Paityn

So last night I was making dinner and Paityn and Raegyn were fighting, of course, and I hear Paityn say, "Raegyn stop crying, just be PAITENT!" What 3 yr. old says that? Too funny...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am in shell shock that it is already December. Kevin and I thought that we would be brave this year and invite his family to our house. All month I have been reading and preparing for the big day. The teachers that I have been working with were so kind to let me borrow a table, chairs, table cloths, dishes, etc. How grateful I am to them! Well, after it is all said and done I have to say that it really wasn't that bad and of course I didn't take any pictures of all my hard work! I guess I could try that next time... whoops!
I am so grateful for many things this year. Here are just a few...

- my husband who sacrifices seeing his daughters grow up to travel out of town every other week
to support our family
- my girls who make me laugh and also pull my hair out everyday
- the opportunity to further my education and to also graduate in one week! :)
- my mom who helps me get through my days
- Diet Mt. Dew
- my brothers and for the love that they show to my kids
- Hobby Lobby (my husband probably isn't as grateful as I am!)
- Old Navy
- running and the great relationship that I have developed with my Dad because of it
- Heavenly Father and the influence that the church is in my life. Last week we welcomed a new
baby girl into our family who has had some major complications. How lucky are we that she is
doing amazing and beating the odds!
- The Biggest Loser (what a motivation to be better!)
I have so much to be thankful for in my life and I am truly blessed! Happy Thanksgiving everyone~

Fall 09"

And we're off to get candy-

My little girls!

Go Bears!

The cutest fairy I have ever seen!

Deep in thought...

Nice pumpkin!

So hard to get both of them to smile... let alone look @ the camera @ the same time!

Pait after a little fall... she got something stuck in her hand-

October came and went at the Dahlke house! I can't believe that it's already the middle of November! We had a great Halloween and it was also our first in Layton. I was so nervous that it was going to be like Tooele, no kids! Boy was I wrong! Around 5:30, when we left, there were kids everywhere up and down the block... it was so fun to see! It made me excited for the years to come. Paityn didn't have a choice on her costume this year... when I was pregnant with her I found a Chicago Bears cheerleader outfit and the only size they had was a 3T so I snagged that up and have been waiting patiently ever since for it to fit. She didn't seem to mind and she looked so cute! Raegyn was a fairy this year and to my mom's surprise she was the cutest fairy I have ever seen! Both my mom and Kevin thought that a fairy wasn't really Raegyn but I insisted that she would totally pull it off and she did.

A couple of weeks before Halloween we went to Day Farms here in Layton and rode the tractor out to the pumpkin patch. It was so fun to ride and watch the girls' face when they saw all the pumpkins. Both of them were so excited to pick a pumpkin. We came home and Paityn painted hers and Kev carved. He does a pretty good job when it comes to carving.

We have been running like chickens with our heads cut off! Student teaching is coming along, I am exhausted! I haven't quite figured out how to manage my time from 4:00 on. I am hoping it will get better because I think I am going to start working after I graduate- hooray for me! I will be done Dec. 4th and I couldn't be more excited! Kevin has been working in New Mexico... he hates it! I am so grateful for the sacrifices he makes for our family. The girls are growing up and I am just sitting by watching them learn and grow everyday. I love those two so much! :)

Seeing all these posts about Christmas and buying some decorations for my tree today really are tempting me to bust out the decor... only a couple more weeks, right? Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Grandpa John

Our Family with Kevin's Grandpa John
Grandpa John and the girls August 09'

Rarely do we get to see Kevin's Grandpa John and this summer he came to stay with Kevin's parents so they decided to bring him down to Layton to see our new house. It is always a treat to see him. Grandpa John is either 94 or 95 years old and doesn't miss a beat. He loves ice cream (a man after my own heart), and he loves to visit the family. Even though I have only met him maybe 4 or 5 times he is always welcoming and fun to listen to. I admire his independence and lease on life.

It's always nice to see him and visit with him even if it is only for an afternoon... until next time Grandpa John- we love you!

The Dahlke's summer

4th of July 09'
4th of July 09'

Me and the girls 09'

Nana was so nice to come along with us this year! Thanks MOM!

Grandpa Scott decided to tag along-

We love Ross Park!

Hammin' it up!

We did it!

Strider's 1/2 marathon in Syracuse, Ut. Memorial weekend

We do love each other...

Tending the campsite... she was pretty good @ that!

Getting ready for a 4-wheeler ride... looking tough!

She loves to ride with Papa!

Classic face for this little girl!

Raegyn loved the sprinkler!

Paityn and her cute cousins-

Roasting Marshmallows... Yum!

Raegyn in the big green tractor-

Lookin as dirty as ever... just what camping is all about!

Camping @ Big Springs with Nana and Papa

We had a busy summer that didn't seem too eventful but the time has come and gone and now we look forward to next summer. After about a 3 week hiatus at my parents house we were finally able to move into our new home in Layton. The process was a huge pain and I don't think that we will be doing that again for a VERY long time! But, after painting a whole upstairs (pretty much), and getting everything organized we are really enjoying the area. Heavenly Father must have helped us with this one because there is a darling little girl next door that is the same age as Paityn and she can't get enough of her. Everyday when we get home she wants to go play with Abery (her real name is Avery). We can't wait to see what the future holds for us here.

Kevin is still on the road but has managed to be a little closer to home this last month. For a couple of weeks they were in Wendover and now he is in Green River, Utah. He sacrifices so much for our family and I love and thank him for that. I started my student teaching at Snow Horse Elementary in Kaysville. Can I just say that I think it is a great school. Most of the staff is super friendly and the kids are fun. I have already learned a ton from my cooperating teacher and am excited to learn more. It has been kind of nice to have a life outside of my kids but I am starting to feel a little guilty. I take them to a sitter all day, pick them up at 4:00, drop them at the gym daycare for an hour and then we go home eat dinner, bath, and they go to bed. I only really see them for about 2 hours. That is horrible! I really hope that next year I am able to find something part-time so they still know who their mom is! Kevin's work schedule has been kind of nice because he is able to stay home with the girls on his days off and play Mr. Mom. I have been quite impressed to say the least... he tried to make the bed everyday! That is a huge accomplishment for him! Way to go Kev! j/k... really he has been doing a great job and is will save us a ton of money!

Paityn has been growing up so fast! She just started dance class last week and went again today. It is so fun to watch her try to copy the teacher. I hope that she sticks with it. She is a bit nosey and it drives me nuts! She has to know everything about everyone and what is happening in the world around her and she remembers all of it too. Over the summer she has learned to ride her tricycle the right way (pushing the pedals) and we are working on getting her to sleep in her own bed! What a nightmare!

Raegyn is as cute as ever! Over the last month or so she has really started to pick up on a ton of words. She can say hi, bye-bye, mom, nana, dada, doggie, shoe, juice is jew, done, bear, night-night... She is such a great dancer and I almost laugh so hard I cry every time she starts to get jiggy with it. She loves her blankets and loves to sit on the kitchen counter to watch t.v. Raeg has outgrown her high chair which is always not so good and now sits at the bar like a big girl. We are on the countdown for nursery... only 3 more weeks and I could not be more excited! I love watching her grow!

I have been a busy little runner this summer. Next Saturday will be my 7th half marathon this summer. My dad and I have been all over running and having fun! I have really enjoyed spending this time with him and accomplishing something that I never thought I would do. Last weekend I did a 10k here in Layton all by myself. It was a little lonely but it was a great race. I would recommend it to anyone! Student teaching has been fun and interesting. It has been different to go back to school and try to remember everything I learned before. I have a ton of respect for special education teachers and am anxious to graduate.

The Dahlke's are happy, healthy and busy. Hopefully it doesn't take me so long to post again... I hate these long boring updates!

Finally Out!

Well, we finally got all moved out of our house in Tooele and are in Idaho taking a breather before we move into our new home next month. I am so grateful for my family and their help, we couldn't have done it without them! Packing and moving is such a pain and it has made me realize that I never want to do it again! So I am praying that we really love Layton because I have a strong feeling we will be there for the long haul!

I never thought about all the new things that I will need to find when we do move. The girls need a good babysitter, a Pediatrician who can never compare to Dr. Gould, a Gyno (not too excited about this one), a dentist... the list goes on- so if anyone has suggestions I am open for ideas!

For now, we will enjoy some time with family and relax before we get settled into our new home-

We're Moving!

So I thought that we would put our house on the market and that it would just sit and no one would buy it... even though I wanted to move and try something else maybe even inherit a little more space. Well, this week someone did buy and we are now moving. You would think that I would have a house all picked out and be so excited but it is the opposite... no house and I am scared to death!

We have been on a search in the Layton area and have found 3 that we are pretty interested in... Kevin will be home on Sunday and needs to see 2 of them for himself. I hate that I have been having to also do most of this alone. Kevin is working in Oregon and that leaves me with 2 crazy little girls, a whole bunch of stuff that needs to be packed and papers to sign... the list goes on! Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that the house sold and I am anxious to start a new journey and experience, I just hate starting new things and not knowing what my future will be like.

This house is our first house together and it is all my girls know- we have had many memories here and I am sad to leave. Paityn doesn't quite understand what is happening... she is mostly concerned that she will no longer be able to see Chris, my step-brother, go figure! We love the friends that we have made in Tooele and we are sad to leave but I can't help but wonder what is in the future and what new memories we have in store for us... to the future! :)