The Wedding is Here!!

HOORAY!! The day has finally come that I get to see my older brother, Chris, marry the girl he has been waiting for all his life. He has waited so long to find the right girl, and now that I see him with Annette, I know they were meant for each other. They both just smile from ear to ear when they are with each other. They compliment each other so well. They look great together. I am so happy for both of them & only hope for the happiest days & years to come--also a few babies, too. =)
Their wedding was beautiful! They were married in the Boise Temple & the ceremony was so touching. A lot that was mentioned focused on families & how we each have specific roles, but we also need to work together. It was wonderful to see Chris & Annette next to each other. It was hard to hold back the tears. The feeling there was special & everyone was touched by it.
Congratulations Chris & Annette!! You are a wonderful couple & I am so happy to have Annette join our family. Chris is lucky to have found you--I'm glad you both decided to talk to each other while standing in line at the Singles Conference. What a miracle!!!

Prepping for the Reception

The wedding is this week & we are busily getting ready for Chris & Annette's reception this weekend. The lists are long of things to do & we are trying our best to cross off as much as we can. Up to this point, most of the work has been phone calls & appointments to decide on how the reception will look. This week, a lot of the work is cleaning & preparing for the day. My mom has worked so hard to make this a special day for Chris Annette-I know she is way beyond tired, but she just keeps going. I don't know how she does it!!
The siblings that live here have been filling in & helping out where we could--yard work, running errands, getting pictures, food, cleaning, etc. Today, most of the day was food prep & decorating the yard. We even had people making a concoction of green food coloring & water to color areas of the grass that had those stubborn brown spots. Why do they always show up when there is a big event? I wish I had more pictures, but there was so much to do that taking pictures was not on my mind much.
My parents have the most incredible, beautiful yard. I didn't appreciate it growing up, but it is just amazing!! No wonder all the kids wanted their receptions there. Everything has been turning out just beautiful & if we just keep our fingers crossed & hope for no wind then the night should be perfect.

Jon, my brother, hanging lanterns in the trees

Jake getting the pool side ready to attach floating flower bouquets

Chris with Brooklyn the night before his wedding--no nerves, just excited!!

Jake & Andrew, my youngest brother, working on getting the flowers centered in the pool

Here's to 41 YEARS!!

My amazing parents celebrated their 41st anniversary today!! What a wonderful example they have been to me in so many ways. They have had the ups & downs of life just as anyone else, but handle things with such grace & class. You can see the love & respect they have for each other continues to grow over the years--I hope Jake & I can continue to learn from them & keep our marriage strong like they have done. Happy 41st Anniversary, Mom & Dad. I love you so much!!

My Dad is not a fan of getting his picture taken. I had to take this one without them knowing.

Banana Splits at Grandma & Grandpa's House

We were all invited over to my parents' home to have banana splits and help hang white christmas lights for the reception that will be this weekend. We got there & had the lights done fast--there were 9 adults plus my parents so the job wasn't too hard. Once we got that done, we headed in for banana splits. The kids were so excited!! All the ice cream, bananas, toppings were set out & the kids eyes were just popping out of their heads. It was a fun Family Home Evening.

Back to School!!

Two of my favorite days of the year are the 1st & last days of school. I love it when my kids are going to be home for the summer & then by the end of the summer break I am ready for our lives to be back on a schedule. The 1st day of school gets us back in order & less chaotic. The kids are ready for it, too. It's fun to go clothes shopping, get the school supplies, find out who the new teachers are & then finally get to meet them. So much anticipation!!
Melissa started 6th grade this year at Heritage Middle School. She was so nervous about finding her classes, being able to open her locker & meeting new friends. I think her biggest challenge will be getting up & out the door on time so she doesn't miss the bus. 6:30AM comes real early each morning. I know this will be a great year for her--lots of growing up & fun activities to do. You'll do great Melissa!!

Brittany is going into 4th grade & her teacher is Mrs. Spenner. She was so excited to find out she got the teacher she wanted & her best friend, Alex, is in her class. Mrs. Spenner told her they would be raising trout this year & that made everything perfect for Brittany.
Nicole is in 1st grade & her teacher is Mrs. Davison. Nicole has been very nervous to start this year. Going all day doesn't seem to bother her, but going into the lunchroom is scary--she doesn't want to talk to the lunch ladies. After a few times I'm sure she'll be fine. She also told me that she is used to her teacher last year & so is nervous to have someone new this year. After she met Mrs. Davison last week, Nicole had some of her fears go away & decided that Mrs. Davison seemed really nice & funny.
The girls cousin, Caden, started Kindergarten & Brittany & Nicole are excited to have him ride the bus with them & see him at school now. I think they will all have a great year. Lots of friends to meet, days full of art, new things to learn--good luck & have lots of fun Girls!!

First haircuts

Jake's parents came into town & we decided to take the girls to get the hair cut. None of them have gotten their hair cut by someone else but me, so this was something new for them. Brittany was very excited--she had been waiting for months to do this. Nicole was excited, but I wasn't ready for her to cut her hair too short yet. She was only getting a trim. Allie was nervous & wanted to watch her sisters first. When she went back, she sat so good in her chair & was very happy at the end when she saw the results. She ended up with the biggest change out of all of them & she looks so cute with her new style. Brooklyn has no idea what was going on, but once the wrap was put on her she lost it & started crying. She had a sucker in her mouth, but it made no difference. She cried & cried until we started talking about getting a balloon & then she started to calm down. It made quite an impression on her cause anytime she hears the word hair she will start staying haircut over & over until you ask her if she got her haircut & she says "yes". I have a feeling they are going to want to go back every time now for their haircuts.

Stuffing envelopes

We were invited over to Chris' house to help stuff the wedding announcements into envelopes. They were so nice to provide pizza & ice cream (I always enjoy a night not having to cook dinner). It went pretty well most of the night. We tried real hard to keep it orderly and we all wore gloves to keep our fingerprints off the picture. I think Chris & Annette are so glad to finally have the announcements in the mail. It won't be long until the day is here--August 30th!!

Melissa's first surgery

Melissa has had the most enormous tonsils I have ever seen. She has shocked many doctors & nurses at how big they were. We finally scheduled to have them taken out. She was looking forward to it for a long time, but when the day actually came she was really nervous. We had to be at the hospital at 6 AM, but I never know why we have to be there so early cause we sit around & wait for so long. We didn't go back to her pre-op room until 7 AM. This is where the nerves really set in. She was so nervous about getting the IV. Once the nurse came in Melissa was just waiting to see the needle. The nurse was amazing & she had a great sense of humor. She kept Melissa calm as she talked Melissa through the whole thing. Melissa held my hand & we talked about the upcoming school year to keep her mind off what the nurse was doing. It didn't take very long & Melissa couldn't believe how easy it was & how she hardly felt anything. Once the IV was in, she was so much more relaxed. Now her biggest concern was how much pain she would be in after the surgery.

Melissa was so proud of herself after she got the IV put into her hand. She was so scared, but once it was over & she realized it didn't hurt too much she felt like she could do anything.

Melissa with her cap on & ready to head into the surgery room. It was weird to see them take her off & we had to just watch her go, but I was glad she seemed ok & not too scared. They wheeled her off at 7:45 AM & I figured we'd see her soon after the surgery was over. We were told it would only take 15-20 minutes. We waited until 9 AM before they called us back to see her. I was never concerned, but curious as to why it took so long.

We finally got to see Melissa in recovery. She was awake & sitting up in her chair eating ice chips. She looked great & relieved to have it over. We waited while the nurse had us sign papers & talk about her meds & I thought the doctor would come back & talk to us about the surgery. He never came. It was really weird. He said a quick hello before surgery & that was it. There was no telling us that everything went ok and there is no follow up. I understand that it's an outpatient procedure, but just weird that you never see the doctor again. Interesting way of doing things.
Melissa has done so great with recovery. She has had a hard time eating (totally understandable), but she hasn't complained at all. She has handled it very well & just keeps hoping the next day will be easier than the day before. Melissa, I am very proud of you & you have been so brave!! I hope you feel better soon. I love you!