A SCHOOL NIGHT ADVENTURE...

Being that we are homebodies, our little fam had quite the night tonight! We decided to be adventurous and take the kids outside of our little bubble and drive down to the LA temple to see the Christmas lights. ( a school night! Crazy!) The plan was to walk around the temple, take a few pics and then head over to Westwood to a fun little cookie place called Diddy Riese. Getting to the temple is always a little tricky due to traffic.....there is always traffic! Once we got to the temple the kids had fun walking around and taking pictures. (these pics do not show how great the lights were) What an amazing place. For those of you who have never been on the LA temple grounds, it sits up on a hill over looking all the craziness below. Beautiful. I love, love the palm trees around the temple. It makes it so Californiaish...not a word, I know. Continued below!

Loving LA....

After walking around the temple, we headed on over to Diddy Riese. To our surprise the street was closed due to a movie premiere! Red carpet, lights, newspaper people and all! Well, I was pretty excited when I saw what was going on! We found an over-priced parking spot and got out to check out the action. The premiere was for "Marley and Me"....you know the one with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. We got our cookies and enjoyed the surroundings! To my disappointment all the celebrities had already gone into the theater. (except Cojo, whopee....what a weirdo) As we were heading back to the car, we did get to grab a picture of the kids with the star who played Marley! Pretty cool! What a great night! See, sometimes it pays to venture 30 minutes past our house! We do live in LA, we definitely need to take more advantage! I LOVE it!

California Fall

Who says we don't have fall in Calif.??? We are only a couple months behind! So while some of you are braving the snow we are finally enjoying the beautiful colorful leaves! If you plan on visiting this great place Nov., Dec. is a PERFECT time!

We are thankful for.....

ALL these wonderful people!! Thanks for spending the day with us! We hope every one had a great day and took the time to reflect on all their many blessings!

Sweet Jane

"Lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep." Alma 37:37

Sign of the times.....

Just when we thought the fight was over, we realize it will never be over....... Let us all press on!

Tagged

O.K. so my sis in law Meg tagged me....I haven't done this before so here we go...!!

SIX QUIRKY THINGS ABOUT ME......I am sure you are just dying to know....

#1. I hate shoes. It kills me to wear anything but flip flops. It is a stretch for me to put real shoes on for work or church!
I don't know how I survived Utah winters for 10 years.

#2. I LOVE hospitals and nursing homes....weird I know. I did get my fill spending time there this year! Maybe I should go back to
school and become a nurse. Oh yeah, I hate school. I will just go visit.

#3. I never remove my makeup at night. I like to wake up looking as good as I did the night before! Ha! I am just really lazy!
It drives my hubby crazy! He calls me raccoon eyes.

#4. I love to clean, especially dusting and organizing, but I have this weird relationship with the microwave....I hate cleaning it! It cracks me up that will clean the whole kitchen but leave the microwave gross. I think it is because I am short and can't reach it
very well.

#5. I love action packed kinda violent movies....I will choose a "Die Hard" type movie way over a "Chic flick"......James Bond, here I
come! (Nov. 14th!)

#6. My family makes fun of me when I am on the phone.. before I say goodbye I add a little giggle before I say "goodbye"...
I didn't believe them....until I heard myself do it! I can't stop!!

I am sure a few of you have so quirks you can think of about me......we all have them right??? Well this was fun, I now tag
Marla, Sara, Heather L. and Cassie!

Happy Halloween!!

2008 costumes!
One homemade with her own two hands (juicebox), one reused from a previous year (M&M), one put together with things from his closet (Indiana Jones) and last but not least.....what is he??? Another fun year of knocking doors in the neighborhood! It is always such a fun night to stop and chat with neighbors and get to know new ones!

YES ON 8!

Nothing like getting the whole family out to rally for Prop 8! What an experience this was for all. About 30 prop 8 supporters took three corners at a major intersection while the fourth corner was occupied by rambunctious 'no on 8' high school students. We had many honks and waves that supported us (and a few honks and other types of waves that did not). A neat lady and a family of 4 even decided to stop and hold a sign with us instead of getting their Saturday shopping done. In the end, there where many other fun things that we could have done today as a family, but we decided to teach our children about freedom of speech and getting out and supporting something you believe in . Besides is there anything more important than protecting families???

At our Best

Some siblings sent over some funny pictures of them in their "high school years".....not really.  We had a good ol' time doing some of his own!  It is scary that this could really be my senior picture!  How hot is my hubby?  I am so lucky he is mine!

The Race

While driving in the car yesterday my five year old asked, "So when McCain and Obama race will they wear track uniforms?"  His brother and sisters are  in track.....those are the only kind of races he knows!  How crazy would that be if the election was decided by a foot race!  I cannot believe how interested a 5 year old is in the election.  As we drive around town he points out every sign;  "there's another Obama sign....who do we want to win again mom? McCain and the lady??"  With all that is going on here in Calif. with the Prop. 8, it is hard for the whole family not to get involved!  

A Walk on the Wild Side

We love living in where we are  due to the fact that at the end of our street is a 1,700 acre park with 27 miles of hiking trails.  The terrain includes volcanic rock formations, several canyons with sycamore and oak trees, two year round streams, and two waterfalls.  Almost every Sun. morning "dad" takes the kids, and myself on one of these hikes.  Today was no different.  We woke up, had some not so good homemade cinnamon rolls and off we went.  The kids love looking for lizards and chatting as we walk.  Avery likes to annoy us by asking hundreds of questions.  We usually head down to the waterfall where the kids skip rocks and then try to cross the stream without getting their shoes wet.  Dad likes to climb off the trail and worry us that he will fall.  On the way back we stop at the tee pee, have a drink and head home.  Today unfortunately Aubrey's shoes did not stay dry.  We also didn't get through the hike without a little drama.  On our way back dad decided to take us on one of his "shortcuts" (how is it that his shortcuts are always longer??)  By this time we have tired kids and one with very wet shoes.  As we are hiking up a VERY steep hill on a trail we had never been on  I noticed a wasps nest in a hole in the ground.  Down the trail a little further Aubrey starts screaming that she has a thorn in her shorts.  As I got closer to check it out I realized it was a very mad wasp that was biting her repeatedly.  So now with wet shoes and wasps bites you can imagine she was not a happy hiker.  We made it home 2 hours after our hike began.  Now we are all clean and enjoying watching general conference together in the comfort of our home!  I am worn out.........but happy.

Favorite Fall Treat

 Its the first day of October.............what do I smell?????????  PUMPKIN BARS!!!  These are our family favorite!  We can't wait for October so we can have them!  Between Oct. and Nov. I cannot count how many times I make a pan of these yummy treats!  They are great to give to neighbors, friends and the girls you visit teach.  Even if you are not a pumpkin fan, I promise you will love these!   Go ahead, make them, your house will smell divine!!  

2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar 1/2 tsp cloves

2 tsp baking powder 1 cup oil

1 tsp soda 15 oz can plain pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon 4 eggs

1 tsp nutmeg

frosting-

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter

3 oz cream cheese

1 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together all ingredients thoroughly.  Pour onto greased jelly roll pan. Bake 25 minutes.  Frost when cooled.

My naive 11 year old

Last night we took the kids to Coffee Bean to get a hot chocolate for FHE.  We were relaxing on their comfy couches when our 11 year old asked us what lingerie was...... her dad so eloquently replied "it's womens pretty bras and unders."  She then stopped and said "you mean like sandals?"  We laughed pretty hard when we realized what she meant to say was "like thongs." Her dad, being the good dad that he is corrected her and told her they were really called slingshots.  It is sad that an 11 year old  knows what a thong is.......she's certainly never seen one on me!  Those darn Victoria Secret windows at the mall.

A good moment....

You know your life is great when dinner and homework are done and cleaned up, your husband is out exercising to keep his perfect form and your 3 youngest are in the backyard dancing and doing gymnastics to "The Eye of the Tiger."  What must the neighbors think??  This loud music and dancing is a nightly event at our house, usually a ticket is required to watch.  Poor Avery, the torture he's subjected to by having older sisters. 

 Also, on this first day of fall the weather is a perfect 73 degrees with a slight breeze that makes my curtains blow.  How blessed I am.....this is a good moment.

The Santa I know is much cuter than this...........

Santa in September???

Starting in September, I start finding letters in the fireplace addressed to Santa.  The letters disappear sometime that day and then, usually the next day, a letter from Santa appears in the fireplace...Weird....Usually, the letters to Santa contain questions like; "How many reindeer do you really have?" , "How many elves work in your toy shop?", "How old are you and Mrs. Clause?" and "Can I write to one of your elves?"  Santa always responds with a lot of detail to each of their questions. Sometimes he leaves weird and unusual candy for them to try.  Aubrey has an elf pen pal that she writes each year named Renzer; she even has a picture of her.  Santa uses his letters to do a lot of teaching about service and being kind to others.  He talks to the 'Lytle children' about the special meaning of Christmas and who it is really all about.  

Here is an excerpt from one of his letters:

"Even though I depend mostly on what some people call magic to get toys delivered I still have to put a lot of effort into preparing for any possible problems.  It's just like any task you have to deal with;  it takes faith, effort and prayer."  

Here is another that he wrote to Aubrey:

"Most girls your age are already beginning to question my existence.  What they don't understand is I'm as real as they want me to be.  If you believe there's someone who wants to make people happy more than anything else in the world then you  believe in me.  Your mom and dad have never stopped believing in me...they know how important Jesus is to me.  I feel like the most important thing I do is help people remember to act more like Jesus...even if it's only for a month or two each year."

How lucky are we to have these Santa letters?  And how lucky are we to have Santa, who puts so much time and thought into each response.  These are memories my children will have forever.  Someday I will have to get their letters back from Santa so that I can put them all together in a book.  (that shouldn't be too difficult since I have my own special relationship with 'Santa')  I have had to let Santa know  that some of the neighbor kids want to know how they can get an elf pen pal......oops!  Thank you Santa for making our holiday season longer and more meaningful. Most of all, thank you for all the wonderful things you teach my children......WE LOVE YOU!

What would we do without grandpas??

Last Saturday my nephew, Noah, was baptized; my dad would not miss it.  With some effort, my mom got him dressed and took him over to the church.  Dad STOOD as a witness to the baptism and was in the circle for Noah's confirmation.  What a neat experience this was to watch.  We never would have thought 5 months ago that this would be possible.  We are very blessed.

Two weeks ago our family had another scare when my father in law had a heart attack (while rollerblading).  Luckily he was quickly taken to the hospital and had surgery to fix the blockage.  All is well and Rich is doing great; he even got to witness BYU slaughter UCLA.  Rich is such an amazing father and grandpa, we are thankful each day that he is in our lives.

Good Job Aubs!!

Our primary leaders have a real good incentive for the kids that memorize all the Articles of Faith.  Their reward is a GIANT cookie!  Aubrey has been working diligently over the past few months to get all 13 memorized.  Today in Primary was the day she received her award!  Doesn't she look cute in her 'Nancy Drew' outfit???  We are very proud of her!  Her next goal is to finish the Book of Mormon by the time she is 12!  Go Aubs!

My potted garden

I have finally found a hobby to do in my spare time!  Who would have thought I would enjoy gardening so much!  We started our garden last year when we fixed up our backyard.  At the side of our house is a long side yard that is a complete waste of space!  My initial plan was to cement the whole thing......cement is not a cheap option.  Then one day I was on the Home Depot site and I saw a picture that gave me this great idea; why not do a potted garden and a garden pathway!  Over the next couple of days, which included many trips to Home Depot, we created this great garden; it has brought so much joy to our family.  The kids love going out there and watching things grow.  We can always find one of them out there singing and playing.  It is better than any playhouse!  We have had everything from beets to turnips to watermelon, and eggplant.  Avery even grew corn! My husband loves cooking with things from the garden.  So even if you do not think you have room for a garden, think again!  It is amazing the things that grow in pots!

BEST BUDS!!

These two 5 year-olds cannot live without each other.  They went to pre-school together for two years.  This year they are at different schools and are really missing each other!  How lucky is Avery  to have a cousin who is his best friend, and he's only 8 weeks younger!  They are quite entertaining to listen to in the car!  We love Nic and Avery!

Swimming at Grandma's

What would we do without cousins?  There would be no fighting over who gets to hold the babies!  This is Aubs, Jane,  Addie and Ava!

First Day of School

Avery's first day of Kindergarten!  He wanted to go....I promise!  He is our only child that will not cry the first 3 months of school!  Go Avery!

Few Firsts!

How cute are these four.......o.k I am a little biased.

Avery starts kindergarden and Aubrey starts junior high!  Jane is in 4th and Jake 8th.  Are you kidding me that I am going to have a high schooler next year!  Crazy!  I am kidless till 1:30 everyday!  What to do with my free time.  Get a job???  

Best birthday ever!!

My husband has informed me that he had the best b-day ever!  It started off a few days early with tickets to a James Taylor concert at the Greek Theatre....so much fun!  Then on his actual b-day the kids and I took him to Henry the 8th at an outdoor theatre at the local university.  We packed a picnic and enjoyed the outdoor setting.  This type of thing is right up his alley.  What a great week and night!  Happy 37th!  Thank you for working so hard to provide such a great life for us....we are so blessed to have you!  We ALL love you so much!

Home at last!

My dad has been home about a month now after suffering a severe stroke on March 13th.  What a scary day that was.  We are lucky to still have him!  He is doing great and getting stronger each day!  It has been a long road and we have many miles left to go!  We love you dad!  He just celebrated his 65th B-day!  Can you say "social security" and "medicare."