The Summer Flew By...

We had the best summer! We spent the month of July in Portland, and it was so fun! Bill had to be in China the whole time, so he couldn't come. We missed him!
The hardest part of living in Mississippi is being away from family. We stayed with Rachel and Nathan, and we had so much fun! It was heaven.


Mom got married to Lynn. The wedding was at Black Butte. The grandaughters sang. Henry was the ring-bearer, which he kept reminding me was the most important part of the ceremony.

The Fyes: Bill (in China), Alisa (who is changing her name to Betsy), Henry, Max, Hannah and Charlotte.

The Dossas: Emily, Scott, Sam and Claire.

The Brooksbys: Craig and Windy, Shep, Hadley, Jake, Baker and Birdie.

The Tanners: Rachel and Nathan, Grace, Truman and Lucy.

The Cheneys: Anne and John, Gavin and Cailey.

The Brooksbys: Ben and Julie, Elizabeth and baby-on-the-way.

We saw all our old friends from the neighborhood. We had to have a kickball game for old times' sake.

Our good friends the Kresls organized a trip to Kah-Nee-Tah where we stayed in TeePees. We all did a river trip together, and it was non-stop squirt gun wars.

Aimee came with us to Mississippi Records.
Upset the fruit basket.

Bowling with the McIntoshes.
Hannah and Anna: BFFs.

There is a lot of singing in the Tanner home. They are so musical!

This is what I miss. The everyday little things: watching Lucy dance, helping her pick out her clothes, reading books.

Time-out for Truman. Lucy keeps him company.

Great Wolf Lodge. It was amazing! The kids had so much fun.

The Tornado.



Seeing Laurel and Grandma Brooksby.

Lunch on the grass.

The pool at Black Butte lodge.
Paulina Springs.

The Spruce Goose Museum.
Cannon Beach.

It was over 100 degrees in Portland for days, so everyone headed to the beach. I love the Oregon coast.



Slip and slide at the Dossas.
All the girls.

Charlotte's Gospel Standards

I found this letter in Charlotte's room. Lately Max has been watching old re-runs of the TV show "Family Matters." He thinks the hi-jinks of Steve Erkle are hilarious.

Apparently Charlotte and Heavenly Father disagree.

MAX IS 12!!!

Our Max turned 12 years old last week! It is quite a milestone. Max is one of my favorite people in the world. He is always happy, he has a great sense of humor, he's not moody, he's very helpful, and he is such a kind-hearted kid! I don't think he has ever woken up in a bad mood. I thank him for that.
Max was ordained a deacon and was made first counselor in the Deacon's Quorem. It was so tender to see him pass into this new part of his life! We are so proud of him. He is soooo excited to be in Young Men's now! We gave him a blazer for his birthday, and it was his favorite present. He kept wanting to wear his "tux" (without a shirt) because it is smooth and silky inside.
Hannah stayed up late the night before his birthday and filled up balloons. She almost passed out. I'm still finding little pieces of balloon everywhere.
Max and his friends went to the movies, then came and spent the night. And just to be clear, boys are loud and wild and have no impulse control.
Shinanagans galore.
The Pratts gave Max a tricked-out rocket. Bill, the rocket scientist, spent all morning trying to launch. Finally, we had lift-off. It was awesome.
WE LOVE YOU, MAX!

Happy Birthday Rach!

Today is my sister Rachel's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
I wish I was there to...ceeeelebrate good times, c'mon!

On this day, I pay tribute to Rachel for being:
A best friend,
A fashion consultant,
A therapist,
Someone my kids LOVE,
A fountain of pop culture knowlege,
A light at the end of the tunnel,
A safe place,
A great mother,
A constant support.

My friend describes Rachel by saying that when she smiles, the sun comes out.
Happy Birthday, Rach!

Mother's Day

Since Bill is in China, the kids were in charge of Mother's Day. They wanted to go to Walmart and buy me presents, so I told them to go find the things they wanted to give me, and we would meet at the cash registers where I wouldn't look, but I would give them the debit card to make their purchases.

Here is what they brought:
Max: The DVD Pirates of the Carribean, 3. (He said I have told him this is one of my favorite movies.) And a Cinnabon-scented candle.

Charlotte: The CD from the Hannah Montana movie, and glamorous earrings.

Henry: I saw Henry talking to the lady at the "fine jewelry" counter. He was trying to purchase a diamond encrusted gold locket. I thanked him, but said I don't need such an extravagant gift. In the end, he bought a king-sized Payday bar, and a balloon with roses inside it (pictured above).

Hannah was exempt from the shopping spree because she is gave me the gift of cleaning the house all week, making the Mother's Day dinner, and she painted me a beautiful picture.

It was a great Mother's Day! I love those kids!

St. Louis

Hannah's choir group went to St. Louis last week, and thanks to the Pratts who watched our kids (Bill is STILL in China), I could go as chaperone. It was so fun! They sang right under the Arch.
We went on a riverboat cruise for lunch. The river was flooding, so our boat was the last to go out.
We rode up in the little pods that take you to the top of the Arch where you can look out these little windows.
The next day we went to Six Flags. Hannah and her friends went on every big ride. This is the one that drops you into a free-fall. Blagh.

April Came and Went...

Happy Easter! The eggs were found, the candy was traded, and the peeps were delicious.
We took a trip to the Memphis Zoo, and that was fun.
We looked for Bill in the China exhibit.
Soccer is over. Henry and Charlotte both had unremarkable seasons. Their favorite part is the snack after the game.
Henry was always hovering around the ball, but rarely making contact. He looked busy. We had a great spring thunderstorm that dumped buckets, and then the kids swam in the runoff.
We are already swimming. Every morning we find frogs in the pool. For a while, there would be huge gelatinous masses of frog eggs, too. I gave them all to the Pratts.
The Double Decker Festival was really fun. We spent the day with the rest of the town.
Henry (and his giant teeth) have started Cub Scouts. He is so enthusiastic! We love you, Henry!