dannels

Introducing: Bentley Ruby Dannels

2012-01-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

My wonderful support. My sisters Tori, Nicole and Lisa were all there to see little Bentley born

Bentley came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice. So scary...she was so blue. So here she is getting some help with some oxygen

one proud daddy.

Bentley has the most hair and the darkest out of all my kids

Face timing was the best. My parents got to see the whole birth on face time and right after Bentley was born we face timed with Crew and Hudson.

Aunt Lisa loving her newest niece.

so excited for our little girl to join our family...

Crew's first time seeing his little sister. He was beyond excited!

Hudson was super shy and quiet when he first saw his sister...he warmed up a bit right before he left the hospital.

One proud BIG brother

Our family of five

All dressed up and ready to go home

Bentley Ruby Dannels

January 12, 2012

7:02 am

6.8 lbs. 19 inches

My labor story:

On Wednesday around 2pm I started having contractions, some strong, some not so strong. I took a nap to get my mind off of things and woke up about 4:30 and noticed that they were now getting stronger and closer together. I called Wyatt since he was at school to give him a heads up that it might be time. I then called my friend to see if she could take my boys and hurried and packed up everyone's bags, loaded up the car and headed out. My contractions at this point were every 2 minutes and fairly strong. Wyatt met me at my friends and drove us down to the Kaiser Hospital off of Sunset in Hollywood.

We got there in about 20 minutes with Wyatt's crazy driving and I immediately got wheeled up to the Labor and Delivery floor and checked in. I was dilated to a 3 (I was just a 1 on Monday) and still have regular, strong contractions. They admitted me and as soon as I got in my room I asked for my epidural. They wanted to see how I would progress with out breaking my water or without giving me Pitocin so not until 2am did they break my water. And at 3:30am they finally got me started on Pitocin. I was progressing but not as fast as I would have liked to. I tried to get as much sleep in as I could and then about 6:50 I felt tons of pressure and knew that it was baby time. So I called the nurse in and she called in my doctor and sure enough she was right there. They had to tell me "not" to push yet b/c they still had to get all scrubbed up and all the equipment ready. A few minutes later I pushed through one contraction and then they told me to stop b/c they noticed that poor little Bentley had the cord wrapped around her neck twice. They quickly cut the cord as soon as they could and I had to one more little push and she was here. She wasn't crying though and was completely blue. Tears were rolling down my face and I was so scared especially when they called some "code" on her and all these other doctors and nurses came running in our room. About 40 seconds later (It seemed like an eternity to me) I finally heard Bentley cry for the first time. I was so relieved. Soon after I finally held her in my arms.

She is just the sweetest little thing and I think she looks a lot like me. I don't really see much of Crew or Hudson in her at all. We are all so in love and are loving having a little princess in our home.

**My little sister and I were due on the same day, January 24, and my sister went into the hospital the same time as me (she lives in Utah) and had her little girl, Norah Marie, on January 11 at 9:03pm making her and Bentley only 10 hours apart. I am so excited for these two girls to grow up together.

Hollywood

2012-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

"Look Mom, they fit!"

Crew loved watching this street performer. He is still trying to figure out how he made that whistling sound

Mimi and Papa came up a few days before Bentley was born and spent the night at our house before heading back up to northern California. We took them out to dinner at Baby Blue's BBQ in Hollywood and then decided to go hang out the rest of the evening on the walk of stars. The boys loved seeing all the street performers and we had a fun time going through Ripley's believe it or not.

*sorry about the quality of the photos...iphone

Rose Bowl Parade 2012

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

This was Hudson's favorite float because of the Transformer Bumblebee

Loved the view while we were enjoying the parade

Power Rangers

We loved seeing all the pretty horses

This float made me miss Hawaii. I think it's calling our name for next Christmas?!

Crew's favorite float...the Surfing Dogs. They would ride up to the top in their woody car and then hop out onto their surfboard and catch a wave. Very entertaining!

This was our third year watching the Rose Bowl Parade and it never disappoints. The boys loved it and we especially love it since we don't show up until about 9:30am and still get front row seats. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve tradition...Pj's!

We made some Christmas crafts and this Reindeer ornament was one of them that the boys loved making.

Nana put pictures on everyone's presents this year...the boys thought it was the coolest idea.

Waiting on the stairs Christmas morning for the ok to come see what Santa brought them

Crew got a lot of his favorite Transformers

Hudson loved his 8 ft. long Hot Wheels track he got from Papa and Nana

Every year Nana gets us something "dental" and this year the boys both got play-doh Drill 'N Fill sets

new shark towels for the boys

This was Crew's favorite present from Nana and Papa...the Ultimate Optimus Prime that he has been talking about for months now. You can tell he is thrilled in this picture!

Thanks Nana and Papa!

Wyatt's favorite present from his parents...his Cardinals pillow pet.

It was such a blast watching the boys open up all their presents this year, their faces and expressions were seriously priceless!

Daddy showing the boys how to drill and fill with their new play-doh sets

Crew and Hudson wanted to "test" the pool water out to see if they could swim...they found out it was just a little too chilly!

We took the boys to their favorite place to play...Jump Street!

The boys and I caught the flu while we were there. It was no fun! This was our setup the night the boys got sick.

Here is what Santa brought the boys

Testing our their new bikes on Christmas morning

JUMP STREET

Making Sugar Cookies with Nana and cousins

We let the boys open a few presents a couple night before Christmas and as you can tell they were both in heaven!

Christmas Eve Dinner at Outback Steakhouse with Nana and Papa

This year we spent Christmas in Arizona with Wyatt's family. We ate at all of our favorite restaurants, spent some time with our good friends, went to a white elephant Christmas party with Wyatt's high school friends, played at Jump Street, shopped and spent time with family. Despite the boys and I getting the flu we had a great time for Christmas! It's crazy to me how fast my boys are growing up and how independent they are becoming. This was our last Christmas as a family of four. We can't wait to meet our little angel coming anytime now.

Gingerbread Houses with Mimi

2011-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

This year we made our Gingerbread Houses with Mimi at the BeachHouse. Mimi was busy all day making fresh homemade gingerbread for all 11 grandkids that were going to be there to decorate. She also makes the best homemade icing! The boys loved decorating their very own houses and adding their own unique character. I loved seeing how different they all looked. We had a fun night decorating and started our Christmas off just right!

Crew and Hudson's Holiday Performance

2011-12-09T10:20:00.001-08:00

This morning Wyatt and I were lucky enough to watch Crew and Hudson perform in their annual Holiday Performance at Sierra Madre School. They both were so cute to watch. Hope you enjoy this little video as much as we enjoyed it!

(Crew is on the left and Hudson is one person to the right of Crew)

The Big 3-0!

2011-12-07T10:11:00.001-08:00

Happy 30th Birthday to this handsome guy!

some 30 things we love about you:

1. Your sense of humor

2. Your love for your two biggest fans

3. Your Smile

4. How competitive you are

5. Motivated

6. How you are up for trying anything new  

7. You are willing to watch the kids whenever mommy needs a break

8. You will run errands with me and wait in the car with the boys

9. You put your family first in everything!

10. The love you have for your mother

11. How knowledgeable you are in the gospel  

12.Your dirty Mexican accent (I secretly think it's kind of sexy)

13. How you will watch all my favorite TV shows with me (I know you like them just as much as I do)

14. You love a good chick flick

15. How fast you can get over being upset

16. That you want to travel the world with me

17. That you want your boys to have opportunities you never had

18. When we can hear you honking down our street letting us all know that you're home

19. How hard you work at school knowing it's going to benefit our family

20. How your willing to admit when you made a mistake

21. You can get us into pretty much anywhere or into the front of the line (Six Flags, Disneyland)

22. The love you continually show me everyday.

23. What a great friend you are

24. How you care about fashion

25. Your an amazing salesman

26. You tell the kids the best stories

27. The most defensive driver (kind of scary sometimes)

28. That you notice when I get a new shirt 

29.Crew likes "when you play football with him and he loves you" and "when he gives me hugs"

30. Hudson likes that "Daddy taught him how to ride his bike"

Happy Birthday Wyatt! We love you more and more each and everyday. Thanks for being the best example to our boys and the best husband to me. Hope your birthday is a good one you won't ever forget!

Thankful...

2011-11-28T22:16:00.001-08:00

Lucy, Aunt TT and Tater

Tate & Hudson playing football

Tate got Hudson with the tackle...

Uncle Joe Joe taught Hudson and Tate the football picture pose

Jevy and Joe carving the deep-fried turkey. I must say it was quite tasty!

Joe and Tori

There was a lot of this going on during Turkey Day

more Football...

The kids played Guitar Hero and legos in Mimi & Papa's room

the setup for our Turkey Dinner

the gorgeous view on Thanksgiving from my parents home

Lucy and Hudson {only 6 weeks apart}

Hudson loves his cousin Lucy. He is the sweetest with her; I can't wait for our little girl to join the fam seeing my boys like this with other girls.

The turkey expert Rick and my Mom...best Turkey to date!

Hudson loved it too!

our best attempt at a family photo with the bird

love them all!

Tate and Kendal

Movember...this picture seriously looks like I have molesters as brother-in-laws. Ty...you Win!

enjoying our Thanksgiving Feast

I fall more and more in love with these two boys each and every day.

I love him.

My brother and his cute family

Hudson seriously adores his Dad. It's pretty darn cute if you ask me.

Mom. Sisters and Sister-in-law.

3 of us are preggers right now. Jess, Tori and Myself. Jess and I are actually due on the exact same day both with girls. So excited!!

best of friends. This picture is too die for, it just puts a smile on my face!

Kendal and Paige

Luke and Hudson

Chris and Trey

Chris. Hudson. Trey. Crew.

We played some baseball


At Ruth's Chris for Joe's surprise birthday party

THANKFUL:

-for my family

-for my husband and all the hard work he puts forth for our family.

-for Crew and Hudson and their sweet little spirits. They are constantly teaching me.

-for the gospel. the guidance it brings into our lives.

-for our home

-for technology

-for great friends who are always there for me no matter what

-for good health

-for the opportunity I have to be entrusted with another one of heavenly father's children

-for my sisters and my brother

-for my parents and for great in-laws who both show us unconditional love on a daily basis

I am thankful for so much more! We had such a great Thanksgiving weekend spent with family. I feel so blessed to live so close to everyone in my family and to be able to see them so often. I love them all so much and know that family is what life is really about. I feel truly blessed to have been born into such a great family.

One fun-filled Day!

2011-11-16T15:11:00.001-08:00

Crew's cute friend Sienna

adorable little Hazel.

Hudson was so proud that he made it all the way to the top by himself! You can tell how excited he really was!

great group of ladies in my ward.

Crew and Charlie were cracking everyone up. They were dominating the bike path!

my two handsome little men.

 DISNEYLAND:

Tate and I didn't go on Soarin' over California so while we were waiting we had fun taking silly pictures of ourselves

We caught the Disneyland Christmas parade just at the perfect time and Crew and Hudson practically had front row seats. This is by far our favorite parade!

Disneyland is seriously so magical at Christmas time. Before we decided to head home we stayed to see the castle turn to winter and it even snowed on us! The boys were in heaven!

When Crew and Hudson got out of school we went to kidspace to meet some of our friends and played for a few hours. While we were there Wyatt called and said he was on his way home and wants to take the boys to Disneyland. So we had a quick lunch, packed up our things and were off to Disneyland. We met up with my sister Tori's family and our friends the Cameron's. It was a fun day and everyone was wiped out on the drive home. Seeing all the fun Christmas decorations at Disneyland got me really excited for the holidays this year. Can't wait!

Baby Shower

2011-11-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Megan helped organize my lovely shower and made the cutest invitations

the spread.

My beautiful niece Paige and 3 of my 4 sisters with my Mom...thanks for all the help with my shower. The food was fabulous!

Megan and I...so thankful for this special friend in my life!

the yummy dessert table. Everything was amazing!

My Mom and sister Nicole made these and they were so yummy and oh so fancy!

A delicious homemade cake by Suzy Tervet that was too die for!

My dear friend Sachia (so sad I didn't get a picture of us together) Thanks for everything! You really know how to make a girl feel special!

We played a cute game where everyone got a circle and they had to scratch off the middle to see what number they got and then I would call out a number and if they had the number Sachia would ask them a question about me...Megan won! Such a cute idea!

this little girl has so many clothes, I sure hope she gets to wear all of them!

My cute mom who spoiled my little girl rotten!

She will be coming home from the hospital in this precious outfit from my mom.

My friend Paige made this adorable print that will show all the baby's info when she is born. Such a cute gift!

My friend Courtney and I...we go all the way back to Esthetics school in Provo. I love this girl so much! I'm so grateful that we have always kept in contact. She is super special to me! (and got me the cutest Juicy outfit with a headband to match) She knows me too well!

These girls outdid themselves and got me the cutest petunia pickle bottom Ergo.

My favorite flowers were everywhere...pink and white hydrangeas.

My sister Nicole made me the cutest onesies (one for each month until she turns 1)

Angela and Brittney drove from Arizona to spend this special day with me and spoiled the heck out of our little girl. And if the shower gifts they got me weren't enough, they cleaned my whole house while they were here and brought home more gifts from Target. I am so thankful for them in my life and for all that they do for me.

Baby's first Fancy Nancy book from Britt and Angela

Britt and Angela made this cute headband holder with a million headbands on it and inside! This girl will never go without a bow on her head!

Brittney, me, and Angela with all their goodies they got me.

Do you think she has enough accessories? I don't think a girl can ever have too many...


love this blanket from Kate.

My friends Megan and Sachia and my sisters and mom helped to throw me this fabulous baby shower in honor of our new baby girl who will be arriving in January. They did such a great job and everything was just perfect and the food was delicious! I felt so special to be surrounded by such great friends and family who love and support me. This little girl is already so loved. I am so excited but nervous at the same time to bring another special little spirit into this world. I am overwhelmed with emotions for some reason of raising a little girl since it's going to be so new to me. We are so excited to have some pink in our life and we know that she is going to be such a great blessing to our family. I can already feel the love that Crew and Hudson have for her and know that she will fit in just perfect with us! I can't thank everyone enough for helping with my baby shower and for how beautiful it was. I love you all!!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Cousins getting ready to start their trick-or-treating

Crew {Optimus Prime}, Max and Hudson {Bumblebee}

love these adorable little fairies.

Mimi with her Transformers


Optimus and Bumblebee love their Mimi and Papa!

We had a great Halloween this year. We spent the day down in OC eating lunch at Cafe Rio, playing at the BeachHouse with cousins and then having yummy chili and homemade bread at Nicole's house then of course trick or treating. The boys loved trick or treating this year way better than our trunk or treat. I think they liked seeing all the spooky decorations at all the houses and seeing all the other little kids running from house to house trying to get as much candy as they can. There were a few houses with the bowl of candy sitting out on the front porch with a sign that said, "take 1" or "take 2" and I told Crew that the sign says to only "take 1" and then said, "Take 1, well that's lame!" He had all of us cracking up. Love all the little one liners these boys come up with. What a fun Halloween we had!

A short Transformers film by Crew Dannels

2011-11-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Crew is obsessed with Transformers.

Crew is obsessed with watching home videos on You Tube of Transformers.

Crew wanted to make his own Transformers video the other night and asked me to record him.

What do you think?

Underwood Family Farms

2011-10-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Feeding the Goats

Crew looks so BIG in this picture. I can't believe that my little boy is almost 5.

We are still working on Hudson actually smiling...

Forgot to get Crew...I am so off with everything this year. I'll blame it on being prego.

The boys loved the Corn Maze...It was harder than I thought it would be.

There is just something special about this picture to me. I love my three boys.

Hudson was trying to "fight" the Scarecrow

On Friday Wyatt came home from school early so we could take the boys to Underwood Family Farms pumpkin patch near Simi Valley. I went here last year with some of my girlfriends but I wanted to take Wyatt back with us this year because I knew Crew and Hudson would love showing him around. We all had a great time and love this tradition of ours! Later that evening we ate yummy soup in a pumpkin and carved pumpkins. Pictures coming soon! We love Fall!!

Montgomery's visit California!

2011-10-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Breakfast before the Montgomery's big day at Disneyland

Weston's first BIG roller coaster ride

Graham, Hudson, Bristol and Crew

So excited!

The whole gang (minus prego me) getting ready to ride Toy Story Mania...a favorite of everyones!

Crew, Hudson and Weston under the grizzly in front of the Grizzly River Run ride

Crew and Hudson always have to get a map and tell me what ride they want to ride next

Goofy's Sky Coaster

Grizzly River Run (so glad they all took Crew on this ride finally. Everytime we go to Dland he wants to go on this but I never want to get soaked.) Luckily no one was too wet after.

Handy Manny

In front of Hudson's favorite ride...Monsters Inc. (Can you tell it was a little sunny in their eyes?)

Cousins + Uncle Brian

Waiting in line for the Matterhorn

CARS 2

Bug's Life 3D Movie

Tower of Terror (I finally got Crew to go on it again and Hudson went on it for his first time too) Hilarious!

Tower of Terror Hollywood Hotel

Papa and Nana with 5 of their 9 grandkids

Everyone loved Finding Nemo

Best Buds...Crew and Weston

Scary Hudson

4 of 7 people in the Montgomery Family

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Weston's first time ever at the Ocean

I think he liked it!

Bristol's first time touching the ocean...

and she loved it too!

Graham's first time touching the ocean

and he didn't like it at first.

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Fun Cousins

Best Friends!

Graham loved playing in the sand but wasn't quite sure of the water.

Having fun in the Sand


The Montgomery's...minus the twins.

For Christmas this year Nana and Papa surprised the Montgomery Family (Wyatt's sister and fam) with a trip to California to stay with us and to take their 3 older kids to Disneyland. None of their kids have ever been to California, Disneyland or ever to the Ocean. They were all so excited to come and we were all so excited to show them a good time, California style! The kids loved Disneyland...we just did the first day with them because I was absolutely wiped out by the end of the night. On Saturday we all went to Manhattan Beach and unfortunately it was only 63 degrees there so we were all a little on the chilly side. But despite the weather, the kids still had a blast! Thanks for coming and visiting with us Nana, Papa and Montgomery's. Hope you had as much fun as we did!

Bikes

2011-10-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

the best of friends

Crew thinks it's "super cool" making skid marks on our driveway with his bike and he asked me to take a pic of all of them. I love how he always tells me what to take pictures of.

This beauty caught my eye while I was watching the boys play out front.

Happy Birthday Hudson!

2011-10-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hudson was so embarrassed when we sang him "Happy Birthday"

Blowing out the candles...with Crew's arm in the picture because of course Hud needed his brother to help.

Hudson and his cute friend Sienna who have been besties for almost 2 1/2 years now!

CARS socks!

Hud loved his Bumblebee Transformer card

He sees a sneak peak...

I honestly cannot believe that my little baby just turned 3 years old. Hudson is full of personality and is always making anyone around him laugh. He will follow anything his big brother does or says (good or bad) and thinks Crew is the greatest thing that has ever happened. Hudson loves:

reading books

eating, eating and more eating

sweets

riding his razor

playing any sport that involves a ball

babies...especially little girls ;) (Ivy & Hazel)

Scarlet, Sienna & Grey (he tells me they are his best friends)

Pre-K

fake laughing

Chicken & Rice from Pei Wei

saying prayers

buckling and unbuckling himself in the car

Justin Bieber

Transformers

Ninja Turtles

His Daddy (he won't leave Wyatt's sight when he comes home from school)

loves to cuddle and kiss his sister in my belly

We love you Hudson and can't believe how fast you are growing up. Happy 3rd Birthday!

LA Temple

2011-09-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

I had a refreshing day at the LA Temple with some lovely ladies from our stake. I am just in love with this beautiful temple and the grounds that surround it. It is just so peaceful and inviting. I feel so grateful to be surrounded by so many amazing women in the Pasadena Stake.

Thompson's TV debut

2011-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I decided to sign my family up to audition to be on the Family Feud. After almost everyone agreed we went to the auditions in Torrance, CA and not even two weeks later we received a phone call asking if our family could fly out to Atlanta, GA to be on the Feud with our flights and hotel paid for. We all were so excited to have an excuse for us to all get away for a few days. We flew out to Atlanta in July and stayed for three days and while we weren't taping the shows we toured around Georgia and ate at some yummy southern restaurants. Here are some fun pictures of us and a little clip of our taping if you missed the full show on September 12.

It's another Disney Day!

2011-09-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at Disneyland with great friends and fun cousins. Our family especially loves Disneyland around this time of year when they decorate for the holidays. Today we got to go on a few rides for the "first time." Can you believe it? Goofy's Sky Coaster and Star Tours were a definite hit and it's so fun that Hudson is finally 40" so he can go on all the "big" rides with us. Crew and Hudson are sure growing up fast and I swear every Disneyland trip gets easier and easier with these two boys. I love playing with my boys all day, everyday and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Tiffany's Baby Shower

2011-09-10T17:47:00.000-07:00


our name tags

The favor...a beautiful hydrangea and homemade candy

Roselyn Sanchez, Tiffany, another cute prego girl and I

I attended the most beautiful baby shower today for my friend Tiffany who is expecting twins, a boy and a girl. Her shower was the most amazing baby shower I have ever been too. Everything was decked out and just perfect! The food was amazing; it was catered by a cute little restaurant in South Pasadena called Heirloom. There quiches are too die for! The home was absolutely stunning and it just so happens to be the same home where the movie, The Hangover was filmed. Tiffany looked gorgeous as always and we are all so excited to meet her two new additions. (I even got to meet and get a picture with actress Roselyn Sanchez.) Congrats again Tiffany!!!

First Day of Pre-K!

2011-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Crew and Hudson's first day of Pre-K (Crew's 2nd year of Pre-K and Hudson's 1st year). I am so glad that these two are able to attend school together and I know they're going to love having each other around. It's been so quiet around my house this morning just being home alone...I think it may take some time getting used to but I just know I'll appreciate these 3 hours more when our new baby comes. Crew and Hudson had no problem at all walking right into class and picking out a square to sit on for circle time. It's funny to see just how "big" Hudson thinks he is! I know it's going to be a great school year!

Our Summer Month Away from Home

2011-08-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

My oldest nephew Cole and I (can't believe he is so much taller than me :) )

My adorable Grandma and Grandpa Kinney...love them so much!

Hudson soaking up Folsom Lake

swimming in the lake with cousins

Tate, Crew and Hudson loved riding in Papas boat

I love my boys.

Hudson was the first one to volunteer to ski...and went the furthest! So proud of my little Hud!

Thanks Papa for helping me learn how to ski!

In love with these big blue eyes!

::SAN RAMON::

Tori and I took our boys down to my brothers house in San Ramon and spent a few days with Kelly, Kendal, Cole, Chris and Carsyn. We went to some fun parks, a splash pad and played with cousins at their beautiful new home.

Hudson and Stella

what a bunch of cute cousins

Cole, Chris and Crew

::ARIZONA::

Daddy taking a break from studying to swim with the boys

Getting ready to do a fun trick together

Hudson officially learned how to swim all on his own...It's so nice having both my kids swimming!

Fun girls night out at Tia Rosa's

::ON OUR WAY BACK HOME::

After many trips passing these dinosaurs on our way to and from AZ we decided to finally stop and let the boys get their wiggles out...

Crew and Hudson with the big T-Rex

We had an eventful last month traveling all over it seemed like! We started off by spending a few days at the BeachHouse going to the beach and playing with cousins. Nicole, Tori, my parents and I all caravaned up to the "big house" to swim, go boating, bbq's and family fun. While we were up in northern California Tori and I took our boys to Rick and Kelly's new house in San Ramon to spend a few days with them. Back to Granite Bay for a few days and then on the 11th the boys and I  were off to our house to pick up Wyatt and then we continued driving straight through to Arizona where we stayed until the 26th. In Arizona we swam, swam and swam some more...seriously no joke, at least 3-4 times a day everyday! We also made room for a couple Last Chance runs! It was great seeing and spending some time with some of our good friends. It was a long 27 days away from our home and we feel so happy to be back to our "normal" life again! Wyatt didn't go to the BeachHouse or to northern California with us because he is busy studying for dental boards. And in Arizona we didn't see him much either...he lived at the dental school from 6am-8pm every day studying away! I cannot wait until he finally takes this test and can put it behind him! Yay for Summer!!!

The word is out...

2011-07-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

We are expecting Baby #3 and it's a GIRL! Baby Girl Dannels is due on January 24, 2012. Bring on the pink!

Dad's 60th Party!

2011-07-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

I loved how Nicole did the water pitcher!

My Dad's favorite cake...Chocolate with Whip Cream frosting. Yummy!


This is apparently how my Dad feels about turning the BIG 6-0!

Since we weren't able to spend my Dad's 60th Birthday with him we decided to throw him a little family surprise party when they came down to the BeachHouse. I don't think he was too thrilled with the idea but I know he felt loved! Happy 60th Birthday Dad. We all love you so much and we all still think you look 40!

Hotlanta!

2011-07-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Grabbing a quick bite to eat at Varsity's (the world's largest drive in)

The best "homemade" Chicken Pot Pie from the Murietta Diner

Tori and I in front of the Roswell Plantation

Sisters in front of the Atlanta, GA temple

Nicole and I in front of Ushers House

Fat Matt's Rib Shack=yummy, cheap BBQ!!

Our nice Rental Car

Lisa, me, Nicole, Rick and Tori in front of Martin Luther King Jr.'s house

My brother and I with Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife's grave

Outside the Coca-cola Museum

On the "American Idol" couch

In the "taste" room inside Coca-cola

Found 1996 Olympian "Jenny Thompson's" name

Rick's favorite drink "Inca Kola" from his mission in Equador

My brother Rick and 3 of my 4 sisters, Lisa, Nicole, Tori and I flew out to Atlanta to be on the game show "Family Feud." We had such a blast and it was definitely an experience we will all never forget. When we weren't playing the feud we were driving around checking out beautiful Georgia. We also ate at some yummy restaurants (my favorite food from the south were the fried pickles!), toured the Coca-Cola museum, visited Martin Luther King Jr.'s house/grave, checked out Turner field, saw the Olympic torch and found some beautiful houses we all want to move into....thanks to my wonderful brother and sisters for making this such a fun memorable trip! I love you guys! We missed you Jess....

Mom & the boys trip to AZ

2011-07-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

One morning we went to breakfast at Chick fil A and Crew fell down the climbing tower in the playground and must have landed on his arm wrong...he was screaming bloody murder and wouldn't calm down so I just knew something was wrong. I ran him over to the Gilbert ER and he had a little fracture so they Ace bandaged it up and off we went!

The boys and I decided to head on over to AZ for a week so Wyatt could study in peace for the dental boards for a few days. We had such a great time swimming with cousins...all the boys wanted to do was swim all day; so that's just what we did! I am now convinced that we need a pool when we buy a house...it's free entertainment for the kids, fun and wears them out so they sleep so well!

Happy 5 years!!!!

2011-07-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

Best 5 years of my life....Jenny and I celebrated our 5th anniversary apart this year... she went to Arizona and left me home to study. I made this little video of some of our past experiences.. from dating to having children to taking little trips. It was hard to choose from the thousands of pictures we have. Love you Jen and even though we are married I still want you to marry me...
Love you tons,
W

4th of July!

2011-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

For the fourth of July weekend we invited our friends Tara, Wes, Scarlet and Ivy Wermuth down to my parents BeachHouse in Dana Point. We had a fabulous weekend just mostly relaxing. If we weren't relaxing we were playing games, talking, eating yummy food, or at the beach. On Saturday we met up with some more of our friends at Doheny Beach and our friend Pehrson took Crew and Hudson out surfing for their very first time. They both loved it and thought they were so BIG! (for some weird reason all of my pics from Saturday got deleted from my camera...I am still so sad about it, video to come soon.) Tara and I also went out with our friend Kate and surfed for about an hour too. We both loved it and now just may be addicted! On the fourth we watched the fireworks on the bluff by my parents house from the Dana Point Harbor. It was an incredible weekend with great friends! Happy 4th to everyone!

Father's Day!

2011-06-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

kisses for daddy on father's day!

My wonderful Daddy

Hudson thinks he has to squint his eyes to smile :)

riding the Finicular down to the Beach

For Father's Day we spent the day at the BeachHouse with some of our family, went to church, had a yummy BBQ and went to Strands Beach and rode the Finicular down to the beach and went on a beautiful walk and took some cute pics!

I am so grateful for my Dad and the wonderful example he is in my life. He is such a hard worker and can do almost anything. Thanks for being the best Papa and Dad to all of us. We love you! Wyatt is also the BEST father to our boys. He loves them so much and they love him back even more. Crew and Hud look up to him in so many ways and I know they want to be just like him. Their favorite part of the day is when Wyatt pulls up to our house from school; they always have to run outside to greet him. Thanks for being such an amazing father to our boys. I appreciate all you do to help raise our boys.

Our Big Price is Right Debut!

2011-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last month Wyatt scored tickets to the Price is Right...so we got a sitter, invited our friends Wes and Tara and headed down to the CBS studios in Hollywood! We had such a fun day even though we never got called to "come on down!"

Here is the link of our episode:

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/video/?pid=d5TmoN5NdKbBiYkrtBNOolbysC0__Afz&vs=Default&play=true

Enjoy!

Memorial Day in San Clemente!

2011-06-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

11 of the 16 cousins on the Thompson side

We had a great Memorial Day weekend this year. We started celebrating on Saturday and went to our Stake's fair which was fabulous. And on Sunday, Wyatt and I had to speak in church on Adversity and focusing on the gospel. Later that Evening we had my parents, the Bollards and the Fergusons (just flew in from Euorpe) for dinner and to let the cousins play. Monday morning we headed down to the BeachHouse and went swimming all day then back to the house for a yummy BBQ. Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend!

My 26th Birthday!!

2011-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 26th Birthday by getting a pedicure, shopping, going to lunch with family and then out to dinner at Houston's with some girlfriends. It was a perfect day!! Thanks everyone for making my day so special! (more pics from dinner to come soon..)

no fun...

2011-05-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

My LONG week... 

Thursday: Hudson threw up in our bed/high fever

Friday: Lyla (my niece) comes to our house to stay for the week while my sister is in Europe. Hudson still has a high fever

Saturday: My parents come up and we take the kids to the zoo; Hudson still has a little fever

Sunday: All the kids are fine. No complaints.

Monday: All the kids are fine. No complaints. 

Tuesday: Crew woke up and didn't feel well...luckily he threw up & made it to the toilet (No School for Crew)

Wednesday: All the kids were fine. Crew went to school...Hudson threw up as soon as Wyatt got home from school all over him then tried making it to the bathroom to go #2 and didn't make it & threw up on the couch.

Thursday: Hudson woke up and threw up all over himself and then once again didn't make it to the bathroom in time. I did what felt like 100 loads of laundry, and disinfected and cleaned our whole house.

Friday: Went in Lyla's room when she woke up only to find throw up in her pack n play and on her blankets. More laundry...and more disinfecting. 

This has to go down as one of my least enjoyable weeks as a mother. I haven't ever cleaned this much after sick kiddos before and it's no fun and not something I enjoy about being a mother. I am although grateful for my husband's willingness to help me out with these 3 sick kids. He always knows how to brighten my day...I sent him to the store to buy some pedialite and more laundry detergent and he came back with these pretty Sunflowers for me to enjoy while I am home bound until these cute little kiddos feel better. Cheers to a new week!

Another Disney Day!

2011-05-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

My sister called me Tuesday morning and wanted Crew to "skip" school so we could come join them at Disneyland for the day...so we headed down in the morning and ended up spending the day with not only Tori and the boys but my friend McCall and her cute family as well. We had such a fun day!!

Perks of living in LA...

2011-05-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

This past month I have been fortunate enough to attend a few TV show tapings:

 Ellen's Mother's Day Show & The Price Is Right

They both were such a blast and I will never forget what a great experience they were. I never thought I would ever be one of the audience members to get spoiled; and boy was I wrong!

Our Car Dance Party!

2011-05-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

Malibu. Pepperdine. Duke's. Beach. Dance Party!

Proud to be a Mother

2011-05-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am feeling so proud to be the mother of these two little boys. I feel like I have the most rewarding job even though at times it can feel a bit repetitious. I think it's crazy how sometimes I just can't wait for bedtime but then in the morning I can't wait until they wake up because I miss them. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent these two amazing boys to our family and intrusted me to raise them righteously. I love you Crew and Hudson and feel so lucky that I am your mom!

On another note...I had the BEST Mother's day ever. It started off on Thursday when I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Ellen Degeneres Mother's day taping and she hooked us up! We got over $6,500 worth of items and lets just say I am set up to have a third baby when the time comes. On Friday a dozen colored roses were sent to me from the boys and on Saturday I came home from a Relief Society brunch and there were dots cupcakes (my fave!) waiting for me and a new church outfit (pictured above) from J. Crew. I definitely got spoiled this year from my most favorite boys. I will never forget this special Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mom,

I couldn't have asked for a better Mom...you are such a great example to me. I am so grateful for you continually teaching me to be the best mom I can possibly be. I love that my own kids love you as much as I do. But really..who doesn't love Launa? Thanks for always being there when I need you and for being so patient and understanding. I love you so much and wish you a happy Mother's Day!!!

Mabel,

You are such a great mother/nana to our family. We appreciate all you do for us and we know that this hasn't been the best year for you but seeing how positive you have been about things makes us admire you so much. We are so grateful for you and your generosity and love you show our family. You truly deserve to be honored on this mother's day.

Love, Wyatt, Jenny, Crew and Hudson

Easter

2011-05-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

All of the cousins did a potato sack race

Yay!! Crew won the potato sack race!!

after the Easter egg hunt at the Fergie's

Crew's "horse" face painting

Priceless. Cousin love.

Easter Bunny at Pines Park

dyeing Easter eggs at the BeachHouse

Easter morning.

For the second half of Wyatt's spring break we spent it down in Dana Point at my parent's BeachHouse. Every year the park across the street from their home does a huge Easter egg hunt. So we woke up Saturday morning and watch them get everything set up. They have a petting zoo, face painting, potato sack races and the best egg hunt ever. (King size candy bars) On Easter we went over to the Fergie's house for a yummy dinner and another egg hunt with the cousins.

1st half of Wyatt's Spring Break in AZ

2011-05-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun week in Arizona with Wyatt's family. The boys swam a ton, at least 3 times everyday starting at 8am. They just can't get enough of the water! We spent our time relaxing by the pool, eating at our favorite AZ restaurants, spending time with family and we also went to Tucson for a day to see Papa D's old stomping grounds and then he took us to Old Tucson where the boys rode horses, went on a train, drove cars and watched some gunfights. It was a blast! The boys loved Old Tucson and Crew still talks to me about it. Thanks for such a fun week Nana and Papa D!

So Cal Ragnar

2011-05-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

the night before. decorating the cars.

Me with my sisters Nicole & Tori

"I'd Rather be Shopping"

love this pic of McCall excited to be finished with her leg and me nervous to start mine.

We finally made it to the beach!

This year Wyatt got me motivated to start running and he suggested that I get a team together to run the So Cal Ragnar. So I took his advice and started running/training (i used to absolutely HATE running) and rounded up a group of 12 of the most fabulous girls and then we named our team "I'd Rather be Shopping." I think that I had one of the funnest weekends I have ever had during the 36 hours I was with these lovely ladies. Some of my runs were definitely challenging but after they were over I felt a great sense of accomplishment. More pics to come...

Swim Lessons!

2011-04-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

The boys started swim lessons in March at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center and have loved every minute of it. I am so impressed with what a strong swimmer Crew is becoming. He listens to his teacher and has no fear and does everything he is told to do. Hudson is still working on listening and next time we do swim lessons I think we will do a one on one lesson so he can get more out of it. It seems so crazy that I don't have to get in the water with either of my boys...I can just relax, watch my boys learn and soak up some sun!

Grandma Fran and Grandpa Doug

2011-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

My Dad just emailed me this picture of his parents and my grandparents, Grandma Fran and Grandpa Doug, and I think it is the sweetest picture...I love how vintage it is and how beautiful they both look. My Dad looks so much like Grandpa Doug to me. I miss my Grandpa!

Funny Crew.

2011-04-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I guess Crew got a hold of my camera because when I uploaded my pics to my computer I came across these silly ones. Crew, I love you. You are one funny little boy.

Spring Traning in AZ with Mimi and Papa

2011-03-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

Mimi. Crew and Huddie

The best Dad ever!

At the Angels and A's game

Thanks for the Cotton Candy Mimi!

More...More..

A must stop every night for my Dad's Bahama Bucks Fix

Waiting so patiently for their Bahama Rama Mama.

These two love each other so much it's the cutest

Posing for Mimi in front of Tia Rosa's

The whole drive home from AZ Crew was just content as could be in the back seat with Papa's I-pad.

Nana takes on California

2011-03-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

Nana came out to our house to spend time with the boys. We spent time at the BeachHouse, Disneyland, and the Science Museum. The boys love having their Nana around to spoil them! Thanks for such a fun visit. We miss you already!!

Just Crave it!

2011-03-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a new blog thanks to my sister in law Randee's inspiration. My new blog is called "Just Crave it!" and is all about my favorite products, good ideas/inventions and some household organizing tips. Randee says that I always have the best products and wanted me to share them with all of you. So I hope you will grab a button, become a follower and give me some feedback on Just Crave it! Be thinking of some of your favorite products too because I would love to have some guest bloggers. I hope you enjoy!!

Flipin' Around...

2011-03-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

After a long day at the beach these boys still had the energy to jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it. Crew showed off all his cool flips to me and wanted me to capture all of them so he could see. My boys are at such fun ages...I am feeling like I need to get pregnant soon before I get to spoiled at how independent and self sufficient they are becoming. These boys make me fall in love with them all over again every day. I love how they are just the best of friends!

American Idol!

2011-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Tori got 8 tickets to American Idol this last Thursday so Jessica, Lisa, Tori, my Mom, Paige and my friend McCall all headed down to the CBS studios in Hollywood to attend the "LIVE" taping of American Idol. They place you in your seats according to the colors of what you are wearing so Jess and I lucked out and got to sit right behind Randy and Jennifer Lopez. Which means every time they showed the judges on TV you saw me and Jess. If I would have known we really were on TV as much as we were I think I would have smiled a little bit more. Next time! Jennifer Lopez is absolutely beautiful, Randy is just Randy and Steven Tyler is hilarious in his pink studded jeans and black blinged out tennis shoes. We had such a blast! Thanks Tori for the tickets!!

Cousin Disneyland Trip

2011-03-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Mr. Incredible. Hudson had to get a picture with him..

Little Lucy loved sitting in the front of our stroller with all her "boy" cousins

Jess and Lucy.

Crew loves Lucy and told me that he wants to have a sister just like her.

Waiting in line at Toy Story Mania. These boys just love each other so much it's too cute!

Hudson has to wear all glasses upside down.

Loving on miss lucy

8 of the 16 cousins all at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Hudson ran up to Minnie and gave her the biggest hug and wouldn't let go.

Love this picture of these cute kids with Pluto!

Uncle Dallas bought a Turkey Leg to try it out and Hudson and Crew ended up taking it over...

Jack was picked to become a Jedi and after it was over he came up to me and said, "JJ, I am a real life Jedi now. I fought Darth Vader!" He is so dang cute!

Getting ready to go on the roller coaster in Toon Town. They all wanted to go a second time when we were done.

On Pirates of the Caribbean

Jungle Cruise

Dallas and Jess are in town this week and they wanted to take Lucy to Disneyland, so we all met up on Tuesday and made a full day of fun. All of the cousins had so much fun together. It is so cute to see how excited they still get about everything and it's crazy how BIG they all are getting. Crew and Jack rode the Matterhorn and Buzz all by themselves...It kind of is making me sad lately at just how independent Crew is becoming. He just doesn't {need} me as much. We love when the Zurchers' come into town and love spending time with them. What a fun day!

Bieber Fever!

2011-03-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago we stayed down at the BeachHouse and played with all the cousins. On Saturday we decided to take all the kids to see the new Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never." They all loved it...especially Crew. He was singing along with all the songs and then since he was wearing his hat, every time Justin's hat in the movie would be forward then Crew would move it forward. If Justin's hat was backwards then Crew would move his backwards. The cutest thing ever! And Hudson was dancing like crazy to all the songs he knew too. He was cracking us up so much that we were crying. Crew and Hudson are always making me laugh. I love how funny these 2 boys are!

Wyatt's little twin.

2011-02-28T10:29:00.001-08:00

I came across this picture of Wyatt a few weeks ago and I think that Crew looks just like him. Crew even thinks it's himself...what do you think?

Today, after Crew got ready for school, I found him in the kitchen packing his own lunch for school. Normally they just feed him his lunch there but today he insisted on bringing his own lunch box. He packed grapes, blueberries, string cheese, apple juice and asked me to make him a PB&J. This boy is getting so BIG and so independent now that he is 4. His famous phrase these days, "I am 4, so I can do it all by myself."

Pottytrained!!

2011-02-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my little Hudson for being potty trained! My baby is turning into such a big boy these days. Hudson is only 2 years and 4 months old and he started potty training himself a couple weeks ago. For the most part he has done a pretty good job and I can't complain. It has been so nice not changing ANY diapers! But seriously...where did my baby go?

Here are some {Hudson} facts:

-He loves sweets {anything and everything with sugar he will eat it}
-He loves playing with his big brother and will do almost anything he says
-He wakes up every morning and walks in my room and says, "I'm hungry Mom."
-He would eat pancakes for every meal if I let him.
-He is the sweetest little boy and always knows just when his mommy needs a hug or kiss.
-He loves giving his mom and dad kisses just for fun
-His favorite movies are Finding Nemo, CARS and Monsters Inc.
-His favorite ride at Disneyland is Monsters Inc.
-He calls his brother "Crewt"
-He adds "t's" to the end of almost anything he says
-He loves his cousins and gets SOOO excited when he sees them
-He loves Ninja turtles just as much as his brother
-He is the best eater {will eat almost anything and will eat all of what's on his plate}
-He loves reading books
-He is almost as BIG as his brother. Crew weighs 35 lbs. and Hudson weighs 32 lbs.

Dental wives trip to Corona Del Mar

2011-02-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

We started the night out at dinner in Pasadena at P.F. Chang's

Hailey brought her Xbox Kinect "dance central" game which we did pretty much the whole night

Lindsay P, Sarah, Me, Erica and Emily

Veronica, Sarah, Kate, Me, Lindsay D, and Stacy watching the others girls dance the night away

Getting ready to head down to the Beach

Cute prego Ashley and I

Some of the girls before our morning run

The whole group of girls...18 girls in a 4 bedroom house! We made it work and all had a blast!

enjoying our time laying out with out all of our kids

My friend Lindsay invited a big group of the dental wives down to her parent's beautiful beachhouse in Corona Del Mar for a night. We started the night of at P.F. Chang's for dinner and then all piled in a few cars and drove down to the house. We stayed up until 4 am playing games, eating, drinking Diet Dr. Pepper, talking and dancing to the Xbox Kinect. Saturday morning most of us went on a run, hit up the beach and got pedicures. I had such a great time and a much needed break from my boys. I am so thankful to live so close to so many of these wonderful girls. Thank you so much Lindsay for such a fun weekend!

getting dirty

2011-02-08T15:43:00.001-08:00

These 2 boys love playing in the backyard together and always seem to come up with a new little adventure. Today their adventure was making little piles of dirt all over the concrete. (not my favorite one they have done but I am glad they were just having fun together)

Disneyland with the Mechams

2011-02-07T15:00:00.001-08:00

Papa D this picture is for you...Crew was playing his "saxophone" to the song at the end of the Finding Nemo ride.

Randee, Beegh, Sharlie and Cole came to visit us this last week. We had such a great time having them at our house. The kids all played so well together and loved being with their cousins. While they were here we had to of course hit up Disneyland, the zoo and take them to some of our favorite restaurants to try. {Oinkster, Roscoe's, & Burrito Express}

Thanks so much for coming Mecham's! We had a blast!!!

Crew's big day of turning "4"

2011-02-02T20:12:00.001-08:00

Our tradition: Number Pancakes on your big day!

Crew wanted a "dinosaur" birthday

For lunch Crew wanted English Muffins Pizza's

love these brothers.

Hudson climbing up to the big slide

Jane, Crew and Max at Jumpin' Jammin for Crew's big day

Daddy and Crew shooting Joe Joe with the balls

Some of my favorite boys.

Crew and Janie Girl

Crew was obsessed with his present from his cousins Jane, Jack and Lyla

Crew's adorable best friend Scarlet

Mommy and Crew on his special day

Some of Crew's cousins/friends at Jumpin' Jammin

We ate dinner at Cheesecake Factory and Crew thought it was so cool that they sang to him.

Dinosaur Cake by me (worst cake I have ever made)

Thanks Max and Tate for my dinosaur playdough! I love it.

Huddie picked these legos out for Crew

Dinosaur Tattoos for everyone!

Crew had such an eventful birthday...He started the day off with pancakes, played with some of his new toys, had his favorite english muffin pizzas for lunch and then we headed to jumpin' jammin for some fun with his cousins and friends. After Jumpin' Jammin we went to The Cheesecake Factory and had a yummy dinner, then it was back to our place for cake and ice cream. Crew felt so special and loved his 4th birthday. He was sad to go to bed because tomorrow it wasn't going to be his birthday anymore. The boys birthdays are getting more and more fun every year.