Steven gets his wisdom teeth out

 Raising kids can be challenges, but there are definitely rewards. Sarah rewarded us a couple years ago when she got her wisdom teeth out, and it was Steven's turn to entertain. ;) Steven wouldn't let me take a lot of pictures, but he did drive a mean invisible car as we pulled away. 

Sarah gets her mission call to TERESINA, BRAZIL!

 Sarah has wanted to go on a mission for a few years. There were times when she wasn't sure, but made the decision to submit her papers. She met with our Bishop and Stake President on Sunday, January 19th. She gave them an updated picture to include and they were officially submitted the following Thursday on the 24th.  It took a whopping nine days for her call to arrive. We thought maybe she'd want to do something online with family and friends, but she decided to FaceTime us while in the library and open it almost immediately. Mike was at the SIM in Spokane and got something in his eye after she read it. (poor guy) ;) She was so excited to get her call, and we are so excited for her. 

As soon as we got off the phone we all started googling all things Teresina and sending each other texts. It's going to be HOT there, which is almost comical considering that she once got mad at the sun for shining on her. She's going to wilt like a flower until she acclimates to the heat, but it will be good for her. One of her first google searches was AC in Teresina and lucky for her, most places will have it.  There are a lot of teaching opportunities, and there has been a temple announced even though they haven't broken ground yet. 

Sarah starts home MTC on June 23rd and heads to the Sao Paolo, Brazil MTC on July 2nd. Since I'm writing from May 2025 I can report that we submitted her Visa paperwork ASAP and it came fairly quickly. We've gotten her mostly ready with physical things and she took a mission prep institute class to help prepare her spiritually. She meets with a Portuguese tutor in Brazil a couple times a week. We're going to miss her like crazy, but are proud of the decision she's made to serve. 

Random January

 

I made a few nativities for the ward Christmas party, but didn't have them quite ready in time. I love the first Nativity, "Let Mum Rest"

Since we were ordering a new counter in the mud room, we decided to change out the laminate counters in the upstairs loft and basement kitchenette. I like how they turned out. We've been in our house for ten years, so it was time for a few upgrades. 

I've always joked that LA was going to burn, but I genuinely felt bad when it had a horrendous fire, Called the Palisades Fire, burned 23k acres and almost 7k structures. It was devastating. Thankfully, my temple was okay. 

It's been a while since Audrey told me to take a picture of her with one of her peeps, so I had to oblige. 

Mike genuinely likes Sarah's boyfriend David, he just doesn't like the idea of Sarah having a boyfriend. The guy doesn't matter, it's the fact that said guy is hugging and kissing his daughter. Mike would always tell her to break up with him and would ask to borrow her phone so she could dump him. In true Mike fashion, he managed to get her phone and text her BF, "It's over. It's not me, it's you." Mike laughed, and Sarah was horrified! She quickly unsent the message and said it was Steven. (I know, how could she tell an untruth!) ;) Needless to say, she kept her phone away from her dad until she left on her mission. 

Andy loves old film cameras and lets Audrey take pictures when he brings it to Sunday dinner. It's always fun to see what caught her eye. 

100th Day of School

 Each year of Elementary, the students celebrate their first 100 days by dressing like they're 100 or decorating a shirt with 100 items. She made a shirt first and then decided day of to dress like an old lady. I think she nailed it. :) My favorite part was when she brought home an assignment from school where they were asked what they'd look like at 100 and Audrey put that she'd be dead. Such a realist! She cracks us up. 

Happy 17th Birthday Dudeous Maximus!

 This year Steven turned the big 1-7. That is SO close to 18. (Just ask him) ;) Steven started the day with biscuits and gravy and then went to school. (I think. It's now August) 

After school Mike took him and some friends to Top Golf to celebrate. Unsurprisingly, they had a lot of fun. 

After Top Golf, they all came over for an ice cream cake, which has become a tradition for Steven's birthday. 

I tried to get Mike and Steven to recreate this photo, but they were both being lame. It turned out fine, but could have been better. ;) 

Steven his still the Energizer Bunny. He's now capable of sleeping in, but he has a gift for talking. I enjoy our late night gaming talks even though I have no idea what he's talking about. ;) We love him very much and are grateful he's a part of our family. Happy 17th Dude!

Airmen of the Year Banquet

 Mike was nominated as the Field Grade Officer of the year for the Utah Air National Guard. He didn't expect to win it, because the pilots never do, but it was a nice excuse to dress up and have a nice dinner. I'm obviously biased, but Mike has done a lot for his unit and it was nice to see him recognized for all he did. 

Governor Cox was the key note speaker and he started off the evening be thanking "Starley's Mom" for helping him write his talk. We all laughed. (Well, all of us that know about Starley's Mom) 

Erik's Tree part 2

 As I stated in my post about our entry into The Festival of Trees, decorating isn't one of my gifts. Meagan Beard was kind enough to spend an afternoon decorating a smaller tree I bought to be displayed in the living room. I love it! I'm grateful for people that are willing to share their gifts with me. :)