Feburary

February 

Winter doesn't last long around here. February was full of sunshine and clear, blue skies. Chris convinced us to go rock climbing with him at Red Rock. We searched for a place to set up, but the only easy ones Aaron and I felt comfortable doing were taken. So instead of rock climbing, we just hiked around and had a picnic lunch in the sun.

Our neighbors grill all the time, so one Sunday we invited ourselves over. We provided the Tri-tip and some sides, and they did chicken and asparagus. It was so good!

The Areno's felt sorry for us again, so they invited us to watch the Superbowl at their house. We played games and watched the Bronco's win. They made ribs and we brought some  Aaron earned himself a 4s4 from a bet with Mark on who would win. Who knew they could pull it off? 

Grace loves waffles and crepes. We found out when we went to IHop together. She also helped me showcase some new lipstick I bought.

Mom and Dad came to Las Vegas and they took us out to lunch at Liquations. They gave us a tour of the place and we had some barbecue. They gave out prizes, but we weren't lucky. All we got was some hats. Thanks for coming to visit us!

Grace is just learning how much fun the park can be. She really loved the swings and the little slides.

9 Months

9 Months Old!

My teeth just started popping out like popcorn. I now have four teeth and I make the cutest smiles with them. I learned how to clap my hands together, click my tongue, and wave. I can even say hi, but not to strangers. I really like to give high fives and I'm just started to cruise along the couch. I'm really happy all the time, and love to eat food! Especially fruits! We love this little stinkbug!

The Frenchman

The Frenchman

We decided to hike up The Frenchman. It's the huge mountain next to our house. We thought it was called Sunrise Mountain, but that is the mountain on the other side of the road. It's about eight miles long, but it's really steep and has a lot of loose rock. The view at the top showcases the whole Las Vegas valley though so it was worth the trip up.

Starting out

 We reached what we thought was the top, only to see this! We debated just turning around, but I couldn't let us see the top without making it to the top!

Halfway point. The top of the Frenchman in the background.

Sunrise Mountain across the road.

We made it! Look at that view!

You can just make out the temple below us.

 I think once was enough for that hike, because the trail was awful. The view was beautiful, but I'm pretty sure we won't be going back.

Temple Shutdown

 Temple Shutdown

These are my work girls! Christine, Cheryl, Dawn, Camille, Debbie, Malina, Carla, Pam, Karen, me. I started working at the temple as an on call in November. Dawn fell and really hurt her back so I was in almost every night cleaning the baptistery. One of the girls quit right before January, so Cheryl asked if I could start working full time. I felt like this job was an answer to my prayers. In fact, Cheryl is the vising teaching coordinator, and when she called to see if I had done my visiting teaching, she said she was inspired to tell me about this job opening.  It's been so much fun and so good for me. I've really struggled with my self esteem being a stay at home mom, but I also didn't want to miss any of Gracie's growing up stages. This job was the answer. I work from 10pm-2am so I don't miss out with Gracie, and I feel so happy working and having my sanity back again. The girls are so much fun to work with and they have really welcomed me into the pack. I've been able to work in every area of the temple, and I have felt my spirituality deepen and my love for Jesus Christ and the gospel expand. I am truly grateful for this opportunity. 

Shutdown happens twice a year and it's when we deep clean the temple. We basically extract all of the furniture, clean the temple from ceiling to floor (I HATE the baseboards!), and clean all the furniture before putting it all back. All in two weeks! We are also in charge of about ten volunteers each. I'm not used to telling people older than me what to do especially since I had just started and I wasn't sure what to expect. We did it all though and it looks so clean and beautiful again. When the temple opens back up we each have our own assigned area to do each night.

Day off

Day off of Work

When we both have a day off of work together we take our puppies and go adventuring. We found this pretty place full of holey red rocks to explore in the middle of no where. Justin and Araceli also watched Gracie for us so we could go on a date night! They are the best.

Bike ride to the temple grounds

And bowling and a movie at Sam's Town

St. George 5k

St. George 5k

Dad and I ran the St. George 5k together in January. These are our before and after pictures. I love running with my dad!

 Aaron, Melissa, Gracie, and I took our dog pack out hiking in the desert. It was a beautiful day and we had fun being home for a few days.

Kodi

Sadie

Bella