Nolan's 17th Birthday

This has been such a year of growth for our biggest boy. He is becoming a giant - literally and spiritually! I swear he is a foot taller (and it's so adorable), but he is also making great strides toward becoming admirably responsible and self-sufficient. He is juggling scouts and young mens and sports and school and doing a much better job of staying on top of things and keeping his grades up. This last summer he tackled two jobs (as a life guard and an umpire) and never called in sick or missed a shift - in fact, he stayed home from our family trip to Worlds of Fun this year to fulfill his obligation to the public pool. But he was able to go to Youth Conference and scout camp and EFY, and I can really see his testimony taking root. He does a wonderful job preparing and blessing the sacrament every sunday (and showing up early with the bread) without being asked, every week. His dad and I are so proud of him, and we just love being around him. He's so fun to talk to, and to laugh with.

Last weekend we had some of Nolan's friends over to celebrate his 17th birthday. I didnt have to do anything but order pizza. They sang karaoke and played games for hours. He has a wonderful group of best friends now (even more beefed up since the Greens got here). Our angel neighbors the Hackers came over and brought him a homemade razzleberry pie. He was so pleased with his birthday presents - a phone case and a CTR ring. The older he gets, the more awesome he becomes...and the more awesome he becomes, the deeper reality sinks in. Our precious time with him at home is running out. I'm just trying now not to miss anything or take our family time for granted.

Summer Visitors

At one point this week we had 14 people sleeping in our house...Kaylee (Gordon) and Jacob Riddle were visiting from AZ for Podiatry purposes, Mark and Walker Green were staying with us for moving transition purposes, and Destini and Jenny were sleeping over for fun purposes. We were the worst hosts ever because we had such a busy week. While everyone was here we had to do a baptism and a move for the branch, and attend a funeral with the Scouts. But in between, we tried to sneak in some "Kansasy" moments. We went on some nature hikes - failed to find the old blown-out bridge, but succeeded in finding several feral cats, and did a  pretty thorough farm photoshoot. After Kaylee and Jake headed home on Saturday morning, we took everybody else to Wichita to eat lunch at Sam's Club and see Dora the Explorer in the movie theater, AND...pick up Liam from the airport (he had been in California with Grandma Gordon). I love this family. I'm so glad it gets bigger and bigger all the time.

Mae's 4th Birthday

Mae is four! This year she gave up diapers and cribs and sippy cups. I think that means she's not a toddler anymore. Which means I am officially out of babies. And I tell you, there is not one bit of me that is happy about that. Though they have kept me busy and worn me out, there is not anything I have wanted more out of this life than babies. For seventeen years they have been my burden and my sheer joy. My back and arms and heart will never find a more worthwhile occupation. But I'm finding more and more fun in this new version of our family. Big kids are good company...they're funny and smart and they share many of our interests. They're also spiritual and wise, and I can see that one day they will easily be my favorite friends. At this moment in time, Mae is sharing in my love of fantasy and fairy tale and over-the-top girliness. Her current cartoon character of choice is Pinkalicious, so it was easy to indulge her with a ridiculously PINK party. We had her cousins and friends over all afternoon - under a strict princess dress code. I didnt have to do much to keep them entertained. They just wanted to eat and dance and play - and they did. I relished in it. I'm still so grateful that God gave me this one last girl.