Update to our lives

I never did finish my San Diego trip posting...woops!  Life seems to be so busy, yet I don't have anything exciting to share!  Dalyla keeps me busy.  Here are a few pictures from the San Diego Zoo-

 Dalyla loved the baby Elephant

 Dalyla being a Gorilla

 Dalyla Driving the Zebra jeep at the play ground

 Dalyla's hand compared to the Gorilla

 Dalyla at Pacific Beach

 Snuck this in-I still kinda love Robert.  :)

 Robert and Dalyla being nuts.  Dad showing his "Train Wreck"


She is a busy body.  She loves to play, run, dance, sing, TEASE!  She cracks me up.  She loves to run away from me when I try and dress her, put her in the car, whatever it is she runs.  She thinks she is a princess and she is ALL GIRL.  She swears like her mom but loves to dress up and sing.

Note the Boots with the dress!

She makes up songs in the back seat all of the time.  She loves her babies and really acts like a good little mommy. 

I need to start blogging her phrases because she has so many funny ones.  Her new one the other day was "oh, it's so beautiful".  She thinks Alyssa's baby Carter is so cute.  She got to hold him the other night.  When I told her we were going over there to see the baby she said "ohhhh, baby Carter is so cute like a baby".  LOL 

She loves to wear her sunglasses and boots.  She now rides her rocking horse with her cowboy hat.  She named her rocking horse, ROWDY.  I asked her what her horses name was.  I said maybe it should be Mtn. Dew and she said, no "just Rowdy".  

Becki and Dad watched Dalyla while we went out of town and Dalyla has just fallen in love with Dad.  She thinks riding horses with Grandpa is "da bomb". :)

We are so lucky to have so many parents and family that love Dalyla and want to hang out with her.  I am  very appreciative of your support!

Now, Dalyla is starting to be kind of naughty.  Even though she is naughty she is sweet.  She tells me NO, all of the time.  Robert doesn't give chances like I do, so whenever she says "no", she goes to time out.  I think they went the rounds the other night.  It was hard, but consistency with her is so important.  She hits when she is mad too, which she gets time out for.  What she does that is kind of funny is when she runs to her bedroom with her hands over her face and screams.  It's terrible, but it's hilarious at the same time.  Reminds me of a 16- year old.

I asked Dalyla what she was going to be for Halloween and she said "bumble bee".  To cute!  She loves the costume.  Although today she told me that she needed a crown to be princess DyDa.

Well, I do have to end this post because Dalyla tried to pee in the potty chair but missed and it is all over her and the floor.  Oh, the JOYS OF POTTY TRAINING!


Here is a snap shot of our Portland trip-  GOOD TIMES!

 Ellen couldn't resist taking a pic of the cute butts!

 WINE A BIT-YOU'LL FEEL BETTER-  My new motto!

Kevin was so kind as to let us come visit his Winery and share some wine while we got to see him work.  It is beautiful and the PINOT is amazing!

Family Vacation, 2011-San Diego

We had so much fun with Dalyla.  She was such a big girl on the plane.  She didn't like the seat belt much but we just distracted her enough to get through it.  She didn't cry or scream.  I was definitely amazed!
She loved the Wild Animal Safari park.  it had fun play stations for her to play at with water.  It broke up watching the animals enough for her to stay interested.
This is my favorite picture from that day-

Of course I loved all of them I took.  So I will post a slide show soon.

We went to the Beach and played in the sand which was really fun.  Dalyla loved it.  She found sea shells and built a castle (which she likes to promptly knock over).
Daddy took her in the waves and she liked that too.
What a trooper.  We were in the sun and all over the place for 3 days.  She did very well.

We also took a little train through the Safari Park.  Dalyla thought that was neat.

I have to go to work so later I will post more on the Zoo and San Diego Trip.

You are my sunshine...

Dalyla sings "you are my sunshine" song to me.  Then we sing it together.  I love it sooo much!!!!
Melts my heart.
Yesterday she told me, I love you mom.  ahhhh, love it!
She likes to have tea parties, play with her babies, and sing.  She is all girl!

We were playing "i lost you" game with her back pack yesterday.  She has a whistle on her back pack and I told her to blow it if I ever lost her while hiking.  So we were role playing.

I hope that Dalyla will read this when she starts school and that I can be as wise as Jeff

A parent's letter to my children in school

By Jeff Thredgold

For the Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10:38 p.m. MDT

Editor's note: Seventeen years ago, Jeff Thredgold published this letter as "A Father's Letter to My Children in School," and the response was amazing, with requests to reprint more than 150,000 copies. Since then, just as students around the country are getting ready to go back to school, he runs it again.


To my children and grandchildren,
With your focus on education, I often find myself thinking about how much the world has changed since I was in your shoes. The world is now a much "smaller" place — people of all cultures can communicate and travel with ease. You face great challenges today — just as I did, just as my parents before me. These words of advice might be helpful:

Recognize that the only limits you face are those you set for yourself.

Be the BEST that you can be.

Recognize that YOU are responsible for your successes and failures.

You must earn your way.

Strive for excellence — not perfection.

See the glass as half-full, rather than seeing it as half-empty.

Focus on positives, rather than on negatives.

Look to praise, rather than to criticize.

Look for ways to succeed, rather than excuses to fail.

Commit yourself to constant improvement.

Understand how important education is to success.

School is the key. Technology rules. You need better skills to succeed.

Learn what is being taught, but most importantly, learn "how" to learn.

Develop other information sources to verify, or challenge, what you are being taught. "History" is routinely twisted or rewritten to support a particular point of view. Get other ideas.

Treat teachers, administrators and fellow students as you would like to be treated.

Be the first to say, "Hello."

Develop your mind in school, but also develop other skills and interests, including music, art and physical fitness. This is where teamwork develops its roots.

Be a well-rounded person.

Resist taking "easy" classes.

Dig into math, the sciences and computers. These form the technical foundation for future success.

Study language.

Speak and write English correctly.

Appreciate other cultures by learning another language.

Be honest in your approach to learning.

Resist the temptation to cheat — you only hurt yourself.

Develop a keen interest in the outside world.

Pay attention to the "news." The "real" world can be very different from the student world you live in today.

Avoid the temptations of alcohol, smoking, drugs, gangs and irresponsible personal behavior.

Understand the steps you take today have lifelong implications.

Choose your friends wisely.

Do what you can to make a teacher's job easier, not harder. Teaching is one of the most important, most difficult and most underpaid professions in the world.

Participate — but don't be a pain!

Be a friend to all. Extend a hand of friendship to all other students, regardless of race, creed or color.

Make a special effort to be a friend to those less fortunate than you.

As you mature and face new challenges, don't hesitate to discuss with me what is on your mind. You might learn from the mistakes of others.

Recognize how LUCKY you are to live and be educated in this great country. People from around the world are dying every day trying to get INTO this country — not out.

Don't forget to have fun!!

School can be a great time in your life.

Experience it.

Live it.

Enjoy it.

Many of these suggestions will be useful throughout your life — learn them well. I wish you the greatest success in your efforts and hope you find school both rewarding and enjoyable.
Love,
Dad/Grandpa

Jeff Thredgold is the chief economist for Zions Bank and founder of Thredgold Economic Associates, a professional speaking and economic consulting firm. Visit www.thredgold.com.

This is what's for breakfast....

Dalyla is already mixing and matching foods.  Doesn't this look tasty?