New Weekly Updates!

Pa and sweet Fiona

So...

A lightbulb recently went off in my brain, and I realized that when I write my weekly updates for my missionaries, that I should share them here as a way to journal and record the days of our lives.

Therefore, this will be my first weekly update for 2014! I am grateful that my missionaries are keeping me on track with recording our daily lives for future posterity, as well as for the here-and-now.

Looking forward to blogging regularity!

We had a good week, though we missed Lliam and Gavin while they were gone to Stake Encampment from Tuesday to Saturday.

The boys left first thing on Tuesday morning for a big, spirituality-based stake young men's Encampment. I guess they do it every four years in this stake, and it was a pretty big deal. They camped up near Pinetop, doing archery, chopping wood, making rafts, climbing walls, holding nightly devotionals, exploring caves, and eating, and eating, and EATING.

All the Young Men in our ward at Stake Encampment 2014.

They came home on Saturday afternoon COVERED in dirt-- I've never seen boys that dirty-- and little bit sunburned. Lliam was excited to announce that he placed 5th in the entire stake for the stick-pulling contest!!! :-) (Joseph Smith style!) That was very cool!

Bonny did a gorgeous job on Eyn's cake!

Earlier in the week, Bonny taught ballet, and also started back at Jeanne's Dance. The studio here was not meeting her needs, so she's going back to Jeanne's just for the summer. Then, in the Fall, she's hoping to start dancing at ---. We're trying to figure out some carpooling options with that, so we'll see how it goes.

Ronan spent the week as a fish, swimming almost every day at the neighbors. He's getting better and braver, and has been having lots of fun.

Davy likes water, too. His newest trick is to turn on the big garden tub in our bathroom and plug the drain. It scares me to DEATH! He came out of my room sputtering and soaked one day, and so I try to keep our bedroom door shut and locked as much as possible-- which is kind of hard when the baby is napping in her crib in our room, too! :-p Our Davy-boy's guardian angels are going to busy with that boy!!!

Davy-boy loves bath time!

Thursday was a first for me. I had a lovely (not) root canal on my owie tooth, and a new crown put on it. Does this mean I am officially old? Time will tell. I really like our new dentist, and they did all they could to take good care of me. I have lots of work that still needs done, but at least now I can eat foods I haven't been able to eat in ages. The girls were awesome babysitters for Fiona, which was hard, because I had to be gone a LONG time to get all the dental work done. But she survived, somehow!

Saturday morning, I sang at the W---'s funeral. Then, I got home and PA came to see us! Daddy and I took him out to dinner for father's Day, and he liked it a lot. We had a really nice visit! :-) Pa agrees with me that Fiona has quite a lot of Williams in her. He thinks she's beautiful, and joked about taking her home with him. :-)

Pa meeting Fiona for the first time!

Pa has spent the week staying at Ann and Dan's while he was getting poked, prodded, and tested to see if he can donate his kidney to Aunt Ann. He's hoping to know more after the doctors all meet together tomorrow. He wants to get it done and over with, but it may not be another month until the surgery can be done. He asked Lliam to come and be one of his caregivers when he's recovering, and Lliam wants to do it. I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm glad he wants to help Pa.

I can't believe how she's grown!

Saturday was also big because it was ERYN'S BIRTHDAY!!! She had a good day, I think, and Pa got to be there for the festivities. Granna made her a BEAUTIFUL Red Riding-Hood cape, Morganne gave her a sweet storybook, and she also got clothes, little people, and a miniature Snow White's cottage to play with. She and the girls have been playing non-stop ever since. I can't believe our Miss Eryn is really FOUR YEARS OLD!!! :'-(

Russell with tiny Fiona, just after her birth.

Yesterday was a very nice Father's Day for Daddy, I think. He didn't want much, but I think it was okay. He got a nap and we baked him a pastry I had bought from one of the B---' boys. They were selling them for a fundraiser, so I got one for Father's Day. We ended the day watching an episode of the Duggars and going to bed EARLY-- Daddy's favorite thing these days. (Going to bed early, not the Duggars. LOL!)

We love you, we miss you, and we are very pleased with the hard work our two missionaries are doing! We all remember you both in every family prayer. Keep up the good work, and remember that you BOTH are doing the work of bringing souls to Christ!

Thank you for the good you are doing, and for staying close to the Spirit as you serve the Lord in His VERY important work!

Lots of love and hugs,

Mama Rachel