Hello.....again

Youth Conference

So, this past weekend we volunteered to be Youth conference parents. For those of you not familiar, the local congregations of our church lumped all the 14-18 yr old kids together for a weekend and split them into temporary housing groups. We got 5 boys who stayed with us Friday night. We spent Thursday and Friday in activities, riding hers on a large group of kids, feeding them,. and seeing all of them be awesome and do things like organize a blood drive and do Meals on Wheels. I wasn't sure how the whole 5 teenage boys in our house would go, but it was okay we got to find out how much of a flirt and a goof off some of the boys are when to this point we thought them just quiet and shy. We also had two rules...which we are thinking of applying to all houseguests-

1. Don't get arrested, because if you do I won't bail you out.
2. Don't wake me up.

We also woke up to a dusting of snow-like toilet paper thanks to some of the girls in other homes. Tfiiany says I should feel loved. I don't know about that. :)

Tiffany is already talking about next time....what do y'all think?

Our New Pool

So, we found a great deal and couldn't pass this up...so we now have a fun new toy. Come and play!

Why Hello again

So, our life still rolls along---except we mow have four more wheels to roll on! Yes that's right we bought two bicycles!

Okay, so I lied. We did get a new (to us) car. 

After a few DMV hurdles to clear  (Thanks AAA- my yearly membership is worth it just for not having to set foot in Purgatory Preview aka CA DMV!)

And Bob does love the 1997 Honda Accord. It runs great, got a clean bill of health from the mechanic and only smells a little of cigarette smoke. Bob also appreciates no longer having to walk to work as the days grow hotter.

Speaking of work, Bob has applied for a new position in the training department of US Bank. So, cross your fingers!

Not to leave Tiffany out- she did buy herself a new pair of sandals and decorate the house for spring- oh and work her tail off watching kids for her nanny family, friends in the ward, family, and random people who call her.

 We also had my Mom and Dad Laney and Steve come down in April- We had a good time!

The most beautiful girl ever- no reason to include this, her awesomeness just deserves to be shared!

Keep Moving Forward

The title to this Blog update is from a quote from Walt Disney about not resting on your laurels(no pun intended Laurel-okay maybe a little) and keep moving forward (I summed up). I thought it was fitting since this is what we seem to be doing at this moment in time.  Couple months ago we got signed off for our home to a Foster Home. We did this in the hopes that there would be children available for us to adopt through the foster care system. So far, the wait continues. We have had several calls for placement, but none have actually happened yet. So, we wait.
On the plus side, while we wait, life is good. Mom and Dad Laney came to visit us....wait, I think I need to go a little further back. This past Christmas (it been a while since we updated) we took a trip to see the Laney family in Fairfield, Ca. This was a special trip because Bob's brother, Jared and his family, were able to make the trip all the way from Texas to visit. So, this would be the first time in three years that we could take a Laney Family picture and spend some time together.

 It was awesome and wonderful. We learned more about our family and had some fun times.

This is Jared and Laurel with their kids, Isaac, Noah, and Ellie. Isaac enjoyed some quality time while I saved him from the swing he was climbing. Then, he showed me his amazing climbing skills and climbed to the top of Grandma Laney's tool shed (we did not tell Grandma Laney). He is quite the smart and imaginative kid.
Noah loves all things that have to do with doing adventurous things. We shot arrows, toy guns, and magic wands. Such an active mind, just like his brother. We enjoyed some special time with Noah as we "hiked" Muir Woods trail. We talked of Harry Potter, Magic, and climbing everything in sight. Such a cool kid.
Ellie was a giggle a minute, except for Bob. The very first day, Bob scared her,-note to Bob- do not jump out from around corners near small children- and after that, she would have nothing more to do with him. Good for me, bad for Bob. Ellie at the end of our trip did discover the great pillow that is Bob and soon they were friends. Her favorite game was being swung from side to side by her arms, the higher you made her swing the happier she was. What a doll.
Christmas was truly a time for family as we spent some time with the family that is farthest away miles wise, but close to our hearts. Thanks again for you time, love, and thoughtful presents.

The New Year came and went and we promised to do better, and be better. Than Jan. 2nd came and we remembered how awesome we are already. Resolution met. We did resolve to be more active though. Bob and I found an awesome hiking trail in our own "backyard" and can't wait to hike to the top of the mountain marked with an "M" for Moreno Valley (for those of you that don't remember where in California we live). It is a 1.87 mile hike up, so we are excited to discover new adventures.

We also managed to have some fun with Max and Layla while Cody and Laura went off to play. We had a blast from sword fights to gymnastics to bedtime stories to all around awesome cuteness. 

Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter were all filled with fun and Tiffany decorating the front room like the holiday aisle of the 99cent only store threw up in it. She loves that kind of stuff.

Easter is always fun because it usually means that Mom and Dad Laney will come visit. This time we were pleased to have Steve Laney along for the ride as well. It was a lot of fun spending Conference weekend with them. We are grateful for their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and grateful for the time we could spend with them. We especially loved introducing Mom, Dad, and Steve to Harry Potter Clue board game. Bob died on a bad guess while Mom and Tiffany had the winning guess. Next time we hope to see Michael Laney come down with them.

 Then came Easter- we spent dinner at Tiffany's parent's house- sadly we only got one picture -of niece Emily-but it rates a 5 gazillion on the cuteness scale.

so, that's us. Oh, except for the new toy Bob got from work...

Courtesy of cnet.com----- A Kindle Fire! He can now be one of those guys in Elders Quorum who you are never sure if they are playing Angry Birds or following along.

Til Next Time- Adventure On!