Our Summer... BUSY but FUN!

We have A LOT going on this summer. We always do, but this summer seems particularly busy. But we have some exciting things happening. I want to write it all out, for my sake, to see it all written out in one place. I'm not adding our regular activities like music lessons, karate, scouts and regular church activities.

So here it goes...

May


May 8 - My Birthday :)
May 11 - Melanie's Birthday (which I still need to add pics of)
May 13 - Mother's Day, 24th Wedding Anniversary and WE GOT TO SKYPE OUR MISSIONARIES!!! Best Mother's Day gift ever!!!
May 18 - Brandon's dance party
May 18-20 - Cabin with Cassie, Allen and I
May 20 - Brandon gets on a Greyhound bus for Provo EFY
May 21 - Melanie and Cassie blood work early am
May 23 - Allen takes test in Kingman - Cassie's doctors appointment - My dad's 74th birthday
May 25-28 - Cabin with family
May 26 - Brandon returns and we move him into his apartment in Cedar
May 27 - My dad's birthday party with family - 4:30pm... going to try and make that.... we'll see!
May 28 - Cassie flies out at 4:30pm to England for a month
May 29 - Melanie's doctors appointment at 9:30am

June

June 4-6 - High Adventure - Melanie may be missing this as much as I don't want her to.
June 12 - Driving to Vegas to drop Melanie off at the airport for her Tongan Humanitarian trip
June 14 - Fly out of Vegas for England with Allen, Chris and I
June 16-25 - Have a blast in the UK!!! And maybe head into other parts of Europe!
June 25 - Fly home from England with Allen, Cassie, Chris and I
June 30 - Pick Melanie up at LAX

July


No plans except preparing for my upcoming school year. But I have a feeling it will fill up as well, it usually does. We usually do school year round (at least light school in the summer months) but the kids will be learning a lot from their travels this summer, so that's good enough for me. I'm planning to start school the first or second week of August.

Now that it's written out and some of it has happened already, it doesn't seem as overwhelming. I'm excited for all the traveling, even though it gets a little stressful. But once there, we always have a great time! I'm very excited for Melanie's opportunity to serve the Tongan people. Her group will be adding a bathroom on to a school. They will also be spending 2 days in Fiji (one of my favorite places in the world!) They will be donating books and school supplies to a village out there. She's going to love it!!

Melanie's and Christian's Music Recital

This was Christian's first year of piano. While he's not crazy about it, he knows we think it's important for him to play an instrument, so he's very good about doing it. He doesn't practice like he could but he's promised to do better this coming year.

Melanie has been taking piano for 2 years and voice for 3 and a half years. She loves music and plans to major or minor in it in college.

Both Melanie and Christian took about a year and a half of violin but their teacher moved and we weren't able to find another one so I started Christian with piano.

Christian had 3 short piano pieces he played at the recital. Melanie played 3 piano and sang 3 songs as well. It was an early birthday present for me this year! Chris DID NOT want to play Happy Birthday... he thought it was too babyish, but I said he would be playing it for me and not to worry about what others thought about it.  I love watching my kids developing their talents!

Chris playing The Gift to be Simple

Chris playing Blow the Man Down

Chris playing Happy Birthday

Melanie playing The Entertainer

Melanie singing O Cessate

Melanie playing Amazing Graze

Melanie singing Early One Morning

Melanie playing Over the Rainbow

Melanie singing Far From the Home I Love