The Carousel

The castle and some of the dragons.

Chad getting ready to charge

All the kids on their mounts

Tylissa's favorite - Midnight Rose.

Reminding Val why he loves me.

See he even got on a horse - once.

Missoula has this great hand made carousel with hand carved horses, dragons, knights, castles. It was great. The kids had a great time and they kept winning free rides. You would think they would have gotten dizzy. It was a lot of fun. And the workmanship was amazing. Every horse had a name and a theme.

Keston going around and around and around.

Even a horse for the Grandmas.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Tylissa as the next great conservationist.

For the Easter weekend we headed down to Missoula and stayed in the hotel with the waterslide, which was fun (Chad had more fun making his mini waffles at the breakfast buffet). We decided to do tourist stuff. First we headed over to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. They had some great mounts and so fun conservation/learning displays. Keston even got a high hoof, so does that make it a high two?

Ahhhhhh! Duck!

Boys will be boys - the stags fighting.

The Music Grows

Tylissa came home tonight from her music lesson and guess what she brought home . . . She has a great instructor who is very eccentric but we love her. Anyhoo, so now when Tylissa goes to music she can choose amongst violin, voice, or cello. BYU better get the scholarship ready cause she is coming. Please disregard the doorag. This week is pirate math and they get extra credit for dressing up. She would make a very cute pirate, she ended up taking the earrings out cause she has sensitive ears. The flower slippers complete the ensemble, don't you think? She must love it because she didn't complain walking home looking like a musical pack mule.

The Countdown Begins

It is a BIG countdown but only 1 year and 8 months until the Hemsley - Toren vacation of 2010. Disneyland and the beach - here we come.

JOY LIST

Things have been not very pretty at work . . . like every where, the economy has made work stressful and not all that pleasant. While pow wowing with coworkers one of them suggested that we keep a Joy List. Just start writing down things that bring joy into your life and when life is unbearable return to your joy list. So I started my Joy List. I have lots of things listed. It ranges from FAMILY to SWEDISH FISH. Here are somethings on my joy list. What is on yours?

A Great Book . . . taking a nap in the sunshine . . . friends . . . my testimony of Jesus Christ . . . happy Songs (mine is Dela) . . . Keston's smile . . . Chad's laugh . . . Tylissa's beauty . . . I still have a job . . . Primary . . . laying on a beach . . . GFC . . . HUGS . . . the first robins of spring . . . playing in snow . . . Christmas . . . a Fun Movie . . . lunch with friends. . . sleeping in . . . sun coming over the mountains . . . Val . . . the Torens

See, it puts life into perspective and you can't help smiling.

Golden Birthday

It was Tylissa's golden birthday, she turned 14 on the 14th. It was a great day. We decorated her room, she had a gathering (not a party), we ate cake, and she liked her gifts. A tuner for her violin, August Rush dvd, and a jewelry box were the highlights. Oh and you can't forget the pink bear. All is well. So now that she is 14, she is a Mia Maid, can go to stake dances, she is registered for high school, and she is already telling us what kind of car she wants. I fear this is only the beginning.

The great part was the 14 candles on the cake - she was like the big bad wolf and one breath was all it took. She credits it to voice lessons. Happy Birthday Tylissa! We Love You!

Tenderhearted Winner and it can't be possible

Chad's car is on the far right and on the top lane

Another cub car derby was here. This year was a little different, it was a tri-ward event with all three Kalispell wards. Chad designed the car, Val shaped the car, and Chad finished with a paint job. As in all derbies you can tell who spends more time making it look great and those who let the kids do it all themselves. Chad's priority is not the paint job, it is the speed - is it a fast car and luckily it was. He won the Bear division (he won every race). It was definitely an exciting night. He proudly wears the medal on his shirt.

This week the Missoula Children's Theatre is presenting a play and Chad tried out on Monday and was devastated when he didn't get a part, tears and all. Poor little guy. So we won't take him to Hollywood anytime soon. What makes it really hard is when Keston and Tylissa have participated in the past. He really wants a turn and one day he might just make it. It worked out for the best because it would have been a very busy week. Oh well.

Tylissa spent most of the day at the High School with a mentor to see what it would be like and then she brought home registration information, this can not be possible. There is no way she should be thinking about High School.