D&D Update (March 2017)

Sent: 03/5/2017   From Derek
 Subject: Brief D&D Update - Laylaisms, Basement, Museum Lecture and Michael Phelps

Hey Family, Just a brief update. :) 

• Ani lost her other front tooth last week and looks really cute with her too front teeth gone. Noelle is walking about 10 steps before falling and really loves to practice walking. We all clap when she does and she falls and smiles and claps too. 
• Layla has been saying the most random things lately that end up being really funny. Here are a few: 

'Daddy, you cannot be my friend." Oh really? Why not? I really want to be your friend! "Well, you need to have a small head, and a small face like mine, and also tiny shoes." 

(pointing to a VW Bug) "Mommy, what is that? Hehe... a little Taxi??" Haha... its a car. It's called a VW Bug, or Beetle. Layla: (cracking up) Hehehehe, that's not a bug!! That's a little Taxi!!"

"Mommy! Hurry! They're catching us!" Who's catching us?? "The monsters!!" What monsters? "The monsters. They're scary!!" Oh, it's okay. Monsters aren't real. Nobody is chasing us. "Well, they are here now."

• I got roped into speaking at an event downtown this month. It's the Evenings at the Museum series, and I'll be speaking about the Welfare system. I guess the audience is mostly senior missionaries who serve downtown - so Mom and Dad, if you have any tips, let me know. :) I've attached the flyer. 
• Danielle and I went through a house that is for sale in our community a couple weeks ago (we aren't looking to move - but we love going through homes). It was SO beautiful. Too bad it was crazy expensive and more than double our mortgage. :) It motivated us to re-do our basement a little, and we installed a little theater system and reorganized things and we like the space a lot better now. 
• I attended a Digital Media Conference this week at the Grand America (put on by my old employer Qualtrics). I cannot believe how this company has taken off. When I worked there, I was employee number 7, and I literally worked in the owners basement. It's now a Billion dollar company. They had big speakers at this conference including Michael Phelps and some famous writers and speakers. Impressive. I'm so glad to be doing what I do for a living now. I love my job and I feel like it is meaningful and fulfilling. Still, I can't help but wonder what our life would be like if I had stayed at Qualtrics instead of leaving to get my MBA in Hawaii. :) We love our life how it is though and wouldn't change it for all that money! :) 

Hope everyone is doing well! We look forward to seeing lots of you at Jen and Gray's today!

Love,

D&D and Kids