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."