Halloween

Halloween is such a magical time of year! You get to dress up as anything your heart desires, as long as you can figure it out. Max decided two seconds before going out with his friend what they would be and then raided Terni's closet. Terni and her friend set a plan, earned money, went shopping, and then got together to put their dolls together. Sam decided long ago that he was going to be Harry Potter, and to his credit he stuck with it. Ben, on the other hand, was going to be a ghost for the majority of October, which I was adamently praising--YIPEE! However, days before Halloween he decided he was going to be Rocketship and there was no turning back. So for two days we imagined, shopped, cut, wired and eventually assembled his Rocketship. Ben was the talk of the neighborhood. Zac, was wonderful. He marvelled at the idea of dressing up and true to his three year old nature changed his mind sometimes hourly. Luckily he has three older brothers, we sifted and sorted through all of their past costumes and dress up clothes allowing him to be whatever his heart desired whenever his heart desired it.

Having lived away from family the last few years the little boys have not seen Grandma Turner's memorable Halloween costume. They still look at the pictures and say, "Grandma looks scary"! We loved Grandpa's costume, the kids especially loved when he shared his chocolate from his smore.

Rome Italy Temple

This video allows you to take a virtual tour of the temple grounds. Ground was broken on October 23, 2010 with an estimated time for completion in 2013. We can't wait.

President and Sister Parker, Layne's Mission President and His Wife

This video was truly a surprise as we were searching the web for news on the ground breaking yesterday in Italy. This news story which was done by KSL 5 features Sister Parker who was Layne's mission presidents wife. They show pictures of Sister Tofia, from New Zealand, who Layne served in Terni with for six months. They also mention the choir which sang at the Vatican during Christmastime. Layne did not have the opportunity to sing with this choir as he was serving in Terni which was too far out of the city.

As a family we are so excited for the dedication of this temple. We had the opportunity to attend Regional Conference today which focused so much on the blessings of missionary work. I too would like to add my testimony of missionary work as I have seen it in my life. We have been so blessed by Layne's willingness to serve a mission. He is the incredible man that he is because of many of the lessons he learned while serving in Italy: love, compassion, patience, tolerance, dedication, and loyalty. I love the members of Italy, not because I have met them but because they helped to mold and shape one of the lives that I love most in this world.

I am so grateful that the Saints of Italy will have a temple to make ordinances in that will bless their lives throughout the eternities.

President Monson Breaks Ground for Rome Italy Mormon Temple

This video features President Monson in Rome breaking ground for the temple on October 23, 2010. As many of the memebers mentioned they didn't know that they would see this happen in their lifetime. It is a miracle for the Italian saints. I love hearing them sing "The Spirit of God" in Italian and look forward to a time when I can stand on this holy ground.

Aloha Daze

Terni decided to go on her 12 year-old trip to Hawaii. Who can blame her? It was fun to spend five days alone with her. She is quite a remarkable young woman, confident in herself and her individuality. I am always amazed at how easily she makes friends and impressed with her ability to work hard and her tenacity with goal setting and achieving. She is truly a rose among thorns as she is so different from her brothers and 100% ALL GIRL.

Terni we love you and we are privileged to be your family.

Wailea Daze

We started our trip in Wailea where we stayed in a Marriott right on the beach. These pictures are the view from our room. Due to the early arrival of our flight we had some time before we could check into our room. We decided to take advantage of the Wailea shops, and grab some lunch, which was all within walking distance.

Fruit smoothies were to Terni what Guava juice was to Layne, a staple. She loved ordering fruit smoothies and she took a picture of each one. For breakfast one morning she was debating if oreo cookies really counted as a "fruit smoothie" which is how they were labeled on the menu. The waitress assured her that in Hawaii oreos were a fruit and it would be okay to have one for breakfast.

After lunch we checked in and took our first trip to the beach. We had a great time body surfing as the tide was starting to come in. Terni and I took some time to play in the sand and lounge on the beach.

We spent the entire evening on the beach as we walked along the shore, explored the tide pools that were nestled in the lava rock and finally basked as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. Layne sat on the rocky cliffs to watch the sunset as Terni and I ventured to a beach a bit further away.

As we came back to our room a private dinner had been set up for a couple who had just gotten married. They sat under our tree by the light of their tiki torches. It was a beautiful night.