Check 'em out!

I love children's literature. 

We search the library a few days a week with the kids.

Once in a while we will find a true keeper. 

Here are a few of my all time favorites. 

2 missionaries robbed in Russia

One of the missionaries being Tony's first companion 

and good friend in Ulyanovsk, Russia

Elder Owen

http://m.deseretnews.com/article/865596669/Mormon-missionaries-robbed-in-Russia.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%3Fref%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

We are so blessed that they are safe and watched over.

Things like this happen all over the world with missionaries.
Keep praying for their safety!

Books I actually finished in 2013

April-May: A Tree Grow's in Brooklyn
                  Joy in the Morning
                  Wonder
                  A Book of a Thousand Days
                  To Kill a Mocking Bird
                   American Girl Series: Caroline
June: Understood Betsy
         Out Of My Mind
July: For the Love of Learning
July: A Way Back To You (Emily Clawson)
Aug: A Light in Dark Places (Emily Clawson)
        Night
        Man's search for Meaning (Viktore E. Frankl)
October: Matilda (Roald Dahl)
November: Danny, The Champion of the World (Roald Dahl)  
                  Boy (Roal Dahl)
                  The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin)
                   The Love Book (Marvin Payne)
December:  BFG (Roald Dahl)
                  Walk Two Moons
                  The Blood Sugar Solution and Cookbook (Mark Hyman, MD)

New Years Day

On New Years Day we take our kids out to experience a new kind of

food and restaurant. It's really fun. We've gone to Chili's, The Pie(Pizza), 

Sam Hawk (Korean), Thai Delight (Thai), The Pearl (Chinese), and 

La Luna (Mexican). This year we decided to do Mexican again

at  this little shack:

Sometimes these small places have the best food!

We took up all the table space.:)

Everyone loved it and got to bring some home for dinner.

Later we went to Trafalga in Orem. 

We got the Pass of all Passes for Christmas 

and decided  to try them out. 

It was crowded, but fun. 

We will go back to do the Laser Tag which

we didn't get to do that day.

That night we watched E.T.

(my kids hadn't seen it before)

Ian and Dallin were sucked in. :)

Hello 2014

New Years Eve

Christmas 2013/Sara's Birthday

Christmas was fun this year. It was so fun to talk to Elder Tippetts.

We got a whopping 40 min. Tony, my hubby, says we were jipped 5 min. from
that even. Oh well, it was fun, and Elder Tippetts is really happy. He is loving this
experience he is having and he is growing into a man. I couldn't be happier.
He's gained weight and now trying to lose it! Which I think is funny, but also
glad as it adds to his experience being on his own.

   
In the morning we needed to get our service done and be back home by 8 am for
ElderTippetts' call.  So we put together the food, and headed out the door by 7:30.
The first house we went to , the family didn't answer the door and when we got
back to the car it was locked. With the van running.  And our house was locked too.

So, I brainstormed the possibilities of  "What the heck are we going to do."
I ran home, praying out load the whole time, " Heavenly Father please let something be
unlocked. Please help me know what to do." I checked the doors. Locked.
I prayed that a window would be unlocked. So,  I pried the screen off, thankfully
without ruining it and it opened. So, i prayed again."Thank You! Thank You!, now the
keys. Where are my keys? Please help me know where they are! Here they are! Thank you.
Thank You!" All the way, running back to the van I thanked my Heavenly Father for helping
me. I think my family was surprised to see me so soon. But it only took like, 10 min
to get through that ordeal.

We got home in time for Tony's call. We actually had to wait a little bit. We even
started opening presents and then when the Skype rang we all jumped up and
sat all around the computer. It was great.

We celebrated Sara's birthday too. She got her Birthday presents first!
(Birthday chair, birthday crown....etc)
First, love letters from her family and then her birthday presents. She is going
through a "Crazy Cat Lady" phase that we all embraced for her birthday!

  Super cute! 

She is planning a birthday party so, her

cake is waiting until then! :)

She said that she had a great day and was very content!

That's what I was hoping!

Everyone had a great day!

Later that night we spent time with my family 

and that is always a treat!

We love to see the Temple

We made it to temple square!