The Funeral

Bryan's Grandfather Ross Swensen passed away.  These are the times we are thankful that we live closer and are able to attend these family events that bring families closer together and provide an opportunity to remember a great man.  Because we have lived away for so long I didn't feel like I got to spend a great deal of time with Bryan's grandpa but I do remember a few things about him.  He was at our wedding and gave a speech at the wedding dinner.  I could tell he was very proud of his grandchildren and loved being with family.  He loved joking with Bryan and always had a twinkle in his eye.  He drove a yellow beetle and Bryan would always tease him about it.  I am so thankful for Ross for setting such a wonderful example for Bryan to follow.  Bryan has so many memories of spending time with his grandpa in the peach orchards and playing at his house.  We were recently watching  a commercial for a Payday candy bar.  Bryan then said that they will always remind him of his grandpa because they were his favorite and grandma would always put one in his lunch.  His grandpa would then save them and give them to Bryan and his brothers.  He was a wonderful man and it was a special time to spend with family.

Unfortunately on our drive to see family our transmission went.  I seem to have bad luck with transmissions.  So other than the four thousand lost on that, it was a great trip.

We were able to squeeze in some fun things while we were there.  My camera/computer are acting funny and only half of the pictures taken loaded.  So I'll share what I have.  The boys participated in a three on three tournament and actually won the entire thing!  Maybe that's because Bryan inappropriately named their team the "Menstrual Cycles."  I guess that's what you get when you invite an OB to join your team:/.  

While they were playing they had a little kid's area with games and activities.  The girls loved it.  

 Julia had a unicorn painted on her face and Audrey had flowers.

 The winning team.  The lady quit calling their team name and shortened it to "MC's."  Can't say that I blame her.  These boys had a great time playing together and it was fun to watch.

 They had a little petting zoo and this bunny was by far the largest bunny I have ever seen in my entire life.  It probably outweighed Lily.  I am still not sure it is capable of movement.

 We spent time at Grandma's house.  She painted fingernails.  With so many granddaughters I suppose that's what you get to do.  She also fed us lots of great food.  It was a stressful time for her and yet she still made time for us and fed us.  Thank you Patricia.

 Between the viewing and the funeral we had to keep the kids outside and playing games to keep them entertained.  Such cute cousins.  My girls loved playing with all of them.  They had some very rousing games of "duck duck goose" and "Mother May I."

 Lily didn't join us for the funeral for multiple reasons but we snapped a quick family photo of the four of us.

 This is the grandchildren that were there with a couple of cousins thrown in.

 Jason and Christy's family.

 Ryan and Amanda's family.

We also had pictures of James and Scott and one with Bryan and his brothers but my camera skipped those ones.  Lame.  It really was a great few days with family.  Right after the funeral, Bryan had to rent a car and drive back to Idaho while I stayed on waiting to get the car fixed.  I headed to Evanston to spend a bit of time there.

Going to the Farm

My mom came to watch Audrey's dance recital and brought Max along with her.  The girls loved having their cousin there to play with and it may as well be Christmas when my mom comes so they were pretty stoked.  They were only here for a couple of days but we were able to do a few fun things.  One of the nurses at Bryan's office has a ranch with lots of baby animals.  She told Bryan that he should bring the girls to come and see the new babies.  We thought bringing Max and my mom would make it a perfect outing.

We knew we were right when we were immediately greeted by several kittens.  My girls are very fond of kittens.  Lily was having an out of body experience with all these animals she was free to touch.  Lots of shakes and giggles were coming out of her little body.

 The girls are petting the baby mules.  The ladies that own the ranch are sisters and love their animals more than anyone I have ever seen.  Ever.  I think they would probably kiss all of them they love them so much.  Obviously the animals are very happy.

 My mom had taken the kids to the dollar store before this to pick out a few prizes for getting along so well.  Max found these sweet snorkel goggles that he was certain turned him into "Ben Ten" (being a mom of girls I have no idea who that is.)  He insisted on wearing them  the entire time even though they made it difficult to breathe at times.  It definitely made for some comic relief.  We were all laughing so hard every time he looked at us.

 The baby mule.

 We went and met the baby calf as well.  We had to be careful to dodge cow pies in their lawn.  They allow the calf and cows to roam their lawn freely.  They said they do draw the line at letting the cows in the house.

 Lily even went and gave the sweet calf a little pet.

 This was the giant donkey.  They let the girls feed him an apple.  Julia and Audrey thought it was hilarious the way he chomped at it.

 Lily thought it was particularly hilarious.  Her cheeser grin makes my day.

 The highlight really was the kittens.  Though seeing the animals was a great time, unfortunately for the girls it did not convince me that I need to take any of these animals home.  I'll leave that to the women willing to let the cows roam their lawn.

 Oh the baby kittens!

 Giddy over the kittens!

 We even went and saw the baby piglets.  They were so tiny and cute.

 Max let us know EXACTLY what he thought of those pigs.  Staaaanky.

 There was a baby goat that was to die for sweet.  He was just a few days old.

They were so sweet to share their ranch and animals with us.  It was an experience my girls won't soon forget and I think it is therapeutic to be around so many babies and to interact with different animals.  We were thankful for such a great experience.

Summer is Flying By

How is June nearly over!?  I can't believe how fast the summer goes.  Thankfully it has been a great one thus far.  I am going to have to backtrack a bit so I can get all caught up.

Lily observes her sisters constantly.  Julia is practicing splits in gymnastics and Lily has decided she needs to practice as well.  It makes us laugh so hard when she actually starts yelling, "Ow, ow!"

 Audrey had to get all dressed up in her dance costume for pictures.  She just got her five year old shots before this picture and was so brave.  She tried to hard not to cry and when she did it was just for a second. I was so proud of her.  I just can't believe she's starting kindergarten.

 This is Lily's rockin' pony.  It sings a song and is her very favorite toy.  Sometimes she gets some serious momentum and rockin' pony rocks her right off.  That always gives her hesitation but thankfully she is very forgiving.

 Audrey had her preschool graduation.  I was so thrilled at what a good fit this preschool was for Audrey.  The teachers are so supportive and loving and Audrey always loved going.

 They had a cute little graduation and gave her some presents.  One was a simplified version of bible stories. It has been read several times.  We are reading some of the New Testament as a family and it has actually been a great companion to help the girls understand better.  Her teachers also had a passion for science and Audrey did all kinds of science experiments and kept a science journal.  I was amazed at how much they taught her this year.  It was a great experience.

 Lily came to the graduation with me.

 Audrey's very best friend Olivia.  These two are such great buddies.  They play together all the time and even have a secret handshake.  It was such a blessing to move somewhere and for Audrey to make such great friends so quickly.

 Audrey loved Mrs. Weymouth so so so much.  You can definitely tell in this picture her devotion to her.  Such an amazing teacher.  I don't think there is enough money in all the world to repay those teachers that truly love your children and shape them to be better people.  I feel eternally indebted.

 There was face painting and lots of other activities.  That's the way to do a graduation.  Make it fun.

 Audrey also adored Mrs. Brock.  They made an incredible teaching team.

 Audrey had her dance recital.  You can only imagine her anticipation at wearing this adorable outfit and doing what she loves more than anything.

 She certainly has the posing down!  She did such a great job.  I have seen so much improvement this year.

 Bryan gave me a double jogging stroller for my birthday and couldn't have possibly given me a better gift.  I have used it constantly.  It was such a thoughtful gift.  Lily looks particularly fetching in her footed pajamas and shoes.

 Our roses this year have been absolutely beautiful.

 We've even hit the pool.  Our neighbors have a very nice one and we have enjoyed swimming there a couple of times so far this summer.

 Look at that slide!

 And this cute little face keeps us on our toes.