A Visit From Aunt Amber

During the month of August we got to have a visit from Aunt Amber. We haven't had any time to really get to know our new Uncle Josh, so it was so great to have them come to Illinois for a few weeks and spend a bunch of time with us!! It was really hot, but we still found time to play outside. :)

 We also went to a Chiefs Baseball game.

 We got a couple dozen hot dogs (!!!) and wrapped all of the foil into a large baseball of our own.

 It was fun to watch a baseball game that was a little more action packed than the t-ball that Talmage did this summer.

 And we even got our picture taken with the mascot!

 We got to read stories, and Amber and Josh took us to the park for a picnic!! But since Mom didn't come we don't have any pictures of that. But it was our favorite!

 Uncle Josh is an auto mechanic, so the guys spent lots of bonding time in the garage and completely replaced the engine in Daddy's truck, along with a few other parts. It was a big job!

 And who doesn't love a fort in the playroom?

Pioneer Day Celebration

For the 24th of July we got to celebrate Pioneer Day in a way that was really meaningful. We went to Nauvoo, the very place that the pioneers left so many years ago in order to find a new land free from persecution. Kendall's grandparents were here from Utah on a church history tour. They just happened to be in Nauvoo on the 24th, so we drove over and met up with them so that we could show them around a little bit. We took a picnic lunch for everyone.

 Then we went to the Family Living Center, because it was air conditioned.

 The kids got to spend some quality time with Grandpa and Grandma.

 And we went down to the Mississippi River to play for a little while. This is the place where the Pioneers crossed the river at the beginning of their journey.

 Notice the wet butt on Rigdon. This was the highlight of his day, I think.

 The heat made us all a little crazy... :)

 This was also during the Nauvoo Pageant, so they had activities set up in the big open field. We were serenaded,

 and got to ride in / pull a handcart...

 Then we were finally ready for the pageant. We continued our tradition of making popcorn to eat during the pageant. Kendall is down at the end popping the corn at his feet.

It was especially meaningful to spend time with family at this time. Kendall's cousin was in a car accident a few days before with his family. His wife and youngest of 3 sons both died in the accident and it was very tragic. It is so hard to be away from family when things like this happen, and it was nice to be able to have a little family time and a chance to remember Dani Jo and little Zach. The bitter with the sweet. But we count our blessings every day, that we are together and that being sealed in the temple allows us to be together forever, even during separations on this earth. And we are grateful for the Pioneers who sacrificed so much so that we could have the life we have now.

End of Year

During the last week of school, our elementary school put on a parade with all of the students at the school who received a B or better grade in conduct. The parade was planned for a very long time and the kids were SOOO excited about it. When I first heard about it I thought it was just going to be in the halls of the school. But, boy was I wrong!! It was a full-blown parade complete with clowns and fire truck.  So we found a great place to watch the parade from and waited. We look really cool in our sunglasses...

 

 And here comes the parade.

 The principal and secretary sang songs on their own little float.

 There were cheerleaders,

 clowns,

 penant wavers

 basketball dribblers,

 and Avri was a baton twirler.

 They closed down the streets for a few blocks and filled the road! It was really fun.

 One of Avri's best friends since preschool waved to the camera. Hi Campbell!!

 And our neighbor boy, Eric next to Avri's teacher, Mr. Jacobson.

Avri's kindergarten teacher retired this year, so she got a crown and an escort in the parade.

Mr. Jacobson had a difficult job keeping not only a group of boys, but all of their basketballs under control. haha!

And while we are talking about the end of the year, I will go ahead and put pictures from the awards assembly. Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Whetterauer (Avri's teacher and principal) reading off the awards.

 Avri got a medal for the schoolwide reading program. She reached ALL of her reading goals for the year. So that includes number of books read as well as testing accuracy (100%) and grade level.

 She was so humble about it, but I could tell she was really pleased.

 She's such a smart little cookie.

 Back in the classroom with her teacher.

 There was also an end of year concert. It was very cute and well organized. Avri is in the front, near the center here. We had terrible seats and I didn't have the good camera. Oh well. The concert was still fun.

 Two little buddies.

 I also got to attend Avri's field trip to Wildlife Prairie State Park. It was hot, but the kids had a lot of fun looking for all of the animals and things on their checklists and marking them off.

 Waiting in the tiny bit of shade for lunch.

 Even Mr. Jacobson got to sit in the shade for a couple of minutes.

 Avri has lots of little friends. She's a sweet girl.

Avri had such a fabulous year and really thrived in Mr. Jacobson's class. Her reading is amazing, she comprehends more than I could have ever believed, she loves algebra and geometry and writing. She is getting quite fluent in Spanish and can't wait to get older and be able to be involved in the orchestra at school. She's such a smart little girl and we are so proud of her.