Welcome to the family Lori Jade!

My niece Val & her husband Kurt just had their first child, a beautiful little girl named Lori Jade. She was born April 8th and weight 6 pounds, 12 ounces. This is my first niece to have a baby, so precious little Lori Jade makes me a great aunt! Boy, it makes me feel old to say that!

The new family

Isn't she an angel??

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter! I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful day! I hope the Easter Bunny is kind to you and your children & brings everyone lots of chocolate & treats.

Mostly, however, I hope that on this day, as you celebrate the fun of Easter, you remember the true meaning of the Easter holiday. Take the time to remember that we celebrate this holiday not because of the Easter Bunny, but because our Lord and Savior gave all for us. He lived a sinless life, yet suffered and died for us for no reason other than that he loved us. He loved us enough that he was willing to be persecuted and killed for us. He loved me enough for that. What have I done to deserve that? I hope that today, and every other day, I can remember that & show my gratitude by my daily actions and by striving to be the best that I can.

Crazy busy!

I have been so busy with work the last couple of weeks that I haven't had any time to do anything fun! Not that I am complaining at all, because I'm not. When I first started my new venture, doing my inspections and being able to work at home, I was really scared that I wouldn't get enough work to be able to pull my weight financially. That fear is quickly going away, as there are times when I'm so busy I worry only that I won't have enough time to get it all done! But, the benefit of my work is that I get to spend some time in some beautiful places & I am not stuck in an office all day long. This week, I spent Tuesday in Sun Valley. It is just beautiful up there year round, whether there's snow on the ground & mountains or if spring is starting to bloom. I went into this neighborhood in a canyon at the base of the foothills. The further into this neighborhood I went, the more snow there was on the ground. It was so pretty back there! I walked across this little bridge over a stream & had to take a couple of photos, because the water was so pretty!

Thursday, we spend the day in Twin Falls. Twin to me, is a funny town. There is the huge canyon that runs through this town, and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. They just build right up to the cliff. You can't really see it in these two photos, but this yard goes right to the edge of the cliff. The fence is probably less than one foot from the edge. It's crazy to me, but sure does make for gorgeous views!

Great Conference!

Conference weekend was awesome as always! James got two tickets for the Sunday morning session from our Bishop & he took his brother with him. They went down on Saturday afternoon and stayed with a friend of James' from his mission. It was the first time either of them have ever gone to a live session & it was fun to hear them talk about it when they got home last night. They had a terrific time. Josh in particular loved it & loved the Christus. I don't know how, but this was the first time he'd ever been to the visitors center and seen the Christus. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to stay home and watch conference from the couch!

Of course, I pilfered through their photos!

Look at those two handsome boys!

Seriously!? How cute are they?

Josh thought the conference center was so cool & couldn't believe how big it was

This was taken from their seats, before conference

Again, from their seats, They didn't realize just how big it is!

Party night!

Josh had a group of friends over last night. It was a great group! His friends are so fun! It's interesting to watch...James and Josh have very different personalities, and they are very different in their friendships. James had a very tight group of about 4 guys that were best friends. When he had friends over, there were sometimes other people included, but those other three guys were always there. ALWAYS. Josh is extremely sociable and loves people and friends. He has about 8 "best" friends. He has tons of friends--it seems like we're always hearing a new person's name for the first time. I think that there was only one person who was at his party a couple of weeks ago that was there last night as well. But I kinda like meeting more and more of Josh's friends, because they're a fun group of kids.

Oh yeah, and my home made pizza has been officially declared the best pizza in the world! Thanks Hannah!

Look at that cheesy smile!

Marcus lives across the street. He's three years old than Josh, but they have been friends since Josh was about 3 & Marcus about 6. I don't think there's anything at our house that Marcus isn't at. Yeah, and he's a senior in high school & I used to babysit him. How old am I? Jen, this is Suanne's son!

Watching something on TV

Cammi, Carissa, Emmett, and Marcus

Austin, Hannah, Josh, Shayla, Kenzie, and TJ

Jaiden and Josh have been friends since Josh came to live with us at 7 years old. Jaiden was one of my primary kids at about the same age. He has got to be one of my favorite people ever! I love this kid! He's been a good friend to Josh for a lot of years & is a great guy!

I am not at all sure what started this, but it ended up being a dogpile on the couch. Kenzie laid down & then Shayla, then Kade, and Josh--I don't have a photo of it, but Emmet was the top of the pile--no one could handle anyone else!
Kade & Jaiden--Kade is another old friend of Josh's. And yet another kid I babysat for....actually, I think I remember when Kade was born, as his mom was my YW leader at the time!

Hannah is, I believe, trying to smother Josh in both of the above photos. Josh completely deserved it though! Hannah's one of my new favorites of Josh's friends...she's a doll!
Emmett, Shayla, and Kenzie
The morning after. The guys who stayed here last night.

The Chair

We have a rule in our house regarding our dogs and the furniture. We love our dogs & love having them in the house. But we realize that just because we love our dogs, doesn't mean that everyone that visits our home does. Because of that, and because of the fact that we don't like hair on our clothes, we have a strict rule. No dogs on the furniture! They are allowed on the beds, if they are invited. And they're really good about the rule. However, don't we all know that there is an exception to every rule? There is at our house too! The exception to that rule is the chair. The girls love this chair & we somehow have just let them have it. I wonder if it's because they're so darn cute in it!

Corrie

Miranda