Christmas in Carolina

under the mistletoe with mamaopening Christmas Eve PJs- gotta love traditions
THE Christmas eve PJ's- fit like a glove!


Dace finding his stocking Christmas morning
opening new pants

Dace and his Loot
the new piano!!!!!

Remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas

Twas the week before Christmas

Twas a week before Christmas
And all ‘cross the isle
Not a cheek was a rosy
But Every face had a smile.

The golf courses were busy

The sun was full shine

And fuel on each corner

Was a buck fifty-nine.

The cookies were baking
And Tovs was a sweatin
Even in a tank top
Out running with the Munchkin.

The gifts were all wrapped
The lights all a-glowing
But Tovs only thought-
I just wish it was snowing!

A trip to the beach
With the munchkin in tow
Was just what was needed
To forget about snow.

Put on his sunhat
And strap him in the stroller
Off to the sand and surf
Perhaps I’ll even get some color!

Once there, spread out the blanket
And undress the little bubba
For someone not holiday eating
He sure is chubba chubba!

His little wrists creased
His round Buddha belly
When mama makes him laugh
It shakes just like a bowl of jelly!

He is chubby and plump
A right jolly young elf
And mama laughs when he laughs
In spite of herself!



He spoke not a word
But used his two little hands
Smiling up at mama
As he discovers the cool grainy sands.

And so the afternoon was spent
On the beaches of the East Coast
Dace and mama playing together
It’s what they enjoy the most.

And although this year is different
With no possibility of snow in sight-
We still say Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good night.

Stealing the Show

Playing dress-up with Dace is totally better than all my barbies combined when I was younger. I have been eyeing this suit for months since I first saw it at Carters. I went to the outlet today because I knew it would be on sale. This was the only big one left, all others were newbies. This is a 9 month. Dace is 6 1/2 months and it fits like a glove. We had our church party tonight and everyone was eating him up. He's the cutest little Santa I've ever seen!

Dace and the Slippery Mango Pit

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Dace. He was a little sweetie with 2 new teeth. Dace was proud of his little teeth and showed them to everyone. But most of all, he liked to use them to bite! One day, Dace was playing in his highchair while his mom made babyfood. Mmm, mango puree. "Do you want to chew on the pit, Dace?" His mom asked. Dace looked away from his remote and saw the bright yellow lump on his tray. What's this, he thought.


The mango was cold and slippery. Dace used his little fists to chase it around the tray. His mom had to help him get a hold of it. When he got it in his hands, he bit into it.
The juice was cool and sweet. It ran all the way down to his elbows! But Dace didn't mind. It tasted so good! Dace used his little teeth to saw back and forth, shaving off little bits of fruit. yummers, he thought. Once Dace knew how to hold on to the mango and it eat it at the same time, he snacked happily ever after. the end.

Look What I Can Do!

Requested by Auntie Kaelee this morning, Here it is fresh off the press

Practice Makes Perfect

I still feel so far away from where i want to be on a skill level for photography. I shot Dace for about half an hour today. I really like close up shots, focusing on his chubbs and expressions. I got some really cute face shots but they were slightly blurry so we'll redo those tomorrow. But these are a few of my favorite ones so far.

O Christmas Tree!

We decorated the day after Thanksgiving. We don't have enough room for a tree topper where we put the tree nor have I found one that I like. So we are waiting to start the tradition of youngest placing the topper. But Dace did put on the first ornament. Dace loves all the lights. We have some going down the banner and over the fireplace too. I will post final decor pics soon.

Half Way to Birthday Cake

Fresh from the tub and ready for bed. He looks so different from different angles! Check out those cheekers! Happy 6 months old, Bubba!

Dace-occhio????

Dace and the Turkey Bone

What's this, mom? I've never seen this before.

Is it a toy? If I shake it, does it make a noise?Maybe if I put it my mouth, I'll figure it out...hey...

This tastes pretty good! Feels good on this new tooth too!

We had a great turkey dinner with friends today and of course Dace got the festive turkey bone to chew on and he loved it! It kept him entertained for at least 7 minutes. He has his first tooth on the bottom- like a little razor blade in there! And the one beside it is slowly surfacing as well. On this day of THANKSgiving, we want to express our gratitude for all the friends and family that are a part of our lives. Yes that is you- you reading this! :) Our relationships with each one of you blesses our lives immensely. We love you.

How Much Do You Like Your Bath?

Oh I hear ya-Finally! Something new! This awesome little video should make up for the long wait. Every time he hears the water running, this is how he reacts. We have a lot of fun things happening in the next couple days and new pics will be posted shortly afterwards. Off to make pumpkin cheesecake...

Twilight Mania

We interrupt the Christmas decor this weekend for an ode to Twilight. This movie was incredible and completely did the book justice. Hats off to the director and everyone else, especially the ever-talented Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart for absolutely nailing the lead characters of Bella and Edward. Oh my goodness! I want to watch it over and over and if all the other fans around the world have the same reaction to it as I did, I predict that the box office earnings could easily rival Titanic. People will go back and watch this in theaters 2-3 times. Easy.

In other news, I have been trying to upload movies of Dace for days on here and keep getting errors. I apologize for the lack of new postings. Technical difficulties. Please stand by...

Yup, it's Christmas on DACEbook

I've been listening to carols since last week (so I think you should too at least while visiting our world here on DACEbook) , am plotting this year's cookie bakeoff and am miraculously holding off all sudden urges to bust out the tree and mistletoe. So I thought I would slowly bring you in on here with a subtle, yet festive background but only until Dec.1 then all Christmas breaks loose!

Our Little (?) Healthy Tank

Hammin' it up in his adorable army shirt. Who cares that it fits him 4 months early.

Bubbas in a toque! Pinch those chubby cheekers!

Dace had his first doctor's appointment today. A new doctor I was trying and he passed. We'll be going back to him. Dace is healthy and doing so good. At 5 months, 12 days old, he tips the scales at 19 pounds and measures in at 25 inches. Dr. said it was "amazing" that he has doubled his birth weight and grown 4 inches in less than 6 months. We must be doing something right! I tell him all the time to thank Heavenly Father for giving him such a nice, little, healthy body. We are grateful. Dace is still trying to figure out how to get from back to tummy and I think he is quickly losing patience. He also has discovered the diversity in neck movements as demonstrated above and is starting to eat double the solids at meals. Next week I will be adding more options to his meals which is always fun.

He just keeps growing!

Dace wants to be sitting up all the time now and his blue chair keeps him slightly reclined so we had to upgrade to the highchair and he loves it. So do I- I can move him into the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning and he plays with his toys and keeps an eye on me at the same time. I am amazed daily as to how good a little boy he is. Today I walked him (in the stroller) to HomeGoods just to get out of the house. He didn't make a peep all the way there and back and had a nap while I walked the store. He is just so content and pleasant to be around. He is drooling more than ever these days and loves the gum massage I give him once or twice a day. I bought a baby gumbrush and he enjoys the soft bristles that he can bite on. I am sure we will have a tooth pop through in the next two weeks. Tonight he is finally back in his newly-carpeted room, the first time in his room in almost a month. The carpet was laid on Wednesday and then I aired it out the last few days. Dallin has been working on a renovation two doors down from us for the last 2 weeks. The weather here was cooling off but we have been sitting at clear skies and low 70s the last couple days. It's been a nice and gentle transition into fall and winter.

Farm Kids- the Next Generation

I have known Heather all my life. We were the best of friends growing up and have endless memories and stories to tell. So it was really neat when we both got pregnant around the same time and now our kids can grow up together. Her little girl is Allie and what a sweetheart! Her and Dace hit it off right away. We did a photo shoot of Allie the day we got together in Provo and towards the end, I threw Dace in too just to see them interact. Here are the cutest, funniest moments captured:

"You're cute! What's your name?"

"I have 2 teeth already. Do you have any? Let me see"

"No but my gums are really strong. Let me show you. Zurbert!"

"BIG KISSES!!!!!"

"BIG KISSES BACK!!!!!!"

Smile for the mamas!

First Crush.

Election Day

Dace takes his politics very seriously. He was so captivated by the report that he could hardly be bothered to acknowledge me. :) Observe.

ok- confession: about a minute after I took this, I turned around and he was dozing off. I guess he was more sleepy than intrigued.

Slideshow to the Right

Instead of posting a ton of pics, I made a slideshow of our trip to San Fransisco. If you want them bigger just click on it and it will open up in Picasa. Then click on Slideshow which is on the upper left side with a small green arrow by it. That way it will circulate through all of them and you can read my witty captions too!

His First Cold

Dace is getting over his first cold. He started getting wheezy the night we got back and by Wednesday night (when we got back from the trunk or treat) he had a fever of 100.4. That was a rough night for the little guy. He was hot, and stuffed up and you could tell he was totally confused as to what was going on in his new little body. I always try to put myself in his shoes when he has new experiences. It must be real crummy to be sick for the first time in your life, especially at the young age of 5 months. I stayed up with him all night, til 5 am. He would only sleep for 20-30 minutes at a time before waking up crying and uncomfortable. At one point Dallin and I were on both sides of him and Dace was holding on to both of our fingers. He laid there whimpering and trying to fall asleep. I got choked up watching him suffer like that, knowing that I was doing everything I could for him but still not being able to take it away. It was then that I had a realization that further strengthened my testimony. One of the most amazing books I have read on the atonement is The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister. One part talks about how Heavenly Father must have went and hid in the furthest corner of His universe when the Savior suffered in Gethsemane. Although my human mind will never, ever comprehend the extent of that sacrifice, in that moment with Dace, I had only the slightest, most mortal glimpse into what it is like for a parent to see a child suffer. And knowing that both of us had to endure it. I have always been so grateful for the power of the atonement but that night, I became grateful for the sacrifice that Heavenly Father made- for allowing his only Begotten to suffer and loving all of us enough to not interfere, even though He could.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! From the cutest pumpkin in the patch