June 2011

We don't always do fun things at the Dexter house. The boys have been doing more chores around the house this month; and they actully like their new jobs. Coy was so excited to vacuum for the first time. I don't think he'll always feel this way for I had to take a picture.

We went to visit two of my sisters, Valayne and Shirine, for a day. It was fun to hang out and get the kids together to play. The boys love that they had lots of cousins. They even brag about it to their friends. Here are the boys with Hazel, Jackson and baby Ammon. I'm not very good at getting down to visit my family very often. But I promise I'll do better.

Austin, Hazel and Ammon.

We did some shopping while hanging out with Valayne and Shirine. Here is Ausitn and Jackson at Old Navy. The kids had more fun taking this picture than they did shopping.

May 2011

We celebrated our 5th year as a family. It seems like just yesterday we were standing in front of the judge, adopting the boys. I'm so happy the boys are ours! Here we are on our adoption day.

I went to Florida for work training this month. I was there with another girl from work for 5 days. We stayed at one of the Disney Resorts. While there, I learned a lot for work but we also headed to Disney World one day and I also had a chance to see Jon's Aunt Maureen and Uncle Steve. We went out for dinner to Fulton's crab house. We had so much fun! I also ate a lot of good sea food. Here I am with Maureen at the crab house.

Jon had weekends off this month so we went camping most weekends. Here is Coy after catching his first fish. He tried for 5 days and didn't catch anything, but he didn't give up. Jon took him out on the last day we were there and he finally got one.

Austin's first fish. He was so proud of himself. He was quite the little fisherman.

Austin graduated from kindergarden this month. He said his lines, that he practiced, perfectly and sang every song.

Austin's big smile after getting his diploma.

April 2011

My sister M'Lee's daughter, Brinlee got married in April. The boys and I made a trip to see my family and see Brinlee at the reception. She looked so beautiful and happy. I'm glad that we were able to make it. We only stayed for the weekend but we had so much fun visiting with everyone. Here is Austin and Brinlee.

Here I am with my sister Shirine's kids, Jackson and Hazel. Jackson loves to smile!

We had a fun Easter. We started off the morning looking for the boy's Easter baskets. They found them too easy this year. I guess that means the Easter Bunny needs to try harder at hiding them. After the baskets, we went to church. I joined the choir at our church and was singing that Sunday. I love that Jon and the boys were there to listen. The picture is the boys in their new outfits. After church we grilled a big lunch and rested. Later it was time for the Easter egg hunt. This year I hide two special eggs with money in them. Both the boys found one.

Austin hunting for Easter eggs.

Jax and Juice where finally old enough to go to their new homes. I wish they could have gone together but at least they both went to very good homes. As you can see they turned out to look more like a lab and less like a pit bull.

March 2011

We finally made it to Tucson so we could celebrate Coy's 7th birthday. We went to see Jon's sister Kair and her husband Mike. We went to the park and fed ducks and had a cake that night. The next day we headed to the Children's Museum. We all had fun and want to go back soon. Here is Coy taking a slide on the firepole.

Austin checking out his future career at the museum.

Here are the boys outside of the museum.

The boys and I went with my friend, Cathy and her kids to the Luke Airforce base airshow. The line was so long to get in it took more than an hour to get in for the show. All the kids had a good time. They even got to sit on a few differnet planes.

Jon was awarded Dirstrict Officer of the year for 2010. The award ceremony was this month and I was so happy that I could get the day off work so I could be there. He looked so handsome.

February 2011

We started February off with a trip to Urgent Care. I got a call from Austin's school that he turned too fast into a wall and cut his eye. When I got to the school to pick him up, he was covered in blood. We headed to the Dr. and 30min later he had 4 stitches. He was so excited to show his friends that he asked to go back to school. He thought it looked really cool.

For Valentines day, we never go out. Jon makes dinner. This year he sent me flowers at work, then when I came home, the kids were feed and homework was done. The boys watched a movie, while Jon and I had a romantic dinner. He made stuffed shells and greenbeans. He is turning into a good cook. We had a fun night together.

On the 16th, Coy turned 7. He picked bean burrito casserole and broccoli for dinner. A Ben 10 cake and ice cream for dessert. We are planning a weekend in Tucson to finish celebrating. Due to Jon's work schedule we were unable to go in February. Coy was really good about waiting because he wanted all of us there.

Our foster puppies have been keeping us extra busy. They no longer sleep as much as they did and they want to eat all the time. We all help with the bottle feeding and the boys love it. In a few weeks we can start giving them more solid food. That will be nice because I really need some sleep. Jax got very sick and we almost lost him. One night he was very cold, hadn't eatten all day and he was having a hard time breathing. When Jon and I went to bed that night we took little Jax with us. Jon rubbed him all night and at 4 in the morning, Jax was finally ready to eat. This really has stunted his growth and he is now the smallest puppy out of the litter. I'm just glad we were able to save him.

We got to see some of my family for a weekend. M'Lee's son Mitchell was playing in the state championship for high school basketball. The nice thing was he was playing in Prescott. That's not too far from us so we saw him play twice. In the end, his team took second place. M'Lee and family came, my Mom, Valayne and Rusty. It was fun to hang out and watch Mitchell play. He is a really good player, and I'm not just saying that because he is my nephew.

We found out that Jon was awarded district officer of the year for 2010. The award will be given March 10 at an award ceremony in Flagstaff. Jon is the first Camp Verde officer in ten years to get the award.

Austin happy with stitches.

Austin smelling my valentine flowers.

Coy's 7th birthday.

Jon feeding Juice.

The boys with Jax and Juice.

January 2011

We Kicked off January by spending New Years Day in Las Vegas with my sister Bethany and her family. It was fun to spend the holiday with them. The weather was perfect. The kids got to go swimming in the hot tub. They didn't want to get out and they didn't want to leave at the end of the weekend.

On the 8th, Austin turned 6. We celebrated at home with the dinner of his choice, dessert and presents. When I asked Austin what he wanted for dinner, he said, "carrots and bread." I explained that carrots and bread might be his favorite things to eat but it isn't a meal; he thought some more then decided on orange chicken and rice. He also wanted a Batman cake. It was a nice day. But the real celebration was two weeks later when we met up with Jon's sister Kari and her husband Mike And went to Disney on Ice. It's always fun to spend time with Kari and Mike, so it was cool that they could come. We stayed the night in a hotel, then went shopping the next day. It was a fun weekend.

At the end of the month, I brought home two new foster puppies. Their names are Jax and Juice; they are 4 day old pit bulls.Not sure at this point how long we will have them. The boys love that they can both get one and help. We are bottel feeding every 3 hours. It's been hard to wake up in the middle of the night for feedings. We are not used to that here!

With Bethany's kids. New Years Day

Austin's 6th birthday

Coy at the rain forest cafe.

Austin on the merry-go-round his birthday weekend

Austin with Juice.

Jax and Juice.

December 2010

Coy and I started the month by having a date at the zoo. He has been behaving much better at school; so I told him we could do something special. We went to the zoo, and then did a little shopping, then to lunch. It was fun to just spend time with Coy.

The boys had their Christmas program at school. Austin sang a few songs and rang a bell. He was happy to ring that bell. Coy was in the play and sang his heart out on the songs. I think I even heard his voice.

For Christmas, Jon's parents came to visit. They only got to stay the weekend but we had a good time. The boys are always excited when family comes to visit. The boys got a wii, tv, and a few games. We set up their stuff in the computer room so they can have their own space.

Jon and I got to soend a little time together for his birthday. I got off work early and he didn't have to work until later that evening. We ate fajitas and an ice cream cake. He got a chain saw and can't wait to start cutting some wood.
Coy at the zoo.



Austin and Coy at their Christmas program.

After decorating the tree.

Christmas Eve

Coy and two of our dogs.