Craters of The Moon

We went on the coolest day trip this last Saturday to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. It was awesome! The drive from Boise was great (it took about 3 hours) and you go from cow pastures, hay and corn to acres of lava! Jason really wanted to take a rock and complained that if everyone took a rock there would still be plenty left over, but in the end all the lava rock stayed in the preserve.

After a pit stop at the Visitor's Center where Tori got to pet a bobcat and a marmot (taxidermy), we found the only picnic table in the vicinity with shade and ate our lunch.

After lunch Grandpa Dinger took Tori exploring. I love this picture because she is pointing! This is the view from our picnic table!

Jason found this pine cone for Tori and it amused her thoroughly for a while. Check out the enthusiasm. We did have to make sure that she didn't eat the thing (it is a preserve you know!).

Tori continues to explore our picnic area.

This is the lava field over the top of the lava flows where we went cave crawling, or should I say spelunking?! As we entered Indian Tunnel (which is an 800 foot cave) you walk down some stairs to the cave...Jason is at the bottom.

This is a not so flattering picture of us at one of the caved in parts of the cave. This Indian Tunnel was made by a whole bunch of hot lava flowing through the rock. The next picture is Dennis and me walking through the tunnel. Yes...a pregnant woman can do it!

Jason is sitting on the caved in portion of one of the holes. On the way back you walk on a trail above the cave marked by trail markers made out of lava rock. This is Jason and me on top!

Tori (who was taking a nap in the car with Grandma) was thoroughly excited to see us walking back to the car. Check out those pig tails blowing in the breeze.

You've got it! We climbed up Inferno Cone (about 500 feet straight up!) Tori had it easy in the stroller! I must admit I stopped a few times, but give me a break! I'm pregnant. Jason huffed it to what he thought was the top without stopping...then he realized that there was another summit! He had to stop too...well, he was pushing the stroller! We got some great pictures!

Jason likes this one the best. Tender.

Jason called the tree at the summit the "Tree of Life" because everything was black rock as you climbed to the top and then all of the sudden the tree came out of no where. The view from the top was amazing!

Ahhh...a cute one of Jason, Tori and the "Tree of Life". Tori wanted to run around, and the first thing she wanted to see was the dead tree.

Tori and her shadow. Tori pondering at the "Tree of Life".

"Ohhh...I can see the light...and the light is good!"

Our next and final stop (I know...this post is so long!) was the spatter cones made from lava spewing out of these cones and drying in the air. The last picture is of all of us in a spatter cone...Jason is the strong man, I am trying to take the picture without looking too strange and Tori is with Grandpa (of course!). All in all, it was a fabulous trip. We recommend it!

And the winner is...

Brooke Elizabeth Dinger

Although everything seemed to me like I was going to be having a boy (the way I am carrying this baby, still throwing up and other things that I shall not mention are all just like when I was carrying Spencer) we are very excited to be having a girl. The girls will be really close in age (19 months apart) if this one stays until the actual due date (November 18th). They will hopefully be really close friends just like Lora and me (we are 14 months apart).

Anyway, little Brooke is all curled up in a ball and it was hard to get the pictures even the second time around. They were going to make me come back in, but I said a little prayer and whammo... all the little parts that needed to be seen showed up for some close ups (her mouth and nose, her heart and her cute little profile). I think that she looks like Tori already...but as Jake (my brother in law) said...maybe this time we will get one that is toasted! :)

As for our cute little girl, Tori...she turned 15 months on Friday. She can officially get up off the floor and start walking. She no longer drinks from a bottle and only gets her binky at bedtime. She is loving having Grandma and Grandpa Dinger here to play. Sorry these pictures are a bit blurry, but I cannot seem to get her to sit still anymore!

Playing with a cat toy in her Sunday pink polka dots


She loves to suck on her bottom lip.

The blur in action.

What a week...I hate being prego in the 100* heat!

Ok...so if you didn't know, our air conditioner is not working at top notch. We need to get a new one, but considering the circumstances that is on hold. It is currently 81* in our house at this instant (at least it is still cooler than outside which hit a high of 106*) and I am slowly melting away. I feel like a slug because all I want to do is sit and sleep. Dinner tonight consisted of rice chex and milk because I didn't want to even be near the stove or the oven (although last night I did make a killer french bread pizza).

Tori enjoying some Elmo with all of her friends while Jason and I finish our unpacking our room!

As for Jason, I am enjoying him being at home (it is kinda like vacation with a little job searching and a lot of house organizing) because we have now emptied every box in our house. (I am admitting that there are still a few boxes out in our garage, which are mostly books without a shelf that I brought home from my parent's house.) Jason has interviewed at a few places and we are waiting to hear answers from two places on Monday. One is a full time job and the other is a part time job. So hopefully on Monday he will either have both jobs or one or the other. If not, we will still keep looking for the job that has been prepared for him. Well, enough about Jason and me...I know you all really want to hear about Tori.

Tori getting ready to climb up on the fireplace to read.

I love her piggies!

Well...Tori is still mastering the walking thing (although I think she has mastered this considering that she can stop and turn in all directions, walk over things, walk on things, and walk without stopping from one part of the house to another) and definitely needs to learn how to get off the floor and walk (although she can now get off her Elmo chair and walk...those thighs are working!). She has also become a little monkey. She climbs onto our fireplace ledge where she likes to read her books. She has almost mastered getting on the couch herself and she can also get off of all of these places without killing herself.

Enjoying some spaghetti and time with Daddy.

I don't think she can get any cuter!

A week in Oregon and a Toddler

We had a fabulous week with Grandma Frann, Grandpa Lee, Uncle Seth, Auntie Lora, Uncle Jake, Oscar and Livy! It is so fun to be together with the family for that long and have the kids interact. Oscar and Livy love baby Tori and there were a lot of hugs and kisses to go around! I loved cuddling with Liv and playing with Oscar! Jason of course played (two story hide and seel and tag!) with the little ones so much I am pretty sure that he didn't gain an ounce while we munched on everything that our heart desired (my mom's house is always stocked and then there is Jake's amazing Indian food...mmm....). Hopefully I will get some of Lora's pictures. She got better ones than I did this trip. For some reason mine were really fuzzy. Anyway, here are some of the highlights.

Tori with Grandma and Grandpa. Tori loves to play with Grandpa and loves to cuddle with Grandma (especially in her chair with a good book!).

My Mom bought a pool for the little munchkins for the backyard. It was definitely a hit! Tori wasn't so sure of the cold water. I will say that she lasted about 20 minutes only getting her feet wet. But Oscar and Livy were in there for about an hour and a half! Tori resorted to playing with a bucket and a bowl of water

We also had our dinner with the Gabels' at Red Robin. I thought that this one was a cute one of Livy and Madyson. Livy sat long enough for me to do her hair in piggies! Isn't she adorable?! She is Lora's clone!

Tori's new pastime: taking down all of Grandma's videos and playing with them....

One of our favorite days was going to Washington Park and playing at the playground. We were there for 2 hours! Tori loved the swings and walking around the huge jungle gym.

Of course if you are at Washington Park you have to see the beautiful Rose Garden...the Roses were magnificent!

And of course... the moment you have all been waiting for...Tori walking! HURRAY! I thought the day would never come, but here it is! She is crazy and walks all over the place, but you have to instigate it...she still much more prefers crawling. As you can see she loves to walk on the table and can walk long distances (I think her record is 20 steps!) Seriously...she should have been taking her first "steps" a long time ago!
WE MISS OUR FAMILY SOOOO MUCH! Thanks for letting us steal Dad for a couple of days Mom!

Baby # 3...the mystery child

Well, here is our little alien! So after about an hour of prodding the little devil wouldn't give a profile, a good enough nose and mouth shot, or gender check. We will have another Ultrasound soon. The reason why we couldn't get the gender was because the baby is straddling the umbilical cord!!! The baby is also facing head down in a tight ball with it's hands by the face...so we won't know until next time if it is an Isaac Thomas or a Brooke Elizabeth! I think I will put a survey up for fun!


Here is the face...it kinda looks scary! Don't have nightmares about my child!!!


Ahhh...tender! It is the right foot...you can see the big toe and the little toe pretty well, but all the rest are cloudy.

For all of Tori's fans!

I know that I haven't written for a while about our cute little Tori, so this one is dedicated to her! She is going to be 14 months old tomorrow! I cannot believe it! (Just a side note, my sister and I are only 14 months apart! Was my mom crazy?) Well, Tori is so fun and such a trooper! We love her soooo much!

This is Tori's idea of moving...lounging and playing in the boxes!
Tori's Top 10

(I am copying my sister!)

1. Elmo movies...she sits in her Elmo chair and is in heaven!

2. Reading books on your lap

3. Bananas

4. Bob, he is our resident squirrel

5. Watching the birds in our HUGE backyard

6. Shopping...mostly riding in the cart and playing with all of the things that we buy

7. Dancing to the Wiggles, Ralph and commercials on TV

8. Playing with Cell phones

9. Surfing dogs (I think that they were on PBS yesterday and she was enthralled)

10. Sesame Street characters...especially Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby

Tori's hair is finally long enough for almost big girl pigtails in back!

Tori sporting some piggies and in her new big girl chair (did you know she has to be in it until she is 100 pounds! That is crazy! She is only 19!)

Tori's Favorite Foods

M&Ms

yogurt

bananas

string cheese

and any food that Jason and I are eating

Tori resting her chin on the table at the Riverside Restaurant in the middle of no where Idaho! This is where we found out that she loves celery (not a gene acquired from me).

Wearing Grandpa D's glasses!

New Things That Tori Does

knocks on doors and windows

beeps noses

walks on her knees (not her feet!)

climbs

throws balls

reads the "Friend" (a church magazine for children)

Says "Ahhhh Du" when she is all done with her meal

carries things around like a purse (anything with a handle on it)

loves to wear "bracelets" (usually toys)

kisses

points at everything

she carries around a blankey!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

5 Things She Hasn't Grown Out Of

1. squeezes (that is our version of a hug)

2. she is still in 6-12 month clothes and...

3. size 2 shoes

4. crawling (much to my chagrin)

5. her crazy excited convulsion (which she now uses sometimes when she is frustrated with me because I won't let her do something!)

We sure do love our "big" baby girl!

From Homeless to Jobless...We need your prayers!

This is just an update...sorry there are no pictures...we still don't have internet at our house! (That is a long story and a nasty side note to Digis!)

Well, we finally got into our awesome house! Seriously it ROCKS!!! There are some minor things that need to be fixed (an annoying toilet, a green wall that is at least 20 ft high!, and dirty walls that just can't come clean...they will need a fresh coat of paint!) But we are enjoying our gigantic backyard (it took Jason an hour to mow!) and all of the space!

Anyway, we were two days into loving our house when Jason called me on my way back from the OB/GYN (we find out what flavor of munchkin we are having on the 30th!!!!) and told me that he was laid off! My first reaction was "Are you kidding me?" Then all the thoughts of -we just purchased a house, we still own our condo, I am having a baby soon and our insurance ends in August, and did I mention that we just purchased a house? SERIOUSLY!

Well, it turns out that the boss (who I refuse to waste my time on...but who I think should seriously find a new job!), hired 1 too many social workers and Jason was ousted! Not that he was bad, but they just didn't have enough money to pay for two new social workers (even though Jason was hired first!) and the other social worker had more experience with the area and with the medical side of social work. We are just counting it as a blessing because who wants to work in an unstable environment with a fickle boss?! So that is the story about the layoff! I am still in shock, but we are trusting in the Lord that this is what was meant to happen.

This is how we see it:
1. We would have never moved to Idaho if it were not for this job. But for some reason we feel that we are supposed to be here. Heavenly Father wants us here, we just don't know why yet. Our ward here is awesome! Seriously, the nicest people!
2. Jason was laid off after we got the house because we would have just bailed and moved back to Utah. Most of our friends live there and it would have been so much easier! So Heavenly Father knew that we would need a few paychecks and a house to keep us here...so we are not moving!
3. Jason always wanted to work in the Hospice field, but didn't know that it was going to be so much case management and so little interaction with people that he could counsel. Heavenly Father knew that without a taste of Hospice, Jason would always wonder if that was where he was supposed to be. He is a born counselor, so hopefully his new job will be more up his alley!

We are remaining positive and we know that everything will work out. There is a reason for everything and I can't wait to find out the reason for this! I just know that Jason is going to find an amazing job that will suit our family better than his old job! Know that we love you and we really need your prayers!

Homeless in Boise

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I got this picture off of the internet...it's a nice one of downtown Boise. Isn't it pretty? I am sure you all will be moving here soon...I hear it is an amazing place to live!!!
Well...we are still homeless...seriously, while FHA loans are fabulous, there sure is a bunch of hoops to run through! Right now we are stuck on the fact that the underwriters for the FHA loan need to get official copies of our taxes so they can match it to the copies that we gave them. Really we aren't lying! Who doesn't want to get money back from the government? Anyway...it is kind of annoying and we have had to pay for a storage unit to keep all of our stuff in and for a place to stay (which mind you is not cheap!) I am getting tired of the wait, but I just need to trust in the Lord and remember that there has to be something that I am supposed to learn from this...maybe it is that living out of a suitcase really sucks...or that most of the things you really need are in the storage unit stuck way in the back where you cannot reach it...or that hanging out a strange house leads to boredom and a lot of mindless tv. I hate being a tv junky!
But besides all of the mess, our cat is doing better (even though she is quarantined to the laundry room and can't come out and play...rental rules) and we are all healthy (well, besides Tori's endless snotty nose because of teething...the snot sucker is in the storage unit in some undisclosed place...oh where oh where is that snot sucker...I am glad I am having another baby so I can steal another from the hospital...Ladies...I am being serious about this, they cannot be found elsewhere! Take it!)
We have been exploring a little. The parks here are awesome...the people are amazingly friendly (everyone says hi and they look at you in the eye!) and there are still good restaurants around (we ate at Texas Roadhouse thanks to Auntie Marie!)
Another shout out to Marie because she brought a computer with wireless internet! I can't believe I almost survived a week without internet!
Pray that we sign for the house today!!!