Nate's 8th birthday party

In all my parenting years, we've never hosted a birthday that party wasn't in our home.
No reason really, it is just what we've always done. But for sweet Nate's upcoming
eighth birthday, he wanted to try something different. So that is what we did.
Hence, the joy of a whole bunch of boys (and a little sister) at Chuck E. Cheese.

It was a lot of fun and Nate had a great day, which made me thankful. His friends are darling and
I was especially grateful for my three older kids who were willing to go and help make sure
everyone was safe and had a good time. Next up...a certain boy's birthday next week. Oh the happy.

Happy Halloween

The happiest of Halloweens from Jaylen Brown, Elena of Avalor and our NASA astronaut.

Pumpkin painting party

Painting pumpkins at our house tonight. These kids are the best and their pumpkin
creations make me all sorts of happy. Oh, and Ben gets a bonus pic in the
collage because A) Michigan, B) he's hilarious and C) Michigan.

When one stake calling isn't enough, so you receive a second

This handsome man is now both a high councilor and the stake young men president.
It was nice knowing him. Oh I kid. He will be amazing. He always is.

Friday has us this happy

The darling little cheesewad.

This is my sacred duty

I've had the privilege of attending the temple three separate times in the last two days. Tonight,
alongside this handsome man and several old and new friends, was just really sweet. So many
thoughts and impressions have filled my mind the last forty-eight hours. But mostly I've just felt
peace. Such beautiful and welcome peace. The Lord is so very good. I love being in His house.

Joy

I just can't even with this boy. I feel like my heart might burst with joy
every time we get to talk to him. God is so very kind. And blessing this
son of mine in ways that constantly bring me to my knees in gratitude.

Celebrating grandma

The perfect celebration of the perfect grandma. Life will never feel
the same without her here. But heaven feels that much more heavenly
and worth any sacrifice I'm asked to make, just to be with her again.

It was a good Fall Break

Two days away in Park City, just the seven of us.
It was relaxing and fun and I think we all needed it more than we knew.

Love and light and last goodbyes

I don't know how to put into words what the loss of Jacob's grandma feels like
to me. I feel an emptiness, the likes of which, I've only felt once before.

She was everything that was good and loving and light. Whenever we finished
talking, either on the phone or in person, I wanted to tell every person I saw
that day, "You are so lucky to know me." That is how she made you feel.
It was a gift I've never seen to that degree, in another person.

In our last moments together, just days before her graduation, we prayed. Just the
two of us. It had become what we did during every visit, before I left. I can still feel
her tiny hand in mine, my pleading to my Father for grandma to know how much
I loved her and how much she meant to me and her sweet, yet strong, "amen" when
the prayer was over. If I had known those were our last seconds together, I don't
think I could have walked out the door. I think I would have stayed by
her side and willed her to remain on earth with me. With all of us.

I imagine that is why the Lord didn't let me know that was our last goodbye.

It was her turn to be done. She lived life so well, so valiantly, with such immense
amounts of love. I will forever be grateful that I was a recipient of that love. I feel
like the luckiest granddaughter on earth. With the sweetest grandma in heaven.

I love you Grandma Cammy. Thank you for changing who I am, because of who
you chose to be. I will miss you every single day until we are together again.

Yesterday

Annie Linn

Happy Birthday my darling girl! You are so ridiculously loved. 

{EIGHTEEN}

Recitals and growing up

My baby girl right before her dance recital last night.
I will love this picture for all of my days. She is growing
up so much and I love this little one something fierce.
And am so grateful God let her be ours.

And Grace and her best friend, Daniel.
And no, I did not pose them even the slightest for this picture.

These two spend most every day together. They are hilarious beyond words
and we joke about them being an old, married couple. Because they act like
it. Daniel asks to go to Grace's dance recitals and told his mom he wasn't
ever going to miss one of them, for the rest of Grace's life. More than a year
ago, I created a photo folder with their pictures together, so that when they
make their marriage official, I'll have their wedding video ready in seconds.

Our elementary chicklets

I just really love this trio of cuteness. And parent teacher conferencing
with them is a nice reminder that maybe I don't fully stink at being a mom.
Or maybe I do. And they just came incredible. Can we pretend it is the first one?
No matter how obvious the second one appears. Pretty please. Thanks muchly.

Sweet grandma

She left before I stopped needing her.

A good day

This boy is officially castless. Happy, happy day.

Twice is definitely enough

With just a few more days of his current cast being necessary, I thought I'd post
a picture of both of Ben's broken appendages together. Eighteen months and
eleven years. Let's have {at least} another decade before this handsome
boy requires more casting. The kind involving broken bones I mean.

This sweet boy

This little stud was chosen from his class to have pizza with the principals yesterday (and was
given this fun treat at the end). In the words of his fabulous teachers (he has two who share
the teaching responsibility and I adore them like crazy), "Nate always looks to help those
around him. He is helpful and kind to his classmates and other students at our school."

I'm grateful the sweet boy is hilarious and brilliant and athletic and inquisitive. I'm glad he does well
in school and generally, in life. But the fact that he is kind means more to me than anything else that
anyone could say about him. I love him something fierce. And it is such a privilege to be his mom.