Our Family

Our Family
DAC Family At Devin & Ashley's wedding Aug 2007

Monday, February 26, 2007

YOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

All we have to say is......SUUUUNNNNSHINE (say in high pitched voice like on Remember the Titans)!!! This week Texas has really come through and given us the winter weather that we moved here for. Today Jackson and I were driving around and I think that we both broke a sweat. THIS WEEKS TOP 3: (which sort of shows how "eventful" our life was)1. Jackson learned to suck his thumb.2. We had a regional stake conference and heard President Hinckley speak.3. Mat woke up in the middle of the night a few nights ago, and couldn't sleep. He ended up spending several hours brainstorming about research projects. Here's the thing: He really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to show me his notes the next morning.

Picnic at the park

Jack doing the shimmy



Saturday, February 10, 2007

MAT & CHENAE DUERDEN

Hello family! Well, well, well, what to write. I'm really enjoying this blog thing, so i'm excited to switch over. But in the mean time...here's a little update. We are doing good here in Texas. Last weekend we visited the Allowitz's in Dallas for Kimball's baptism. It was fun to be with them. We also got to go to Kieran and Karigan's basketball games. They've got some skills on the court. Jackson enjoyed playing with his cousins....and Creshel got him to do his second laugh.
Our semester is going ok. Mat is enjoying teaching his Outdoor Leadership class. Infact they are on a backpacking trip tonight, so Jackson and I are on our own (yikes). Mat also has a couple of classes in the late evening, which is pretty lame, but we'll get through it. I've started getting together with a neighbor to watch American Idol on tuesday nights so that we aren't so lonely.
Mat and I are trying to do yoga together a couple of times a week.
Jackson is such a happy boy. Today his did his first big belly laugh. I was taking off his shirt and I thought I was hurting him, until I realized that he was just busting up. It was funny. We feel pretty blessed to have him. He has another cold. I'll attach a picture of what he coughed up on me.
I am enjoying being a mom. Sometimes its overwhelming, but most of the time I completely love it. We have cold and warm days, and force ourselves to get out either way. Somehow I feel super busy all of the time, I seem to always have some project or to do list. But life is good.
We are going to try and use our weekends exploring. We realize that we'll have to go some distance to find cool things....a couple of weeks ago we drove out to a nearby lake, and it wasn't quite what we expected. Next weekend we'll go to Austin. We'll let you know how it goes.
We love you all.

Mat, Chenae, & Jackson

DJ & CANDRA PROBERT

Hi Family!!

We just wanted to throw together a quick update so that you all know how we're doing. Our new little Probert family is doing wonderful! We love being married…which we have successfully done for about 1.5 months now. We are at a point of trying to decide what comes next after DJ's graduation in April. DJ has been working his buns off to finish off his BYU experience strong. He has some really tough classes but he's a real champ and tries his hardest. We are wondering if Dental School is still in our plans and have been prayerfully considering some other options. It may be a while before we come to any real conclusions as to what we'll be doing or where we'll be in the next few months (hey, maybe we'll still be at 1822 S. Columbia Lane), but we love having someone we love to make these fun life decisions with. We know that as we do our part, Heavenly Father will guide us.

As I mentioned, DJ is working hard to finish his last semester at BYU. He's still working occasionally at the BYU Moving Crew. He has also been showing off his hooping skills in our ward's Elder's Quorum Basketball league (the classic Church Ball scenario) and playing intramural basketball with some old friends. DJ's sister, Ashleigh had her baby last month, so we've had fun visiting our new niece, Savea every once in a while. I'm loving being a wife to the coolest husband in the world and of course, I faithfully remain an employee at Prosper as the company's Internal Communications Coordinator. I am still following my big sisters' footsteps and loving a Yoga class on campus and recruited my girl, Katherine Willis to be my Yoga buddy.

Life is great. We are so grateful to have each other and love the lessons we are learning together. We love you all and miss you.

Love,

DJ & Candra


DEVIN

Hi Family,

I apologize for being such a barrier to you knowing how my life is. Thanks to you that make the effort to give me a call. Not to mention, a few of us catching up on our gmail(email) chat. It seems that Candra and I always check our email at the end of the day when all our work is done and we're just trying to keep our eyes off the clock. We end up having pretty deep talks. I occassionally chat with Chalonn and Michelle when they are trying to keep sane from staying home with the little ones.

Well, life is as complete as it can get for a strappling young man such as myself. I have decided to push the pedal to the metal in all areas of my life. I am working 35 hours a week at First American Title and am looking at possibly moving up the ladder. As long as the gossip keeps swarming around in the upper positions, they will destroy themselves and who will they turn to for a replacement? The neutral peon which is me. I am very happy with my work. I couldnt ask for a better workplace. Who else throws super bowl parties for their clients? Moving on... I am also taking full load of 14 credits which can drive you crazy if you let it. I am sure that most of you have heard from the grape vine that I have been dating somebody. You all remember Rick right?.. yea well.... NOOOOO! Get your minds out of the gutter. I started dating this girl, Ashley the last little while. She's 21, from Roseville, CA. She's pretty amazing if you ask me... Don't get any ideas. We're just taking it easy... but at the same time I tend to naturally visualize possibilities. Her little sister who I've become bossom buddies with over the phone invited me and a few of our friends to her baptism this next weekend. So we're going to take a short road trip and spend this weekend in California. But again, no drawing conclusions. It's still way up in the air.
What else can I say. Many times I get so caught up in my schedule that I dont realize how incredibly blessed I am to be given so many great opportunities with work school and the ladies. So I just have to sit back, take a breath and come to the realization that life has never been better.

Les amo como hermanos.

Hermanito Devin

DAD, MOM and CHANTEL

Dear Family,Mom and I have sat for an hour trying to think of ‘what in the heck has happened in January’ since the great holidays of 2006 which were filled with Candra hooking up with DJ & visits from all of you and a wonderful closeout of 2006. It’s pretty hard to top the latter part of last month. We did attend a Jon Schmidt concert at the Tabernacle...went to a preview viewing of ‘The Work and the Glory”...attended the temple just before and just after it was closed for 2 weeks...socialized with our HP group for a Mexican dinner...enjoyed Karlena’s visit where we helped Verlie in her home, had dinner with Grandpa & Phyllis, and had a date with all of us at El Bajios...attended a Religion Faculty social where Bro Eyring (new to college administration) spoke some personal experience with his father, Elder Eyring. It was great. Between a new semester starting with 10 preparations each week in 5 subjects, lot’s of training-calling-setting apart and sometimes heart wrenching counseling for short sighted hormone driven choices in the BYUI 6th stake, and one endless month of trying to get organized-simplified-MAC computerized...and changing my own routine of working out in the fitness center at noon three days a week to getting up and hitting the fitness center at 5:00am SIX DAYS A WEEK... January flew by and is now just a memory! In fact, as I think about it, February is following suit and we will blink once and it’s Mom’s Birthday and Valentines Day...blink twice and it’ll be March Madness and the beginning of Spring. So, the secret is making sure we learn to enjoy it all and do as Kit mandates from life ... To suck the marrow!!!When we think about it all, our greatest joy is to THINK, TALK, and PLAN ‘about you all’.... And dream and scheme of how we can SERVE the Lord! In fact anything we think about with regards to ‘homes’ or ‘work’ or ‘investments’ and play--- our daily prayers always seem to include the supplication that we can be blessed to be able to SERVE you the family and the rest of Heavenly Fathers Children ----for the rest of our lives.Mom and I love you all and pray for you daily...that’s the one thing you can count on. At 6:30am and 10:30pm or thereabouts, you can visualize in your minds “MOM and DAD” praying for you and yours. You can know that we always include each of you in our expressions of Gratitude and requests for blessings.This little update hasn’t been too ‘playful’ or ‘funny’ or ‘full of fantastic news’ nor is there anything particularly dynamic. But we do love you all and feel it to be the greatest privilege of our lives to joined with you here on earth and forever.Love Mom and Dad (And Chantel)