This week has been full of family, and we love it! ❤ 

Joshua was helping Emma with her big move, so we got to spend some time with Ben.  He was patient while I finished some yard work, but after I got cleaned up, he was more than ready to "do something more fun" 😃.  It was just a little after lunch time, so I asked if he would like to get something to eat, and he didn't hesitate to suggest IHOP.  I couldn't remember the last time I had been there so that's where we went, and I have to say that I had a delicious omelet filled with spinach, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes. 

Ben, on the other hand, had 2 chicken strips, 2 eggs, and 4 slices of bacon, and he ate every bite!

He also loved dipping his bacon into maple syrup - does anyone else do that?  It was new to me 😀. After we ate he asked if we could go to the mall to look for a new astronaut t-shirt. I told him we would probably have better luck at Old Navy - but we didn't - so he asked again if we could go to the mall.  Once we got there, he made a beeline for Baskin Robbins.  So he got a little ice cream, and a small toy from the toy store, and then we headed back to the house where Angella had stopped on her way home from working in Denver. We weren't home for more than 5 minutes when he pulled out the Rummikub game and we taught Angella how to play.  Josh and Emma stopped by to pick him up shortly after, and it was so nice to visit with them for a few minutes also.  A great way to start the week, and yes, I went to bed early that night -

TIP OF THE WEEK ~

Also came from Ben - As I was finishing the yard work, Kim called so I sat down on the steps in the garage to talk to her, and Ben opened the door so he could lean over my shoulder and see Kim.  She was trying to decide the best way to dye her white dress pink, and Ben very seriously told her the best way to dye her dress pink would be to put it into the washing machine with a red shirt, and just like that, it would come out pink! 😂  Thanks, Ben - I think we have probably all done that before (by mistake, of course).

I LOVE 8-YEAR-OLDS!

 Sayre has been learning Spanish on Duolingo. Hoping he can teach me some when he is here in a couple of weeks. 

 

AND - he invented "brulunchder." Brunch is a combination of Breakfast and Lunch.  Sayer made his own meal and it had food from every meal - therefore, brulunchder.  Wouldn't it be great if we could just cook and eat once a day????

 Thursday, Angella and I went to the Temple.  We had the nicest time - no traffic going or coming home, just a relaxed time to be there - to focus and ponder on those things that are most important to us. Paul had gone with some friends and we just happened to be in the same session, so I got a Celestial Room hug from him. I am so happy that he likes to be there too -

  Lily was my partner on Friday.  She went with me to help clean out Helma's bedroom closets.  Wow! The majority of her clothes we left hanging because they are really high quality (though maybe a little outdated) and Donna wants to take them to a consignment shop.  In spite of that, we still filled up two huge leaf and lawn sized bags with sweaters, shirts, more sweaters, fuzzy pants and tops, and bathrobes. We filled up another bag with shoes. Donna's boys loaded them in the back of our car, and Lily and I took them to a Catholic thrift store that uses their profits to support retired nuns. After we dropped the clothes off, we had to do a little shopping of course.  We both came home with some fun things and stopped at Dutch Bros for a lemonade (one energy, and one not) and might just make a repeat of it this coming week.  Actually, Lily was a great help in sorting and bagging up the clothes, and Donna needs all of the help she can get. She has such a hard time breathing here and the sooner they can get the house cleaned out, the sooner she can moved back to Tennessee, and a lower elevation.

Adam brought his crew over yesterday, and they worked so hard pulling weeks, putting down some weed barrier, and covering it with mulch. Thanks so Paul who spent time during the Summer with his friends working in the landscape business.  They all worked so hard, and even Jake didn't stop after hauling bags of mulch to the backyard.

Thanks so much for all of your hard work! We love it so much ❤

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MIKE THIS WEEK!

 He is such an amazing brother, husband, father, papa, uncle, and friend.  We love you Mike!

SUNDAY SELFIE ~

 This is Ben, before and after Church (notice where the tie is 😁)

REMEMBER GRAMMIE CAMP? 

Cory sent me this photo when she was over yesterday - How I miss those days . . .

AND FINALLY - I think this might be me 😊

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  PLEASE SEND ME PHOTOS AND STORIES OF YOUR ADVENTURES AND MIRACLES THIS WEEK ❤

 Today in Primary, we talked about the miracles performed by Elisha, the miracles of the Savior, and miracles we see everyday in our lives.  One of my favorite stories has always been one shared by the survivors of the Willie-Martin Handcart Company who felt the presence of angels helping them push their carts during the harshest of conditions. 

President Russell M. Nelson has taught that our God is a God of miracles. "The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, doubting nothing. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith."  Many of you have witnessed miracles, more than you realize. They may seem small in comparison to Jesus raising the dead. But the magnitude does not distinguish a miracle, only that it came from God. 

 I have always said that Sayre is our "miracle baby", because Kate and Jonathan didn't think they would be able to children, and then 10 years after they were married they were blessed with this beautiful little guy.  But then today, I was thinking really all of you are miracles in our lives - you were wanted and prayed for, you have beautiful bodies and spirits, and we consider. you to be special gifts from Heavenly Father.  

You each have a special place in our hearts.

You are special to our Heavenly Father and to our Savior.  You are all at places in your lives where the choices you make will determine your future.  Remember how much you are loved, stay busy with good things, recognize your parents for the many sacrifices they have made for you, be happy, and above all, find joy each day ❤

  

FAMILY NEWS ~

I think EVERYONE has had a busy week!  

Angella and girls have been busy with work. Emma is moving tomorrow to a home in Fountain.  Even though we don't get to see her too often, I will miss not having her closer. 

Eilis stopped by for a short visit this week - She brought Jacob along and we had a fun lunch at Mod Pizza.  We also got to see Ben for a few minutes this week.  He has grown so much over the last couple of months, and is so much fun to have around.

 We are excited that he and Sayre will have some time to spend together when Kate comes later this month.  We are hoping for a trip to Santa's Workshop and time they can spend on their devices together. 

Blythe, Grant, and Spencer are all busy working this summer.  Max is still working at the MTC, however, he spent this past weekend in Atlanta with Amelia and her parents. 

Kim and Chris are busy getting ready for Max and Amelia's wedding (and finding a pink dress for Kim).  

We are excited, and know it will be a wonderful day❤

Sayer finished soccer this week by scoring four goals!  He is hoping that he might bet to kick the ball around with Jake when he is here. 

He talked Kate into helping him fish in the canal that runs behind their house this week.  They got the corn on the hook, and Kate said it took less than 3 minutes and he caught a fish, and then had the trauma of getting the fish unhooked.  Jonathan wasn't home, so a neighbor offered to help.  They put the fish in the water while they were waiting for the neighbor to bring some pliers, and when they pulled the fish out it had swallowed the hook. They cut the line, and gave the poor fish an honorable farewell 😢

Fishing is just not as easy as Jake makes it sound . . . 😂

 Adam, Cory, Paul, Lily, and Jake left with their trailer Thursday afternoon for a few days in the mountains.  Once school starts Adam and Cory are always so busy, I'm glad they get this chance to enjoy some family time before Paul leaves on his mission. And it looks like they are having a wonderful time -

Adam said that one day they went on a hike and Milo was so tired, he had to lay down in the stream to cool off.  ❤  AND watch out world Jake is driving 😳 👇

FINALLY - this has always been a favorite video of Lily, which Kim calls the "birth of an influencer"

Well, today, Lily decided to give us a 2026 version 😂. Love you Lily!

It is getting late, and I haven't had my Sunday ice cream yet 😁 (it really doesn't look like this) 

JiChan and I love hearing from you - your adventures, your challenges, things that make you happy, or things that frustrate, lessons learned (good or bad), or just what's going on in your life. Please keep us up to date, and send photos, after all, we are making history here.

Love you! ❤

 It looks like everyone found a fun way to celebrate the 4th of July -Thanks so much  for all of the photos!!

 

 

It looks like Spencer started the day watching Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.  I checked it out, and just in case you were curious, it looks like the winner ate 60 hotdogs 😖 

 Eilis went camping with some friends, and thankfully the weather cooperated - We had sunny days with just a little bit of breeze for the last couple of days.

Max and Amelia enjoyed a BBQ, and then it looks like they made it to the Stadium of Fire! 🔥

Do you all remember when we were home one summer and went to the Stadium of Fire?  We saw the Flying Elvi (pronounced elv-eye) and Huey Lewis and the News. 😁 And you all know I don't do heights, and our seats were almost as high as they could go - so I left you all and a really nice stadium official let me sit on the stairs the went right on to the field.  Best seat in the house!😊

 Mike and Barbi headed down to Ramona for their 4th of July parade and festivities, and will be attending the San Diego Temple open house. 

 That is another thing I have on my want-to-do list.  When Dad retired and we spent a few days in LA with his friend Clyde, we made a day trip to San Diego, saw the Temple, sat in lounge chairs and had a Pepsi at the Hotel Del Coronado, on Coronado Island, and ate dinner in Old Town. 

 I need a few more days there to attend a Temple session, go back to the Hotel Del, tour the Midway, and visit the Mormon Battalion Historical site.  Sounds like fun, right???

 😂 Ok, Grant and Jordin (I am assuming that is Jordin) win 1st place for the eagle costume. Did she wear that for work? or a parade?  Super patriotic, I love it!!

Kate, Jonathan, and Sayre kept cool in their community swimming pool. 

 

And then we have our other sun worshipers, Adam and Paul. Adam, Cory, Samantha, Paul, and Jake drove to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri for a family vacation with all of Cory's family, including Cory's sisters, husbands, and all of the kids (and Paul and Cheryl). They drove home today, and I'm guessing they are exhausted 😴. 

 Dad and I went with Melanie and Dave, and Cathy. to see Young Washington. It was so, so good! I have always loved American history, and fascinated with stories of our founding fathers, the Revolutionary War, and Civil War, their leaders, and strategies.  I may need to add another trip to my list - Virginia, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Independence Hall, Valley Forge, Gettysburg . . .😁. We finished our day with a visit to In-N-Out, and then came home and took the dogs for a walk. 

We are so blessed to live in a country where we enjoy the freedoms and liberties that many people in the world do not.  Despite all of the negative news, and the sad examples of so many of our politicians (on all sides), we do live in a place set aside by our Heavenly Father where the gospel could be restored and everyone is free to worship how they like.

   HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!