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!

A story to tell

So recently I watched some kids and one of them asked me to tell him a story. sometimes my spur of the moment stories are good and sometimes they are not. This one was pretty good. so, I thought I would share. here it is. please enjoy:

Once upon a time...

There was a little boy, who had no idea who he really was. One day while he was watching his sheep in his families field a wizard came to him. As soon as the wizard saw the little boy's brown hair, purple staff, and the little scar on the left side of his nose; he knew that he was the next Prince of Crayon-land. 

The Wizard explained to the boy that Crayon-land needed a new ruler because the people were so confused. They didn't know what color to color the sky. they didn't know what color to color grass. They didn't even know what color to color the beautiful castle. 

The boy could not believe what the wizard was saying, but he decided to try anyway. The wizard told him that he needed to walk until he found the big blue lake, then follow the path to the left until he saw the green tree, and when he saw a fork in the road, he should go to the right and there he would find the rainbow that would lead him to the world's most perfect box of crayons. 

The boy started on his journey and came to a Big lake, but it wasn't blue. The lake was white. The boy was confused and didn't know what to do until a blue bird came down. 

"Can I help?" the blue bird said

"I don't know how you can, I was looking for a blue lake, but this one is white. I don't know what to do." the boy said. 

"if you sing a song to me, I might be able to help." chirped the blue bird. 

"Okay, I try," said the boy. The boy sang. 

Blue, Blue, I love you

Blue, Blue, you are true.

Blue, Blue, I love you.

Blue, Blue, you are true to me. 

With that, the blue bird flew up into the sky and opened up his wings. Out of his wings came blue sparkles. The sparkle fell into the water and turned the lake from white to blue. 

The boy was so happy as he continued on his journey. He remembered that he had to follow the path to the left until he found the green tree. 

On the path in front of him he found a yellow tree. The boy stared at the tree and wondered if he had gotten lost somewhere. Once again the blue bird flew next to him and asked him if he could help. 

"I don't think so," the boy said, "unless you know how to turn a yellow tree to a green tree." 

"maybe, but you might want to sing again." 

"sure, why not" thought the boy. 

Blue, Blue, I love you

Blue, Blue, you are true.

Blue, Blue, I love you. 

Blue, Blue, you are true to me. 

With that the bird flew up into the air and circled the tree. The bird opened up it's wings and out came big blue sparkles. The tree magically turned from yellow to green as the blue sparkles hit it. 

"of course", said the boy" yellow mixed with blue makes green."

The boy thanked the blue bird for his help on his journey to find the world's most perfect box of crayons. 

As the boy came to the fork in the road, he could not remember which way he was supposed to go.  The boy thought and thought but somehow he could not remember, so he started to skip back and forth. He skipped back and forth so long that it started to rain. The raindrops were very little and light. As he thought about the light rain, he got an idea. 

He pulled out his flashlight and shined it into the rain, as he did a little rainbow appeared. The boy followed the rainbow and the path to the right. As the rain stopped, the rainbow disappeared and in front of him, he found the world's most perfect box of crayons. 

The boy picked up the crayons and as he did and powerful rainbow encircled him. All the colors, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red encircled him and made a beautiful multicolored coat for the new prince. And, on his head was a six point crown with different gems on top. 

And that is the story of how Crayon-land got a new prince.

-Tiffany Laney.

10 years into eternity

Our ten year anniversary was last Wednesday...so we took a few days off together and roamed the town!
We hiked a small mountain,

found awesome new roadside fruit stands, had many thrift store adventures, went to the movies, almost went camping,-and then realized we needed more camping equipment- and
soaked up culture-weird I know- at the Riverside County Museum and the Riverside Art museum.

Then, on the day of our anniversary, we drove back to where it all began- The San Diego California temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We had a great day in which the Spirit of the Lord was present.

Here's us then-

 And ten years later...

I can't believe its been ten years! I love my sweet wife-now and forever! Here's to many more years into eternity!

My favorite time of the year has come. I love fall, and I love Halloween. So, once again Bob is forced to tolerate my love for Halloween, as I decorate the house from top to bottom, with as much decor as my budget will allow. The top picture is the way that my house looked for Halloween night. I don't know if you can see all the spider webs that I put up and my new favorite decoration...my huge candy corns. I got those from Disneyland last year before I left the "happiest place...in anaheim" They are my new pride and joy (as far as decorations go) and they fit in with the tombstones and creepy guy in the window. I also had scary sounds playing so needless to say a few of my trick or treaters had a moment of pause before they rang the door bell. This year I decided to dress up as Queen of the Nile. I found the costume at Walmart for only 19.99 so I just couldn't pass it up. Although I must confess that one day I am going to find a Shrek and Princess Fiona costume for Bob and I to wear.
Anyway, this month was a fun one as well as we also got a chance to see our niece and nephews playing soccer. They were awesome and I got into it...a lot. I know why people put stickers on the back of their cars that say, " proud soccer mom". Now, I just have to find one that says, " proud soccer aunt" and I will be all set.

Madison, Christopher, and Aaron were amazing to watch. I was so proud and glad that we were able to see them play. Bob and I really liked the tunnel that family members make at the end of each game as each of the teams run through. It sort of reminded me of what real sport-man like playing is all about. Not matter who wins (or looks like are playing better) we each get up at the end of the game and cheer on all every team member on both teams for doing their best. I must admit it put a little tear in my eye for a moment. I think it would be fun to go to a professional game and watch each team run through a cheer tunnel at the end. So, funny to think about. We also celebrated Bob's thirty-something birthday. He doesn't really like to talk about it since he doesn't think we are old enough to be adults. I tend to agree with him. So, we just consider birthdays as a reason to have cake. I would post some pictures but apparently all the pictures were taken when everyone was leaving. silly us.
Well, that is our month in a nutshell. (insert Austin Powers line here.)
We continue to hope and pray that the County of Riverside will quickly "sign off" on our Foster application and we will have more news to share. In the mean time please keep us in your prayers.

Thrift stores

I love 11 books for a dollar ...and a funky fresh shirt!