Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom!?!

Mother's Day with the Family

2009-05-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

I had my whole family over for a Mother's Day dinner on friday night and we had a blast!!! My Grandma Swygart, Aunt Beth, Frank, brother Jesse, Bobbi Rose, Andrew, my Mom and Phil all came. It isn't very often that we all get together, so I was super excited that everyone came. We were able to take a 4 generation photo with my Grandma, Mom, Calie, Kyla and myself. I love my family so much and am so grateful that we were able to get together.

On Sunday, we went over to Justin's parents to celebrate Mother's Day with them. Justin's Dad made a yummy dinner and Jimmy, my bro-in-law, made delicious cupcakes!!! I don't know if I had the giggles that day, but everyone was making me laugh. Justin's Dad did a very riskay dance that I wished I would have recorded, it was hilarious. Everyone was being so funny!! The Dicksons sure do know how to have good time.

Mother's Day Love From the Boys!!

2009-05-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to be a mom. I have the four best kids in the world and an amazing husband who is not only super sweet, but very, very good looking. I am a lucky lady!!! This mother's day was extra special because both boys had mother's day programs at school. Dustin sang to me, read me the book I'll love you forever, made me a beautiful hat and pin, and gave me a super yummy cake. Dane sang to me, spelled out mother's day (hard to do when your four), colored a picture of me, and served me a delicious lunch and cookie. I sure do love my boys!!!

NICU

2009-04-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

When Kyla was born, she had a slight case of jaundice. Her billy reuben count was at a 5.2 when we left the hospital on Sunday April 12th. On Wednesday she was looking pretty yellow still, so I took her to the doctors. They sent Kyla and myself to HOAG to check how high her billy reuben count had gotten. It was at a 21!! Not good, so they sent us to CHOC in Orange. At CHOC they had Kyla lay under blue lights that whole night. Justin and I left that first night at about 4 in the morning. When I returned at about 9 that same morning, the doctor wanted to talk with me. He told me that when he was in Kyla's room at about 8 am Kyla stopped breathing. Her blood oxygen level dropped (which means her brain wasn't getting oxygen) so low that they had to give her oxygen to get her breathing again. It was a blessing that Kyla was at the hospital with the doctor in the room when she stopped breathing. Over the next few days the doctors ran every test know to man on Kyla. She had a MRI, EKG, EEG, ultrasound of the brain and heart, tons of blood work, and a sleep Apnea test done. They confirmed that Kyla did have Apnea, but all the other test came back as her being super healthy. After that it was a waiting game. They wanted Kyla to go five days with no Apnea spells that required oxygen. We finally got to come home after 11 day in the NICU. Kyla had to wear a monitor that would go off if she stopped breathing. She is doing soooo much better now. The doctors said that this is something she would most likely out grow and she already has.

Baby Kyla has arrived!!!

2009-04-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

On April 11th at 12:56 AM a 7lb 5oz, 20 inches long, beautiful baby girl was born, Kyla Lee Dickson. She is amazing!!! Kyla has my piggy nose and Justin's large toes. So far, she also has an outty belly button like her big sis, Calie. Dustin, Dane and Calie all love her so much, they can not get enough Kyla. They want to hug and kiss her all day every day. We are so blessed to welcome this new little angel in our family.

The coloring of Easter eggs

2009-04-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

We colored Easter eggs!!! The kids love coloring Easter eggs. The boys both had Clone Wars stickers to decorate their eggs with and Calie had Tinker bell Stickers for her eggs. It was so fun especially when Justin busted out into song and got all the kids to sing along with him. The song they sang, for whatever reason, was Don't go Breaking my Heart. The kids know it from Chicken Little. I really do have the best, most fun family ever!!!

Calie turns 3!!!

2009-04-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Calie turned three this weekend and we had a super fun party for her. Since Calie's baby girl days are numbered we wanted to do something super special for her this year. We had her party at Bears, Buddies, and Toys. They dressed all the girls up like princesses and all the boys up as pirates. All the kids also got to build a bear and play lots of super fun games. It really was a special birthday party. We love our Calie sooooo much and hope she is not sad when Kyla gets here.

My Mom and Phil took over 300 pictures, so it was hard picking what to put on the blog. Here are some of my favorites.

Dustin's Music Show

2009-04-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Dustin had a music show at school and it was so cute. He is not a huge fan of singing, but he still did a great job. It is always so fun to see him up on stage with his class doing his thing!! Only bummer is the lighting is so bad in that place, the pictures never come out very well. We get great videos, but I am not computer savvy enough to put them on the blog.

Calie's and Dane's Easter Party

2009-04-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Calie and Dane both had Easter parties at Mrs. Shirley's school. They sang a few songs and had an Easter egg hunt. They both got so many eggs and too much candy. They also both shared their eggs and candy with Dustin.

At the farm

2009-03-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Justin's uncle Craig has a farm in Temecula that we recently visit. He has 4 horses and lots of old trailers and sheds for the kids to play with. Uncle Craig let all the kids help him feed and pet the horses. Also, while playing in one of the old trailers Dane kicked out one of the trailer windows. Lucky for us it was a old trailer, so uncle Craig didn't mind.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's day was so warm this year, we had to take advantage and go to the park. The park by our house is so fun, the kids love it. I love it too because it has shaded picnic tables were you can see both sides of the park at the same time a.k.a. all the kids at once. It was a nice mommy and kids day!!

Dustin's first Jog-a-Thon

2009-03-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Dustin had his very first jog-a-thon today. He did soooo good. We talked to Dustin about not running super fast right out of the gate, but pacing himself so he wouldn't get burned out. He listened and never stopped running the whole 25 minutes. We are so proud of our Dustin!!

Sea World

2009-03-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Every year Mrs. Shirley's school takes a field trip to Sea World. We brought The Hatch family, Devin, Shira, Nanny and Grandma with us this year. We had such a great time. The kids love to see and touch all the sea life. I think touching the rays and watching the Shamu show were their favorite things to do.

Playing with Daddy

2009-02-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Justin is the best Dad in the whole world. He spends all the time he can with our kids. Our kids really love him back. On most Saturdays you can find Justin out front with the kids riding bikes and skateboards. I hope our kids realize how lucky they are to have such a great Dad!!

The Dickson Family takes over Knotts Berry Farm

2009-02-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

Justin's parents got the whole family Knotts ticket for Christmas. We had such a fun time. The kids loved going on the roller-coasters. Dustin was able to go on the most and had a blast. Dane and Calie were not tall enough for some of the bigger ones, but loved camp snoopy. Me on the other hand could not go on anything being 8 months prego and all. " Anything" might be a stretch, I did go on the train ride and the stage coach. Even with my lack of rides, the whole family had a great time!! Thanks Mom and Dad Dickson!!

Valentines Day

2009-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!

Summer sun in January

2009-01-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

January was so warm this year. Our family took at least five trips to the beach. Justin and Dustin hit the waves and Dane, Calie and myself played in the sand. We can never get enough beach days!!!

Dustin learns to tie his shoes

2009-01-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

Dustin comes home from school today with a shoe tying kit that we get to keep for the one night. If Dustin learns to tie his shoe I will sign a form that goes with the kit to all the children's homes and at least half of the parents have already signed off their kid. So... no pressure. After about 40 minutes of trying, Dustin gets it. He can officially tie his own shoes. I am so proud to be Dustin's Mom, he truly is an exceptionally smart kid.

Dustin lost his first tooth!!

2009-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Dustin lost his first tooth today before school. He has had a loose tooth for the last couple weeks and it finally came out!!! Dustin is excited that the tooth fairy will pay him a visit tonight.

Calie started pre-school

2009-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

Today was Calie's first day of pre-school. She has been wanting to go to pre-school for the last year. Since I have been pregnant and not much fun, Mrs. Shirley let me start her early. Calie loves pre-school soooo much and is super happy to have started. I must say so am I. She is only there Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 hours, but the break is nice.

Calie must of felt really big starting pre-school. So big in fact she thought she needed her first self given hair cut. Lucky for her and me, she only cut one little section. Justin would have died if she had cut more, he loves her beautiful hair.

Happy Year New!!!!

2009-01-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

This was such a relaxing new year. We went to friends house for new years eve and had a blast, but for new years day we stayed home with just our family. We never have major holidays with just the five of us. This was literally the first one. We really had a nice day. Justin and I watched the kids play out side for a while. We ordered pizza for dinner and we rented movies. The kids all got to stay up and watch their movie in our room while Justin and I watched our movie down stairs. We might have to make this our newest family tradition.

Dickson Christmas

2008-12-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

Every year the saturday after Christmas we celebrate Christmas with Justin's Grandparents. (His Dad's parents) They are sooo giving. We always drive home with a car load. Calie really loves her great-grandpa. She was all over him all day. Calie has us a little worried, she is the biggest flirt and the older the better.

Santa came!!!!!!!

2008-12-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Santa came bearing lots of gifts. All three kids were spoiled again this year. Every year we "try" to not get them so much stuff, but when Christmas morning rolls around somehow they all have way too much. Maybe next year they will get the whole "it's better to give then receive" thing down. Maybe????

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas eve at Justin's parents house. It was super fun to have all Justin's siblings together. Our kids LOVE the Hatch kids, so they were on cloud nine being all together at Grandma's house for a sleepover with Santa bringing gifts the next morning. Honestly with all that who wouldn't be on cloud nine? Christmas eve really was a blast!!!!

Dane's Christmas show

2008-12-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

Dane's preschool class had a little Christmas program. Mrs. Shirley, Dane's amazing teacher, had all the kids dressed like reindeers. He was not that in to singing this time around. It is a hit and miss when it comes to singing with our wonderful Dane but boy did he look cute!!

Devin's Graduation

2008-12-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Justin and I went to Hawaii this last week for Devin's (Justin's younger brother) graduation from BYU. We had such a great time. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but I have a few. I will add more when I get copies of everyone else.

The BYU graduation was the highlight of my trip!! We were able to hear President Eyring speak!! He gave such an amazing, uplifting talk. If you get the chance, you should check it out on the BYU website. It was also great to see Devin graduate. My favorite part about Devin graduating is that he and Shira moved home!!! I have missed them soooooo much. They are living with Justin's parents right now, but I hope they move down south by me really soon.

Christmas tree oh Christmas tree

2008-12-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas tree!!! The kids really love picking out the Christmas tree. Dustin had the finale say this year on which tree we picked. We went to two different places and looked closely at a dozen trees before he found just the right one. He did pick a good one. The kids o each got to pick a new ornament for the tree. Dustin picked a Star Wars ornament, Dane picked a hot wheels one and Calie picked a Barbie. No surprise in any of those picks. What fun our family had getting and decorating our Christmas tree.

Christmas Card Photo

2008-12-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

So, we went to my mom's house to take our family Christmas photo. Her husband, Phil has a really nice camera and takes pretty good shots. He took 120 photos and one turned out, one!! At least one did turn out. It would have been a bummer if none of them looked good. Here are some of the funnier ones along with the one good shot.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-11-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

We had an eventful Thanksgiving this year. Dustin and Dane both had Thanksgiving shows at there schools. They both were super cute and sang the songs pretty well.

We spent this Thanksgiving in Arizona with Justin's grandparents and other family that live out there. On saturday Justin's cousin got married. I got to see the inside of the Mesa temple for the first time and it was so pretty. The temple grounds are also really nice. We had such a great Thanksgiving this year.

Cutest Dane

2008-11-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

Dane is such a fun kid. He has sooo much personality and the cutest face. The pictures above are of Dane being silly at Dustin's last soccer game. I really love the one of Dane and Justin together.

Soccer is over

2008-11-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

Dustin's second season of soccer has ended. He has gotten so much better this year compared to last. I can't wait to see how amazing he will be next year. He really enjoys playing and we really enjoy watching him play. What a great kid my little Dustin is!!!

Lego Land

2008-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I was updating our blog I forgot to include our trip to Lego Land. Justin and I took the kids to Lego Land the first week in November. We had so much fun. Lego Land is perfect for kids right about Dustin's age to about ten. Dane was still a little short for some of the rides. I think we will go again next fall and Dane will be tall enough for all the rides. There is so much more to do than rides there. They have a 3D show and a ton of places where they let the kids build different lego things. All three kids really had a blast.

Silly Calie

2008-11-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

Calie really is the cutest thing in my eyes. She is so fun, funny and a complete ham for the camera. She got into the baby powder the other day and had a ball. She didn't mind at all that I wanted to get a few shots of her being silly.

Pam Springs without the kids.

2008-11-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

Justin and I took a two night trip to Palm Springs. It was nice to get away for a little while, but we alway end up really missing the kids. I LOVE the morning cuddles that they give us. My day never goes as well if I don't get my cuddles from all three kids. All that said, we did have a really good time. We went to the movies and nice dinners both nights, and hung out at the pool all day. I was even able to make it to the spa, which is always amazing!!

Dawn turned 30!!!!

2008-11-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dawn is my sister-in-law and she turned 30 on November 2nd. I am sure she is super pumped about me sharing this with the world. I give her a hard time because she is a few years older than me, but thats only because I am super jealous. Dawn is the nicest, most sincere person I have ever met. She truly wants the best for everyone, even if that means her giving up what she wants to make those around her happy. She is always sooo loyal and you can count on her having your back. More than all those amazing things that describe Dawn, she is also a knock out. She is super gorgeous. Dawn has had three children and you would never know, she looks so hot. I love Dawn, not only is she my sister-in-law she is truly one of my best, most cherished friends.

Halloween '08

2008-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since my last post, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Here goes...

Justin and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch and had a blast. The kids really enjoy all the little cheap rides at places like that. I use "cheap" so freely, by they end of the night we had spent a pretty penny.

We also did our pumpkin carving. Calie's is the cat, Dane's is the bat, and Dustin's is the scary face.

Every year for Halloween we go to Justin's parents house to go trick-or-treating with them and the Hatch family. This year was no exception. The kids love their grandparents and were very grateful for all the candy they were able to swipe out of grandma's candy bowl. Needless to say, by the end of the night all three kids had sooooo much candy.

The boys get another year older

2008-09-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we had the boys first real birthday party. We have had our family get-together to celebrate the boys birthdays, but no parties with friends. This last friday we made up for lost time. We had an Indiana Jones themed birthday party with about 50 kids. Crazy or what? It was so fun though. The boys had a blast, and I think the other kids did too. My Mom and her husband Phil took over 560 photos. Here are some of my favorite shots...

Here are Dustin and Dane as Indie.

The party would not have been a success with out the help of these wonderful ladies.

Friends from Dustin and Danes' class.

The reptile show.

The start of the Indiana Jones obstacle course.

Pizza time.

Cupcakes and presents.

The boys got more presents then they knew what to do with. Thanks everyone who helped and attended the party. Dustin and Dane really did have the time of their life!!!!

The Cobras

2008-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Dustin has decided to play soccer again this year. His team name is "The Cobras." Awesome name, I know. The first game was today and Dustin did amazing. He seriously made the last goal, the winning goal of the game. We were so proud of him, and he was quite proud of himself.

Dane wore Dustin's cleats and shin guards from last year and kicked a ball around the entire game. Dane is going to be an amazing soccer player next year when he is old enough to play.

The first week of school

2008-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

We had an exciting first week of school. Dane is back at Mrs. Shirley's going three days a week, and Dustin started kindergarden. Both of the boys love their teachers and are so happy to be back in school. I am also glad school is back in session.

Here is Dane on his first day of school with the amazing Mrs. Shirley.

Here is Dustin at his first day of kindergarden. He has grown up a lot this summer, in height and personality. He gets super shy when girls talk to him. He looks down at his shoes and tries to ignore them. It is so cute. He is also the tallest boy in his class. What a catch he will be in 12 years.

The last week of summer

2008-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

We had a blast the last week of summer. The kids and I did something fun everyday. We went to Disneyland twice, the beach twice, the pool twice and Big Bear once. I didn't capture all the trips like I should have, but I did get some cute shots.

Justin and his Dad took Dustin out surfing. If you look closely at the third shot you can see Justin's Dad and Dustin (on the yellow board) sharing a wave.

Here is our family at Disneyland enjoying a Dole whip. If you have never had one, you are missing out. Also if you notice my tummy is sticking out a little past my pants (hot). For those not in the know, Justin and I are expecting our fourth and finale child in April.

Our Beautiful Princess Calie

2008-08-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

So... the other day, I asked the boys what they want to be for halloween. Dustin wants to be Indiana Jones and Dane wants to be Batman. I didn't think to ask Calie because I didn't think she was old enough to tell me. Wrong... Calie speaks up and says she wants to be a "bodiful pincess." So cute!!!! As she told me that, she did this dance where she puts her arms up and spins. Now every time we call her a beautiful princess she does the dance. She really is such a special little girl. We are glad that we have a beautiful princess in out family.

Last day of swimming lessons

2008-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

The boys started swim lessons back in May, before school got out. They were going 4 days a week up until their last day, July 31st. They are both such good swimmers now. Dustin was able to swim when we started the lessons, now his swimming skills are more refined. Dane on the other hand, was a little uncomfortable in the water. He did not liked to be let go, but now... holy cow he is so comfortable in the water. He can swim all the way across the pool. We are so proud of the boys and how well they did this year in swim lessons. Justin is most excited because they are now that much closer to going surfing with him.

This is Dustin and his swim instructor.

This is Dane and his swim instructor.

This is Dustin doing a canon ball off the high dive.

This is Dane jumping off the diving board.

River Va-ca

2008-07-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

We went to the river this last weekend with our good friends the Borgquist family. We all had such a great time. Justin took the boys on a paddle board ride. He and Steve also went on a few paddle board rides solo.

Myrna and I also did our share of paddle boarding.

We pulled the kids around on a tube behind the jet-skis. I don't know how much they enjoyed it, but they did it.

Calie, on the other hand LOVED the jet-skis. The faster the better for her.

We also fit our whole family onto one jet-ski. We had Justin and Calie trying to get us to go fast, while Dustin and I where saying slow down, and Dane was just along for the ride.

There was also a little beach to play at, so we spent a lot of time hanging out there too.

When we didn't feel like being in the water, which was most of the time for me, there was a nice grassy yard to hang out on. I did a lot of catching up on my gossip reading there.

Steve's birthday was on Monday and we celebrated there on Sunday night. Myrna made an amazing dinner and dessert. One of the best meals I have ever had, it was sooo good. Justin, who has been on a health kick for awhile now and never eats sweets, was literally finger licking the dessert pan. I would have too if he didn't beat me to it.

We really did have a great time with great friends, thanks Borgquist family for the amazing vacation!!!!

We love James Hatch

2008-07-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

On July 16th we had our super fun cousin/nephew, James over to spend the night. The boys stayed up late telling each other Captain Jack stories. The next day we braved the Spectrum with four kids under the age of six and one adult, me. Lucky for me, they all behaved really well. We ended our trip with lunch at Red Robins. Thanks James for being a great kid, we love you!!!!!!

Crazy Kids!!!

2008-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, tonight we were trying to take an updated family photo. That sounds easy enough, right? Wrong!! Either the kids were making a funny face, or Justin and I were looking at the kids to make sure they weren't making a funny face. We finally settled on one picture, but my goodness it was crazy!!!

Calie turned two, Devin and Shira came out, Kids at the farm and Dane got hurt. How's that for a title

2008-05-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, it's been awhile since my last post, so I have a lot of catching up to do. On April 4Th Calie turned two!!! We had Justin's family over to celebrate. We still have yet to have a party-party for any of the kids, but we're working on one for the boys in September.

YEAH!!! Shira and Devin came home from BYU Hawaii to visit last weekend. We miss them sooo much. They have eight more months to go before Devin graduates. It was so nice to visit with them, I was sad to drop them off at the airport. Justin and I hope to get out there in August. We love you Devin and Shira !!!!!!!

Dane's school had a field-trip to a farm, so the kids and I went country for the day. Calie was so brave, she rode the big horse without so much as a wimpier. Dustin also got to ride the big horse, but Dane was a little bummed out that he had to ride the small horse. The kids also got to play with hundreds of bunnies and guinea pigs. Needless to say they all bathed in anti-bacterial hand soap that night.

Sad day!!! Dane was messing around in the living-room last Thursday and bumped his head. He hit it so hard his skin popped open and you could see the bone. Pretty gnarly. We rushed the family to the emergency room. Lucky for us, my Mom was able to meet us there and take Dustin and Calie to her house. The e.r. was packed to the gills so it took almost 4 hours until Dane saw the Doctor. She said since it was a striate cut that instead of stitches she could use surgical glue and glue the cute closed. The glue will help it scare less than stitches would. Dane was so brave, he only cried when he first bumped his head. Poor little guy.

My sweet Dustin

2008-04-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone caught Idol last Wednesday, but it was amazing. They did a preview of "Idol gives back" and they shared a story about two African, orphan, sisters who were reunited. They truly had nothing but each other, and that was enough for them. It made Justin and I realize how spoiled our Children are, and how we need to teach them to be more grateful for the things they have, and get over the things they don't have. So... the next day Dustin is playing with his Star-wars toys and telling me how he needs a Stormtrooper. I start explaining to him how lucky he is to have so many toys and that some kids have no house or food, let-a-lone toys. Dustin then asks, "what about their parents, why don't they buy them things?" I told Dustin that some kids don't have parents. Then Dustin said this (get ready, it melts your heart), " Why don't the kids be in our family, we can share our things with them?" So sweet!!!!!! I love my Dustin soooooo much.

Best Easter Ever!!

2008-03-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Easter was soooo much fun. We started our Easter week with a messy egg coloring session. I didn't want the kids to ruin their clothes, so they are all only in their underwear. A little hill-billy, but it's cool.

Then On Thursday Dane's school had a Easter show/party. Dane looked super cute in his bunny ears and surprisingly sang the songs rather well.

Finally the big day arrived..... Easter!!! Our family went to church with Justin's parents and were reminded of the real reason we celebrate Easter, our beloved Savior's resurrection. Afterword, we went to Justin's parents house and the Kids got their Easter baskets.

We finished the day with a Dickson Family water war. Mercy was showed to no one, not even Calie. It was such a fun day, the only way it could have been better, were if Shira and Devin were there.

Hi-ya!!

2008-03-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Watch out friends, our two boys (Dustin and Dane) became yellow belts today. They are sooo excited. Justin's Dad, Scott and my Mom, Penny and her Hubby, Phil all came to watch the belt promotion. So now, if anyone wants to mess with our family, they will get a jab cross to the knee cap. I wasn't kidding when I said "watch out."

Calie was at the promotion too, but she's not easily impressed.

2008-03-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!!! We too now have a blog. I am not sure how often I will be able to "blog", but what the heck we will give it a shot. My middle child Dane has been in to dressing up lately. He had been going back and forth between Cap. Jack and a Fire Fighter, but now there is a new character... Dennis the bad guy in the Sponge Bob movie. Yeah, that's right, my son wants to be a villain.