The Daines Family

Camping...practically in our backyard

2012-06-03T22:21:00.001-05:00

One of the many things I love about where we live is the lake and surrounding campgrounds. This camping spot is 3 minutes from our new house, and you'd never even know it. We have been wanting to camp for the last 6 weeks, and last weekend was the first "open" weekend we had. We did get rained on in the middle of the night, but our tent kept us nice and dry.

Camryn loved her camping chair and was happy to have her picture taken multiple times to show it.

Can't have camping without the s'mores. Well, Bryce can. The kids and I can't. :)

Waiting patiently for Dutch Oven pineapple upside down cake.

Watching for fireflys and raccoons. The racoons were pretty bold...I had to scare them away with sticks a few time. (Ever seen The Parent Trap? Yeah, that was me.)

Memorial Day in Nauvoo

2012-06-03T21:54:00.003-05:00

We spent our Memorial Day Weekend with family in Nauvoo. Nate, Mindy, and little Holden made the 2-day drive out, and Grandma, Grandpa, Emmy, and Jake met us there too. We enjoyed the temple, city sights, and spirit of Nauvoo.

The kids loved staying in a log cabin, however Dakota was pretty disappointed upon our arrival, discovering there was no lake, beach, or boat at the cabin. Having Holden there made up for it, and Holden was often found in Dakota's arms. Taylor and Camryn also loved holding and caring for him.

Jenny and her family also met us out there, and were awesome enough to make the 5-hour drive with one-day's notice. Taylor and Dakota especially loved playing with her girls, and not only did Taylor find his BFF, but the girl he is going to marry. (He's been searching for awhile after being told he couldn't marry Dakota or Camryn.)

The drive home from Nauvoo could have been better...after 5 stops for what was supposed to have been a 3.5 hour drive we wondered if we were ever going to make it home. We were fortunate enough to have Mindy and Nate stay the night with us before heading back to UT, and we finally got to finish a game of Dominant Species. We love being with family, and are looking forward to more adventures this summer.

Caught!

2012-05-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

What do the kids do when the visiting teachers come over? Hide and eat ice cream in the corner apparently. They were too cute I just had to get my camera.

Mother's Day Pics

2012-05-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

A few years ago Bryce started taking pictures of the kids for Mother's Day. Although now we share in the role of photographer, the tradition continues and I enjoy having updated pics of the kids every year. Here are this year's:

Our Girls

2012-05-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

Glad he knows

2012-05-01T15:55:00.000-05:00

A conversation I had with Taylor this morning:

To preface, it was 5 minutes before the bus was supposed to come, and Taylor was in his pajamas with unbrushed teeth. He was playing in his room with toys, and asked me, "Mom, do you want to see my cars?"
"No, Taylor, I want you to put your clothes on."
"Mom, do you want to see my videos?"
"No Taylor, you need to put on your clothes."
"Mom, do you want to see..."
"Taylor, " I adamantly cut him off, "the most important thing is that you get dressed right now."
And just as adamantly, he responded, "No, Mom, the most important thing is God."

Glad he knows. I told him he was right, and he still made the bus. :)

Kansas City Temple Open House

2012-04-30T09:10:00.001-05:00

We were excited to hear about the open house for the Kansas City Temple that was only 3 hours away. This was the first time the kids had been inside the temple, and they were excited. Taylor said he almost cried happy tears and it was a neat experience to be in the temple together as a family and feel the Spirit there.

We did get a few laughs from Dakota. She said her favorite part about the temple was the sparkelies, and while eating refreshments at the church after the tour I asked the kids if they had any questions. Dakota thoughtfully replied, "Can I have two cookies?"

What's Missing?

2012-04-13T09:02:00.002-05:00

A fun first for Taylor and the rest of the fam. last night. Pulled it out himself.

Spring Break

2012-04-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you have a week off of school? Visit grandma!! The kids and I bravely decided to drive to grandma's house given the following conditions: 12 hours of driving in one day, three kids in car seats, one adult. We are happy to say we not only survived, but we had a great drive and are happily doing it in June to visit my family. Hopefully the ride then will be just as smooth. :)

The kids had a great time at grandma's (and grandpa's) and it was our first time back since our move to Iowa. It was great to see the cousins play together, and I was amazed at how much Carson had grown up. We loved our trip and enjoyed doing the things we often do at Grandma's.

The jeep is always a favorite, and a first this time for Camryn.

After driving in 10 hours of pouring rain, it was nice to sit on the porch and watch the storm instead of be out in it.

Taylor received a bike for his birthday and has mastered riding on two wheels.

Jake holding his "Chick Magnet" at school lunch.

Unfortunately no pics of the cousins playing together - having too much fun I guess.

Girls in Pink

2012-04-03T10:51:00.005-05:00

Camryn selected and applied her own accessories.

Birthday Boy

2012-03-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

Six years old today. I can't believe it. Where has the time gone?

Sisters

2012-03-05T10:17:00.002-06:00

Caught a cute candid moment yesterday. The girls love to read, and Dakota is such a great sister.

Christmas Fun

2012-02-29T06:24:00.003-06:00

We had a great time on our vacation! First we stopped at Universal Orlando. Harry Potter World was pretty cool. We loved Hogwarts Castle, the butter beer (non-alcoholic of course), and Dakota conquered her fear of roller-coasters, riding the Hippogriff 17 times.

Teacups make me sick, but Bryce and the kids love them!

Our next adventure was our cruise. We left from Port Canaveral and stopped in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The kids loved the beach, and while some of our group was enjoying the sunny weather...

others of us were scuba diving. I have to admit I was pretty anxious beforehand, but our dives were pretty cool. The coral and fish were beautiful, and we were lucky enough to find and watch two sea turtles.

The kids loved choosing dinner five nights in a row: spaghetti with ice-cream for dessert.

Hopefully more pics to come.

Seven Years

2012-02-26T22:25:00.002-06:00

We have been married seven years. Sounds so short, but at the same time feels like it's been so long. We celebrated the weekend with a trip to Nauvoo. Grandma came out for the weekend to play with the kids (Emma, Jake, and Grandpa came too), and Bryce and I made the 3.5 hour drive to Nauvoo.

What a neat experience Nauvoo was. The temple is beautiful, and we felt such a unifying spirit as we visited the sites and explored the town. We left with such a great appreciation for the saints, their city, and faith. We’ve already started planning our next trip…this time with the kids.

Going during the winter time, we had the city mostly to ourselves.

Loving Winter

2012-02-26T22:06:00.000-06:00

This winter has been wonderful. Last week we were in the high 40s and even reached 50 degrees! A couple of days later we had some more snow. Then the sun came out, and now it has all melted again. It has been like this all winter and we have loved it! The kids have been alternating between shorts and flip flops and their snow clothes. We couldn't have asked for a better winter.

A couple of days later...building their first Iowa snowman.

The 12-Fingered Boy

2012-02-09T14:59:00.002-06:00

Taylor came home from school today and with a grin asked how many fingers he had. I never thought 10 would be the wrong answer. Time to get some new gloves.

Family Pictures

2012-02-02T13:10:00.000-06:00

Winter Quarters

2012-01-29T15:51:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we made the drive to Winter Quarters to attend the temple. We also visited the church history sites near the temple grounds: the cemetery, where I just discovered I have a relative buried; and the visitor’s center. My appreciation for our ancestors grew, as we walked through the cemetery in the freezing windy weather. I can’t begin to imagine what the pioneers experienced, but I am grateful for their sacrifice, faith, and determination to endure.

Let it Snow

2012-01-18T16:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we woke up to a white neighborhood ...it snowed at least four inches and a couple more came later. We went sledding in the backyard and the kids loved it.

Freezing

2012-01-12T11:45:00.003-06:00

Winter has come. The high for today is supposed to be 16 degrees. With the current wind factor temperature is -3. Bad day to schedule doctor's appointments and grocery shopping. I have never been so cold in my life. Dakota's adamant statement today, which we will adhere to: "Mom, we are not going anywhere on cold days." Sounds good Dee.

Thanksgiving in Denver

2012-01-04T18:25:00.002-06:00

We are much closer to Denver now that we are living in Iowa. We made the drive to my parents house for Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful to see my family and be with all of my siblings.

Taylor and Dakota especially loved playing with Travis.

Bryce and Bryan played against Matthew and his friends in a game of flag football. They taught them a thing or two, but were quickly reminded how out of shape they were compared to the teenagers.

Katelyn made beanies for each of us. We all loved them, especially Camryn.

Just Another Sunday...or so we thought

2012-01-01T13:26:00.000-06:00

It was just another Sunday. We happened to be.. Church had started, but we saw an empty pew in the chapel, so we took our seats. An hour later the meeting ends and I turn to look behind us. "Bryce, look, that guy looks a lot like Mitt Romney," I say. "Pam, that is Mitt Romney," Bryce says. There Romney was, sitting behind us at church and we didn't even know it. Guess he was in Iowa for the caucus and just happened to come to our ward. Taylor shook his hand and we had a brief few seconds of chit chat. We thought it was pretty cool.

We're Ready This Time

2011-12-01T16:18:00.000-06:00

We are ready for the snow this time. Hopefully Taylor can play in it for hours now. A few great lines from him today:

"Mom, this day is awful. The snow is melting. I have no snow to play in."
"Mom, can I sleep in the snow?"
"I am going to play in the snow forever, ok Mom?"

We knew this boy would love Iowa.

Rock Climbing

2011-12-01T16:15:00.000-06:00

We have a great rock climbing gym 5 minutes from our house. Bryce took the kids and they loved it. I have one pic...the rest is on video. The kids climbed for two hours and loved every minute of it.

She's One!

2011-11-23T16:11:00.000-06:00

Time flies. She's already one.

What do you get a girl who has all the clothes and toys she needs? The kids had plenty of ideas. They wrapped up her favorite things, some were already hers, others were theirs that they excitedly gave her. The kids had a blast, and Camryn loved her presents. She loved the car from Grandma which she opened first, and the kids couldn't get her to open anything else. After hiding the car, the kids got her to open the rest of her presents. She loved her puppy (stuffed, because Mom said no to a real one), blanket, and we discovered she loves baby dolls. She was so gentle. Happy Birthday Camryn!

The kids had to blow out her first candle, but on her second try she blew it out herself.