A Walk in the Park

Days like this make motherhood seem like a walk in the park...
Having so much fun
We got some incredible smiles on the swings
Look Mom, no hands!!
Feeding the duckiesAnd feeding the Dallen
A belated thanks to Auntie Aubrey for coming for a visit and making life so much fun!! We love you.

Two heads are better than one

But if you don't have two heads, just wear 2 hats!!
Dallen did this ALL BY HIMSELF :) Cute kid huh?!?!

Student Teacher

It is amazing how fast little ones grow and how quickly they learn. Every day I am realizing how much Dallen is learning, and mostly by example. I am so proud that he is so smart and getting so big.

Dallen has been learning sign language and knows the signs for: please, thank you, sorry, more, eat, drink, cracker, milk, banana, all done, day, rain, tree, bug (although he basically just sticks his finger in his nose), outside, and probably a couple others I can’t remember right now.

Dallen has started to fold his arms for prayers and sometimes even initiates this before dinner (melts my heart).

Dallen plugs his nose and/or mine when something is stinky and I say “pee-eww”.

He can flex his muscles when you ask him to show you his muscles.

His vocabulary increases by the day and he says words like “apple, bubble, bath, football, backpack, turtle” and most recently “poo-poo”. He is even saying and understanding words in the right context now, instead of just repeating them, although he still does that.

He is learning the different animals and knows that a cow says “moo”, a dog says "woof", a monkey says “Ooo Ooo” and most recently a horse says "neigh".

He is the most HILARIOUS dancer. He pretends to snap his fingers and sways back and forth whenever he hears music: cars driving by, in the store, walking through the parking lot, anywhere.

He is starting to pose for the camera, but only if he gets to see the picture right after (thank goodness for digital technology).

Big boy has, count them 10 teeth and more on the way!

At Dallen’s last doctor appointment for a wellness check we learned that he is SUPER tall :) As if we couldn't tell by looking at him or his giant feet!! He is 32 inches tall, which is almost off the charts for his age.

We are so proud of our growing boy and love him so much!! It is so fun how he is really starting to understand and respond to the world around him. My little man is growing up so fast!! Most of this information is just for my own benefit, to have it documented, but I thought you’d wanna know too!!

I can’t believe that amongst all the things this little boy learns, he still teaches me so much. He has taught me more about love, patience and humility than I ever knew. Being elbow deep in poop and boogers night after sleepless night has a way of teaching you things! And so the student becomes the teacher. Love you Dallen :)

More photos...

Here are some more pictures I took of Dallen in an attempt to get one for the contest. They all turned out so cute I couldn't NOT share them on the blog.








This was in Urban Outfitters. I thought it would have been cool and industrial looking but Dallen was way too busy for pictures!! Still cute.Dallen paused for a few moments while shopping on Main Street. Turned out decent pictures huh?!?!


And the one we ended up submitting was...You can check Dallen out in the online gallery here:
http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/contests/beautifulbaby10/gallery.html
And starting March 1st, you can vote for yours truly!!

Beautiful Baby

We are entering Dallen in a beautiful baby contest but we need your help. I can't decide which photo to use. The pictures have to be taken by me, within the last month. I am a little biased and have him completely memorized so even though there could be something missing or better expressed in one picture than another, I don't see it cause I am his Mommy :) So, please vote (with a comment) for your favorite, I have to submit by the end of the week. Thanks!! Wish us luck :)

Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3
Picture #4
Picture #5

Shout Out

We were so lucky this last week, Auntie Aubrey came to play!! She helped with doctors appointments and bath times, also we slept a lot, but mostly we just played :) We went out for 5 Guys burgers (twice)!!We went over to see the McMullins twins and play in their fun backyard!

And we went walking and shopping on Main Street!!
We had so much fun with Auntie Aubrey and hope she comes back soon :)

Speaking of shout outs to Auntie Aubrey, some of you already know that my sister was featured in the "Real Simple" wedding magazine for some flowers she did. You should check it out. And to see more of her beautiful creations and lots of pictures of baby Dallen, visit her blog at: aubreymessick.blogspot.com

Back to Basics

I feel like we have been on vacation for months, and while it has been so fun, we are ready to be at home for a while a get back to the basics. We are ready for long days of lounging around, eating and sleeping on a schedule, playing with all those new Christmas toys and of course, discovering new ways to get in trouble...

Yes, we did!!

How many people do you know that would fly nearly 500 miles to go to a basketball game? Yes, we did!! Many of you know Mark and his father are BYU faithfuls and we made the trek to Mark's hometown of El Paso this past weekend to see our Cougars take their victory over the UTEP Miners. It was Dallen's first basketball game and he had a blast!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the tickets and a super fun weekend.



And while in El Paso, Dallen had a brief love affair with guacamole...