24th in Cokeville

Every year the small town of Cokeville, Wyoming (population <500) has a big celebration for the 24th of July. Since I lived there til I was 7 and still have lots of family there, we've loved going whenever we can. I have missed the past 3 years for various reasons, but this year we were able to go, thanks to my brother David!

He and Heather called early last month and asked if we would drive to Cokeville with them if they helped fly us out to Colorado. (They're in Colorado Springs for the summer). We hadn't seen them for months and were excited to be able to spend time with them. The flight there and drive to Cokeville and back went pretty well, considering we had an almost-4-month old and a one year old (Taylor). We decided to keep it a surprise from my mom, so it was fun when she arrived! Here are some pictures of our fun weekend:


At my Dad's grave with David and Jessie with the small town in the background


David Taylor Dayton III and Christopher David at their Grandpa's grave


With Uncle Tom (Elder Perry) and Aunt Barbara and Elder and Sister Cook. Since Aunt Barbara is from Cokeville, every year they bring another General Authority to be a guest speaker at the meeting and ride in the 30-minute parade.

This is at the parade (it goes down main street then comes back again, all within about 1/2 hour.) And they throw out lots of candy. That's my kind of parade!



We went swimming out by the Cottonwood Ranch (where my dad grew up) and jumped off Taylor bridge. The water was incredibly cold, but we had lots of fun!

Other highlights included weiner roast up at Pine Creek with cousins, catching up with lots of family, seeing friends, playing games, Chris going to his first rodeo, good food, and just enjoying the Cokeville atmosphere.

Best of all though was spending lots of time with David and Heather and Taylor. We had lots of fun talking, listening to music, playing with the kids, and laughing. Thanks for making this fun trip possible David and Heather!!

Dolphin and Whale Safari

For my birthday, Chris' parents paid for Chris and me to go on a dolphin and whale safari with 'Captain Dave.' It was fun to get out and go do something fun with Chris on Saturday while his family watched Christopher. We had a great time and saw a bunch of dolphins and a huge blue whale! I loved what we saw, and also enjoyed just being out on the water, even though we both got sunburned. Well worth it though!

One thing we thought was cool was that we could come stand at the front of the catamaran and see the dolphins swim underneath and get splashed when the boat was moving. These videos are all short but I thought they were neat anyway.

One of the highlights of the trip was that I was the first one to hear and spot the whale when it came up one time after a 7-10 minute break. Every time I saw it I was amazed at how massive it was! (Sorry about the language in the background).

This isn't the most clear shot, but you can tell how close we were to it!

I promise next post will have pictures and videos of Christopher David!

My Birthday

I had a wonderful 25th birthday! I was able to celebrate early while in Utah by my mom taking me out to lunch and shopping, and yesterday was awesome too. I got some cute new clothes and fun accessories, chocolates, $ for shopping, and some other neat gifts. Chris' main gift to me was a beautiful Claddaugh Ring. It comes from Ireland and is a love symbol. The heart, hands and crown signify love, friendship and loyalty.

You wear it different ways to show if your heart is available or taken, if you're married, etc. I thought this was such a sweet gift, and it's neat too because I have Irish ancestry. He ordered it from Ireland and had our initials put on the inside. He is such a thoughtful, wonderful husband!

Once Chris got home from work, we went to the beach and hung out there for a while, then we went out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We had awesome food there, then came home for cake and ice cream and chocolate fountain! (Notice also the beautiful edible bouquet- already partly eaten!)

It was a great way to spend a birthday, and I appreciate family's and friends' calls, gifts, messages, etc. Also, I got a gift certificate from Chris' family for Chris and me to go on a Dolphin and Whale Safari sometime this summer. That will be way fun! Thanks everybody for a great birthday!

Fun in Utah

I was able to fly to Utah with little Christopher to spend a weekend with my family. It had been a while since they last saw him, so they were excited we came. We had a wonderful time and did some fun things.

I was a little nervous about flying, but Christopher did really well and was a good little traveler. While in Utah, my mom and I went for a hike to Stewart Falls, which was beautiful! I loved being outside and up in the mountains.

We also were able to go to the Oquirrh Temple open house which was really neat.

After that we went to my Aunt Margaret's campaign dinner in a lovely backyard where there was great food and entertainment. Mainly we enjoyed catching up with cousins and some aunts and uncles.

I also relaxed, goofed off with Marie, Jessie and Benjy, enjoyed nice weather and great food all weekend, and had fun watching everyone hold Christopher and get him to smile and talk.

I was fortunate also to be able to pick up a bunch of baby clothes and items that Chris' aunt and uncle were getting rid of. Isn't family great?

On Monday, my mom took me out to lunch for my birthday at Magelby's. Marie also came and we all enjoyed amazing food! We also went shopping and I got a fun new summer dress. It was a great vacation and I loved spending time with family!!

First Trip to the Beach

Last weekend, we met up with my cousin, Lisa, and her husband Adam and son Stephen, at Malibu for a picnic and afternoon at the beach. We had a great time even though it got a bit chilly. Although Chris and I met, dated, and spent a lot of time here in Southern California, we have never gone to the beach together during the day! We have gone to evening barbeques and taken walks on the beach at night, but have never hung out at the beach during the day. So this was a first not only for little Christopher, but also for Chris and me!

Christopher did pretty well. He fussed a bit but slept most of the time. We enjoyed getting in the water, laying out in the sun, and watching Stephen eat sand. After a couple of hours at the beach, we went out to eat and had fun catching up while the 2 little boys slept.

Also, on Friday Christopher had his 2 month checkup, and we found out that he is in the 50-75 percentile for weight and height (23 1/4 " and 12# 1oz), and 25 percentile for head circumference. He is healthy and strong and is doing really well.

2 Months Old

Here is just a quick update - sorry it's been a while! Life is great here in Orange County. Chris is enjoying his internship and is working a ton, little Christopher is growing fast, and I'm still absolutely loving being a mom. Christopher is over 2 months old and has his checkup in a couple of days. I'm curious to find out how his height and weight have changed and what percentile he is in.

As the video shows, he is a lot more alert and interactive, and we love getting smiles and cute noises from him. I'll add more to the blog soon! (I had issues with the picture refusing to stay in the right direction again- has anybody else had that problem and been able to fix it?)

Mother's Day

I really enjoyed my first Mother's Day. Chris was awesome and gave me breakfast in bed, and he took care of the baby so I could sleep in as well as giving me pretty flowers, a sweet card and a variety of wonderful chocolate treats. For our moms, we gave them pictures of little Christopher. They were taken by my sister-in-law, Alicen, and I think they turned out awesome! She did such a great job. I'm putting on some of my favorites, plus a slideshow of many of the pictures she took. I have looked at these pictures over and over- they never get old. I am loving being a mom! I am also so lucky to have an amazing mom who has always been there for me and has been an incredible example. She has been a huge blessing in my life and I'm thankful for her every day of the year.

Make a Smilebox slideshow