The Egg Hunt

The bunny hid 65 eggs...some real...some plastic and some with money. Aralie was the first to find one of the money eggs!

The kitchen is a popular hiding place!

Sarah found one in the music basket.

Aliza was successful finding some in the couch.

And the winner is.....Aliza with a total of 18 eggs. 2 more than Hannah. The bigger kids were way off this year. They have gotten to sloppy about really LOOKING!

We had a fun time with our hunt this morning...it's a fun tradition for us. Leonard had never been on an egg hunt until we got married.

Easter and Christmas are great days to have church at 1pm. We headed off to church to listen to messages about the resurrection of Christ and his atonement for us. There is no gift more precious than His atonement for us. It's humbling to think of the price he paid for us. When they ask the last question in the temple recommend interview...do WE think we are worthy to enter the Temple? I always reply with the gift of the Atonement...I do. How else could we ever be worthy?

Happy Easter!

The Bunny was here...

Aliza was so excited about her new Hannah Montana CD. The movie is a ton of fun and great music.

Aralie is a Rascal Flats fan and loves the movie Madagascar!

Hannah and Aliza love to play handball...the easter bunny obliged!

Jordon digs his new v-neck shirts and one of his favorite actors Will Smith.

Sarah joined us for our Easter Morning!

Add some Color!

We had a busy day...so we ended up dyeing eggs at 10pm. Just me, Hannah and Aliza...the older two were at a stake dance. We had fun writing sayings on the eggs and picking out our favorite colors!

Hannah always remembers Mom.

Aliza's says I love Easter

I love a tray full of colored eggs!

Lilies

My parents sent us a beautiful bouquet of Lilies! Just perfect for celebrating Easter and Spring!

Thank you Mom and Dad!

Happy Easter!

Edward......sigh......

Who's ready?????? I am!!!!!

Welcome Home Mark, Jamie and Spencer!

With the Voges family back in town for the day...it was time for a Party! The Bowens hosted a dinner gathering for all of us to spend time with our friends...Mark, Jamie and Spencer! In attendance were The Banrys, Bowens, Hoskins, Mowers, Parrishes and the honored guests! Heather made bbq pulled pork sandwiches(YUM) and Allison made a very yummy desert...that shall go unnamed for the pg crowd! It is wonderful to spend an evening with great friends!

The Handsome Men!

The little girls were having fun making all these cute saying for Jamie out of the blocks!

The teenagers being their goofy selves!

Aralie and Emalee with Jamie...she was their activity day leader!

Whenever Ms. Jamie is around the little girls flock to her side. She is the most treasured person around! She was all of these adorable girls preschool teacher. It is so cute to see their eyes sparkle when she is around!

Wonderful Friends!

Once again Jamie is the star to our middle teen girls!

What a great group of handsome young men! It is so fun to see what they come up with when this group of friends gets together. Today, Wes filmed a short film with all of them. It was HILARIOUS!!!

It was an Amazing evening with treasured friends!

Lunch with the Ladies!

Our friend Jamie moved away last Dec. She came for a visit today...so it was lunch with the ladies. It was just like old times....we miss that. When friends leave our daily lives, we miss the closeness! But, when we get back together the bond is still as strong! I am grateful to have such great friends in my life!

An Ooppss!

My friend Ali tagged me with a post about an ooppss!
Here lies one of April's famous chocolate covered strawberries! Chocolate and Strawberries are one of the most delightful treats ever!! It is such a terrible waste to see one fall to the floor before it meets its destiny. Especially one rolled in oreo cookie crumbs!

April Fool's Day at WRTV

Jordon and Wes did a spoof of Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies" video for WRTV today. It is a little disconcerting to see your son in a leotard and moving his hips like that! It is hilarious! Jordon good friend Wes is the one that says, "my hips don't lie!"

I must say these boys must be very secure in their manhood to be able to do that in front of the whole school! Great job boys!!!

It is in the very beginning of the show.

Here's a link....http://westranchtv.com/2009/04/01/west-ranch-tv-april-1-2009/

Mama Tooth is Gone!

When Aliza was just a baby I noticed this huge tooth coming in. After it came in I wondered how another tooth would fit there. The dentist said the the two baby teeth fused into one mono tooth. Aliza called it her mama tooth ever since! Well at 8 years old it was not budging. But in the last week it has loosened up. Tonight we pulled it out. She is so happy to be missing her front teeth finally!

She wrote the tooth fairy to explain to her that her mama tooth is really TWO teeth and could she treat it as such. Plus it is an unique tooth you know!

I hope a generous tooth fairy will visit tonight!

Spring Break at Disneyland

Aliza and Hannah have two weeks off for spring break. The older two still have school this week. Heather and I headed down to disney for a day of magical fun. We knew we were in trouble when it took Heather an hour to get thru the parking garage line.

We went to California Adventure first. Toy story is our FAVORITE ride! We spent some time in bear country too and the tire swing...FUN!

Toy story is such an awesome, fun and interactive ride. You get to shoot at things like you are in an arcade! Love it!

On our last two trips to Disney we did not get to the bob sleds. Aliza was determined to ride this time. Watch our for those scary red eyes!

This was the scene in the car on the way home! All tuckered out!

Brothers

One of Leonard's younger brothers called and asked if we lived close by a place called Castaic. Len said that is where I live! He is a truck driver and had a route that came through Castaic. We have not seen him in almost 10 years. So we picked him up, showed him the house, ate some dinner at Telly's and he was off again. I hope he can come back again and spend some more time with us. He also told the kids a few stories about Len growing up. They got such kick out of hearing stories about their dad when he was young!

Aliza's Birthday Party

Aliza took some of her friends out to celebrate her birthday. We ate at Johnny Rockets and went to see the movie Monsters vs. Aliens! We had a fun time. The little girls were just so fun! I love the laughter of 9 little giggly girls!

Flarp was a big hit!

Chelsie and her slinky smile!

What a great group of giggle girls!

Top: Taylor, Morgan, Aliza, Natalie and Faith

Bottom: Kaylee, Becca and Chelsie!

Uncle Ray

Uncle Ray as he is affectionately known in our home!

I know his eyes are close but he has a smile on his face! Ray and Leonard used to tell people all the time they were brothers separated BY birth. Everyone always looked confused at this statement. These two were "soul friends" if I have ever seen one! From the moment they met there has been a bond.

When Ray first came to our home as a Stake Missionary he had longer hair and a handlebar mustache. You could say he looked a little gruff. He also came with a HUGE testimony and love for the Gospel. His spirit spoke to Leonard's and that opened the door to Leonard's heart. It allowed him to be able to listen to the gospel and accept its truthfulness. I will forever be grateful to him for that transformation. Ray and Lynette welcomed us into their home with open arms. They showed us what it was to BE an LDS family. Our family is truly blessed to have such wonderful people guide us through our first few years of growing in the gospel together!

Laura, Ray, Hoskins Kids and Lynette

When Ray first arrived at church, Aliza wouldn't hug or talk to him. I guess it had been too long and she was too young to remember him. Back at Maria's house she slowly started to warm up. But once she did, she wanted all of his attention!

This is how the rest of the day went. Aliza sitting on his lap telling him all about her life. Another one of my children who has given their heart to our Uncle Ray. When we got home I came upstairs and found Aliza on the computer. She was typing Ray Easler into google. I was a little shocked...I didn't even know she knew what googling was about. I asked her what she was doing and she said she wanted to see Uncle Ray again...then she started to cry. She let out a huge sob and said I miss him so much already. I love him and don't want to have to wait years before I see him again. Every single one of my kids has loved Ray this much! Hmmm...must be a good man for kids to love you that much!