Kyle gets 2nd place in his school spelling bee!

Amtrak ride to LA for New Year's

Lance in his bed on the train

John and Heather took the bed on the bottom bunk.

 

We took the Amtrak to Los Angeles the day after Christmas for a few days.  We slept in a family car but it was a snug fit!  Bumpy ride too but an adventure which is what we were seeking.  Katie took one of the top bunks because it was longer.

Kyle on his bunk in the train

Lance & Kyle just after getting off the train in LA

My Annual Christmas Village

I look forward to putting out the Christmas Village each year.  Usually we do it on the 1st day of Nov. but since I was going to be gone then we put it out the end of October.

Each year I add a couple of new pieces.  This year it was a church, the Golden Gate bridge (see in above pic), a trolly car and the rest of the Temple Square set (see below).

Anniversary trip to San Francisco

Heather on the Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz Island

Riding the boat under the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was a beautiful day

John wanted to touch the ocean but ended up getting his pants wet. 

 We took a boat out to Alcatraz Island and did an evening tour.  It was so interesting and we really enjoyed it. 

John & I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Sept. 11, 2012 and wanted to take a trip just the two of us.  We had heard that San Francisco was a beautiful place to go.  The weather was really perfect-clear and warm.  We loved taking the public transportation to get around and did alot of walking.  Our hotel was downtown so we were able to see all the sights.  We attended church on Sunday in the downtown area and enjoyed going into Oakland to attend the Temple.

Oakland Temple

Halloween 2012

Bryan & Leah with Spencer.  The most adorable Dragon baby ever!



Kyle really wanted to be Iron Man this year.  He is pretty convincing!
 



Lance with friends ready to go Trick or Treating on Halloween.
 Lance is a Hobo and put his costume together in about 10 min.  Not bad......

Birthday Boys!

Kyle turns 10 on July 11, 2012                          He wanted a "Minecraft" party so his sisters made this cake for him.

Kyle got a bow and arrow plus a movie and video game for a few of his gifts

Kyle had a party at the Skate Connection.


Spencer helps Lance open his presents.  We were in a hotel in Albuquerque



We went to Cliff's amusement park for his Birthday

Lance turns 13 on Aug. 11, 2012                            He is officially a teenager!

Family Vacation

We went to Mt. Rushmore in  South Dakota for a family vacation.  We stayed at the KOA with our friends, the Christensen's.  We were in awe of the carvings! July 2012

We attended church in Rapid City.  One of the highlights was a special number during sacrament meeting where they invited all priesthood members in the congregation to come up and sing a hymn together.  Very cool!

Kyle, Justyn and Lance wait for everyone to go to church



We went to Bear Country.  Here we are looking at some baby animals



Kyle and Zach jumping on the KOA pillow

Bike riding at the KOA

Alpine slide/Katie and Kelsey

Kyle and Lance at the Alpine slide

The boys bought some awesome rubberband guns!

Mt. Rushmore at Night