To Cassie, Love Reagan!

Reagan Lee was so excited that she is finally able to fit into this special dress. Given to her by her "big sister" Cassie. Reagan wants to say to Cassie that she misses you, loves you and can't wait to see you!
Thanks for the dress!
Lots of Love,
Reagan

Aloha!

Maui was awesome!!!!!
5 days in paradise, it was heavenly. We stayed on the northwest side of the island in Ka'anapali at the end of a line of hotels right along the beach. We could see the beach and the ocean from our room. The sounds of the waves and wind was constant on our trip. I can still hear them. We went up to the Haleakala Crater and watched the sunrise, biked down the winding road of the volcano and ended up back at our hotel at about 11am. Then we spent the rest of the day by the pool and the beach. The rest of the trip was spent at the Spa Moana getting Lumi Lumi massages & facials, snorkling at Black Rock (Kristin saw a huge sea turtle near the top of the water and thought it was a shark, freaked out and swallowed a bunch of sea water ), driving the Road to Hana (amazing ), Parasailing, eating great food (Kristin even tried Jens's fish ), and laying out on the beach. It definitely was the best vacation we have EVER taken. We "highly recommend". On the back of our map we found a quote.
In the 1800's, Mark Twain wrote rapturously of his vacation on Maui: "....I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I never spent so pleasant a month before or bade any place goodbye so regretfully. I have not once thought of business, or care or human toil or trouble or sorrow or weariness...and the memory of it will remain with me forever."

We both said, "So True!" .....some pictures....

We could have easily never come home but, we had to get back to our babies. They had a wonderful time with their Aunt Kaci and we are so grateful to her for taking such good care of them and for loving them so well. Reagan did a wonderful job at her dance recital, Briggsy's team won their soccer game and Eryn got used to a new schedule.....playing at the park, playing Pollies, jumping on the trampoline... it was "all Eryn, all the time!" Now, back to the routine for a little more than a week. We close on the 2nd and fly out either that night or the next morning. Off to our new home and new life in San Jose.

Can~Can

"Lift your legs up in the air...shake, shake, shake your derriere!"
Reagan attended her dance class
recital "dress-rehersal" where she, along with her class-mates, performed the can~can for the residents of Timberhill Retirement Community. The residents loved it, the dancers were awsome and they had a great time. Reagan is really going to miss Jonna's dance class. Ms. Jonna is one of a kind. She's a great teacher. Very kind, outgoing and lots of fun to be around. Reagan can't wait until May to perform at their actual Dance Recital! 

Back To The Routine...

Well.......it's been an interesting week....
First of all, Jens and I had a great time in San Jose! We enjoyed navigating and finding our favorite areas. We had fun working out in the hotel gym and walking down to the corner Bagel Street for breakfast. Of course, it wasn't complete without stopping next door to Starbucks for Kristin's Venti Iced Soy Chai. We spent Thursday traveling north to have lunch with our good friend Dan Oditt then over the Bay Bridge to check out San Francisco. It was a beautiful day. The only day that wasn't cloudy and didn't rain. Friday we drove south to Santa Cruz. Checked out the beach, picked up seashells for the kids and then headed over to Gilroy and the outlets there. Good thing Jens was in the shopping mood. After a "bit" of shopping we went to see The Benchwarmers. It was pretty funny!
Saturday morning a tearful Kristin headed toward her gate......But very excited to see her kids. After arriving home safely and getting some pretty big hugs....Eryn turned to Oma and said, "This is my mommy!" So cute that, despite her unwillingness, Mommy got another BIG SQUEEZE! We spent a wonderful Easter weekend with Oma and the family that are still here with us in San Antonio. We can't thank our special Oma enough for the love and care she gives to all of us. She is so much fun to be around and we were all sad to see her go.

Then, more company...as Oma headed out our good friend Loralee headed in. She was able to stay with us for three nights of Great conversation and one day spent shopping in Fredericksburg. It was a lot of fun. So......
Last night was the first night of actual "loneliness". It did take a little time for me to fall asleep, but we all had a good sleep, despite the loud rain, thunder and lightning storm in the middle of the night. (it's about time!)
Just wanted to thank all Family and Friends for your love, support and patience with us (me! ) It's been a crazy time......does it ever stop? Still, I feel truly blessed. I know Heavenly Father is leading and guiding our family to where we need to be. And, I couldn't do any of this without the help of visits, phone calls, e-mails, etc. from all of you.

Love, Hugs and Kisses to all......
~Kristi & Family

For Sale!

It's officially on the market, although they have yet to put up the sign, and it's Jens's last day. Almost 9 years with JPMorgan Chase Bank. It's bitter sweet. We're all excited, yet nervous, yet sad. Fare thee well beautiful Hill Country. You've been good to us. "Do I really have to leave my house? I love my house!"

Our New Metro.....

........actually it's a Mazda3 hatchback and we love it. It's very fun to zip around in. The kids like it a lot. Eryn Jane calls it "Mommy's Truck!"
In one more week Jens and I will be in San Jose searching for a place to live. Oma will be coming into town to watch the kiddos for us. We're all very excited. Jens will be staying there and starting work on the 17th. We're going to miss him. Eryn races to him in the mornings and when he comes home from work screaming "Daddy's home!" I think he'll miss his little girl the most. Those BIG hugs and sweet cheeks and lips.
The house goes on sale this Friday.....so we're trying to get it into good shape. Things have been busy, but good. Everyone has been so very supportive and helpful and we really appreciate it. What would we do without our family and good friends?  

Our Newest Family Portrait

Thanks Gary & Kaci! We Love It!

~Briggs Loves Being a Cub Scout~

On Thursday Briggs attended his first ever Pinewood Derby race. He had so much fun making his car, with help from Dad. Mom tried to help with the painting, but that didn't really work out. Briggs knew what to do and just exactly how he wanted to paint his car. Mom asked him that night if he wanted her and his sisters there to cheer him on, he said, "Well, is it okay if Dad and I just go?" Maybe it was the pressure of his first race or maybe he just wanted some father~son time. Whatever the reason, the girls respected his wishes. After it was over, he ran inside the house hollaring with excitement. "3rd Place" "Woohoo!" He didn't realize that it was 3rd place out of 3 Wolves, but we were still very proud of him. He was pretty proud as well. So, Congratulations to Briggs. We're so glad you had a great time at your first Derby. We Love You!

Setting them up!







Way To Go Briggs!

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

Hey all! Although we don't know his official start date, Congratulations to Jens. He's got a new job. Ebay has hired him as Global Manager of Collections, or something like that. I'll have him blog in more detail later. But, we're very happy for him. This means that the Dunford Family will be trading views of "bluebonnet pastures" for the "big blue Pacific". Yes, we will be moving to San Jose, California. We're sad to leave Texas. The last 5 years here have been great for us, but we are excited to try something new. A new adventure, if you will. The kids are in for a little let down. They think that ,since we are moving to Cali, they'll get to go to Sea World and Disneyland and Legoland everyday. I think they'll still like it. What's most exciting about this move is that now we'll be only 5-6 hours away from our best friends the Beechers, instead of about 20 hours away. Hooray!!!! and also, a little bit closer to home. We'll keep you posted about his start date and other details. The kids and I will, most likely, be staying till the first of June after school is finished. Jens might be flying solo in Cali for a while. Hugs & Kisses to all! We love ya!

Farewell Spring Break!

We had so much fun this week. Kelli, Gary, Jake, Kaitlin and their friends Kyle and Kaylie came to visit. We enjoyed having them here. We spent the week eating at Rudy's, celebrating Katie's 13th birthday, spending a whole day at Sea World, shopping in Fredericksburg, and having a lot of fun. It was Eryn Jane's first time at Sea World and she loved it. She sat as still as can be throughout the whole Shamu show and the 15 mins waiting for it to start, for those of you who know E.J. that's a big thing. Kaitlin spent most of the week with Ryann on one arm and Reagan on the other. Briggs got just what he was waiting for, more boys to play PS2 with. The week went by too fast and we miss them all already. We'd say that they're welcome back to San Antonio anytime, but until we know for sure where our home will be, we'll say that they're welcome to come stay with us, wherever we are, anytime. To all our family and friends, wherever we are, Mi casa es su casa!

What a week.......nothing much happened. I tried out my new carpet cleaner and it works as good as can be expected. Got two calls on Friday from the school nurse, both Briggs and Reagan ended up in her office from minor playground bumps and bruises. But they're doin' okay.
We enjoyed having Alex and Marcus over this weekend while Tom and Mel visited Austin. The boys were awesome, as always. We went and saw "Hoodwinked" yesterday, visited a skateboard shop and Target, and then grabbed some dinner and hung out at home. We hope they had a good time here with us.
Jens and I are trying to decide what to do for our big "10year" anniversary this summer. We've been checking out the deals on expedia. We always promised eachother that we'd be back to Hawaii in 10, but we're not too sure how we're going to do that. We're thinking of other things we can do to make it just as memorable. If anyone has any ideas, let us know.
Well, that's this week in a nutshell. We're missing you all. Hope everyone is well and happy. Let us know how you're doing so we don't have to guess.......And Families.....start and/or keep your Blogs up.....what's that about???
Love ya!!!

~ Reality Sets In ~

After a busy few months, things are starting to slow down. We are really wishing we were hanging out with our best friends on this fine Super Bowl Sunday. I have to admit, and I know this will shock most of you, that I don't know much and have never been too interested in sports. But I would watch any game, any time, any where, for days on end, if we had the Beecher's back! We're thinking where we are going to get season passes, and it's just not that exciting anymore. Who am I going to hand out with this summer??? No one will really compare, so I'll be missin' the old days.......
Okay, to lighten the mood, funny story......About three weeks ago the calendar for Missionary Dinners came my way....all the Sundays in February were filled up, except Sunday, Feb.5th. Yes, I did the unthinkable, and to Jens's dismay, signed up to feed the missionaries today! It's alright, I feel good about it. Jens said, "As long as we eat at 4pm!!" Didn't you wonder why no one else signed up?"
Everything else is going very well. We bought our own steam carpet cleaner and can't decide between a membership at Spectrum gym and a Spin Bike......hmmmm! a little help/advice would be nice if anyone has any......
That's it and all we're up to.

Sunday dinner at the Deyo home. It was our last night with Granna. We ate a wonderful dinner, thank you Geoff, and were able to relax and visit. Reagan and Ryann enjoyed singing Aly & AJ songs on the Karaoke while Max & Eryn played with trains. We had a great time.

We enjoyed having Granna with us for over a week. If we could Grannanap her and bring her here to live with us, we would in a heartbeat. Everytime she's here we wonder how we did anything without her. The love and spirit that she brings into our home cannot be measured. So, to Granna, thanks so much for coming, we love you.
We did lots of fun things while she was here. Of course, she was here for Briggs's baptism and birthday. She went to the production of "Annie" with Ryann Julia and Danielle and had a wonderful time. She was able to utilize her counselor abilities and help Kristin with a Primary Activity. She also got to spend time with two of her favorite San Antonio resident daughters in Fredricksburg shopping, laughing and eating fudge and Bratwurst. But once Danielle told us both what Bratwurst was actually made of, we could hardly touch em'. Sorry Oma!
We Love You!
We Miss You!
We, SO, enjoyed having you here, like always!
Come back soon!

~ uncle Jason & Briggs
~ Oma & Briggs
~ Granna & kids
~ Oma's Grandkids 

Briggs's Baptism Day! In his own words...he had the most exciting & embarrassing day of his whole life. We all spent the day with family. The baptism was at 2pm, it went wonderfully. Reagan lee sang "When I Am Baptized" and sounded so beautiful. She missed Cassie, her singing partner, but she was a trooper and did a great job. As soon as she started singing Eryn Jane set down her trains, ran up next to her and started dancing. Everyone liked that. Briggs smiled and looked down at his fingers fiddling with his tie the whole time. Oma gave a very nice talk, the Spirit was definitely felt by many and we were all so happy to be there with Briggs on his very special day. To Granna, Oma, Melanie, Tom, Alex, Marcus, Jason, Tiffany, Dani, Geoff, Ryann, Max, & so many Friends...Thanks so much for being there. We so appreciate your love and support. After visiting and eating way too many cookies, we went home so Briggs could build his LEGO TURBOTANK that his Oma bought him for his birthday and baptism. Yes, he IS spoiled! We then sang Happy Birthday and he blew out 8 candles on his Reeses Peanut Butter Cake. After opening MORE presents, including a bank from Oma, Picture and candy from Grandma, and scriptures with a carrying case from the Philippines that his Dad gave him, we all took off to Chuy's to eat dinner. OHHHHH SOOOO GOOOD! Everyone had so much fun. It was a very nice day. One that Briggs will remember forever, we hope. Because we know we'll never forget it. To Briggs, Please always know what a very, very, very special boy you are. You have a beautiful spirit, you are smart, talented, strong and caring. Mom & Dad love you so much, always, and we're so proud of you. We know that your Heavenly Father is proud of you too and that He loves you.  

Happy Birthday Briggsy!!! 8 years old today!!! Briggs wants to tell Craig, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the Tie Interceptor Lego!" "Awesome!!" and also to Kelli, Gary, Jake & Kaitlin, "Thank you for the Hermit Crab Island. When I opened it Eryn Jane said, "Cool Briggs". I love it. I'm going to the pet store tomorrow to buy a new Hermit Crab and I can't wait! " He's had a great birthday so far, and the good times just keep on'a comin'. Last night we picked up Granna , Oma, Jason and Tiffany from the airport and we'll be meeting with them and San Antonio Fam at Peter Piper Pizza tonight. Then, it's shopping tomorrow morning with Oma.....Baptism @ 2pm.......Taco Cabana (Briggsy's favorite) for dinner.....and birthday cake and more presents back at home. This must be one special kid. Well, we think so anyways!
He's so excited to be baptized and we couldn't be more proud of him....well, maybe if he didn't tease his little sisters so much, that might add some bonus points. j/k. So, thanks to all who came out for his special day. We love having you here. And to all back in AZ & Cali.....we miss you , love you and wish you were here. 

Eryn Jane learns to speak spanish from Dora the Explorer: Like Dora, Eryn is an explorer. She loves adventure. Her latest thrill seeking has led her to climbing mount computer desk. Mom and Dad weren't too worried. "At least she's not climbing up on our ledge, dangling and almost plummiting down to the hard tile below, like she used to," stated her parents. Until yesterday when Eryn climbed higher than she had ever been and reached the unthinkable....the Scissors. "So," stated Eryn's father, "ever since she made two 5 inch scratches accross my LCD screen TV, we've been extra cautious." Eryn's family has now been checking on her more frequently. As her mother walked in on her trying to climb the desk again, she turned quickly to her stomach to slide down, but realized the chair, with which she could safely reach the ground, was not close enough. Panicked, she yelled, " Mommy, Help! Help! Ayuda Me! Ayuda Me! " Eryn's mother, amid her laughter, was able to help her safely to the ground. Eryn, along with being an adventurer is also Bilingual. Just like Dora!

Kaci came to visit and we had a blast! She arrived Saturday night and, sadly, left this evening. Sunday was Karaoke Night at the Deyo's house. We figured out that Briggs likes to sing back-up vocals,which he calls sound effects. Kaci introduced us to Tofu, couscous and "better than cream cheese" while we introduced her to Yoga. She really needed the relaxation poses and meditation after 4 days with 5 neices and nephews. It was fun...
All in all, she was a real trooper, great with the kids and so much fun to have around. Already, something is missing.....the sooner she can get back here the better. To Kaci, we love you....thanks so much for coming to visit us....it was a Fantastic Four Days!!!!

Happy Birthday....

Stacey and Gary

(January 7th)

We Love you and hope you had a

Wonderful Day!