Life is Good

Lytle sibs in Tucson.

2012-02-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

Richard, Lana, Bonnie and Keith

We made a quick weekend visit to

Tucson to see some of Richard's

extended family.

These siblings don't get

to be together very often...

so it was a very fun reunion.

We had a lovely time in the

warmth and sunshine.

75 degrees to be exact!

Whenever the Lytle sibs are

together, it's all about how

much hard-core exercise we can get,

and how much incredible,

healthy food we can eat!

We went on a lovely 4 hour hike in

Sabino Canyon the minute we arrived.

It was a perfect blend of

cactus, streams and waterfalls!

The hike was immediately followed by

an amazing dinner at a local

Vegetarian/Raw restaurant.

Exercise hard, eat well, and repeat!

That pretty much sums it up:)

Thanks for the perfect weekend!

We love you all.

bon voyage.

2012-02-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe this day is here.

Our little Lepores fly to France
to begin a new chapter of their lives.

We've loved the previous chapter...
having them so close by -
watching Eric, Emilie, Lydie and Charlie
grow and change and develop
their own wonderful personalities.

This new chapter will bring challenges
and learning, but along with that will be
plenty of happiness and joy.
{and loveliness... they'll be in France!}

We are so very proud of you
for your devotion to the Lord.
Your eagerness to follow His will,
even when it tears at your heartstrings,
is an example for all of us.

"Trust God and believe in good things to come!"

-Elder Holland

We love you & miss you already!
bon voyage.
xoxo

{see you here in 54 days!}

our little Lepores.

2012-01-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

The clock is ticking and it won't stop.

In just a matter of days,

Amie, Roland, Eric, Emilie, Lydie and Charlie

will board the plane for a permanent move to France.

Oh, how they will be missed!

We love you so!

{a big thank you to Cassie for the great pics!}

food palette

2012-01-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

oh my.

isn't this perfect?

everything we love!

hope you do too.

enjoy!

Christmas.

2012-01-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

It was a wild and crazy Christmas with

so many of the family here.

We loved every minute...

{except for the flu that went around the group!}

Cousin slumber party by the Christmas tree

Aubrey looks great - even at 6 am!

of course Santa brought new shoes for Jake...

yay! a DS for Avery:)

all things Taylor Swift for Jane... she's obsessed!

a remote control "spy car" for Eric... so cool.

Emilie and Lydie shared their fun gifts:

a jewelry making kit and cute little board dolls with clothes.

Charlie loved his pizza set and new stuffed bear!

Gregory, our pirate lover, with his new amazing pirate ship...

{good job Santa!}

umm. how perfect is this?

Nate with his BYU snuggie.

Claire with new dishes for her little kitchen:)

yay for Target gift cards!!

grandpa rocking the house:)

It was a BLAST!

Let's do it again next year??

xoxo

California in November is always a good thing.

2011-11-29T19:55:00.001-08:00

We escaped to Southern California a few

weeks ago for Richard's birthday.

Jane was so excited to make this yummy cake for him.

what a crazy bunch of kids!

Thanks for the fun weekend!

Peter Pan!

2011-11-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

This is our cute William!

He recently played the part of a "Lost Boy" in

his school production of "Peter Pan".

He really enjoyed it and said he would love to be in

another play sometime.

A budding thespian?

We miss you and love you.

{Thank you Tracy, for sharing!}

Cousin love.

2011-11-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had our monthly Family Home Evening and
celebrated Luke's 15th birthday. {really?? 15?}

Anytime these kids get together, it's "utter chaos"
but in a wonderful way!

We love how much they love each other.

There's just nothing like cousin love.
{we sure wish all of them could be here!}

Life is good.

one year ago today

2011-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here is what happened

one year ago today:

yep. It's been a year!
If you've had a missionary,
you know how important this day is...
we're finally on the countdown!

sure hope the next 6 months

go by quickly...

enough is enough.

We love our little mish!

lucky girl.

2011-10-09T04:50:00.000-07:00

We received this quick message from Lindsay yesterday:

"The transfer email came... and shocked us! They are taking sisters out of Paris and putting Elders in. President wants sisters in smaller villes because we connect better to families. So, Soeur Smith and I (and Soeur Didier and her companion) are ALL leaving!! Soeur Smith is going to Brussels and I'm going to Blois (it's south of Paris... not exactly sure where. google map it) with Soeur Larsen!! I'm really excited. It's going to be different- i'm used to big cities. But i'm way excited to be in a smaller ville. Elder Hall told me it's really pretty there. I leave on Wednesday!"

So, we googled Blois, as she suggested, and WOW... what a lucky girl she is!

Lucky, indeed.

Happy Sunday!

somewhere over {under?} the rainbow...

2011-09-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

hidden talent... wouldn't you say?

no matter how many times we see it,

Rainbow Bridge always inspires!

lake powell

2011-08-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

this is where I am at the moment...

staying on this:

spending time doing this:

it only took an hour to get here in this:

and this:

oh my goodness... thank you, Redmond.

the Lake Powell life is lovely!

Happy 22nd Birthday to our Parisienne!

2011-08-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

we love and miss our Lindsay Lou!

xxoo

sprinklers & s'mores

2011-08-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

a perfect night with the family = lots of kids, sprinklers & a trampoline, and s'mores!

We've decided this will definitely become

a summer tradition...

sprinklers & s'mores.

California Lytle love

2011-07-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in

California with Nate, Carrie and kids...

we were especially grateful to be there for Avery's Baptism.

We had a wonderful time in Santa Barbara,

at Zuma Beach and just being together as a family.

a perfect day in Santa Barbara

fun times at Zuma... it was great to

be there at the same time as Josh & Cassie!

We were thrilled to be there for Avery's baptism...

such a sweet boy!

We love you and miss you!

xxoo

summer... so glad you're here.

2011-06-28T04:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long wait

for summer this year.

Thank you for coming!

the story of my first {almost} Half Marathon...

2011-06-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy.

I like running and like to be challenged,

so when the company I work for offered to sponsor

any employee wanting to participate in the

Utah Valley Half or Full Marathon,

I thought, hey, why not try a Half Marathon?

I started training months ago...

then injured my left achilles.

Thought maybe I should give up on the whole idea,

but once it healed, I decided to go for it.

Roland joined me in the goal of the Half,

which made it easier to train and stay motivated.

Yesterday was race day.

We had to get up at 3 am, yep.

Why would anyone want to get up

at 3 am and run for 2+ hours, beginning at 6 am?

I don't know!

The race started in Provo Canyon near the Sundance turnoff

and ended in downtown Provo at the

Provo Tabernacle Park - a beautiful 13.1 mile course.

We were doing pretty well on our run,

keeping up good 10 min mile pace...

then at the almost 8 mile mark, disaster strikes.

I am running along and somehow manage to trip

on a piece of wire in the road,

which caused me to go down - hard!

My left knee hit first, then both hands,

followed by my face hitting the road

super hard - causing my front teeth to

cut all the way through my upper lip.

Lovely!

At this point, we tried reaching Richard, Amie or Scott,

who were on their way to meeting us at the finish line.

I sent Roland on his way to finish the race,

while I waited for one of them to pick me up.

I was a bloody mess, but tried to clean up quickly

so we could make it to the finish line to cheer for Roland.

We got there just a few minutes ahead of him,

so I decided to join him for the last little bit

so we could cross the finish line together.

Despite the mis-hap which caused a 10 minute delay,

Roland finished the Half in 2:12 - an excellent time for

a first try with a frustrating delay that slowed him down!

Here is a lovely post-race shot of my beat-up mouth:

Today, it looks 100 times worse...

kind of like I have a piece of raw

hamburger stuck to my upper lip.

Special.

So, there you have it.

My first Half Marathon that really wasn't.

Will I try again?

Who knows!

Too many aches and pains today.

xxoo

the Race 2011

2011-05-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Before the race... let's get this show on the road, ok?
There were 20,000 participants this year!

Look closely at the bottom left of the picture...
Richard is yelling, I am starting my Garmin,
Amie and Roland are set to take off!
We always try to get up to the very front of the start line -
there's less chance of being run over by all 20,000 runners:)

Amie, the queen of re-purposing, made these adorable

Race for the Cure dresses for the girls out of my t-shirts from previous years...

aren't they perfect?? They were a big hit!

Eric and Charlie having fun while waiting and waiting for us to cross the finish line!

Roland always runs right by me,
encouraging me all along the way...

this year I was happy to finish 4th out of all the Survivors.

Amie and Richard - happy to be be crossing the finish line!

the survivor parade...
peace out.

This race marked my 12th year as a survivor -

I am oh so grateful.

I always listen to the same song every year as I run, "I Run for Life"

which was written specifically for the Race for the Cure:

I run for hope,

I run to feel,

I run for the truth,

For all that is real.

I run for your mother, your sister, your wife,

I run for you and me, my friend.

I run for life!

Until next year...

Lytle love in Ohio

2011-05-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend in Ohio:

Mason was baptized,

beautiful Molly was blessed,

and we celebrated princess Emrie's 5th birthday...

all in one weekend!

It was perfection.

We loved every minute with our

wonderful little Lytle family!

Thank you Joel, Heather, Gabe, Mason,

Emrie and sweet Molly...

We love you!

thirty!?

2011-05-02T02:55:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this was just yesterday...

Somehow he's now thirty.

Happy Birthday Scooter!

xxoo

Easter

2011-04-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely Easter feast followed

by a fun little Easter egg hunt

for some very cute

Grandkids!

spring

2011-04-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

It's spring.

The grass is finally turning green.

My bulbs are in bloom.

It's Conference weekend!

Enjoy.

skiing Park City with the fam

2011-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Richard and I with Jared and Karli

oldies but {kind of} goodies...

karli and I catching some lovely sunshine:) 

Karli enters the MTC tomorrow... 

headed for Ft. Lauderdale!

She and Jared graciously invited Richard and I 

to join them for her last day on the slopes, 

before leaving for 18 months. 

It was a beautiful day... 

we loved hanging with the fam.

Congrats to Hermana Tyson! 

xxoo

Florida Keys in January = 70 degrees and sunshine!

2011-01-10T17:33:00.000-08:00


I highly recommend the Florida Keys in January... great place to start off the new year! Also perfect for running a relay & enjoying the Florida sunshine. Lovely!

Celebrating Christmas with Grandma

2010-12-10T17:35:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love, love, love this day every year!  

We have the best time being creative {and messy}

This year we decorated gingerbread houses, 

made Christmas cards for Lindsay,

played a fun Christmas game,

made adorable paper Christmas trees,

and dipped yummy cake balls on a stick!

wow - all in 2 crazy hours!!

Thank you Cassie, Amie and Lyric
for your creative help.

Can't wait for next year...

I love my cute kids!

Happy Sunday

2010-12-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Need a lift today? Click here! It's amazing:)

http://www.sisterwilliamsinparis.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday to you

2010-11-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

It's a very special day today...

Richard is 65! Is that really possible??

He gets lots of special perks now - lucky guy!

Happy Birthday!

We love you:)

delicious autumn...

2010-11-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

"Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eliot

{We love the beautiful vibrant yellow color of our birch tree this time of year!}

trick or treat!

2010-10-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

finally... there's something to like about Halloween!
{i know, i know - we're no fun} 

BUT - we love seeing the grandkids all

dressed up in their cute costumes!

Aren't they adorable??

bittersweet

2010-10-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

She was so excited to get going!

this luggage was sooo heavy!!

These adorable little missionaries were her greeters... so sweet.

Her last words to us were "See you in Paris..."

Joining the ranks.

Today was bittersweet, happy, sad, wonderful,

dream-come-true-like, teary and beautiful all at the same time.

She is so happy!

Soeur Williams

2010-09-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

She's ready and waiting to go!

3 weeks and counting...

seth + alli = love

2010-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sept 4th, 2010

Seth & Alli are married!

It was a lovely ceremony.

they were so happy...

and so in love.

We are thrilled to have 

cute little Alli 

as part of our family!

she's 21

2010-08-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Twenty one!

21 years ago when Lindsay Erin joined our family,

she came 15 days late... yes, 15 days!
{In the Vacaville sweltering heat, I might add}

She was due on July 31st but waited until August 15th.

Lindsay was just too content and comfy cozy in the womb.

When the doctor finally decided to induce labor...
she still didn't want to come.

It took 2 days of great effort and coaxing
to convince this girl to emerge!

How very Lindsay.

Happy Birthday...
We love you!

two weeks of family fun!

2010-07-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

We loved having Nate, Carrie and kids here with us for two weeks!

I think we did just about everything

on their list... and more.

Just being together with family

makes for perfect happiness.

summer mornings

2010-07-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a 6 am run on a cool

summer morning...

{this one was a 7 miler while participating in the
Wasatch Back Relay}

It's invigorating and a great way to start the day.

This ritual is usually followed by a little time spent

working in my yard:

which happens to be another summer morning passion!

Happy Summer

Ord girls

2010-06-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Good times with my sisters and our girlies!

Karli is just home from Europe and Hawaii, Olivia is moving to NC

and Lindsay will be off to France before we know it...

all good reasons to celebrate together!

We enjoyed having Roland's mother, Liliane with us.

We missed those who couldn't join us.

Love you all!

Bonjour! Je suis une missionaire!

2010-06-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

called to serve... where?

2010-05-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Lindsay has submitted her papers to the Bishop!

She is waiting to see the Stake Pres. this week.

Now we are wondering...

where will she go??

We have this map posted on the wall

where we are writing down guesses.

What is your guess?

the winner will receive a plate of yummy chocolate chip cookies :)

the waiting... wondering... and excitement begins!!

Race for the Cure - 2010

2010-05-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

We always look forward to the Race for the Cure every Mother's Day weekend.

This year there were 20,000 participants - it was amazing.

This was the first year that all of my kids were able to participate... I loved it!

{We really missed Josh, Cassie and kids,
who couldn't join us this time}

This is my 11th year as a survivor...

so happy to be alive and running!

Big news

2010-04-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

click here for some exciting news!

California Lytle Love

2010-04-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

After the Ragnar, we spent a short 24 hours with Nate, Carrie, Jake, Aubrey, Jane and Avery.

Of course, we had to go to Santa Barbara!

It was beautiful and we had a fun, relaxing time with these adorable, crazy kids!

We love you!

Update

2010-04-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

My first Ragnar Relay.

Well, I DID IT!! It was a very unique and fun experience and yes, I would do it again!
My first leg was at 7 pm, 4.7 miles in Woodland Hills.
The second leg was at 5 am, 2.7 miles in Harbor Park.
My last leg {the final leg of the race}was at 3:00pm, 5.5 miles in Dana Point.
Wow. It was a cycle of "run, eat, sleep, repeat".

After my first run... still feeling some energy

At the finish line - this is my Redmond team

The group in Van 2 - we got pretty close after spending 30 hours together...

Oh, how happy I was to see Richard waiting for me as I crossed the finish line!!

Gotta run...Time to start training for the next one.
Florida Keys in January!

Spring

2010-04-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful spring day it was today!

Sunny, blue skies and 75 degrees.

I worked in my flower beds alongside my lovely tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Richard did some planting in the garden:

4 different varieties of lettuce, spinach and carrots. Yum.

Happy Spring!

"Tender Mercies"

2010-04-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

The-Tender-Mercies-of-the-Lord

Sunday morning thought...

2010-03-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

"I have discovered that life is not a series of great heroic acts. Life at its best is a matter of consistent goodness and decency, doing without fanfare that which needed to be done when it needed to be done. I have observed that it is not the geniuses that make the difference in this world. I have observed that the work of the world is done largely by men and women of ordinary talent who have worked in an extraordinary manner."

-Pres. Hinckley

Connecticut happiness...

2010-03-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful visit with these fun, adventurous

boys last weekend!

William was very excited to show us how they are tapping the

maple trees in their yard to make maple syrup...

Mmm. Homemade maple syrup on Henry's pancakes

is perfection. Can you imagine drinking maple right out of the tree?

A true Lytle... Henry loves to cook and is already an amazing chef!

Emmett is playing on a Basketball team so he was very excited
to shoot some hoops with Grandpa in the gym at Westover.

Henry received the priesthood on Sunday. What a special day!

We were thrilled to be able to share in this with him.

We packed a lot into a short few days...
nature walks,
cooking fabulous meals,
eating chocolate,
watching the boys' favorite show: "Man vs.Wild"
{they love watching Bear Grylls eat worms},
talking with Zach and Tracy,
the most amazing maple syrup ever,
watching the boys climb trees... again & again,
a beautiful drive to Kent Falls,
Belgique and more chocolate,
seeing the beautiful historic Connecticut homes,
reading with the boys,
Indian food for breakfast lunch and dinner!
Good times:)

We love you and miss you!

Off to see our peeps...

2010-03-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Today we are heading to Connecticut to see

Zach, Tracy, Henry, Emmett and Will.

Are we excited? Oh yes.

Good times {and good food}ahead!

Maybe some Sees candy, too.

Henry has requested Grandpa's famous "Bananas Foster"

for his Birthday treat. Yum.

Can he really be 12?

See you soon!

Ah, there is hope.

2010-02-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Look what lovely little thing appeared in our front yard this week!

I LOVE when the bulbs start popping up after

a long and dreary winter.

It gives me hope of brighter days to come...

I can't wait to get my hands in the dirt!

to ski or not...

2010-02-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

We had planned to go skiing at Deer Valley on Friday.

As we always do when we are getting ready to ski, we asked
"Do we really want to do this??"
We thought of a million reasons not to go - too cold, too tired, too old, too many things to do, too far to drive {you know, it's an hour!} too much work and WAY too much STUFF! Like skiis, poles, goggles, hats, gloves, ipods, blackberries...

it's all so overwhelming!

But then, we decided to go for it and we didn't let the grumpiness get the best of us.

By the time we start heading up the mountain on the lift, we are feeling happy {and cold}

Two reasons we love Deer Valley. First, they have amazing food and for a Lytle man,

it's all about the food!

No yucky chili and hot dogs at this resort.

Check it out!

Where else can you get a full-on "Natural Buffet" at a ski resort?

Only at Deer Valley.

Richard's yummy, healthy plate of food.

Deer Valley also provides recliners for a lovely after lunch break in the sun:)

The second thing that we love about DV is the big, wide groomers.

Perfect for oldies but goodies like us!

So, at the end of the day... we were tired and happy.

Life is good.

january snow

2010-01-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

{click to enlarge}

After several yucky air days, we finally received a beautiful

January snow... lots and lots of snow.

Lindsay took the first 2 pictures, which capture the very best of winter in Utah.

Lovely.

I snapped the last one of Richard, who happens to LOVE shoveling snow!

Lucky me.

{ps - thanks to Lindsay for the new blog header!}

christmas joy

2009-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a delicious fondue dinner at Amie and Roland's on Christmas Eve...
joined by Seth and Alli, Scott and Lyric, Lindsay, Katie and Matt.
We read from the scriptures, then opened Jammies.
This year, we started a new tradition - homemade gifts!
It was fun to see such creativity...

Christmas morning we were all entertained
by Gregory's enthusiasm!
There's nothing quite like a 2 year old on Christmas morning...

Once the gifts were opened, we went to Josh and Cassie's for a delicious brunch.

We really missed all of the family that couldn't be here with us.
One year, we must have one gigantic Lytle-Williams Christmas celebration!
That would be pure Christmas joy.

grandma's baking day

2009-12-19T19:51:00.002-08:00

Grandma's baking day has become such a fun tradition!
This year we made candy necklaces, sugar cookies,
reindeer cupcakes,
chocolate dipped pretzels and of course, gingerbread houses.
It is a little chaotic at times, but we love it. The kids all have
matching aprons and it seems like each year,
we need a new little apron...
this year, it was for our cute little Charlie boy.
We missed Malissa and Claire, who were sick.
We were also thinking about the California, Ohio and Connecticut cousins... we missed you, too!

Being a Grandma is the best!

grandma

2009-12-19T19:51:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Sue

2009-12-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Blogging on Sue's blog: It's fun to blog on Sue's blog without her knowledge (Thanks, Amie).The Thing About Sue Is....

*She's always so grateful for any little thing I do.
*She forgives quickly.
*She's talented in many ways, none of which she will admit to.
*She's totally devoted to whomever or whatever it is she loves.
*She can keep a secret.
*She loves Anthropologie, so I get to sit on the big leather guy couch and read (I like it).
*The most important person in Sue's world is the person she is with. Consequently, each of our grandchildren thinks he or she is her favorite. I think that, too.
*You can count on her.
*She's real.
*She makes her house a home, in a way that is both comforting and aesthetically pleasing.

posted by Richard (with a little help)

thankful

2009-11-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

the candy turkeys... they have been at our table for 20 years!

gravy goodness.

cute kids

we love pie. and aprons.

setting the table is my favorite part of thanksgiving :)

butter rolls = heaven.
it wouldn't be thanksgiving without them!

homemade cranberry sauce... divine.

mmm... pomegranate salad.

and of course, grandpa carved the bird.

happy thanksgiving!

when i'm 64

2009-11-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

happy birthday to my hubby!

things i love about richard:

1. his cooking. oh, so yummy!
2. he lets me call him "farm boy"
3. he's such a sweet grandpa to all 19 grandkids
4. he's a brainiac and he's really patient with
those of us who aren't :)
5. he doesn't dress like he's 64!
6. he shares my love for dark chocolate & diet coke
7. he's the only man i know who could survive a heart attack while roller blading
(thank heaven!)

by the way, isn't this the greatest picture of all time??

Fall in Utah

2009-11-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have
never been a big fan of the fall season...
I am a Spring and Summer girl.
This year, however, I must admit that it has been very
beautiful and enjoyable... today it is 65 and sunny.
What's not to like?
So, to all of you fall lovers out there
who look forward to it every year...
I have seen the light.

{ps... thanks to Bonnie for the great pics!}

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

The day started out with our sweet Malissa's baptism.
It was beautiful and we are so proud of her!

Trick-or-Treating started early with these excited, energetic
BYU cougar fans...
Emilie, Eric, Gregory and Lydie

Followed by two cute witches, a gypsy and the "Scream"...
Claire, Luke, Emma and Malissa

Don't you think little Charlie makes an adorable BYU fan?

What a face!

Happy Halloween:)

one of a kind conference morning

2009-10-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

fluffy apple pancake is our family tradition for conference sunday. it is SO good!

"Lindsay! Get next to the fall flowers with your pancake!"

so, just as the fluffy apple pancake was coming out of the oven, the power went out. and it stayed out for nearly two hours. Lindsay and I were desperate to hear conference, so we sat in the car in the garage with our feet on the dash and listened to the first session.

it was funny.

and memorable!

Richard missed all of this excitement... he is spending the weekend in Ohio with Joel & Heather. (Lucky!)

twenty five!

2009-10-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th Birthday to Katie Ann...
our happy, spontaneous, determined girl!

We love you.

xxoo

Lake Powell

2009-09-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a 4 day visit to Lake Powell -
thanks to Redmond, the company I work for.
They have 4 houseboats, 4 ski boats, 4 jet skis, kayaks and just about everything else!
The weather was great... the water was warm and smooth as glass.

Ahh. The life!

BYU mania

2009-09-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

Celebrating BYU's
big win...
LOTS of mania!

{We were also very happy that
Richard finally agreed that
we needed a new TV to watch it on!}

On my way to the city by the bay...

2009-08-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

good times

2009-08-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Haycocks joined us for cake and ice cream on Sunday night
in celebration of Lindsay's birthday.
It was such a beautiful summer evening!
How many birthdays have we celebrated
with them through the years?
Of course, it's never complete without
yummy chocolate cake...
I think Dallin would agree.

Good times!

{We missed Kelly and Bo who were out of town,
as well as Katie and Matt who had to leave before this pic was taken}

Lindsay Lou

2009-08-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

How can it be?? My baby girl...

is 20 today!

Happy birthday to our easy-going, creative Lindsay.

We love you.

{Even though her given name is Lindsay Erin... somehow she's always been
"Lindsay Lou"}

Summer Sunday

2009-08-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

1. lovely dinner on a lovely {new} plate
2. a melange of vegetables {melange = Richard's word for "mixture"}
3. heirloom tomatoes + fresh basil + olive oil
4. basil from the garden

yum.

Heaven

2009-07-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Charles Angelo Lepore
July 21, 2009
7 lbs. 15 oz.
21 inches

Charlie is beautiful & perfect in every way.
oh, those red lips!

mom, dad, & baby are doing well.
eric, emilie, & lydie are beside themselves!

Farmers Market

2009-07-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today was Farmers Market day.
We love the great produce and fun artisan booths.
We found some delicious locally grown
cherries, black raspberries,
heirloom tomatoes and green beans.
Don't you just wish you were going to be at our table for Sunday dinner?
mmm...

tiptoe through the tulips

2009-07-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

We finally got the wedding pics back from the photographer...

beautiful couple!

breathtaking tulips!

Freedom and Family

2009-07-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated 4th of July at Mark and Sandy's cabin
in the mountains above Heber. It was beautiful and refreshing.
We had a delicious BBQ and fun times
with my sisters and their families.
We are grateful for our freedom and our wonderful family!!

Amie Lisa

2009-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday
to my Amie Lisa!

Here she is at on her 1st birthday.
It's so hard to believe it's been 30 years...
thanks for being such a wonderful daughter!

Love you!

Adorable Dads...

2009-06-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Our family is blessed with adorable, amazing dads. We love you!

Joel

Roland

Zach

Josh

Scott

Nate

my sweet Dad

Greg

Richard

love this little thing!

2009-06-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is the greatest little gadget. It talks to me while I exercise and keeps track of how I am doing... very helpful! I think Roland would agree!!

good things come to those who wait...

2009-05-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Wisteria

We planted a wisteria in our backyard over 6 years ago,
but it has never blossomed - until now!
As Richard was trimming it, he uncovered two lovely flowers hanging perfectly from the vine. We were so excited... it smells divine.

Who knows? Maybe next year we'll get three!

days of May...

2009-05-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

What a month May has been!

It started out with Katie and Matt's beautiful wedding... followed by a wonderful visit from Bonnie and Kathy, who came to participate in the Race for the Cure with us. The Race was the weekend after the wedding - it was an amazing experience, as it always is. Thanks to so many family members and friends who joined us that day!
A few days later, we headed to So Cal for Katie and Matt's open house. We were able to spend a perfect day at the beach with kids and grandkids... the best!!

Here are a few pictures of days in May:

At the open house in Santa Ana

Katie and Matt with Dan, Roberta, Andrea, Matt and Nick

Emilie and Lydie - loving it at Zuma Beach

Eric and Avery...

Scott buried Gregory in the sand... surprisingly, he loved it! This boy was meant to be a beach bum. He couldn't get enough of the beach life...

Aubrey and Emilie... oops that's Jane!

Lydie... just being Lydie!

Ahhh.... the beach

life is good...

I love you, Janie :)

The Race for the Cure... survivor parade - this marked my 10th year.
I am so grateful!

Our group shot before the race began... go team!
Kathy Sue, Cassie, Bonnie, Richard, Sue, Roland, Amie, Scott, Lyric, Karli, Grandpa,
Emma, Malissa, Emilie, Lydie, Eric, Gregory.
{missing from the picture... Ashley, Sandy and Linds - she was the photographer!}

Bonnie, Kathy,Richard and I - always good times...
Thanks so much for the visit!

Katie and Matt

2009-05-09T16:02:00.001-07:00

It was a perfect day - beautiful ceremony, great weather and a very happy couple! Congratulations Katie and Matt:)

(More pics to come when we get them back from the photographer)

a dream come true.

2009-04-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, Katie has dreamed of being a bride! Here she is at age 7, dressed as a bride for Halloween. She has been planning this day for her whole life... I hope it is all that she dreamed of and more! Happy Wedding, Katie:) Love you!

I'm ready...

2009-04-18T19:32:00.001-07:00

I worked in the yard today and I am SO ready...

for our yard to look like

THIS again!

Bring it on... summer!

Temple Blessings...

2009-04-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last night Richard was called to be an ordinance worker in the Timpanogos Temple!
He is very excited for this new opportunity. We know it will be a blessing to our family:)

Scottsdale

2009-03-27T18:45:00.001-07:00

Richard and I spent the week in Scottsdale on a business "retreat" with my work. Other than a few meetings here and there, we spent most of the time relaxing and enjoying the 80 degree weather! The flowers and fountains were so beautiful... especially after such a long Utah winter. I had a fantastic massage at "Joya Spa" at our resort... heavenly!
The company treated everyone to a Suns-Jazz game, which was my first Jazz game ever - it was loud and rather BORING!

a weekend with Eric, Emilie and Lydie Jo...

2009-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Amie and Roland had a getaway to St. George for 3 nights - a much needed break for them!
We watched the kids at our house and had a great time... they are cute, energetic,
funny and very inquisitive!

They spent hours jumping, jumping, jumping! (The trampoline was such a great investment... all of our grandkids love it!)

Emilie was Richard's little shadow all weekend. She even evjoyed helping with the yardwork:)

They loved using Grandma's old scrapbook supplies to create
their own fun art projects...

We ended the each day by reading stories before bed, which they LOVED!

We love you Eric, Emilie and Lydie!

The week in pictures...

2009-03-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

Zach, Tracy and boys left this morning.... we had such a fun week with them!
We love you and miss you:)

for Nate...

2009-03-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

Wish you were here so you could have been the "biggest loser"... instead, Josh was!

Zach - 181
Lindsay - 166
Josh - 140

We miss you:)

What could be more fun than Sees Candy, BYU, jumping on the trampoline AND Bananas Foster???

2009-03-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating Henry's 11th birthday... he chose Grandpa's famous "Bananas Foster" for dessert! Mmmm... yummy!

Henry and Emmett catching air on the tramp!

Family photo op in front of BYU's HFAC - Zach's former "home-away-from-home."

Henry's birthday wish comes true... a trip to See's. He got his very own 1 pound box! Like Grandpa, like father, like son!

It's a boy!

2009-03-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

We found out yesterday that Amie and Roland are having a BOY! Little Charlie... what a lucky little guy to be joining their sweet family. Everyone is so excited - especially Eric!!
Congratulations:)

Deer Valley day

2009-02-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today we were able to ski at Deer Valley with Keith, Kimberly and Jacob.
(Richard's brother and his family)

Kim, Sue, Keith, Richard and Jacob

It was a fabulous day all the way around... beautiful scenery,
great weather,
perfect snow and great company - thanks Keith and Kim:)

Just a week away...

2009-02-26T07:04:00.001-08:00

Zach, Tracy, Henry, Emmett and William arrive from Connecticut in just one week! It has been 5 years since their entire family has been here for a visit... we are so excited to spend time with them. They will be staying for 10 days :)

Alta is for Skiers

2009-02-21T15:45:00.001-08:00

We love love love skiing Alta... it is one of the few resorts that is "skier only" - (no offense to all you snowboarders out there!) We had a perfect day today - about 36 degrees, sunny and blue skies with lots of groomed runs for the old folks!

So Cal getaway...

2009-02-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

There is just nothing like the Newport Coast for a nice January getaway... 75 degrees and sunny! We couldn't get enough of the ocean breeze and sunny skies.

When we left Utah, it was 21degrees! We went straight to the beach for a nice long walk.
Some of our favorite things about Newport Beach:

Of course, the beautiful ocean...

the amazing beach houses...

beautiful flowers like this bird of paradise - blooming in January!

delicious seafood - this was an amazing sushi dinner that we had
in Dana Point with sweet Devin...

And most importantly... spending time with Nate, Carrie, Jake, Aubrey, Jane and Avery!

We love you guys! Thanks for a fun day:)

Ord Fam Fun

2009-01-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

Dan, Matt and Nick came for a snowboarding trip this past weekend. We had 2 great days at Brighton skiing/snowboarding in fresh powder... and lots of mini family gatherings at dinner each evening. Good times, good food, lots of laughs... always with Dan around!

Two happy girls...

2009-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

Lindsay and Aubrey share a passion for reading, so while Aubs was here, Lindsay gave her some suggestions of her favorite books. At the top of the list was this one... "Ella Enchanted". Lindsay went to Barnes and Noble and bought it for Aubrey so they could read it together!

Cousins

2009-01-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve - with 12 of our 18 grandkids!
We had fun celebrating the New Year, eating yummy food and playing games.

Headstand girls...

2008-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:00

Jane, Emma and Aubrey have fun together perfecting cartwheels, backflips and of course, headstands.... ouch!

2008-12-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Christmas lights... If I could, I would have them in every room of the house! I love how our house looks with lights and snow on the ground.

Grandma's Baking Day... a tradition!!

2008-12-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

I love making and keeping traditions... especially Christmas ones! The newest one is "Grandma's baking day." We get together with the close-by Moms and grandkids and have some FUN!

Each family made their own gingerbread train and decorated it in very creative ways:)We also made cute little ornaments and a Santa handprint picture. (Thank you Amie and Cassie!)

Little Gregory loved all the excitement! He had lots of help from Mom and Dad:)

Emma is always so creative...

Emilie and Lydie are eating their candy at record pace...

I love spending time with the grandkids at Christmas! Nothing makes me happier. I missed all of the others who don't live close by!!

oh happy day

2008-12-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

oh hey girl hey! I had a fab birthday with my peeps. yo. peace out homies.
{posted by linds}

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

we love our "pretty precious princess!"

(posted by Amie)

"Come what may and love it"

2008-12-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

I loved this talk by Elder Wirthlin at General Conference... so much so that I have posted it in our kitchen so that we can constantly be reminded of his wise counsel. He was such an inspired man with great wisdom and wonderful life experiences. He will be missed.

Thankful

2008-11-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Richard... the meal was incredible!

Lydie and Emilie had their own little table set in their favorite color... pink!

Luke, Eric Emma and Malissa Katie, her roommate Kaylynn, Lindsay, and Katie's boyfriend Matt

Lyric, Scott and Seth

Roland, Amie and Ricco

Cassie, Josh and Claire

Gregory and Grandpa relaxing after a long day...

We had a wonderful day with family and friends. We have so much to be grateful for!

Gregory's 1st Birthday

2008-11-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that our little guy is a year old already! He loved his fun new toys and Lyric made a cute tractor cake which he thought was very yummy:)

Happy Birthday Gregory Scott! We love you.