So we [finally] had Dagyn's Baptism this month and it went beautifully!  Her cousins, Morgan & Macie came (they are the 2 in the lavender dresses) and that really put a smile on her face.  Dagyn and Morgan have been best friends since the day they were born.  With only 8 months apart they are quite the 2 peas in the pod. 
Since we moved and haven't seen much of her lately, I bent the rules a bit and let Dagyn have a sleepover with Morgan.  It went quite well.  We had some deep discussions on the Gospel about The Creation and [of course] Baptism.  The girls made BFF friendship bracelets with one of the gifts Dagyn received from her Nama, who also came to her Baptism.
We also had a wonderful visit afterwards with my Aunt Janett & Timmy who we wrangled into taking Dylan home for us since we took on the extra passenger for the sleepover ;) and didn't have room for all of us. 
....yes, I know what you are thinking...
                        ...YOU NEED a 12 Passenger Van!...
                                   ...believe me, we are aware of it and looking!...
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Devyn was such the warrior brother, standing up with Dagyn at her side as she sang a song from the pulpit ...I Feel My Savior's Love.

Here is Paul Cardall's version...it's beautiful....almost as beautiful as when Dagyn sang it.  I only wish there was a way I could have recorded her.  But since we do not allow any recordings or photography within the Chapel, you get to enjoy this version as a sweet substitute...
I love Paul Cardall's music.  We often use his CD to help our children relax during Quiet Time &  Bedtime.

Dagyn & Chris quickly suited up & jumped into their white jumpsuits.  I had only a brief moment to capture them both right outside the Primary Room so the picture isn't of the best quality there is...sorta looks like a camera phone picture.  Oh well, they are both just such beams of light and I couldn't go without sharing this special moment between them.  She is truly Daddy's little girl!
Dagyn's Grandma, Carol gave a wonderful talk on Baptism, reminding us that all who seek eternal life must follow the example of the Savior by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  And making clear that the ordinance  must be performed by one having priesthood  authority and that it must be done by immersion. 

She also made reference to our Baptismal Covenant by being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, stating: Those who are baptized enter into a covenant  with God to take upon themselves the name of Jesus  Christ, keep His commandments,  and serve Him to the end and that as church  members we renew this covenant each time they partake of the sacrament (see Mosiah 18:8–10; D&C 20:37;  D&C 20:77, 79). 
Those who keep the covenants they made at baptism are blessed by the Lord for their faithfulness. Some of the blessings include the constant companionship of the Holy  Ghost, the remission of sins, and the privilege of being spiritually reborn.  If we continue faithfully, we are  promised eternal  life (see 2 Nephi  31:19–20).

We've covered the beauty of the story...now the comedy...

These are the Many Faces of Daxyn that I captured one evening at dinner...no, I don't usually eat dinner with my camera in my hand.  But, I did risk breaking the cardinal rule that there are no toys at the table for these wonderful shots just for you...Enjoy! 
And before I end, I want to say that we now have a 5 year old living in our house that is probably the most happiest boy in our community!
Happy Birthday Dyxon!!!  Your family loves you so much and we are so grateful for having you in our lives....you remind us to bring the song out in all of us!!!!  Keep singing sweetheart! 

He is a little tired in these pictures...since we did take them right after he woke up and got dressed.  He was much more interested in the "surprise" in the front room rather than waking up and having breakfast!

Here is a video clip of Dyxon riding his bike...
and yes folks....that's a 16"-er!
I just {LOVE} the little grunt he lets out when he first takes off!


See...just like I said,
The Happiest Boy in our Community!
 
UPDATE:  Because of a change in our Stake (we have been switched or added to a new Stake in our area) the Wards are now scheduling baptisms on the Stake Baptism day.  That means we had to change things yet again...  So those who are wondering, Dagyn's new date for her Baptism is on October 15th!  Hope everyone who planned to be there can still make it...MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
The time has come said the walrus...ku ku ka choo!

DAGYN is turning 8
at the end of August
and you know what that means....
BAPTISM!!!!! 
Hooray!!!!

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Unfortunately we will be at the Walker Family Reunion during our Ward Baptismal day in August.  Sooooooo, that means we will be waiting until the end of September before she takes the plunge!

So, to all you friends and family out there in blogland....

SAVE THE DATE:
SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 24TH
(more details to follow)
 
For those of you who do not know, Dagyn this past year, attended a Mom's School (Future Christian Homemakers~or more commonly known in our home as: FCH) wherein she was inspired of many great things. 
Things such as:
  • sewing
  • cooking/baking
  • embroidering
  • good manners
  • paper doll art
...just to name a few.     
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This is one of Dagyn's projects from class (embroidering for a decrotive pillow)
But the GREATEST thing was her teacher,
Carri Mason
(or Sister Mason, as Dagyn most commonly referred to her as)
Sister Mason was an inspiration to Dagyn.  She brought out such a greater quality in her (I say "greater" since we all know that Dagyn is already amazing!) 
                        And let me tell you what!
We are all benefiting from it here in our home.  And we are so grateful for that!  Thank you Sister Mason!

Speaking of benefits...
Not too long ago, we were blessed with Dagyn creating her own special recipe for our breakfast toast.  This, I am told was inspired from a recipe she was taught in her class.  She made us a chocolate pumpkin butter (the pumpkin butter was a recipe she learned in her class).
It was delicious to say the least!
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Finished embroidering project (Decorative Pillow)

Update:

Since this class, Dagyn has been inspired to continue her love in the lost arts.  In fact, this school year she is taking a sewing class.  And I have a little surprise up my sleeve for her to use in her class that she will be getting for her birthday.  I can hardly stand the wait!!!  Here's a little sneak peek for those of you who can't wait either....
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something for her to make....and something for her to keep it in
 
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On Friday, my good friend Sara, let us borrow her children for a playdate here at our house.  The kids had such a great time.  

While some laid train tracks & built cities.
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Others competed to design the best artillery.
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And then there were those who played with a softer approach. But they were too quick and light on their feet.  Because when I came to take a picture of the girls playing all they had left for me to find was this:
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Dolly had said that I had just missed them and that they were all getting ready to sit down for a spot of tea.  She then asked whether I could join her and her striped tiger cub and their other guests while I waited for them to return.  Since I hesitated to answer her, I had secretly hoped to find the girls to have returned to the scene by then, to continue their play but it never happened.  What with so much for them to do, it didn't surprise me that they never came back.  And yet, I politely refused the invitation as I was distracted by a dreadfully sad noise.

That was tragedy calling me out to find this little guy.  Why is it that no true playdate is complete without somebody getting hurt?  This "not so lucky" little guy just had to be the one this time around.  We even captured a tear on his cheek.  I'm not sure but think it may have been a bit crocodilian.  But then again most of them usually are amphibious.  I've always said this little guy has got the best "Boo-Boo" face around. I may just end up having to make a post on only him with a slide show of all his "Boo-Boo" faces.  Wouldn't that be a hoot!?  But that's another story for another day.  And by looking at his face, what Mommy can resist it?  I mean, really?  This one can't.  He is just too darn adorable for this Mommy!
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Soon after we got his finger all wrapped up and kissed, he was back "on-the-go" but only after pausing just a moment to capture his battle wound.  And, I think if you look closely, that might just be his tear that has run down his cheek.  Yep, definitely amphibious. 
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But that's nothing a popsicle won't fix, right?!  At least that's what I always say.  And what's more fun than sharing one with your friends? 
There now...the more, the merrier!
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Oh wait, we wouldn't be complete without mentioning or capturing a moment with this adorable little guy!  I think he must be teething again.
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All better!  Thanks Sara!  We all had a blast!
 
I spent many a Summer with my grandparents growing up.  And I can remember one special tradition my grandparents began for me was that of celebrating my "unbirthday".  As Neologistic a tradition it may have been it has sparked the beginnings of a new tradition we do with our children:  Half Birthdays - or unbirthdays to some.I'm thinking you may remember being 7 (or perhaps as young as 3) and claiming your mark on being at the halfway point yourself.  Meaning you were older than that of the other kids your age at only 7 years old.  You were in fact, 7 AND a half!  And that, my friend, was a BIG deal.

Well, just like when we were 7...or any age thereat...when that 6 month mark rolled around, it meant something.  And with our children it means a little something more.  It means some special one-on-one time with either parent of their choosing...a celebration of sorts.  And tonight marked the night of celebrating Dagyn's 1/2 Birthday!  7 and a HALF, that is to all you 7 year olds out there.

We started off getting dinner at Sonic  Not a regular thing at our house - eating out that is.  So that is special in and of itself.

Once our tummies were full, we headed over to the $2 Theatre for a showing of the 3rd Chronicles of Narnia movie.  Such a good movie...it has inspired me to read the books to the kids soon.

When the movie got out we hit the Double-Decker Carousel inside the mall.
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After Dagyn tamed the Dragon on the DD Carousel...
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There was a quick wish at the fountain to hope for great things
as she finishes the year off right and then we headed home.
But not before we topped things off with an Oreo Shake...
Mmm, Yummy!
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In closing, I shall leave you with the Mad Hatter & March Hare as they sing, A Very Merry Unbirthday. 

Oh, and to all of you out there...a Very Merry Unbirthday to you! 
Yes, you!
 
Here are a few Christmas-time shots of the family put into a slide show that I forgot to post (amongst numerous other posts waiting in cue).

 

Dagyn Marie

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our little papoose
7 years ago we celebrated the birth of our daughter, Dagyn Marie.

Dagyn, you are a blessing to us and to your family. 
You are such a sweet and kind little girl. 
You always show selfless acts to all you encounter in all you do. 
You are so very smart and an inspiring example to your brothers and sister. 
You are everything we have ever wanted in a daughter. 
We love you,
your Heavenly Father loves you...
You make this world brighter!
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Dagyn had an eventful birthday.  It began by visiting the splash pad/park with some of her home schooled friends.
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Dagyn then conquered the spinning monkey bars. 
This is something she has been working on for years. 
What an accomplishment for her on her 7th birthday ~ thanks to the help from  her friend, Dallin Hipps.
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As per her request, we then headed over to Old MacDonald's for lunch.
{McDonald's to the rest of the world} 

Mmm mmm, gotta love them burgers!
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As soon as we returned home, we found out that Cousin Micah
{our family's hairstylist}
was down the street giving Gma Madsen a haircut.  
Dagyn has been yearning to cut her hair {for quite some time} and donate it to the little children who have cancer {Locks of Love}.

Thanks Micah...You are Amazing...We love you!
She was so excited & happy with her new hairstyle when she came home. 
Gma Madsen then took her shopping for a couple of new birthday outfits
{tags still intact}.
For dinner she had her favorite meal...
Spaghetti
{girl after my own heart}
and topped it off with chocolate chip cookies
{courtesy of her Primary Presidency}
with vanilla ice cream that we had in the freezer which was left over from Daxyn's blessing the day before.
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Birthday Treat
You would think that all of this would have been a perfect ending to a perfect birthday...yet, she still has her brand-new bike that is waiting to be picked up and is expecting even more gifts in the mail from her
Gpa & Gma Walker.
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new bike
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surprise in the mail


After opening her gift in the mail, it inspired yet another photo shoot. 
This time we took it outdoors.
These are her own poses. 
Everything I had suggested, she would just giggle at me like I was silly.
What a blessed girl she is...
or rather, what a blessing she is to all of us!
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{handmade flower clip ~ bday gift from her friend Madeline Hipps}

Happy Birthday Dagyn!
 
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A week ago today, Dagyn {age 6} lost her first tooth!!! 
Yay! 
We were all so excited for her and even more excited to what the Tooth Fairy would have in store for her that night.
Well, little did we know that if you pull your tooth out a day early...the Tooth Fairy doesn't show up! 

WHAT?!?!

I know, we were shocked too!  Supposedly, the Tooth Fairy keeps such a strict agenda and is VERY BUSY so she doesn't have room for adjustments to her schedule.  So, a word to the wise:  if you pull a tooth out early...expect delays.
{Apparently, Dad's know this sort of stuff ~ that's all I'm going to write on the subject}.

Too make up for her absence, the Tooth Fairy left a note apologizing for the mix-up.  Plus she left a nice Tooth Pillow for follow-up visits in addition to a shiny silver dollar tucked into the pocket.
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The following note reads:
January 28, 2010

Dear Dagyn,

Sorry about the other night.
Keep brushing your teeth.
I'll be back for more.
Make sure to put them in
the "tooth pillow" I left for
you.

Love,
The Tooth Fairy
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The Primary put on a wonderful program this past Sunday.   Everyone was a bit concerned whether or not it would be pulled off well since the recent changes our Stake underwent with going from 9 Wards to 5.  Part of the reason why we didn't send out invitations to family/friends this year...just unprepared & without enough time.

We ended up having 3 of our 6 children in the Primary Program this year.  Dyson is in Sunbeams (his last year), Dagyn is in CTR 5-6 (her last year), & Devyn is in Valiant 9-10 (his last year).  All three of them did such a wonderful job.  Dyson had a bit of stage fright when it came to saying his lines but he did an excellent job at his favorite song..."I am a builder, working at home to build my family.  And I will do the best that I can to serve my family!"  I'm holding them all to that!

Throughout the program, Dyxon kept wanting to go up to sit with Dyson.  I'm thinking to help him out & to show him it's not so bad/scary!

On a side note:  The Primary had their Activity Day the day prior which included a practice for the program, treats & a game.  The kids had a ton of fun!  They played this fun balloon game where you tie a small balloon to your shoe/ankle and run around trying to pop someone else's balloon by stepping on it.  Our kids just decided it was just as much fun to run around twirling theirs in their hands.
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Next year we will have 4 in Primary (Dyxon will be joining them in Sunbeams next year).  We cannot wait for next year's Primary Program!  Hope to see you all there next year!...granted we don't undergo any more changes. ;)
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"Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha you gunna do?  Whatcha gunna do when they come for you?..."

You all know the song & if you now have that song stuck in your head...You can blame me for that.

Well, this past Wednesday we found out what happens to those who are not so nice...The Good Guys come for them...and this is their story...well atleast one of them...our Uncle Clyde.

Who is Uncle Clyde you maybe asking yourself?  Well, he is none other than the COOLEST Sergeant at the Apache Junction Police Department!
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See...I told you!
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And he likes us SOOOOOO much that he gave us a personalized tour.
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Clyde is very impressed that Devyn aspires to become a police officer someday...and introducing him as such, Devyn was quickly given advice by a fellow officer to become a fireman...jokingly he said, "everybody loves firemen".   Call us biased, but we have a special love for the men in blue.  I mean, come on...besides the fact that they all love donuts...who wouldn't love those who serve & protect us!?! 
What's that?  No Donuts?!  Dyxon is going to be upset!
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Because I LOOOOVE CSI...Forensics was my favorite part of the tour.  Here we met the resident Forensic Scientist and discussed the different jobs they perform plus we got to see a dismantled atm that was brought in for fingerprinting...pretty cool stuff.
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Now you don't want to go venturing into this area w/o a key.  We found out that you get absolutely no privacy when stuck in a jail cell.  The toilet is in plain view of the 4 bunks that are stuffed within these small quarters....AND...to top it off... there is a camera watching your every move!
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And if you are REALLY bad...you get strapped into this wheeled chair.  The hard part, we were told, is getting the "bad guys" into it!  They don't go quietly or without a fight!  But, once they are in there, they can easily be wheeled (transported) around to places like the court room.
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The K9 Unit w/o the K9.  We found that the K9 was locked inside an office for safe keeping.  OUR Safe Keeping!
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K9 Unit
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and the K9...LOOSE in the office!!!
That's one door we won't be venturing through...
But, the door that leads to the yard was full of fun stuff!
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you can't see them but the lights were flashing on the patrol car
And then...right up Devyn's alley.... (because they are just as [crazy] as he is) were the Special Weapons And Tactics (aka: SWAT) vehicles.
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SWAT truck...Very cool!
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Special Assignments Unit...Totally Awesome!
After viewing the motorcycles, Devyn decided he did not want to be a Motorcycle cop anymore based upon ALL of the buttons on it.  I think he was a bit overwhelmed.  And then to top it off, while I was busy trying to take pictures, Uncle Clyde turned on the siren...scared the tar out of me.  Yes, I screamed!  Hey, you would have too...it was LOUD!!!
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Training (Left) & Official (Right) Police Motorcyles
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Bike cage
And what tour of police vehicles would be complete without the "paddy wagon".  Denym climbed right up inside...silly girl.
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For those of you that even think you could even steal the entry code to any secured area...think again!  Devyn tries to copy the code he witnessed being punched in...but to no avail.  The #s change every time it is used...HA!
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What!?!  You were caught trying to break in to a secured area?  Great, now you must go through interogation. Busted, Devyn!  I told you to not go messin' around with that keypad.
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Now Devyn, you must get your fingerprints done.  Hold still & relax your hand.  This is NOT going to look good on your record.  Unless of course this was intended all along to obtain your Cub Scout Bear Achievement Award for "Law Enforcement Is a Big Job"...which it was.  No worries Gma's & Gpa's.
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I think Dyxon is STILL wondering where they keep the donuts...
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And that concludes our tour of the Apache Junction Police Dept.
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THANKS SO MUCH UNCLE CLYDE!!!  WE LOVE YOU!!!
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