The intricacies of blogging

Here's me teasing my kids.  Good thing they're having so much fun.

So, it is now my time to let you know about myself.  I am not very good at talking about myself, but I will try and in the end probably succeed.  I am Lyle.  Some of the things I like are spending time with my children being my usual self.  I like to read books, mostly fiction, but I do like biographies.  I like to tease.  I tend to tease my children and wife, I enjoy making them laugh.  I work hard and strive to provide for the desires and needs of my family.  I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and try to live accordingly.  It is always enjoyable spending time with family.  I enjoy visiting and talking with my siblings and their children and with my parents.  I also enjoy doing things with my wife's family. 

That is me Lyle.

About Annie

     I am a 12 year old girl my favorite color is any light color.  I like to read books and ride my bike.  Things I like to do are listen to ONE DIRECTION, which I have a mad obsession with.  I also like romantic, action, and fantasy novels. 

     Some of the things I like are animals, singing, dancing, spending time with my family, going to and watching movies, eating even though I have a high metabolism and never gain any weight.  

     My fashion sense is pretty odd.  One day my friend loaned me fake glasses and suspenders.   I looked awesome!!!!!  I like to collect my littlest pet shops. I have 88 so far.  One trait I got from my dad is my sense of humor.  We love teasing each other.  

     I love art and do well in school.  My 2 most favorite classes are art and English.  

 ANNIE 

Hi...I'm Taylor

I am a 14 year old middle school student who has a strong interest in musical arts. I started out with the guitar then piano/keyboard, and now I am learning to be a percussionist. So that brings me to my favorite thing MUSIC. I have always held a large interest in music, I currently Dance and Sing for performance plus dance academy.  On my free time I study drumming or listen to music. 

Boom, Boom...Firepower!

 A little more about my self - when I was in fourth grade I was kinda dumb.  One of the dumb things I did on my spring break that year was car surf. While I did this I started day dreaming and fell off the car and got a concussion. After the treatments I was sent home told not to go to school at all due to massive migraines I got. About 3 days out of the hospital I had two seizures causing me to stay in the hospital for another week.  I was final released for good and sent home where I spent 6 weeks out of school and when I returned I could only stay for half a day. Making it so I fell far behind in schooling and education both physical and mental. Happily I am now fully recovered and working at a normal rate in sports and education.

Playing  a quick hands game with Lyle

The final thing about me is I am a lover of sporting. I play soccer. and enjoy football season as if it were my birthday. My favorite football team is the GREEN-BAY PACKERS! My favorite soccer team is the Salt Lake REAL. My other interests include hunting fishing,  4 wheeling, hiking, and snowshoeing. 

("And that is every thing about me")

sincerely: x Taylor

                   

That's the Way I Like It

Our new piano

10 Things I Like: 

1. Music.  I love to play the piano.  We got a new piano this week (well, used- but new to us!) and I haven't been able to keep myself off it.  I've started playing Christmas music!  I'd also love to learn to play the violin.

2. Reading.  Huge bookcase in my front room, small bookcase in Annie's room, books stacked on my nightstand and I still go to the library often enough to have memorized mine and my husband's library card numbers.  Me like reading?  Maybe a little.  Favorite book: To Kill A Mockingbird.

3. Sweets.  I have a sweet tooth.  I love Ben and Jerry's ice cream, licorice, chocolate, donuts, Dots, and many other yummy and not-so-good-for-you things to eat.  What am I eating right now?  Good 'n Plenties.  Okay, maybe that sounds like that's all I eat (which I don't), but I still wish veggies tasted like Oreos.

Our street in fall

4. Nature.  I may not be really outdoorsy, but I love the softly falling snow, spring rain, nights full of stars, the colors of autumn, the wind through the trees, sunsets and many other beautiful things we have all around us every day.

5. Humor.  I have a bit of a wacky sense of humor.  Thankfully, my hubby and stepkids not only tolerate it, they even like it and sometimes even enjoy it!  I have a loud laugh which I'm reminded of constantly.  Some of my coworkers have told me that they can hear me laughing on the other side of the building!

6. Movies.  I like kids animated movies like Disney, Pixar, etc.  I like old movies; Cary Grant's got it going on!  I like stupid-funny movies; the best car chase scene I've ever seen is in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and yes, I own it.  I like adventures and epics.  I like Jane Austen adaptations and romantic comedies.  And I like musicals.

7. Dancing.  I took dance class all through school and was on the Drill Team and Dance Company and was even a sophomore cheerleader.  Nowadays, I restrict my dancing to my Wii Just Dance exercise nights!  It's fun for the kids to jump in and dance their booties with me.  Annie and I went to the ballet the other day.  I hadn't been in a long time and I fell in love again!  

8. Good friends.  I've been blessed with friends who have been good to me and who have been a real support to me in times when I've needed strength.  You all know who you are.  Thank You!

9. Family.  I have an angel for a mother, siblings who still like me (shocker!), a handsome and good husband, stepkids to have fun with.  You all make my life rich and full.

10. God.  I'm so thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and who celebrates with me in the happy moments, and holds my hand through the trials.

Laura

How We Met

      Lyle and I met on a blind date.  My best friend lived in his ward and told me about someone she'd like to set me up with.  It was December and I had tickets to an acapella group's Christmas concert.  We met at my friend's house so she could introduce us and then we went to the concert together.
     My friend had told me that Lyle is a quiet person when you first meet him and then when you get to know him, he opens up more.  This, I have found out, is true most of the time.  I didn't have a problem with that since I can be outgoing.  I remember thinking part way through the date, 'I thought she said he was quiet.  He's been talking a lot more than I thought he would.'  For some reason Lyle felt pretty comfortable with me right off and so I never saw the quiet side of him that I now notice he shows to most people when they meet him.
     That date was a success and the very next day Lyle came to my primary program (I was serving as Primary President at the time) to see me.  We had a few more dates in the next few weeks.  I was a little nervous getting involved with someone again and Lyle wanted to see me more often.  I was pretty heartless and made him wait a whole month before I was ready to see him more than once a week!  Can you believe it?
     During this time I met Taylor and Annie.   The first time I met them, Lyle brought them on a date and they showed up at my doorstep with flowers for me.  We went to Jungle Jim's and I rode some of the rides with them.  Taylor was 8 and Annie was 6. Annie and I found out that our birthdays are 3 days apart.  The kids from the beginning were very nice and accepting of me and fun to be with too.
     Lyle and I decided pretty quickly that we belonged together.  In February we went to visit Lyle's sister in Arizona with the kids and Lyle's parents.  While we were there Lyle proposed to me in the celestial room of the Mesa temple.  Wait to get it right, babe!  I don't think there could have possibly been a better place!
     During the months of our engagement, Lyle and I got to know each other even more and I had some of my first experiences taking on a parental role to his kids.  The  relationships with Lyle and with the kids were challenging but very rewarding.  At the end of July Lyle and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.

     Both Lyle and I had been married before so we were partially prepared to live together, but thankfully we've had a great marriage.  It gets difficult sometimes, but not only do we love each other, we've also committed to work out any issues that would cause a problem between us.  And so our marriage has been quite a different experience for us from our first attempts.  We've grown a great deal and learned much.  We've been married for 5 years now and still happy together.  Love you, Lyle!

Laura

P.S. Didn't Taylor look good?  I think so considering he cut a chunk of his own hair off a couple of days before the wedding!