Nature

We went to Adam-ondi-Ahman. There is not a lot to say just a lot to show.

It was so wonderful to listen to the leaves blow in the wind. We could hear birds chirping. I loved the humidity and smell in the air. Everything was so lush and green. It was incredible being back in nature again. 

We took a short walk down a trail and simply enjoyed being together as a family. 

We stopped in one area and had a short family scripture study and shared what we were thankful for that day (a family tradition). It was so peaceful and calm. There are some things in life that I will never forget. There are some things in life that make everything else so worth it. Here are a few of those things and some of my favorite candid photos of all time. 

Kansas City Weekend

We decided to take advantage of the four day Memorial Day weekend to go on an adventure. We know that our time of "someday we'll go" is here and now. Our "someday" is upon us so if we really want to go somewhere we need to go. We realized Kansas City was only an 8 hour drive from home. We decided to would be fun to see the church history sites and to explore a new area.We packed our bags and headed out.

Our first stop was the Independence Visitors' Center. I know these centers are mainly to share our beliefs with those who are not of our faith, but they also serve as a good reminder for all of us as to why our beliefs are so important.

Sister Rogers, a sister missionary, spent most of the day with our family. She got to know us all by name. She shared personal stories with us. We shared personal stories with her. She handled our teenage boys and pre-teen girls with the greatest of ease. We had a wonderful day with her. The kids were all delighted when she predicted where they would serve their missions. We have her email so we can let her know where they are going. It is amazing to me how fast you can build a relationship with a complete stranger. It feels as if she was part of our family for the day.

I loved the exhibit about families. It portrayed a family whose children were growing up and leaving home at the same time that they lost a grandparent. With Aaron's mom still sick in the hospital and facing the reality of one-more-year before Este leaves and our family changes forever, it was really personal for me. I am so grateful for the knowledge that there is life after death. I am grateful to know that our family bond will last forever. I know it is part of Heavenly Father's plan that my children grow and eventually have their own children.  I will ever be grateful for the things that I heard and felt during this presentation.

I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is very real. I know it is the answer to all the sadness and problems in the world today. I know the members of this church are not perfect, myself and family included, but I know that the gospel helps each of us who follow the teachings to be better people. I am happy to be reminded of just that.

I Care About This......

My sister Laurann started doing this thing on Instagram where you are given a different topic every day and you post of photo of whatever comes to mind. It is called #fmsphotoaday. My entire family (sisters, brothers, and even my dad) posts pictures almost daily. As you can see below, today's topic was I care about this....

Today is the third day in less than a week that we have been under a tornado watch. Last Wednesday several tornadoes touched down in an area just one hour south from where we live. Yesterday a massive tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma. Since Moore is only 2 1/2 hours north and one of the towns we drive through when we go to Utah, it really struck me. The tornado demolished schools, the hospital, and many neighborhoods, Debris is all that is left.  I have thought about the people who lost loved ones and their homes in a single moment.

So as I thought today about what I really care about, the answer is simply this......

One thing that I have learned this past week it to treasure every moment you have with those you love. You never know when it may be your last moment.

New Beginning

I started this blog over seven years ago. At the time, I had five young kids at home and we were in the process of moving from south Texas back to Utah. I started the blog because I wanted to record every detail of our life in south Texas, knowing it was drawing to a close. I felt like I was loosing part of me. I also wanted our family and friends living far away to know what our daily activities were really like.

Blogs popularity have come and gone. I have remained loyal to my blog, although I haven't posted as often as I would have liked. (I have some work to catch up on.) Having said that, I am starting with a new beginning. You see, I realize that I have one year before Este leaves on his mission. I know with him leaving, I am loosing part of me. A major part of my life is drawing to a close. I know life will still go on after he leaves but Ethan will leave before he gets home and AJ has the potential to leave before Ethan gets home. It will be years before we are all together again. Therefore, I want to record every detail of our life together for this last year. What I really want to do is freeze time. Since that is not possible, this is the next best thing.

I invite you to follow along. We have some major plans and there will be minor details but it will all be us. The good, the bad, and even the ugly.

Quick Trip

Aaron and I made a quick trip to Utah at the beginning of the month.

My mom, who had just retired the week before, flew down to stay with our kids while we were gone. It was so nice to see my mom and have her visit our new home for the first time. We went shopping and out to lunch the day after she arrived. It was kinda sad to leave my mom but the kids were so happy to have her here without me. She made homemade doughnuts with them, took them out to eat at a buffet, and loaded the house with treats and junk food. The kids were in heaven!

Upon arriving in Cache Valley, we visited our good friends Vaea and Salli to meet their new baby, Emosi, who was only three weeks old. I LOVE holding newborn babies! They are so cute, and cuddly, and they smell so good. It was nice to visit with their family and see all of their kids.

Aaron and I went to the Logan Temple on Saturday where we were able to see our nephew, Keeton, sealed to his parents for time and all eternity. It was so special to be in the room and feel the Spirit that was present. I am grateful that Keet is a part of our family.

We enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant with the rest of the family. It was fun to see all of our nieces and nephews. I did noticed the obvious disappointment on their faces when they realized it was just us. No kids.

We visited Aaron's mom on Sunday morning. She is halfway through her chemo treatments for the cancer she was diagnosed with this last summer. She is an amazing woman. She is so sick that she lays in bed day in and day out yet, has incredible faith and strength. I learn from her example.

We visited my family that afternoon. It was nice to visit my dad and brothers' families. We enjoyed a great dinner together. We stopped by my sister's house for a minute before heading back to Salt Lake to catch the flight home the next morning.

Although this trip seemed like a whirlwind, it touched me in so many ways. As I held a new baby, I thought of Mary holding her newborn Son. I'm sure she admired his mouth, nose, ears, hands, and feet just as I did when I held Emosi. As I was in the temple with Aaron's family, I thought of how grateful I am that family relationships go beyond this life. (For more information, click here). As I sat by Elaine's beside, I knew that peace and comfort will always accompany faith.

This trip was perfect timing at the beginning of the Christmas season and just what I needed.

Adjustment

I have people ask me all the time how our family is adjusting to Texas. Here is my reply.....with a few random photos from our recent family picture photo shoot added in.

The summer was great! We hung out at the pool, we hung out at home, we hung out on vacation. You get the picture?

Then school started. Life was brutal those first few weeks of school as the kids had to figure out new schedules and systems. We had to face the reality that our move to Texas was not just an extended vacation. We actually had to LIVE here.

The girls adjusted well. They had girls in their classes invite them to play out at recess. Vanessa found a couple of friends she knew from church out at the playground. Savanah decided shortly after school started that she would rather play soccer with the boys than do girly things. She doesn't care if she is the only girl out on the field. She shows those boys how it's done.

AJ has 25+ boys his age at church. He had at least one of them in every single class at school. He has friends on the football team and cross country team. He is a friendly kid who makes friends easily.

Ethan had football for which I am so grateful. Football helped him make friends and build confidence. We worried a little bit about his adjustment to a new high school. He has done really well. I LOVE the school here! They called us into a meeting a month or two after school started with his counselor, vice principal, and a teacher just to make sure he was transitioning well. I really feel like this school respects us as parents and respects our opinion as to what is best for our student. Like I said, he is doing great!

Este came home from school on the second day and told us that he stepped into the cafeteria and didn't know a single soul. He sat by himself the entire lunch period. He hated his classes. He either had class with freshman or an AP class (each of which promised to be the hardest class offered at the school). He also has his soccer team class where he learned they would be having try-outs the first week of school.

You know when my boys were little and upset about something I would simply pull them into my lap and hug and kiss away the pain. Now that they are bigger than me, I can't do that anymore. I found it heartbreaking and I felt completely helpless. I told him that I promised it would get better. That sounded shallow even to  me so I didn't mind when he simply rolled his eyes. Then, I reminded him that each of us felt that it was right to move to Texas. I explained to him that just because something is right does not mean it will be easy. On the contrary, a lot of the times the "right thing" is very difficult. It doesn't mean that it wasn't right. It just means that sometimes, even when you do what is best, life sucks.

Life did get better. He not only made the soccer team, he will be starting varsity and was asked by the coaches to be a team captain. He learned how to survive his classes and has maintained his 4.0. He has made friends in class and on the team. He has learned to accept his responsibilities and soar.

Both Ethan and Este have had the opportunity to answer questions about our church. Being the new guys and from Utah, they get asked all the time if they are Mormon. They answer in the affirmative and any other questions that come their way. It's usually not just one kid asking one question. It's a group of kids asking several questions. I have been proud of the way they have handled standing out. I have seen them take the opportunity to stand up. Stand up for what they believe

And so it is.....we are adjusting well. I realize it will take even more time. I am grateful that I can be home to help my kids settle into this new life. It is a good life and I can honestly say we are happy. I don't know what the future holds for our family here in Texas. I just know that if we stick together and stay strong to our beliefs, we will be just fine.

Family Vacation

Once again, our family vacation consisted of an epic road trip to Texas. It is my kids' favorite place to go on vacation. It makes all of us happy. We had to drive through some bad storms on our way but seeing a double rainbow at the beginning of vacation is always a good sign.

 This year's trip was easier for me because I didn't have to drive at all. Este had his learner's permit and he drove while Aaron slept. I told him it will be good practice for him to drive while he is bored out of his mind. He drove the middle-of-the-night-shift when the it's only us and the truckers on the road. I thought I stayed awake while he was driving but he said I slept for most of it. If I remember right, the law only requires a parent to be in the passenger seat. It doesn't specify that parent has to be coherent. He was happy to drive because he easily met the required driving hours and he can now say he has driven in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Thanks to his good driving skills we arrived all in one piece.

As we were driving around the back roads of south Texas we stopped by some fields and Aaron cut a piece of sugar cane for the kids to taste.

Ethan enjoyed what appears to be a sugar cane cigar.

He also sampled some cotton from the field.

It was fun for the kids to learn about different crops in the area.

Next,  we headed for Mexico.

This time, a trip to Mexico required that we all have passports. Before our trip, we lined up all the kids and headed to the passport office with birth certicates, applications, and of course, money for each child. It was so worth it though. We went to one of our favorite Mexican towns where we can just walk across the border. We did the "tourist thing" and posed at the entrance.

Can you tell the kids were feeling the effects of the hot Texas sun? For our first purchase, we bought each of the kids a pair of "brand name" sunglasses for $5 each.

We spent the night at South Padre Island for the first time EVER!. We lived in the area for 10 years, went to the beach countless times, and never knew the sunset over Laguna Madre. The sunset was beautiful! I walked down the beach and saw a pelican just standing there. I had heard there were pelicans on the island but I had never seen one. I snapped this very stunning photo with the pelican in the corner of the frame and then realized it is just a statue!

The palm trees are real.

I woke up early the next morning and did my morning jog on the beach. I don't have any photos of the sunrise over the gulf because I didn't want to lug my camera on a six mile run. (If you know what it is like to run in South Texas you know, I had a hard enough time lugging myself on a six mile run!)

We enjoyed swimming in the warm water and spending time at the beach.

Those cute little goggles of Vanessa's were washed away in the waves shortly after taking this photo.

We also visited Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. Vanessa was complaining about being hot and tired until she was cooled off by a pelican.

By the way, that is also a statue of a pelican.

Vanessa loved climbing trees in the zoo. This was right after her revelation that she was no longer a princess. Now she is a tom-boy.

Savanah found a sweet little friend to cuddle.

AJ returned to the spot where a gorilla traumatized him by slapping the window right in front of his face when he was a toddler. AJ recovered from the incident eventually and there was no terrorizing gorilla at the window this time.

Vanessa was not about to be terrorized by any gorilla.

Not only did we visit the zoo, we arrived in McAllen in time for the annual stake pioneer day celebration. One of the members brought several animals from their ranch to share. AJ loved the javelina (wild pig) and asked if we could take one home. The answer was absolutely NO!

Ethan liked to hen-hawk with talons for for feet. Not gonna take one of those home either.

The girls enjoyed riding the pony around.

We visted many friends and loved ones. Savanah bonded with the babies.....

.....and AJ bonded with the kitties.

After a few days in the Rio Grande Valley we headed to the Austin area to visit my sister and her family. Holly wanted me to go watch her at swimming lessons. This picture tells it all.

We met Amaia for the first time.

 

She was only 2 months old. Everyone enjoyed taking turns feeding her.

Milo seemed to enjoy hanging out with all our kids. I think he was quite entertained by all the craziness that accompanies a big family with teenagers.

 While in the Austin area we went out to eat some good ol' Texas BBQ. It is truly part of the whole Texas experience and there are not words to describe how good the food is.

 Ethan enjoyed the sandwich of all sandwiches.

 Vanessa enjoyed eating a rack of ribs. Have I ever mentioned this girl is a carnivore? We have never had a child who likes to eat meat as much as she does.

 Of course, Holly wanted her photo taken with the others. I really love this little girl.

The road trip home was just as epic as the road trip there. It left me wondering if traveling with toddlers or teenagers was harder. I never figured it out. I will say, that even with the boys' attitudes and endless teasing, we had the time of our lives on this family vacation.