Summer has arrived! Busy has also!

It's 90 degrees outside and the air conditioning is on!  Hard to believe that two weeks ago, we were crying over broken tree branches from the four inches of snow we received.

So, aside from graduation excitements, we've had lots of other good stuff happening.  Just fun stuff, getting together with friends and family, gatherings and happenings.

I did not take one single picture of my favorite nephew Jake's fiancee's shower last week.  We had a fun evening meeting her family.  The shower was a "Pantry/Tasting Table Shower".  I've never done anything like this before for a shower, but it worked out really well.  We asked the guests to bring a prepared dish, the recipe, the dry ingredients and something used to prepare or serve the recipe.  Heather received a crockpot, pots, pans, utensils, baking sheets, tons of dry goods to stock their pantry and we all ate some pretty tasty foods!  It was a fun evening!  Loved it!  I'll definitely do that theme again!

This week is my favorite niece Lexi's shower, which will be a "Favorite Things" shower.  Guests bring something that they can't live without for Lexi.  It will be a fun evening. It will be fun for Liza to be here for the shower!  She'll get to see her cousins and aunts at the shower!

Liza has been here almost a week and I'm in heaven, enjoying her company and her girls.  Buddy has already begun working in Arizona, and she came for Grace's graduation, but will be staying until Heather and Jake's wedding this weekend.  Zee is planning on going back with her for a week or two.  She's really busy with YW Girls Camp and has a Youth Conference this week, so that's sort of a conflict... she needs/wants to be in two places at once.

Doug's enjoying the time with the girls so much.  He's so in love with these two little girls and Edie just adores him.  She smiles at him all the time!  Yesterday, he took Aylabelle fishing at a Trout Farm and she caught two fish!  She was sooooo "excycled" (pronounced ex-cy-clid)!  That is my favorite word!  When she got here, she said, "Oooohhhhh, Grammie, I'm so EX-CY-CLID to be here at your house!"  She's precious, through and through!

Edie is totally entertained by her Gramp! 

This was a random photo....I happened to notice in the display case in our foyer today.  I don't know how or why I have missed it, but I noticed our cute son's missionary plaque and wanted to cry!  Not sure if it was tears of joy or missing him or a little of both!  I have really missed him this week.  The week after he transfers or gets a new companion is always hard for me because of the not knowing... is he loving the new area? loving his new companion?  eating?  did he remember to bring everything he owns with him?  Last time, he left his sheets on the bed at his old apartment and had to buy new ones.  The missionaries don't have time to forward left behind items.  I will hear details tomorrow!  YAY!

Liza has just begun feeding Edie babyfood.  She is still breastfeeding.  Last night, she decided to let Edie try a nibble of watermelon.  Oh my!  Edie wanted to grab it and didn't want to let it go!  We all had a great laugh!

Liza took my girls and hers out for a snowcone.  

Aylabelle noticed that they all had tongues that were orange and red and blue.  She'd had a rainbow snowcone. They showed Aylabelle their tongues and she said, "What color is my tongue!?"  They told her it was Rainbow!  She wanted to see, so Zeej took a picture of her and then edited it to show Aylabelle.  She was totally convinced that her tongue was RAINBOW!

This is one happy baby!

Lunch at Beehive Grill

After graduation BBQ.  Kelly joined us for dinner and got to meet her new niece, Edie Ann.  A nice visit for us all.  Kelly also got to "meet" Miki.  Stott has the pix.  I'll post them when I get them.

Grace's Graduation!

 Graduation rehearsal was supposed to be at 7:30 at the USU Spectrum.   However, as Grace was doing her hair at 6:15AM, she got a text from a friend that said it was changed to 9:30.  We checked the school website and saw three different places where it listed rehearsal at 7:30.  Since we live just a few blocks from USU, Grace didn't need to go to Smithfield to get on a bus and ride back here to Logan.  So, we started calling the school to find out what was the deal.  At 7:45, I spoke with someone in the office and they said it was at 9:30.  I asked when it changed and pointed out that the website said 7:30.  The lady said, "I didn't make the change, so I don't know.  But, we are changing the website right now."  Okey dokey then.

The morning became very stressful then.  We had lunch plans at 11:30. I called the school and asked what time they'd be back to SV and was told noon.   At 11:35, assuming that they'd be loading the busses then, I went to the Spectrum to see if they were done and was surprised, along with the busdrivers, to be told that they'd be another hour.  Grace called me about that time and said, "This is taking forever and we are supposed to be in a restaurant eating right now!"  I told her to look up at the top of the spectrum, where I was standing.  She grabbed her stuff and we left. She said that they'd gone through the whole program three times!  



We were at lunch at Beehive Grill at noon and then back home by 2 for her to get ready and be back to the spectrum to march with the class onto the floor.  We felt sad for the kids who'd ridden the bus because they had to ride a bus back to the school in Smithfield, then get home and ready and back to the Spectrum in Logan by 2:30.  SV students all live at the north end of the valley.  We guessed that there were some pretty intense "HURRY UPs!" when kids got home to get dressed!  I don't know what the deal was but this whole week seemed to be a bunch of mistakes!  Thankfully, we only had a two minute drive to get in and out and be there for the festivities to begin.  I even had time for pix before we left!

Grace the Graduate

She did it!

Grace felt really bad for the kids who had come to rehearsal in pajamas and ponytails, and who wouldn't have time to get beautiful for the biggest day of their lives!

Walking into the Spectrum

Grinning from ear to ear and so excited!

 We all waved and cheered for her!

She'd chosen really cute but very tall platform shoes and was so nervous that she'd trip on the stage.

We told her to curtsie, take a bow and keep moving if she did.  She even practiced her curtsie.

She's next!

  Receiving her empty folder for diploma.  She'd actually received the real thing two days before, thanks to a good friend working in the office.

I would love to know what she was thinking...I did it! or I didn't trip!  

It's over!  Let's get this party on the road.

Aylabelle handed her flowers from Doug.

Hugs from Big sister

Hugs from friends... that's Megan, who lived in our ward in Smithfield.

So excited!!!

Liza and the girls.  The girls did great during the eternally long graduation.  522 graduates takes a lonnnnnnnng time.

And her baby sister had to have hugs.  We really missed Quayd.

Jayden and Grace.  Jayden is Miki's big brother.  Grace and Jayden have played together and been "Cousins" since they were in first grade.

It was soooooo hot!  But, her beauty didn't melt.

She really was thrilled to be officially done.  I could sense her disbelief that it was finally, really and truly official!  

Once we were back home, she was much  ore relaxed and chill about it all.  We took more pix, then got comfy and had a barbecue.  A great way to end a stressful, exciting, fun, crazy, busy, long day!  

Truly, we are so proud of Grace for this major accomplishment in her life!  We can't wait to see what lies ahead for her!!

Stott took some awesome pix and I will share his later.  

Grace's Graduation Week!

What a interesting week we have had in preparation and celebration of Grace's exciting graduation! Liza and the girls arrived on Tuesday and will be with us for twelve wonderful days.  We've been doing all sorts of fun things to celebrate, after a very stressful final week of school for Grace.

The celebrating began with Grace's LDS Seminary Graduation, last Sunday night, signifying her completion of four years of attendance in Seminary, as well as reading the Standard Works...the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. That's a huge accomplishment of which we are most proud!

We enjoyed shopping for new clothes for graduation and then getting her graduation photos taken.  I loved doing that!  Another post!

Grace's senior year has been challenging in several ways.  Socially, she's had a rough time.  Her friends were seniors last year, so this year, she was sort of left on her own.  She is friendly, but she is very shy.  So, this year, she's not really had a "Best Friend" at her school, just lots of "acquaintances".  Bella was very challenging because, although she was in the Presidency, there were Juniors with "strong" personalities who came in and ruled the house.  Grace, being Grace, just stepped back and let them do their thing.  She even opted to not go on the big trip to San Francisco over Spring Break, because she knew that she would just feel "awkward".  She has done a little dating, but not much.  So, it's been hard.  She was asked to Senior Prom by a boy who then said, "Never mind, I'm asking someone else." and THEN was turned down by the other girl, so he came back to Grace and said, "Yeh, let's go."  At that point, Grace said, NOT!!!  As I say, she's had a rough senior year.  Doug and I have shed our own tears watching her get hurt.  It's been so hard for my red personality to not call a few parents, especially "prom boy" and tell his dad, "You are doing such a wonderful job of raising a jerk!"  But, I refrained.

SO.  Suffice it to say, we are extremely proud of Grace for holding her head high, suffering through this last year and hanging in there with dignity and grace.  I've counted the days until she could toss that hat into the air and be done with high school and move on into a new world!

Grace's last time walking into the High School as a student!

Sadly, her last week was probably one of the hardest.  On yearbook day, her last day of school, Grace was informed that she still owed fees, which she did NOT.  There was a fee for a $4.01 book for a class that she'd taken her sophomore year, but a book that she'd never even heard of, that was mistakenly added to her list.  I spent four hours calling the school, after getting a text from her telling me that they wouldn't give her her yearbook until this fee was paid.  I called and called the school getting voice messages because everyone was too busy checking out the students to answer the phones.

Grace spent hours in lines trying to work things out and it was 2 in the afternoon before I could get to the school in person and clarify that this was a mistake on their part.  The finance lady apologized and said that yes, she'd goofed up.  I was not amused and I made that clear, firmly but kindly, as she handed Grace her yearbook at 2:15, after every other Senior in the school had already left hours before, that her mistake meant Grace how has a yearbook without one single signature and no one left there to sign it.  The woman's response, "Well, she can take it to Lagoon tomorrow."  Seriously!?, because everyone wants to carry a yearbook around an amusement/waterpark all day long.  AND GRACE WASNT EVEN GOING TO LAGOON!  Nope, we were not happy.  As a matter of fact, I think I cried for her more than she cried herself.  We walked out of the school, both of us in tears, and she said, "Well, this day pretty much sums up my senior year.  It sucked."  AMEN!

It was at that point that Zeej shared that, while I was talking to the finance secretary, the other finance secretary-in-training, sat there mocking me with little facial gestures, repeating every word I was saying, with "Nee-nee-neee-nee-neee" voice and rolling her eyes.  She looked up and saw Zee standing there and said, "May I help you with something?" not realizing that Zee was my daughter.  Zeej gave her a crusty glare and said, "SERIOUSLY????" and walked around to where I was talking with the other secretary and Grace was finally getting her yearbook.  She was livid and shocked to see an adult acting like a five year old.  Zee's RED personality was showing!  "Seriously, Mom!  What adult acts like that!!!  IN FRONT OF STUDENTS!!?!?!?!?" She continued, "ANNNNNND she didn't even blend her eyeshadow!!!!  I mean, Seriously!!!!"  This was almost comic relief to the tears that Grace and I were sharing, as we walked to the car.

We hopped in the car, stopped at Sonic for Happy Hour and as we drove past the theater, I pulled in and said, "Let's drown our sorrows and calm our souls with popcorn!"  We bought tickets and sat down in the middle of previews to watch Everything, Everything.  Both girls have just read the book and they were thrilled to see it together.  I noticed Grace tearing up a few times that night, when the yearbook came up.  SO frustrating!

On Wednesday, Lagoon Day for the Seniors, Grace opted not to go and to spend the day with me. Liza and the girls had arrived for graduation, but I'd already told her to make plans with a friend so that I could spend the day with Grace.  We woke up and raced out the door for pedicures.  Grace got glow-in-the-dark mint green toes (her favorite anything is MINT!) and then we raced to grab lunch before going to see Pirates of the Carribean.  We loved the movie (Zee and I saw it opening morning, so it was my second time and I loved it better this time!) then we went shopping for shoes and a few other things and made an afternoon Sonic Run before coming back home.  When we had family prayer that night, Grace said that it had been a perfect day.  She was glad that she chose "us" over Lagoon.  A happy mom moment for me!

It really was a rough ending for Grace's high school senior year, but we made the best of it.  She is really and truly so glad to be done!  Grace started attending the YSA ward a bit ago and is really enjoying it and the opportunity to make some new friends that are older and a bit more mature.

Grace has felt a bit overwhelmed about graduating.  She's so not ready, yet she is so done.  She isn't ready because she isn't sure what she wants to do with her life yet.  She's not registering for college yet because she's considering an LDS Mission.  We are sooooo not pushing her.  Missions are HARD!  And I, personally, think missions are even harder for girls!  Just sayin'.  We have talked about it and with all that we have on our summer schedule, we have decided that she isn't going to have to make any decisions till the end of summer.  I don't even want the girls to work this summer. So, we will spend our summer hosting bridal showers, decorating for a wedding, planning YW Girls Camp and making memories.  Fall will be soon enough for jobs and decisions and getting serious about life.  We want her to take some time to make her own decisions.    In the meantime, we will enjoy our time together!

Grace's graduation pix!

I am not a fan of fall graduation photos because by summer, when graduation actually takes place, quite often, the senior is a totally different person!  So, we waited for spring to come.   However, we didn't anticipate that I'd be sporting a new shoulder or that we'd have the winter that made history, leading to a flooding spring.  So, we have put off Grace's senior photo shoot for an extra two months.  Lifting the camera to my eye is still very painful.  Every time we've made a plan, we've had a great thunderstorm or even snow storm.  So, last weekend, we finally got our great weather, I cowboyed up and we did it!

Doug hauled a chair out of ZJ's bedroom and off we went for a Logan Canyon adventure on the first opening weekend of camping for the year.   We went to two campgrounds that I knew had wonderful waterfalls and backdrops, but the campgrounds were full!  This has been quite a dangerous month, with the death of several people, including a two year old and a four year old and her mother and a stranger, who jumped into the river, trying to save her.  After a few trips through campgrounds and driving through the canyon, watching the raging waters, I decided that river pictures were not worth the risk and we went, instead, to the mountain top!

Grace looked absolutely breathtaking.  The scenery was spectacular.  The weather was perfect.  It all added up to some wonderful pix of Grace for her Senior Graduation Announcement what will end up being mailed two days after her graduation.  Here are several of my favorites!

That's the river down below a few hundred feet and that was close enough for us!

This was one of my favorites because it captures her "Sweetness" so much!

This one reminds me of a glamour shot we had taken of Kelly when she was sixteen.  Grace is quite naturally glamourous.

She said her dress was a "hippie dress", which is so not her personality, but we both fell in love with it when we saw it...the first one she chose.  She did try on three others and didn't even want to continue shopping because this one was "perfect".  I hope we have that easy of a time when time comes to find a wedding gown!  I also hope that's far far away in a different galaxy time wise!

As much as I love all of the pix of Grace, this one was my favorite!  My girls do love their daddy!  Grace still calls him "daddy", which melts my heart! 

When the wind picked up, we loved the cool breeze but also the fun shots we got!

Again, this is Grace!

Her Zen pose.

The "I'm excited to be free of high school" look!

Natural beauty... background and subject!  (Not that I'm biased.)

We do love this girl!

This was Grace giving me some "Sass"!

She was leaning backward downhill and trying not to roll over backwards, so that was a natural smile, or even more, a trying not to laugh!

 And, finally, the announcement! 

 We could not be any prouder of this sweet girl and all of her hard work to be who she is today!