Pics from our weekend...

Friends, Family and Fun!!!!

Frank and I are always on the go when it comes to the weekends. Rarely do we ever just stay at home (I have mentioned this before) anyways, our great friends Chris and Courtney Marquis invited us to come up to Newport Beach for dinner and a fun evening, and we sure had a great night. We visited the Newport Beach Temple, strolled through the mansions in Corona Del Mar had a nice dinner followed by nothing less then Cheesecake factory Cheesecake on the way back to their apartment for some COurtney and Sabrina time, while the men were busy being manly... what is it that manly men do you ask?... Play video games of course!!!! What else? :) The next day we met up with my mom, and headed down to Carlsbad for a birthday party.. It was a great weekend, and nice to be relaxed yet slightly busy at the same time!!! Thanks Chris and Court, we love you and hope to come back soon!!

Adventures in Maddy Land!!!!!

The title is perfect for this mischievous 23 month old!!! Maddy is notorious for giving you these " I know I'm naughty, but so what" looks. Today was no different. Just so you know, the pictures go in order first to last from bottom to top. She, Madison, woke up from her nap rambunctious as ever and within minutes had given herself a total Mohawk from lotion she found nestled way back on the counter. No idea how she got it. After that I went to check on Aly, the sleeping baby (a major breakthrough!!! Still asleep after 2 hours!!! She has only been taking 35-40 minute naps). When I came back in the room, I found Madison inching her way across the counter as if she were trying to be totally undetected! Much to her surprise I popped my head up right in front of her (hence the hard laughing smile picture. Then after the counter episode, I moved Aly downstairs because she was awake, then after a little while she had fallen back asleep, and as soon as Maddy realized she was there, Maddy snuck over in to the TV room to try and wake Aly up without me noticing. Look at the look she gave me when she got in trouble (the last picture)

Love, one of life's greatest blessings...

So, I have just spent the last hour or so surfing the blog world and catching up on who's pregnant, who is happy, who is sad, and even who is busy and who is not. I realized as I came to the end of my blog surfing, that I have not really stopped to take a look at my own life and see all of the tremendous blessings Father in Heaven has given me. I started thinking about my family, although we are different, and don't presently share the same religious beliefs, we are all growing closer together through love. Then I thought about my job as one of the little ones lay here on my lap asleep, and the love I have for those kids. As I looked at her and pondered over my different friends and the stages of life they're in, I began to think about Frank and the path beginning to be layed out for us as we prepare for our marriage. I couldn't help but think about the overwhelming amount of love I know I will feel for him as we kneel together for the sealing of our marriage for all of time and eternity. I can't begin to comprehend the kind of love the Savior knew as he truly learned to love everyone, even the leper and the liar, the adulterer and the criminal. The most amazing part is that his love for them and the love he had for His disciples were the same. I can only hope that by the end of my earthly stay, I might have learned to be a little bit better at loving people and even things unconditionally just as the Savior did and has instructed that we do.
I have just been blessed today with this little "quiet" time to realize the importance of love and take a look around me and see the numerous blessings in my life through the gift of love!