Happy Birthday Analise! Turning 3 calls for 3 parties!

Party #1 was held at a park near our house in Lubbock. We invited a bunch of her friends from the ward. There are about 20 three year olds in the ward. It was a rockin' party!

Party #2 was on Analise's actual birthday. It was just our little family. We had cake and ice cream and of course we opened presents.Party #3 was held at Grandma and Grandpa Esplin's house in Utah. All the Esplin and Gibson cousins came and had fun on the slip n' slide. Aunt Kristin was nice enough to make Analise a Belle cake. Analise thought the birthday celebrations were never going to end. Luckily, the party in Utah had just begun!

Aunt Lorrie in Lubbock

Lorrie, one of my best friend's from growing up, came to visit us in Lubbock. We had fun taking her to a real Texas rodeo. Analise even went out in the arena and chased a calf with a herd of other kids. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Other than Analise chasing the calf, my second favorite part of the rodeo was when the little kids did the sheep riding. We're considering starting Analise in this. Not really! Don't worry, no one was hurt!
Lorrie and the girls having fun at the water park. It was so fun having Lorrie visit. Analise adores her!

JOYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK...LUBBOCK'S VERSION OF WALLY'S WORLD

Cute Kaya with big sis Analise in the background having fun on the boat!

Angela still has a little daredevil left in her.

Analise's favorite ride at Joyland. She rode it over and over again. Analise's best buddy in the boat is Katie & Talmage Broadbent's nephew Taylor.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by going out to eat a great steak. They don't mess around with their steak in Texas.

San Antonio Temple

See the airplane?!!!

San Antonio Zoo

That's gotta be the biggest bird I've ever seen!

4th of July @ Sea World in San Antonio

Kaya was just kicking back enjoying the warm rain. Luckily, the rain scared away all of the other visitors so it was always easy to get good seats at the shows.

Kaya's favorite part was definitely splashing in the pool. Analise loved the swimming, but Shamu was her absolute favorite. Every prayer she said for the next week, would somehow incorporate Shamu.

Camping @ Buffalo Springs Lake

Angela was a little jealous that I got to have so much fun with Analise at the Father & Sons campout, so we went with some friends to camp at Buffalo Springs Lake.

Father & Sons Campout

Since Analise is tougher than most boys in the ward, they let her come on the Ward Father & Sons campout -- they said if she was an 18-yr old girl, they might have some objections to her attendance, but 2 yr old girls are a little less risky.

We had a lot of fun eating S'Mores, hiking, and she loved sleeping in the tent.


Well... she found a way to add risk to the campout by sitting her little self right smack down in the middle of a bunch of cactus. (Actual cactus shown). It took a team effort and about 20 minutes to pull all of the little pricklies out of her hind quarters and her pants. Luckily, diapers are just thick enough to protect sensitive spots!

SUMMERTIME!!!! Circus and Swim parties

Both girls loved the circus. True to form, the horses and the popcorn were Analise's favorite part.


Analise is our little daredevil. She usually likes to go down the slide any-which-way she can.... the more dangerous the better.

ANALISE DEAN

Analise is such a doll, and she's always looking for fun or a treat. My kind of girl. (Pictures by Sothy Eng, a friend of mine at Tech).

KAYA MAE DEAN

I just absolutely love these pix. I think they show how happy & content Kaya is. We feel very lucky to have her in our family.

FAMILY PICTURES!!!

Life is good when you're surrounded by 3 beautiful girls.

Kaya the smiler

Happy, healthy, and hungry! Kaya is one very pleasant baby who will smile at anyone that looks in her direction.

Princess Analise

Just because Analise loves every sport, doesn't mean she's not a girly-girl also. She asks almost every day if she can wear a dress, a dance outfit, or a swimsuit. And don't forget the accessories! She loves wearing glasses, high heels, a tiara, and a sequin purse. You go girl!

Go Red Raiders! The cutest fans in the stands.

Analise loves watching Texas Tech games. Football has been her favorite thus far (they're the only sport that has a horse 'Midnight Rider' on the sidelines). She loves to see Bobby Knight & the basketball team, and she isn't afraid to enjoy a good hot dog at baseball games. Apparently Kaya is also catching the Red Raider spirit. Wreck 'em Tech!