I am so glad that we replaced all of our windows last year so that they now can open! My windows are open and I am enjoying the breeze of an overcast day...yea! It's been roasting and soo sunny out here. It's nice to have the 70s instead of the 90s. But, this is not complaining...it's just being thankful:) Our winter was too, too long!
Speaking of winter, we are getting ready to buy a boiler for the hot water heat in our home. I know this is necessary. I know that we will be so happy with it. It will be nice knowing that our old clunker isn't going to give out on us at any time. I know that it's an investment. But, I am telling you, I would much rather go on a cruise, fly to Hawaii for a week, or the many other fun things you can do with lots of money.
Oh well. We will be warm all winter and saving money each month so I am sure that it is worth it! The joys of being a homeowner:) And I am VERY thankful to be one!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Here is Levi's car cake!
Yeah, I pretty much free-handed the whole thing...said in a Napoleon Dynamite voice...hahaha. Which is why the spoiler is falling off and I about shredded the whole thing with a knife half-way through. I think it turned out pretty cute! The neon green was thanks to Brittney. She thought it was "cool" and Levi agreed! Fun!
Levi's 6th Birthday!
This is the usual celebration of Levi's birthday. We met Becca and her group at the zoo...we missed Grandma and Grandpa Lyon who usually go with us on this excursion.
You can't tell, but that alligator had his mouth wide open!
The photo spot!
Aren't they cute... and oh, so hot!!!
I had to get a picture of them actually enthralled by an animal! Are your kids like this? They go to the zoo and love the drinking fountains and the trash cans. I was thrilled they liked the Black Tree Monitor :)
Here's Levi saying, "I am so hot!"
Another photo spot!
The bird's nest...I wonder what will happen when Levi gets to big to get into those eggs? He's getting pretty close as it is!
I can't believe that my oldest boy is 6. What a wonderful boy he is! He is helpful and kind. He is funny and so smart. He makes me laugh all the time! I am so glad that he is our oldest...he is such a great example. I love having Levi in our family! Happy Birthday, Levi and we love you!
The photo spot!
Aren't they cute... and oh, so hot!!!
I had to get a picture of them actually enthralled by an animal! Are your kids like this? They go to the zoo and love the drinking fountains and the trash cans. I was thrilled they liked the Black Tree Monitor :)
Here's Levi saying, "I am so hot!"
Another photo spot!
The bird's nest...I wonder what will happen when Levi gets to big to get into those eggs? He's getting pretty close as it is!
I can't believe that my oldest boy is 6. What a wonderful boy he is! He is helpful and kind. He is funny and so smart. He makes me laugh all the time! I am so glad that he is our oldest...he is such a great example. I love having Levi in our family! Happy Birthday, Levi and we love you!
More FHE reverence
PS. Sam is our music leader...we don't usually just let the kids stand and jump on the footstool all during FHE. :)
Our practice in reverence
I saw Emily do this and thought, "What a great idea! Teaching reverence at home! Brilliant!" So we thought we would practice as well. The kids all had their arms folded for about 2 seconds...not long enough for me to get the camera out. So here are the "after" pictures!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
About our trip...careful..this is crazy long!
Here's our trip...if anyone is really that interested:)
We left Tuesday evening and spent that night in a hotel in Chicago. That was not fun...we were all sick with colds and coughs and Natalie coughed ALL NIGHT! I think that I slept for half an hour total. Blah. I was just hoping that the kids would all sleep on the plane. Everything with the flight was uneventful (just the way we wanted it!). We checked everything right off the hotel shuttle (curbside) and that was nice. The kids did ok on the plane. Sam was on my lap and that was not great...the poor lady in front of us had to deal with her chair getting kicked and pushed and yelling right behind her head. We bought a seat for Seth and he rode in a carseat. He fussed for a bit, but not too long. We survived!
Mom and Dad met us at the airport, we picked up our rental (and got charged a ridiculous amount above what I paid on Priceline...ugh) and went to our little hotel suite and got settled. It was SUPER nice. If you are going to SLC, I highly recommend the Microtel on Tommy Thompson road. So nice, free breakfast, great staff! Yes, I would be on their commercial:)
Thursday we spent at my parent's apartment, swimming, playing and relaxing. So nice!
Friday, we spent with our good friend Beth sightseeing at Wheeler Historic Farm (I would NOT be on their commercial), seeing the Joseph Smith movie (tear-jerker and a little scary for the kids) and dinner with my folks. I LOVE seeing my parents on TMSQ. It brings back so many wonderful memories for me when I was serving there. And every sister missionary we ran into would say, "Oh, I LOVE the Lyons!" It made me smile:)
Saturday, we took a tour at the Beehive House (not a great tour for young kids:). My parents are currently the directors there. After that we went south to visit our friend Andrea and that was perfect!! The kids could run and around and play with toys. Just what they needed! And it was nice to visit! Thanks, Andrea!
Sunday was so nice. We drove north to visit our friend Joan and her family. They live way back in the mountains. The view was absolutely AMAZING! Church was usual...you know, out in the hall most of the time. But I did get to attend RS which was a wonderful, spiritual experience! We went back to my parents house and did a tour of the Conference Center. Very cool. The CC opened and was dedicated back when I was serving there. The sisters gave tours then...it was fun to take a tour and be reminded of everything there.
Monday, we had lunch with our family up from Provo. It was great to see them! And they played with my kids...always gotta love that! We swam a little and after that headed south to see our friends the Jenkins and the Truesdells. Lots of talkin and playin going on. Perfect for our group. At this point, our kids were having a rough time. Plus, we wanted to stay later than was good for the babies because we were having such a nice time. That night was a bit rough in the hotel. No one slept well. Which was actually unusual...we did pretty well considering there were 6 of us in one hotel room:)
Tuesday was our hike to Ensign Peak. I frontpacked Seth and George backpacked Sam...good times! It was quite the hike and quite the view! I am so proud of the Nat and Levi for getting up there. The coming down was much easier and quicker, but a little scarrier for me. It's fairly steep and loose gravel and I really didn't want to fall forward! We survived! After that, we went to Liberty Park for lunch (Artic Circle corn dogs, fries, and fry sauce!) and then we visited with our friends Thelma and Ceci and her new husband. Thanks for letting us hang out! The kids were again, a mess by this point. We ended up buying pizza at Little Ceasars and eating it in the car on the way home. Ah, the things you'll do in a car that's not yours:)
Wednesday was pack up and leave day. Mom and Dad came to see us off and help control kids while I packed. We then said our good-byes and headed to the aiport to go on our "air-pane" as Sammy calls it. Again everything went smoothly for us at the airport. We found a "play-place" at the airport (ha! only in SLC) and played there for a while. It's actually pretty nice to be at the airport with kids. People are fairly helpful and understanding (for the most part). Plus, you don't have to wait in line much. They see you coming and make way! The flight home was fairly empty so Sam got his own seat (much better!) and there was lots of room to walk around and not bother everyone!
We got back to Chicago and had to wait forever for our shuttle back to the hotel to get our car. You should have seen us with 2 rolling suitcases, a HUGE bag with 3 carseats in it, 2 backpacks, each kid had a backpack, and a double stroller. Oh, and a diaper bag. It was CRAZY! Levi had to pull the suitcase that weighed as much as him! It was a bit rough to get back in the car for 4 more hours. I was SOOO tired and glad that George was driving. I have no idea how he stayed awake. I would say, "I'll keep you awake..." and then I would be asleep. I was no help at all.
The trip was THE BEST!! We had fun, parts of it were relaxing, parts of it were crazy and stressful, but on the whole, it was wonderful! I miss my parents already, but I know they are happy and doing a wonderful thing! Thanks for letting us visit!
We left Tuesday evening and spent that night in a hotel in Chicago. That was not fun...we were all sick with colds and coughs and Natalie coughed ALL NIGHT! I think that I slept for half an hour total. Blah. I was just hoping that the kids would all sleep on the plane. Everything with the flight was uneventful (just the way we wanted it!). We checked everything right off the hotel shuttle (curbside) and that was nice. The kids did ok on the plane. Sam was on my lap and that was not great...the poor lady in front of us had to deal with her chair getting kicked and pushed and yelling right behind her head. We bought a seat for Seth and he rode in a carseat. He fussed for a bit, but not too long. We survived!
Mom and Dad met us at the airport, we picked up our rental (and got charged a ridiculous amount above what I paid on Priceline...ugh) and went to our little hotel suite and got settled. It was SUPER nice. If you are going to SLC, I highly recommend the Microtel on Tommy Thompson road. So nice, free breakfast, great staff! Yes, I would be on their commercial:)
Thursday we spent at my parent's apartment, swimming, playing and relaxing. So nice!
Friday, we spent with our good friend Beth sightseeing at Wheeler Historic Farm (I would NOT be on their commercial), seeing the Joseph Smith movie (tear-jerker and a little scary for the kids) and dinner with my folks. I LOVE seeing my parents on TMSQ. It brings back so many wonderful memories for me when I was serving there. And every sister missionary we ran into would say, "Oh, I LOVE the Lyons!" It made me smile:)
Saturday, we took a tour at the Beehive House (not a great tour for young kids:). My parents are currently the directors there. After that we went south to visit our friend Andrea and that was perfect!! The kids could run and around and play with toys. Just what they needed! And it was nice to visit! Thanks, Andrea!
Sunday was so nice. We drove north to visit our friend Joan and her family. They live way back in the mountains. The view was absolutely AMAZING! Church was usual...you know, out in the hall most of the time. But I did get to attend RS which was a wonderful, spiritual experience! We went back to my parents house and did a tour of the Conference Center. Very cool. The CC opened and was dedicated back when I was serving there. The sisters gave tours then...it was fun to take a tour and be reminded of everything there.
Monday, we had lunch with our family up from Provo. It was great to see them! And they played with my kids...always gotta love that! We swam a little and after that headed south to see our friends the Jenkins and the Truesdells. Lots of talkin and playin going on. Perfect for our group. At this point, our kids were having a rough time. Plus, we wanted to stay later than was good for the babies because we were having such a nice time. That night was a bit rough in the hotel. No one slept well. Which was actually unusual...we did pretty well considering there were 6 of us in one hotel room:)
Tuesday was our hike to Ensign Peak. I frontpacked Seth and George backpacked Sam...good times! It was quite the hike and quite the view! I am so proud of the Nat and Levi for getting up there. The coming down was much easier and quicker, but a little scarrier for me. It's fairly steep and loose gravel and I really didn't want to fall forward! We survived! After that, we went to Liberty Park for lunch (Artic Circle corn dogs, fries, and fry sauce!) and then we visited with our friends Thelma and Ceci and her new husband. Thanks for letting us hang out! The kids were again, a mess by this point. We ended up buying pizza at Little Ceasars and eating it in the car on the way home. Ah, the things you'll do in a car that's not yours:)
Wednesday was pack up and leave day. Mom and Dad came to see us off and help control kids while I packed. We then said our good-byes and headed to the aiport to go on our "air-pane" as Sammy calls it. Again everything went smoothly for us at the airport. We found a "play-place" at the airport (ha! only in SLC) and played there for a while. It's actually pretty nice to be at the airport with kids. People are fairly helpful and understanding (for the most part). Plus, you don't have to wait in line much. They see you coming and make way! The flight home was fairly empty so Sam got his own seat (much better!) and there was lots of room to walk around and not bother everyone!
We got back to Chicago and had to wait forever for our shuttle back to the hotel to get our car. You should have seen us with 2 rolling suitcases, a HUGE bag with 3 carseats in it, 2 backpacks, each kid had a backpack, and a double stroller. Oh, and a diaper bag. It was CRAZY! Levi had to pull the suitcase that weighed as much as him! It was a bit rough to get back in the car for 4 more hours. I was SOOO tired and glad that George was driving. I have no idea how he stayed awake. I would say, "I'll keep you awake..." and then I would be asleep. I was no help at all.
The trip was THE BEST!! We had fun, parts of it were relaxing, parts of it were crazy and stressful, but on the whole, it was wonderful! I miss my parents already, but I know they are happy and doing a wonderful thing! Thanks for letting us visit!
More trip pics!
Here we are on the top of Ensign Peak. It was a fun hike...though hard and very hot! George and I each carried a kid up and Natalie and Levi both hike it. Impressive!
Pics of the beautiful temple!
Can you see the kids in this one...on the other side of the reflecting pool?
This one's a bit better:)
This is for all of you mountain people...they were gorgeous!!
Here is a picture of the construction of the Salt Lake City...not really...just a power transformer that looked a lot like the temple, don't you think?
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