Thanksgiving 2008

Fall was in the air! Had to start the Thanksgiving pictures with this first one of Jake...isn't he the cutest little boy you have ever seen! Anyway, a big thanks goes out to Ben and Steve for hosting such a beautiful Thanksgiving! What a gorgeous home they have made for themselves. Everyone ate lots of Turkey and enjoyed chatting and catching up with family we don't always get a chance to see. Of course the day turned into night and everyone started playing the dice game! We all had such a wonderful time!

Happy Harvest!

How a year changes things! If you have followed my blog since last year you will see an adorable picture with all my children together in "one shot"! Well, kids are getting older and our life is getting crazier! Bailey had her own agenda this year. First it was the school dance, next the school haunted house and then a get together at her friend Chloe's house with all of her girlfriends. So the best I could do for pictures with her was before school and at pick up time at 9:30 pm at Chloe's house. Then Parker, well he had spent the night at his dad's house the night before so I didn't see him till after school. Then we trick o' treating with the little ones and I didn't want him to wear his "Joker" make-up cause I didn't want Peyton to get scared. So I got pics of Parker with half of his costume. As for Peyton, well she has been sick ALL week with mommy and daddy having no sleep for nights on end and luckily I was able to dress her up Friday and take some pics at home before we left. SOOO, what I am trying to say is "A year definitely changes EVERYTHING so we have to enjoy each and everyday!" I am so blessed with three beautiful children and they just KEEP growing and I'm SAD!!!

REMEMBER THESE DAY! I remember them like they were yesterday! I had so much fun with my friends at Halloween. Those were the days when friends are more important and social gatherings were the excitement. Mom and Dad are "NO" fun anymore!!! This Bailey, (rotating left) Cassidy, Maddy, Bridget, Chloe, Addi (on bed), Emily and Taylor. They all are so close. And there are even two missing from the pics that already went home...sorry Cayla and Victoria....we love you too!

BORN TO DANCE!

God gave my children a very natural talent to dance. Parker is a unbelievable dancer and Peyton walks around daily on her tip toes! I decided that it was important to enhance their natural talents and get them some proper training. Parker is now taking Hip Hop and Peyton is taking Ballet/Tap. What fun! Parker had such a blast with all the "cool" music and a very talented instructor. And Peyton, well let's just say that it always takes her a while to warm up but I was pleasantly surprised that she participated. Miss Linda was very patient with her and half way through the class Peyton was having fun! She didn't want to leave when class was over. Just another little activity to add to my already crazy schedule. I will say that I do it to myself....I always sign up for too much and run around like a "looney" mom. Isn't that what it is all about?

Their OFF.....!!!

Off to school that is! I finally managed to posts some new pictures. Kind of busy around here. We were thrilled to go Back to School, some more than others...ha ha! We are so happy to report that Bailey is loving 7th grade and Parker absolutely loves his 5th grade teacher! YEAH! And as for Peyton, she is getting use to being away from mommy and daddy at Southwest Preschool. She has actually started talking to the other children and looks forward to going to school now. Peyton is such a smartie! She told us the story about Adam and Eve and said if you disobey God like they did you would go in "Timeout"! So cute how they explain things! We are very grateful to have her in a Christian environment...it makes a Big difference!

Our Big Sis has an Agent!

Yes, we are so excited Bailey is going to be doing some modeling! The story goes like this if you haven't already heard it. When Bailey was around 4 years old I was approached by an agent that wanted to sign her for some print work. At that time I was going through some difficulties in my life and it wasn't possible to add one more added stress. I have told the story time and time again and Bailey has said that she couldn't believe I didn't do it. SOOOO, I told Bailey when she is ready to model and she makes the decision and of course when we get the time I will research different agents. So, all the above happened and we were fortunate to get signed with a very reputable agency in Palm Springs. She had her interview with the agency and it went "more" than well. She is so grown up and presented herself unbelievably great! I was told to be quiet during the interview, which as you know was very difficult for me. The agent is very particular who she signs and not only do the have to have the looks, the height and all but very importantly they have to be able to communicate well. This agent is also a SAG agent which means she cannot work unless she has good grades in school. She has to have a work permit and the only way is to have the schools approval. We will keep you updated with what jobs she gets so you can look for her pictures. She might be the next "Hannah Montana"....ha ha!

When Joe saw the pictures, this one really scared him. He said she looked 20 years old. During the photo shoot they wanted her to look a wide range of ages so that she can do a variety of work. Although, Bailey is blessed with beauty more than that her heart is in the right place and she is a wonderful young lady. She has the most caring heart and is an "old soul"! She is very excited for this new experience.

40/40/80 Party

We just got back from Arizona celebrating our families birthdays. Joe's sister Sue and Steve's partner Ben put together a fabulous party for Hub, Mark and Pops. Hub turned 40, Mark 40 and Pops 80! How ironic is that! I can't take credit for the details but it was given by all the Dahlstrom children at our club, Western Skies, in Gilbert, AZ. We had an AWESOME time. There were casino poker tables, bouncy houses, snow cone machine, cotton candy machine....great food, a DJ and lots of FUN, FAMILY and FRIENDS!

Parker, definitely has to be the winner of the dance competion! So the "BEST DANCER" award would go to him. That boy has some skills and I am proud to say he is my child. He had a blast showing off!!!

The "Movie Star" award goes to Bailey and Addi (Bailey's BFF). It was great having little Miss Addi there. She became part of the family! The girls are both 12 years old but were the beverage cart girls for the golf tournament that weekend. They couldn't stop talking about it. It was funny too. We had gotten two suites at Tapitio cliffs and they had claimed one of the suites as there own. Of course it was connected to ours but they felt all grown up!

The Dave and Buster's official winner's were Mark, Susan, Ben, Nancy and Kaley. The MVP of that group goes to Ben. At the end of the tournament Ben pulled out not 1, not 2, but 3 stuffed animals out of the Claw machine....IS that even possible....I guess so cause it happened!!! They split $120 dollars. If you don't know the Dahlstrom family yet, EVERYTHING is a competion!!!

Here is a picture of most of the girls that played in the competion. From left to right, Nancy, Susan, Me, MaryBeth and Joe's sister Sue. We had a lot of fun. Not very sure if we even know how to play pool that well but I guess we all look good doing it!

Here is the "WHOLE GANG"! When we get together it is definitely going to be a great time! This family is competive, loving, hilarious (Steve), sweet and welcoming and I am so grateful to be a part!

I wanted to also share a picture of "THE ORIGINALS"! From left to right Mikey, my husband Joe, Sue, Steve and Mark. What a great looking group of kids. Joanie and Pops you did a great job raising these knuckle heads....ha ha! Just kidding, they are beautiful people with big hearts and I am proud to say that I was lucky enough to call one of them mine!! A BIG thank you goes out to All of them for making me a part of their family!!!

I wanted to share one last picture. This is Susan (Ben's cousin), I was fortunate to spend some more time with her this trip and I have to say that she is one of the most caring individuals I have ever met! She played with my children all weekend, she ran to Walmart to get me medicine for my very nasty infection that was going on on my lip, she and Ben treated Bailey and Addi to pedicures. Susan thank you from the bottom of my heart for being sooooo sweet! It was a joy spending more time with you and look forward to future visits.

4 YEARS of complete BLISS!

Okay maybe not complete bliss but I will say this is the happiest I have been in my life. My whole circle is complete! Joe and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary in Sedona this year. I had never been to Sedona, AZ so we thought we would enjoy some of the cool weather up there. It is absolutely breathtaking. We went on an amazing hike with gorgeous views. Now, as beautiful as it is up there the very best part of the trip was on the way up. Joe had a gift for me that was a surprise. He had wrote a song for me and had his brother record it. When we were in the mountains far enough and there was no radio reception he said he wanted to play something for me that I really might enjoy. And then, he played my song called "Amy Baby"! WOW....I was in tears and I cannot even explain how much it meant to me. I wish everyone could hear it, and if I knew how to download it to my blog I would share it. THE SONG WAS SOOOO incredibly special!!!! THE VERY BEST GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED! Of course other that the 3 beautiful God given gifts, my children!!!