This past month we went hiking at Picacho Peak with the kids. It was so pretty and fun! The wild flowers were in full bloom and the weather was just perfect. We thought we should hike before the weather got too hot.


Tom and Kellen on the old school swings. They were so fun.

Katie got up pretty high on the swing.

Hi dad!!

Yes! Our dog's tongue is really that long! Her name is Cassie. She is the sweetest dog ever BUT her tongue is crazy long. She came on the hike with us. This is what she looks like when she's panting.

On the trail with dad.

Katie and Kellen had fun sitting amongst the flowers. This picture was taken just before I stepped on a cactus. Yep, that was fun. I was wearing flip flops (this was not an intense hike) and the cactus went right through the rubber.

Kellen and Katie in the kids cave.

No hike is complete without a stop at Dairy Queen. We had some yummy cones. Katie and Kellen like them a lot!

Girls Night out

The other night Katie and I went to a Little & Big Girls Night Out. We went to dinner at Barros Pizza and then saw Annie at a local high school. Katie had SO much fun with her little friends. She has known these girls since she was two. They will always be her best friends.

Jamie, Ashlyn, Amelia & Katie. This was their gigantic hug goodbye.

Jamie, Amelia, Katie and Ashlyn. They sat in the row ahead of us. They thought they were so big and independent! They had such a good time!!! We are so grateful for our forever friends!

Cookies with Grandma

We were so lucky to live with Grandpa & Grandma Lyle for a little while. The kids really got to know their grandparents. They also found out that Grandma Lyle is really good at making cookies. Every chance they got they would make cookies with grandma. Here they are making sugar cookies, Katie's choice, and having a lovely time of it!

Katie, Grandma Lyle, and Kellen making yummy sugar cookies.


Katie discovered that you cannot make sugar cookies without getting flour all over the counter and, of course, your face!


Kellen had to join in the get-flour-all-over fun too!


Just a quick pic of Katie.

Valentines Day dinner

My mom was very fancy this year and made every part of our dinner in a heart shape. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a yummy cookie-all in the shape of a heart.

Valentines Day 2010

I realize that I am finally posting these pictures in April but I can that it's better late than never!This year in stead of just handing our kids little Valentine gifts that they should "fish" for them instead. They each got to cast their fishing pole over the balcony and hope that a little gift would grab onto their line. My Grandpa and Grandma Lyle would do this every time we had a family reunion, and we all loved it! We even went fishing as adults. The kids had a great time.

Katie and Kellen are getting ready to send the fishing pole into the "Valentines Day Fishing Hole."

Katie is hoping for a yummy treat.

Sorry Katie, I cannot change the sideways picture.

Of course we had to have a Valentines Day hair-do. She had two hearts on the her head for church that day.

What's a harlot?

Tonight we were reading in the scriptures and it mentioned the word "harlot". Here is the conversation that took place after hearing that word.

Tom: .....(reading) harlot....(reading)

Kellen: Dad, what's a harlot?

Tom: A naughty lady.

Kellen: Oh,....(pause)...is Mom a harlot?

Me: What???!!! No!!!!

Katie: No. Is Grandma a harlot?

Me: No!!!

Tom & I were laughing so hard!!!!

As you can see, we try to be good and read together as a family every night but it seems that it turns into a big laugh fest because of the questions that are raised.

Our little miracle

Sometimes miracles are just too good not to share. I think that talking about small miracles just reminds me about how much our family has been blessed. About a year and a half ago I was sitting in a Relief Society presidency meeting. Our president went around the table and asked about what trials we were facing at that time. Each of us talked about our trials. At that point in time Tom was going through his first layoff. I remember distinctly saying that I think our trial would be over when all of our money was "out". I am not sure where I got that line but it came out. Fast forward almost two years....

The other day Tom came down stairs and told me of a little miracle that just occurred. He just found out that his unemployment would stop the week before he started his new job. I guess what I said almost two years ago "our trial would be over when all of our money was "out"" was true. We are so blessed to be living with my parents and having a roof over our head. We are also very blessed to have a job now. We are grateful that Heavenly Father watches over us each day. We are very grateful that he always stretches our faith as far as it can go and therefore truly teaching us patience and gratitude. We extremely grateful for all our little miracles!!