Be sure to call your Representative and let them know your thoughts on this...
  1. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) won't stop infringement.
  2. It endangers all sites by making them liable for users' posts.
  3. It's a job killer. Many tech companies that today employ thousands would never have started if SOPA was law.
  4. It gives comfort to regimes that censor the internet.
Note: the House's censorship bill is SOPA, but the Senate's is called "The PROTECT IP Act" or "PIPA".

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"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
... He maketh me to live on less sleep:
He leadeth me through the noise of many voices.
He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me to teach
The right lessons each day, for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of undone
Laundry and kitchen messes, I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me, my teacher's guides and
Answer keys, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
Of threatening school officials and critical family members:
Thou anointest my head with heavenly wisdom, my cup runneth over.
Surely educated and godly children shall follow after me
All the days of my life: and I will dwell again one day
In a clean house with the Lord forevermore.
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Wow!  This may very well make you want to re-evaluate your parenting.
This is a 20month old cleaning up after playing with play-do....check it out!  And to learn more...visit here.
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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!
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LAST & FINAL UPDATE: 
Well, for those of you who follow me on Facebook know already that the time & location was changed one last time prior to the BIG DAY...but we managed to have a wonderful turnout as well as a wonderful an memorable ceremony....read more here.
We have confirmation that Dagyn's Baptism will be held @:
6:00pm
on
Saturday
10-15-2011
(be there or be square...or whatever other shape you currently prefer)

Please email either Chris or I for directions.
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Dear Rainy Day 10/06/2011
 
So sorry this guy just couldn't keep up.
He got himself all muddy from head to toe - should have got a picture of that! 
Looked as if he was EATING HIS mudpies!
He had to get [all] cleaned up & change [all] his clothes. 
Before I knew it, he was passed out in my arms!
He never really had a chance!
Perhaps next time Rainy Day, he will be making mudpies and & floating boats down the street with the best of them!
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Save the Date!!! 08/19/2011
 
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)
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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.     
Picture
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!
Picture
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....
Picture
something for her to make....and something for her to keep it in
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WE MOVED! 08/12/2011
 
Picture
Our New House (rainbow in background)
Yep, that's right...we moved on ya.  But what a great move it has been. 

We have gone from a single story 3bd 1 & 3/4ba to a 2 story 5bd 3.5ba.  And we have more than double the square footage!!!

Couple sacrifices we had to make though were: 
  1. no more pool (which is actually a blessing in disguise since there is no more maintenance & costs involved ~ also we have the benefit of the community pool which is much BIGGER!)
  2. square footage of our backyard (which is also a blessing in disguise since there is less maintenance as well ~ also we have the benefit of 2 playground structures within walking distance - 1 that is 3 stories HIGH!)

The kids love it!  They all have good sized rooms (nobody lost any space) with an added plus of walk-in closets in each bedroom and they also have a large sized loft for their Playroom/Schoolroom.  Dylan scored BIG-TIME with his own Master Suite...that's right, the house came with 2 Master Suites (one slightly smaller than the other with a much smaller bathroom - yet unsurprisingly enough, it is still bigger than our Master bedroom & bath in our old house). 

Oh, and don't even get me started on the fun times that have already been gained from the stairwell...
Picture
sorry for the blurry image ~ cell phone
Yep, there is Devyn tucked into a sleeping bag getting ready to descend the stairs with the peanut gallery observing from above....good times, good times!
As soon as we get more settled, I will post more pictures of our home.  Glad you stopped by!
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Happy 3rd Birthday to our little blue-eyed angel!
We love you!
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