HANGIN' OUT AT NANA'S HOUSE

BELLA AND DREW

COMING OUT OF THE TEMPLE

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!

Salt Lake and Back

TY AND MINDY

YA! IT'S UNCLE JOSH

PARENTS OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM

BEAUTIFUL BELLA

CUTTING THE CAKE

What an amazing week! Tuesday morning Bella and I got into Salt Lake. We spent all day Tuesday with my family. Wednesday we were able to go to lunch with Grandma Sheryl, Aunt Sierra and Aunt Melanie. After running a few errands we headed down town for Mindy and Nate's dinner. The dinner was held at Joseph Smith Memorial Building; the room was beautiful! The food was great and I was able to catch up with the Dahles. Late that night, 11:00 pm, Tyler got into town. We crashed at the Towner's for a few nights (thanks guys!) and we were able to watch Drew and Bella play together. The morning after Tyler got into town was the wedding. The sealer did a fantastic job; it was great to see Tyler's little sister married in the temple. The spirit is so strong any time I enter the temple. But when you are entering to do ordinances for your family, the feeling is amazing! After the sealing we took pictures at the temple. Mindy looked gorgeous! It was so cold and windy, luckily I had a sweater for Bella. After pictures were done the family went to lunch at Olive Garden. Well almost the whole family, Sheryl and Mindy were still at the temple taking pictures. Between lunch and the reception we only had enough time to run home, get ready, and head towards Thanksgiving Point. The reception was beautiful. Mindy had all of her sisters and Nate's sisters in dresses. There were a lot of us! Bella was super cute in her little dress. The day of the wedding was long, but fun. For the remaining time in Salt Lake we met up with friends and family. My family had a birthday party for Tyler on Saturday night, even though his birthday isn't until this Saturday. This week went too fast. I apologize if we did not get to see some of you. We are looking at coming back in September. Tyler has a week in September off. We love you all! - Dannielle

Seeing The Sights

Izzy loves being outside in her stroller. She loves to look around and see everything that makes this world beautiful.

This is a shot from a street bridge looking down to a small section of walkway and footbridge.

The Alamo!


We finally got down to the famous Riverwalk this last Saturday. We went at a great time too. Got there at 12:15 and left at about 3:30. The temperature was above 95 all three hours and only two of us were hospitalized for heat stroke! Good heavens, who's idea was that?! Oh, we walked over to the Alamo too. It was so crowded inside we didn't even try to look around. You can see from the outside the building is pretty small and two hundred people turn it into a sardine can real quick.

Since Dannielle's little sister has been here we've been going out and trying new places. We went over to a Southern style restaurant a few nights ago. It had a real deep south feeling to it with a screened in porch and all. To go along with the decor I decided to try a plate that would fit the ambiance. It was titled The Fisherman's Plate and had fried oysters, fried crawfish, fried catfish, french fries, coleslaw, beans with bacon, and considering it came with an AED the price of $16 was pretty reasonable! Holy plate of nasty crap Batman! Apparently I'm not as smart as I think I am. I should have made the observation that no menu outside of the southern states lists any of these fine items as menu choices. The reason for not listing these foods is not due to the inability to access them rather it is due to the inability to get anyone with a normal palate to swallow the swamp raised, sordid stuff! So to those that live in an area with an abundance of any distasteful items that may be considered food, just because it's plentiful doesn't mean it should be considered an entree.

I have to put in a quick plug for fried chicken. Fried chicken should be a staple in everyone's diet. I don't understand why the rest of America hasn't caught on like those down here in the south. There is a drive thru on every corner selling fried chicken and across from that corner is a stand selling tacos. Tacos, and fried chicken. That's good food! Jalepeno juice on your fried chicken. Jalepeno juice mixed with butter and spread over popcorn. There are some good eats down here!

Having Fun With Meag

Meaghan flew in on Tuesday afternoon. We have had a blast with her! So far we have been to the La Cantera mall, we went to take pictures of the temple, we checked out the college that Meaghan might go to, today we went to the Zoo, we learned how to make fresh tortillas, and listened to a live Mariachi band. All in all, we have had a fun two and half days. The four of us are going to the Riverwalk on Saturday; we are all excited to experience that!

This week has been very hot. It has been un-seasonably warm. Usually June is a rainy month. So far we haven't seen much moisture. Bella has been doing great with the heat. It was a little warm at the Zoo today. We went into any exhibit we could find that was air conditioned. The Zoo was amazing! We were there for two hours and only saw half of the animals. Bella was fascinated by the birds. I don't know if it was their movement, or their loud noises, but she loved watching them. We bought a year pass to the Zoo. I am excited to see her love for animals grow.

I can't believe we are heading back to SLC in five days! See you all VERY soon! - Dannielle

Look at me!

Bella telling me all about her day.

I'm not so sure about this rice cereal mom!

My hair is getting out of control, it never lays down.

I'm standing, I'm standing!

Bella is becoming quite the chatterbox. She thinks she is so big when she starts making noise. She is also starting to stand up in her walker. Oh she is so much fun! Chester and Bella are becoming pals. When Chester plays with his stuffed animal, Rufus, it makes Bella laugh. They are so cute together! Well, things are going great for us. We can't believe we are going back to SLC in a week. Mindy's wedding is going to be a blast! We love you all! Hope to see you soon - Dannielle

What a weekend

Today we spent most of the day looking at houses. We drove around town looking at all the different areas. We are still trying to decide if we want to build or buy a previously owned home. Decisions, decisions!

We are getting excited for June! My litle sister is coming down to visit for a week at the beginning of the month. Then we will fly back to SLC with Meag and participate in Mindy's wedding. It's going to be a blast!

Here are some cute pictures of Bella. In the first one I was trying to get a picture of her watching basketball with her daddy, but every time I pulled the camera out she wanted to look at it. She loves when I take pictures of her! I love having such a smiley little girl. She has been so happy lately. She is starting to develop a personality. I can't decide if her tempermant is more like Tyler's or mine. She knows what she does and doesn't want; totally Tyler. But she also seems to have a stuborn streak. If she doesn't want to be in her car seat, she screams the ENTIRE time we are in the car. Unfortunatly the stuborn-ness comes from me. It looks like her hair is going to be auburn, I guess since she has some red hair she has a right to be stuborn! Love - Dannielle

Swimmin'

Today was Bella's first time swimming. The water was a little cold, but she seemed to be okay with the pool. She looked darling in her little swimming suit. I can't wait until she starts splashing around. Hopefully we have a really good summer that can be spent by the pool. Last summer it rained for three months; not very good swimming weather. We hope everyone is doing good! Love- Dannielle

New Toy!

Things have been going good for our family down here. The weather has been getting warmer, up into the nineties. The natives tells us it doesn't get worse than that. The warm weather hasn't bothered me yet, or the humidity during the day. But at night, it doesn't cool off. For some reason that seems to bother me more than the heat during the day. Our new ward is amazing! We have been invited to Sunday dinner with ward members for the past two weeks. It is awesome that complete strangers would welcome us into their home.

Tyler is enjoying his job. The office he works for recently moved him into an Ortho chair; he loves it! I have had the opportunity to stay home with Isabella. For the time being we feel like she is too young to enroll in daycare. We also aren't sure if anyone in the ward would be willing to watch her, which means I get to stay home and play with her all day. It has been awesome! (Thank you Tyler)

Isabella got a new toy this week. She now has a walker. She loves trying to sit up; she thinks she is such a big girl! Bella is at such a fun age. She is starting to laugh and she smiles at almost everything. She recently learned how to blow spit bubbles (it is so funny to watch).

Tyler and I also got a new toy this week. We have never purchased a television since we have been married. We always received hand-me-downs from our parents. (Thanks mom and dad, Cory and Sheryl)So when we received our stimulus check we decided we would stimulate the economy by buying a television.

It has been a difficult transition for me to leave my friends and family. I know that I will see you all often. It is still hard to start over in an unfamiliar town. I love you all, and hope to visit with everyone when we come up for Mindy's wedding. Love-Dannielle

We're all here!

It's Sunday night and it has been a long week. I am glad we're here and everyone made it safely without incident. We already miss family and friends. I am realizing that the assistance they provide in times like this is unmeasurable. We have been blessed with some wonderful connections here in San Antonio. We have been able to stay with some of my mission president's friends while we've been looking for an apartment. We found a great place for a great price on Saturday, but are still waiting on approval to move in. We hope we get the green light on Monday.

We attended our new ward today and were welcomed with open arms. The Cutler's (my old bishop, the current mission president her in SA) are in our ward and so are the Condie's (They are the family we've been staying with). Cutler's had us over for dinner tonight and are just the best! I don't think a more selfless family exists!

Dannielle and Isabella got here on Friday, and it was a hot day. (95+humidity) But the past two days have been great, low 80's and beautiful! We took a drive today after church to the downtown area. We drove around the Riverwalk, and the Alamo. We also drove past sea world, six flags, and a waterpark. There is a lot to do here and we're almost ready to start hosting visitors, so plan your next vacation to San Antonio and we'll provide a place to stay, food to eat, and a car if you need one!

We want to thank those that helped us pack up in SLC, and those that prayed for our safety. We have been relying on the Lord and others very heavily this past week, and are greatful to those that have allowed us to lean on them for support. Thank you all for your visits, and your encouragement as we were leaving.

As we were sitting with the Cutler's tonight we reflected on "Tyler" in high school and "Tyler" now. I have had an absolutely amazing ride. Some of my most cherished memories fall in that window of time and were shared with those of you that read this blog. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am. Thank you for extending friendship to me and my family. We will miss you all very much.
Love,
Tyler, Dannielle, Isabella, and Chesterfield

I made it!

It's Thursday night and I've been in SA for a few hours now. That moving truck sure sucks down the gas! When I came in the volvo I flinched every 350 miles because $50 was burned up. The moving truck has burned over $700 in gas already. Remind me to send G.W. Bush a thank you note for that stimulus check that paid my gas bill! I will post a picture after Dannielle and Isabella get here tomorrow! Hope everyone in Utah is enjoying the snow. 84 was nice today, time to get this pasty white body tan!

Blessing

This past Sunday Isabella was given a blessing and a name for the Church records. Everything went extremly well. I was nervous that Isabella was going to scream during her blessing (she was being a bit cranky, Church is during her nap time), and Tyler was nervous about what he was going to say in Bella's blessing. The blessing Tyler gave her was beautiful. After the blessing we had friends and family over at Nana and Grandpa Williams' house. We had a blast hanging out with everyone! If we missed you, I hope we get to see you this Saturday for our going away BBQ. (Anyone that is reading this is invited) We would love to see everyone one last time before we head off to Texas.
Isabella also had her two month check up this week. She is still tiny, and only weighs 8 lbs. 15 oz. She may be skinny but she is long. She has grown three more inches and is now 23 inches long! She is in the 4th percentile for her weight, and the 55th percentile for her height. I am having a hard time finding clothes that fit and are long enough! She is healthy and developing normally. Everything looked great!
Tyler has been in Texas since Sunday, he left right after the blessing. Although he has answered a lot of questions we have, there are still undecided variables. Tyler had some job interviews and was able to aquire a great position in a Dental Office. The pay and benefits are great and Tyler is excited about the people he will be able to work with. We are still house hunting. . .what a stressful process! And while we continue to look for a house we are trying to decide if Isabella and I should move down with Tyler, or if we should wait until we have closed on a house. Aghh!! So many possibilities! Hopefully everything will go smoothly and we will be able to make it to Texas in one piece. We love you all!! Don't forget to come to the BBQ, e-mail or call us if you have any questions. - Dannielle

Picture Day

Last Saturday we had Isabella's pictures taken. They turned out SO cute! Our good friend Brooke Franco (thanks Brooke) is a photographer; she did a fantastic job! If anyone is interested Brooke charges $40 and $15 for each additional child. She will take pictures until you are ready to be done and will then sit down with you and add any effects that you would like. The best part is she will give you a disc of all your pictures so you can go develop them at your leisure! If you are interested please email Brooke at brookefranco@hotmail.com. She is also willing to do photos outside. If anyone wants her number, we can get it to you. I would highly recommend getting your pictures done by Brooke. Isabella was a stinker during her pictures. Once again, so glad we had Brooke. She was still able to get cute pictures with our unhappy baby. Well we were finally able to get her to sleep, and the pictures are absolutely darling! Hope you enjoy looking at the ones I posted!


Even though Bella is crying in this next one, I thought it was precious.

Uncle Josh loves his niece!

As time goes on, we find ourselves closer and closer to May. We are getting very excited to move foward. I can't beleive we only have four more weeks until we move to Texas! Although our schedule seems to be filling up, we would really love to see as many of you as we can! Don't forget to come see us at Isabella's blessing or our farewell party at the Stark's home. Love you all!! - Dannielle