Need a Smile?

With permission, I am posting one of my all-time favorite family pictures.  This captures the dynamics of this family perfectly!  How I laugh every time I see this picture!

Have a wonderful, happy day!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Another wonderful day to celebrate Tyler's birthday.  I don't have many pictures of him....unless he is with his family.  That pretty much sums up Tyler!  I love to watch him interact with each of his sweet girls.  Jade and Lilly both know how much they are loved by their daddy!  Tyler brings a contagious feeling of joy and laughter when he is in the room.  People love to talk to him and interact with him.  I am so very proud of this son of ours.  Can't wait to see what this next year brings!

 

T - Trustworthy and honorable as he continues to serve and teach others through his example both at church and in his daily life.
Y - You know Tyler's in the room with his contagious laugh
L - Loves and adores his beautiful wife and girls...and looks forward to their new baby boy!
E - Easygoing, everyone loves to be around him, and enjoys friendships with all
R - Rarely gets upset, as Tyler can make friends with anyone in any circumstance.

Happy Birthday Tyler!  We love you!!



Happy Birthday Tyler

Today, is quite a normal day for this son of ours.  I called him this morning to see if he was doing anything "fun".  He said he slept in....till 6:30 a.m.
Wow..... 
Some of my favorite things about Tyler:
* With Tyler's new business, he is working hard to provide for his family.  They are so important to him and it shows in everything he does. He has gained a reputation as a hard worker and an honest business man.
*  I love to watch Tyler tease and tickle Jade and cuddle with their newest, Lilly.  Lilly is looking more and more like her dad....is that a good thing??  These two girls love their daddy!
* Tyler still ends every phone call with an "love ya". It makes my day!  He always takes time to listen to me and help me when I have something to fix.  He is great at that!
* I love how Tyler and Jenny are building family traditions.  Together, they create a wonderful home and learning environment for their sweet daughters.  They work together, support each other, and continue to build wonderful memories.

Tyler is not one for taking pictures, and so my blog will just have to show Tyler at his best moments - with his family. I'm so thankful for this young dad - brother - and son.  He brings joy to our lives and we are blessed to have a son like Tyler.
Happy Birthday - We love you!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Another celebration in our family.  Even tho Tyler and his family are spending this special day in Yuma, I want him to know how much I love this son of ours!  I think the best words to describe Tyler would be happy - content - a true family man.I have watched Tyler love kids his whole life.  They have always felt that love and he has always...always had a flock of kids surrounding him.

Today, things haven't really changed.  Tyler puts his family first in his life and he is a wonderful husband and father.  He works hard to provide for them and in the end....he is rewarded with this:

Happy Birthday, Tyler!!
We love you - your family loves you....it can't get better than that!!

Wanna Smile??

"How come you haven't blogged?"  "Are you going to blog soon?"  "Mom...you are falling behind!"
OK - OK!  The weeks that nothing amazingly spectacular happens in our family, I slack off and forget to blog the fun, happy moments that make life.  I resolve to do better!

Last Sunday was one cold, cold day.  It was beautiful, crisp, and after some unexpected hail we could see that the Superstition Mountains got a dusting of snow.  Beautiful!!  Just wish I had a camera with a mega-zoom to capture that!

Jacque returned from a trip to the Dunes with her friends and a large group of people.  She had a blast and didn't end up at the hospital.  Crazy, crazy young adults!!
This week Jacque received news that she is the recipient of a CCNS Book Scholarship for Spring 2011.  She had to write a 250-word essay on leadership.  Way to go Jacque!!

Saturday (yesterday) Tyler, Jenny, and Jade came to visit and help me nourish my flower beds.  We introduced Jade to irrigation.  Man, she had a blast!  We all had fun watching her play in that wonderful irrigated, duck-infested water

 

The simple things.....who knew irrigation could be so much fun? Oh...wait...she IS Tyler's daughter

Yes, Tyler and Aaron ALSO enjoyed the irrigation water....following in her daddy's footsteps!!

Perfect Moments of Life

Is my life perfect?  No - far from it - but every once in awhile, moments happen, events that when reflected upon bring a smile to your face and can lighten any mood.  We had one of those on Sunday.  I wish I had more pictures to share.
Usually, on Sunday, my wonderful parents have their family over on Sunday evening for an amazing meal that they have usually spent most of the day preparing.  It always includes warm, homemade bread, a wonderful main dish - or as we say - "a culinary masterpiece", and the best part - all family who can come.  Sunday evenings are a tradition.  I look forward to this special evening with my parents and family.
On occasion, all families have other conflicts.  So, Sunday evening, our family of cooks created a meal for Grammy and Grampy at our house.  We have some very talented cooks amongst us, so we cooked up an Italian taster's delight.  Aaron worked on the meatballs and spaghetti - I was put in charge of "watching" the sauce.  This is what happens when you do NOT watch the sauce!

(hmmm....no....it's balsamic for Jenny!)

We also had "Chicken and Shrimp with Panceta Chimichurri" which is grilled chicken and shrimp with the delicious sauce with pancetta sprinkled on top.  Jacque whipped up her "Fusilli with Spicy Pesto" - all handmade and de-li-cious!  Jenny created a salad with greens, fruit, and a wonderful poppy seed dressing.  And of course - Grampy brought his bread sticks - seasoned to perfection for an Italian dinner!

After, we were all stuffed past being comfortable, so we rested awhile and watched old movies.  After all these years, Brad finally found a program to his liking and now......

drum roll please.....

Our old movies - OLD movies - are on our computer and can be accessed from our TV....WA-LA!!

We cracked up as we watched Aaron perform Tae-kwon-do, Tyler battle for the last chair playing Musical chairs on his 8th Birthday, Jacque performing and remembering how little she was, and Aly - her hair and her low "man-voice" when she was small. 

During this time...you ask...what was Jade doing?  Oh, she found a new toy amongst a few we have accumulated...it was the drawer all the toys are in.  Funny, Funny little angel!

Dessert was created by Savannah - some yummy brownies with ice-cream.  A perfect ending to a perfect meal and a wonderful evening with our family.  Life is good and sweet - I plan on relishing these moments for a very long time!