free and a half years old

Our little boy is not so little anymore! Here is the latest on Dallin:

*is 3'4" and weighs 34 pounds

*Things he can do all by himself:
brush his teeth, go potty, wash his hands, get dressed (mostly), pick up his toys, say prayers, and unlock the new deadbolt..yikes! (When I asked him what he can do all by himself, his answer was "college football".)

*Things he's liking these days:
gymnastics class, playing with measuring tapes and calculators, coloring, reading books, digging in the dirt, helping me empty the dishwasher, riding his bike, chasing his sister, playing with his Thomas trains, pretending to throw pie in people's faces, and playing hide-and-seek (yesterday when he was playing with Jason, he looked for him for about 20 seconds, then went and got a snack and started playing with toys...I think Jason waited for like half an hour..)

*Also likes to pretend he has a cell phone and is constantly telling us that he just got a funny text. :) Wonder where he gets that from?

The latest Dallin funnies:

*Dallin was at my parents' house while we were at a Kings game and they had the missionaries over for dinner. He was wearing the shirt from the above picture and one of the elders asked if he liked to play soccer. He said yes. Then they asked if he liked other sports too like football. He said 'yeah, i do'. Then one of them asked if he liked wrestling and Dallin said "Um....I'm just a small boy."

*This one was told by my Dad (they were driving in the car):

Dallin: Gr'pa I have to go to the bafroom....
Gr'pa: OK Dallin we just have a little ways to go....(thinking maybe I should tell him to just hold on til we get home)....
Dallin: 15 seconds later......Gr'pa I REALLY gotta go to the bafroom... Just then the light turns red and 2 or 3 cars ahead of me stop....
Dallin: 15 seconds from his last comment...Gr'pa I REALLY REALLY gotta go...
Gr'pa: OK Dallin I will stop up ahead ....I will go just as quickly as I can.... Dallin: No problem Gr'pa......all's we have to do is look for some grass*....
Grass? did he just say grass?
Dallin: with pointed excitement in his voice.....Gr'pa there's some grass right there!.....
Gr'pa: where Dallin?...
Dallin points to his right towards a thin strip of grass about 12 feet long by 6 feet wide next to the side walk....it was all I could do to keep from bursting out in mindless laughter......Dallin had picked out a piece of grass at the busiest intersection in all of Folsom...East Bidwell and Blue Ravine....traffic was bumper to bumper.....and it was 5pm on Valentine's Day...PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!

*disclaimer: I am not a proponent of relieving oneself in public unless it is an emergency

back in the saddle....

It's pretty much written into Mixa girl DNA to love sewing and/or quilting. My mom has always been an excellent seamstress just as her mother was. I always joke with my sisters that I switched places with them because back when we were teenagers at home, I was usually the only one sewing besides mom, but now, they all sew like crazy and I have hardly gotten my machine out since I've been married. I did make Evie a quilt with lots of help from my mom, but that is it. I had been meaning to get back into it but never did. Then one day at church, they were passing around a sign-up for people to donate items for the Young Women's silent auction fundraiser for Girl's Camp. So, I signed up to donate a baby blanket, thereby forcing myself to complete a sewing project within a few weeks. This is the end result, thanks to Rose for the idea, and I'm looking forward to more projects.

DEVELYN

Dallin told me to come quick, so I walked into the dining room and saw this. She was affectionately given the above nickname by my family, for obvious reasons. This girl is trouble. So then I completely reinforce her bad behavior by taking a picture of it. :) I couldn't help myself though...it was a little too funny. (She looks like some scary monster, waiting in the shadows to attack.)

Tour of California

Jason and I got to spend Valentine's Day at the Tour of California in downtown Sacramento, and even though it was freezing cold, it was so much fun. I just loved seeing Jason with the kid-in-a-candy-store look on his face all day. We got to see and take pictures of some huge cycling stars (even though my camera battery died halfway through the trip). We also ended up seeing half of our ward there, which was so fun, and Dave and Nathan even made the drive and we were able to meet up with them as well. Can't wait till next year's Tour!!


Brad, Josh, Jason, Kevin


Jason standing with Lance's custom Livestrong bike (this is one of only two in existence)


My future bike (or maybe a girl version of it)


The crowds were insane, this was only one small corner where we watched each guy turn around.


Jens Voigt


Christian Vandevelde


Mark Cavendish


Lance Armstrong

friday the 13th came early

So, we had to wake the kids up early this morning because I had to drive Jason to work so I could have the car today. Wouldn't you know that waking kids up early is a horrible, horrible idea. They both threw huge fits. So I dropped Jason off, drove back home (1 hour total), grabbed a bunch of food and delivered it for a Relief Society luncheon, then I went straight to a visiting teaching appointment (still with kids) and proceeded to lock my keys in the car. Once AAA took care of it and I got back home, Evie refused to take a nap (and I don't give in to crying very easily). Instead, while I was changing her diaper, she grabbed a handful of poop, and while I was cleaning her hand off, she put both legs in it and got it all over my hands. But it doesn't end there! While I was simply bringing a load of laundry upstairs, Dallin peed through his pants all over the kitchen floor and Evie played in it, soaking her clothes in urine. Unbelievable. I would say that's the end of it, but I don't dare because it's only 3:30, lots of time left for more to go wrong. Heaven help me and my desire to have a big family.

One good highlight (sort of):

After all this I went in the bathroom to wipe Dallin and he said "Mom, you're a good Mom." "And a good wiper."

special gift

When I got the mail yesterday there was a package for 'Miss Evelyn Nartker' from Hawaii. That can mean only one thing: something from Great-Great Grandma Evelyn! We opened it up and it was an adorable doll quilt. She loves it. But I don't think she wants to share it with her dolls, she wants it all to herself. :) This is a very special gift because her Great-Great Grandma is a prize-winning quilter. Thanks Sweet Grandma!!

More barbecues!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to eat more steak. Strange, I know, but I guess more lentils, beans, leafy greens and fortified cereal as well. My doctor just diagnosed me with iron-deficiency anemia so I need to be getting lots of iron. Hopefully this will help give me more energy. Oh yeah, that, and when Evie and Dallin stop waking up in the middle of the night. That should help too.