TAKE A HIKE!

On Saturday we decided last minute to bundle the kids up and take a hike---to the "A" mountain in Tempe. It was a great hike! The sun was setting as we were finishing up, so we got some great pictures. Wyatt absoluely loved the hike and was ready for more! We really should take advantage of the good weather and take hikes more often.

SOME OTHER STUFF

Wyatt decided to go find a chair for himself and eat on the table with Luke. What a smile! Cute kid.
Yeowch! Wyatt fell into the table and almost bit through his lip. Not fun.

SHOWERED WITH LOVE

Connie's having a baby boy! Saturday we had a shower for my sister Connie and it was a lot of fun! Thanks to Jenny and Carrie for your help, and Connie too! I was really excited to have a shower for Connie. I just really wanted her to feel loved and so I hope she felt that. Connie, I am looking forward to seeing little "Mikee", even if he is a whopping 9 lbs! He'll be that much cuter. Thank you also to all the friends and family that showed up. We had a great turn out! Sorry I didn't get more pictures! I had both the boys with me and Luke didn't want to nap. Maybe that's because he knew Misty would be there?! Here are a few pictures from Saturday.

...and last but not least, Abbie, Luke (hangin' with the big kids) & Wyatt

CATCHING UP

The highs: (in no particular order)

*Traveling to Tucson for sweet baby Elizabeth's blessing-the boys did great!

*Spending lots of time with family/friends---THANK YOU to everyone for all of your love and support for our family!! We were blessed to have many willing babysitters and lots of food brought in.

*A trip up to Pinetop-free of kids

*A fun sister-in-law lunch

*Luke sitting up, crawling, and standing!

*Luke finally got his 1st tooth!

*Preparing for our cruise in March!
*Going to the temple with my husband
*A new prophet and counselers

The lows:

*Everyone getting sick

*Breathing treatments

*Luke sitting up, crawling, and standing!

*Luke finally got his 1st tooth!

*President Hinkley passing

*Cold weather

As many of you have heard, my sweet Mom and best friend passed away on Saturday, January 19, 2008. After 14 months of lying in bed unable to talk or move, we felt she was ready to go on. Her funeral will be Friday at 10 am. My family is doing well. How grateful I am for the gospel and for the knowledge that I have. I KNOW where she is and I KNOW she is happy. I have been looking through family pictures for a slide show that we are putting together of her, and I am reminded of how beautiful she is both inside and out. I will always cherish the many memories I have of her! Life has changed a great deal for us, but we know we will see her again someday. I miss her and love her with all of my heart, but I can truly say that I am happy for her! She is free!!

On a much happier note...

This is how I make it through! I am grateful for my 2 beautiful and energetic boys! I couldn't imagine life without them and the craziness that they bring.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Today I walked into Luke's room and watched him grab onto the tallest part of his crib and pull himself up to standing position! As I stood there watching him hold on and bounce up and down I thought to myself, "You've got to be kidding me! Where has my baby gone?" Luke will be 7 months on the 14th and already he is sitting up and crawling...I feel like it's way too soon. We're so in trouble.

I know this isn't a picture of him standing, but this was too cute! I walked in on him again today and saw this. I love how he's peering over the top.

A NEW YEAR!

Happy 2008! I always love a new year. For me it's a fresh start; a chance to do better and to be better. On New Year's Eve Jared and I decided to keep things simple. After going to the store and grabbing something for dinner we headed over to Jared's brother's house and hung out with their family. I had a fun time beating everyone in pool (pure luck) and then breaking Jared's winning streak in Foosball!! We're sorry we missed out on Carrie's fondue party! We heard the night was a hit, Carrie! Jared and I had one heck of a year last year! Some of the things we accomplished; moving to AZ from TN, Jared buying the practice, buying a house, and adding another boy to the family. We were busy!

One thing I would like to do more this year...go on more dates with Jared! Last weekend Jared and I ate at a place called TRADER VIC'S in Scottsdale. Wait, let me back up a little. Jared is obsessed with the song Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. Don't worry, if you haven't heard of it you're not alone. In the song it mentions a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's. Jared's sister, Julie is aware of Jared's obsession, and so when she heard about a Trader Vic's right here in AZ she had to let us know and Jared couldn't wait to go! It was a fun night and we enjoyed sharing our Trader Vic's experience with Brad and Julie! I will always remember to never order a rack of lamb. Or maybe just don't ask for it medium well. Brad's dish was pretty much charred and the meat he did have wasn't meat at all, but fat. Thanks Brad for the bite of fat! Julie, nice choice with the crispy duck. Jared, many thanks for ordering the halibut. The chef didn't feel like it turned out the way it should, so we had to wait awhile for our food. In the meantime we munched on free appetizers and later enjoyed our free dessert! The food really was good and the dessert was even better. Maybe that's because it contained alcohol?! **Once we found out it contained alcohol we stopped eating it right away! I love dates.

I LOVE BATMAN