Our New Puppy

Meet "Teddy" Our New Puppy

So, what's new?!?

For starters...Scott found a job! He got a job with OC Tanner and will start the first of January. We are feeling EXTREMELY blessed right now! Now to back up a little bit:

For Halloween, Kyra was a witch.

She has really enjoyed watching the Wizard of Oz this year. So, she wanted to be the Wicked Witch from the West. However, she picked this one out and decided she wanted to be the good witch. She got to go to a birthday party with a Wizard of Oz theme, so the costume has had some use.

Scott and Kyra also went to their first daddy/daughter event. For activity days, they had a fall harvest theme. They made caramel apples and painted pumpkins.

Kyra got to go to Arizona with Mom & Dad in October. Scott had a conference in Scottsdale, so Kyra and I tagged along. Tanner couldn't come because of school.

She got a little (ha/ha) spoiled from Papa & Gramm...and Lauren! She had a blast spending time with her grandparents and cousins.

On October 16, Tanner had his Eagle board of Review. He passed! Now we are in the active planning stages for his court of honor.
Tanner turned 14 on Thanksgiving day. It was a little different birthday for him. We were in Las Vegas for a soccer tournament. We had Thanksgiving dinner at a Casino buffet. (it really is the way to do Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't have to cook anything, nor did I have to clean anything up!)

As parents we are so thankful for our children. They are amazing. We are so proud of all that they have accomplished and continue to accomplish. They both have had their fair share of struggles, but they have been able to overcome them and prove how strong they really are.

Dad's Surprise trip

For my dad's 70th birthday this year, my mom made arrangements for all of us to meet in Las Vegas. She did some great planning. Spencer, Susie, Scott & I landed first. Scott & Stacy were about 20 min behind us. Mom arranged for them to arrive about 20 min after them. We agreed to meet in the baggage claim area to surprise dad. Scott M. made some masks of my dad's face with funny sayings on them. So, we each put one over our faces and snuck up on him. You should've seen the look on his face as he watched himself come toward him! We really got him good!

After dad recovered from the shock, we went to the hotel to change. The plan for that night was to go to dinner and then we got to go to the Donny & Marie show! THAT was fun. Stacy and I were in hog heaven because WE got to shake Donny's hand!

Saturday morning we got up and went to the temple. It is so neat to be able to have all 8 of us in the celestial room together. It was definitely a very special experience for us. True to form...we walked out of the Las Vegas temple with a funny adventure. We wanted to take a picture of all of us in our whites. The Las Vegas temple is similar to the Portland temple, in that they have an atrium in the front. Well..you have to walk past the recommend desk to get to the atrium. Mom asked a worker if we needed our recommends to get back in and was told no..we would be fine. The worker was wrong! So, here we all stand in our whites and can't get back to go get our recommends. We did, however, all have our locker keys with us. So, one of the workers took our keys and went to our lockers to get our recommends. Spencer had a very profound thought..."If all of us are standing here in our whites, WITH a locker key...Doesn't that say that we did show you our recommends earlier?" Sorry, but got to have them again. So, we get our recommends back and go past the front desk. As the worker scans the recommend he says, "welcom to the temple, Str. Dunkley". I started laughing, my husband started laughing, my brother (who was in front of me and had just had the same thing happen to him) started laughing. It was definitely time to leave!

We had so much fun being together again. I miss having those times. We sure know how to laugh together! I am so thankful for my family..especially my parents. I have the best dad in the world! (No offense to anyone else) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Family Update

I'm not sure that there is a "rule" that the only time you can update a blog is when you have pictures to share. I noticed I haven't updated in quite awhile. So here is what has been happening in the last few weeks:

Mom (that would be me!) had a birthday. I have noticed something about getting older...birthdays, just don't mean anything anymore. It was just another day. Scott and I went out for dinner and then to the temple. As we were driving home I asked Scott if we could stop at McDonalds and get hot fudge sundaes. When we got home, everyone sang to me and we had hot fudge sundaes. Woo hoo!

Both kids are very active in school, sports, and church. Tanner's soccer season has started again. He went to Huntington Beach, CA over Labor Day for a tournament. They played pretty well. This was the first time that I haven't gone to an out of state tournament with him. It was kind of depressing to be left behind. Kyra and I tried to make the best of it though. We had plenty of girl's time.

Tanner started 8th grade (YES...I did say 8th grade)...my baby isn't quite a baby anymore. I'm having a hard time watching him grow up. It has all happened so fast. He also just got called to be the Deacon's Quorum president. At first he was overwhelmed, but now he is starting to enjoy the opportunity to serve and get to know the boys better. He has finished his eagle scout application and only needs one more signature before it gets mailed.. wherever it goes. I admit, I am one proud mama! He is a good kid and I just love being around him.

Kyra has started 3rd grade. She loves school and her teacher. She has also started taking "cheer" and she is doing dance again. It keeps her busy. Since she turned 8, she is now going to Activity Days. Again...where did the time go?

I guess my only big news is...I got a job! I'm working at the school as a reading aide. I LOVE it. It has been so fun. I love working with the kids and helping them with their reading skills. The most fun has been to see the progress they make. I get to work with Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade. So, I have the fun age groups.

There you have it...our lives wrapped up in a nutshell. Scott continues to work hard and is dreading the next few months. For those that don't know Scott's job is ending on Dec. 31st. We think he has something lined up for the beginning of the year, but it's not 100%. So, for the few (if any) that read this...please keep us in your prayers that he can find a job that he will enjoy.

Hey..I have a picture to share!

North Huntington Beach Tournament

Playing in the ocean in So Cal

Kyra's New Haircut

I have been trying to talk Kyra into getting her hair cut for years...well maybe only 2. She has always been so adament about letting her hair grow. She would always ask me if it is finally longer than some of her friends. Whenever I would mention even getting a trim, she would freak out because she wanted it long.

About a month ago, I mentioned to her that I was getting tired of putting her hair in ponytails. I mentioned once again, that I thought we should cut her hair. She again refused. One day, I took Tanner to get his hair cut. It was while he was sitting in the chair and she was just watching that I heard the famous words, "I want to get my hair cut short." I thought I didn't hear her correctly, so I asked her, "what did you say?" She said, "I want to get my hair cut". I told her we wouldn't do it that day (although inside I was REALLY tempted) so that she could have time to think about it. A week or so later, she told me again that she wanted her hair cut. So, THIS time I took action. I scheduled an appointment with Aunt Susie to get her hair cut.

The day before the scheduled appointment, I asked her if she was ready to get her hair cut. She was actually excited about it. The day of the appointment she was very ready and excited about her new hair cut. When we got to Susie's Kyra started telling her how she wanted it. She actually wanted it a little shorter than what Susie and I were talking about. After Susie made the first "cut" I watched Kyra's face to see if she would freak out. She didn't, she just sat there. That made me a little nervous, so I asked her..."Are you ok?" She said, "Yes." I said, "what do you think?" She said, "I can't see without my glasses". So, Susie handed her her glasses and she put them on. She still didn't say anything. So again, "what do you think?" Her response...a great big HUGE smile with "I like it." Phew! Susie finished the haircut, styled it and Kyra was thrilled. She ran upstairs to show her cousins her new haircut. She is so proud of her new haircut. Personally, I LOVE it! I think she looks so grown up with it. It's so much easier to take care of too. It was great timing also...the next day was picture day at school!

BEFORE


BEFORE (SIDE VIEW)


AFTER

It's Official...

It's Official...As of Wednesday, August 5, Tanner has FINALLY earned all his required merit badges to become an Eagle Scout. Since he completed his Eagle Project a year ago (who's counting though) all he needs to do now is fill out the application. This has been a very long process. I have great empathy for all the eagle scout parents out there. It is just as much work for the parents as it is for the boys. Hopefully we can get the application done quickly and get this DONE! (and yes...I'm a VERY proud parent of a future Eagle Scout!)

Boy's Weekend

While Kyra and I were getting pedicures...this is what the boys were doing.



For Father's Day this year, I bought tickets for Scott and Tanner to go see the LA Galaxy play FC Barcelona. Tanner really wanted to go because some of his favorite players play for FC Barcelona. Scott's brother, Jeff also went with them. They flew down Friday afternoon and the game was Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl. They both said the atmosphere was amazing. There were so many Barcelona fans. They had some pretty good seats too. Tanner's favorites were all there..Messi, Thiery Henry, and David Beckham.




Final score.....

Girls Day

While Scott and Tanner were trying to get on a flight to Los Angeles...my mom, Kyra and I were at the nail salon getting pedicures. This was the first pedicure for Kyra. She absolutely loved it. She got in the chair and the technician turned on the massage feature and she just started giggling. During the pedicure she would giggle when they scrubbed her feet. (Note to mom...Kyra has ticklish feet.)

When they were done, Kyra was smiles from ear to ear. Of course she got pink nail polish, and she had them put on polka dots just for fun.

I love our girls days. We go shopping, sometimes out to eat, and sometimes we just go run some errands. Whatever we are doing Kyra and I have a great time together. When it's just the two of us in the car, she is quick to remind me, "it's a girl's night huh mom?" I enjoy the quality time we are able to spend together. On this occasion we added one more girl, my mom. How fun to be able to spend time "just the girls".

Tanner's Rocket

Tanner has always wanted to build a model rocket. For his birthday he got a rocket kit. It has just sat in his closet...until now. He decided he wanted to build it and launch it. He very carefully built the rocket. When he was about done, he realized that he didn't have the fuse for the launcher anymore. So, he got creative and stuck a whole bunch of tissue in the rocket for fuel. He begged and begged, so on Sunday afternoon (a couple of weeks ago) we went to the park to launch the rocket.

It didn't go as planned. He lit it, Scott lit it , He lit it, Scott lit it...and still no launch. Finally, Scott got it lit...but it didn't launch...it just burned. It was at that point that we realized that no one had brought any water for an emergency. So, Kyra and I jumped in the car and ran home for some water (yes, while the rocket was still burning). We grabbed what we could find and ran back to the park. What we showed up with....

No, a water bottle isn't going to put out any forest fires, but it was all that we could grab in a hurry. So, we got back to the park and the rocket was history. It finally lit, but it certainly didn't launch.

July 4th

We went to Sandy city to watch the fireworks this year. We haven't been there in a few years. They really put on a great show. We got there pretty early and played games until it was dark.

After the fireworks show, we went home and Tanner and Kyra let off their own fireworks.

Kyra's Baptism

Saturday, July 4th was an important day. Not only did we celebrate the freedom of our country, we celebrated Kyra's baptism day. It was a very special day for a very special girl. Kyra looked so pretty in her white dress. She looked like an angel. Her dress was the same dress that her cousin, Lauren wore when she was baptized.

Kyra was very excited about getting baptized. I LOVED the look on her face when she came up out of the water. She had the biggest smile on her face. It was priceless! When we asked her how it was, she said it was neat but the water was cold. After the baptism we came back to the house with all of our family and friends for lunch. We were so grateful for everyone who was able to come and celebrate this special day with Kyra.

What a great day. I can't believe that my little girl is 8! She has grown up so fast. The years have just flown by. I am so proud of Kyra and all that she has accomplished in her 8 years. We are lucky to have her in our family. Love you Kyra!

Tanner's New Hamster

As parents we believe that the best form of motivation is ..bribery. It works in just about every situation. So, to help "motivate" Tanner during the 3rd quarter of school we told him we would get him a new hamster. So, at the end of the quarter....Tanner got a new hamster. Meet..Buddy:

Guess Who's Eight?!?

Kyra finally had her birthday. Remember the birthday "issues"? Here is how they got handled:
1) The primary sang to her the sunday before her birthday
2) She got to wear the "Birthday hat" on her last day of school (I pulled her out on Wed because we left on thurs)
3) While she wore the "Birthday Hat", her class sang to her while we ate cookies.
4) In regards to not getting any presents....we celebrated with the family on Father's Day. Poor daddy has to share birthday (Mother's Day) and Father's Day (Kyra's birthday). He doesn't get any holidays that are just his! Anyway, Kyra had fun celebrating, singing and of course opening presents. Once, again...she was very spoiled.

We spent her actual birthday at Magic Kingdom. Tanner, Dad and Mom woke her up in the morning by singing "Happy Birthday". She had a BIG smile on her face when she opened her eyes. We met the rest of the family and headed out to Magic Kingdom. When we got there we were presented with a button for Kyra to wear that said, "Happy Birthday, Kyra". It was fun to see her reaction when we would pass strangers and they would say, "Happy birthday, Kyra". The look she gave them was priceless. We spent the ENTIRE day at magic kingdom. By the time we left we were all exhausted! The weather was really hot and we were worn out! It was a great day though. Kyra decided on all the rides she wanted to go on. She got to see all of her favorite princesses.
The funniest part of the day was trying to get her to go on any roller coasters. Kyra has a deep fear of roller coasters. We FINALLY convinced her to go on splash mountain, but she wouldn't go unless we would let her wear her poncho (so she wouldn't get wet). So, we let her wear her poncho. When the ride was over we asked her if she wanted to go again. Her response, "NO!". When we were heading out of the park we asked her what her favorite ride was. Her response, "Splash Mountain!"

I think that she will remember this birthday for a long time. When we got back to the condo, she went to bed the same way she got up....with a smile on her face.

Real Soccer Game

Our family had the unique opportunity of watching a Real soccer game in one of the suites. It was a TON of fun. They provided great food for us. The dessert cart was to die for! Kyra ate like she hadn't eaten in 2 weeks. (guess it was good thing there was a LOT of food) There were a few other families there with us. It was a fun and unique way of watching the game. We were definitely spoiled. Just for clarification...Yes, that's Tanner standing behind us all! Yes, I am standing up a stair and he is STILL that much taller than me! Also...don't you all think mom deserves a Real shirt since everyone else in the picture is wearing one? You can't see Tanner's but his is white. I can hear the music ..."which one of these things is not like the other? Which one of these things just doesn't belong?"

Scott's 40th Birthday

Scott turned 40 on the 13th. I had a few little surprises up my sleeve for him. It started in the morning, he got to work and his whole office was decorated with balloons, streamers and confetti. I had bought the stuff and his co-workers had a little too much fun decorating. Of course no one was smart enough to take a picture of it, and I didn't have a chance to go over to do it myself. I had the kids make a sign to put outside "Whoa...Scott is 4-0" And again....forgot to take a picture of it. But, I did get a picture of him with his dessert. If you look closely in the picture you can see that family tradition held out once more....the brownies lasted 10 min before Kyra's fingers found their way into them.

The next day was really fun. I had arranged a surprise party (cake & ice cream)for after soccer practice. Since most of our friends are from soccer, it was only appropriate to have them in on the fun. So, after practice one of the parents reminded the boys to head over to the pavilion for cake and ice cream. She said Scott had this glazed look on his face like, "HUH?" Then you could see the 'light bulb' turn on. He realized it was for him. He came over to the pavilion where I had everything all set up and he just laughed and said, "you got me!" That was fun!