California knows how to party!

The whole "A" clan got to travel to sunny San Diego to support Sheridan and Adam as they became an eternal family. Such a great excuse to get away:). It was a pretty short trip, considering all day Saturday was spent with the wedding festivities, but it was great to be together.

Dane absolutely LOVED his first trip to the beach. The water was cold, and he didn't mind one bit. He'd get knocked down, and pop right back up for more. It was a bit too chilly for Campbell to get a taste of the ocean, but she did experience the sand, and was all smiles.

Saturday was a long day for everyone. We were up and at-em pretty early, and just kept going, going, going. Dane didn't really get much of a nap (he slept for about 20 minutes while we were driving to the luncheon), so he was an absolute peach (HEAVY on the sarcasm) for pictures on the beach afterward. (I wish someone could have helped him understand that when you are in a tux, you don't superman onto the sand!)

All in all, it was a great trip, and we are so excited for Sheridan and Adam! They are a wonderful match, and we're all so happy to have him in our family now.

Here's a little taste of our adventures:

Campbell kickin' back

Dane enjoying the sand with a couple cousins

Campbell looking deliciously adorable
Dane LOVING the waves!
(Can't tell you how long I waited for this shot.)
A small glimpse of the joy that Daner experienced:

The happy family:)
Sooo tired
At least one of them woke up happy:)
Superman aftermath. Lookin' good:)
Let's hope the photographer got at least one good picture ;)

Island Park & Yellowstone

My family went to one of the most beautiful places on earth a month, or so ago. If only blogging were more of a priority....*sigh*. It was not Dane's first time to Island Park. In fact, I think this was the 4th time he has been in his 14 months of life. But it was his first time to Yellowstone. We saw lots of elk, were the closest I have ever been to a moose, and had a VERY close encounter with a buffalo, as it wandered down the middle of the street. Dane loved watching the birds--especially the big crows, and searching for squirrels.

Dane loved feeding the fish, and the squirrels. (though it mostly consisted of you handing him bread, and him shoving it in his own mouth--cute little squishy!) It is just so much fun to see things through the eyes of a child. Everything becomes so much more exciting.He LOVED the waterfalls, and even learned to say "Wow" as he was looking at them. He wasn't all that interested in sitting and waiting for Old Faithful to go off. He just wanted to be on the move. But once it started spouting that super hot water, he was mesmerized.

This is one of my favorite pictures. He LOVES his Grandpa and Grandma! Thanks SO much, Mom and Dad for a wonderful little getaway!

A Few Firsts

Someday, I promise, I will be better about this blogging thing. To catch you up on what has been happening in our lives recently, I thought I would share with you a few of Dane's "firsts." (These are in no particular order.)

First trip to the Temple
We had the opportunity to visit the Draper Temple Open House. It was so beautiful, and peaceful. Even though it was not yet a dedicated House of the Lord, the Spirit was still so very strong. I LOVE the temples, and hope to instill in Dane a love of them as well.

First Fun in the snow
We had a great time up in Island Park with Brock's family a couple of months ago. Garrett was nice enough to share his new sled that his mom had given him for his birthday. Dane had a BLAST sliding around on the snow. He even got some on his face, and wasn't really phased by how cold it was. We had such a good time! Thanks Colin, Trish and Garrett!

First bath with his cousin
In that same trip to Island Park, we thought it would be fun to have joint bath time with the cousins. Dane loved it, though Garrett did not. Dane loves to growl, so during the whole trip, every time he would growl, Garrett would end up crying for his mom--literally cry. It was kind of sad, but pretty funny too (sorry Colin)! So during bath time, Dane was playing with the toys, and growling away, as Garrett cried the entire time. I hope we didn't scar the poor thing!

First Family Swim
I had the opportunity to take Dane swimming for his very first time with my dear friends, Lyndsey and Michelle and their darling kiddies. This was the first time we went as a family. Dane LOVES the water, and we had such a good time together. We'll be making this a regular occurrence in these coming months.

Dane's first piano
So it's not really Dane's piano, per say. My parents got it for Christmas for their grandkids. It just so happens that Dane is the only granchild on my side for another couple months, or so. He loves pounding on the keys, and makes some beautiful music. Child prodigy? I think so.

Dane's first hair cut:
Before, during, and after
This was a much harder task than I originally thought. But his hair was growing over his ears, and he had a pretty sweet tail going on in the back, so I decided it was time (though I received many requests to delay it even further). I was so worried about stabbing him with the scissors, or cutting his little ears, it went pretty well...just don't look too closely.

Dane's first time hanging outside while Mom and Dad did some gardening
Admittedly, this is not the most amazing of "firsts," but I thought the picture was too cute not to share. As you can see, his head is on the large side:) We ended up switching hats.

Dane's first teeth
I just had to get a picture of his cute little teeth before the others came in. He now has 6. Doesn't that grin just make your day??? He smiles with his entire face.

California

As most of you know, we recently went on vacation to visit Sheridan in California. It was so good to see her, where she is living, and who she spends time with. We sure miss her, and look forward to having her come visit soon. While we were there, we had to stop by Disneyland and check out the new California Adventure. It was so much fun to be there together. We were able to forget all grown-up life, and just act like kids! We also went to San Diego, and spent some time at the temple. It was absolutely beautiful inside and out. We went to the beach, and Brock's favorite part was going to two baseball games. Luck would have it that his two favorite teams were playing against each other the night we arrived: San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners. It was so great to see him act like a giddy little school girl:). He was all smiles the whole time we were there. It was nearly a disaster because as soon as we got inside of Petco Park, our camera decided to break on us. We were grateful for the miracle that occured 10 mintues before game time was up when the camera decided to turn back on and we could take some pictures inside. We were so blessed to be able to spend an entire week together: just the two of us (and Sheridan, and Shiloh and Myka, and the million other people in So. Cal.). It was hard to come home, but we're happy to have the memories!