And then you blink

I remember the day we put Taylor in the walker, and today we put Camryn in it, five years later. My how my boy has grown.

Congratulations Bryce!

Congratulations to Bryce who will have the privilege of attending the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany this summer. Bryce is one of 75 graduate researchers nominated by the NIH to participate in this meeting. He will have the opportunity to meet 20 Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine as well as 550 young researchers from around the world to discuss projects and exchange ideas. Have fun in Germany!

Have you ever found...

a lizard in the house? Taylor did, and was very excited about his find. He wanted to keep it as his new pet, but eventually let it free on the roof.

Brian and Ashley

The kids love having Brian and Ashley come over. We enjoyed Sunday dinner with them last week, as well as memory, zoo, whack-a-monkey, frog tackling, and lizard finding. We are glad they live close and enjoy getting together with them.

Soccer

Taylor and Dakota have enjoyed playing soccer the last couple of months. A mom from our ward put together teams, drills and practices, and the moms became coaches. Each week the kids had a practice and game afterwards. Taylor was on the blue team and Dakota the red team. While Dakota enjoyed watching the game mid-field, Taylor was quite the defender, taking upon himself the responsibility of goalie any time the other team came close to scoring.

Home Sweet Home

Consider a foreclosure, hurricane, help from family, and countless Saturdays over a couple of years, and our house looks new! Here are some before and after pictures:

The Kitchen: Before

Now add stainless steel appliances, a new sink, some ceiling sheetrock and texture, recessed lighting, white paint, blue paint, new cupboard hardware, and a little greenery...

The Dining Room: Before


And now...
The Entry: Before (well, during)


After!

'Little Red' Wagon

Taylor and Dakota received a red wagon for Christmas and last month Little Red joined us on our family adventures. Our first use of Little Red was during our camping trip to Brazos Bend State Park. Little Red helped Taylor and Dakota to haul our camping gear from the car to our campsite which included off-roading up a small hill. With Taylor pulling, Dakota pushing, and Dad setting up, camp was made in record time. While Little Red was hard at work, Mom and Camryn enjoyed their leisurely ride to the airport to pick up Emily Daines. Later both groups met up on the dark road, thanks to Little Red who transported the tired children so Dad could find Mom and lead her to the campsite.

Our second adventure was the zoo. While Mom thought she would be pulling the big kids in Little Red, Taylor and Dakota had a better idea. Little Red became a makeshift snack cart. The kids walked, pulled Little Red, and made frequent stops to eat along the way. Although Dakota ran into one person and a couple of poles during her turn of pulling, the wagon and zoo guests left without damage, and the Daines kids left with full stomachs.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Taylor loves celebrations - Christmas, birthdays, you name it. He loves the anticipation, and especially presents. Yesterday was his big day, and he woke up ready to open presents. He was such a good brother and let Dakota open his presents with him.



He spent the rest of the day playing with those presents, until it was time for a train ride. Buzz came along of course. For the last three months, Taylor has wanted one thing for his birthday: Buzz Lightyear. He got it, and it never left his side.




We finished the day with a trip to the zoo which didn't last long because Taylor was hungry. So off we went to dinner, then home for brownie a la mode, and bedtime in an awesome fort.

Spicy Pickles for Breakfast

Dakota loves spicy pickles - in the morning, afternoon, and night. "Me a spicy pickle-eater," she says everytime she eats them. Together she and Bryce can eat a Costco size jar of spicy pickles in one week!

More Camryn

I love capturing Camryn's cute faces on camera. Here are a couple of her latest.