Memories in the Making

Looking back at how far he's come...

2010-08-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was going through old pictures and I found these of Gerrit

These were taken August 31st, 2002. Gerrit was almost 7 months old and about a week away form being diagnosed with his stroke. He was having seizures at this point and we didn't know what to do to help him.

These were taken on Oct. 31st, 2002. This is what A.C.T.H. can do to a baby in a matter of weeks. He was on the steroid shots twice a day for over 5 weeks to try and stop the seizures. Poor little guy gained 1/3 of his body weight in three weeks!

Don't know if you saw the head comparison in the two photos. Caleb, our sweet friend had a big head and you can see that Gerrit's head is bigger then Caleb's in the second photos.

6-19-2010 Saturday Our FUNNY Emma

2010-06-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today Garth and the kids were setting up a pool in the back yard.

Emma: Dad look at this cool stick, when I hold it like this it looks like a 6, and when I turn it upside down it looks like a 9.
6, 9, 6, 9, 6, 9...

Garth: Emma that is a worm!

Emma: Eww! HA HA HA

Garth: Go wash your hands!

6-4-2010 Camping in Santa Cruz

2010-06-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

We met up with Keith and Kaleen in Santa Cruz for a weekend of Camping.
It you ask them how it happened they might say that we totally invaded their nice retreat!
It was funny because I really wanted to camp and when we heard that Keith and Kaleen were camping we called the resort where they had reservations and checked if there were still spots available...then I called and asked Kaleen if she liked us and would be cool with us tagging along. Good thing, she does like us!
It was fun to spend time with them. On Saturday we went to the beach for the day, then Sunday we visited the Mystery Spot. The kids thought it was...a MYSTERY!!! My kids didn't like the feeling you get when you are up in the cabin. I didn't either, it gave me a headache.
The weekend went by WAY to fast for us, it was hard to say goodbye. They were camping through the entire following week. Natalie and Becky were even trying to have Garth catch a bus back home so I could stay the week with the kids. Would have totally gone for it but I had to work too.

5/22/2010 Fun times with Grandpa and Tam

2010-05-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Dad and Tam came down for a couple days to help watch the kids while I worked.
The kids had lots of fun. They went to the driving range, to the park, to swimming lessons, to Break the Barriers for Gymnastics and TKD, to scouts, the library, Grandpa helped Gerrit with his homework, and the last night we took everyone to the Baseball game at Chukchansi Park. This was one of the last games Buster Posey played in the minor league. He was signed to the SF Giants the following week.

Thanks Dad and Tam for ALL the help!!

5-14-2010 Father/Son Ward Camp-out

2010-05-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Garth and Gerrit went on to the ward's Father/Son Camp-out. I only was able to snap a couple shots while they were loading up, but they came back and reported that they had a blast.

Emma and I had a girls night at the house. We had dinner, I made her favorite, white noodles with white sauce, and I let her eat at the little table in the family room, then we painted our nails, only to have Emma peel her polish off in the bath tub later that night.

It was a fun night for all involved.

4-3rd and 4th -2010-Easter weekend with the Dunn's

2010-04-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend Easter weekend with our good friends the Dunn's. We met at their house in Lathrop and headed to the Children's Museum in Stockton. The kids has a blast playing on all the vehicles, shopping, dressing up, and pretending with all the cool things they had there. Emma found a pony that she was heartbroken to hear couldn't come and live with us. Garth stepped back in time to the days of stocking shelves at grocery stores. Caleb, Seth and Gerrit loved pretending they were news anchors and Asher loved having Zion and Melinda tag team him all over the museum.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory!! Yummy!!

As if Easter candy tomorrow wouldn't be enough sugar...after dinner we took the kids to get ice cream!!!
It sure was delicious!

After a day full of fun, and lots of yummy ice cream in our tummy's we headed back to the Dunn's for the night. The kids had to get to bed so the adults could...plan...and I think we ended up watching a movie that Garth and I fell asleep during. We are not the night owls that the Dunn's are. Sorry Zion and Melinda, I hope our snoring didn't ruin the movie!

GOOD NIGHT BOYS!!! Emma was in the Jeep bed that Zion made for Caleb and Seth had just hurt himself seconds before this picture so he is crying on the top bunk. Sorry Sethy!

SUNDAY MORNING ~~~HAPPY EASTER - 2010!!!~~~

The kids had lots of fun hunting for the eggs that they saw Garth and Zion hiding in the backyard! We tried to keep the kids from looking out the windows but Caleb and Gerrit were a bit sneaky and went upstairs and looked out anyway. I guess boys will be boys!
As always there was plenty of candy and I am sure we will be throwing most of it out in about two months. As long as it is out of sight my kids are pretty good about sweets.

It is always fun to spend time with the Dunn's. After all it isn't about the ages of your playmates, it's about what you have in common that makes life long friends...Right Melinda!

Thanks Dunn Family for the FUN weekend!!

4-2-2010 Zoo Fun

2010-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

We were invited to the Chaffee Zoo for a friends birthday party. The kids always have a good time at the Zoo. We got to have a special animal encounter where a specialist brought in a couple different animals for the kids to see and touch up close. There was a Ferret, a snake, and a bird. Both Gerrit and Emma touched the snake and the Ferret.
There was a beautiful Owl there that let me get a nice up close picture of him.
Of course what Zoo adventure would be complete with out feeding the Giraffe's. I still laugh at how long there tongue's are. Maybe I am just jealous!
It was a beautiful spring day, perfect for spending with friends. Thanks Racca's for inviting us. Happy 5th Birthday Ethan!

3-30-2010 Emma's first haircut!!!

2010-03-31T23:31:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we CUT HER HAIR!!! I knew this day would have to come...I wasn't going to have that child with the long ugly hair!! Emma's was far from that, but the ends were definitely dry and splitting. I wanted to save her hair so she could see how curly it was. We cut off about 7 inches in a ponytail that we kept in a zip lock bag in our cedar chest. Then the hair stylist cut off about another 2-3 inches to make it even. It looks so different! This morning when I was brushing her hair the brush went through so easily, not getting caught in the bottom frizz. We will miss our sweet curls. But this is a big girl hair cut!! Good job Emma for being so brave

March 18th Gerrit's Dislocated Elbow

2010-03-18T18:56:00.001-07:00

Monday was an eventful day. We had a great day of school and work, followed by showers, dinner, F.H.E., and some bonding time. Gerrit's was with his dad out in the front yard. He was helping his dad work on the sand rail and Garth was quizzing him on his spelling words. Gerrit likes to run and sometimes he looses his balance. He usually falls quite gracefully and his knees get the worst of the tumbles. Not Tonight! He fell and used his left hand to break the fall. Instead of breaking the fall, he dislocated his elbow. I was inside drying Emma's hair when a very calm Garth walked into the bathroom and told me what happened. He told me to call someone for Emma because we needed to take Gerrit to the ER. After a short ER wait (only 3 hours) we were told that he didn't have any breaks or fractures and to let the arm rest for a week.

No Problem...right??

Well not if you only have that arm to use. He stayed home from school on Tuesday, and fell inside the house because his arm was in a sling. Stayed home Wednesday and hurt his arm while trying to get up off the floor. That one was bad because he thought he dislocated his elbow again. We dropped Emma off at at friends and headed BACK to the ER. Well that was St. Patrick's day and the ER was CRAZY so we asked Gerrit if it was feeling better and to see if we could just go see Dr. Guthrie the next day. He wasn't hurting as bad anymore so we decided that would be better then sitting in the ER for probably 6-8 hours.

Thursday Gerrit stayed home and we babied the arm all day. At 2:30 I took him to the Dr. and he agreed with me that his arm needed to be in something other than a sling. The sling was messing with his balance. So back the the ER we went. Not in the ER but to the main Kaiser offices in Fresno where the ER is located. He was splinted and was told not to get it wet or take it off for two weeks. YIKES.

We are at Thursday night and we will see how long this will last. Poor Gerrit! He is a trooper though. Hang in there buddy!!!

3-18-2010 Nice spring day in the backyard

2010-03-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung! We have loved spending time in our backyard again. The kids like to blow bubbles and swing on our swing, Katy likes to sunbathe, (I think she is working on her tan!) and I love to sit in the sun and watch my flowering blossoms...no not my plants, my sweet children who are growing up so FAST!!

This was right before Gerrit's Appt. with the Dr. to see what we could do about his elbow.

3-17-2010 Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

The week of March 1st, 2010--ONE CRAZY WEEK!!!

2010-03-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I was going to have a nice relaxing week to get ready for Gerrit's Baptism that was on Sat. March 6th. I had just finished my busy time with work for February, which was crazy because Feb. is a short month so I didn't have as many days to get everything done this time around. I put everything off until after the busy time was over. Well Kim and I talk just about every day on the phone, we totally abuse the AT&T unlimited talk feature, and we were talking on Feb. 22nd when she told me her Grandpa had died. The funeral was on Friday Feb. 26th in Vernal, Utah, which is about an 8 hour drive one way from their house in Caldwell, ID. She and Eric had discussed their options and decided instead of making a round trip of 16 hours for the funeral then turning around three days later and making another 22 hour trip to our house for Gerrit's baptism that they would just drive from Utah to Fresno. Which means that they would be coming to our house on Monday, March 1st! I was torn because while on the one hand, which was the bigger hand, I was excited to spend the week with them, but the smaller hand was that my prep and relaxation time was gone!

They got to our house around 5pm on Monday night. We parked our trailer out front for Eric and Kim to sleep in and that worked out well. Rion slept with Gerrit and Hailey slept with Emma. Kim had to work Tuesday and Wednesday from my house and it was weird to be there with her and not talking to her on the phone. Once while I was out working I called her and we laughed about her being at my house and us still having the need to talk on the phone. Eric was awesome because on Tuesday he showed me how to dry pack sugar and flour. I borrowed the canner from the cannery and Eric helped my pack 50 lbs of sugar and 50 lbs of flour. It was so easy, it only took us about an hour!

On Thursday, McKay watched the kids while Eric, Kim and I got out of the house for a while to run some errands and have a nice lunch out together. That night, Candace came over and watched all 5 kids so Eric, Kim, Garth and I could all have a date. It was awesome! At ate at P.F. Chang's and then watched Avatar in IMAX 3D! Totally amazing movie!!

Garth took Friday off and the boys played in the mud with the kids while Kim and I ran some errands, then the boys took off to go shooting at the Range while Kim and I attempted to get Emma to take a nap, which never happened!

Grammy Tanya came at around 4:30 and everyone got ready to go to the temple. Kent and Tamara came and watched the kids while the five of us went and did Sealings at the Fresno Temple. It was such a special time because we were able to seal My Grandparents together and also my Mom's two brothers who died in infancy to their parents. We were going to have ice cream with the kids when we got back but Kent and Tamara were so on top of things that they already had the kids in bed! Only Rion remembered about the Ice cream and had stayed awake waiting for us to return.

Saturday morning, the day of the baptism, we decided that we needed to take some family pictures while all the grand kids were together. I have an amazingly talented friend in the ward who is a photographer and she met us out in some orchards and we spent two hours taking pictures and playing in the trees. I can't wait to get those pictures back, I will post some when I can.

Which brings us to the baptism...

3-6-2010 Gerrit's Baptism

2010-03-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

What a Wonderfully Exciting, Memorable day for the Dixon Family. Gerrit was baptized and confirmed by his Dad in the Clovis 7th Ward on March 6th, 2010. Standing in the circle for his confirmation blessing were: Garth Dixon, Jerry Dixon, Keith Dixon, Archie Dixon, Zion Dunn, Carey Penrod, and Eric Warren.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We came back to the house for a taco bar dinner. It was nice to visit with everyone. It was definitely a good day.
We are proud of your decision Gerrit. It will bless you for the rest of your life.

03-06-2010 Family Pictures

2010-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

While Eric and Kim's family was here we decided to take some family pictures. It was a nice overcast morning and we met a friend of mine from church out in an orchard by our house.
~Here's what you get from 5 kids goofing around while 8 adults are all trying to make them smile and cooperate...

Friday 3-5-2010 ...while the cats are away the mice will play!!

2010-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Kim and I had to run the last minute errands before the BIG DAY on Saturday and Eric and Garth were so nice to have all the kids stay with them. Well when the cats away, the mice can play, and that is exactly what they did! Look at how cute they all look sitting in the go cart each having a turn to go around the block...innocent - right?? Well Mischief soon took its place within the mind of Mr. Garth and he was thinking about MUD! So he decided to take the go cart around the corner to a new housing development that is mostly still dirt, well it recently rained so it was MUD, and see how the kids liked riding in it then.
Well Rion was excited and willing to be at Garth's mercy as he drove through puddles of water...no scratch that mud. Emma didn't want anything to do with the mud and didn't like the go cart getting dirty. the others got a little muddy and fun was had by all. Eric even called Kim and said that he wanted to take her on a ride. Ya-like we were that dumb!
By the time Kim and I got back Eric and Garth had showered, had the three boys cleaned up and had Emma and Hailey in the tub together. WE LOVE OUR MEN!!! In fact we love them so much that we let them to play with guns for the rest of the afternoon!

2/7/2010 Superbowl party

2010-02-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

This year the Saints and the Colts were in the Superbowl. ~The Saints won.~

We had the Dixon's over for a superbowl party. Natalie and Becky got a hold of bubblegum and commenced with a contest. Yes, how many gumballs they could chew at once. It was pretty funny. They were both determined to stuff their mouths full of gum. Garth was quick to get the camera out and snap some photos. It was a nice relaxing day and the best part was that WE didn't have to drive home afterward.

Thursday Feb. 4th HAPPY BIRTHDAY GERRIT AND EMMA!!

2010-02-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

We decided to celebrate both birthdays together this year and let the kids go to Pump It Up. It was the easiest b-day party I have ever done. I showed up with cake and pizza and they did the rest. The kids we invited showed up and everyone bounced for about an hour and a half, then they went into a room that was all set up with pizza and drinks. The kids ate and watched Gerrit and Emma open presents. Garth and I didn't have to do a thing! They even loaded all the presents onto a rolling cart and helped us out to the car when it was over.

My house never got dirty!!! LOVED IT!!!

1/26/2010 Barrel Ride at BTB

2010-01-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

At Break the Barriers the kids get to ride on a barrel horse for their birthday. All the kids in the class run behind as the b-day kids are pushed around the gym. Emma has loved doing this with her classmates and couldn't wait for her B-day ride.

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying a Sunday with the family and it occurred to me that I REALLY need to blog more! I think this will be my new years resolution...to take lots of photos and blog, blog, BLOG. The days seem to just fly by and before you know it you are sitting at the computer on January 24th making new years resolutions that should have been made 24 days ago. (sigh)

So I will start with my second Triathlon that I did with my sister in October...yes I know it has been that long since I have posted.

Triathlon #2 October 16th 2009

2009-10-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

This Triathlon I had a better idea of how they worked. Endurance, Carb. loading the night before, hydration, energy packs, making transitions faster, what you needed and what you could do with out.
My first Tri was a mini Tri, 200 yard swim, 6 mile bike and 1 mile run but after I was Drained! After the high wore off I don't think I have ever felt that physically tired in my life! I knew I needed to prep my body better for the second one or they would have found me dead out on the bike trail. I read lots of blogs and forums on Tri's and everyone said that you needed to carb load the night before. Sounds easy enough. It was easy and yummy! Jerry and Marcia took our family to Olive Garden for yummy pasta and bread sticks. It sure did the trick because I didn't even take a nap after my second Tri and it was three times longer than the first one.
The water was freezing because it was October. It was hard to regulate your breathing and stroke pattern. If I do one that late in the year again I an investing in a wet suit! The bike ride was awesome. It was a foggy morning so they actually delayed the race by about 20 minutes but when I was out on the 18 mile bike it was so peaceful and beautiful. I rode on the back roads around Woodward Res. in Oakdale. The run was and still is my least favorite leg of the Tri. I don't like running on uneven packed surfaces. I twisted my ankle twice and I had to concentrate so hard on where I planted that I couldn't get into my grove.
Overall it was an amazing experience, one that I am anxious to do again.

Sat. Sept 26, 2009 TRIATHLON #1

2009-09-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

We DID it!!!

My Sister and I did our first Triathlon today and it was amazing!! It was out at Woodward Reservoir in Oakdale. We did the Super-sprint distance and it was great for a first Triathlon.

We swam 200 yards, Biked for what was supposed to be 5 miles but someone who had an odometer on her bike said it was actually 6, and ran a mile.
We swam the 200 yards in a little over 11 minutes. Tamara had some issues with her bike, the chain kept falling off when she down shifted, so our bike was over 30 minutes, and our run was around 12 minutes. We finished in under an hour which was better than we both thought.

We are doing another one in three weeks! It is almost three times the distance in each sport. The Sprint Triathlon is a 500 yard swim, 16 mile bike and 5k (3.1mi.)run.

I am so thankful for my wonderful friends and family that got up EARLY to come and watch us. It really meant a lot to me and it will be something I will think about often. Thanks for the support Warren's, Gresham's, Dunn's and Dixon's!!!

It has been great training for these and even better to have finished one and see what we need to work on for the next one. I definitely need to dial in on my run.

On a related note to all the training I have lost 15lbs and over 8 inches total around my body! I still have a lot to go but it is exciting to SEE the effort in the mirror. I am on the brink of buying ALL new clothes. My clothes are super baggy now and in a couple weeks they won't fit at all!! What a great feeling!!!

Emma Lee Dixon 9-12-09

2009-09-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Garth took this picture of Emma while we were camping.

I love-Love-LOVE IT!!!

ME...a Triathlete???

2009-09-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Tamara and I decided we were going to do a triathlon. We saw there was one in Sept. and Oct. at Woodward Reservoir out in Oakdale. At first we were thinking that we would have a relay team but as we started training we deceded that we wanted to do the complete Triathlon. That way we could brag later that we were triathletes! The one in Sept. was only a super sprint. That is a 200 yard swim, 5 mile bike and mile run. No problem! As we started training we thought it would be fun to do a longer one. The one in Oct. is a 500 yard swim, 16 mile bike and 5k run. that is a little more challenging.

I have been working out every day for the past 6 weeks. Everyday I either swim, Bike or Run. I am swimming about 55 laps, biking over 10 miles and running about 2 miles. It feels so good to exercise with a purpose. I keep telling myself that I have to do it or else I will drown in the lake!

Our ward has also stared a fitness challenge that I joined. I thought it would be easy becuase I am working out so much already. The challenge is physical as well as spiritual. We get points for exercise, prayer, scripture study, service, sleep, water consumption, eating fruit and veggies and so on. We have teams that we weigh in weekly with and at the end of 8 weeks the team with the most points wins...what I don't know but it has been fun doing this with the sisters in the ward.

Annual Dixon Family Camp-out Sept 11, 12 and 13, 2009

2009-09-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Dixon family camp out this past weekend. We camped at Gold Country Campground Resort in Pine Grove, CA. It is just East of Jackson. The weather was good, most of the weekend except for the thunder and lightning showers we had on Sat. for about 30 minutes. The kids were down at the water park playing in the water features and swimming in the pool when we heard the thunder. We yelled EVERYONE OUT OF THE POOL!! Gerrit wasn't happy about cutting swim time short because of the storm. We made it back to our cozy trailer just in time to beat the rain fall. I decided it would be fun to make cookies in the trailer so the kids and I hung out in the trailer playing Sorry and making Peanut Butter cookies.

After the rain stopped Gerrit went out with the boys and played basketball while Emma and I took a 3 hour nap!! It was heaven!!

One of our traditions is making tin foil dinners on Sat. night. Gerrit made one this time and actually ate it! Emma mooched some cereal off her Aunt Cheryl so she had cheerios, cheese and a yogurt...for Dinner!!??

Keith and Kaleen brought their Kareeoke machine and we projected it on a sheet we attaced to the pop up shade. we sang country songs for about an hour. I bet our fellow campers loved that! It was so cute because Gerrit and Emma knew a couple of the songs and they were singing along. Gerrit was reading the words off the sheet so he sang along with most of them.

Someone thought it would be FUN to have a marshmallow stuffing contest. We lined up in teams and saw how many mallows we could fit into our mouths. Beautiful. It was hillarious because everyone was laughing and the mallows started oozing out of our mouths. Not one of our finer moments but it was one that we will remember for a while. BTW I didn't win dispite what you all think (I apparently didn't have the biggest mouth there)

The next morning we had pancakes and packed up for the long trek home. It is always fun to camp, I just wish we had a little more time to spend with the family.

Garth got a lot of really cute pictures of the kids and cousins. I included some of our favorites. The ones of Bridget with the dogs are really cute so I had to post them as well.

Gerrit's Jog-A-Thon Thursday 9-3-09

2009-09-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of Gerrit today. His school has a Jog-A-Thon every year to raise money. They get 5 minutes to see how many laps they can run and then they collect pledges from family and friends. For the past two years Gerrit only ran one lap. This year he ran 6 laps. I got there late and only got the last half of lap 6 but his teacher said that he never stopped running. He wanted to run 7 laps but I told him that he did amazing!

Grandma Vivian's 80th Birthday August 1st 2009

2009-08-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Grandma Vivian's 80th Birthday.

Time to get back on the wagon!!

2009-06-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Time flies and yet nothing is written down to show for it! We have been very busy as always. There have been a lot of changes in our life this past month. However...the biggest news is...

I know what some of you are thinking!!!
NO...the stork had something else in mind

A new JOB for Garth!

He is leaving the banking business and going to work for Geico. He will be a claims adjuster after about three months of intense training. He leaves on June 14th for San Diego for three weeks. Then if all goes well there he will head to Virginia for four weeks, then back to San Diego for four more weeks. It will be a very long and hard summer for all of us. Garth will miss me...oh and the kids :) so much and we won't know what to do without him here!

There is some good news to all of this training nonsense, the kids and I get to fly out to Virginia and visit him in July. We are excited. This will be the kids first Airplane ride, and a chance to get to see the White House and all the sights of DC. Garth's hotel is only 14 miles from the President's Front Door. We will take a weekend and sightsee. Gerrit has learned a lot about the government in school and with the election last year he knows who President Obama is. It is a good time for a trip like this. I am a little nervous about flying for 8 hours with two kids by myself but it will be wonderful to spend some time with Garth.

I also get to see one of my dear friends from High School while I am there! It will be so much FUN!!!

5-18-09 Miss-Chief is at it again

2009-05-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

I can't even leave her alone to wash her hands without her getting into Mischief!!!

Sink is plugged and filling with water for her hands...

...while the other sink is plugged, filling with water for her feet!

Now she is showing off for the camera doing splits between sinks.

5-17-09--Emma's dance recital

2009-05-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Emma has been taking dance for about a year at Break the Barriers.

They got to dress up for their parents and show us some of the cute things they have learned.

Pretty in Pink!!!

Emma is yelling MOM! MOM!

Thank goodness she found me!

Miss social bee.

It was over in about 2 minutes. It ended with Emma losing a shoe and Ms. Krystal had to carry her out.

Monday 3-2-09 Kids Day

2009-03-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

What cute guys I have in my life. Gerrit woke up to kids yelling outside and didn't know what it was. I told him it was Kid's Day, where kids get to sell news papers to people driving by for $1.00. Gerrit told us he wanted to buy one. Garth said he was so excited to get his paper. He didn't want Garth to take it home, he said he could leave it in his backpack and show his teacher after school so he wouldn't get in trouble. Mrs. Johnston saw how excited he was and took this picture and posted it on the school's web site.

Saturday 2-7-09 Our family vacation

2009-02-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

We decided to go visit family and friends in Idaho and Utah.

Here is a map of the route we took.

2 kids---who were such good travelers

2 parents---who were happy to spent so much time together

1 Toyota Truck---with 2 DVD players...why the kids were such good travelers

and about 2,500 Miles of Memories

Thursday 2-12-09 Emma reading the newspaper

2009-02-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

We were on our way to show the kids Temple Square. We stopped at Wells Fargo Bank to check on some things and while Garth was at the counter Emma found a newspaper. I thought it was so cute because she was so wrapped up in her jacket that is really three sizes to big. She managed to get on the chair and get the paper.

So Intent on the happenings in Utah

I love how she is 'reading' the paper...sideways

No we can't go yet guys...I am almost finished with this article

You are such a cute girl Emma!

Monday 2-9-09 Aprons for the girls, Wahoo's for the boys

2009-02-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

I brought up a pattern and some fabric to make aprons as part of the girls birthday gifts. I wanted to make matching ones for the mommies and the girls to bake in. I also wanted to make them double sided so we could change them up from time to time. Well I am not good with reading patterns and I was hoping a nice lady at the cutting counter at Jo-Ann's would tell me how much I needed for 8 aprons in four different sizes...that isn't hard to do is it??? Well as luck would have it I got the boy they called over from another department who didn't know anything about patterns. I didn't want to NOT get enough so I over guesstimated. I think I bought around 11 yards of fabric! Oh well at least we weren't going to run out.

So Monday morning we started making the aprons. All was well and we had enough fabric to make two extra aprons for a friend of Kim's and her daughter. Kim made four, well actually 8 aprons and I made four. It was a fun project and now we have these cute aprons to always remind us of our trip to Idaho.

Hailey and I made a birthday cake in our aprons and Hailey got to lick the bowl!

Garth, Eric, Orion and Gerrit got to go to Wahoo's for the day. It is a mini golf/arcade place. The golf was closed because of the weather but they got to play arcade games and they won 1,500 tickets! They were able to get some cool stuff and they had a fun time.

2-7-09 to 2-11-09 Eric and Kim's

2009-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

We got to Eric and Kim's around midnight on Saturday. We got the kids settled and everyone went to bed. The next morning we woke up to blueberry muffins with crumb topping! Yum yum!! Then we got ready for church and actually made it on time! It was nice to see where Eric and Kim spent their Sunday's.

After church the kids came home and got their pj's on. I guess that is the tradition at Eric and Kim's. I would love to have a lazy day in my pj's. Nice and cozy.

Eric borrowed Rock Band from a friend and the kids (when I say kids I mean Eric and Garth too) rocked out. Note Chase rocking it on Guitar!

Rock On My Brother!!!

Friday 2-6-09 WICKED in San Francisco

2009-02-06T22:23:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see WICKED!!! I have had the music for almost 4 years thanks to the Penrod's and Popular! I have video of Gerrit singing that when he was little. We wanted to give the girls a night out on the town and to take them to the play for Christmas. We got the tickets on August and had to keep that a secret for FOUR months. IT was worth it to see their faces. Natalie actually cried!

We all met at Grandma Dixon's house and carpooled up to our hotel. The Hotel Whitcomb in San Francisco. Right across the street from the Orpheum theatre.

We got our rooms and had an hour and a half to get ready and meet in the hall to walk to dinner. We ate at Max's Opera Cafe. I had the Sweet and Sour Spinach salad. IT WAS YUMMY!!! We decided to get a taxi on the way back to the theatre. we had 10 people but the cabs would only take four so Tamara and I opted to walk instead of hailing a third taxi. It was a nice walk and a good time for us to talk.

The Play was Amazing! The music, the costumes, the set!!! OMG it was awesome! I think we were all singing the songs for weeks after.

After the play we went singing to bed and agreed to meet at 9am for breakfast in the hotels cafe. We were all still buzzing about the play, what we liked, what we loved and quoting the many funny lines.

After breakfast Tamara, Marcia and I said our goodbyes to the group and headed back to Modesto. Marcia wasn't up to walking around S.F., Tamara wanted to get home to see her Hubby, and I was meeting Garth and the kids at Jerry and Marcia's to head on our vacation to Idaho.

Thursday 2-5-09 Train Ride to Modesto

2009-02-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to ride Amtrak to Modesto. I was going to go to San Francisco to see WICKED with Marcia, Kaleen, Cheryl, Renee, Tamara and all my nieces. It was a Christmas present for the girls. Marcia got us a hotel room for the night and we all got dressed up and went out to dinner then saw the play. But I am getting ahead of myself...first there was a train ride.

Garth and I were going on a vacation and we didn't want to have two cars up in Modesto so we thought it best if I rode the train up the night before the play. Tamara would pick me up and we could spent the day Friday together.

I guess we didn't prep Gerrit enough that they were taking me to the train station and I was the only one who was going on the train. Gerrit stated crying and saying that he didn't want me to go and that he would miss me to much. It was so hard to board the train and look out to two crying kids. Poor Garth.

We told Gerrit that as soon as he got back in the car he could call me. By the time they called me I was already in Madera! The train ride was fast, we only stopped three times for a total of only about 7 minutes. I left Fresno at 8:15 and got to Modesto by 9:50. About the same time it takes to drive there. Tamara met me there and we had a fun day Friday before we went and saw WICKED.

Gerrit called me the next morning and said that he really missed me, he said that he wanted me to come home and never leave him again.

To this day he still says that he didn't like me going on the train and leaving him.

--Such a Mama's boy--

Wednesday 2-4-09 Happy Birthday Gerrit

2009-02-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Gerrit is 7! We had a party with some of his friends from school. He wanted a batman party so of course we went to Party City and got hooked up with all the cool things.
His birthday fell on a Wednesday which was a short day at school so I decided to have it right after school. That way I could just walk the kids home with me from school and the parents would only have to pick them up after.
My Mom came down the night before and watched Gerrit in Tae Kwon Do so she was there to help with the prep work. My morning went something like this.

I dropped Gerrit off at school in the morning with a big smile on his face and some cookies to share with his class.
I had to do some reports that morning, I was leaving the following night and had to get all my work done before I left. I was all caught up but I got a call saying that I had about 15 rushes that were due that day that I never got. So that threw a wrench in my plans but we got them done. The babysitter wasn't coming until 12:30 so I had Emma with me while I did my work. Luckily she was a good girl for me. Sitting in the car for three hours driving around town isn't fun for a three year old.
I came home at 12:30, dropped off Emma with the babysitter and picked up Katy to take her to PetSmart. I wanted to take Katy to the Groomers so she wouldn't be under foot at the party
and also she needed a cut and wash so it worked out beautifuly.

I got the balloons, the cake and some snacks for the party in under 30 minutes and made it back to the house by 1:10 to head to school and get the kids. My mom stayed with Emma and got the table arranged with the food. Then I brought back about 6 kids with me and the fun began. They were all outside most of the day which was nice because I didn't have a big mess to clean up after. We had cake, played games and had a Pinata. I asked that the kids didn't bring presents because we were trying to teach Gerrit about the tough economy and how sometimes the best things aren't store bought, sharing fun times with friends was more than enough. Gerrit thought that was cool. He did get some hand drwan cards from friends that were very special to him.
The party went from 1:30-3:30 and by 4 the house was empty and cleaned up! I had awesome firends there who helped my clean up the party mess.

I can't believe Gerrit is 7! Where did the time go? Man the days fly by!

Happy 7th birthday Buddy! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Room switch-a-roo

2009-01-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

We finally gave Gerrit and Emma their own rooms. I think it was time to make the switch when Gerrit started asking Heavenly Father every night he said prayers to please help Emma to not keep him up, stay in her bed, not be loud...so on and so on.

We knew when we put them together that is wasn't going to last forever, but I thought it would last longer than a year. It was around February of 2007 that we combined them so I could have an office. We thought they still could use a playroom so we opted to keep that at the time. They really didn't go in there all that much because I had the gate up to keep Katy off the carpet when she was potty training.

Fast forward a year and we decided that their bedrooms can me multi-functional; bedroom/playrooms. Ingenious! I mean what did we do as kids...I know I never had a PLAY ROOM.

It was always; go to your room and play!

We started talking about all the different posibilities of who could go where. Gerrit picked out his room when we moved in and Emma could care less so Gerrit got to stay in his room. We went back and forth on where Emma and the office should go. It would have been easier to just put Emma in the playroom and be done but there was a little problem. Garth took out the closet shelving to build a shelf and that is where we have our food storage. We have a lot of food storage and we didn't want Emma to get into it. But it was going to be a BIG pain to move my BIG desk from one room to the other.

Garth finally talked me into taking the time to move the desk and put emma back in her room. It made more sence to have my office where the food storage was anyway. We started this huge task at about 5pm on New Years Day. We would have started earlier but we had company down because we went and saw Neil Diamond in concert the night before...parting with ND late into the night...AWESOME!!!

By around 10:30pm, the beds were just being put together, the kids were so wound up about sleeping in their own rooms and Garth and I were exhausted from 5 hours of non-stop manual labor. Mind you that I sit in a car all day and he is now behind a desk so we aren't used to this. We get to a point where we can call it a night...FINALLY! What a day!

So in the end we have Gerrit where he started, his bed against a different wall, his dresser (a big 8 drawer solid oak monster) moved across the room, his hutch (used to be mine growing up) is now Emma's awaiting a new coat of paint so it had to be moved out and the big red couch in the corner.

Emma got a room with a closet full of my craft/scrapbooking stuff, a bed, a chair that is actually part of our couch that doean't fit in the family room (another long story) and her play kitchen in the corner.

We broke down my BIG mamoth of a desk and moved it into the far room that used to be the playroom and had that basially put back together. The task for me the following week was to clean out Emma's closet, which really meant clean out the small computer desk in the alcove so I could have that be my craft area, find Emma a dresser, paint the hutch, organize the toys between the rooms and make sure all my work stuff was where I needed it to be.

Here we are two weeks later and I can say that I am pretty much caught up, except for painting the hutch. I have half of the first coat of paint on it and it has been that way for a week now.

The only room that hasn't had major rearranging done is the master-bedroom. We are getting a Cedar Chest next week so I have to find somewhere to put that...probably in my room.

I didn't take pictures of the before...I know bad Angie!!!

But here are some pictures of the hutch -- two-toned

Old blue color from Gerrit's room

New Green color for Emma's room
I am going to paint her walls a two tone purpley-pink color

It has hearts all over it -- it is totally a girls hutch

Our silly Katy

2009-01-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

I had Garth's suits laying on the bed because I was taking then to the cleaners. Katy jumped up on the bed and started smelling the suits. I thought as to why she was doing that and it occured to me that they smelled like Garth. I was right in the middle of doing my makeup so I went back in the bathroom to finish. When I was done with my makeup I went back to check on her and

This is what I foundSilly girl missed her Daddy and she cuddled up with his clothes because they smelled like him.

You are cute Katy

Posting options

2009-01-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else been having trouble with the photo uploading to Blogger? I used to be able to upload the photos and they would show up on the post as photos and I could move them around the journaling. Now I only get text where the picture is. Does anyone know how to get the pictures to show up when you are creating a post?

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

GO KART FUN

2009-01-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

Garth and I wanted to get something that Gerrit and Garth could have some GUY bonding time with. I wanted something that Emma and I could join in the fun with as well so we decided to get a Go Kart. That way Gerrit can ride in it with his dad for now and then in time can learn to drive it himself. The boys can work on it together and we can take it camping with us.

After many months of searching and narrowing down our options we decided on one. Garth and I went out to get it and we only told Gerrit that we were getting a surprise for him. Garth and I were so excited to see the look on his face that we could hardly wait to get home and show him.

We surprised Gerrit with just the racing helmet at first and the sweet boy was just so excited about getting the helmet that he thought that WAS the surprise! Little did he know that there was a cool Go Kart in the back of Garth's truck!

We all had to take turns riding in it. With our helmets on of course!

We even had Addie, our friend from across the street come over and have a turn riding in it.

We can't wait to find some dirt and take it out for some FUN!!!

I love you Cookies

2008-12-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was out working hard today and when I got home Garth said he made me some cookies. He gave me this plate of cookies...

You are the best Garth! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas morning. Santa ate the cookies, drank all his milk and even left a note for Gerrit and Emma.

The kids had a great time opening presents and they were very happy with what they each got.

Garth and I opened our presents the night before so the morning was all about them. They were so cute

Our Christmas Tree

2008-12-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree. We had Jamie, Addie and Melody over for dinner and to help us decorate the tree. The kids put the ornaments on the bottom and I took a couple pictures of Emma's decorating. Notice the three ornaments on one branch?!? Silly girl. We loved the job they did so much that we haven't rearranged any of the ornaments. I have noticed that they are being moved...I think Emma is having fun with them.

We just put the presents under the tree and the kids are SOOO excited to open them. Emma is coming to me about every 20 minutes and is asking if it is time to open them yet. Only 5 more days!!!

2008-12-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

Here is what the covering looked like on my kitchen chairs

This is what they look like now!

Big difference...and I only had one HUGE blister on my hand as a result! It was a doosey!!!

Gerrit's School Holiday Program

2008-12-16T23:32:00.000-08:00

This is Gerrit with Mrs. Johnston. We love you Mrs. Johnston! Merry Christmas!!

Gerrit had a fun time singing all his holiday songs for us.

Warren/Dixon Camp-out Dec.11-14, 2008

2008-12-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

We went to New Brighten Beach and camped for the weekend. It was a lot of fun...Cold and wet but fun. Especially for us because we had a trailer! HEE HEE

(Pictures on our Holiday cards)

We went over on Thursday because Friday Paul and Elizabeth were getting married and we wanted to be there. SO we set up camp on Thursday and then Friday morning we went to Grandma's house. She watched the kids and Katy while Garth and I showered, got ready and went to the Oakland Temple. It was so awesome to see Paul and his beautiful Bride kneeling across the alter. It took me back 10 years because that is where Garth and I were married as well.

After the wedding and some pictures we were off again back down the mountain to be campers.

We went back to Grandma's and picked up the kids plus one...Grandma and we headed back to New Brighten. We heard that the rain was coming in so we wanted to get our shelter built before it started raining on us. Dad and Tami met us there and so did Kent and Tamara. We set up tents for the both of them and Grandma slept in the trailer with us. The MEN got the shelter built and man it was cool. Then we all did the rain dance because we wanted to use the shelter.

Daddy with his BIG Boy

Our Jacket's match!

Luckily it did rain! We would have been mad if the boys went through all that work and it didn't even rain. We were all snug and had a lot of fun telling stories around the fire and roasting marshmallows. The next morning we even showed everyone how to play sidewinders. A game that Gerrit is really good at.

Later in the morning we got ready and headed into Santa Cruz to see if there were any waves for Kent and Tamara to surf...none were to be had so Garth and I took the kids to the boardwalk but to our disappointment it was closed due to the weather. So we went inside the arcade and the kids played games.

Come to find out on our little adventure into Santa Cruz Garth got his picture taken as he RAN A RED LIGHT!!! Yikes...we got the citation in the mail just yesterday...three weeks later. Man that sucks! I hope he wasn't picking his nose or anything as he went by :)

Sunday Morning we lounged around for a while and Garth made a YUMMY breakfast of eggs, hash browns and bacon.

We decided that we better get packed and hit the road. We still had to go to Modesto for Christmas with the Dixon's and we wanted to get there in enough time to shower. They would thank us later for that!

Fun Times. Tamara, Dad and I even got to enjoy Banana Pudding together.

Until next year. Here's to fun times and memories with the family...only one request...can we do it when it's warmer!!!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!!!

2008-12-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

After we donated coats we came back home and started decorating for Christmas!!!

The kids had a lot of fun running around outside and liked to help Daddy hang the lights.

I took a picture of Emma's hair because I thought I did a good job on the style. It stayed in good all day which is a big accomplishment with her hair!

After we were done hanging our lights we decided to surprise our friend Jamie by hanging the lights on her house too.

Coats For Kids

2008-12-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

We were able to have a teaching moment with Gerrit today. It was the first free Saturday we had as a family in a while. Either Garth or I always seem to be working weekends. Anyway we were out to breakfast and we saw that a local radio station was having a coat drive. We told Gerrit that some kids don't have coats to keep them warm. He then told us that he could give them some of his coats. Garth told him that would be a very nice thing to do and we went to our house and got out the coats and sweaters that didn't fit anymore and threw then in a pile. We came to a Power Ranger sweater of Gerrit's that he didn't want to donate. He even started crying and he told me he still needed that sweater. Mind you it is about two sizes to small. We then reminded him of the kids who would love to have the sweater and that sometimes it is hard to let go of things but that he would feel good about giving it to a kid in need.

So he reluctantly said yes to giving the Power Ranger sweater away and we put all the stuff in the back of the car and were off again to donate them.

Prayers

2008-12-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight it was Gerrit's turn to say prayers. I asked him to bless daddy to feel better. Of course he told me he was already going to do that!

So here is how the prayer went:

Our father in Heaven, thankful for this day. Bless Dad and Mom to feel better.(woo hoo! I got included on this, I was under the weather the other day and he remembered...so sweet!) Bless Emma to have a Princess dream. Bless Mom and Dad to have dreams of loving me. Bless me to have Superhero dreams. Say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I will update tomorrow and let you know about our dreams.

What time does Gerrit get out of School???

2008-12-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

I should know this by now!!!

Yes I got the bad Mom award today. I got home from work at 2:30 and I was in the middle of looking up some missing reports that I had to get faxed in. I just so happened to turn on the computer and the emails started popping up. Gerrit gets to email me if he gets three happy faces and I an email from him popped up on the screen. At first I was thinking the email was from the day before. Then my brain started working and I looked down at the clock on my computer and it said 2:59pm. Um Ya so Gerrit get's out at 2:55!!!

I jumped up and woke poor Emma from a nice nap. I think she was still asleep as I put her in the stroller and I RAN to school. Luckily I have such wonderful friends and Cassie rescued me. Her son, Brendan, is in the class right next door and she went and told Mrs. Johnston that I was literally Running over.

Gerrit just laughed. He was fine because he got to goof around with Brendan for a while. We even invited Brendan over to play for a while so I am sure he was happy about that.

I bet Gerrit would like me to be late more often!

Scentsy Sensation!!!

2008-12-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

Yum Yum! These things are so cool. I heard about them from Kim but never got around to getting one. My friend Audrey and a scentsy party and I thought well now's as good a time as any so I got some. By some I meant their mega pack. What...Garth knew about it! He said that way we would have it to give to the grand kids!!! Well HA- the joke's on him because we WILL be able to give them to our grand kids...they last forever!!!

It's wax that is melted by a 25 watt light bulb in a decorative potpourri-like dish. I got 24 different scents and two warmers so me and my grand kids are set!

The whole house smells good!

Thanks Kim and Audrey! I'm HOOKED!!!

My handwriting as a font!!

2008-12-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Under the weather

2008-12-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

It isn't fun when Mom is under the weather. Garth took the kids to BTB for Gerrit's TKD class last night and I was at home getting ready for Mutual. The girls were having YW in Excellence. I was getting the things I am working on together and trying to do something with my hair before I left. I started getting dizzy and lightheaded. I sat down and had some soup thinking that I was just hungry but it didn't help. I took my temp and sure enough it was over 100. So I called Linda to tell her that I wouldn't be at Mutual, big bummer...sorry girls! I laid on the couch and I was asleep within minutes. Garth got home with the kids around 8:30 and I as dead to the world. So him being the awesome husband and Father that he is he helped me up and took me to bed. I don't remember anything else from last night.

This morning wasn't much different. Garth had to leave by 7am so I was on my own getting Gerrit off to school. Thank goodness I have such wonderful friends. Thanks Heather and Becky! I called them and they took Gerrit to school so I didn't have to get dressed. Then Whitney came and took Emma out for a little girl's date to Target so I went back to bed and slept until 1pm.

It is 10pm now and I still have a fever and am not feeling the best but you can only have one down day before your world falls apart so best of luck to me tomorrow and NO Nyquill tonight! :)

Close call...to close!

2008-12-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

We almost lost Katy last night! Garth almost ran her over.

It all started when we were outside watching Addie (our neighbor) walk over to play with the kids.

Katy was out wandering around and she saw Garth pull around the corner. She never chases after cars so it never occurred to me to get her. Well she loves her Daddy and when she saw it was his truck she ran out in front of it attempting to go around to the drivers side door to greet him. Garth didn't see Katy, he was watching Addie. I started YELLING and flailing my arms in the air trying to get him to stop the truck. He saw me just in time and I mean JUST in time. His tires brushed up against Katy's fur. I have never been so scared in my life. Silly I know, but we were all out there and if that happened and the kids saw it would have been terrible!!! So sorry Katy, from now on you are on a leash when you are out in the front yard.

John's Incredable Pizza

2008-11-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Whenever I think of JIP I instantly get a headache. For those of you who don't know what JIP is it is like a Chuck E. Cheese on steroids.

Gerrit has been asking to go there for over a month and we said that would be a fun thing to do on Fun Friday (our weekly family date night). Well Friday morning Gerrit comes bouncing into our room and announces that it is Friday. When can we go to JIP? Mind you I am still busy with reports and Garth had to work and after that he had arranged to go out with his cousins who were in town visiting. So we made a deal with him that we can go as a family tomorrow after Garth got off work. He was so bummed but was a good sport about it.

So this morning he kept asking if Garth was on his way home yet. It was only 10am! I told Gerrit that Emma had to take a nap and that Dad wouldn't be home for another four hours. I went to read to Emma and got her down for her nap at around 11:30. About an hour into her nap Gerrit came to me and said that he thought Emma was done with her nap. I told him no she isn't and to be patient. Well he asked about every 20 minutes after that if he could wake her up.

The time finally came that we were all in the car (Mom having already popped a few advil) on our way to JIP.

But you know what dispite all the weird people and tons of noise we had a blast! Watching the kids enjoyment is worth a headache for days :) Gerrit is old enough to ride the rides and Emma was content to watch him and laugh every time he came around. We played games, won silly prizes that cost a fortune but will probably break in a day and had a suprisingly good meal. Garth and I had a salad and the kids had pizza.

Another FUN FRIDAY success.

Now where's my pillow!!!

This morning in bed...

2008-11-28T22:36:00.000-08:00

Gerrit: Dad you need a shower.

Garth: I do? Why?

Gerrit: Because you have stinky armpits.

Garth: Oh...Well thanks for your honesty

Angie: Do my armpits stink?

Gerrit: (sniffing real close) NO! Your armpit smells like candles!

Angie: HEE HEE

Happy Turkey Day

2008-11-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May you always remember all that the Lord has blessed you with.

The kids made these with the playgroup from church and I thought they were so cute. Before I decorated for Christmas I had to take a picture to remember them

My thoughts for today

2008-11-24T23:33:00.001-08:00

I have had a lot of thoughts going through my head today and before I can go to bed, which I NEED to do soon because it is 11:30 already, I need to jot some of them down.
I was able to take a walk down memory lane today. A lane that is filled with both joy and extreme happiness and yet at the same time filled with worry, heartache and concern. I think every mother had a road like this. It is the road of Gerrit's life. Much of his early years I have filed away voluntarily in my memory under the category of Surviving (both he and myself). The first year especially.

You often wonder why things happen to those you love. Why did HE have to have a stroke and why did it have to be something that he would have to deal with his whole life.

I forgot a lot about the first year. The signs that we missed in what could have been an earlier diagnosis. Thinks like when he was first born he didn't open his eyes for almost five days, he never had a strong sucking reflex (nor the desire to breast feed), he always had a blank stare and of course the lack of use of his right side.

When you are a first time Mom you want everything to be perfect. You have this miracle from Heaven and you think nothing could go wrong. Even when you start to notice little odd things you try to dismiss it and say there can't be anything wrong with my sweet perfect miracle.

If I could give just a little advice to you it would be to forget yourself and your ideals for a perfect family!!! Think of that little miracle and do whatever it takes to give them the best start in life. Be overly cautious, you are the parent, you have been blessed to protect and watch over them. You have motherly instincts that you need to be in tune with.

I fast forward to Gerrit now at almost 7 years old and I see such a special boy blossoming and I can't help but be forever grateful for the people in my life who were there for me. The ones with initial concern, who guided me to seek medical counsel and then when I was dismissed as being a paranoid first time Mom, told me to get a second opinion. For the many Therapists, Teachers, Doctors and Friends who were always beside me to help and give counsel, and often times a shoulder to cry on.

I believe Heavenly Father puts people in your lives who have experienced things that you will go through to be of support for you. Then he puts YOU in that same place to helping others with the challenges and struggles that you have experienced so you can pay it forward.

To those who have been there and helped me
Thank you!

Gerrit's Fall School Picture

2008-11-05T16:10:00.001-08:00

Emma's Way Hole

2008-11-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

The funny things our kids say and the blackmail we have on them later in life!!!

She wants to be a big girl and chew gum but she still has a problem with swallowing it when she is done. When I asked her what happened to her gum she said oh it is in my way hole...Your what I said!!! Oh my Way Hole, it is in my back mouth.

I have a video but I have since had to reformat my computer so when I get things back up and going I'll attach it

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

Fawn, this one's for you :)

Gerrit was Optimus Prime and Emma was a pretty princess. We went over to Jamie's house for a party. There were a lot of people and I think the noise got to Gerrit because after about 15 minutes he asked if we could leave and go trick or treating.
We went to a couple friends houses, and then we went to Gerrit's teacher's house, Mrs. Johnston. She invited us in and we talked with her and her husband for about 20 minutes! She is such a wonderful teacher and friend to our family. After that we drove over to show Archie and Linda the kids costumes. We stayed there for about 30 minutes and said man we can't keep hanging out at everyone's house because we will never get back home and pass out our candy! BTW we still have all of the candy we bought to pass out! I don't know why we do that if we know we will be out most of the night anyway.

I wanted to take a picture of the kids before we left and they got their costumes messy. I took out the camera and when I pushed the button to take the picture I realized that I was in the video mode. That was fine I thought until I realized that I was taking a portrait style picture (the camera turned long way) and so half of the video is sideways! Oops!!

So here is the picture I thought I was taking when I did the video

Happy Happy Halloween...2008!!!

Gerrit the video commentator

2008-10-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

We had our friends, Jamie, Addie and Melody over for a visit Wednesday night. We were all going to go for a walk around the neighborhood so Gerrit could see where Mrs. Johnston lives. Before we left the kids were playing and Emma was pushing Melody around in her toy stroller. Jamie and I thought it was cute and I went for the camera. Gerrit and Addie said they would announce the video . Gerrit did a great job announcing the girls. The two younger girls however didn't know what to do. Melody got up and walked into the kids room and Emma just starred at the camera. Luckly Addie was quick on her feet and ended what was sure to be a snorer! News anchor...I will put that in the running for jobs in Gerrit's future! :)

Taw Kwon Do...

2008-10-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

For the adults?!?

That's right the adults. Garth and I started TKD at BTB. It is a lot of fun and we are totally excited! We go for out date night and beat each other up! JK- but we do get to kick and punch things.
I am excited because we are learning the forms that Gerrit is learning and we can help each other out and hopefully test to yellow belt as a family. We can help Gerrit out at home so he will learn them faster and progress in his belts faster too.

We went to dinner and Garth was showing Gerrit different forms and kicks and Gerrit was naming them and showing Garth a thing or two also. What a fun family activity! We have to wait till Emma's 6 then it will be a true family sport.

We learned today that our buddy Luke got hired at Costco. We are totally excited for him but sad for Gerrit because he will no longer be a teacher at BTB. We told him that we would shop at the costco that he works at so we can still keep in touch. He will still go to BTB and help out from time to time and we are grateful for that. We have his contact info and we will defiantly be in touch.

When Garth and I showed up at BTB in our Dobak's (TKD uniforms) Luke was there and when he saw us he just laughed and said that was awesome that we were doing it too. We are sure going to miss seeing him there all the time.

I am sitting here the day after and surprised that I am not very sore. Under my arms and inside my legs are a little sore but that is about it. I even did the boy push-ups and sit ups. The leaders were impressed that I could do them. To be honest so was I :)

I will post pictures...when we actually take them :)

IT IS AFTER 11PM...WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING AWAKE!!!

2008-10-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

I love to read other people's blogs but man once I start I can't stop. I just realized that I have been reading blogs for over an hour!!! Audrey you are just to funny and I love to read your blogs. :)

I still have to finish mapping out tomorrow's route and get some sleep! Yikes girl you aren't as young as you once were...you NEED your beauty sleep!!!

2008-10-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

I AM ENTERING IN EVENTS BY THE DATE THEY OCCURRED SO SCROLL DOWN TO SEE OLDIES BUT GOODIES. I FOUND SOME AS OLD AS APRIL THAT I FORGOT TO POST.

Kids say the darndest things-

2008-10-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Another one of Emma's famous sayings.

She had gum in her mouth and after a while I noticed it was gone. I asked her what happened to her gum and she said it went in her WAY HOLE. I asked what that was and she opened her mouth wide and pointed to the hole in the back of her mouth and said WAY back there. What a NUT!

Fresno Fair Field Trip

2008-10-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Gerrit's class went on a field trip to the Fresno Fair on Oct. 8th. We were able to see all the agriculture and role play with many different things. I was able to go as a chaperone and it was fun to spend the day with my boy.

Gerrit on the bus Our group of kids--Gerrit, Demetri, Madison, and Tara

Can't really tell but he is bottle feeding a two day old sheep

Gerrit combing a pretend horses mane

The kids got to see how cows are milked. In this case how cows were watered! That is what came out of the utters...water. But none the less it was cool to milk a cow.

We were able to pan for gold but I was to busy helping Gerrit to get any pictures of that. Then the kids played on a big pirate ship and ate Kettle Corn. We had so much fun that Gerrit didn't want to leave the fair. He only lasted about 2 minutes on the bus before he asked if he could lean on me and fall asleep. Walking that much takes a lot out of him :)

I saw spider-man in FRESNO

2008-10-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

He was just hanging around at the Fresno Fair!

LUKE

2008-10-14T22:38:00.001-07:00

This is a link to a u-tube video of Luke breaking 10 bricks. He is the black belt that I posted about earlier who had a stroke just like Gerrit's. He is back from counseling at a camp for the summer and works at BTB on Tuesday and Thursday. We are going to change Gerrit's class day from Wednesday to Tuesday so he can work with Luke!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eEJWQk3HT8
It is amazing how you are put in situations that are so fortunate. I mean meeting a guy that had a lot of the same effects from a stroke just like Gerrit. It is like watching a grown up version of my son and knowing that he will be an awesome adult.

Gerrit is known at BTB as LUKE THE SEQUEL. We couldn't be prouder of him

I know...I know

2008-10-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

I know I need to blog! I am getting "little hints" from all my faithful viewers.

Yes, TONS has been going on over the past three months and I need to take the time to sit and blog.

Gerrit's first day of first grade! Swimming class, TKD, Emma in dance shaking her Pom Poms, our new trailer, camping, Katie, Angie's PILE OF WORK that is keeping her from blogging :) Garth's new position at Wells Fargo, field trips, day trips and just goofing around.

Life just keeps speeding by and there seems like no time left for me and doing the important things, like dusting, laundry and preserving our precious family memories.

So be patient with me as I try to redeem myself...Kim I am letting you down as the creator of this blog... BTW do you do upkeep as well? LOL

BOYS ONLY CAMP-OUT

2008-10-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

The name says it all and this picture proves it!

It was a boys only camping trip to shaver lake.

Zion and his two oldest boys came down and Garth and Gerrit went with them to Edison campgrounds which is right at Shaver Lake. When they got there it was 32 degrees. They made a camp fire, toasted marshmallows and told scary stories.

They slept in the warm trailer and got up the next morning and played pirates!

They made Garth and Zion walk the plank (they kept kicking them out of the pirate ship...aka...trailer)

After packing the trailer and truck up they went down to the lake and goofed off on the rocks.

They had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories!

Sick days at the Dixon's

2008-09-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well when it rains it pours. Gerrit, Emma and I all were sick and Garth had to stay home and nurse us all back to health. I think I was the worst off followed by Gerrit and Emma was a close third. I am amazed that Garth didn't get it!

What a cute picture of Gerrit and Katy. She was such a good dog. She would come and sleep right next to you. We love our Katy!

What can I say about Mis-chiff! Even when she is sick she is still a HAM!

SILLY SILLY GIRL---We love you Emma Lee!

10 wonderful years of marriage!!

2008-08-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Married for 10 years baby!

I LOVE YOU GARTH

Busy days of summer

2008-08-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't had a single spare moment this summer!

I think it is because of the preparations for my sister's wedding, which is just under a month away! Yikes!! There has been a lot of things that I was involved with planning. The big thing that I was worried about was a photographer. My sister didn't book one until just a week ago! Thank goodness the one that she wanted was still available. I think we only have the favors and centerpieces left to get together. YAH!!!

Gerrit has been very busy this summer as well. He took swimming for two weeks straight, every morning from 9-9:30. He is now doing a second session that is once a week for 10 weeks. He is still doing KKD at BTB and loving it.

Emma is doing dance and her session ends next week. I think she will have a hard time with that so I am going to sign her up for another session. She is so cute!

My work load is still climbing in numbers each month. We had to hire a babysitter as Garth is going back full time at work.

All of this makes for one busy summer!

2008-08-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Dixon Family
July 27th 2008
Emma 2, Angie 30, Garth 31, Gerrit 6

Genie, I wish you free

2008-07-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is my friend from High School, Kindra Watson. Well now it's Myers! This picture was taken at her Bridal Shower on July 26th 2008. She is getting married on August 31st, same day as my sister and since I can't be in two places at once my sister trumped my friend from High School. I am sad that I am missing her special day.

Love Ya Kin!

Tamara's bridal shower

2008-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

I make it through the shower!
I helped my sister with her bridal shower on the 12th of July. I was in charge of the food and making the invitations. As you saw the invitations before they turned out way cute. I decided to make the food relatively easy...chicken salad croissants, meat and cheese platter, fruit platter and cookies. So here are some pictures from that day.

swimming Lessons

2008-07-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Gerrit also started swimming lessons this week. He goes everyday for a half an hour for two weeks. We are so proud of him. The first day, Monday, he got in and they put is head under water right off and he was fine. He is so excited to swim and he is asking all the time now. He even thinks we should get our own pool because that way we won't have to ask our neighbors if we can use theres. (Garth, don't encourage that!)

At the end of each lesson the kids get to go down the twisty slide into the water!

Gerrit thinks it's AWESOME!

More cute sayings

2008-07-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

This one is from Gerrit. Garth and I were out on a date and we got a lunch pail for gerrit; one that he could open easiely for school lunches. we were excited to give him his suprise...what we thought would be a cool suprise...it is Spongebob after all!

We gave it to him and he wasn't at all happy about the lunch box. he wanted a toy. I tried to use this as a teaching moment about grattitude and to be grateful for suprises, even if it is something that you didn't expect.

He then turns to me in a pouty tone and says,
But Mom, my life is only about toys!

Katy's surgery

2008-07-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took Katy to the Vet so she could get fixed, micro chipped, and given her rabies shot. The poor thing looked like she got hit by a train! The kids and I picked her up around 5pm last night and when we got home I tried to have her come out of her kennel but she just stayed in and basically ignored my attempts at flattery and treats. I even took off the door so she would feel free to roam in and out. Nope she just stayed in there for almost two hours until Garth got home. When she heard the door close she RAN to greet him just as she always does! Why him?!? I don't know. But she stayed right by him the entire night. She has a nice incision we are trying to keep her from licking and another on the back of her neck that they had to shave a spot for the Microchip. A microchip is something that is inserted just under the skin and when scanned it has all our information on it. So in case she gets lost or picked up she will have a better chance at getting back to us. I know I know I am so attached to this little girl! I think of her as another one of my kids. We were all worried about her when we dropped her off at the vet's. Gerrit told us all day about how much he loved Katy and that he hoped she would come back. We said she will come back but we have to make sure that we are careful around her for a while.

Both Gerrit and Emma have been really good around her. I was worried about her with Emma around! Emma likes to pounce very close to Katy and let Katy lick her all over. We were worried that Emma would get to close- So far so good!

Nap time around the Dixon house

2008-07-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is what sunday afternoons look like around our house!

The kids were in their beds doing the same thing!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

What a couple of WATER BABIES!!!

Is that a Peace sign or is that "I want two pieces of Chicken"?

Well I finally got these from family members so I thought I's share them with you!
We went up to Modesto for the day because Garth had to work the next day. We went and saw Get Smart with my Dad, Tammy, Grandma, Tamara, Kent, Jerry, and Marcia. We ended up taking the kids with us because babysitting fell through and Garth and I had to take shifts out in the hall with them.
We then went over to Keith and Kaleen's house (even though they were in Utah) and went swimming. We had chicken, a couple different kinds of salads, fruit, chips and dip, and basically just lounged around all afternoon. It was very relaxing. Jerry bought some fireworks so when it got dark we went out front and Gerrit had fun choosing what to light.
Emma didn't want to watch so she snuggled with me and eventually fell asleep in my arms.

After all the boom booms we packed up and headed home. We made it home around 12:45am. What a full day. I am glad we were able to spend it with family.

Even Katy joined in on the fun. She loves the water! She is defiantly part of our family

To all my loyal viewers...

2008-07-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

I have been a total slacker when it comes to blogging the past three weeks. I have been so busy with work and the kids events...which means that I have a lot to catch up on with my blog! Yikes! I wanted to give you a teaser about what is to come.
Gerrit-Tae Kwon Do
Emma-Dance
Swimming lessons
Emma eating but not quite getting it in her mouth
Bridal shower to do list
Sleeping with my dog
Spaying my dog
Happy 4th of July
Lazy days of summer...Not around here!

So keep me in your bookmarks because one of these days I am going to surprise you and have a new post!

Until then...Stay healthy and if you are here in the valley...STAY COOL! :)

Tae Kwon Do

2008-07-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Gerrit started Tae Kwon Do at Break the barriers. It is really neat place that both abled and disabled children and adults can do dance, Tae kwon Do, Gymnastics, swimming and other sports together. Gerrit looks so cute in his outfit. Can anyone help me out with the name of it. It isn't a Gee, it has a different name that I can't remember. Anyway he has been in it for three weeks now and he is loving it. They start off with running and stretches. Then they work on kicking, punching and thier form. I am so proud of my big boy for all that he is doing. I hope he will stay with this for a long time. Funny though I have flashbacks to when Eric was in Karate and he used me as his punching bag. :)

This is Luke working with Gerrit. He is a black belt in TKD and holds the record for most bricks broke at BTB; 10! He had a stroke before he was born jsut like Gerrit. It affected his right side of his body also. It was so neat to see him at the age of 19 and doing so well. I can't wait to see him work more with Gerrit. Gerrit thought it was cool to see someone who had a stroke doing TKD as well as he did.

Messy face girl

2008-07-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is how Emma eats a cupcake...... She also uses it as eye shadow!

Tiny Dancer!

2008-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

When we went to BTB (Break the Barriers) to sign Gerrit up for TKD Emma saw the gymnastics and went crazy with excitement. I inquired and they had to be three to start Gymnastics, but they could start dance at two. We singed her up for that. Gerrit has TKD from 4-5 and Emma has dance from 5-5:45pm. I ha to keep Emma happy for that first hour and it was tough because she wanted to go to her class.

Emma watching Gerrit throught the window

When it was finally her turn she ran right in and did her thing. She looked so cute out there in her balet leotard and skirt. She had a hard time at first listening to the teacher, but I know she will get the hang of it soon and she is having so much fun with it.

Emma with her pom poms and tap shoes

Sorry the pictures are so bad. The lights were off in the waiting room and I was shooting through glass.

GANG REUNION 2008

2008-06-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

2008

Hopefully this is the first of many get togethers with the gang from Modesto. To fill you in on the Gang, I am referring to the Family Home Evening Group that started in Modesto in 2001. There were a lot of young married couples in our ward and we thought it would be neat to get together every Monday night to have FHE. When we started we only had one child between about 5 couples. We would get together at least once a week for over two years. In that time our numbers grew and we started outgrowing our houses. It also became apparent that we needed to start gearing the FHE lessons toward our kids and not the adults. So we decited to not meet for FHE anymore but we would still get together for playdates and ect. Now, 7 years later we have 18 kids between 9 couples with another on the way. We had two couples move to other states but lucky for us one came back to California...Love you Maashoff's :) We miss the Guisinger's who live in Idaho and wish we could have seen them at the reunion. They have a little girl Kate that we have never met!

2004

WEDDING INVITATIONS!!!

2008-06-17T07:19:00.001-07:00

I have finally finished the wedding invitations and the Bridal shower invites for my sister's wedding! Whoo Hoo!! Tamara and I designed these (with some ideas from my fellow card makers...thanks Jennifer!) and we are very happy with the way they turned out.

Now that they are done I am on to the food for the shower!

Cookies!

2008-06-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

Natalie was down for a week and a half and one afternoon the kids wanted to make cookies. Natalie said she would help them. What a sweetie! They had fun pouring in the ingredients and watching the mixer go fast! But thier favorite part of course was eating some cookie dough before the cookies were put into the oven. Yum Yum!!

Cute Bug

2008-06-15T22:05:00.001-07:00

Ok so I am a little behind on blogging. I haven't had the time to sit and post so check back and there will be some catch up ones that I post hopefully in the next few days.

But in the meantime I had to write this or I would forget.

We were all walking into church this morning and Emma saw a rollie pollie in the parking lot. She turns to Garth and says, " Daddy look, a bug! Awe cute bug!" And with that she stomps on it!!! And says, "Bye Bye bug!" Only Emma!!!

Fun in the sun

2008-06-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Since this week it is supposed to stay in the upper 90's to low 100's we decided to get a small pool for the backyard that the kids can splash around in. In saying the kids I mean all three!

Gerrit is starting swimming lessons in July and he wanted some goggles so of course when he saw the spiderman goggles he was all over them.So was Natalie and Garth!

Girl's day out

2008-06-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

My neice Natalie is down spending soem time with us and I thought it would be fun to have a girls day out. We got a babysitter for the kids and we went out on the town. We went to David's Bridal and got fitted for my MOH dress for my sister's wedding. Then went and got our nails done at Aqua Nail Salon. This was Natalie's first Pedicure and she loved it. They had massage chairs there and we were having fun with all the different settings on the chairs. We both got French Manucires and loved the leg massages. Then we went out to lunch at Panera Bread company. YUMMY! We both had soup and salad. It was three hours of FUN and I am glad Natalie was with me to share in the fun!

OUR CUTE FEET!

Emma's cute sayings

2008-06-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Emma thinks Rice Crispy Treats are called Rice Christmas Treats!
How Cute!!!

Swimming at the Richardson's

2008-06-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

We went across the street today for a little fun in the sun but it didn't quite turn out that way. The kids did have fun and they didn't want to get out of the pool but it was so windy that we were all getting hit by little pieces of dirt that was being blown all over!

On another note I am so proud of Gerrit. He was all over the pool with his floatie muscles on. He still doesn't want to get his head under water but he is doing really good with kicking and moving both his arms to paddle.

This is wonderful therapy...which by the way has been cut way back. We were seeing both the OT and the PT once a month but the OT went on maternity leave until August and we got a call from the PT two weeks ago that she is leaving the MTU and because of staff shortage Gerrit will be on a waiting list for PT. So we are without therapy for the summer. We will hopefully keep the OT going in the fall, mainly with the school OT and the services there. So swimming is excellent for him this summer. We put him in a swim class in July so we will keep you posted on that! :)

STOP FOUR--Keith and Kaleen's

2008-06-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

After a nice brunch we took off and headed for Keith and Kaleen's for a birthday/graduation/father's day get together with all the Dixon's. Drew and Ryan both graduated form High School. Man I can't believe how the time flies! We also celebrated the birthday's in June; Keith and Billy's. We had Haystacks for dinner then we watched old home movies that Keith and Kaleen had put on DVD's for Jerry and Marcia for Mother/Father's Day. It was fun seeing Garth as a baby! :)

We spent the night at Jerry and Marcia's because on Monday we took Garth's truck into the dealership to get a stain protector and blue tooth installed. We got a rental and headed home.

We had an extra passenger because Natalie came and spent a week and a half with us.

What a weekend!!!

STOP THREE--Aunt Wendy's house

2008-06-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

So then it is off to Brentwood to visit with Wendy, Bryan, Cheryl McIntosh and her boyfriend for a brunch. We had a yummy salad, sausage and egg casserole and bagels for brunch. The food was yummy and the company was great. We sat around and talked for about three hours and it was so nice to catch up. Wendy hasn't seen Emma yet so it was defiantly time to stop by. Gerrit showed his Kung Fu moves, Emma said she was in jail and the boys took a nap out back.

...Still not the end of our weekend!

--STOP TWO--Grandma's house

2008-06-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

On the way to my Grandma's house Garth got a call from his cousin who is a CHP in San Jose. He said he was working and he would stop by my Grandma's house so the kids can see the car.
We got to my Grandma's house at about 6pm, had dinner, got all the neighbor's on the block excited about the CHP car on the street, visited with Jimmy for a while, had the Sunnyvale PD check on the activity on the street, and then settled in for the night.

Gerrit and Emma went with my dad to sleep at his house. It is fun for them and relaxing for us! Thanks DAD!! We had planned on going to the children's museum and out to a John's Incredible Pizza LIKE place, but plans went out the window when Gerrit woke up in the night throwing up! We chilled in the a.m. of Saturday hoping Gerrit would stop throwing up. He really didn't all morning so we just hung out. It was good though because David and Grace Payne came from Monterey for the day and we got to see their new baby boy. It was one of those nice laid back Saturday's...Man I forgot how those felt. Minus the sick boy of course.

One of the things Gerrit was looking forward to...more than the museum and food was to go swimming at Grandpa Bob's. He was so sad when he was sick because he thought that he couldn't go. Garth and I talked and we thought what the heck and took him over at about two. As we were walking over to the pool Gerrit started coughing and burping and I thought -oh great what good parents we are, let the kid throw up and then take him swimming! Well he didn't throw up, just a lot of burps and such so off we went. Swimming really lifted his spirits and he had a lot of fun. We went back to Grandma's for taco's and MAN they were good! Then Tamara and I worked on her Bridal Shower invitations. We got them all finished, stuffed in envelopes, addressed and stamped! YAH! By the time bedtime came around we were all exhausted!

Is this the end of our crazy weekend...NO! The next morning we all get up and Kent, Tamara, Garth, myself and the kids all packed up and were headed to Brentwood to have brunch with my Aunt Wendy.

Our weekend--STOP ONE-- The Dunn's

2008-06-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Our first stop was at our friends the Dunn's house. They are moving to Lathrop and we wanted to help them move some things. So we let the kids play and get the wiggles out while we loaded up the truck and were off again to Lathrop with them. Garth drove their Jeep so that Zion could take the Mustang over and Melinda didn't want to tow the trailer so she rode with me and the kids in the truck. We made it there safely and started doing busy work around their house. I unclogged the vacuum, Melinda cleaned the playroom and started putting the new furniture together and the boys unloaded the cars and started placing blinds to be hung. We left there about 4:45pm and headed to my Grandma's house.

June 6-9th ONE CRAZY WEEKEND!!!

2008-06-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was sure a crazy one. Full of family, friends, and oh ya, a whole lot of driving.

It started on Friday, Gerrit's last day of Kindergarten, we picked him up from school with the car packed and headed up to Modesto.