PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND

Finally a new post!  Asa has been saying, "Mom it's been more than a month."  He's right.

Last weekend was beautiful.  It was Valentine's Day, Presidents Day and Soccer Tournament!  Mother nature cooperated with blue skies, sunshine and sixty degree temperatures.  We had visitors!

The Bailey Family came for the weekend.  Cameron, Terina, Hayden, Karenza and Tyla Jade.  The kids had fun playing together.  We walked up to Petroglyph Rock and hiked around the Red Hills.  Karenza wanted to climb through the slice in the rock a couple of times.  Asa went with her.  We had Family Home Evening on Monday night with Michael, Kristina and their family.  Lots of food!  Terina taught the children a maori song.  

We missed Rakai, Karamea and Isaac with us.  But we will always miss the times when we are all not here.  

Asa played his soccer games at the new Mesquite Regional Park.  It was built by the PGA Long Drive Association and will be used for Long Drives, Soccer and Football.  It's a beautiful place.  After the games were over we stayed to have lunch at the park.  I couldn't resist taking a few photos.  Soccer is the love of our lives!

 

OCEANS APART

This Christmas finds our family in seperate parts of the world.  We made the best of the situation using the wonders of technology.  We continue to feel the space that exists in the distance between and in spite of that we feel the power of love that connects us.  Enjoy these pictures Rakai and Isaac.  We miss you, we love but we know life is as it should be.

Feel the love of our Savior as it binds us.

ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM

May your Christmas be filled with the LOVE and LIGHT of our Savior.

Oh how we love Him.

Wishing for 2010 to be filled with dreams that come true.  Love to you all.

Lani, Ra, Asa, Ammon, Hamilton, Karamea, Rakai, Isaac

THANKSGIVING TREK

This Thanksgiving finds us missing Karamea and Isaac.  Real life situations make it difficult for Karamea to travel.  (Paying the rent must come first)  And Isaac, is safely enjoying Thanksgiving at the MTC in Provo.  So here we are, the 6 of us and Leo.  We broke the rules and took him with us on this trek.

The Timbercreek Overlook at the top of Kolob Canyon.  It was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky.  We enjoyed every moment of this day.

I started food preparations yesterday and then was up at 6 to put the turkey in the oven.  The menu - hot turkey sandwiches, fresh fruit, potato salad, humus and crackers, green salad and for dessert pumpkin cheesecake and Chocolate Chip cookies.  We ate took a break, ate played "wave tag", ate some more, wrote Isaac a letter...then the sun was starting to set so we packed up and headed home.

Dixie Invitational Soccer Tournament - it's become a tradition.  We watch soccer the boys play soccer on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving Day.  Five games in 2 days.  Asa's team didn't do so well.  Hamilton's took the silver.  Congrats babe.  It was fun to watch!

TRADITION

Last Christmas Isaac was in Germany. This year we were all home. Next Christmas Isaac will be on his mission. The face of Christmas for us will change in all the years to come. So this year Christmas tradition seemed more important than ever.

The kids looked forward with sweet anticipation to the taste sensations that only come once each year. They talked of our Christmas Eve picnic and which movie we would see on Christmas day. They devoured the coconut and pizza bread and desperately enjoyed the Christmas Eve s'mores. But no tradition is more important than the one we started in 1992...the Christmas Eve book.

Each year we go to the childrens section of the bookstore and read picture book after picture book, searching for just the right book that sparks a memory of each individual child. Pictured above are the piles of books each child will take with them when they have a family of their own.

Christmas memories are mind-pleasing and spark pleasant conversation. Next year when Isaac is away as some of the other children may be we can look to 2008 as a wonderful Christmas memory.

EASTER SUNSHINE

--Chocolate Strawberries--
--SLEEP--
--Lots of Laughs--
--SLEEP--
--Nate & Karamea--
--SLEEP--
--M&M'S--
--SLEEP--
--Chocolate Strawberries--
---And Isaac's in Italy---