ALL ABOUT DALLIN

IT'S ALL ABOUT DALLIN THIS TIME. NOT BECAUSE WE DON'T LOVE MIA. IT'S JUST THAT WHEN WE REALIZED WE HADN'T POSTED IN A WHILE WE DOWNLOADED OUR PICTURES AND FOUND THAT THERE WEREN'T REALLY ANY PICTURES OF MIA BY HERSELF. HER POST WILL HAVE TO COME LATER.

DALLIN IS AT THAT HORRIBLE STAGE WHERE HE WANTS TO GIVE UP HIS NAP AND I DON'T WANT HIM TO. SOMETIMES I GIVE IN AND LET HIM SKIP IT. THIS IS WHAT I FIND BETWEEN 5 AND 6PM. IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE WHEN WE HAVE TO FORCE HIM AWAKE SO THAT HE GOES TO BED AT A NORMAL TIME.
DITTO
YOU CAN'T TELL FROM THIS ANGLE BUT DALLIN CAME OUT OF THE KITCHEN HOLDING LIKE 5 KNIVES IN A FAN LIKE SHAPE.......HE LOOKED LIKE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO THROWS THE KNIVES AT A GIRL TWIRLING ON A BIG WHEEL......YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT?

THE POOR KID WAS NOT HAPPY
DALLIN LOVES HIS NEW SHOES
IS THERE ANYTHING CUTER ?
THAT IS HALF OF A LARGE EASTER EGG......HE HAS A BIG MOUTH PEOPLE
THE COKE BLUE DEMON OR DEVIL OR SOMETHING......BEN GOT IT FREE FROM WORK

DALLIN'S 2ND BIRTHDAY......AND THANKSGIVING

SO DALLIN'S BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THANKSGIVING. ALL IN ALL IT WAS A GREAT DAY. WE HAD 16 PEOPLE AND TONS OF FOOD. WHEN IT CAME TIME TO SING TO DALLIN.....I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IT WAS MUCH BETTER THAN IT SEEMS IN THE VIDEO. HE HAD JUST WOKEN UP FROM HIS NAP AND GENERALLY NEEDS A LITTLE WHILE TO PERK UP. BUT, WE HAD TO GET THE PARTY STARTED SO WE JUMPED RIGHT INTO THE CAKE AND SONG AND THE OUTCOME WAS SAD BUT COMICAL. HE LATER BECAME MUCH HAPPIER AND ENJOYED HIS PRESENTS WHICH CONSISTED OF NEW SHOES AND SOCKS, A COUPLE OF HOTWHEELS CARS, A MAGNETIC TRUCK, A LEAPFROG ALPHABET SONG THING THAT GOES ON THE FRIDGE AND TEACHES KIDS THEIR LETTERS WITH THEIR SOUINDS, A LITTLE EINSTEINS VIEW FINDER AND SOME MONEY.

FUN AT THE ZOO WITH DADDY

WHILE I WENT TO TOFW A FEW WEEKENDS AGO......BEN TOOK THE KIDS TO THE ZOO AND THEY HAD A GREAT TIME. THEY USUALLY GO WITH ME WHILE BEN IS AT WORK SO IT WAS GOOD FOR THEM TO GO WITH DADDY.

CAMEL TIME

I THINK DALLIN WON THE ARGUEMENT
AWWWWW....

AT THE PANDA EXHIBIT

DALLIN BRUSHING THE GOATS
MIA BRUSHING THE SHEEP
POSING WITH THE LION

TIME OUT FOR WOMEN

THIS WEEKEND WE WENT TO TIME OUT FOR WOMEN. IT WAS MY FIRST TIME AND I RATHER ENJOYED IT. IT WAS UPLIFTING, INSPIRING, TEAR-JERKING AND AMONG OTHER THINGS......ENTERTAINING.
me, my sister Ruth, my mom, my sister Maryann, my sister Elizabeth and my sister-in-law Lisa were there
Michael McLean was our host so he sang many times as he did the segways into the other presenters.....I had been to a couple of firesides by him while I was at BYU so I had heard some of his cheesy lines before but it was still good
Jenny Oaks Baker(daughter of Dallin H. Oaks) was our musical talent for Friday night and talented she is. She plays the violin and graduated from Juilliard.....ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
Mary Ellen Edmonds was a speaker on Friday and she was one of my favorites.......VERY FUNNY!!
Cherie Call was the musical presenter on Saturday. She is a singer/songwriter that I had heard of many times but never listened to. I liked her a lot. She was kind of folk-ie but it wasn't too much for me. We had many other presenters including Emily Watts which I also loved and a couple of professorsf rom BYU and an Air Force pilot who now writes books. All in all it was great.

HALLOWEEN

MIA WAS ANASTASIA ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT

DALLIN WAS A BUMBLE BEE.....WE COULD NEVER GET A GOOD PICTURE OF HIM BUT I MUST REPORT THAT HE HAS HAD ME PUT THE BUMBLE BEE ON HIM SEVERAL TIMES TODAY SO HE LIKED IT MORE THAT IT LOOKS

MIA WAS LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD FOR OUR WARD'S TRUNK-OR-TREAT

MIA'S SHORT HAIR

MIA HADN'T HAD A HAIRCUT IN A WHILE.....IT TURNED OUT ALOT SHORTER THAN I HAD HOPED BUT IT IS STILL CUTE ON HER AND IS NOW HEALTHY

ALONG WITH DRESS-UP..... DALLIN ALSO OCCASIONALLY LIKES DOLLS

DALLIN LOVES THIS LITTLE HAT

PARMESAN POPCORN

BEN AND DALLIN EATING THEIR FAVORITE BEDTIME SNACK

STRETCHES

SINCE I HAVE TO STRETCH OFTEN FOR MY SHOULDER......MIA AND DALLIN LIKE TO JOIN IN

WARNING: BITER AHEAD

DALLIN BITES WHEN HE GETS REALLY MAD......MIA IS ALWAYS THE VICTIM

MIA IS SO RANDOM

I WAS STANDING AT THE DRYER FOLDING LAUNDRY THIS MORNING AND MIA WAS STANDING IN THE HALLWAY AGAINST THE WALL RUBBING HER BODY BACK AND FORTH.

ME: MIA STOP DOING THAT (BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED SHE WAS GETTING FUZZBALLS ON HER CLOTHES)

MIA: BUT MOM, IT'S GOOD EXERCISE

ME: OKAY......KEEP GOING

MIA: I DON'T LIKE EGGS ANYMORE

ME: YOU DON'T LIKE EGGS?

MIA: NOPE....EXCEPT GRANDMA'S EGGS

ME: GRANDMA MARTIN'S EGGS?

MIA: YEP, YOUR MOM'S EGGS

WHAT A RANDOM GIRL.....I LOVE HER

DALLIN IS READY FOR CHURCH

DON'T ASK ME WHY MY LITTLE BOY HAS A FASCINATION WITH WEARING GIRL CLOTHES. BEN'S NOT A FAN BUT I THINK HE'S DANG CUTE AT LEAST WHILE HE'S LITTLE

MIA IN HER NEW FAVORITE JACKET

MIA WAS GIVEN THIS JACKET FROM SOME PEOPLE IN OUR WARD AND SHE DISCOVERED IT IN THE BAG AND INSTANTLY LOVED IT. NOTICE THE GUM IN HER MOUTH? YEAH.....I DON'T LIKE HER HAVING GUM BUT SOMEHOW SHE ALWAYS GETS IT. WHEN I PROTEST SHE SAYS, "GRANDMA ENGSTROM EATS GUM AND GIVES IT TO ME SO I CAN HAVE IT." THANKS ALOT GRANDMA ENGSTROM.....NEXT TIME MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY GIVING HER A PIECE OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLE

MIA DIDN'T WANT TO GET OFF

MIA AT THE PARK WITH COUSINS FOR FHE

DALLIN AT THE PARK FOR FHE

POTTERY FUN

AS PART OF MIA'S BIRTHDAY, I TOOK HER TO A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN PAINT YOUR OWN POTTERY AND DO OTHER STUFF. IT IS A GREAT PLACE. I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TOO BUT WE ARE TOO POOR RIGHT NOW. I GUESS I WOULD RATHER HAVE GROCERIES! ANYWAY, MIA PAINTED A LITTLE BOX IN THE SHAPE OF A PURSE, AUNT RUTH DID A GLASS PIECE FOR HER BATHROOM AND AUNT MARYANN DID A SCALLOPED BOWL. IT WAS LOADS OF FUN.