Wednesday, August 30, 2023

It was Cheyenne's last week before her mission begins! My mom and dad came to visit Tuesday through Monday and my sister and her family stayed with us Thursday through Sunday and Mariah came home Friday through Sunday. It was so fun to have them all here! We did a lot of fun things and we fit a lot of other things in between.

On Monday, we got an MRI for Bethany because she has been having some blurry vision episodes. On Tuesday we found out that there was a concerning issue and on Thursday we went to Primary Children's Hospital for an ophthalmologist appointment. That was some of the non-fun things.

On Thursday and Saturday we went to funerals for Kathy Evans and Becca Mila. That was some more non-fun things.

One of the fun things for Bethany this week was that the high school had auditions for their November musical, Newsies. She did singing tryouts Tuesday and dance tryouts Wednesday. On Saturday she found out that she gets to be in the ensemble. She is super excited and it looks like it will be a lot of fun.

That wasn't the only tryout this week. On Saturday morning, Beth and Ben tried out for the demo team for karate! They both made it! This will mean they get fancy red karate uniforms with their names embroidered on the back as well as an extra class and chances to perform. I think the uniforms is their favorite part.

It was super fun for me to have my family here this week. On Thursday night they came to our ward party with us which was a picnic up our canyon. On Friday a whole crowd of us went to the temple together and that was amazing. On Saturday we packed up dutch ovens and the canoe and went for an evening at Payson Lake. It was just beautiful and a fun way to celebrate Cali and Chey's birthday early!











On Sunday, Cali and Chey gave their farewell talks at church. They both spoke of personal experiences with God where they received comfort and guidance. These experiences helped them decide to go on missions. They really did great jobs. Our family all sang a medley of Sisters in Zion and Army of Helaman in between their talks (the twins' idea!) and it turned out well. Afterwards, we had an open house in our yard with food, friends, and family. That afternoon Cheyenne got set apart and we all told her how much we loved her and cried alot. We will miss that girl but we are so happy for her.



Sunday, August 20, 2023

It was back to school this week for Beth and Ben! So on Monday that meant finding classes during open houses. It's Ben's first year in the junior high and Beth's first year in the high school. Ben had tennis lessons in the morning and I took both kids to a back-to-school physicals between open houses, so it was a busy day! It was fun for me to watch Bethany show Ben around the junior high and then about an hour later watch Cali and Chey show Beth around the high school. They are all so good to each other!


That evening Cheyenne went with her WC friends to go boating in Delta on Tuesday. They picked Chey up from our house so we invited them all in for a pancake dinner. It was fun.

Tuesday we watched Avery, and Ben had his guitar lesson. Since it was the last day of summer, Beth and Ben asked if they could skip karate and go to the reservoir instead. Of course I said yes. There's nothing that says summer like being in the water on a sunny day.

That night Kevin and I met with a stake president for YSAs in Provo. Kevin was called to be the bishop of the Provo YSA 189th ward. We accepted and are looking forward to this new adventure which will start September 10.

Wednesday was the first day of school! Benjamin was looking forward to going back and having a schedule again. He doesn't like having so much time to fill and I don't blame him. He had a great first day and his favorite classes are Chinese and Men's Choir. The two classes he wasn't very sure about! Bethany was not looking forward to going back to school--mostly for social reasons. However, things went better than she thought and she thinks now it will be okay! She has a great seminary teacher and has lots of friends in her Chinese, Math, and English classes.




So then we had some sad things happen. A friend of ours in Brookside who had been a big part of our lives, Kathy Evans, died. We had a couple of months warning and had all written tributes in cards that she got to read and that was good. We sure are thankful for her in our lives and wish she could have stayed longer.

The next day we went through another death--Becca Mila, our neighbor and the mother of Beth and Ben's good friends Claire and Annaliese. She has been in the hospital since early spring. I guess we all kept hoping she would pull through and she fought hard to stay, but her body couldn't do it anymore. Claire and Annaliese are both adopted so they are orphans again in a way. As neighbors, we all love those girls and hope that they will let us help.

Kevin and I did sealings at the temple on Saturday and it was a good place to be. As we focused on relationships in our life after death, it was a great comfort. We are sad but we don't need to be destroyed by the reality of death. What a blessing that is in our lives.

So, life kept on ticking. On Saturday, Beth and Ben took a practice test for karate. They passed and can hardly walk today from soreness. Savannah, Chey, and Cali went to the YSA Conference in SLC. They saw performances by The Piano Guys, The Nashville Tribute Band, and the Bonner Family. They also went to classes and participated in breaking the world record for the largest ever speed dating event. They said they wished they had more time because they couldn't do it all and all of it was great. I think it's great that they went.

I am grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and all it gives to me. :)

Sunday, August 13, 2023

On Monday of this week, we took new family pictures! Everything went really well but it is sure a lot of work: finding a location (I wanted sunflowers!), planning clothes, and coordinating everyone's schedule. I hope they turn out well but in the meantime, it was sure fun to be with everybody (it always is!). Our biggest problem was that Miss Avery only wanted to be with Cheyenne. She has learned her name and is always calling out for her, "Chey! Chey!" It's super cute.



Jen! Our fearless photographer.

On Tuesday, many of us went to see the Barbie movie. Beth and Ben went with their neighborhood friends and dressed up so cute! Cheyenne, Calianne, Savannah, and Mariah insisted that I come that evening, too. It was super fun! Plus, afterward we had many good discussions on the different messages in the movie, which ones we agreed with and which ones we didn't!



On Wednesday, we woke up early and hiked Silver Lake! It was me, Megan, Mariah, Cali, Chey, Beth, and Ben. Everyone let me lead so we could go super slow and take lots of breaks. It's 2.25 miles uphill to the lake and it took us two hours but it is so beautiful! I love that lake! And I love those people! Kevin met us at the Purple Turtle afterward for milkshakes and fries. Fun, fun times!


















That evening, even though we were exhausted from the hike, we had planned a dance at our house! Which is so fun. We used to do that all the time when I was a kid and we've never done it! Mariah especially was looking forward to it as the perfect last hurrah before she headed back to school. In the end we had Mariah's friends, Chey's friends, Cali's friends, and Bethany's friends. It was a big crowd! And they all seemed to have so much fun!

Avery danced some, too!





Thursday morning I slept in but no one else did! Kevin, Savannah, Mariah, Chey, Cali, Beth, and Ben went to the temple together to do baptisms. Cali and Chey had done an endowment the day before between the hike and the dance. They are getting in as much attendance as they can before their missions! I love watching their excitement and commitment.


That night Kevin, Mariah, Cali, Chey, and I were back at the temple to do sealings. Chey did another session in the afternoon. See what I mean? Yay temple!

The church is continuing its giant YSA activities this week and Chey and Cali went to the dance with 10,000 other single adults on Friday and on Saturday, Chey ran in the 5K. I haven't heard yet about the 5K, but they said the dance was "crazy!" They did have fun and I think it's neat they are choosing to be a part of the festivities.

On Saturday, Mariah left us to return to St. George for school and the upcoming cross country season. We already miss her like crazy! She leaves a big hole when she is gone. It was hard to say goodbye, but she needed to be back for her friend's wedding on Saturday afternoon. She moves in on Monday and starts meetings for Cross Country on Tuesday! She has already secured a job that will count as her internship hours where she will help plan St. George races. It sounds perfect for her!

Also on Saturday morning, we gathered as a family to help Sarah get a small reprieve. Megan made everyone cinnamon rolls. We got there early enough to take care of Avery so Sarah could sleep in and then we helped clean the house. Sarah has just a month left before her new baby comes! We are happy to help her out and it's always fun to be together. Megan planned it. She is such a good sister!

Saturday afternoon, Ben's friend Kyler came over to hang out for the second day in a row, the Milas and Max came over and hung out, too. Cookies were made, games were played, and the upcoming school year was discussed in great detail! It's fun to see Beth and Ben with a good friend group. School starts next week!

Monday, August 7, 2023

Benjamin had YM camp this week! Their group of boys and leaders left Wednesday morning for a canoeing trip down the Colorado River. They canoed every day for several miles before getting to new camping spots. Ben canoed every day in a canoe that had no seats. There were paddleboards available but they were limited so Ben let the other boys use them since he knew he would get other chances at Palisades. What a nice kid! They returned home Saturday evening several shades darker from sun and dirt. They had crazy hair, and they were all smiles. Ben had a great time. He said they had devotionals every night and he's never slept so well as he did in his own tent on his new sleeping pad. We all missed him like crazy!






Mariah had a fun reunion this week. One of her mission companions got married and invited some past investigators from New York City and they came! So, they all enjoyed visiting at the reception and on Saturday night we had them over to our house. We got to meet Sister Adharkari (Rebecca) and Sister Thompson (Malea). And we enjoyed seeing Michael, Carlo, and Joseph again (who we initially met on our trip to New York). 



Cali and Chey continue to work their respective jobs and go to the temple as often as they can. Our printer is kept busy printing temple names! On Thursday morning, Kevin, Mariah, Cali, Chey, and I did initiatories together. Afterwards we bought kolaches. It was super fun!


On Saturday night, Cali and Chey went to the giant YSA concert in Salt Lake City. They saw One Republic, Jordan Smith, and Jordan Sparks. There were so many YSA there that the Front Runner they wanted to take home was jam full and public transit had to get another train to get the rest home. They got home around 2am! Crazy, but so fun!



Other than that Beth and Ben both had guitar lessons. Karate happened. Savannah got real sick but is feeling better. I did more of my class. We had Avery over three days (she's so fun)! Beth hung out with friends a few times.

On Monday morning, Kevin had an MRI on his knee. He found out that he has a torn meniscus. He went to an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday and scheduled surgery for August 25. So, he is looking forward to feeling better!