I miss blogging...more than anything I miss keeping a family journal.

Time Out for Women with the Okuda's

A few months ago my girlfriend Austin called and said she was thinking about flying her and Kennedy down for Time Out for Women here in Texas. I was so excited. Emma and Kennedy have not seen each other for over 6 years. We wondered if they would be a little awkward at first. Nope, they had no problem picking up right where they left off so long ago. It was so neat to see them together. They were such dear friends when we lived in Vegas.

They arrived Thursday night. The girls got home and started baking goodies. 

Friday, I let Emma take the day off from school. I got a babysitter for Sam and us girls went shopping and out to lunch in Frisco. It was so fun!

Friday night and Saturday we went to Time Out for Women in Arlington. So many inspiring talks and music. We met up with LeAnn and some other friends. It was so wonderful.

Jenny Oaks Baker and her daughter performed many songs together. Dang, they are good.

A personal favorite was Elaine Dalton, a former general YW President. Wow she is awesome.

Austin is a good sport. She is 8-9 weeks pregnant with her 7 baby. She was not feeling 100% but she hung in there like a champ. I loved all the good conversations we were able to have. She is currently homeschooling her kids. I have always dreamt about doing that but just don't think I could hack it. After summer and the kids being around all the time I am ready for my break. I am so impressed with mothers who give up their time to teach their children each day. So selfless.

Elaine and Jenny Oaks Baker spoke the girls and the women. We snagged any chance we could to get a hug and say hello to them.

This cute girl was on The Voice. Her name is Madison Paige. Emma loved her.

While I was away, Lance sent me these darling pictures of him and the kids Saturday afternoon. He bought tickets for a train ride for Sam's birthday. Sam loved every minute of it.

We got home around 5:30 on Saturday night. The kids all ran around in their swimsuits playing with the neighbors. 

Lance, Austin and I got out for a quick dinner at Cantina Laredo. We had to show Austin some good Mexican food.  It was a great chance to get away and talk about our weekend.

Sunday, my cousin Andy and his family had a missionary homecoming for his son who served a mission in Bolivia. We attended church in Denton with all my family.


We drove Kennedy and Austin to the airport after church. So thankful they made the trip to Texas. It was fun to have them see where we are living and meet our family. We are already making plans for our next visit and even Kennedy and Emma being college roommates.

Later Sunday night we had a family dinner at Betty's house to celebrate "B" coming home. Betty's home is amazing and the food was great.

Family Time

Sam is one heck of a mischievous little boy. And he's in heaven living with a bunch of older kids that leave their bedroom doors open that have their stuff like markers, lotion, flarp (silly putty type stuff that stains carpets), and candy left out. What little boy wouldn't be? 

He came downstairs the other day, after being very quiet for a while (I should have known), and this is what his face looked like. Marker all over. He then sat down next to me like it was no big deal and played with playdough for the next 15 minutes.  He had no problem giving me a huge grin for a picture. Thanks buddy.

How grateful I am for the immense love I have for him. It truly amazes me how much love the Lord allows us mothers to have for our young children. It seems to always match the naughtiness of each kid. It is the only way we can possibly keep coming back for more when they are so rotten. 

Being a mom is so entertaining.

With Abby being gone I seem to have a greater appreciation for how fast my time with each kid is going to fly by. I want to soak up every minute of it. When I see tender moments like this i get my camera out and take a picture because who wants to forget it? Not me. 

I love how after I have been gone for a few days Lance takes a few days to come out of his role as "Super Dad".  I could tell that the kids were used to going to him when they needed something. It is so tender. I honestly don't think there is anything more attractive than a dad that is 

so attentive to his kids. 

 I remember a girlfriend of mine saying to me one time "Don't you feel bad for your girl's husbands? They have so much to live up to." It's true, my girls have such an awesome example of what a husband/ father should be. The bar has been set high. 

Again, we don't make cookies everyday but we do every week. Lance doesn't eat too many sweets but he loves his homemade cookies and the kids are always close by to help...and I am always close by with my camera, of course. 

Emma woke up Saturday morning announcing that she was going to take a little run/jog. Lance quickly offered to go with her. I remember him doing this with Abby very often. Emma seems to be growing up so fast lately. I love that she is sliding right into the role of BIG sister around our house.

It is still very hot here in Texas.  I love it. 

The neighbor kids have been coming out more and more. Even better Sammy has a little friend across the street name Mason. They are adorable running around after the older kids. 

"Show me your muscles."

It seemed like forever since I had seen my family so we invited them over this past week. The kids were so excited to see each other. They were wild as usual. I snapped a few pictures from the night.

The boys jumped on the couches for a good hour. Sidney was right there with them.
She is a tough chick.

Sam and Cohen played really well together. Usually they have a very love/hate relationship. Maybe they are growing out of it. I hope so. They are so cute together.

Ethan and Carson playing video games. 

Katelyn and Avery playing with their dolls. I told them that one day we would take a picture like this but it would be with their real babies. It will be here before we know it.

Gavin and Dylan were running around most of the night but settled for just a bit to look at one of Gavin's library books. They love to draw and do art work together.

We facetime my mom and dad in Nauvoo. They have 7 weeks left on their mission. 

We are getting so excited! Mark was thrilled to take a picture with them. 

I still am in awe that I get to live here in Texas with so many family members. It is such a dream. I hope I never take it for granted. My heart goes out to those far from their family. That is no fun.

Always lots of laughs with this crew. 

We were cracking up over stupid videos that Chase was showing us. 

Saying Goodbye to Our College Girl

It's that time...time to say goodbye.

Abby's last Sunday I grabbed her and a couple of her girlfriends to snap a couple photos.

I want to remember these cute girls at this stage. I truly believe they will be life long friends. 

They have been such supports to one another over the past couple years. 

So thankful they have had each other.

Emily Olsen, Abby, Elle Bigelow

The last night Abby was home we had several visitors. 

Elle came over and sat with Abby as she packed up her final things. Love these two. (picture quality is bad but enough to see)

Emily, Elyssa, and Elle saying goodbye.

These two ladies below are the best. They have been such dear friends and I am so thankful for their interest in my girl. I appreciate all the wise counsel they have given to her when she was stressed. 

It takes a village. 

Karen Christens and Heather Olsen

Abby and I left at 5:00am in the morning so we said our goodbyes to the family at night. I was not prepared for how sad that would be. Kate and Emma sobbed in their room together for a good hour. It broke my heart. We couldn't be happier for Abby but there is definitely going to be a hole here in our home. 

5:00 am we were up and out. 

Wednesday - Day 1: Drive from Texas to Queen's Creek Arizona (16 hours)

It has been so long since I took a road trip without kids. It is a totally different experience. Abby and I chatted, listened to music, ate good food, and didn't stop every 2 hours for potty breaks. Oh yeah, we could stop to take silly pictures.  I cherish the great conversations we had on the way.   It was great and completely enjoyable. 

Abby went in and out of stages of anxiety. I could tell she was happy that we were finally on the road and that all those goodbyes were over.

  

Wednesday night we pulled into Arizona where we stayed with my brother and his darling family. Look at all those cute faces. It was so good to see where they live and meet baby Bo for the first time.

April and I stayed up chatting until 2 in the morning. She is such a neat woman. I am so grateful that she married my brother. They are perfect for each other.

One of my dear friends recently moved to Arizona and is 5-10 minutes from my brother. It was an added bonus that we got to stop in and give her a quick squeeze. Heather Williams is one of my all time favorite friends. She is crazy creative and super spontaneous. Loved seeing her new home and all the fun things she is doing to it. Plus, she fed us the best open-face turkey sandwich. Yum!

Thursday - Day 2: We drove from Arizona to Las Vegas (5-6 hours)

When I got word, a few weeks ago, that Kathy Faulkner's family was throwing her a surprise 40th bday party I immediately started trying to figure a way that I could get there. I love this woman so much. It just so happen to be the same weekend that I was driving Abby up to school so it worked (It was a miracle). I loved her reaction when she saw me. It was so worth the drive to come spend time with this amazing family. I just left missing them so very much. 

I am determined to get my family out for a visit ASAP.

We saw many other old friends. When Lance and I lived in Vegas Lance served in a singles ward bishopric (it's been over 12 years -that's crazy) we served with the Myers family. Brigg and Gunner are their oldest kids. Abby and Ethan were good friends with them. I could not believe how big they were. They are such amazing kids. These are the type of young men I pray Abby will marry. They reminded us of just how high our bar should be and that this is why Abby has worked so hard to stay pure. It is not easy but it will be worth it. Also in this picture are Ashlyn and Gracie, who are Jared and Kathy's daughters.

Speaking of the Myers, here they are. Sid and Anna are the real deal. Such amazing people. I feel so grateful for our years of serving together. I learned so much from the two of them. 

Also, Kathy and Jared. 

I seriously did not want to leave. I made a promise to myself that I would not wait so long to see them. They are just too good of friends. 

I was amazed at how it felt like no time had passed. 

We are talking about getting together for a little vacation next year around spring break. We shall see.

It was a late night but I begged these special friends of mine to meet over at Austin's (late after the surprise party). They were all so good to drive over. We had so much fun catching up and laughing like old times. It was no long enough but it was great.  I love these women.

Stephanie Brough, Kim Scriber, Austin Okuda, Ashley Gunson, and me

Friday - Day 3: Las Vegas to Utah (6 hours)

The original plan was to drive from Las Vegas to Rexburg Idaho. Abby was anxious to get to Rexburg and meet her new roommates. I had told her that up until this point our trip had been mostly for me but now we were on her schedule. We would go at her pace.  I knew she was a bit anxious and I was following her lead. When we were 30 minutes outside of Mapleton Utah area Abby suggested that we stop and say Hello to Rachelle and David (my brother). I was thrilled.  David and Rachelle are so laid back that they totally rearranged their plans (of going out of town) to hang with us and we ended up staying the night there. 

It was wonderful. We sat out on their porch and looked at their amazing view for hours. I LOVE THEIR VIEW.  It is heavenly. And then these cute little girls just curl up and snuggled on me. Look at my silly brother in the background. He is crazy.

Of course we made a drive to Holiday for yummy treats. We needed more sugar!

Abby went to a football game with Cole and Alec while 

David, Rachelle, Meagan, and I ended up going to the movies. 

Saturday Day 4: Utah to Rexburg (4 hours)

We hopped in the car early Saturday morning and drove straight to Abby's apartment. One of her roommates was there and let us in. The smile on Abby's face pretty much says it all. She was so excited. We quickly got in and made her room look like her. 

Abby didn't stop smiling from that moment on. We turned on the music and got busy hanging pictures and tapestries. Love how it all turned out. 

We made a run to Target for all the essentials and then went grocery shopping. These are the kind of things I needed to do as a mother. I needed to get her as prepared as possible.

I still remember doing this with my mom before I left for college.

I could feel the lump growing in my throat as I knew my time with Abby was soon to be over. I tried to stay focused on how happy she was. I knew she didn't want to see her mom being all sentimental and emotional. I prayed hard that I could be strong. At least, until I drove away. Then I could cry.

Seriously, look at that grin. She was so happy. 

 Saturday night Sidney and Natalie Simpson (our great friends from Indiana, who are now attending BYUI) took us on a tour around BYUI. I fell in love. I had never been to this campus and was so impressed. It was the perfect size and absolutely beautiful. 

I got a confirmation that Abby was right where she was supposed to be. It felt so right and I just knew all the stress and worry that we had gone through over the past 8 months was all worth it and right with the Lord. I am so grateful for personal revelation and especially as a parent. 8 months ago when we began praying to know what Abby should do, the answers were clear and strong. Even though we didn't always know where we were headed, we knew that the Lord was guiding us. I can't imagine doing this without that assurance and guidance from Him. 

I appreciate Lance supporting me to bring Abby up to school. Seeing her face as we walked around campus made all the difference for me. 

Even though my heart was aching I would be OK. This was the right thing. 

I couldn't get over the campus grounds. They were gorgeous!

We were dropped off at Abby's hotel and I quickly gave her a hug and told her how proud I was of her. She is going to have a wonderful experience and I know it. 

My mama heart could now leave knowing that she would be alright. I knew I had to turn it over to the Lord and trust that he would help protect her from here on. Lance and I have done everything we knew to do. Now it is her time to spread her wings and fly. She is ready!

I gave her a hug (But not too long, I didn't want to start bawling. I had promised her I would try my best.) And just like that it was done. I did have a good cry once I was alone in the car. I called Lance to tell him all about our visit to BYUI. 

Nothing could have prepared me for all the different emotions I was feeling. It seems so strange to be letting a child go after 18 years of being her caregiver. Now I have to let go? It was devastating and exciting all at the same time. I am still dealing with crazy emotions. But I know it's ok and wouldn't expect anything different, I guess.  I am happy that she is so independent and ready. She is in a awesome place, with awesome people. Can't wait to hear all about her adventures.

I drove to Idaho Falls to stay with another girlfriend from Las Vegas. Geneva Chugg and her family have a home in IF but are in the process of moving to Boise. Luckily, she was in town and I got to visit with her. It was a great distraction and it was so fun catching up with her and her family. 

Sunday Day 6: I woke up Sunday morning and attended church with the Chugg family. Then I drove 3 1/2 hours to Draper Utah to stay with Kacey Perry. 

I had some great chats on the way there. My girlfriend Karen Christensen called to check in on me. We chatted for a good hour and a half. She is such a good listener. Then I called my girlfriend Sarah Smith (neighbor in Indiana). Sarah recently lost her son, Jonathan (who was Abby's age) in a car accident. My heart has been heavy for her as I think about her loss and know that I am only getting a tiny view into her loss as I watch Abby leave. It overwhelms me to think about her pain. I wanted to share with her some of the thoughts I was having and tell her that I knew Jonathan was happy too. I really do feel like the Lord can give her so much peace and comfort as her heart continues to heal and ache. I love that woman and am so amazed at her strength to continue to be the mom that she is. She has so much faith. Loved getting to cry and laugh with her.  

I arrived in Utah around 1:30pm while Kacey was still at church.  I was exhausted so I came in and made a b-line to my bed. I needed some sleep. I woke up to the smell of dinner being made by Kacey.

Being with Kacey was the perfect way to end my little trip. I was so excited to be with her. It kept me focused on things other than leaving Abby. This girl has been by my side through lots of stuff. We were college roommates so it was fun to think back to the good times. So glad we have remained such good friends.We stayed up late talking and then enjoyed lunch the next day. 

Love getting these cute photos from Lance while I was gone. He is the best dad. It was so good to hear about all the fun they had been having while I was away.

I arrived home Monday night and got lots of hugs and kisses. I missed these people. 

It was a little strange to have Abby gone but not as strange as I would have thought.