today and the teacher said she is a little peacemaker. I am very proud to be her mom. She also started a music class that my friend Shanae is teaching and Alexis really loves it too. She always comes home singing cute little songs.

First Day of School

We are doing a co-op preschool with Denali. It is once a week and the mom's take turns teaching. She thinks she is so big going to school. She is a handful, but so sweet at the same time. And she always is saying the funniest things.

Greg works the equivalent of 3 full-time positions, adjunct teaches 5 credits and of course does his photography business. But he decided he needs a "hobby" and is running for city councilman (and will be teaching an additional 3 credits next semester). He will be a great asset to the community if elected, but sometimes I wonder "what am I doing at home to drive my husband away?" We love him and that he works hard to provide for our family, but we do miss him.

Greg is out of town most of next week and Alexis only has one short day of school, so I booked tickets to Alaska. I have been really missing my family and we had the airline miles and we are so excited to go. I'm not so thrilled to be flying alone with 3 children, but it is so worth the effort to spend a full 8 days with my mom, siblings and all their families. I want my kids to know their cousins! So North to Alaska!!!

Just Jokin'

I know I've been a slacker in the blogging world. One of these days I will do a photo post of our fun and fast summer. But I wanted to post about my funny Denali. She was laying on Paxton, something she knows she is not supposed to do. When I told her not to, she said that she was just jokin'. I said that jokes are supposed to be funny and hurting your brother isn't funny. So then she asked what a joke was and Greg told her a knock knock joke. So the past 24 hours has been a bunch of knock knock jokes. They mostly go like this:

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?
Paxton!

And she laughs her little heart out because she was jokin'. A little annoying after awhile, but super cute!

Alexis is super excited about starting Kindergarten on Monday. I am excited about taking a photography class at the college. Greg is busy as always, but is excited to be employed and enjoys his work. Denali is excited about starting a co-op preschool. And Paxton is excited about everything! He is the most fun little man.

Another Shopping Trip!

So you probably are tired of money saving posts, but I can't help myself. I want you to look at the photo and think what you would spend on these groceries:
Here is a list of what we bought:
9 boxes of General Mills cereal
2 bottles of Tide detergent 64 loads
2 bottles All detergent 32 loads
4 Best Foods Mayo
2 Suave Body Wash
2 Suave Hairspray
2 Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes
2 Ragu Pasta Sauce
1 Large bottle of Honey (for my new homemade bread recipe, yum!)
4 Skippy Peanut Butter
4 Knorr Pasta Sides

At regular price without coupons, this would have cost us, $160.63. But buying only items on sale, using coupons for all items, and using a store catalina promotion, I bought it all for . . . drumroll please:

pdddddddddddddddd

$17.99!

I am officially a coupon geek and don't care who knows it!

House For Sale

So it has been way too long since I've blogged about our family. In fact, I am going out of town for a few days with Greg, he's working, we are tagging along. Maybe I can update what has been going on.

But this post is to let everyone know we are selling our home. Yes, I know, we have only been in it a year, but that is the way we seem to do things in our family. And we are not going far. We are trying to buy our neighbor's home. It has a great layout and most importantly a space for Greg to have a photo studio. If their home sell's first or selling it seems to be too stressful, we will take it off the market. But we feel good about it and hope that it works out. Bonus, we get to choose our neighbors!=)

I made a blog: www.homeinephraim.blogspot.com

Please pass it along if you know anyone looking for a home!

Milk for 20 cents a gallon

Greg snatched an Albertson's ad from a newspaper at work. It had two double coupons on it. You can use their store double coupon to double any manufacture's coupon you have up to $1.00. We had two coupons for .75 off a gallon of milk. Now we don't have an Albertson's but we were out of town today and happened to pass an Albertson's on our way home. Greg went in with the coupons and came out with 2 gallons of milk and a receipt for 40 cents. That is including tax!

I hope to write a family update soon. We have been busy having fun and I haven't posted any pictures of the kids for awhile. So (note to self) I will do that soon.

Super Saving Grocery Trip

A lot of thrifty moms are out there and a lot of them share their thrifty ways in their blogs and even make money doing it. I have been partaking of their knowledge and trying to cut down our grocery budget. I have been following MoneySavingMom.com for about 3 weeks taking her tips and printing coupons from her site. I snatched about 3 coupon inserts from my Mother-in-law's Sunday paper. I had a small receipt file folder that I used to use for filing scrapbooking embellishments and made dividers for my coupons.

Now some people cut every single coupon and spend 3-4 hours shopping at several different stores. I don't need closets full of mouthwash and toothpaste (maybe an extra tube or two of toothpaste) so I don't cut every coupon. I don't have an extra freezer, so we are limited by what we can freeze and we have plenty of closet and storage space, but not a lot of shelves in them. So we are starting small and only buying what we will use within the next 6 months or so. Someday we will have our year supply of food and necessities.

Our first shopping trip was a success and not too terribly stressful (shopping with 3 kids is always stressful). We bought: sugar, bananas, 2 bags croutons, Sandies cookies, 18 carton of eggs, 10 packets of Kool-Aid, 2 boxes Granola bars, Band-Aids, travel size hand lotion, 6 boxes Hamburger Helper, a Pineapple, bag of salad, 3 packages of tortillas, 8lbs. of cheese, 2 bags hot dog buns, 2 bags hamburger buns, 2 gallons of milk, an onion, 4 apples, 4 ears of corn, 5 nectarines, 6 2liters of Pepsi, Gallon Tampico juice, 2 boxes gogurt, 2 6packs of Trix Yogurt, and 1 pack of drinkable yogurt.

We spent $63 and saved $54. That's a 46.5% savings! Walmart will ad match competitors prices. So I borrowed ads from my dear Mother-in-law and made my shopping list of the best deals from 3 different ads. Then I went through my coupons and the trick is to use coupons on the already on sale items. In coupons alone I saved $17.00 and the rest was ad matching. At Macey's 2lb.Cheese was on Sale for $3.99. The Walmart price was $6.38 a $2.39 savings. Plus I had coupons for $1.00 off any cheese. I had 4 coupons, so I bought 4 2lb. bags of cheese. I spent $11.96 on 8 lbs. of cheese and saved $13.56. Needless to say, I won't need to buy cheese for awhile. I bought one block of cheese for sandwiches and then 3 bags of shredded. It freezes well. I had a $1.00 off coupon on any vaseline lotion. I bought the travel size for .97 and so I actually was paid .03 to buy it. It is a manufacture's coupon, so Walmart gets paid the $1.00 and I get big savings. I paid full price for bananas and eggs. Walmart's prices were better than any other ad and it is hard to find coupons for those things. So now that I did my shopping, I make the week's menu with what we have. Including planning breakfast, lunches and snacks. I didn't have to buy any meat this week, because we already have it in the freezer. I spent about 1 hour total with clipping coupons and looking through the ads. And shopping took us an hour and 15 minutes. Which shopping usually takes us 45 minutes at least anyway. And now I need to get in bed!! Happy Saving!!!

Temple Trip

We are heading to 9 temples in Utah this weekend. Our plan is to create a calendar with photos of all the temples in Utah. Here is a preview of our day today:

Draper Utah Temple

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

I LOVE the Draper shot. We haven't even viewed them all. But check back soon for previews of our other pictures. If you are interested in learning more about Mormon Temples and Eternal Families click here.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a search engine and you earn points when you search for every day stuff. You earn points that you can use to purchase other gift cards and prizes. It's free to sign up. If you use my referral link here to sign up, I get some points for referring a friend. I already have 7 points. I'm thinking I may use points to do some of my Christmas shopping this year!

Photoshop

I have been teaching myself how to edit photos in Photoshop. There is so many really cool things you can do and I don't know many of them. Today I made my first scrapbook page. It is simple and I don't even know if I am going to print it for Paxton's book, but I do like it. So let me know what you think!

In other news, I wanted to give an update on my new years resolutions as the year is half over already. My first was to be debt free other than the mortgage. We have paid off $4327.56. We have one loan left of $4300, so we are more than half way to meeting our goal. We also are going to be refinancing the house soon. We think we can refinance to a 15 year loan. That is our hope.

One of my other resolutions was to walk 3 times a week. I am walking with my friend Shanae 5 days a week and loving it. It is worth it to get up a little bit earlier. It's been awhile since I have been consistent with exercise, so I am giving myself a pat on the back.

If you want to learn a little bit more about budgeting and saving money, this is one of my favorite websites: www.moneysavingmom.com. Enjoy!

Evolution

I am trying to teach myself Photoshop and came across this video. I thought it was interesting and I think the Dove campaign is a great idea. So I thought I would post it.
Hi, check my new fantastic look @ http://www.dove.us/?dl=/features/videos/default.aspx%7Ccp-documentid=7049579&source=shareBlogger

Dance Recital

I apologize for neglecting my blog. I thought summer was supposed to be more relaxing, but it has already been quite more busy. Mainly because maintaining a yard and garden and such takes a lot more work! And although the children are spending less time messing up the inside, laundry and dishes are never ending!

So here is a quick update at what is going on with us:

Greg is busy as always. Just because the students are gone, doesn't mean he has less work. It means he has a little bit more time to catch up! He is teaching an online course for the summer too, so he does his grading after the kids go to bed. We did a booth at the Scandinavian Festival for Dart Photography and it has already been great advertising for us! Sometimes I don't know if we need more photo business, but we are hoping to save up to finish the basement so we will have an in home studio.

I have been of course taking care of 3 children which seems soooo much more than taking care of 2. And it is Denali that really keeps me on my toes. I also have been trying to get a Dart Photography blog up and running. Our website got a virus and we are using the blog until we get a new website built too. I also took some maternity pictures and will be taking some family pictures soon. I hope to take a photography class in the fall. And I have been weeding and mowing and trying to plant a garden. I also am taking care of the neighbors yard. They are selling it and don't live here anymore and we traded them a trampoline for some yard work. They don't have a sprinkling system either so I am watering both yards in the evening. That may sound lame, but it feels busy. I am also planning a kids summer camp. So for those of you that live here, stay tuned for more details!

Alexis had a busy month. She graduated from preschool and they had a little circus program for the last day. Her teacher was wonderful and she already misses her other classmates. She also had her dance recital. Their costumes were super cute. She might be Minnie mouse for Halloween. Hopefully the videos will work and you can see for yourself. Alexis actually did a lot better during practice than she did at the recital. But it was so fun watching her. I am a very proud Mom. She is anxiously awaiting swimming lessons next week.

Denali as I said has been keeping me on my toes. She is so loving and sweet and also so destructive. She tears books apart. Hits and pinches her sister. Colors on every surface except for the paper provided her. She is loving playing outside and is out there as much as possible. She loves smothering her brother with kisses. She also is excited for swimming lessons. She is a little fish and I can't wait to watch her.

Paxton had his 2 month check-up and is 13 pounds! So he is growing like crazy and has started cooing and laughing. He loves it when you talk to him and responds with a smile. I need to get the next tub of clothes out because he doesn't fit many of the 0-3 month ones anymore. He had a rough couple days after getting his shots, but is still just the sweetest and mellow baby.

As a family we are excited to do some camping this summer. We are going to do our first trip this Friday to a nearby campground. Tent camping with 3 little ones is sure to be something to blog about! We are also thinking about getting a dog. But we would like to have a fenced yard first, so it may be a couple years. We will have to see. We had a great Memorial Day with the Dart family and visiting my Aunt Ann.

Here are the dance videos. Alexis is the one on the right side in both.


I have Greg take pictures every Mother's Day and here is one from this year.
Here is Denali with Mary Kay facial lotion and Mascara smeared in her hair and on her face. Her eyes are a little red because she cried when she got in trouble . . . and then I took a picture.

Alexis in her cute costume. She was so excited because she got to keep the bear.

Fun Blog!

Three posts in two days. That is a record for me! It is Mother's Day and two of my children are sleeping. Maybe I should take a nap, but I opted for a few minutes of un-interrupted computer time. My sister has a degree in Elementary Education and is super creative when it comes to kid's projects. She just started a blog: tmorourkefamily.blogspot.com You definitely should check it out! If you have questions about child development or needing birthday ideas, be sure to leave a comment! Also, if you know anyone who teaches preschool, they will be sure to get some ideas too. So enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother's Day presents: a used table and chairs I bought for myself for $60 (total steal), a box of chocolates, a cute card and a Paxton smile caught on camera!


Ignoring the crackers and crumbs on the floor, you will notice the great table that also has a leaf and a total of 8 chairs. Woohoo! I bought it from Lexi's dance teacher and she said, "How about 50 bucks?" I gave her $60 and still felt guilty about not paying enough for it.



So be honest, have you ever seen a cuter 7 week old? He was very smiley as we were leaving for church this morning and Greg was able to catch it. Greg spiked his hair and his shirt says "I Love Mommy."

Portrait Party

Would you like to get free professional photos? Get the details here!

Recipe

Here is what has been happening at the Dart House:

*Greg graduated Summa Cum Laude with his Masters Degree in Instructional Technology. Way to go Greg!
*Alexis got to perform at the Miss Ephraim Pageant with her dance class and her recital is coming up.
*Greg traveled to Mesquite and Cedar City for work and the whole family tagged along.
*Denali tripped and fell in the pool at the hotel. But she's fine, it just was scary.
*Denali has regressed and has at least one accident every day. =(
*Paxton has learned to smile and does it often. Although we haven't caught a good one on camera yet.
*Dawn is behind on everything as she is adjusting to having three children.
*We planted some vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
*We know nothing about gardening and are hopeful to get at least one of each. =)
*Spring is here and we are loving it!!

So here is a recipe as promised:

Sweet-and-Sour Meat Loaf

SERVINGS: 4
CATEGORY: Main Dish
METHOD: Microwave
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 15 min.
Ingredients:
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 5 tablespoons ketchup, divided
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons onion soup mix
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the egg, 2 tablespoons ketchup, mustard, bread crumbs, dry soup mix, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into an oval loaf.
Place in a shallow 1-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°; drain.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the sugars, vinegar and remaining ketchup; drizzle over meat loaf. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 4 servings.

It is only 4 servings, so I double it if anyone is joining us for dinner. I also bake it in the oven at 350 for an hour. I haven't tried it in the microwave. I just enjoy the smell of it baking. It's easy and very yummy. My girls love it. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Creating a Shopping List

So I have a new baby and new babies eat a lot. Especially mine seem too. I was feeling a little bored as I sat and nursed Paxton and so I have been sitting at the computer while I feed him. I have come across different types of blogs and enjoyed reading some and others I will choose not to visit again. People have a lot of different themes and purposes and some people are making money just by writing down life events. My purpose of starting this blog was to keep in touch with family and friends. It has been so much fun finding old friends and seeing pictures of their families, etc. So that is still my main purpose. But I have really enjoyed getting tips from other bloggers and also reading the non-sugar coated entries of real life. Because life isn't always easy and sometimes in blogger world, not everyone admits that. So let's spice this blog up a bit and begin with a tip.

Creating a shopping list:

Why create a shopping list? Having a plan means you only buy what you need making the time spent there quite a bit less. And the less time we are in the store, the less money we spend and the less opportunity for children to melt down. I don't need to explain the benefit further do I?

Where to begin: We only have two options in Ephraim: Kents Market and the Wal-Mart Supercenter. We do most of our grocery shopping at Wal-Mart because they will match any ad price for any item. That will have to be another day's tip though. I began my shopping list by going to Wal-Mart and making a list of sections of the store. I started at the left and went clock-wise: health & beauty, cards & gifts, seasonal, home items, etc. And then the grocery aisles, I wrote down the number of the aisle and listed a few items that I regularly buy from that aisle. The first trip was just simply making a list of aisles and items. Then I typed a list in the clock-wise order of the store and left spaces at each. The next week I went shopping, I circled items on the list that I needed and wrote down the rest. I still didn't know where to find everything, so when I find something, I write down which aisle it is on and update the master list on the computer. I also use my receipts to keep track of what I paid for the item. I don't have to remember what the average price is, I look at my list and can see when a sale price is actually a sale or not. I hope that makes sense.

So here is my shopping list:
Dart Shopping List

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Recipes & Menus

The format was changed a bit when I uploaded this, but it gives you an idea. And the list is still a work in progress. But a little bit of work at the beginning, saves me a lot now and I can skim the list and it sometimes reminds me of items that we need at the store.

So I just decided that the next few posts will be a tip of spending less on groceries and a easy, yummy recipe, so stay tuned. And please ask questions or tell me if this was just boring and a bad idea, I appreciate the feedback.

A visit from Santa Claus!

So a lot has happened since I last wrote an update. And a lot of people don't know it, but my uncle is the real Santa Claus and being related to Santa Claus, he doesn't just visit in December. My Mom came for a visit from Alaska to meet Paxton and help out. And her brother (Uncle Butch aka: Santa Clause) came to visit too while she was here. Paxton gave him the biggest grin and even seemed to giggle at him. He is such a magical man. =) So here is the proof:



Look closely and you can even see the twinkle in his eye.



We had a great visit with my mom. We scrapbooked and made cards. She played a thousand games of Sorry with Alexis and read lots and lots of books to help entertain the girls. She also held Paxton for a whole day so I could shampoo the carpets. We blessed Paxton on Easter Sunday up in Orem so her and Greg's family also were able to attend. We had a wonderful Easter celebrating with the Dart Family and the Jones Family and came home with too much candy. I will post pictures soon, Greg has them.=)

Paxton is 5 weeks already and is still so sweet and perfect. Greg has been working crazy amounts of hours as usual. Alexis registered for Kindergarten and is getting ready for her Dance recital in a few weeks. Denali had bronchitis and we even had to go to the hospital for chest x-rays. But she is doing just fine now. And I have been trying to keep everything all together and failing miserably at it. But today we are healthy and happy and the sun has been shining brightly this week. Yeah! And Mollie cut my hair today. I don't know what it is about a haircut, but it just makes you feel good.

I posted some sample photos on the Dart Photography blog. I hope to be getting to it soon to post more and we are creating a new website. So check it out: dartphotography.blogspot.com.

Oh, and I still have not got any responses from the previous post. Does everyone not expect Dawn to be able to make a homemade gift, or is it the having to offer the same in return? Hopefully at least one person will reply. Otherwise, I get a homemade gift from my friend Jill for free!!!

Something Especially for You!

This is fun! The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice, for you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I will make no guarantees you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year. (anytime)
4. You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleansing your face before a masque. I may paint or draw something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FABULOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

More Photos of Paxton

Paxton is already one week old! We have had the photo lighting set out for a couple days so we can catch Paxton in the mood for photos. These haven't been edited or anything, but are super cute. He is such a handsome little man. He sleeps well and has just been such a blessing to have in our home. I am trying to savor every moment because he won't be little for very long. So far the girls are just loving him too. Denali has been coloring on furniture and everywhere she can think of. She knows Mom isn't as aware of her every move. But I also have gotten her to start some of her own chores. She helps to load and unload the laundry and rinses the dishes for me to put in the dishwasher. Right now I am just worried about how much snow we might get today. We are anticipating a visit from my mom. She gets here next week for two whole weeks. Yeah!

Welcome Baby Paxton

Paxton Richard Dart was born on Wednesday, March 18. He was 8 lbs.8 oz. and 19 inches long. I went in Wednesday morning at 7a.m. to be induced. He was born at 5p.m. When it was time, he came in only two pushes. We both are feeling and doing well. And we love visitors, so please don't be afraid to come meet him. As you can see, Alexis and Denali love being big sisters. The first thing Alexis did when she met him was count his fingers and toes. We feel so blessed to have a healthy addition to our family.

Still Waiting for Paxton

Yes, I am still pregnant and we have decided on the name Paxton. I found a list online of the top ten baby names for 2008. It had recommendations for substitutions to the popular names. One of the top 10 was Jackson (a name we really like) and one of the substitutions was Paxton which means "Peace." When I suggest a name Greg usually says no or it's o.k. But when I asked about Paxton he said he liked it. Alexis was very against the name, but time has changed her mind and she is excited about it. I have an appointment tomorrow and there is a good chance that we will schedule an induction date. Although, I am not dilating like I did with the other two and depending on my progress, my doctor may say "see you Monday." I have hopes of going into labor on my own, but don't really see that happening. For some reason my body needs the boost. We have been going on lots of walks hoping that will help. At least it is some quality time spent with the girls. Wish me luck!

Waiting for Baby

Baby has not arrived yet. But I thought I would change the background to my blog as we are anticipating his arrival.

We had a wonderful time visiting with my sister and her boys. We all went up to see our cousins and Aunt and their families and we just had a great time. We spent time at McDonald's playland and went to the park one day. The park was a little muddy so we had the kids strip at the door before they could come inside and then they all got baths. We had some arguments and messy incidences. Alexis decided it would be funny to put duct tape in Danny's hair. They both learned that it isn't so funny and Danny ended up getting a buzz haircut to get it out. We enjoyed the days of sunshine that we had while they were here. It has been funny to me. So many people have been complaining about winter and can't wait until spring. Well we haven't had real snow in our yard for awhile now. Every time it does snow, it melts before the day is over. And although the air may be a little cool, there have been many days to get outside and feel the warm sun on your face. I didn't realize how that can be taken for granted unless you live without it. Alaska doesn't really get a spring and the summers are very short. The morning of the day my sister left was a sunny day. It was 10a.m. and all the kids were playing in the backyard and the older boys thought it was so warm, they had to take their shirts off!

My sister got home to a snowy day and about 20 degree weather. Danny was getting his shoes on and Amber asked what he was doing. He wanted to swing on the ropes they have hanging outside. She explained it was too cold. So he asked if he could go out to ride bikes and she again explained that it was too cold. So then he asked her why they lived in a place where they couldn't play outside. She told him because that was where their house is. He said, "But you bought the house!" Smart boy. It was a good reminder to me that although we will have cold days ahead and spring is not officially here, we have a lot of warm days to take advantage of.

According to the calendar, I have 18 days left until my due date. My blood pressure has been a little high and I have been having some really bad back pain. But everything else seems to be going great. The baby's heart rate is very strong, he's head down and moves often. So we are hoping for the same healthy delivery and baby as the last two have been. It is now just the waiting game. Trying to keep up on the housework has been a trial, but it will be once the baby comes too, so I just do what I can and then take a break. We haven't decided on a name still. We may just wait to see him. I really like Paxton, but Alexis is very against naming him that. Not sure why. Hopefully my next post will be some cute newborn photos. But it also may be a complaint of my uncomfortable still pregnant state. Most likely the latter.

Watching the garbage truck was a big hit with all of the kids. It circles around the neighborhood and because we are on a cross-street, it passes us three times. They moved to the porch, but watching the garbage truck was a 1/2 hour activity!

All of the kids really like artwork and Denali not only likes to draw with markers, but she likes to eat them too. But markers clean off the walls and floor easier than crayons do.

I took one picture of my sister the entire time she was here. Lame huh? And Josh didn't want to get in the photo.

Jumping on the trampoline about 10a.m.