VaLeNTiNeS...

Kelsey came home from school the other day SO excited! She walked in the door and I asked how her day was, she told me it was "the BeSt day EVER!" When I asked her what made it so special, she pulled out a little heart pillow from her back pack and filled me in. A boy that she "likes" (an older boy.... in the 4th grade!) gave it to her for Valentines. (Apparently, he "likes" her too.) She said he told her that he "accidentally" walked into the wall and spilled cologne on it. That's why it smells SO good she told me. She was just so cute about it.... and a little embarrassed when I took photos.... and sent one to her daddy on his cell phone.

Steve and I celebrated V-day by going out to dinner with some friends... (okay, we celebrated Friday AND Saturday.... anything to get out of cooking!) Friday evening, we got all dressed up and went to Tiburon with our friends, Rhonda and Jeff. The food was super yummy - especially the Creme' Brule! Thanks R and J for the fab evening!

Love you babe! Thanks for being happy and going out in spite of your ice cold shower. (Our water heater went out late the night before. Steve worked on it as soon as he got home Friday, but he needed more parts. I told him we could cancel and just go another day - which I was totally fine with. But, instead of being onry and canceling the evening, he did as much as he good with what he had, took a cold shower and took his very grateful wife to dinner. Needless to say, he had it fixed the very next day! Just love my handy man!

Dancin' Up A Storm

Aly had her winter recital for dance last weekend. We got there early and FiNAllY got good seats! She looked absolutely beautiful in her sparkling costume.....

and performed perfectly.

I had to laugh at her because she always sends me a text message as soon as she's off stage asking how she did. She was fabulous!

Grandpa Y. ReAllY (?) enjoyed the dance "pose"....Special thanks to Grandma's and Grandpa's for being there to support Aly! We love you all!

Moab "Itch"

Well, we've enjoyed the snow, but now we're ready for Spring! I think we've all got a case of the Moab Itch! So, yesterday, a group of us headed south to Little Moab. It's like a miniature playland of Moab. There was still some snow that covered a lot of the rocks, but we still had a good time playing around.

Having a lunch break.....
Aly and Jayden

Aly, Kels, and Angel

Only 3 more months until Jeep Safari in "big" Moab. We can't wait!

Chi-Yorkie?

My brother sent us a picture tonight of their new Chihuahua puppy. He is ReAllY cute! - Aly thought he looked a little like Bugsy from the movie "Bedtime Stories" ;). So, tonight while we were giving Jake a bath, we got a good laugh at the comparison. Jake in the bath... a Chi-Yorkie?

Card Games

Aside from what this looks like, Grandma and Grandpa Yates really aren't teaching the girls how to play poker! Aly and Kels got a cube full of games for Christmas, so Grandma was teaching them how to play 31. They had so much fun, they continued to play it for quite a while even after Gma and Gpa left. To top it off, Aly decided that a "family card game" fit nicely into her Family Home Evening lesson tonight about FaMiLIeS and being together.

Thanks for coming and hanging out with us Grandma and Grandpa!

Oh, and nice job on the FHE lesson Aly - we had a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday last Tuesday by going out to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Aly was unable to attend due to her procrastination of her "Oprah" report. Missed you Al! I am so grateful that my Mom is such a big part of my life and especially my girl's lives. She is always there for me whenever I need her, and is such an example to me. When she was battling cancer, she was the one that was strong for the rest of us. I couldn't even talk about her cancer without breaking down and crying. I'd never been so terrified and scared. But my mom never slowed down. She went through several months of chemotherapy and radiation. There were people in her office that didn't even know she was sick, because she didn't skip a beat. She is a shining example of courage, faith, and love, and I'm so lucky to have her for a mom and best friend. We love you Mom!

Welcome to the Oprah Show??

Alyson had an assignment for her English class to do a biography on someone, so, she chose Oprah. She had to create a picture board which also included a photo of her as "Oprah", as well as some props to create the "show". I'm still not sure how, but she made this "Aly as Oprah" picture on some website and we all got a laugh out of it. She did a great job and we all learned some facts about "O" as well. Good job Aly!