I love to see the temple

For family home evening this week we took our little family to the Mesa visitors center and temple grounds. Eric was so excited to take Luke around. However, the boy slept through most of the tour. He did wake up for the statue of the Savior at the end. We are so lucky to only live 5 minutes away from a temple. I took for granted the convenience of just going to the temple before our little boy. Now I have learned we have to plan going to the temple or it doesn't happen.
Oh if you are looking for a good read on temples, I have been reading Elder Boyd K. Packer's book The Holy Temple. It's amazing!

So Luke didn't quite smile like Eric intended.

7 weeks and 30 pounds ago...

I had some pregnancy pictures taken a while ago by Jessica Poole Robins. She also did my wedding photos. I love her style and she really captured the moments. When I first looked at the pictures, I just kept thinking "Was I really that LARGE?" Yikes. I am thankful to have traded in the belly for a beautiful son. Oh just a side note, Eric and I don't do well in photo shoots. He makes me laugh and then we both make ridiculous faces. I guess that our true colors really shine through. Well... Here are a few of my favorite.

Blessing Day

Luke Wilton Lines was blessed on Sunday. We had four generations there and three of them had the name Wilton.  Great Grandpa Lines's name is Wilton, Grandpa Lines's middle name is Wilton and so is Luke's.  We had a great time with all the family and friends that made it out to my parents new house out off exit 87 in Hyder AZ.  We told the guests to go 9 miles north off the freeway and to turn into the first house on the left.  All the grandkids wanted to climb on all the tractors and equipment out there. They also loved the endless supply of dirt. All and all it was a really fun event with great people and amazing food.  Big thanks to Aunt Janice Smith and all the others who brought the food and desserts.

Luke was blessed in the same outfit that all of my brothers and the grandsons have been blessed in. My mother made her own wedding dress and with the extra material she made a blessing dress and a blessing suit. Luke is in the 95 percentile for height, but he was able to squeeze into the suit to uphold the Skousen tradition.

Best Year Yet

January 15, 2009 I married the love of my life!

Inside Out

Well he's not quite ready for rock n' roll...

One Month Old

Our little guy is one month old. He started out 8lbs and 8 oz and 21 1/4 inches long, at the doctor's office he weighed in at 10 lbs 11 oz and 23 1/4 inches long. I can't belive how much he changes everyday.

Feliz Ano Nuevo!!!

We spent New Year's weekend in Yuma with Eric's family. I must have been having too much fun to remember to take pictures. We had all of Eric's family that live in Yuma at his parents house for New Year's Eve. Luke loved all the new people and fell asleep in many of their arms.

Grandpa Lines and Luke taking a nap

Eric on the Harley, all of those dirk bike lessons in Hyder paid off.

Cousins, Camille Lines born Nov 11th, Christian Hansen born July 29th, and Luke Lines born Dec 3rd

Luke and Camille at Sunday dinner

Great-Grandpa Wilton Lines and Luke Wilton Lines

December 31st Wilton Lines turned 95

I celebrated my 23rd birthday on January 2nd. We went to a movie with all the adults and Sushi afterwards.

Christmas in the desert

Well I know its a little late for a Christmas post, but here are some of the highlights of our Christmas. This year my whole family was there except for my brother Jacob who is serving in Seoul, Korea. He called home Christmas Eve to complete the family. This year was fun as our family is growing. There were gobs of grandkids, okay just 5 running around.
 

The stocking were hung by the chimney with care.

Christmas Eve dinner

Fairest Little Jesus Child

Christmas morning

All of the couples and Kurtis got paint ball guns for Christmas. Eric was thrilled with the newest gun addition.

Luke slept through Christmas morning, but was up for the reindeer suit later that afternoon.

Paintball wars in the tractor graveyard

We don't have too many Christmas tradions, but every year we take a journey into the Hyder desert to track down a historic site. I don't know how my father comes up with one every year but one thing I have learned is there is history everywhere. This site was an old mining community named Sundad in the 1950's. The story goes that an artistic women in the community made designs and patterns in the dirt out of rock and bottles that are still there today.

The old mine

The desert really is beautiful.

Skousen Christmas 2009