The Crest Family News

Catching Up

2011-10-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

At this point I don't even think the usual blurb about "oh it has been so long since we blogged..." will do any good. We know it has been that long. Learning how to parent two wonderful and energetic children has been that time-consuming. Please know we love you all and wish you could be our neighbors and see our kids all the time!

To get you caught up to speed, here is what we now all look like, and yes we added another member to the family (more on that later):

Bernie

Grant

Lucy

Dianna

Dave

The Crest Family

Bernie is the newest member of our family. He is a mini schnoodle (poodle and schnauzer mix). He was born on June 6, 2011 and officially became part of the Crest family on September 10, 2011. He has been a blessing to our family and quickly become a best friend to the children. After about three weeks of potty training and other general discipline, he is now a friend to Dianna too! He loves cuddling, tummy scratches, romping around with the kids and playing catch with the tennis ball.

Grant now has most of his teeth and is growing like crazy. He loves to play hide and seek in our master closet. He eats tons of banana, graham crackers, and yogurt. Grant sings and "dances" with us in the car or at home and generally loves music. He has quite a few words in his vocabulary like shoes, outside, mommy, daddy, and Jesus. We can also get him to fold his arms now at the beginning of a prayer.

Lucy is also growing like crazy. She now loves dress up with her Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Repunzel dresses. She just got a set of princess mini dolls from her GG, Grandma Garlock and carries them around in her backpack that Kristy gave her. She is learning all the movies in the Disney catalog and it is hard to say what her favorite is right now. She goes to the library with Mommy and Grant every week and will bring home 21 books (3 per night) and 7 DVDs of any kind of kid show (bless Dianna's heart for lugging kids + huge loads of materials to and from the library).

Dianna is now a coordinator for Bountiful Baskets, a produce co-op. Her early Saturday mornings are spent as a volunteer unloading trucks and distributing the load to up to 100 people. She is also still the Relief Society liaison for anything food storage and spends quite a bit of time weekly buying large orders and distributing to members of the ward. She also has a lot of fun getting together with her book club girls every month.

And for Dave, I am working hard at Deloitte and am now a fifth year, significantly only because it is typically the last step before manager. I work on clients in the real estate and hedge fund/private equity spaces. At home the name of the game is bedtime routines or taking the kids out to give Dianna a breather. When not busy with work or family I typically work on my calling as ward clerk or play basketball with friends and coworkers.

Birthdays

2011-06-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

Dianna’s Birthday
Dianna asked for a brand new purse for her birthday and she usually goes for the simple and inexpensive but this time I suggested she get something a little nicer. So she picked out a gorgeous new purse from Fossil. Back at home we had a nice dinner for her at In-N-Out, another of Dianna’s favorites and watched a redbox once the kids were down to round out the evening. This birthday was just about Dianna to a T. I love you honey and hope your next year is a good as the last!
-Thanks everyone for the presents and cards. It was nice to be remember!-Dianna

Dave’s Birthday
I really only had one birthday wish this year: to grill my own steak! We got some ¾” thick choice ribeye from Costco… mmm they were beautiful. Dianna made a fantastic cake as well and we had a nice family dinner and opened presents and ate cake. Thanks to everyone for their birthday cards and phone calls and Facebook posts!

Dog Sitting

2011-06-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

Our friends needed a babysitter for their dog while they went out of town and we took the opportunity to see if we’d like to have a dog or not. The dog is an older female lab and was an angel of a dog. Lucy and Grant could not get enough of playing with her and every once in a while we had to separate them for the dog’s sake. She did great with kids. Dianna and I enjoyed it because she pretty much babysat for us. We also enjoyed having her because she forced us to get out of the house a little more. Oh… and we didn’t have to clean the kitchen floor at all because she licked it clean every time the kids ate! All in all I think we took one big step closer to getting us a puppy… maybe sometime this year?

Forth Worth Trip

2011-06-06T15:43:00.001-05:00

After the Easter weekend I took the week off and my mom and Peter stuck around to watch the kids for us. Dianna and I took advantage of the wonderful gift to take an exotic vacation to… Ft Worth. Yeah, we drove about 45 miles to a little hotel on the west side of Ft Worth and hung out there for five days. We spent the week at the movies, eating out, seeing a few sites, and best of all… sleeping.
We went to a couple of really cool places in Ft Worth. We spent a morning at the Federal Bureau of Printing & Engraving, i.e. the place where they print paper money. It is one of two places in the country they still print money! It was cool to see all the different security measures and all the stacks of money sitting on the factory floor. One cool thing we learned is that the company isn’t a part of the government, they are a separate company and the government pays them between $0.06 – 0.08 per note! Also, if a sheet of bills gets jammed or shredded or something, the printers have to tape the sheet back together to account for every bill before they can leave that day. It was a pretty fascinating place.
We also went to the stockyards which is like a big old western town section of Ft Worth. They do a cattle drive a couple times each day with the biggest longhorns you’ve ever seen. We just walked around and ate some food and took some pictures for the kids. They also have a huge bar called Billy Bob’s. They call it a Honky Tonk but it was really just an enormous bar/concert hall/restaurant/dance hall kind of all-in-one. We went for Country Line Dancing Beginner’s Night and learned a pretty intense line dance. It really got us out of our comfort zone and to let loose a little. We felt so good we thought we’d try another not-so-Dave-and-Dianna activity: karaoke. It was a blast! Dianna sang Carrie and Kelly and I sang the Strokes and ZZ Top. What a hoot!
To round out the week Dianna and I took ourselves to one of our favorite places: Six Flags. We got about 4-5 hours in at the park going on almost all of our favorite rides at least once before they started shutting them down due to high winds. After all these years it is still so much fun for us… doesn’t ever seem to get old a good roller coaster!

Easter

2011-06-03T15:42:00.000-05:00

Hey yall, it’s Dave again. Since the two kiddos are occupying more and more of Dianna’s time and energy, we have found that we have to tag-team the blog to get it done. So I will be writing the next few entries!
Family came down for Easter: Mom, Peter, Melissa, and Steve (a few days after). They had a fun time catching up with Lucy and Grant. It was a nice breather for Dianna and me since we got to get out of the house quite a bit without the kids. We gave Dianna the day off for Easter dinner and made a nice meal so she could relax. We made fish, we heard it was a tradition and it was tasty!

Here are some pictures from the weekend. The kids looked so cute in their easter outfits!

Grant's First Birthday

2011-05-10T15:42:00.000-05:00

Grant turned one!!! I can't believe how time has flown. It seems like only yesterday that I was still pregnant waiting to have him. He has been such a joy. Grant is a fun loving boy. He still laughs at everything. I mean everything! He laughs when I change his diaper, he laughs when dogs lick their paws, he laughs when we head butt each other, and for so many other reasons. He has his moments for being tough, because if he isn't laughing he is crying! Boy does that boy now how to put the crocodile tears on. But that is okay, he is laughing way more than he is crying. We love him!

For his birthday/Easter weekend Grandma B, Peter C and Melissa C, all came into town. It was fun having them here. The kids loved, loved, loved the attention. Grant's birthday was nice and small just family. That's the way I like it! I made a cars and trucks birthday cake and let him go to town on it. Lucy wanted to help (of course!) Thank you everyone for sending gifts. He loved all the toys, books, and clothes. He is such a stud in the new digs.

We love our boy and can't believe how big he is getting!

I love these videos because you can see Grant’s personality so well. Lucy is cute as a button too. I also love that Grant is eating the cake so slowly. He did that for probably close to an hour. It was super cute to watch. Lucy wanted to help him with the cake. He did not quite get the concept of opening presents, but that’s okay because he loved all of the presents once they were opened!

Here are just some of the cute pictures from that day.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! I read this and thought it was appropriate. I love you Mom! I may not always show it or say it, but know that I do!

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shares an encouraging tribute to mothers who, through both challenges and accomplishments, work in partnership with God to raise His children.

The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever.

One young mother wrote to me recently that she felt like the world expected her to teach her children reading, writing, interior design, Latin, calculus, and the Internet—all before the baby said something terribly ordinary, like “goo goo.” She worried because she felt she didn’t measure up or somehow wasn’t going to be able to be equal to the task, the mental investment, the spiritual and emotional exertion, the long-night, long-day, stretched-to-the-limit demands that sometimes are required in trying to be and wanting to be the mother God hopes she will be.

But one thing, she said, keeps her going. I quote: “Through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God’s work. I know that my motherhood is an eternal partnership with Him.”

Mothers, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are, better than you are, and better than you have ever been. And if, for whatever reason, you are making this courageous effort alone, without your husband at your side, then our prayers will be all the greater for you. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you. We thank all of you, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God.

May I say to mothers collectively, in the name of the Lord, you are magnificent. You are doing terrifically well. The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.”

Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
© 2011 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sparks Group!

2011-04-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

We have some really awesome friends. On the left are the Sweetwoods (Ryan and Holly), and in the middle are the Williams (Matt and Dani). Every year we have a reunion that we have affectionately begun to call the "Sparks Group". At one point we all lived in the Sparks II apartments in Provo, UT. That is where we all dated our respective spouses. There are lots of other ties to each other that make up this web of friendship, like Dianna and Dani are actually some kind of cousins who share a great grandpa or something, and all the boys lived on the same floor in Q Hall (dorums at BYU) and knew each other before their missions.

This year was our turn to host, so everyone drove on in to Frisco, TX. We had several days of fun and catching up and eating good food (easter candy, IBC, and 7 layer bean dip) and playing our favorite games ("The Name Game", "Hand and Foot", and Lawn Bowling). The girls did a salon trip and the boys went to play Topgolf. We got babysitters (two of them) to watch our five kids for Saturday afternoon and got some food and did some shopping. We partied late each night like we were in college still, but then had to get up with the kids early the next morning which reminded us we were not in college still. When everyone left we were beyond exhausted, but a good, happy, smiling deliriously exhausted.

Kids are from left to right: James Williams, Genevive Sweetwood, Allison Williams, Grant and Lucy. And if you noticed, the Sweetwoods have another due in a few weeks.

Cute Kids

2011-03-28T19:20:00.000-05:00

Here are a few things to get yall caught up on our cute little kiddos.

Grant now has two bottom teeth, one big front tooth half in and the other front tooth just barely poking out. I make fun that he looks like the beggar from Aladdin the way he grins with his funny, cute teeth. Or maybe he looks like Jack Jack a little (the baby from the Incredibles). We will let you decide.

Lucy has wiggles. A lot of them. We found that she was intolerable during Sacrament meeting unless we tired her out first. So I walk with her to Church and by that I mean... she insists on running the entire way all on her own. We do manage to count some trees on our way there and we usually sing a song or two as well. When we get to Church she plops down on the pew and we have a nice calm Sacrament meeting with her. I am saying this as it has worked about six times now... so knock on would for me please. Lucy with wiggles during Sacrament meeting is no bueno.

Snow Days!

2011-03-24T19:20:00.000-05:00

Texas experienced global cooling this winter... it was one of the coldest and snowiest on record. We had four consecutive days where schools were shut down and hardly anyone braved the roads. The thing is in Texas, it mostly ices, so it would rain a ton and then freezing temperatures would kick in soon after. This is what I am talking about, a girl in our neighborhood got on the news by being video-taped skating on the street outside her house:

http://www.wfaa.com/video/featured-videos/Woman-figure-skates-on-icy-street-in-Frisco-115187064.html

Christmas 2010

2011-03-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hi, it's Dave. Dianna and I fell way behind on blogging so we are tag-teaming to try and get caught up quick.

Christmas was in New Jersey this year with Dianna's family. All the kids came up with all their kids and we had one big house of madness! Good thing the Archibald version of madness mostly involves a ton of junk food, card games, pajamas all week, grandkids screaming and some movies. We anticipate this to be the last New Jersey trip since Dianna's parents plan to move out west, so we made sure to eat lots of Luigi's pizza and soak in all the good New Jerseyness before we left! The kids were angels for the flight there... I took Grant all by myself on one flight and Dianna took Lucy on another. On the way back my early morning flight got cancelled from snow but luckily it left later that day. Thank goodness my brother in-law introduced me to Angry Birds. Dianna stayed a few extra days and flew back with the kids. Thanks to the Dianna's parents and siblings who entertained our kids and shared the workload for a few days... it was a great Christmas present.

Oldie but a goodie

2011-01-17T16:27:00.004-06:00

So I was going through the pictures and videos from Christmas/News Years to post a blog. In the process, I looked up my sister's youtube account because I thought she had some of my kids from our trip. I found this. I laughed so hard, I don't care that it is two years old it is still hilarious.

Lucy's first Christmas, 2008
It was apparently a tough day!

Bias

2010-12-31T12:54:00.007-06:00

I know I am bias, but I think I have the cutest kids! Here are some pictures and videos as proof!

State Fair/BYU game

2010-12-27T12:36:00.003-06:00

In mid October our good friends the Williams came up from San Antonio for a weekend. We went to the State Fair and the BYU vs TCU football game. We love the Williams. Matt and Dani got married only a few months before us, and have 2 kids about the same age as Lucy and Grant. We knew them back in college, and Dani and I are related some type of cousin or something. Anyway, it is always fun to spend time with them. The kiddos are getting old enough that they can play with each other instead of fighting over who gets to watch Dora. We also managed to get a babysitter so that just the adults could go to the football game. It was so fun to go out to eat and get some space from all the kids. The football game was fun, we lost, (boo!) but it was still fun.

The state fair was full of food! I don't even know all that we ate, but here is what I remember:

fried cookie dough
corny dog
pretzel
homemade root beer
brisket tacos
fried s'mores
fried frito pie

Needless to say it was good, but I felt sick by the time we got home!

I think the highlight for the adults was the food, but the kids loved the petting zoo. The feed the animals and all of them kept reaching for the baby pigs, but couldn't get them. I guess pigs are a big hit with kids!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-23T10:52:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was awesome! It was so fun having family come to town. Marilyn drove in from Rexburg. Steve drove the semi from Denver, to Lewisville (the next town over) and we picked him up. Evan and Lauren flew in from Ogden. I love family. I love it when they visit. I don't care that I go insane before and after the visit cleaning, its worth it every time. Lucy loved the attention and cried every time someone left. Everyone stayed a couple of days. Thanksgiving day was fun. Marilyn and I did the cooking. The food was great. I officially like sweet potatoes. I used to hated them, but the sweet potato souffle won me over. Marilyn made her amazing caramels. Sad to say, but we have already eaten them all. They are so good! Marilyn stayed longer than everyone else, which gave her a chance to play with the kids, and gave me a chance to escape from the kids for a hour or two at a time. That was heaven! Talk about an early Christmas gift! Thanks everyone for making the trip!

Silly us, we forgot to take pictures, we have only the one of the dinner table all setup from Thanksgiving day and one of Lucy when she stole one of the carrots I was cutting up to cook.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-12-20T10:46:00.002-06:00

Back in October, yes these are old videos and pictures, we went to a pumpkin patch. They had games setup for the kids, lots and lots of pumpkins, and a maze of hay. It was basically across the street to so we just walked over. Grant slept through everything in the stroller, but Lucy had a blast playing the games and running through the maze. She wanted to eat all of the pumpkins. I don't know why but she just loves them to pieces.

David Crest, CPA

2010-12-17T10:21:00.001-06:00

Dave is a CPA and we have the certificate to prove it! The ceremony was down in Austin, which we have never been, so we decided to make a little trip out of it. Austin is a cool place! Dave's mom was still in town from Thanksgiving so we left the kids with her. We stayed at a hotel, a night without the kids was wonderful. We went to the ceremony, which started at 10:00 am, (there goes sleeping in) and listened to the speakers. It was a great experience. The number one CPA, meaning the person who passed with the highest scores the first time around was a BYU grad! He was someone Dave knew. James Palmer. It turns out he used to work for Deliotte where Dave now works. Now James works at Highland Capital, where Dave used to work. They basically took each other's positions. Funny huh? His speech was great it was all about finding balance with your family and your work. Family comes first. At the ceremony they also paid tribute to the 50 year CPAs. Really cool! Dave noticed, that most of them were in the military at one point, interesting little tidbit. After the ceremony we went to BJ's Restuarant for lunch (best root beer ever!) Then drove home. It was a quick trip but it was fantastic. Thanks Marilyn for watching the kiddo's and making it possible!

Life is Crazy!

2010-12-16T10:16:00.002-06:00

So life with two kids is crazy! I feel like I don't have time for anything anymore, thus no blog entries for a month and even then that one barely counts. So while Grant is napping and Lucy is for the moment occupied with Clifford, I will make as many entries as possible. So stay tuned the entries will automatically post every couple of days. Happy Holidays! We love you all, especially those wiling to still look at the blog!

Here is our Christmas Picture if you did not get a card this year. I tried to cover everyone that doesn't see us on a regular basis.

Recent Videos

2010-11-21T21:19:00.002-06:00

These are just some recent videos we have taken of the kids. I will post a real entry, some time soon! I promise! Maybe a Thanksgiving one or something.

Halloween

2010-11-07T20:12:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from the ward halloween party and the kids in their costumes. If you can't tell Lucy is a peacock and Grant was a shark!

Duh-na!

Sugar Coma (What goes up must come down!)

I like Grant's face in this picture like, "Are you talkin to me!?!"

The closest thing to a family portrait we could get

Lucy loved the pumpkins, she kept trying to kiss and eat them.

Here is a video of Lucy playing one of the games at the party. She didn't quite understand that you're suppose to step on the numbers while the music is playing, and then stop on a number when it stops. She just kept running in circles. At least she was having fun! Eventually they just gave her a cupcake.

Videos from Florida

2010-10-16T23:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the videos I promised to post.

This was a place we stopped to eat in New Orleans. It was yummy! Lucy couldn't et enough and would let go of the hat! New Orleans was a cool place, but we didn't have to to really explore. We will have to do another trip just to there.

This is when Grant got in a fight with a plant. We just got into the condo and put him down to be able to make dinner and get things settled in. Boy did he have fun! I think the plant won though.

Here are 30 seconds of complete bliss. This what the entire week looked like.

Lucy and Dave played a little one on one. She loved being out there and just playing around with her dad.

Lucy wanted to beat on the table. It took several attempts but we finally got some of her drumming skills on video.

Destin, Florida

2010-10-13T21:08:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago Dave and I packed up the kids and headed to Destin, Florida. It is a really cool place. We rented a condo an entire week spent all day on the beach or by the pool. We tried to be good about sunscreen and it paid off. No one got sunburned! Lucy developed some great tan lines and all of my freckles came out. It looks like my shoulders are rusting. Lucy loved playing in the sand and building castles. Both kids were terrified of the water. I was okay with that, that meant Dave and I didn't have to run in after them! Here are some pictures from the trip. I will post again with some videos a little later.

This is where we stayed

Grant discovered how much he loves napkins

Lucy couldn't get enough of the sugar packets

Grant chillin' on the beach

Dianna and Lucy building sand castles

Dave and Lucy building sand castles

Lucy being Lucy

2010-09-19T13:20:00.004-05:00

Lucy is now in love with Clifford the Big Red Dog and Maisy Mouse. She can't get enough of their shows. It's nice that their episodes or 5-15 minutes long so I can put a few on and not feel like she is watching tv all day. She really likes to read. Her favorite books are again Clifford and Maisy, but she also loves the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer. She can't get enough of them. She always says books, books, and read, read while holding a stack of them.

Here are some recent videos and a picture of Lucy. I don't seem to use the camera very often. We are going on a trip soon and will hopefully use it more than!

Grant Update

2010-09-15T13:07:00.002-05:00

Grant is growing in leaps and bounds. Literally! He is growing 2 inches a month. He jumped from the 20% to the 60% in length. Because he s growing so much he is eating so much. We have started him on solids to help with that. He doesn't seem to fully love the rice cereal but he does seem to tolerate it. Hopefully he will start to enjoy it and eat more than a tablespoon at a time. He is still our happy baby. He seems to giggle over everything. Just changing his clothes and he laughs. (The babysitter has witnessed this so I am not making it up!) He has started to sleep through the night which is fantastic but he doesn't seem to want to nap well. During the day he seems to yo-yo back and forth awake an hour asleep an hour. It sure makes getting things done rather difficult! But that is the life to 2 kids right?

Tornado!

2010-09-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

This was the view from my house.

Talk about ominous!

This was the view from Dave's work.

He was considerably closer to the action. Luckily there was no damage by our house and in the path of the tornado there wasn't too much damage. As far as I have heard there were barely, if any, injuries.

Lucy is TWO!!

2010-09-09T12:00:00.003-05:00

Lucy turned two on Saturday. We tried to make it a day for her. We went to the mall and let her play on the slides there as long as she wanted. We took her home for a much needed nap and then started celebrating. Lucy got lots of wonderful presents and ate some yummy cake. (Which I made from scratch including the fondant!) We then went back to the mall to let her ride the carousel for the first time. She loved to watch it, but as soon as Dave got on with her she freaked out. It was not a good experience. Oh well, maybe next year! Her good buddy, Zack came over later that night and she had a ball playing with him.

Lucy is now 34 inches tall (55%), weighs 26 lbs (33%), and still wearing a 18 months clothes. She has moved into some 24 month clothes, but that little waist and big thighs sure make it tough to find pants that fit properly. I have a feeling it will be something to deal with all her life, oh well!

Thanks everyone for the cards and gifts. Lucy loves it all and plays with all of her new toys like they are the only ones we own! She had a great day!

Here are pictures and videos from her birthday.

A Five-Year Celebration

2010-08-24T20:02:00.003-05:00

Hello ya’ll! It’s Dave. I haven’t posted a thought on this blog in a long time, but our switcheroo last week means I need to document the good times. Let me explain…

To spice things up I asked Dianna to plan our anniversary date. This was a big step for us because it meant stepping out of both of our comfort zones. Dianna doesn’t like to make decisions like where we go on dates, and I, well… do. Plus a five-year celebration… that is a big one! Sadly, with my work schedule and [insert lame excuse #2-n], our dates are habitually homogenous and lackluster. In comes Dianna to the rescue!

First of all, the anticipation for this epic evening solidified its greatness. It was kept from me all week where we were going, despite my efforts to coerce details out of Dianna. All the babysitting was pre-arranged, reservations were made, and a great amount of thought went into guiding our conversations and reminiscing about our marriage. I managed to do my part, which was simple but historically difficult to execute: get home from work.

We left the house on time for our 6:00 PM reservation at none other than: Fogo de Chao. Now, if you are not familiar with this place, I don’t blame you. Even to me, one who loves Brazil and food, it’s existence bordered on mythical. It is an uber-lavish Brazilian Churrascaria (Steakhouse). From the complimentary valet, to the vertically rotating racks of beef ribs in the front window glass fireplace, to the southern-Brazilian artwork hanging on the walls, to the mural engraved silverware, to the probably 3:1 waiter-to-guest ratio, it was as over-the-top as anything I’ve seen… and that was before we ate the food!

They had most of the traditional Brazilian foods out on the buffet, and what they didn’t have out, we asked for and they brought to us (like farofa for me and grilled pineapple for Dianna). Their meats were all prime, perfectly grilled on a spear over open flame, and the variety included lamb, filet mignon, ribeye, and others. It was like nothing else I’ve had. Folks… I was so inspired I could have written a poem. We savored every bite… all of them… and there were lots and lots and lots.

For our dinner conversation Dianna and I revisited the last five years through stories and pictures. Here are two that Dianna brought to the restaurant:

Boy, those pictures speak a thousand words, do they not? I realized that if this evening was with anyone else or for any other reason, it wouldn’t have meant to me what it did because I was celebrating five years of marriage with Dianna.

As if our evening needed to get any better, we overheard our waiter explain to the table next to us that it was “Restaurant Week” in Dallas (for one week every year, normally out-of-reach restaurants, like the one we were in, bring down their prices for the average diner). So our bill ended up a fraction of what it would have been normally. What an unbelievable surprise to us!

After a little more than two hours, we stepped into our car and let the valets graciously close the car doors for us. We probably couldn’t have managed that on our own. We decided we better incorporate some kind of movement in the remaining 90 minutes of babysitter time we had, so we walked around the mall and talked. As we wrapped up our date I thought of how great a job Dianna did. It really was a perfect five-year celebration.

Canning

2010-08-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

So now is about when I do a large amount of canning and I decided that I better blog about. The last ward I was in I created a blog about canning. I will use the same website, probably just change the name. There is a link on the bottom right of this blog for it. I will post recipes and how to can it. If you want something specifically either comment here or on that blog. Thanks everyone who actually reads this stuff!

Santa Fe conclusion

2010-08-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

We took a day trip in the car that went through the mountain and many of the pueblos. To take pictures at the pueblos was going to be ridiculously expensive. You have to pay to park, to get in, and to take pictures. Plus you have to walk around. There was no way that was going to happen with a two month old and a two year old. So these are all of the mountain sides we passed. The river in one of the pictures is the Rio Grande. Pretty Cool. I really recommend people take the drive. We went from Santa Fe down some side highways and ended up in Albuquerque. It was a great trip.

Santa Fe cont.

2010-08-08T14:26:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of the house we stayed in. The others ones are just Lucy and Grant being themselves while we were there.

Santa Fe cont.

2010-08-06T16:26:00.001-05:00

These are pictures from the down town area. We again put Grant in the carrier and Lucy in the stroller and headed out the door. It was great being close enough to walk. It meant not paying for parking. Here are the pictures we took.

Still no hat, but I decided to not make him look like a girl.

This is just a view of one of the streets.

Me pushing Lucy in the stroller.

I can't remember who this is, but he is one of many statues.

The St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral.

The statue of many animals in the courtyard of St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral. Lucy really liked this statue. She kept naming all of the animals on it.

Another picture of Dave and Grant.

One of the many adobe buildings. Everything there is adobe. I mean everything. McDonalds, Marriot, IHOP, all of it!

Lucy on the stage just before the music show for lunch was going to start. A guy made her a balloon flower. It popped shortly after this picture.

The downtown area is fun and full of shopping. There is a lot of art as well. I have never seen as many galleries I have seen in Santa Fe.

Santa Fe cont.

2010-08-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

The first full day there, we decided to go on a hike. We put Grant in the carrier and put Lucy's crocs on and headed out the door. We of course only last 45 minutes. But I thought that was pretty good considering Lucy is not even two yet! We also only got a handful of bug bites. Unfortunately, we did not have a boy hat small enough to fit Grant, so he had to wear one of Lucy's old ones. Shh! Don't tell him. Later that week we went and bought him a boy hat that would fit him. I felt bad making him look like a girl. It was sure fun. I could tell Dave wanted more outdoor time so I told him that another day he can go by himself and take as long as he wants. Which he did like three days later while the kids were napping.

Grant looking like a girl.

Lucy tired and ready to be done.

Lucy ready and rearing to go before the hike.

A very informative sign we came across.

Santa Fe

2010-07-31T14:23:00.000-05:00

We took a vacation to Santa Fe! Which I have to say is really cool! I will post multiple entries from the trip over the next few days.

We rented a house for 6 days and it was wonderful. It was a cute two bedroom place, 2/3 blocks from the downtown area. The time we were in town, the downtown area was have a festival of music every lunch and dinner there was live music from local and national bands. The music was hit or miss with the bands, but for free hey, I will sit in the park and listen. Lucy loved the music and loved to dance. For some reason she really liked dancing and kicking the small rocks that were under the trees (instead of mulch or grass). We went on some hikes, did a day tour of the surrounding area and got some sweet pictures. We went and got the coolest nick knacks to remember the trip and ate at some really, really good places. We also went to some outlets and to Albuquerque. Overall a really cool trip and worth going again.

This was the first picture we took in Santa Fe, look carefully and you will see why.

We were stopped at a stop sign and glance over and saw it. We laughed so hard we just had to take a picture.

Lucy being Lucy

2010-07-29T08:35:00.001-05:00

I found this video on Dave's phone. I don't know if it ever got posted to the blog, so here we go!

Grant

2010-07-24T15:27:00.001-05:00

Here are two cute videos of Grant. They are long and probably I'm the only one who wants to watch them over and over again, but that's okay. I love my little man!

Please ignore me, Grant is the whole show.

Skills

2010-07-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

Lucy has developed a new skill and a new habit every morning.

Sewing

2010-07-16T12:38:00.003-05:00

Yes I am still sewing. I got an idea for a dress for Lucy off of facebook and this is how it turned out. The pictures aren't that great, she did not want to model, she just wanted the camera for herself.

It was made out of an infant towel so when we go to the pool we can just pull off her swim suit and through this on her for the walk home (she rides in the stroller). It keeps the seat dry! It is also comes in handy for when Dave takes her to the athletic center's pool she just slips this on and then rides home in the car, without getting her car seat wet.

1. To make it just get an infant towel.
2. Cut off the sides as straps.
3. Sew 5-6 lines with stretchy thread length wise to be the top of the towel dress.
4. Steam iron the stitching so it scrunches up.
5. Sew the back together.
6. Attach the straps. (Either to tie together at the neck or to be normal straps along the shoulders.)

Capes

2010-07-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

So a few weeks ago Dave's work did a chili cook off and they had to do some type of spirit item with it. His team decided they wanted capes. Needless to say I have never sewn so fast in my life. It took me 3 hours Monday night to make a template and to make one. Then all Tuesday to put the other three together. I then ironed on all of the decals on the back. Dave and his teammates loved them! I was just glad they were done! We didn't win the award for the best spirit. That went to the mock mariachi band. Dave's chili won! Apparently it was a land slide too. There weren't even left overs for him to bring home for me to taste. I guess it was that good!

This is the cape. The logo says collateral damage.

Grant Update

2010-07-08T13:26:00.003-05:00

So here are some pictures of Grant. As you can see he is just growing in leaps and bounds. He is such a boy. All he does is eat, sleep, and make noises. He is the loudest, eater and sleeper I have ever met. He is super strong too. To the point that I had to buy a jumperoo for him because all he wants to do is stand up!

Lucy Antics

2010-07-04T13:25:00.003-05:00

Here are some random Lucy antics and pictures. She is getting big and getting crazy!

Pete the Incredible

2010-06-30T13:17:00.003-05:00

While my brother in law, Peter, was in town he did some really cool and I mean really cool projects for us. He is probably the handiest person I have ever met. He hung cabinets up in our laundry room. There used to be just a shelf with a coat rack in there now it is beautiful!!! He also tiled the closet under the stairs. That closet is were I keep my food storage and some time ago a gallon of water spilled in the back and completely ruined the carpet in there. We were so worried about mold and who knows what else. Pete to the rescue. The tile looks awesome. He does such a good job at his work it is now wonder his job back in California love him so much! Thanks Peter your the best!!

Family Part 3

2010-06-26T13:08:00.001-05:00

The last bit of family to come into town were everyone for the baby blessing. It was so much fun having a full house. I know we were all on top of each other but it was worth it. I loved having a big family around. You don't realize how much you love your family and and miss them until you see them again after a long period of time. Lucy was going crazy with all of the attention. Talk about a ham. She would pose for some pictures, play games and just give everyone loves (hugs and kisses). She didn't want to go to bed and woke up super early because she knew there were lots of people to play with. We spent most of time at the pool while the family was in town. They didn't get to stay as long as the other grandparents did, but it was fun. Lucy was very sad when every left town. I realized that we didn't really take pictures, we have a video and one or two photos and that's it. So any family that took pictures while they were here, please send them my way!

Family Part 2

2010-06-22T17:08:00.005-05:00

The next people to come into town were my parents. My mom was such a great help! She cooked and cleaned and kept up with Lucy. Lucy wanted to play and sing all day and she was there to do that. I remember one day my mom sang for probably the whole day, her voice started to go and she could barely sing. Needless to say I don't think she will want to ever sing "the wheels on the bus" song again. My dad read to her probably every book we own and then read them again. Lucy loved the attention. With all the fun we were having, I noticed my parents were not in many pictures but they loved to take pictures. Everywhere we went my mom had her camera in hand. Here some of the pictures she took.

Fishy face

2010-06-19T18:51:00.001-05:00

Family Part 1

2010-06-18T16:20:00.005-05:00

So we had all sorts of family coming in and out. I will break up the entries according to visits. Kristy and Steve were the first to visit. I asked them to come to town before my due date because my Doctor thought I would have the baby early. So they graciously came early and pretty much played with Lucy the whole time. Lucy had to warm up to them, it had been a long time since family came into town to visit. Once she understood they were here to stay for a while she had lots of fun. Grandpa Crest was nice enough to endure the heat and take Lucy for a walk almost every day. Grandma Crest was an amazing artist in the backyard. She also taught Lucy to dribble a ball. I am so thankful they came and helped out. I sure needed it. I was certainly not up for cooking, and keeping up with Lucy.

Here are some great pictures and videos from their visit. (Hanging out is just the most fun anyone can have!)

The Blessing

2010-06-14T15:59:00.005-05:00

Grant's baby blessing was great! We borrowed the cutest little outfit from a friend for Grant to wear. Lots of family came into town for the event. It was fun having people here and having space for them. I remember from Lucy's blessing having everyone around in a little apartment! Talk about crazy!

Here are pictures of my little man in his blessing outfit.

Here is everyone that came for the blessing, eating lunch afterward. (This was the first time we got to use the leaf in the table and we were thrilled to do so!)

The following people came starting left and working around the table:
Steve Broughton, Marilyn Broughton, Julie Williams, Katy Broughton, Melissa Crest (holding Grant), Dave (holding Lucy), Evan Crest, and Peter Crest.

I love having family in town and loved catching up and reminiscing. I sure wish family lived closer, but our doors are always open!

Blogging!!

2010-06-10T15:46:00.004-05:00

Blogging has become much harder to do with two kids around. I promise I will get better at it and will be more consistent. People, hold me to it! Here are just a few cute pictures for now. I promise more is to come now that all the family has come and gone!

Lucy & Grant

2010-05-03T17:20:00.011-05:00

Lucy is an excellent big sister!

The first time Lucy meet Grant she did not react at all. She looked at him and then walked away. I don't think she understood that he was now part of the family. I got the feeling she was thinking that's nice can we play now? So we tried again the next day to introduce Lucy to Grant. This time it clicked. She realized he was not just visiting, but was here to stay. She looked at him really closely and then walked away again. A little later that day Grant started to fuss so I was patting him on the stomach. Lucy came over and watched. She then took my hand off and started to pat him on the stomach. She was such a sweetie. Now whenever I put him in the swing or the bouncer chair, so goes over and helps swing or bounce him. She also like to pat his head and give him kisses. She is really good at giving him hugs as well. Every now and then we need to remind her to be gentle, but other wise she is really good with him.

Here are just some cute pictures:

Grant Steven Crest

2010-04-28T20:11:00.003-05:00

Grant Steven Crest has officially arrived! He was born Tuesday morning at 4:12am. He weighs 7lbs 2oz and was 19.25 inches long. He is doing really well and so is Mommy!

Here's what happened:
Monday night we went to the hospital to start the induction process. It was supposed to be a slow process that would take about 12 hours and then in the morning at about 6:00 they would then start pitocin to get everything moving along. However about halfway through the night Grant decided he would take over. At 10:00 the contractions started, but weren't too bad. Midnight hit and I was calling for the Dr. I got my epidural and then slept for about 3 hours. My Dr. came in and and checked somewhere within those three hours my water had broken and I was at a ten. They then started to get everything ready for him to make his appearance. After everything was cover in plastic including my Dr from head to toe, she told me to push. It only took about 10 minutes of pushing and he was here! It was so quick and easy compared to Lucy that it makes up for how much harder this pregnancy was. I am so glad he is here and doing well. He is such a good baby and a joy to be around. What a blessing!

Here are the pictures everyone has been waiting for:

Precious little feet!

Close up!

My boy!

Just after entering this world!

My wonderful Dr. who has delivered both Lucy and Grant.

My facebook account has a lot more pictures if you want to see more.

Easter

2010-04-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Lucy had a great Easter this year! We woke up and had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, dyed and put stickers on some eggs, and she got to play with the items from her Easter basket. (Thanks more for all the extras in the basket. She loved them!) We explained the story of Easter and how Jesus gave the ultimate gift of his life and then conquering death. We explained that because He gave such a great gift, we are going to do a little gift to celebrate. Later that day we went to dinner at a friends and the kids did an Easter egg hunt. Lucy could not stop eating candy!

Lucy

2010-04-07T21:22:00.002-05:00

Lucy has been growing like no tomorrow. She is just as cute as ever. Here are some pictures and a video that have been taken recently.

I'm back!

2010-04-05T14:29:00.003-05:00

I know I have not been blogging lately. It is not because nothing has happened. Things are happening, it's just with baby practically here, the idea of sitting in a chair and taking the time to blog is low on my priorities. However, I am going to suck it up, deal with the back pain and do it!

So here is one of many to come:

A few weeks ago Dave and went down to San Antonio to visit some friends. The Williams (Matt, Dani, James, Ali) and the Sweetwoods (Ryan, Holly, and Vivi). We had a blast just being lazy and eating way more than we should! Lucy and James got a long really well. They bonded over Dora the Explorer. We love catching up with our friends, we just wish it could happen more often, but with friends being everywhere it just doesn't.

It was a full house, 6 adults and 4 kids! We managed to find a baby sitter and we all go to go to downtown San Antonio. We walked along the River Walk, pretty cool. However we happened upon this little German restaurant/deli and ate there instead of on the walk. I have never a better deviled egg in my life! The food was awesome and the home made root beer was just as good!

We also played our favorite game where we put names in a bowl and then have to act them out and what not. (we learned this from the Browns, thanks!) I have never laughed that hard in my life. My abs were killing me.

Over all it was an excellent trip! We love our friends and can't wait until we can all get back together for some more fun!

What a Morning!

2010-03-24T15:56:00.004-05:00

Dave woke me up this morning at 6:22 with his iphone. He was blinding me saying, look, look. Well, after letting my eyes adjust and waking up a little I saw what he wanted me to see. He had passed his fourth and final test to become a CPA! It was a long, hard series of tests, but they are done! Woot! Woot! That certificate is going to be framed! I am proud of him for sticking it out and studying all those morning, nights, weekends, weekdays; basically every spare chance he had. It sure paid off. I love seeing that little 4 next to total credits. Yeah!

Oh So Helpful

2010-02-28T13:02:00.004-06:00

Lucy is turning into such a helpful little girl. The other day I was scrubbing the front of the appliances in the kitchen and she helped with her own paper towel. She did the whole front of the freezer! It was super cute but I forgot to get a picture. She was also really helpful on Saturday. Saturday was a beautiful day mid 60's not a cloud in the sky. Dave and I decided we would wash the cars and vacuum the insides. We put Lucy in the backyard with her sidewalk chalk and got to work. I got the cars vacuumed and Lucy kept far away. It was a really loud hand vac which I think may have scared her. Once I stopped though she came out of the backyard and decided to help Dave. By the end of the car wash session she was cold, wet, dirty, and soapy. She could not have been happier! I took her in and gave her a bath right away to clean her off and warm her up. It was a great afternoon for her!

Grant's Room

2010-02-21T14:30:00.007-06:00

I have been working really hard to get Grant's room done. I wanted it done long before he arrived incase he comes early, or you know when I am huge I stop feeling like getting things organized. Dave really wanted to do a penguin theme. I made a simple black and white bumper to go along with all of the penguins. Dave hung up lots of pictures that he cut from a calendar and he found some really cute figurines to put out to. Dave was kind enough to put the chest of drawers together for me. It turned out just as I wanted it to! Here are some pictures of the final product.

Lucy

2010-02-15T13:52:00.001-06:00

So Lucy has officially started sleeping in a bed and taking naps in bed too. I know it is time to go and get her because I hear her at the door. Soon she will be tall enough and I won't even have to do that. She will just open the door up when she wants out! Here are just some other pictures. I love it when Dave and her watch cartoons in the morning together. It is really the only time she will cuddle. She is also starting to turn into a dare devil. She tries to climb into the stroller, she will stand in her high chair if not buckled in. She also like to flip chairs over and use them as jungle gyms. She is cute, but man if you are not watching her, there may be a loud boom followed by crying!

Snow!

2010-02-11T13:41:00.003-06:00

It is snowing in Texas. According to the weather channel it will be about 4 inches total. Crazy!! So I took the chance to let Lucy play in the snow. She liked to watch the snow. I tried to have her walk in it and she fell and started crying. She would touch a little bit of it and then get upset that her hands were wet and cold. She kept walking around and looking up at the sky and out in the grass. She really liked to watch the way the snow flakes fell. However, she only lasted 30 minutes before her teeth were chattering and she wanted to go back inside. At least I got some cute pictures. When we came in I made some hot chocolate and let her have a sample. She really enjoyed that!

Whose bathroom is this anyway?!?

2010-01-29T13:41:00.006-06:00

Lately Lucy has really liked going into our bathroom and playing with my makeup, hair things, lotions, etc. Pretty much anything she has the ability to reach she will get and want done to herself. A little while back she spilled a lot of makeup, on the carpet. She got in trouble for that and now keeps her distance from the makeup. She still loves hair products though. Yesterday she kept bringing me my jar of clay/wax/sculpting stuff that I used to use when I had shorter hair. I said fine you want it, I will give it to you. I think I had as much fun as Lucy did!

I had a hard time getting the picture because she kept wanting to hold the camera herself. Thus that last picture!

Lucy Cuteness

2010-01-23T12:00:00.001-06:00

Lucy is turning into such a big girl. She went to nursery (for those who don't know nursery is where 18 months-3 years get to go during church so the parents can actually enjoy a lesson) She was only 16 months, but they let her try it out. She did an excellent job! She didn't cry and played well. She even ate her snack at the table!!! This was huge! Dave has really been missing his spiritual boost, because he takes the munchkin in the hallway to keep her from screaming, instead of being able to hear all of the great lessons and talks. Lucy also can go down the stairs backwards now, which is great because I am tired of lifting her up. My back is tired of it too! Lucy has become quite the little chatter and dancer. The videos below will show that. We also started setting up for when Grant arrives. We moved the bed into Lucy's room and the crib and changing table into another room. We tried to put Lucy in the bed, but she was not ready for that. She can get off the bed but not on. We got a bed rail for it, hoping that would help her, but she just doesn't want to sleep there. She loves to play on the bed and roll around in the pillows, just not sleep. Oh well. Now she is in the pack and play until she is ready for the big girl bed. Overall she is a great kid and we feel lucky to have her!

Here are just some recent videos and picturs. Enjoy the Lucy Cuteness!

Broccoli Pizza!!!

2010-01-21T12:08:00.003-06:00

For Christmas Dave got me a pizza stone because lately I have been craving a broccoli pizza which don't exist here. I am probably one of the few who likes broccoli pizza so much they would find a way to perfect it themselves. This was my third attempt at it and it was definitely the best of the three. It is still not as good as the original (in NJ). However it did fulfill the craving, which was the point of all the experimenting!

The pizza was made of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and steamed broccoli! Yum!

Christmas with the Crests

2010-01-09T15:05:00.004-06:00

This year for Christmas we celebrated a little early because we were going to be going out of town. We got up early put all the presents under the tree and filled up the stockings. It was so fun to be doing it my self for our little family. I can't wait to do it again next year. Christmas is a wonderful time of year and just seems to be getting better and better. Here are some cute pictures from our Christmas morning.

Before

After

Lucy is already playing!

Here are just some fun videos of her opening and playing with presents. They are in no particular order.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful Christmas this year. It really was the best! Merry Christmas to anyone we missed calling!

Lucy Has Hair!

2010-01-05T15:45:00.004-06:00

I was giving Lucy a bath the other day and noticed she has quit a bit of hair. So I tried an experiment. Lucy has enough hair for pig tails!!! Her hair is very fine so the bows tend to fall out if you touch them, but her hair is long enough!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T10:44:00.004-06:00

Who loves Thanksgiving? We do! This year it was a quiet one, we decided to make our own little turkey with the trimmings. When I made everything I tried really hard to remember that there was just 2.5 people eating. Although I think Lucy ate more than me! I made everything from scratch except one thing. Can anyone guess? The stuffing. I did a simple stovetop and it was the best ever! The past years when I had made stuffing it was only ok, but stove top is great! Dave was a sweetheart and did the dishes. It was nice to not have to after cooking everything. Lucy seemed to really enjoy thanksgiving. She loved the potatoes and stuffing the most. She made quite the mess and had to have a bath afterward, but I think it was all worth it!

Blast from the Past

2009-11-17T09:29:00.000-06:00

About a month ago Dave and I had dinner with the Butlers. They moved to Tyler Texas (about 20-30 minutes away) a few months ago. It was so much fun to catch up with them. Mary Alice found some old pictures and sent them to me. I just had to share. See if you can recognize everyone!!

Recent Pictures

2009-11-13T12:46:00.005-06:00

Here are just some recent pictures. No reason just Lucy being funny so I snapped a shot or two over the past month.

Lucy loves stuffed animals. We went to toys r us and she had a field day!

Lucy's first ride! She had lots of fun with the steering wheel.

The best bed head I have ever seen on her. It was like this all day!

Lucy kept crying and I went to find out why. I don't know how but she sure did it all on her own.

We got a fire pit and I think Lucy likes it more than Dave and I combined.

Who needs hair gel, just use food!

New sunday dress-Lucy mostly cries on Sundays because she can't sit still for Church.

Not her pacifier, the doll's.

Random Videos

2009-11-11T12:43:00.000-06:00

Here are just some fun random videos of late.

Tantrum

2009-11-09T12:41:00.000-06:00

Lucy has officially learned to have tantrums. Here is a typical one.

It is both sad and funny.

Halloween

2009-11-07T12:19:00.004-06:00

This year for Halloween Lucy was a little lamb. She was cute and loved wearing the costume. The night before was a trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun and crazy!! There must have been atleast 100-150 people there. We combined with another ward and the entire parking lot was full! We brought 200 hundred pieces of candy to the event and we ran out! On Halloween we went out early before she went to sleep. Not to many people were home but Lucy still had fun walking around. At peoples doors though she would get scared. We invited a friend to come with us. He was a monkey, a super cute one! That night was stake conference the adult session. So after trick or treating the boys went to conference while we stayed home with the kids while they slept. It was a great night of movies and fun! Halloween is definitely a favorite holiday.

HS Football

2009-10-31T15:09:00.001-05:00

Lucy went to her first high school football game and loved it. She would stand, scream, and clap her hands like crazy. In fact one time when the away team was going to kick a field goal, Lucy screamed really loud just when the kick happened and the guy messed up and missed! I don't know if it was because of her, but everyone around us told her good job! We are going to try and go to as many football games as we can. The high school we support is Wakeland. It is the one that Lucy will one day go to. I am also proud to say they have an excellent color guard. (Kathy!) They have won all sorts of competitions. The football team is actually 5-0 this year too, despite hearing reports they were terrible last season. Go Wakeland!

Sickness

2009-10-27T10:50:00.001-05:00

Dave and I were sick this past month. Blah! I am not sure if Dave actually had the flu or not, he did sleep one night for 16 hours though, and then most of the next day! I think it was Heavenly Father letting Dave know what I was going through. September was especially hard for me because I was sick the whole month. I am still sick now. However it is not the flu or a cold or anything even spreadable. I am sick with MORNING SICKNESS! Yuk and Yeah! It is a blessing because that means our little family is going to grow but man do I feel like the pits. Last time with Lucy I lost almost 10 pounds from being sick. I have already lost 10 pounds and I have a feeling it is not over yet!

In August I felt weird, not sick, just weird like something was off. I took a pregnancy test just to see if it were possible. It came back negative so I thought, whatever maybe I am getting sick. September hits and I am totally sick. At first I was in denial because my body has not been functioning properly for me to get pregnant. After a week of being sick and just before going on our road trip, I thought, why not take another test. So I went to the dollar store (because there is no way I was paying extra for something I thought was going to be a negative) and got the test took it and thought no way! I am pregnant, no way! I took this picture (see below) and emailed Dave. He replied wanting to know if I wanted to celebrate, I thought yeah, when the morning sickness is over and I can actually enjoy however we celebrate!

I am due April 27th so do the math if you want to know how far along I am. I can never remember because I am trying to keep up with Lucy!

Lucy Goofyness

2009-10-25T15:00:00.001-05:00

Lucy is a ball to have around. One day she got into the office and found the post-its. She got very upset when I finally took them away.

Lucy also has a tendency to get thrown off when we go to the fair so somedays she is really tired.

State Fair

2009-10-23T14:51:00.002-05:00

So if you don't know already Dave and I love the state fair. We got season passes this year to be able to go multiple times. It has been so much fun. Lucy loves the fair. She petted some animals, won a prize, and ate so tasty food. We have of course also looked at all the cars and art projects people have done. We have been going after work for only a couple of hours so that we don't get overly tired plus during the week is way less crowded.

Salt Lake

2009-10-21T14:42:00.003-05:00

Dave and I took a trip to Salt Lake to see Charlene and Aaron get sealed. It was such a great experience. I went out with Lucy a day before Dave did to be able to see Charlene take her endowments out. It is was such a wonderful experience. It was a quick trip but it was worth it. I love it when people are married or sealed in the temple. To me its like, YES! One more for the home team! It was also fun just to hangout and visit with everyone.

Lucy loved the Sperry's dogs. I don't know if they liked her as much but she could not get enough of them. She would just wander around following them. Patsy was also nice enough to watch her for us twice so Dave and I went on two double dates with our friends! IHOP the first night, and movie and slurpees the second. Brought back such good memories of our Utah days. It was amazing. Dave also got to see his mission president, which he always enjoys a lot. We also got to see Dave's sister, Katy, who lives in Provo.

BBQ

2009-10-19T12:37:00.001-05:00

We had a birthday party/BBQ/housewarming party the weekend we got back. It was so much fun. We invited the neighbors, people from downtown and people from the new ward. It was a great chance to get to know everyone a little better. Lucy also got to finally have her birthday cake. My friend Carly did an amazing job. She made two cakes and you will see why from the video. Lucy loved it. She was a pink mess! I can't believe Lucy has gotten so big. She really enjoyed her toys too. Now that she can walk she is just getting into all sorts of trouble.

Road Trip Last Day

2009-10-17T12:26:00.001-05:00

Last stop Carthage. Carthage was I think the most spiritual stop. Seeing where the prophet died, the bullet hole in the door, etc. really touched me.

We had originally planned to then visit my aunts in Springfield, but because I was still feeling really really really sick, we just headed straight home. We stopped just at some hotel and got up early to make it home the next day. It was a great trip, but I was glad to be home.

Road Trip Last Day

2009-10-15T11:52:00.001-05:00

Liz and Ethan came with us to Nauvoo to see some of the sites. We first stopped at this German Breakfast place in Amana, Iowa. It was excellent. We stuffed ourselves. I stuffed myself a little too much! We were originally going to do a session but that became out of the question because I got sick in the car. So instead we walked around the grounds, slowly. The Nauvoo temple is beautiful. We got lots of great pictures.

We then continued down the hill to all of the historic sites. We first went to the gunsmith, at Ethan's request. It was fun, I never knew so much about guns and sad to say, I did not retain the information, hopefully the others did.

We then went to the school. It was a tiny building. The strollers barely fit. The missionary doing the tour was nice. She talked about how back then the school taught phonetic spelling. I was terrible at sounding out the words that were spelled phonetically.

Next stop, the brick maker. That was great because we got a free brick that says Nauvoo. I put it on the mantel when we got home. The kids were breaking down though so we had to quickly move on.

We then made our way to the blacksmith. Because the kids were not at their best we caught the tail end of the tour. We each got to pick a prairie diamond, which is a nail bent around a pole to make a ring. They were supposedly what engagement rings the Saints could afford back then. Lucy loved the black smith because of the noises and banging. She would bang her sippy cup every time the blacksmith did and not get yelled at.

The day was not over yet though. We then headed to the bakery. Great cookies! I got the recipe for the ginger bread cookies.

Next door to the bakery was a big building that was completely open inside. In there, there were stations ranging from bread making, candle making, looms, etc. The kids liked this place because they got to just run around.

We then went to the visit center - my favorite. The inside was great and full of information, but the garden was the best. There were sculptures everywhere. I loved the sculptures and thought they were all beautiful. Lucy seemed to enjoy her self.

We said our goodbyes to the the Zmoos family and we hit the road for home.

Road Trip (Iowa)

2009-10-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

We got into Liz and Ethan's probably about 10 or 11 at night. We were tired, but of course Lucy slept in the car and then wanted to be up when we got there. She loved Lola, Liz and Ethan's dog. That first night all she wanted to do was play with her/attack her. For Lucy's birthday, Liz and Ethan got her a stroller and a baby doll, so cute. At first she didn't understand what it was and wouldn't push the stroller, but the next day when she saw how her cousin Maddy pushed the stroller and played with the baby, she caught on pretty quick.

Iowa was so much fun! I had no idea what we were going to do there other than just hangout, but they kept us pretty well entertained. Thanks Liz and Ethan! We went to the farmers market and Lucy loved it. She enjoyed the music and strolling along in the red wagon, and playing with her balloon. The train that went by really scared her though, it was like an attraction for some older kids, but the horn freaked her out.

We then stopped by Ethan's chiropratic office. He adjusted Dave and I and it felt fantastic!! Liz is a lucky women!

We spent Saturday night watching the BYU vs. Oklahoma game. Kudos to Ethan and Liz for watching with us, they aren't the biggest sports fans. I think they enjoyed it though as it was one of the greatest games of all time. Dave kids that we left Dallas on the trip so he wouldn't get emotionaly attached to BYU this season (the game being in Dallas), well... that lasted about two minutes into the first quarter. He spent the other three hours of the watching the game standing because he was so excited and couldn't sit down.

For the most part cousins Maddy and Lucy got along, sort of. Maddy is louder and bigger than Lucy, plus she could walk which at the time Lucy was still coming to grips with. Needless to say there were some tears and screaming and stealing of toys going on. Turns out Lucy was somewhat of a pushover, whereas at home with her little friends who are mostly boys, she is quite the little boss! Good thing toddlers forgive and forget every 10 seconds. They eventually worked it out so that things were civil by the time we left.

Road Trip Day 2

2009-10-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

We slept in at the hotel and it felt great! That day was Lucy's first birthday, so we brought some of Lucy's presents along so she could open a few things on her actual birthday. We planned a party for the following weekend. She opened the presents and just loved them.

After presents it was time to go to the LDS Visitor Center at Independence. It was great being there and seeing the exhibits they had. The displays all revolved around pioneer life on the frontier. We really enjoyed hearing the missionary talk about the different things that had happened there, like temple lot being dedicated and the conflicts with their neighbors and what not. We learned a great deal and really tested the missionaries knowledge of the events of the second coming and what will take place at and around Independence. We also drove across the street to see the dedicated temple lot (currently owned by a church whose sole purpose is to guard the lot from the LDS Church).

We then headed over to Liberty Jail. It was only about 30 minutes away from Independence. Lucy fell asleep in the car so we had to take turns going into the visitor center there. We got to see the enormous, indoor replica they have of the Liberty Jail. The spirit was very strong there but you could feel how poor the conditions were. Joseph Smith received one of the most important revelations in the Liberty Jail, D&C 121, and while seeing the exhibit you couldn't help but feel grateful for the Prophet's perseverance and dedication to the Lord to have received the revelation while in such a horrible place.

The next stop was Adam-Ondi-Ahman. This was a great stop! We loved looking out over the valley. It was beautiful. I also had no idea what it was going to look like so I really enjoyed our quick stop there. It was a very serene environment. It is well off the beaten path, but a must see on the church history road trip.

We made one quick stop for dinner at an all-you-can-eat, family restaurant that served pure Iowan food. If you aren't familiar, that would be lots of corn and pork and butter in almost everything. It was actually pretty good, but it wouldn't be a place you could eat at every year. We then high-tailed it to Liz and Ethan's in Iowa!

Road Trip Day 1

2009-10-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Over labor day weekend Dave and I planned a road trip to see some church history sites and my sister Liz in Iowa. It was a blast. Day 1 was pretty much all driving after Dave got off work. We did the first leg to Independence, Missouri. It took 8-9 hours to get there. Lucy kind-of lasted. I had the DVD player going with Baby Einstein to try and keep her occupied until she fell asleep. She woke up just in time for the hotel room. She had a ball in the bathroom and we let her have at it (she wouldn't get away with this at home)!

Where to begin?

2009-10-07T10:47:00.002-05:00

So the month of September was a crazy month. We went on two trips the both of us got sick, Lucy had a birthday and a doctors appointment. It was crazy. Because of all this there is so much to blog that I don't even know where to begin. So look forward to lots of blogs over the next couple of weeks!

Lucy Pictures

2009-08-12T14:59:00.004-05:00

Here are just some fun pictures from the past few weeks. Lucy is getting very adventurous. She gets into more and more things everyday!

Visitors 2 of 2

2009-08-10T14:41:00.001-05:00

When Tini arrived we went to another place to eat. This place is our personal favorite. It is right by our house: Babe's Chicken Diner. I recommend it to all. The food is great and the atmosphere is fun and lively. They serve five things: fried chicken, smoke chicken, chicken fingers, chicken fried steak, and pot roast. We had five people so we got to try one of everything. It was all delicious.

Lucy was really funny that night. She kept copying people. She would put her arms up, lean back, etc. It was a great night. She put on a show and didn't disappoint our visitors!

Visitors 1 of 2

2009-08-08T14:30:00.001-05:00

Dave's mom and step-dad drove down to visit us in Dallas. Dave "Tini" Martinez also flew in a few days after. It was great to have them. They came mostly to see Lucy, of course, but the rest of the time we spent together was pretty much enjoying the food in Texas. We went to a great place called Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen. Here are some pics. Lucy had just as much fun as we did. That night we discovered Lucy really likes to take pictures. She models and smiles every time.

Lucy's Game of the Day

2009-08-02T20:00:00.001-05:00

While I was cooking dinner, I let Lucy have fun with cupboards. The ones she is not allowed into have safety locks on them. So basically she plays with the tupperware. She could not get enough of them. She really like to push them all out and sit in the cupboard.

Walking?

2009-07-31T19:50:00.001-05:00

Lucy is very close to being able to walk. We don't have a walking toy for her to practice with, but she found a great substitute on her own!

Fence

2009-07-29T09:59:00.004-05:00

So as most of you know (becuase it is basically all Dave talked about for weeks) we have been working on our fence. It became quite the large project. The storm ripped up half of it and we extended another section of it to enclose the side yard. It took about 6 saturdays and me doing little things through out the week to get it all done. I think it is fantastic! We worked really hard and it paid off. We estimated that we saved over a thousand bucks by doing it ourselves. The process from start to finish was:

Planning/measuring and getting permits and approval from the city and HOA
Taking down old/broken pieces, digging out stumps
Digging holes and cementing posts in place
Nailing together the cross beams and pickets
Power washing the old section (it was disgusting!)
Staining the outside
Disposing of the scraps

On paper looks do-able right? Well it was harder than it sounded but well worth it. Our backyard is now twice as big, and a major plus our kitchen window is now fenced in so we no longer look at our neighbor's garage and people can't see in as they drive by.

Here is the part that was damaged in the storm. Two of the sections had blown over and landed down the alley. The posts holding them in place had snapped at the base. We managed to salvage some of it, but we had to put in a few new posts and pickets as well.

These are the remnants of the posts that snapped. You wouldn't think it, but disposing of wood is pretty tough if you don't have a some kind of fire pit to burn it.

Here is what the front now looks like from the front of the house. Before the fence line was even with the back of the house. This also shows the stain we used called "Redwood" (in honor of California of course, but don't tell that to our Texan neighbors).

This much of the yard was added by moving the fence line (you can see the line on the grass where the fence used to be). The kitchen window now looks into the yard. Yay!

James and Lucy

2009-07-27T10:53:00.002-05:00

Ok, one more thing about San Antonio...

The Williams have a little boy named James. Lucy and James had a blast playing together. Lucy got to do things that I would probably not let her do at home.

She really loved playing with James' toys too. He was always really nice and would bring new things over for her to try, including any pacifiers laying around. It was cute!

San Antonio (Last Installment)

2009-07-25T09:50:00.002-05:00

On the fourth of July we went to the circus. The tickets were fairly cheap and it was really fun. At the circus if you go early you can meet some of the people, animals, and they do a pre-show. At first Lucy seemed she could care less as to what was going on. But once the jugglers came out, she was amazed. Her eyes were glued to them.

Once the pre-show ended we took our seats. Lucy really enjoyed the circus. It was full of music and colors. One sequence did scare her though, the music got loud and overwhelming to listen to. Here are some fun clips from the show.

We left after intermission because the kids were falling asleep. When we got back to the Williams' place we had a BBQ! Dave's favorite part of the Fourth of July. It was very tasty. The boys did a good job on the grill, and Dani was an excellent cook!

Sunday morning we got up early and headed home. Dave had to give the priesthood lesson that day. It's a good thing church is at 1:00! Thanks to the Williams' for the hospitality - they were great hosts!

San Antonio (Installment 2)

2009-07-23T09:35:00.003-05:00

THE BEACH

The last time Lucy was at the beach (California) she was crying her head off. The water and sand were very cold. Well Corpus Christi is very much the exact opposite. The water was warm, almost hot, and the sand was very hot. Lucy cried for the first little bit while we setup camp. She was hot and we didn't have a canopy or anything, which apparently is a must for the Gulf of Texas but we weren't in the know on that one. Lucy was then really funny, she kept wanting to eat the sand. I think if you add up the amounts it would only equal 3 mouth fulls. Luckily it was a very clean beach! Once we all ate (including Lucy which made her much happier) we went into the water. At first Lucy was scared of the waves. But eventually she got used to them. It helps she got to sit on her mommy's lap. After she got used to the water I made drip castles with her. She really liked the feel of the water and sand mixture. This is where most of the sand eating happened. She liked to grab the sand let go and then try and lick her hands. I had to keep a close watch so that she wouldn't eat too much.

As fun as all of this sounds, it did not last long. We managed 2-3 hours before we just couldn't handle the heat. It was 108 on the beach, but with humidity made it feel like 116. Yuk! Being in the water made it a little cooler, but you can only go so deep with a 10-month-old. After reaching our collective boiling point, we decided to pack it up and head back to San Antonio.

Oh and I am happy to say I did not get sunburned! Everyone that knows me from growing up knows I can't go to the beach without being fried. It was a first and I have to say it was quite nice.

Later that night Matt and Dani had a friend come over and watch both our kids while we went out to eat on the Downtown River Walk. It was really crowded. If you've never been there it is a long strip of restuarants and clubs along a small river that meanders through downtown. The walkway is right up against the water and there aren't any safety rails or anything. I am very glad we didn't have the kids and the strollers. I felt like anyone walking by could easily bump us into the river. Once we made it into the restaurant it was nice. We were all joking that the river walk is never this busy when they come. But when they come it is always earlier in the day. We were crazy and stayed out until 10:00 PM. Whoo Hoo! Ahh married life, where 10:00 PM means staying out late.

San Antonio (Installment 1)

2009-07-21T09:24:00.001-05:00

Over the fourth of July weekend we went down to San Antonio to visit the Williams Family, some friends Dianna and I know from college. While we were there we did some pretty fun things. We went to Sea World, the beach and the circus, not to mention just all the fun of hanging out, BBQ, and going downtown. It was fun to reconnect with our friends. Even though we aren't in college anymore, we still have so much in common. It was a blast!

SEA WORLD

I haven't been to Sea World since I was little, so that was quite a treat for me. Lucy cried for the first part because she missed her nap, but once we got her to fall asleep for a bit she was fine. She thought the dolphins were fun, but really liked the penguins. The exhibit was the only one where she sat there for several minutes watching them. I personally think it was because penguins don't move as fast as the dolphins or whales. We even bought her a squeaking penguin toy. She loves it. She really likes to chew on the beak. Our friends know one of the Beluga whale trainers at Sea World, so we got to go back stage of the show and see the animals. The whales were really cool. We all got to pet/pat them on their heads. However, when one of them made the whistling, clicking noise Lucy freaked out. She cried and cried and cried. It was loud and abrupt so I don't blame her for crying, it even startled me. Overall Sea World was a blast and I would recommend it to anyone!

If there was ever a question

2009-07-16T10:49:00.002-05:00

Lucy is my daughter.

When I was little I would pick the fuzz off anything I could get a hold of. And sad to say I still do. My fingers always have to be busy!

Random

2009-07-06T21:58:00.001-05:00

So here is a random video of Lucy crawling. She is really good at and can now crawl while holding things in her hands and mouth!

Pool Day

2009-07-04T21:39:00.003-05:00

We went to our pool to see if the second time round if Lucy would like the water. She did. It took some getting used to and she needed to be held close by her daddy but she got used to it. Eventually she liked it so much she was standing on her own and playing in the water. She really likes pools now! It is fun to wrap her up in the towel and then just stroll home. It is literally a 2 minute walk.

Project

2009-07-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

Here was a project I made. I thought it turned out pretty cool. However when looking at the picture, it sure looks crooked! oops!

Storm of the Century

2009-06-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it wasn't really the storm of the century, but it sure was impressive! There was a tornado warning, rain, lighting, thunder, and a little bit of hail. The wind was blowing so hard it damage practically everyone's fences in the neighbor. When Dave went to home depot to get supplies they were all out! It was a bit scary to watch, but we felt safe and secure in our home. We even said if only we have visiting teachies and home teachies to call and check on! The craziest part of it all was watching a neighbor's trampoline catch wind and roll through two yards (including fences and on top of cars). Dave and several neighbors (8 people total) carried it back to its rightful home. Yeah for Texas!?!

Picture Day

2009-06-28T21:31:00.001-05:00

The Sunday before we left california, we decided to make it a picture day.
Here they are:

Great Grandma

2009-06-26T21:46:00.001-05:00

Here is Lucy at Great Grandma Garlock's house. It was her first time there. She had a lot of fun being held by Grandma Garlock and she really like playing with the cat, Sammy. It was her first time to see one in person. Sammy kept her distance, but Lucy kept crawling over to her. It was great seeing Grandma Garlock, I am so glad she is doing well.

Mini Retreat

2009-06-24T17:50:00.001-05:00

In the middle of our vacation Dave and I took mini retreat to the beach and left Lucy with her grandparents. I am sure they had a blast. We had a blast as well. We got a campsite and a hotel room so that we could sleep inside but have bonfires and cookouts during the day. It was perfect. We spent the entire first day at the beach. I got some really funny tan lines, of course! I loved the smores. The second day was over cast so we went to a movie instead of freezing on the beach. We saw a night at the museum-in imax. I have never seen anything in imax before. It was really cool. We also ate at a great restaurant called Wind and Sea. I had the best salmon in my life! I think Dave really enjoyed his as well. We also took some time to go to the temple. That was a much needed trip. It was my favorite part of the whole vacation. Here are some pictures of the beach, campsite, hotel, and imax theartre.

Wagon

2009-06-22T17:03:00.003-05:00

Lucy took a wagon ride around the yard and loved it!!!! She had so much fun in the sun and being pulled around. I pulled her for 45 minutes and she didn't want to stop. I did because I could tell I was getting burned!