A Year in Review

My friend April posted a song on her blog, "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill. I tried to add it to my playlist, but I couldn't get it. Anyway, the tears just started flowing as I listened to it. It is about Mary. I thought about how young she was, the judgments and persecution she received and didn't deserve and of how far she traveled. After that long journey she was told there was no room for her and gave birth in a stable filled with animals and I assume a strong odor. I am grateful for Mary and her sacrifices she made. Including the sacrifice of watching her son die on the cross. I hope that I can have that kind of faith and strength. I am so grateful for the birth of Christ and the opportunity to celebrate it.

Well, this year our Christmas cards were short and sweet. A postcard with a short poem on the back. I listed our blog on there for everyone to keep in touch all year. So I thought I would take the opportunity to review the year.

We start off every year celebrating Alexis' birthday. She turned 4 and had the most awesome Princess cake you have ever seen (thanks to Grandma!).

In February we went on a family vacation to Disneyland and it was the most perfect vacation for us. The girls loved every minute of it. We were disappointed we didn't make it to the beach on that trip, but we spent three full days at both parks. Dawn's sister met us there with her family and spending time with cousins was just as exciting as seeing Mickey Mouse!

Spring Semester, Dawn took the Certified Nursing Assistant course and worked part time at the day care on campus. The girls went to work with her and they miss going there every day. Dawn doesn't miss going there every day. She passed her state test and works as a CNA at the hospital. She works an average of two shifts per month which is just enough.

In June we bought a house and moving took up most of May, June, and July. We killed our grass our first two weeks in. I have a lot of learning to do when it comes to yard work. I did learn how to use a lawn mower though and actually find mowing kind of enjoyable.

Alexis started preschool and she also tried out a tumbling class. She really enjoys tumbling, although she has decided that she is going to take dance again. I told her she had to choose because I am not going to pay for both. She really is a little girl and not a baby anymore. O.k. so she is almost 5, but she is getting so tall and lean. There is no chub left on her body. Yes, I am jealous!

Denali turned 2 in November. We have lived in Ephraim for 2 1/2 years now, I just can't believe how fast time has gone by. Denali speaks in full sentences and decided to potty train herself. She is quite the character and you can't look at her without smiling. Lexi and Denali love eachother and play well together, most of the time. They also having started some sibling rivalry that some days makes me want to pull my hair out.

Even more exciting news than family vacations, healthy children and a new house, is we are going to have another baby. And it is a boy! We feel so blessed and the new year is going to fly by with the baby coming in March. If you have any name suggestions, we are welcome to them!

We are spending Christmas in Alaska. All of Dawn's siblings and her mother live there and Alexis can't wait to see her cousins. It was expensive and we are traveling to a place where it is much colder and much shorter days, but we are really looking forward to spending time with family and seeing old friends. The oldest cousin, Ben, graduates this year. So it may be a long time before everyone can be together again.

We made a trip on the Polar Express where Santa came on the train and gave everyone a bell. He also made an appearance at the Dart Family Christmas party. He comes to the Christmas party every year and you couldn't even convince me that he isn't Santa. He knows everyones name from year to year and Alexis is convinced he is going to bring her a tea set for Christmas. And as long as our luggage makes it to Alaska, she won't be disappointed!!

It may be the New Year before I post again. So we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Grandma Dart's house. I had collected pictures from everyone and put together a slideshow for after dinner. It turned out good I thought and I think everyone enjoyed it. Of course the food was delicious. And there were 38 people I think, so it was crazy and tons of fun. The girls enjoy getting lots of attention. We are so thankful for a loving family, for a warm home to live in and that Greg is employed and it looks like he will be for a little while at least. Even Snow is having to lay off employees. Sometimes I get frustrated because he works too much, but at least he has a job and one that he really loves.

Greg and I woke up early to hit the Black Friday sales. We made it without injury and were back to Greg's Mom's house by 8a.m. when the girls were just waking up. Greg and I enjoy doing it together and each year we are a little bit better about our strategy and planning. Greg says it is the only time he really enjoys shopping, because we go straight into the store, grab what we need and get out as quick as possible. Plus, who doesn't love getting a great deal?

Denali is officially potty trained. She did it all herself. I put a diaper on her for naps and bedtime, but she often wakes up dry even. So that is another thing I am extremely thankful for. Although she keeps me extremely busy in other ways.

I love the Holiday season. Even though it can be busy, I really enjoy wrapping presents, baking goodies, going to parties, and spending extra time with family. I love the music and smells and coolness in the air too.

This is just something I have seen before, but it really made me laugh. I hope it makes you too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6P2w5GkXmU

Tag

I got tagged by two people with the same tag, so I thought I'd take a few minutes away from the insanity of motherhood and do it.

8 favorite TV shows.:
Life (Go to nbc.com and watch from the beginning, you will be hooked.)
Lost
Law & Order SVU
Biggest Loser
The Office
Local News
Psych (So, so funny.)
Project Runway (I am so not a fashion person, but for some reason I love watching.)

Here's 8 movies I love:
While You Were Sleeping
Elf
The Holiday
Sound of Music
Heidi with Shirley Temple
Hairspray
Get Over It

8 favorite restuarants:
Chuck O Rama
Sizzler
Olive Garden
Wendy's
Dairy Keen in Heber
Garcias in Eagle River
Sourdough Mining Company in Anchorage
Roof Restaurant

8 things that happened yesterday:
Threw up
Cried
Had Shanae dye my hair
Lost my phone (still looking for it)
Took the kids to the park
Worked on Dart Family Slideshow for Thanksgiving
Dishes
Laundry (I even got it folded and put away!)

8 things I look forward too:
Thanksgiving
Visiting Alaska
Christmas
Greg getting his Master's Degree in December
Going on the Polar Express
Having a healthy baby boy
Being able to fit into my clothes again.
Being a Grandma (Of course not for a very long long time, but I look forward to it.)

8 things on my wish list:
New King-size mattress
Chocolate covered cinnamon bears
The extra room in the basement to be finished
For my children to learn to pick up after themselves. (And my husband too.)
To raise children that want to make good choices and be functioning adults.
For my family and Greg's family to live close enough that we could visit more often.
Enough money to visit more often since the previous wish will never be granted.
To pay off our van.

8 friends I tag: Whomever would like to do it!!

Happy Birthday Denali!

I can't believe she is already 2! I am grateful she is getting older and learning more all the time. She will be a really good helper to her baby brother when he gets here. We celebrated the night before because Greg was out of town over the weekend. We made her favorite meal, Chicken and Rice. Some of her favorite people came over to share it with us, the Arave's. I am not very creative, but I think our Elmo cake turned out pretty good. Denali was pleased. There is not a single Elmo balloon to be found in Ephraim. Oh Well. As you can see, the blocks from Aunt Missy were a big hit!

Happy Halloween!

Greg has most of the pictures on his camera. And it may be awhile until I get them from him, so it's not the best pictures of their costumes. Alexis was a unicorn and Denali was a U of U football player. Everyone thought Denali was a boy, but she looked cute! We trick or treated at Greg's office, went to trunk or treat at the church and then went to a few houses. Alexis was just as excited to pass out candy as she was to get it.

I made a crunchy macaroni casserole for dinner and we made witch's brooms to go with them. Yummy!

We carved our pumpkin the night before. Alexis has finally decided she likes the goo, but Denali didn't. I thought Denali would dig right in because her favorite thing to get into is her diaper cream!

I have a yummy pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe. We all love to eat them. I had just mopped the floor, so I decided to put Denali in the sink to eat hers. Alexis wanted to sit in there too! Less clean up for me and they thought it was a special treat!

So we have been having a great Fall and I am so excited for the Holidays. I love the planning, shopping, decorating, music and yes even the snow.

I was supposed to have my follow-up ultrasound on Tuesday. But I found out Monday that the doctor and hospital I was supposed to go to wouldn't take my insurance. We spent hours on the phone with insurance company and doctor's offices to find me an appointment. Insurance can be such a pain, but you can't live without it! Luckily I was able to get an appointment for Wednesday. The doctor was really nice and our baby boy looks just great! There is no cleft lip and everything else looks perfectly healthy. It was so comforting to hear and see that. And I get so excited to hear the heartbeat every time.

Last but not least, Denali has decided she wants to use the potty. What a big girl! The last three days she has only had one accident. She is even dry after her naps. She turns 2 tomorrow and I am just so happy she has been the one to initiate it. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind.

It's a Boy!

Today is my birthday, I am 27 on the 27th. When I was a little girl someone told me that your "Golden Birthday" was when you turned the same age as the day that you were born. And the words "Golden Birthday" sounded so magical and 27 seemed sooo far away. Of course as you get older, birthdays aren't as grand and exciting as they are when you are a child. However, today was a special day because we had our ultrasound and we are having a Boy! Greg wanted one so bad and we are very excited. I have a follow up ultrasound next week at Utah Valley Hospital because there is a possibility that the baby has a cleft lip. So I will keep everyone updated on that.

Below is a message from my sister Amber. Her 18 year old son had a scary reaction to a flu shot. We just got ours and everyone was fine, but next time I will be sure to give them medicine before we go. So this is just FYI for all parents:

On Saturday, Ben received a meningitis and flu shot at the health fair. Later that night he had a seizure and we needed to call the ambulance and take him to the E.R. The doctors determined that he probably had a fever induced seizure as a result of having the shots earlier in the day. Ben went from feeling feverish to full seizure in about an hours time. If we had gotten him some fever reducer sooner he probably would have been fine.

I am not warning against getting the shots, I am warning all parents to watch their kids closely after getting the shots, even big 18 year old kids. At the first sign of fever, please give them a fever reducer and keep a close eye on them. Ask the person administering the shot which fever reducer they recommend.

Ben is fine now but there is no more helpless feeling than seeing your kiddo in such distress. I don't want any of my dear friends and family to go through that.

Now, go hug your kids, tell them you love them, and thank the Lord for every moment we get with them!
Amber

Ethan & Dart Photography

Several blogs recently has given the husbands a chance to add to their family blog by posting pictures of their most recent hunting trip. Well we are not hunters and this is Dawn posting. But I had to brag about my nephew Ethan and the moose he got with his Dad and Grandpa in Alaska. Ethan is 12 and the moose has a 63 inch antler spread. He killed it with one shot and used the gun he had just gotten for his birthday. He was pretty excited as you can imagine. You should be able to click on the photo and read the full article that was in the newspaper. I hope your husbands enjoy the photo as much as I do, although we probably appreciate it for different reasons.


It is fall time which is a great time to get outdoor family photos taken. Greg has been doing quite a bit of work. I am working on setting up a blog for him because his website isn't as easy to update. Here is a photo he took recently of the Larson family triplets.



Also, I have always really enjoyed photography. I took several of my roommates engagement photos in college and was going to study it. But then I married Greg and photography was his thing and I stopped taking pictures I guess because he was always the one taking them. Well my schedule is a little more flexible than his and I want to start helping him out. So I am going to be looking for subjects to practice on. If anyone is interested in setting up a session, let us know. He also does wedding and birth announcements and Christmas cards. I had my Christmas cards done by Halloween last year. I am already behind schedule!!

Update

I haven't posted in awhile. So here is a quick update of what has been going on with us.

My sister Amber went to Las Vegas for a work conference for her husband and so we made a one night trip to go see her. I feel so far away from my family with them all living in Alaska and was so excited to spend a day with her.


Alexis finished soccer and really enjoyed it. Greg has the pictures on his computer, so sorry there is no photo.

Denali is constantly getting into something. I was organizing my scrapbooking stuff in our office we just finished and Alexis yells, "Look what she is doing!" She decided to try and eat one of my stamp pads. Apparently it is non-toxic though, because she is fine.


I painted the living room and hallway. I've been tired and painting while two children are home takes even more time, so I did it over 3 days. But I am happy with how it turned out and have finally been hanging up family photos and some decorations. We went to Orem for conference weekend and I bought a coffee and end table and a shelf for my wall. I need to take photos soon so you all can give me feedback.

We bought some pumpkins to put on our front porch and the girls each painted one. Denali was more interested in painting her self though and had it all over. But that is why we did it outside and with washable paint. Although, the washable paint is flaking off of the pumpkins now.


Tomorrow I will be seventeen weeks along and am looking forward to my ultrasound. It's not scheduled yet, but I will post it when I know!

Lagoon

Greg had to work in Ogden this whole week and so we decided to stay with him for a few days. We went up early and went to Lagoon. It was Alexis' first time going and it has been at least 10 years since I have been there. We really had a great day. It was nice, but not too hot and there weren't a lot of people there. Alexis had her first ride all to herself. The only thing is there were a lot of bees. They kept trying to eat our lunch and drink our soda. We also went to Union Station in Ogden which is a really fun place to go if your kid likes trains. They have a museum there and it is inexpensive. Alexis was having a hard time deciding if she liked the train station or Lagoon better.

I was tagged by 3 people since my last post, so I just chose one.

3 Joys:
1) Pumpkin Spice Candles
2) A clean kitchen
3) Reading a good book

3 Fears:
1) Anything bad happening to my children
2) Losing my temper, again
3) Losing Greg
(These are the same answers as my friend Emily who tagged me.)

3 Current Goals:
1) Paint the living room.
2) Organize the play room.
3) Clean out the van. (Boring goals huh?)

3 Current Obsessions:
1) Pumpkin Spice Candles (I feel less nauseated as long as the smell is in the house.)
2) Christmas Planning
3) Deciding on the best discipline for my children. So we can all be a little happier.

3 Random Facts About Myself:
1) Fall is my favorite time of the year.
2) I really am missing Alaska and my family right now.
3) I love love my children, but don't necessarily love being a mom.

So I tag anyone who would like to take a few minutes and less us know a little bit more about you!

Oh, and I hope you like Enchanted. My girls really love the music so I put it all on our blog so we can dance to it. It's cheaper than buying the CD.

Sarah Palin

I was reading my friend Erin's blog and her excitement about Sarah Palin being John McCain's running mate. So I thought I would add my two cents too. The day that she was announced to be the Vice President choice for the Republicans, Greg got a call 5a.m. Alaska time from one of her staff letting him know that the announcement was going to be made that day. When we lived in Alaska, Greg was a reporter for 3 years. Alaska is a big state, but not large population wise and he knew a lot of politicians. He was offered a few jobs too but would have had to go to Juneau for four months right after Alexis was born and we didn't think the timing was right. Anyway, Greg knew Sarah Palin when she was Mayor for Wasilla. We found out she was running for Governor shortly after we moved to Utah and he was contacted about a job when she was elected. I always wondered if we had missed out on some good opportunities when that happened. Well he did get a phone call asking if he would be interested in going to Ohio to work on the McCain/Palin campaign. They are looking for as many people that already know Sarah Palin to join the team of course. He didn't even think twice about it and told him that he couldn't do that right now. I was actually a little disappointed that he didn't jump at the opportunity. But still excited that he is still on a list of people to contact. I had told Greg that I wasn't going to vote and am much more excited at the prospects of a woman vice president. She may not be well known, but it is hard not to like her when you hear her speak. All my siblings and my mom are still in Alaska and they are very excited about her being chosen. However, they are disappointed at the prospect of her not being their Governor much longer.

Labor Day, Preschool and Soccer

We had a fun and busy Labor Day weekend. My mom finished with her mission in Salt Lake and left on Saturday to drive back to Alaska. My Uncle Butch (who looks just like Santa Claus) flew down to drive back with her. So we spent Friday with them before they left. I am sure that having two little girls in her small apartment while she was trying to clean and move was not at all helpful. But we went to Discovery Gateway which is always a special treat for us and we probably won't go near as often without my mom living so close to it. We also had dinner that evening with my Aunt Ann and Cousin Shannon too, so it was really great. And it wasn't too bad to say goodbye to my Mom, because I know I will see her for Christmas.

Alexis being the checker in the grocery store.



Denali watching a ball she put into the tube get carried away.



Saturday we went to Swiss Days in Midway. Snow College had an Alumni float in the parade and we took the girls to be in it and help out. It was fun to be in Midway and we ate some yummy scones for lunch. Healthy huh! On Labor day I had big plans of all the things we would get done, but Alexis wasn't feeling well and I was exhausted and we spent a day of doing pretty much nothing.

Alexis had her first day of preschool. I was a little sad to think about how big she is growing. But she is so ready for school, so I am glad she has the opportunity to do it. She is not really a morning person and likes to stay up late. So believe it or not, 9:30a.m. to be somewhere is kind of tough for us. She came home sick on the first day. She hadn't been feeling well over the weekend, but I thought she was o.k. But being tired and the excitement, she came home with a tummy ache. Later that afternoon she was begging to have friends over to play though. Which I had to tell her no. But she was excited about it when she came home, even though she didn't feel that well.

Isn't she so cute?


She had her first soccer game on Wednesday. She really loves playing. She runs after the ball but has to wave and yell "Hi Mom!" every time she's running by. She doesn't think it is polite to try and kick the ball when someone else is already kicking it. I had to tell her that it was o.k. to try. And she was thrilled that she got a treat at the end of the game. We have to bring treats to the next game. Is it weird that I was just as excited to pick out treats as she was??? She is in the yellow shirt and bright pink skirt.


So today was her second day of preschool and she really enjoyed it, especially because they got to play outside. She came home singing this song that she learned.

"I'm a little apple, round and red. Here is my leaves, here is my stem. When I finish growing round and red, I fall off the tree and land on my head."

And to not show favoritism, we had some ice cream tonight and Denali thoroughly enjoyed it. So I had to take a picture.


I am 12 weeks a long today. I thought I was starting to feel better, but the last few days I have been totally exhausted. And I haven't been able to keep my breakfast down. Ugh. I am hoping that some of my energy returns soon.

My girls love to dance and sing. Denali often dances in a circle and sings her own tune. We have a pink bunny that my mom gave us for Easter several years ago and it sings "Jesus Loves Me." Denali carries it around and sings along and I think it is too cute.



Denali has had an interest lately of sitting on the potty. She doesn't really understand what she is supposed to do when she gets on there, but it is fun and we are encouraging it. Greg went to see what the girls were up to the other day and found Denali sitting on the potty and Alexis reading to her. How sweet is that!?!



Well Greg has been extra busy with the students back to school. He is advising the SnowDrift (student newspaper) and teaches a class with it. He is really excited about it and I am sure the students will benefit from his teaching, but he really didn’t need something else to add to his job description. He keeps telling me that he will travel less often, but he already has two recruiting trips that he will be attending.

I have been dealing with the side effects of pregnancy. I have good days and bad days and try my best to do an activity with the girls and get a little housework done each day. I absolutely loved watching the Olympics and watched as much as I possibly could. I am glad that I decided to not take classes this fall and am really excited, because we are going to Alaska to visit my family for Christmas. My family doesn’t think I should visit in the middle of winter, but I am just excited to spend the holiday with them.

Alexis decided she wanted to take tumbling class instead of dance this year. She enjoyed watching the gymnastics with me and said, “When I grow up, I want to do that.” She was excited when I told her she doesn’t have to wait and can take classes now. She is such a social butterfly and I think it will be good for her. She also had her first soccer practice. With preschool starting next week, she will be a busy little bee and keeping up with her schedule will get us all out of the house. We are hoping to take her to Lagoon in a few weeks. I haven’t been to Lagoon in like 10 years or more. So Greg was telling her that we might go to Lagoon and she said, “You’re the Goon!” I thought that was pretty clever for a 4 year old.

Denali is saying new words every day. She is so much like Alexis was at her age. Denali does have a spit fire personality at times. She is my tom-boy that loves to get dirty, climb everything and destroy things or take them apart. So she definitely keeps me going. We went to the Sanpete County Fair this weekend. She thought a ride on the carousel and watching the parade was the best ever. Alexis got two rides and Denali got one. We bought lunch and a bag of cotton candy and it cost us like $34. When our family gets bigger, we might not be able to afford to go to the fair! But it was a lot of fun. Alexis also did the mud scramble. They have a big mud pit and have a mud volleyball tournament. After the tournament, they throw balloons in the pit and the kids run into the mud to find a balloon. Then they pop the balloon and get a number. The number goes to a prize which they get to take home. Alexis won a whole box of otter pops and couldn’t believe that she won 100 popsicles. Denali wasn’t old enough to participate, but she enjoyed playing in the dirt. The mud scramble is totally free too.

Well hopefully it isn’t another month until I post again. We’ll see.

Busy, Busy

Sort of funny story with this picture. We still had stuff in storage at Nuttall Hall and finally went to get it. We loaded up the van and Denali was playing in the front. We shut the back door and Denali pushed the auto lock button with the keys inside. She didn't even know that she was locked inside. We were knocking on the windows trying to get her to push the unlock button and she would smile and push the lock button again. Greg caught a ride back to our house to get my keys, luckily we didn't lock our house. But while he was gone, Denali tripped and hit her face on the dashboard. She was crying and putting her arms out to me and saying, "uppy!" I almost started crying telling her that I couldn't get her uppy until she opened the door for me. It was a funny, frustrating and sad moment.

We still are having a fun and busy summer. My childhood friend, Jill, came to Utah for a visit and we were able to visit with her and her two kids. It was really fun. And Lexi talked me into getting a puppy that only lasted two days. Having a puppy feels like bringing home a newborn baby, except they don't sleep as much. Greg had told me not to do it and next time I will definitely listen to him. Lexi has been enjoying playing with our neighbors and I have just been trying to keep my yard alive and Denali happy. We had a yard sale and made a little money, mostly we just got rid of some clutter which feels nice. I can't believe it is August. The leadership students come back next week and Greg will be even busier at work than he already is. I have decided not to take classes this fall, because we are expecting another baby in March (which was another reason I decided I wasn't ready for a puppy). I am like 7 weeks and haven't been to the first doctor appointment. But sickness has already set in. Ugh.

I Hope This Makes You Smile!

MICHELIN MAN DENIES PATERNITY SUIT... CLAIMS CHILD IS NOT HIS...

Summer Fun

We are having a great summer and I just can't believe how fast it is going by. I haven't posted many pictures, so this is going to be a picture post.

Alexis took this picture of our friend Leann that lived with us for a couple weeks before she moved back to Vermont. We wish her the very best and hope she makes it back our way someday.

Alexis on a ride at Scandinavian Festival.

Alexis took this picture of the Salt Lake Temple when we visited my Mom for Mother's Day.

Memorial Day at the Sullivan's new indoor pool. Alexis is under the waterfall.

Alexis posing in Palisade Lake.


Denali, the beach babe, resting by the pool at our hotel in St. George. Greg was there for a conference and we went with him.


Campbell Weed, my friend Paige's little boy. Denali enjoyed playing with him while his Mom and Dad were at the temple.

Alexis in front of the monkey cage at the Willow Park Zoo in Logan. She makes a pretty good monkey!


The Arave family came to live with us until they could get into their own place. We went to the Mormon Miracle Pageant with them. They ended up only staying with us for a week. Their house sold in Mesquite and they found an affordable house to rent. But we had a really fun time while they were living with us. We did have a little bit of sibling rivalry, but Alexis and Chase love playing together. They really enjoyed swimming lessons at the Manti pool.


Denali loved playing in the lockers while the older kids were in swimming lessons. She found a cheetoh in one of them and yes, she ate it.


Alexis floating on her back in the whirpool.

My brother Aaron and his family are moving from North Carolina to Alaska. They drove through Utah visiting family and friends. We loved having them here and already miss them. We went to the park twice, played in the sprinklers, went to the drive-in and played lots of board games. I am sad that all my siblings will be together without me, but am hoping to be able to visit often.


Nathan trying to spray everyone else with the sprinkler.


Aubrey cooling off. Look at those long, tan legs. Isn't she gorgeous?

Princess Caroline and Princess Denali ready for the ball. Aubrey loved dressing them up and they loved the attention.


Aaron had quite the load. Denali was in the infant carrier behind the bike and Alexis and Caroline were in the trailer. They went on a quick ride around the college. Aaron looks so much like I remember my Dad, except Aaron is much taller than my Dad was.

We woke up early on July 4th to attend Provo's Freedom Parade. It is a big parade and the girls really enjoyed it. Especially the donuts for breakfast. I can't go to a parade without crying when the veterans and military vehicles drive by. I am so grateful for the free country we live in and the men that work so hard to keep it that way.

It was our weekend at Grandma Dart's cabin in Strawberry. So after the parade we spent the night there. My mom came and Greg's brother Jeff, his wife Anna, and our sister Caitlin met us there. On Saturday, Greg's grandpa Jones had his birthday party at the marina. We shared good food and good company. Grandpa took the girls on a boat ride on the lake.


There isn't a bath tub at the cabin, but the kitchen has deep sinks, perfect for bathing. Denali is always picking on her sister.

Highlights from the past week: trying to get my house put back together after having company, Denali breaking through at least 4 teeth, Alexis and Mom sleep overs on our love sacs in the basement while Greg has been out of town for work, eating pizza and mac n cheese for dinner so I don't really have to cook while Dad is gone (Alexis thinks he misses all the fun), Denali dumping 2 containers of fish food in three different rooms and down the toilet, the neighbors gave us some tadpoles and we are watching them grow their tales, Denali smearing diaper cream on her face and in her friends hair . . .

Here is a slide show of our house. I want to post pictures as rooms get more finished. I still am working on hanging photos and have more painting to do.

Alexis loves to sing and dance and Denali trys to keep up. Notice in this video that Denali usually says the last word of each sentence Alexis sings.

All About My Husband

I was tagged over a month ago and hadn’t done it yet. I thought being Father’s Day this past week it would be appropriate to tell about my husband, so here goes:

What is his name? Greg Dennis Dart, it is Greg, not Gregory
How long have you been together? We have been married for 6 years.
How long did you date? We met in August 2001, got engaged December 23, 2001 and got married on 02/02/02.
How old is he? 28
Who eats more? That actually is a toss-up. I think I eat as much or more than Greg.
Who said I love you first? Greg did, but I said it back.
Who is taller? Greg, he's 5'10"
Who can sing better? I love to sing and Greg doesn’t. But I love hearing him sing to the girls.
Who is smarter? Definitely Greg! We have friends that call to try and tell Greg something that he doesn’t already know, but Greg always does. School is very easy for him. He is finishing his Masters program at least two semesters earlier than most everyone he started with.
Who does the laundry? I do mostly. Greg helps fold sometimes and when I get behind, he will wash it too.
Who pays the bills? I do. I actually love paying bills. But Greg knows exactly where we stand with finances. There are no unknown debts or expenses.
Who sleeps on the right side? I do right now. At our apartment, Greg did.
Who mows the lawn? Greg does. He got a lawn mower for his birthday. I told him that I will mow it if he will show me how to start the mower!
Who cooks dinner? We both do. Greg is a really good cook. He doesn’t need recipes, he just adds spices he thinks would be good and they are. I have to have a recipe. Anyway, we share cooking duty and I am so glad that he is willing to do that.
Who drives? Greg
Who is more stubborn? I am definitely more stubborn.
Who kissed who first? I actually kissed Greg first, which isn’t my personality.
Who asked who out first? I am not sure about this one. We were best friends instantly. I knew within two weeks of meeting that I wanted to marry him, so I told him I just wanted to be friends! Our dating history is long and perspectives on our story differ some. Anyway, we didn’t really go on dates we just spent time together. He did take me to Salt Lake one time and we had dinner and went to a movie and had a great time.
Who proposed? Greg did. We were home for Christmas break and I thought I might get a ring for Christmas. It was December 23 and I came home from work. When I went inside Greg was there and had made a really nice dinner for me and my mom. He had made a fire in the fireplace and everything. After the nice dinner he had a letter for me. I read the letter and still didn’t suspect anything. It was very sweet. Greg used to write a lot of poetry and I had gotten poems before. I told him thank you and gave him a big hug and then he got down on his knee . . .
Who has more friends? Everybody likes Greg. He is just any easy person to love and get along with. His students call him a big teddy bear. But I would say that have more friends or at least closer friends. I need friends and to talk to people and Greg is content to work and do school and be the great Dad that he is. We have some really great couple friends that we both enjoy getting together with.
Who is more sensitive? I am. I cry at commercials sometimes, even when I am not pregnant. We watched P.S. I Love You recently. I cried through the whole thing and Greg . . . fell asleep.
Who has more siblings? That depends on if you consider biological siblings or step siblings too. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother. Greg has 2 brothers and 1 sister. But I don’t even know how many step siblings he has. Some of them I have not even met.
Who puts the kids to bed? We both do. Whoever seems to have the most patience that evening puts Denali to bed. Alexis usually wants Mommy to put her to bed, but I make Dad help sometimes. I usually do the bath and Greg gets them in their pajamas.
Who wears the pants? We both wear pants. Oh, you mean who’s the boss? Neither of us or maybe both depending on how you look at it.

I have a really great husband who works hard to support our family and make us happy. He absolutely loves being a Dad. I actually had someone that was in our Ward, but I didn’t know, come and tell me that she knew how much Greg loves being a Dad just by watching him interact with our kids. It was a great compliment and it is so true. Living with 3 drama queens can’t be easy, especially because he grew up with two brothers. But he was meant to be a Daddy of girls. The girls’ favorite time of day is when “Dada” gets home from work. Thanks Greg for all that you do, we love you the most!
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So we still have been busy, but who isn’t? We moved into our house on June 4. A friend of mine from younger years in Alaska, Liz Lewis got married in the Manti Temple on June 7. Another great friend of mine from Alaska, Paige Weed and her husband came from Washington to come to the wedding. Greg was doing the wedding photography and I offered to watch kids. So I got to play with little Campbell (Paige’s baby) and loved it. Lisa Keay also stopped by to say hello. Lisa, Paige and I were three of the very few LDS students at our school in Alaska. I have really great memories of young women’s camp (polar dip, year of the killer bees) and youth conference (sleeping in Sister Batt’s camper and staying up all night singing “Have I Done Any Good?”) and stake dances (we drove two hours to attend stake dances and once almost died in a blizzard driving to a stake activity). . . I wish that we would have been able to spend some more time together visiting. So I was so happy to see them and so bummed, because I didn’t get to see Liz! However, I did get to see all her wedding photos and she looked just gorgeous! George is a lucky man and Greg had a great time taking their photos because they are such a fun couple.

I spent the next few days unpacking, cleaning and organizing because it was my turn to host Bonko (or Bunko, I’m not sure). I had a great time and hope everyone else did too. It was fun to show off the house. We also made our first trip out to the Manti pool. Denali is a fish and doesn’t mind getting her face in the water, which is terrifying to me. Alexis is already a good swimmer. She will put her head all the way under and kick arms and legs, she just doesn’t travel very far. Alexis has already made friends in our new neighborhood. The look on her face when the neighbor girls asked if she wanted to play was truly priceless. And then she realized that some of our neighbors are in her primary class, she was ecstatic. On Friday, the 13^th we drove up to Orem for me to take my state C.N.A. test. After I realized the date, I considered changing my appointment. I was very nervous and didn’t want to jinx myself. We stayed the weekend for Father’s Day and scored at some yard sales. We got a dresser for Alexis for $10. It needs painted, but I have a ton of left over paint from her room. Our awesome friends from Alaska, the Willis family, just moved to Provo. We shared two dinners and watched the parade and fireworks for Orem Summerfest. I am so happy that they are close and we will get to see them often. I want Alexis to marry one of their boys, it doesn’t matter which one. Then we were off to Logan for the week!

Greg had a week long class at Utah State and we went with him. We stayed at the University Inn right on campus. They have yummy continental breakfast and give you free Aggie ice cream. Yum! The girls and I went: shopping for things for our house, to three different parks, playland at the mall, Logan Aquatic Center (which has a big twisty slide that Alexis did all by herself), the Willow Park Zoo (which has the cutest monkeys ever), and we went to grocery stores that had little kid shopping carts. I think that was actually their favorite part. I couldn’t get them to leave the stores without tears. I even managed to get some homework done during Denali’s naptime. We spent the evenings enjoying dinner’s out with Dad and visiting some friends. It was a fun little vacation for us while Dad was in class, but I am tired. We got home tonight, Friday, June 20 and our friends, the Araves, move in tomorrow. So I have to get the downstairs bathroom put together since someone will now be using it. We are excited to have them near us and we think their house is sold (cross your fingers). And I mean cross your fingers for their sake, not mine. We are happy to have them stay with us as long as they like! I need to post more often, so they aren’t so freaking long. Sorry about that. Oh, and I passed my test, I am a Certified Nursing Assistant. Yeah!

Catch Up!

I have been wanting to post about all that has been going on, but we've just been too busy. So here is the quick, but still long review:

We started our Memorial day weekend early with a visit from our friends, the Araves. They are moving here at the end of June and came up to look for housing and all that fun stuff. Chase, their son, and Lexi get along so good and had so much fun playing together. We just wish we would have had better weather. That Saturday was the Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim and Alexis was in the parade with her dance group. She loved throwing candy to everyone. She enjoyed a few rides and we ate some good food. We made it home before the rain came in the afternoon. After church Sunday we went to Salt Lake and spent the evening with my mom. Alexis loves visiting temple square and we got to see all of the flowers. The Dart family has a big get together on Memorial day. We visit the cemetery and put flowers on the family spots and then off to the Sullivan family house for breakfast. The Sullivans just finished a huge remodel on their home, including an indoor pool. So everyone enjoyed great food and swimming. Their home looks beautiful and we are happy they shared it with us. That evening we came home to pack and clean. Tuesday we spent the day at Palisades. The Sullivan cousins came down here to camp and golf. Greg went golfing with the guys and the girls and children played at the playground. Alexis and Denali enjoyed putting their feet in the lake. Aunt Toni made us a really yummy dutch oven dinner that night too. We are so spoiled. The rest of the week was spent packing. We learned on Thursday that we needed to be out of our apartment by Monday. Greg had to leave Sunday night for a work conference. So, the Trythall's were nice enough to let us move all of our things into to garage. We packed and moved stuff all day Saturday and I had to work all night. Alexis also got to go to her friends, Issac's jungle birthday party that day. She had a blast and even got her own copy of the party theme music. We've listened to it probably 50 times. I went to teach Primary with 3 hours of sleep and came home from church and cleaned for 5 hours. I was exhaused, but the girls and I got to go to the conference with Greg in St. George. We swam every day and enjoyed the sun. We bought some paint for Alexis' room and visited with our friends the Araves some more. It was a great little vacation in between moving out and moving in. Which leads to the exciting news. We are spending our first night in our new house. Yeah! We are so excited to be in. It is almost bitter sweet for me though. The Trythall family is so great and I know how much they are going to miss their home. I sort of feel like I am kicking them out on the street. We are grateful for their friendship and to share their home and continue to make memories in it. So I have a busy rest of the week of painting and un-packing. I will post some photos as soon as I get caught up with everything else. Or before, because who is ever caught up with everything else?

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: during all that, we made one trip to the doctor's office and one trip to the emergency room. Denali got croup and an ear infection on top of it. When my girls get croup it hits really fast and hard. She was struggling to breathe and it was scary for a couple days. She still is coughing pretty good, but is doing much much better. Anyway, believe it or not, that was the quick version.

Dance Recital

Here is the cute picture of Denali I wrote about last week. She asked Alexis to bring her a baby. And every time Alexis did, Denali would say "Baby?" So Alexis kept on bringing them. Both had a great time doing it.

This was a very busy week. I worked 40 hours with trainings and getting called in twice. I really enjoy working at the hospital. But I have been doing nights and am very tired. Saturday Alexis had her second dance recital and she did such a great job. The video isn't super clear, but you can tell Alexis is the cute curly blonde. It's funny because they practice in a small studio in the basement. At the recital they have the whole gym and the little ones end up all over the place. But they are so cute to watch. She loved every minute and is excited because they get to be in the parade this next Saturday.
You can watch her dances:


Here are some photos:

Alexis and her friend Katelyn Crouch (who is in ballet):

Sisters:


We finally have been having some spring weather. It was in the 90's over the weekend. The Manti pool is outdoors and opens this weekend. We are looking forward to going swimming as much as we can! In my spare time (15 min. here and there) I have been packing. The thing I look forward to most in moving into our new house is a dishwasher!