Ashlie's Baptism

So, the long anticipated weekend finally arrived :) Ashlie was very excited and just a little bit nervous about her baptism. Craig helped her practice so she knew just what to do and it went fine. I had envisioned a pretty poofy white dress but she wanted something long and straight. So that is what she got. She had lots of friends and family come to see her be baptized but she was sad that her Grandma & Grandpa and all of her aunts, uncles and cousins from the Dixon side couldn't come. She was happy that her uncle Chris & aunt Jenny came from San Jose though. She was also excited that one of her good friends from her primary class got baptized the same time as her. They decided to mix things up a little bit and we ended up doing the confirmation the same evening just after the baptism. Afterwards we had everyone over to our house for egg rolls and sticky rice. We made over 100 egg rolls. We had lots of fun and she had a good time. She got a little baptism journal from the primary and there was a place to write her feelings. She wrote that she got a warm feeling as she went into the water with her dad and she knew she was making the right choice. What a sweet girl. It has sort of become a tradition to get the kids their own set of scriptures for their baptism (instead of hand me downs). So Ashlie was very excited to go to church on Sunday in her beautiful white dress with her green scriptures and bright yellow case :)

Too cute to pass up!!!

A couple of days ago Tyler and I got home from our errands a little too late to put him down for a nap. So I just figured I would skip it for the day. If he goes down too late then he doesn't want to go to bed on time. He wanted to watch Polar Express so I put it on for him and he sat down on the couch. About 10 minutes later I looked over to see why he was being so quiet and this is what I saw!! Aren't they sweet when they are sleeping :) Needless to say he was eating his beloved "Spicy Hots" before he fell asleep!

For MaryAnn and all others that might be curious!

I did make the cake! It was really easy. Kind of a funny story. I was sick on Craig's actual birthday so I opted out of the homemade cake and bought an ice cream cake instead. I was feeling quite guilty so about a month later one day while Craig was at work the kids and I decided we would make him a birthday cake. I had a really cool football pan I was going to do for him, of course in Green Bay Packers colors. Well, Tyler found the Thomas pan, so instead of a manly football cake Craig got a blue Thomas cake for his birthday. So from that time forward any time there was mention of Tyler's birthday he announced he wanted a blue Thomas cake. If he could have taken the joke I would of made him the Green Bay Packers football but since he is only 3 I didn't think it would go over very well.

As for the spicy hots, several months ago Craig and Tyler were home alone. Craig was at the computer eating Flamin Hot Cheetos. Tyler wanted some and Craig told him no because they were hot. So Tyler, being the genious that he is, started blowing on them to cool them off. So Craig tried to explain they weren't heat hot but spicy hot. Of course how do you get that through to a 2 year old? You don't except by letting them figure it out on their own. So Craig gave Tyler a Flamin Hot Cheeto. Of course Tyler loved them and kept begging Craig for more "Spicy Hots". So anytime someone wants to get Tyler a surprise they either get him plain M&M's (he's a chocoholic) or "Spicy Hots"! Weird, I know :)

Tyler Sang!!!

Okay, so unless you are around Tyler quite a bit you probably wouldn't know this little tidbit of information, Tyler doesn't sing! Most children go around and sing little tunes or hum or whatever, but not Tyler. He has never really been into singing. Then about a month ago on one of our many trips to Idaho this summer Tyler was really cranky in the car and so to get him occupied I started singing some of our little preschool songs that him and I do together. He would actually get a few words in here or there and Craig and I were all excited. Since then he has kind of gone back into his non-singing mode again, until last night. It was soooo cute! We were doing Family Home Evening and I Am A Child of God was our opening song. Ashlie was playing the piano and the rest of us were singing and all of a sudden we hear this wee little voice getting some words in there. It was the cutest thing ever. Of course he was about a half phrase behind us most of the time, so sometimes he would skip a few words to sing the ending of a phrase right in beat with the rest of us. It was so cute I had to blog about it :)

Tyler's Birthday Party

We celebrated Tyler's birthday the day after. He didn't care and it worked better that way. We just had some friends over for dinner and cake with swimming. We were barely through dinner when Tyler decided he was ready for cake. So some people were still eating as we were singing and cutting cake, funny. He had a lot of fun and actually blew the candles out all by himself. Of course he got lots of Thomas trains and spicy hots for his birthday. (Does anyone recall spicy hots?) Of course he has been asking for a blue Thomas cake for well over a month so there was never any question as to what kind of cake he would be having. He loved it of course, so it was well worth the work :)

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

Okay, so this is my dedication to Tyler on his 3rd birthday. We were very excited and surprised when we found out we were pregnant with Tyler. I was pretty sure from the beginning that it was a boy. I really wanted the name Joshua, but we already have a nephew named Joshua so I was kind of bummed. We decided on Tyler Joshua. Just before he was born our nephew Joshua said he didn't mind if there was another Joshua but by that point he was already Tyler. And now when I look at him I can't imagine him not being Tyler. He has been a lot of fun and very challenging. Of course he is #3 in the family and so we had all of the typical third child challenges even though the girls were older when he was born. On top of that though, he is a boy!!! And so different from the girls. It has been a lot of fun to explore trucks and wheels and of course trains. He is all boy!! He has been a true blessing to our family. We are so thankful for him and all of the joy he brings to us. He keeps me busy but I wouldn't have it any other way!!! As you can see from the pictures he has grown just a little!! Happy Birthday Tyler!

You're Not Going To Believe It!!

As most of you have probably read my blog throughout the summer you might recall that I took a summer course. English 001, and I was stressing. My teacher was pretty uptight and I just didn't think I was going to do well at all. Well, I just found out my grade! I got an "A" in that class. I really was hoping for a B but figured I got a C. I nearly fell off my chair when I read "A". I have included a picture of the web page. I know it is difficult to see but just try for me :)

Tyler's Not A Box!!!

So, Tyler has become very aware of names! His name, our names, everyones names. And he wants to be addressed by his name. Sometimes I will call him Sweet Boy, or Handsome, or something fun, and every time he will tell me, "I not (insert name), I'm Tyler!" So the other day Craig was doing something and Tyler was just talking non-stop. Finally, Craig turned to Tyler and told him, "Come here Mr. Noisebox." Tyler says, "I'm not a box, I'm Tyler!" It was very funny. So the past week we've been chuckling about Tyler not being a box.

Tyler at Play Group

Last Tuesday Tyler and I went to a little play group at the park. This particular park has a great little water area where the water shoots up from the ground and the kids can run and play. My sister got a cute shot of Tyler and Ezra playing in the water. They had a blast.

I'm still alive so I must have survived!!!

I was going to title this entry simply "I survived!" Yet I'm not sure what the real definition of surviving is. Such a crazy week! I know most of my friends I have visited with this week seem to have felt like it was a crazy week for them too. I started school. I am taking daytime classes this semester and that is a huge adjustment compared to night classes last semester. I was previously able to study during the day while the kids were gone to school and Tyler was napping, but now I am in class during that time and so my study time is when all of the kids are home and active, yikes!!! This was just the first week so I'm sure I'll get a system down eventually. And then we had so many stinking appointments this week. Sari is now the proud owner of a spacing retainer. We're trying to keep some spots open where teeth are supposed to be growing in, that's been a real blast (insert sarcasm)! We're having a huge sale at the bookstore this weekend so I've been spending tons of time at the store trying to help get ready for that, plus all the fun after school activities are now in full swing. Tyler is now a member of a fun little preschool two mornings a week. And then, crazy as it may seem, I decided in my spare time I would like to be an active participant with the PTA at the girls school. I always volunteer in their classes but I thought I would go a step further and volunteer at some of the other activities. You know, in my spare time :) And the really fun part of all of this is that the eye doctor determined that the last two weeks have been a great time to try me out on some new extended wear contacts. You are supposed to be able to wear them for a week at a time without having to take them out at all. It's supposed to save me time. Yeah, sure!!! I've managed to get as far as 2 days and 1 night and I end up with a splitting headache and my eyes are killing me so I take them out. It takes me a day to recover each time I try this out. I think I'm just not for extended wear. Oh well. So, my goals this weekend include a trip to the temple (Jen's boys are being sealed to them), a blowout sale at the bookstore, reading chapter 2 in Speech twice through so I'm prepared for test 2, finishing both biology assignments, scrubbing my house from top to bottom (including the baseboards, door casings, and window sills), doing my visiting teaching, reading the Sunday School lesson & Relief Society Lesson before church, baking bread and cookies for all of the neighbors, having my children ask if they can help, oh wait, this was goals not dreams. Okay, I'll stop after a blowout sale at the store :) The rest is just a dream :) I'd be happy with a little bit of relax time this weekend I think.

1st Day of School

Well, it is that time again. The girls started back to school this past week and I think we were all ready :) We have had a busy summer and we were ready to get back into the routine of things again. Sari is now in the 6th grade (scary) and Ashlie is in the 3rd grade. They both had a good first day of school and they both seem to really like their teachers. I had a couple extra days off myself before I start back this coming week. I'm taking a biology class and a speech class this semester. Hopefully I can do as good as the girls do!!

LDS Bookseller's Convention (5 Days with no kids)

So, we left the kids at Grandma & Grandpa's and off we headed for a week kid free. It is always kind of weird traveling without the kids. Usually Sari is needing a movie changed in the DVD player or food to eat. Ashlie is usually needing a drink or something to read. Tyler is usually screaming, "It's a train, look mom (or dad) it's a train Is it coming??? It's going!!! A train, a train!!!" So, when we get in the car and there is no commotion coming from behind it is almost a little eery!!! We found ourselves pointing out all of the trains to each other, lol!! We had a great time at the convention. One day was a school I went to so Craig just hung out at the motel and slept and read and played on the computer. The rest of the week was spent going to concerts and different things. I learned so many new things that I hope will really help the bookstore. We are really excited about some of the new products we found. And there are so many talented musicians in our church it is amazing. The event that I enjoyed the most was the evening spent on Temple Square. We were able to hear a number of different groups perform but then the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed the last half of the evening. It was so amazing to hear them perform live. The spirit was so strong that evening. Of course we heard many other wonderful groups, Jessie Clark Funk of course is one of my favorites. It really was a tremendous week and you leave so exhausted from lack of sleep but on such a spiritual high. We get lots of freebies while we are there so the whole way home from Salt Lake (via Blackfoot) I listened to several of John Bytheway's talks on CD. Wow! I got up and went to church this morning just ready to feel the spirit. I think we are starting to get caught back up on our sleep. You truly go from about 5 am to about 11 pm every day. It is a wonderful experience and it was so fun getting to do it all with Craig. Kind of a funny couple's vacation but we had a great time together. We were happy to see the kids but I don't think they really missed us that much. Ashlie is the only one that greeted us on her own, we had to go and find Tyler & Sari. Funny.

LDS Bookseller's Convention (Kid Version)

So, while Craig and I headed off to the convention the kids got to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's. We knew the kids would be fine. We were mostly concerned about Grandma and Grandpa. I have left Tyler for a few days at a time before but it has always been with him at home, this was a first leaving him somewhere else. But I figured he would be okay since the girls were there with him. My point was proven as Craig and I left and then realized we had left Craig's wallet so we had to turn around and go back. We went in to get the wallet. When we got ready to leave again I bent down to Tyler and said, "We're going to go now." He backed up against the wall and very serious like said, "I don't want to go, I want to stay at Campa & Campa's." (That is what he calls them when he says their names together.) I chuckled and told him he could stay but that I was going to go. He gave me a kiss and ran off to find Grandpa. So throughout the week the kids were kept plenty busy. Ashlie and Grandpa had lots of fun working in the garden and cooking together. There are also horses in the pasture behind the garden so all of the kids got to pet the horses quite a bit. They played in the sprinkler and played games. It sounds like they had a really good time. And by the time we got back to Idaho the following Friday, Grandma & Grandpa were still functioning and seemed to be in good spirits. I do think they were somewhat happy to see us pull off with all 3 kids that afternoon though. Secretly, I think it was naptime for both of them :)

Ashlie's 8th Birthday in Idaho

So, the morning after the party at home we loaded back in the car and headed off to Grandma and Grandpa's in Idaho. The kids all stayed there while Craig and I continued on to Salt Lake for the annual LDS Bookseller's convention. So Grandma & Grandpa had ordered a very fun birthday cake for Ashlie. Once again Princess. She was very excited because when we got to Idaho on Saturday afternoon Grandpa suggested we sing and have birthday cake that day which was the day before her birthday and then do it all over again on her birthday the next day. Since Ashlie agreed, that is what we did. So we all sang Happy Birthday, she opened a present from Grandma & Grandpa and we had birthday cake. The next day was Sunday which was the real day, finally!!! We went to church that day and she was so excited because they sang to her in primary. We came home from church and had more presents and birthday cake. Once again, a very lucky girl.

Ashlie's 8th Birthday at home

Well, as most of you probably have noticed from the blog we have definitely had a fun summer. We have either been getting ready to leave or just getting home all summer long. The few days we've actually been in town Craig has had to work (to fund all of the fun trips). We like to do birthdays kind of big, especially an 8th birthday. That has special significance to our family since it also means getting baptised. So we asked Ashlie what she would like Craig and I to do for her 8th birthday. Her response was, "Same as last year." That means another day of lunch at a restaurant of her choice and a shopping spree. Last year we did this and didn't put a limit on her, wow, that was a mistake. So we learned this year. About 2 weeks before her actual birthday, (this was the only day Craig was off that we were going to be in town before her birthday) we took Ashlie shopping. She chose Wendy's for lunch, go figure. Then we went shopping. We let her pick anything she could possibly want, she had about 100 different pieces of clothing. Then we started the process of narrowing down. It took almost an hour just to narrow it down to an affordable spread and she walked out to the car with several bags and a happy smile (we hit the clearance racks!!!). So she has been wearing new clothes for the past 2 weeks everyday. What a happy princess! We knew we were going to be in Idaho on her actual birthday so the night before we left we had a family party at home. We had frito boats for dinner and swam. We opted for a Baskin Robbins cake (I took the easy way out). Of course it was princess themed with white cake and vanilla ice cream. I don't even have a response to that. I would have picked at least a flavor of something, but it was her cake. She had a lot of fun celebrating with her friends and family here. She is a very lucky girl.

Camping Trip

So this last weekend we jumped in the car (truck) and went camping with our really good friends the Wrights. Unfortunately, we decided a little late to go camping and so the only place we could find a spot was not very high in the mountains and so it was very hot and desert like. We still had a good time though. There was a very nice lake there and so the second day we were there we rented a house boat and went out on the lake. We had a good time relaxing and hanging out. Other than an incident regarding a flip flop and a life vest we had a great time on the water. That night once we got back to camp our friends ended up leaving because their kids weren't feeling so well. Their baby hadn't slept hardly at all and wasn't eating so they had to head home. We spent that night there camping and the next day we went back to the lake to do some fishing. We had fun, I spent most of the time untangling the fishing line that Craig and the girls got tangled but we still had fun. We headed home that afternoon and it felt so good to take a nice shower without wearing flip flops and worrying about dropping something on the floor.

Back to the Drive In

So we love summer time partly because we get to go to the Drive In Movies on weekday nights. This week we went to see Wall-E and Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian. Tyler had had a rough day and by the time we got to the movies he was already asleep with his blanket. Sari had spent the night at Grandma's so Craig, Ashlie, & I ate pizza and popcorn and relaxed. Tyler slept through half of Wall-E then woke up. I figured he would go back to sleep after Wall-E but he didn't. He loves the other Chronicles of Narnia movie so he actually stayed awake through the whole thing. In fact, Ashlie, Tyler, and I all stayed awake through the end. Craig is the one who fell asleep in the back of the van snoring. Lol!! Of course he had worked that day so he had been up since 5 am. It was about 2 am when we got home and got the kids to bed. Kind of a late night but we managed:)

Boo Boo Turns 1

When my little niece Brooklyn was born Tyler nicknamed her Boo Boo. So Boo Boo just had her first birthday on 7/13. Jennifer did it out at the Adventure Park which has a pizza buffet, arcades, bumper (squirting) boats, miniature golf, race cars etc. So Jen, Ashlie, & Sari rode the bumper boats. Boo Boo couldn't figure out why she didn't get to ride since it was her birthday party!!!

More Vacation Pictures

Our Trip to Utah/Idaho

We had a great time on our little vacation. The kids got to see most of their cousins and had a good time with them. We started out in Idaho and hung out there for almost a week. We played at Grandma and Grandpa's, saw Wall-E, went to the zoo, watched the fireworks, and relaxed. After we left Grandma & Grandpa's we headed to Utah to see some friends from college. Wow, time flies. We had a great time. Thanks Chris & Lori!!! After that we headed to Craig's sisters house and spent a couple of days there. We all traveled together and went to Bryce Canyon and to the St. George Temple. We had so much fun we didn't want to come home. Especially when the thermometer read 113 on our way home. We had a really fun time. Here are some pictures that show a few of the fun things we did.

Fun Times

I was going through the camera today and found some pictures we've taken over the past month or so. They are mostly just random shots of the kids being cute so I thought I would post them for you to all enjoy. The one of Craig and Tyler is at Ashlie's dance recital while we were waiting for it to start. For Father's Day we took pictures of the kids and put them on aprons for Grandpa and Papa and anytime you try to take a picture with Tyler you can never be quite sure what you are going to get. We took about 6 pictures and finally got one we could use. The other was another shot that was typical Tyler with his arm in front of Sari's face pushing her away. Then the one in the pool is our three with a couple of Sari's friends from school. We've practically adopted them since they do FHE, scripture and family prayer, go to church, and eat 2-3 meals a day at our house.

13 Years

Well, today is our 13th anniversary. It is crazy to think we've been married for 13 years. I'll give you guys a sappy little love story for those of you who don't know it. I had just started my second year at Ricks and my roommates and I needed a ride to Utah for a friends mission farewell. A friend of a friend knew this guy who had a car (insert Craig) and he'd be thrilled to drive 3 girls to Utah for the weekend. So on Friday afternoon Craig shows up at our doorstep with his friend Chris McCabe to pick us up. One of my roommates actually had a crush on Craig so he was off limits to begin with but so not my type. He was so quiet and reserved. We all had a great time that weekend just hanging out. Craig and I started hanging out a little bit after that and before we knew it we were really good friends. We went on a lot of drives and just talked, a lot! I asked him out first to Preference. At Thanksgiving he asked me how I felt about marriage and by Christmas we were engaged. We got married the following June in the San Diego Temple. Fast forward 13 years and 3 kids later and here we are. We have most certainly had our up's and down's but we've managed to work through them and I think we are better because of it. Over the last year or so we've learned a lot about ourselves and each other and we have a much stronger relationship now. It's nice we can both say we are married to our best friend. It's kind of crazy to think where we might be in another 13 years.

Craig turns 30 something again!!!

Craig is getting to where he doesn't exactly enjoy his birthdays as much anymore. Unfortunately this one wasn't great because I was sick and he even had to do the dishes!!! I tried to make the day fun for him but I don't know how successful I was. We just kind of hung out most of the day trying to get me feeling better, which it worked!!! In the evening Ashlie had her dance recital so after it was over the family all got together and we went to Olive Garden (Craig's favorite) for dinner. We had a party of 22 so it was good to go later in the evening so it wasn't so crowded. He had a good time and we had Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream Cake for dessert.

Ashlie's Dance Recital

Well, the big finale has come!!! Ashlie spends all year going to dance classes for her one night of glory!!! She loves the dance recitals and the costumes. She was in three dances this year: tap, jazz, and ballet. This is a picture of her in her ballet costume with flowers from her some of her fans!!! Flowers are also another highlight of the dancing season!!! She did a great job!!!

It's Summer!!!

So we celebrated the beginning of summer vacation by doing one of our favorite family activities - swimming and the drive in movies!!! Well, actually, I didn't even attempt the swimming, I stuck my toes in and that was enough for me. Craig actually changed into his suit and then decided against it. It didn't affect the kids at all though. The girls swam and swam. Tyler swam for a bit and then when he could no longer feel his toes decided he was done. Craig turned the heat on in the hot tub and so Tyler got in there and hung out for a bit. Then we all went in and got changed and headed off to the movies. They closed the drive in down in Visalia so we have to go to Hanford about 30 minutes away. But we figured out the cost of gas, the admission cost, and snackies and for all 5 of us it cost less than $40. A few weeks ago we all headed out to the movies at the theatre and for tickets and popcorn for the 5 of us we spent $90. I think we'll keep driving to Hanford. We saw Speed Racer (again) and had a blast. The weather was perfect for a sweatshirt. We folded down the back of the car and the kids hung out in there and Craig and I had our lawn chairs right in front of them. Tyler enjoyed being able to run around in the back of the van and then he could climb out and over to Craig and I saw he thought that was pretty cool. We had lots of fun and are already planning our next movie!!!

I can't believe it!!!

I thought you all must know that I woke up this morning to an email from my english teacher. He accepted my paper, although he didn't say why, and gave me 17/20. Life will go on in the Dixon house!!!!

English Vent

Okay, so I don't use my blog as a vent very often but I felt like I needed to share a little. If you don't want to read just skip! I'm so bummed. I started my online english class last week and my teacher is pretty strict. He took the same work you would normally do in a 4 month semester class and condensed it into a 5 week summer class. So I have assignments due every 2-3 days. I'm spending hours (5-7) a day working on my english homework. So my 2nd assignment was due Tuesday at midnight. I managed to get it all done and even a little early. I had an extra assignment to do because we each have to take a turn doing the summary of our group discussion. I got to go first so I worked about 6 hours on it yesterday and about another 3 on it today to get it done. I did all of that on top of the regular assignment that is due tomorrow night. So I just went to email my teacher the assignment and I realized that it was due at noon today and not midnight. If you refer to the beginning where I discuss how strict the teacher is, in the orientation he specifically said that since this is such a fast moving class the assignments are due exactly at the time specified. Not one minute later. And if they come one minute late he will not accept them but just delete them. ugh!!! So I'm in tears. After working so hard and for so long and the silly paper is worth 10% of my grade!!! So I just dropped to a "B" in a heartbeat! I'm so frustrated. I still emailed it to him and we'll see I guess if he accepts it or not. It is so confusing when the times are different for different assignments. Try telling him that!! So, I guess that is my vent. Sorry you had to take part.

Ashlie's Pool Party

Ashlie came home from a month or so ago and informed me she had invited some friends over to swim and she gad given them my phone number so they could call when they were on their way over. After talking to her a little bit we decided that instead of just inviting friends over individually (they are only 7 and 8) that maybe we could just have a pool party. So the planning began. We ended up with 9 little friends here on Friday night. We barbecued hot dogs and had chips, cookies, jello and lots of capri suns. The kids had a great time and many of them left their phone numbers so we could call them to come back again. Most important, Ashlie had a great time and it made her feel really good to have a party with her friends. Since Sari is older it seems that she is always the one having the parties and having friends over. So it made Ashlie feel good to be big like Sari. Here is a picture of Ashlie with a couple of her friends.