Mom and Dad

Today is a very emotional day for me.  Not just for me, but for my siblings as well.  It has been 4 years since mom died.  I can't believe it has already been that long.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of both of my parents.  I often ask "why".  Why did they have to die at such young ages?  I miss calling home just to hear their voices.  

I miss mom driving up in the driveway and seeing her sit in the car and talk to herself.  I miss mom's laugh.  I miss her limp. (the grandkids didn't know her without having a limp)  I miss her coffee cake.  (she made the best coffee cake)  I miss her late night talks.  I miss playing "nerts" with her.  I miss seeing her lead the music.  She was great.  I miss all the "projects" she had going on at her house.  (I think I took after her too much that way)  I miss her never ending service she was giving to someone.  I miss my mom.

I miss dad coming home from work and walking through the side door.  I miss that smell of diesel mixed with the hand soap from his work.  I miss hearing him singing.  I miss hearing him talking in Spanish.  I miss watching "The Man From Snowy River" with him and dreaming of a day when we could go to Australia.  I miss hearing his old truck drve up in the driveway.  I miss his smile.  I miss my dad.

I hope they are both smiling down at us.  I hope we are not disappointing them in our decisions.  I hope that one day my children will be able to understand fully what wonderful people they were.  I hope they are celebrating this anniversary of their reunion together.  I look forward to the day that we will see them again and smile in the thought that Families Are Forever.

These bags were made for the Relay For Life event here in Sierra Vista, Arizona.  This was my way of paying tribute to them at this year's event.

Easter 2009

We had a great Easter.  The Easter bunny came and left many goodies for all of us to enjoy.

It was sure fun watching the kids decorate the eggs.  Watching the excitement on Keilani's face as the eggs turned bright colors, was priceless.

ALOHA

Aloha!!!!!  Boy, it's been a while since we've been able to say that.  We were in the Mesa/Phoenix area for my sister's wedding and there happened to be the Aloha Festival that same weekend.  Our friends, the Cottles, went with us to the festival.  We enjoyed walking around looking at the different booths.  I felt like I was at a smaller version of the Swap Meet.  I have sure missed the Polynesian dancing, music and food.  What a day.  My kids really enjoyed it too.  Can't wait for our family trip to Hawaii in a few years.

Dr. Tom

We are thrilled that Tom finally finished his Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree.  He has put a lot of time into school and is so glad to be done.  YEAH!!  I will get more photos posted from his graduation as I get them downloaded from his camera.

Skiing at Sunrise

We took the three oldest kids up to Sunrise for the weekend to ski.  Kameron was able to take his friend, Bryant.  They had a great time skiing by themselves.  Tom and I spent all morning working one on one with Kaulin and Ali on the bunny hill.  By about 11:30 am we were all tired and hungry so we stopped to grab some lunch.  When we got back on the slopes, Kaulin and Ali seemed to catch right on.  In no time they were able to turn and snowplow without our help.  We then spent a few hours in the afternoon taking them up to the next level, Fairway, and skiing down.  They really liked that.  (Ali didn't like when I pulled her down with me when getting off of the ski lift.  She decided she didn't want to go with me anymore.)  This makes three kids that now know how to ski.  Only two more to go.  

Enjoying the Snow

We spent a week after Christmas up in Eagar.  There wasn't a lot of snow in town, but plenty of snow in the mountains.  While sledding the kids got cold but didn't want to leave.   Korey and Kaulin were our little dare devils.  They had no fear.  Kaulin was hit a few times by other people coming down the hill and he did a few flips through the air.  Each time he would get back up and go right back up the hill.  I just had to remind him to walk up the hill on the side where other people aren't coming down.  He does have a few battle wounds to show for the good time he had.  Korey loved going down on the plastic sleds/saucers because he would just fall through the middle hole in the tubes.  He was happy to follow any stranger up the hill, ride down with them and then say "hey friend, let's go again".  What fun!

All the stocking were hung by the chimney with care...

Okay, so maybe the stockings weren't hung by the chimney. But, they were hung. These stockings were all made by my mother. She was so talented at making them and embroidering the names on them with a regular sewing machine (not embroidery machine). These stockings really make me think of her and miss how she did hang the stockings with care. She made sure everyone had one hanging even if we weren't there to celebrate Christmas with her. I sure do miss those times and I sure do miss her.

Christmas Tree

There is something that I absolutely love about putting up the Christmas tree. I love the feeling of warmth that it brings to our home. I like to put the tree up right after Thanksgiving and leave it up through New Years. When it's time to take the tree down, I feel sad. It seems like forever before I can put it up again - a whole 11 more months.

Tom's View of Garden Canyon

After we got back from Garden Canyon I was pleasantly surprised with some of the photos Tom took. I was so busy watching the kids and scolding Kaulin that I didn't realize Tom was taking photos and shooting video footage. He made a pretty cool movie of our day. It's too bad he doesn't have more time to spend shooting photos.

Garden Canyon

Two days after Thanksgiving we went hiking up Garden Canyon with family. It was still beautiful. The kids enjoyed being around cousins and being out in the open air. I constantly had to remind Kaulin (very loudly) to wait for us and not run ahead. (especially when the trail went out onto a ledge - Yikes)

Tom's Woodbadge

Tom earned his Scout Woodbadge beads in November. He has worked over the past 18 months to complete certain requirements for his "ticket" items. He enjoyed his week-long Woodbadge training 14 months ago. It was nice to have his parents here to celebrate with him. Scouts after getting your "Eagle" does exist.

The Hike with Pictures

I forgot to add the photos last time. Oops!!

The Hike

Korey and Keilani weren't old enough to go on a hike with the big kids, so Tom and I took them through our neighborhood and hiked through a vacant field. They loved the hike and of course Korey had to be the one leading the way. I had to capture the moment of Korey walking with Tom. Moments like those are priceless.

The Beautiful White Mountains

What a beautiful sight. The White Mountains will always be home to me even if I don't live there anymore.

This is our 3rd year to go up to Sunrise Ski Resort in October and get free season passes for the kids. All the kids except Korey got passes this year. We are able to use them all season. It was cold this weekend. We had strong winds and heavy rain. We waited for a break in the rain to ride the lift to the top of the mountain and back. I wanted to take a camera and take pictures of the breathtaking views on the way down the mountain. However, due to the rain, I decided I had better leave the camera in the car to be safe.

Can't wait to get back up to Sunrise to go skiing this year. The kids are looking forward to it.

Soccer Season in Full Swing

Kameron and Kaulin are on the same soccer team this year. They are doing great. This year they haven't had a fist fight with each other, so I think we are making progress. I think they could both be really good if they learned to work together more. (They haven't realized that by being brothers on the same team, they could actually get more practice in at home.)
Kaulin will run all over the field after the ball and he is not scared to take it away from the other team. Whatever you tell him to do, he will do. Kameron is probably the fastest runner on the team. We just have to keep him motivated to play up to his potential.
It has been fun going to their games. They have a great coach, good team and wonderful team parents.

FAMILY REUNION

We went camping at the Head of the Ditch in Luna, NM over Labor day weekend. This was our traditional Wiltbank reunion that we have every year - same time, same place. The kids enjoyed being with cousins and meeting new cousins. The tire swing was a "hit" for all the kids to enjoy. So were the rockets the kids could launch. Can't wait for next year.

Hiking at South Fork

We spent a few days in Eagar last April for my niece's baptism. While there, we took the kids on a hike at a place near Eagar called South Fork. The kids had fun and it made me miss the White Mountains even more. It sure is beautiful up there. I hope we have many more years of being able to go up there.

Kaulin & Ali's baptism

Kaulin and Ali were baptized back in March of this year. I just found these photos and thought they would be fun to share. It was neat to see both of them get baptized on the same day. They had such a special day. We are proud of them.

Locks of Love

The day Kacie died I took the girls to get their hair cut. For the past year we have been talking about all three of us cutting our hair for locks of love. This day seemed like a perfect day. We couldn't help Kacie, but could help someone else who had cancer. So off we went.
Ali went first and I really didn't think she would go through with it, but she did. Her haircut is so darling.
Keilani went next. We weren't sure if her hair was the minimum 10 inches that is required, but after measuring and remeasuring, it was long enough. So... of went the hair. Her haircut is absolutely darling too. It matches her personality.
I was next. After measuring and remeasuring it was decided that my hair wasn't long enough. So... I have to wait a bit longer to get mine cut.
The girls look cute and love their new haircuts.

Ali