Elena makes a pretty convincing little piggy: "Oink!"
Last year's costume still fits:
Dan and Elena having fun:
Caleb and E. playing with bubbles on the front porch:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Past Week
It has been a pretty laid-back week here at the Dison house. I thought I would post some pictures of what we do when we get bored.
Elena makes a pretty convincing little piggy: "Oink!"
Last year's costume still fits:
Dan and Elena having fun:
Caleb and E. playing with bubbles on the front porch:
Elena makes a pretty convincing little piggy: "Oink!"
Last year's costume still fits:
Dan and Elena having fun:Caleb and E. playing with bubbles on the front porch:
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Grandparents' Day
Elena is grateful that she has
the most awesome grandparents ever!
Here is a picture of both sets on her blessing day:
She doesn't get to spend as much time with them as she would like, but she loves them a lot, so she wanted to say:
We also took a video of her saying hi. Unfortunately, we waited until Sunday afternoon and - as all church-going parents know - Sundays are hard on little ones. The video is cute, but she did need redirecting a couple of times. :) Enjoy, Abuelita and Abuelo, Granny and Grandad!Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
La Oreja
Elena has had a cold for almost a week now, but she's on the mend. This morning, we went on a walk with Emily and her baby Sadie and we played with Caleb and Ella Joy at the park. She was having a pretty good day. After her nap, she was being super fussy and whiny and I was trying to figure out what was going on when she grabbed her ear and said, "Ear hurt." After asking if she was sure a couple of times, I called the pediatrician and we were able to get an appointment right then. Turns out, Elena has an ear infection like she said!
I am so grateful that she can express herself now. It must be empowering for her. I'm also really glad that we started her on the antibiotic before bed tonight because she just woke up crying when the ibuprofen wore off. We got to cuddle and watch Curious George while we waited for more to kick in and she's asleep again. Soon she'll feel better without being medicated. :)
I am so grateful that she can express herself now. It must be empowering for her. I'm also really glad that we started her on the antibiotic before bed tonight because she just woke up crying when the ibuprofen wore off. We got to cuddle and watch Curious George while we waited for more to kick in and she's asleep again. Soon she'll feel better without being medicated. :)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
California trip
I can't believe I started this post two weeks ago. Unfortunately, it is going to be a much more boring post than I thought because I only have "hanging out" pics, my mom has all of the "sightseeing" ones on her camera. Maybe I'll post more when they are emailed to me.
Summary: It was wonderful to go to California and introduce Elena to so many people in Dan's family and in my extended family. I went to California for the family reunion of my dad and his siblings. Happy 60th birthday, Uncle Ken! Since most of my aunts and uncles live in the Bay Area, we reunited there. My wonderful parents bought me a ticket (with only a little bit of arm twisting) and we were able to be there for 10 days. Dan, of course, couldn't come because of school.
In no particular order, here is a quick list of events:
My cousin Michael and his wife Kathryn have two cute girls: Ambyr and McKenna. I wish that we could live closer to them - without having to pay CA rent. :) Elena had a great time playing with them. Although she's pretty ticked in this picture - it was late at night. We had a lot of late nights and she was a trooper, but this was the last straw.
Me with my cousins Rebekkah and Jennifer and two of R's kids.
From left to right (not counting me and E): Kathie (Dan's sister), Kevin (Dan's brother-in-law) and Barbie (Dan's sister), Caitlin (niece), Lydia (Dan's Mom). We had a great time together and we must have been good luck charms - jk - because Kevin's surgery went great.
Elena and cousin Caitlin:
I have an obsession with taking pictures of Elena sleeping. I have probably taken a pic at least once a month - if not more - her whole life. She was so dead asleep this particular night that after she fell asleep in the car, I was able to change her into her pajamas without her even moving.
This is who we were lucky to be able to stay with: Brian, Uncle Brent, Aunt Mary, David, and Jeffrey. The house was big enough so that Elena's sleep protests didn't bother anyone and the food was fabulous. Especially the salsa. The boys were really good with Elena too. She was a big fan of all of them by the time we left.
My cousin Kendall and Elena coming home from the pool. I love my Aunt Lori's neighborhood. I think it would be so perfect to have a pool and a park right across the street!
Lena, Ambyr, Shelby, and McKenna at the Seabright beach. Shelby does a great job looking out for and playing with all of the little ones.
Summary: It was wonderful to go to California and introduce Elena to so many people in Dan's family and in my extended family. I went to California for the family reunion of my dad and his siblings. Happy 60th birthday, Uncle Ken! Since most of my aunts and uncles live in the Bay Area, we reunited there. My wonderful parents bought me a ticket (with only a little bit of arm twisting) and we were able to be there for 10 days. Dan, of course, couldn't come because of school.
In no particular order, here is a quick list of events:
- We went to the beach and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk
- church with Uncle Norman's family in Vacaville
- the Monterrey Bay Aquarium
- the Exploratorium
- Pier 39
- the Oakland temple
- the Gilroy Outlets
- the hospital in Santa Clara to visit Dan's brother-in-law Kevin
- the pool
- a family talent show
- Kathryn and Michael's house
- Uncle James and Aunt Lori's house
- a family picnic in a park
- watching a lot of the Olympics
- kickin it with Aunt Mary's family
My cousin Michael and his wife Kathryn have two cute girls: Ambyr and McKenna. I wish that we could live closer to them - without having to pay CA rent. :) Elena had a great time playing with them. Although she's pretty ticked in this picture - it was late at night. We had a lot of late nights and she was a trooper, but this was the last straw.
Me with my cousins Rebekkah and Jennifer and two of R's kids.
From left to right (not counting me and E): Kathie (Dan's sister), Kevin (Dan's brother-in-law) and Barbie (Dan's sister), Caitlin (niece), Lydia (Dan's Mom). We had a great time together and we must have been good luck charms - jk - because Kevin's surgery went great.
Elena and cousin Caitlin:
I have an obsession with taking pictures of Elena sleeping. I have probably taken a pic at least once a month - if not more - her whole life. She was so dead asleep this particular night that after she fell asleep in the car, I was able to change her into her pajamas without her even moving.
This is who we were lucky to be able to stay with: Brian, Uncle Brent, Aunt Mary, David, and Jeffrey. The house was big enough so that Elena's sleep protests didn't bother anyone and the food was fabulous. Especially the salsa. The boys were really good with Elena too. She was a big fan of all of them by the time we left.
My cousin Kendall and Elena coming home from the pool. I love my Aunt Lori's neighborhood. I think it would be so perfect to have a pool and a park right across the street!
Lena, Ambyr, Shelby, and McKenna at the Seabright beach. Shelby does a great job looking out for and playing with all of the little ones.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I'm Back!
I feel like I have been gone the whole summer, when in reality I have only been out of town about 25 % of the time. When you are constantly either adjusting to being home or getting ready for the next trip, it tends to all just sort of run together.
It has been fun to be able to take off and help out with the Young Women (from church) or to go visit family, but it will be nice to stay here for a while. Now that the school year has started, I have responsibilities that require that we stay put. And that's a good thing. I am excited to be tutoring again (today was my first day for the 08-09 school year) and to watch sweet Caleb this semester. I'll post a photo of him soon. He's a cutie!
It has been fun to be able to take off and help out with the Young Women (from church) or to go visit family, but it will be nice to stay here for a while. Now that the school year has started, I have responsibilities that require that we stay put. And that's a good thing. I am excited to be tutoring again (today was my first day for the 08-09 school year) and to watch sweet Caleb this semester. I'll post a photo of him soon. He's a cutie!
Here is a picture that someone took at a birthday party just a few days before Elena and I left on our trip to California. We rarely have a photo with all three of us together, so I am excited to post it.
I have already started an entry about our trip, but there is no way that I am finishing it tonight, so I thought I would publish really quickly to prove that we are alive and well. :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Girls' Camp 2008
I am not going to promise anything coherent, but I hope that you will enjoy the pictures. It is late and I am tired, but I have been trying to find the time to complete this post (I started it on the 28th and today is August 2nd) and the sink is full - and I do mean full - of dishes. With no further ado and in no particular order, here are pictures and descriptions of my week at camp:
Here we are mid-hike on the second day of camp. We had a sunrise hike this year and it was a great idea to hike early and avoid the heat. This is some of the girls from our group. Jenny (in blue) and I were the chaperones. I'm so glad that you came, Jenny! We had a blast.
Like the previous 3 years, I was Level 1 certification leader this year. This is a picture of all my girls and their YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders). I love being with the 12 year olds because they are so excited to be at camp and to meet new people. They have such a good attitude about whatever we ask them to do. Also, I was blessed this year with fantastic YCLs.
Jenny J. as SpiderGirl. Our unit's assigned superhero was Spiderman. The theme of camp this year was "Everyday Heroes". Jenny moonwalked and pranced across the stage like a pro during our amazing and hilarious skit. The girls made her cape and she was sporting my field hockey bloomers. I knew that they could eventually be used again if I held onto them long enough. :) In the background you can sneak a peek at what kind of living arrangements we were blessed with: electricity, indoor plumbing, a cabin next to the lake, etc. Jenny and I honestly thought of the week (Wed-Sat) as being a relaxing vacation.
Me and my daddy! My dad (the amazing physicist/astronomer) drove 4 hours after work on Thursday to teach the section called Observing the Night Sky. He brought a telescope (to show everyone Jupiter and its moons) and his indoor planetarium (Star Lab), plus he did an observation outside with his super cool laser pointer. You could actually see the beam leading up the star that he was pointing to. He did a great job showing the constellations and talking to us about the vastness of the universe. It was so neat to hear his testimony about how although God is in charge of so much space and so many people that he still knows and loves us each as individuals. Although he definitely said it will more elegance than that. :)
Pretty, pretty lake:
The YW and I - representing the Spanish branch. Aren't they beautiful? They are such a fun, creative, and sweet group of girls!
In case you can't tell, I had a great time. Thanks to my mom for watching Elena and enduring all my phone calls to check up on and talk to her. What would I do without you? I love you, Mom!
Below are the seven women of value (plus Katie in pink who put the whole program together). The last night at camp, the Young Women went on a "walk of light" in which there were seven stops. The seven of us represented different values. For example I was Sacajawea and my value was knowledge, so I spoke to each group as they came about my life and my value. any guesses about who the other 6 are?
I actually had a great time doing it because I never knew how awesome Sacajawea was. You should look her up if you don't know about her (I bet that Ann K. is shaking her head in disbelief right now). Growing up in Virginia we honestly didn't learn a whole lot about anything that happened outside of the 13 colonies. So, if you have a Civil War question, I bet I could answer it. :)
I actually had a great time doing it because I never knew how awesome Sacajawea was. You should look her up if you don't know about her (I bet that Ann K. is shaking her head in disbelief right now). Growing up in Virginia we honestly didn't learn a whole lot about anything that happened outside of the 13 colonies. So, if you have a Civil War question, I bet I could answer it. :)
Here we are mid-hike on the second day of camp. We had a sunrise hike this year and it was a great idea to hike early and avoid the heat. This is some of the girls from our group. Jenny (in blue) and I were the chaperones. I'm so glad that you came, Jenny! We had a blast.
Like the previous 3 years, I was Level 1 certification leader this year. This is a picture of all my girls and their YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders). I love being with the 12 year olds because they are so excited to be at camp and to meet new people. They have such a good attitude about whatever we ask them to do. Also, I was blessed this year with fantastic YCLs.
Jenny J. as SpiderGirl. Our unit's assigned superhero was Spiderman. The theme of camp this year was "Everyday Heroes". Jenny moonwalked and pranced across the stage like a pro during our amazing and hilarious skit. The girls made her cape and she was sporting my field hockey bloomers. I knew that they could eventually be used again if I held onto them long enough. :) In the background you can sneak a peek at what kind of living arrangements we were blessed with: electricity, indoor plumbing, a cabin next to the lake, etc. Jenny and I honestly thought of the week (Wed-Sat) as being a relaxing vacation. 
Me and my daddy! My dad (the amazing physicist/astronomer) drove 4 hours after work on Thursday to teach the section called Observing the Night Sky. He brought a telescope (to show everyone Jupiter and its moons) and his indoor planetarium (Star Lab), plus he did an observation outside with his super cool laser pointer. You could actually see the beam leading up the star that he was pointing to. He did a great job showing the constellations and talking to us about the vastness of the universe. It was so neat to hear his testimony about how although God is in charge of so much space and so many people that he still knows and loves us each as individuals. Although he definitely said it will more elegance than that. :)
Pretty, pretty lake:
The YW and I - representing the Spanish branch. Aren't they beautiful? They are such a fun, creative, and sweet group of girls!
In case you can't tell, I had a great time. Thanks to my mom for watching Elena and enduring all my phone calls to check up on and talk to her. What would I do without you? I love you, Mom!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Elena is 18 months old!
I haven't put up a video in a long time, so here is one from yesterday:
And here are a couple photos of Elena and her one-and-a-half year birthday cookie. She blew out her candles beautifully (three times - we are such suckers when she says, "Again, please").
She opened one gift (alphabet magnets) and had a good time playing with them for a few minutes before bedtime. Dan offered to take the pictures, so I am actually in a couple. :)
(My feet look super dirty, but it is my black flip flops. Honest. They kind of dye my feet when I wear them.)
And here are a couple photos of Elena and her one-and-a-half year birthday cookie. She blew out her candles beautifully (three times - we are such suckers when she says, "Again, please").
She opened one gift (alphabet magnets) and had a good time playing with them for a few minutes before bedtime. Dan offered to take the pictures, so I am actually in a couple. :)
(My feet look super dirty, but it is my black flip flops. Honest. They kind of dye my feet when I wear them.)
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