*CaLiFoRnIa*

Riding the trolley in San Francisco with Sarah.

Posin in front of the seals at Fisherman's Warf!

This is the first time Leslie saw the ocean

This was the group that traveled together on our 2nd trip

Lorene's baptism with her 2 (now 3) kids: Kylee and Collin

Deric served his mission in California and we LOVE to go back and visit. We have already been twice and are hoping to go again soon. Those two trips have some important milestones for us. On our first trip, we found out we were expecting Kyler and on our second was the first time we could actually see him move inside Leslie's tummy! Our first trip was over Leslie's spring break. We were able to stay and visit with a lot of different converts which was really fun. We toured San Francisco and enjoyed going to Fisherman's Warf as well as visit the Oakland Temple. (Lots of this was all new to Leslie). Our second trip (which was in July) was mainly for a very important event: the baptism of Lorene and her daughter Kylee. Lorene was a lady Deric had starting teaching at the very first of his mission. Accompanying us were some of Deric's old companions and their friends. (Elder Rogerson and his fiance' Jen, Elder Straight and Elder Hallie and then Jen's roommates, Heather and Tracy). It was an awesome experience to see Deric baptise one of his favorite people and dear friends! We were also able to go to the ocean one day (Leslie had hever been there). Although it was a really short trip, it was a lot of fun. We took a van full of people and drove the whole way. We hope to go back soon and enjoy the California sunshine again!

Okay, so this was a sign outside the Oakland Temple in the parking lot. Basically I just thought it was pretty funny! The guard thought I was really weird taking a picture of it.

Bath Time!

Kyler usually doesn't like getting baths... sponge baths that is! He would much rather be in a tub full of water (but who wouldn't). This is the time we he grins at us the. Our friend Jerrica gave us the most adorable bath robe for Kyler and we couldn't wait to get it out and use it. Kyler loved being wrapped up and even peed on mom before we could slap a diaper on him! (It's pretty much becoming a regular occurrence). Of course, after any bath is dressing time! Kyler usually doesn't like getting his clothes changed either. But he LOVES being wrapped up like a burrito just in time to go to sleep! AND it helps him sleep better and longer, which is a plus for mom and dad.

Kyler Deric

Kyler Deric was born on November 15, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. in Murray. He weighed 8 lbs. 10 ounces and was 22 inches long. He sure gave mom a hard time during labor! Kyler's head was turned the wrong way and he just didn't want to come. Dad jokes it was his first act of rebellion! After 12 hours of active labor (5 of pushing), Kyler finally came. He needed a little help from forceps, but nonetheless, he is here and healthy!

Getting Ready for Christmas!

Christmas time is one of our favorite times of the year! We are so excited to have our own little family for this time of year! We didn't get a Christmas tree last year and Deric was set on getting a real one this year. Unfortunately we weren't able to physically go the mountains and get one, so we did the city people thing and bought one from the store, but it is real. We had a blast shopping for decorations and decorating it together. We can't wait until Kyler will be able to help us do that in the years to come! Leslie spends a lot of time at home by herself with Deric working and going to school, so she decided to get Kyler in the "Christmas mood" too. We found a Christmas outfit that was handed down from Leslie's sister and decided to see how Kyler would look in it. We must say, our little boy is SO adorable! We have enjoyed riding around the community checking out which house has the best lighting as well as sing Christmas songs! With our stockings hung, our house all lit up and presents under the tree, we are ready for Christmas to come!