Ila's Wedding

We left for my parent's house on the 17th so that we could go to my niece Ila and Briton's reception.  We didn't make it for very much of it, but I DID get this picture:

The next morning we headed over to Meridian Idaho where they were sealed in the temple.  It was a great day!

such a handsome couple:

The grounds around the temple are so beautiful and we were all enjoying it:

Katie's family l-r: Steve, Gideon, David, Isaac, Briton, Ila, Katie, Gracie, Emmie and Abby.  Missing Levi and his wife Victoria:

We told Pace that they were trying to take pictures and he was getting too close and he heard the word "pictures" and immediately struck this pose:

I had to grab this picture of an uncle with his niece because they have always been so close:

phone pictures this week

Pace still falls asleep a lot in church:

I can't say that I mind when it happens because it makes sacrament meeting a lot easier,  he sleeps through the next class and one of us has to sit with him until he wakes up because he doesn't wake up happy if we wake him!

Maddie ordered this outfit on-line and didn't like it so I inherited it.  She told me it was nerdy so I took this picture and sent it to Eli for his opinion.  The funny thing about being a mom is that you take whatever new clothes you can get whether it's your style or not!

Nolan's had a lot of lawn mowing jobs this summer.  Casey Severe just had a shoulder surgery and Nolan is showing off his green hands from mowing Casey's lawn:

Meanwhile the Ware's are always spoiling us rotten.  This time they brought tons of games that they had doubles of or didn't play anymore:

We got a birthday package off to Caden. Maddie added the "#HBD" because she said she knew that it would make Caden roll his eyes🤣

Have I mentioned that Pace asks Maddie to coach him in soccer nearly every day?  Well it continues... Lots of sit-ups happen if he happens to do a hand ball:

We had an early morning mutual at Natalie Crowder's this week.  Whenever we do something at each other's houses, the other brings their kids along. All the kids love getting together:

Isabelle was at a BYU ballroom dance camp all week long and Maddie and I headed down Thursday morning to watch her final rehearsal and to stay the rest of the week and shop for school clothes. Isabelle's good friend David Green went as her partner and they had THE BEST time!! They stayed at Shawn's Aunt Linda's house, danced, went to a water park, had banquets, went to the temple, watched movies and I don't even know what all.

With her new friends (Shaunae and Maddie Photo bombing from the back):

Jolana (David's mom) and I - It was SO good to see her and visit!:

A big thanks to Aunt Linda for taking care of these two for the week!:

Today Caden turned 19!!!  I woke up thinking about him. I thought about how I was sure that he was going to be so handsome the second that I looked at him because he had dark hair and I could tell that his eyes were going to turn brown.  He had dark skin and hair and DIMPLES! Sure enough, he is very handsome.  I thought about how I had no idea, then, that he would be so capable and efficient and bright.  That he would be so compassionate and one of my best friends when he grew up!  That he would be such an example to this whole entire family and the best brother and son that anyone could ask for.  I miss him, but I am so proud of him and that he is sharing the message of Jesus Christ's restored church to the people in Texas! The message that he is sharing makes our lives so happy and I know that it makes other people happy and I am so glad that he is being so unselfish that he would give up two years of his life to share it.

His being away from home didn't stop us celebrating:

We laughed about how dumb he would think this was 🤣
He still had the seat of honor!:

...and he looked pretty thrilled about that little fact!:

The things they say

Pace just brought me a picture with a lot of squiggly lines and asked me if that was how you get from our house to grandpa and grandmas?  I looked at it and showed him where we were at each place spot on his loopty loos and squiggly lines – cabbage Hill, Ladd Canyon, North Powder, and Haines and he is pretty happy with his map.  He keeps adding to it. 

Funny things the kids have said lately:

“I think some tastebuds came off on it” After Nolan got his tongue stuck to a popsicle

Pace during prayer “Bless Kami and Caden can stay away from strangers but stay with the friends they’re making”

Pace after watching the new Incredibles movie: “ Mom I think I have superpowers; my eyes feel weird.”  This show had a warning at the beginning that it would irritate some people’s eyes…

Abram’s spelling cracks me up “esparigus” for asparagus.  He reads all the time now, so I expect his spelling to get better this year!

Abram: “Sure I’ll vacuum!  I’ll be obliged!!”

Abram after someone asked the boys to watch their turtle while they were on vacation: “ How long do we have to watch the turtle? I hope it’s not for an hour!!”  Not knowing there was any care involved, I guess he figured they’d have to stare at it the whole time?

Pace when Shawn came home for lunch and I asked Pace to go find his shoes: “Sorry dad.  I was going to enjoy you but sadly I can’t.”

Pace has been turning out picture after picture lately.  He sits and colors by the hour.  I can’t believe his attention span!! He presented Shawn and I with a very tall stack of his drawings and colorings and then couldn’t find them in our room.  He came to me and said, “when dad gets home you say, “Hon? Where are my pictures and your pictures that Pace drew? Because we can hang them up on our wall!!”” I liked the "hon" part that he added🤣

Pace: “That music gave me Whitemares!”  Everything scary gives him whitemares these days. Especially the thought of clowns downstairs...

I also like how he asks me “You’re happy at me aren’t you?!!!” after he accomplishes something AMAZING.

already August

Monday night we watched Oliver and Emma Ware while Brittany and Aaron went on an anniversary date.  When they got back we were just starting FHE so they joined us!  Abram had just finished reading the Book of Mormon ALL BY HIMSELF for the first time, so we had a lesson on testimonies, and we all shared.  

l-r: Emma, Nolan, Pace, Oliver

Abram, Brittany, Aaron

Our family is pretty small with just us and the three boys... 

The girls were having a great time at my parents with cousins their grandparents and their Uncle Eli when they weren't picking berries!

L-r: Eli, Isaac, Isabelle, Sadie, Maddie

Jarom and Isabelle:

Maddie and Eli after a morning run:

I packed the boys up and we went over on Tuesday.  I picked berries like crazy that night and the next morning and got 6 flats.  Then we hurried home for mutual Wednesday night, where we talked about modesty and did a photo shoot at the park by our house.  So fun!

The boys one morning pausing their Monopoly game to stop and flex:

Saying goodbye to Sister Townsend:

Bouquets from the yard:

He lives a pampered life:

Ten batches of jam and maybe a third of the way there...:

Saturday I took what some people might call a "lazy day" .  I prefer to call it balance 🤣 Shawn and Isabelle had left for Utah - to take Isabelle to a dance camp.  The house was all clean so I decided to read all day.  

Pace had other plans - he found me on the porch and brought me a picture that he thought I would enjoy coloring (Tangled) , and one he wanted to color (Captain America) and said that he was excited to color together:

Soon Abram joined us:

Then Nolan:

And finally Maddie:

We had a good time coloring together!

Later I was reading again and the boys played one of their favorite games where they try to sneak up on me without me seeing them:

fun in the scriptures

I am so proud of our family because we have done so much better with daily scripture study this summer!  We still are not perfect at it, as we are doing the school year, but we are doing it most days. It's so hard to have a schedule when you have no schedule....

This week we were reading about the Gadianton robbers and we had some spontaneous fun with it:D

The first night that we read about them, we read how they were beginning to "sally forth".  On a whim, I asked everyone what they pictured someone looking like that was "Sallying forth".  It was hilarious!!

The next night we read about the Gadianton robbers coming to battle with a sheep skin girded about their loins and wearing a head plate and being dyed in blood.  I always wonder what they looked like when I get to this part, so I decided we should draw a picture!  It was fun to see what the boys "saw" (the girls were still gone picking berries) I think I will always picture this in the future when I read in 3 Nephi:

Nolan's:

Abram's:

Abram added on to his picture:

Pace's:

This was really fun - probably not the most spiritual, but we won't forget this time together any time soon!