Ashton turns 1, 2, 3, 4!

Ashton had a great birthday yesterday. First thing in the morning he opened one of his gifts... he got pants! I have never seen a boy more excited over pants. Then he spent the day helping me bake and decorate his cake. Finally in the evening Grandpa Wilde and Dudley along with Uncle Bon came over to help celebrate. He got new clothes, a backpack, new cars and toy story figures, and a few CARS Party Supplies. Here are a few pictures of the festivities.

Ashton asked for an Oreo Cake this year. This is what mom came up with.

Ashton Blowing out the candles.

Ashton not understanding why one keeps on lighting up again....

Ashton and one of his favorite people, Uncle Bon.

Opening Presents

Trying to blow up one of his presents.

Dad finally doing it for him... it was hard to blow up.

Ashton going absolutely nuts with the punch balloon. Thanks Uncle Bon!

Blessings all Around!

On February 6th of 2011 Curtis gave Jace Mervin Dudley a fathers blessing. Both family and friends were there to witness our little handsome guy receive his blessings. Curtis did a wonderful job and we enjoyed visiting with all those who attended.

Jace in his blessing outfit provided and chosen by Grandma Wilde. Thanks Mom!

Me and Jace after the blessing chilling together.

Our Family has also been blessed with the opportunity for Curtis to adopt both Sage and Ashton. this is something Curtis has been thinking about for a long time. He has wanted this from the first day he found out that it was possible. He loves Sage and Ashton and has considered them as his own kids since the beginning.

The judge, Judge Taylor was a very tall man. He was very kind to all of us. Just as we sat down Ashton blurts out to the judge that he knew that if he was not quiet that the judge would throw him in jail. The Judge laughed and told him that he would never do that. Despite the judge consoling Ashton, I don't think Ashton believed him, because before we left Ashton said, "I was good so the judge wont throw me in Jail." Ashton also made comments on the judge robes, letting the judge know that it was warm enough in the building and that he should take the robes off (He thought it was a coat).

Sage sat quietly holding some daffodils that Connie (A family Friend of ours) gave to her. We were asked a few questions by the lawyer and the kids were asked a few questions. Then within 10 minutes it was all said and done and the kids were legally Dudley's. Curtis's father was touched and shed a few tears welcoming the kids into their family. And of course Mom Dudley was tickled pink. My Mom (who drove all the way back from Montana in one day to be there) gave the kidos hugs too. It was a good day. Thanks to everyone who came to support the kids and us. And thanks to Curtis for loving me and the kids enough to claim us as his own... We love you Curtis.

When Mom is Away, A Child will Play

I have a camera. It is a old camera that takes four double A batteries. I love the camera because although its old it takes GREAT pictures. But lately the camera has been strangely running out of batteries quickly, as though the camera has just been sucking out the juice 5 times faster. Well I think I have found the cause to my mysterious battery issue. As I was uploading my last set of pictures a few caught my eye. This is how I imagined this event took place.

Scene: Mom and Dad are upstairs enjoying a nice quiet Sunday together. Meanwhile the two older children are downstairs bored and up to no good.

Ashton: "I'm bored Sage. I have already gutted the cupboards, jumped on the couch, eaten my lunch where I am NOT supposed to eat, and yet I feel empty... I feel like we should be doing something else to fulfill our roles as small children."

Sage: "Look what I found Ashton!!!!! Let me take a picture of you bored."


Ashton: " No fair I want a turn!!"

Sage: "Ok, Ashton go ahead. Take a picture of my glorious self right below the family picture... do you think Mom and Dad can see us through that picture?"

Ashton: "I think we need to get a closeup Sage. Such beauty must be documented at every angle."

Sage: "Ok Ashton, now its my turn again. I want to take your handsome picture with Jeremy's coat behind you. Just maybe that will help mom and dad remember to bring it to family dinner... although I doubt it. Nice marker on your face. Did you do that yourself? Its marvelous!"

Ashton: " I don't know Sage... maybe we should not be doing this.... I'm starting to get worried we might get in trouble"

Sage: "But Ashton I can take your picture with Star Wars!!"
Ashton: "Well by golly never mind then! Check this face out! Gotta love Clone Wars".

Sage thinks to herself: "Ok let me document Ashton leaving the crime scene... that way I wont get into trouble and it places Ashton there and me in the other room.

Ashton: " Wow, playing with Mom's Camera is fun!!! Don't forget to leave it on!"


Note: They did not get into trouble since i discovered it weeks afterword... however I did get after them for eating in the family room and gutting my cupboards. The coat btw... was forgotten.

A little bit of Heaven on Earth

A friend once shared this version of How Great Though Art with me and I have loved it ever since. Thought I would share.

Majestic Eagles, and Smelly Fish

This last Saturday the Dudley Family took off to Fountain Green, a small city near Nephi, to visit the fish hatchery and spot some eagles.

We got to the fish hatchery around 3 which happened to be feeding time for the rainbow trout. Looking into the pools we could see thousands and thousands of fish but the top of the water was as still as glass. So what happens when you throw in fish pellets? Well at first glance not much. It takes a minute for the fish to realize the food is there. But very suddenly fins and flippers and whole fish start coming out of the water splashing the water a good ten feet out of the pools. It was pretty neat and Ashton, Sage, Mom, Dad, and Grandma, and Grandpa had a blast feeding and watching the fish freak out.

The pools were still at first... and then

Time to feed the fish! And then...

There was movement... and then

A Lot of movement!

Close up of the crazy fish... i guess i get this crazy for food sometimes as well... I'm not one to judge;)

After that fun event we headed off to find the "Eagle Tree". This tree is a very large very old tree that Eagles have been roosting in for decades upon decades. Between 2-4pm the eagles start to come back to the tree for the night. As each Eagle flies in, the others greet the newly come eagle vocally. When we arrived there were already 14 eagles in the tree. By the end there were 18. So through scopes we had the pleasure of seeing 4 beautiful bald eagles fly in and perch in this beautiful old tree. I can see why this beautiful creature is Curtis's favorite animal and our nations national bird.

Taking a picture through a scope

Random Thoughts of Becky

I have a few thoughts running through my head and I thought I would share them.

Valentines Day
Valentines is coming up soon. As this little holiday approaches I hear men proclaim how much they dislike Valentines Day. I hear, "Why do we need a day to tell our sweetheart we love her". Why indeed? Well men... mainly because many of you don't do little romantic things through out the year to begin with. Valentines is the only chance during the year a lot of women get to be romanced. Now if you are the type to do little things for your loved one throughout the year then the above argument is understood. But if you are not... and many of you really are not the romantic type, than be thankful for Valentines day. Men are always saying how much they wish women would just speak their mind and tell them what they want.. well this holiday speaks for all women! We want romance. And in return we will give plenty back. Oh and for those older men who have not done something for their sweetheart on Valentines Day for years... surprise your woman and make the effort... you will be rewarded. As for me, I am the type to do little things for someone through out the year... but I love this holiday because it gives me the chance to go overboard!

Note: My husband does a pretty good job at loving me throughout the year:) But Valentines gives me a chance to get my expensive chocolate that I love so much! Its in the cupboard right now... wrapped up with an "I love you" sticker on it... and I can not touch it till Valentines day... SOOO HARD!


And finally, some good advice on love.



Something to look Forward to
I am the type of person that gets bored easily. I know its not a good trait but it happens. As a stay at home mom with a newborn and young children, I do not get out much. My days are pretty routine. I wake up, kiss husband goodbye, get Sage ready for school, take her to school, come home and feed Ashton and Jace, check my emails and facebook, clean, cook, clean, get Sage, help with homework, clean, cook, clean, kiss husband hello, clean, watch TV or talk with husband, and go to bed. That is a typical weekday for me. My weekends are usually more interesting thank goodness. So for someone like me, how in heavens do I not go insane with this routine life? I set goals for myself and plan outings. And then I focus on those. Great thing about trips and goals is that they change all the time. So for now that will have to do to keep things interesting. And when my children are older and don't need as much care, I will then get into something that really shakes things up. Oh the life of a stay at home mom with young children. To all of you I give you my deepest respect.




Those are my thoughts for now. Figured I would share. I better get to the cleaning part of my day. To finalize my thoughts, right now I'm thinking, "Why does Ashton always insist on walking around in his underwear? Why wont Jace sleep just a little longer? and I miss my husband and wish he were here."

And So the Story Goes

I have the Cutest Kids

The I'm Thinking Look

I cannot believe it’s mid January already! Baby Jace is now one month old. We have found that Jace is generally a good kid but loves to voice his opinions and concerns… loudly. He is also constantly in thought and although he appears to look worried all the time he is actually pondering and observing what is going on around him. If you take a moment to stare at Curtis, you will find that his face makes the same expression when in deep thought. Jace is slowly loosing his yellow color and is still attempting to poop comfortably without acting like it’s the hardest task to ever plague man.

Sage is currently working through a cold. She is doing very well in school and her teacher says she is one of the easiest kids to teach because of her thirst for knowledge. And of course it helps that she has a memory of 10 women combined! That’s right guys… women NEVER forget;). Sage has been a lot of help with Jace. She loves to hold him and rock him so I can get a few things done. I am grateful to have such a beautiful, bright and willing to please daughter.

Ashton is at the beginning of a cold. I do not know of another child who is as happy as Ashton even when his throat hurts. He is still as loving as ever. He is also my little helper and is always willing to stop whatever he is doing to lend me a hand. Even if that means touching a poopy (Strange this word was not in the computer dictionary) diaper (Dirty things disgust Ashton) and throwing it into the trash for me when I can not get to it right away.

Curtis… well Curtis is the best! He is the most devoted Father and Husband that there is. I’m sorry ladies… but I have the best Husband out there! Curtis is always willing to lend a hand with the kids. He tries his hardest to support me in anyway. And no other person ever made me feel so loved and appreciated. He bought me the perfect chair to rock my baby in, he got me a new dishwasher even though the old one technically “worked”, and get this… he turns the heat down for me when prego and up when I’m not. This makes for an either “too cold Curtis” or a “too hot Curtis.” But more than anything, he loves me and values me above all else and I can see that. Curtis continues to volunteer on the Search and Rescue Team where he has just recently become the new Dive Sergeant. What does that mean? I’m not 100% sure but from what I understand that means he is responsible for organizing dive training meetings and classes. If you know Curtis you know how much he loves to scuba dive… so its not surprising that he is excited to carry out this new roll in SAR. Besides that, Curtis has been keeping himself busy with organizing the basement, and working on our cars and other people’s cars.

Me… well… Due to the lack of sleep I have been getting not much comes to mind lol. I recently got a new vehicle. It’s a Toyota Land Cruiser and it seems like it’s going to be a great ride. I can’t wait to take it off paved roads on our first family adventure. Besides that, I have been keeping very busy with my newborn. Lots of holding, rocking, feeding… you know the normal motherly things. When I’m not dealing with Jace I’m taking care of the older kids and cleaning. Oh the life of a mom. And I would not give it up for the world. Now if you will excuse me I must go… Jace calls for me and I must check on the progress of Sage and Ashton’s rooms’… xoxo.