We Remember...

I just couldn't let this day go by, without expressing some of my deep feelings that always come up on this hallowed day...gratitude, sadness, love...
Whenever I had heard of a "broken heart," I never really had experienced having one myself. However, that week, I can honestly say my heart was broken, broken for all those who had lost loved ones, and broken for our beloved country, which was hurting and changed. I cried for a week straight. My sister and brother-in-law were living and working in Manhattan at the time...leaving my tender feelings for them very close to the surface.

I love this country. I love all those who sacrifice on our behalf...rising up with courage and honor.

God Bless America.

A Special Day

This past Saturday, Savannah was baptized. Everything went well, and she was happy. My parents, who are currently serving a mission in Salt Lake, received permission to come for the day. So, we were thrilled to have the two of them and Fordy come to be with our family.

After the baptism, we all went to Souplantation for dinner. She came up to me and whispered in my ear, "I have a really good feeling inside." She was beaming. I didn't even need to say a word...we both felt the Spirit and were happy.

Ahhh...it's these small, simple moments that keep me going. It makes all those crazy, hairy days melt away and not seem like such a big deal after all. Life is good.

Life is just "peachy!"

It's canning season again! It always comes at the end of summer and has become a tradition for me and my kiddies. We have peaches and pears coming out our ears, and I absolutely love it! I love the smell in the kitchen, and even the mess in the sink; however, I must admit that I always have such grand ambitions of getting large quantities canned, but alas, we usually end up eating most of them before they even make it to the jars. That fruit is just oh, so delicious! Oh well!

Our little Savannah Joy turned eight last week! She'll be getting baptized this Saturday and is so excited. I'm amazed at how much they have learned up to this point. Eight truly is an inspired age. They understand accountability and the basic gospel principles that need to be understood to progress. It's been very special, having their dad as the bishop, and being able to interview them preparatory to baptism. I just love that little girl and her big, caring heart! On her birthday, she quietly asked me in the kitchen, "Do you think some children don't have families to celebrate their birthdays with? Are their some children who are all alone on their birthdays?" (she was teary). I am always learning from my children (as long as I can just sit down for a second and listen, which sometimes seems impossible-ugh!)

So, after vacation Adam was pretty much missing in action around here, trying to catch up with work and bishop stuff. We all sat down for dinner last week (which hadn't happened in awhile), and Joseph looked up at Adam and exclaimed, "Hi! What's your name?!" Thank you Joseph...I'll pay ya later! Classic.

For two weeks, our family was glued to the Olympics! We couldn't get enough, and the dark circles under our eyes proved it. I love everything about the Olympics! One night as we were enjoying one of Michael Phelps races (the relay one, where he gets so excited at the end, that you can see every ab muscle in his body), Kate stared at the screen in amazement, and said slowly, "Oh my goodness. Just look at those strong elbows." smile. So, after all the Olympic excitement in the air, my children have a new found frenzy toward learning volleyball (hence the last picture is Adam trying to teach them volleyball), and anything else where you can win a gold medal!

Hope you all are doing great! Have a great rest of the week!

Sharpened pencils and fresh erasers

I love the beginning of a new school year. It's always sad to see the summer pass. My sister, Lauren, and I were talking the other day and reminiscing about school year beginnings. She said that one year, in the first week of school, she received an unexpected early dismissal slip in class. When she went to the office and then to my mom's car, she asked, "What's up Mom?" My mom said, "Oh I just missed you guys so much from the summer that I wanted to see you again!" They went to lunch and then Lauren went back to class. I do miss my having my little flock all around me; however, with fall in the air, it was time to return.

The first day of school went better than I expected. Savannah has a very enthusiastic, expressive teacher. When she loaded into the car after school, she replied, "I had such a great day, I didn't even want to come home!" Hot dog! Annie spent about an hour giving me a blow-by-blow account of her day with her new male teacher. She has 36 kids in her class compared to the 20 that have been in her class up until now. So, impressively and true to her nature, she gave me the names of all the kids in her class and where they all sit. Whew! I wanted to be sure to get a full account from Kate, before she escaped upstairs to play. But, all she said was, "It was great! My teacher is really nice and when saw me in line, she said, "Hey, I know who you are!"" (She's a member of our church). That was it. So, I guess it went okay!

The boys and I are having a fun and quiet time together. I don't think Joseph knows what to do with all this "air time" all to himself. Austin and I have played with the blocks more in the last couple of days, than in his entire life. It's been nice.

Savannah's ear situation is back, I'm afraid. After her big year in kindergarten, when she got her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears, she's had a pretty uneventful couple of years...thankfully! However, after standing over her head, calling her name, and not even responding until I tap her on the shoulder, Adam and I concluded it was time for a check-up. So, we're off to the ENT this afternoon to get to the bottom of this!

It's been a good week, with soccer starting back up as well. No one would volunteer to coach Annie's team, so Adam is now the new coach for the 10 year old girls. If anyone is unfamiliar with Oxnard soccer, then let me educate you. Soccer is pretty much "life" for folks over here. Because Oxnard is predominantly Hispanic, soccer is the sport of choice. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins,etc. come not only to the games, but also the practices. Adam is out there on the field (a little nervous, not ever being a head coach for soccer), suit and all (coming directly from work) and stretching out there on the grass, blowing the whistle, etc. It's a hoot! He's been a great sport and Annie loves having her daddy out there with her!

I can hear Austin looking for me right now! Gotta run! Have a fabulous day and weekend!

And more...

More pictures

See...this shows what an amateur I am! I was hoping to post more pictures, so hopefully I will be able to paint an even better picture of our trip. Cheers!

Ah...vacation

We made it back home...alive and well and relaxed. Since I wanted to post mostly pictures anyways (I think it's much more descriptive and interesting), I will be brief in my vacation run-down.

The day we drove out to Utah was little Katie-Kate's 6th birthday! She is such a delight...and with such a great sense of humor! Just tonight she was telling me that she lost lost her little tooth. I offered to write the tooth fairy a note, explaining the mishap; however, she replied, non-chalantly, "No, that's okay. I'll just sleep with my mouth wide-open, so that the tooth fairy can see the missing one." She keeps a smile on our faces... Anyways, I said I'd keep this brief (I don't know if that's possible with me). So, Grandma Thunell prepared such a special birthday party for her at their lovely home...complete with pink cupcakes and balloons. Both sets of grandparents were there (since my parents are currently serving a mission in Salt Lake), along with Aunt Adrienne, and Uncle Fordy. We don't usually get to celebrate birthdays with so much family around, so that was extra-extra special.

Aspen Grove...ah...Aspen Grove. We had the best week with our little family and with our dear friends, the Masks. We enjoyed all the activities, the time together, and the beauty around us. We always come away feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and happy.

The second week of vacation (I can't remember the last time this happened!), we visited my parents at the Geneology Library in the Joseph Smith Mem. Bldg. in Salt Lake. My heart was so full to see my parents with their missionary tags on, serving the Lord. I loved that my children saw and felt this too...a blessing. We also spent time with Adam's parents, which was a real treat. We did everything from visiting a little farm and bowling at BYU to riding Trax down in SLC for Joseph's 3rd birthday (we have a lot of summer birthdays!). Riding a train is all Joseph has been interested in doing for his birthday. So, Trax was the closest we could get! Sorry, this is kind of a blow-by-blow. All in all, it was, well...fabulous!