San Diego Sunny Fun!

Gotta love Balboa park!

The kids loved this dancing car.

There were so many beautiful flowers! The orange one is pretty too!:)

These street performers were so cool. they were painted to look like metal and acted like robots.

That has got to be one of my favorite park! Free fun to last a whole day + some!! We love to explore and there was lots to be had that day!

The Beach!

We had a family photo session one night on the beach with Jason's cousin but the pictures got erased!:( the kids had so much fun running away from the waves that night that we had to go back to the same spot and try it again. We did not leave as dry as we had the first time.

Last stop: Sea World!!

checking out the maps, ready to plan the day!Dad and K waiting for one of the shows to start. We were really impressed with all the shows and even saw a few of them twice. Kinda sad that one of the kid's favorites was the dog and cat show at Sea World!:)

Just waiting! I could just eat her up!:)

The kid's favorite thing about Sea world was the new Atlantis ride. It was the first and the last thing we did there. They rode it ten times or more and were happy it wasn't like waiting in a ride line at Disneyland.

Shamu Shpamu...what's all the hype about?

and waiting...

Yikes! Bad hair day!:/

My Boys!

Though my hubby's hair will be, about like this for the army, by boys had their heads shaved for a different reason. there is a little boy in my kid's school who has cancer and we had the opportunity of attending and helping with a fundraiser for him to raise money for some very serious, and costly, upcoming treatments. Anyway, head-shaving was one of the things they were doing that day in honor of him; "Super Spence"!

My girl's were a bit concerned about our boys being bald but seriously, I think they have some nice bald heads!:) That can't be said for everyone! Plus, they are sooo soft and fuzzy!!

Going Forward with Faith!

I sure loved having conference and Easter on the same day this year. We had such a nice, relaxing weekend! Okay, so we make our kids sit down and watch or be in the room for all four sessions. It has become a fun tradition because we have incorporated many games and activities that the kids look forward to, many of witch include sugar in one form or another.:) Anyway, this year I had all of us take turns filling out the conference packet that gave us the opportunity to write down the things that stuck out to us when each apostle, or the prophet spoke. The kids were more willing to do this task then I had imagined and put a lot of good thought into what they wrote about the talks they were assigned to. (okay, so I bribed all of them with a full thing of "Peeps" for everyone who participated).:) The following are some of the things my children wrote that stuck out to them:

Sadie:
- "Anyone can be a rescuer" Pres. Eyring
- "love is the source of happiness"
- "If we are His hands, should we not do the same (as the Savior)?"Pres. Uchtdorf
- "Children must understand who they are and who Heavenly Father wants them to be."
Elder Hales
This is what Sadie wrote that she would so after hearing conference: "I will pray. I will strive to keep the commandments and to pray often to the Lord and read about the prophets on the ancient times."
Porter:
- "Memorize articles of Faith" Elder Perry
- "Jesus is the center of your home" Elder Scott
- "You have come to earth at a great time" Elder Andersen
Porter wrote down that "he learned to be nice, and he learned that Elder Andersen can speak 4 different languages."
Aubrey had a hard time picking too much more out then key words that stuck out to her and she had the assignment of telling what all the songs were so we could write them down:
Aubrey's thoughts were:
- Spirit
- Family History
- The 2 most important words are thank you.
- Temple work
- Scriptures

I often find myself overwhelmed with the magnitude of my children's spirits and understanding! Though I felt that all of the talks applied to me somehow, there were a few quotes that have stuck in my mind as I embark on this new journey with my little family:

- "None is exempt from the storms of life"
- "Seek the higher ground, attend the temple." Elder Cook

- "To understand the meaning of death, we must understand the purpose of life." Pres. Monson
- "They learn by our actions"
- "Hold your tongue about things of no moment" Elder Ballard (basically everything from this talk)

- "No matter the size of the issue, your response can change the course of your life."
- "Never stop trying to rescue a loved one...we may never know when a heart may be ready to turn." (I'm not sure who said these last two quotes.)

- "I will give place no more, for the enemy of my soul."

I came away from conference feeling like I have a lot of work to do but that the Lord is on our side and that he is there to help us with any struggles we may face if we but, turn to him, strive to do what is right and keep his commandments. Though I often fall short, he has never failed to keep his end of the bargain!

Family

Here are some of our favorite family pics from

our 2010 family photo shoot!:)

My Boys!

I love these 2 pictures of us. There are not too many that we have that I can actually say that about but I feel like these show how we really feel about each other.

Our Family in 2010!

Sadie is 9 and in the fourth grade. She is an excellent student and a good friend to all who know her. Sadie is an avid reader and seems to always have a book in her hand. She is also very talented. She has started making jewelry this year and she is very good at it. It is rare to see her without some kind of necklace, earrings or a bracelet that matches what she is wearing. Sadie is also very talented on the stage. She is a great little actress and, might I say, she shines on stage! Her singing voice has also blossomed as she has had many opportunities in plays to sing and is currently in our ward choir and school choir, with a solo/duet. We are so proud of her and could not do without all her help and service as well as her keen and sensitive spirit. (She always knows when someone needs a hug or attention). We are so grateful to have her in our family.

Porter just turned 8 in January and is in 2nd grade. He loves PE and is very good at math and spelling. Porter loves to have fun, make people laugh and is full of energy. He, like his older sis, is also very creative. Porter loves to build things, and take things apart to see how they work. He questions everything and wants to know why and how everything works, in all aspects of his life. We found at a young age, that Porter is good at everything! There are very few things in his life that he has tried and enjoyed that he has not excelled in. Porter is good at all sports that he tries but loves to play soccer, ride his bike and scooter and play catch with his dad. Porter also loves to play video games with his dad when he has earned them. He is a great asset to our family and has the potential to be a great leader. We are grateful for him and his outgoing and inquisitive spirit in our home!

Aubrey is 6 currently and is in Kindergarten. She loves to learn new things and is really enjoying her first year at the "BIG" school. She is becoming a good little reader already and is very quick to make friends. She is tiny and very lovable. She has already had a boy in her class ask her to marry him. YIKES! Aubrey is very good at sharing and helping others, including me. She also enjoys doing little acts of service around the house for others to find later. She is very independent and often asks if she can make lunch for her and Kailey. Aubrey loves to play games and has been called the "Skip-bo" queen, on several occasions at our house. She is also a sweet big sister and is very cute with Kailey. We love our little Aubrey and her giving and loving spirit. She is a blessing in our home.

Kailey is 2 and will turn 3 in September. She is a funny little duck that is able to melt any of the rest of us with her giggles and smile. She also, somehow has the power to magically end a fight that two of her older sibling might be having, just by smiling at them or giving a little hug. She is becoming a good, little talker and always has a mouth full to say that never seems to come out quite as quickly as she would like. Kailey is also very independent and wants to do EVERYTHING by herself. "Me do it", is a very common phrase I have come to know and expect to hear at least 10 times a day.:) She is also a good little friend and plays very well with older kids. Some of Kailey's favorite things to do, besides play with her siblings are: playing Barbi, hide-and-seek, pretend and dress-up. (When we are at home, she generally has some sort of dress-up skirt over whatever she is wearing that day, so she can spin). Kailey has a happy and independent little spirit that we count as a blessing in our home.

We love our little, family and the time that we spend together. All of us count "family time" as one of our TOP favorite things to do! Some of our favorite things to do togeter are: things like games night, movie night, park time, hikes, exporing somewhere, camping, or just hanging out together.

Porter's Baptism!

Jason Porter Giles is 8!!

We are so proud of Porter and his decision to be baptized. He was baptized a member of the church on February 6, 2010 in the Herriman 1st ward. We were very happy to have so many family members there including 1 grandparent from each set. Grandpa Giles came from Salt Lake and stood in as one of the witnesses and in the circle and Grandma T and Grandmama Balthrop came from Arizona for the occasion and gave the talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost. Everything was beautifully done and I felt like Porter felt the spirit there. during the few days before and a few days that followed his baptism, we enjoyed lots of time with family and enjoyed having Grandma T and Grandmama Balthrop stay and spend some time.

Time with Grandma T.

New set of Scriptures!

Time Goes By

I can never believe how fast time goes by. Why is it, that I can never believe it because I often find myself in this exact situation, not believing it all over again. Don't you think I would get it by now that it is not going to slow down anytime soon? I know that doesn't make since but it is a question I send out into the void.

Again I find myself with catching up to do. For starters, I think the kids are starting to come to the realization that their dad is leaving. I can tell when they are getting tons of attention from us but a few are starting to act out in different ways that they normally don't. I know the Lord will bless us in this decision because we made it through him but I think this year may be a little more trying then I am wanting it to be. Meanwhile, Jason is done with one of his 2 jobs and is only working part time for this month and off for the first few weeks in April. we are excited for the family time and are planning a fun, warm vacation for part of the time as a little surprise for the kids. I so love dong surprises!!:) I will update as time permits and as my computer gets fixed so that I can download some pictures.