Fun with Ally

Ally was able to come home last week end and we all loved having her here. Kaden just wants to know why she can't go to college at UNLV! We love you Ally and we are missing you already.
Next time bring Amy with you too!
Jennie and Chad went to California for a couple of days and so we got to have the kiddos...
I'm so glad Ally was home to help!

Kaden is playing football and baseball this season and Aunt Ally got to go to two of his games.

Olivia loves Ally's original "Family Guess Who" game...
(Allyson put pictures of our family over every "Guess Who" picture. The kids love this game now!)

We got to see Jackson play two baseball games too. He is also playing soccer...
week ends are filled going from one game to the next. (I love it!)

Saturday night Taylor got to go with a friend & her friends mom to the Miley Cyrus concert! She had so much fun and was "wired" when she got home...It was cute to see her so excited and giddy about going to a concert.
She did say her ears kinda hurt though.


Levi was such a good boy & even made it through all three hours of church! He loves his Aunt Ally.


Papa Jack loved seeing his Ally too. They both shared their testimonies in church today...it was wonderful.
Come home again soon OK?

Celebrate...

It was fun to go to lunch today with lots of great friends to celebrate Michelle's Birthday...

Happy, Happy Birthday Michelle!

Ahhhhhh...

Allyn and I spent last week end looking at this beautiful view. It was great to get away for a couple of days. The only thing not so good was I had a cold the whole time and a sore throat...yuck! But, I'm sure the ocean breezes helped me to get better a lot quicker...any time they want us to listen to another time share presentation and get to stay at a beautiful place like this one in Newport Beach...We're there!


When we got home our air conditioner wasn't working, the phone wouldn't work and the internet was down!! Finally today everything is up and running...Yea! I realized that sometimes I don't appreciate all the little things that make life enjoyable until I don't have them. I'm definitely appreciating them now!!

Levi

One year old Levi is so flippin cute! He's a walking, crazy, adorable, trouble-making, heart melter!!

He's so sweet we could just eat him up!

forever friends...

You know the kind of friends that even if you don't see them for a really long time, you just pick up right where you left off as if you were just with them yesterday? The kind of friends that fill you up with love, laughter and genuine caring. The kind of friends who make you a better person because you know them. I am so blessed to have wonderful friends, those kind of friends, who enrich my life. Oh, I love them...
"No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."

Francois Mocuriac

I wish I had more pictures. (I'm definitely missing lots!) You know I don't take enough pictures...

"I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me. I'd like to be the help that you've been always glad to be; I'd like to mean as much to you each minute of the day, as you have meant old friend of mine, to me along the way."

Edgar A. Guest

"Friendship is the golden thread that ties all hearts together..."

Super Sunday

There were 14 of us for dinner yesterday... And Allyn (meetings) and Chad (out of town) weren't even there! Papa Jack loved having seven of his great grandkids for a big group hug XO after dinner. I hope the sister missionaries weren't too overwhelmed with all the chaos. It was great to have them here. We missed you Amy and Ally...

P.S. Chad finished 8th in his division at his big bike race LOTOJA on Saturday.
Way to go Chadly...Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY on a bicycle...that's crazy!

Utah...

We have been missing Amy and Allyson big time!
So, last week end was spent loving very minute being with our youngest daughters.

It was great to be able to watch Amy coach for the first time.
And it was awesome to have her show us the almost ready condo that she just bought!
The view from the balcony is beautiful!!! We are still in shock that Amy is only about six hours away instead of Ghana or India or some other far away place...I know that it probably won't be too long before she is off exploring another part of our beautiful world, but for now we just couldn't be happier that she is only a short drive away. XO

It was great to take Dave and Sue to dinner. They are such wonderful friends... for over 2o years! They are incredible to have Amy live with them till her condo is ready. Amy feels loved and cared for as if she was their own daughter...and Sue can help her laugh even after an unbelievably stressful day!
We just can't say thank you enough to these dear friends...you're the best!

Kalvin's blessing day was wonderful and we loved being able to be there.
He is such a beautiful baby boy...

Kelly and Tyler are such cute new parents!

Ally and Brad enjoyed spending some time together...these cute cousins are both so busy, they don't get to see much of each other. Brad is going to school and working two jobs.
Ally is going to school full time and loving being in her elementary ed program...

Amy took Allyn and I on a personal tour of her amazing high school. It is huge! She is very, very busy being an
AP Psychology, Psychology, AP Human Geography, and World Civilization teacher
along with assistant volleyball coach!! I honestly don't know how she does it all!!!!


We had a great week end and can't wait to go and see the girls again!

Beautiful Baptism Dress for a Beautiful Girl

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from one of Jennie's good friends. Trisha was in quite a bind because the dress that she had ordered for her daughter Karlie for her baptism was way too big and too expensive and difficult to have altered ...so she asked me if I would be interested in making Karlie one. I told her that I would love to... and then I thought about it...this was my first job sewing a dress and I was very nervous!!! Yikes!!~ The fabric was silk taffeta...& that in its self made me nervous! Karlie is very thin and tall (she is absolutely adorable!... I think a gunny sack would have looked beautiful on her!) But, a regular pattern wasn't going to work, so I had to adjust one to work. I started Monday evening and Wednesday night Trisha brought Karlie over to try it on. The look on Karlie's face when she put it on was priceless. I got goose bumps looking at her and seeing how excited she was.
The dress fit her like a glove and she looked like a princess!

Doesn't Karlie look beautiful?!!! She is soooo cute!
You know what's really crazy... I remember when Trisha (Karlie's mom) was 8 years old and getting baptized!