School's Out for the Summer

This is my best friend in primary.  She helps me lead the music.

 Austin and I are headed to paddle kayaks in the Venice canals.  I decided to practice yesterday.

 Austin grew a garden full of cabbages.

 The last day of school was Friday.  My children won many awards.

 Here they are all lined up with bread for their teachers -- Andy's promotion was the day before, so he went back to bed.

 Emily -- baby sister, Emily -- is graduating from high school.  Her announcement came in the mail, and we were tickled to receive it.  Mom has endured 38 years of scholars.  What?

 The pool is open and magnificent.  We found ourselves together.

 Here are the pictures of Andy's promotion.  We thought Andy looked super-fly in his slim-fit suit.

 The audience.

 The proud upper classman.

 No devices = lots of games.

Nap time is getting crazy for this chick.  She sits on me and sings instead of resting.

The pool is clean and hot!  We are enjoying many afternoons in the water together.

I found this gem on my phone.

She reads and reads and reads.

He teases and teases and teases.

All these darlings sat above, upon and beside while I read to them -- it's soul filling being surrounded by jewels.

Meg is 17!

My newborn baby is 17!  Seriously, I feel like we just began this journey together, but here we are 17 years later.  Morning presents revealed a new phone.

 I made her stop to get a picture before she ran out of the house for seminary.

 Ryan and Molly helped me bake cookies to take to her friends at lunch.

 We thought they were so beautiful.

 Birthday cake was simply ice cream with candles.  NO one complained.

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 Grandma and Grandpa B. came to join to fun.

 The next day we went to the theater to see, "Les Miserables." We ate lunch and sat drank in the ease of it all.

 Meg loves and knows the music so well.  When the music would start to each of the songs I would hear her squeal in delight.  The performers really were excellent.

We love Meg because she laughs a lot and is usually happy.  She works hard by using her time wisely and is rewarded for her efforts.  Meg is kind to her younger sibbies and has set a very good example for them to follow.  She's a dreamer and a lover.  She's a testifier.  Meg is a fierce force that leaves a wake of cheer and charm.  We love her.

Winding Down

With only three weeks of school left, we can almost see the end in sight.

FHE was "Candyland, LIVE!"  We ate the candy that we landed on.  Andy won the game.

 They had to recite or answer gospel questions to earn their treats.  They were all very happy.

 We open the pool everyday and swim a bit in the hot afternoons.  Although the water is not warm, the kids swim anyway.

 Nick came home Tuesday from the track gathering with more ribbons and an award.  He really did well this year.  He's an awesome kid.

 Wednesday Grandma B. showed up at the park and took us to McDonald's for lunch in her rental ride.  She then came by other afternoons and took the children in small groups for a ride and a treat.  She's a treat.

 That night was Meg's track banquet.  She earned the "Hardest Worker"award and her coach was very complimentary of her achievements.  I cried.

 I tried to look cute.

 Ryan picked all these peas from our garden.

This is big! Meg competed in her very last race of the season -- The Champion's Meet (where all the winners from state compete against athletes in all divisions).  She ran the 800m in 2:16.22!  This is a personal record, it beat the school record, and she came in first!  What?  So great. (Look closely at the lit sign.)

 Ryan always hitches a ride on the mower.

 Molly was too scared to go, so we watched.

State Track

Meg's track season qualified her to compete in the state meet in Mesa.  Grandma Kim flew in just to watch her run.

Here we are all loaded up and on our way to watch her race.

 First we stopped at Marriott reserve our rooms,  this elevator shot was worth it.

 We marched across the parking lot in 104 degrees, and took an entire section.  Wherein we opened our cooler and ate dinner and snacks the entire time.

 Meg raced in the 800m and took third.  She was pretty disappointed (little did she know about the race the following week.)

 Friday night she also ran in two prelims, so we were there about five hours.  We were all pretty content because there was extra room to run around.

 Saturday Austin took the kids to a movie, so we three went and visited Uncle Clay and Aunt Elaine.  We chatted for a couple hours and enjoyed ourselves very much.

Grandpa B. was in the hospital for his eighth and final chemo treatment.  We visited him as well.  He seemed hopeful and excited to see the end of his long road.  We loved being with him. 

Saturday night the temps were hot, the stands overly crowded, and our little kids were through.  BUT, Meg had a few great races.  She took first in the 400m.

 Molly self-destructed.

 Ryan found a cozy spot to view the races.

 Then the very last race was the 4x400m relay.  Meg was the anchor and began her leg in sixth place.  She passed three girls to land her team third on the podium.  It was certainly a race to remember!

Meg worked really hard everyday this entire season (she started running consistently on her own in November).  She certainly was rewarded for her efforts.  Sunday she bore her testimony that she's more than a runner, she's a daughter of God with a divine purpose and destiny.  Meg is a winner, alright!