A Visit to Arkansas!

Last weekend we went to Bentonville, Arkansas to visit my sister Marisa and go to the temple open house. We have been waiting for years for it to be ready, and it finally is done! 

We drove up Friday and the drive went smoothly. It was a long drive, but the kids do great. 

Channing was making herself comfortable!

Saturday we went to the temple open house and it was a bright and sunny day!

Grateful for the gift of temples and that the kids were able to go inside to their first temple open house. 

I love this forever family of mine!

Ella took my phone and took lots of flower pictures. 

Afterward some of the kids stayed to play games and others went to the pool to play!

The men went to a movie Saturday night to celebrate Fathers day early. Marisa and I made dinner for them, she mostly made while I kept her company and did the dishes :) It was a nice Sunday and nice weather. I was glad we got to visit them and see their sweet family.

We hit 90,000 miles on the car and were reminded that Jesus is the answer. 

My sister will get to spend the next couple weeks with us as she comes to Houston for the family reunion cruise and our dads 70th birthday. I'm excited to spend more time with her family. 

The Beginnings of Summer!

This summer has been filled with appointments. I have literally been to at least one, two, or three appointments every day since summer began. Between my foot physical therapy, dentists, orthodontists, allergists, well checks, podiatrists, and drivers permits, I have been sitting in a waiting room all summer. Cavin has mostly been the one who has had to accompany me to so many, but I'm hoping the rest of the summer will be a little less busy. 

We first had to do a retest of Cavin's allergies since it has been 3 years since he has been tested. We were hoping he was less allergic to some things, but it turns out he is more allergic. 

He was pricked 72 times by allergens and was literally positive to every single allergen. The poor kid broke out pretty good. 4 is the highest and he has several 3 and 4's.

He also is having trouble snoring and breathing, so we had to do a CT scan and his adenoids are very enlarged, so we see an ENT next week and he may have to have them removed. 

The poor kid was so severely allergic to everything that the doctor couldn't figure out why he wasn't miserable. All his tests showed he was a severe case of everything, but nothing really bothers him, he is a tough kid and just rolls with it. We figure he has never felt "normal" so that's just his normal and he doesn't know any different. He wants to start him on allergy shots for immunotherapy, but we are still deciding what to do. 

He was able to get his drivers learners permit and started driving. That was exciting!

Channing and I broke away while the kids were at FSY and made a cute little octopus we painted together.

She has been practicing braids in my hair and is getting better and better. 

Ella has to get her wisdom teeth removed next week, so we were glad we could take a night for some more fun when we finally got to redeem Ella's Christmas present and take her to Wicked. 

Ragnar and I saw it in New York on Broadway and were afraid to see it again as we didn't think it could compare, but it was so good. 

The cast was great and we loved every minute! Such a fun night to remember. 

Deacon has been being a good sport as he is stuck at home a lot as we get all the other kids appointments taken care of. He is getting better and better at mowing the lawn and helping his dad and brother out.

We have several more appointments ahead of us and possibly two surgeries, but we hope to find some fun outings in the process! 

Ella and Cavin's FSY Experience

Ella and Cavin had the opportunity to go to Sam Houston State University for the For Strength of Youth camp for our church. It had been pushed back several years due to Covid, so they were so glad it was finally their turn. They went together and it was a great week.

Ella had 8 people in her group from our stake that she knew, and was one of the lucky groups that had 20 boys and 10 girls. 

She really liked her counselors and went with her best friend Katelyn as her roommate. 

She loved the classes and enjoyed her time. 

Cavin didn't go with a roommate for several reasons, one being that most of his friends are priests and he is still a teacher so he is in a different age group. 

His roommate Benu was a little strange he said, but he made it work. 

He enjoyed himself as well. 

They both came home wanting to be FSY counselors when they get back from their missions.:) I'm glad they had a chance to strengthen their testimonies and make new friends. 

Memorial Day Beach Trip!

Many people who know me, know I don't love the beach. Every year our friends go to Galveston beach to celebrate Memorial Day together. We haven't been in years, but decided to join them this year. There were almost 100 people this year and we had a fun time. 

It was fun to chat and the weather was nice. 

Ella and her friends. 

Deacon loved to make sandcastles.

Channing had lots of friends to play with. 

We had a great group of ladies there. 

I love spending time with my family and it ended up being a really nice day, despite my less than enthusiastic attitude about the beach. 

I'm grateful for those who sacrificed for us and who we have this holiday for. I love this country and am grateful for the sacrifices people have made for the freedoms we have. 

End of School Happenings!

We had a whirlwind last couple weeks of the school year. There were many award ceremonies and concerts. We are proud of the kids and love to watch them succeed. 

Cavin received an award for all A's.

Channing got all A's as well and was the student named for Excellence In Choir.

Ella got several awards at her choir banquet as well. 

The double agent award for being in choir and orchestra, Outstanding Junior award, and an award for her solo. 

Cavin and Ella played in their last orchestra concert together for the year. 

Channing sang in her pop show and loved every minute. 

Deacon and 2 others got an award for the most miles run at school. He would run 4 miles at P.E sometimes in the 45 minutes they had.

The kids work really hard and have great grades. They are kind, good students, and do their best to contribute. We are proud of their efforts! Way to finish off another good year.