boating with the Swains

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Utah! The Swain's offered to take us boating at Bottle Hollow and we had a blast. Our kids have never been on a boat before. They were so excited. We all tubed together - that was a hoot. Dallon even got the chance to kneeboard. He got up on his second try and took it around the lake a couple times. He did so awesome!

A couple nights later we went over to Roosevelt to their home and spent the night with them. Mike and Camille fed us dinner and it was amazing. Mike did his Brazillian BBQ (delicious). We hung out and Mike kicked Aaron's butt on the XBox (aaron will kill me for making that public). The kids played outside in the tents. I asked Tyler what the small tent was for. He said "it's for the fighters". Any boy acting out of line would be sent to the fighters tent.

In the middle of the night we could hear the boys outside hooting and hollering having a great time. We cracked our window open to hear what the fuss was all about. They were all laughing -the wind had blown the tent down on them. I could hear one of them saying that they were all just going to have to sleep under the stars. Another said "this will be a test of our wilderness survival skills". Doesn't that sound like tons of fun for boys?

We just love this family. I wish we lived closer to them because we have so much fun together. Aaron's best friend Mike married my cousin Camille. So we just have so much in common with them. Not to mention that we have 3 boys and they have 4. I just realized that our babies aren't in any of the pics. But they have a baby the same age as Easton. All the boys totally hit it off and I just know they would be the best of friends if they could play together more often. Thanks for showing us such a great time Mike and Camille. We miss you guys.

Staying With The Fairchilds

Our kids had a ball hanging out at Nama's with Ali and Ashton. The kids felt comfortable there the minute they walked in. Nama's home is always so inviting. Dawson said "Mom, I want to move to Utah. And I want to live in this house. And I don't want anyone to take anything out of it because I like it all."
Stef and Morgan's baby, Grayson... five days old. He is so beautiful. Just absolutely perfect.

My friend Amber. I just love her! I had so much fun with her this trip. We were able to do so many fun things together. One of my favorite things we did was sew. She has a fun sewing room in her new home and she taught Jenna and I to make a quilt one evening. Amber, Jenna and I had a ball just talking, laughing, and sewing together that night.


This is the quilt I made that night. It's for Easton. She taught me how to embroider the word "baby" on it also.

road trip

We headed out on a road trip to Utah a couple weeks ago to Utah. There will be lots of posts to come of the trip. But here is a post on the road... Dallon took this picture of him and Dawson hanging out and watching movies during the drive.
Easton on a short break out of his carseat. He was so happy to be out. It's a hard trip (23 hours). All the boys did great considering how long the trip was.
Aaron paying the big bucks at the pump.
Dallon watching a movie. Dawson playing his gameboy.  Really roughing it.  I remember the car my mom drove when I was young didn't even have a stereo for a time and we had to sing songs for entertainment.  That was the good old days.

Happy 86th Birthday Grandpa

Today is my Grandpa Sullivan's birthday. I've been thinking of him all day long - so I'm posting a couple pictures we took when we went to see him at his home a week ago on our trip to Utah. I love this man so much! I am so happy that my boys could spend the day with him and get to know him better. I wish we didn't live so far away.

This picture is framed in my Grandpa's home. My Grandpa grew up in Roosevelt, Utah and this is a picture of the home that he grew up in. My Grandpa was born in this home and lived there for all his childhood. He was the third child in a family of five children... four boys and one girl. He and all his siblings slept together in the attic of this home. He said that the roof was a lot like it looks in this picture. They could see light coming through the holes in the roof. But somehow it didn't leak when it rained. They could hear the farm animals just like they were sleeping outside. The main floor of the home was one room. It was the living room and his parents bedroom all in one. Since his parents didn't have their own room his mom mastered the art of getting completely clothed under her nightgown. When Grandpa was in high school his parents built onto the back of the home a bedroom. The kitchen was a lean to on the back of the home. There was no running water, and they used the toilet outside. Their means of transportation was by horse. All the stores in Roosevelt had hitching posts out front for their horses and the streets were dirt. They were real pioneers. It was 1943 before his parents had a car to drive. Later on, his parents built a new home and this cabin was moved behind it. When Grandpa and Grandma were newly married they fixed it up and lived there for their first few years.

new favorites of the boys

Spy/Agent Badge... Top Secret

Yesterday we were at the store and Dallon begged me to buy him this wallet. He said "Please, I'll pay you back when I get home." So, I bought the wallet. But I was thinking in my mind, what money is he going to put in this wallet? He probably doesn't even have the whole $8 dollars to pay for it, let alone extra dollars to need a wallet for. Well almost 48 hours later I still haven't been paid back for the wallet. But I think I just got my eight dollars worth in laughs. I came across this wallet late tonight when the kids were already in bed. Dallon, or shall I say, Spy/Agent Dallon left it out when he went to bed. Aaron and I had so much fun looking through it. All of the credit card slots were full of these "Top Secret" cards. I love how on the Spy/Agent Badges he ranks both him and Dawson. (Dallon: Master, Dawson: Beginner) I also love that on the card in the wallet he drew a picture of himself in the photo spot. He drew his hair in a faux hawk (his new haircut - photos of that to come... we cut it a couple weeks ago). Isn't it cool that he gave himself the 5 star rank (whatever that means - I'm sure it's top notch though). I've just had so much fun looking through this tonight. It's little things like this that make being a mom so much fun. I guess you don't need money to have fun owning a wallet.

bouncing

Easton is loving his bouncer. It's been so great. I'm busy trying to pack for our trip to Utah and this little thing has been so awesome today. I've been able to get so much done. We just found it this last weekend in a box of baby toys we brought in from the garage. I forgot we had this from when Dawson was a baby. It's so fun. Also. an update on the binky... I guess he is not done with the binky afterall. When my sister, Jenna, was here last month she tried hard to get him to take the binky again. Well Jen - you were a total success. He is loving the binky.

Swim Team 2008

Dawson and Dallon at the end of the season party. They both got trophy's. Dallon's just isn't showing in this picture. Dawson was so excited about his that it is front and center.

I guess I'll tell you a little bit about how our family first got involved in swim team. When we moved here two years ago we started looking for a public pool to swim in. It is very hot in San Antonio and water is about the only way to survive. So... in our search for a pool, we realized quickly that there aren't any. The only way to gain access to a pool is to buy in a subdivision that has one. We found a pool really close by - in a subdivision near ours - that accepted outside members. The catch is that your kids have to participate on the swim team. Swim team? That probably isn't anything we would have ever sought out. At that time Dallon was 7 years old and the only child we had old enough to participate. He was terrified at the idea. He didn't know how to swim that well and had definately not swam the length of this pool before without stopping. Anyway, to make a long story short. Dallon decided to give it a try and with the help of his coaches he was able to do it. He joined the team and it's all because of him that our family has had a pool to enjoy the past 3 summers. We joke all the time about poor Dallon's responsibility to keep his family in a pool. So initially the reason for joining was just to get to swim during the summertime. It has become so much more. I am truly so thankful that swim team has been a part of our life here. I think swimming is such a great skill to develop. I love that Dallon is such a beautiful swimmer. I love to watch him swim freestyle. I love knowing that my boys can save themselves. I love that all the kids on the swim team go to the same school as my children and it has helped them to make friends in this area. And I love that it has helped build their self esteem and they have proved to themselves that they can do anything they set their minds to and work hard for. Swim team is a big time commitment. They practice 5 days a week for an hour a practice. That is a great workout... just another thing I love about it.

Dawson was very excited for swim team "try-outs" this year. He knew that when he turned 5 he was old enough. He had made up his mind that he was going to be on the team and had gotten himself really excited about it. At the beginning of each season they evaluate the new swimmers to see if they swim well enough to be on the team. They need to be able to swim the full length of the pool without stopping. (for safety reasons) At try-outs he totally froze up and didn't swim more than a few feet. The coach told him that he could try out next year and he was totally devastated. That night when Aaron came home from work he asked Dawson all about try-outs and it just broke our hearts hearing Dawson tell him that he tried real hard but he didn't make the team. The next day I set up private lessons with the coach - in hopes that if he improved enough in a week or two she would probably let him join the team. After two weeks of lessons he swam the length of the pool and Coach finally asked him if he would like to be on the swim team. He was so proud. The first practice was so scary for him. Dallon and I were on the edges of our seats just hoping he would not sink. He really pushed himself at practice. The other swimmers were better and he worked real hard to keep up. He did great. He swam in several meets - the backstroke. He really enjoyed the season. He is still a beginner. In fact... at his second swim meet he had to be saved two times by two different coaches in their regular clothes. (and yes, they both had to wear those wet clothes all night) It was actually really emberrasing. (I can laugh about it now) He really improved this season. At the last meet Dawson did so great. On the way home Dawson said "Mom, when I was swimming in that race I was smiling because I was sooooo proud of myself." I'm just so proud of my boys for having the courage to try new things and working hard to be their own personal best.

held hostage

Sometimes before I wake, the house is real noisy and things get a little rough downstairs. I woke to hear all about this... Dallon holding Dawson hostage.

Melissa, does this look like something Aaron would have done to you when you were kids? For the life of me I can't figure out where Dallon gets this from. I mean, I never would have done something like this to Jaron.  ha ha!