Marshallland

Sunday, April 3, 2011

peter and tinker.

halloween 2010.

thanksgiving point @ cornbellys.

cutest. kids. ever.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

our little lady is two. i am amazed how time flies. it seems like we were just bringing her home from the hospital. i love this blue eyed angel so much. she is constantly keeping us on toes. one minute sweet, the next fiesty, then crazy... she loves to give kisses, when she isn't being shy, she is TALKATIVE and learning new words everyday. she loves her brother and tries to do everything he does. she is the epitome of girl - loves jewelry, shoes, and baby dolls. she fluffs her hair when she knows she's dressed up and beautiful. and she is EMOTIONAL. watch out, she doesn't take crap from anyone and she is not afraid to tackle (thanks, loren). she loves to sing and watch out for her dance moves!

we got family and friends together to celebrate with us. loren was the master chef and, of course, made the best barbacoa burritos with all the fixin's. i was in charge of the baking and went a little overboard with all the sweets. we had the byu game going on (that's why eveyone was in blue!) and tons of kids running around! it was so much fun and lyla had a ball - especially when it came time for presents... this lady scored with 5 new dolls (one that is bigger than her - thanks, grandma!), a beautiful bracelet, a recorder (that now has a permant place on top of the fridge out of reach of both kids, thanks kelley fam - we are coming up with some great presents for your next party!) a pillow pet that she sleeps with every night and so many other great things. this girl was in heaven! thanks to everyone who came!

ice cream.

it's a miracle.

i know. when i first started this blog, my goal was to update it monthly. ummmm...to say i've been slacking is an understatement. so, now i have 4 months to catch up on. there has been so much change this summer! we made a big move to utah and we are loving it! our street is amazing with tons of kids to play with and great neighbors everywhere. at night, if we need to get the kids out, we just open the front door and see whats going on outside. i love the area we are in. i have never been a fan of living in utah and wasn't really sure how it would be. i grew up in texas where being a member of the church was fiercely frowned upon and i was one of the only few in my high school. i loved that and knew that I was setting an example and was definitely being watched. high school was such a memorable time for me because it challenged and helped strengthen my testimony. we actually threw out the idea of moving back to texas instead of utah because loren loves it so much. we both loved texas - the southern hospitality, the good family values, the conservative nature - it would be a great place to raise a family. BUT it is too far away from our west coast family. keeping all those things in mind that we liked about texas, we threw around around other places. nothing seemed to fit and feel right until we came to visit some good friends in utah and something about this area felt right to both us. i know we will have issues with utah like any place, but i feel like this is a great place for us and our children right now. it is different being surrounded by members, but also very refreshing in a way. we love our ward and the neighborhood. we get to see family a lot more - loren has been loving all that utah has to offer right now - fishing and shooting with kyle, byu football games, dinners with friends and family - now if we can get his business off the ground - it would be perfect.

it's football season and loren has wasted no time in teaching the kids how to tackle and who to cheer for...

noah's first day of preschool.

he was so excited! i teach a joy school with 6 other moms and it works out perfectly. i teach every sixth week and we rotate houses. they are such a cute group of kids and love to work together. noah loves it!

one of our favorite places here in lehi is right across the highway from us, thanksgiving point. it has a ton of fun places and activities for the family. the gardens hosts a family night each monday that includes many different activities for the family. and there is the dinosaur museum that noah and lya loved. we still haven't done everything over there. so much fun.

my family got together for a reunion in june at warms springs, nevada. we got see family that we haven't seen in a while. it was great! good food, good family, good times...

then warm springs burned down a week later :(

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Utah...

Utah, Utah! If I would have been asked at almost any time in my life if I thought that Utah was the place I would settle and raise my kids, I would have most likely chuckled and assuredly denied the idea. In fact when on my mission and in school in Texas, most assumed I was from Utah. I firmly informed those inquiring of their error. Not that I had anything against Utah. I loved my brief time at BYU and from time to time remind Sonya that, if it weren't for her I would have continued there.

As time drew close to an end in Chiropractic College I just figured that I would be going to California and working with my brother. So that's what we did. There are many songs, stories and movies about the greatness of California. Sonya and I tried to make California fit. Maybe it's the Texas in my wife and me. Maybe it's something else. But it seemed that no matter what we did something just did not feel right. Despite being close to family, close to attractions such as the beach and Disneyland, having a great opportunity at my brother's clinic and making some good friends.
Sonya and I tossed around the idea of returning to Las Vegas for a little while, even to the point that I got my license in the state. Doors seemed to be opening left and right. But at the end of the day that too just didn't feel right. I know, I know, I seem to be going a lot based on feels. I have done pros and cons assessments and other evaluations of the possibilities as well.

Now we are in Utah. I don't have my license to practice yet. I don't know exactly my plan for working. Honestly, I am as scared as I have ever been. I doubt my decision constantly. I wonder if the Lord is on my side. I wonder how it will end up. I hope that my desert will "blossom like a rose" and that truly "this is the place," for me and my family!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

There are three women in my life that mean the world to me; my wife, my daughter and my mom. I have always struggled in the way that I treated/treat my mother. There is an Elvis song called “Always on My Mind.” The first few lines are;

“Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time”

Once when talking about this song my mom said, “Oh poor Elvis”. Sadly this song reminds me to try to treat my mom better than I did growing up, and try to be more of who I should be toward her now. The last thing that my Dad said to me was, “One day you will regret the way you treated me.” I cannot have that with my mother, and that simple song reminds me of that.

During the lowest times in my life my mom has always been there. “Jokingly” my mother has said that she will earn her crown in heaven solely because she is my mother. Sadly, that is probably true. If not it should be. I have probably put my mother through more than the rest of her kids combined. Mom, thank you and I love you for all that you have done and continue to do for me.

Sonya, the love of my life! At our wedding luncheon my brother Tyson asked, “How in the world did Loren get Sonya?” I still don’t know. Better yet, I don’t know how we are still married. I am a lucky guy! There are so many things that Sonya is not only good at but excels at. Most important, to me, is being a mother. I learn so much by the way Sonya is with the kids. How to be gentler, more loving, more respecting, more patient, more giving, more self-sacrificing, I could go on and on. Noah and Lyla love their mother so much not just inherently, but because of how she is with them.

Besides being a great mother, I couldn’t imagine a better wife. My life is simpler, runs more smoothly and is just flat out better for having married Sonya. It was the best decision of my life. Like my mom, Sonya will receive her crown, if for nothing else, because she is my wife. I love you will all my heart Sonya!

In my LDS faith, a husband and wife are not just married for time, but they are given the blessing to possibly be sealed for time and eternity, forever. This sealing is conditional. It must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, and both the husband and the wife must want it to continue forever. The first part is dependent upon worthiness. The second is more of the way we interact together. I am still striving to be confident on both accounts. No goal is higher in my mind and heart than to be worthy of Sonya, both in her eyes and in God’s.

Next to my little Lyla Ryan, oh how I love her! She is still so young and we will hopefully have many more memories to make. But there couldn’t be a cuter little girl. Everything about her is perfect! She is always so bubbly, except when she is throwing her fits. But somehow you even make those adorable. The relationships with my mom and Sonya have helped me to understand the values that I wish to instill in her. I want to teach her that she is a daughter of our Heavenly Father, that she has a value greater than the world can offer. I want to help her understand the sacred nature of being a mother. Hopefully more of Sonya and my mom can rub off on Lyla and less of me. I love you Little Lyla Lady.

I truly have been blessed with magnificent women in my life. These three have been instrumental in softening my heart and knocking off rough edges to become smooth. I am becoming each day more and more the person I need to be and it is greatly attributed to them. Happy Mother’s Day to the mother of my children, to my mother, and to my daughter, a future mother, I love you all.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

in the month of feb, march, april...

time to dust off our poor, neglected blog and try to catch up over the last few months. i can't believe that it is already may! where has the year gone and where has my camera been? we have been keeping busy around here with noah and lyla constantly keeping us on our toes, loren working the streets to bring in patients and my shop still thriving after the busy christmas holiday - whew!! no wonder our blog has dropped a few notches on my priority list! the winter snows have passed, i think (cross my fingers) and we are excited to start enjoying the outdoors this summer. the mountain weather decided to skip spring this year - with all the snow, we have been able utilize snow valley all the way until the end of april! nice to be on a snowboard again but i think we are all ready for the boat - especially noah! our little cuties just keep growing and getting cuter by the second. sometimes, i wish i could freeze time when noah gives me "tiny kisses" to wake me up in the morning or when lyla throws her head back when she laughs with glee! i love it! i love them! i realize i haven't taken that many pictures lately. i will have to remedy that! but for now, here are few randoms...