New mode of transport!

So Emma has really done it this time. . .


As you can tell by the footage we have a little crawler now! I know that we are in big trouble now, but hey we are excited for her. Sad in a way, but happy for her she has been so frustrated not getting around! We love our little sunshine!

A Great Meal and a Broken Pony! Happy Birthday!

We spent Saturday night out on the town in Celebration of Mom Latham's birthday. We had big plans for the night. . . Mom has always loved Ford Mustangs, so we talked to a dealer and set up a test drive. They do not sell a lot of these cars in the winter. (they are rear wheel drive and we are in Salt Lake). So the dealer was gun hoe. We chose the most beautiful car on the lot, a hot red number with a glass roof, hood scoop, and a sweet spoiler. The test drive was a ride to never be forgotten. . . I will tell you about it in a minute. We went to dinner first though.

Mom has always wanted to go the Roof Restaurant downtown near Temple Square in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a gourmet buffet beyond compare, with breathtaking views and a very calm little Emma. . . by the grace of God alone. The above picture was taken just outside the Roof after dinner. Awesome. It was the best place in Utah to eat with world class deserts that Matt almost single handily at all of.


So back to our test drive. Mom had no clue about the car thing, or she never would have let us do it. We arrived and she was a good sport though, and chose the car she would want. Well the dealer brought us the keys and the engine was dead. "It has been sitting for a long time because of the snow" seemed like a good reason for that. We headed out and let me tell you this car was beautiful on the interior as well. Mom noticed the "check engine light is on" about a block into our trip. dealer . . ."oh um, well it is most likely from the dead battery" "I will shut it off once we get back" So we didn't think to much about it, and got on the freeway. The car beeps at us concerning low fuel. . .Mom says "the fuel light is on" dealer says "oh really well just push the info button and see how far we can go. . . so I push the button and it says zero miles. Dealer says oh bummer we better get back fast exit here, we are a little over a mile away by now. So we exit and get back on the freeway and sure enough we start to sputter run out of gas while exiting by the dealership. At this point the guys says "shift into neutral and don't stop to hard it will slosh the gas away from the tank" We all sat there and wondered why we had to have this lesson on how to run out of gas from this guy, but then it gets better. . . as we stop mom notices the the car is running really hot. . . mom says "I think it is overheating" dealer "no it's not" mom "the gauge says so" dealer "you must be reading the wrong gauge" mom "this is not my first car and I can read a gauge, H for Hot C for Cold!" dealer "silence". So at this point we are half a block away and need to go through one more light making a left turn, as we approach the light it starts to starts to turn red and mom thinks she needs to go right instead of left. . . As we approach the intersection the dealer "turn here, NO not right LEFT, GO THROUGH THIS LIGHT" mom "what oh oh oh". . . So mom ends up half way through in intersection and the car kills (it was a stick). Traffic is coming and we fire it up, as smoke pours out of the new shinny hood from the overheating issue. Dealer . . . "silence". Mom makes a turn into the dealership and parks right away. We make awkward goodbyes and he gives us silly excuses and we drive off laughing. Not a way to sell cars. Still a funny story.

living without a net. . .

This is Matt again and I am feeling brave tonight. I want to try to get through a small tribute to my Grandma Sperry who past away recently. Grandma was always there for me smiling in the background (just like the picture above). My grandma was more than extraordinary. . . she was amazing. She had style, humor, patience, flar, and warmth. She has played a large part in the person I am today by example and acceptance. I was blessed to live close to my grandma as a child. I remember burning leaves with her in front of her old white house. I remember her sending me out to get the clothes off the line after dark. (she was afraid of the dark until the day she died). I remember running to her house during the summer for sandwiches and the Andy Griffith Show. I remember being sick at school and having her bring me home for Coke from the bottle and slim jim beef jerky. She was my friend, she was my safety net. When my heart was broken, she would tell me how dumb the girl was and how great I was.
Grandma's was always felt like home to me. She made me feel better about myself and where I was going in life. I think about her everyday now, and feel a little bit scared about how things will go on for all of us left behind without her. Maybe she stayed around just long enough until she was sure or Heavenly Father was sure we could fly on our own without her.

One thing is for sure. . . she will always be there for me seen or unseen smiling in the background.
Miss you.

Emma's Grace!

Emma and Grace have are again the stars of the show. I just think that they are so cute.
Here they are in the fairy woodland motif so popular this winter locally.

ONE PLEASED GRANDMA!
See ya!

It doesn't matter how you are fed, only that you get fed!

On Thursday February 5th it ws my brothers birthday and Emma and I went up to visit, Emma's Cusion, Grace, just couldn't get enough of Emma and Wanted to be involved in what ever Emma was doing. This was so funny. I had to post the video. It took all of my self control to keep from rolling on the floor and laughing.

It doesn't matter how you are fed, only that you get fed!

Taquito Bash!

This post is for you Elder Piglet!

Ever since I can remember my grandfather has been making taquitos. It is a hand crafting art that many are trying to master. The story that I know, is that My grandfather would watch the taquitio vendors on Alvaro Street in California. He would watch intently to make sure that he knew how to perfect to taquito art. From what my mother has told me he used to by more than his hearts desire and pack to them in coolers to bring home to his eight taquito loving children when he moved to Utah he had to find a way to get his "taquito fix" and so once or twice a year Grandpa and with the help of his oldest child would painstakingly roll hundred of taquitos for all to enjoy.
Last Sunday to celebrate my grandfather's birthday we ate taquitos in his honor here are the pictures of our "little" get together. As you can see the children of eight have grown and so has the family!

Here is my mom and Grandpa
getting ready for the bash!
Notice the ever famous guacamole!













Here is all the grand kids that we could round up and they all had to take part of the action of blowing out the candles we had to relight the cake a couple of time because Josh (4 yrs) kept blowing them out before they were all lit.

Bryan kept announcing " this piece of cake has my name on it! this piece of cake has MY name on it!"

Grace is Grandpa taste tester. Just to make sure that it sweet enough.

Emma in a tender moment with her great grandma Saunders

All the cousins hanging out! Robbie on the couch,then Grace, Sara, and Bryan on the floor.And the little entertainer with the maraca is Tyler

The most entertaining part was the little kids of course!

You are never too Old!

I finally got to sit down and post my pictures of the children's museum a week and a half ago. My little hubby has recently been the one to update the blog (Partially because I think he like being on the computer). I really should been sleeping right now but. . . I slept all afternoon because of the anesthesia but hey that is a story for another day.
Anyway, I have been wanting to go to the children's museum for years now. Yet I thought I should bring some kind of a kid with me to the museum so that I could fit in with the rest of the crowd. I was so excited to find that my cute little nieces and nephews were coming along for the adventure also. It is so fun to see the variety of ages and how they are discovering the wide world around them. I only wish I was a little bit smaller so I could discover and Play with the children without looking like some adult in special Ed.



Here is Emma with all of her blonde headed cousins, You can't tell that they are all related.

Left to Right
Little Leighna, Awesome Addie, Kick'in cool KJ, M&M Emma, and Lovely Livi

These little Blondie's are ready for fun!

Well as soon as the children saw what lay ahead they were off like a bullet well all except the one that couldn't walk yet. Compliments to the chauffeurs AKA - Grandma and Grandpa

We first greeted by a giant contraption that, sucks up balls and send them every which way and spits them out in a huge bin full of balls. It was like the tubes you see at the bank that sucks up the shuttle to go to the bank. The kids loved it. Balls and kids are always a good combination for giggles and smiles.

This is KJ totally amazed that a ball can do that

Full of wonder........

Here is little Leighna trying to get in on some of the action

Livi's turn now

Wow what a rush of air!

Here is Emma and I in the water discover zone! Water seems to have a magnetic pull on children

We were amazed to a little people town full of you guessed Little people this was the farm area

Emma just loved the chicken's
What does a Emma say"Cluck Cluck"
Every time you took a chicken out of the coop they started to cluck

Here is my little Garden Imp

Ogah Chugga Big red Truck

Addie, seems to be having road rage at the moment.
Shaking your fist will never get you any where Addie.

This is a little disturbing.
this place really brought the
kid out in two brothers


Aunt Silvia thinks this rush hour traffic is such a headache





Who knew that Trina and Emma are extreme sport Rock climbers, look at that dare devil rock climbing up side down and with out a harness!

Emma thinks that she'll stay firmly on the ground or in Aunt Silvia arms

Then we went to the birds nest. Emma just loves jumping on all the birdies furniture. This little bird house was too cute we just had to get a picture together













Here is Emma and Aunt Sil cruising on the back of the giant very mild mannered swan.Who knew swans could get that big!

WOW that is the biggest Lego I have ever seen!

This area of the museum was full of discovery! Addi, Leighna, and uncle Jonny figured out how to make paper space ships. It is amazing how much entrainment a coffee filter, fan and a plastic tube will bring.

Grandma and Porter who is wide eye at everything around him

This was by far the coolest thing ever at the children's Museum the was a real live helicopter it even had a radio that relayed to the air tower and it made exact sound like we were all about to take flight. Soon as the kiddies figured out that we weren't going to take flight they were all over the helicopter. It was a treat for the whole family to see what Uncle Nick fly's around in all day.

Here is another daredevil Grandma fly the helicopter with her head out the window and a grandchild in her arms. Silly grandma!

Channel 5 News

This just in. . . . . . .there seems to be a severe case of silliness aproaching the Allred family

All the world is a stage
especially when your under 12!
I was surprised the Miss Marie didn't get on the stage and start reciting Shakespeare.

Leighna in her Final Curtain Call!