The Dinger Family

My Little Girls

2012-01-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that this little face is 5 months old? Katelyn keeps getting bigger! She just recently started scooting herself back with her feet to get off her play mat (which she loves). It is hilarious. I will leave her in one spot and she is half way to another location in a few seconds. She still hasn't mastered rolling over yet from front to back (she has done it a few times by accident, but those don't count), but she is playing with her feet and can almost roll from her back to her front. She is doing things a little backwards! I just recently took out the swing and she thinks it is pretty cool, but she is already to tall for the first setting and I have to change it so she can actually jump and not just stand there and play with the toys. The booties are from an older sister in our ward. They are so cute and they actually stay on her feet because there is a tie on the ankle. Too bad they are just a little too small (she is busting out the toe)...Katelyn only wore them once.

Me and my girls. Tori and I were practicing taking pictures with my camera in different settings...thanks to a photography mutual night with the Mia Maids. The setting is made to take pictures with one person holding the camera. It turned out ok...except for the fact that I looked disheveled...maybe because it was Saturday and there is always so much to do?! I tried doing the one hand pictures with the baby...but it wasn't functioning. So Jason took the pictures for me, but put his hand in front of the flash in the pictures...oh well. I think Katelyn looks a lot like Liv in these photos!The picture with Brooke and I is from Sunday (hence the reason I look a little more presentable)...look at Brooke's BLUE eyes! She went to the doctor today for a well check and she is 35 1/2 inches tall (75%) and 27 pounds (40%). She is talking up a storm and is still a major comedian. She loves to sing and has a lot of Christmas, Nursery Rhyme and Primary songs memorized. She also can count to 10 and can say all of her ABC's and knows some of her letter sounds (which I attribute to the fact that she loves to watch "Super Why", "Sesame Street" and play on Starfall.com with her sister. Her favorite letter is "W" and her favorite numbers are "5" and "8" (she constantly points these out when we are in public). She loves chicken nuggets, Doritos (she is definitely like her father here), cheese, burrito meat with black beans and chocolate.

Here is little miss Katelyn in her cute little Sunday dress (except for the one on the bottom left...that is her outfit yesterday.). This one is a Katelyn original, meaning that she got this dress from someone just for her and it is not a hand- me- down. I LOVE it. The colors are just perfect for her. She is such a fun little baby! So I included the picture with Tori, because I think that Tori looks like a 3 year old going on 23! I also think that she looks a little like Oscar or maybe Livy in this picture!

January BUTs

2012-01-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

I am not so much a fan of January in these last years. It really is the longest, boring, most miserable month. It is not a very fun month and is usually filled with bad weather and a whole bunch of emotional junk that I don't like to bring up every year. There are no real holidays and no breaks. I have SEVERE cabin fever and want to give it all up and live next door to my sister in California. I hate putting away Christmas decorations because that means that Christmas time is a whole other year away. I hate that the holiday season is over and that I will probably have to wait a long time to see my family again ( I miss my sister so much that it HURTS!). It makes me miss my little boy (who would be 5 this year) and it makes me want to stay inside and wait until it is all over with and gone!

BUT... this year it hasn't been as bad as usual. The cabin fever is probably the worst out of all of my complaints, since we haven't had a vacation since last June (have I mentioned that I miss my sister)? I wish that I had enough money to fly away, alas I do not.

BUT The weather this year has been fabulous. We have had some amazing days that were so Spring like that the girls went out to play. Jason even raked up some leaves while I took pictures of the girls gallivanting. We did get about 5 inches of snow all in one day, but yesterday it all melted and has been raining like crazy (that is the kind of snow I like...here one day, gone the next). I even ventured to the library for reading time with all 3 girls (after 4 months of not going to the library because I was afraid of going with all 3 girls). And I survived the library 3 weeks in a row! I even went back to playing volleyball with my friends every Thursday night (which is always a blast)! So all in all, this January isn't dragging too long, it isn't as bad as usual. BUT I do wish it were spring!

One day Tori announced to me that we needed to celebrate Cami's birthday. She had no idea that Cami's birthday was January 11 (Cami turned 5), but she insisted on making a pink cake with two layers with sprinkles and candles. Ha ha ha. So we baked a cake, and after family home evening, celebrated Cami's birthday, complete with candles. We even let Cami eat some cake too (she licked a bit of frosting and looked at us like...um, can I have some tuna?) BUT the girls were happy and we had fun!


Cabin fever can be lessened when you have friends over. Tori's little friend came over to play for a whole day. My house looked like a hurricane had hit, BUT the girls were in heaven, which made me happy. I have also noticed that even though you may add a child (or 2, or 4), there is usually less clingy behavior, less whining, more playing in rooms, more imagination, more fun to be had...which means that I can get things done (like reading my book! ha ha ha!). All in all, this month isn't too bad, BUT I still hope it is over soon!

The End of December...I know...I'm Behind!

2012-01-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

Silly girls! One of Tori's favorite pastimes is having me take pictures of her while she is doing funny things! She also LOVES to get her picture taken with Katelyn. Oh, and there is Brooke, trying to still fit in the Bumbo!

Ode to Sesame Street. Tori brought the camera to me and said, "Mom, I want to do near and far like on Sesame Street." She then proceeded to position me with the camera and told me exactly when to snap her picture. The result: Near and Far...like on Sesame Street. Silly girl!

We had a birthday shout hurray! Jason turned the BIG 30! My husband has now made it to the thirties with me (I have already been here for 3 1/2 years...thought he should catch up with me!) Jason really isn't too big about hoopla when it comes to birthdays especially since his falls on New Years Eve. So we just had ice cream sundaes in our cool sundae cups. While I was taking the picture I realized that all 3 girls were wearing turquoise! Ha ha ha! One day they will all look at the camera at the same time (Katelyn was way too interested in the fire!)! Happy Birthday Babe!

Katelyn: a 4 month Old

2012-01-09T14:30:00.000-08:00


I cannot believe that she is 4 months old (well, really, 4 1/2 months old...this post is a bit late)! Katelyn is a GREAT baby! She sleeps well, she nurses like a champ, and LOVES her sisters. No one can make Katelyn laugh as much as Tori and no one loves Katelyn as much as Brooke. she just had her first cold and decided to fight it off by having a fever of 101* for about 3 days! She now is over the worst of it and I think that after that she will be switching to full time in her crib. She loves to play with toys now and put things in her mouth. She likes to play on her play mat and take naps in her swing. She continues to have really crazy hair that is still dark brown. Her eyes still have not picked a color. She has only rolled over once from her front to her back, but she doesn't like to spend much time on her stomach. when she is on the floor playing she uses her legs to scoot all over the floor, especially when she is on her play mat. She has the cutest smile and a sweet disposition. She also can blow bubbles with her mouth and quite frequently talks to her dad in bubbles! We love our little Katelyn girl! Stats: 11 pounds 15 ounces (30%) and 23 1/2 inches (50%). She is skinny and tall and if you go back and look at Tori's pictures at this age they are a mostly indecipherable...except Tori has blonde hair! (All of these pictures were taken yesterday except for the argyle sweater picture which was taken today...so this is what she looks like at this moment...except that she is now in her swing sleeping!)

Christmas day and a little after...

2011-12-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was fun for us this year. Tori is getting what Christmas is a little bit. She understood Santa a little, but didn't really get that he would leave presents under the tree. So when she got up and found presents under the tree she was quite impressed! Tori & Brooke both got Princess dolls with outfits to change them into and a Strawberry Shortcake house complete with accessories from Santa (and some of his helpers...wink wink). Tori & Brooke loved opening all of their presents, but frequently got side tracked with all of the fun new things to play with. Among their gifts were coloring books, crayons, markers, Thomas the train, hot wheel cars, puzzles and a flashlight (that do amazingly cool things like light up like light sabers) for each of them ! Thanks to all of the various Aunties, Uncles and cousins for the plenteous gifts! They will be put to good use!

Needless to say, we need to downsize our toy collection! I am not kidding, I think that I could single handedly run a daycare for 12 children with all of these toys! So I let the girls play while I decided on an organization method and wished for a play room. Maybe when all the girls are out of their cribs/toddler beds, I will cram them all into one room and then they will have a play room. We LOVE the animal masks...and we had to try them all on...I think that I am quite the striking zebra. On to Jason and I...well...I got some amazing slipper boot sock deals from my sister that are super comfy and stylish, a kindle cover from Jason and a purple scarf from the girls. Jason got some games from me, a sweater hand picked by the girls from the girls and some money (with which he purchased two new Wii games: Mario vs Sonic Winter Olympics and Mario Galaxy). All in all...we were spoiled.

Katelyn decided to sleep in... so she was late with all of the opening presents thing, and only two presents lasted her sisters' wrath... she got two new play things to go on her various hanging toy holders...one is this fantastically pink pig that plays music (picked out by Livy) and this vibrating frog (picked out by Oscar). Both are beloved and slobbered on. With some Christmas money from Aunt Michelle she got 2 rattles, 2 pairs of PJs and a warm hat and mittens.

Well, if you couldn't tell from the pictures above, I am still trying to work out the kinks in my new camera. I am slowly getting how to tone down the flash with the exposure... it is a work in progress. And my dang florescent light bulbs... good for the energy bill, bad for lighting. Look at us enjoying our Christmas morning cinnamon rolls! Yummy!

Since Christmas was on Sunday this year the girls got to wear their actual Christmas dresses on Christmas day! Aren't they so dang cute! They all have the same dress!

I tried to take a million and a half pictures of Katelyn with my new camera, and I just wasn't getting it, and it doesn't help that she moves and jerks a whole lot, so most of them came out blurry (also the fault of Tori, I found out later, because she put her cute little fingers all over my camera lens!) and I then turned most of them to black and whites! Oh well!

Our Christmas program at church was wonderful. We enjoyed the music and spoken narration. So here is a funny story: while I was feeding Katelyn after sacrament, the Primary kids got up to sing two songs. After the first song, there was a silent pause while they waited for the next song. Well, Brooke took it upon herself to fill that silent pause with applause and a loud "YEA"! The Primary kids giggled and so did the audience. I missed it all because they turned off the microphone while the kids sang. Apparently after the second song she also applauded and said "Good Job!"

More of the Dinger gang! We went with a black and red theme! Just so you all know...getting pictures with these girls is crazy! But we do it for remembrance sake!


Well...another Christmas has come and gone! I cannot believe it! We really hope to spend next Christmas with family! We sure missed you all this year, but we found out that having Christmas wasn't all too bad with just our own little family (except for the one minor breakdown while listening to Amy Grant's Christmas CD....it made me miss my mom, dad and sister BIG time and there were a lot of tears spilt all over the dishes I was putting away...) maybe next year I won't break it out or I will be celebrating Christmas with them and there will be no need for tears!! Here's to dreaming!

Have a Happy New Year!

Have Yourself A Crafty Little Christmas...

2011-12-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

So, as I have mentioned before I have made quite a few crafts this year for Christmas gifts. I also made my anniversary gift and a thank you to a dear friend Dina Gardner, who challenged me to read the Conference Ensign every day for 38 days (that's 1 talk a day)...I was rewarded with some of her delicious cupcakes and I made her a cupcake dry erase board... inspired by something that I saw on pinterest.

This is the one the dry erase board that I made Jason for love notes... it is now located on our dresser. :)

This is the one that I made for Dina! YOU ROCK! Apparently she has a whole room that matches this...I guess I picked some good colors!

Here are some bows that I made for my girls, Livy and Ryah... of course I was inspired by Pinterest!

So you see all of those Gingerbread men! Oh the royal icing! I made these for two parties: The Relief Society White Elephant Gift Exchange & Jason's work party. They were a hit. Then I made another double batch (along with a triple batch of sugar cookies) to give to neighbors around our cul-de-sac and in our ward! YIKES! I am DONE baking for a while!

Auntie Michelle...They are wearing your hair bows! Please note that Tori is eating her bribe... a Gingerbread boy! She let me put up her hair in exchange for a cookie...I bribe my child to look cute! Could you just munch Katelyn! All smiles! They were all a hit at Jason's work party! We scored great gifts at that White Elephant gift exchange! $15 in Itunes! YES! I can upload real music...and not Disney, Wiggles or Ralph!

My silly little girls! Katelyn looks hilarious (and a little blurry), but she is sporting some 3-6 month clothes now! Can you believe that she is 4 MONTHS old?! YIKES! Time flies here! She loves to play with toys, sit in her bumbo and bouncy chair, sleep in her swing and giggle.

That is Tori's hair the day after the party...she slept in it and it became a bouffant! Cutie pie Katelyn and her posse courtesy of Graden Blue. Then there is Brooke hanging out in the bassinet... she thought that was a pretty fun thing to do while I was feeding Katelyn! Ahh...and Jason bought me flowers...just because! TENDER!

Ode to the Gingerbread (well, really it is made out of graham crackers) Houses! Graden and Burke Blue came over to play. They are my favorite little boys and we have lots of fun! Tori LOVES them both and Brooke is fond of them too (in her own little way...but she was napping while we made these beauties). Anyway, we made gingerbread houses with all kinds of goodies. Check out their snowmen and pink (red) roofs! Oh and the top left picture is of Tori and Graden in a fort that they made. SO FUN! We sure LOVE those BLUES!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Is Coming! Grandpa Lee's Visit

2011-12-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted last, and since then, my Dad came to visit. My mom was supposed to come too, but she had to stay home with strep throat! YIKES! No fun, but I am really glad that Grandpa Lee came anyway. So the pictures are going to do the talking!

Here are the girls! They just keep getting bigger! I cannot believe that Katelyn is going to be 4 months old at the end of this week! Nuts! Brooke LOVES to dress up...my favorite is the combo crock and high heel picture. There was a tragedy in our little family...Brooke's little blanket that we called Snuggly Bunny was accidentally lost at church. She still has not turned up in the lost and found even after multiple prayers. It was a bit devastating for Brooke and she had a few really hard nights with little sleep, but snuggly bunny has been replaced by a cute little doggy stuffed animal named Copper and her new build a bear bunny from Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee. I am still hoping that it will show up at the church one day...

Grandpa Lee came in on a Friday morning and instantly started helping out with the girls. Tori LOVES Grandpa Lee and was really excited...Brooke is still a little unsure of anyone (but me... I really hope that she grows out of this clingyness!)... so she make sure that she played with him on her own terms. As you can tell by the pictures Katelyn also was quite drawn to her Grandpa Lee! Grandpa Lee sure has a knack for the little ones. Tori went on a walk with Grandpa ans saw all of the lights around the neighborhood! We have quite a few... it is actually an attraction around here! Brooke joined in with their walk for the last swing up the cul-de-sac. (I sure LOVE their little hats!)

The night my Dad came in we had our ward Christmas party! So fun! Our ward family truly is amazing. We have made some good friends in the past couple of years. Tori is with her little friend Courtney up in the corner up there. Courtney is just a little older than Tori, but they are in Nursery together. Tori LOVED seeing Santa this year. She even gave a real smile! Brooke, however was a little unsure of this bearded man dressed in red! Ha ha ha! Katelyn told Santa all of her secret wishes, that I am sure will all be granted!

My parents gave the girls Build a Bear gift certificates for Christmas and luckily that day they were having a great deal! The girls each got a bear and a princess gown for their bunny and kitty. After what seemed an eternity, Tori decided to make a kitty and Brooke decided on a bunny. They were stuffed, then cleaned and then dressed. The girls both LOVE Kitty and Bunny! THANKS Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee!

Saturday night my Dad agreed to watch ALL 3 girls while Jason and I went on a date for our anniversary. We made reservations at Epi's, a Basque (Spanish) Restaurant, about 5 minutes from our house. It is a pretty swanky place around here so we had to make reservations a month earlier! I was excited that although my mom didn't make it my dad was still willing to watch all of the girls! So off we went. (I said quite a lengthy prayer that all would go well for my dad while we were gone on our way to the restraurant!) Epi's is an AMAZING restaurant and we had been there once before with my sister and her family two years ago. We have been trying to go there for the past 2 years since, but haven't been able to get reservations. Both Jason and I LOVE Spanish food because it I lived there for a few months on a BYU study abroad and Jason served his mission in Southern Spain. Oh and the food and smells transported us back to those days! So we went all out! We had two appetizers (chorrizo with pimiento & croquetas) served with this amazing Spanish baguette, soup (mine was a creamy mushroom soup with a hint of spicy heat & Jason had the red bean soup, also quite yummy) and for the main course I had this HUGE piece of halibut covered in lobster creme sauce served with Basque rice and red potatoes. (I am currently wiping the drool from my keyboard!) It was AMAZING! Jason had Albondigas (Meatballs served in a marinara sauce) served with Basque fried potatoes and Basque rice. We were so stuffed before we even had our main course that I could only eat a few bites! But it was pure heaven! Jason even tried my fish! It was a great night to be able to have a date and eat delicious food... we topped the night off with Rice Pudding to go! The Rice Pudding was a little piece of Spain in my mouth... I cannot wait until Jason and I can go visit Spain together we will have so much fun! Needless to say, my dad survived the 2 hours that we were stuffing our faces. We came back home to Katelyn and Grandpa sitting just like this. Katelyn was a bit in hysterics because she was so hungry, so Grandpa was holding her. She caught a glimpse of the Wonder Pets and was hooked! She was even giggling out loud! Hilarious! THANKS again Grandpa Lee for the fabulous night out!

This year I crafted most of our Christmas gifts because we were a little tight on money and I think that a homemade gift means more! I made this beauty for my Dad for Christmas. I got the idea off of pinterest and put my own spin on it! on the left side in the middle is a heart with where my dad was born. Above and below him are where his parents were born. Next to that is where his Grandparents and Great Grandparents were born! I added the scripture too... because it was my inspiration. My dad is a genealogy master, so I knew that he would love this! The girls and I made something amazing for Grandma Frann, to be posted about after Christmas after she has opened it! We cannot wait!

Sunday we went to church and we broke out the Christmas dresses! I found matching Christmas dresses for all 3 girls! YES! These are the best pictures that I could get. One day all 3 girls will look at the camera and smile all at the same time!

Monday, for Family Home Evening we started a new family tradition for a December FHE, going to see the lights around our city and then getting a Krispy Kreme doughnut and having hot chocolate as a treat! The lights around our city were great and I put a map on Facebook for all you Meridianites who may want to go see them all! We drove around for about an hour and then went to get doughnuts! Here is a funny story for you all... we were getting out of the car (which is quite a feat with 3 kids in car seats) and Tori was out of the car waiting and squatting by the car. We were going in and Tori was lagging behind, so I said, "Tori, come on, let's go pick out a doughnut." She continued to squat, and as I was about to enforce, the come inside... I realized that there was a puddle forming under her legs and that her pants were pulled down! Ha ha ha! She immediately pulled up her pants and said, "Mommy, I was going potty!" I giggled and said, "Thanks for holding it until you got out of the car, but next time let's wait until we get into the shop!" Ha ha ha! At least she didn't pee in the car! We all picked out a doughnut and took them home to make hot chocolate (maybe when we are rich and famous we can have hot chocolate at the store, but I wasn't about to pay $3 for each of our hot chocolates!) Grandpa mentioned that he wanted marshmallows, so we gave him some, with our marshmallow gun! Stick 'em up!

Grandpa helped Tori put up her and Brooke's Christmas tree. It has all of their ornaments and twinkly colored lights. Grandpa Lee also left Jason a note, it reads: Jason, My true love said to me, this is our 3 month anniversary. Warm regards, your Heater love, the Furnace. My dad always seems to come when our furnace filter needs to be changed. If you know my dad you know that he has to keep busy which means that if he is visiting he is there to repair all things that need to be repaired which always seems to include changing the heater filter. Jason said that he knew that my dad would mention that the heater filter needed to be changed, and her sure did! Nothing goes unnoticed by super grandpa!

On Grandpa's last day Tori and I made Gingerbread cookies, a tradition that my mom started for our family and friends when we were little. When I was little we would make gingerbread cookies for all of our friends and family. The pregnant people got prego gingerbread girls, the babies got babies, and girls got girls and boys got boys. It was quite the baking feat! So this year Grandma Frann was going to teach Tori. Although she was not here, I taught Tori and we had a TON of fun!

Tori loves to roll out the dough and cut the cookies out. She takes it real seriously! Tori placed all of the little mouths and one of the buttons on each of the gingerbread boys. We made them for two Christmas parties for the end of the week. They sure were a hit and oh so delicious! Thanks Grandma Frann for sending all of the goods and sharing a family tradition with us! But all things must come to an end...Grandpa Lee had to go back home and take care of Grandma Frann. We sure loved having you here Dad! Tori still cries a little and I ask, "Why are you crying Tori?" and she replies, "Because I miss Grandpa Lee!" So cute!

I know, is this blog done?! Well, the same day my dad left we got a package from Auntie Michelle. Tori was very excited to open a present! She ripped it open and inside were these adorable hair pretties! Tori wouldn't sport hers (although I did bribe her into wearing it to Jason's work party, picture to be seen in a future blog. But Brooke and Katelyn were game to wearing them upon receipt! Thanks Auntie Michelle! Deep, breath, I am done...that is it for today! Holiday blogging to ensue again after I have uploaded more pictures...until then, adieu.

Catch Up...Quick!

2011-12-07T12:55:00.001-08:00

Oh goodness...there is a lot to blog.It has been a while, but there were so many things going on (including the stomach flu (YIKES) and family being in town that it just never got done. So here I go.

So one night when I was bored out of my mind, I decided to see if I could put Katelyn's hair in pigtails... it was a success! Ha ha ha... pigtails at 3 months. Ok, so they are more like antennae, but she sure is cute! And Katelyn tried out the Bumbo for the first time.

So here are some of Tori's many photos (like I picked a dozen from the 100 she took). She loves to take pictures and was really excited when there were 3 more subjects (Grandma, Grandpa & Auntie Marie) to photograph.

Here is a major montage of the family fun that we have had in the past few weeks. From the top going clockwise. Brooke's new favorite past time is coloring (as you can see coloring also includes coloring herself!). Then there is all 3 girls in their footy pajamas on the Love Sac. Daddy and Grandpa doing calisthenics with the girls! Ha ha ha! Then there is Brooke "doing" a cross word puzzle (more like scribbling) and then Katelyn and Grandpa joining in. Above that is the "tree house" Tori and Daddy made. Above that Tori and Brooke in Jason's shoes. In the middle: Jason shaved one day and came out with a 'stache! YIKES! And going full circle, Brooke coloring again!

Ahhh...Thanksgiving! Auntie Marie got in the morning of Thanksgiving and we had a real Thanksgiving dinner...not one at 2 in the afternoon! Gwen and I SLAVED (ok...it really wasn't all that bad, we both know how to manage time well) in the kitchen all day and our spread included turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry jelly, stuffing, olives and of course, pie (thanks Marie Calendar for your amazing frozen pies!). Jason even made his own green bean casserole! What a chef!

Our tradition is to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and we decided to put it in our Living Room this year because our den has now become the catch all room. The girls love it because they get to see the Christmas tree all the time. Brooke really wasn't all that interested in decorating the tree (maybe because she had the stomach flu) but Tori took over like a champ and decorated the tree herself. As you can see most of the ornaments were placed at her arm's length all in a clump, but I kept it that way because they were so cute. I knew they would be rearranged a few days later anyway. I LOVE the 2nd picture of the star going up. Tori wanted to put it on so bad, but her death grip on Jason's hair wouldn't allow the use of 2 hands! Ha! So jason had to take matters in his own hand but Tori continued the death grip on the hair.


Another tradition is that we have Christmas with our family that came for Thanksgiving a few days later so that they can see the girls open their presents. Tori got her own camera from Grandma and Grandpa Dinger and some clothes and Barbies from Auntie Marie. Brooke got a picnic basket from Grandma and Grandpa and some Strawberry Shortcake movies from Auntie Marie (among other things, but I am not listing it all!). I got a new camera! Bye Bye Fuji Film Fine Pix with only 5 megapixels! Hello Olympus VR-330 with HD/3D capabilities and 14 megapixels! YES! Can't wait to start taking pictures with it! Jason is really creative this year and only asked for money. Well, alas, our family off and went back home (just after I had the stomach flu and right as Tori caught it). I have just had about enough of this stomach flu junk and luckily Katelyn hasn't gotten it! As we know well, babies and stomach flu are a scary mix.

Last, but not least, Miss Katelyn keeps growing. Here she is in the infamous purple outfit. She is the only one that has fit into the outfit at the appropriate age (3-6 months). Lately she has learned to stick out her tongue, to blow bubbles, to grab toys and to have giggle fits! As you can see, she is a doll. Oh, and she still hasn't chosen what color her eyes should be. My guess: Hazel. She sleeps like a champ. I feed her between 8 and 9 and she goes to sleep right after until 3 or 4 in the morning! Sometimes even until 5! Then she eats again and falls back to sleep! Her hair is getting long enough to stop sticking straight up and lays down well, but she did get the bald spot in the back of her head and we sometimes call her a monk.

DunnDinger November 2011 & Other Treasures!

2011-11-18T13:11:00.001-08:00

The Dunns were here! :) Oh how the Dunns lift our spirits. Too bad they can't stay forever! Well, we had an exciting weekend that, as always, went by way too fast! The boys hung out together while Tiff and I got our crafting on! WOW! It is quite amazing how much we cannot get done with 4 kids... oh well, we definitely wouldn't subtract any of them, but we always try to stuff so many things into such a short amount of time that we never get to it all!

BUT....as you can see, I did actually managed to get a picture of the Dunns (all of them together) this time! Sure they were about to leave out the door, and Brooke wouldn't cooperate, but Katelyn and Ryah were wearing twinner outfits so we had to document! It was just coincidence that they had the same outfits! The girls LOVE Adam and there was lots of rough housing up in here! All good things have to come to an end though, and alas they returned to Utah! SIGH!

Here are some pictures of the Hooligans! Please note the LARGE bandage on Brooke's thumb! Tori was taking a bath while I was putting a roast in the crock pot while Jason was at a meeting. Brooke was playing in the bathroom and I hear this blood curdling scream. At first I thought that Tori had bitten Brooke (this happens occasionally), so I just kept on cutting veggies and screamed a scolding message to Tori....then Brooke (still crying like a lunatic) comes into the living room covered in blood! YIKES! Luckily I was wearing my red apron over my church clothes and I swept in for the rescue. I quickly called Jason... the conversation went like this: SCREAMING cries in the background; Kendra: "Jason, I need you to come home NOW!"; Jason: bewildered, "What's wrong?"; Kendra: trying to keep Brooke's gushing thumb in a towel so that it will stop bleeding while holing the phone in between her shoulder and ear very unsuccessfully, "Just get home NOW!".
Well, it turns out that Brooke got a hold of the razor that I shaved with from behind the shower curtain and shaved a large chunk of her thumb off! YIKES! There was blood everywhere and with the help of my amazing husband who came back from his meeting, we were able to get Tori out of the tub, everyone dressed for church, the roast into the crock pot, and I was able to thwart getting one blood stains anywhere on my body although I had to hold Brooke's finger for 30 minutes until it finally stopped bleeding enough for me to put a Band-aid on it! Shame on me for leaving the razor in the tub!
PS. Aren't those pictures with Brooke and Katelyn so TENDER!

We're in the HOOD now! Oh and hats! Tori loves her new winter hat and takes it out of the hall closet quite frequently to wear it. She also likes to use my coat as a robe and she pretends to be Mary. Once again...my girls are getting bigger right before my eyes. SIGH!
Well, here is a little snip-it from Jason's journal...I LOVE how he writes about this cute little moment:
I have to share an experience that I had the other day. Most mornings my wake-up calls are as follows: the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?” playing from the girls’ alarm clock and ringing through the baby monitor in our room; the sound of Tori and Brooke shuffling their feet, turning on the light switch, and running through doors to make it to mine and Kendra’s bedroom; little voices calling “Wake up Dad!” while I ignore them in playful silence; followed by a THWAP! to the face from a little hand that somehow seems more like a giant bear paw clubbing its prey into oblivion.

Gratefully, that is not the experience that I wanted to share. Nope, this morning was a special morning. The routine was similar until it got to “Wake up Dad. I have a treasure for you!” This I had to see. So Tori took my finger in her little hand—not bear paw—and gently guided me into the living room. There she took me to a window and had me kneel down between her and Brooke. “Look,” she exclaimed, “it’s the moon!” She then sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” for me. In contrast to my paycheck (which I probably obsess and worry over more than I should) or any other monetary treasure trove someone could give me, Tori’s treasure for me that morning was priceless! Like I said, this morning was a special morning.

TENDER!

A Birthday Girl! Brookie is 2!

2011-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy BrOoKiE!
I cannot believe that she is 2!

We celebrated Brooke's birthday on a Saturday although it was really on Monday. We were supposed to celebrate this birthday with the Dunns, but poor Ryah had a double ear infection! Sad day! Luckily with a little pink medicine, Ryah mended up and they came last weekend! OK...back to Brookie! The birthday girl donned her Tinker Bell costume and we opened her presents. She got a haul this year gift wise. Add up all the grandmas, grandpas, aunties, uncles and cousins, and this girl got so many fun things, I now officially have no clue what to get her for Christmas! She got a Cinderella crown & Princess shoes (4 high heel sets) from Grandma and Grandpa Dinger; a little computer from Grandma and Grandpa Lee; an Elmo music video from the Olesens; a Cinderella dress up dress & Princess hair set from Auntie Marie; Mrs. Potato head from Jason and me; 2 new Princess Barbies from Aunt Michelle; and Princess Barbie clothes from Tori and Katelyn! YIKES! Lets just say that Brooke (and Tori) LOVES all of her new toys!

Ahhhh! Dina Gardner's cupcakes are AMAZING! We had Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes! Delicious! We sang Brooke the birthday song and she blew out the candles 3 times during the song! Ha ha ha! Tori was Rapunzel at this birthday fiesta and happily got butter-cream frosting all over her face! After cupcakes and presents the birthday girl played with all of her toys! We dressed all of the barbies and she put on her new Cinderella costume.

So as with tradition, on her real birthday we blew up balloons and let the birthday girl play all morning with balloons! Again...I cannot believe that she is 2! But she sure is getting bigger... look at those dimples! They make me melt. Her 2 year stats: 26 pounds and 33 1/2 inches! (Tori is now 37 1/2 inches and 31 pounds. Tori had to get in on the weighing and measuring too!)

Which one do you want on your mantle?

2011-11-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

We recently got our family photos taken by my marvelous friend Julie Shepherd. She did a great job with our kids...and it helped that she brought along her beautiful assistant Maddie (whom Tori and Brooke adore) to help out! Which one would you pick? Cast your vote. Would you choose fence, waterfall or wall?

fence standing

waterfall

wall...(dang! you can see my stinkin' cell phone in this one!)

Tender....you can just make out little Katelyn's head!

all of them in a decent picture!

here are some bonus pictures!

Spooky Halloween!

2011-11-01T12:53:00.001-07:00

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!

We attended our ward's Trunk or Treat on Saturday! It was great and the chili was delicious...ok...I only ate the chili I bought, but I was very envious of the men huddled around the 30 pots of chili trying every kind. Jason was too... but when you have 3 girls (well, really we only had to look after Brooke & Tori because Katelyn is so easily pawed off on Young Women) and dinner to worry about, everything we want goes out the window.
The girls both wanted to be fairies. Tori was Tinker Bell and Brooke was a Wood Elf. Do you recognize her costume from Tori in 2009?! Katelyn was a little sister ballerina. I didn't get really good pictures of them in their costumes alone, but these will suffice. Jason was a Hawaiian tourist who fell in love with the Local (me!). Isn't his hat amazing? $1.67 at the party store!
Tori and I made Jack O Lantern pizzas last Friday. We also carved our pumpkin (finally!) yesterday... just in time for Trick or Treaters.
(I LOVE the picture of Brooke in the trunk of the car with Katelyn eating her candy.

On Halloween I let Brooke and Tori wear their Ballerina tutu dresses all day long. They were in heaven and were especially "dancy" all day long. For Trick or Treating, Tori decided that she wanted to be Rapunzel and Tori stayed a Ballerina. We didn't get good pictures of the girls on actual Halloween and none of them trick or treating that had good enough light and wasn't pixelated. (If you are reading this blog... Santa, I want a better camera!)
For FHE we took the kids around our neighborhood. They LOVED it...all except for the part that it was absolutely freezing outside. It is officially Fall here in Meridian, that is for sure. My favorite part of Trick or Treating was Brooke holding on to a pack of Peanut M&Ms for dear life, afraid that she would have to put it in her pail and never see it again! Ha ha ha! I think that we only hit about a dozen houses, but they got quite a haul. We gave the reject candy (the candy that our kids won't eat yet) to everyone who came to our door. Genius! I already spent $10 on candy for the trunk or treat and I wasn't about to spend more!

Here are some more fun pictures of the little munchkins. Starting at the top is little Katelyn in her Sunday dress. Then there is Brookie swimming in the bath tub. The two of the girls in the hall "sleeping"... they like to pretend to take naps. I wish that Tori would actually take one! then there is Tori's hand turkey. The picture of Tori at the lunch table is by request... she wanted me to take a picture of her milk mustache! Oh how I love my silly munchkin!

Where did October Go...The Catch Up Blog

2011-10-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Because this is a catch up blog I am just going to narrate the pictures! We had a lot of fun in October and before the Halloween Blog comes out I need to publish these photos.

It was one of those days...I needed to get out of the house (I had been in the house all week because of Brooke's nasty stomach flu) and so I took the kids and two loaves of bread to the duck pond! We went later in the afternoon and Jason met us there after work. Brooke never wants to get out of the car when we first get there, so I got a picture of her staring out the window, but she was all for the ducks once Daddy got there! Tori was practicing her modeling skills getting ready for her photo ops the next day when we took our family photos! I cannot wait for you all to see those!

Her is her royal cuteness. The little green outfit is from Auntie Lora! LOVE it! (If you have seen DragonTales, please reread that with a Weezy accent!)
These are the only pictures that I have taken of babes in the bathtub...she is sooo CUTE!
The cat loves to sneak in her bassinet to sleep with the baby... it freaks me out, so it doesn't last very long.
Tori also likes to share her toys with babes... hence the cabbage patch in the swing. Katelyn really liked the weight of the doll and took a nap with her. (That is one of my cabbage patch kids from when I was a kid.)

We took Katelyn to the doctors and she is 10 1/2 pounds (50%) and 22 1/2 inches (60%). This was the outfit she went in, because it was freezing that morning (literally)!

Tori is such a silly little girl. She likes to model and these pictures of her in the grey are of her as a monkey, a princess and a giraffe.
Gotta love Brookie Elf! That morning she was dancing and put on the elf hat and it was too cute to pass up!
Now that I am really outnumbered getting the kids in the car, Brookie likes to run off to what Tori calls Brookie's Garden. It is our front flower bed. I caught her in the act on the way home from the duck pond.

In the afternoon when Brooke is down there is usually a bit of time when the baby is asleep and I get to spend time with Tori alone. We decided to make some Halloween cookies last Monday for FHE. She stirred, she rolled, she cut and she baked. It is so fun to bake with Tori! Have I mentioned that she is getting so big? I LOVE the pictures with her and her pumpkin.

After dinner we frosted the cookies for FHE. Please note that I have one child with only and shirt and one child with only pants...together they make a great pair! Tori frosted her cookie with a glob of frosting and about 8 million sprinkles. Brooke liked frosting herself more than her cookie, but all of us Dingers LOVE sugar cookies! Yummy! I also had to get a few pictures with Brooke and the pumpkin.
Well, that is all for now... stay tuned for the Halloween post, coming to you soon.

Linder Farms

2011-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning we took an early trek out to Linder Farms. If it wasn't for a small little detour (the fact that we totally went the opposite direction and were lost for about an hour!) we would have had a little bit longer time at the farm.

As you enter the farm there is a little hay maze for the little munchkins. Tori and Brooke ventured inside with a little convincing from me.They got cornered a bunch, but they finally made it out!

Next we visited the petting zoo. This was no ordinary petting zoo! There was a camel, a llama and a wallaby. There was also the usual stuff like pigs, goats and sheep. The girls thought that the animals were pretty awesome, but they weren't so keen on feeding them!

On we went to the pumpkin patch. We strolled little Katelyn out while Tori and Brooke roamed the fields trying to find the perfect pumpkin and I must admit that they did find a pretty perfect one. It was 5 pounds (my rule is they have to be able to carry out their pumpkin) and they decided to share it.

We played around for a little bit and enjoyed being outside and being together as a family. It was a beautiful autumn day... great weather for long sleeves and hoodies! We also watched the pumpkin launch...I don't know why it is so cool to see pumpkins explode, but it is!

At the end of our adventure we let the girls jump into a big box of corn kernels. Brooke was a little skeptical at first, but after a minute she dived in and they both had shoes full of corn when we were finished. (We should have followed the other smart parents who took off their kids' shoes!) Oh, did you notice that Tori's hair is up?! I think this is the first time she has worn her hair up in public since she was 2!
We knew it was time to leave when Katelyn made herself heard from inside the stroller. We will definitely be making Linder Farms a new family tradition!

My Silly Little Girls!

2011-10-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

I can see my girls growing before my eyes and I don't know if I like it so much! It just seems that everyday they learn something new or look just a little bit older or do something that is reserved just for a big girl. Time is flying to fast! Tori and Brooke are becoming more comical each and every day! It is so fun to play with them. I think that Brooke is going to be a class clown. Mind you, Tori is really funny too, but not as "showboat"-y as Brooke is. Brooke likes to be the center of attention...and feeds off of Tori's giggles (and our too!). She will do something funny and say, "Tori, Tori, nook, nook!" (nook=look). Then Tori will giggle at whatever Brooke is doing. She is quite hilarious!
Tori's quote of the week needs a little bit of some background information. I LOVE watching Biggest Loser 1. because it motivates me to be better (although most of the time I am sitting watching, and eating some kind of treat) 2. it reminds me that one day when I actually have time to work out like they do I will be the weight that I want to be...until then I will settle for working towards the goal of just getting better between pregnancies (which I am already back to my pre prego weight...not that that was all that big of a feat...I only gained 17 pounds!). Anyway...back to Tori's quote. Sometimes the girls are up while I watch this show because I am usually without Jason during this time because of Elder's Quorum visits...anyway, Tori asked what I was watching and then started playing while I did the dinner dishes. After a few minutes of playing she comes running to me and says, "Mom, you're the biggest loser." Of course I laughed out loud, but thought...should I take offense to that? Ha ha ha! I am still giggling inside!

The girls LOVE to horse around with Jason. I totally remember doing the leg hold with my dad! Brooke and Tori like to steal my glasses...and I caught Brooke in the act! The pictures of Tori in the striped shirt are Jason's attempt to get Tori to smile at the camera to make her a slideshow... there were about 15 pictures and these made the cut.
Brooke has been sick all week with some kind of bug that attacks the bowels (if you know what I mean)...luckily it has only attacked her, but we haven't really left the house since Saturday! I was a little overwhelmed on Monday because she was still vomitous and runny below... and right after Jason left (while I was feeding babes, mind you) she vomits all over the couch! YIKES! I hate vomit! So as the baby screams at the top of her lungs I clean up Brooke who then vomits again (all over her clean clothes) with more violence and volume...luckily that was the last sign of vomit! But I have survived my worst nightmare as a mother of 3 and I guess I can now conquer all!

Ok...that picture of Tori cracks me up! She is barely touching the baby and it looks like she is constipated! But Tori and Katelyn...priceless. The picture of me and Katelyn was taken by Tori. I tried to edit it to make it lighter, but it was too blurry, but I loved it because Katelyn is looking at me and smiling! LOVE it! And then there is the one of Tori holding Katelyn's hand. TENDER. Tori loves to hold her little hand and play with her hair.

Yesterday babes took a nap like this with her face smashed against the couch and her feet up on the Boppy. Too cute. I had to take a picture of her little tootsies! I took the picture of her little hand because she always seems to have her little thumb tucked behind her fingers...my brother, Seth, used to sleep like that too when he was little. The other pictures are for all you Aunties...I bought this super cute shirt and pant set at Costco for $7! It says, "My Auntie loves me". TENDER...and oh so true!

These pictures of Katelyn were taken at my friend's baby shower. BEAUTIFUL! As you can tell by the quality they were neither taken by me or with my camera. We are going to be in trouble when our girls start to date! Watch out boys! We are defenders of virtue here!

Smile!

2011-10-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Need I say more!?

Ahhhh....October

2011-10-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

I LOVE October! I LOVE fall! It is the end of all of the super hot weather and the beginning of holiday seasons...I don't know...there is just something about October.
(Please note that in some of the pictures Tori looks a little strange... she had a sty in her eye for three days last week... it has since disappeared, just in case you were wondering.)

When I took these pictures, Monday, it was a balmy 83* outside... the sun was shining and the girls went to play outside...

...with their laundry baskets (or should I say in their laundry baskets?!) Silly little girls.

The weather then took a turn...we went from air conditioning to heater in 24 hours! I had to take out all of our cold weather clothes and clean them all up so that the girls wouldn't freeze to death! We made cookies, played games, danced, sang and finally (I was desperate) and let them play in a diaper box.

Ahhh...look at them in their footie pajamas! Aren't they so cute?! Tori wanted to sleep with Katelyn...that lasted all of 5 minutes and she was done with that! ("Mom, baby Katelyn cries too much!")

and Miss Katelyn keeps on growing! I took a few pictures on white background so that you could see her ridiculously cute hair! she now likes to be in the bouncy chair, smiles all the time and giggled for the first time while my friend Alli was playing with her at church! It was A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.! Don't you just love that night cap she has on?! My friend Julie gave this little outfit to me and I LOVED the night cap! It reminds me of Ebeneezer Scrooge (don't ask me why)!

Sorry these are a little pixelated but these are a scan of these two photos taken by my dear friend Ursula. We are preparing for Young Women in Excellence with a pioneer theme and the two girls loved the bonnet that Ursula had. Ursula is like their adopted ~~Grandmother~~ Auntie. I was told not to use the "G" word! The girls LOVE her and Tori likes to sit with her during Sacrament meeting!
This is a little bit of journaling, so if you want to tune out just go to the end...and please leave a comment...I get bored here and my only outlet is to check my mail and blog to see who loves me! and the past couple of months...only 5 comments! Seriously!
"Guess What?!..."
A few weeks ago we were coming back from church and Tori said, "Guess What?!...Jesus and President Monson are coming to our house tomorrow. We giggled and said..."Well, we better get home and clean up before they get here!"
Then we explained to her that the next Sunday she would get to see President Monson on the television and that she would hear Jesus through his prophets. She got really excited and for the rest of the week her guess whats were about General Conference.
General Conference was a little bit here and a little bit there with 3 kids, but I love to feel the spirit of conference and hear 8 hours of pure revelation! My friend Jessica's father in law gave one of my favorite talks. I cannot wait to get the November Ensign!
I'll Take a Root Canal With That Crown!
I went to the Dentist last Tuesday to fix a crown and ended up getting a root canal too! What?! The whole procedure didn't hurt one bit, but dang...my jaw still hurts and tomorrow I am so lucky I get to go back and get the rest of the root canal finished! Who wants to spend $800 on a root canal and $1200 on a crown! I really want new clothes and a shower in my master bedroom to work more than I want to spend money on my dang teeth!
The Best of EFY
I went to the Best of EFY with our youth this last Saturday. It was amazing! I love to feel the spirit of the youth and hear talks by EFY speakers...there is just a special spirit there with the youth. I was really impressed by both of the speakers. The first speaker, Scott Anderson, talked about following the path and listening to the trail leaders as you go. That when we are on the path and have a trail leader they will not only get us to the end of the trail safely even through the hard times, but they will also show us the amazing things to behold along the way. He compared it to going through the rapids in the Grand Canyon with his friend who was a guide and you have some serious rapids to go through that will pummel you without a trained experienced guide. But the guide can keep you safe through the rapids and show you the secret beauties along the trail. He compared the guide to a prophets. It was amazing! Then he also talked about the story of the tree of life and the different ways Lehi, Nephi and others got to the tree. Lehi was lead to the tree by an angel; Nephi, Sariah and Sam were lead to the tree by Lehi (their prophet) calling them (this was all before the rod of iron and path are mentioned); and Laman and Lemuel were called but they didn't listen, so they were also shown the rod of iron and the path. Isn't that so amazing!? We are given so many tools to get back to our Father!
The second speaker, Curtis Jacobs, talked on chastity! Whoever selects that topic has to have a special spirit about them...and he was also amazing! He just laid it all out and told the youth what the boundaries are...favorite quote "Only dogs attract raw meat!" Ha ha ha! My favorite part was that he made sure that the youth knew that if they had crossed the line along the way, that if they truly repented they could be virtuous again. The spirit was amazing and I wish I could just have a copy of both of their talks to share with you...but I just wanted to remember these things.

The Many Faces of Katelyn & The Dancing Duo

2011-09-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to catch little miss Katelyn's smile! She has been smiling at us since day one and I have decided that she is just the smartest baby and that it is not just gas! I know that the picture of her smile is blurry and such, but it is hard to focus a camera away from my eyes while trying to make someone smile...so this is what you get! She is a doll! Oh...and Lora, pick out a few...I think that she looks like you!

Katelyn: 4 weeks! ADORABLE! I love the one of her waving too! (Most of the pictures are in sequence.) I cannot believe that she is already 5 weeks old!!!

And as for the dancing duo... Tori is now willing to not only share dancing skirts, but her outfits and crown too! Gotta love dancing time in the morning! (Check out those BLUE eyes!)

Flying Solo

2011-09-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that time is flying so fast! Yesterday was my first day flying solo (no help with 3 kids)...I must admit that I was a bit freaked out...especially since I have to spend a lot of time on the couch nursing Little Miss Katelyn (who is 4WEEKS OLD!!! What?! How did that happen?!). Well, it all went well except for a brief 15 minutes when PBS went down and Sesame Street was cut off while I was preparing a crock pot dinner and Katelyn was really tired and screaming and Brooke decided to join in the crying fest too! Yesterday went great and we even stayed on our usual schedule (except I didn't get to shower and get out of my PJs until 6:15 PM!). I think I will be able to handle this mom of 3 thing!

So I took these pictures yesterday! Isn't Katelyn a doll?! she has so much hair that she can wear her bows without the headband! This adorable one was made by Tiffany Jones. She has some really cute stuff and I was spoiled with some really cute headbands and bows! This little yo yo matched my favorite dress and so we had a photo shoot! I caught her smile a little late, but that is a little what her smile looks like in the middle picture. Jason is a pro at getting her to smile and giggle. It is really cute!

As most of you know we moved our guest room into our den and made the guest room into the nursery. Jason and I painted the room "a hint of mint" and it looks fabulous. Katelyn models the crib as she takes her first nap in her crib. For some reason with this pregnancy I was into monkeys so she has a few monkey things that will be her own. I am still in love with our Noah's Ark theme and I am glad that we went neutral from the beginning and chose high quality stuff! Up in the right hand corner is a picture of our carrier cover made by Tiffany Dunn... it is absolutely beautiful! I LOVE it! (And just so you know Tiff, everyone comments on it too!)

This is the finished product of the girls' room. My mom brought these vinyl letters and decals made with her Cricket and we went to town one afternoon. It made the room! The girls love it too! And my painting look fabulous, I might add, on the wall! :) The rug was my inspiration. Oh and I have had this fuchsia lava lamp for a long time from my Sterling Capital days and the girls love it!

Sunday pictures! I love taking pictures of the girls in their Sunday dresses! The pictures of Jason and I were taken by our budding photographer, Tori (hence the reason why they are not focused or centered).

So I love this dress and these shoes. I bought these when I found out I was having a girl for the first time (little miss Tori bug). These are the only shoes that fit Katelyn because she has such skinny ankles. I don't even bother with socks anymore because nothing stays on! Her head is still a little small for the little matching headband, but she looked like a doll!

Here are some good pictures of her bouffant after her bath! This is usually what she looks like during the day, all snuggled up in her cocoon and resting on the Boppy!

Last but not least...here are some silly pictures of our Tori bug and Brooke-a-lito. That is Tori's new tub trick and it freaks me out because I think that she is going to drown! Check out Brooke's farmer's tan! And I am still in love with our tax return investment! Love that swing set!

Watching my babies grow...

2011-09-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how much having a baby makes me realize how much my other little babies are growing up! Tori was playing with Brooke and grabbed her around the shoulder and said, "You are my best friend!" Ahhhh! I will not explain what broke loose after that, (kicking and screaming, pulling hair), but it was a tender moment! Yesterday morning Tori was talking to Brooke in bed before their alarm went off and they were just blabbering to themselves, making conversation, mostly about how much Tori missed Auntie Lora and that Livy (their cousin) was going to visit them.
Tori constantly wants to hold Katelyn. It is pretty cute! We finally mastered a way that she can hold Katelyn all by herself.

We wrap the bobby around her and then drop the baby right onto her lap. Katelyn and Tori will sit like that on the couch together for about a half an hour. Tori loves to play this little piggy with Katelyn's "cute little toes". She also loves to hold her hands and play with her hair.

Princess Victoria and baby Katelyn.

Who can resist snuggling with Katelyn?! After she eats she stays awake for a while to explore the world around her. She is usually snatched up into someones loving arms and it is usually Grandma Frann! Katelyn smiles a ton and she has revealed to us that she has two dimples on her cute little cheeks! (I haven't caught these on film of course, but they could melt your heart!). Her hair is still as crazy as ever and I will have to remember to take a picture of her bouffant after she takes a bath! Her hair is a bit curly and wavy! I think that her eyes are going to be dark blue like her Auntie Marie. She looks an awful lot like her Auntie Lora... sometimes it is a bit uncanny.
Katelyn slept a whole 4 hours in a row last night! Hurray for sleep!!!! She is getting bigger and bigger...Last time we checked she was 7 pounds 6 ounces. I cannot believe that she is already 3 weeks old!

Brooke...well, she likes to give Katelyn kisses and give her "the rock". Brooke is still improving her clown act daily and is quite the one ring circus! In this picture her hair is plastered with a large amount of spaghetti goo!

We went out yesterday morning and took the girls to the duck pond. Brooke was a little skeptical at first and stayed in the car. She didn't like the hissing geese so much. Tori helped Grandma and Grandpa spread the bread love and by the end we coaxed Brookie out of the car! We are having a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa and I wish they could stay here forever! I now know why there are some cultures where all of their extended family lives under the same roof! My parents are amazing helps here and I can't believe that next week I will be flying solo!

A Name and a Blessing

2011-09-05T16:23:00.001-07:00

We have an amazing family! During the last two weeks we have had family come from Utah, Oregon and California to visit with us and celebrate the birth of baby Katelyn. Thank heavens for their help and all of their extra arms! I am still not exactly sure how I am going to handle having 3 little munchkins all by myself!
All is going well with my recovery. Each C Section seems easier and easier (this is the 4th one!) and the pain is pretty much under control. Katelyn is the best baby. She is breastfeeding like a pro and sleeps pretty well too! (Although I am still tired a lot!)
Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

The girls seem to really love Katelyn (as well as all of her Aunties, Uncles, cousins and Grandparents....not to mention Mommy & Daddy...oh and basically everyone that she meets!).

A doughnut feast brought to you by Auntie Marie! One way to keep Tori and Brooke busy is FOOD! Brooke and Tori devouring some Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I love that hat!

Katelyn...what a cute little cupcake! Need I say more?! This is a picture at 7 days old after a little sponge bath. Check out that hair! I bought this little outfit especially for Katelyn when I found out that I was having a little girl! TENDER!

Here are some pictures of our visitors. Mind you there are only a few because Lora was the photographer of this special occasion. Auntie Marie came before the big huge rush (and we all know that she just wanted to have more snuggle time with Katelyn and not have to share her with a half a dozen other people!) Over the holiday weekend we had a house full of visitors! Grandpa & Grandma Dinger, Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee, Auntie Lora, Uncle Jake, Oscar and Livy all hanging out at our house at the same time. It was really crazy in our house, but it was so much fun! I loved seeing the girls all playing together and watching Oscar love on his new little cousin Katelyn. I miss my sister so much it hurts sometimes. I am glad that she made the trip even though the trip home was rough with all of that California holiday traffic!

Our sweet little angel baby is now officially known as Katelyn Amelia Dinger!I decided (on kind of a whim) that we should bless Katelyn this Sunday because most of the people we would want in her circle just happened to be here all at once! It was serendipitous! Jason gave her a beautiful blessing and I was able to sit through the first hour of church! Her dress was a present from Grandma & Grandpa Dinger and Auntie Marie and although it was a bit large, it was perfect. I bought the shoes at Target and the little lacy socks at Walmart! The hair bow was the same one that Brookie used and is absolutely gorgeous! Little miss Katelyn looked beautiful and was a doll as we took 8 million pictures of her and all of our family! There will be an amazing blog of all of the pictures that Lora took after she has edited them. I just took a few as she was photographing.

Baby Katelyn Amelia

2011-08-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is going to be short, sweet and to the point. It hurts to sit in hard chairs and I have been on it for a half an hour! This is for all of our fans!

Katelyn and I the night before delivery modeling the nursery!

Katelyn Amelia was born at 7:55am and weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces (my biggest baby yet by a pound!) and is 21 1/2 inches long! How did she fit?! Check out all of her hair! Here is crossing our fingers that she doesn't lose it all!

Katelyn's crazy sisters!

Tori thinks baby Katelyn is the best! My favorite picture is of Jason and all 3 girls! All of our visitors in the hospital. Not pictured the Alvi ladies who brought me homemade chocolates and Ursula and Stacy! Thanks for coming to visit Katelyn and me!

Coming Home! They always look so small in their carrier the first time! Tori and Brooke made us some pretty posters to welcome us home. I am glad to be home, but I am SO TIRED!!!! Katelyn is a doll and has a really sweet temprement. I can't wait for you all to meet her!

"Mommy, You're My Best Cousin"

2011-08-17T10:44:00.001-07:00

The girls hopped into our bed on Sunday after their alarm went off and Tori curls up to me and says, "Mommy, I love you so much! You're my best cousin." Ahhh! I thought it was so cute...I am sure that I would have cried had it not been 7 am and I was barely awake!
Then during church she is rubbing Jason's hands and says, "Daddy, you have big, big, big, fur!" We got a quiet giggle out of that one!
So...there are only 6 more days until baby girl #3 joins our family and we are almost done with both of the bedroom makeovers. I promise pictures! Brooke is now officially sleeping in her toddler bed and hasn't had too much trouble. The first night she was a little scared, but she was great during her nap the next day and hasn't had too much trouble (except last night she did end up in the middle of the LuvSac that is now located at the end of her bed!).
Tori is enjoying the countdown for Grandma and Grandpa's arrival and the baby. Anyone she talks to she says, "Guess what?! Grandma and Grandpa are coming today, in (fill in the #) days!" and then she goes on to say, "Guess what?! The baby comes in 1 week! A baby, a baby, a baby!" (The last phrase I believe she got from an episode of Dora the Explorer). This phrase is then repeated at least 100 times in a day! (You think that I am exaggerating, but I am not!)
Right now Tori is sitting behind me brushing my hair and saying, "Mom, you have Pocahontas hair! You are a princess. When you are done you can have a crown!" I can hear Brooke in the background banging on our Rock Band drums! My girls are so cute! **After a short break consisting of putting away dishes, putting the clothes in the dryer, making Macaroni and Cheese, and eating, blogging may again commence!**

Here is proof of our silliness! Brooke is all scrunched up in one of the baby boxes that I put burp clothes and blankets in. Tori took a pair of Jason's socks out of the laundry and slid them on. What a silly goose!

We decided to play in the sprinklers...don't ask me why we haven't done this before, it just didn't occur to me...or maybe I am just lazy?! After watering the garden, the girls whipped on their swimsuits and were in the water. They were both a little skeptical at first, but they both got into it. Brooke had enough after she was soaked, but Tori was in the sprinkler on and off for about an hour!

Can you tell that she LOVED it?! What a stinking cutie! And the towel picture...priceless!

Well, our little water princess dried off by running around the lawn, playing on the trike, swinging, eating a Popsicle, and dancing like a butterfly. I think that my girls are so BEAUTIFUL! I cannot wait to see what baby girl #3 looks like! Only 6 more days!

A 33rd Birthday, Chores & Other Random Things

2011-08-08T12:23:00.001-07:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy To mE!

I am officially 33! We actually celebrated on Saturday. We splurged and Jason and I went on a real date! We got a babysitter and saw Harry Potter (our babysitter actually cost more than our movie! and we probably paid her pretty cheaply too! YIKES!). The movie was better than I thought it would be and it was fun to see one more movie on the big screen and have a real date before we have baby #3. Later we took the kids to Tucanos and celebrated with a free dinner for me and the girls. We just had to pay for Jason's dinner and our desserts! Great deal when each dinner is $20!
Sunday (my actual birthday) was like any other Sunday, but with a little bit of funfetti cake and candles! Jason and Tori made me a cake and the girls LOVED singing and blowing the candles out with me! I love how Brooke looks like a ghost in most of the pictures! My birthday present was actually Wicked tickets, so I just got cards from Jason and the girls. Tori picked out a musical card that plays the song "Celebration". She loves to play the card and watch us dance (in fact I hear her opening it right now!) I have to write down Jason's cute card he gave me...it is a tender poem...most of the time he gets me silly funny cards so this is extra special!
My Heart Belongs to You
Whether it's your birthday or just any ordinary so-luck-you're-in-my-life-day...
Whether we're laughing together or talking about our worries and frustrations...
Whether we're being moody or sensitive, maddening, or romantic...
The truth is, it doesn't matter what or when or how or why...
Every day, in every way-I love sharing life with you.
Isn't that so TENDER?!

Ok...to the kids...Brooke LOVES the computer, so I got a few pictures of her and her favorite toy. Anywhere we go (the library, Walmart, other people's houses, stores...etc.) she hones in on a computer and pretends to type. Today while I was talking to Lora on the phone she turned the direction of our laptop screen a different direction and opened 23 Word windows! I still have no idea how to change the direction of the screen!
Tori has been on a Dora & Diego kick (complete with Spanish words and all...it is quite cute to hear her count and say words in Spanish!) so she likes to travel with a backpack everywhere. I got this one for her about a year ago at Goodwill for $.50. She has it packed with all kids of Princesses!

Monday, Monday.
Monday is always filled with chores and is usually spent at home all day (except for my non-stress tests for baby #3). So I thought I would take a few pictures of the girls helping me out with the chores.

Tori LOVES to help with laundry. Her jobs include: pouring in the soap, helping to load the clothes in the washer, loading the clothes in the dryer, and then putting the clothes from the dryer to the basket.
Brooke's job is to hand me the clothes from the basket. Clothes are all over the laundry room by the time she unloads the basket, but she has a lot of fun doing it!
They both love to sit on the washer once it starts because they like the vibration and they like to kick the washer to make it sound like a drum. And who doesn't like to play in an empty laundry basket?!

Oh how I really DO NOT like to put away (or wash) the dishes! Tori LOVES to put away the silverware, so that is her job. Brooke just likes to think of ways to get the dishes without me taking them away! Here she is contemplating the task ahead!

Another thing Tori LOVES to do is help make her lunch (and participate in any cooking or baking that she can). Today our menu was: Macaroni & Cheese with Chicken Nuggets. I love her macaroni & cheese grin! She pours, stirs, waits, stirs, then adds all the ingredients to make the sauce and stirs some more. Then she gets off the counter and picks bowls for herself and for Brooke. Mmmm.... and it was DELECTABLE!

A Work of Art

Well, I will end this magnificent post with the painting that I just finished for the girls' room! They are acrylic on canvas. I got the idea from a rug that we purchased for the girls' room a few months ago. It took me about 3 months to finish them (not necessarily because I worked on them every day), but I finally got them done! We have to redecorate their room because we are taking out all of the nursery stuff for the baby room. So I will post pictures of both rooms when they are all done.
That is all for now! Until next time!

What are we up to?

2011-08-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

Well, July is finally gone and it is August! My FAVORITE month! I will be 33 in 6 days and baby girl #3 should be here soon...well, at least by August 23rd (here's for hoping that she is early!). The summer hasn't been all that bad...it is the regular prego stuff that is killing me (the horrid sleep, heartburn and the fact that sitting for longer than an hour kills my well padded butt!)!
Well, enough complaining and on to what you really care about...the girlies!
Tori and Brooke like each other more and more each day. Sometimes they even play together (GASP!) and it is really fun to watch. They both LOVE to play outside in our massive backyard. They are both old enough that I can just let them go out and have fun without me having to be out there to watch them all the time.
Tori is getting much more helpful and more stubborn. She has chores like putting away the silverware and cleaning her toy messes and at times she enjoys it, and then other times...it is like pulling teeth.
Brooke is talking more and more each day (she parrots just about anything we ask her to say) and she just started saying "Tori"! Brooke is also pretend playing more. It is fun to see her imagination at work.
Anyway, on to the pictures!

These were taken last Sunday! Sooo cute in their Sunday dresses.

Tori LOVES Sunday...she loves to go to church and be with all of her friends in Nursery. Sometimes she cries when we have to go home! She is developing quite the sense of humor too... she is so FUN! (PS don't you just LOVE that picture with her hands under her chin...boredom? I'm not quite sure.)

Brooke loves to get into things that she shouldn't and quickly finds those things in any room. Although she likes to wear dresses on Sunday, she wishes that Nursery didn't exist. She is still in the mother clingy stage, which means there is no way that she will stay in that Nursery room by herself. It doesn't help that there are 12 (yes 12!) other kids in there with her below the age of 2 and only 2 Nursery leaders...oh and there will be more kids turning 18 months before the end of the year! YIKES...it is complete chaos! So it just means that Jason or I have to stay in there with her the whole time (or I just give up and take her with me to Young Women).
On Friday I made peanut butter bars and to Brooke's joy, Tori was sleeping so she got to lick BOTH of the frosting spoons! Pure JOY!

Here are some fun times...Jason built the girls a movie fort and they watched a show under the tent! And good ol' Cami kitty taking a snooze and a stroll in the play stroller.
I will try and take more pictures...it was a pretty sad day that I only took a smattering of pictures from the 4th until now. I will try harder!

The Dinger 4th of July Clelebration (Including the Cul-De-Sac of Fire!)

2011-07-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Alright...here is the 4th of July edition of the blog. I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for this, so now I will indulge you!

OK...so these pictures have nothing to do with the 4th, but Tori finished her first puzzle all by herself (24 pieces) and she was quite excited (as you can tell by the kissing of the caterpillar). We celebrated with some delicious Popsicles.

This little number...Could Brooke be any cuter?! She loves to lay with phones, so this series is of her talking on Auntie Marie's phone. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!
The Dinger 4th of July Celebration
The Parade

Well, what would the 4th of July be without family?! Auntie Marie (who is probably the most patriotic person I know) and Gwennis brought the 4th of July party to Boise! Our first 4th of July activities started on the 3rd (we like to elongate holiday celebrations in this family!). We (meaning Jason and I) are not so much big fans of parades, so Auntie Marie brought the parade to us. We put on some patriotic kids music and marched around our front room! Tori chose high heels and her cape as a costume and Brooke went with a poofy skirt. Please note the we did have a horse in our parade...his name is Loco and is a hobby horse that Gwen made for Tori for Christmas. I am still not sure if he is a toy or a weapon of mass destruction, but he proved useful in our parade! It was a fabulous parade!
Decorations

Later that night we decorated the house. sparkly stars on the window, strategically placed by two little munchkins. A large "Happy 4th of July" sign for the wall. Oh and the magnificent hand wreath crafted by Auntie Marie using all of our hands and different scrapbook papers! It turned out super cute!
The Costumes

On the actual 4th we all dressed up in our Red, White and Blue! We looked fabulous and festive.
The Breakfast

Our ward throws a breakfast every 4th of July and it is fabulous. The menu: made to order omelets, pancakes, hash-browns, sausage and juice! Delicious, although there were no pictures taken of the food, believe me when I say we stuffed ourselves. The kids ran around and played like little banshees. There were two jungle gyms, swings, hula hoops, a trampoline, a variety of balls and a porch swing. Kid heaven!
The BBQ

We had a BBQ (duh...isn't that a given on the 4th?)...the usual, but Auntie Marie made some delicious veggie kabobs! Mmmmm! Jason was our grill master. The other pictures are of the girls anxiously awaiting food and Gwen as the 2nd parade MC. (Yes...there were two 4th of July parades!)
The 1st Annual Dinger "Chalk It Up" Festival

Apparently Boise has a sidewalk chalk festival and since Brooke napped through the afternoon we decided to have our own chalk festival in our backyard instead of hauling downtown to see the art. It was fun! Gwen made Brookie, Dennis made a cruise ship, Jason made a Lego man, Brooke smeared a flower, I made Belle and Ariel for Tori, Marie made a flag and Jason made a ladybug.
The Cul-De-Sac of Fire
Poppy Things

Dressed in some serious 4th of July garb (princess meets rock star meets super hero?), we set out for our Cul-de-sac of fire! First the girls enjoyed 4 boxes of those poppy things (they scare me like popping balloons, but the girls enjoyed them). They learned the art of throwing them and stomping on them.

We all pitched in to get a box of fireworks for the kids to watch. Mind you that the sun does not set here until 10:30 so we opted for a lighter show in the shade at 8:30...there is no way Tori and Brooke would make it until that late! They enjoyed some patriotic suckers and sang along to patriotic music while we lit our Cul-De-Sac on fire! Please note their faces in the lower left corner! SO CUTE!

Our last firework of the night was appropriately called "THE BIG DINGER!" (it was $10 but had to be purchased)! It was a good firework to end with because it was long, bright and flashy! Our neighbors actually set the cul-de-sac on fire after it was dark. Our neighborhood was filled with illegal fireworks that boomed into the night. It was F-U-N!
We had a GREAT time! Thanks for coming up and bringing our celebration Dingers! We miss you!

Oregon From Lora's Point of View

2011-07-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview of what Lora's Blog holds! :) Go to her latest posting here to see what she has to day and the amazing pictures that she took of our family!

A Zoo Visit on a Monday?! (June 20th)

2011-06-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

The day after we got back from Oregon Jason had the day off, so we took the munchkins to the zoo! They LOVED it! It was a beautiful day and we even stayed for lunch!

Brooke's favorite thing to do at the zoo is run around like a banshee. She was wearing some really cute sandals that she ran out of about a half a dozen times! She isn't quite into the animals yet, but she loves to climb on everything and go down the giraffe slide.

Tori, on the other hand, LOVES all of the animals and climbing on everything. This time we visited the new Pampa exhibit. It has a beautiful butterfly exhibit that we didn't pay to get into, but we will the next time. We could see all of the butterflies flying all over in their habitat and you can just walk around in the habitat. We did see a really big wolf fox (?) and anteater. Tori thought that was pretty cool. Tori was also very brave and actually pet and fed the goats. Tori and I also pet the hedgehog. It is quite an adorable creature. All in all we had a fabulous time!

A Summer Vacation in Oregon!

2011-06-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Our Summer trip to Oregon every year is always a barrel of fun. It is a mix of keeping kids under control and parents (and grandparents) sane. But, for the most part, this year was great! The kids were old enough to play with each other and fend for themselves. Why then was I so exhausted at the end of the day? Oh, because they (meaning mostly all 3 girls) got up at the butt crack of dawn with the sun! YIKES! It was either that my children didn't get the whole time change thing, or they just couldn't wait to play with each other. My sister brought her amazing camera, so I am sure in the future I will post some of the amazing pictures that she took of my family and such...hopefully sooner than later (hint hint to you Lora). Well, I will let the pictures lead the way.

I only got one really good picture of the Oscar man. (Lora got a handful too, so I am sure you will see him in a future OR blog). Oscar LOVES Brookie...they are kindred spirits (except that Brooke thinks that he is a bit overwhelming at this moment in time). He made this amazing space ship with his legos. He is really creative. He also made some amazing pictures for Jason and I that I will also post on a later blog. I think he will be artistic like my sister. Livy is getting so big! She LOVES to be the babysitter and would follow Brooke all around the house. It was fabulous not to have to worry about Brooke the whole trip. We nicknamed her "The Wanderer" because she just wandered all around my parent's 2200 square foot house and mastered the stairs with ease. Tori and Livy were besties the WHOLE time we were there. They played all day long together. It was adorable. It just made me want to live closer to Lora so that our kids would know each other better. SAD DAY!

On Monday we took the kids to this inflatable gym. Last time Tori was a little bit skeptical of it all (like Brooke was this time) and wouldn't go on hardly any of the inflatables (although Brooke is a little bit more adventurous and tried out just about everything appropriate for her age). This time Tori was all over it (except for the gargantuan slide). I took a lot of pictures of Tori conquering this big inflatable obstacle course. She finally did it all by herself (even climbing the 12 foot wall). Later that day we went on a walk by Fanno Creek (a walk that Lora and I would take quite frequently when we were younger). Another fun little outing all photographed by Lora and will be seen in the future.
The next day we went to the park near the Rose Garden. We packed a picnic for the munchkins and off we went. They played for about an hour and then we had a picnic. Needless to say they had a blast. This was another outing photographed by Lora. (Did I mention that Lora is taking photography lessons and that she is getting good...and that she took like 1000 pictures of all of us while we were in Oregon!)

What is a visit to Portland without a little Voodoo? We had a sampling of six different donuts on Friday morning. (Jason and Jake joined the entourage on Thursday night). Friday morning Jake went and bought us some Voodoo doughnuts. YUMMY! I didn't get a picture of all of the doughnuts, but here are the girls devouring theirs!

Friday morning we went to the beach. It was a magnificent day. Sunny and in the upper 60's! It was a dream! Our first stop, of course, was the Tillamook Cheese Factory for some lunch and ice cream. YUMMY! The bottom picture looks like Brooke is taking a bite of my ice cream, but she was just pretending!
Rockaway Beach, OR

Did I not tell you this was the most beautiful day for the beach?! It was clear and gorgeous! This was Brooke's first visit to the ocean and she went right to the water with Uncle Jake. She wasn't scared at all and the water was freezing! (Make sure you click on the pictures so you can see them bigger!) Tori was all about the water and the waves to this time and like a crazy little girl she wanted her swim suit on!

Brooke got soaked by the waves, but of course we brought a change of clothes. She warmed up with Uncle Jake and in about 15 minutes she was in the water again and soaked up to her thighs! (Lora took a million pictures at the beach too, so you will see those in the future).

This was Tori's first sand castle making adventure. She was all over it. Uncle Jake dug a huge hole and the girls filled it with water to make a swimming pool! Jason and Oscar were on the architecture of the whole thing. They had a blast and they got sand in all of the crevices of their body! YIKES!

While the older kids were making sand castles Brookie roamed around and played in the water with Grandpa Lee. She picked up about a dozen little rocks. We kept one that she picked out with Jason so that she could remember her first trip to the ocean.
As always...all good things must come to an end. I really miss Lora and I really hope that we will live next to each other in the near future. I really want my kids to know their cousins. It was so wonderful to spend time with family! I cannot wait until September when Lora will come and visit our little new munchkin and take pictures of her! Thanks Mom and Dad for sharing your home and we will see you in August!

No Ice Cream For Brooke!

2011-06-24T11:56:00.001-07:00

Once again I have this hilarious video of Brooke refusing an ice cream cone. I don't think that she likes the cold of ice cream yet and we had ice cream cones one hot afternoon and she refused. It was so funny that I recorded it, but alas, you will just get the script. This is how it went down:
I held an ice cream cone in front of her and said, "Brooke, do you want an ice cream cone?"
Brooke gave the camera a crusty and said "Nope, no way..." with a very disgruntled and slightly crying voice.
Then I held it in front of her again and asked the same question and she said, "Nope, nope, NOPE! No Brooke," with her hands in the air and very frustrated that I would even offer!
Then I asked Tori if she wanted it and she said, "Nope, that's Brooke's." Then she proceeded to eat her cone and then asked to have Brooke's.
Oh, if you could only see it. One day I will figure this camera loading out!

Durango, Mesa Verde & Silverton Book

2011-06-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

I LOVE it when Shutterfly gives me a free photo book...so this year I made this one for Jason's Father's Day present!

A Trip to Utah to visit the Dunns, Dingers, and Dinosaurs!

2011-06-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

For our annual Memorial Day Celebration we made our trek down to Utah to visit our peeps! Oh how we miss you peeps! We left Friday night after Jason was done with work and drove our 4 1/2 hours to good ol' Hooper. It was amazing to see all of Utah still green! (It was the end of May and there is still snow in the mountains...and it snowed in the mountains while we were there too!) It was also nice to finally drive into the valley and not be filled with severe sadness that we lived so far away from family and friends. I think we are now used to living in Idaho and I think we owe that a LOT to our amazing ward family!
In Hooper we saw Grandma & Grandpa Dinger, Auntie Joy & Auntie Marie. The girls were pretty tired and went to sleep pretty fast but after getting some good ol' loving!
Saturday morning we ventured down to Sandy to meet up with the Dunns, Debra and Rachel at the Living Planet Aquarium. You may ask...why are there no pictures from the aquarium? Well, after swiftly taking Tori inside to go to the bathroom (have I mentioned that I HATE potty training?!) I met everyone inside the aquarium and Jason didn't get the camera out of the car. Da-da-dum! Sad day, but we confiscated Marie's camera and took some pictures that will be viewed on a later post!
It was fun to see the Dunns and little baby Ryah, who is now not so little and getting bigger and bigger as we speak. I cannot believe that the next time we see her she will probably be 1 and be walking! YIKES! Time flies! Anyway, the aquarium was fabulous and Tori had a blast. After their own little fiasco at home Debra, Rachel and Rachel's niece Caroline met up with us at the end of our aquarium tour. We then went to lunch at Olive Garden and gabbed for a few hours. It is so fun to hang out with the old gang! WE MISS YOU! There is a picture of all of the girls at Olive Garden, but at this moment in time it is in limbo....lost in the files of another camera.

After our delicious meal we made our way down to Spanish Fork to start the amazing Dunn Dinger Extravaganza! Oh how much we love and miss our Dunns! Of course we were greeted by Max the dog (as Tori likes to call him...not to be mixed up with any other Max that she knows) and a feeling of home. The Dunn's house is definitely our second home and we all feel pretty comfortable there...ahhh...nice! The girls love to play their piano and Brooke roamed around the whole place bejeweled... she made sure that we packed her jewels!

Max (can you spot him camouflaged in the couch?!) couldn't get enough of Jason (and vice versa) and I just couldn't get enough of this little girl! Baby Ryah is quite the content little one. Tori loved her too (I don't think Brooke really knew that she existed...maybe next time) and taught her the art of watching TV.

Of course, one of the main reasons that we go down to Utah is to go visit Spencer's grave. To us it is a happy place...we know he is not really there, but we like to go and visit. Tori isn't in the pictures because she fell asleep in the car. I love the color of the roses that we got this year. It is really amazing to see all of the beautiful flowers and families coming together to visit their loved ones. It is somewhat sad to see all of the little children that surround little Spencer's grave, but I know that they are all safe and in a better place.

We ALWAYS have a good time with the Dunns. Tiffany and I usually do something crafty (this time it was bookmarks for Tiff's RS meeting) while we roll our eyes at our husband's silly antics. Jason and Adam together is a little on the scary side sometimes! (Oh and that marvelous picture of Jason and I is amazing! Thanks Marie!)

Here is some more Ryah loving time...I am sure she was tired of our kisses at the end. It was fun to see her interact with Tori. Ryah would get so excited when she spotted Tori in the room. Tori played "This little piggy" with her toes, sang her songs, gave her loves and taught her all the secrets of being part of the Dunn Dinger Clan.

Sunday night we were joined by Debra, Rachie and Marie's friend Tyler. I didn't get to many pictures of this reunion because I was barfed on (which luckily was a fluke...I mean, it was not an ongoing thing....and Brooke actually slept pretty well that night) and attacked by a killer poo virus! TMI...maybe, but that is the truth (I wish I could have spent more time with my girls!). Tori had to sit in between Rachie and Debra on the couch and held Debra's hand. But nothing can beat playing and snuggling with Adam! Tori loves Adam so much that I think she left him her cold. Alas...all things Dunn Dinger had to come to an end. We had a BLAST! and cannot wait until next year!

On our way home, we stopped in Ogden for some good ol' Chick-fil-A with Grandma & Grandpa Dinger and Auntie Joy. We decided before the kids had to be in the car for another 4 hours, we would let them roam around the Dinosaur Park by the Ogden Canyon. I had NO idea how fun this place was. Tori (our resident Dinosaur lover) was in HEAVEN! Tori was not impressed with the animatronic dinosaurs, but really liked the fossilized eggs and poop that we saw in the museum. Brooke loved to climb on all of the displays that said "Please refrain from climbing on exhibit. Thank you." It is really hard to chase around a toddler and take pictures at the same time!

Tori was pretty much amazed by everything outside in the gardens. (Make the pictures bigger by clicking on them... they are so dang cute!)

She even hugged and kissed a few dinosaurs! She liked to put her hands (and basically her whole body) into the dinosaur prints and exploring the secret trails along the way.

We explored the whole park (and even found a slug).

In the center of the park was a play area. Brooke and Tori went wild. Brooke is a little bit more adventurous than Tori, and climbed all over everything and even went down the spiral slide all by herself. Do you see the wild animals that we saw at the park?

We tried to get a good picture of our family under the legs of the dinosaur, but of course Tori would not look at the camera and artistic license of the picture taker only got the stomach of the the dinosaur. Oh well. At last, we had to leave Utah... and as you can see, the Dinosaur Park tired out our little scientist...and she got a good nap in on the way home. Thanks for taking us to the park Grandma & Grandpa Dinger (and for the GREAT idea Auntie Joy)!

Here is my favorite picture of the trip...Tori caught a ladybug while sitting on a slide in the Dinosaur Park. Tori LOVES ladybugs and was tickled (literally and figuratively) that the ladybug wanted to crawl all over her!

Ice Cream Cones, Sunshine & Gardening

2011-05-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the sporadic sunshine around here. Last week the weather went like this: Monday-Fair, Tuesday-Snow & Rain, Wednesday-Sun, Thursday-Sun & Rain, Friday-Stormy & Rain, Saturday-Warm & Fair. Did you see the word SNOW in there?! Yes...It is now the middle of May and there was snow and frost. I really feel sorry for all of the farmers who will end up having really late crops. I mean we have already lost three flats of Marigolds (that is 24 plants!) and our other plants do look a bit sketchy, but we still planted them...I really hope we still get our pepper plants! We decided to take our chances and plant our garden on Saturday. As for the rest of the week...here are some pictures!

For Family Home Evening we had a lesson on temples and ice cream cones. This is Brooke's first ice cream cone! She thought it was pretty fun. I stopped taking pictures after a while and then she decided to attack the bottom of the cone. So she licked down to the cone and then ate the crunchy part of the cone. Oh and of course there are some lovely "cheese" pictures of Tori too.

On one of the sunny days the girls wore their play dresses outside. (Tori loves her rainbow dress and I LOVE this little blue and turquoise number Brooke is wearing. Livy, Tori and Brooke all wore this dress and it actually looked good on all 3 of them!) Tori always goes outside and finds herself a baton, you know for conducting music. She is still really into Little Einsteins. My favorite picture is definitely the one of them hugging. Tori is getting better with Brooke and sometimes comforts her when Brooke is sad by singing her songs. It's cute. The spontaneous hugs are my favorite.

CUTENESS...need I say more? Look at those blue eyes and curls!

Tori helped plant the garden on Saturday. I caught a few pictures. She hugged and kissed many of the seeds that went into the ground. She is a natural gardener and after a few examples, she planted two rows of onions and one row of bush peas. (And if you are wondering...yes, she does garden only in a shirt, underwear and her princess tennis shoes! :) )

And last but not least...these are pictures of my beautiful irises for my mom. She loves irises and I would probably bring you some in June like I did last year, but I am afraid that as I drive there solo they will just make a mess in the back of my car! :) Pictures last longer anyway!

MAYhem

2011-05-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, not too much to report. I have been keeping myself busy with snot galore! The girls had a cold that lasted 2 weeks and there is still residual snotty noses, but at least we were able to take them to church yesterday!
I saw WICKED! I went to see the play Wicked with a whole bunch of ladies from my ward. I really lucked out with the ticket (Candace moved to California just a few weeks before the play) and I got an amazing seat right in the center and got to sit next to my lovely friend Alli (Thanks again Candace!). I forgot my camera, but if you want to see a blog about it, click here...there is a picture of me demolishing a cheesecake with Alli.
I have also been working on Tori's baby book...I know...I am a little behind, but I am glad that I waited because Shutterfly now has a photo book where I can do the layout and add stickers and such. I have also been reading. I think I will add the Goodreads widgit to my blog and you can keep up with my reading.
I really need you all to vote on which name we are going to name our little girl (please see poll to the left)...I think that it will come down to either Sarah or Katelyn. Her middle name will be Amelia, no matter what, but I think it will take a nice good look at her beautiful face to actually know her name. It is kind of driving Jason crazy, because we pray for her saying just "baby"(all the other kids we used their names), but I just cannot commit this time. Next time I go to the doctors I will get pictures of the pretty girl again. I can't wait! As for the rest, we will let the pictures do the talking.

I love these pictures of Tori in her Sunday dress, barefoot and playing in the dirt! Ha ha ha! She loves to find herself some Roly-Poly bugs!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! We celebrated by having a Cafe Rio lunch. Both of my girls LOVE black beans. Tori also loves Horchata. Jason actually took the whole day off and we got a lot of stuff done around the house. (That was one of my Mother's Day presents...a day with my whole family that was not a busy Saturday...MUCH needed!)

Tori received two birthday packages. One from Auntie Marie and one from Auntie Lora. Marie bought her the amazing Rapunzel dress and Lora bought the Rapunzel doll and Prince Eric. Tori was not a fan of the dress until she got her doll and realized that it was the exact same one as her Rapunzel toy, and then she was in it for most of the day! She danced, napped, watched Tangled, and played with Rapunzel ALL day long. Rapunzel has barely left her side since. One flaw, Rapunzel has 17" of hair...which really means it is one tangled(pun intended) mess all of the time! YIKES! Oh and Ariel called and she was jealous that Prince Eric was getting kisses from Princess Victoria and Rapunzel!

Playing with playdough. Meet Tori's family of worms. Mom, Dad, Grandma Frann, Grandpa Lee, Baby in Mommy's tummy (that is what she calls the baby within), Adam and Tiffany.

Brooke and her pigtails. Her hair gets curlier every day! gotta love the food messes she makes. The nasty ones is prune puree! Do you see her holding hands with Prince Eric! And I especially love the ones of her checking out her jelly shoes like..."Mom, I know they are shoes, but I can see right through them".

Here are some pictures from yesterday in their cute Sunday dresses Do you see that Brooke is already wearing Tori's Christmas dress?! Tori wore this dress just 5 months ago (click here)...mind you it was a little short, but really?! The dress Tori is wearing is her Birthday dress from Grandma Frann. I LOVE it and she looks so dang cute in it. Please refer to the bottom left picture. You may be wondering what that is? It is Tori hiding in the glass section of a TV stand. Ha ha ha.

Colored Eggs, the Zoo and the Duck Pond

2011-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

This is part two of Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee's visit. Monday night for Family Home Evening we colored eggs. It was Tori's first time, so she was pretty excited. Grandpa Lee was the head honcho in this "doing" and helped Tori manage not to dye her whole body strange colors!

Tori thought that this was an amazing endeavor. Her favorite part was plopping the egg in the dye and then reaching in to see what color it turned. She did use the little wire scoop a few times.

Brooke was just a spectator in this event. I didn't want her to get all dyed, but she loved playing with the eggs after they were all done. After egg dying Tori decided to place each egg in the carton with two kisses and a big squeeze. I have the cutest video of her little kissing antics. It is adorable! I love her Elmo and Abby eggs too (I bought these egg dying kits last year when they were only $.75 and we still have one for next year!)

Playing outside with Grandpa Lee. The girls loved running around the backyard with Grandpa Lee. Check out our beautiful tree in bloom! And did you see that I got a picture of Tori and Brooke hugging?! Miracle!

One day we went to the Zoo with Grandma Frann and Grandpa Lee. I was really excited to see a wallaby mama with a joey in her pouch! (you can see his little face and his hind leg hanging out of the pouch...the joey is 8 months old and the mama still carries him around...she would have been booted a long time ago!) Anyway, the exhibit is really cool because you get to go right in the yard with the wallabies in the open. They just jump around! The bird is a kookabura. We saw it and Tori immediately said "Mom, it's a kookabura like the Wiggles!" TENDER! I love the pictures of Tori and Grandpa Lee. Brooke also found her shadow!

We saw a lot of fun animals. Tori and Grandma and Grandpa fed the goats. The little red panda woke up from his nap to give us a little smile. Tori LOVES the prairie dogs. The tigers came right up to the window where Tori was at and she was beyond excited. The Sloth Bear was really animated too and looked at the camera. We even saw a turtle.

Look at the funny giraffe eating the grass off the ground! Tori thought that was hilarious! Brooke thought it was pretty fun to roam around and look at all the animals while my mom and I chased after her. She moves so fast! Brooke's interest in the animals lasted about a second and then it was off to the next thing. Her favorites were the monkies and the African Crane. We even saw goslings...adorable!

The giraffe slide...need I say more?! Tori would have stayed here all day if we had let her! Grandpa Lee even took Brooke down two times and, as you can see by the pictures, she LOVED it! Luckily there weren't too many people on the slide, so Tori went down it at least a half a dozen times!

My FAVORITE picture. Tori is actually looking at the camera and smiling! Mind you the second after she was screaming at the top of her lungs to get off of the elephant, but in the split second I took the picture...perfection!

All good things must come to an end...my parents did have to go home (although I did want to keep them here for longer...my dad helped us with our garden and mowed our massive lawn). So on the way to the airport we stopped at the duck pond and fed the ducks, geese and swan. There weren't too many ducks there and most of the females were on their nests, but we tossed bread all the same. We even met up with a family of geese. They hissed us away, but their goslings were just too dang cute! I love the picture of my parents walking with Brooke in the trees. Well, until next time...we were glad you could BOTH come and visit us! Come again soon Grandma Frann and Grandpa Lee! We will see you in Oregon in a month!

An Easter Birthday! 3 Times Over!

2011-04-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

HaPpY 3rd BiRtHdAy MiSs ToRi BuG!

First of all...I cannot believe that my baby is 3 years old! :) To me she was just born yesterday! Here are some cute little things about Tori...I mean you probably already know all of these things, but just in case...

10 CUTE things about Tori:

1-She is not only fun to be around, but she is funny! She makes me laugh all the time because of her cute little antics and funny little phrases (my favorite is when she randomly says "Holla").

2-She loves all things Princess...which also now includes Tinkerbell.

3-She is a dancer...if I could, I would have uploaded a video of her dancing the cutest dance, but I have issues with that as you all know. She has to pick the CD (and put it in the CD player...and press the play button by herself) and when the music is on so is her pink dance skirt. Then she outfits Brooke in her rainbow skirt and they dance the morning away!

4- She can SING. This girl can really hold a tune! She is going to be a great little singer. She sings all the Primary songs that she has learned and she knows just about every Disney and Wiggles song ever invented.

5-She loves to dress up and transforms into everything from a princess to a cowgirl.

6-She always gives hugs at the best times...you know, when you are feeling down or when you least expect it!

7-She says the cutest little prayers! No one else in the family has given a prayer since December! She has to say every prayer. We thought that she would get tired of it, but she is still going strong!

8-She LOVES bugs! It is ridiculous...she almost ate a worm the other day because she wanted to be like Mr. & Mrs. Robin (the robins that live on the side of our house). Any day that it is in the least bit sunny you can see Tori hanging out in the dirt to find some Roly Poly bugs or on her stomach watching the ants.

9-She runs to the window every morning to wave good-bye to her daddy and knows the minute the garage opens and runs to the gate to greet him.

10-Last, but not least, the CUTEST thing about Tori is TORI! She is one beautiful girl. We still do not have a color for her eyes, so I guess we will just have to say that they are hazel. I think that her eyes are the first thing noticed by strangers and she gets many a compliment. She uses these eyes for good and for evil (mostly to get her own way). She is already a heart breaker... YIKES!

So if you already didn't see from our last blog (Spring!) my parents came to Meridian to celebrate Tori's birthday and Easter. Yep...Easter and Tori's birthday were on the same day. We decided to celebrate her birthday at Red Robin (probably one of Tori's favorite restaurants). As you can see she LOVED her Sundae. (Oh...and that picture of Brooke is of her playing Peek-a-Boo and it is too cute for words!). We thought that this would be a pretty fun way to celebrate before her Sunday Easter/Birthday celebration...little did we know that we had a surprise for us the next day.

Grandma & Grandpa Dinger came up! It was an amazing surprise! My parents and Jason's parents are besties. It was fun to see them talk and have fun together. I am really glad that Dennis and Gwen made the drive. So...Tori got to celebrate again at Olive Garden (another one of her favorite restaurants) which means another sundae! I love the Grandma sandwiches with Brookie and Tori in between. While we waited to be seated Tori made sure to kiss and hug every single tree. (That is definitely part of my Oregonian genes!)

The first night that the Dingers joined our crew we played Phase 10. This game lasted all weekend! Finally we set a time limit and Grandma Frann took us all down! Tori loved playing outside with everybody. Here they guys are playing a little "net less" badminton and a bit of keep away with Tori.

These are a little bit out of order, but that's alright...these are of the girls running like banshees in the backyard after the Easter egg hunt. We had to wear them out so they would take a good nap.

What a cute little family!

Tori finding all of her loot. She had a fun time searching for the eggs that Daddy and Grandpa Lee hid in the backyard. She found most of them, but we put all the M&Ms in a bowl so that they could share them in the end.

Brooke liked putting the eggs in the basket. She thought it was pretty funny that someone would hide eggs on the slide.

After the Easter Egg hunt we came back inside for some lunch and a movie. I tried to get a cute picture of Tori in her dress and this was the best that I could do. Tori loves to snuggle with Grandpa. I think Brooke is teething...she always has her finger in her mouth. and of course she has to get into mischief by climbing everything in sight...what a monkey!

After dinner (ham, peas, homemade rolls, and mashed potatoes) we celebrated Tori's 3rd birthday yet a 3rd time. This is the little cake she picked out. White with sprinkles. She liked opening all of her presents and cards (especially since all of her cards were sparkly). She got the Very Hungry Caterpillar stuffed animal and an art easel from Jason, Brookie and I. She got some little princess sandals, clothes and her favorite present...

a Tinkerbell outfit and Little Mermaid crown from Grandpa Lee & Grandma Frann. She was spoiled...but wait, she also got a card from Auntie Michelle and family. Yesterday we went to Target and she got the Tangled soundtrack and a little Tinkerbell toy. But there is still more to come from Auntie Lora & Auntie Marie. YIKES! Overall, she got a serious haul...but it won't be Easter on her birthday again until she is 82!

Spring!

2011-04-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

Hurray! It has been sunny lately! Last week we enjoyed a lot of fun outside...I will let the pictures explain.

One day I was feeling...well, pregnant. I HATE hormones! So Jason bought me some beautiful flowers. Mind you, this doesn't happen all that often and I was really surprised. Aren't they gorgeous?! They are still alive and the other 2 yellow lilies have bloomed.

The girls were silly in the bath tub one day and I took some photos. Bubbles make anyone giddy!

Do you see the sunshine?! I LOVE it! And that is really how green our lawn is...I didn't even tamper with the color! Little Miss Sunshine LOVED the sun and ran around our lawn like a banshie. We bought the girls that cute little princes tent at DI for $2. They love to hide inside it. Tori got the basketball hoop for her birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Dinger. Brooke tested it out and SCORED! Brooke also thinks that she can ride Tori's tricycle, she can almost reach the pedals, but just ends up getting herself caught and falling over.

And for the newest member of our family....A SWING SET! Y.E.S! I told Jason that with a new baby coming at the end of the summer I would need something outside that would help me be sane and keep the girls occupied, so we bought a new swing set with our tax money. As you can see it is loved by all! They both LOVE it! It is the perfect size. My dad and I (mostly my dad) put the monster together.

This is Brooke exploring it for the first time. CUTE! She can climb up the stairs and go down the slide all by herself! Look...and a sneak peak...Grandma Frann playing with Brooke. The next blog will be filled with their visit!

What else says spring than all of the flowers blooming in our front flower bed! My tulips are budding too! YIPEE! I took these pictures during a lull at our garage sale. We needed to make room in our house and I was in desperate need of some maternity tops, so we had a garage sale. I never knew that we would be so successful! It was a miracle, really. I had enough to buy some maternity clothes and we have extra to buy some things that we need (garden supplies and seeds) and some things that we want too! I know that God really is watching out for our family!
HaPpY SpRiNg!

Grandma & Grandpa Dinger (plus other bonus material!)

2011-04-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Grandma & Grandpa Dinger came to visit at the end of March and again the first week of April. On the first trip Auntie Joy accompanied them! Of course we did not get a picture. But there was a lot of fun to be had! Tori LOVES her Auntie Joy!

During the dry patches, we went outside and played on our patio. Brookie drove her little car, mowed the lawn and played on the slide. Everything is much more fun when Grandpa is there! She also loved to get big squeezes from Grandma.

This is our attempt at getting a picture of all 4 of them (mind you there are about 4 other shots not posted because I can never get all people in the picture to look at me at once! Tori loves to read a book, especially when someone else takes the time of day to read her 188 page Princess picture book! Good job Grandpa! Also there are 2 adorable pictures of Tori and Brooke. As you can see we are having some difficulty dressing Tori. She is wearing a 2T white shirt (which after this use became Brookie's), a 24 month sweater (which is a little short in the arms, but she LOVES it) and a 3T ruffle skirt (that almost falls off her hips)! She desperately needs new clothes, and she will be getting a whole bunch for her birthday in just a few day!

Here are the pictures of Tori exploring outside with Grandpa. Have I mentioned that this girl is totally into worms, bugs, beetles, etc.? It is hilarious. She loves to go out on our lawn and collect specimens and bring them all inside to play. YIKES. We then remind her that all bugs stay outside.

Every morning when Tori woke up she went to snuggle with Grandma on the couch! Well, the Dingers and Auntie Joy left on Tuesday and lo and behold, two nights later the Dingers were back to help us out with some much needed yard work. I promise to take some pictures of our success (pruning hedges, rose bushes, edging and mowing our lawn and rotatilling our garden). Our lawn looks so amazingly green and our spring flowers are blooming!

This is the way we watch Conference. Well, mind you this was the 2nd session on the 2nd day. We were worn out! The girls were surprisingly good and only got a little antsy towards the end of each of the two hours. Tori recognized the prophet and his counselors. It was pretty cute! I love snuggle time and Jason loves to be horse. (ok...well, maybe not all that much, but who could resist the riders?!)

Tori, Brooke, Grandpa and Daddy all went to the park after conference. Tori went down the slide by herself. Brooke loved exploring and running wild!
OK...I know, this collage is a little random, but I didn't want this blog to be longer than it already is! Please note that Brooke is wearing short sleeves outside! There was one day that it was warm enough that we needed to put sunblock on little miss Brooke. It was gorgeous and we were outside for 5 hours! AMAZING! Then the one in the left bottom corner is so cute of Tori and Brookie hanging out with Grandpa. Do you see those delicious and humongous cinnamon rolls?! They are a recipe that is the Food Network Magazines best bet on how the Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are made. I tried making them the first time and for some reason the dang flour didn't rise (I am guessing my yeast was bad), but I tried it again and TADAH...delicious cinnamon rolls. Mmmmm.

After the Dingers left, it was back to the regular ho hum of normalness. So to break it all up Tori and I planted some cherry tomato plants for our garden. She thought this was the coolest thing ever. I wasn't so sure if these little guys were ever going to bloom, but in our kitchen are six little cups of dirt with tomato starts in them! Awesome!

Brooke learned to say "Thank you" which sounds more like "Tank Q" but it is adorable. She says that every time she is given something or gives something to me. She also says "Yo elcome" for your welcome. These pictures are of her eating taco soup for lunch. She LOVES taco soup!
Brooke looked so cute in this dress that I had to get a photo session with her. But she was binky dependent, so with the binky it was. Look...I am in a photo! Too bad they are both blurry! It was mostly due to bad lighting. Can you see the stronghold that I had her in?! She barely stayed for both pictures. I cannot believe that she is already wearing this dress...click here to see Tori in it last March.

It's a...

2011-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

GIRL

I am really having a hard time with this one. I really want to be happy and excited that I am having another girl, but I guess that is what will happen every time we find out the sex... I am going to remember Spencer and remember that I once has a little boy and I never got to raise him. I still have all of his little clothes that have never been worn and that I will long to put on my little boy. I wish that I wasn't so sad and depressed, but I am. I am having a hard time. I wish that I could just be happy that she is healthy and has all of her parts. I know I will be eventually, and really I know I am somewhere down deep inside. I think that I should have just kept this one a secret, then I couldn't have been disappointed to hold a sweet new little baby girl in my arms. I think it will just take time....and I feel bad about that...I should be happy NOW...I guess I am sad that I am sad about it.
So as I go through a box of kleenex mourning for my little Spencer wishing that I had my sister, my mom, a cheeseburger & some really good chocolate, you can check out the cute little pictures of our little girl number 3. I hope that she looks like me! :) I didn't include the one that says she is a girl because it was a little too up close and personal (if you know what I mean!).

Well, here she is. She is measuring a little small, but like all of my babies, she will be small. You can see her little left hand at the bottom of the picture!

In this one you can just make out her right hand and her right leg.

There are a whole bunch of limbs in this picture...maybe you can figure it all out!

Here her little right hand is next to her little face. She kind of looks like Tori here.

This one is a little harder to see, but these are her feet.

I LOVE this picture. Isn't it so neat? You can see all of her little bones in both her left leg and arm! AMAZING...and I think that she is only the size of a banana. Truly a miracle.

More legs.
Well, I hope I didn't depress you. I really am happy inside somewhere. She will be cute little bean. And here is to hoping that I get myself a pinto bean!

Once there was no blogging,,,

2011-04-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

...and all were wondering why? Why would Kendra do such a thing? Why would she deprive us of the strange ramblings of her brain and cute pictures of her children. Well, I decided that we needed to paint the den, a project that I thought was going to take a week or so lasted 3 weeks. YIKES! But boy does our den look fabulous. Our den will soon become the computer/library/workout room/craft room/guest room! We are still in the process of transitioning things from room to room to make room for the little bean (which, by the way, we get to find out the sex next Monday at 10! Wehew!). So you think you may have seen really long blogs, but this one may blow them all out of the water! :) I am in the process of uploading a video (cross your fingers that it works) and I think there are 10 collages (this is not counting a future blog of all of the pictures taken during Grandma and Grandpa Dinger's visit...they already have 5 collages!) But you know...if you don't want to read my gab then just look at the pictures and see how my cute girls keep on growing like weeds!

Meet Princess Victoria. Tori is really into dressing up and I finally got some pictures of her in her cute little princess outfit that includes the pink skirt, pink tiara and pink puff high heels. I told her to pose like a princess (the top left picture) and she posed just like her little plastic Belle with her hands clasped together. She also loves to dance in her pink skirt because it makes a really big flare. She is sooo adorable.

Brookie is talking like a mad woman. For the past 3 weeks I have written all of the words and phrases that she knows. Here it is: done, boo, wee, yeah, yay, no, go, Aurora, mommy, mama, daddy, dada, amen, beep, moo, Dora, E-I-E-I-O, meow, baby, wa-wa-wa (pretend crying), poporn (popcorn), in, pull, bow wow, down, rea (read), book, kiki (kitty), bye-bye, hi, whoa, oh-no, "my baby" (I say this phrase all the time to her when she snuggles with me), "I lu you" (I love you), ou-sy (outside), ball, book, tain-q (thank you), "I know you" (which is Aurora's theme song and she also sings all of the middle when Aurora just sings ah, ah, ah, ahs...it is quite adorable and she sings it all day long and anytime she holds a princess) and she also sings the wheels on the bus. Can you believe that?! She is just going to be 17 months! As for the pictures, she likes to be a monkey and I found her one day trying to climb on our kitchen counters. She thought she was pretty cool. And of course, her favorite book is Jesus the Christ (which I finally finished!). She would sit on the couch and pa-rouse the pages every morning. So I had to snap some shots.

I have mentioned before that my girls love to listen to music and dance, well, Tori was really into the Wiggles CD Top of the Tots which included the song "Cow Boys and Cow Girls". She has seen the video and learned the dance that went along with it, so every time the song comes on she gets out her hat and does the boot scoot. It is adorable. As you can tell by the change of outfits, we listen to this CD almost every day.

Who doesn't want to see Brookie eat spaghetti?!

Some silly pictures of Miss Tori.

These are some of Tori's paintings from the many rainy days we played inside. The bigger one that is brown and orange is a lion.

One of Brooke's favorite pass times is to talk on the phone. I love that she speaks with the phone behind her head!

Tori gets more independent every day. Some of her new feats, brushing her teeth by herself and using the bathroom by herself (meaning that she screams "STAY" and charges to the bathroom and closes the door and goes all by herself). She still needs help with a few things like finding the front of her undies, but she is getting better (if we could just get the pee in the toilet and not on the floor, rugs, shirts and socks!). She also likes to brush her teeth all by herself...more like she likes to eat the toothpaste, drink water from her toothbrush and spit in the sink. Ha ha ha. (I didn't think that it would be appropriate to take photos of toilet time...YIKES!). Is she not so cute when she lets me do her hair!?

Well, as you can see, uploading the videos did not work. BUT luckily I got a few pictures of Brooke at the duck pond! Isn't the swan beautiful. The girls LOVE to visit the duck pond. I am tired...so this all you get for now. But I am sure that this will last you a few days. :)

Rainbows & Other Rainy Day Things

2011-03-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Tori LOVES rainbows and one day we came home from Walmart to find a rainbow in our front yard. Tori was extremely excited and asked me to take a picture of it! There has been a lot of rain lately which means that Spring is on the way right?! I wouldn't know, because it has been snowing all day here! Could it PLEASE stop? OK...I am trying not to complain.

The rainbow!

Here are some funny pictures of Tori last week. I love the picture of her asleep on the LuvSac. This is a rare occurrence lately (meaning a nap) and I was so tired one day I told Tori that she could have her Binky (which she only gets when she sleeps) if she came and cuddled with me on the LuvSac. Well, it worked like a charm. We both fell asleep and this is what she looked like after my nap. Please note that she is sleeping with ALL of her My Little Ponies. Some are under her rear...don't ask me how that is comfortable!
The two of her in the crib are great representations of her jumping habits. Every day when Brooke wakes up from her nap Tori asks to jump in the crib. This time she asked me to get the camera!
Do you not love the picture of Tori holding Bambi (the movie and stuffed animal) totally zonked in the car?! Classic! We went to Toys R Us to pick up a swing set (hurray for tax returns) and Bambi Movie which came with a free stuffed Bambi. After some Cafe Rio...she was out for the count!

The 3 picture of Brooke in the striped shirt are of her dancing. She loves to wiggle to the Wiggles. She also likes to steal her sister's sippy cups! The other two are just random pics that I took during the week. Brooke learned how to do some of the motions to the Wheels on the Bus. My favorite are the baby and the mama on the bus! I have been trying out different ways to put up her hair. It has a mind of its own if we don't do anything as seen in the picture in the upper left corner.

Brooke is learning to feed herself too! This is eating taco insides (she doesn't like the shell) and Nacho Cheese Doritos! Look at those hands...and we have a carpeted dining area...I still have no idea why they put carpeting in a dining area (or in our bathroom for that matter).

Getting Bigger: Climbing and Cuteness

2011-02-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

Another week, more pictures. This last week...nothing too exciting! I am now in my 2nd trimester. Yipee...here is to 14 weeks. I can't wait until I am out of the fat phase and actually look a little pregnant and not just bloated! I can feel the little bean a little bit every once in a while. That is kind of fun...the little bean freaks out a little when I sneeze...maybe because I sneeze at least 7 times in a row. Ha!

I am not the only one who is getting bigger! Brooke is learning a whole lot of new tricks lately. She can now climb on chairs, the Luv Sac, our fireplace (which gives me a heart attack every time I catch her up there!) and onto the couch. YIKES...we now have a little monkey, now she just needs to learn how to get off of these new surfaces, so I don't freak out when she manages to climb up on them! She is also still on the blabbering stint. Her words so far. Yea, Yeah, Yes, No, Go, Aurora (which is the name of all princesses), E-I-E-I-O (which goes along with "Old MacDonald), Mama, Dada, and she mimics just about everything else. She is a little parrot. She holds full on conversations with herself, with us and any person who will listen!

Some cute pictures of the munchkins and suckers! Tori likes to play Peek-A-Boo with Brooke while she is in her highchair. It is really funny and I got it on video...maybe one day I will upload it!

Here is Brooke's step by step demonstration of getting on a chair. Then she goes and stands on it! YIKES...can you say heart palpitations! She is having a blast though...do you see that smile?! Oh and the last pictures she is whipping up a little soup. My favorite is that she will take the spoon out and slurp off of it!

As for more cuteness...here she is...Tori is a lot of fun. She is so funny and loves to get into all kinds of mischief. The top left picture is of Tori giving herself a spit bath! Lovely. The bottom middle is Tori teaching Brooke how to climb on the fireplace. I love the "What...am I doing something wrong?" look. The bottom left is Tori trying to be taller than her dad. She gets up there and freezes. She is not so much a fan of heights. We brought the Luv Sac into the Living Room again for a little bit. Tori LOVES to cuddle and watch shows on it. Her favorites right now are the "Little Einsteins". She also seems to be growing out of afternoon naps...NOOOOOoooo! Anyway, until next week!

Ducks, A Doctor's Visit, Dum Dums, Dressing Up & Daddy

2011-02-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

I was tired of being in this house! YIKES! Our weather has totally been crazy lately. We had this fun storm a few days ago that in a matter of 10 minutes we had so much hail that it covered the ground and it came complete with thunder and lightning. Tori thought the hail looked like white chocolate chips...I thought they looked like big diipin' dots. The next minute it was sunny and all of the hail had melted. Then it started snowing! There have been 3 nights (including yesterday) where the snow covered the ground in the morning, but by afternoon most of it melted!

We had to get out...and in a heat wave of 48* we went out to feed the ducks. Tori was beyond excited and it was fun to see Brooke with the ducks. She wasn't very old the last time that we went, and didn't really care all that much, but this time she was totally into it! We brought tons of bread and we were there for a good 30 minutes.

Brooke liked to chase the ducks...the poor things thought she had food, but every time I gave her food to give to the ducks she would eat it and then run after them! He he he! tori likes to get up close and personal with the Canada Geese. But she also chased the ducks around too. This time I let her hold her own bag of bread. She thought she was pretty cool. she really wanted the swans to come out and play, but they were just too comfortable in that water.

Of course, there always has to be one goose that is a nuisance. The goose that faced off with both Tori and Brooke (pictured above with Tori) bit Brooke 3 times. Mind you, she had layers of clothes to actually feel the bite, but she even got goosed in the butt! Ha ha ha! Tori was very sad that we had to leave, but I think that we will be visiting the ducks a lot in hopes to see some ducklings in the future!

Brookie had a doctor's visit to weigh in and such. She is 32 1/2 inches tall (90th percentile) and 22 lbs, 11oz (50th percentile). So in other words she is a skinny giant. But the cutest giant I know! Of course we had to get Dum Dums at the doctor's office. That is how I bribe Tori to get back in the car! These pictures are a little blurry. If I take pictures with the flash I wash my poor Brookie out, but without the flash every little movement makes for some blur...oh well, she is dang cute with blue all over her lips!

Dressing up! Definitely couture! tori LOVES to play dress up and one day I took out the camera. She is a princess in all of these pictures (I was informed) and princesses sing, and dance. Tori is adorable!

CUTEST pictures ever! I LOVE my family!

Funky Hair and Family Rock Band

2011-02-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

HaPpY VAleNtinEs DaY!

Brookie's hair is getting longer. You can't tell by just looking at it because it is so dang curly, but I decided to try out pigtails and it worked! So CUTE! Look at those curly q's! You may be thinking, why did Kendra pick the picture with Brooke carrying the kitchen sink? Well, I just think that it is a little hilarious that Brooke carries around the kitchen sink like it is a purse. She puts everything into the kitchen sink and totes it around the house.

Meet the Dinger Family Rock Band aka The Ringers! When Tori was little she loved to dance to Rock Band and Jason and I played it all of the time. Well, we pulled it out one night to introduce the newest member of the band to the group. Brooke thought it was a little strange at first, but then got into the music and got her groove on! Tori was so excited because she graduated to a BIG guitar. I think that we will have to get her one of those card board ones. We also let her beat on the drums while Jason and I grooved on the guitars. You can tell by the pictures she is a true ROCKER!

Brooke definitely liked the drums the best. She hopped on the chair and struck up a beat. She also played a few tunes on the Backyardigans guitar, but I think her favorite was dancing. As for our peanut gallery: Cami was comfortable. All in all The Ringers had a good run that night. I think that we will pull it out again soon!

Baby Ryah Comes to Visit (Oh, Adam & Tiffany Too)

2011-02-08T15:10:00.001-08:00

Ryah Tate Dunn and her first visit to Meridian. She is 4 months old now and way bigger than we saw her in October! She even has blond hair...and I am sure those eyes are going to stay blue. She is dang CUTE and a very chill little baby. We had several photo sessions, and I think I took about 60 pictures of her...and I got one of Tiffany and one of Adam...they both were not looking at the camera! Ha ha ha!
Ryah and I had several talks about the bean within. I told her to tell me if it is just another best friend or if it is her soul mate. If I am carrying a little boy bean, I promised her that we would finalize a contract of future nuptials within minutes of his arrival! Who wouldn't want to be a part of a Dunn Dinger family?!

Adam & Tiffany came to visit us for a long weekend! We were so excited there are not even words to describe! We played games galore, talked an absurd amount and stayed up way to late! Did I get one picture to document our fun. NOPE. Oh well. We also stuffed ourselves with various scrumptious delights. It was pure HEAVEN in a 5 day period. We played Pandemic (a board game) at least a 1/2 a dozen times trying to beat the dang game. Finally after manipulating roles, we finally won. But I am still wondering if it can be done without manipulation.

Baby Ryah was definitely a hit on this trip (well, with at least 3 of the 4 Dingers... Brooke just wanted to steal her binky and poke her. She wasn't all that interested) and Tori LOVED baby Ryah. It was adorable! Tori was all over her. She would say, "Oh, Baby Ryah is so CUTE!" every time she entered the room. Of course this adoration did not at all mask the fact that her favorite human (ADAM) came for a visit. She was stuck to him like glue. Tori loves Adam and Tiffany a lot! When they left, there were crocodile tears.

I think that Ryah loves her mommy. I LOVE this picture! (oh and this is the only picture that I got of Tiff, or at least her head).

Of course one of our food ventures was Community Oven Pizza. YUMMY! After stuffing our face with pizza, the girls played outside with Daddy and Adam. I love that big picture of Tori, but it is blurry. Oh, and there is our little tree hugger.

Jason and Adam played their fair share of "Bad Guys" aka Lego Star Wars. So they brought out our gaming chairs. The girls loved them, especially Brooke. Here are some cute pictures of the little munchkin. I think that we are going to have to retire this dress soon, because it is getting close to being more of a shirt! Ha ha ha! Look at those curls!

We of course ventured outside for a few minutes with Daddy. Brooke explored in the grass and Tori found lots of rocks to join her rock family on the side of the house.
I didn't get any pictures of our Super Game Bowl Day. We really aren't that interested in the Super Bowl, so we just made all of the snack foods and played our version of the Super Bowl...Pandemic, Boggle and Blockus. FUN!
All amazing things must come to an end, and the Dunns had to go back home. Noooooooooo! Well, hopefully we will be traveling down there to see them again. WE MISS YOU ALREADY!

These pictures were taken today. Tori actually allowed Brooke in the laundry basket with her. Tori is slowly allowing Brooke to play with her more and more. It is so fun. Tori loves to pretend talk to Brooke. It is quite a hilarious conversation. Brooke news: she has all 4 molars coming in at the same time. YIKES. She isn't too cranky about it, but it sure looks like it would hurt. Glad I don't remember that stuff. Once again...how am I making a blog at 4 in the afternoon. The girls are happily playing together! AMAZING!

Finally February!

2011-02-03T15:22:00.001-08:00

I am not such a fan of January! It is the LONGEST and WORST month of the year. It is always COLD and MISERABLE! (These pictures were all taken in January...so the only good thing in January: 2 of the cutest kids ever!)
So HURRAY for FEBRUARY! Glad January is another year away!

Playing with Daddy! I LOVE the big picture of the Brookie Monster! You can see all of her dimples. If you look really close, her hair is out of the pigtails that she was in during the day and she has scrazy "Beast" hair (meaning they look like horns!). Brooke just gets cuter and cuter everyday. She talks (babbles) like a maniac. She is always talking to someone or something and tries to parrot what you say!

Tori LOVES being in boxes. We have a diaper box that remains folded on the side of the couch waiting for her adventures. She likes to hide in it, pretend that it is a castle, read, play with her dolls and, of course, color! She refused to get out of her dress on Sunday. She even napped in the thing! She is obsessed with everything Disney Princess. Knows all of the princesses by name and can sing all of their songs. It is quite adorable!

I couldn't take it anymore! The sun (although it is too far away) was beckoning me to go outside, so I put the girls in multiple coats and we went to play outside in the 30* weather. Mind you, we only lasted 30 minutes, but it was worth getting out of the house! Brooke LOVED the ball and the swing. She also tried out the slide and liked that too, but was to swift to get a picture.

Tori was all smiles and I even let her swing, even though clearly she is too big! She even gave her tricycle a try...she still gets really frustrated with it. She will learn! A little into the cold, she demanded that she wear my hat because she was so cold!

Family Home Evening. While the kids eat their FHE treat, we had a lesson on the Iron Rod. It was fun. Tori sang "I am a Child of God" (she knows 2 verses...her Nursery teacher says that she is the only one that sings and knows all of the words to every song...she really can hold a tune!) and then we read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". This is one of Tori's all time favorite books...this is actually our second copy because the first copy got mangled after a year and a half of use. I LOVE the pictures of Jason reading to the girls!
How am I making a blog at 4 in the afternoon you may ask? the girls actually play by themselves sometimes! Oh, and I also just put in "The Little Mermaid". DISNEY, I LOVE YOU!

January in Oregon

2011-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

***WARNING*** This blog may contain an abundant amount of pictures...should I have made 2 blogs...probably, but I just don't have the time! In fact, my sister already did a blog about the funeral and edited all of the pictures for it, so if you want to see her blog click here. I will journal a little about the funeral a bit, but you can get the full scoop from Lora's blog. She is an amazing writer.
The reason that we went to Oregon in January was for Seth's funeral. There were about 400 pictures to sift through and edit from 3 different cameras, so that is why it has taken me so long! Anyway, it was a bitter sweet reunion. It was amazing to see how many people have been touched by Seth's life and it was overwhelming (in an great way) to feel all of the support of our family and friends. We saw family that we had not seen for a long time. the night before Seth's funeral we spent with our Aunt Rosie (aka Kosie) and her two daughters, our favorite cousins: Kristy and Katy. When we get together it is a lot of laughter and rambunctiousness aka FUN! It was WONDERFUL! We also had some scrumptious pizza too! (We basically ate out once a day in Oregon! No wonder I gained so much weight! YIKES!) 3 "F" words to sum our trip FOOD, FAMILY & FRIENDS!

Our best friends came all the way from Utah to come and give their support and keep us company. It was great to be with them to. We always have a good time. Well, as for the funeral, it went well and the spirit was so strong. After Lora and I made all of the flower arrangements for the funeral and visiting with relatives, we finally put the finishing touches on the Eulogy. Lora is my editor and she sure can make things sound great! It took me a few minutes to compose myself at the beginning, but I made it through!

Most of the time we were at home we hung out at the house entertaining friends and relatives. It was good to be with them. Brooke, of course, loved all of the attention! She was all smiles!

We allowed Brooke to participate in the overindulgence of food delights. She had all kinds of treats, including an oreo and her first black licorice!

Livy and Tori were best friends almost the whole time we were there. A LARGE improvement from our summer vacation! They watched every Princess movie, played games with each other, jumped on various surfaces, ran around the house playing tag, and filled Grandma Frann and Grandpa Lee's hug-o-meter to the brim! Livy was a great little babysitter too! She loves baby Brookie! There was a lot of snuggling to be had all around!

Grandma Frann bought all of the girls the cutest little matching outfit. Everyone "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed when we went out. We took some pictures at the temple. Here is little Miss Brookie's photo shoot. These were taken with my camera. Is she not the CUTEST?

Here is a montage of everyone. Of course, Lora was not in one picture...I didn't even notice until it was too late. These were also taken with my camera. We tried to get a picture of all of the girls together in their little outfits, but no such luck. We got some good pics though!

Here is Tori's photo shoot. she loves Grandpa Lee and never really left his side at the temple. I know that the bottom picture is a little weird, but if you blow up the picture you can really see the rainbow of color in Tori's eyes. It is awesome!

The rest of the pictures were taken by Lora. She even got a half way decent one of me. Ok, there were a 1/2 a dozen, but I didn't want to include all of them...I mean, I am not that conceited!

Isn't Livy ADORABLE?! After the temple we took the kids to lunch at Olive Garden. My parents had a whole bunch of gift certificates and free kids meals, that the meal only ended up being $8.10! Lora tried her hardest to get Tori to smile...but we ended up with a whole bunch of fun action pictures. I love the picture of my dad reading to the girls while they jumped on their bed. They both shared a queen air mattress in Seth's old room. It will soon be turned into a kids play room.

These pictures are GREAT! I really hope that Tori and Livy become really good friends! I LOVE the picture of the girls behind the bench...only their pink shoes showing!
Well it was great to be with my mom and dad. It was sad to leave them, because I know that they will need a lot of support. I am so glad that I can leave them because they have a great support group there with so many friends to love them while I am away. We miss you Grandma Frann and Grandpa Lee!

Navy Bean or Pinto Bean?

2011-01-25T08:33:00.001-08:00

Introducing our 9 week old bean. I have already had 3 Navy beans so I really hope this one is a Pinto, considering that it is 1/4 Mexican and all, and since I have had 3 all white, shouldn't this one be brown (isn't that the odds?). And we are not going to lie, we want a BOY! If it is a girl, she will be welcomed and she already has a name. The boy name, well, it is a secret and will be revealed at a later date.
As for me, I am not sick at all! Unlike both of the girls' pregnancies, I was sick all 3 trimesters! With Spencer, I was sick the 2nd and 3rd. So we will see. I am hoping for NO sickness! I am a little tired and have all the regular aches and pains, but I cannot complain!
We found out that we were prego Christmas Eve and told close family and friends Christmas Day. The little bean will come in late August...no date yet, because I have C-sections...the due date is August 30, but I will definitely have the little bean a week early (August 23rd)... more details to come!

Little bean picture #1: That is the head and the back, and I think you can see a little of the arm buds too.

Little bean picture #2: Profile! We got to see and hear the little heart beat. It is truly amazing that a little bean the size of a grape can have a beating heart!

Happy Birthday Spencer

2011-01-24T07:12:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

High Heel, Castles, Popsicles and Snuggling

2011-01-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Well, the Dingers came to visit us for Jason's Birthday and New Years. Apparently we only got one picture of them while they were here. We were still struggling with the stomach flu, so I guess I wasn't so picture crazy! Tori's stomach flu wasn't really all that bad, it just made her extra cuddly. Do you LOVE the pictures of them all on the couch with their hands behind their head?! Tori is hilarious and always keeps her hands behind her head when she is watching TV. Thanks for the high heels Auntie Michelle. She loves to march around in them and I love the picture of her playing with her castle in her heels! Tori was obsessed with Grandma's book...so I had to catch a picture of her reading it. The small picture in the upper right side is of Tori stuck in her toy stroller. She sat in it and did up the seat belt then proceeded to run around the living room with it stuck to her butt and screaming, "I stuck, I stuck!" It was hilarious!

Brooke had her first popsicle while she had the stomach flu. She was sick for a whole week! YIKES! She loved the popsicle though and the two pictures of her in the green shirt are of her dancing and singing in her high chair. And the bottom left is of her on Sunday with Grandma's scarf on. What a CUTIE!

I love that when my munchkins are sick they get really cuddly. We basically stayed home and just let the stomach flu crash through our family. I was glad that mine only lasted a day! Alas when we thought we were finished for a while, Tori got croup. It is a really nasty cough and she lost her voice. The worst is at night and we had 2 really horrible nights, but last night she slept through the night and she is on the mend. I think I am done with sickness for a bit! We are praying that Brooke doesn't get it before we go to Oregon.

Which brings me to some sad news. My brother Seth passed away last Friday night. Both of my parents were with him and he passed peacefully, but he still went so fast. It was definitely shocking. I will really miss him. It just won't be the same without him. I am certainly glad that I have the gospel of Jesus Christ to help me through this hard time. I am also extremely grateful for loving friends and family who are praying for us. Thank you! It will be a tough transition for my parents, so please continue to pray for them. His Memorial service will be on Saturday, January 15th, at 11am at the Garden Home Building in Portland, OR. Click on the link and it will pull up a map on how to get there. He has touched so many lives and we would love for you to attend if you are near. Thank you again for all of your love and support!

Merry Christmas...& A Happy (Healthy) New Year!

2010-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Are you all ready for this?! I will let the pictures do the talking! (There are 9 collages...good luck with that!)

We were lucky enough to fly to Salt Lake for Christmas this year. After our Thanksgiving snow I was unsure that we would have made it to Utah without a flight. Jason only got Christmas Eve off, so that also posed the problem of leaving at night...so we were blessed to fly! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Dinger! We arrived on the morning of Christmas Eve...after a little last minute shopping and some Rubio Fish Tacos for me and Chick Fil'A for Jason, we cozied on up in the house and let the festivities begin! Brooke enjoyed her first Grandma Frann's Famous Gingerbread Boy...and she LOVED it. She munched on them for 2 days! We played with funny hats and we danced to a little "Down on the Bayou" from Princess and the Frog, Brooke's new favorite song!

Tori was excited to bring her lollipop hat that I got her for $.99 at Seagull Book. This Christmas was so fun with Tori because she knew that Santa was coming. She also knew that we were going to fly on a plane to go see Grandpa & Grandma Dinger, Auntie Joy and Auntie Marie! We counted down daily and she was so EXCITED to get on that plane even though she had to wake up at 5:30 AM!
I was really worried what she would do with all of the presents under the tree, but she was so good. All she did was tote around a few presents with kitty and puppy wrapping paper, but she never opened them. Auntie Marie brought these cute wall decals of a snowman and a gingerbread boy that Tori could decorate. She really liked that too.

Tori & Brooke got to open 1 Christmas present on Christmas Eve, and they just happened to be Christmas PJs! Tori opened both presents (Brooke was not at all interested...she was busy trying to pull the snowflakes off the Christmas tree!). When Tori opened the present she said, "Pajamas, oh." Ha ha ha! She wasn't all that excited, but they sure looked cute on them both! Tori was really excited to leave Santa some cookies, but she pre-licked his candy cane and took out the raisin eyes from the gingerbread man (she doesn't like the raisins)!
That Rudolph nose...that picture is SO hilarious!

Tori's first Graham Cracker House decorating! Tori was crazy about all of the frosting and sprinkles! I helped Tori design the house and she doused it with sprinkles and M&Ms. Gwen's was the train, Marie's was the ode to the Red White and Blue, Jason's was the Nativity (complete with a gummy bear baby Jesus), Joy went for the classic Victorian beauty and Tori's was Sprinkle Haven. Tori even licked it...it was hilarious!
We tucked the girls in and awaited Christmas Day...

Tori was really excited to see that Santa had eaten her cookies and left a note saying that they were delicious. After Tori's breakfast of chocolate milk and a gingerbread boy, we went to the living room and the tree was overflowing with presents. Tori immediately saw Lady & the Tramp (from my mom) and was excited about those that she would not look at the camera. Brooke was still a bit oblivious! Our attempt at a family picture...kind of successful. Tori had a grand old time opening all of her presents and boy, was she spoiled! I only got a few pictures of them opening presents (sorry if your gift is not pictured)! We had to stop half way through the unwrapping of gifts to rejuvenate. All that unwrapping made us so dang hungry! Ha ha ha! Thanks for all the AMAZING gifts!

After some rest and showers, we tried taking another family picture. Here are the results! I love the blank stares from the girls and the fact that they would not sit in our laps without something in their hands (Tori's new Chihuahua that barks and walk...his name is Chip, and Brooke had to have a bow or she would not st still!). I love the evolution so I thought I would share!

Tori's big present from Grandma & Grandpa Dinger: a red tricycle! Auntie Joy bought her a princess basket for the front and it was perfect for Chip to ride in! I did get video of her first ride, and she was so cute. She said, "I did it! I did it!" when she would move a few inches! ADORABLE!

Christmas night we braved the cold and went to visit the lights on Temple Square! Oh it is always so beautiful. Tori was miserable at first, but when she saw the light she got excited and exclaimed (at the top of her lungs) "BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE MOM!" Then she noticed the lights and said, "Wow!" We wrapped Brooke all up, but she was still not into it, so Jason resorted to carrying her around with a leopard print snuggie wrapped around him! Ha ha ha! I was sad that the Visitor's Center was closed, but Tori was really excited to see the Christus through the window and said, "Look Mom! It is BIG Jesus." (We had just seen baby Jesus in the little pageant that they have on the lawn.) We did get a family picture of all of us, but that was on Marie's camera. I didn't want to give the guy taking our picture 2 cameras. It is almost like the one from Tori's first Christmas with Brooke super imposed (here)! Ha ha ha!

Sunday, we took a family picture after church. Auntie Joy can always get my girls to smile! We went for a Black, White and Red theme. (Dennis didn't get the memo, but hey, he still looks good!) The dresses are from my mom! Thanks Grandma Frann...I wanted black because then they can wear them for longer, not just on Christmas! We had a marvelous Christmas!
Our worst Christmas present: the stomach flu, which hit us on the way to the airport (Brooke puked all over her car seat 5 minutes from the airport!). Miraculously, there was no puking on the plane! Of course we all had to share it though, so 2 days later Jason and I got it! YUCK! I hate the stomach flu...even though it only usually lasts 24 hours! Hidden blessing, I lost 3 pounds over the holidays! Ha ha ha! Tori is the last one to get it (just when I thought we were all free and clear!), but it makes me happy that we are usually healthy! So here is to a...

HAPPY (HEALTHY) NEW YEAR!

December Happenings

2010-12-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that December is already on the way out! December is always the busiest month. Of course it is also my absolute favorite too! We have been to parties, celebrated our 6th anniversary, made goodies to share with friends and then delivered all of these goodies to all of our friends. I am still making all sorts of creations for Christmas presents too during all of my free time...I promise that I will have a blog about all of the things that I made after Christmas.
Just to keep everyone posted on Seth, it was confirmed that he does have cancer and it is terminal. He has about 6 months or so according to his oncologist. He is now on Hospice and they will make sure that he has all of the things that he needs and make sure that my parents are taken care of. They even have a music therapist that will come in to help with Seth!
I cried big time when I found out the news, but I was really glad that Jason was working from home that day to have a shoulder to cry on and that I was able to talk with my sister who brought everything into perspective. It will be sad to see him go, but he has definitely fulfilled his mission here. I am excited that Seth will finally be able to go back to his heavenly home and he can meet Spencer. I am sure that Spencer will be waiting for him! Seth will be able to speak and do those things that he needs to do to prepare for things to come. He has taught me so much and he brought me to my career as a Special Educator. It is time for him to go back home though...he has another mission to fulfil there. I really wanted to be home with my family in Oregon for Christmas, but it just is not feasible, especially since we were just there for Thanksgiving. So life just goes on and we wait. Sorry this is kind of depressing, but this is my journal and you are reading it, the good and the bad. This is all part of God's plan, the good and the bad! Thank you for all of your prayers.
On to the brighter side:

How can Tori not make you smile?! We have been trying to be creative with playing inside since it is freezing here. One of Tori's favorites is jumping in the crib with Brooke & their whole menagerie of stuffed animals. I literally dump all of their stuffed animals in the crib and they have a grand old time jumping around and playing with all of their animal buddies. We do this almost everyday when Brooke wakes up from her 2nd nap.
Tori gets smarter and smarter every day. She is so fun and so bright. I LOVE her! Lately she is in to the princesses. We have watched Cinderella, Beauty & the Beast, The Princess and the Frog and Snow White in the last week. It is nice to get a break from Elmo and the Wiggles. But she has also watched A Wiggly Wiggly Christmas about a million times too (we checked it out from the Library!) She loves to dance to and listen to Christmas music. We bought them both a CD of Christmas music...it is kind of annoying (and I really wonder what sane adults actually went into the studio to produce this kind of music, because you can tell that it is adults singing like children!) but they both love it!
When we went out to deliver goodies I asked if she wanted to put on mittens and a hat, and she willingly consented! So there is the photographic proof of her willingness (please note that she is saying cheese in both of the said pictures above). She wore them the whole time we were out (almost 2 hours!).

As for little miss sunshine. The pictures say a thousand words. She is happy most of the time (unless she is bitten by the cat, Tori takes something away from her, or food is not immediately given to her upon her request) and is getting steadier and steadier on her feet. We finally used Auntie Michelle's birthday money to get her her first doll. It is really cute and makes these baby noises and it also plays a lullaby if you push the chest. I didn't think that Brooke would get that, especially since the toy is for an 18 month old (all the other dolls were scary looking to me!), but after a few practices, sure enough, she got it! Thanks Auntie Michelle! And who can resist an Oreo?! The messy face is of Brooke eating her first Oreo...mind you it was a mini Oreo and it made that much of a mess! Could you just die over that picture on the bottom right?! She is so dang cute!

More fun times. The top left is of Tori taking down Brooke in the crib and giving her a kiss. The bottom right is of Tori going in for a kiss...Brooke's face...CLASSIC! I love the bath picture too...I got some more, but this one is the only rated G picture, so to save them from embarrassment in the future you get just one. But can you see the skin tone differences between the two?

Tori putting on the first Christmas ornament (please note that Tori is wearing a tutu for the occasion!). She LOVES the Christmas tree. We quite frequently play in the "Tree" room which used to be our den, but has become Christmas Central. We have an ornament that plays Feliz Navidad when you press a button and boy can Tori jig to that song! It is so fun! We did get it on video, but it is hard to upload videos and I have no patience!

And to end it...how about pictures in our Christmas duds. I bought Tori this dress because I couldn't resist, it is Christmas"ie", but she will be wearing it until it doesn't fit anymore. Brooke's is definitely a Christmas frufru dress inherited from Livy. She was so fruffy that we could barely get her seat belt done up! Brooke is also showing off one of her new skills...pointing. She points (and pokes) at everything with her pointer finger and she makes a funny little growly noise when she does it sometimes...it is hilarious! Please note that Jason is wearing the Elmo tie that you gave him Dad! Tori LOVED it and it matched our black, red and white theme. You will get to see their second Christmas dress in my next posting. My mom bought Brooke, Tori and Livy all matching black sweater dresses with red tights! They are soooo cute! Just think, Brooke will get to wear all 3 of the dresses! Ha ha ha! I love it!
Well, tata for now. The next post won't be until after Christmas...be prepared, I am sure there will be about a MILLION pictures! We are "flying on a plane, a BIG one" (quoted from Tori who reminds me every day) to Utah for Christmas. We are excited! YIPPEE! 4 more days!

Being thankful especially during the hard times

2010-12-09T13:53:00.001-08:00

Note: this one is LONG!!!
Tis the season for homemade gifts!
One day Tori and I were hanging out and we went to the front doorstep and to our surprise we discovered anonymously given chocolate covered caramel pretzels! Yummy! We had just made these goodies (chocolate pretzels, chocolate covered caramel apples and sweet popcorn) the Wednesday before at our YW activity and I gave a quick lesson on traditions. I was all nostalgic about making delicious goodies with my mom, her friend Gwen, and Lora each December when I was young. My mom would let us skip school for a day and we would make delicious goodies to give away. We would make chocolate covered pretzels, all sorts of Christmas chocolate molds, chocolate covered orange slices, peanut butter cups, rocky road, truffles of all sorts, peppermint bark, birds nests (crunchy rice noodles, peanuts and raisins), chocolate covered nuts, mounds & almond joys, and other such divine delights. Then we would combine this with my mother's famous gingerbread boys and sometimes even sugar cookies and give them to all of our friends for Christmas. Man, those were the days!

Anyways, to make a long story short, we are grateful for friends who make us chocolate covered pretzels. I am grateful for family traditions that I cannot wait to start with Brooke and Tori! This was Tori's first chocolate covered pretzel. I think she LOVED it...it was gone in a matter of minutes. Oh, and don't worry, we saved one for Jason!
Tori was very grateful for our first snow that we received a few days before Thanksgiving. I cannot believe that the snow is starting already. I have mixed feelings for snow. I love the white, but I dislike driving in it and the fact that I can only wish that I was on a mountain skiing! We need to go purchase some new boots so that Tori can go play outside! I cannot wait to make a snowman with her!
This year we were thankful that my parents brought us home to celebrate Thanksgiving! Yippee! We had not seen them since April! Tori and Brooke loved playing with Grandpa Lee, Grandma Frann and Uncle Sethy. Tori loves to play with Grandpa Lee and loves being spoiled by Grandma Frann. Grandma Frann has a great collection of movies (including The Little Mermaid which we watched at least a half dozen times!), 3 barbies and a comfy chair. What more can a 2 1/2 year old ask for?! Oh, maybe a treat at every meal (please note that Tori really doesn't eat the cookie, just the frosting!).
Can you tell that Brooke loved her time in Oregon too? She loved snuggling with Grandma and giggling with Grandpa! What a cutie! A few weeks before we went to Oregon we went for Brooke's 12 month check up. She is 22 pounds and 30 inches! She is tall (75th percentile) and skinny (25th percentile). She really is going to catch up with Tori (who only has 3 pounds and 3 inches to her advantage!).
We were definitely grateful for our Thanksgiving feast! We had ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries (of which I consumed a whole entire can myself over the week...they are my favorite!), crescent rolls, and a special green bean casserole just for Jason (no one else would eat it.... NASTY!). We went simple...and had just a turkey breast made in the Crock Pot. Boy was it scrumptious! Recipe: Chicken Breast and an Onion Soup mix. Put it in the Crock Pot on high for 1 hour and low for 7 hours. It was ridiculously tender! Mmmmm! Oh and don't forget the Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Silk & Pumpkin pies! (That is why I gained weight! But it was well worth it!)
Brooke was grateful for her 3rd birthday celebration! We had Ice Cream Pie Sundaes (Brooke only ate the whip cream and chocolate!). Brooke got a little pea pod dolly from Grandma & Grandpa, Little Einstein Books from Jason, Tori and me, and a Minnie Mouse from Norma, Susan, Nikki and Madyson. They also bought Tori a Little Mermaid...can you see that she was in awe?!
My Mom also bought Brooke this adorable dress. It is my new favorite and I think that she is going to wear it every Sunday. Look how much fun we had!
Sunday was extremely cold, but we bundled up and went for a walk by Fanno Creek. Lora and I enjoyed many walks and adventures down on this creek (we also collected tree frogs and salamanders)! I wanted to take Jason and the girls to see my old stomping grounds. It was a really fun walk and the girls seemed to be excited about the things that I showed them.Cuteness...need I say more? Taken on the front porch of my parent's house. Here are some new fun Brookie facts:
-She is talking up a storm lately. My favorite word sounds: wiggle, bob, wow, momma & dada.

-She can walk (her longest walk is about 8 steps), but her preferred mode of transportation: her knees, she is a crawler.

-She LOVES to dance, especially to the Wiggles.

-She does not go anywhere without her pink bunny blanket.

-She loves all food...I have not met a food that she does not like, except baby food. We have a cupboard full! Oh well, we will give it to baby Ryah!

-When she gets really excited or mad (big emotions really) she tenses her whole body, clenches her fist and shakes.

-She splashes big time in the tub...I never leave dry!

-She loves to read books, but she really loves to pull all of the books off the shelf.

Tori, Brooke and I extended our stay for a week and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma Frann pulled out the big guns with the Play-Dough. Tori has never played with Play-Dough before, and as you can see, it was a BIG hit! Here are some Tori fun facts:

-She is in love with princesses, puppies and all things chocolate.

-She LOVES to dance! Anytime there is music, there is dancing.

-She is quite the singer. She even can keep the tune! My favorites: Twinkle Twinkle, I am a Child of God, Jingle Bells, Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam, Old McDonald, Once There Was a Snowman and so many more.

-She is learning to pretend play, and it is so much fun! She loves using all of her stuffed animals as friends and she makes them food, plays games with them and dances with them. She pretends to be a doctor with her doctor set and looks in our ears and checks our heart and breathing sounds with her stethoscope. She likes to be Ariel and I am Aurora and we play everything with them all day long. It is fun.

-She also likes to dress up and yesterday she spent most of the afternoon in her swimsuit!

On a warm (40*) night we went outside to hang out with Uncle Sethy and Grandpa Lee on the swing. The girls were in heaven. Swinging, jumping on the mini trampoline and playing with all of the bouncy balls. Brooke and Seth were a chorus of sounds...it was fun to hear Seth talk and then Brooke to echo.When our noses and cheeks were rosy and our fingers frozen, we went back inside. Can you believe that I caught a picture of Tori and Brooke both looking at the camera?! AMAZING! After I took this picture I could not believe how much Brooke looks like Jason, so here it is:

Twinners! This is Jason at 22 months and Brookie at 12! Family resemblance? I think so. She has just enough of me in her to make her beautiful and feminine!

So, here is the hard times that I was talking about. One of the main reasons that we stayed behind, was to support my parents while my brother was in the hospital. On Sunday after Thanksgiving Seth went to the hospital with some unknown complications. It is hard to know when Seth is hurting when he cannot communicate what is wrong, but he did not sleep all night Saturday, so my parents took him to the ER. He was admitted after a CAT scan showed some masses in his abdomen and pancreas. After a 2-day stay in the hospital he had a biopsy and came home. Then it was the waiting game. News finally came on Friday night, Seth has Neuroendocrine Tumors located in his pancreas and abdomen. We are still unsure about a lot of things (since my parents do not get to talk to the Oncologist until tomorrow), but he does have cancer. I am thankful that I was able to stay and be a support to my parents while all of this was going on. My parents are amazing, but they will need your prayers and support along with Seth. What we know is that Seth could have had these tumors for a long time and has been suffering with the pain without us knowing anything and he cannot communicate what is wrong either. I am thankful that the doctors were able to find out what was wrong with Seth and he can now get through this without so much pain. I am also thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that helps give me an eternal perspective.

I really wanted to stay an extra week with the girls, but I was so afraid of taking them home on the plane by myself! I mean two kids, a 2 seater stroller, Tori's large car seat and their diaper bag. That is a lot for just one ME to carry! But, my dad was able to help me through the gate and there was a really nice flight attendant who helped me with the car seat. I LOVE Southwest Airlines! I am extremely grateful that both munchkins slept the whole way home. Sure the flight was delayed an hour because of snow, but Tori got to watch the airplanes take off and we got a picture with Santa! Also in PDX there is a kid play area! Novel idea! There was a TV with Nick Jr. on (oh how I loved having cable for a whole week and a half...plus there were 2 food network channels...I MISS cable!), legos and other fun toys! We made it home just in time for our Ward Christmas party!

Well...that is about it. Sorry this was such a LONG catch-up, and I award you if you actually read the whole thing!

Our Birthday Girl

2010-11-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Our Birthday Girl!

Well, we have a one year old! I cannot believe it! Her first year went by so fast it is crazy! This was Tori's one year dress...it is a one year shirt for Brookie. She is going to pass up on Tori's height soon I am sure unless Tori has a sudden growth spurt. Brooke is only 3 inches shorter than Tori!
We decided to celebrate Brooke's birthday at Red Robin. Brooke ate her first Toasted Cheese Sandwich and LOVED it. I haven't really met a real food that Brooke doesn't like. She has also learned how to give 5s! It is so fun...she just giggles. Tori is practicing her "CHEESE" in these pictures...if she would just look at the camera!
(Yes, that is a wrap around my thumb. I got my thumb shut in a van door! At least it isn't broken, for that I am truly grateful. It was ridiculous taking care of the girls with out a thumb, but I did get out of a lot of chores...especially DISHES! Who knew thumbs were so important?! I can now say that I am grateful for opposable thumbs!)
I LOVE the picture of Brooke looking at the singers at the restaurant...what are you crazies doing? She loved the whip cream, but was not too sure about the cold ice-cream. But tori didn't have a problem with finishing it off for her! Ha ha ha. (yes, that is a most ridiculous picture of my thumb!)
We came back home and celebrated with a festive cake. Tori loved singing the "Birthday Song" and even got a chance to blow out the candle. The cake looks super cute, but next time I will buy vanilla or cream cheese frosting and make it pink...the strawberry flavor was NASTY! Brooke didn't really care...as you can see...

Not much cake made it in to her mouth. She is not a fan of frosting, so she just basically mushed the cake all around her highchair and in between her fingers. She was also so tired. We kept her up until 7:45! Hopefully I will remember with the next kid to start the cake earlier...maybe afternoonish. I made the same mistake with Tori's one year celebration. Anyway, we had fun with Birthday Celebration #2. The next (and last) Birthday Celebration will be in a few weeks at Grandma Frann's house. Yipee!

Introducing Brookie In Pigtails

Here are some random pictures for you to enjoy. They are small, but oh so cute!Happy Birthday Grandpa Lee!

This is Tori making Grandpa Lee's birthday present. She hopes you love it...we will call you soon to sing you the birthday song. She has practiced all week! Love you Dad!