Last Saturday Gracie had a primary activity in our new ward. She loved it. We decorated her "car" for the drive in movie. She got a little crazy with all the glitter stickers but absolutely loved her "fancy car" as she called it. We've really enjoyed our new home, ward and all the changes that have come about. We seem to be laughing a lot more. We didn't notice how stressful school was until we were finished and having more time together as a family. Some of the things we've enjoyed are our almost daily trips to the pool, walking around the mall and letting the kids play in the little playground areas, public library trips to get more books than we can handle and playing at the neighborhood park. It's been so fun to see our family grow here. Reece is a little sprinter. I was vacuuming the other day and she all of the sudden stood up in the middle of the floor and took off running towards me. The look on her face was priceless. It was sheer excitement like, "I'm finally free!!" It was hilarious. She still crawls a little here and there but walks whenever she is determined to go after something. Violet is still a little cautious about standing on her own. She will be walking any day though. Dan's work is going great. He loves the environment he is in and his boss is great. He's been doing orientation classes online and was able to do them from home the last couple of days. It was nice having him here. I'm doing good with this pregnancy so far. It's been pretty easy compared to my others. I'm 7 months along and the baby is pretty active like Reece was. Very jumpy and loves to kick towards my side where I am super ticklish. It kinda drives me crazy sometimes when he/she gets his/her foot or arm going. I will miss that feeling though. It's my fav.

Notice the license plate says "Gracie USC" Yes Dan made it.





Here's a couple pictures when I was 6 months along. I didn't have the chance to blog with the move and all. Me and 3 of Dan's sisters. We are all expecting this summer. We are in order of due dates. Becca is due any day now and Kristi is due next month. Me and Cambi are due 10 days apart. Something is in the water!







Dan trying to protect himself from my death slap after trying to grab something he shouldn't. He's such a perv.

The Many Faces of Reece and Violet

All of these shots were one right after the other. Talk about mood swings. :)

Sweet Violet






























Funny Reece

We've moved!

Things are finally starting to wind down a bit. I didn't think school and all the tests and studying would ever end for Dan. Well it has for a short time and we are enjoying ourselves. We recently relocated to Gilbert, AZ and are loving our new little adventure. Dan was employed with Payson Regional Medical Center and was planning on commuting from Mesa for a year or two. The weekend that he went to Phoenix to take his boards, which he passed!, he got a call from a hospital down there where he had applied a while back. They wanted to interview him that day and they hired him on the spot. It works out much better not having to commute for over an hour. The pay is better and we are overall so grateful for the way things have turned out. We are renting a home here and absolutely love our new location. It's a 3 bedroom/2.5 bath and a little bigger than our old home. It's so cute and just the right size. We are right off the freeway but in a very quiet neighborhood surrounded by fields. We have access to a sweet neighborhood pool and also parks and greenbelts to enjoy. Dan's schedule right now is 5 days a week with all the training and orientation he has to do. After that he will be on 3- 12 hour shifts with as much overtime as he wants to work. Gracie had a hard time at first with the move but is adjusting to the change that is going on in her life. It broke my heart the first few times she would say, "I just really miss our home in Thatcher." Or, "I want to go on a golf cart ride with grandma." She's doing better now and we are trying to keep her busy with new things to do. We love going to the pool after dad gets home from work and also playing at the park. Change is not something I necessarily like and I had a really hard time leaving our home where we had made so many memories. I took one last walk through after it was completely empty and could see where Gracie and the girls would play. It was comforting to have Dan who has moved every few years throughout his life from being in a military family. He told me he experienced this same thing every-time they left a house. He helped me understand that we would have different opportunities in a new place and would make plenty of new memories and friends wherever we went.
It has been so nice being our own little family here. We are starting new traditions. Dinner time is more enjoyable now that Dan doesn't have to rush off to study. He is even turning a new leaf, by my request, and actually cooking with me. Last night he made some killer ground turkey soft tacos. He was so proud of how good they tasted. :) Also, Gracie loves to ride her bike and she and Dan will ride around the neighborhood when they get the chance.
Just want to thank all the family that helped us move on both ends. We are finally unpacked and organized for the most part. Hope everyone is doing okay. Enjoy the pictures.
-Becky


Violet and chocolate chip cookies are not a good match.















Reece is my speedy little goober. She won't start walking soon but will be running. She loves to push this thing around and is so good at steering it. It's so funny to watch.








This is a really bad picture from my cell phone but Reece and Gracie both got haircuts that were long overdue. Reece did pretty good as long as we had Dora playing on Dan's iTouch.






Gracie my little princess is such a doll. She continues to put me in my place and is constantly finishing my sentences. We've noticed within the last couple months that she has a bad stutter. Dan's mom said he had the same thing so I'm not too worried about it. Hopefully it will go away. She sounds like this most of the time, "Hey hey hey hey hey, can we go to to to to toooooo to the pool today?" It's really cute but we will be working on it. :) Any advice would be appreciated.















Proof!




Gracie wanted to take pictures before we went to the pool. It was funny how she was posing me and telling how to smile. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Reece and Violet!

I don't know if it's the hormones from being pregnant that explains why I'm crying while trying to finish this post. I would give anything to stop time. This year has gone by way too fast but I've enjoyed every minute of it. I remember the night before I was to have the twins. I was so nervous. It was FHE and Dan, Gracie and I took her little boat she'd made at one of the home depot workshops and took turns floating it down the canal. The three of us just talked and enjoyed being with one another. I remember both of us were so nervous for the next day because our little family would be growing big so fast. Don't get me wrong, we were so excited but very nervous to say the least. I didn't hardly sleep the night before and woke up at about 5 the next morning. The wait at the hospital seemed to take forever. Finally, it was time to go back to the O.R. I remember the moment I heard Reece wail when they pulled her out. It immediately made me cry because I was so grateful that my babies were being born at the right time and place. Violet took a little while to make any noise because she aspirated from being pulled out feet first. I'll never forget the relief I felt when she finally did. They were the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. The next few weeks and months were filled with plenty of sleeplessness, worry, laughter, crying, smiling, insecurity, and sheer happiness. I remember when they were asleep I would check on them several times a night just to make sure they were okay. I actually sometimes miss their middle of the night feedings because that is when their eyes would open up so wide and they would make the cutest faces and sounds. I loved and still love to see Gracie interact with them. She is the BEST sister and is so helpful to me and Dan. I hope that I can always remember those sweet moments that kept it fun even under complete exhaustion. We love you girls so much and are so happy and blessed that you are in our family.




























They couldn't quite figure out why everyone was singing. It was too cute seeing their faces.